Missing Link Daily

A digest of the best of the blogosphere published each weekday and compiled by Ken Parish, gilmae, Gummo Trotsky, Amanda Rose, Tim Sterne, Jen McCulloch and Stephen Hill

Politics

Australian

Terry Sedgwick notes the loaded language in this headline announcing the predictable legal denouement of the Henson nudie pics saga

Geoff Robinson is skeptical of the ability of today’s opinion polls to predict the outcome of an election in 2010.

Peter Martin wonders if Ken Henry needs a crew to help him stay strong when the Opposition wants him meek and unopinionated.

Ken Lovell reports on a marginally favourable outcome to his complaint to the ABC over its misrepresentation of a remark by Kevin Rudd.


International

There’s been a bit of comment box chat here at Troppo about the possibilities of war between the US and Iran in the runup to the Presidential election.  Paul Rogers canvasses the issues in depth at openDemocracy.

Brian Tamanaha calls bullshit on claims that Obama is indulging in “identity politics” or “playing the race card“.  Tim Watts argues that, while Clinton didn’t actually run a bad campaign, Obama’s was simply better.  OTO Brad DeLong extracts a WSJ article which makes a fairly good case that the Clinton campaign made some rather fundamental misjudgments which may well have made the difference between victory and the quite narrow loss she in fact suffered.

Adam Ash catalogues the sins of Presidents Clinton and Bush but hopes Obama will be better.

Brad DeLong demands the immediate impeachment of Bush and Cheney.((Lucky Ken Lovell’s off on a blogging sabbatical or he’d be ranting for weeks about this. ~ KP))

Eric Martin examines claims that the US is negotating for permanent military bases in Iraq and an associated significant ceding of Iraqi sovereignty, despite the claims being denied.

Turcopolier discovers that Obama is just another politician, at least when it comes to appeasing the Israel lobby.


Law

Michael Perelman links to an article by Glenn “Instapundit” Reynolds on “Who Owns the Moon? The Case for Lunar Property Rights.” Popular Mechanics (June).

(via Overlawyered) Tim Lee, guesting at Megan McArdles blog, has a three-part review of an important new book by James Bessen and Michael J. Meurer on the subject of software patents and their relatively high litigation costs and low benefits  (first, second, third)).

Eugene Volokh posts on a French court decision annulling a Muslim man’s marriage because his new wife had lied about her virginity.


Economics

The ACT is the only Australian economy to have gone backwards. Peter Martin considers why.

Harry Clarke invites comments on his paper about the economics of alcohol policy.

John Quiggin advocates removing the GST on food.


arts and crafts

no-one in shock up here

memory of a square

balance?

Issues analysis

Helen “skepticlawyer” Dale measures off American-style separation of powers against the UK’s Westminster system in light of some Obama pronouncements about governance.  Highly recommended.

Legal Eagle weighs into the debate between Rick Hills, Eric Posner and others (covered blow by blow by Missing Link) about anti-intellectualism.  Another goodie.

Jono believes we should pay for health, not a health system, and is skeptical of the notion of health insurance.

most people these days pay for insurance policies that cover small expenses well below $1000, like dental check ups, massage, optical, GP visits, x-rays etc etc. Shouldn’t health insurance cover the once-in-a-lifetime emergency procedures and ambulance rides that cost several thousand ?
((Only if a health insurer can just write you off and pay you out the value of your life if the cost of treatment exceeds that value.~gilmae))

Colin Campbell notes the tenuous position of the Puffin.

Fleeced is ticked at a pro-parental-leave activist – who just happens to be the Sex Discrimination Commissioner – trying to carve out parental leave as a human right.

Brad DeLong and Eric Posner continue the slugfest over tradeable emissions permits versus carbon tax.

Matt Nisbett  and Tim Lambert examine a new book which exposes RWDB thinktank provenance of just about all environmental skeptic books published over the last 30 years or so.

Chris Dillow makes the case for truth over sincerity.

Norman Geras looks at reality, truth and rationality in the ongoing contest between militant atheism and religion, while Stewart Henderson takes a long and thoughtful look at Jonathan Haidt’s defence of religion (about which I (KP) blogged here at troppo some time ago).  A bit late this one, but I’ve only just discovered Stewart’s blog.


Arts

via the Stumblng Tumblr

Nicholas Pickard reviews the physical theatre of Paradise City currently showing at Carriageworks

The Happy Antipodean believes Truman Capote’s largely forgotten novella The Glass Harp is in need of a critical revival.

Chris Boyd finds the Chaser lads performance of The Age of Terror Variety Hour an entertaining ninety minutes of theatrical humour (apparently more entertaining that Dame Edna in 1981)

Boyd van Hoeij interviews French actor Nicholas Cazane whose performance in Chaotic Ana has him touted as one of most exciting young actors in European cinema.

Stacy Conradt lists the ten longest novels published (although I’m I little surprised that David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest has not slipped into this list – anyone willing to do a word-count, it will only take quite a few hours).

Jeremy Sear fearlessly condemns the new Sex and the City movie without even seeing it:

I’ve tried watching the show, and it’s painful. Tedious. Witless. The extent of the “comedy” appears to be giggling about the occasional large penis and how “shocking” the characters’ liberated sex lives appear to more conservative folk. Oh, and the occasional “hilariously” embarrassing scene where someone commits some inconsequential faux pas. Monty Python, move over!


Sport

Matt at Green and Gold Rugby continues the focus on new Wallabies coach Robbie Deans including a YouTube compilation of an interview with him. 

Shaun Cronin with his usual weekend NRL round preview and tips.

JC at Cricket-Blog reveals New Zealand’s top secret new cricketing weapon – high tech undies.


Snark, strangeness and charm

dr faustus is fascinated by wasp necromancers and their the zombie guard caterpillars.

Brad DeLong spies on a Starbucks conversation between members of the middle aged disappointed middle class.

Tim Sterne carves out a new genre by live-blogging his sickie from the new job he only started last week.  Hope the boss doesn’t read blogs.

TroppoSphere, in case Missing Link email subscribers haven’t noticed, is now available as a convenient gateway to a world of news and expert opinion and analysis for those with feed reader phobia. It contains feeds to most of the blogs and other sources whose best/selected content we most regularly feature in Missing Link, as well as general news feeds and those from selected online magazines like openDemocracy, Reason, Slate, Spiked, New Matilda, Australian Opinion Online and Online Opinion.

About Ken Parish

Ken Parish is a legal academic, with research areas in public law (constitutional and administrative law), civil procedure and teaching & learning theory and practice. He has been a legal academic for almost 20 years. Before that he ran a legal practice in Darwin for 15 years and was a Member of the NT Legislative Assembly for almost 4 years in the early 1990s.
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