Segregation In America

So every now and then you'll see a post tagged as "trendwatch". This means it's an article or picture that may not be important itself but shows a larger underlying trend.

Take a look

China: The Island?

Brilliant post by KK (mental note: add to blogroll) on a way to conceptualize China. He posits that one useful way for westerners to think of China is as an "island" consisting of the traditional ethnically Han territory surrounded by the "waters" of Inner Mongolia, the Pacific Ocean, the Tibetan Plateau, and the western desert provinces. On the island the people are numerous, the economy is globalized, and growth is rampant. Off the island the people are scarce, poor, and hungry.

Please comment, I'd be curious to hear opinions from more experienced people.

Obama letting down his supporters?

Check out the newest column from David Brooks and an editorial by the NYT
I have to admit I'm disappointed. I agree in principle that the public financing system needs to be fixed but I don't think this was the time or the way to do it. No matter what his actual reasons for doing this were this damages Obama's image as "above" politics. He never could possibly have kept that anyway, not and actual govern, but part of me is disappointed that his most blatantly political decision so far was around money.

How could he have done this better? I can't really think of any proactive way. I suppose he could have waited until some 527 came out with a really nasty ad but that's reactive and not really a good strategy.

Update: I agree with Andrew, if was going to do it, better to take the image hit now when he has more time to work on PR.

Authorizing Torture

Good (if left-biased) article from Slate talking about the recent senate hearings on US torture policy. No new facts but a good summary of a very sad situation

Have yourself a bad movie

Hilarious review of The Love Guru from Slate

Physics Schmisics

I actually read this in the print edition first but I think it's worth posting online as well.
Physics Falls Apart
This is the kind of thing that makes me smile when I hear prominent physicists talk about how we know almost everything about the universe. Didn't they study the history of science???

The Cure for Cancer?

Fascinating article about cloning, I think we'll see more items like this in the future. As the writers state, this was an atypical reaction but in a few years, it may not be.
With help a patients own immune system fights off skin cancer

Creepy

No words can really describe this link, I don't even know where I'd begin...
Warning! Explicit content

More Posts

New goal: use this blog to expand my writting skills and increase understanding of the issues that concern me.
Ways to achieve this goal: write one post every day, comment on one major website every day, keep up with the news.

Knock yer Socks Off

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kf0x_TpDris

What an amazing speech. I never thought I'd live to see the day that such a politician with such rhetorical skills could have a real chance of becoming president.