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For those of you vowing "never again," here's a link to Consumer Reports' guide to the best back-up generators for home use.
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The Legatum think tank releases its 2012 index of world prosperity. The libertarian-leaning British group wishes to broaden the definition of prosperity beyond GDP. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, president Jeffrey Gedmin and program director Nathan Gamester explain:
The index identifies eight "foundations" for national success, including factors such as effective and accountable government, personal freedom, national security and personal safety. The news is not good for America. Across the eight components that make up the Index, the U.S. declines in five, including the economy, personal freedom, and entrepreneurship and opportunity. The biggest fall is in entrepreneurship and opportunity, which has declined eight places in the last four years. Businesses' start-up costs are rising in the land of pioneers and patents. Fewer Americans believe that working hard will get them ahead.
So far, this sounds like a gratifyingly familiar conservative indictment of the Obama administration. And the authors certainly do point Journal readers in that direction.
the Index confirms what experience tells us. Decent, accountable government, rule of law, competition, opportunity and a regulatory environment and culture that promote liberty, responsibility and entrepreneurship are drivers of prosperity everywhere.
Apologies on the late start this AM. Your humble editor woke with power but no internet (and no public transport), so I'm just getting started on the day's blogging.
Susan Eisenhower reiterates her 2008 endorsement of Barack Obama.
Sandy is coming, and with her, your power is probably going away. Fortunately, all is not lost, because if there were ever anyone qualified to offer advice for managing to make the best of a major storm, it is Danielle Crittenden Frum. A brief excerpt:
[S]hort of the house falling down (or something falling on the house) I think there are ways to survive these disasters in a more civilized fashion -- without panicking, and dare I say, with style? Thus, as a Hurricane Survivor, I offer you the following tips on how to turn an epic disaster into a party.
First off, I'm assuming you've taken whatever precautions are necessary given your proximity to the storm. The house or apartment is sealed up, you've got the water and extra batteries and okay, fine, you've filled up your bathtub. Stop worrying about that tree next door. If it's going to fall, it's going to fall and there ain't nothing you can do about it. You may as well go down having fun.
Second, I've assumed you've also laid in plenty of booze. Remember, red wine and spirits such as Scotch don't require chilling and can be drunk straight up; no need for ice. Good long-term strategy should the power be out for more than a day or two. You can also pour ice cubes (while you have them) in that full bathtub and use it to chill white wine, beer, vodka, gin, and mixers. That'll work for 24 hours.
Vanessa Gera describes the new Jewish museum rising in Warsaw, scheduled to open its doors in April 2013, the 70 anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising:
“It is a museum of life,” said Sigmund Rolat, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor and American benefactor who has helped bring the museum to life. “We are showing 1,000 years of a magnificent history.”
Construction of the building is nearly finished and the museum is scheduled to open in 2013 after nearly 20 years of planning. It will be a celebratory moment for those who have struggled to build a home for this story, among them Polish-born Holocaust survivors with a deep affection for their land of birth: Men like Rolat, 82, and Tad Taube, 81, a Krakow-born entrepreneur who leads two California-based philanthropies that have given $16 million to the project.
The museum fulfills a dream of Jews from around the world to preserve the rich legacy of their ancestors by creating what will be the first-ever museum of Polish Jewish history. Meanwhile, the Polish government, a major partner, also seeks to celebrate both the country’s Jewish past and its own past eras of cultural tolerance and diversity. In doing so, the young democracy hopes to burnish its Western credentials and shed a reputation for anti-Semitism that has hung over it in recent decades.
You'll want to read Simon Schama's essay in Newsweek on Skyfall. And then do not miss - seriously, do not miss - the wonderful cycle of drawings and paintings by John Hart Dyke inspired by his year as artist-in-residence at MI6.
George Bush isn't campaigning, but Laura Bush is - most recently, in Michigan.
Former First Lady Laura Bush encouraged local Republicans on Sunday to "keep going and keep working" in the final week before Election Day to put Mitt Romney in the office her husband once held.
"It's really, really important that we have the ground game that wins," Bush said before a crowded room of supporters at One Under Banquet Center. According to the Romney campaign, 450 people attended.
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Many of you on the East Coast probably have a few days off work, so here's a place to argue about whatever you'd like. Standard rules of basic decency and civility apply.
Via the First Army Division East's Facebook page:
Soldiers of the 3rd Inf Reg. continue to stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, despite the worsening weather conditions surrounding Hurricane Sandy. The tomb has been guarded continuously since 1948.
Update: Commenter @saladdin pointed out that this was not from today. After some researching, it appears that is correct. (Currently slapping myself for being gullible.)
Dan Drezner expresses confidence that the United States will continue actively expanding our network of free trade agreements, be the next president Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.
Now, surely, you must think, whoever wins the election will affect the status of these agreements. Except that I don't. All of these deals are being negotiated by the Obama administration, so I think we can assume that the prsident has signed off on them. If Mitt Romney wins, I don't see him rejecting any of these agreements. If anything, he'll try to add to them. More free trade deals is part of his five point plan to create 12 million jobs that will be created regardless of who is president. Intriguingly, when he's mentioned this plank in the last few debates, he mentions Latin America in particular. A shameless play for the Hispanic vote? Maybe, but I don't care.
Furthermore, regardless of who wins Congress, these are the kinds of deals that still fall under that shrinking category of "doable in a reasonably bipartisan fashion." If Romney wins I can see the Democrats in the Senate playing a bit more hardball -- but most of these deals would likely go through.
A United States that is both willing and able to sign more economic agreements is a good thing for the country -- oh, and it's a good thing for my argument that, contrary to expectations, global economic governance is doing a pretty decent job.
The buried lede in this intriguing story on how Tyrannosaurus Rex consumed its legendary prey?
It also shows that Tyrannosaurus also had a daintier side. Fowler and his team found precise, even delicate, bites along the front of several Triceratops skulls, and suggest that these are nibbles on the tender meat found on the face.
h/t Brad DeLong
Mitt Romney's taking some heat today for this primary-season exchange in which he appears to endorse returning FEMA's functions to the states.
Watch without prejudice, though, and you realize: that's not what he said. Instead, he evaded a question from CNN's John KIng about FEMA by offering an answer that generically endorsed federalism without committing Romney on FEMA either one way or the other.
It's a familiar politician's trick. For another example, see this exchange between President Obama and Bob Schieffer in the third presidential debate:
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My CNN column seeks to move past the talking points favored by pro-life and pro-choice advocates.
When Richard Mourdock delivered his notorious answer about rape and abortion, I was sorry that the debate moderator failed to follow up with the next question:
"OK, Mr. Mourdock, you say your principles require a raped woman to carry the rapist's child to term. That's a heavy burden to impose on someone. What would you do for her in return? Would you pay her medical expenses? Compensate her for time lost to work? Would you pay for the child's upbringing? College education?
"If a woman has her credit card stolen, her maximum liability under federal law is $50. Yet on your theory, if she is raped, she must endure not only the trauma of assault, but also accept economic costs of potentially many thousands of dollars. Must that burden also fall on her alone? When we used to draft men into the Army, we gave them veterans' benefits afterward. If the state now intends to conscript women into involuntary childbearing, surely those women deserve at least an equally generous deal?"
East coasters might be aware of a mild autumn breeze currently making landfall over the mid-Atlantic coast. In the astounding event you aren't, here are a few resources to keep in mind.
But you get the picture. Big storm, dangerous winds, likely flooding. The DC area is likely to lose power (David has written before on why we should spend the money to bury power lines), so blogging might be a touch more sporadic than usual.
About
David Frum
David Frum is a contributing editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast and a CNN contributor. He is the author of seven books, including most recently, his first novel Patriots, published in April 2012.
From The Daily Beast
Sandy Smacks New York: Ground Reports
As Manhattan reels from the monster storm, The Daily Beast reports on the flooding, power outages, and more.
Man of the Moment
Sandy’s Savior
It’s the Values, Stupid!
It’s the Values, Stupid!
NYC Underwater: Tunnel Floods
Water poured into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in footage captured by CBS News. Except for the Lincoln Tunnel, all major bridges and tunnels into and out of Manhattan were closed for Hurricane Sandy, and the water level in lower Manhattan was measured at a record 13.88 feet.
