It looks like fiery anti-Japanese demonstrations in China are leading to a new Ice Age in China-Japan relations after China’s refusal to apologize for anti-Japanese violence there. In the latest twist to what is developing into an escalating diplomatic crisis, Japan’s foreign minister got the cold shoulder and a rejection to his request for an apology. How will it end? Every diplomatic and political crisis has a beginning, middle and an end — where the event begins like a little...

If you’re the Bush adminstration, you just eliminate the 19 year-old international terrorism report (it DOES make it easier to say “we’re winning the war on terrorism).

You’ll never guess: Matt Drudge. PS: We’ll write more about this later…

French President Jacques Chirac took to the airwaves last week to make what he clearly felt was a strong case for a “yes” vote on the European Union constitution — and from all accounts failed. Time Magazine writes: French President Jacques Chirac sent TV ratings soaring last week during his appearance championing the yes vote for France’s May 29 referendum on the European Union constitution. But he won few accolades for his performance…Despite Chirac’s often...

David Brooks has a good column about sex – playfully published on the least sexy day – and its simultaneous expansion in public and significant shrinkage (pun and allusion intended) in private: You could get the impression that America’s young people are leading lives of Caligulan hedonism. You could give credence to all those parental scare stories about oral sex parties at bar mitzvahs and junior high school dances. You could worry about hookups, friends with benefits, and the...

A worrisome demographic explosion is on the horizon…

Prices for many raw materials have increased significantly, including those of strategic metals, some of which the supply is effectively controlled by single countries. The reasons for the price increases may be a leading indicator of history repeating.

Good news for Bob Dole and his paycheck-providing Viagra: the Food and Drug Administration has ordered Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to pull an ad for their impotence drug Levitra from the TV tube. The grounds: unsubstantiated claims: The FDA issued letters to the drug makers this week, saying a commercial for Levitra, called “My Man” made unsubstantiated claims of superiority over their competitors products, such as Viagra. The story does not say whether Libby Dole was involved in...

We don’t usually do an analysis of a newspaper’s editorials on this site, but in this case we have to say: The New York Times got it right on the shamefulness and unprecedented divisiveness of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s decision to cast his lot with those who plan to smear those who oppose President George Bush’s judges as “faithless.” First, let’s get it straight: we’re not discussing the merits of who Bush wants to appoint. That’s a...

Recently, Joe Gandelman, the proprieter of this weblog, wrote about the comment of former US President Jimmy Carter on how the rich nations of the world “don’t give a damn” about the poor. The author of the weblog TeaFizz has some opinions regarding what former President Carter said regarding the reactions to this statement, and how the reactions fail to differentiate between the speaker with what is being said. Both posts are recommended reading.

The rage is continuing in China, where demonstrators are defying government warnings to stage angry anti-Japanese protests — shouting anti-Japanese slogans and going after a Japanese diplomatic post and restaurants. What will be interesting as this outpouring of seemingly sponataneous anti-Japanese emotion erupts is what the government’s response will be….since it’s unlikely the Japanese government (or people) will accept the explanation that China had no way to halt the protests. According...

New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson is expanding from his role as the first openly gay bishop in America to the new religious spokesman for a prominent interest group, but I think it’s a bad move for him – and the gay people he claims to represent.

The Boston Globe has issued a compact but complete retraction in this latest case of an American newspaper getting a black eye due to poor quality control — a step in the right direction (but the trick is to make sure you don’t have to run these by being more diligent): Editor’s Note: An article by a freelance writer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Wednesday’s Globe said that the season’s hunt for baby seals off Newfoundland had begun the previous day. In fact, the...

Since Terri Schiavo’s death, and the death of Pope John Paul II shortly afterwards which erased much of the Schiavo story’s dominance in the news cycle, the issues and allegations surrounding her specific case have receeded as the larger issues (judges, the judiciary in general, the filibuster and now the issue of whether those who oppose the administration’s judges are “faithless”) have bubbled to the surface. Now the answer to one of the key allegations hurled around...

But this vital poll must be especially devastating to the White House.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that on weekends we Guest Post on Dean’s World. Traditionally, that has meant we leave a referring link to that site then do all of our weekend posts there. But a slew of readers emailed saying that was a pain to them, particularly when they’re surfing quickly. And some said they did feel no matter what the site should have some original material on weekends. SO: starting this weekend although we’ll Guest Post we’ll do it in a way...

….and we do mean EVERYTHING.

The American press has suffered another big, fat black eye with the news that a Boston Globe story was fabricated — and it comes at time when polls show newspapers held in increasingly low regard by the public. In many parts of the country, newspaper circulations are plummeting or stagnant and journalists are being perceived as not nice or politically tainted. And now we have this: A Boston Globe freelance writer fabricated large chunks of a story published this week, the newspaper said on...

Feverish efforts are underway to find out who gave Wendy’s the finger — a San Jose, California Wendy’s restaurant that is. Police are looking into all kinds of leads into who could have given the finger to a bowl of chili — and the list must be long, because millions of Californians give the finger in their cars every day. The latest news on how authorities have this case under their thumb comes to us via the San Jose Mercury News: San Jose investigators searching for the...

Former President Jimmy Carter has probably erased any momentary, fleeting guilt pangs that President George Bush may have felt about not letting him be on the official delegation at the Pope’s funeral with his latest blunt salvo — this time saying rich countries “don’t give a damn” about the poor. Carter’s comments are sure to stir up a hornet’s nest of controversy on the Internet and talk radio. But since he left office, Carter has shown he could care less...

Like a ghost from the past, Chinese-Japanese tensions — so prevelent during certain parts the 20th century — have resurfaced with a vengence…as China begins what some see as an effort to cool an increasingly heated situation down. For instance, ABC News reports: BEIJING Apr 15, 2005 — China criticized Japan for allowing gas drilling in a disputed seabed but tried Thursday to defuse mounting tensions, saying it was calling on the Chinese public to avoid extremism after violent...

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has reportedly now not only decided on the “nuclear option” on filibusters but he is apparently ready to help instigate a political BIG BOOM that has the potential of enmeshing the GOP in charges that it’s ushering in a new, dangerous area of theocratic McCarthyism. If he does it, it’ll be a watershed moment — a transformational moment for the GOP…marking the political death of a dominant part of its party. Forget Democrats. Anyone...

Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist is reportedly ready to trigger the “nuclear option” to ban fillibusters in judicial nominations — a Washington Post report suggests is due to him boxing himself into a decision that could nuke his own political career. Here’s the part of the Post article that’ll be quoted by most folks today, since it deals with the political polarization angle. GOPers say it’s vital to axe the fillbuster since Democrats are, they argue, abusing...

No, not those kinds of Beatles! We’re talking about insects and, according to the BBC, this is a huge honor: Two US scientists have paid tribute to their favourite politicians by naming three species of beetles after them. President George Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were all honoured. One of the entomologists said he admired all three men for “having the courage of their convictions” and standing up for freedom and democracy. The three...

The Bush administration is a hair away from stepping in it in another controversy — charges that it is trying to cover up the Armstrong Williams controversy: The Bush administration is impeding an investigation into the Education Department’s hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams by refusing to allow key White House officials to be interviewed, a Democratic lawmaker briefed on the review said Thursday. In addition, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said Education Secretary Margaret Spellings...