Cool interactive map. Median income of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is $35,300.
"Allen Iverson informed the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday morning that he will accept their one-year, non-guaranteed offer."
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Allen Iverson accepts Philadelphia 76ers’ contract offer - ESPN
This is not sad. This is awesome. The Sixers need him just as much as (maybe more than) ever, and Iverson should spend the last days of his career with this team, in the new (old) colors.
"I think the way the Afghanistan debate has played out over the past nine months or so illustrates one important respect in which the United States really is a center-right nation. That’s the fact that an obvious subtext to the administration’s decision-making on Afghanistan has been a political context in which senior military officers— Petraeus, Mullen, McChrystal, etc.—want a surge of forces in Afghanistan, want $30 billion more per year in spending in Afghanistan, and don’t want the availability of those resources to be subjected to any kind of budgetary constraint. And in practice, it’s very politically problematic for a president, especially a Democratic president, to get into fights with senior military officials… It’s a huge problem, and evidently not one Barack Obama is interesting in taking on."
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Matthew Yglesias » A Center-Right Nation
Totally right. How is the military not included in the right wing’s definition of government, when the right wing rails against how government-run services are inherently evil?
I don’t think it’s too late for Obama to take on the military’s entrenched power, though. That strikes me as very hard to do in a forceful way while you’re embroiled in two wars. If he wins reelection in 2012 and we’re out of Iraq and/or Afghanistan, that would be the time for the attempted dismantling of the military-industrial complex.
The Scholesian Darron Gibson. Where has he been? Where was he against France? Just a Carling Cup match, I guess.
"Judged solely as policy, simultaneously escalating and setting ourselves a near-term deadline may be the right approach to a war that may not be winnable, but deserves a more significant commitment before we give it up as lost. But the White House could have set itself a private deadline without telling the world exactly what it is. And I’m skeptical that making the deadline so public, and so specific, won’t tend to undercut our military efforts."
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The Afghan Speech - Ross Douthat Blog - NYTimes.com
Interesting to see Ross’ reaction.
I agree with the first part, but the second is typical shameless right wing ass-covering. What makes any political pundit, especially a “conservative” one in light of the past decade, an expert at what will “undercut” military efforts? Such an easy way out.
Walt Frazier: “Who are these guys!?”
"In the contemporary United States, at a time of growing unemployment, a jobless man or woman is not a full member of the community. In order to receive even the exiguous welfare payments available, they must first have sought and, where applicable, accepted employment at whatever wage is on offer, however low the pay and distasteful the work. Only then are they entitled to the consideration and assistance of their fellow citizens."
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What Is Living and What Is Dead in Social Democracy? - The New York Review of Books
We are all democrats now, but are we all committed to social democracy? Amazing read from one of my heroes, Tony Judt.
Bill Simmons is the Sarah Palin of basketball writers, fact-checking wise.
When will people accept that socialism is the American way?
Coincidence the Bills won wearing these beauties? I think not.
I don’t even remember this happening. I was more concerned with when Drew and Joey would show up with that slice of Vennari’s pizza. And not dropping my beautiful bride on the railroad tracks.
Photo by Rich Prugh Photography
I’m in jury duty right now. While I’m waking up (and mourning Ed Bradley, the star of the jury duty informational video that’s playing right now), I thought I’d post a few pictures of our wedding.
This photo was not staged. We almost got mowed down by motorcycles. We are bad ass.
"Historically, young women and men who sought to thrive in publishing made their way to Manhattan. Once there, they were told, they would work in marginal jobs for indifferent bosses doing mundane tasks and then one day, if they did all of that without whimper or complaint, they would magically be granted access to a gilded community, the large heaving engine of books, magazines and newspapers. Beyond that, all it took to find a place to stand on a very crowded island, as E. B. White suggested, was a willingness to be lucky. Once inside that velvet rope, they would find the escalator that would take them through the various tiers of the business and eventually, they would be the ones deciding who would be allowed to come in."
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The Media Equation - For Media, a Sunset Is Followed Quickly by a Sunrise - NYTimes.com
I can’t tell if this is ironic, coming from the New York Times.
Jimmy Bullard (love that guy) makes fun of his manager’s infamous behavior last year, when he berated his team at halftime on the pitch, in front of a full stadium.
Mrs. Lichtenblog and I erected the tree today. I don’t think this picture quite captures the purple and lime green accents, but oh well. Also, we found out that we disagree on tinsel, so as a compromise I let her add a mere dusting of it. She wants me to add that we are geniuses. By the way, Taylor Swift’s Xmas album is great.
