Terrorism raised its face again...this time in Moscow...this time in the Moscow subways. And this time its face was female. CNN: Russian investigators combing two subway stations attacked by female suicide bombers think Chechen rebels may have been behind the rush-hour strike that killed dozens of people. "Our preliminary assessment is that this act of terror was … [Read more...] about Female Suicide Bombers Kill 38 in Moscow Subway Attack: New York Subway Security Heightened
Internet Comments As Tragedy Of the Commons, Franklin Paradox, Society Writ Large
I am very happy to blog for TMV because I have cultivated a few online acquaintances and more importantly it makes me feel important to imagine thousands of people hanging on my every word. But yeah, pretty much the only reason I write posts is for comments, so I'm sad to see them go and which is why I am going to cross post everything at a blog with the sole purpose of having … [Read more...] about Internet Comments As Tragedy Of the Commons, Franklin Paradox, Society Writ Large
Catholic Crisis Management
Brian Fairrington, Cagle Cartoons This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Catholic Crisis Management
Quote of the Day: Health Care Reform Could Help Democrats In November (CORRECTED)
EDITOR'S NOTE: There was a major mistake on the earlier of version of this post. This quote of the Day is from a piece on David Frum's site Frum Forum. It was mistakenly referred to as having been written by Frum and it was in fact written by Arthur Greene. The headline has been corrected and rewritten and so has this post, and I've put an item on my Twitter account as well. … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Health Care Reform Could Help Democrats In November (CORRECTED)
Two Amazing Graphs About Consumer Spending
Calculated Risk has a post that must be seen to be believed. First off, look at personal consumption in February, which is back at pre-recession highs. This is quite amazing, and I admit, I am completely flabbergasted. No way did I think that consumer spending would rebound and that is a big assumption in my belief that we are going to have a double dip recession (well more to … [Read more...] about Two Amazing Graphs About Consumer Spending
Don’t Regulate, Break Up!
What would you think about a guy who runs around in the street during a rainstorm shouting: "I'm getting wet. I'm getting wet. I want to get dry? What advice would any sensible person give this guy? The answer, of course, is tell him to go inside where it's not raining. Too bad our leaders in Washington don't have that kind of sense when it comes to Wall Street. These … [Read more...] about Don’t Regulate, Break Up!
Kresky to Nader: California Open Primary Proposition 14 Helps Third Parties
"It's particularly disturbing that at a moment when millions of independents are knocking at the door of an electoral process from which they are excluded, Ralph Nader and the third party movement would want to slam it shut." (From "Should state adopt an open primary? Yes" by independent attorney Harry Kresky in Sunday's Sac Bee) Why is Ralph Nader opposing California open … [Read more...] about Kresky to Nader: California Open Primary Proposition 14 Helps Third Parties
Financial Reform: The Opacity of Hope
The glaring area in which this Administration has been Change-challenged is up next, and the question is whether the President will direct his new-found audacity at the money manipulators who have been wrecking the economy. Unlike health insurers, the financial industry has little public support after the meltdown, but obfuscation is rife and will get worse as lobbyists pour … [Read more...] about Financial Reform: The Opacity of Hope
Discontinuing Self-Published Reader Comments
While many of our readers publish comments that are constructive and well-mannered, we are experiencing a growing number of comments that are mean-spirited, foul-mouthed, ad hominem attacks. The frequency of the latter now requires approximately two hours every day of monitoring and mediation, in keeping with our comments policy. That’s too much time -- for anyone -- to spend … [Read more...] about Discontinuing Self-Published Reader Comments
Next Assignment: El Santuario
To those who seek a pathway nearly occluded. To any who wake up... like an exultation of larks, seeing beauty most everywhere. To those who walk without skin. To those who walk wise-awake. Those who have kept a place for the sacrament of imagination. To those irked but who remember this planet is very young... and the soul is very old... in the next few days, … [Read more...] about Next Assignment: El Santuario
WSJ iPad Pricing Model Is Bad News
AFP reports that the Wall Street Journal plans to charge $17.99 a month ($216/year) for an iPad subscription. This pricing model is hard to explain, given other WSJ subscription plans. And I worry that such extreme subscription plans could cloud the iPad debut and doom product adoption. … [Read more...] about WSJ iPad Pricing Model Is Bad News
The Odyssey of a Condemned Texas Man’s French Wife: Le Monde, France
There is a transatlantic drama playing out in Texas. It involves a man condemned to die and his wife, a French citizen who met him through her involvement in France's movement to end the death penalty. From France's Le Monde, this article give a sense of what it's like for Sandrine Ageorges Skinner to stand by her husband Hank - who is fighting the state of Texas to administer … [Read more...] about The Odyssey of a Condemned Texas Man’s French Wife: Le Monde, France
An Evil Symbiosis
On November 20, 2002, an Afghan detainee named Gul Rahman died in a cell inside a prison -- colloquially known as "the Salt Pit" or "the dark prison" -- which was part of the network of hidden, secret prisons operated by the C.IA. around the globe to interrogate Arab and Muslim detainees. … [Read more...] about An Evil Symbiosis
Obama Plans to Use Momentum From Health Care Reform Victory to Press On
It sounds as if President Barack Obama -- fresh off a weekend when he angered Republicans by making 15 recess appointments and became a big story by making a surprise visit to Afghanistan -- plans to use the "Big Mo" created by the passage of health care reform. If anyone thought Obama was going to take a breather, they are apparently mistaken. The Politico reports: An … [Read more...] about Obama Plans to Use Momentum From Health Care Reform Victory to Press On
The U.S.-Zionist ‘Hoax’ Over East Jerusalem: Amal Al Ummah, Egypt
Could the events surrounding Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, and the ensuing dispute between the U.S. and Israel, have been planned all along? Reflecting the continuing frustration of Palestinians and appearing to call for a new intifada, the chairwoman of the Women's Initiative for the Victory of Palestine, Kawthar Abdal Fattah, writes in Egyptian newspaper Amal al-Oumma … [Read more...] about The U.S.-Zionist ‘Hoax’ Over East Jerusalem: Amal Al Ummah, Egypt
GOP Governor Candidates Stay The Course On Immigration Reform In California
California, being a border state, is in the forefront of a battlefield on immigration reform where political corpses are buried. Just ask Pete Wilson, a former Republican governor exiled to oblivion, who turned the state into a Democratic stronghold for his 1994 support of anti-illegal-immigrant blowback in Proposition 187. After an immediate injunction, the meat and … [Read more...] about GOP Governor Candidates Stay The Course On Immigration Reform In California
Obama on Offense
"Winning isn't everything," football coach Vince Lombardi famously said, "it's the only thing." Half a century later, as Republicans adapt that gridiron philosophy into a threat of political gridlock, Barack Obama is signaling it may not be a winning strategy. As Congress left town this weekend, the President did an end run around their blocking of his executive choices by … [Read more...] about Obama on Offense
Rush Limbaugh Moving to Cost Rica?
Is he getting ready? Read Jonathan Turley. … [Read more...] about Rush Limbaugh Moving to Cost Rica?
Quote of the Day: Christopher Buckley on David Frum Leaving AEI
Our political Quote of the Day comes from the Daily Beast's Christopher Buckley, son of the late non-talk-show-political-culture Republican conservative Willliam F. Buckley, writing about the news that former Bush speech writer David Frum was basically fired by the American Enterprise Institute after criticizing the GOP's "No no no!" stance on healthcare reform plus the … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Christopher Buckley on David Frum Leaving AEI
Poll: No More “Enthusiasm Gap” Between Political Parties
A new Washington Post/ABC News poll indicates the "enthusiasm gap" between the GOP and Democrats has now virtually evaporated -- with 76% of Dems enthusiastic about voting this November versus 75% of Republicans. Just a few weeks ago polls showed the gap with the Democrats lagging far behind. What did it? Most likely the passage of health care reform. Liberal Democrats had … [Read more...] about Poll: No More “Enthusiasm Gap” Between Political Parties