Rumsfeld admits that he sucks
On tonight's Larry King Live, Rummy breaks the following news: I submitted my resignation to President Bush twice during that period and told him that ... I felt that he ought to make the decision as...
View ArticleYou're a ButtWanker (or, The Pathologies of Ideology)
Much of the DLC/centrist strategy is informed by a single fact of public opinion: far more Americans self-identify as "conservative" than "liberal." For example, see this much-discussed new study. To...
View ArticleYou say Red and Blue? I say S-T-F-U
I assumed that the lazy, inaccurate red-state/blue-state meme would fade away as the 2004 election receded from our memories. Instead, it seems to have congealed into conventional wisdom. Hardly a...
View ArticleDebate: Edwards was clear winner tonight
John Edwards continued his string of impressive debate performances tonight by standing head and shoulders above the rest of the field. While each candidate had his/her strong moments, Edwards was the...
View ArticleThe Attributes of Recommended Diaries (a systematic analysis)
What are the attributes of recommended diaries, compared to those that fail to make the list? To shed some statistical light on this question, I analyzed 471 consecutive diaries, isolating the...
View ArticleIt's time to let go of the candidate myths
Over the last few months, candidate advocates – in the improbable quest to prove that their candidate is the only true Democrat – have created narratives about the other front-runners. I summarize...
View ArticleOn Porn, red states, and good social science
Currently, a recommended diary showcases a Harvard study that compares porn consumption rates across states, with some intriguing findings that flatter our ideological predispositions.Unfortunately, a...
View ArticleCNN Jobs Report: A Case Study in Bad Use of Statistics
CNN Tonight aired a report this evening titled "Government Fat Cats." It’s a great case study of the faulty social-science inference and misleading use of statistics that is endemic to the American press.
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Dawn Chorus bird blog: Griswold edition
Good morning, all. I just returned from playing annoying American in Europe, lugging a grossly over-packed suitcase through train stations and over cobblestone streets, speaking tortured phrases to...
View ArticleCharlie Sheen? No, not really.
The diary currently at the top of the rec list makes an emphatic point about misplaced priorities in the mainstream American news media. Its hundreds of comments are in nearly unanimous agreement....
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52 weeks - A Photo Diary
I thought I'd share some photos that I've taken since my last birthday, starting with Autumn, my favorite season.
View ArticleThere's No Evidence that Conservatives Buy More Porn
For the second time in three years, a diary sits atop the rec list that showcases a Harvard study comparing porn consumption rates across states, with some intriguing findings that flatter our...
View ArticleVideo: CNN's 10 minutes of hell
I was taping the coverage because of the historic nature of the decision, not because I thought CNN would produce a 10-minute train-wreck of confusion, backtracking, rationalization, and...
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Dawn Chorus: The Cardinal
Good morning, everyone. This diary is a celebration of America’s favorite red-crested seed muncher. In the first half, I describe what cardinals have meant to me over the years. If you just want...
View ArticleLet's tone down the Schadenfreude. . .
. . .and make room for some Prognosefreude!Before this stuff is scrubbed from the Internet, here's a pictorial reminder that the bad prognostication went far deeper than Peggy Noonan, Karl Rove, and...
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Dawn Chorus: Australia and New Zealand
Good morning everyone. This diary is the latest in my occasional "An American Gets Giddy over Someone Else's Common Backyard and Nuisance Birds" series. My wife and I finally made our long-discussed...
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Dawn Chorus: Birds of Hawaii
Good morning birders, twitchers, ornithophiles, and pie-fighters who took a wrong turn.My wife and I spent a week on Hawaii Island (commonly known as the Big Island) in June. We saw a wide array of...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Birds of Puerto Rico
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and candidate warriors who mistook the title as a reference to an early-morning rally before the Puerto Rico primary. Three weeks ago...
View ArticleDawn Chorus open thread: Top 10 birds
Top 10 Birds Good morning bird lovers!We all love birds. But did you know that some birds are better than others? It’s true. As with any animal class, some bird species are valedictorian, while others...
View ArticleDawn Chorus open thread: Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers
Good morning Dawn Chorusers! This is an open thread, so please post your questions, comments, pics from the week, passive-aggressive political attacks disguised as poorly crafted bird metaphors,...
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Dawn Chorus: London Birds
Good morning birdsters! My wife and I spent a week in London in June. I lugged my good lens across the pond, hoping to get some serviceable snapshots of commoners in Hyde Park and Kew...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Iceland Birds (and Landscapes)
Good morning birders, twitchers, ornithophiles, and Democrats looking for a suitable expatriation destination if Trump wins.My wife and I spent a week in Iceland in June. As I mentioned in last week’s...
View ArticlePlease stop recommending the fake diary.
A diary that passes off a satirical HuffPo piece as real has been climbing the rec list all afternoon, and is now near the top with well over 100 recs. The diarist not only didn’t label it as satire,...
View ArticleHilarious: Fox’s Howard Kurtz Is Attacked by the Monster He Helped Create
In his column today, “media critic” Howard Kurtz laments the nasty reaction from his own readership to a recent Tweet of his.A Fox News poll came out the other night, and I tweeted some of the findings...
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Dawn Chorus: Birds of Washington and Alberta
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and anyone looking for a respite from politics (if the latter, then don’t read the conclusion). My wife and I spent two weeks in June...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Birds of Costa Rica
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and anyone looking to emigrate somewhere outside North Korea’s missile range.In January, my wife and I fulfilled our long-time dream...
View ArticleDawn Chorus open thread: Spring Blues and Red Romeos
Good morning! This is a Dawn Chorus open thread featuring my May ‘18 photography yield, so feel free to share your bird pics, questions, sightings, sitings, citings, fantasies, and nightmares.
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Skellig Islands (Ireland)
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, Christian historians, and Star Wars fans! My wife and I spent 16 days in Ireland in June, driving all the way around the island...
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Dawn Chorus: Common Birds of Ireland
Good morning birders, twitchers, O’rnithologists, and anyone scouting a vacation or expatriation location. Two weeks ago I shared the highlights of an aviagasmic excursion to the Skellig Islands off...
View ArticleOf Course it Was a Great Night for Democrats! My Newspaper Column.
The coincidence of Democratic gains in the House and Republican gains in the Senate led many pundits — and not just right-wing spinmeisters — to argue that the evening was a disappointment for...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Warblers of Magee Marsh (Ohio)
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and anyone looking for a feathered respite from our bird-brained politics.In mid May, my wife and I spent three days in northwestern...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: The Pan List
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, and bitchy twirlers. I want to share with you my 2020 coping mechanism. I call it the “Pan List.”
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and anyone seeking respite from our bird-brained politics. I want to share highlights from a spontaneous New Year’s road trip to...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: It Takes a (European) Village
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and anyone scouting expatriation locations. My wife and I took a long-planned, twice-delayed trip to Western Europe in May, and I want...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Birds of Costa Rica (Part 1)
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and anyone who took a wrong turn while looking for news about the spy balloon over Central America. My wife and I recently took our...
View ArticleDawn Chorus: Birds of Costa Rica (Part 2)
Good morning birders, twitchers, twitchy birders, bitchy twirlers, and anyone looking for a respite from our bird-brained politics. Last month I published Part 1 of the highlights of a January trip to...
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