Pervasive corruption...

Pervasive corruption...  This article about the effects of pervasive corruption in Afghanistan is an eye-opener.  Most Americans have no experience at all with corruption this profound, and that makes it very hard to really grasp what it does.  I have some experience, from New Jersey in my childhood, to southeast Asia in the '70s, to Russia in the '90s and '00s.  Russia was particularly bad (and I understand it's considerably worse now, and organized), but it was never as bad as the Afghanistan this article describes...

POV video of Felix Baumgartner's jump...

POV video of Felix Baumgartner's jump...  I loved skydiving, and I especially loved high jumps.  The two I made from 20,000 and 25,000 feet, with oxygen, were the highlights of my skydiving experiences.  But what Felix did was in an entirely different category – I'm not sure I'd have the cojones to do it, though I'll admit that I'd sure like to have the opportunity...

Useful tools for dealing with progressives...

Useful tools for dealing with progressives...  Logical fallacies, listed and explained.  I used this to understand something James Taranto wrote :)

One very lucky skydiver...

One very lucky skydiver...  That is, lucky to have been jumping with experienced and competent buddies...