Star Trek Meets Monty Python

War Between China and the United States

It wouldn't go well for America.

The Costs of Immigration

Art Carden writes:

According to the Center for Immigration Studies (via the Federation for American Immigration Reform), state government spending on welfare for immigrants is $11-$22 billion through programs like TANF. A report by the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that the Federal Government spend some $26.3 billion on services for illegal immigrants in 2002. These immigrants paid about $16 billion in taxes, leaving us with a net cost of about $10.4 billion (these are their numbers; I know $26.3-$16=$10.3, but there’s rounding error).

Let’s bias this number upward. We’ll take the high estimate of state spending ($22 billion) and assume that the $26.3 billion is all costs. Add them together and we get $48.3 billion. Let’s round it up to $50 billion and assume that there are no offsetting benefits. According to the website www.usgovernmentspending.com, state, local, and federal governments spent almost $5 trillion in 2007. Even if the money spent on welfare for immigrants had no offsetting benefits, it’s about 1% of government spending in 2007.

This is not meant to be precise: the numbers are from several different years, and the calculations are only to get a sense of the magnitude of government spending on immigrants relative to government spending on everything else. Even if you double this crude estimate of the amount being spent on immigrant welfare, you’re up to 2% of 2007 government spending. Compared to the elephants in the Federal budget (Social Security, Medicare, Defense), the money we’re spending on welfare for immigrants isn’t very much.

Chinese Tourists

They are coming to Europe.

Chuck Liddell Retires

The Iceman becomes a UFC exec. He was once one of the best fighters in MMA, but he's been on a losing streak and obviously lost a couple of steps. Glad he's not trying to stick around.

Japan and the Limits of Keynesianism

Megan McArdle says something has to give.

Robots Teach English in South Korea

But can they find Sarah Connor?

NYC City Workers at Work

Windy Scotland

Scotland has made a big push for green energy such as windmills. But they don't work too well and the Scots are only keeping themselves warm this winter by buying nuclear power from France.

Happy Brithday, Ronald Coase

The economist turns 100 today.

The Greatest Letter Ever Sent By a Sports Team

Read it here.

Brock Lesnar Quits?

Sources citing Dave Meltzer, say the beating Lesnar took from Cain Velasquez has soured him on MMA.

Weep Not for Richard Holbrooke

One Canadian general gives us the measure of the man.

If You Are so Smart,

Why is your head so small.

Japanese Concerns About China

Economic concerns, that is.

Asia's Megacities

City Journal looks at the real metropolises and the Ptemkin villages.

Inflation It Is

Ben Bernanke's policies have sent commodity prices soaring.

Think of the Children

Teachers' unions won't.

Movie Studios Eyeing PPV

Theater owners cry foul...to the government.

More Freedom, Less Crime

What a shock. Governments that don't steal much from their residents have residents that don't steal much from each other.

Out of Africa, Kind Of

Razib Khan with more on how the latest discoveries of interbreeding between non-African humans and other species changes our concepts of the origin of modern man.

Close But No Cigar

Fox News declares Elie Wiesel the winner of the Holocaust.

Julian Simon vs. Paul Krugman

One economist made correct predictions about the future. The other, won the Nobel prize.

Wikileaks Explained

At the Kings of War blog.

This Frightens and Confuses Me

Christmas in Japan

That means it's time for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The Other Humans

Scientists today announced that the have discovered a new human species, a cousin the Neanderthal and distant relative of homo sapiens. They also say they have found evidence it interbred with modern man. Razib Khan has more at Gene Expression.

Shades of Owen Hart

An actor in the Spider-Man musical was seriously hurt after his harness broke and he fell 30 feet. And just who thought that a Broadway musical based on Spider-Man was a good idea? Besides Bono?

I'm in Love with Friedrich Hayek

Well, not me. The girl in this video.

Woodrow Wilson vs. Joe McCarthy

Bryan Caplan says Wilson made Joe look like a piker.

As Easy as Shooting Unarmed People on the Danziger Bridge

Radley Balko smacks down Deroy Murdock.

The Showtime Kick

Here's the highlight of the final WEC shiws. Fans are going to miss the WEC. It consisttently put on the best cards, top to bottom, of any promotion. But it was owned by the same people that owned the UFC and they never promoted it or the fighters it had under contract as strongly as they did the UFC.

The Guys We Put in Charge

A new report says the prime minister of Kosovo headed a criminal gang that enaged in all sorts of nefarious business.

Wikileaks Fights Big Government

Via The American Conservative

The Citadel

An oldie from Sports Illustrated. The most amazing part is that it only took an 800 on the old SAT to get in. You got 600 just for taking the test. Wow.

The Guys We Put in Charge

National Review's The Corner looks at the plight of Christian's in Iraq and the lack of protection from the government.

Jim Ross on the UFC

Ross shares his thoughts on the UFC's latest pay-per-view. If Dana White was as smart as he thinks he is, he'd hire Ross as a consultant or even matchmaker.

Inflation Everywhere

Eonomist Scott Beaulier shows that there's plenty of evidence rampant inflation is already happening, even if Ben Bernanke refuses to see it.

War Is the Health of the State

DAve Weigel and Daniel Larison ask why George W. Bush was able to stary so far from conservative ideas without provoking a backlash from his base while Barack Obama has gotten big pushback from his base for far less.

The reason? Republicans stood strong behind Bush because of the Iraq War.

This leads Larison to write:

As long as the war remained the defining issue, it bonded the movement to Bush to an extent that has never happened with liberals and Obama. Conservatives might reflect on that and consider whether waging an unnecessary, costly war that harmed U.S. interests was worth the massive expansion of the welfare state before and after 2006 that it enabled

Atlas Shrugged: The Movie

The first 10 minutes was recently previewed for fans. Here's a review.

The Guys We Put in Charge

Iraq and Afghanistan are two of the 11 countries boycotting the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at China's behest.

How Economics Saved Christmas

A Rothbardian take on a holiday classic.

Bankman

Why does Japan have such a high savings rate?

H.S. Wrestler's Legal Move Leads to Criminal Charges

The butt drag is a legal move in amateur wrestling, but contrary to what this reporter writes it doesn't not involve sticking your fingers up anyone's anus. If the kid did that, it is a foul and it is sexual battery, at the least.

The Death of Neoconservatism

Harper's interviews Bradley Thompson.

Is Congress Above the Law?

Duh!

Warren Buffett, Robber Baron

Big businessmen are about the most anti-capitalistic men you'll find.

Maximum Revenue Loss, Minimum Economic Impact

If Republicans and President Obama had set out to design tax cuts with those two goals in mind, they couldn't have done much better than the compromise they have come up with. Economic Bryan Caplan looks at what's wrong with the payroll tax cut.

Pearl Harbor Day

robert higgs reminds us what really happened.

P.R.I.N.T. Money

Japanese Robot Picks Only the Ripest Strawberries

Hunts Sarah Connor

Irving Kristol, Soviet Spy?

Would it surprise you?

The Latest From Iraq

You'll never believe what the guys we put in charge are up to. Well, you might, but George W. bush obviously didn't.

How the Bailouts Hurt Small Banks

And reward the biggest ones.

South African Novelist

Annalie Botes says what's on her mind.

How the TSA Kills Us

Economist Steve Horwitz, a former grad school colleague of mine, looks at the economics of security.

Brazilian Drug Lords

Just remember, soccer is big down there, too.

China Criminalizes Research

Publishing basic economic information can land you in prison.

Inflation Isn't What It Used to Be

Jeffrey Rogers Hummel and Sheldon Richman explain how governments used to do well for themselves, though not for their citizens, by inflating the currency. But those days are over.

Who Is Charles Koch?

Robert Bradley looks at the current bogeyman of the left.

Replace the Fed

Economist George Selgin, an old grad school professor of mine, explains why the Federal Reserve has failed, even judged by its own standards:

The Top 48 Ads That Would Not Be Allowed Today

I remember a few of these from my youth. Slightly NSFW.

HT: Jesse Walker

Japan Refuses to Renew Kyoto Protocol

And the environmentalists aren't very happy.

Retrained?

The former deputy chief of the Montgomery County, Maryland, police department writes about going through TSA screening.

I stepped between two glass walls and was subjected to what my police training would allow me to conclude was a procedural vacuum.

I had been told repeatedly I would be subjected to a “pat-down.” I correctly suspected otherwise. During the course of my police career, I have conducted many pat-downs on the street. The Supreme Court has described pat downs as a cursory check of the outer clothing of a person by a police officer, upon articulable suspicion that the officer’s safety is at risk of being compromised. My department’s procedure indicated that this pat-down was to be conducted with an open hand, gently patting the outer clothing of an individual, for purposes of officer safety only, with the goal of detecting weapons. In other words, it is not a search.

What happened to me in Albany was not the promised “pat-down.” It was a full search conducted in full public view. It was also one of the most flawed searches I have ever witnessed.

U.S. Blocks Packages from Japan

Ron told me about this several days ago, but I still haven't seen anything in the U.S. media.

South Africa Is the Rape Rape Capital of the World

More than one in three men in the country have committed a rape.

More Bias at the Times Free-Press

Bill Anderon has the latest.

The Coolest Guy in Brazil?

Gotta be this police officer.

Is China's Competitive Edge Eroding?

Megan McArdle says the country's low-wage export-oriented model is unsustainable.

Happy Thanksgiving!

They Should Have Stayed Off His Lawn

RIP Don Alejo Garza.

Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts

Like moving.

Quantitative Easing Explained

Inflation It Is, Part 3

Economist Bill Shughart, an former grad school professor of mine, on QE2.

Forget Gold and Silver

Invest your money in Dominican baseball prospects.

Bias at the Times Free Press?

Bill Anderson doesn't think much of their latest coverage of the Tonya Craft case.

The Best Laid Plans

QE2 is spurring new investment outside the United States.

Other Guitarists Called Him "The Humbler"

Brazil's Big Fear

Why the Fed's devaluing of the dollar could hurt developing countries almost as much as it will the United States.

The Federal War on Ham and Bacon

You knew they'd finally get around to ruining breakfast.

Inflation It Is, Part 2

Prices are soaring at Walmart.

Man Forced to Eat His Own Beard

I've always wanted to use that headline.

America's Next President?

The New Republic profiles Gary Johnson.

A Little Late for Halloween

But David Henderson points us to a frightening story by one of Barack Obama's childhood friends.

This Guy Knows How to Party

And he gets his photo on TV, too.

Bad Medicine

Robert higgs looks at Ben Barnanke's attempt to justify QE2.

Does Your Child Have a Birthday Coming Up?

Book Scott Hall for the party.

Obama's Handling of the Bank and Housing Crisis

Arnold Kling says it has united economists on the left and right.

The Big Bang Theory

Virginia Postrel looks at the popular sitcom about nerds.

Inflation and Deflation

My old grad school colleague Pete Boettke points to an observation from F.A. Hayek on why central bankers tend to be biased towards inflation, a topic Ron and I were discussing recently.

Clean Coal

Lessons from Japan.

Newspaper Pay Walls

Felix Salmon says they don't work.

Meet the New Boss

Nick Gillespie and Meredith Bragg explain why the results of Tuesday's elections won't change a thing.

The New isolationism

William J. Astore says the old isolationism was driven by a desire to avoid uncessary wars. The new isolationism is driven by a desire to think about the unnecessary wars we are fighting.

Inflation It Is

The Fed's latest move could reduce the value of the dollar by 20 percent. If that sounds bad, economist Arnold Kling explains why it could be even worse than you might think.

Georgia in the Middle

Economist Scott Bealier points out that, while Georgia politicians talk a lot about fiscal conservatism, the state actually has slightly higher taxes and spending than the average state.

Re-Thinking Early Retirement in Europe

The New York Times observes:

Figures compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show that in 2009 only one Frenchman in five, ages 60 to 64, was in the work force, either holding down a job or looking for one. In the United States, by contrast, 61 percent of men in that age group were working, triple the French rate.

In Japan, on the other hand, three-quarters of such men were in the labor force.

Generous social benefit systems have long made it possible for residents of most Western European countries to stop working relatively early, but France stands out even among its peers. In Germany, just over half the 60- to 64-year-old men are in the labor force. Even in Italy, another country with a strong sense that people should work to live, rather than live to work, 30 percent of men in that age group are still in the labor force.

The accompanying charts show the work force participation levels by age group for six countries. The two Asian countries listed, Japan and South Korea, stand out in longevity of employment. Nearly a quarter of South Korean men over 75 are still in the labor force, as are 14 percent of Japanese men. In the United States, a 10th of such men are working or seeking work, compared with half of 1 percent in France.

Put another way, a Korean man over 75 is more likely to be working than a Frenchman in his early 60s.

How Immigrants Create More Jobs

Economist Tyler Cowen explains how immigration can actually increase the the total number of jobs.

Mount Everest

Is now wired for Internet and cell phone reception.

Football on the Brain

Sports Illustrated looks at concussion.

Hooters Tokyo

Is it odd that China got Hooters years before Japan did?

Republican Victory, Conservative Loss

Daniel Larison says the results of Tuesday's election will change litte.

America's One Child Policy

The Weekly Standard looks at how birth rates are declining across the world.

How Barack Obama Is Like Joan Jett

Steve Sailer directs our attention to an article by perhaps the only person to have been in a band with Joan and law school with Barack.

It's Like I'm a Young Japanese Man

Except for the cosmetics and caring what I look like part.

Suspicious Minds Remix

Not bad. But I prefer the orginal.

Malaguena

Japan Recruits Foreigners

To help increase tourism.

Randy Quaid Seeks Refugee Status in Canada

There goes any sequel to Independence Day.

Will Marijuana Legalization Fail in California?

David Henderson points to one reason why it may.

Who Says Romance Is Dead?

For a few thousand dollars, you can get married at McDonald's. It almost makes me wish I had a fiancee.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Daniel Larison writes:

It is hardly news that Christine O’Donnell is a talking head with dreams of being a television celebrity, so I’m not sure that it proves much of anything when she demonstrates that she doesn’t know much about the amendments to the Constitution. Andrew focused on her apparent ignorance of the First Amendment near the end of the video, but I thought the far more telling moment was when she asked her questioner to explain to her what the 14th and 16th Amendments were. Actual constitutionalists have at least some basic familiarity with these, not least since they tend to see these amendments and later interpretations of the 14th Amendment as having been particularly damaging to republican self-government. Based on her responses, O’Donnell not only doesn’t agree with them, but she wouldn’t even be conversant with the relevant arguments. So we can confirm what a lot of people already knew: Christine O’Donnell is a professional political activist who has no real grounding in the fundamental law she has been repeatedly invoking as the core of her beliefs during this campaign season, and as far as respecting the Constitution is concerned she is simply a phony. Anyone on the right who wants to keep defending her as anything else is wasting his time and embarrassing himself.

Of course, the Republican Echo Chamber can't be embarrassed.

Why Japanese Love Robots

And Americans fear them.

One Nation Under Fraud

Ron called my attention to this scary article.

What the Tea Partiers Really Want

Jonathan Haidt says they are motivated less by a fear that freedom is being eroded than by a fear that karma is.

The Shock of Gray

China is geting old really fast:

In 2015, China’s working population below the age of 65 will begin to shrink. Meanwhile, the number of people over 65 will be rising to 300 million by 2050, a threefold increase. Richard Jackson, the director of the Global Aging Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, notes that China will be older than the United States within a generation, making it the first big national population to age before it joins the ranks of developed countries. One of China’s biggest fears, expressed repeatedly in public pronouncements, is that it will grow old before it grows rich.

Out of Afghanistan

And into Pakistan.

Correction of the Day

Most reporters aren't very good with statistics.

Seven Day Lover

By Atlanta's own James Fountain. In England, they call this Northern Soul.

$1 Million !?!?

Why didn't somebody tell be about this offer?

Big Soda Is Watching You

The latest in Japanese vending machine technology.

What a Dikshit

TV host's comments spark an international incident. Seriously, India, the joke was sophmoric and probably racist. But as nation you seem really thin-skinned.

Art Students Again

Guess who?

You've Got a Sick, Sick Country There, Ron

Did I mention that it is sick? But at least that guy has a retirement plan, which is more than I can say.

NFL Owners' Extortion Racket Continues

Armin Rosen on their latest plan to bilk taxpayers.

Rise of the Online Autocrats

The Jackie chan bit is just weird.

You Don't Bring a Praseodymium Knife to a Gunfight

Does China really have a monopoly on rare earth minerals?

Think About It, Darlin'

Obamacare: It Begins

Principal Financial is leaving the health insurance business, citing the impact of the health care reform law passed earlier this year.

Unemployment in South Africa

Alex Taborrak looks at how government and union policies have drive the jobless rate to 24 percent.

Funny How You Haven't Heard About This from the Republican Echo Chamber

Heh.

Korean Fever

It's not what you think, Ron.

Basic Religion Test Stumps Americans

Athiests know more about religions that those who believe them.

Doing the Jobs Americans Won't Do

The Associated Press reports:

The UFW in June launched the "Take Our Jobs Campaign," inviting people to go online and apply. About 8,600 people filled out an application form, but only seven have been placed in farm jobs, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez said.

Black Swan Dude: Obama Made the Recession Worse

And he says Canada is now a better bet for international investors.

Recessions Then and Now

Here's a column from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from George Selgin, who was one of my professors in graduate school.

Harlan Ellison

Dying?

One of the highlights of my career was when Ellison called me to tell me how much he liked a review I did of one of his books, a call made even more memorable because I was a little critical of the book.

Mexicans in New York (And the Rest of the Country)

They are more likely to hold a job than native borns or even other immigrant groups.

Why?

They tend to be more willing to move in pursuit of jobs and to take any job they can find, especially if they lack access to unemployment benefits.

Get Real

Nick Gillespie isn't expecting much from the Republicans' latest Contract with America.

Andrew Breitbart vs. Glenn Beck

Someone on the right notices what Beck is trying to do to the Tea Party.

Immigration Restrictions

Economist Bryan Caplan calls them a solution in search of a problem.

Heh

It has been 48 hours and still no mention of this in the Republican echo chamber. Wonder why?

Questions for Tea Partiers

Via Lew Rockwell.

With Friends Like These

Which "friendly" foreign intelligence service does the CIA regard as the least friendly? Yeah.

Ubangi Stomp

Life, Liberty and Breaking the Rules

Bill James on Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and jaywalkers.

Needless Apology of the Day

What a slap in the face not only to the subjects of the story but to everyone in the newsroom involved in putting it together.

HT: Jesse Walker

More on Japanese Life Spans

Now that the government has started taking a closer look, it finds that there are some 77,000 people 120 years old or older in its records and 884 who would be 150 or older.

To put that in perspective, the longgest-lived human for whom there is substantial documentation is Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. The longest-lived man was Christian Mortensen, who died in 1998 at 115.

It's becmoing increasingly clear that a large number of Japanese people have hid the deaths of elderly realtives to continue receiving their pensions.

Neocon Welshes on Bet

David Henderson posts about how back in 2003, after the United States invaded Iraq, someone bet him that by September 2008 three Middle Eastern countries that were not then democracies would become Democratic by September 2008 because of the ripple effects of the U.S. "democratizing" Iraq.

It didn't work out that way, and when Henderson tried to collect, the woman not only denied having made the bet, she said no one could have foolish enough to make such a bet.

Japan Has Misplaced a Quarter Million Centennarians

I joked a few weeks ago that maybe Japan really doesn't have such a long life expectancy. But give the scale of fraud we are talking about here, I wonder if it is enough to skew the numbers.

I Thought He Was Just Reprising His Role of Lonesome Rhodes

Andy Griffith's popularity has plummeted in North Carolina thanks to his commercial for Obamacare.

Endless War

Don Vandergriff looks at the new book by Andrew Bacevich.

Channel 9 Is at It Again

Bill Anderson looks at the coverage of another child molestation allegation.

In the South, We Fry Everything

Including beer.

North Korean Army Gets Funky

The Chaplain is Protected By God - and an Atheist

Fun story from The Wall Street Journal.

Is Glenn Beck Killing the Tea Party?

The Southern Avenger has some thoughts.

Awkward Back-to-School Photos

I've been there.

Christopher Hitchens on Glenn Beck

He wasn't very impressed with Beck's big meeting.

The Guys We Put in Charge

More bad news from Iraq.

Boat Balls

Obama Declares Victory in Iraq

Sort of.

Spreading Hayek

The Wall Street Journal profiles George Mason University economist Pete Boettke. I went to grad school at GMU with Pete, and I'm glad to see him and the program get some much deserved recognition.

Lew Rockwell on Glenn Beck

Rockwell isn't impressed with today's big rally.

20 Years Ago today SRV Passed Away

Young Chinese Forget How to Write

Memroizing all those characters is hard.

Miss Venezuela vs. Hugo Chavez

Don't let Sean Penn or Danny Glover know about this.

Pulling a Tooth with a Rocket

Ron Paul on the Not-Quite-At-Ground-Zero Mosque

Paul certainly isn't pandering to the GOP base on this one, unlike his son.

National Review Goes UnAmerican

Daniel McCarthy notes that National Review has become more friendly to those who oppose foreign interventionism and even to those who are skeptical of the war in Afghanistan. Funny how that only happened after a Democrat became president.

Taking Al Qaeda's Side

Rod Long looks at opponents of the close-to-Ground-Zero Islamic center.

The Republican Crackup

Radley Balko looks at the GOP's agenda.

RIP Skandor Akbar

I vaguely remember his run in Georgia in the 1970s, but I got to see a lot of him as a manager in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1980s when Channel 46 carried those shows.

From everything I've read he was very respected by his peers. But I never could get past the fact that this Middle Eastern bad guy had a thick Texas accent.

RIP Ted Allen

The Nightmare was a fixture in Southern wrestling for about 30 years.

Artisinal Toothpicks

Who needs mass-produced toothpicks?

Signs Republicans Aren't Serious About Cutting the Size of Government

Nick Gillespie points them out.

Fish Sticks

Japanese aquarium features frozen fish.

Obama Gives Oil and Gas the Cold Shoulder

Bob Bradley says it's no accident that the president skipped Houston during s recent visit to Texas.

Living Large in Japan

In very tiny houses.

Sweet Home Alabama

Return of the Jedi

Gary Kurtz, George Lucas' one-time partner, talks to the Los Angeles Times. From his description, the original ideas for the movie sound better that what Lucas eventually put on screen.

Japanese As Solarians

The blog Gene Expression looks at the rise of robots in Japan and its effect of the national psyche.

Neoconservatism: An Obituary

Bradley Thompson's new book has been getting surprisingly goog reviews.

Mr. Wrestling II vs. The Masked Superstar

This was one of wrestling's greatest feuds. Just read on Dave Meltzer's website that II (Johnny Walker) is going to have to have multiple heart bypass surgery. Hope it turns out well.

Grandiose Fool

Max Hastings book on Winston Churchill has gotten a lot of positive notice.

Another Good Word for Jimmy Carter

Carter did more to deregulate the American economy than just about any president in the last 100 years. Everyone knows about airline and trucking deregulation, but every time you sip a micro-brew beer you should also than Crter.

Iraq

Michael Rubin continues to be the only conservative interested in what the guys we put in charge are doing

Not a Good Way to Die

One dead and another hospitalized at the world sauna championship.

I'm Not Sure How Big Rashad Bobino Is

Probably too big to be sucker punching women. But Roger Huerta fights at 155, so he probably walks around at 170.

Insect Sushi

Yummy.

Bigotry at Its Best

It seems the folks at IBD were the only people in America who didn't know the judge in the Prop 8 case was gay. Would they have cared as much if he were heterosexual or Catholic or Mormon? Do they object when Antonin Scalia rules on religious freedom cases? Or when Clarence Thomas rules on racial discrimination cases?

Japan Has Lost More of Its Old People

I'm beginning to think that Japan may not actually have a high life expectancy.

The Typhoid Mary Of Steroids

Steve Sailer reports on a new study showing that teammates of Jose Canseco saw their offensive stats jump after they started playing with him.

Tokyo's Oldest Women Isn't, Either

You saw this coming.

Embarrassed to Be a Conservative

David Klinghoffer and Stephen Bainbridge point to the things about their movement that make them cringe.

Teaching Koreans to Swear in English

NSFW language.

The Greatest Lines Ever in Country Music

10. Well look here, is that a teardrop in the corner of your pane? Now don't you try to tell me that it's rain. *
9. 'Til I get used to losin’ you, let me keep on usin’ you 'til I can make it on my own
8. He talks about you in his sleep and there's nothing I can do to keep from crying when he calls your name, Jolene.
7. Wakin' in the mornin' to the feelin' of her fingers on my skin. Wipin' out the traces of the people and the places that I've been.
6. Dad drove a stock car to an early death, all I remember is a drunk man's breath.
5. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one more for dessert.
4. I turned 21 in prison doing life without parole. No one could steer me right but momma tried.
3. While she pours herself on some stranger, I pour myself a drink somewhere
2. Picking up hookers instead of my pen, I let the words of my youth slip away
1. I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.


* Roger Miller reportedly once said that was the greatest line ever in a country song. I obviously disgaree.

Tokyo's Oldest Man Isn't

Wasn't this a movie?

Newspaper Calls for Censorship

Yeah, it's Investor's Business Daily.

The Vietnam Generation

Here's another recent column from James Webb.

Dee Snider's Revenge

Was Webb Easy on the Crackers?

James Webb's call to end federal diversity programs has gotten a lot of attention, but Ilya Somin says Webb's article wrongly absolves poor whites of their role in maintaing Jim Crow.


Last year, I read biographies of civil rights leader T.R.M. Howard and Booker T. Washington. Both men regarded Southern businessmen as people they could work with. It was lower-class whites who tended to be most supportive of, and most violent in their support of Jim Crow.

The Right Continues to Smear Shirley Sherrod

Radley Balko catches a particularly nasty hit piece. And it's not just Sherrod. Andrew Breitbart himself has attacked the white farmers she helped, suggesting they are Democratic plants.

I'm not sure why the Republican echo chamber can't admit that Breibart smeared, and continues to smear, this woman, much less just let the story drop.

During the Worst Recession in 40 Years

Republican guberatorial candidates Nathan Deal and Karen Handel come to the city with the highest unemployment rate in Georgia and mostly talk about abortion.

Man Allegedly Stabbed in Face at Comic Con

It seems a Harry Potter fan was the culprit. The worst thing that ever happened to me at a science fiction/comc book convention was the time actor Robert "Freddy Kruger" Englund started talking to me and wouldn't shut up.

More Leon Russell

This time from his prime. (And I think Gary Busey plays drums on this one.)

Someone Has Given This Just a Little Too Much Thought

Really.

Comic Book Geeks vs. Fundamentalists

An epic battle happened at Comic Con.

The History Channel Needs Better Writers

Its World War II shows aren't very good.

Bretbart Owes Shirley Sherrod and Us an Apology

Here's another article you won't see in the Republican echo chamber.

Journolist: Much Ado About Nothing

Matt Welch looks at the Daily Caller's claims that Journolist participants conspired to have the government shut down Fox News and finds little to support that claim. (But there's plenty to suggest the participants were arrogant jerks.)

Meanwhile, Instahack and other consertive sites join in the hate of the day, with plenty of uncritical acceptance of the story's claim, even calling the Journloistes Stalinists. Who needs an e-mail list when you've got groupthink?

Breitbart Lies, Someone Gets Fires

The republican echo chamber was all over Breitbart's original claim that someone said something racist at an NAACP meeting. He hasn't said much about the follow up yet.

A Bird Holocaust

What kills more birds, the BP oil spill or wind farms? If you are reading this blog, you can probably guess the answer.

Summer Camp in South Korea

They take that stuff seriously.

Leon Russell Like You've Never Seen Him

Unless you were watching Shindig in 1964

Prominent Conservative Dismisses Black Panther Case

Odd, how you didn't hear about this on the Republican echo chamber.

Newspapers on the Internet

Gene Weingarten doesn't like what he sees.

Crime Is Down Across Arizona

Except where Sheriff Joe is in charge.

What's Gallagher Up to These Days

I know some of you (I'm looking at you, Ron) have been asking that question. Here's the answer.

The Fox News Minstrels

Dave Weigel writes:

Fox News uses the Panthers the way that Phil Donohue used to use the KKK or G.G. Allin. They're good on TV. The difference between the Panthers and other freakish groups that look good on the air, of course, is that that they threaten white people.


How often does Fox bring on the Panthers, or talk about them? A Lexis-Nexis search finds 68 mentions of "Malik Zulu Shabazz," a leader of the NBPP. The majority are appearances on Fox News, where Shabazz is repeatedly brought on to act as a foolish, anti-Semitic punching bag. Among the segment titles: "Professor's Comments on Whites Stir Controversy" and "Black Panthers Take a Stand on Duke Rape Case." Here's one example of a Shabazz appearance during the Jeremiah Wright controversy. Fox was the only network to book him; Sean Hannity conducted the interview.

Jesse Walker adds:

The New Black Panther Party plays the same role for the right that Hutaree-style militants play for the left: They're a tiny, uninfluential group whose importance is magnified to keep the base excited. Left and right wind up worrying more about each other than they care about the institutions that actually govern the country. It's great if your goal is maintaining movement identity, but not if you're more interested in changing policy than collecting scalps.

Wrestling with the Facts

The Weekly Standard has a piece on Linda McMahon's Senate candidacy that contains this passage:

McMahon is not the first figure from professional wrestling to enter politics. In 1974, Jim Crockett, who ran the National Wrestling Alliance, ran for the Senate in North Carolina. He finished sixth in a field of six in the GOP primary. And, in 1990, Jesse “The Body” Ventura was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Eight years later, he was governor of the state.

Where do we begin?

First, Jim Crockett Jr. wasn't elected NWA president until 1980, and I don't think it would be correct to say that he "ran" the NWA even then since the president's only two roles were to run the annual meeting and book the world champion.

Second, everything I've ever read says that Crockett ran for state Senate not the Senate as the Standard says.

Third, if you are taking about pro wrestles in politics, how can you talk about Crockett's failed run for Senate and not mention even Tom Drake, who served 32 years in the Alabama House of Representatives, including two terms as speaker, while maintaining a successful pro wrestling career?

Elder Abuse in Japan

Oh, what's that. Abuse by the elderly in Japan?

The Sons of Confederate Veterans

Justa bunch of harmless old men?

Dancing at Auschwitz

Holocaust survivor Adolek Kohn returned to Auschwitz last year with his daughter and grandchildren. This is what they did:

In Defense of Dracula

Was Vlad the Impaler was just the victim of bad publicity?

"Vlad Dracula was doubtlessly cruel, but not more so than other princes of his time," said Margot Rauch, the Austrian curator of the exhibition, entitled "Dracula - Voivode and Vampire".

Baby Doll

Here's a nice interview with the former wrestler and valet.

Michael Bellesiles

Is he at it again?

Ric Flair and Rip Hawk Promo

Has Ann Coulter Gone Anti-War?

Or is she just looking for a club to bash democrats, consistency be damned>

LeBronomics

Florida has no income tax. New York has one of the highest income taxes in the nation. Did that affect LeBron James' choice of where to play?

Headline of the Day

For some reason, the BBC pulled this one from its Web site. But it remains on Google's cache.

The Solution to the Immigration "Problem"? Less Government

Alexander Marriott asks what a rational immigration policy would be.

Headline of the Day

Come on. The writer didn't know what he was doing when he wrote this?

A Democrat's Plan to Create Jobs

From Senate candidate Alvin Greene.

HT: Radley Balko

Immigration Then and Now

Jeb Bush and Robert Putnam compre today's immigrants to those of previous years and find they stack up pretty well.

A Birthday Message for America

Mario Rizzo reminds us of the widsom of Herbert Spencer.

Treat Her Right

I found this clip of Roy Head doing this classic song. The 1960s censorship is a bit amusing, forcing him to change "She's gonna love you tonight" to "she's gonna kiss you tonight."




I also found a clip of Tom Jones covering the song on TV just a few years later. I know Tom has achieved a sort of retro cool. But really, compare his singing and dancing to Roy's and tell me that Tom had soul.

Kobayashi Cracks

And he makes a scene at the hot dog eating contest.

It's Good to Be The Emperor

But it's not so good to be in first grade with the daughter of the crown prince.

Say What You Will About Mel Gibson

But the son of a bitch knows story structure.

Where the Right Went Wrong, Part II

David Bernstein notes that Bill Buckley not only helped pull the right away from its traditional isolationist foreign policy, he also helped pull it away from its opposition to Jim Crow.

More here from Ilya Somin.

Money to Burn in Iraq

Michel Rubin has the latest on what the guys we put into power are up to,.

I May Have to Turn in My Small Government Card

But this doesn't seem like a bad idea.

No Discrimination

Bryan Caplan looks at the limits of anti-discrimination law.

A Few Good Words for Saul Alinsky

Jesse Wakers says both the left and the right have misunderstood the icon of community organizers.

A Liberal Says Nice Things About Clarence Thomas

Really.

Danny Hodge, 77, Crushes an Apple

By Any Means Necessary

Apparently, property rights aren't that important to Ayn Rand's intellectual heir.

Dave Weigel and the Rise of Young Libertarian Journalists

The Moderate Voice uses the Dave Weigel/Journolist brouhaha to look at how young libertarian journalists are faring in Washington. I found this part interesting:

My friend Eric Pfeiffer, a libertarian who has had staff writing positions everywhere from the National Review to the Washington Times, said this distrust stems from an oversensitivity of conservatives to how the media covers them. “Weigel copped to that in the Big Government piece” — a kind of mea culpa post published after his resignation — “saying he was guilty of trying to play strategist often times when he was doing those interviews,” Pfeiffer told me. “In fairness to him, that’s to some degree what I had to do when I would talk to people because the best way to get a source to cooperate is to kind of bond with them, to make them think you’re sympathetic, or at least understanding of their cause. I don’t know how true it is on the left because I’ve covered them a lot less, but it’s so true on the right, because they — and you can quote me on this — when you cover the right, your role is just as much playing the role of therapist as reporter. They want you to like them. They want you to understand them. And it really gets old fast. I think that probably caused a lot of his frustration. It’s not what all reporters think when they signed up. I think Capitol Hill Republicans are more savvy, but movement conservatives I dealt with basically wanted to be held and coddled more than they wanted to be actually challenged or pressed.”

Leave It to Beaver

The New York Times looks back at the groundbreaking series.

From Dalton to Iraq to Hollywood

Army vet J.R. Martinez started on "All My Children" in 2008 in what he and producers thought would be a story line lasting just a few weeks. Two years later, he's one of the show's regular charactes.

A Few Good Words for Robert Byrd

The Cato Insitute's Justin Logan reminds libertarians there was more to the late senator than pork barrel spending.

Plus, Jesse Walker has some clips of Byrd playing bluegrass.

Endless War, a Recipe for Four-Star Arrogance

Here's the latest from Col. Andrew Bacevich.

The Cowboys Are Going to Win the Next Super Bowl

USA Today explains why. And is it just me or is that a scary photograph?

It Truly Is the Best Party

I would have voted for this guy. I don't know if I'd be too happy when he won. But that's another matter.

If Ed Wood Spoke Portuguese

IFC has been running a bunch of Coffin Joe films. I taped several of them and am finally getting around to watching them. At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul has its moments, but a lot of these are hard to get through.

Clint Webb for Senate

The Problem Isn't McChrystal

Don Vandergriff looks at U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

Early to Bed and Early to Rise

Helps fight global warming, according to the Japanese government.

People of the Book

Brian Doherty looks at libertarian fiction.

Charles Murray on Ayn Rand

He reviews two new biographies of Rand.

Money quote:

First, Rand expressed the glory of human achievement. She tapped into the delight that a human being ought to feel at watching another member of our species doing things superbly well. The scenes in The Fountainhead in which the hero, Howard Roark, realizes his visions of architectural truth are brilliant evocations of human creativity at work. But I also loved scenes like the one in Atlas Shrugged when protagonist Dagny Taggart is in the cab of the locomotive on the first run on the John Galt line, going at record speed, and glances at the engineer:

He sat slumped forward a little, relaxed, one hand resting lightly on the throttle as if by chance; but his eyes were fixed on the track ahead. He had the ease of an expert, so confident that it seemed casual, but it was the ease of a tremendous concentration, the concentration on one's task that has the ruthlessness of an absolute.

That's a heroic vision of a blue-collar worker doing his job. There are many others. Critics often accuse Rand of portraying a few geniuses as the only people worth valuing. That's not what I took away from her. I saw her celebrating people who did their work well and condemning people who settled for less, in great endeavors or small; celebrating those who took responsibility for their lives, and condemning those who did not. That sounded right to me in 1960 and still sounds right in 2010.
Second, Ayn Rand portrayed a world I wanted to live in, not because I would be rich or powerful in it, but because it consisted of people I wanted to be around. As conditions deteriorate in Atlas Shrugged, the first person to quit in disgust at Hank Rearden's steel mill is Tom Colby, head of the company union:

For ten years, he had heard himself denounced throughout the country, because his was a "company union" and because he had never engaged in a violent conflict with the management. This was true; no conflict had ever been necessary; Rearden paid a higher wage scale than any union scale in the country, for which he demanded—and got—the best labor force to be found anywhere.

That's not a world of selfishness or greed. It's a world of cooperation and mutual benefit through the pursuit of self-interest, enabling satisfying lives not only for the Hank Reardens of the world but for factory workers. I still want to live there.
That world came together in the chapters of Atlas Shrugged describing Galt's Gulch, the chapters I most often reread when I go back to the book. The great men and women who have gone on strike are gathered there, sometimes working at their old professions, but more often being grocers and cabbage growers and plumbers, because that's the niche in which they can make a living. In scene after scene, Rand shows what such a community would be like, and it does not consist of isolated individualists holding one another at arm's length. Individualists, yes, but ones who have fun in one another's company, care about one another, and care for one another—not out of obligation, but out of mutual respect and spontaneous affection.

North Korean World Cup Fans

They are actually Chinese people the North Korean government has paid to attend the games.

Mixing Bluegrass, Gospel and Funk

The Lee Boys, the Travelin' McCourys and Del McCoury.

The Right's Wrong Turn

David Gordon reviews a new biography of William F. Buckley Jr.

Are You A White Guy Looking to Be Rented?

China may want you

Libertarianism and Anti-Discrimination Law

The Cato Institute kicks off a debate here.

When You've Lost Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Respect My Authoritah
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Atlas Says "Meh"

Atlas Shrugs Begins filing with a $5 million budget, first-time director and a bunch of actors from the CW Network.

Free Trade for Gaza

Tyler Cowen says the blockade hurst most those who are the least hostile to Israel.

South Africa's Brain Drain

Newsweek asks "why are the best and brightest leaving?" Really, the answers aren't obvious?

Where Have All the Reporters Gone?

Newsroom cutbacks are keeping large newspapers from covering statewide races the way they used to.

More Tonya Craft Stuff

WRCB reports that just a few months after the initial allegations were made the father of one of the girls Craft was accused of molesting told an investigator he wasn't sure anything happened to his daughter and didn't want to pursue the case but felt pressured by prosceutors.


And William Anderson has several new posts.

So It Turns Out Keanu Reeves Is Immortal

Proof.

Jerry Lee Lewis and Charlie Pride

This may have been the nadir of both their careers.

OK, it may have been the nadir of Charlie's career.

Headline of the Day

Maybe the headline of the week.

Georgia Justice

Prosecutor gets judge top toss defense attorneys off a capital murder case and get them replaced with lawyers of his choosing. The state Supreme Court says that is OK, and the prosecutor is now angling to be a judge.

Why Is KFC Much More Popular Than McDonald's in China?

One blogger has the answers.

More Tonya Craft

Bill Anderson has more thoughts on the case.

Whoo, Hooh! We're No. 1!

Why are investors still so eager to fund exploding federal deficits?

Economist Jeffrey Miron writes:

As bad as policy is in the U.S., it is worse in most other countries. That may help the U.S. avoid the day of reckoning for a while.

Free Trade for Everyone

That means Gaza, too, says Tom Palmer.

Zac Brown Covers an Old Manfred Mann Tune

Daddy Issues

Gene Healy tells a bunch of pundits to grow up.

Producer Says Atlas Shrugged to Start Filming in June

But no actors have been lined up yet.

O, Canada

Fred Barnes sas we should look north for some lessons on cutting government.

I Really Can't Disagree with This

Noah Pollak writes:

Those who sent an elite unit into a hostile confrontation armed with toy weapons made an incredibly stupid decision. And a uniquely Israeli one. In recent memory, Israeli military action has been violent but not decisive, bloody enough to provoke the outrage and condemnation of the world (at this point, a stubbed toe will do), but not enough to actually change facts on the ground (the Hamas and Hezbollah wars being prime examples). These halfhearted wars and battles have earned Israel demerits in world opinion without enough to show in improved strategic position.

Memorial Day for a Father Whose Son Was Killed In Iraq

I'm a bit late in linking to this.

Guatemala Is Going to Eat Us All

Explanation here.

Legalize It

Steve Chapman has some ideas on what to do about immigration.

Should We Outlaw Minority Scholarships?

Barrton Hinkle asks Rand Paul's critics how far they are willing to go to ban discrimination.

Cat Defies Laws of Gravity

Rand Paul and the Civil Rights Act

Sheldon Richman says he was right the first time.

Immigration and Crime

Dan Griswold looks at the numbers.

We Choose Our Allies Well

Do South Koreans really see the United States as a bigger problem that=n North Korea?

8-Month-Old Boy Has Cochlear Implant Activated

16 Items Walmart Sells Only in China

What? You can't buy crocodiles in the United States?

Immigrants Save Cities

But do the cities ever thank them.

Our Friends

We choose them well.

This Can't Continue

Private pay shrinks to a record low, while government handouts grow to a record high.

Pardon Me, I've Got Someone to Kill

Japan's Problem Is Supply, Not Demand

If you account for its rapidly aging population, Japan has pretty decent economic growth. And would likely have even better growth if it hadn't been following Keynesian policies.

Nicholas Kristoff Must Be Popular in the Newsroom Now

I can't believe the New York Times published this.

American Idol and the Mega Churches

The Los Angeles Times reports:

With many contestants having honed their vocal skills at black churches and suburban megachurches, "Idol" has been embraced by Christian communities across the nation. Congregations have launched enthusiastic viewing parties and vote drives for favorites. Perhaps more important, the contestants' church training has deeply influenced the songs and musical styles viewers hear on "Idol" and helped launch the careers of faith-based singers, such as George Huff and Mandisa, as well as secular pop artists. The show has projected to an audience of tens of millions an image of heartland youth driven by faith and strong family values. That's an important source of appeal for a nation that according to a 2007 Pew Research Center survey identifies itself as 78% Christian.

Indeed, all of the winners from the previous eight seasons have hailed from Bible Belt states, except for Arizona native Jordin Sparks, who went to the top during Season 6. And perhaps not surprisingly, "Idol" ratings are highest in such Southern cities as Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; and Winston-Salem, N.C., according to the Nielsen Co. Birmingham alone has produced two "Idol" winners: Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks. (The trend may not hold up this year: Two much-talked-about finalists, Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze, are both Midwesterners.)

The New Culture War

Arthur Brooks says it's free enterprise versus government control, and, while Republicans may not like it, he's right when he notes that:

The George W. Bush administration began the huge Wall Street and Detroit bailouts, and for years before the economic crisis, the GOP talked about free enterprise while simultaneously expanding the government with borrowed money and increasing the percentage of citizens with no income tax liability. The 30 percent coalition did not start governing this country with the advent of Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It has been in charge for years.

Libertarianism and Jim Crow

The Rand Paul controversy has stirred some interesting discussion over at The Volokh Conspiracy.

Privatize MARTA

Here's the latest column from Dalton's own Kyle Wingfield.

Faking Your Way Into Havard

One young man did it.

Today Is Draw Muhammad Day

Reason will be revealing the winners of its draw Muhammad contest on its Web site.

UPDATE: The winners.

Why I'm Not a Conservative

NBC recently cancelled the original Law & Order after 20 years on the air. The show tied Gunsmoke as the longest-running weekly prime time drama in U.S. history. It produced six spinoffs, two of which are still on the air, three affiliated series set in the same fictional universe. And a new spinoff is set to debut this fall.

Obviously, like the original series had a tremendous run, one that any producer would envy, but has simply seen its time go. Well, unless you read the Republican echo chamber. There you'll find that the public simply got tired of all the liberal messages in the show. You know after two decades. Presumably, it would still be on their air if it had depicted its murders as anti-war protestors and environmental activists.

The Jack Bauer Republicans

The Daily Beast has a good story on a couple of Republican congressional candidates running on their records of having abused prisoners in Iraq. They've become conservative superstars, which tells you a lot about modern conservatism.

Tear-Stained Letter

Jo-el Sonnier, Richard Thompson and David Sanborn. Thompson once said that Sonnier's cover of this song paid for the first extension on his house and Del McCoury's cover of "1952 Vincent Black Lighning" paid for the second.

High School Athletics

Tennessee punishes high achievers.

An Open Letter to Buzz Franklin

William Anderson answers Franklin's whiny statement on the Tonya Craft case.

Askers vs. Guessers

Which one are you?

Associated Press: Drug War Has Met None of Its Goals

But the feds will spend more than $15 billion this year alone fighting it.

National Review Debunks Supply Side Economics

I'm glad to see a conservative publication finally run an article like this.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Top 10 Craziest Moments

How do you narrow down so many choices into just 10. And frankly, I don't see how this one didn't make the cut.

Don't Ask. Don't Tell, Part 2

Another soldiers' video. This one from iraq.

Local Media and the Tonya Craft Case

Bill Anderson rates the coverage. I personally thought The Chattanoogan had the most in-depth stuff.

Plagiarism in Japan

Ron mentioned this case to me in a recent conversation. You have to give the man credit for creativity.

Not Guilty

Tonya Craft acquitted after less than two days of deliberation by the jury. Now, where does she go to get her reputation, and the half million dollars she and her family spent on her defense, back.

Harry Thornton and Bobby Eaton

According to the Internet expersts, this is from Harry's next-to-last appearance on the Saturday wrestling show.

Jim Bovard Sues Bob Barr

He still hasn't been paid for ghostwriting Barr's book a couple of years ago.

The Tonya Craft Trial: What Next?

Bill Anderson tells us what he expects the prosecution's next steps will be.

Happy Mother's Day, George Bush

This one is tough to read.

"Corrective" Rape in South Africa

ESPN will look at the rape culture of the country that will host the next soccer World Cup.

Tonya Craft: Prosecutors Play the Race Card

Georgia justice at work.

Bouncer (And Kickboxing Champion) vs. Loudmouth

It doesn't end the way you'd think it would.

A Death in Kurdistan

While the Republican echo chamber insists that all is going well (the better to blame this fiasco on President Obama when things really blow up), Michael Rubin at National Review's The Corner has been doing his best to remind us just how bad things are over there. Here's his latest.

Your World Frightens and Confuses Me

Comparison of DNA shows that modern humans interbred with Neandertals. It looks like pretty much all populations outside Africa have Neandertal DNA. Razib Khan has a whole lot of posts on this over at Gene Expression.

Tonya Craft Update

Bill Anderson has the latest. To the extent that this has become a nationa story, I think Bill's blogging has played a big role. Heck, there might even be a story in that for someone.

Prom Season Is Here

Don't be like these people. Maybe NSFW.

This Is, Reportedly, Not a Joke

Libertarians for Obama

Bryan Caplan looks at how it has worked out so far.

The War on Drugs Revealed

HT: Radley Balko

Tonya Craft Update

Jacob Sullum has the latest. From every account I've read, the past two days have gone horribly for the prosecution. The only question is whether jurors paid attention to expert testimony that was often very technical. But if they did, the defense shredded the state's case.

Ugly Koreans, Ugly Japanese

Anthropologist Min Byoung-chul has spent years trying to teach Asians and Westerners about each other. Now, he is trying to help East Asians understand each other a bit better.

Four Dead in Ohio

Rod Long reminds us that this is the 40th anniversary of the Kent State massacre.

Swedes

David Brooks has some thoughts on the limits of government policies:

Roughly a century ago, many Swedes immigrated to America. They’ve done very well here. Only about 6.7 percent of Swedish-Americans live in poverty. Also a century ago, many Swedes decided to remain in Sweden. They’ve done well there, too. When two economists calculated Swedish poverty rates according to the American standard, they found that 6.7 percent of the Swedes in Sweden were living in poverty.

In other words, you had two groups with similar historical backgrounds living in entirely different political systems, and the poverty outcomes were the same.

A similar pattern applies to health care. In 1950, Swedes lived an average of 2.6 years longer than Americans. Over the next half-century, Sweden and the U.S. diverged politically. Sweden built a large welfare state with a national health service, while the U.S. did not. The result? There was basically no change in the life expectancy gap. Swedes now live 2.7 years longer.

Again, huge policy differences. Not huge outcome differences.

This is not to say that policy choices are meaningless. But we should be realistic about them. The influence of politics and policy is usually swamped by the influence of culture, ethnicity, psychology and a dozen other factors.

Cat Attacks Babysitter

Who Knew Masa Saito Was So Funny?

Here's a bit of tape of him from Alabama. (Sorry, it isn't embeddable.) Catch the line at about 2:25.

Idris Elba is a Hell of an Actor

But Heimdall?

Dynasty to Bankruptcy

The Orange County register looks at the faded fortunes of its parent company, Freedom Communications, and its owners, the Hoiles Familes.

Who Makes Enough Money

Dalton's own Kyle Wingfield asks whom Barack Obama was talking about.

Don't Ask. Don't Tell

Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division stationed in Afghanistan recreate a Lady GaGa video.

Conservative Thinking

Rod Long looks at a couple of examples.

Clay Bennett on the Tonya Craft Case

The cartoonist for the Chattanooga Times Free-Press has a couple of cartoons on the trial.

Some Mexican Traditions Just Don't Export Well

The Tonya Craft Railroading Continues

Bill Anderson has the latest.

Georgia's Next Governor?

Not likely. But this guy will be on the ballot.

OK, What Would you Call It?