tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.comments2024-01-12T18:45:52.043-05:00The Weekly SiftDoug Muderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-10474174153422062392024-01-12T18:45:52.043-05:002024-01-12T18:45:52.043-05:00Great blogg you haveGreat blogg you haveAttack SEOhttps://attackseo.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-48121418507640221782023-12-09T20:22:14.446-05:002023-12-09T20:22:14.446-05:00Thank you forr sharing thisThank you forr sharing thisBrain Fatiguehttps://brainfatigue.tumblr.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-43954531098930934782023-09-10T11:13:41.788-04:002023-09-10T11:13:41.788-04:00This iis a great post thanksThis iis a great post thanksLauren L Fleminghttps://laurenlfleming.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-7796457602506977702023-02-14T08:24:05.240-05:002023-02-14T08:24:05.240-05:00Re: "Chinese communist party. This may be th...Re: "Chinese communist party. This may be the result of recently listening to Ultra and then reading about how deeply tied the right is to fascism and their willingness to repeatedly attempt to end democracy in America, but it would seem like the Maga base would respect the lawless aggression of China and it's government's willingness to lie openly. The Right claims to not like Nazis, but Right has a history of being funded by actual Nazis. So instead of saying they don't like Nazis, they say they don't like socialists, and Nazis are socialists. Feels kind of the same with China?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-55018936967138108222016-10-17T18:26:05.868-04:002016-10-17T18:26:05.868-04:00My mind was reeling with all of the insanity this ...My mind was reeling with all of the insanity this week, but I read this and now I feel like I can process the insanity of recent events. Shoshanahhttp://shoshanah.spacenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-10781435864522991642016-09-17T20:03:40.045-04:002016-09-17T20:03:40.045-04:00I'm having trouble figuring out how to receive...I'm having trouble figuring out how to receive an email that lets me know there's a new post. Can you help?smillshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11659707437102831815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-27990326978604345522016-07-08T00:34:17.743-04:002016-07-08T00:34:17.743-04:00Doug - I thought this piece on Elie Wiesel perfect...Doug - I thought this piece on Elie Wiesel perfectly captured the generous approach that you found lacking in Avishai's piece:<br /><br />http://religiondispatches.org/searching-in-vain-for-a-pure-elie-wiesel/<br /><br />From the closing passage:<br /><br />To search for a pure Wiesel is to search for a world in which humans do not err, in which they are politically consistent and correct in every way. That search repeats the sin of Oprah, the sin that expects redemption in just a few moments. It leads to the self-aggrandizing bemoaning of others’ faults, the hasty demand that others agree with me now because I have the answer, the quick naming of holy men and women who might free us from our own burden of making difficult decisions, and the premature end of deliberation.<br /><br />If we were to truly defer redemption, as Wiesel did with Oprah, we would not cease to call one another to task. But we would expect all of us (including Wiesel!) to betray our better selves on a regular basis. For those of us who are humanists or social scientists, we might research how such betrayals—or, for those of us who love jargon, “dialectical reversals”—occur as a matter of course when we live out our commitments among people who disagree with us.<br /><br />And all of us might come to realize that our acts of solidarity, whether with some of the living or with some of the dead, are not innocent. They all cause pain to someone, somewhere. Perhaps that pain can be minimized over time, but the magnitude of the labor needed is far more immense than we might suspect. It was at times too immense for Wiesel. Yet if we read him again, perhaps it will not be too immense for us.Michael Fesslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01788198252467491484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-42717112388679843252016-06-13T12:43:38.132-04:002016-06-13T12:43:38.132-04:00Because it is timely, I just want to share this sp...Because it is timely, I just want to share this speech today. (From the Atlantic Magazine:) “On Monday, September 16, 1963, a young Alabama lawyer named Charles Morgan Jr., a white man with a young family, a Southerner by heart and heritage, stood up at a lunch meeting of the Birmingham Young Men’s Business Club, at the heart of the city’s white Establishment, and delivered a speech about race and prejudice that bent the arc of the moral universe just a little bit more toward justice.”<br /><br />Here is the text of his speech. It was delivered on a Monday too much like this one:<br /><br />http://genius.com/Charles-b-morgan-speech-after-birmingham-bombing-annotatedDave Lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09272054175932862209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-45941740377577049352016-04-11T13:28:27.299-04:002016-04-11T13:28:27.299-04:00Why not racist? Yup, you nailed it.
http://www.po...Why not racist? Yup, you nailed it. <br />http://www.politicususa.com/2016/04/05/mississippi-interracial-couple-evicted-interracial-marriage.html Gini Courterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15170863988738090814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-83915054075961096002015-10-18T21:21:34.417-04:002015-10-18T21:21:34.417-04:00If the TPP were chock full of goodness then I'...If the TPP were chock full of goodness then I'd think it's backers would be eager to get the text out in front of the public. <br /><br />Lots TPP-related reading here - http://www.robustanalysis.net/robert-reich-the-worst-trade-deal-youve-never-heard-of/ <br /><br />If you're going to read just one piece on the TPP then I recommend James Surowiecki's column in The New Yorker a couple weeks back - http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-corporate-friendly-world-of-the-t-p-p<br /><br />Chris Ghttp://www.robustanalysis.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-76730205700001233532015-09-17T17:13:21.054-04:002015-09-17T17:13:21.054-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Ramseymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09315310319631781562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-57750779441938845022015-05-26T12:28:31.663-04:002015-05-26T12:28:31.663-04:00Thanks for writing, from a long-time reader.
On i...Thanks for writing, from a long-time reader.<br /><br />On investment principles, you wrote " I've never come up with a theory of socially responsible investing I like." Then "But I'm still no closer to a principle. If you have one you're happy with, please talk about it in the comments."<br /><br />I'm confident someone wiser and ore eloquently has said something like, "If you don't like the rules and options of the system, take a hard look at the rules of the system." (I was able to find pithier quotes encouraging action: "if you don't like the rules of the game, change them.")<br /><br />It seems like the system you're not liking the options of is the contemporary US corporate shareholding system.<br /><br />Marjorie Kelly tells the history of the corporate shareholding system and critiques it in <i>The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy</i>. I highly recommend it.<br /><br />From my understanding, it's not just that Plains spokespeople believe they represent you, it's that they are required by law to make you (a shareholder) the most money (legally) possible. If they take anything else into account which would keep them from maximizing the amount of money they make for you, they could be sued by you or other shareholders. (And, by the way, as a shareholder, you have a perpetual, heritable right to a share of the company's profits in perpetuity, having taken no action.)<br /><br />Kelly describes alternative corporate structures and approaches.<br /><br />And, of course, lawmakers and regulators could change laws and regulations to (further) constrain the actions permissible to maximize shareholder returns.<br /><br />I'm sure you have a long reading list, but I hope you'll take a look at Marjorie Kelly's <i>The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy</i> (and if you find something useful in in it, share it with us readers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-30954672237920190882015-01-26T22:10:01.718-05:002015-01-26T22:10:01.718-05:00Hi, Doug -- I'm a first-time reader of The Wee...Hi, Doug -- I'm a first-time reader of The Weekly Sift, but certainly not a last-time reader. Thanks a bunch for doing so much digesting for those of us who didn't manage to get around to doing it ourselves. "I don't see any nice way to do that" might just be my new favorite thing to say.Chris Bartonhttp://www.chrisbarton.info/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-81853009644727999832014-12-29T10:32:18.318-05:002014-12-29T10:32:18.318-05:00I'm always curious about how page-views work. ...I'm always curious about how page-views work. I read most of the blogs I follow in an RSS reader (The Old Reader). Does opening in article in an RSS reader contribute to your page-views?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-29071316365623123402014-10-14T01:40:37.579-04:002014-10-14T01:40:37.579-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06381326607775120236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-90023682905663831052014-09-05T09:03:08.159-04:002014-09-05T09:03:08.159-04:00I am going to use a term here that is universally ...I am going to use a term here that is universally regarded as marginal. The outlier behavior. The term is “psychopath.” The tendency is to consider one's self normal. All of one's friends normal. All of one's neighbors. All of one's countrymen. All of one's co-workers, fellow shoppers, the people in the other pews - all normal. Eccentric maybe. But normal. When the psychopath is revealed, we all want to see the interview with the surprised next door neighbor that describes the deviant as quiet and reserved. No way we could have seen it coming. And that is mostly because we can't, or we won't, or we can't. Maybe that is the true beauty do democracy. Some of us still can, when most of us just won't. But what gnaws at us is our refusal to see it is there when it is there all along. As a culture, we roll up the communal horrors of Nazi Germany into one name, and pretend it fits nicely within the skull of one man. Hitler. But that is not the case. We look at the municipal court in Ferguson, men and women in grey business suits shaking down the black citizens and molding them into inmates as part of the growing up experience, but we don't look too close, and when somebody does and publishes the report, we don't read it. We look at it. But we don't see it. The pretense of normal requires a lot of pretending. David Lancenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-90469579633777087342014-09-05T09:00:32.592-04:002014-09-05T09:00:32.592-04:00I am going to use a term here that is universally ...I am going to use a term here that is universally regarded as marginal. The outlier behavior. The term is “psychopath.” The tendency is to consider one's self normal. All of one's friends normal. All of one's neighbors. All of one's countrymen. All of one's co-workers, fellow shoppers, the people in the other pews - all normal. Eccentric maybe. But normal. When the psychopath is revealed, we all want to see the interview with the surprised next door neighbor that describes the deviant as quiet and reserved. No way we could have seen it coming. And that is mostly because we can't. But what knows at us is our refusal to see it is there when it is there all along. As a culture, we roll up the communal horrors of Nazi Germany into one name, and pretend it fits nicely within the skull of one man. Hitler. But that is not the case. We look at the municipal court in Ferguson, men and women in grey business suits shaking down the black citizens and molding them into inmates as part of the growing up experience, but we don't look too close, and when somebody does and publishes the report, we don't read it. We look at it. But we don't see it. The pretense of normal requires a lot of pretending. David Lancenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-66792222622189094692014-09-01T11:50:10.397-04:002014-09-01T11:50:10.397-04:00Hey Doug. Consider these notes in the margin of la...Hey Doug. Consider these notes in the margin of last week' sedition. Get father John to tell you how I invented a pedestal that detects if someone picks the gun up off it, and sends you an email notification. And the universe sent me this: http://www.thegunbox.com. To which I say, thank You God or whoever got this done. And to all of my handgun owning acquaint enhances: BUY ONE AND PUT THE GUN IN TO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!David Lancenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-60642423908833341942014-08-22T16:42:28.315-04:002014-08-22T16:42:28.315-04:00Great blog you have here!Great blog you have here!Patricia Kaydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07836381858165025496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-28200168926409974312014-08-15T12:10:25.303-04:002014-08-15T12:10:25.303-04:00I have no inclination to marry another woman, but ...I have no inclination to marry another woman, but I don't think it is anyone's business who anyone marries, as long as the spouse is human and legally able to consent.Margiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10238870291486811312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-23122626828354482262014-06-16T17:16:50.542-04:002014-06-16T17:16:50.542-04:00The Everytown number is very misleading. OK, it i...The Everytown number is very misleading. OK, it is wrong. Even CNN did not buy it: http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/11/us/school-shootings-cnn-number/ <br /><br />And Politifact says: "mostly false".<br />http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/jun/13/everytown-gun-safety/have-there-been-74-school-shootings-sandy-hook-clo/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-71703062737978773622014-03-25T08:47:26.545-04:002014-03-25T08:47:26.545-04:00That really could have been phrased better, couldn...That really could have been phrased better, couldn't it? I was thinking about Israel's role with respect to, say, Russian Jews and Jews from other countries where they faced oppression. If you feel responsible for members of your ethnic group in other countries, invite to them to your country, don't take land from the country where they are.Doug Muderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-58275669737198130462014-03-25T07:57:28.599-04:002014-03-25T07:57:28.599-04:00Just want to point out re: your Crimea comparison ...Just want to point out re: your Crimea comparison - Israel is actually the prime example of a country that's been grabbing land in the name of protecting compatriots who live in territory belonging to another country. Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-1913371317906821032014-03-02T21:12:00.761-05:002014-03-02T21:12:00.761-05:00No unions = no middle class, pure and simpleNo unions = no middle class, pure and simpleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342100421756914597.post-69370271977954551612014-01-30T13:37:36.791-05:002014-01-30T13:37:36.791-05:00Weeklysift@gmail.comWeeklysift@gmail.comDoug Muderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.com