The Wrongologist – Page 229 – Geopolitics, Power and Political Economy

Vote Today, if Only for Yourself

Today is Election Day, and it seems even the Main Stream Media circus has limited interest.

And if you look to the left, we finally have a proven case of voter fraud. Its certain that this little Havanese didn’t vote using its own ID.

Whatever the results, progressive ideas and politics will continue to decline because today’s Democrats have moved to the right from where they were 40 years ago.

Based on the content of the 2014 mid-terms, Democrats are seeking to “conserve” society as a 20th century education, an 18th century government, a neoliberal economic ideology, and contradictory policies in foreign affairs.

There is no energy in the mid-terms behind real reform, even well-protected Senators and Congresspersons are only willing to preserve watered-down versions of marriage rights for all, Social Security/Medicare, some semblance of a non-military expense category in the federal budget. And no one is for healthcare for all or addressing climate change. The Republicans mainly want to preserve wealth, protect large business and continue to go through the motions of appeasing their social conservative base and the gun lobby.

The tactics of both parties more or less “work”, if by that we mean to build long, lucrative political careers. There is no sense that any policy means much to America’s politicians who mostly speak in platitudes and rarely say what they mean.

They’ve fooled us for decades and “the people” seemingly never tire of the BS. The Republicans have a closing argument that the Rude Pundit paraphrases thusly:

The Republican National Committee is up with an ad that throws every scary thing in the world at you. “ISIS gaining ground. Terrorists committing mass murder. Ebola inside the US, Americans alarmed about national security,” says the ominous voice ominously. “What’s President Obama doing? Making plans to bring terrorists from Guantanamo to our country. Ignoring the Constitution, the Congress, and the American people. November 4th, Obama’s policies are on the ballot. Vote to keep terrorists off U.S. soil. Vote Republican.

The Democrats have no closing argument. The great tragedy of the Democrats is that they still believe politics is about competing sermons.

That is a nice fantasy, but that isn’t how politics works today. Any attempt by Democrats to engage in a policy struggle with Republicans that fails to understand how powerful people on the right use a multitude of sophisticated techniques that would make Machiavelli faint, is doomed to failure, and the proof of this is right in front of us today.

We live in the mess these people are making. We have to vote, organize, and persuade others to vote if we are to make safe, secure lives for ourselves and for our families.

Here is Tuesday linkage:

Election officials in 27 states have launched a program that threatens a huge purge of voters from the rolls. The Interstate Crosscheck program has generated a list of 7 million names that state officials say represent people who are not only registered, but have actually voted in two or more states in the same election. You be the judge.

On the campaign trail, an Ohio Republican Supreme Court Judge says: (emphasis by the Wrongologist)

Whatever the governor does, whatever your state representative, your state senator does, whatever they do, we are the ones that will decide whether it is constitutional; we decide whether it’s lawful. We decide what it means, and we decide how to implement it in a given case. So, forget all those other votes if you don’t keep the Ohio Supreme Court conservative.

The Small Business Majority, an organization of 30,000 small business owners, released the results of a September 2014 Internet survey of 900 small business owners that showed that 78% of their group believe we should change our current election system to one that allows for multiparty representation, a system that could lead to election of parties other than the Republicans and Democrats.

More lucky duckies living with their moms for free: A Pew Research analysis shows that the number of Americans living in multi-generational households has doubled since 1980. The figure spiked during the 2007-2009 recession and has moved even higher since then.

Signs of the times department: Washington’s Hirshhorn Museum has disbanded its docent program and replaced the largely retired staff with interns.

A follow-up to last week’s link about F-35, is this disturbing article that says the F-35 is a second-rate warplane. Consider the source, but the article quotes some recognized warplane experts.

Inequality Watch: Oxfam reports that the number of billionaires has doubled since the financial crisis. In fact, they say that the top 85 most wealthy saw their collective wealth increase by $668 million every day last year. That’s almost half a million dollars every minute.

Bradblog reports that the problems with Diebold voting machines have not gone away, at least not in Maryland, Texas, Illinois, and Tennessee.

The WaPo reports that US-backed Syria rebels have been routed by fighters linked to al-Qaeda. Half measures don’t work. Either we decide to go all-in with Assad, or let’s go home. His is the only force in the area capable of crushing ISIS. At the same time, we should remove the PKK and any other Kurdish forces from the terror list and supply them with the best weaponry. That is, if we really want to win.

Monday Wake Up Call – November 3, 2014

Are you tired because you got an extra hour’s sleep last night? Let’s get your brain started with a question: Who benefits it the government funds the development of new technology?

Answer: Private corporations.

Economist Mariana Mazzucato’s book about the role of the State in innovation, The Entrepreneurial State says that the image of a useless State at odds with a dynamic private sector is a myth. Mazzucato reveals in multiple case studies that the opposite is true; the private sector is only willing to invest after someone in a garage has a good idea that must be commercialized, or after the State makes a seed investment.

She describes how it worked with Apple’s iPhone and Google’s search engine. In both cases their popular consumer products benefited from state financing of basic research. For the iPhone, some of the technologies that make it “smart” were funded by the US government, such as the global positioning system (GPS), the touchscreen display, and the forerunner of the voice-activated personal assistant, Siri.

As for Google, development of its fundamental search algorithm was funded by the National Science Foundation. Plus, of course, there’s that thing called the Internet, another government funded venture, which makes the iPhone “smart”, and makes Google searches useful and valuable.

The right-wing myth is that the government needs to be completely out of the way of business, except for providing tax and regulatory incentives for private companies, to make them “want” to create the products they sell.

But, in the real world, many successful companies harvest the work of others and repackage proven technologies into successful products. In the 21st Century, companies often just mine the surface of their technology estate. When “innovative” companies are hugely profitable, often they buy back their shares and/or raise dividends, but do not invest that much in their long-term futures.

Finally, despite the fact that some companies directly benefit from taxpayer-funded technologies, they “underfund” (via tax breaks and holding profits offshore) the government that helped develop technologies that led to their success.

The obvious way for the public to ‘profit’ from socialized risk is to retain some ownership of the technologies that underlie those successes.

Another myth that needs to be exploded is that companies will not introduce new products if they can’t own 100% the intellectual property behind the products. Not true. Today, they often share their technology ownership with other firms. And it is inconceivable that a growing public estate of licensable technical know-how would sit under-exploited, if it could be licensed by corporate America.

Monday’s breakfast buffet of linkage:

Heard of the 27 Club? The idea is that pop stars are more likely than the general population to die at age 27. Not true, but they do tend to die much younger than the rest of us.

Of course milk is good for you! Well, maybe not as much as the milk-industrial complex wants you to believe. Swedish researchers took two groups, one with 61,000 women and the other with 45,000 men, and followed them for 20 years to see if milk intake was related to fractures or to death. Apparently, not so much. Maybe you should give Almond milk a try.

Using CDC data, a study finds that high rates of ADHD diagnoses correlated directly with state laws that penalize schools financially when students fail. An ADHD diagnosis can take a student out of the statistics. The five states that have the highest rate of diagnoses — Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana and North Carolina — are all over 10% of school age children. The five states with the lowest percent diagnosed — Nevada, New Jersey, Colorado, Utah and California — are all under 5%.

The US has changed its H-1B record retention policy. The US Department of Labor said that records “are temporary records and subject to destruction” after five years, under a new policy. But, the H-1B visa lasts 6 years. The total database is about 1GB, so what’s the issue?

The Air Force doesn’t have enough mechanics for its new F35 fighter: The reason is political. The Air Force was counting on training A-10 mechanics, but Congress is blocking the Air Force’s plan to retire the A-10 aircraft. It could take 12 months longer than proposed to get the F-35 in the air, if the A-10 stays online.

International News:

Japanese journalists didn’t do independent reporting about the Fukushima melt-down, they simply reported the press releases of Tokyo Power and the government. Now some are speaking out. Sound familiar?

The war between the banks and phone companies over mobile banking in Kenya heats up. After the huge success of mobile banking in Kenya, commercial banks began to invest in mobile phone-based banking, including selling their own SIM cards instead of using those issued by mobile phone providers. Now, the mobile phone operators are crying foul.

When the TuNur project in the Tunisian Sahara comes online in by late 2018, it will provide clean and reliable power to more than 2.5 million UK homes. The project will be connected to the European electricity grid via a dedicated cable from Tunisia to Italy. The UK participated in funding the project.

Your wake-up song is from Trigger Hippy, a new roots super-group founded by Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, and singer Joan Osborne. It is an amalgam of country, blues, soul and rock. Here is “Rise up Singing”, so time to rise up:

Let this thought guide your week:

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. – Muhammad Ali

Sunday Cartoon Blogging – November 2, 2014

When people decide not to vote because the parties are not different from each other, candidates with strong ideological commitments win. That elected person then tries to move the country in the direction of an ideology supported by a minority of voters.

For the past 20 years, that direction has been a death warrant for the American middle class. If you think that the middle class is really what made America “exceptional,” then those political leaders elected to implement and sustain a corporatist agenda have worked to destroy the American Dream, while they hypocritically endorsed and exploited it in order to get elected.

The US is in the middle of a course of corporate political imperialism that has savaged average Americans, while it enriched plutocrats. Wealth has been consolidated, the means-of-production have been concentrated in the hands of a few corporations, and big business has effectively purchased our governments, both state and federal. Mostly because not enough of us take the time to bone up on the issues, or to vote in the off-year elections.

Two things need to change: First, more people need to vote. Second, we must throw off our corporate political masters. As long as we have a situation where corporations have all of the rights, but none of the liabilities of the people, they always have a competitive advantage over the public.

For both your Halloween hangover and your pre-election headache:

Jeb Bush floats idea of continuing the family dynasty:

Ebola Volunteers are heroes and potential disease vectors. Some politicians can’t hold both thoughts:

Other epidemics caused by not voting:

Texas has apparently “solved” the voter fraud problem:

Texas GOP "encouraged" by reports of students & disabled citizens being denied right to vote http://t.co/lqlsbgOyJ1 pic.twitter.com/1acKK1r9Wh

— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) October 31, 2014

Friday Music Break – October 31, 2014

Boo, it’s Halloween. Are you going as Beetlejuice, or do you have a cool Halloween costume? Do you have Gluten-free treats for the kids? Amazing snacks that look like eyeballs and intestines? Pumpkin carved with teeth that look like the Manhattan skyline? Well, two out of four is batting .500, which the SF Giants’ RF Hunter Pence got close to with .444. If you’re scoring at home, we’re happy for you!

Madeline Albright one-ups Conan:

Today, Halloween-themed music:

Here is the 1978 hit about everyday monsters in the city. “Werewolves of London”, by the late Warren Zevon has lyrics that make werewolves seem like an everyday phenomenon: “Little old lady got mutilated late last night, werewolves of London again.” Join the pack:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhSc8qVMjKM

Second, “Monster Mash” by the late Bobby Pickett. Here is a young Dick Clark on American Bandstand in 1962 introducing Bobby Pickett, who performs his throw-back Halloween classic, in which he succeeds in sounding like Boris Karloff:

Next, “Thriller” by the late Michael Jackson. This is a 13+ minute video about a nightmare with zombies, directed by Jon Landis. The song/dance routine that most of you have seen on TV starts at 9:41. If you start then, you will miss Vincent Price’s “rap” at 6:35 and the entire premise of the production. Michael says “I’m not like other guys,” at the start of the video. That was in 1982, and may have been the truest thing he ever said. This gets the Wrongologist’s vote as best Halloween video:

Finally, on the last day of October, “When October Goes” from Barry Manilow. I KNOW, who thinks Barry is relevant? Well, he is today:

The lyrics are from a poem by Johnny Mercer. Mercer’s wife found them following his death. She gave the poem to Barry, who later said it took him just 15 minutes to write the tune. It is from Barry’s great jazz album of the 1980s, 2:00AM – Paradise Cafe.

October 30, 2014

What’s Wrong Today:

This year, Republicans did not put up a challenger in 37 House races, while Democrats did not field candidates in 32 districts, according to the Cook Political Report. Another 8 House districts will see no contest between the main parties, because of the “top two” primary system used in California and Washington state. These 77 single-party House races are a high number by recent standards. In 2012, there were 45 of them.

In today’s Democratic Party, challengers seldom see a primary attack from their left, while Republican incumbents often fear attacks from the right. The Economist quotes Rep. Mike Capuano (D-MA) who is running unopposed: (brackets by the Wrongologist)

In politics, Republicans are like dogs, working as a pack [while] Democrats are the cats.

Few races for the House are closely fought. Roughly 80% of the 435 members have little or fear on election day. Given the very high costs of getting elected, there are fewer opposition candidates in historically safe House districts.

Turning to the Senate, in July 2014, 42 Senators (41 GOP and 1 Dem) succeeded in killing Bill S2569, which would have repealed the corporate tax break for shipping American jobs overseas (you need 60 votes to overturn a Filibuster). And on Nov 4th, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) and all the other Senators (running in this cycle) who voted against the Bill will be re-elected.

DC insiders think that this is a feature, not a bug. Would voters tolerate a Congress with hundreds of uncontested seats?

Thursday linkage:

If they show you a chart, apparently, you will believe whatever they are saying.

Independents favor Republicans by 20 points: Republicans have discovered that a sufficiently united party can obstruct everything and anything, but largely escape blame for the resulting gridlock.

The most politically engaged states: This study shows the most engaged states had a more highly educated population, higher per capita economic output and fairer tax systems. Massachusetts and Colorado were #1 & #2. West Virginia was #50.

The US is developing better relations with Iran: If permanent, the shift could drastically alter the balance of power in the region. If the nuclear issue is resolved, this could be Obama’s greatest legacy. But, it risks alienating key US allies, like Israel, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Dubai police to use Google Glass with facial recognition to ID bad guys: Well, last year Dubai announced it would supply its police with $400,000 Lamborghini’s for use at major tourist sites. Cool cars and stupid glasses.

Some of Bach’s masterpieces were composed by his wife: A documentary film, “Written by Mrs. Bach” makes a case that Anna Magdalena Bach actually composed some of works attributed to her husband, Johann Sebastian Bach. And she had to cook and clean.

Home ownership rate in the US fell to the lowest rate in more than 19 years: Entry-level buyers have been held back by stringent mortgage standards and slow wage growth. The share of first-time buyers was 29% in September for the third straight month, compared with about 40% historically.

Who is watching the World Series? Apparently, fewer of us than ever: The last time the World Series averaged more than 20 million viewers was in 2004 when the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to take their first title since 1918.

Your Thursday Music Break:

Wednesday Linkage

What’s Wrong Today:

We have the methods, materials, and expertise to handle any of our major problems, be it with economic growth, war/peace, income inequality, social malaise or, outbreaks of serious infectious disease. Our problem is that in all of these areas, we have chosen not to use our abilities to solve any problems that involve use of the commons because the Congress won’t agree that the commons can be used for these things, except in an academic sense.

In America, when push comes to shove, it is you and the people you feel are part of your clan or tribe that count–never mind that we live on a finite planet with finite resources and carrying capacity–that is irrelevant to the vast majority of us.

Now, along comes Ebola, and, collectively, we have chosen to ignore the problem, to slow roll vaccines that could treat it, because, capitalism.

Are we going to realize that simply following our own self-interest may not be in our self-interest? That maybe the culture of narcissism may not be all it’s cracked up to be? The Ebola diversion from real election issues will not stop, however. If it does, the media will simply find a new shiny object.

Could our leadership class be motivated enough to actually be responsible, and not just to APPEAR to be responsible?

Here is some Wednesday linkage:

Music playlists for Euro soccer teams: a few surprising choices for 20 & 30-something profession athletes.

Tokyo has way fewer homeless than NYC. Why? The Japanese Constitution guarantees its citizens “the right to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living.” That document was drawn up by Gen. MacArthur during our occupation after WW II. So, because of the US, the Japanese have a stronger safety net for their citizens than we do in our own country. Ironic, or what?

Palestinian women are protecting the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound from Israelis who want to take it over: There are attempts on most days by Israelis to enter this mosque and lay claim to it. Older Palestinian women work to keep control of it. This will not end well.

Reuters reports that the US Army is quarantining soldiers who provided Ebola support in West Africa for 21 days: Despite the fact that current Defense Department policy allows troops with no known exposure to the virus to return to work and interact with their families after coming home, as long as they have their temperature checked twice daily for 21 days.

Baby Boomers are seeing a tsunami of products aimed at “helping” with problems of aging: Check out Depends in designer colors and the cane made from bull penis. Corporations are bringing sexy back to the 60-somethings.

Health Watch:

Corporate Wellness programs are ineffective: The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey found that 36% of firms with more than 200 workers, and 18% of firms overall, have wellness programs. The Upshot says they rarely work. Quelle surprise!

States that have expanded Medicaid as part of health reform expect their share of Medicaid spending to grow more slowly than states that have not expanded, a new KFF report finds.

Hospitals are now taking their cues from the airlines and the auto industry. Now your healthcare price comes unbundled, with additional fees and options. At least auto salesmen negotiate with you while you are conscious and not impacted by meds and pain.

Your Business Trip:

Legal marijuana is a growth industry, with annual revenues forecasted to be $35 billion by 2020.

Business Insider says maximizing shareholder value is bad. OMG, what would Mitt say? James Montier, a behavioral finance writer, believes that companies should be required to focus on running their businesses, producing quality goods and services, treating customers and workers fairly, and creating shareholder value as a by-product, not as an objective.

Blinded by Science:

Genome study shows humans bred with Neanderthals. And not just on Saturday night in college!

The new Afghanistan President gets violent reception from the Taliban. According to an AP tally, there have been at least 10 incidents in Kabul (including inside the Green Zone) since Ghani Ahmadzai’s inauguration on Sept. 29th, killing 27 people.

Your music moment:

The Rolling Stones were filmed by Martin Scorsese at NY’s Beacon Theater in 2006. The entire documentary was released in 2008. The film’s title, “Shine a Light” is from a Stones song by the same name. Here are a few minutes behind the scenes with Scorsese, the Stones and Bill Clinton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO9fXphmuGk

The Big Picture – An Editorial

“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom” – Bertrand Russell

Today, we are going to take a short course in The Big Picture. For starters, here is a quote from Digby:

…we are a primitive country. We’ve got idiots on TV screaming about a religion of 1.6 billion people being the toxic cause of violence even as our All American, non-religious school-kids are taking the deadly weapons their parents give them as presents to shoot their schoolmates and themselves. And we have the most sophisticated city on earth acting like a bunch of authoritarian creeps toward people who are doing serious work to stop the spread of an outbreak of a deadly disease — for PR purposes.

Since the Great Recession in 2008-9, we have seen the Federal Reserve move the economy slowly forward while leaving most people behind. Yet, few complain about growing income inequality. People know it and feel it, but don’t vote, or try to do anything else to change things.

• Why doesn’t income inequality upset the average American?
• Why are we more aware of how plastic surgery has changed the looks of an actress than we are about Gen. John Allen’s crazy ideas about winning the war against ISIS?
• How can more Americans be afraid of contracting Ebola than being killed in a car wreck?

What are we afraid will happen if we really dig deeply into an idea or a strategy that is proposed as a “solution” for some problem or other? Why can’t we resist re-tweeting some piece of snark that is the short version of something we believe, or thought we believed?

One visible trend is our increasing distrust of public institutions. We have seen how government, corporations, “charitable” organizations, media, and law-enforcement and the Justice system, all seem to exist for the benefit of those who manage them and not for the public.

This capturing of our institutions is a scary thing, but it is true everywhere in America. You might think that realizing this would spur interest in reform, but in fact, it has just increased our denial. People say in spite of it all, we’ll just soldier on as best as we can, making sure that we and our kids learn to navigate this rigged system.

This is why there is very little interest in politics by young voters.

Another trend is that America’s young know there is no possibility for real growth in personal income. They know that there are policies to promote and stimulate the economy, policies that might work. But, they have no faith in the ability of public officials to implement such policies, so they hang back, hoping somebody comes forward with a better answer. This, from the most connected, most media-savvy, most sophisticated generation in our history.

Voters show no interest in the 2014 mid-term elections. The media asks the same questions of the same Sabbath pundits each week: “Who will win the Senate?” But people don’t care. They watch the media whip up class warfare, cultural warfare and real warfare together into a big stew of propaganda that becomes mind-numbing. So they Facebook, and Tweet.

Most people are both stuck and scared–wanting things to change, but not knowing how. People might get upset, but big change requires commitment and action, and it is hard to get Millennials to change their minds, or to do much.

Political activism succeeds with a clear vision and a solid game plan. Neither Democrats nor Republicans have a list of good ideas about what will work to move us forward. It is possible to attribute political apathy to this lack of ideas, but the destruction of public trust in government is also a big problem.

Changing the future requires getting hold of the levers of government and then using them to do good. That is much more difficult when people don’t vote, and have no faith in their government. Trust in an institution takes a long time to build, but not to destroy. The first step is to take back our captured government.

A basic principle of martial arts is that you use your opponent’s strengths against them. In typical political contests, both sides work to out-raise and out-spend the other. And third parties try to get in the game using the same strategies as the legacy parties.

Today, each candidate is challenging the other’s strength using their own similar strength: It becomes a Sumo-style shoving match.

Conventional wisdom says that it’s expensive to run a campaign (even for local elections, much less national) and so everyone starts their campaign with a fundraising strategy and continues it incessantly even after Election Day. Conventional wisdom says you win with a charismatic candidate, so each party tries to find the best actor they can come up with. Conventional wisdom says candidates should “triangulate” their political views so that they are neither left nor right, just as Democrats are trying to do without success, in Red States this fall.

Instead, insurgent campaigns could be run on social media and the Internet, on as little money as possible—crowdsourcing both dollars and ideas from supporters. They should build constituencies for ideas and for a common future. They should select candidates who can tell the story of a united, desirable future, not some Ken or Barbie cypher for the moneyed interests who run our politics today.

The Big Picture is that we react more strongly to fear than to rationality. We used to fear Hitler. We feared the Communists. We feared al-Qaeda. We fear ISIS. We fear Ebola. We fear for our kids walking to school. We fear that America will let too many brown people across our borders. But we don’t fear climate change, or obesity, or a Congress that can’t enact an agenda to move the country forward.

There should be no mystery about how much corporate power and money drives the culture of fear. Think of it as a 4-step program:

1. Mass media hammers on events that builds general concern and possibly, panic from a few isolated incidents
2. Anecdotal evidence takes the place of hard scientific proof
3. Experts that the media trots out to make comments really don’t have the credentials to be considered experts
4. Entire categories of people (Muslims, West Africans) are labeled as “innately dangerous”

Can a cohesive group with a better way of dealing with the rest of us, gain traction in today’s connected world? Can they help America conquer the long laundry list of fears that constrict and in some cases, stop us from acting on much of anything?

It would take brains, ideas, commitment and energy.

Where are the leaders who have those qualities? How can we support them?

Monday Wake Up Call – October 27, 2014

Welcome to the working week. This week brings Halloween and the end of daylight savings time. Next Sunday, time “falls back”, and sadly, so will Democrats on the 4th of November.

But right now, it is time to get up and get going. Remember Disco? Get down with “Stomp” by the Brothers Johnson from their 1980 Platinum album, “Light up the Night”:

Quincy Jones worked with the Brothers Johnson on several of their albums for A&M. Michael Jackson does background vocals on another song on this album, “This Had to Be”. “Stomp” went to #1 on the R&B charts, #1 on the Dance singles chart and #7 on Billboard in 1980.

Here are a few hot links for your Monday breakfast buffet:

The Federal government’s 2014 fiscal year ended on September 30th. Here are 10 facts you may not know about the federal budget.

The Sunshine Act, a provision of the Affordable Care Act, requires doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers to disclose their financial relationships. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the first set of data. It includes $3.5 billion paid by Big Pharma to over half a million doctors and teaching hospitals in the last five months of 2013.

For 18 years, thousands of students at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill had “no show” classes with no assigned readings, and no responsible faculty member. These classes had just one requirement: a final paper that no one ever read. In the most crucial finding, no player was paid for an autograph, so it’s just a minor scandal.

More about the Dallas Ebola screening fail and likely cover up. It appears that the hospital and the software firm retrofitted the data to the story. Once again, we may never know the truth about what happened in Dallas.

My Terrifying Night with Afghanistan’s Only Female Warlord. Commander Pigeon is a woman who kills men, and is known to everyone in Kabul, but we are just hearing about her.

Al-Qaeda has a new English magazine called “Resurgence.” It is 117 pages of glossy graphics and articles about jihad and the war against America, all in understandable English.

The Social Security office that hears appeals for disability benefits is 990,399 cases behind. This Washington backlog is bigger even than the backups at Veterans Affairs, where 526,000 people are waiting in line, and the patent office, where 606,000 applications are pending.

Politics never change. Here is a 1796 editorial by Alexander Hamilton that accuses Thomas Jefferson of an affair with a slave.

Bonus Monday Music: You probably have heard that Jack Bruce died on the 25th. As Bob Lefsetz says:

Clapton might be God, but there was no Cream without Jack Bruce. He was the one who sang most of the songs.

He wrote the riff that we all know from “Sunshine of Your Love”. Here is Cream doing “I Feel Free”. That’s Jack Bruce on the left, Ginger Baker on drums and Eric Clapton on the right:

Feel free all week, my friends.

Sunday Cartoon Blogging – October 26, 2014

It’s that time of year, scary monsters in your email and on your TV. That means it’s the mad combo of the election season and Halloween. Be very afraid.

Some celebrate Halloween all year:

Fear is in the air around Halloween:

Really, Fox? Ben Bradlee must be turning over in his grave:

The reason Democrats will lose the Senate, Part I:

The reason Democrats will lose the Senate, Part II:

The House of Fear is open 24 hours a day:

Friday Music Break – October 24, 2014

Have you ever wondered if listening to certain music weakens your mind? No problem, Virgil Griffith, a Ph.D. candidate at Cal Tech has an answer for you. He asked a series of questions:

Could one’s musical tastes say something about intelligence? How about SAT scores? Well, like any good scientist, I decided to see how well my personal experience matches reality.

How did he do it? He downloaded the ten most frequent “favorite music” mentions at every college via that college’s Network Statistics page on Facebook. He then downloaded the average SAT/ACT score (from the College Board) for students attending every college.

This yielded 1352 schools that had data on both Facebook and the College Board. Below is a chart showing music by SAT scores. At Mr. Griffith’s site, you can find your school and its top 10 songs. Or, your favorite artists ranked by the average SAT of the schools that rated them. And yes, Mr. Griffith realizes that correlation ≠ causality, so no need to send an email saying that. Not all of the data are complete for each school, but check your where your favorite group/music genre on the chart, and weep:

Georgetown lists U2, Jack Johnson, Coldplay, The Beatles and The Killers as its top 5. We focus on The Killers for your Friday Music Break. Here is“Mister Brightside” Live from Royal Albert Hall in 2009:

The Killers @ Royal Albert Hall is a fabulous concert. The crowd knows the music, the band is energized throughout. See the entire concert if you have time. Here is one more song from it, “When You Were Young”:

They picked the venue specifically for the DVD, then made tickets available through various chapters of their fan clubs. Everybody in that crowd is a die-hard fan.

It shows.