Events

The Apollo Chorus performed Händel's Messiah yesterday and Saturday both, which explains the radio silence here. This is my second year with the Chorus. Though last year's performances were really good, this year's were better. Here's the view from the stage to our sold-out crowd yesterday afternoon: And those who have followed The Daily Parker for a while know that I have had a troubled relationship with bow ties. For this weekend's performances, I might have gotten it right:

(There are really only three.) I saw Episode IV on its premiere day, 25 May 1977. I've waited a long time for this. In three hours...Episode VII.

Via Fallows, whose series on our "Chickenhawk Nation" should be required reading before talking about U.S. defense policy, comes a recent poll showing that 60% of young Americans believe we should send troops to fight ISIL, but only 15% say they, personally, would enlist: The disconnect in joining the fight comes down to how millennials feel about the government writ large, according to Harvard IOP Polling Director John Della Volpe. "I'm reminded of the significant degree of distrust that this...

Last night, the GOP candidates for president debated technology a little, and they just had no idea what they were talking about—or they dissembled. Take your pick: It’s not exactly clear what Trump means by “closing areas where we are at war with somebody,” and we’re not exactly sure Trump knows what he means, either. Our best guess is that he’s saying it’s possible for the US to shut down Internet access in countries like Syria. That’s problematic, not only because it would shut off millions of...

Scott Adams and James Fallows have some overlapping thoughts on Donald Trump after the GOP debate last night. First Adams, who has a pretty good outline of how to detect a lack of thinking about the election: 1. If you are comparing Plan A to Plan B, you might be doing a good job of thinking. But if you are comparing Plan A to an imaginary situation in which there are no tradeoffs in life, you are not thinking. 2. If you see quotes taken out of context, and you form an opinion anyway, that’s probably...