aliasinkhorn's favorite commentary pages, page 1

Online nowAliasinkhorn: .Ink. is a single guy from Huntington, New York, USA.; Likes 3,860 pages, 78 videos, 338 photos • 187 fans • Received 43 reviews; Member since Nov 01, 2007

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Asia Times Online :: Asian News, Business and Economy.: Jun 17, 5:09pm 1 review us, commentary, youth
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/JF10Aa02.html; I was riding on the train a few days ago and struck up a conversation with a high school boy who had just laid down a novel by Thomas Wolfe. He was describing how demanding his studies were. I listened with a straight face. I told him they weren't but these studies once were. I described to him what I had to study and the volume of reading I had to do for the next class. He had a look of disbelief. Well he might. Standards have fallen, personal discipline is passe, and painful sacrifice to achieve only in legends now forgotten. The day the slacker died From the page: "America might be the first country in recorded history whose culture celebrates not only indolence but also the sheer absence of ability. Byronic loafing is the birthright of genius, but slacking has become the entitlement of every young American. American popular culture puts a special premium on doing nothing, which is what the protagonists of such popular television series as Friends, Sex in the City, The Office and Seinfeld did. Aristocrats throughout history loafed because they could afford to. Until very recently, so could Americans. That has come to a sudden and ignoble end, on which more later. The popularity of slacking is evident from the success of films on the subject. Well, they knew their demographics those who crafted Kung Fu Panda, in which a fat and feckless panda who in two easy lessons becomes a kung fu master. As film critic Carina Chocano lamented in the Los Angeles Times, "The slacker panda whose favorite word is 'awesome' is singled out for heroism when all the other characters have worked long and hard (the definition of kung fu) and sacrificed for what they've accomplished. The message - believe in yourself even when all evidence suggests you shouldn't - is annoyingly familiar and frankly overdue for a serious debunking." A young martial-arts practitioner of my acquaintance said it more simply: "Who made this movie? I want to rip out his trachea." ... Now it appears that a few hundred thousand college-age Americans have fallen off the gravy train. Most American banks who offered student loans have exited the market entirely. It is not that students have ceased to pay back their loans, but rather that the banks are short of resources after the collapse of the mortgage-lending market and associated portions of their asset books. In May, the US government proposed emergency legislation to provide more government loans to students, but this will not make up for what the banks have taken away. ... A profound sense of panic appears to have gripped American youth, which might explain why so many of them are seeking a messiah in Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barak Obama. But there isn't much that Obama or anyone else, for that matter, can do to help the slackers Americans have to work harder, save more, and defer gratification. Instead of spending four years in a non-stop party at a taxpayer-subsidized state university, the middling American student will work during the day, go to night school, and save for a dozen years to buy his or her first house (at a much lower price than the present owner paid for it). They will stop complaining about boring jobs and oppressive bosses, and feel grateful to have the work. Their parents won't bail them out; in fact, their parents will postpone retirement and work and additional 10 or 15 years."

Comment is free: Khaled Diab: May 21, 7:05pm 2 reviews middle-east, blog, commentary
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/khaled_diab/index.html; Khalid takes us on walks into another world and in a matter-of-fact manner explains it. I like his style. Without a word spoken, I feel sometimes I'm in a good conversation. I recommend him.

lgf: premature optimization is the root of all evil: May 20, 11:19am 80 reviews blogs, news, commentary
http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/; Little Green Footballs Blog News. It's who gives it to you. When they give it to you. And why they give it to you. Which leads to a sensible activity: look for the news you're not given. Or look to see what may be missing. This site helps do just that.

Global Voices Online: Apr 19, 12:04pm 26 reviews blogs, news, blog, commentary, resource
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/; Very good blog and world commentary resource.

The Daily Reckoning - From the Bestselling Authors of Empire of Debt: Mar 12, 12:12pm 10 reviews investing, news, commentary, financial-news, econmics
http://www.dailyreckoning.com/; Both site and newsletter are priceless.

Best of the Web Today - WSJ.com: Mar 9, 4:30am 3 reviews journalism, commentary, wall-street-journal, news-column
http://online.wsj.com/article/best_of_the_web_today.html; I like James Taranto's Wall Street Journal column. With intelligence, insights, and comments, he cites different articles on the web. Highly recommended.

Democratic Radio Address: Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Questions McCains…: Mar 8, 3:16pm 1 review military, commentary, soldier, mccain, radio-address
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-08-...; Very weak commentary for Democratic Radio Address. This is like slapping McCain with a silk kerchief. There are many things that McCain can be attacked on but these radio address points are risible. Both sides of the aisle have supported Bush's budgets, and any president will be facing hard choices regarding the geo-political implications of leaving Iraq - now that the U.S. is there. Besides, the U.S. government didn't build a monstrous Embassy complex in Baghdad because the U.S. presence was to be temporary. 'In his address, Martinez points out that John McCain would keep our overstretched U.S. military in Iraq for 100 years and continue President Bush's failed policies. Noting that McCain has worked in Washington, D.C. for 25 years and has supported Bush's budgets which have damaged the economy, Martinez also said that McCain is out of touch with the needs of working families like his own.'