Opening his Fathers Day gifts, Barack Obama must be basking in a rare moment of unconditional love as his White House is engulfed in a rising spill of criticism and disapproval from all sides. After what Frank Rich terms a "doomed" speech on the Gulf gush, the President this weekend is being called, on the one hand, "snakebit" by Peggy Noonan, a speechwriter who ruined Bush … [Read more...] about Piling on the President
Broad Thinkers or Dumbed-Down Couch Potatoes?
Steven Berlin Johnson answers Nick Carr's supposition that the distracting links and brevity of modern reading are undermining the deep and immersive focus that is the defining benefit of the book: The problem with Mr. Carr’s model is its unquestioned reverence for the slow contemplation of deep reading. For society to advance as it has since Gutenberg, he argues, we need the … [Read more...] about Broad Thinkers or Dumbed-Down Couch Potatoes?
Father’s Day: Saving for a Rainy Day (Guest Voice)
For Father's Day -- Saving for a Rainy Day by Tom Purcell My father was right -- though it took me a while to realize it. He was born in 1933, when 25 percent of Americans were out of work. His father died when he was only 3, leaving his mother to raise him and his older sister alone. The young family moved from a comfortable house into a cramped apartment. There … [Read more...] about Father’s Day: Saving for a Rainy Day (Guest Voice)
BP and Obama
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A GOP House ?
While I personally still doubt the GOP will take control of the House before 2015 there is an interesting analysis at New Republic which suggests otherwise. And they are hardly a right-wing publication. … [Read more...] about A GOP House ?
Israel: Two Ways to Tell the Story
Barry Rubin and many others have spoken forcefully, eloquently and spiritedly about the absolute and undeniable rights of Israel to exist and of the Israelis to live peacefully and securely within the borders of their own country. As a person who totally subscribes to those tenets; as a person who has Jewish roots and ancestry; and as a person who has seen a great number of … [Read more...] about Israel: Two Ways to Tell the Story
Hoodlums, Hooligans And Homies Behaving Badly
The Los Angeles Lakers are throwing themselves a victory parade Monday morning for winning the NBA championship, promised to pay for the costs and regretted the expected violence after Thursday's win, a reaction a psychologist called a spike in male testosterone. What? That's right, male testosterone. Like you, my reactions mimic Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's Daily … [Read more...] about Hoodlums, Hooligans And Homies Behaving Badly
Shape Up America, And Spill (sic) Correctly
Man, this is a tough day for us wordsmiths. Kathy Gil, a colleague of mine, admonishes us for referring to the Gulf of Mexico disaster as an oil "spill." The New York Times yawns from an historical perspective, the Gulf of Mexico disaster may not be America's worst as we are told by our president. And, Robin Koerner, publisher of a website that translates foreign news … [Read more...] about Shape Up America, And Spill (sic) Correctly
Reflecting on “Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye.”
I just finished reading a nice, touching article—just right for a Saturday morning. It is Michael Winship’s “Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye.” The article is about how some of our young celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus, step through their childhood just way too fast. I am sure the words and thoughts struck a different chord within each different reader. The following … [Read more...] about Reflecting on “Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye.”
Video: A Baby Toddler Dances the Samba
Since we're getting a song and a dance from BP, here's a REAL dance..a Samba...danced by a toddler: … [Read more...] about Video: A Baby Toddler Dances the Samba
13 Year Study: Coffee and Tea May Cut Heart Disease
Here's a news story with an uplifting lede for a change: coffee and tea may be quite good for your health. Tea may be especially good for you. For your heart, to be exact: Drinking several cups of tea or coffee a day appears to protect against heart disease, a 13-year-long study from the Netherlands has found. It adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting health … [Read more...] about 13 Year Study: Coffee and Tea May Cut Heart Disease
Some Semi-Sanity from Europe: EU Foreign Ministers Make Partial Sense on Gaza, Iran
Some Semi-Sanity from Europe: EU Foreign Ministers Make Partial Sense on Gaza, Iran by Barry Rubin Remember what I told you: if you want to know what policy is going to be, watch the governments, not the media. While the results of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg were far from perfect, they also show the difference between decision-makers and … [Read more...] about Some Semi-Sanity from Europe: EU Foreign Ministers Make Partial Sense on Gaza, Iran
Taking in the Census
Taking in the Census by Martha Randolph Carr The census has now been collected and the information is being tabulated. All of the knocking on doors and tracking down who lived where on April 1st, the official census date, is now over until 2020. Local and state governments can now estimate how much federal money they might receive based on their population numbers, if … [Read more...] about Taking in the Census
Greetings From the Gulf
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Hillary Clinton Spoke Too Soon, But She Was Right
A "senior administration official" has confirmed to CBS News that the Department of Justice plans to file a legal challenge to Arizona's "Papers, Please" anti-immigration law, SB1070 -- as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced yesterday, in a rather oddly chosen venue: her trip to Ecuador. … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton Spoke Too Soon, But She Was Right
Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye (Guest Voice)
Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye by Michael Winship Amidst all the news of petrochemical malfeasance in the Gulf - and thank you Rep. Joe Barton, pride of Texas, for your apology to BP, demonstrating everything that's wrong with a Congress jammed too snugly in the pocket of big business - I watched teen sensation Miley Cyrus on David Letterman Thursday night. Oh my. Listening … [Read more...] about Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye (Guest Voice)
Ignorant American’s (sic)
As the publisher of Watching America.com, the site that translates foreign news about the USA from all over the world, I have read dozens of applications from people who are interested in joining our ever-growing editorial team. The other day, I received one from a young man who had a master’s degree in International Relations from a well known university on the East Coast, … [Read more...] about Ignorant American’s (sic)
This Is Not A Spill
Words matter. ThisIsNotASpill.org seeks to change the framing used to talk about the BP explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on 20 April 2010. Here it is, almost two months later (18 June 2010) and media are still describing this disaster with the word "spill" in both stories and headlines. This is not a spill. A spill is what happens when your toddler knocks over a tumbler … [Read more...] about This Is Not A Spill
Joe Barton Cleans Up His Mess
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More Gulf Horror! Scientists Say ‘Unusual’ High Methane Could Turn Sea Into Dead Zones
Take it from me, the big news Friday from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is not BP CEO Tony Hayward removed from disaster responsibilities but scientists reporting the gusher contains about 40% methane that could turn Gulf waters into an ecological dead zone for fish and plant life. John Kessler, a Texas A&M oceanographer, reports oil deposits his team has examined potentially … [Read more...] about More Gulf Horror! Scientists Say ‘Unusual’ High Methane Could Turn Sea Into Dead Zones