*Silent Running conducts a visual test of the plausibility of flushing a book down a toilet. (via Wizbang) And Jack Shafer notes the past proliferation of urban legends about the Koran and toilets. I should add that, if there’s one journalistic practice I would hope that the media would be very careful about in the future after the Newsweek and Rathergate fiascos, it would be the practice of assuming that the failure of the government to deny a report is affirmative evidence of its truth. Anyone who’s dealt with large organizations knows thatn it’s hard to get them to commit to confirming or denying things with much confidence if some representative of the organization is hearing a charge for the first time.
*From the Day by Day archives: in the 1-year period after his return from drug rehab, Dwight Gooden went 23-8. But perhaps more interesting, look at Roger Clemens’ workload in that stretch: 300+ innings and 20 complete games. At age 24. Presumably this took years off Clemens’ career?
*Amusing article on Star Wars mania overseas. Even the French and the Chinese are not immune. (Heard on the morning news: “Many people who went to the late showing last night will be calling in Sith today.” Ba dump bump.) Also, Slate’s review. I don’t get people reading anti-Bush-ism into Anakin saying a variant on “you are with me or against me,” which (a) is a line from countless movie heroes and villains and (b) is a close cousin to that line beloved by left-wingers (as well as some on the Right), “you are part of the solution or part of the problem,” which means almost exactly the same thing. Slate’s Edelstein notes a different line, from the Emperor: “He stirs Anakin’s ambitions and parries the young man’s objection that the Jedi work for good with the line, ‘Good is a point of view.'” Well, that plays perfectly into conservative themes about moral relativism.
Or, maybe it’s just a movie, folks.
*I have to agree with John Derbyshire: George Galloway may be a nutty leftist, a crook, and a bought-and-paid-for Saddam apologist, but you have to admire the man’s style.
*Instapundit offers some perspective for Andrew Sullivan, who has completely lost his.
*Cardinal fan the Birdwatch regrets the loss of the Mets-Cardinals rivalry and has to admit that Shea isn’t such a bad place. I have to say, I’ve never understood why people don’t like Shea, which is a very nice place to see a ballgame. (via Pinto)
*Megan McArdle notes some misguided assumptions in a New York Times piece on differences in health among rich and poor, specifically the idea – where they got this I have no idea – that poor people work longer hours. Are you kidding me?
*Hugh Hewitt asks why the same people who denounce any criticism of judges as some sort of mortal threat to the Republic have no problem denouncing Bush’s judicial appointees as ‘extremists’ based on their records . . . as judges.
*The real 2004 election fraud. (Via Kaus and Mystery Pollster)
*Neat summary of what the War on Terror is about.
3 thoughts on “Quick Links 5/19/05”
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“I should add that, if there’s one journalistic practice I would hope that the media would be very careful about in the future after the Newsweek and Rathergate fiascos, it would be the practice of assuming that the failure of the government to deny a report is affirmative evidence of its truth. Anyone who’s dealt with large organizations knows thatn it’s hard to get them to commit to confirming or denying things with much confidence if some representative of the organization is hearing a charge for the first time.”
Using the 20/20 hindsight of the White House, the official asked to confirm on deny the Newsweek story should have known the story would lead to death and riots. Since the Pentagon knew, or should have know, the charge was not true, their failure to tell Newsweek the story was wrong is the cause of the riots and death. Blame the Pentagon!
@ CoolSchool, I hope that’s sarcasm and not idiocy. It’s hard to tell on the internet.
Regarding Clemens’ 300+ inning & 20 complete games at 24: It isn’t about innings or games pitched, it’s about pitches thrown per game. That being said, even if he was throwing a ton of pitches per game, there are exceptions to every rule, no?
Granted, we disagree on how much blame should be heaped on Newsweek for this, but I think in any case you’ll find Donald Sensing’s take on certain aspects of this interesting. (see link).