Kudos to DOD

Someone in the military is actually using the Internet to get feedback. See this site, which allows medical people to comment on DOD's medical records software. Bob Brewin at Government Executive provided the link and commentary.

(Looking at the first few pages of comments, I remember similar problems with FSA. One thing that struck me was the idea that doctors should have "scribes" to document their interactions with patients. It seems that modern technology is undermining hierarchies of work. Where are the secretaries of yore? Which reminds me, the Post had an article on the Madmen TV series, set the in the 1960's Madison Avenue, which recalled the idea that women were limited to secretarial roles.)

Over Optimism

I can't resist a political note. When I saw the Liberal Bloggers Brace for Victory,I remembered 1976, when Ford seemed a goner in the summer and Carter just eked out a victory in the fall.

Ben Hur, or the Learning Curve

My better half is a fan of Ben Hur (particularly the galley scene with all its beefcake). There's a DVD set released containing a new and improved version of the film (I mean better and sharper color, with all the bits and pieces, a musical "Overture", and a DVD of special features, which we watched last night.

One feature was probably created especially for the DVD set, consisting of prominent current day filmmakers (George Luca, Ridley Scott, tech people who worked on Gladiator, Ray, etc.) commenting on aspects of the 1958 movie. In many cases they emphasized how innovative director William Wyler and his crew were, how they raised the standard for historical epics.

The next feature on the DVD focused on the history of the story, starting with the novel by Gen. Lew Wallace (perhaps with a plot stolen from The Count of Monte Cristo), then a stage play (the chariot race being done on a treadmill with up to 19 horses), an early movie of highlights, then a 1925 epic costing $4 million. They possibly only showed pieces of the 1925 flick that closely matched the 1958 version, but there were many of them.

My point? The people of today were mostly ignorant of the past history; Wyler stood on the shoulders of giants as the phrase goes. That's the way it is, the way history works, both in the movies and in the real life of you and me.

Truth Telling--How Do You Do It

Howard Kurtz has a long piece on David Carr, the NYTimes writer who published an excerpt from his new book in the NYTimes Magazine yesterday: This is the way he starts:

David Carr's latest subject is a pathetic human being, a thug, a manipulative jerk who uses people and puts his own kids in danger.

The New York Times media columnist is writing about himself.

I recommend both the Kurtz piece and the Carr article.

The issue is both, what limits, if any, do you place on telling the truth about yourself and, do you know the truth? Carr's answers are "none" and "no".

Orin Kerr on the Exclusionary Rule

A blast from the past--Orin Kerr revisits the exclusionary rule (evidence illegally obtained is not admissible in court), based on one of the landmark cases of the Warren Court:

As a matter of history, I think that explains why we have an exclusionary rule: judges needed a way to enforce judge-created rules even when they were unpopular and didn't have buy-in from other branches. The exclusionary rule provided a way — and perhaps the only way — to do that.

Why does the post strike me--because it explains a uniquely American trait as a bureaucratic phenomena. Also, it recalls the very hot issues of the 1960's. And maybe explains why I disdain the efforts of the wingnut left to impeach Bush or whoever--I remember so well the calls to impeach Earl Warren from the right.

On Being an Outsider

The Post tomorrow carries a piece by a Princeton grad, black and female, who is now a Post reporter, discussing her and perhaps Michelle Obama's experiences at Princeton (just stumbled across it).

It struck a cord--she found herself not in the in-group (i.e., the rich preppies) and therefore became more conscious of her blackness. I had a similar experience almost 50 years ago. Not that I was black, but I was a farm boy from upstate NY in a college whose tone was set by urban New York City dwellers. It made me more conscious of being an outsider. But since I wasn't a member of a recognized minority, I was pushed out, not into another group.

Miscellaneous Factoids

There are eleven Spanish-language radio stations in the DC area.

17 percent of the French own a second home. Dirk Beauregard

Blogger is available in Malay.

There are 1 million Hindus in the U.S. and women are now training as Hindu priests.

Two Silos--DOD and VA

Here's a very good story on the problems in passing injured military from DOD to VA--it's a classic two silos story. Two bureaucracies, each with their own focus, their own laws, and their own history, meaning the individual can get screwed. Or at least, understanding the background for neither, the individual definitely feels screwed by faceless bureaucrats.

What a Weak Dollar Does

Help agricultural exports increase, almost doubling in two years. See this ERS pub.

The Economics of Diversity

Freakonomics points the way to an interesting post on the economics of acting, particularly the day players (having one or two scenes in a TV episode sort of thing). Because it's harder and more costly to get actors with more unique qualities, the tendency is to go with more generic characters, which makes it harder for unique actors to get jobs, which drives them out of the business, which makes it more costly to get such actors. It's your classic vicious circle.