January 2009
27 posts
1 tag
lesbian separatists in Alabama →
2 tags
keep letting judges tell off cops
“You have selected me to fight police misconduct?”
If cops get evidence illegally (the Times uses the term “unlawfully” but I decline to follow their lead on that) then the judge won’t let it into the courtroom. This is called the Exclusionary Rule. The Supreme Court is chipping away at it.
The Exclusionary Rule makes it judges’ job to keep police departments...
“Most of the activity the [anti-gay] plaintiffs called harassment was actually...”
– Judge: Anti-gay marriage donors must be public.
4 tags
Wall Street bonuses are not spilled milk
Wall Street bonuses suck! But the government can’t do anything about it, says the Times. Really?
Half the TARP funds haven’t been released yet, and that probably won’t be the end of taxpayer funded capitalism. Can’t we just deny organ donations to any bank that paid bonuses in 2008? With an exception for banks who make good by clawing back some percentage of the bonuses...
death wish
Suicide’s rising among soldiers, says the Times.
Being in Iraq all the time doesn’t cheer people up, and the article focuses on that. But it glides past this: “35 percent of those who killed themselves had never deployed.”
Does the army attract suicidal people? They either join because they’re escaping something, or because combat is a great way to die…
2 tags
indoor prostitution
Have you heard of Indoor Prostitution? It is a real term in Rhode Island, where the prositution statute has a loophole. It only bans streetwalkin.
2 tags
“John was always gracious, warmly funny, kind, and bemused—and of course very...”
– One of many idiotic memories of John Updike shared on the New Yorker book blog by famous writers (this one is Joyce Carol Oates). Hey New Yorker, maybe famous writers don’t always have stuff to say?
Losing Harvard's Billions →
Harvard gets an A+ in following the same investment strategy as everyone else.
“This is William Kristol’s last column.”
– http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/opinion/26kristol.html?hp
still no sex, drugs, or money in the NY senate...
Following the Paterson-Kennedy snafu piecemeal has been like watching a David Lynch movie drunk (it’s been hard). Here’s a straightened out narrative from Chris Smith. It narrows the drama down to one question, I think— why the first leak of Kennedy’s withdrawal happened, even though it hurt both sides.
Smith’s timeline of the Wednesday in question:
At 3 pm...
the future is slow
Just saw a commercial on CNN for dial up internet. The pitch was:
Who cares about speed? Saving money is better.
If everyone in the country used dial up, that would save them millions of dollars per year (aggregate).
Unfortunately the website uses a different campaign, so I can’t get you exact quotes. But hey! Weird right?
my brother, age 20, is applying for a passport
Keenan: What's Grandma's maiden name?
Answer: Keenan.
“whereas Mr. Bundy murdered people, Mr. Madoff murdered wallets, bank accounts...”
– http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/25bernie.html?pagewanted=4
“if boomers are asked to specify when old age begins, they will typically answer...”
– http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/fashion/25winerip.html?ref=style
2 tags
no water at Subway
For at least a few months, Subways all over the city have been refusing to give away (or sell at the cost of a cup) tap water.
Each time I’ve asked for it a manager has gotten involved and said “we don’t do that anymore.” When I ask why not, I’m told to buy bottled water and surliness has happened (on both sides). Then I’ve either badgered them into giving me...
2 tags
"Whether or not a prisoner is still at Gitmo often... →
“In his legal opinions, Chief Justice Roberts has altered quotations to conform...”
– Steven Pinker
2 tags
labor law
A nice overview and story about labor law is here. Rite Aid shoves around workers; a bill pending in congress (EFCA) would help.
T.A. Frank is too moderate, though. EFCA would only modify existing labor law. But our labor law— the NLRA, mostly written in 1935— needs to be totally overhauled.
The point of the NLRA is to make contract negotiations— not contracts themselves—...
dog whistle
Rick Warren’s speech yesterday wasn’t even pan-Christian; it was Protestant. When he read the Our Faither, he added the fairy tale-esque “For Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory, forever and ever.” Catholics don’t.
The only other way I can think of to snub Catholics in an upbeat Christian speech is to praise divorce.
Inauguration Speech Flaw →
Last post in my old blog. Argument:
“Right now we should redistribute the wealth we do have, not pretend to create more wealth.”
2 tags
“The young clerks pay enormous premiums; drudge on, for several years, as...”
– Elihu Smith on the legal profession, in 1796.
Very Attractive European Type Egg Donors Wanted →
Posted on craigslist under “nonprofit sector jobs.”
4 tags
“We headed down Christopher Street, the main drag of the Village west of Seventh...”
– Ladies’ Man by Richard Price, published in better days (1978).
1 tag
3 great new albums streaming: Springsteen, Animal... →