By Steven Gray
The selection on Friday of Michael Steele, 50, as the Republican National Committees next chairman is remarkable not merely because he is the first African American to head the party of Lincoln. The former Maryland lieutenant governors selection is an acknowledgment by the partys leadership that the GOP must quickly recast itself if it is to remain relevant to an increasingly diverse electorate no longer moved by divisive social issues.
Russell Banks @ UNLV / Feb 24 / 7 pm
January 30, 2009
Russell Banks: A Reading and Conversation
Tuesday, February 24 at 7 p.m. – UNLV Student Union Theatre map
Co-sponsored by the UNLV Department of English
Russell Banks is the founding president of Cities of Refuge North America and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His novels include The Reserve, Cloudsplitter, The Darling, The Relation of My Imprisonment, Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Affliction, and The Sweet Hereafter. The latter two works were adapted into feature films that received widespread critical acclaim, and The Darling is currently under development by Focus Features and Martin Scorsese. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes and awards, including the Ingram Merrill Award and the John Dos Passos Award. Banks lives in upstate New York and is the New York State Author. He will serve at the Elias Ghanem Chair in Creative Writing at UNLV from mid-February to mid-March.
Democratic Stealth Care – WSJ.com
January 30, 2009
With the nation preoccupied by the financial crisis, Democrats have been quietly working to nationalize health care.
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
Tom Daschle is still waiting to be confirmed as secretary of health and human services, not that he’s in any rush. Democrats are already enacting his and Barack Obama’s agenda of government-run health care — entirely on the QT.
Martin KozlowskiThis was the real accomplishment of this week’s House vote for the $819 billion “stimulus,” and is the overriding theme of Congress’s first month. With the nation occupied with the financial crisis, and with that crisis providing cover, Democrats have been passing provision after provision to nationalize health care.
Security Around Obama Alarms Some VIP Donors – washingtonpost.com
January 30, 2009
By Aaron C. Davis
Lack of Measures “Absurd,’ Guests say
Downtown Washington resembled a militarized zone last week for the inauguration of President Barack Obama, but some major contributors who had direct contact with Obama said they were surprised to find what they viewed as porous security surrounding the president-elect and vice president-elect.
via Security Around Obama Alarms Some VIP Donors – washingtonpost.com.
What is the average age of the 111th Congress?
January 30, 2009
Q: What is the average age of the 111th Congress?
a. House: 65; Senate: 59
b. House: 57; Senate: 63
c. House: 43; Senate: 51
d. House: 63; Senate: 57
Wil post the answer later . .
Professor Uses Mathematics to Decode Beatles Tunes – WSJ.com
January 29, 2009
By EASHA ANAND
HALIFAX, Canada — It is here, in a cluttered mathematician’s office, under blackboards jammed with equations and functional analysis, that one of Western culture’s greatest mysteries has finally been solved: Why has no one been able to replicate the first chord in The Beatles’ pop hit “A Hard Day’s Night”?
Not stopping there, this sleuth is using math in his quest to answer an even more-elusive question, about the contested authorship of the Fab Four’s “In My Life.”
via Professor Uses Mathematics to Decode Beatles Tunes – WSJ.com.
By NAFTALI BENDAVID
The political culture wars may be going the way of the fights over the oil embargo or the Soviet missile gap.
Democrats have been de-emphasizing social issues for years, finding that their positions on abortion and gay rights didn’t play well with many centrists. They also discovered that expanding the Democratic tent to include more social conservatives has boosted their appeal in Southern and Western states.
via Has a Stake Really Been Driven Through Social Wedge Issues? – WSJ.com.
Pianist Keith Jarrett on His Process – WSJ.com
January 29, 2009
By CORINNA DA FONSECA-WOLLHEIM
Oxford, N.J.
The pond outside Keith Jarretts home in rural New Jersey is frozen over. Inside the jazz pianists 18th-century farmhouse, life appears similarly suspended. An expectant silence reverberates against the walls of vinyl LPs, CD boxes spilling off sofas, towers of stereo equipment bristling with cables. Next door, in the converted barn that houses Mr. Jarretts recording studio, a pair of Steinways and two harpsichords cower under black quilted covers.
Darn Mainstream Media Chide Reps for Rebuffing Obama – WSJ.com
January 29, 2009
ABC & CBS Chide Republicans for Turning Cold Shoulder to Obama – WSJ.com
By BRENT BAKER
Shortly after the House on Wednesday passed President Barack Obamas $825 billion “stimulus” package, ABC and CBS commiserated with Obama over his unsuccessful efforts to woo Republican votes. “Not one Republican voted for it,” ABC anchor Charles Gibson announced on World News with “Rescue Plan” as the on-screen heading, “turning a cold shoulder to the Presidents appeal for bipartisan support.” Reporter Jonathan Karl fretted: “So much for the Presidents charm offensive. Today it was all partisan rancor and name-calling.”
via ABC & CBS Chide Republicans for Turning Cold Shoulder to Obama – WSJ.com.
Following the Evidence – WSJ.com
January 29, 2009
American public-opinion surveys show a skepticism toward Darwins ideas. It is misplaced.Article
By PHILIP KITCHER
In a couple of weeks, on Feb. 12, biologists the world over will celebrate Charles Darwins 200th birthday. Throughout the year, at festivals galore marking his bicentennial, “On the Origin of Species,” a mere 150 years old, will be hailed as one of the greatest works in the history of the sciences. News of these events is likely to leave many American citizens bemused, possibly even irritated, for, as public-opinion surveys reveal, most of our countrymen have grave doubts about the truth of Darwins theory. The skeptics are not just rustic provincials, people deprived of serious educational opportunities. Prominent politicians and recent presidents are among them.
via Following the Evidence – WSJ.com.
EB Note: I am always baffled that educated people seem to know less about science today then they did during the Renaissance. Intelligent Design and other such “scientific” nonsense is grasping at belief in3,000 year old tribal stories. I thought by now religion would be placed in the annals of Greek, Egyptian and Roman mythology.
Can Bloomberg Be Beaten? – The Fix – Chris Cillizza
January 29, 2009
Official Washington may be winding down from the 2008 campaign and subsequent transition, but in New York City another big race is just getting started.
NV-Sen: Hammering Harry – The Fix – Chris Cillizza
January 29, 2009
NV-Sen: Hammering Harry
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is up with a television ad taking Nevada Sen. Harry Reid to task for his support of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus bill, the first of what promises to be a series of attacks against the majority leader as he seeks reelection in 2010.
