Daily Links From Glimpse From a Height

• No Enemies to the Left – Al Jazeera Edition
  Jonathan Sabin at Commentary: Most Americans still think of Al Jazeera as the network that was Osama bin Laden’s outlet to the world in the years after 9/11. Since then, it has earned a reputation in some quarters as the best source of news about the Arab and Muslim world, especially during the Arab Spring […]
• Plus ca Change – Central African Republic Edition
  The current round of unrest in the Central African Republic brings back memories of an earlier round of unrest there from the Diplomad: About our Embassy in Bangui. Months before the coup attempt, some bean counters had decided to terminate the US marine guard detail there and at several other smaller embassies. The Pentagon, likewise, […]
• A Vested Interest in Palimpsest
  One word’s tour through cultural history: Like most autodidacts, I’m a spotty reader, subject to vagrant whims, led by meandering interests. “Palimpsest” is one of many personal guides for me. It can lead to the study of memory, to historical ideas about architecture, to geology, to art history. Stay with it long enough and you […]
• CO2 Emissions Today Are Lowest Today’s College Students’ Lifetimes
  Mark Perry points the finger at natural gas drilling.  So why do the NY environmentalists hate the planet?
• Evolution of Metrorail animation, now with Rush Plus
  Greater Greater Washington has an animated gif showing the evolution of Metro Rail since 1976. The map is so iconic that virtually every one of the entries in the site’s contest to replace it only came up with variations on its theme.
• The Endangered Mall Rat: An American Crisis?
  More dead malls on the way, according to Walter Russell Mead: It was only a matter of time before malls starting sharing the pain of the brick and mortar retail outlets they house. The real estate market has been slow to adjust to this new reality, and the amount of commercial real estate built for retail has continued […]
• The Value of Political Connections
  Quantified: The authors focus on lobbyists who used to be congressional staffers. In particular, they look at the revenue generated by these lobbyists before and after the senators or representatives for whom they once worked leave office. They find that, on average, when a senator leaves office, lobbyists who used to work for that senator […]
• Sotomayor’s Blow to Religious Liberty
  What’s at stake: Sotomayor’s decision illustrates just how difficult that task may turn out to be. Even if the owners of Hobby Lobby eventually prevail in court and their rights are upheld, a vengeful Obama administration determined to make an example of anyone who crosses them could have already destroyed their business. By sinking them […]
• The Proper Debate: How Best to Grow the Economy
  A somewhat contrarian view on the upcoming debt ceiling debate: Instead of political grandstanding around a redundant, made-up number, we should spend that valuable time debating how best to achieve robust growth given our current economic condition. The proper debate would be lively. Contemporary Keynesians advocate top-down, “intelligent design” economics — i.e., trusting government officials, […]
• EPA Costs US Economy $353 Billion per Year
  Richard Parker Windsor was unavailable for comment: Transparency is the lifeblood of democracy. Washington needs more of it, especially in the all-too-opaque world of regulation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for example, is the most expensive federal regulatory agency. Its annual budget is fairly modest in Beltway terms, at a little less than $11 billion, but that’s […]
• Gas Drilling Is Called Safe in New York
  “We’re a $133 billion government.  Do you know what we’re capable of?” “Do you?” “Er, well, no, because they won’t tell us.” The state’s Health Department found in an analysis it prepared early last year that the much-debated drilling technology known as hydrofracking could be conducted safely in New York, according to a copy obtained […]
• Iran Spy Network 30,000 Strong
  This doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better: The spy service operates in all areas where Iran has interests, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Central Asia, Africa, Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, France, Georgia, Germany, Turkey, Britain, and the Americas, including the United States. Iranian activities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela have raised alarm […]
• California Shooting Location Map
  Via Chart Porn: