Sunday, December 9, 2012

Links And A Nice Song For Sunday, December the 23rd

I've always thought this was a very nice song; I hope you're all opening your hearts to your loved ones this Christmas.



-Noah Smith explains how risky mortgages didn't cause the financial crisis. Mispriced risky mortgages caused the financial crisis.

-Andrew Potter has a neat piece on naive and cynical views on politics.

-"M.S." makes the case for cynicism, at least about the relationship between Congress and the public.

-Jonathan Bernstein, my favorite cynic, explains why term limits are a terrible idea.

-Jeffrey Simpson celebrates the 50th anniversary of medicare in Canada.
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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Links And A Nice Song For Sunday, December The 2nd

I'm not a huge fan of the production on Angst in My Pants, but this is one of the nicest songs I've ever heard:


-Robert Solow on how Friedrich von Hayek and Milton Friedman lowered the level of debate about economics. Solow is a another good antidote to the idea that big-name economists are all myopic libertarians.

-Andre Picard on B.C.'s success in slowing the spread of HIV by expanding access to antiretrovirals.

-Gerald Caplan excoriates the Conservatives for voting down a bill to reform the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime―again. It was an evil thing to do.

-Barack Obama's opening bid in the fiscal cliff negotiation seems pretty okay to me. As I noted, I expect that the Democrats will probably cave on extending the Bush tax cuts.

-Speaking of austerity and stimulus: this was really cool and arts spending should be on the agenda the next time Canada has to engage in expansionary fiscal policy.

-Ta-Nehisi Coates has been writing some great stuff about Lincoln. He also had a good response to arguments that Jefferson's monstrousness doesn't matter.

Go see Lincoln, and have yourself a nice week.
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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Links and the Nicest Song for Sunday, November the 25th




If you're anything like me, the winter is starting to violently wear you down. And the awfulness of the news and the combativeness of politics probably isn't helping. But there are some concrete things you can do that will help.

-See a friend. Or better yet, tell a friend how much you appreciate them and give them a hug.

-Try writing about your feelings.

-Keep a regular sleep schedule to the extent that you can, and try to get some exercise.

-Think positive thoughts instead beating yourself up or ruminating about your problems. If you're really worried about something, set aside some time to think of a solution instead of letting it take over your life. And don't be afraid to ask someone for help.

-Pay attention to your self-talk. When you're criticizing yourself, ask yourself if you would ever speak to someone else that way.

-Watch a movie or a TV show that makes you laugh.

-Check out a website like my friend Paisley's dog tumblr or my ape tumblr.

-If you like absurdist humor, check out Something Awful's bizarre, extended riff on a horrible webcomic. It makes me laugh like nothing else.

-I've always found that The Onion can cheer me up. I'll always enjoy their stuff on Joe Biden in particular. Here's some other articles of theirs that make me laugh:

Gay Teen Worries He Might Be Christian

Casual Friday Claims the Lives of 13-Nuclear Waste Disposal Technicians

Five or Six Dudes Jump Out of Nowhere and Just Start Waling on this Guy

Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job

Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race of Skeleton People



















If you've got a link that cheers you up when you're down, share it in the comments, or e-mail it to me!

Take care of yourselves. I mean that as advice, rather than a pleasantry.

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