This seems to be the topic du jour at TMV today so allow me to throw in my two bits. Stephen Hawking was known as something of a mischievous youth, which makes me think his latest proncunciamento on the universe was deliberately calculated to raise the ire of believers of all stripes: God did not create the universe, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book that aims to banish a divine creator...

Prioritize, Prioritize by David Goodloe I think I was in college when I first heard a little jingle about plagiarism — “Plagiarize! Plagiarize! Let no one’s work evade your eyes!” As a journalism major, I was constantly being warned by my instructors not to plagiarize anyone. It became an article of faith with me. So I guess that accounts for my appreciation for that little snippet, which...

Here are some thoughts on Kathy’s post below. Is a god necessary?  Stephen Hawking says no. God did not create the universe, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book that aims to banish a divine creator from physics. Hawking says in his book “The Grand Design” that, given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” according...

That’s not me saying that; it’s Stephen Hawking, in his new book which will be released next week. Or, at least, it’s what CNN says Hawking is saying:

The following is a press release that appears to be from Apple. Looks like Apple is once again transforming the face of technology. “Apple is proud to announce a revolutionary advancement in the way you experience your Apple products. Drawing upon the success of our Apple Stores, we are proud to introduce an Apple endeavor that will permanently change the way you do everything. Introducing iCompound. iCompound...

A Burning Question: Extremists on 9/11 by Tina Dupuy In case you missed some of the lowlights of the 20th century, one charismatic pastor from Florida is trying to bring them back. Yes, Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville is planning a Koran burning for the ninth anniversary of 9/11. His church, the ironically named Dove World Outreach Center, plans to show their contempt for the Islamic holy book, a tome the...

Pakistan’s monumental anger and despair is partly captured in this scathing criticism of the the government in Islamabad. Columnist Sajida Khan Niazi of Pakistan’s Daily Mail writes that even if the flood disaster is the worst in the nation’s history, Pakistanis should forgive other nations that withhold life-saving aid, because the government is so corrupt that no right-thinking nation can...

I periodically write about our heroes who continue to make the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. Just this past Friday I quoted the latest AP statistics that told us that as of Thursday, August 26, at least 1,145 of our military had died in Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion of that country in 2001—that is nine years ago. In the list of casualties—16 of them—there were two very young heroes,...

WASHINGTON — By insisting Tuesday evening that “it’s time to turn the page,” President Obama was talking about more than the Iraq War, and doing much more than reviving one of his most effective slogans from the 2008 campaign. He was also trying to turn the page on a period in which he has found himself on the defensive, his party in a perilous position for November’s elections,...

Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

I’m holding my nose, but here goes. From A Tiny Revolution, I have a transcript of part of Glenn Beck’s Lincoln Memorial speech/sermon*: Behind you, in front of me, the Washington—alone, tall, straight—if you look at the Washington Monument, you might notice its scars. But nobody talks about that…but a quarter of the way up it changes color. Did you know that it did? Look at it. Look at...

What is it that makes Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin so appealing to a certain segment of American society? According to this assessment by columnist Julio Valdeón Blanco of Spain’s El Mundo, it is a native desire to recapture a past that exists only in the minds of demagogues and the ‘uncultivated’ people that always tend to follow them. For El Mundo, Julio Valdeón Blanco writes in part: Behind...

You don’t have to be able to read tea leaves, examine entrails, or count the warts on a horny toad to know that conservatism is headed for a smashing victory in November. Or is it? Will the coming electoral tidal wave hide deficiencies that have yet to be addressed following a long decade of decline and exhaustion? What has changed in the intervening months? Certainly, the rising fortunes of the GOP has...

The President had plenty to say in the approximately 15 minutes he used to address the nation on the end of our combat mission in Iraq. He spoke about the war itself, about terrorism, about the emerging Iraq government and its security forces and capabilities and about the transition of responsibilities, about our continuing but different mission in Iraq and about our continuing, unchanged mission in Afghanistan. He...

A few months ago I described Glenn Beck as a modern day snake oil salesman.  This weekend it appeared  he is out to become the Mullah for the American Taliban.  The theology Beck was preaching was not Christian but Mormon and as a result has received at best a lukewarm reception from the evangelical leadership and shock and hostility from the main stream Christian community.  In a totally mindless editorial...

Taking full blame for the Bay of Pigs debacle, JFK fell back on an old maxim, “Victory has a thousand fathers. Defeat is an orphan.” If the polls are right, Barack Obama has an unblessed event due in November, with no other claimants to paternity amid all the analysis of when wrong in his love affair with the American people that looked so promising two years ago. At this low point, he may want...

When in doubt about whether the Fourth Amendment gives the federal government a specific surveillance authority, err on the side of the Fourth Amendment. the federal government’s surveillance authority.

The funny (or sad) thing about this t-shirt is that it could just as easily be worn as an anti-Palin statement. Of course, it would be even better in that regard if “babies” were changed to “fetuses.” Then it would be perfect.

Is democracy in some way fatally flawed? And would Republican and Tea Party victories this November be proof of such a flaw? According to columnist Krisen Frey of Austria’s Der Standard, there is simply no escaping it: citizens in democracies have a habit of voting against their own interests. But unfortunately, Frey writes, democracy is still the best solution to the difficult task of governing. For...

As our combat mission finally comes to an end in Iraq, the President will address the nation tomorrow, but it is highly unlikely that he will say “mission accomplished,” and rightly so, as there still remains a lot of work to be done there—not necessarily by our troops. I have written admiringly and respectfully about the job that they, our troops, have done in Iraq and about their incredible...

What could President Obama and Fed Chairman Bernanke undertake with respect to national economic and financial policy that would not require any Congressional approval? Congress will likely undertake nothing of any notable legislative substance before the November elections out of complete institutional gridlock, fear, ignorance and paralysis. If the next Congress is controlled by Republicans, even less than...

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s address to the nation on Iraq this week underscores the agony of his presidency, and its core political problem. Seen from the inside, the administration is an astonishing success. Obama has kept his principal promises and can take credit for achievements that eluded his Democratic predecessors. He pledged to have all combat troops out of Iraq by the end...

I hope have read Joe’s excellent post below on Glenn Beck’s magical mystery tour this weekend.  So what is it all about?  It’s all about snake oil.  Here is a post I did over at Newshoggers a few months ago. ————————————- Modern Day Snake Oil While P.T. Barnum may be dead the fact remains that a sucker is born every...

The Koch brothers are all the news, David and Charles… along with what some call their ‘libertarian’ based outpouring of money so much of which is ‘heavily weighted giving’ to protect their own business interests: oil, lumber, formaldehyde. Well, they earned it. They can give it to whom they wish. Within the law. But some choices seem puzzling. And I dont mean the amounts of sugar...

This is now the subject of a Federal investigation: