MattGinsberg's blog

Last year, one of the first posts I wrote explained this blue state sports phenomenon.

I wanted to continue reporting how this streak has continued...in pro sports.  We did not have hockey last year unfortunately.  But my home town Chicago White Sox won it for another blue state, Illinois and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the NFL Super Bowl for Pennsylvania, a key Kerry state in '04.  But tonight we have a matchup between a blue state, California (UCLA) and a red state, Florida (UF).  Who are you rooting for?  This may seem counterintuitive for my phenomenon here, but tonight I'm a Gators fan.  Lets just hope that this year's game is as exciting as last years.  Read More »

The Economist presented a heretical proposal regarding the debate over abortion in today's America.  My interpretation of it is like this: 

Most other rich, western countries have solved their abortion dispute through referenda or national legislatures, but the US continues to use a flimsy court decision to uphold the most contentious social issue of our time.  Also, the fact that we rely on our judiciary instead of popular will has further exacerbated the culture wars in our country, in comparison to the countries who have imposed the democratic process, like the EU countries.   Read More »

    As I was perusing the various bookstores for Christmas gifts, I came across this book on the shelves.  I read the inside flap and then read some reviews online once I got home.  Some fellow bloggers have called it the "Bible for the Blogosphere"

    The authors start out the book with a persuasive essay explicating their argument.  Then they split the book into three sections: politics, business and culture, and explain how web logs/blogs have changed each area.  The book may be well received due to the amount of interviews it has backing its argument.  Everyone from Howard Dean's former campaign manager Joe Trippi to Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga to MTV veejay Adam Curry.  Read More »

The more I hear about contentious issues in politics, and the more involved I seem to be on campus, the more apathetic students become.  This comes as a shock to me, but the analogies I try to draw between now and the 60's is quite far-fetched.  Sure, if a draft were implemented, I'm sure I would get thousands to sign up for the College Dems the next day.  But what I think we have a major issue with is the cultural aspect.

Think about it: In the war in Kosovo, we bombed the media outlets into submission.  I don't know about you all, but if Al-Qaeda bombed primetime TV here in the states, there would be an all out melee in our country.  The other thing I find funny is how people are more concerned about Brad and Jen's breakup and watching the OC than they are about the war in Iraq or Social Security privatization.   Read More »

According to the OECD's website the United States is now the most inequal country in the developed Western world.  Its Gini coefficient, an accurate measure of inequality, is at 40.  This is in comparison to the Scandinavian countries for instance, who sit at around 20.  Along with this, the savings rate in America is now negative at -2.  This means, essentially the average American is spending two percent more than they save each year.  I mention some further structural issues and problems with the direction of our economy in some of my comments in this post.  Read More »

I'm not one to spread conspiracy theories or to mobilize the tin-hatters, but through some small research I've done, I believe the Miers nomination was done on purpose.  Bush knew she would never get confirmed and if talks of her getting confirmed were to occur, he would make her drop out.  This would be done of course to allow a well-known conservative to be embraced with open arms by conservatives and to have less opposition by liberals.  I suspect the President wanted a longer period in between Miers' fallout and the Alito nomination, but the CIA leak scandal convictions left him no choice but to make a quick appointment.   Read More »

I stumbled across this article on CNN.com today.  It describes the relatively unknown world of senior citizen blogging practices.  This defies many sterotypes of the activities one does when they reach their illustrious senior years.  One 80 year-old was quoted as saying, "My life would be dull without it."  Blogging has become a very popular trend for folks of all ages but for those who are older, the digital age has provided an alternative to shuffleboard and bingo.  Many of the old bloggers mentioned in this article post on average to 4 or more blogs.  Read More »

Sen. Barack Obama was on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night.  His wittiness matched Stewart's and the interview ended with a  question from Stewart that went "How do you handle all this hype -many people see you as the vanguard or future of your party"  Obama's response was, "The only person more overhyped than me, is you."  This had Stewart beguiled and laughing hard ergo cementing Obama's image as a brillantly chiseled politician, yet a pragmatic neighborly guy with a sense of humor.  Unfortunately he was broadcasted via satelite, maybe next time he can make it to the studio...but by then he may be residing in the White House.  Read More »