david (b) hayes

Invading Burma

Combining the theme of the last two posts: a lot of pundits are saying it’s a good idea to invade Burma to provide humanitarian relief. (If you don’t believe me, sample the sources cited in this UN Dispatch post.) I think Mr. Yglesias offers an interesting explanation of the trend:

The thing you have to understand about the surge of pundits wanting to invade Burma is that it’s the very absurdity of the idea that makes it such an appealing op-ed thesis. It’s self-righteousness without responsibility. Advocate an invasion of a country you don’t know anything about and have it happen and, well, all kinds of things might go awry in a way that’s embarasing. But since everyone knows there’s not going to be an invasion of Burma, you can say there ought to be one and then make up a nice story about how well it hypothetically went. You can even show your thoughtful seriousness about matters of war and peace by chalking up the tragic failure to invade as yet another disastrous consequence of the war in Iraq.

Burma in 1958

The Atlantic — even as they wait many weeks to get their currently-in-print magazine online — has put online their 1958 feature on Burma. It at least worth a quick glance. I thought this bit, from the section on naming, was interesting:

One or more of a Burmese child’s names is almost certain to show the day on which he was born—a survival from our belief that human destiny is linked with the stars. Certain letters of the alphabet are ascribed to each day, so that a “Thursday’s child” would have one name beginning with our P, B, or M.

(via James Fallows)

Foreign Policy Clichés

Joshua Keating makes an interesting point about Francis Fukuyama’s “the end of history” and a few other clichés:

Why does it seem as thought every big-think piece on the last two decades of foreign policy must include at least one instance where the author trots out Fukuyama just to kick him in the teeth? Is there really no other way to describe early-90s, capitalist triumphalism than using this one phrase?

But “The End of History” is hardly alone. There are a number of convenient phrases and quotes that seem to pop up again and again as convenient shorthand for writers discussing big, complex foreign policy ideas. It’s for this very reason that FP has a blanket ban on article submissions begining “Since the end of the cold war…” or “In the wake of Sept. 11…”

Sexual Permissiveness

William Saletan, while decrying those who attempt to conflate gay marriage and polygamy, says that both are increasingly approved of and tolerated. Oh and incest too.

We’ve heard this slippery-slope argument before. Five years ago, Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania put it this way: “If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest. …”

I hate to say it, but things are playing out pretty much as Santorum predicted.

Urban Index

Grist compiled some interesting numbers recently. For example:

Less than 1: Percent of the earth’s surface covered by cities (1)
75: Percent of global energy consumed by cities (2)
80: Percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions contributed by cities (1)

(via GOOD Blog)

Since it’s that time of year, and I wanted to avoid another day like this, some word’s from Stephen Colbert’s 2006 Address to the graduates of Knox College.

But you seem nice enough, so I’ll try to give you some advice. First of all, when you go to apply for your first job, don’t wear these robes. Medieval garb does not instill confidence in future employers—unless you’re applying to be a scrivener. And if someone does offer you a job, say yes. You can always quit later. Then at least you’ll be one of the unemployed as opposed to one of the never-employed. Nothing looks worse on a resume than nothing.

So, say “yes.” In fact, say “yes” as often as you can. When I was starting out in Chicago, doing improvisational theatre with Second City and other places, there was really only one rule I was taught about improv. That was, “yes-and.” In this case, “yes-and” is a verb. To “yes-and.” I yes-and, you yes-and, he, she or it yes-ands. And yes-anding means that when you go onstage to improvise a scene with no script, you have no idea what’s going to happen, maybe with someone you’ve never met before. To build a scene, you have to accept. To build anything onstage, you have to accept what the other improviser initiates on stage. They say you’re doctors—you’re doctors. And then, you add to that: We’re doctors and we’re trapped in an ice cave. That’s the “-and.” And then hopefully they “yes-and” you back. You have to keep your eyes open when you do this. You have to be aware of what the other performer is offering you, so that you can agree and add to it. And through these agreements, you can improvise a scene or a one-act play. And because, by following each other’s lead, neither of you are really in control. It’s more of a mutual discovery than a solo adventure. What happens in a scene is often as much a surprise to you as it is to the audience.

Well, you are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no script. No idea what’s going to happen, often with people and places you have never seen before. And you are not in control. So say “yes.” And if you’re lucky, you’ll find people who will say “yes” back.

Now will saying “yes” get you in trouble at times? Will saying “yes” lead you to doing some foolish things? Yes it will. But don’t be afraid to be a fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying “yes” begins things. Saying “yes” is how things grow. Saying “yes” leads to knowledge. “Yes” is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say “yes.”

The Passing of Radio Free Europe

The Economist’s Europe.view column mourns the not-quite-total passing of the organization for lack of funding. Some interesting details are discussed, as are feasible alternatives for those interested in the former Soviet Republics. A snippet:

The invaluable “Tatar-Bashkir Daily Report”, for example, covering what 90 years ago was the briefly independent state of Idel-Ural, stopped publication in November 2005. Though the vernacular-language broadcasts remain, it is hard to see how they will maintain their quality as the main brains of the organisation disperse.

A sign of how much the bad guys dislike the radios’ work came only last month, with a big cyberattack that temporarily brought down the website of the Belarusian-language service, probably to stop people reading it on the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. That recalled the Soviet-era practice of jamming, at vast expense, foreign short-wave radio broadcasts.

American Gasoline is Cheap

A refrain that merits repetition:

The simple truth is that Americans are going to have to get used to more expensive gasoline. And while they may continue grumbling at the pump, they need to accept the fact that even at $3.50 or $4 per gallon, the fuel they are buying is still a bargain.

Crossword Doodles

An interesting concept: Emily Jo Cureton draws pictures inspired by a few words in that day’s New York Times crossword.

(via Gems Sty)

On a related note, Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle is interesting.

Double-Amputee Pistorius Eligible for Olympics

In case you haven’t been following along:

In January, athletics’ governing body the IAAF banned the 21-year-old South African from able-bodied events.

It was claimed Pistorius’ prosthetic limbs give him an unfair advantage, but he disagreed and went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

“I hope this silences the crazy theories circulating about my having an unfair advantage,” he said.

Cas said in a statement that the IAAF had not proved competition rules had been contravened.

“On the basis of the evidence brought by the experts called by both parties, the panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favour of the double amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot,” the statement said.

SKYplay

These pictures are pretty awesome. Perhaps best as a slideshow.

(via Andrew Sullivan)

Brijit Has Closed (Temporarily?)

Whoa. I’d grown to like and rely on the abstracting service Brijit over the last few months, but suddenly it’s gone. Their announcements seem thoroughly unsure about their future, but I hope to see it return in some form.

Bush and Crawford

A match made in heaven. The Economist covers the secret romance that has shocked and heartened the nation. This line made me laugh and cry simultaneously:

In 2006 he told a German newspaper that the best moment of his presidency was when he caught a seven-and-a-half pound (3.5 kg) largemouth bass on the lake at the ranch.

It may be even more galling than that “giving up golf for the troops” line.

Carrotmob

Promising a mass of customers if businesses agree to do environmentally-friendly things. It gives new meaning to that old “voting with your dollars” idea. Also: the more-bloated longer version of the video, and their website.

(via Ze Frank)

Mapping the Blogosphere

Further proving that I’m a sucker for cool presentation of data that serve no practical purpose: another in a recursive series about mapping the blogosphere. The coolest visuals are at the bottom, some analysis is here.

(via Andrew Sullivan)