Tao of Pauly

Required Reading

Attention Must Be Paid was written by David Mamet where he talks about the recent death of Arthur Miller. Here's a bit:

Arthur Miller's wonder at his country and his time will redound to America's credit when the supposed accomplishments of the enthusiastic are long forgotten. His work and the example of a life lived with quiet dignity are each an inspiration.

For Canseco and McGwire, Little Brotherly Love discusses Jose Canseco's new controversial book about stereoids and how he names names... including slugger Mark McGwire. Here's a bit:

Are Canseco's charges inaccurate, unfair and incorrect? McGwire did not respond to requests to interview him, but Canseco has put him and other former teammates - Jason Giambi, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro - in an uncomfortable position with his assertions, true or untrue, embellished or not, that they also used steroids.

Canseco's credibility is questionable: he once threatened to sue a reporter who connected him to steroids. But Canseco spent several seasons in the same clubhouse with these players and has vast knowledge of performance-enhancing drugs.

And what is a Sunday morning without reading Thomas Friedman's NY Times op-ed piece called No Mullah Left Behind. Here's a bit:

As a geo-green, I believe that combining environmentalism and geopolitics is the most moral and realistic strategy the U.S. could pursue today. Imagine if President Bush used his bully pulpit and political capital to focus the nation on sharply lowering energy consumption and embracing a gasoline tax.

What would that buy? It would buy reform in some of the worst regimes in the world, from Tehran to Moscow. It would reduce the chances that the U.S. and China are going to have a global struggle over oil - which is where we are heading. It would help us to strengthen the dollar and reduce the current account deficit by importing less crude. It would reduce climate change more than anything in Kyoto. It would significantly improve America's standing in the world by making us good global citizens. It would shrink the budget deficit. It would reduce our dependence on the Saudis so we could tell them the truth. (Addicts never tell the truth to their pushers.) And it would pull China away from its drift into supporting some of the worst governments in the world, like Sudan's, because it needs their oil. Most important, making energy independence our generation's moon shot could help inspire more young people to go into science and engineering, which we desperately need.

And in lighter news, this made me laugh: Teacher Gets 6 Months for Punching Student. Maybe more teachers should beat the shit out their students. We'd have a lot less idiots walking around out there.