Sonny Bunch has a book review.
How deliciously cruel.
ISIS’s Plans
I have no problem believing that they plan to kill hundreds of millions of people in the name of Islam. It’s what totalitarians do. As Glenn says, “There are quite a few people in the world who are happy to join a movement that lets them do unspeakable things while being praised for it. The traditional response to such people was to kill them as soon as possible.”
But the Obama administration prefers non-traditional responses.
Full Employment
No, we’re nowhere close to it:
Measured against where these people expected the economy to be at this point seven years ago, the economy is indeed awful. Millions of people who should have jobs don’t, and those who do have jobs are working for much lower wages than would be the case in a healthy economy.
This is the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression. For most of the same reasons.
Note, I don’t agree with Baker’s recommendations, though.
[Update a few minutes later]
Of 3000 counties, only 65 have recovered from the recession.
Tests Of The Dragon Crew Escape System
…have been delayed until “later this year.”
No explanation for the delay.
Republicans Don’t Like The Asteroid Mission
Hey, guys? If you want NASA to go to the moon, here’s a pro tip. Let them spend money on things they actually need to get to the moon, instead of forcing them to waste it on things, like SLS and Orion, that they don’t.
The Martian
An interesting interview with Andy Weir.
The initial windstorm (or, rather, its effects) did seem a little implausible to me, but otherwise (as noted) the book holds up very well, scientifically.
Iran’s Space Program
…has been canceled.
Good.
Two Stories Of Capitalism
Why economists don’t reach agreement.
The Quagmire Of Apollo
Dennis Wingo has a long essay on the history of the US space program, and how we got so far off track. I discuss this quite a bit in the book, but much more in the new one in work.
American Sniper
Kyle Smith liked it.
Its success will really piss off the Hollywood Left, after all their box-office bombs, after which they said Americans “just don’t like movies about the war.” No, they just don’t like anti-American movies.
Box office opening weekends: Valley of Elah $133k Rendition $4mm The Green Zone $14mm Lions for Lambs $6.7mm American Sniper $94mm
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) January 18, 2015