WASHINGTON -- Try a thought experiment: What would conservatives have said if a group of loud, scruffy leftists had brought guns to the public events of Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush? How would our friends on the right have reacted to someone at a Reagan or a Bush speech carrying a sign that read: "It's time to water the tree of liberty"? That would be a reference … [Read more...] about The Politics of the Jackboot (Guest Voice)
Good News on the Mosquito Repellent Front
Better than DEET and less toxic, too: A chemical that resembles natural products from black pepper can deter mosquitoes four times longer than DEET, the world’s most widely used bug repellent. The new substance could be used to protect people who live in the developing world, or to shield soldiers from insects when they deploy to countries with pest problems. “Our goal … [Read more...] about Good News on the Mosquito Repellent Front
Disqus 3: Imminent!
Disqus 3 is coming to this blog very very soon with many enhancements to make the commenting experience better and more robust. I will write more about it once Disqus 3 is on TMV. Check out the video below: DISQUS V3 from Giannii on Vimeo. … [Read more...] about Disqus 3: Imminent!
This Is Really So Pathetic
From TheHill.com: … [Read more...] about This Is Really So Pathetic
As Goes ‘Nazis’ So Goes ‘Racists’?
Years ago I threw my lot in with those who argued we shouldn't get into the Hitler argument. Now here we are, at it again. It's a problem Joe took up in his quote of the day on Tuesday. In that same vein, Leonard Pitts devotes his column today to a history lesson about Nazis: it was Nazis who shoved sand down a boy's throat until he died, who tossed candies to Jewish children … [Read more...] about As Goes ‘Nazis’ So Goes ‘Racists’?
Is Obama Playing The Triangle ?
I don't know whether President Obama has any musical talent or if he plays any particular instrument. But his actions over the past few weeks have made me start to wonder if he's taking a page from the Clinton playbook. After his landslide defeat in the 1994 elections President Clinton adopted the the now famous triangulation strategy in which he pitted himself against … [Read more...] about Is Obama Playing The Triangle ?
Robots ‘Evolve’ The Ability To Deceive
Technology Review on a robot experiment that shows how "deceptive" behavior can emerge from simple rules: Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland have found that robots equipped with artificial neural networks and programmed to find "food" eventually learned to conceal their visual signals from other robots to keep the food for themselves. … [Read more...] about Robots ‘Evolve’ The Ability To Deceive
Can Reform Cure Krugman-itis?
Krugman-itis is terrible. I should know. I used to suffer from it myself. When I was younger, I used to believe that Democrats were always at a disadvantage because they were too honest for their own good. This state of affairs was depressing, but also intoxicating. I believed with all my heart that my party was more honest, more intelligent and more enlightened. So now … [Read more...] about Can Reform Cure Krugman-itis?
Scorned Woman Scorecard
It's definitely not Stand By Your Man Month as Mark Sanford's wife and Bernard Madoff's mistress join Elizabeth Edwards in going public to take whacks at the cheating hearts in their lives. After throwing out her lovesick husband, Jenny Sanford is posing for Vogue and telling an interviewer that the South Carolina governor, with whom she was not "madly in love" when she … [Read more...] about Scorned Woman Scorecard
The Persistent Nudge to Compromise
I suggested this morning that (1) the "co-op compromise," as an alternative to the "public option," was DOA, given the intransigence of Republican leadership; and (2) the public option -- perhaps with tweaks, but largely as proposed in House Commerce and Senate HELP -- would likely become law. Others -- here, here, and here -- suggest a non-public-option compromise remains … [Read more...] about The Persistent Nudge to Compromise
The Ideological Gulf (Back into the Breach)
It's unfortunate that what I brought online yesterday was colored by some distracting background noise, and I very much regret that I allowed a defensive reaction to intrude on the larger point I was trying to make. Since that point got lost in the shouting and attacks (and with the acknowledgment that I may have some hitherto unrecognized masochistic pathology), I'm going to … [Read more...] about The Ideological Gulf (Back into the Breach)
Barney Frank Bats Down “Nazi” Charge At Town Hall
Rep. Barney Frank batted down a heath care reform protester who not only asked him a question suggesting he supported a Nazi policy (Barack Obama's healthcare reform) but also held a Hitler-like doctored photo of Obama. And Frank did what a politician needed to do: confront this toxicity of polemics head on: The Los Angeles Times' Tim Rutten deals with the issue of the … [Read more...] about Barney Frank Bats Down “Nazi” Charge At Town Hall
A Full-Disk Photo of the Earth
NASA has posted the first infrared image taken with the newest weather satellite, and it is amazing. Hurricane Bill is visible in the full disk view of the Earth, and the photo shows how huge these storms are. --- Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. --- … [Read more...] about A Full-Disk Photo of the Earth
Quote for the Day: Rahm Emanuel
For alternative takes on the general subject discussed below, check here. ---------- Mr. Emanuel, as quoted in an article on the front page of today's NYT, New York edition: “The Republican leadership ... has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance … [Read more...] about Quote for the Day: Rahm Emanuel
Remembering Robert Novak — Interview (Guest Voice)
Remembering Robert Novak -- Interview by Bill Steigerwald Conservative columnist and CNN “crossfire” host Robert Novak died Tuesday at age 78 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. Known as the “Prince of Darkness” – by his friends – because of his pessimistic persona, Novak was a tough political reporter from the old school who caused more than his share of … [Read more...] about Remembering Robert Novak — Interview (Guest Voice)
‘Russian Obama’ Emerges in Volgograd: Vremya Novostei, Russia
Transplanted from Guinea-Bissau twenty years ago, a 37-year-old Afro-Russian watermelon salesman is making waves by running for a local parliamentary seat in Russia's Volgograd Oblast (formerly Stalingrad). This news item by Natalia Rozhkova of Russia's Vremya Novostei newspaper examines his candidacy and chances of winning, and compares how minority candidates in Russia … [Read more...] about ‘Russian Obama’ Emerges in Volgograd: Vremya Novostei, Russia
So What’s the Endgame in Iraq?
So what's the endgame in Iraq? Skillful foreign policy decision makers will think through the various scenarios and be ready for them. George Friedman, in a Stratfor Intelligence Report article on RealClearWorld looks at some of them. And his key conclusion: whatever happens, Iran must be factored into it. Here's just a small part of the piece, the ending: The American … [Read more...] about So What’s the Endgame in Iraq?
Social Media Is Not A Fad
It's a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. John Battelle: True, to a point. What it really is, is the release of how we already communicate, but now at scale. It's not a shift in *how* we communicate, it's a step function in our *ability* to communicate. There's an important difference there. One could argue that means a fundamental shift, but such a statement … [Read more...] about Social Media Is Not A Fad
How Polling Really Works
Just another lesson for us Yanks from the wise Sir Humphrey … [Read more...] about How Polling Really Works
Australia’s Big Gas Deals With China & India
Kevin Rudd's government is in a celebration mode following Australia's twin victory in finalizing 20-year-long liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deals with India and China. A sales and purchase AUD 25 billion agreement between ExxonMobil and Petronet LNG of India signed last week is the "dawning of a new trading partnership." Under the agreement, Exxon Mobil will supply … [Read more...] about Australia’s Big Gas Deals With China & India