by Walter Brasch Millions of Americans had pleaded with basketball superstar LeBron James to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and come to their city when he became a free agent. Bloggers, media pundits, and reporters of every kind seemed to devote much of their lives to figuring out what team James would be a part of for the 2011 season. The speculation ended, Thursday, July 8, when ESPN opened a full hour...

Secrets are not what they used to be. The nation’s greatest storyteller has made us wait 100 years to find out what was in his heart, but LeBron James spilled the beans on a TV special after only weeks of teasing our interest in an era when everyone from Elizabeth Edwards to Levi Johnston is sharing. Isn’t it better this way? Mark Twain’s reticence recalls that memorable Jack Nicholson line...

Why is it that those who have abandoned the Taliban to join the Afghan government aren’t using their connections and understanding of the Taliban to help the Karzai government defeat them? Furthermore, why is it that people who have been elected by the people, continue to endanger their constituents by allowing the Taliban to operate in the country? According to columnist Jawad Rahmani of Afghanistan’s...

The history of our Generals of the Armies (note the plural use of “armies”), Generals of the Army and, more recently, five-star generals and admirals is interesting, memorable and may I say, star-studded. It is also a somewhat complicated story. Thus, in my effort to summarize and simplify this fascinating bit of history, I hope that I won’t make any major gaffes. The first and last living General...

King James Version by Peter Funt MIAMI – In his first satellite interview with a female network correspondent from an evening newscast not employed by a cable company, basketball superstar LeBron James today disclosed why he chose to play next season for the Miami Heat. “At the Cleveland airport I saw a headline that said RECORD HEAT,” James told Katie Couric. “I assumed they were talking...

In an interview on the PBS News Hour, the President’s Chief of Staff demonstrates the difference between being brainy and empathetic–a problem that is becoming crucial to the White House. On a mission to shore up Barack Obama’s image as a decisive leader, Rahm Emanuel patronizes Jim Lehrer, a journalistic icon, as he tries to pin down the President’s direct involvement in such issues...

In complimenting Barack Obama, Muhammad Khodr Aarif of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Madina may inadvertently provide fodder for the president’s political adversaries, even as it shows support for him in the Muslim world. For the usually U.S.-unfriendly Al Madina, Khodr Aarif compliments the White House for acknowledging the importance of Islamic charities and expresses gratitude for Washington’s decision,...

Did you know that in 2001, around the time Chandra Levy, an intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, disappeared and media attention focused on Democratic Rep. Gary Condit, with whom Levy, who was from Condit’s district, had had an affair, there was another serious incident, if one that received far less attention, involving a young woman, one Lori Klausutis, who worked for then-Rep. Joe Scarborough, now...

I promised that I would not write anymore about Paul the clairvoyant octopus, unless… Well, the “unless” has just happened. But first some other “breaking news.” This “breaking story” is about a psychic Singaporean parakeet. CBS News has just published the news that Mani, a World-Cup-forecasting parakeet–not to be outdone by Paul–has predicted that the Netherlands will win the World...

Has President Obama learned a lesson from the derision in the American press, after he was seen to bow to a king, a queen and an emperor in 2009? According to Le Figaro writer Veronique Saint-Geours, if such an occasion arises again, it isn’t likely to be conducted before the cameras. For Le Figaro, Veronique Saint-Geours writes in part: His plunging at the foot of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2009...

By now just about everyone has heard about Paul the German Octopus (actually Paul is English-born and a naturalized German) who has been accurately predicting the outcomes of Germany’s World Cup match. Of course its (or should it be “his” now?) latest correct prediction was Spain’s victory over its/his adopted country, Germany, in yesterday’s World Cup semi final. At the end of one of my posts on...

As India gets increasingly trumpted overseas as an “almost” superpower, the sensitivity of some people from this big Asian country who have now settled abroad has risen in a seemingly direct proportion. So when Joel Stein wrote a recent humor column “My Own Private India”, the Time magazine had to print an apology to assuage the “hurt” among some readers, and explained that “it...

Has Dmitry Medvedev learned all the wrong lessons from 20 years of Russian capitalism? According to Gazeta columnist Yulia Latynina, the Russian president’s recent visit to California will be for naught if he follows in the footsteps of his communist forbears and creates a state-guided version Silicon Valley near Moscow. For Gazeta, Yulia Latynina writes in part: Like any major official venture, China’s...

The world of the new media entered a new phase today: The Huffington Post, one of the increasingly popular new media megasites, has now acquired Pollster.com – one of the most respected websites specializing in political polls. Here is the full text of the press release: New York, NY (July 7, 2010) – The Huffington Post (“HuffPost”), a leading social news and opinion site, announces today the acquisition...

There are enough outrages to write about to keep a writer busy for life, no matter his or her age. This is the outrage that Terry Savage, who apparently writes a column for the Chicago Sun-Times, chose to fill her valuable newspaper real estate:

Recently, I wrote about our latest casualties in the Afghanistan War. I listed the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, along with some details on each hero and I also commented on how, in my opinion, the national media seem to be covering those casualties less and less prominently. Reaction to the post was mixed. Some accepted it with the honor, sadness and respect it was intended....

It has long been argued that the United States has too much influence over the Internet. But abroad, a recent proposal making its way through the U.S. Senate has raised the debate to a fever pitch. The proposal drawn up by Senator Joe Lieberman would give the U.S. president the authority to ‘shut down’ the Internet for 90 days without Congressional authorization. Columnist Vittorio Emanuele Parsi...

No one who’s been paying attention these past few years could have failed to notice the increasingly strident challenge Beijing is mounting against the U.S. over issues that Washington and the Pentagon once considered sacrosanct. Once such topic is American surveillance of Chinese military activity. According to this warning shot across America’s bow from the state-controlled China Daily, by conducting...

Now that Dave Weigel is no longer employed by the Washington Post, Matthew Yglesias points to a hypothetical scenario proposed by David Carr at the New York Times (emphasis is in original):

Paul Krugman thinks it’s possible:

Some of my co-bloggers here might roll their eyes if I’d indicated in that title that it continues to appear to be true that I’m in fact the only female political blogger who has run for and won elected office (Pepper Pike City Council) just because I emphasize the where are the women thing a lot. I get it, promise. But the truth is, hardly any political bloggers of either gender run for office. We...

As one can imagine, those who predict, and place odds and bets on the World Cup semifinals and final winners are extremely busy these days. Serious fans and serious gamblers anxiously seek and mull and use the predictions and odds provided by reputable and not-so-reputable experts, odds makers and bookmakers. Millions–probably billions–will be won and lost by the time the last goal of the 2010 World...

Here’s an interesting report just posted by the BBC. Iran is accusing England, Germany and the UAE of refusing to provide fuel to its passenger aircraft. The allegation comes after the UN Security Council imposed additional sanctions on Iran for its failure to halt its nuclear enrichment program and just days after President Obama signed into law new unilateral sanctions. According to the BBC: The US sanctions...

Regardless of what one may think about wars or about the Afghanistan war, there should be nothing but admiration, respect and gratitude for the life-saving, heroic work done by combat medics. I just watched a Richard Engel documentary on the NBC “Today Show” on the incredibly brave and magnificent work being done by the “Pedros” combat paramedics in Afghanistan. The Pedros are the brave men and women...

Since we have been discussing, in various threads here at TMV, the extension of unemployment benefits for about two million Americans who have been jobless for six months or longer (my ex-husband is one of these), and since we have, in addition, been discussing, in various threads here at TMV, the absolute outrageous lawlessness of asking British Petroleum to put $20 billion ($20 BILLION! Can you imagine that?)...