Friday evening roundup

That's f*ed up.

I've actually seen this on both sides, right and left: discredit an idea or initiative by pointing to the worst-case scenario or a problem with the implementation.

I find this article on why most Americans don't travel abroad somewhat condescending. That said--since they specifically mention Nicaragua as a place people are wary of based on misconceptions--when I was about to leave for Nicaragua, numerous people--people who themselves traveled abroad--said things like, "isn't there a war there??" [no, hadn't been for over a decade] and other such things. I traveled there largely alone (mind you, I got stalked by a crack dealer at one point, but even that wasn't that scary), and it was fine. I found it even more amusing that Nicaraguans had similar reactions to DC ("You shouldn't leave your hotel after 6pm!"), so there are interesting ideas everywhere.