The Failed States Index

Every year, Foreign Policy magazine indexes how closely most of the world's nations resemble a "failed state". Here's their methodology.

It's a fascinating map. The study regards the most stable nations as Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ireland. Among unstable nations, Israel is the only democracy.

HT: TigerHawk

"Invite me to your book signing and we'll be even!"

Jockeystreet eulogizes an old friend, Gene Carney, who has passed on. Carney was a prominent baseball writer and commentator, and more importantly, changed Jockeystreet's life.

Who Was the Best Batman?

Geek Dad wonders which actor did the best Batman: Adam West, Michael Keaton, Kevin Conroy, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, or Christian Bale?

That's easy for me to answer: Kevin Conroy. He's the voice actor for Batman in Batman: The Animated Series. Geek Dad says:

I’m sure people will argue that Conroy had an easier job than the others because he was doing voice acting, but anyone who’s done voice acting knows it’s a lot harder than it sounds. Plus, he didn’t get the benefit of getting to wear an awesome costume. And Conroy did a very good job, lending the role the gravitas it needed for the dark mood of the series, without making his Batman a caricature.

Sure, Conroy had certain advantages, but most of the Batman movies have hurt themselves needlessly. Michael Keaton did a good job in the first movie, in spite of his short stature. But the franchise went downhill after that. The writers and directors seemed to think that fancy special effects and stunts were substitutes for a good story with credible dialogue. Cute gadgetry, such as various incarnations of the Batmobile, were used and kept on screen like gaudy product placements. One-liners replaced actual discussions between characters.

And do I need to mention the nipples on the Batman costume? I mean, come'on guys, what were you thinking?

Most of the Batman movies were more like two-hour long trailers than coherent stories. That's why Mask of the Phantasm was, by far, the best Batman movie.

Christian Bale's Batman has been largely unhampered by such counterproductive tricks. Still, like Gavin Richardson in a Sailor Moon costume, he wasn't quite able to pull off the role credibly. It was, for example, obvious that Bale was straining to drop his voice an octave, whereas Conroy did so easily.

And Adam West's Batman, predating Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, is simply unworthy of consideration.

What do you think? Who was the best Batman?

My Current Read: The Art of the Rifle by Jeff Cooper

Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper was among America's foremost firearms instructors of the 20th Century. I'm currently reading one of his seminal works, The Art of the Rifle. The book is principally concerned with the precise movements and techniques for successful rifle shooting. As such, I am too ignorant to understand or evaluate it, but it has expressed to me how complex is accurate riflecraft. When and if I am in a financial position to buy my rifle, I shall consult it again.

In his introduction, Cooper expresses sentiments that any classical liberal would approve of:

It is a tool of power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of resisting tyranny, because a citizenry armed with rifles simply cannot be tyrannized.

The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.

I am less confident than Cooper that there are more good men than bad, but if there are fewer good men, that is all the more reason for them to be armed with rifles.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow is the 2009 winner of the Prometheus Award, given annually for the best work of libertarian fiction. It is a thriller about Marcus Yallow, a teenager hacker and his friends who are tossed into a secret prison by the Department of Homeland Security after a massive terrorist attack in San Francisco. After their release, the surveillance society in which they live has only expanded. The new security measures seem to have little purpose other than to control citizens, rather than catch terrorists. Marcus and his friends use their technological savvy to disrupt the DHS and call public attention to the overreach of its power.

It is a very political novel, and its skepticism of government competence and trustworthiness, as well as the war against Islamic terrorism, is quite pronounced. Here's a passage from a discussion in his social studies class. His teacher is quite statist:

I was feeling sick. This was not what I'd learned or believed about my country. I put my hand up.

"Yes, Marcus?"

"I don't get it. You're making it sound like the Bill of Rights is optional. It's the Constitution. We're supposed to follow it absolutely."

"That's a common oversimplification," she said, giving me a fake smile. "But the fact of the matter is that the framers of the Constitution intended it to be a living document that was revised over time. They understood that the Republic wouldn't be able to last forever if the government of the day couldn't govern according to the needs of the day. They never intended the Constitution to be looked on like religious doctrine. After all, they came here fleeing religious doctrine."

I shook my head. "What? No. They were merchants and artisans who were loyal to the King until he instituted policies that were against their interests and enforced them brutally. The religious refugees were way earlier."

"Some of the Framers were descended from religious refugees," she said.

"And the Bill of Rights isn't supposed to be something you pick and choose from. What the Framers hated was tyranny. That's that the Bill of Rights is supposed to prevent. They were a revolutionary army and they wanted a set of principles that everyone could agree to. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The right of people to throw off their oppressors."

Little Brother is a good YA novel, a fast read, and would be particularly useful for discussing civil liberties issues with teenagers. Best of all, Doctorow has made it available for free.

What We Can Learn from the Life (and Death) of Michael Jackson

I agree with Ron Hart:

The cautionary tale that was the life of Michael Jackson is one that we learn over and over. Never surround yourself with “yes men” who will only feed your demons instead of telling you “no” when they know they should. We have lost a talented performer who lived a tragic life. I hope his death will teach us to avoid drug addiction, false friends, and living for too long in Neverland.

It's very dangerous to live a life free of consequences for one's actions.

HT: Hit & Run

Baby Goat

True Vyne woke up one morning and found a newborn baby goat in her barn. Pictures!

The goat is named S'more, which appropriately fits her complexion.

My Next Fitness Goal: 100 Push-Ups

I've been able to meet and exceed my goal of running five miles at a time. But my recovery from my last run has been slow enough to signal that my body may have reached its upper limit of distance running. A tendon on the bottom of my right foot has bit a bit tender ever since, and I've managed to avoid any permanent injury to my knees, back, or anything else so far in my life by knowing when to stop, or get help lifting something heavy.

Lately, I've been doing mostly bodyweight exercises. I'm now doing three hundred sit-ups in five sets. If I had a chinning bar anywhere, I'd be working on chin-ups.

I think that my next goal will be to reach one hundred push-ups in one set. I'm did fifty-one last Wednesday, so reaching that goal is quite possible.

As for cardio, I'll kick the treadmill up to 7 MPH, run a couple of miles, and see how that works.

Wherein I Find Myself Defending Pacifism

It's a topsy-turvy world. CarteachO writes that he is always armed because he sees self-defense as not only a right, but a moral obligation:

I carry a weapon because it is the moral thing to do. It meets with my definition of doing ‘right’. Being prepared to defend myself and loved ones is part of being a responsible person.

Please allow me to explain…

I believe people have a ‘moral obligation’ to take responsibility for themselves, not leaving the task as a burden to others. I know this may not be a popular concept in some circles, but that doesn't change it as my belief. I know we are laden with entire generations of people who honestly think they bear no responsibility for their own safety, wellbeing, and actions.

I engaged this idea in the comment thread, asserting that one only has a moral obligation to defend oneself if one insists upon being defended by others. If a person refuses to defend him/herself, but also declines the defense of others, s/he has not engaged in parasitism and therefore has committed no moral wrong.

If people are truly free, then they are free to make bad decisions as well as good ones; they are free to choose to live and to choose to die. If people cannot opt out of a social contract, they are merely slaves, not free men and women.

Some of the commentors whether or not a pacifist has the right to decline to use force to defend his/her children from violence. This is an interesting question which requires contemplation. It is similar to the question of whether or not a parent may ethically decline medical treatment based upon religious grounds.

HT: Hell In a Handbasket

The South Carolina Fireworks Song

[YouTube Link] A moving tribute to "freelance fireworks experts" and their work. HT: Bits & Pieces

An Awkward Encounter

[YouTube Link] Sometimes, at random, you meet someone from your past. Maybe an ex-girlfriend or a former boss or the alien who abducted you. How do you deal with such socially uncomfortable moments? HT: Neatorama

A Love Song About Office Supplies

[YouTube Link] In this song, Sello Tape, The Flight of the Chonchords compares romantic love to various office supplies, such as tape and retractable pencils.

Question of the Day

Pull my finger?

Star Wars in a Notebook

Star Wars in a Notebook!
[Video Link] One of the better items from Atom Films' annual Star Wars fan film contest. The story is nothing new -- just Episode IV. But the art direction is amazing. It's like a moving collage.