Open thread 2/6/24
Astaire and Rogers were subsidiary characters in the movie Flying Down to Rio, where they danced together onscreen for the very first time:
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Newsom wants electricity costs to be income-based
In 2022 the California legislature passed a bill with the intention of implementing “equitable” electricity charges – in other words, charge the non-poor more. Must have seemed like a great idea to the California legislators at the time, but guess … Continue reading →
The House versus the Senate on the border bill
Speaker Johnson of the House says “no” to the new “bipartisan” border bill sent by the Senate: … Speaker Johnson said, “I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border … Continue reading →
Extraordinary article by former Sudanese slave, plus video about violence and slavery in Africa today
First, an excerpt from the article by Simon Deng, entitled: “First They Came for My People, Then They Came for the Jews: A South Sudanese former slave recognized the Palestinian pogrom on Oct. 7”: My name is Simon Aban Deng. … Continue reading →
Open thread 2/5/24
Walpurgis Nacht in competition
This “Bacchante” variation from Walpurgis Nacht was Maya Plisetkaya’s forte, and nobody else is Plisetskaya or even close. But many give the variation a try, especially in dance competitions where they face a particularly daunting task: to perform the variation … Continue reading →
The New York Times notices that “sudden gender dysphoria” might be a fad-like thing and that the “affirmative” model of treatment might be hurting many young people
I noticed this yesterday, and I think it may be significant and represent a sea-change, however slight: ?: NYT published a long article today about detransitioners and how the “always affirm” model has destroyed the bodies and lives of many … Continue reading →
Milei gets down to business: economic reforms in Argentina
Who predicted a year ago that this would be happening in Argentina? I certainly didn’t. Milei gets to work: Argentine lawmakers took a first step Friday toward approving President Javier Milei’s sweeping economic, social and political reform package, which has … Continue reading →
Extraordinary interview with Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky is interviewed in the following video, in which he speaks on growing up in the Soviet Union and the mental gymnastics it required, becoming a “refusenik,” spending nine years in the Gulag, living in Israel after his release, … Continue reading →
Open thread 2/3/24
It’s Groundhog Day – again!
[NOTE: What could be more appropriate on Groundhog Day than a repeat of an old essay about the movie? The film is a huge personal favorite of mine: very funny, mysterious, and touching. This essay has been slightly edited, of … Continue reading →
Biden ♥ Iran
This was written yesterday: Don’t buy the hype: When President Biden finally responds to the deadly Iran-backed attack on American troops in Jordan, odds are he’ll both dispel the concerns of fearmongers hysterical he is going to bomb Iran and … Continue reading →