A prominent South Korean actress has been found guilty of adultery and sentenced to a suspended six-month jail sentence, apparently meaning she won't have to actually serve the time.
This reminds me of an argument I don't often get to have. I have no problem with adultery being illegal.
Now let me say first that I don't think it should be treated as a criminal matter at all and the idea of serving jail time for adultery is ludicrous. Nonetheless, marriage is a binding legal contract and, like all contracts, the involved parties should be liable if the contract is broken.
Now, I have no idea how this plays out in court. It could very well be that cheating spouses get shafted in divorce proceedings. Either way, I take the typically-unpopular stance that I don't have a problem with laws on adultery.
PS - South Korea? Really? You guys can't be pulling that 18th century crap anymore if you want to be part of the real developed world.
December 17, 2008
Good Article on Economy
There's nothing particularly outstanding about the content of this article, but as I read it, I realized I wish all economic articles were written this way. It assumes the reader doesn't have a Ph.D. in economics but is smart enough to grasp an outline of the ideas. I really appreciate that, and apparently I'm not alone in wishing more articles struck the balance.
December 16, 2008
More cities I wouldn't have expected
King of Prussia, PA
In other news, I apparently am descended from Prussian royalty. Yeah, that worked out pretty well.
In other news, I apparently am descended from Prussian royalty. Yeah, that worked out pretty well.
News and Notes
I'm sure you've thought to yourself before how annoying (and similar) the "extreme" graphics employed by CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News are. Well, if you've ever thought the same thing about their sound effects, you're not alone.
In other news, the Arena Football League is cancelling its 2009 season. It was, however, quick to point out that it is cancelling only the 2009 season. Here's my favorite quotation: "This is the farthest thing from the league folding. This is, in my opinion, just showing us the league will not fold."
Finally, despite my knowledge that it is grammatically imperative to use the word "quotation" where I did above, I felt like losing part of my soul for not using the more conversational "quote."
In other news, the Arena Football League is cancelling its 2009 season. It was, however, quick to point out that it is cancelling only the 2009 season. Here's my favorite quotation: "This is the farthest thing from the league folding. This is, in my opinion, just showing us the league will not fold."
Finally, despite my knowledge that it is grammatically imperative to use the word "quotation" where I did above, I felt like losing part of my soul for not using the more conversational "quote."
December 15, 2008
NY budget
So I know very, very little about NY State politics, so I could be way off-base here, but Governor Paterson's plan to balance the budget sounds like bullshit to me. Higher sales taxes, higher fees in state parks, higher tuition to CUNY and SUNY, cuts in government aid to education, Medicaid, and public employees' benefits...and no income tax increase on the highest income bracket.
I have no idea whether there was a better way or or his hands are tied, but it doesn't feel good...
I have no idea whether there was a better way or or his hands are tied, but it doesn't feel good...
December 13, 2008
He's gone
Hall & Oates did a great tribute to Alan Colmes (who's leaving Hannity & Colmes this year) on Thursday's TDS in a reworked version of "She's Gone." I thought the lyrics were worth posting:
Anytime you need a token liberal
Nothin' but a body to fill a chair
The barest shadow of a person
Alan Colmes is always there.
But all those years of non-existence
Can really run a person down.
Now he's leaving Hannity forever
Alan, please don't go!
You're the only non-douchebag on that show
He's gone. Bye bye,
Oh why
He was the Tango to his cash
And he's gone.
Oh why
To the extent
That I hadn't noticed he was there
But he's gone.
Oh why
What went wrong?
He's gone. Bye bye
Oh why?
He was the Laurel to his Hardy
He's gone
To spend
More time
Not being seen with his family
He's gone
What went wrong?
The Year in Ideas
I love the yearly issue of NYT Magazine that contains the "Year in Ideas." Some of these are pretty amazing. Enjoy.
December 12, 2008
Two Bailout Proposals
OK, so I didn't even read the first one. It apparently says that only two automakers should get bailout money, based on whoever will bid the lowest price. More interesting than the idea? The source. What's Eliot Spitzer doing back in the news?
Another idea ... Why do the taxpayers have to cough up this dough? How about the government does a 401(k)-style match, essentially a subsidy for investing in the automakers specifically, so that most of the money is still coming in from the private sector? Administratively complicated, but theoretically superior, at least as far as I can tell.
Another idea ... Why do the taxpayers have to cough up this dough? How about the government does a 401(k)-style match, essentially a subsidy for investing in the automakers specifically, so that most of the money is still coming in from the private sector? Administratively complicated, but theoretically superior, at least as far as I can tell.
MN-Sen: What's going on?
So, Intrade contracts on Franken winning the election in Minnesota have held tight between 30 and 35 for about a week and a half now, which is rather remarkably consistent. In the last two hours, however, the price has shot up to very close to 50.
HuffPo has allegations about Coleman corruption all over their front page, but that wouldn't have any bearing on the election. So if anyone's got any idea about anything else that might be making this happen let me know. If it's just reaction to the allegations, well, just one more bit of evidence that political betting markets aren't efficient.
HuffPo has allegations about Coleman corruption all over their front page, but that wouldn't have any bearing on the election. So if anyone's got any idea about anything else that might be making this happen let me know. If it's just reaction to the allegations, well, just one more bit of evidence that political betting markets aren't efficient.
Well that didn't take long ...
"Hey, you think we've waited long enough? Can we start calling our opponents un-American now that we've got the power?"
"Long enough? Jenny, we just won the election. Like, barely a month ago. I mean, hell, we haven't even taken office yet. There's still only 51 Democrats in the Senate and there's still a Texan in the White House. I'm not sure that counts as 'waiting'."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But this auto bailout thing - I really want it! I can't believe I have to wait even longer. This is totally unfair!"
"Dude, you can just wait a month and then we'll be in power."
"But I want it now! You know what? Screw it, I'm calling the Republicans un-American."
"No! You can't do that! That'll make us look just like those oth- ... too late."
"Long enough? Jenny, we just won the election. Like, barely a month ago. I mean, hell, we haven't even taken office yet. There's still only 51 Democrats in the Senate and there's still a Texan in the White House. I'm not sure that counts as 'waiting'."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But this auto bailout thing - I really want it! I can't believe I have to wait even longer. This is totally unfair!"
"Dude, you can just wait a month and then we'll be in power."
"But I want it now! You know what? Screw it, I'm calling the Republicans un-American."
"No! You can't do that! That'll make us look just like those oth- ... too late."
"Inhaling Fear"
...is the title of a NYTimes op-ed today (side note: "a NYTimes" or "an NYTimes"? the latter sounds right to me (thanks to vowel sound at the beginning of the pronunciation of the letter "N"), but, N being a consonant, I though maybe it should be the former...).
Anyway, it's about how brain studies have shown that anti-smoking ads actually lead people to crave a cigarette more and how anti-smoking efforts should be reformed.
I don't know how to fix this, because I don't really understand why people smoke at all (because it's relaxing and looks cool, of course, but the health risks just seem so obviously a deal-breaker, for me), and I don't even know if it's the government's place to tell people not to do something that's legal. Acccording to the op-ed, they're using money from a Big Tobacco settlement on these ads, which is better than taxpayer money, but are public funds being used for similar campaigns, like encouraging kids to exercise? I'm not really cool with that (despite the fact that I obivously think that children should exercise and not smoke cigarettes).
Anyway, it's about how brain studies have shown that anti-smoking ads actually lead people to crave a cigarette more and how anti-smoking efforts should be reformed.
I don't know how to fix this, because I don't really understand why people smoke at all (because it's relaxing and looks cool, of course, but the health risks just seem so obviously a deal-breaker, for me), and I don't even know if it's the government's place to tell people not to do something that's legal. Acccording to the op-ed, they're using money from a Big Tobacco settlement on these ads, which is better than taxpayer money, but are public funds being used for similar campaigns, like encouraging kids to exercise? I'm not really cool with that (despite the fact that I obivously think that children should exercise and not smoke cigarettes).
And I couldn't have said it better
OK, so it appears that the aforementioned constitutional crisis, wherein Hillary Clinton would be ineligible to be Secretary of State because she was in Congress when Congress gave the position a pay raise, has been averted. And I couldn't have said it better myself:
"She’ll make $4,700 less per year than the current black Secretary of State, because that’s how Barack Obama’s America rolls."
"She’ll make $4,700 less per year than the current black Secretary of State, because that’s how Barack Obama’s America rolls."
Cynical Politics?
OK, so it's possible I'm just being overly political here, but do you think it stands to reason that Barack Obama appointed Janet Napolitano to DHS as an olive branch to John McCain, as it removes a very large (and really the only) challenger to his Senate seat in 2010? Just a thought ...
December 11, 2008
I try to get out, but they just pull me back in.
GMail just introduced some pretty great new features. Not only does AIM now integrate with GChat, but now GMail supports Tasks. It really is upsetting how happy these features make me.
December 10, 2008
Blagojevich Update: Jesse Jackson, Jr.
As you've probably heard by now, Jackson is allegedly implicated in the tapes as being willing to pay for the Senate seat in question. If so, a potentially enormous political career has ended before it even begun.
Quick Thought on NY-Sen
Hillary's Senate seat is also open to a gubernatorial appointment. While speculation flies fast that Governor Patterson is looking to Caroline Kennedy, I for one do not buy this at all. NY has plenty of good candidates and she just doesn't seem like the Senate type. Notably, Patterson has more or less said he doesn't want to appoint a white male from NYC ... Carolyn Maloney has been endorsed by "Women's groups" according to electoral-vote.com. Also there's Andrew Cuomo, but this guy on NPR just said Patterson doesn't want to give him the seat (competition for him?)
GoogleWatch continues!
Here's the latest information on trends in searches on Google. Nothing mind blowing, but the list did introduce me to a few things I had never heard of (e.g. Tuenti, a Spanish-language equivalent of Facebook).
I mean what if 'Cloverfield' happened, right?
(as an aside, I really liked the first half or so of that movie, which was about what this post concerns - "what if you were just living your life, at a party or whatever, when all of a sudden real shit starting going down?" - but I wasn't so crazy about the whole alien/monster thing).
Anyway, Carly should really be writing this post, as she knows more than I do about this stuff, but our conversation about it yesterday sparked me. I don't have any real insight, just questions: What kind of "major disaster" should we be worried about? How should we prepare? Whose responsibility is it to help protect us, and they preparing effectively?
Some peoples' answers to these and other questions are in these articles:
A report on "Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism," courtesy of Carly
An op-ed about how to distribute the Anthrax vaccine, should there be another attack
The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism's report, saying there probably will be, and it will be soon
A discussion of how to protect people in fancy hotels in dangerous places, in the wake of the Mumbai attacks
Anyway, Carly should really be writing this post, as she knows more than I do about this stuff, but our conversation about it yesterday sparked me. I don't have any real insight, just questions: What kind of "major disaster" should we be worried about? How should we prepare? Whose responsibility is it to help protect us, and they preparing effectively?
Some peoples' answers to these and other questions are in these articles:
A report on "Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism," courtesy of Carly
An op-ed about how to distribute the Anthrax vaccine, should there be another attack
The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism's report, saying there probably will be, and it will be soon
A discussion of how to protect people in fancy hotels in dangerous places, in the wake of the Mumbai attacks
Homework
OK I need your help. I've basically got the go-ahead to implement some sort of voluntary office competition, in which whoever reduces their utility bills the most wins a prize.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to out-do all of the logistical complications. First, you obviously have to go by percentage since we don't all live in the same-sized houses. But do you go month-by-month? If so, I could write off every other month by putting my heat on 85 degrees and easily winning the following month. And creating a baseline represents difficulties ... ideally we would compare all the bills for 12 months of 2009 to 12 months of 2008, but that's too administratively complex.
So I'm throwing my hands up. Ideas?
Unfortunately, I have not been able to out-do all of the logistical complications. First, you obviously have to go by percentage since we don't all live in the same-sized houses. But do you go month-by-month? If so, I could write off every other month by putting my heat on 85 degrees and easily winning the following month. And creating a baseline represents difficulties ... ideally we would compare all the bills for 12 months of 2009 to 12 months of 2008, but that's too administratively complex.
So I'm throwing my hands up. Ideas?
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