Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919, aka Rusty Lionhorse) was an Italian composer who wrote the libretto and music for the opera “I Pagliacci” (The Clowns) in 1892. It was a huge overnight success and it remains today one of the 20 most performed operas in the World. Even if you rarely listen to classical music or opera, you’ve probably heard and would recognize some of the great … [Read more...] about The Internet as “I Pagliacci”
Sonia Sotomayor’s First Day at SCOTUS
HuffPost reports that she didn't hesitate to get into the thick of things right away. There were two cases on the docket on the Court's opening day, and Justice Sotomayor questioned the attorneys vigorously on both. McClatchy (quoted in the HuffPost piece), reports that "In just an hour, the court's newest justice asked more questions than Justice Clarence Thomas has asked" in … [Read more...] about Sonia Sotomayor’s First Day at SCOTUS
The Left, Tom Delay and Dancing With The Stars
I must confess that I have not been a huge fan of Dancing With The Stars, my viewing is usually limited to catching highlights if they happen to have a contestant I find interesting. I'm also not particularly a fan of former Congressman Tom Delay, I found him to be arrogant in his attitude towards his peers and his rivals. However when I heard he was going to be on DWTS this … [Read more...] about The Left, Tom Delay and Dancing With The Stars
Liberal Senator Questions Obama on Czars
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) spent much of the Bush administration questioning just about everything they did as giving too much power to the Executive branch. Today he called the Obama White House to task for some of the people he has named to act as Czars. Of course he did excuse many of the appointments, something which I doubt he would have done in the Bush years, but at … [Read more...] about Liberal Senator Questions Obama on Czars
GaGa for Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga, "...Hello SNL..." Madonna showed up for a surprise visit to 'Deep House Dish' on SNL. To mixed reviews. But Lady GaGa, dressed as a sexy gyroscope in the video medley above, stole the show. After being signed to and quickly dropped from Def Jam Records at age 19, she began performing in the rock music scene of New York City’s Lower East Side. During this time, … [Read more...] about GaGa for Lady Gaga
Shady car salesman and a pundit?
He is the demented comedian who gave us Uncle Sugar. He also analyzes public policy in his role as associate director of the Regulatory Studies Program at George Mason University. Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Rob Raffety: Incidentally, the editors of the Wall Street Journal acidly note that car sales began to plunge as soon as Cash For Clunkers … [Read more...] about Shady car salesman and a pundit?
Cuba: A Capitalist State?
Guest Post By Leonidas Leonidas is a frequent, right of center commenter on The Moderate Voice and has been invited as a Guest Voice. ********** The Washington Post reports: Faced with the smothering inefficiencies of a state-run economy and unable to feed his people without massive imports of food, Cuban leader Raúl Castro has put his faith in compatriots like … [Read more...] about Cuba: A Capitalist State?
Reading Bob Gates’ mind
Everyone wants to know what he's thinking. If Gates says no more troops for Afghanistan, Obama can say "Why send more troops if George Bush's secretary of defense says they're not necessary?" If Gates says send the troops, it will be extremely hard for Obama to reject the advice of a secretary so highly-regarded that he was the only Bush cabinet member reappointed by … [Read more...] about Reading Bob Gates’ mind
Is McChrystal out of line?
Mike O'Hanlon says no. Eugene Robinson says, The men with the stars on their shoulders -- and I say this with enormous respect for their patriotism and service -- need to shut up and salute.Robinson adds that he applies the same standard to military officers whose opinions he agrees with. Clearly, Robinson shares the suspicion of many, including myself, that opinions about … [Read more...] about Is McChrystal out of line?
National Parks
David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about National Parks
Follow the Meme
Steve Benen has been right on top of the revelries on the right over Pres. Obama's failed bid to get the 2016 Olympics for Chicago (which, for those who aren't aware, is in the United States). Benen writes about the conservative meme of the moment regarding Obama's Copenhagen trip, as showcased in George Will's column today: … [Read more...] about Follow the Meme
The Great Gold Goof
Gold rose into record territory today. Parsing the reasons it did so could lead one into rather uncomfortable speculations about future inflation, the strength of the U.S. dollar, and even whether the dollar will long remain the world's leading currency. But Gold's current surge also tells another story. A tale of utterly stupid government policy in response to an utterly … [Read more...] about The Great Gold Goof
Intellectual Conservatism Isn’t Dead: It’s Resting (Guest Voice)
by Rick Moran No less than 5 recent articles (and a spirited debate between two very smart conservatives in David Frum and David Horowitz) have taken on the question regarding the demise of intellectual conservatism and the rise of movement or "populist" conservatives. The intellectuals go under several names, depending on which side of the divide you sit. They are … [Read more...] about Intellectual Conservatism Isn’t Dead: It’s Resting (Guest Voice)
Failed Olympic Bid
John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Failed Olympic Bid
Here Comes The Clown
Shame on the established America media for giving so much air time to convicted former Congressman James Traficant who offers nothing but a populous sound bite and venom to his former colleagues. Since his release from prison last month, Traficant has spent much of his time on the air waves pleading his innocence to a racketeering conviction and vendetta against the Justice … [Read more...] about Here Comes The Clown
An Alternative Reason Why “Dollar May Be Dropped In Oil Trade”
The econoblogs are buzzing over an article in The Independent about talks between the Gulf States and key consumers to reprice oil away from the dollar, as highlighted by Guest Voice John Wells. The implication is that this occurring because of our massive debts, will severely weaken the dollar, and is a large first step towards the dollar losing its reserve status. John was … [Read more...] about An Alternative Reason Why “Dollar May Be Dropped In Oil Trade”
With TED 5000 & Google PowerMeter You Can Track Your Energy Usage
Mashable: The TED 5000 from Energy Inc. is a real-time electricity usage monitor that you can purchase and install yourself, with packages starting around $200. It can run the free Google PowerMeter tool, allowing you to check on your personal home energy data from any device that can access the web. The TED 5000 is Google’s first official device partner for … [Read more...] about With TED 5000 & Google PowerMeter You Can Track Your Energy Usage
Castle To Run For Senate
Popular Republican Congressman Mike Castle is running for the US Senate seat formerly held by Vice President Joseph Biden. This is a big recruiting catch for Senate Republicans and a big downer for House Republicans. Castle's House seat is now likely to go Democratic in November 2010 but he is at least an even bet, if not a slight favorite to pick up a Senate seat for the … [Read more...] about Castle To Run For Senate
Dollar May Be Dropped In Oil Trade (Guest Voice)
Dollar May Be Dropped In Oil Trade by John Wells A troubling article in the UK Independent reports that Gulf Arabs are planning with China, Russia and France to begin dropping the dollar as the trading currency for oil and moving to a hodgepodge of currencies including the Chinese yuan, the Japanese yen and the euro. Meetings have already been held discreetly by the … [Read more...] about Dollar May Be Dropped In Oil Trade (Guest Voice)
U.S. Should End Afghan War Now (China Daily, People’s Republic of China)
Is it time for the U.S. military to leave Afghanistan and that nation's security to an international peacekeeping force? In this surprisingly forthright op-ed credited to the deputy general of the China Council for National Security Policy Studies, the Beijing leadership definitively wades into the question of what should be done to fix Afghanistan. For the China Daily, … [Read more...] about U.S. Should End Afghan War Now (China Daily, People’s Republic of China)