Events

Just about: Then again, it's a hard accusation to prove: after all, one person's economic sabotage is another person's principled anti-government conservatism. Beyond McConnell's words, though, there is circumstantial evidence to make the case. Republicans have opposed a lion's share of stimulus measures that once they supported, such as a payroll tax break, which they grudgingly embraced earlier this year. Even unemployment insurance, a relatively uncontroversial tool for helping those in an economic...

Krugman says bailing out Spanish banks doesn't change the fundamentals: [T]he whole story is starting to feel like a comedy routine: yet again the economy slides, unemployment soars, banks get into trouble, governments rush to the rescue — but somehow it’s only the banks that get rescued, not the unemployed. Just to be clear, Spanish banks did indeed need a bailout. Spain was clearly on the edge of a “doom loop” — a well-understood process in which concern about banks’ solvency forces the banks to sell...

Parker never really likes the walk up to Ribfest. It's about 5 km, and yesterday the temperature hit 33°C, making him a very hot dog. He did, however, get a few bits of ribs, and when we stopped in the Urban Pooch booth, two entire elk jerky sticks he stole from the display case. This year's results: Mrs. Murphy's Irish Bistro, again my favorite; Itinerant Chicago BBQ, again my second-favorite; Corner 41, who had a good, hot vinegar sauce and fall-off-the-bone ribs (with a little too much fat, though)...

Time to rend the clothing and tear the hair. Click and Clack are retiring: TOM: And with Car Talk celebrating its 25th anniversary on NPR this fall (35th year overall, including our local years at WBUR)… RAY: …and my brother turning over the birthday odometer to 75, we’ve decided that it’s time to stop and smell the cappuccino. TOM: So as of October, we’re not going to be recording any more new shows. That’s right, we’re retiring. RAY: So, we can finally answer the question, if my brother retired, how...

The Atlantic's Max Fisher has a roundup: Flipping through a few of the many English-language tourist guides provides a fascinating, if non-scientific and narrow, window into how people from the outside world perceive America, Americans, and the surprises and pitfalls of spending time here. Of the many pieces of advice proffered, four of the most common are: eat with your fingers (sometimes), arrive on time (always), don't drink and drive (they take it seriously here!), and be careful about talking...

It turns out, the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva gets a little out-of-sorts because of it: The moon’s own gravitational field was pulling more strongly one side of the Large Hadron Collider, every-so slightly deforming the tunnel through which the proton beams pass. The deformation also changed as the Moon rose and fell in the night sky. In order to keep the proton beams on track, the operator at the LHC’s control center had to subtly alter the direction of the proton beams to accomodate the Moon’s...

I've got a deadline, which didn't stop me reading these articles (but did stop me posting thoughts about them): Right-wing Wisconsin governor Scott Walker held on to his job yesterday, for a variety of reasons The Economist's Democracy in America blog sees worsening partisanship in the U.S., especially after yesterday's failed recall election in Wisconsin The Atlantic Cities blog has two posts today about pollution: first, how Pittsburgh suffered in the 1940s, and second, how Latin America and Canada...

Because they improved downtown L.A. immensely: In 1999, Los Angeles passed its Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, making it easier and cheaper for real estate developers to convert old offices to new housing. While the ordinance arguably jump-started the revitalization of downtown L.A., a key (though overlooked) element was pet-friendly policies in these newly converted lofts. Walking dogs drove residents out of their homes and into the street at least twice each day. Elsewhere in Los Angeles, where...

Assuming the polls are correct, the contest in Wisconsin today will be close. Whatever the result, Scott Walker can hardly claim a mandate with somewhere around half the state wanting to take the unprecedented (for Wisconsin) step of yanking him from office. This is not trivial: voters have to overcome their natural disinclination to end a governor's term early, and then they have to select someone who lost an election just two years ago. I look forward to the results.