That self-test reminded me of something ... and I remembered Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker article last November about FBI profilers.

I don't want to spoil it (link at sig) for anyone, but there is a section where he compares the profilers' matrix to the tricks of 'psychics' outlined by the magician Ian Rowland, in “The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading” ... see if MOH's 'predictions' aren't echoed in this brief extract ...

There is the Barnum Statement, the assertion so general that anyone would agree, and the Fuzzy Fact, the seemingly factual statement couched in a way that “leaves plenty of scope to be developed into something more specific.” (“I can see a connection with Europe, possibly Britain, or it could be the warmer, Mediterranean part?”)

And that’s only the start: there is the Greener Grass technique, the Diverted Question, the Russian Doll, Sugar Lumps, not to mention Forking and the Good Chance Guess—all of which, when put together in skillful combination, can convince even the most skeptical observer that he or she is in the presence of real insight.

Okay, since MOH is grading his own predictive powers, I thought I'd advertise something I said was likely coming ... (okay, I didn't actually predict anything, it's just a segue)

http://tinyurl.com/68ajol

Tomorrow's NYT reports on peace talks between Israel and Syria, the first in 8 years, mediated by Turkey.

The talks in Turkey were coordinated with the United States, according to a senior Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity, though the talks come less than a week after President Bush, speaking to the Israeli Parliament, created a stir by criticizing those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals.”

No mention of the further fact that the US recently tried to scuttle the talks by holding a briefing about the Sept Israeli bombing of a suspected Syrian nuclear facility, ignoring Israel's explicit request that they not, but I guess quoting the President's speech kind of makes the point.

Maybe this is what Thomas Fatheadman means by a 'geopolitical deficit' (quoting “Superclass” author David Rothkopf of Carnegie) in his new mind-numbing column, which contains the following gems:

http://tinyurl.com/4wuf6y

There has been much debate in this campaign about which of our enemies the next U.S. president should deign to talk to. The real story, the next president may discover, though, is how few countries are waiting around for us to call.

More and more, I am convinced that the big foreign policy failure that will be pinned on this administration is not the failure to make Iraq work, as devastating as that has been.

... because you know, that's what the debate has been all about. Just ask O'Hanlon and his posse.

Left out the ellipses between the two Freidman grafs. Sorry.

Yeah, but think about it ... how else were they gonna get those 8 million names for Main Core ... !

Jebbie, bystander, WT, Anonymust.

Dang. That was nice. Thanks! I'm speechless! ("...and furthermore ...") :>

I take a couple (blessed) days away from the computer, nestled in the sweet bosom of the Chattahoochee National Forest ....and look what happens! Complete anarchy reigns. And what a delight it is ...

Too many of you to thank by name (other than Amity, from early on), but thanks all for a great and lively read. Pedinska, I'm glad I didn't miss ... well, you know.

Now, what we need is a firm authoritarian hand to come in and establish some order around here ... :>

'night all, and have a great long weekend!

qs

You know the deal ... you start with good intentions on that comment thread, you really want to stay on topic, but as Rumsfeld said, stuff happens.

You get into an interesting sidebar that has no bearing on the topic, but you just can't let it go. That guy whose every utterance annoys you (even his handle gives you hives) finally crosses the line and you've just got to let him have it. You know, just as you're about to hit the 'publish' button, that you are about to make a complete ass of yourself. If only there was someplace else you could go, like a seedy brothel on the bad side of Blogistan, where you could release all those frustrations ...

A few days ago, I set up (if 'set up' is really the right word to use for anything you do after a couple gin and tonics)a blog called 'Hot Off the Topic' as a place to take stuff when you know you ought to take it somewhere else. At the time I was thinking about threads that still had some life in them when letters closed, but I also thought about some of the stuff we talk about here when it's late at night and late in the thread.

So naturally, anyone who's interested, after making their twenty fifth or so comment about one of our perennial burning issues here (or on any other place you regularly comment), can drop in there and bang away all you want.

(I should point out that the objective is not to siphon off traffic from Glenn's or anyone else's site, just to provide some other place to go when you know it doesn't belong here)

Link at sig.

supervisor of a non-prophet organization

So I take it that it's not a faith-based charity? :>

Seriously, good for your daughter. I've been working overseas for non-profits for the past several years, I'm currently on a sabbatical, and I have a lot of harsh words for that sector ... but there's also lots of great work being done out there by earnest people motivated to do something positive (and my joke notwithstanding, also a lot of good work being done by Christian charities that don't really get their due).