Rolled out of bed today determined to write a blog about the future of America, as it will be determined in the 2018 and 2020 elections. The strands: How to stop right wing populism? Is it a culture problem or is it an economics problem? Some tentative asnwers: It’s not only about what Democrats can […]
Can the Tech Oligarchs become good guys again?
Two bad days in Congress didn’t scare Mark Zuckerberg into a profound spiritual and religious conversion. He has not renounced the material world. Zuckerberg seems to be the same smugly poised $64 billionaire that he was before Facebook had its month from hell. Still, although I spend a lot of time fretting about monopolistic technology […]
Radical Markets
A couple of fairly crazy, free-thinking professors have formulated a new ideology they call Radical Markets. I’ve read their book — it’s a bizarre but compelling amalgam of Henry George, Adam Smith and extremist libertarianism. One of their insane ideas is something along the lines that no one should own anything, but that property should always […]
Trump Got Me Out to Vote – And It Wasn’t Election Day Here
Thank you Donald Trump for motivating me to go out and vote on a day when there isn’t even an election in my district! I wanted to go out and vote for Dem. Shelly Mayer in the special election for the 37th senatorial district of New York, but after driving around and a phone call […]
How to get a visa appointment at the French consulate in NYC
We recently needed to get a travel visa to France for my wife, who is Chinese. It wasn’t easy. The visa requests need to go through the French consulate office in NYC. But clicking over to their web site leads you to an appointment calendar that resolutely rejects any attempt to click on a possible […]
I Advocate Unilateral Withdrawal
Israel’s victory in the Six Day War was a triumph of soldiering and military technology. Israel still retains vast military superiority over its neighbors, and obviously over the Palestinians. There is a large body of opinion in the Israeli military, and former Israeli military, that Israel’s security no longer depends on holding the West Bank.
Gorenberg Reflects on 50 Years
In sundry ways, the West Bank isn’t Algeria. Still, Eshkol was mistaken, and Aron’s point holds true for Israel and the occupation. The “loss” of the occupied territories won’t be the end of Israel. Holding on to them might be.
Libraries v. Big Streaming
Libraries vs. Big Streaming – an unfinished tale of copyright and disruption A desperate call appeared on the VideoLib listerv. “13th,” a much-lauded social-issue documentary, nominated for an Oscar, could not be shown in class, to groups, or placed in an archive of important 2016 films. It was showing only on Netflix, where no such […]
Not Collusion — Just Treason
The point is that it’s treason. Does anyone actually believe that the Trump campaign specifically guided the Russian hackers into the Dem’s servers? A quid pro quo maybe – you dirty trick Dems, we’ll treat you right. More probably just friendly and encouraging back and forth between Trump camp and Russians. And that’s TREASON, because […]
The Commissioner of Competition
It is good to know that there is someone out there fighting back against anti-competitive, monopolistic practices. The worst offenders are companies with a liberal, socially conscious image: Apple, Facebook, Google. See this piece in The Economist about Margrethe Vesteger, the Danish competition commissioner of the EU.