Tina Brown wants to speed up the publishing cycle of books: The Daily Beast is forming a new imprint, Beast Books, that will focus on publishing timely titles by Daily Beast writers — first as e-books, and then as paperbacks on a much shorter schedule than traditional books. On a typical publishing schedule, a writer may take a year or more to deliver a manuscript, after … [Read more...] about Coming Soon(er): Beast Books
The Shameless Hall of Fame
The bar for embarrassment is so high now it's almost out of sight for celebrities who do things that would make the rest of us die of shame. Tom DeLay, who left Congress under a cloud of Jack Abramoff corruption, is ready to sashay in sequins on "Dancing With the Stars." Eliot Spitzer, who resigned as governor of New York for caucusing with call girls, shows up on Bill … [Read more...] about The Shameless Hall of Fame
Bringing The Olympics Home… By Any Means Necessary!
Ok... Ok... The title is a bit over the top but President Obama is going to be the first U.S. President to appear before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to lobby for the Olympics (via The Huffington Post): WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's decision to fly to Denmark to support Chicago's Olympics bid elevates the Games to an issue of national importance – and … [Read more...] about Bringing The Olympics Home… By Any Means Necessary!
Iran And Nukes—The Iranian View
When engaged in an argument, it's always wise to understand the other party's point of view. Not to agree with this view, of course, but as a means to possibly resolve the disagreement in a way that benefits everyone. With this in mind, here's some reasons why Iran might think it is both justified and necessary to develop the nuclear weapons that pretty much all objective … [Read more...] about Iran And Nukes—The Iranian View
William Safire (1929-2009)
William Safire -- Nixon speechwriter, New York Times columnist, and conservative intellectual -- has died at the age of 79. I'll admit, I never much cared for him -- or, rather, for his work: Unlike most Washington columnists who offer judgments with Olympian detachment, Mr. Safire was a pugnacious contrarian who did much of his own reporting, called people liars in print … [Read more...] about William Safire (1929-2009)
“People May Not Be Logical, But Few Of Them Are Crazy”
TED is one of the most interesting sites on the internet, and Jonathan Haidt's talk is one of the most interesting on TED. [Thus his insight is one of the most interesting on the internet, Q.E.D.] [Note: Sorry, I forgot to include a link to an interview that the excerpt and title are from.] He specifically studies what different moral values people have and how it relates … [Read more...] about “People May Not Be Logical, But Few Of Them Are Crazy”
Ondoy: The Katrina Of Asia ? (UPDATED)
Update: Reports now indicate that more than 500,000 people are homeless. Few people have insurance to pay for rebuilding. The death toll now is at 140 but is expected to climb. A story that has not been getting a lot of play in the US media is that of Typhoon, now Tropical Storm Ondoy. The storm has already devastated Manila in the Philippines and is heading for mainland … [Read more...] about Ondoy: The Katrina Of Asia ? (UPDATED)
President Obama: Restoring Chain-Of-Command (UPDATED)
UPDATE: According to MSNBC's First Read, President Obama will be meeting with ALL the players in his Situation Room tomorrow (emphasis mine): Although President Obama has spent so much time and energy on domestic issues in his first nine months in office, last week’s news (Iran and its nuclear ambitions and missile tests, the future of Gitmo’s closure, and Gen. McChrystal’s … [Read more...] about President Obama: Restoring Chain-Of-Command (UPDATED)
Democracy in Deutschland, Revisited
Four years ago, I wrote a six-part series at The Reaction -- "Democracy in Deutschland" -- on the German federal election. It was a fascinating election and a fascinating time in German politics, culminating in the creation of a so-called "Grand Coalition" between Angela Merkel's center-right CDU (along with its Bavarian sister party, the right-wing CSU) and the incumbent … [Read more...] about Democracy in Deutschland, Revisited
This quote seems apropos of the times, despite being written well over a decade ago
Once, long ago, the universe seemed to make sense to me, even if some people in it didn't make sense. Now, nothing seems rational or sensible any more, and something written for a satire seems to be the best description: There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced … [Read more...] about This quote seems apropos of the times, despite being written well over a decade ago
More Health Care Scare-Mongering
Some of our readers, I am sure, read the New York Times. Some---perhaps many---do not. They don't know what they are missing. Some love the New York Times. Some don't. They have quite different feelings towards the venerable publication---too graphic to describe here. But we'll forgive them for that. I, for one, read, like and---most of the time---agree with the New York … [Read more...] about More Health Care Scare-Mongering
Interview with Stephen Abraham
As we steadily approach January, by which time President Obama has promised to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, and as the Supreme Court, Congress and the nation continue to ponder appropriate outcomes, my latest interview in my series of interviews relevant to "the war on terror" (by my count, the 50th such interview) is with retired Army Reserve Lt. Col. Stephen … [Read more...] about Interview with Stephen Abraham
Roman Polanski: Scumbag
As you may have heard by now, infamous film director Roman Polanski has been arrested in Switzerland more than thirty years after the fact of his crimes and may be extradited to the United States. For those of us who have been outraged by this case for decades, it may come as cold comfort to see justice finally served when the criminal is in his twilight years and has lived a … [Read more...] about Roman Polanski: Scumbag
Ahmadinejad on Holocaust
Michael Keefe, The Denver Post This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Ahmadinejad on Holocaust
Michael Moore’s New “You Tube Moment” Interview With CNN’s Wolf Blitzer
CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Michael Moore are not enmeshed in a mutual admiration society. Two years ago Blitzer criticized some of the info in Moore's hit movie "Sicko" and had what they called a "You Tube" moment. To recap go HERE. And now they've had yet another one on CNN during Moore's latest CNN appearance to promote his new movie (which promises to be a smash hit) … [Read more...] about Michael Moore’s New “You Tube Moment” Interview With CNN’s Wolf Blitzer
How Not To Get Swine Flu (Guest Voice)
How Not to Get the Swine Flu Raging Moderate, by Will Durst Well, look at the time. Aren’t we expecting the Return of the Bride of the Son of the Swine Flu pretty soon? That’s right. It’s Baaaaack and this time, it’s personal. Scientists predict the virus will be worse this swing through the Northern Hemisphere, but come on, no matter how bad it gets, it’s still not going … [Read more...] about How Not To Get Swine Flu (Guest Voice)
Pleading the 17th
In 1913 our nation suffered a collective failure of judgment when we passed the 17th amendment. It was not a mistake to hand the power of electing senators to the voters rather than state legislatures, but we really dropped the ball when we put in an "option" for each state to pick and choose whether their governor could make interim appointments. The fundamental harm this … [Read more...] about Pleading the 17th
Australian Town Bans Water In Plastic Bottles
Australian town of Bundanoon has become the first in the world to ban commercially-bottled water. The ban, which is supported by local shopkeepers, means water in plastic bottles can no longer be bought in the town in the Southern Highlands, two hours from Sydney. Instead, reusable bottles have gone on sale, which can be refilled for free at new drinking fountains (photo … [Read more...] about Australian Town Bans Water In Plastic Bottles
Dan Riehl: Bill Sparkman May Have Been A Child Molester
It seems that haunting right-wing refrain about waiting for all the facts to be in only applies to liberals and Democrats. There's been a fair bit of speculation about who might have killed Bill Sparkman and why, based on the relatively few facts that are known in the case right now, but here Dan Riehl has gone and started speculating on the possibility that Sparkman was a … [Read more...] about Dan Riehl: Bill Sparkman May Have Been A Child Molester
If Texting Ban Comes, Truckers Want an Exception
Really??? The trucking industry says these devices can be used safely, posing less of a distraction than BlackBerrys, iPhones and similar gadgets, and therefore should be exempted from legislation that would ban texting while driving. “We think that’s overkill,” Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, said of a federal bill that would force states … [Read more...] about If Texting Ban Comes, Truckers Want an Exception