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09 June 2010

Linkpost (06/09/2010)

We are inept (David Warren Online)
In a sense, Obama is hoist on his own petard. The man who blames Bush for everything now finds there are some things presidents cannot do. More deeply, the opposition party that persuades the public government can solve all their problems, discovers once in power there are problems their government cannot solve.
Alas, it will take more time than they have to learn the next lesson: that governments which try to solve the insoluble, more or less invariably, make each problem worse.
Ride Along with Mitch (Andrew Ferguson, Weekly Standard) Mitch Daniels is a pol I could actually support, but I fear that he’s not “pretty” enough to win nationally.
Reporters attend pool party with Joe Biden (Mike Riggs, Daily Caller)
Bill White and the 3 E's (Musings) I remember how one former-blogger-turned-White-campaign-staffer used to have occasional outbursts/eruptions because he was just certain that all right-leaning bloggers got “talking points” from Republican pols (despite the fact that we’re generally a group that can’t agree on much of anything). That makes it kind of funny to see actual Dem partybloggers lining up to help out with the White talking points.
On the Media: Las Vegas Review-Journal lawsuits prompt fair use debate (James Rainey, LA Times) Houston’s best blockquoter will be in a lot of trouble if Texas media ever decide the enforce copyright and fair use. As badly as journalism is bleeding, though, I don’t understand why more outlets aren’t trying to protect their content from that sort of almost wholesale reproduction (usually sans any attribution).
The End of Mileage Running on United (Upgrd) CO/United really want to make it hard for me to make gold again, eh?!
Why iPhone 4 Will Crush AT&T’s Network (Steve Chaney, Business Insider)

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/09/10 21:39 | Links | Comments (0)

08 June 2010

Linkpost (06/08/2010)

Forget Helen Thomas — where are the watchdog reporters? (J.P. Freire, Washington Examiner)
While most news stories cite Helen Thomas’s “confrontational style” as a thing of “legend,” her record appears to be more about making news than breaking it. That glory takes away from reporting that can have a real impact, which is in steep decline. In fact, most of the Washington reporting staff was laid off while keeping Thomas on and there was no support staff left.
An End for Helen Thomas and the Helen Thomas Rules (Jeremy Peters, NY Times)
“The rules have been different for Helen for many years, and only for Helen,” said Ari Fleischer, a former press secretary under George W. Bush who had called on Ms. Thomas to step down. “Helen earned that right, and she was treated differently. And I never minded it. I enjoyed my ideological thrust and parry with Helen….
Too often, columnist “Helen” became the story instead of reporting it. The gasbag and her “special rules” needed to go years ago. Good riddance.
Was Hearst Right to Force Helen Thomas to Retire? (Carl Cannon, Politics Daily) Yes. At least the headline gets it right—Thomas didn’t suddenly “retire” but was pushed out.
Our hard-core, adversarial press corps (Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com)
Florida vs. Klein (The Antiplanner)
Spill reveals Obama's lack of executive experience (Byron York, Washington Examiner) Spill, or tenure to date?
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (Daniel Klein, WSJ)
Islamist Turkey overreaches (Daniel Pipes, NRO)
Gubernatorial Candidate White Releases Tax Returns (Jay Root, AP) This was inevitable. Why let the story have legs for so many weeks?
White campaign says Perry is a part-time governor (Jason Embry, AAS) White, of course, was a part-time mayor for 2009 while he ran all over the state campaigning for his next office.
Survey finds post-oil spill bounce in support for climate change action (BelieverGuy) Hope springs eternal for the Chron‘s faith-based Gaia Guy.
Is the iPhone 4 enough to hold Apple’s lead? (Techblog)
[O]nce I saw what was in the iPhone 4, I decided to stick with Apple. And after Monday’s Steve Jobs keynote, I’m sold. I’ll buy one….
Who expected otherwise? LOL
Colorado should tell Texas to shove it (Mark Kiszla, Denver Post) The UT animus is a little overblown, but I like his Mountain West thoughts.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/10 18:55 | Links | Comments (1)

07 June 2010

Linkpost (06/07/2010)

Helen Thomas, and the Awkward Transfer From "Straight" Reporting to Opinioneering (Matt Welch, Reason)

Straight reporters have been taught for six decades to submerge or even smother their political and philosophical views in the workplace. Like all varieties of censorship, this process creates resentment and distortion. Whatever it is that you feel prevented from saying, you will be more likely to scream once given the chance. This is why, for example, some of the most politically opinionated people you’ll ever meet are newspaper reporters a couple drinks in out yakking with their colleagues.

Degrading the quality of that discussion still further is the likelihood that the partisanship-averse journos haven’t bothered to construct their own self-conscious political philosophy, beyond identifying Bad Guys and wanting to Fix Problems. Show me the world’s most intractable problems–the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the inability to produce mass amounts of energy without negatively impacting the environment, the search for a beer that tastes great and is less filling–and I’ll show you reporters in bars having conversations worthy of the Alex Jones show. It’s not that they’re all Helen Thomases–she is truly one of a kind–but that in the absence of subjecting their own beliefs to journalistic rigor, they are more likely than many would expect to quietly nurture beliefs that outsiders would find surprisingly slanted and even extreme.

Boston Globe Tailors Print Edition For Three Remaining Subscribers (Onion News Network) Hilarious.
Tax Hikes and the 2011 Economic Collapse (Art Laffer, WSJ)
The predictable Euro crisis (Martin Feldstein, Weekly Standard)
Reagan’s Secure Line (Richard V. Allen, NY Times)
Why has Israel disarmed itself in the battle for world opinion? (Charles Moor, Telegraph)
Labor unrest in China reflects changing demographics, more awareness of rights (Keith Richburg, WaPo) Uh oh, there goes the competitive advantage!
Turkey's foreign policy moves raise concern in West and at home (Mary Beth Sheridan, WaPo)
Black Flight is the New Worry for Detroit (Alex Kellog, WSJ)
Democrats Skip Town Halls to Avoid Voter Rage (Jeff Zeleny, NY Times) If only the reporter read certain LibDem partyblogs, he would know it’s not really voter rage, but just something manufactured by one pollster. LOL
The dangers of success (Robert Samuelson, RCP)
A Houston restaurant original: Kanomwan's beloved "Thai Nazi" dies (Sarah Rufca, CultureMap)
Rosés, With All Due Respect (Eric Asimov, NY Times) The Margui rose that Asimov lists for $20 is available for a whopping 30% less at French Country Wines here in town, and is far from the best rose that they currently have on offer. Not that most Houston wine drinkers probably know or care. *shrug*
OK, Coog fans, let's try to make some sense out of the conference realignment chaos (Chron Cougars Blog)

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/07/10 21:42 | Links | Comments (0)

06 June 2010

Linkpost (06/06/2010)

The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc (Ronald Reagan, 06/06/1984) Appropriate link for this day, and not a bad reminder of when the country was led by a serious statesman. UPDATE: The speech in print is one thing, but as a 14-year-old, the televised version of the speech made a permanent imprint. It’s more moving today, I think. Please go watch it.
A mosque at ground zero? (Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe)
Who is Ayn Rand? (Charles Murray, Claremont Review of Books)
That world came together in the chapters of Atlas Shrugged describing Galt’s Gulch, the chapters I most often reread when I go back to the book. The great men and women who have gone on strike are gathered there, sometimes working at their old professions, but more often being grocers and cabbage growers and plumbers, because that’s the niche in which they can make a living. In scene after scene, Rand shows what such a community would be like, and it does not consist of isolated individualists holding one another at arm’s length. Individualists, yes, but ones who have fun in one another’s company, care about one another, and care for one another—not out of obligation, but out of mutual respect and spontaneous affection.
In 1979, Less Complicated Oil Leak Took 10 Months To Stop (Rachel Slajda, TPMMuckraker)
Amateur blogosphere, RIP (Chris Bowers, Open Left) Was there ever much of an “amateur” progressive blogosphere? It seems like so many lefty bloggers always marched to the tune of liberalism or to My Party Tis of Thee (to the extent there was divergence). I do enjoy bloggers of various political persuasions who do offer something of an independent voice.
If air is important, the choice for Texas governor is clear (Mike Norman, FWST)
Does Straus think Texas should end Medicaid? (Robert Garrett, DMN) Hat tip to Cory Crow, who noticed these two amusing exercises in “objective” Texas journalism. LOL
The End Of Helen Thomas (This Blog Is Full Of Crap)
Something new to blame for the housing crisis (Prime Property) The impact of “smart-growth” property restrictions? You’ll never see that from Sarnoff’s colleague on the urban-affairs beat.
The clothes have no emperor (Brothers Judd)
The moment of maximum danger for any political party (Brothers Judd)
...comes when they convince themselves that the electorate that has rejected them would be supportive if only the morons could understand what was being done for them. This is the point at which you move beyond bad policy to demonstrating genuine contempt for the voters who disapprove of it.
Or when they convince themselves that if not for a single pollster, Hopium would still be carrying the day! LOL
Is President Obama's Carter moment nearing? (David Broder, WaPo) Broder is never on the vanguard of LibDem thinking, but rather he’s more of an historian of LibDem conventional wisdom. If he’s asking the question, the moment has come.
Big 12/Pac-10 rumors have legs (Bohl Games) Nah, really? Bohls = Broder?
Big 12 problems trace to league's roots (Blair Kerkhoff, KC Star)
Pac-16 is the answer for OU, OSU (Berry Tramel, Daily Oklahoman)
Rosé Wines for Summer (Jay McInerney, WSJ) We’re blessed in Houston to have French Country Wines, which has brought in so many drinkable rose wines from France this year that it’s hard to leave their store with anything less than a case. All you folks getting garbage (in comparison) from Specs and the like are really missing out.
The best new restaurants of 2009, revisited (Cook's Tour)

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/06/10 11:57 | Links | Comments (1)

16 August 2009

Linkpost and bison photo (08/16/09)

Whoops, I haven’t updated here in a while—busy with the Houston blog, friends, grilling, gym, blah blah blah….

Here’s a picture of a bison herd crossing the road at the Nature Conservancy Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage County (OK) earlier today. Pretty cool stuff:

And here are some links on journalism and theft (or not, depending on your perspective I guess):

Most of us who have been blogging for a while have surely blockquoted too many grafs and given too little attribution with a fair number of news stories. Indeed, the Gawker example isn’t even particularly bad compared to the 10-11 graf rips with perhaps a sentence of original commentary that aren’t unusual these days.

I’m trying to be much better about less blockquoting and more attribution on non-linkposts. The people/institutions who actually do news coverage deserve that much (even if they are lax in saying as much most of the time). As far as schemes to try to ban scraping and linking and aggregation…. that seems ilke an overreaction.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/09 08:56 | Links | Comments (0)

02 August 2009

Linkpost: 08/02/09

Uncle Walter: Not so sadly missed (Mark Steyn, Macleans)
Tax Burden of Top 1% Now Exceeds That of Bottom 95% (Scott Hodge, Tax Policy Blog)
A Hole They Dug for Themselves (Steve Chapman, Reason)
The L goes to Washington: White House becomes 51st Ward (Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun Times)
Teaching on tap at White House confab (John Kass, Chicago Tribune)
Obama's ignorant attack on cops (Heather MacDonald, City Journal)
Unteachable (Harry Stein, City Journal)
From president to pundit (Steve Chapman, RCP)
Stop calling it a "teachable moment" (Ruben Navarrette, RCP)
Death of a doctrine: Obama discovers engagement's limits (Michael Gerson, WaPo)
A post-racial president? (Thomas Sowell, RCP)
Our angry aristocracy (Victor Davis Hanson, RCP)
Obama's 32 czars (Eric Cantor, WaPo)
There Is No ‘Right’ to Health Care (Theodore Dalrymple, WSJ)
The Blue Dogs’ Final Dilemma is Health Care (Daniel Henninger, WSJ)
This struggle over health-care legislation isn�t just another battle between the Democratic and Republican parties. It�s about which force is going to take the United States forward for the next generation: the public sector or the private sector. If by now you haven�t figured out which sector you are in, then you�re a Blue Dog Democrat.
Fannie Med (WSJ)
The death of journalism, Gawker edition (Ian Shapira, WaPo)
Intown Q&A with mayoral candidates (Off the Kuff)

I have no idea why some of these little local pubs do it this way - 002 Magazine does as well - I find it really off-putting. It�s like they don�t want anyone to bother linking to them.

Don't treat firefighters like children (Rick Casey, Houston Chronicle)

That’s what makes me nervous about calls for �zero tolerance� for sexist and racist behavior in the fire department.

Next hurdle for Bagwell: Entry to Cooperstown (Steve Campbell, Houston Chronicle)
Bagwell has always steadfastly denied going down the PED route, and nobody has turned up any smoking specimen bottles with his name on it.
Neither clause in that sentence is untrue, but what Campbell is implying by putting those two clauses together—that nobody has tied Bagwell to PED use—is manifestly untrue. Steve Campbell’s own colleague at the Chronicle Jerome Solomon has reported on his blog that Bagwell used andro, and that his source was none other than Bagwell himself. Now, andro was not banned by baseball at the time, but that does not change the fact that it IS a PED. When I asked Campbell on twitter why he didn’t pursue that admission, he basically told me he wasn’t his colleague’s keeper (huh?), andro wasn’t illegal at the time (agreed), he didn’t have space to pursue that angle (never mind the multiple grafs devoted to Bagwell’s denial of PED use), and that readers weren’t interested in that story. Ultimately, it seems Campbell (and perhaps his editors) made the editorial decision not to go down that road in the story’s discussion of PEDs. That’s certainly their right, and fits the Chron‘s usual sports cheerleading preferences to a T. Nonetheless, a key bit of information was withheld from readers, information that doesn’t completely fit the narrative above.
What If: The New New York Times (Michael Arrington, TechCrunch)
2005 Colgin IX Estate - Red Wine (The Wine Cult) It sounds like a nice bottle of wine, and it damn sure should be at Brix’s list price of $691/bottle (the highest price wine on their list). And just to illustrate how the Texas system of wine distribution absolutely rips off Texas wine consumers, the best price on that wine on wine-searcher as of today is just under $200/bottle.
Crus, the Better Beaujolais (Dave McIntyre, WaPo)
I’m All Ears About Texas Wines and I am Giving Away Prizes (VintageTexas)
Recession Puts Squeeze on California Wine Industry (Eric Asimov, NY Times)
Dante's descendants face a new inferno (John Phillips, The Independent)
Bad Apple: An Argument Against Buying an iPhone (Lifehacker)
From the fates worse than death department… (Trent Seibert)
Berlin Is Little More than a Beer-Drenched Tourist Paradise (Reinhard Mohr, Spiegel)

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/02/09 00:21 | Links | Comments (1)

27 July 2009

Linkpost: 07/27/09

I really should clear out the links a little more often, eh?

A natural wine romance (Captain Tumor Man) Dressner rocks.
Native Yeast, Wine and Me and Disconnect (Appellation Feiring)
Oklahoma Wine Country (Beyond Beltway 8)
Qatar Air CEO: 'Star Alliance should invite us to join' (Ben Mutzabaugh, USA Today) I wouldn’t mind reward availability on Qatar.
Continental Charts Switch To Star Alliance (David Jones, Transnational)
Why Obamacare Is Sinking (Charles Krauthammer, WaPo)
Health-Care Reform: Why Not Try Ownership? (Deroy Murdock, NRO) I think he means individual ownership—and that would be preferable to government mandate, regs, rationing, and control of the purse strings.
He Said/V.I.P. Said: Prejudometer cranked up to eleven (Mark Steyn, NRO)
Why not just admit that his teleprompter misled him? (Brothers Judd)
An Ideologue in a Hurry (Rich Lowry, NRO)
Let’s Face It: Obama Is No Post-Partisan (William McGurn, WSJ)
Obama's Domestic Agenda Teeters (Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie, WaPo) The thrill up the leg is gone for some.
Joe Biden's terrible truths (James Lileks, NY Post)
The Unbearable Whiteness of Being Maureen Dowd (Jeffrey Lord, TAS)
Our friend the stimulus package (Off the Kuff)
I will say that the fact that his rejection of the stimulus money for unemployment insurance hasn�t been a negative for him - polls have consistently shown a plurality agreeing with him on this - is a failure of Democratic messaging. If we can�t make that into a millstone for him, we�re not doing our job.
I don’t understand why some fellow hobby bloggers consider spreading the Party Message to be their job, but to each his own.
Perry raises possibility of states' rights showdown with White House over healthcare (Dave Montgomery, FWST) Perry’s comments are mostly nonsensical constitutionally, since we have much more of a national than federal system these days, but the comments are meant as political rhetoric, and will likely serve Perry’s political needs (indeed, cue the predictable screeching from the left).
Texas Trib, one man’s journalistic mitzvah (Reflections of a Newsosaur) Yay nonprofit journalism! Let’s have a few more.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/27/09 07:06 | Links | Comments (0)

20 July 2009

Linkpost: 07/20/09

Time to dump some links and get back into the game here, so to speak.

Compstat for teachers (Marcus Winters, City Journal)
Obama Loses His Cool (Steve Rhodes, NBC Chicago)
Pundits mostly pile on Obama for a series of gaffes at the All-Star Game, but date the shaky week to the crashing of a teleprompter on Monday that left Obama “in absolute discomfort.” But Obama’s series of goofs began long before this week. In March, for example, another teleprompter meltdown led to the Irish prime minister repeating Obama’s statement word-for-word - while Obama thanked himself for being there. In May, a teleprompter blew over in high winds in Colorado and Vice President Joe Biden, referring to Obama’s reliance on the devices, joked, “What I am going to tell the president when I tell him his teleprompter is broken? What will he do then?!”
The Airbus 330: An Accident waiting to happen (David Rose, Daily Mail) I’m a fan of Continental’s Boeing fleet.
Europe's dry roses complement a light meal (Frank Sutherland, Gannett) French roses have become a mainstay for us over this HOT summer.
Is the European model of wine regions obsolete for California? (Steve Heimoff Wine Blog) To a large extent—yes. Because California is more about the grape and the science of winemaking than it is sense of place or natural winemaking (more the focus of the French).
Natural science (oenoLogic)
Anthony dias Blue Goes on the Attack Against Wine Bloggers (1 Wine Dude)
Gators and Gumbo (JC Reid, Houston Press) So Village Voice Houston has now fully embraced food reviews in the print weekly by people who take freebies and who are not anonymous. The amateurization of the local “professional” print press continues apace.
Reflective roof paint repels the heat (Tiffany Hsu, LA Times) Well, sure, but that common-sense solution (or microgrids or solar water heaters) don’t enrich former pols like Al Gore or give current pols more power over your life.
Microsoft retains sanity – Marketplace for Windows Mobile coming to WM 6.1, 6.0 after all (WMPowerUser.com) MS gets it right, finally, but one wonders how they were able to bumble for so long with something as simple as an app store.
Hearst Investigative Project Draws From Seven Newspapers (Joe Strupp, Editor and Publisher) And now they go for the “big conglomerate” approach to winning a Pulitzer. Meanwhile, while Hearst throws resources at this, poor Bradley Olson locally gets stuck trying to cover City Hall, city campaigns, and even court cases—and being stretched too thin to do it very well.
'Experts' stir controversy over social studies textbooks (Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle)
But some of the expert recommendations are already stirring controversy, suggesting for example that biographies of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen F. Austin should not be included in books for early grade-school children. And some of the experts want to emphasize the role of the Bible and the Christian faith in the settling of the original colonies.
I guess this is “controversial” to some journalists and progressive reactionaries, but scholars in American political theory have discussed well the role of the religious-covenant tradition in American political thought, not to mention the political role of religious sermons during the Founding era. So sorry if some people find the scholarship “controversial” but maybe they are the ignorant ones?
TV Notebook: KILT's new director has plenty on plate (David Barron, Houston Chronicle)
�He and Marc (Vandermeer) are one of the better play-by-play teams in the NFL, and we didn�t want to upset that,� CBS Radio Houston market manager Brian Purdy said.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha! How did he say that with a straight face?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/20/09 08:08 | Links | Comments (0)

29 June 2009

Linkpost: 06/29/09

Why the Microgrid Could Be the Answer to Our Energy Crisis (Anya Kamenetz, Fast Company) Microgrid development/promotion makes way too much sense.
Climate Bill Faces Long Odds in Senate (Jay Cost, RCP) One hopes.
The climate change climate change (Kimberley Strassel, WSJ)
Jacko, Sanford and weirdness (Mark Steyn, OC Register)
A Debt The Founders Wouldn't Believe (Judd Gregg, IBD)
Honduras Defends Its Democracy (Mary Anastasia O'Grady, WSJ) Sensible, reasoned stuff.
The Pitfalls of the Public Option in Health Care (N. Gregory Mankiw, NY Times)
Why Did the Washington Post Sack Dan Froomkin? (Erik Wemple, Washington City Paper)
Big 12 appears ready to surpass SEC in football (Chuck Carlton, DMN) Umm, no.
Lamest #followfriday tweet ever?
Brooklyn gumbo (Robb Walsh, Houston Press) Must visit soon. This is my kind of place.
Benjy’s on Washington (Alison Cook, Houston Chronicle) This is not my kind of place. Pass.
The Three-Tier System and Consumer Access To Wine (Fermentation) In Texas, and many places, we pay too much for wine. Thanks, government!
Behind the bar: Mike Sammons at 13 Celsius (Brett Koshkin, 29-95) Some good content on a silly website. I really want to like my neighborhood wine bar, because they have some nice natural wines, but over half my trips in ‘09 have resulted in me leaving because of truly horrendous service. The last trip will be my last for a while.
Lobster and lighthouses for less in Portland, Maine (Clarke Canfield, USA Today) I’d love to make it back to Portland for some seafood later this year, but airfares aren’t cooperating at the moment.
Oh yeah, some Greece photos are posted (but I haven’t added any descriptions yet).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/29/09 08:44 | Links | Comments (2)

23 June 2009

Linkpost: 06/23/09

Obama's political play should shock no one (John Kass, Chicago Tribune)
Dodge facts, skip details, govern Chicago-style (Michael Barone, RCP)
Despite Obama's popularity, polls show waning support for his economic policies (Jake Tapper, ABC News) It might have been helpful if he had been forced to elaborate on his Big Government plans DURING the campaign, no?
Congress Wants to Shrink Your Carryon! (View from the Wing) Just another day in the era of big government.
Iran and the Tragedy of Bad Ideas (Andrew Klavan, WSJ)
Welfare in a bad way (Robert J. Samuelson, WaPo)
Wyden's Third Way on health insurance (Collin Levy, WSJ)
NCLB Found to Raise Scores Across Spectrum (Sean Cavanagh, Education Week)
Positive thinking's negative results: Words of wisdom (Economist) Maybe this explains some of the unpredictable anger from some members of the self-help flock?
Jay Porter Had a Plan to Stick It to the Man (Or Something Like That) (Slampo's Place)
Pete's Fine Meats Cheeseburger All the Way (Eating Our Words)
How Do I Get Kickbacks for My Blog Posts? (View from the Wing) No kidding!
Many netbook buyers aren't happy (TechBlog) The author doesn’t care for netbooks, and conveniently has found evidence that some other people don’t—mainly people who have unrealistic expectations of them.
Review of Palm Pre smart phone: It could be a contender (Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle)
The keyboard slides out from underneath the screen is small, with firm rubber keys. It was fine for short messages, but typing a long e-mail on it was frustrating. It would have been nice if Palm had also included a virtual keyboard as well.
The iphone fanboy who skipped the Pre announcement at CES (which stole the show) laments that the Pre isn’t more like his precious iphone? Funny.
Neal Rosenthal, Farmer, Beekeeper, Wine Agonist, pt.2 (Reign of Terroir)
Behold, the Greek Nacho (Mark Bittman, NY Times) And it almost rhymes with free nachos!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/23/09 09:52 | Links | Comments (0)

17 June 2009

Linkpost: 06/17/09

Joel Osteen and the Glory Story: A Case Study (Michael S. Horton, Westminster Seminary California)
Bush's Determination and the Rule of Law (Harvey Mansfield, The Harvard Crimson)
Justices Gone Wild (Ross Douthat, NY Times)
Is anyone less fit to assess a presidency than the academic left? (Brothers Judd) The universe of less-fit assessors is surely small.
Why inflation is so scary (Steven Malanga, RCM)
Spent: America after consumerism (Amitai Etzioni, TNR)
Liquidity drowns meaning of "inflation" (Henry C. Liu, Asia Times)
It's the printing presses, stupid (Larry Kudlow, RCM)
Love or lust, Obama and the fawning press need to get a room (Bronstein at Large)
Obama's Conundrum: Shunning Iran's Opposition (Robert Kagan, WaPo)
Just Make Stuff Up: President Obama's war on truth (Victor Davis Hanson, NRO)
“Conservatives” Are Single-Largest Ideological Group (Lydia Saad, Gallup) We rock!
Did Dietrich Bonhoeffer deserve to swing? (Brothers Judd)
Hey kettle (Brothers Judd)
More global warming skepticism (Unca Darrell) Somebody send those links to Eric Berger!
Kurdistan goes glug glug (Economist)
Iraqi Kurds begin oil exports (Al Jazeera News)
Legendary French chef Albert Roux opens first U.S. restaurant (Edward Glazarev, NY Daily News) This is old news now, but it still strikes me as odd.
Berlin’s Hidden Restaurants (Gisela Williams, NY Times)
Neal Rosenthal, Lawyer, Wine Merchant, Writer (Reign of Terroir) I’m reading Rosenthal’s book right now. I wish Houston had an old-world-focused wine shop where I might find more of his (and other natural) wines. Ah well. At least people who admit they don’t drink wine are satisfied with the selection in town. *eyeroll*
Are French ingredients better? (Food in Houston) High-end restaurants in the U.S. use ingredients comparable to high-end restaurants in France, I think. The real difference comes beneath that top layer of restaurants, and I think in terms of ingredients, the inexpensive French joint is going to blow away the inexpensive American joint, just like most any place serving gyros on a less-touristy Greek island is going to blow away the fare at Niko Nikos.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/17/09 09:57 | Links | Comments (0)

28 May 2009

Linkpost: 05/28/09

Here are some links to clear the backlog following the last trip and before the next trip.

Madness of cap-and-trade (David Sokol, NY Post)
Is Germany the Harbinger of America's Energy Future Under Cap-and-Trade? (Ronald Bailey, Reason Hit and Run)
Mitch Daniels: Republican Revolutionary (Chris Cilizza, The Fix)
China's Yuan: The Next Reserve Currency? (Steve LeVine, Spiegel)
Inflationary musketeers (Hossein Askari and Noureddine Krichene, Asia Times)
Uncle Sam's F-rated bonds (Peter Morici, Asia Times)
The Dollar Dike Gives Way? (Bill Bonner, The Daily Reckoning)
Hank Paulson Admits He Doesn't Understand Mortgage Securities (Derek Thompson, The Atlantic Business Channel) What I don’t understand is why the Bush Administration handed off the economics portfolio to the guy, when it had previously had such a strong economics team (as in, people now in important positions in strong economics departments).
Dolphinplasty as a principle of governance (Spengler, Asia Times)
LaHood: “Yes, I am Secretary of Behavior Modification” (The Antiplanner)
Sotomayor links (Unca Darrell)
I admit I believed him this once (Brothers Judd)
If it isn't all about him then it's all about nothing (Brothers Judd)
Obama Aide: Not Our Goal to Reduce Abortions (Wendy Wright, Human Events) What sensible person believed it was?
New National Poll Shows 14 Percent Pro-Life Majority on Abortion, Fifth in May (Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com)
Out of Touch: Most Americans disagree with Obama on abortion and the Supreme Court (David Freddoso, NRO)
The Public Editor and the Internet: The Match Game! (Megan Garber, CJR)
When I was a kid, I had to walk to school uphill and in the snow… under the threat of nuclear annihilation (Trent Seibert)
In praise of Matt Schaub—and not just because he isn't the Titans backup quarterback (TexansChick) Consistently a better source of info and analysis than the dreck served up by the paid NFL writers at the Chronicle.
Yes, I have a new job. Welcome Brian McTaggart (Alyson's Footnotes) It’s never good news when one of the better reporters in town is bumped upstairs and replaced by one of the guys whose work at the newspaper didn’t impress.
Battle On The Light Rail: The (Not Really) Shocking Video (Hair Balls) The dude overreacted, but why is it so many Houstonians have such a problem following simple rules designed to help large numbers of people get along? No food/no drink on the transit. Easy and sensible.
Favorite Wine Shops That Jive With Appellation Feiring? (Appellation Feiring)
Why so few tasty American wines under $12? Wine importer Bobby Kacher (Dr. Vino) Speaking of Bobby Kacher, Richard’s here in Houston is the exclusive source for his selections, and they are running their 15% off six bottles or more of French wine sale through the end of this month. I have found some nice bargains!
Tasty American wine under $12: why so little of it? Industry replies, part I (Dr. Vino)
No wine worth more than $10? (Steve Heimoff)

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/28/09 07:58 | Links | Comments (0)

18 May 2009

Linkpost: 05/18/09

The SAT and Its Enemies: Fear and loathing in college admissions (Andrew Ferguson, Weekly Standard)
The Luxury City vs. the Middle Class (Joel Kotkin, The American)
A legend's legacy: The basketball. The music. The smile. Tisdale remembered as a great player and great man (Guerin Emig, Tulsa World)
Accepting cancer's limitations (Captain Tumor Man) I love this guy’s wines. And sometimes his blog posts are pretty good.
Thoughtful voice all but lost in Obama-Notre Dame drama (John Kass, Chicago Tribune)
The real lowdown on stress-free barbecuing (John Kass, Chicago Tribune) John Kass is my kind of writer, a guy who can write about his town, about bbq, and about serious stuff (see above).
Some pics from my recent travels: Bimbos, swine flu, major brand gas and Jersey! (Trent Seibert)
Moron Alert (Lou Minatti)
Santa Monica Farmer's Market (Dude, you going to eat that?)
I love visiting farmers’ markets. I hate to say it, but sometimes our local farmers’ markets in Houston aren’t quite up to snuff.
I wasn’t aware that any sort of criticism of food/drink in Houston was allowed. Similar comments a while back with regard to Houston’s inadequate natural wine scene/market/retailers produced all sorts of hostile and erratic behavior from the borg.
Grilled Calamari (Kalofagas.ca - Greek Food and Beyond) YUM!
Tincture of lawlessness (George Will, WaPo)
The New Tudors (Holman Jenkins, WSJ)
Chrysler and the Rule of Law (Todd Zywicki, WSJ)
Diminished Returns (Niall Ferguson, NY Times)
The Alinsky Administration (Jim Geraghty, NRO)
Health-Care Hardball (David Gratzer, City Journal)
A new way to fund health care reform (Dan Gerstein, Forbes)
Health care, a lesson in pain (David Leonhardt, NY Times)
We interrupt the Rockets playoffs for an exciting Houston Texans news bulletin… (TexansChick)
McClain: Texans' defense looks to have stronger case (John McClain, Houston Chronicle) Contrast this filler/garbage with the analytical post above. Stephanie Stradley regularly produces better football analysis than any professional employed by the Chronicle to do so.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/09 08:00 | Links | Comments (0)

12 May 2009

Linkpost: 05/12/09

A Table for Tyrants (Vaclav Havel, NY Times)
Pakistan's ethnic fault line (Selig Harrison, WaPo)
The Hamas 'Peace' Gambit (Charles Krauthammer, WaPo)
The Harlem miracle (David Brooks, NY Times)
Capitalism in Crisis (Richard Posner, WSJ)
Our have-it-both-ways generation (Victor Davis Hanson, RCP)
How Ford Restructured Without Federal Help (Paul Ingrassia, WSJ)
Barack Obama and the carmakers: An offer you can't refuse (Economist)
Republicans and ObamaCare (Kimberley Strassel, WSJ)
Should the GOP Forget Reagan? (Daniel Henninger, WSJ)
Obama Loses His "Cool" (Matt Welch, Reason) All the libertarian economic stuff is fine, but at the end of the day, it’s about the weed!
Nothing solves the problems of motherhood… (Brothers Judd)
Time Magazine spotlights Texas Watchdog in story about new media and watchdog journalism (Texas Watchdog) Nice job, guys!
A Friday Game: Great Literary moments by Houston Scribes (Lose an Eye, it's a Sport) Good stuff!
Roger that (Off the Kuff)
I had a brief email correspondence with Smith about this, and told him that while I’m on board with the first two planks in that platform, I’ll be supporting a Democratic candidate next November.
The Future is all about The Party, and has been for some time.
Alice Feiring's Top 5 Websites (WSJ Magazine)
Vin de Napkin: Incredulous consumer edition (Good Grape)
Obesity and the Fastness of Food (Catherine Rampell, NY Times)
Those French know how to live (LA Times) Their wine is pretty damn good too!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/12/09 09:36 | Links | Comments (0)

07 May 2009

Linkpost: 05/07/09

What else are you supposed to do with a body after things go bad in the wake of an all-night drug binge? (Trent Seibert)
In-N-Out: Can perfection survive? (Michael Hiltzik, LA Times) Keep the corporate suit types out, and it will be just fine. PLEASE don’t screw up In-N-Out!
Never Right, But Never in Doubt (Ronald Bailey, Reason)
Democrats wallow in a 'culture of corruption' (Jonah Goldberg, LA Times)
Obama's economic policy: Washington knows best (Dick Morris, RCP)
Return of Le Car (Holman Jenkins, WSJ) Gawd, that Le Car flashback is perfect. I wish I had thought of it!
How Austin's Rise Became a Tale of Two Cities (Chris Bradford, New Geography)
In Defense of Texas Wines (Beyond Beltway 8)
A Tale of Biodynamics, Feiring and the Death of the Chronicle (Cepage Noir)
Bordeaux as it should be (Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle) After a few weeks covering other topics. the Spec’s Company Newsletter returns. So pathetic.
Never buy a bad bottle of wine again: Slate's guide to the importers you can count on (Mike Steinberger, Slate) GREAT stuff for buyers like me!
Yet another reason why I love French wine (The Wine Curmudgeon)
In Wine, 'Unoaked' Doesn't Mean 'Less Flavor' (PR Newswire) No, and it generally means better wine in the $15 and up range. Unless you prefer to drink something akin to butter on a board, that is.
London Sizzler (Alison Cook, Houston Chronicle) I found nothing redeeming about this place on my only trip, and see no reason ever to return.
Manena's Magic (Katharine Shilcutt, Houston Press)
The sense of being transported to a small pastry shop in Buenos Aires is unexpected and welcome as you stand in front of the mesmerizing pastry case at Manena’s Pastry Shop and Deli.
I had no idea the author had ever been to Buenos Aires. I wish I had.
The Chronicle Continues Its Descent Into Porn Hell (Hair Balls) It’s a separate site. Granted, it’s a stupid and insulting site, but it’s not THE site of The Chronicle, and it’s really not that far from the sort of fare that runs in the Houston Press, which has little credibility these days on the topic of media criticism.
Baseball: Hunker down Houston, this could get ugly
If they’re 20 games out on July 31, I won’t be surprised. At that point, Valverde should be healthy and able to bring back a few good prospects via trade. Suck it up, Houston, because this could be a 100-loss team.
Only one month ago, he picked them to finish second in their division and win nearly 90 games. How could he not be surprised? This is indicative of the level of talent in the Chron sports department.
Rockets notes: Battier OK with league ruling (Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle)
As much as the Rockets experienced in the Portland series � when they also won the first game � might serve as a reminder that the second game can be more difficult, Yao Ming said that series offered another useful experience.
Good gawd, that reads more like the ramblings of a reading-challenged nachoblogger than a professional sports writer at a newspaper with editors. Brutal.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/07/09 10:17 | Links | Comments (0)

05 May 2009

Linkpost: 05/05/09

Jack Kemp, 1935-2009 (David P. Goldman, First Things)
Quarterback Jack (NRO)
What Jack Kemp Accomplished (Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard)
Jack Kemp in His Own Words (WSJ)
Remembering Jack Kemp (Michael Gerson, WaPo)
The Truth About Cars and Trucks (Holman Jenkins. WSJ)
Saturn's demise is a lesson for GM (LA Times) GM had a real chance with Saturn to experiment and figure out how to remake itself, but I always sort of had the feeling that Saturn would be remade into the failing behemoth instead. Let the whole damn thing go bankrupt.
The Next Housing Bust (WSJ)
Pelosi: Utterly contemptible (Charles Krauthammer, RCP)
A Double Standard on Party-Switchers? (Howard Kurtz, WaPo)
The bias against oil and gas (Robert Samuelson, WaPo)
Bush's Lawyers Strike Back (Dan Abrams, The Daily Beast)
How Pakistan became the 'crucible of terrorism' (Duncan Gardham, Telegraph)
Pakistan and the Taliban: A real offensive, or a phony war? (Economist)
Moment of truth in Pakistan (David Ignatius, WaPo)
Big-Screen e-Readers May Help Save Newspapers (Brad Stone, NY Times) The big screen may be a bigger hit in the textbook field than with the newspaper crowd.
Goodbye Cafe Annie; hello Restaurant RDG (Alison Cook, Houston Chronicle) In trying to do so many different things, is RDG going to do any of it well? This just has the look of a disaster.
Rainbow Lodge - Toss Up
When the appetizers arrived we started in immediately. Considering we were still waiting for bread and water, we dove in - without hesitation - for a taste. Even though I was a bit put off by the look of the tuna dish we’d been served, I stretched my fork toward it. What we assumed to be the tartare consisted of six small slices of albacore slathered in white foam. For the record, I hate foam. While the culinary garnish has made confident strides into mainstream preparation, I hate it. It looks like spit. I just don�t get it.
Me either. I also don’t get how such a pricey restaurant with such spotty service can be rated so highly, whatever the quality of the food. Maybe the foam is hallucinogenic, or gives a little Obama/Matthews-like tingle up the leg?
God Bless America, kudos to Astros (Baseball)
As a proud American who tips his hat to all our men and women in our armed forces, I proudly thank Drayton McLane for recognizing the importance of his players visiting wounded soldiers.
Three grafs in, and Drayton’s PR man at the Chronicle is going full tilt. If the sports section had editors, they would have ended that crap years ago.