links for 2008-12-12

"What has struck me throughout all of these discussions, however, is that Honda’s and Toyota’s current lower wages and benefits are seen as ‘natural’, while the Big Three’s are seen as inflated. It’s odd to hear progressives and liberals argue that the Big Three autoworkers really aren’t getting paid that much more than Toyota’s."

A web interface to a lot of social-science survey data, if you want to kill time by making graphs.

"[I]n recent months, almost unnoticed by the mainstream media, the school voucher movement has abruptly stalled. Some stalwart advocates of vouchers have either repudiated the idea entirely or considerably tempered their enthusiasm for it."

With notes on why Mike isn’t a high school teacher.

A talk discussing linking patterns in the science blogosphere in graph-theory terms. Women scientist bloggers form a particularly tight community.