Lynch Ad

You've probably already seen this ad, but I just did for the first time and thought it was great.



Semi-related: I wish Lynch had actually done this movie.

The Economy Is Good

- for making us happier.

recession anxiety had prompted a “back-to-basics movement,” with things like home and family increasing in importance over the last two years, while things like luxury and status have declined.

People are also wising up when it comes to how they spend money

Current research suggests that, unlike consumption of material goods, spending on leisure and services typically strengthens social bonds, which in turn helps amplify happiness.

No, John Stewart.

OK, I don't want Stewart every day, but this is the reaction to the Afghanistan War documents on Wikileaks that I saw:

video here

If this is anywhere close to the Pentagon Papers, and clearly some parallels exist, Bradley Manning is an American hero. Maybe he doesn't exhibit the conscious, courage, or intelligence that Daniel Ellsburg exhibited, but regardless of his character, he, as the initiator of a bold and important action, still deserves to be celebrated, particularly by the leaders and spokesman of the left, for taking a risk and improving the public consciousness about war. I find what Stewart and other are doing to belittle him to be abhorrent.

Frank Rich:

Last week the left and right reached a rare consensus. The war logs are no Pentagon Papers. They are historic documents describing events largely predating the current administration. They contain no news. They will not change the course of the war.

About the only prominent figures who found serious parallels between then and now were Ellsberg and the WikiLeaks impresario, Julian Assange. They are hardly disinterested observers, but they’re on the mark — in large part because the impact of the Pentagon Papers on the Vietnam War (as opposed to their impact on the press) was far less momentous than last week’s chatter would suggest. No, the logs won’t change the course of our very long war in Afghanistan, but neither did the Pentagon Papers alter the course of Vietnam. What Ellsberg’s leak did do was ratify the downward trend-line of the war’s narrative. The WikiLeaks legacy may echo that. We may look back at the war logs as a herald of the end of America’s engagement in Afghanistan just as the Pentagon Papers are now a milestone in our slo-mo exit from Vietnam.

What was often forgotten last week is that the Pentagon Papers had no game-changing news about that war either and also described events predating the then-current president.

There are times when cynicism and indifference are understandable, but this is not one of them. The government is going to continue to lie and smear Manning's character, as they did with Ellsburg. It unlikely Manning has the same intelligence and charisma. He probably won't be ready to overcome it. The courts probably won't rule in his favor. The only hope for Manning and future leakers is that the public be conscious of the value of this type of action and support it in any way they can.

For Those of You with Tiny Children

Nice site to walk through:

Mila's Daydreams


Some photos:

The Impending Demise of the Human Species

Its sex-week at mVc, apparently.

Please note: this kind of sex will be considered unacceptable.

The New Rape

A one night stand achieved through the verbal embellishment of one's credentials is now considered rape. Consensual sex is not, if that consent is premised on a lie.

This means you Mr. "Financial Consultant" ordering mai thais for that lush dame at the bar.

Dclrtn/Indpndnc

Slate has twitter contest on boiling down T-Jeff's 1776 rant to a tweet. I invite ye Men.