While conservatives tend to overestimate tenfold the degree to which political correctness gave rise to Trump, the signal to noise ratio really is a problem.
Nat Malkus argues that charter schools don’t really have a disciplining problem that make them worse than – or look better than – government schools.
We are likely to be debt-free in another year or two, thanks in (relatively small, about 30%) part to government programs like this. It’s definitely a way to get doctors to consider doing something they otherwise wouldn’t want to do, but there is an economic inefficiency about it (on our end) I don’t care for.
Tony You argues that programming doesn’t require talent or passion and the myth that it does is a real problem. I think this is true, though it should be said that it requires something an awful lot of people don’t have (and in some cases likely can’t develop).
In Trumpian fashion, Ivanka used the convention to hawk a dress from her line. Even so, I do actually think it’s kind of cool that it’s a reasonably affordable dress as far as such dresses go.
The Socialist Party is likely on its way out in France, but they imparted one final blow to try to put things back on track (or, depending on your point of view, screw their own people).
Adam Gurri writes of the hegemony of the backstory. I’ve become increasingly against the notion that every introduction should be an origin story.
It’s kind of funny that Suits has such a liberal following since it’s one of few shows that show protagonist guardians for Big Corporations (including oil companies!). I’m also not sure what to make of the fact that Supernatural is higher on both sides than The Big Bang Theory.
Benjamin Wittes offers some advice on whether Justice Department lawyers should stand up to President Trump from within, or fight him from without.
The BitTorrent whack-a-mole game continues, but the feds got themselves a huge hit.
Well crap, there’s one potential electoral reform I support possibly out the window. There are a number of things we do that empower the entrenched party structure, and this is definitely one of them.
Scott Stanley writes of motivated ambiguity and Jane Austen.
Andrew Flowers looks at the complicated relationship between Spotify, music sales, and piracy.
A new study suggests that at a certain point social admonition may adversely affect smokers. To be fair, that only matters if we consider smokers to be people rather than characters in a morality play – and it’s pretty clear where we stand on that.
Also, fat people.
About the Author
12 Responses to Linkluster CDXCVI
Leave a Reply
please enter your email address on this page.
When I was a school lab admin, I hated too clever kids who tried that argument, mostly because a master’s student should be able to form a better argument.
Yeah to the fat people thing. I’m not THAT fat, myself – though by BMI standards I just qualify as “obese” (though my doctor has noted, “You’re pretty well-muscled, so I don’t know how well that applies”) and I know I have spent far more time than I should feeling awful about myself. I have actually said to myself, “Dammit, you had enough self-control to earn a Ph.D. and to get a good job and to achieve tenure, why do you not have enough self-control to be a size 8?”
I would honestly not be surprised if they find out someday that (a) gut flora affects one’s metabolic status greatly (which would probably mean I could eventually ‘fix myself’ with a fecal transplant from a thin person….) or (b) it’s some kind of epigenetic thing we don’t have a lot of control over or (c) there are “healthy” fat people and “unhealthy” fat people, and the same is true of thin people, and we really need to monitor OTHER things rather than numbers on a scale.
My campus started doing a “commit to get fit” program last year and I HATED it. I hated the daily nagging e-mails that essentially told people to “push back from the table!” and to walk more and all that jazz. All while we were going through rounds of unprecedented budget cuts….it was miserable.
Also, the “Tobacco Settlement” money here has begun to be used for an aggressive anti-soft-drinks campaign, which I just find kind of offensive. I don’t drink soft drinks more than once or twice a month but it feels patronizing to be told regularly how many “packets” of sugar they contain. (If only they WERE still made with “real” sugar, instead of that corn syrup junk)
We have cane sugar in ours.
In the US–or at least in Big City–there’s actually a trend to sell “throwback” soda with “real sugar,” which I assume means cane sugar. Supposedly it’s better. But I bought some “throwback Dr. Pepper” and it was good because I like Dr. Pepper, but I didn’t notice a difference.
Yeah, I guess some places do sell the “throwback.” I’m not enough of a pop drinker to notice its availability. I will buy occasional four-packs of “hipster soda” (ginger beer made by some small bottler) that is made with “cane syrup” (sugar, essentially) because it tastes better than most and I use it as a rare treat.
When I was growing up, pop was just that: a rare treat. Which may explain why I get annoyed at the anti-soda ads: I feel like it’s telling me to give up one of the little rare “treats” in my life even as I know they’re not really aimed at me.
The throwbacks do taste a little bit different. The Pepsi is actually better. I don’t like the Mountain Dew as much. It’s all on the margins, though.
Are you talking about the 1896 (or whatever the year is) Pepsi stuff?
Maribou loves that stuff and talks about how interesting the various flavor notes are.
I taste it and think about a world where everything tastes so bland and dreary that something like *THAT* would taste like a special treat.
Imagine a universe, for example, where licorice was what everyone thought of when you spoke of candy.
It’s 2016, people. Eat like it.
My wife notices the difference in throwback sodas, especially coke (her favorite). I *think* I notice a difference (for the better) in throwback Pepsi, but I’m not positive I’d pass the double-blind test.
Now, when they start selling the throwback sour cream and onion doritos again, then count me in!
I can taste a difference in “sugar sodas” vs. “corn syrup sodas.” Maybe I’m unusual, I don’t know. The corn syrup ones seem sweeter and “muddier tasting” to me.
PC: Lets just say american political dialogue has been infected with hyperbole and insults for a bit longer than PC was raised as an issue. Did LI Heil Hitler…no and its silly to think she did. Were conservatives calling liberals traitors and america haters and terrible fricking people for decades before the 90’s. Well umm…. yeah sort of. That doesn’t’ justify the overblown rhetoric on the left but if hyperbole is an issue then all sides to take a handful of chill pills washed down with a bottle of 100 proof cool it juice.
I was kind of disappointed that she went in that direction. I think it was worth pointing out not as the latest in an ongoing battle, but how Trump and company are attacked going forward.
Second link is broken.