A digest of the best of the blogosphere published each weekday and compiled by Ken Parish, James Farrell, Gilmae, Darlene Taylor and Saint.
Politics
Australian
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Harry Clarke admires the Garnaut interim report, and shows how the government’s reaction to it conforms to a pattern of Labor slipperiness dating from well before the election. John Quiggin prefers to see a ‘glass half full’.
Mark “OzConservative” Richardson argues that Angry White Men are being forgotten (but is certainly doing his best to remedy the problem here in the ozplogosphere).
International
Apropos of Kosovo’s declaration of independence, Andrew Bartlett notes that a region’s right to self-determination is not always straightforward. He is in
Taiwan, which is obviously a self-governing and autonomous country, 1 finds it difficult to have its recognition of Kosovo recognised.
Ilana Mercer has a similar view but blames Bill Clinton.
Turcopolier isn’t an Obama fan:
Senator Barack Obama may well be the stuff of an historic president, someday. Right now he is running as a demagogue appealing to the childishness that lurks just below the surface in American popular “culture.”
Seemingly by way of confirmation, Heartcrossings at Blogcritics tells us that her 6 year old daughter has a case of Obamaphilia:
Like many kids her age, J used to love Hannah Montana but post-Obama she has decided, I like the songs, but it’s boring when she talks. I love the way Obama talks.
And still on the US primaries, Daniel Drezner reckons he’s found some plagiarised speechifying by Hillary too.
And if you think the Obama campaign song in the YouTube at right (via Dani Rodrik ) was truly appalling, I think you’ll agree that this endorsement of Hillary Clinton by rapper 50 Cent is unlikely to assist her campaign much either.
Economics
Andrew Leigh links to some research findings showing that men and women do the same amount of work, when you take into account non-market work.
Joshua Gans links to a paper with John Quiggin anticipating the thrust of Garnaut:
After reading through the interim Garnaut report, I am more convinced than ever that we should begin tackling climate change sector by sector with policies that can be integrated at a later date.
dr faustus queries the apparent primacy of economists in the global warming policy debate.
Will Wilkinson summarises a blogosphere debate about voluntary taxation(?) between Megan McArdle and Henry Farrell.
Law
Dale posts about a new study showing Americans know a lot more about The Simpsons than they do about their own constitutional freedoms. So much for civics programs at school. D’oh!
American lawyer Jack Thompson has found a unique way of getting disciplined by his local bar association.
Lawrence Solum reviews a new book purporting to show that law faculty (official) blogs in America enhance a law school’s perceived prestige. Apparently at least 130 American university law faculties conduct blogs. Does any Australian university law school (as opposed to individual academic) have a blog?
Issues analysis
Robert Merkel reflects on the ’14 Grand Challenges For Engineering’ identified by America’s National Academy of Engineering .
Jason Soon focuses on new Australia Institute research on still more of what it sees as the evils of materialism: household clutter as rampant consumerism that makes us unhappy!
Why are there so few conservative academics ? … wonders Harry Clarke.
Norman Geras publishes a reader’s letter about the UK citizenship test, which seems even sillier than its Australian counterpart (which the Rudd government seems so far to have done nothing to reform).
Arts
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Alison Croggon and Richard Watts both review the new Melbourne production of Moliere’s Tartuffe (and use the same publicity image at right).
Over at Sarsaparilla, Ward President Clarkey posts a Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter!
Josh Lasser’s review of the new Nine Network US soap Cashmere Mafia seems to indicate it’s unlikely to prove the struggling network’s saviour.
Marcellous reviews the Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival (or at least the gay half of it, he didn’t manage to get to the lesbian films).
Sport
Niall Cook as usual blogs both races of the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercars round in Adelaide.
Shaun reviews the weekend’s NRL trials, and posts about another one of those pointless lists of the 100 best all-time rugby league players (this one apparently includes only Darren Lockyer from the ranks of current players).
Mike Salter reviews the A League soccer grand final.
Nobody reviews the seemingly interminable, pointless cricket one day international games. I wonder why? More disturbingly, Chris Sheil and Patrick Fitzgerald remain AWOL from Super 14 rugby blogging.
Snark, strangeness and charm
Everyone look away from Israel! You may become a pillar of salt.
Ken Parish wants to talk again about talking about the dead.
What do you think is the most popular research topic among the audience for the American Wikipedia ripoff site Conservapedia? Come on, I bet you can guess.
Jeremy Sear exposes local council bastardry over charity bins.
- but[↩]
The Angry White Man seems to like a lot of things. If not foremost amongst them, certainly close to the top is “The Angry White Man likes to sit around compiling navel-gazing lists in fits of angry self-definition.”
I think it is generally an unwise policy for us to support independence movements of people who will not be able to sustain, govern, or defend their new countries.
Gilmae, I’ve often heard the “navel gazing” charge raised by men who think they can survive solo without a concern for the larger social and political trends in society. It’s an overconfident position and, in my opinion, a fatally limited ideal of masculinity – one which abandons concern for politics and culture.