Source: The Economist
There is no doubt that al Qaeda has wrought havoc throughout the world over the past two decades. However, actually seeing the number of people the terrorist organization has killed really brings home its destructive nature.
Several weeks ago, The Economist put together the chart above, which chronicles al Qaeda’s attacks outside of Afghanistan and Iraq from 1992 to 2008.
I have often argued that one of the reasons that Americans have become increasingly partisan over the past several decades has a lot to do with the end of military conscription. No longer are Americans from different backgrounds, races, geographic areas, and religions compelled to spend long periods together in tough, stressful conditions, and overcoming obstacles by forming cohesive teams.
Now, Eli Pariser, a liberal of MoveOn.org fame, has offered another compelling reason why Americans are slowly drifting into separate camps. He discusses it in his TED Talk above as well as in his new book, The Filter Bubble.
As social media like Facebook and search engines like Google increasingly customize users’ experiences so that companies can better market to them, they are creating reality bubbles. The more I click on right-leaning articles on my Facebook wall, the fewer left-leaning articles appear.
Without knowing it, my reality slowly becomes warped.
Pariser is definitely on to something and I look forward to reading his book.
I missed this interview by about three days, but I thought I would post it here because it is so surreal.
Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly could not be any more different.
A very bizarre interview, but entertaining, nevertheless.
Top Search Engine by Volume (4 Weeks Ending 7 May 2011), Source: Experian Hitwise
Search engines are another huge vector for site traffic. Serious bloggers should always register their sites with Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. According to Experian Hitwise, these three account for nearly 95% of all search engine volume globally, with Google taking the lion’s share.
You can leverage the power of these search engines by choosing titles that most accurately replicate common search terms for a particular topic. Simply put yourself in the shoes of someone who is looking for the topic about which you are blogging. Continue reading
In yet another phase of the eye-rolling saga that is California’s perpetual fiscal crisis, Governor Brown announced today that California is likely to collect $6.6 billion more in revenue over the next two years than it had anticipated.
At least he is honest.
From where did this windfall come?
“Jay Chamberlain, the head of financial research for the state, said the increases came primarily from the top of the income spectrum, generally people who made at least $200,000. But Mr. Chamberlain said it was impossible to know precisely what had driven up their income. And a large portion of the increase came from the capital-gains tax, a volatile base that officials say is nearly impossible to predict.”
It seems again that the “wealthy” saved California’s fiscal rear end, yet again.
However, the Governor still needs to close a $10.8 billion budget gap.
Before this news came out, State Republicans were demanding spending cuts rather than tax increases.
This new piece of news now strengthens their hand.
In the beginning, driving traffic to a blog can be very challenging. However, one way to direct traffic to a site early on is to comment on online articles published by traditional media.
When submitting comments on traditional media outlets, there are several rules of thumb one should follow. Continue reading
Source: Marvel Comics/Fox News
“I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy.”
— Superman
Source: Time/DC/AP
So much for truth, justice, and the American way.
Recently, two American cultural icons have turned their back on America to varying degrees.
In January 2010, left-leaning writer Ed Brubaker had Marvel’s Captain America and African-American superhero, the Falcon, stumble across a Tea Party protest gathering in Boise, Idaho. There, protestors held signs that read, “Tea Bag the Libs Before They Tea Bag You!” and “Stop the Socialists.” The Falcon remarked that he would not fit in with “a bunch of angry white folks.”
This issue generated a lot of controversy from the right and forced Marvel to change the protest signs in subsequent editions.
Now, it seems Marvel’s competitor DC Comics is trying to one-up Marvel’s anti-American creds by publishing a storyline in which the Man of Steel renounces his American citizenship. According to blogger David Macadam, the comic, written by David S. Goyer, has already sold out.
Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee considers Superman’s anti-American storyline to be “part of a bigger trend of Americans almost apologizing for being Americans.”
I actually see two different factors at play. On the one hand, the American creative class is dominated by left-leaning elites, who sometimes use their platforms to propagate their leftist political views. I see Captain America’s January 2010 issue as symptomatic of this problem.
On the other hand, both comics are always looking to expand their readership internationally. Since Captain America and Superman are almost synonymous with the American brand, some editors will feel compelled to include storylines that make their heroes more appealing to an international audience. I think the Superman storyline is likely more symptomatic of this influence.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
According to one of the definitions in the Urban Dictionary, mental masturbation is:
“The act of engaging in impractical/nonproductive mental exercise/thinkings/writings through which a practitioner only comforts oneself mentally. Such acts don’t lead to any constructive results what so ever in the real world.”
Most people have experienced “mental masturbation” in one form or another in the workplace. The above clip from the movie, Office Space provides a perfect illustration of this concept when Peter’s numerous bosses constantly remind him of putting a cover sheet on all his TPS reports.
I’d love to hear some of your personal anecdotes regarding pointless or inane activity at your workplace during some period in your life.
The more humorous the better.
The above video is a humorous little ditty (warning: some profanity) about climate change that I discovered via Joel Makower’s Twitter feed. In my opinion, the nerds in this video push the evidence for the anthropogenic causes of climate change a bit too strongly, but I agree with most of their other points.
Ross Douthat Charles Krauthammer
Reflections of a Rational Republican 