URLs du Jour

2008-12-03

  • At Cafe Hayek, Russell Roberts looks at a news story ("supposed to be serious", as he puts it) that describes various government functionaries reviewing the "plan" put forth by the Big Three automotive companies pleading for money. His comment is right on:
    Why don't the Big Three save the money it takes to put together Congressional testimony and the time it takes for the people in charge to make the trip. Why don't they just take out ads in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times outlining what they're going to do with the money. Then they can try this really novel idea. They can sell bonds and borrow the money. If the plans look good, people might lend them the money. If the plans are lousy, they won't get the money.
    If you need help answering those questions, click over to see Russ's take. Or even if you don't.

  • Confederate Yankee notes a Thomas Friedman column which examines President Obama's likely course in Iraq. The column contains the following paragraph:
    If he can pull this [successful outcome] off, and help that decent Iraq take root, Obama and the Democrats could not only end the Iraq war but salvage something positive from it. Nothing would do more to enhance the Democratic Party's national security credentials than that.
    CY does a quick reality check:
    House and Senate Democrats, including President Elect Barack Obama, did everything in their power to lose the Iraq War, and deserve no credit for any success.
    Indeed. If the Democrats are looking for enhanced "national security credentials"—awarded by someone less credulous than a New York Times columnist, anyway—they'll have to try some other path.

  • Earth Times weeps bitter tears over the apparent demise of yet another Obama campaign pledge:
    While on the campaign trail, Obama made provocative statements regarding the cost of energy and its respective negative impact on American families. On May 6, 2008, Obama stated, "It isn't right that oil companies are making record profits at a time when ordinary Americans are going into debt trying to pay rising energy costs. That's why we'll put a windfall profits tax on oil companies and use it to help Indiana families pay their heating and cooling bills and reduce energy costs."
    But now… um, never mind about that. I'm in agreement with Ron Bailey at Reason, from whence the link: "Hooray for economic sanity." And it's always fun to see irate leftists. They're cute.

  • Just possibly the best Slashdot headline ever: Alien Comet May Have Infiltrated the Solar System.

The Great Debaters

[Amazon Link]
(paid link)

[3.0
stars] [IMDb Link]

A "based on a true story" movie, produced by Oprah Winfrey, directed by Denzel Washington, starring Washington and Forest Whitaker.

Set in the 1930s, It's about the debate team at tiny historically black Wiley College in Marshall Texas. Denzel plays the coach, faculty member Melvin B. Tolson. His team is exceptionally sharp, but has many obstacles in its way: primarily, a legal system that denies black people equal protection of the laws. But the team members are also experiencing the usual college-student turmoil with sex, drugs (hooch, in this case), and rock and roll (1930s blues, in this case).

It's good, important, uplifting, etc. Washington and Whitaker give their usual great performances. But it's on the long side, and, even though the sport is debate, the normal sports-movie clichés are not avoided, just transplanted.


Last Modified 2024-02-01 5:12 AM EDT