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The case “touches issues of far-reaching significance,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote. Then he explained why the court would decide none of them. A definitive ruling should be avoided, he said, because “it might have implications for future cases that cannot be predicted.”
comment posted at 12:38 PM on Nov-19-10

You think it would be really fun to have sex with me. Because, I think you can tell from my posts, I’ll do anything. But maybe you can also tell from my posts that it’s a little bit weird. Because you know that I’ll say anything, too, but sometimes, I make you cringe.

I think I’m that way in bed, too.

What it's like to have sex with someone with Asperger's.
comment posted at 7:32 AM on Nov-19-10
comment posted at 8:08 AM on Nov-19-10

“People make a big deal about your time away from doing film,” I say. “It is a big deal,” he says. “It’s pretty bad.” After 13 years of silence and a half-dozen aborted projects, Whit Stillman has finished shooting his fourth movie, tentatively called Damsels in Distress.
comment posted at 7:51 PM on Nov-18-10

'This is the very odd story of the events that led to a horrific mass killing of Afghan civilians by coalition forces in August 2008.' 'It is the story of the Americans and the British striding into the fairy wood only to find themselves spun around so much by the Afghans that they do not know who is the enemy and who is a friend any longer. And they come out with a donkey's head. But on the way they kill 90 innocent people.'
comment posted at 10:07 AM on Nov-18-10

Tom Shadyac is the director of terrible but hugely profitable Hollywood films such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar, Patch Adams, and Bruce Almighty. (We'll skip right over Dragonfly with Kevin Costner.) Then he had an epiphany, sold his mansion and private jet, shed his possessions, moved into a Malibu trailer park, and started giving away his money.
comment posted at 9:37 AM on Nov-18-10

Regarding Luis Buñuel (Criterion, 1:37, subtitled) "All my life I've been harassed by questions: Why is something this way and not another? How do you account for that? This rage to understand, to fill in the blanks, only makes life more banal. If we could only find the courage to leave our destiny to chance, to accept the fundamental mystery of our lives, then we might be closer to the sort of happiness that comes with innocence." -- Luis Bunuel, "In Curiosity" Bunuel wanted to rebel against the dogmatic structures of the Church that said, There is no salvation or grace outside the Church. He wanted a kind of Protestant surrealism in which grace was directly attainable like in Nazarin or Viridiana -- Carlos Fuentes "He is a deeply Christian man who hates God as only a Christian can and, of course, he's very Spanish. I see him as the most supremely religious director in the history of the movies." -- Orson Welles "I'd like to be able to rise from the dead every ten years, walk to a newsstand, and buy a few newspapers. I wouldn't ask for anything more. With my papers under my arm, pale, brushing against the walls, I'd return to the cemetery and read about the world's disasters before going back to sleep satisfied, in the calming refuge of the grave." -- Luis Bunuel
comment posted at 7:49 PM on Nov-16-10

Shortly before his 1924 death in penniless obscurity, architect Louis Sullivan was commissioned by the Art Institute of Chicago to produce his final work: A System of Architectural Ornament According with a Philosophy of Man's Powers, a series of intricate illustrations, unfolding diagrams, and accompanying descriptions outlining Sullivan's somewhat opaque aesthetic theories. In 2006, Giles Phillips interpreted these plates into a shape grammar of 23 rules with which Sullivan's elaborate forms may be distilled into a series of basic transformations. Moreover, he helpfully put the entire book online for your viewing pleasure.
comment posted at 1:29 PM on Nov-16-10

In 2007, City officials convened a group of stakeholders, including representatives of taxi drivers, owner and passengers, to create a set of goals for the next New York City taxi cab, a project called the Taxi of Tomorrow.
comment posted at 1:16 PM on Nov-16-10

Well whadda ya know, the largest music retailer in the United States is about to start selling the Beatles. Bet you still won't be able to buy Lady Madonna without the piano, though, even though it kicks all kindsa ass without the 88 keys.
comment posted at 4:21 AM on Nov-16-10
comment posted at 5:22 AM on Nov-16-10

A glimpse into the business relationship between restaurants and Open Table . It is not the glowing review you were possibly imagining. This will probably make you think twice next time you go to use it.
comment posted at 12:23 PM on Nov-15-10

Detroit's Greatest Hits (That Should Have Been) Here we've compiled our very own Top 40 list of Detroit songs or albums that were overlooked or undervalued — which naturally includes, to a lesser extent, the overlooked or undervalued artists who created them. These are songs that not only give up the goose bumps, or teach us something that we didn't already know, but records that hook us and make us want to share them.
comment posted at 7:28 AM on Nov-12-10

Race to Nowhere (trailer) is a documentary film by first-time director Vicki Abeles that discusses her perception that the US education system has become "obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform. Cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired."
comment posted at 4:17 AM on Nov-12-10

"'What are the laws?' he said, explaining his decision to adhere to the Orthodox level of observance. 'I want to know the laws. I don’t want to know the leniencies. I never look for the leniencies because of all of the terrible things I’ve done in my life, all of the mistakes I’ve made.'"
comment posted at 5:02 AM on Nov-11-10

The College as a Philanthropy
comment posted at 8:34 AM on Nov-10-10

2002: Conan O'Brien disses former talk show host Alan Thicke for playing guitar with the house band on the first "Thicke of the Night" show:
comment posted at 4:45 PM on Nov-9-10

Jack Levine, Realist Artist, Dies at 95. Mr. Levine burst onto the American art scene in 1937 with a scathing triple portrait remarkable for its bravura brushwork and gleeful vitriol. Titled “The Feast of Pure Reason,” it depicted a police officer, a capitalist and a politician seated at a table, their bloated faces oozing malice and evil intent. His painting Cain and Abel hangs in the Vatican. Upon his discharge from service he painted Welcome Home, a lampoon of the arrogance of military power; years later the painting would engender political controversy when it was included in a show of art in Moscow, and along with works by other American artists, raised suspicions in the House Un-American Activities Committee of pro-Communist sympathies. You can see some of The Complete Graphic Work of Jack Levine (1984) via Google books. Online gallery.
comment posted at 5:00 PM on Nov-9-10

The Realist Archive Project (previously) is now complete. The Realist, edited and published by Paul Krassner, was a pioneering magazine of "social-political-religious criticism and satire" in the American countercultural press of the mid-20th century. Although The Realist is often regarded as a major milestone in the underground press, it was a nationally-distributed newsstand publication as early as 1959. Publication was discontinued in 2001.
comment posted at 4:56 PM on Nov-9-10

Classical pianists tend to be identified by their favorite repertoire. Thus, Murray Perahia got stamped as a Mozart and Schumann pianist in his early career, and people raised their eyebrows when he embarked on Liszt and other heavy repertoire. And Rudolf Serkin is today perhaps known best for his Beethoven, and not for the Chopin etudes he played in his earlier years. Searching for something totally else, I stumbled upon a few private recordings by Clara Haskil
comment posted at 7:14 AM on Nov-7-10

Boom.
comment posted at 5:21 AM on Nov-6-10

The Cassiopeia Project is quietly producing dozens of high-quality science videos and making them freely available online.
comment posted at 5:26 AM on Nov-6-10

Some colleges have decided to take SAT scores out of the admissions decision making process. But, some are alleging that this is only a way to game the rankings by excluding the scores of admitted students who didn't do well.
comment posted at 8:47 AM on Nov-5-10
comment posted at 10:16 AM on Nov-5-10

"Parallelograms is an album by American psychedelic folk singer Linda Perhacs. Her first and to date only album, it was all but completely ignored when originally released on Kapp Records in 1970. Discouraged by the lack of commercial attention and the label's reluctance to promote the album, Perhacs returned to her career as a dental technician. In the 30 or so years that followed, the album gradually developed a cult following, particularly on the Internet. Young listeners found appeal in her subtle instrumentation and delicate harmonies..." Parallelograms::Chimacum Rain::Hey, Who Really Cares?
comment posted at 4:26 AM on Nov-5-10

A short video of a few very tiny, very lazy, very fluffy puppies playing with miniature tennis balls. That is all. (SLYT)
comment posted at 2:59 PM on Nov-4-10

Your Daily Cartoon
comment posted at 4:26 AM on Nov-4-10

Hilary Mantel's Diary

Three or four nights after surgery – when, in the words of the staff, I have ‘mobilised’ – I come out of the bathroom and spot a circus strongman squatting on my bed. He sees me too; from beneath his shaggy brow he rolls a liquid eye. Brown-skinned, naked except for the tattered hide of some endangered species, he is bouncing on his heels and smoking furiously without taking the cigarette from his lips: puff, bounce, puff, bounce. What rubbish, I think, actually shouting at myself, but silently. This is a no-smoking hospital. It is impossible this man would be allowed in, to behave as he does. Therefore he’s not real, and if he’s not real I can take his space. As I get into bed beside him, the strongman vanishes. I pick up my diary and record him: was there, isn’t any more.

comment posted at 4:39 AM on Nov-4-10
comment posted at 8:13 AM on Nov-4-10

The Great Unwashed: "Some people have all but abandoned the idea of soap, shampoo or deodorant and yet still have friends, relationships and jobs." Slate disagrees that this is even a trend, but The Village Voice notes it has been covered elsewhere, including The New York Observer and Hairpin. In response, The Week asks, "Can you succeed without showering?"
comment posted at 11:38 AM on Nov-3-10

Disunion One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Americans went to war with themselves. Disunion revisits and reconsiders America's most perilous period -- using contemporary accounts, diaries, images and historical assessments to follow the Civil War as it unfolded. Updated every Monday.
comment posted at 2:40 PM on Nov-2-10

The CIA spent 20 years promoting modern art as a propaganda tool: "We wanted to unite all the people who were writers, who were musicians, who were artists, to demonstrate that the West and the United States was devoted to freedom of expression and to intellectual achievement, without any rigid barriers as to what you must write, and what you must say, and what you must do, and what you must paint, which was what was going on in the Soviet Union. I think it was the most important division that the agency had, and I think that it played an enormous role in the Cold War."
comment posted at 10:38 AM on Nov-1-10

William B. Irvine has written a three-part essay (1, 2, 3) for BoingBoing summarizing his book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. The Philosophers' Magazine has also commented on the revival of Stoicism.
comment posted at 10:15 AM on Nov-1-10

Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack and alcohol is worse than Ecstasy.
comment posted at 4:43 AM on Nov-1-10

With crowd estimates between 150,000 and 250,000, the Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear has inspired a variety of reactions. NYMag's Vulture blog has a summary and round up of reactions. Huffington and Armey disagree about the meaning of the rally. But Jon Stewart offered a heartfelt analysis of the event just before it ended. [scroll down for video] And the Flickr photo pool of signs is growing and growing.
comment posted at 1:20 PM on Oct-31-10

Original Swiss Family Robinson Tree Found! Kevin, I stumbled upon your post of March this year "Some Really Big Roots" which mentioned the original Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse from the movie of 1960. I live on the island of Tobago in the Caribbean and did research on the tree and actually found it still very much alive in Goldsborough!
comment posted at 9:07 AM on Oct-31-10

Salesman Pete and the Amazing Stone From Outer Space. You've never seen animation quite like this before. Bizarre, but supremely impressive. Looks great at low-res if you're on limited bandwidth.
comment posted at 4:07 AM on Oct-29-10

"Commuter" by Michael Patterson, was the forerunner to a-ha's "Take On Me" [via].
comment posted at 11:04 AM on Oct-28-10

Two critiques of steampunk: The Hard Edge of Empire by Charlie Stross and Stupid Things We Say by Nisi Shawl.
comment posted at 1:45 PM on Oct-27-10

DEFIANCE, Ohio - town of 17,000, a longtime stronghold of the United Auto Workers, with a Democratic majority. Why is the Democratic party now doing so badly here? 'The Obama administration’s rescue of General Motors allowed the company to keep running the giant foundry here, a mainstay of the local economy. If the recession drove joblessness here beyond 13 percent, the lengthy extensions of unemployment benefits in the stimulus package enabled struggling workers to keep their homes and keep patronizing local businesses.''Jami L. Young exemplifies the emerging politics. At the age of 31, Ms. Young runs her own insurance agency.''Like many other Defiance residents, she was pleased when Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, used federal stimulus money to build a bridge, helping to temper unemployment that had climbed to 14 percent and, despite improvement this year, remains high. Yet Ms. Young, who says that she supported Mr. Obama in 2008 as “the lesser of two evils,” now says she regrets her vote.'
comment posted at 1:29 PM on Oct-27-10

"Most people think that Pipe Organs are only capable of producing the classical evil growl from horror movies, but in truth, they are capable of making quite a wide variety of noises that you wouldn't normally expect to come from a Pipe Organ." YouTube user FromTheGang plays covers on the pipe organ at his church and a couple accordions.
comment posted at 10:29 AM on Oct-27-10

Awesome people being awesome. (SLYT)
comment posted at 4:07 PM on Oct-26-10

"I have made a decision. I will no longer debate the issue of homosexuality in the church with anyone." So begins Bishop John Spong's scathing assault on anti-gay Christians: 'I will no longer discuss with them or listen to them tell me how homosexuality is "an abomination to God," about how homosexuality is a "chosen lifestyle," or about how through prayer and "spiritual counseling" homosexual persons can be "cured." Those arguments are no longer worthy of my time or energy.'
comment posted at 4:01 AM on Oct-26-10

Doonesbury turns 40. GT originally asked for a 12 month contract. Previously
comment posted at 4:20 AM on Oct-26-10
comment posted at 4:17 PM on Oct-26-10

The Daily Beast attempts to identify America's Smartest Cities. Rather more seriously, Nature ponders the Best Cities for Science worldwide, as part of its special on Science and the City. (The podcast segment on cities is a nice overview.)
comment posted at 4:30 AM on Oct-26-10

I'm sure you remember the time-travelling hipster photographed in 1940, and discovered in April of this year (MeFi). Well now there's been a new time traveler sighting - in the film "The Circus", by Charlie Chaplin a woman appears to walk by the camera talking on a cellphone. In 1928.
comment posted at 1:43 PM on Oct-25-10

Omar Souleyman, is the Dabke Demon. Dabke is that wild line dancing thing they start doing 30 seconds in. Mahmoud Harbi (at 0:47) is the man who follows Omar around on stage, whispering lyrics in his ear.
comment posted at 1:03 PM on Oct-23-10

Stephin Merritt's TONY archive. Between 1996 and 2000, the principal singer and songwriter in the band The Magnetic Fields, filed more than 100 articles for Time Out New York, including record reviews, concert previews, a minigolf report, interviews, and a list of the best recordings of each year of the 20th century. Via.
comment posted at 5:28 AM on Oct-23-10

The Dalai Lama on changing minds only through compassion and respect. He spent several days at Stanford recently, and this session focuses on the neuroscience of compassion. Watch it in full here.
comment posted at 2:24 PM on Oct-21-10