Missing Link Daily

Tuesday’s Missing Link over the fold.

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

Daily life in Afghanistan

Gary Sauer-Thompson, Lyn Calcutt, Kim and Kim respond to a recent article by David Burchell’s, pouring scorn and derision on the blogosphere, with scorn and derision.

Legal Eagle has her doubts about the efficcy of the childcare rebate (and services tax rebates and bonuses generally).

Andrew Bartlett and Kim say Viva Open Democracy.((If it makes the Canberra Press pack redundant, I’m all for it. ~GT))

International

Norman Geras publishes a passionate post on Zimbabwe and the failures of international law.  David Hayes at openDemocracy has a longer analysis on the “death of democracy”, while P O’Neill also has some pertinent observations, as does (lefty economist) Chris Dillow:

By the time the international community (yuk) has gathered enough evidence and support to intervene, its too late to do so most effectively – which is when the dictators opponents are still alive.

Hilzoy just can’t believe that McCain thinks islamic terrorism is the greatest threat to the US economy:

Like the Unabomber, Islamic extremists can inflict casualties on us. But the only way in which that turns from a terrible tragedy into an existential threat to the United States is if we overreact in some horribly destructive way. If we elect someone who does not understand the actual problems we face, and who mistakes a bunch of thugs for a threat to our existence, we do ourselves more harm than Osama bin Laden ever could.

Michael Totten photoblogs his recent trip from Serbian capital Belgrade to Kosovo.(Recommended reading)

Law

Andrew Grossman observes that Apple has finally moved to a 2 button mouse, and instantly been hit with a (dodgy) trademark infringement suit.

Howard Wasserman looks at the constitutional free speech aspects of (just deceased) George Carlin’s “Filthy Words” comedy routine.

Economics

Talk of an Australian recession seems odd when you look at these estimated revenues from resource and agriculture.

Speaking of which, Andrew Leigh discusses the pros and cons of a windfall profits tax on mining companies.

Jason Soon tries to make a case for price fixers to go to jail, but can’t quite convince himself.

life before children

the aunties

keep goin’

splash

Issues analysis

These guys seem to be mapping the international political blogosphere in the same way Bruns, Wilson and Saunders have done with Australia, but they’ve made a prettier picture (and also included the MSM) …

thepoliticaleconomist thinks about the implications for libertarians of The Myth of the Rational Voter.

Lauredhel has more to say on the marketing of surgical products.

Darryl Mason recaps Australia’s participation in the Iraq war.

“Henry Thornton” examines the hurdles to shifting to another planet and concludes we’d best start making serious efforts to save the ecosystem on this one (and ignore the idiot denialists).

Mark Richardson slays the autonomy theory giant.((Really? Or has he been hacking into wineskins  that he’s mistaken for the giant’s toes again? ~GT))

Arts

Each day a new photo of St Kilda.

Darlene recommends My Brother is an Only Child.

Dianna Simmonds (breathlessly/) foreshadows the return to Sydney of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical .

Andrew Frost covers one of many opening pissups for the Sydney Biennale:

Just the thing for the rumpus room wall in the new McMansion, eh? – spotted in Harvey Norman by Worst of Perth

Enjoyment of the party seemed to be divided strictly along generational lines. Older party goers danced to a DJ whose idea of laying down beats was to play The Beatles Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and double normal tempo with Tom Jones and The Art Of Noise mixed in. Young people stood to the side appalled. Its like a fucking school disco gone wrong! was the caustic observation of one well known young artist. Meanwhile, a Russian artist dressed in white shirt, dark sunglasses, jeans and sneakers busted out incredible dance moves to show the kids you dont have to be under-55 to have a good time. Indeed, the same gentleman accosted us and whispered conspiratorially Hey, can you score me some pot, brother?

Sport

Shaun is acting very Queenslanderish in offering the NSW Origin forwards another chance to step up, and by ‘offering’ we mean indulging in ‘if I was a selector’.

Snark, strangeness and charm

George Carlin died today; Roger Migently blogs it using the exact same blog title used by every single other Carlin eulogiser across the Internet.

Whilst it would be unfair to consider all journalists to be serial killers until proven otherwise..

Why, dr faustus?

Apathetic Sarah has had the cockles of her heart warmed.

Patrick West on Chef Ramsey and Joan Rivers’ opinion of our Russell:

Often the only way to describe arseholes is to describe them exactly as they are: arseholes. My only problem with bad language is that it should be employed precisely, timely and sparingly. Bad language is only effective on an artistic and literary level when it is used cunningly.

On the contrary, listening to people in pubs or cabs using swear words in every single sentence is the very opposite of genius. For the same reason, the sweary chef Gordon Ramsay – whose show is even called The F-Word – is an unfunny idiot.

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.