Reports are that they may be making some progress in stopping the leak, though given the past few weeks I am not sure it's for real yet. Progress … [Read more...] about Progress In BP Leak ?
Is the English Media Missing the Point about Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon
Is the English-language media totally missing the point and the real story about Spain's controversial Judge Baltasar Garzon? One of Spain's top centrist-libertarian bloggers thinks so. To those unfamiliar with the long, polarizing, controversial saga of Garzon, the Los Angeles Times offers this summary -- perhaps told through the perspective of the English-language … [Read more...] about Is the English Media Missing the Point about Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon
Facebook, Monopoly, The Open Web & The Walled Garden
AOL, the internet on training wheels, made the early internet manageable through its subscription only "Walled Garden." Once we no longer needed training, It was killed off by the Open Web. So what's Facebook? The service started off as a friends-only space for college students. Now it's trying to have it both ways -- a private club that anyone can join (and search) … [Read more...] about Facebook, Monopoly, The Open Web & The Walled Garden
The NERP Manifesto: Modulating and Moderating the Conservative Message
I was recently tasked with writing a column on the resurgence of Northeastern Republican Politicians. (Or NERPs) It was a fun topic to tackle, and one which I foolishly imagined the vast majority of conservatives and Republicans could embrace as "good news." I was quickly disabused of this notion, however, when the usual parade of comments and e-mails emerged airing the same … [Read more...] about The NERP Manifesto: Modulating and Moderating the Conservative Message
Turmoil In Bangkok Continues: A Video Backgrounder Primer
The strife continues in Thailand. Some updates: A day after yet more clashes, Thailand's Prime Minister has imposed a curfew: Here's what the violence looked like a week earlier: CBS' Jeff Glor talks to New York Times reporter Thomas Fuller for a first hand account of what's happening there: Watch CBS News Videos Online At times Bangkok has looked like a … [Read more...] about Turmoil In Bangkok Continues: A Video Backgrounder Primer
Nick Clegg and David Cameron
This copyrighted cartoon by Taylor Jones, El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico, is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Nick Clegg and David Cameron
Chevron’s “Crude” Attempt to Suppress Free Speech (Guest Voice)
Chevron's "Crude" Attempt to Suppress Free Speech by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship Even as headlines and broadcast news are dominated by BP's fire-ravaged, sunken offshore rig and the ruptured well gushing a reported 210,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico, there's another important story involving Big Oil and pollution - one that shatters not only … [Read more...] about Chevron’s “Crude” Attempt to Suppress Free Speech (Guest Voice)
Kagan Paper Trail
This copyrighted cartoon by Daryl Cagle is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Kagan Paper Trail
Scientists Discover Huge Plumes in Gulf Spill That Peril Fish, Plants
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill keeps getting worser and worser. Scientists aboard a research vessel say they have found oil plumes as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick deep beneath the surface. One scientist said oil eating bacteria and possibly chemical dispersants applied at the leak source by BP make the plumes the consistency of salad … [Read more...] about Scientists Discover Huge Plumes in Gulf Spill That Peril Fish, Plants
Signs Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan May Get Moderate Republican Enhances Confirmation Chances
As Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan gears up for hearing in which she is sure to come under fire from conservatives who oppose her on principal plus some Republicans who oppose her as way to weaken President Barack Obama and slow down his agenda, there is a sign that she may go into the hearings enjoying some support on two issues from one segment of the Republican party: some … [Read more...] about Signs Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan May Get Moderate Republican Enhances Confirmation Chances
Where Reagan Took Us
In the minds of millions of Americans, primarily conservatives, President Ronald Reagan set the standard for limited government, less regulation and a free market system. At the same time, money was no object when it came to national defense and it could be argued he was a strong states' rights advocate promoting the literal sense of the 10th Amendment. He was adored by the … [Read more...] about Where Reagan Took Us
Fred Halliday: Demystifier Of The Middle East
Fred Halliday, who passed away at age 64 last month, was not only a remarkable interpreter of the Middle East but a redoubtable teacher and man of many parts. In a tribute, The Economist writes: "Middle Eastern studies suffered, in his (Halliday's) view, from three faults. One was 'mappism'. Behind handy diplomatic counters marked on maps 'Iran', 'Iraq' or 'Saudi Arabia' he saw … [Read more...] about Fred Halliday: Demystifier Of The Middle East
Facebook: Respect Our Privacy! Sign the Petition
Danah Boyd's SXSW keynote (full text, my excerpts) was all about privacy and focused on two case studies: Google and Facebook. Folks at Google responded with, "we’re trying to fix it, please help us.” Facebook? Nothing! For that, and for their offensive and offending moves since, Boyd has posted an important "rant" examining Facebook and "radical transparency." Using … [Read more...] about Facebook: Respect Our Privacy! Sign the Petition
Google’s Nexus One Store Is Closing
Google has decided to close its online store and the Nexus One will no longer be available as an unlocked carrier-free product. The audacious experiment it represented was a radical break from the existing model of how consumers buy phones. It failed; we don't want a radical break. GigaOm's Kevin C. Tofel on lessons learned: There’s a few lessons to be learned in the … [Read more...] about Google’s Nexus One Store Is Closing
Obama Blasts Oil Spill Blame Game
The phrase "blame game" is back in vogue -- it won't be long before someone makes a hit song and MTV video about it. Cartoonists are poking fun at it and President Barack Obama is blasting it. The above cartoon by the cartoon genius RJ Matson (this one drawn for The St. Louis Post Dispatch) is indicative of the hours of enjoyment and editorial page cartoon material the … [Read more...] about Obama Blasts Oil Spill Blame Game
What BP And Pemex Oil Spills Have In Common — Scary Similarities
Depending when the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is capped, it pales by comparison to the world's largest accidental oil spill also in gulf waters in 1979. There are striking coincidences between the two spills. The current spill is gushing an estimated 5,000 barrels per day at 5,000 feet below the Gulf's surface. On June 3, 1979, the Ixtoc I submersible platform … [Read more...] about What BP And Pemex Oil Spills Have In Common — Scary Similarities
A Party of Easily Manipulated Cowards
I mean the Democratic Party, of course, or at least the Democrats on Capitol Hill. Republicans can push them around by calling them soft on terrorism, but it goes even further than that, as we saw yesterday: House Democrats had to scrap their only substantive bill of the week Thursday after Republicans won a procedural vote that substantively altered the legislation with an … [Read more...] about A Party of Easily Manipulated Cowards
Oil Spill May Be 10x Larger Than Official Estimates
There have been rumors on the internet for several weeks that closer to 50,000 barrels of oil were leaking a day, but this article on NPR is the first official news source I've seen that suggests the same thing. The NY Times has an article with more details. … [Read more...] about Oil Spill May Be 10x Larger Than Official Estimates
CNN Hires Independent Analyst Writer John Avlon As Commentator
One of the big complaints that independent voters, moderates and centrists have long had about cable news it they often only offer mostly left and right or Democrats and Republicans commentary on issues and events. It's as if "the center" or those MANY Americans who don't belong to either party don't exist. CNN which has had independent voters panel discussions (I have been … [Read more...] about CNN Hires Independent Analyst Writer John Avlon As Commentator
Kagan Is Not Anti-Military—No Satire Here
One of the “sure-fire” issues Kagan detractors have been trying to sink their teeth into in an attempt to scuttle her Supreme Court nomination is the allegation that she is “an anti-military zealot” who has a clear “disdain for the military” and for the security of our country. Why? Because when she became dean of Harvard, she continued the practice established by her … [Read more...] about Kagan Is Not Anti-Military—No Satire Here