Ezra Klein

I don’t have a whole lot to say on this, but those searching out some informed analysis on Felipe Calderon’s likely victory in the Mexican elections should check out this op-ed by former foreign minister Jorge Castaneda.

Maybe Max Boot would better understand the rationale for luxury goods and familiar foods on army bases if he were actually a soldier, rather than an armchair pundit with a fetish for the intoxicating musk of wartime masculinity. So much as his considered analysis of the vulnerabilities of Cinnabon’s supply chain underscores his laudable commitment […]

“Fat People Not More Jolly, Study Says.” Some copy editor was having fun with that headline. In any case, the study says about what you’d expect: obese folks don’t find life funnier, or more enjoyable. Flab does not act as some sort of serotonin storage compartment. Instead, fatter folks are more depressed and anxious, but […]

From a Seed Magazine interview with Chris Paine, director of the new documentary, “Who Killed The Electric Car?” In the end, GM refused to let leasers buy their cars. It seems bizarre that a corporation would refuse ready buyers. I’ve never heard of another situation where a car company doesn’t let you keep a car […]

As for John’s insistence that we should all forget World War II and the Holocaust, I don’t buy it. Indeed, his argument militates for precisely the opposite: an injunction on forgetting the period, and letting shiny happy memories of brave leaders and triumphant wills take over. WWII was not a fun thing. America did not […]

This Hillary-Can-Win op-ed by Carville and Penn is a chuckle. Point of evidence #1? Despite some naysayers in late 1999, Hillary was able to win election to the Senate. What’s funny about that tale is that the words “New York” never appear in the piece. For all the readers know, she could’ve won that Senate […]

This celebrity-facial match craze is a bit silly. The software powering the feature doesn’t, in fact, appear to match your facial structure, or skin tone, or general aesthetic with a famed twin. Instead, it matches the tilt of your head and whether or not you’re smiling. Fun, but not quite the same. On the bright […]

(Posted by John.) Ezra’s done a beautiful job putting Jonah Goldberg in his place. It was, dare I say it, Juan Cole-esque. And Ezra doesn’t need me to get his back. Still, it’s quite rich for conservatives to talk about how American prosperity is totally dependent on fossil fuels, when this is only true because […]

(Posted by John.) Anyone else remember Seattle, 1999? I sure do, though I wasn’t as impressed with it at the time as I am now. But it’s worth remembering how one-sided the public debate was on globalization prior to Seattle. I was struck by this once again when I read this post at the Salon […]

(Posted by John.) Seems like a bit of a slow weekend, so I’m just going to throw this out there: North Americans need to forget the events of World War II, including the Holocaust.