Syria: Dutch priest trapped in Homs says residents going mad with hunger - Telegraph: A Dutch priest trapped in the siege on the Syrian city of Homs has told how residents around him are being driven mad with starvation, as they are "abandoned" by the international community.
Father Frans Van der Lugt, a 75-year-old Roman Catholic and local leader in the besieged Old City in Homs, told of his community's battle for survival in two years of living in a district brutalised by war and without food.
"Our city has become a lawless jungle," said Fr Van der Lugt. "We are trying our best to behave in a fraternal way, so that we don't turn on each other for the hunger."
This is a very plain blog with quotes from and links to articles I found interesting, thought-provoking, or relevant to the times. Linking is neither endorsement nor condemnation. Run by http://willslack.com
07 February, 2014
06 February, 2014
In Honor of Jim Moran’s Retirement – Yet another Call to End Gerrymandering in the House of Representatives | RedState
In Honor of Jim Moran’s Retirement – Yet another Call to End Gerrymandering in the House of Representatives | RedState: Examining the current Congressional maps of most states in the union will convince the observer that these districts were not drawn to accurately reflect any desire to improve representative government. They represent a two party cartel dividing up districts the way iniquitous pirates share out the spoils. This leads to our nation’s legislature being staffed by lower quality individuals who are nearly impossible to get rid of. This can only make it harder for our nation to do the right thing in a correct fashion.
Pot Politics | RedState
Pot Politics | RedState: Making it about personal responsibility is all well and good until those of us who were personally responsible must cover the cleanup costs of those who were not. Perhaps we should just wait a few years then re-examine Colorado before rushing on.
My heart says go in for personal responsibility and let the chips fall where they may. My head says to slow down and watch Colorado for a few years before going any further.
My heart says go in for personal responsibility and let the chips fall where they may. My head says to slow down and watch Colorado for a few years before going any further.
The Politics of A–holes | RedState
The Politics of A–holes | RedState: But there’s more here and it is going to be the problem that haunts Chris Christie. I’m ambivalent on his run for the Presidency. But I don’t see him getting that far for the very reasons underlying this issue — he and his staff operate as divas.
I have had Congressmen, Governors, and the staffers of Congressmen and Governors tell me horror stories about dealing with Christie’s people. All of them seem to dread it.
One congressman told me he wanted to talk to Christie about a matter and the staff would not put him through and would not even give him the Chief of Staff to talk to.
A Governor told me that Christie’s staff treats incumbent governors as if they are low level staffers there to serve as Chris Christie’s advance team.
A Chief of Staff of a Governor once told me that Christie’s staff began lecturing the Chief of Staff’s Governor about the set up of an event and what that Governor needed to say. Both the Chief of Staff and Governor were rather hacked off by the arrogant tone.
I have had Congressmen, Governors, and the staffers of Congressmen and Governors tell me horror stories about dealing with Christie’s people. All of them seem to dread it.
One congressman told me he wanted to talk to Christie about a matter and the staff would not put him through and would not even give him the Chief of Staff to talk to.
A Governor told me that Christie’s staff treats incumbent governors as if they are low level staffers there to serve as Chris Christie’s advance team.
A Chief of Staff of a Governor once told me that Christie’s staff began lecturing the Chief of Staff’s Governor about the set up of an event and what that Governor needed to say. Both the Chief of Staff and Governor were rather hacked off by the arrogant tone.
This chart shows just how bad things are getting in Iraq
This chart shows just how bad things are getting in Iraq: This happened in Baghdad today:
- Two car bombs went off simultaneously in two parking lots, across the street from the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Twelve people were killed.
- A suicide bomber walked into a falafel restaurant and set off his explosives-laden belt. Five people were killed.
- A bomb inside a parked car went off in a commercial center. Five people were killed.
Coming to a Post Office Near You: Loans You Can Trust?�|�Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Coming to a Post Office Near You: Loans You Can Trust?�|�Sen. Elizabeth Warren: The poor pay more.
According to a report put out this week by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Postal Service, about 68 million Americans -- more than a quarter of all households -- have no checking or savings account and are underserved by the banking system. Collectively, these households spent about $89 billion in 2012 on interest and fees for non-bank financial services like payday loans and check cashing, which works out to an average of $2,412 per household. That means the average underserved household spends roughly 10 percent of its annual income on interest and fees -- about the same amount they spend on food.
Think about that: about 10 percent of a family's income just to manage getting checks cashed, bills paid, and, sometimes, a short-term loan to tide them over. That's more than a full month's income just to try to navigate the basics.
The poor pay more, and that's one of the reasons people get trapped at the bottom of the economic ladder.
According to a report put out this week by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Postal Service, about 68 million Americans -- more than a quarter of all households -- have no checking or savings account and are underserved by the banking system. Collectively, these households spent about $89 billion in 2012 on interest and fees for non-bank financial services like payday loans and check cashing, which works out to an average of $2,412 per household. That means the average underserved household spends roughly 10 percent of its annual income on interest and fees -- about the same amount they spend on food.
Think about that: about 10 percent of a family's income just to manage getting checks cashed, bills paid, and, sometimes, a short-term loan to tide them over. That's more than a full month's income just to try to navigate the basics.
The poor pay more, and that's one of the reasons people get trapped at the bottom of the economic ladder.
American Cannot Negotiate With the Taliban | New Republic
American Cannot Negotiate With the Taliban | New Republic:
But what's truly embarrassing and maddening about Karzai's unilateral initiative is that it is, er, absolutely pointless. As the Times
reports: "The clandestine contacts with the Taliban have borne little
fruit, according to people who have been told about them. But they have
helped undermine the remaining confidence between the United States and
Mr. Karzai, making the already messy endgame of the Afghan conflict even
more volatile." Even worse:
But what's truly embarrassing and maddening about Karzai's unilateral initiative is that it is, er, absolutely pointless. As the Times
reports: "The clandestine contacts with the Taliban have borne little
fruit, according to people who have been told about them. But they have
helped undermine the remaining confidence between the United States and
Mr. Karzai, making the already messy endgame of the Afghan conflict even
more volatile." Even worse:
The peace contacts,Karzai's move was not just nefarious; it was dumb.
though, have yielded no tangible agreement, nor even progressed as far
as opening negotiations for one. And it is not clear whether the Taliban
ever intended to seriously pursue negotiations, or were simply trying
to derail the security agreement by distracting Mr. Karzai and leading
him on, as many of the officials said they suspected.
Why We Procrastinate - Issue 9: Time - Nautilus
Why We Procrastinate - Issue 9: Time - Nautilus: Though we will inevitably share their fates, the people we will become in a decade, quarter century, or more, are unknown to us. This impedes our ability to make good choices on their—which of course is our own—behalf. That bright, shiny New Year’s resolution? If you feel perfectly justified in breaking it, it may be because it feels like it was a promise someone else made.
“It’s kind of a weird notion,” says Hal Hershfield, an assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “On a psychological and emotional level we really consider that future self as if it’s another person.”
“It’s kind of a weird notion,” says Hal Hershfield, an assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “On a psychological and emotional level we really consider that future self as if it’s another person.”
Here's Why the CBO Thinks Obamacare Will Reduce Employment Among the Poor | Mother Jones
Here's Why the CBO Thinks Obamacare Will Reduce Employment Among the Poor | Mother Jones:
If, for example, earning $100 in additional income means a $25
reduction in Obamacare subsidies, you're only getting $75 for your extra
work. At the margins, some people will decide that's not worth it, so
they'll forego working extra hours. That's the substitution effect. In
addition, low-income workers covered by Obamacare will have lower
medical bills. This makes them less desperate for additional money, and
might also cause them to forego working extra hours. That's the income
effect.
This is not something specific to Obamacare. It's a shortcoming in
all means-tested welfare programs. It's basically Welfare 101, and in
over half a century, no one has really figured out how to get around it.
It's something you just have to accept if you support safety net
programs for the poor.
It's worth noting, however, that health care is an exception to this rule. It doesn't have
to be means tested. If we simply had a rational national health care
system, available to everyone regardless of income, then none of this
would be an issue. There might still be a small income effect, but it
would probably be barely noticeable. Since everyone would be fully
covered no matter what, there would no high effective marginal tax rate
on the poor and no reason not to work more hours. Someday we'll get
there.
If, for example, earning $100 in additional income means a $25
reduction in Obamacare subsidies, you're only getting $75 for your extra
work. At the margins, some people will decide that's not worth it, so
they'll forego working extra hours. That's the substitution effect. In
addition, low-income workers covered by Obamacare will have lower
medical bills. This makes them less desperate for additional money, and
might also cause them to forego working extra hours. That's the income
effect.
This is not something specific to Obamacare. It's a shortcoming in
all means-tested welfare programs. It's basically Welfare 101, and in
over half a century, no one has really figured out how to get around it.
It's something you just have to accept if you support safety net
programs for the poor.
It's worth noting, however, that health care is an exception to this rule. It doesn't have
to be means tested. If we simply had a rational national health care
system, available to everyone regardless of income, then none of this
would be an issue. There might still be a small income effect, but it
would probably be barely noticeable. Since everyone would be fully
covered no matter what, there would no high effective marginal tax rate
on the poor and no reason not to work more hours. Someday we'll get
there.
Sochi facilities still a work in progress | 2014 Winter Games
Sochi facilities still a work in progress | 2014 Winter Games: Well, Putin arrived Tuesday. Everyone look busy.
In Beijing, every detail was nailed down. They violated all kinds of human rights to do it, of course, but it was an expression of China’s ruthless efficiency. It showed what the country can do, when it wants to.
Sochi? Well, three of the nine mountain hotels have not been completed, and the IOC estimate that 97 per cent of the rooms are ready appears to ignore the little things.
Almost every room is missing something: lightbulbs, TVs, lamps, chairs, curtains, wifi, heat, hot water. Shower curtains are a valuable piece of the future black market here. (One American photographer was simply told, “You will not get a shower curtain.”)
In Beijing, every detail was nailed down. They violated all kinds of human rights to do it, of course, but it was an expression of China’s ruthless efficiency. It showed what the country can do, when it wants to.
Sochi? Well, three of the nine mountain hotels have not been completed, and the IOC estimate that 97 per cent of the rooms are ready appears to ignore the little things.
Almost every room is missing something: lightbulbs, TVs, lamps, chairs, curtains, wifi, heat, hot water. Shower curtains are a valuable piece of the future black market here. (One American photographer was simply told, “You will not get a shower curtain.”)
Vatican Surveys Find Catholics Reject Teachings On Sex, Contraception
Vatican Surveys Find Catholics Reject Teachings On Sex, Contraception: Surveys commissioned by the Vatican have shown that the vast majority of Catholics in Germany and Switzerland reject church teaching on contraception, sexual morality, gay unions and divorce.
The Vatican took the unusual step of commissioning the surveys ahead of a major meeting of bishops that Pope Francis has called for October to discuss the family.
This week, German and Swiss bishops reported the results. They were surprising in the near-uniformity of responses: that the church's teachings on sexuality, morality and marriage are rejected as unrealistic and outdated by the vast majority of Catholics who nevertheless are active in parish life and consider their faith vitally important. Also surprising was the eagerness with which the bishops publicized the results.
The Vatican took the unusual step of commissioning the surveys ahead of a major meeting of bishops that Pope Francis has called for October to discuss the family.
This week, German and Swiss bishops reported the results. They were surprising in the near-uniformity of responses: that the church's teachings on sexuality, morality and marriage are rejected as unrealistic and outdated by the vast majority of Catholics who nevertheless are active in parish life and consider their faith vitally important. Also surprising was the eagerness with which the bishops publicized the results.
A rational idea, but I entirely disagree
How to Avoid the Next Sochi - Bloomberg: So what did all of that money buy? One-half of an Olympic Village, apparently. At this point, the Sochi Games will be judged a success if they're free of suicide bombers and the Iceberg Skating Palace doesn’t collapse.
Sochi may be an extreme case, but the general pattern is familiar: Host country wins bid for games, then goes way over budget -- in this case, $39 billion over -- preparing for them, all the time insisting that the money is financing vital infrastructure projects. (Like, say, a new mountain road to a new ski resort.) Once the games are over and everyone goes home, the host country is left with a lot of debt and underused stadiums and hotels. (Not to mention displaced citizens when the games are held in densely populated areas.)
A simple solution is at hand: Designate permanent sites for both the Summer and Winter Games.
Sochi may be an extreme case, but the general pattern is familiar: Host country wins bid for games, then goes way over budget -- in this case, $39 billion over -- preparing for them, all the time insisting that the money is financing vital infrastructure projects. (Like, say, a new mountain road to a new ski resort.) Once the games are over and everyone goes home, the host country is left with a lot of debt and underused stadiums and hotels. (Not to mention displaced citizens when the games are held in densely populated areas.)
A simple solution is at hand: Designate permanent sites for both the Summer and Winter Games.
Winter Heat Swamps Alaska : Image of the Day
Winter Heat Swamps Alaska : Image of the Day: hile much of the continental United States endured several cold snaps in January 2014, record-breaking warmth gripped Alaska. Spring-like conditions set rivers rising and avalanches tumbling.
This map depicts land surface temperature anomalies in Alaska for January 23–30, 2014. Based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, the map shows how 2014 temperatures compared to the 2001–2010 average for the same week. Areas with warmer than average temperatures are shown in red; near-normal temperatures are white; and areas that were cooler than the base period are blue.
This map depicts land surface temperature anomalies in Alaska for January 23–30, 2014. Based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, the map shows how 2014 temperatures compared to the 2001–2010 average for the same week. Areas with warmer than average temperatures are shown in red; near-normal temperatures are white; and areas that were cooler than the base period are blue.
A crossroads for antisemitism? | OUPblog
A crossroads for antisemitism? | OUPblog: The main difficulty in combating antisemitism is that the two main strategies for doing so are increasingly at cross purposes.
The first sees antisemitism from the perspective of Jewish nationalism (Zionism), for which the answer to antisemitism is Israel, as the political expression of the Jewish people’s right to national self-determination. From this perspective attacks on Israel are against the national rights of the Jewish people and hence are antisemitic because anti-Zionist. This linking of antisemitism with anti-Zionism, conceptualized most recently in the theory of “the new antisemitism”, has garnered strong support in the world’s Jewish communities, and is also written into the European Union’s working definition of antisemitism. If we approach antisemitism as a Jewish problem alone, this has a certain sense.
The first sees antisemitism from the perspective of Jewish nationalism (Zionism), for which the answer to antisemitism is Israel, as the political expression of the Jewish people’s right to national self-determination. From this perspective attacks on Israel are against the national rights of the Jewish people and hence are antisemitic because anti-Zionist. This linking of antisemitism with anti-Zionism, conceptualized most recently in the theory of “the new antisemitism”, has garnered strong support in the world’s Jewish communities, and is also written into the European Union’s working definition of antisemitism. If we approach antisemitism as a Jewish problem alone, this has a certain sense.
I Lived Dylan Farrow’s Story - The Daily Beast
I Lived Dylan Farrow’s Story - The Daily Beast: When my parents left me at Oma’s every summer while they traveled for weeks on end to Paris, Lausanne, and London, my uncle’s daily visits to my bedroom didn’t strike anyone as strange. He must really love you, they said. But I got scared, and my little-girl self tried to tell my parents something was going on. Though it had been going on for years, I must have been five when I tried to tell them—just two years younger than Dylan Farrow’s age when she was allegedly molested. My parents told me I was making it up.
Well into my 20s, I believed them. Only when I entered the office of a Freudian analyst at age 24 did our first session end with me whispering the words: “I think something happened.”
Well into my 20s, I believed them. Only when I entered the office of a Freudian analyst at age 24 did our first session end with me whispering the words: “I think something happened.”
Obama Aides Doubt Clinton Strategy
Obama Aides Doubt Clinton Strategy:
The willingness of Benenson and others to speak openly about
their concerns reflects a growing consensus among Democrats that Clinton
may be taking a wrong turn, something that has been much the
conversation among the people — notably, advisers to Obama and to former
Sen. John Edwards — who jointly beat her seven years ago in Iowa,
beginning the end of her campaign. Officials were also willing to speak
on the record about what they see as those mistakes, in part to send a
message to the former secretary of state. “People are really getting
worried about it,” said another former top Obama aide, who said she
would like to see a woman elected but worried that Clinton “doesn’t have
a compelling rationale for her candidacy.”
Some Clinton aides
agree, quietly telling colleagues that they fear that jockeying for
position, rather than Clinton’s own interest, has spurred the early
build-out. And others with front-row seats in 2008 see a similar
pattern.
The willingness of Benenson and others to speak openly about
their concerns reflects a growing consensus among Democrats that Clinton
may be taking a wrong turn, something that has been much the
conversation among the people — notably, advisers to Obama and to former
Sen. John Edwards — who jointly beat her seven years ago in Iowa,
beginning the end of her campaign. Officials were also willing to speak
on the record about what they see as those mistakes, in part to send a
message to the former secretary of state. “People are really getting
worried about it,” said another former top Obama aide, who said she
would like to see a woman elected but worried that Clinton “doesn’t have
a compelling rationale for her candidacy.”
Some Clinton aides
agree, quietly telling colleagues that they fear that jockeying for
position, rather than Clinton’s own interest, has spurred the early
build-out. And others with front-row seats in 2008 see a similar
pattern.
05 February, 2014
Power Struggle in Yemen’s North
Power Struggle in Yemen’s North: The announcement of a cease-fire on Tuesday was met with widespread relief, but renewed violence is widely expected. Despite grumblings in some quarters, analysts and officials here agree that any actions by the Yemeni Armed Forces would be far from advisable: Saleh's heavy-handed efforts to squash the Houthis -- which included a 2009 offensive that was literally named "Operation Scorched Earth" -- failed to lead to any decisive victory, even as the military lay waste to swaths of the country's far north. Political analysts largely argue that the only real option is the Houthis' incorporation into Yemen's mainstream. But it's hard to imagine that taking place as long as the group retains its armed wing. Coming in the wake of the end of Yemen's National Dialogue Conference, the Houthis' gains have only underlined the unlikelihood that the group will disband its militias any time soon.
Ezra Klein on His New Vox Media Venture -- New York Magazine
Ezra Klein on His New Vox Media Venture -- New York Magazine: It is “a software-eats-the-world idea,” Klein told the crowd at UCLA. During his eight years working in Washington, he had become convinced of a structural flaw in the way journalism is practiced—and he believed he might know how to do it better and very profitably. “We think there are a lot of ways in which the technology underlying journalism is reinforcing habits developed, and workflows developed, back when we were tied to killing trees and printing them out and having children deliver them to people,” he said. He then set forth a more general analysis of journalism. The column inches devoted to the new are column inches not given to the important, and this stress on novelty is a holdover from when the cost of making and moving paper limited what you could print. “The web explodes that constraint,” Klein said. “We can publish War and Peace in the morning, then ten things on Obamacare, and then a hundred pictures of cats … And for all that, we haven’t created a resource that people can really use. We’ve just created a resource where it’s really easy to come and find out what happened today.”
Wall Street Journal chart lists Twitch.tv fourth in U.S. peak traffic - onGamers
Wall Street Journal chart lists Twitch.tv fourth in U.S. peak traffic - onGamers: “When video game historians look back on gaming a decade from now, 2013 will be the year they cite as the tipping point of streaming,” said Matthew DiPietro Twitch's VP of Marketing at the time. “Every major event, publisher, developer, and media outlet in the gaming industry had a presence on Twitch, and streaming became an ever-present piece of the gaming experience. And it’s only going to get bigger."
League of Legends, Dota 2, and StarCraft 2 were the three most watched games on Twitch in 2013. League of Legends and Dota 2 are up 258% and 508%, respectively, in average monthly minutes watched compared to 2012.
League of Legends, Dota 2, and StarCraft 2 were the three most watched games on Twitch in 2013. League of Legends and Dota 2 are up 258% and 508%, respectively, in average monthly minutes watched compared to 2012.
The rapist next door - CNN.com
The rapist next door - CNN.com: Before I visited Alaska, it was difficult for me to comprehend how stunningly common rape is in this state. As an outsider, when I heard about Sheldon's situation – a rapist living next door – I was flabbergasted.
That kind of situation isn't unheard of here.
It would be possible in any number of communities, activists told me.
There are so many perpetrators, so many victims. Communities in Alaska are small enough there's little choice but for lives to intersect again.
That kind of situation isn't unheard of here.
It would be possible in any number of communities, activists told me.
There are so many perpetrators, so many victims. Communities in Alaska are small enough there's little choice but for lives to intersect again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)