In his article on the Mets' chances of trading David Wright, Andy Martino shares a great tidbit about David Wright:
"It is also worth remembering Wright's loyalty close friends say, affectionately, that he is loyal to a fault and his genuine desire is to lead the Mets out of this latest wilderness. In an age of cold capitalism in sports, those qualities are rare."
Yes, those qualities are rare. And very heartwarming too.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
"I'll tell you who is an attractive man: George Will."
There's a great exchange between Elaine, Kramer, and Jerry in the Seinfeld episode "The Jimmy":
Jerry: "Elaine and I we're just discussing whether I could admit a man is attractive."
Kramer: "Hmm! Oh! Yeah. I'll tell you who is an attractive man: George Will."
Jerry: "Really!"
Kramer: "Yeah! He has clean looks, scrubbed and shampooed and...."
Elaine: "He's smart...."
Kramer: "No, no I don't find him all that bright."
It turns out Kramer was right as George Will makes the ridiculous leap from an on-campus religious organization at Vanderbilt University expelling a member after finding out he was gay to claiming progressives would want pharmacists to lose their licences if they refuse to dispense the morning-after pill:
"Here, however, is how progressivism limits freedom by abolishing the public-private distinction: First, a human right — to, say, engage in homosexual practices — is deemed so personal that government should have no jurisdiction over it. Next, this right breeds another right, to the support or approval of others. Finally, those who disapprove of it must be coerced.
Sound familiar? It should. First, abortion should be an individual’s choice. Then, abortion should be subsidized by government. Next, pro-life pharmacists who object to prescribing abortifacients should lose their licenses. Thus do rights shrink to privileges reserved for those with government-approved opinions.
The question, at Vanderbilt and elsewhere, should not be whether a particular viewpoint is right but whether an expressive association has a right to espouse it. Unfortunately, in the name of tolerance, what is tolerable is being defined ever more narrowly."
This is what I don't get about conservatives like George Will. There is no nuance to their positions. What does one issue have to do with the other? Nothing. Then why would the same principles apply? To Will and other neocons, every idea must apply equally to everything completely unrelated to it. Either you are with them or you're against them. The whole world is one big gray area yet they are so blind to it that everything can only be black or white.
Another great part of that Seinfeld episode was the character of 'Jimmy', who used to refer to himself in the third person and got George Costanza to do the same.
In that case, Amod agrees with Kramer. Amod doesn't find George Will all that bright either.
Jerry: "Elaine and I we're just discussing whether I could admit a man is attractive."
Kramer: "Hmm! Oh! Yeah. I'll tell you who is an attractive man: George Will."
Jerry: "Really!"
Kramer: "Yeah! He has clean looks, scrubbed and shampooed and...."
Elaine: "He's smart...."
Kramer: "No, no I don't find him all that bright."
It turns out Kramer was right as George Will makes the ridiculous leap from an on-campus religious organization at Vanderbilt University expelling a member after finding out he was gay to claiming progressives would want pharmacists to lose their licences if they refuse to dispense the morning-after pill:
"Here, however, is how progressivism limits freedom by abolishing the public-private distinction: First, a human right — to, say, engage in homosexual practices — is deemed so personal that government should have no jurisdiction over it. Next, this right breeds another right, to the support or approval of others. Finally, those who disapprove of it must be coerced.
Sound familiar? It should. First, abortion should be an individual’s choice. Then, abortion should be subsidized by government. Next, pro-life pharmacists who object to prescribing abortifacients should lose their licenses. Thus do rights shrink to privileges reserved for those with government-approved opinions.
The question, at Vanderbilt and elsewhere, should not be whether a particular viewpoint is right but whether an expressive association has a right to espouse it. Unfortunately, in the name of tolerance, what is tolerable is being defined ever more narrowly."
This is what I don't get about conservatives like George Will. There is no nuance to their positions. What does one issue have to do with the other? Nothing. Then why would the same principles apply? To Will and other neocons, every idea must apply equally to everything completely unrelated to it. Either you are with them or you're against them. The whole world is one big gray area yet they are so blind to it that everything can only be black or white.
Another great part of that Seinfeld episode was the character of 'Jimmy', who used to refer to himself in the third person and got George Costanza to do the same.
In that case, Amod agrees with Kramer. Amod doesn't find George Will all that bright either.
R.A. Dickey Partnering With Bombay Teen Challenge
Let's Go Mets! New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will be partnering with Bombay Teen Challenge this January to end human trafficking in Mumbai. Check out the video:
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and that's pretty much it.
If you read Afghanistan's history, the only men to conquer this essentially landless region were Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan. Everyone else pretty much failed miserably. Tom Friedman references that with yet another excellent column in today's New York Times:
"Last week, I toured the great Mogul compound of Fatehpur Sikri, near the Taj Mahal. My Indian guide mentioned in passing that in the late 1500s, when Afghanistan was part of India and the Mogul Empire, the Iranian Persians invaded Afghanistan in an effort to “seize the towns of Herat and Kandahar” and a great battle ensued. I had to laugh to myself: “Well, add them to that long list of suckers — countries certain that controlling Afghanistan’s destiny was vital to their national security.”"
The rest of Friedman's column is worth reading as well.
"Last week, I toured the great Mogul compound of Fatehpur Sikri, near the Taj Mahal. My Indian guide mentioned in passing that in the late 1500s, when Afghanistan was part of India and the Mogul Empire, the Iranian Persians invaded Afghanistan in an effort to “seize the towns of Herat and Kandahar” and a great battle ensued. I had to laugh to myself: “Well, add them to that long list of suckers — countries certain that controlling Afghanistan’s destiny was vital to their national security.”"
The rest of Friedman's column is worth reading as well.
Excellent op-ed by Bill Gates in today's Washington Post
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates wrote an excellent op-ed piece in today's Washington Post, ahead of his presentation to the heads of the G-20 nations on Thursday. One key blurb from his piece:
"Aid is targeted to fill specific gaps in development. The most important of these gaps is innovation. When the private sector doesn’t have incentive, and poor governments don’t have the money, smart aid pays for breakthrough solutions. The green revolution that fed a billion people in the 1950s and ’60s never would have happened without advanced agricultural science funded by U.S. aid."
"Aid is targeted to fill specific gaps in development. The most important of these gaps is innovation. When the private sector doesn’t have incentive, and poor governments don’t have the money, smart aid pays for breakthrough solutions. The green revolution that fed a billion people in the 1950s and ’60s never would have happened without advanced agricultural science funded by U.S. aid."
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Bill Maher: Football & Baseball or Democrats & Republicans
I'm pretty sure I've posted this before but it never hurts to remind people, especially now since a great World Series has ended and the NFL season is in full swing:
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