At emptywheel, Ed Walker posted an interesting essay about why so many people voted for “a revolting bag of guts [who] has no integrity, no loyalty to the Nation or anyone besides himself, and no reason to want to be president other that personal gratification and staying out of jail.” He turned to Rousseau, who… Continue reading

Kevin Drum summarizes Republican taxation plans: cut taxes for the rich and pay for it by cutting benefits for people in the middle-class and lower economic tiers. This seems to have been the only idea Republicans have had for the last half-century. Maybe longer; I’m not an historian; I’m just old enough to remember Reagan… Continue reading

I never heard of the MIT center for constructive communication before today. It’s associated with the Media Lab, and has a “commitment to reach both within and beyond academia to work closely with locally based organizations to launch pilot programs focused on building a culture of listening and dialogue that promotes a sense of shared… Continue reading

From Seth Godin:“Marketing puffery: • Burns trust• Puts strain on your customer service team• Often causes users to make bad choices• Teaches your loyal customers not to believe you• Generates negative word of mouth• and it can even lead to lawsuits“ Seth Godin definitely qualifies as a “marketing guru!” Continue reading

The Shkreli Awards are handed out each year by the Lown Institute, a “nonpartisan think tank advocating bold ideas for a just a caring system for health.” The awards are a lot like the igNobel Prizes; you probably do not want to be on this list, which is the worst ten examples of “profiteering and… Continue reading

From Duke University law school, a list of the best works that as of 2025 are in the public domain. Continue reading

“When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another such that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural… Continue reading

A thoughtful analysis of why Merrick Garland is not the best investigative target. A good infographic can summarize an area of information better than almost anything else. Wait, erase that “almost;” I can’t think of any candidates for something better. Anyway, here’s a compilation of the best infographics (charts) of 2024. The most interesting insights,… Continue reading

Darrell Huff wrote How to Lie with Statistics way back in 1954. It’s not just about lying with statistics; it’s about completely bungling your interpretation of what you think you’ve noticed. Some people even write books based on that kind of bungling. I haven’t read Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant, but… Continue reading