Steve Kelman on Politics, Culture, and Life, 5.7.2022
Steve Kelman, Harvard Kennedy School prof, moderate Dem, pro free speech/anti cancel culture, pro tax rich, pro-Israel. Research improving gov performance, China interest. Blog reprints Facebook posts
God Bless the USA singer to skip NRA convention
Lee Greenwood, the country singer of "God Bless the USA," has bowed out of singing at the NRA convention this weekend "out of respect for those mourning the loss of the innocent children" in Uvalde.
Fox like China CCTV
Fox has a really annoying regular feature where they send a reporter into a restaurant to interview people. The times I have seen these interviews on Fox I have literally never even once heard a person being interviewed was a Democrat. You think there may be some advance checking on this before the broadcast? ( It helps that the restaurants are almost always in the South.) This is like interviews on CCTV in China.
Biden invites Korean boy band to White House
President Biden has invited the Korean superstar boy band BTS in an event against anti-Asian hate.
Mangos victims of heat wave
The Times has an article today on how a heat wave is destroying India's mango crop. The article notes that half of the world's mangos are grown in India. For those who have never tried them, locate Indian mangos (this is the season) when they come back on the market. Florida mangos are worthless, Haitian and Mexican mangos are OK, but Indian mangos are an out-of-body experience (Thai mangos quite excellent too).
Dallas Morning News supports gun control reforms
An editorial in the Dallas Morning News presents six gun control reforms, including enhanced background checks, they say Texans should be able to agree on.
UN human rights chief visits Xinjiang
Michelle Bachelet, rhe UN high commissioner for human rights, is now visiting China. The Chinese media has written that she "expressed admiration" for China's efforts to "protect human rights." Bachelet has denied she made any such statement.
“Politicizing” Texas killings
Fox filled with attacks on people who are "politicizing" the Texas killings. By "politicizing," they mean calling for gun control.
Bike lanes in Cambridge Massachusetts
The Globe has an article today on a dispute about an additional bike lane in Cambridge on Massachusetts Avenue, our main commercial street. Local restaurant and clothing store owners are afraid that the lack of parking spaces will deter customers from coming in from outside of Cambridge especially. These issues are hard.