Yes I know, the Sanford affair has been covered ad nauseam by the U.S. media. As a translator for Watching America, I have been scanning the Latin press for any spicy articles on the subject. Surprisingly---except for the initial flurry of rather factual articles---the Spanish and Latin press have been quite sedate about the entire episode. In a piece about a week ago, … [Read more...] about Governor Sanford’s “Fuga di Cervelli”
Job Market Worsens: No Sign Stimulus Helping Labor Market
There's bad economic news for the nation and, in political terms, for the Obama administration: new statistics indicate the job market has worsened and that the stimulus package isn't doing anything yet on the labor front: Employers in the U.S. cut 467,000 jobs in June, the unemployment rate rose and hourly earnings stagnated, offering little evidence the Obama … [Read more...] about Job Market Worsens: No Sign Stimulus Helping Labor Market
Where Earth Meets Sky
Since I likely shall not get to do as much publishing as normal over the next week or so, I would share with our readers a bit of vacation experience. (And, according to some of you, a period of decompression which I've been badly in need of. I agree. I've been much more short tempered of late, and I offer my apologies for that.) In any event, if you click on the thumbnail … [Read more...] about Where Earth Meets Sky
Clueless About America: Why Civics Education is Essential to America’s Health (Guest Voice)
Clueless About America: Why Civics Education is Essential to America’s Health by Daniel Reeder I recently had a conversation with my father, who was questioning a long-held tenet of American Government, specifically the need for a judiciary free from political consideration. That conversation brought to mind an article I read some time ago in a legal publication about … [Read more...] about Clueless About America: Why Civics Education is Essential to America’s Health (Guest Voice)
Bring on the Clowns
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Bring on the Clowns
Judge Bans Book: Kills Off 60 Year Old Copy-Cat Caulfield
In America, commerce trumps speech: In a 37-page ruling, [Judge Deborah A. Batts, of the United States District Court in Manhattan] issued a preliminary injunction — indefinitely barring the publication, advertising or distribution of the book in this country — after considering the merits of the case. The book has been published in Britain. In a suit filed on June 1, … [Read more...] about Judge Bans Book: Kills Off 60 Year Old Copy-Cat Caulfield
Two Styles of Political Suicide
While Mark Sanford continues to go for his own jugular with new confessions that will force him out of office, there is news about his neighbor to the north, John Edwards, that should bury him politically once and for all. The two offer a fascinating contrast in self-destructive styles. Now that his erotic secrets are out, the South Carolina governor just can't stop … [Read more...] about Two Styles of Political Suicide
Sabato’s Crystal Ball – THE GOP: POISED FOR ANOTHER QUICK COMEBACK?
Rhodes Cook on THE GOP: POISED FOR ANOTHER QUICK COMEBACK? The current state of the Republican Party is a good-news, bad-news situation. The good news is that the GOP has gone through several debilitating elections over the last generation and each time has recovered quickly. The bad news is that the conditions may not be as ripe this time for a fast Republican comeback … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball – THE GOP: POISED FOR ANOTHER QUICK COMEBACK?
Personal Democracy Forum 2009 Round-up w/Links to 11 Live-blogs
What's at the intersection of politics and technology? More than a thousand people at 60th and Broadway on June 29 and 30th, aka Personal Democracy Forum 2009. I attended Day 2 of PdF and suggest that first, before anything else, you check out the new IT Dashboard that lets you see how your taxpayer dollars are being spent by the federal government in a way you've never seen … [Read more...] about Personal Democracy Forum 2009 Round-up w/Links to 11 Live-blogs
Sanford’s Days Appear To Be Numbered
It looks like <insert your own metaphor here> has come to pass and Governor Sanford will very soon become former Governor Sanford. But then you never know what this guy is gonna do...... … [Read more...] about Sanford’s Days Appear To Be Numbered
New Twist In Michael Jackson Death Case
Could this ultimately end in charges of criminal manslaughter? … [Read more...] about New Twist In Michael Jackson Death Case
Franken
David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Franken
Here’s A Shock For You
Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine and prominent leader of the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement against Israel, is an apologist for anti-Semitism at the UN. Indeed, she goes out and directly blames the victims, accusing them of "sabotage" for having the temerity to call out bigotry at the Durban II conference this past year. … [Read more...] about Here’s A Shock For You
Regional Democracy At Work
The member nations of the Organization of American States came together in a closed-door all-night emergency session today in Washington, D.C. that resulted in the Honduran government being given three days to restore Pres. Manuel Zelaya to his rightful position as Honduras's democratically elected leader, or face the possibility of having the country's membership in the OAS … [Read more...] about Regional Democracy At Work
Learned And Eventually Forgotten
Many amazing things were accomplished in the days before computers became ubiquitous and the world wide web became a distraction as well as a tool. Nazi Germany built the first jet fighter in the world, and was in the process of building a plane that bears a remarkable resemblance to the modern B2 bomber (although I think the stealth aspects of the "Hilter's Stealth-Fighter" … [Read more...] about Learned And Eventually Forgotten
Torture and Accountability
Today is the day that the Obama administration is supposed to finally release that much-anticipated 2004 Inspector-General's report on the Bush administration's use of torture. The CIA has already twice pushed the release date back; the most recent delay being the one Greg Sargent reported last week: … [Read more...] about Torture and Accountability
Sarah’s A Runner
Andrew Sullivan takes a break from the Vanity Fair fuss to point to Sarah "I'm a runner" Palin in Runner's World. The photo above is from photographer Brian Adams' slide show. Sullivan quotes a Dish reader: It's not proper to display the flag to have it draped over a chair. Just imagine the outrage on Fox News if there was a photo of Obama and an improper display of … [Read more...] about Sarah’s A Runner
12 Changes to Expect From The Newly Legit Pirate Bay
From Woot: New mascot: a wide-eyed lemur voiced by Justin Timberlake DRM limitations require biometrically encoded MP3s audible only to the purchaser Each torrent will include a 4GB "bonus pack" with different versions of Solitaire and a playable demo of "Dinosaur Alphabet Learning" Seeders get points that can be redeemed for novelty pencil erasers or plastic … [Read more...] about 12 Changes to Expect From The Newly Legit Pirate Bay
Dichotomy Of A “Worst Person” Story
Have you even wondered as I have about the people who make Keith Olbermann's "Worst Persons" list who are not politicians or household names? I confess it is oftentimes my favorite segment on his nightly show on MSNBC. Tuesday night Olbermann singled out a San Diego County sheriff's deputy who he said maced and roughly threw to the ground and then handcuffed the hostess of … [Read more...] about Dichotomy Of A “Worst Person” Story
The Last Soldiers To Die
In 1971, while Americans were still debating how and when to leave Vietnam, a young officer in battle fatigues named John Kerry testified before Congress. I don't remember his exact words during that appearance. But it came down to something like this: What do we tell the family of the last soldier who dies in Vietnam that it was all a mistake? Yesterday, on the same day that … [Read more...] about The Last Soldiers To Die