What Went Wrong In Flint

As you would expect from FiveThirtyEight, lots of data.

Friday cat blogging

Max and Purdy are snoozing their way through the blizzard of 2016. 

Elisa Pegreffi has died

She was the last surviving member of the Quartetto Italiano, one of the greatest chamber music ensembles of the mid to late 20th century. I learned my Mozart quartets listening to their recordings. No ensemble has captured the merry-go-round flavor of the K499's second movement as they did. As I listen again to their recordings, not only of Mozart but Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, I'm impressed once again by how their chosen tempos allow the music to breathe in such a natural manner. RIP.



Last member of a legendary quartet has died – Slipped Disc:

Voting for a dictatorship

There's this story that when Kurt Gödel, the logician, was studying for his US citizenship exam, he explained excitedly to friend Albert Einstein that he had found a flaw in the US Constitution, to wit, that it was possible for the electorate to vote for a dictatorship, thus negating itself.



Now, we have this news that a South Carolina lawmaker wants to "register" journalists. Hey, just like the Kremlin! All ahead flank!

The New Politics of Frustration

This is a fascinating and sobering appraisal of where we stand by Elizabeth Drew.

More about America's hollow core

Continuing the depressing theme of the hollowing out of America, we have this piece in The Atlantic. Read this alongside the article in the Times about increasing death rates among non-hispanic whites and the long, important piece by Scott Atran about ISIS and its world-historical importance. Each in its own way points to a moral crisis in western culture, particularly in the US. However, the American religious right has no solution to this problem, as much as it would like to think so.

What's happening with death rates?

There's a startling and worrying piece in the New York Times about an increase in death rates since 1990 for non-hispanic whites that everyone should read. This should be a wake-up call in the public policy arena, a canary in the coal mine about the increasing hollowness at the core of Anerican life. As economist Anne Case says, "there's a real rumbling that bad things are coming down the pike." Kudos to the Times for this important and original research.

On An Overgrown Path: CDs that should be in every medicine cabinet

On An Overgrown Path: CDs that should be in every medicine cabinet:

Kertesz's Dvořák is a wonderful memory from my teenage years. I knew the "New World" Symphony, of course; but Kertesz introduced me to the wonders of the other symphonies, which became constant companions over the years. Over time I gravitated towards Colin Davis for Nos. 7 and 8 and Ancerl for Nos. 6 and 9; but Kertesz will always have a special place in my musical life. His tragic death at such a young age deprived us of a great musician.

Dangerous Bipartisanship

It sure seems like the only way to get bipartisan support for anything in Washington is to propose that the government be able to spy on everyone forever without a warrant; or to propose that the government be able to incarcerate anyone forever without charges.

Delhi Rape Victim's Condition Deteriorates - NYTimes.com

At some point, all you can say is "What the hell is wrong with people?"

Delhi Rape Victim's Condition Deteriorates - NYTimes.com:

'via Blog this'

Unbelievable

This is, frankly, incredible; and not in a good way.

http://www1.rollingstone.com/extras/Deposition-Transcript-of-Glenn-Hubbard.pdf

Kant a consequentialist?

So Parfit argues, apparently, in On What Matters. I'll have to think about that.

Tallis Scholars at Duke

It's always a pleasure to see the Tallis Scholars live. That twelve voices can fill a huge cavern like Duke Chapel with glorious sound is quite astonishing, really.

The program of music by Mouton, Cornysh (the elder), and Browne was a fine one. It's nice to hear Mouton's music beyond the sublime "Nesciens Mater"; and Cornysh's music highlights the immense differences between music being written on the continent and in England in the early 16th Century. The Browne "Salve Regina" helped demonstrate that, while Mouton and Cornysh wrote very fine music, Browne wrote great music and should be considered one of the very great English composers of that or any age.

It's also nice to see (and hear) the Tallis Scholars sing the early English music at a lower pitch than in the past. This was true, too, of Tallis's "O Nata Lux", which was the welcome encore. It sounds much better to my ears without a piercingly high soprano line.

Bottom line here is that the Tallis Scholars are better than ever. Peter Phillips has changed with the times in his understanding of the music he presents and in his presentation of it. His Josquin mass cycle is timely and important. I only hope that he will record some of the masses that are not securely in the Josquin canon (like, say, the "Quem dicunt homines".

Yglesias » What’s the Point of Medicare Privatization?

Yes, absolutely. What Matt says....

Yglesias » What’s the Point of Medicare Privatization?

Yglesias » Higher Education From 50,000 Feet

Matt nails it again.

Yale is “better” than the University of Connecticut so funds flow to it. But in our current setup, better simply means more exclusive. It’s a measure of the quality of the inputs, not the quality of the instruction. The result is that both the public sector and the civic sphere are essentially acting to redistribute wealth and opportunities upwards.

Yglesias » Higher Education From 50,000 Feet

The Wayback Machine

Peter Baker dixit:

Mr. Clinton’s lowest postelection moment arguably came less than 24 hours before he began his comeback. In April 1995, he was reduced to arguing at a news conference that “the president is relevant.” The next day, bombers blew up an Oklahoma City federal building, and Mr. Clinton’s steady, reassuring and empathetic response made him more of a national leader.

I remember the "Is the President still relevant" meme from way back when, and I have only one question (two, actually): Who were the journalists pushing this meme back then, and, if they are still in business, why are they still in business?

Odd Man Out | Open Mind

Tamino schools Anthony Watts yet again. I fear there's dirt in my yard smarter than Watts....

Odd Man Out | Open Mind

DeLong Smackdown Watch: Nick Rowe Metaphysical Necessity of Monetarism Edition - Grasping Reality with Both Hands

Brad DeLong gives us an economy of baristas and yoga instructors as a way of explaining the (late?) recession.

DeLong Smackdown Watch: Nick Rowe Metaphysical Necessity of Monetarism Edition - Grasping Reality with Both Hands

Tax Deal Puts Economy between a Rock and a Hard Place - TheFiscalTimes.com

I'm afraid Bruce Bartlett may be right. Which is bad news, indeed.

Tax Deal Puts Economy between a Rock and a Hard Place - TheFiscalTimes.com

Leaked Fox News Emails Show Deliberate Slant On Health Care Coverage

I'm shocked. Just shocked.