Glenn Greenwald had a radio interview and follow up examples where he hammers the point that WikiLeaks is being falsely accused of dumping "thousands" of cables instead of the careful vetting by major press institutions. The reality is that nearly without exception they are simply posting cables that have already been reported by one of their media partners, and with the full … [Read more...] about The Big Lie About WikiLeaks: They Have Dumped The Cables Indiscriminately
The New Stimulus That Isn’t
The natter coming out of the White House these days is that the tax package just negotiated with the Republicans will act as a mini-stimulus that will give the economy an added boost in 2011 as the last of he $700 billion stimulus measure passed in 2009 expires. If the White House crowd actually believes this, along with its other problems, it has a counting problem. … [Read more...] about The New Stimulus That Isn’t
TSA Sparks Diplomatic Protest
TSA -- that touchy, feely government agency -- is again finding that different strokes mean different things to different passangers. Indian officials are lodging a complaint " following an "unacceptable" TSA public pat-down of India's sari-clad ambassador—despite the fact that she presented diplomatic papers and was escorted to the airport by police," Newser reports. She was … [Read more...] about TSA Sparks Diplomatic Protest
Mickey Has Two Daddies
And now the latest development from the world of science: Scientists have created mice that are the genetic product of two fathers, the latest in a series of unusual experiments in mammalian reproduction. Researchers at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and elsewhere first engineered a female mouse whose eggs contained the DNA from a male. When the female … [Read more...] about Mickey Has Two Daddies
DADT and the Tax Cut Compromise
Susan Collins has released a statement on the DADT negotiations and reauthorization of the defense bill that would end the 17-year-old ban is on the Senate agenda for noon today. What do we expect will happen? Nate Silver notes that the debate is caught up in the tax cut crossfire: First, the tepid reaction among many left-leaning groups to the compromise brokered by … [Read more...] about DADT and the Tax Cut Compromise
Oh Why Won’t He Go Away?
Barack Obama used the word "sanctimonious" in referring to his critics on the left -- but it truly applies to this person. … [Read more...] about Oh Why Won’t He Go Away?
Wikileaks, Facebook: Brave New World
Between Mark Zuckerberg and Julian Assange, the prophecies in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" are coming to pass long before the year 2540 in which the novel is set. The two have combined to speed up the timetable for the death of privacy reflected in Huxley's dystopian slogan, "Everyone belongs to everyone else." Coming from opposite ends of an over-sharing universe, … [Read more...] about Wikileaks, Facebook: Brave New World
Transparency International Poll: The World Is Getting More Corrupt
As if it wasn't bad enough that a souring world economy has people all over the world already abuzz, a new poll finds that most people believe the world is more corrupt than it was three years ago: Some 56% of people interviewed by Transparency International said their country had become more corrupt. And there's finally a bit of good news for the United States: it is … [Read more...] about Transparency International Poll: The World Is Getting More Corrupt
Illiteracy
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Illiteracy
The Great Time Warp
I'm in the middle of one of the finer pieces of popular history I've read in a long time. No, it's not a history of the Civil War or the American Revolution or the 1960s or some other riveting moment in American history. The book is about New York City in one year: 1977. Within that tumultuous year, the city tried to climb out of bankruptcy amidst spiraling crime, a blackout … [Read more...] about The Great Time Warp
Quote of the Day: Why Obama Is Correct In Defying the Far left
Our political Quote of the Day comes via CNN contributor John Avlon who argues Obama is right in defying the left on the issue of renewing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. We'll take a longer look at some of Avlon's key points (but these are only excerpts): The fault lines beneath the Democratic Party have been rumbling between the left and the center. Now … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Why Obama Is Correct In Defying the Far left
Drowning Tax
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Drowning Tax
Who is Sanctimonious?
WASHINGTON -- What does President Obama think of those who fought and bled to pass his bills in Congress (in some cases losing in this year's election for their pains) while also defending him against wild charges from the right wing? Are they among the liberals he described as "sanctimonious" who long for the "satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the … [Read more...] about Who is Sanctimonious?
We Live In An Open-Source World
Globalization applies to information as well as corporate CEOs looking for cheap labor. Those high-paid, unionized manufacturing jobs will never again be the ticket to the middle class for unskilled American workers because of global economic competition that is here to stay? Well, the Internet is here to stay, too -- and the Internet-fueled phenomenon known as … [Read more...] about We Live In An Open-Source World
WikiLeaks: More than We Wanted to Know … Or On Second Thought, Perhaps We Do! – Jornal de Negocios, Portugal
Are the people of WikiLeaks just like the neighborhood gossips, and doesn't the name of their leader Julian Assange sound like a brand of hairspray? Columnist Joao Quadros of Portugal's Jornal De Negocios takes a humorous and uniquely Portuguese and European look at what, in terms of ink spilled, may be one of the most significant news stories in years. For the Portugal's … [Read more...] about WikiLeaks: More than We Wanted to Know … Or On Second Thought, Perhaps We Do! – Jornal de Negocios, Portugal
UPDATED: The Votes NOT There Tonight to Repeal DADT
UPDATE: Senate Reid’s office confirmed late Wednesday that he will postpone the vote as negotiations continue with Republicans who support lifting the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. +++++++++++ Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is bent on bringing a defense authorization bill that reverses "don't ask, don't tell" to a vote tonight, but key negotiator … [Read more...] about UPDATED: The Votes NOT There Tonight to Repeal DADT
One of the greats of music, Aretha Franklin, may have pancreatic cancer
According to several sources, Aretha Franklin has pancreatic cancer. Her music has added a lot of happiness to the world, it is sad if she is as ill as the report implies. … [Read more...] about One of the greats of music, Aretha Franklin, may have pancreatic cancer
Of politicians and television shows
I see that the recent episode of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” stirred up a bit of controversy, along the lines of what I wondered about last week (if not exactly what I was asking about). My colleague here at The Moderate Voice, Joe Windish, has rounded up some of the commentary. On a more productive and educational bent, though, is the episode of “Mythbusters” tonight, which … [Read more...] about Of politicians and television shows
Tax, Partisanship and Obama
From the vantage point of ‘coalition’ Britain, the past couple of months of American politics have been fascinating. As in the UK, two parties that traditionally loath each other and everything they stand for try to come together in the national interest, you almost have the direct opposite happening in America. What I have found most interesting is role the … [Read more...] about Tax, Partisanship and Obama
JUST VAMPING WHILE THE STATUS QUO FALLS APART
President Obama and Congressional Republicans worked out a tax deal that completely left out the Democrats in Congress even though they have a lame-duck majority in the House until early January 2011. After that time, Republicans will effectively control Washington for the next two years through their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Many Democrats have suddenly … [Read more...] about JUST VAMPING WHILE THE STATUS QUO FALLS APART