Reports out of Cairo this morning that former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik is to be named the winner of the recent Presidential election. The reports state he won 50.7% of the vote to 49.3% for Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood. If true this is likely to spark protests from Morsy supporters who say that he won the election. It may also be a sign that the … [Read more...] about Ahmed Shafik Reportedly To Be Egyptian President
Hapless Hollow Men Whimpering While Trying To Solve The World’s Economic Problems
I look at the world's economic problems these days and my mind turns to poetry. I think of W.H. Auden's tragically appropriate poem, September 1, 1939, which speaks of "...hapless governors wake/to renew their compulsory games/who can release them now..." And of the last lines of T.S. Eliot's Hollow Men: "This is the way the world ends/This is the way the world ends/Not with a … [Read more...] about Hapless Hollow Men Whimpering While Trying To Solve The World’s Economic Problems
Politico Suspends White House Reporter for Comments About Romney Only Being Comfortable With “White Folks”: Drawing the Journalistic Line
One of the fascinating -- and depressing --trends to watch is how in America's political and media culture the more glib, cutting and mocking you can be, the more attention it gets. And just as politicians talk in sound bites, some analysts when some reporters get on ideological cable shows they seemingly will talk in sound bites It's often a good career move. But not … [Read more...] about Politico Suspends White House Reporter for Comments About Romney Only Being Comfortable With “White Folks”: Drawing the Journalistic Line
Burkas For All
I came across this story a few days ago in the Times: "Facebook Acquires Israeli Facial Recognition Company." Then last night I saw a story on TV about how drones are getting smaller more and more sophisticated. The report went on to say that with the winding down of our Iraq and Afghan wars, defense contractors are looking for a new market for their very expensive drones and … [Read more...] about Burkas For All
Romney Inches Towards Moderating His Immigration Stance: Democrats Release New Ad (VIDEO)
All-but-declared-Republican-nominee Mitt Romney has started to try and moderate his immigration stance proving a)there are some issues where candidates must move to the center b)the importance of the Latino vote and c)how when the choice comes down to letting the other candidate of a party win even the most supposedly uncompromisable demands of ideological factions of parties … [Read more...] about Romney Inches Towards Moderating His Immigration Stance: Democrats Release New Ad (VIDEO)
Stanford iTunesU class adds interaction
Digital communications technologies disrupt information industries. That's Craigslist siphoning off newspaper classified ads. It's Hulu helping 20 somethings cut the cord. It's Pandora (or Spotify, if you wish) facilitating micro-radio stations. One of the largest information industries in the country, higher ed, has had its hands full with state budget cuts; digital tech … [Read more...] about Stanford iTunesU class adds interaction
Sandusky Jury in Deliberations; Adopted Son Accuses Father
As the jury "deliberated into the evening," Jerry Sandusky's adopted son Matt, 33, said he had been abused by his father and had been prepared to testify, according to AP. Matt is one of six adopted children. "At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators," attorneys Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici said in a … [Read more...] about Sandusky Jury in Deliberations; Adopted Son Accuses Father
Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship, Part 2 (Guest Voice) Two Notions of Truth: My Sunday School vs. My Public School
Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship, Part 2 Two Notions of Truth: My Sunday School vs. My Public School by Robert Fuller My parents were not church-goers, but they thought their children should be exposed to the religious perspective. So, until we graduated from eighth grade, they made my brothers and me attend a Presbyterian Sunday School. When I asked my … [Read more...] about Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship, Part 2 (Guest Voice) Two Notions of Truth: My Sunday School vs. My Public School
Large Mammals
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Judicial Restraint Doesn’t Mean Halting Confirmations (Guest Voice)
Judicial Restraint Doesn't Mean Halting Confirmations by Scott Crass It will surprise no one who has a remote understanding of Congress that a number of measures routinely become bogged down. Currently, the list includes a must-have transportation bill, a major farm bill, immigration reform, and numerous spending measures. And the list goes on and on. Until early last … [Read more...] about Judicial Restraint Doesn’t Mean Halting Confirmations (Guest Voice)
Mitt’s Line on Immigration
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Fast and Furious: The Witch Hunt
WASHINGTON -- In 2006, when George W. Bush was president, federal law enforcement officials came up with a spectacularly dumb idea: Allow powerful firearms purchased in the United States to "walk" across the Mexico border, where authorities would trace the weapons and eventually nab the big-time criminals who supply guns to the ultra-violent Mexican drug cartels. It is … [Read more...] about Fast and Furious: The Witch Hunt
Fast and Furious Witch Hunt
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The President’s Never-Ending Campaign for Cash (Guest Voice)
The President’s Never-Ending Campaign for Cash by Michael Winship My neighborhood has become a cash machine for the Obama re-election campaign. Don’t look at me; I had nothing to do with it. What’s happened is that over the decades I’ve lived in the West Village in lower Manhattan, it slowly has evolved around its longtime residents into a theme park for the affluent; … [Read more...] about The President’s Never-Ending Campaign for Cash (Guest Voice)
A GOP Congressman with Common Sense and Guts Speaks Out on DADT
The Stars and Stripes reports: The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday that allowing gays to serve openly in the military is a settled issue that he won't try to reverse even if Mitt Romney wins the presidency in November and the GOP captures the Senate. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon of California said his focus is on restoring money … [Read more...] about A GOP Congressman with Common Sense and Guts Speaks Out on DADT
Romney’s Scary Foreign Policy II
Conservative Daniel Larison has been documenting Willard Romney's neo-con/Bush foreign policy better than anyone. I gave an example in a post the other day, Romney's Scary Foreign Policy. Well today Larison brought us an example of just how scary that foreign policy might be. Report: Bolton Is a “Leading Candidate” for Secretary of State That’s a terrifying prospect, but … [Read more...] about Romney’s Scary Foreign Policy II
One Man, One Vote
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Relax Mitt, Just Be Yourself (Guest Voice)
Relax 'Mitt,' Just Be Yourself by Tina Dupuy Mitt Romney's off-the-cuff comments are starting to seem like Barack Obama's bowling: Not good. Kind of spectacularly bad. Kitsch on a kind day. Romney keeps on rolling gutter balls in front of the cameras: "The trees are the right height." "I like being able to fire people." "I'm not concerned about the very poor." "I'm Mitt … [Read more...] about Relax Mitt, Just Be Yourself (Guest Voice)
Liberal White Guilt: The Essence of Tyranny
"The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity". -Jacob Burckhardt One of the reasons the above Liberal White Guilt ad campaign, and other efforts like it, is so excruciatingly bad is that it denies the reality of the biggest group of poor people with bad educations, limited opportunity, and dependency on government benefits in the United States: poor whites, … [Read more...] about Liberal White Guilt: The Essence of Tyranny
Star Power And The Presidency
Americans like their celebrities, their stars of stage and screen…and politics. The analysis of why that is can be left to others. Perhaps it is an inherent societal shallowness or a sense that stardom equates to powerful individuals or leadership. It doesn’t much matter, except to recognize that it exists. We want interesting, charismatic folks to serve as the objects of … [Read more...] about Star Power And The Presidency