May 27th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Endgame
Back from vacation with your hot, fresh links:
— Atul Gawande explains why American health care sucks.
— This is the dumbest thing I’ve heard from Mark Krikorian since he was worrying about the Hispanic Pizza Menace.
— More diverse groups will make better decisions.
— Strategic redeployment was such a success that the withdrawal method may be making a comeback as a birth control technique.
I want to see David Stern weep as he heads off to see a Magic-Nuggets game.
48 Responses to “Endgame”
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May 27th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
As Jonathan Last pointed out, a Magic-Nuggets series would go a long way toward disproving all of the silly conspiracy theories out there about the NBA.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
As Jonathan Last pointed out, a Magic-Nuggets series would go a long way toward disproving all of the silly conspiracy theories out there about the NBA.
… which is exactly why the NBA is going to make sure we get a Magic-Nuggets series.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
I have a problem with Krikorian’s name. Americans don’t have words that begin with “kr,” so he needs to switch the “i” and the “r.” Kirkorian is easier for us to handle. He needs to do that for us.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Thanks to MattY’s growing hackitude and general stupidity, it looks like I can add another item to this list. The Soros[TM]-brand shock collars that CAP employees wear 24/7 pay off again!
In other news, MMFA and CAF show us who they really are.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Hispanic pizza menace?
Like the Nigerian soul food conspiracy?
May 27th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
P.S. I believe this video was made using Soros[TM]-brand shock collars they borrowed from CAP.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Kirkorian is easier for us to handle. He needs to do that for us.
Too easy to confuse him with this guy. Like Tancredo, he’s to be another proud ladder-pulling bigot, though less in need of a shrink than 24UniqueVisitorsThisYear.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I don’t remember anybody complaining that Ross Perot accents the last syllable of his name…like a fucking Frenchman.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I’d be interested in reading some thoughts on the upcoming Virginia gubernatorial primary. Since Virginia does not do voter registration by party, Republicans can vote in the Democratic primary. I’m thinking Creigh Deeds may win.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Since Virginia does not do voter registration by party, Republicans can vote in the Democratic primary. I’m thinking Creigh Deeds may win.
Why would Republicans cross over to vote for Deeds? He’s probably a stronger candidate.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
As Jonathan Last pointed out, a Magic-Nuggets series would go a long way toward disproving all of the silly conspiracy theories out there about the NBA..
It would. But we all know by this point it’ll be Lakers-Magic, with the former dismantling the latter.
And why the f*%k couldn’t they have ordered KG under the knife in February? I’m sure the Celtics aren’t the first team for whom injury mismanagement may have cost a banner, but it still sucks…
May 27th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Duvall, that’s an interesting dilemma… there is only one Republican in the primary, so it makes sense that Republicans would use their vote in the Democratic primary. The question then is, do they vote for their favorite (presumably Deeds) in case a Democrat wins or do they vote for someone more controversial in hopes of knocking them off in the general election (McAuliffe or Moran)?
May 27th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Wow — AssForAHeadDotCom found another excuse to put something on his shitty blog site, then come over here and emphasize the importance of him adding something to his shitty blog. This never happens.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Bitter Celtics Fan
Redundant.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
These people would do better, rather than focusing on coitus interruptus, to present accurate infomation on modern fertility awareness methods. Natural family planning, using modern knowledge about fertiolity awareness, can actually be a highly effective method of birth control. While it is certainly not right for everyone, and while other methods of birth control such as the Pill should be available and accepted, the potential of natural family planning should notb be underestimated either.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Re Hector’s comment “Natural family planning, using modern knowledge about fertiolity awareness, can actually be a highly effective method of birth control.”
—————–
Damm.
I’m stunned.
Hector just decisively refuted Darwin.
There will be many little Hectors running around in the future simply because Hector believes in the rhythm method.
It’s not Survival of the Fittest — it’s Survival of Those Credulous Enough to Think the Rhythm Method Works
How did we ever beat out the Chimpanzees in the evolutionary foot race?
May 27th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Re Matthew’s comment “Strategic redeployment was such a success that the withdrawal method may be making a comeback as a birth control technique. ”
———-
Someone mail this to Sara’s Mother. I bet I’ll hear the scream all the way up here in Philly.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Matt, you missed The National concerts at the 9:30 club!
May 27th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Cree-cory-an?
Crick-oh-rheean?
Cry-co-ryan?
F’ it. You are now Mark Gregory.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Over the course of seven years, withdrawal worked for me. The Marines didn’t hit the beach until called upon. YMMV.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Re: It’s not Survival of the Fittest — it’s Survival of Those Credulous Enough to Think the Rhythm Method Works
It’s not the rhythm method, genius. It’s the fertility awareness method, using physiological indicators ranging from body temperature to the consistency of the v*ginal mucus. Stop wallowing in hipster-yahoo ignorance for awhile, and read a bloody book on the topic. Under ideal use the failure rate of fertility awareness methods are comparable to the Pill, and superior to condoms.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Wow. I’ve been looking for an opportunity to discuss the viscosity of my discharge. Too bad I’m not in the mood.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Stop wallowing in hipster-yahoo ignorance for awhile, and read a bloody book on the topic.
Yawn. Really, Hector: you can start talking about contraception once you pop your cherry. Until that happens, keep reading those books on the topic, aka the Victoria’s Secret catalogue.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:25 am
By the way, any guesses who said this?
Hint: Maria ____ is not correct, unless you are named Huckabee.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:37 am
Also, Eric Posner posting at The Volokh Conspiracy used updated data to reassess his prior attempt to use objective measures to evaluate Sotomayor’s prominence as a Circuit Court judge. To keep things manageable he only compared Sotomayor to judges rumored to be on Bush or Obama’s short lists, but Sotomayor still fared very well:
Posner Reassess Sotomayor
His conclusion:
I kinda wonder how all the “conservatives” taking comfort in their notion that Sotomayor is a judicial mediocrity are going to react.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:22 am
krikorian is way too hard to pronounce. And the irony of someone with an Armenian name criticizing foreign names is just too rich. So I’ll just call him ‘Criminal” because it’s easier to say. That ‘ian’ sound on Armenian names is too tricky for my American tongue. Joking aside, is that a long ‘i’ or a short ‘i’ at the beginning of his name? Reading it in print, I really don’t know. And which syllable does the accent go on? I’m actually serious about that. Funny how someone with a Middle Eastern name with uncertain pronunciation would even touch this issue.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:45 am
“It’s the fertility awareness method, using physiological indicators ranging from body temperature to the consistency of the v*ginal mucus.”
That method resulted in an abortion for my sister. For someone who hates abortion, I’m just stunned you would suggest this. And can’t you just say “vagina?” It’s a medical term, not porn. And you really think women will send their vaginal mucus to a lab to test the viscosity? Or do you really think everyone just has that equipment at home? I have lot’s of weird equipment at home, but viscosity measuring equipment is not among them. Seriously Hector, what you are saying is just plain absurd. Yes, under very specific clinical situations where a women never leaves a lab and has access to several hundred thousand dollars worth of testing equipment, this method works most of the time. But we don’t live in labs and don’t have this equipment at home. So we use condoms or the pill. And really, Hector, tell me what you will say to your wife to convince her to live her entire life in the laboratory conditions it takes to make this work. And really, do have have the proper equipment to measure viscosity?
May 28th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Yeah, is it weird that I pronounce the soon-to-be-Justice’s name soat-o-my-ER instead of So-to-may-or or that other obvious wrong one of So-Da-May-or?
LOLz at Hispanic Pizza Menace. I’ve been putting jalapenos on my pizzas for years, and I’m as Anglo as you can get.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:58 am
“Under ideal use the failure rate of fertility awareness methods are comparable to the Pill, and superior to condoms.”
You aren’t comparing similar conditions. Condoms mostly fail when they aren’t used. When the condom is sitting on a table next to the bed, it does not work. So let’s compare condoms under the ideal usage standard you apply to your method. First of all, you actually have to use them. Then you must apply them properly. Under that standard, they are at least 99.999% effective. Your method is not that effective. Nor does it do anything to protect from random venereal diseases. You may be monogamous, but your wife may not be. How does your method work then? How does your method work when you have sex off schedule? Not so well, I guess. What you are advocating is the most medically irresponsible thing I’ve heard in a long time.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:53 am
I’d be interested in reading some thoughts on the upcoming Virginia gubernatorial primary. Since Virginia does not do voter registration by party, Republicans can vote in the Democratic primary. I’m thinking Creigh Deeds may win.
I don’t know how likely this is. There’s still a contested Republican AG primary.
Also, you bitter Celtics fans can cram it with walnuts. You just won the goddamn title last year. Even Bill Simmons, the king of the Massholes, says that there’s a five year window after your team wins the title before you can bitch about them.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:32 am
“More diverse groups will make better decisions.”
Funny, though, how in Matt’s favorite countries (Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and other blue-eyed utopias) the decisions are overwhelmingly made by people who aren’t even all that diverse in eye-color!
May 28th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Most Americans say they are happy with their private plans.
I am happy with mine. But most of these people are not seriously ill. Private plans are fine for garden-variety illness. But should cancer or organ failure come along, they will find themselves short on coverage and possibly pushed toward bankruptcy.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:33 am
bob h: I think there’s a genuine psychological problem here.
People who have physicians like the ones in McAllen who have a stake in all the testing facilities and want kickbacks to refer patients elsewhere may perceive that they’re receiving excellent care, when what they’re getting is lots of unnecessary tests. The standard conservative argument is to pass on more of the real costs in order to encourage cost control, but as the piece notes, Medicare patients aren’t really in a position to argue (or haggle) with doctors over what’s medically necessary, especially when you have the opposite impulse from private insurers.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Re fostert at 27: “And you really think women will send their vaginal mucus to a lab to test the viscosity? Or do you really think everyone just has that equipment at home? I have lot’s of weird equipment at home, but viscosity measuring equipment is not among them. Seriously Hector, what you are saying is just plain absurd. Yes, under very specific clinical situations where a women never leaves a lab and has access to several hundred thousand dollars worth of testing equipment, this method works most of the time.”
————
I hear that Hector hooks his wife up to the automobile diagnostic computer at the local car repair garage to take the proper measurements.
I also hear that the mechanic there goes around with a big smile on his face for some reason.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Why aren’t the Democrats pointing out that George Bush/Dick Cheney’s irresponsible management of the economy –especially the failure to rein in Wall Street’s casino — is resulting in a lot of military veterans being badly screwed on healthcare?
See http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090528/ap_on_re_us/us_veterans__cuts
That’s what’s so infuriating about the Democratic Caucus in Congress — they pretend to be advocates for the common citizen, but as soon as they regain power, they become complicit with the Republicans in screwing the common citizens and selling favors to the wealthy.
But let’s all wave the Flag and Support the Troops.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:40 am
29: Fostert, if you want to jump in the debate, at least get your facts right. 99.999% would be the effectiveness rate of ideal condom usage if that was defined as masturbating in the shower with a condom on. It’s multiple orders of magnitude off the maximum effectiveness rate I’ve ever seen published.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Um, so what is the effectiveness rating, mpowell? Wouldn’t one order of magnitude put it at 9.9%?
May 28th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Fostert,
Abundant evidence exists that when used consistently and properly, modern methods of natural family planning (i.e. “the symptothermal method”) has only a 2% failure rate. See for example:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/22/5/1310
It’s true the method is harder than most others, and does not work as well for women with irregular cycles. That’s why I think other methods, such as the Pill, should be both legally and morally acceptable. While I disapprove of condoms, I am certainly not advocating that they be banned or that young people not be taught about their use.
You would do well to look at some of the evidence about the effectiveness of natural family planning. I get the sense that most hipsters don’t like natural famnily planning and close their minds off to the evidence that it works, simply because they don’t much like the Christian faith.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Re “Um, so what is the effectiveness rating, mpowell? ”
———–
For preventing pregnancy, I’ve seen a rating of 14 percent failure over a year cited. I.e., that if 100 couples use them for one year, 14 pregnancies will result. Wiki roughly agrees but says that’s because people are morons too stupid to put them on properly. Says only 2 women would be pregnant if they were used properly.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condom#Effectiveness
Presumably the 2 percent are the burst balloon effect. Also, Wiki doesn’t say whether this is for shagging twice a day or at the one time per month more rate more characteristic of married women.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Don Williams,
If condoms have a 2% failure rate under ideal use (which I’ve also seen cited) then that means they are no better than the symptothermal method. With the important difference being, of course, that the symptothermal method does not violate the essential unitive, relational nature and purpose of the coitive act. (To be fair I don’t think the Pill does either, but I do have concerns in this regard concerning barrier methods).
Fostert’s apparent utopia in which husbands and wives need protection from each other because they don’t trust each other not to be faithful, and in which you can cheerfully f*ck around with a different girl you meet at the club each night because condoms will protect you, seems at bottom deeply unnatural and antihuman. Fostert, if you’re worried about STDs I would recommend reducing your number of sex partners.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:23 am
2-14% failure rate still leaves an effective rate of 86-98%, which isn’t anywhere near orders of magnitude lower than 99.9999%, which was mpowell’s claim.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:27 am
My complaint against condoms is that it is difficult to find any large enough to fit properly.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Eriks,
What are you talking about? An order of magnitude difference from 99.9% would be 99% (i.e. 1% failure rate, which is 10 times bigger than a 0.1% failure rate).
May 28th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Hector, you switched from effective rate to failure rate in mid-sentence. mpowell specifically refers to the effective rate, for which my point still stands. If he/she misspoke and meant failure rate then your point about failure rate (but not effective rate) is correct.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
FWIW, condoms + diaphram work about as well as the pill, the spermicide with which one lines the diaphragm provides some protection against STDs, and the lady need not take nasty ol’ pills.
I’ve never understood why so many ladies choose to take nastly ol’ pills when a simple mechanical method can be substituted with excellent results.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Re: My complaint against condoms is that it is difficult to find any large enough to fit properly.
Move to Russia, Don Williams. The Russians are real men, unlike American hipsters. I’m sure Russian condoms are a couple sizes bigger.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Re Hector’s comment “Move to Russia, Don Williams. The Russians are real men, unlike American hipsters. I’m sure Russian condoms are a couple sizes bigger.”
———-
Er.. I’m thinking that you’re telling us a little more about your personal life than we need to know.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Don Williams,
That was a joke, you realise. And a bit of self parody.