His Vanity Fair pieces were a guilty pleasure for me. From his CNN obit: Called "Nick" by his friends, Dunne was putting the finishing touches on his final novel, which he said he planned to call "Too Much Money," when his health took a turn for the worse. He flew to Germany earlier this month for another round of stem cell treatments at the same Bavarian clinic where the … [Read more...] about Dominick Dunne Dead in Manhattan at 83
A Turnaround In The Housing Market?
The great debate in economic circles these days is whether there's a turnaround going on in the American housing market. To help determine whether this is occurring, computers used to defeat a Russian chess master in a mere 32 moves have been employed, along with mathematical models that are rumored to have been salvaged from a UFO that went down in Roswell, N.M. in 1947. … [Read more...] about A Turnaround In The Housing Market?
Ted Kennedy’s “Littlest Refusenik”
Only a few hours after the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, there is a flood of stories on the life and the accomplishments of the Lion of the Senate. The vast majority of the stories are complimentary of the Senator. There are some exceptions. As all humans, Ted Kennedy had his flaws and made his share of mistakes. I understand that the Senator will be buried at … [Read more...] about Ted Kennedy’s “Littlest Refusenik”
Health Care Must Reads
And if they're not "must reads," then they're at least "worthy reads." Both from today's NYT. Up first: David Leonhardt, who riffs on "real choice" (i.e., the lack thereof) among health insurance options. From his conclusion: ... the defenders of the employer system have some legitimate arguments. An insurance exchange may end up having some of the same pitfalls as … [Read more...] about Health Care Must Reads
The Kennedy Brother Who Died in Bed
At the age of twelve, he pestered his family to let him contribute to a memorial volume about his oldest brother, Joe, who had been lost in World War II. What Teddy Kennedy chose to remember was how, after hounding Joe into letting him crew in a sailboat race and failing to help him win, he found himself thrown into icy water, only to be lifted back up seconds later by his … [Read more...] about The Kennedy Brother Who Died in Bed
Tweeting His Heart Out for Ted Kennedy
I am planning to do a round-up of Ted Kennedy coverage, remembrances, commentary, and so on -- but for right now I want to point to the Twitter page of Matthew Elliot, aka matttbastard, who is among other things a contributing writer at Comments from Left Field. Matt has been twittering pretty much non-stop about Sen. Kennedy's death since the news broke around midnight. … [Read more...] about Tweeting His Heart Out for Ted Kennedy
Massachusetts To Change Election Law?
Reports coming out today that the Massachusetts legislature might try to change the succession law to allow a temporary replacement to be appointed to fill the Kennedy seat. I will be interested to see the legal foundation for such a change (if it indeed happens, obviously rumors tend to fly at a time like this). As far as I can remember from my law school days you generally … [Read more...] about Massachusetts To Change Election Law?
John McCain on Ted Kennedy
Ben Smith characterizes it as a "classic" statement. But "classy" was the "c" adjective it prompted for me. I'd also add "genuine" and "heartfelt" to the list. Judge for yourself. … [Read more...] about John McCain on Ted Kennedy
The Lion and a Cub
In 2002, when I was still working for JoAnne Barnhart, the Commissioner of Social Security, I traveled with her to Boston for an event unveiling a program called "Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency." Senator Ted Kennedy was instrumental in getting the legislation passed and the Commissioner wanted to present him the 1st Ticket at the ceremony. He was larger than life. I … [Read more...] about The Lion and a Cub
Nancy Reagan on Ted Kennedy
Per The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, the former First Lady issued the following statement on the passing of the Lion of the Senate: I was terribly saddened to hear of the death of Ted Kennedy tonight. Given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised by how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family. But Ronnie and Ted could always find common ground, … [Read more...] about Nancy Reagan on Ted Kennedy
Microsoft’s Photoshop Blunder Becomes A Meme
And in other news.... Microsoft apologized Tuesday for using photo editing techniques to change the race of a person depicted on the company's Web site. In a photo on the company's U.S. Web site, three businesspeople--one black, one white and one Asian are shown as part of a pitch for Microsoft's business productivity software. In the same photo on the site of Microsoft's … [Read more...] about Microsoft’s Photoshop Blunder Becomes A Meme
The Kennedy Boys: Back Together at Last
As has already been noted here by some of our fine writers, Ted Kennedy has at long last gone on to join his equally famous siblings in history. While he was the youngest of nine, most of the early attention was focused on Joe, who died in the war, John the iconic president, Bobby - who came close but was cut off before following his brother - and Ted himself. Ted, I think, … [Read more...] about The Kennedy Boys: Back Together at Last
Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne
Every person's life is like a kaleidoscope. Some pick up another's life, hold it to the light and all the glass chips fall this way or that. And the person sighting through the cylinder puts it down and turns away, saying they've seen it all, when in fact, they've only seen one facet, one pattern in another's life. Thus some remember only one thing or two about the life of … [Read more...] about Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne
Senator Kennedy Dies
Just breaking, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has died at the age of 77 after a battle with cancer. This marks the first time in 56 years that there has not been a Kennedy in the Senate. However I do not expect this condition to remain forever. The late Senator's son Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) may well run for the Senate at some point and there are many Kennedy family members still … [Read more...] about Senator Kennedy Dies
How To Fudge the Truth With Precise Language
As Spencer Ackerman thoroughly documented here, those two memos from 2004 and 2005 that former vice-president Dick Cheney wanted the CIA to release because, he said, they would prove that a set of alternate procedures torture produced actionable intelligence that saved lives and prevented terrorist attacks, prove no such thing. … [Read more...] about How To Fudge the Truth With Precise Language
Fijian Government Silences Methodist Choral Festival
Here. I would say, "Everybody's a critic," but truth is the government's dislike of the festival has nothing to do with music and everything with the Methodist Church's opposition to the coup which brought the government to power. [Sort of crossposted on my personal blog.] … [Read more...] about Fijian Government Silences Methodist Choral Festival
The IG Report on Torture and Related Subjects
Despite the CIA's delaying tactics, which have been going on for months now, the much-anticipated Inspector-General's Report on the CIA's Bush-era interrogation program came out yesterday, as promised the last time the release date was postponed. Also yesterday, Attorney-General Eric Holder announced his intent to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate "cases of abuse … [Read more...] about The IG Report on Torture and Related Subjects
The West’s ‘Profound Hypocrisy’ Over Lockerbie ‘Suspect’s’ Release: Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria
Is it possible that Western officials were surprised by the welcome given by Libyan despot Mouammar Qadaffi to Lockerbie bombing convict Abdels al-Megrahi? Or could it be that their outrage stems from the embarrassment they feel over the way the story has been covered by the Western media? Reflecting a swath of Muslim reaction to the story, K. Selim of Algeria's Le Quotidien … [Read more...] about The West’s ‘Profound Hypocrisy’ Over Lockerbie ‘Suspect’s’ Release: Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria
The Gathering Storm: H1N1
WaPo: Swine flu could infect half the U.S. population this fall and winter, hospitalizing up to 1.8 million people and causing as many as 90,000 deaths -- more than double the number that occur in an average flu season, according to an estimate from a presidential panel released Monday. That panel, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), … [Read more...] about The Gathering Storm: H1N1
Shuttle Launch Scrubbed (Deja Vu)
Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning and we've got another scrub. In this case it was an equipment issue with the failure of a Liquid Hydrogen valve to report proper closing. Obviously when it comes to Liquid Hydrogen you do NOT want to mess around with possible problems. Having volatile fuels leaking out at launch leads to some very messy outcomes. Right now they are on a … [Read more...] about Shuttle Launch Scrubbed (Deja Vu)