I'm sometimes at a loss for words when writing about Afghanistan because I have family there, because I know many ordinary Afghans see the United States as an unwelcome occupying force at this point, because I believe that we've seriously dropped the ball and have an obligation to ensure the Taliban never regains power, and because I don't have a clue what the right strategy … [Read more...] about Repeating History in Afghanistan
Perspectives on Israel, Gaza
Per my upbringing, I'm instinctively pro-Israel. I'm also terribly un-educated on the names, faces, arguments, and counter-arguments surrounding the current conflict and the history leading up to it. I thus took a few minutes this morning to read several related items: one from New York, one from London, and one from Jerusalem. If you're similarly seeking perspective, I … [Read more...] about Perspectives on Israel, Gaza
Use Those Gift Cards Soon
It's always a warning we hear at holiday time, but given the economy, it is even more worth considering: Use those holiday gift cards soon. An estimated $24.9 billion was spent on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. You were probably part of that statistic. While many people like to hold on to gift cards for something special to … [Read more...] about Use Those Gift Cards Soon
Our New Year’s Resolutions
While I can't promise my fellow bloggers will follow through with this, here's your chance to suggest the kinds of changes you'd like to see us make during 2009. For example: What kind of stories would you like to see us cover ? Do you want more or less coverage of international stories ? What would you like to see us cut back on (and no, you can't say "Get rid of … [Read more...] about Our New Year’s Resolutions
Your New Year’s Resolutions
OK people, we all know this is the time of year when we all pledge to ourselves to make changes in our lives, even though we know that in a matter of days or weeks we will fail to keep them. So here is a chance for you to make your promises to yourself public, which might help you keep those promises. Or maybe we can start discussing how we failed on our resolutions, why … [Read more...] about Your New Year’s Resolutions
The Evil and the Foolish
Though my own posts haven't been bad, I think the folks over at Lawyers, Guns, and Money have probably the best package of coverage regarding Israel's latest operation in Gaza. One of the things I think they've done effectively is avoid some of the easy traps that obscure efforts to actually evaluate what Israel's doing. Trap #1, emanating from the left, is the … [Read more...] about The Evil and the Foolish
Of Mahatma Gandhi & Popeye the Sailor
What is common between the legendary Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and the creator of the iconic cartoon character Popeye the Sailor? All the copyright material related to them would end on January 1, 2009 when these fall into the public domain. The statutory law restricts the rights of authors to 60/70 years after their death. The copyright expiry means that, from Thursday, … [Read more...] about Of Mahatma Gandhi & Popeye the Sailor
Astronomy Notes
As we head into 2009 (the International Astronomical Year) I am going to try and keep my fellow skywatchers updated on some of the more interesting astronomical events of the year. While weather many not always cooperate there are some fun things in the skies for the coming year. Our first event actually takes us through the end of 2008 as we get to experience a rare … [Read more...] about Astronomy Notes
“Barack The Magic Negro”: Can The Republican Party Move Beyond Limbaughization?
The mini-firestorm that continues to rage over a candidate for the RNC chairmanship mailing Republican leaders a CD with a song satire parody titled "Barack The Magic Negro" that was originally played and defended by conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh raises a fundamental question: As it recovers from its Election 2008 drubbing and the Republican Party moves … [Read more...] about “Barack The Magic Negro”: Can The Republican Party Move Beyond Limbaughization?
The Hopelessness in the Gaza-Israel Relationship
This is it: As for the Palestinians, they plan to declare victory regardless of what happens. If the IDF withdraws rapidly, without a ground operation and without having seriously reduced the rocket fire, Hamas will boast that it survived and Israel blinked first. But Hamas officials and analysts said Monday that the organization would actually like Israel to launch a … [Read more...] about The Hopelessness in the Gaza-Israel Relationship
New Year’s Resolutions: Not Leading, Following, or Getting Out of the Way
It’s that time of year again: Time to promise that we’ll do better in the next 12 months than we did in the prior 12. I won’t bother you with my personal or familial resolutions for ’09, but I do want to share a few blogging-related resolutions. In the past year, I’ve increasingly found it necessary to withdraw elements of, or entirely delete, certain posts -- usually … [Read more...] about New Year’s Resolutions: Not Leading, Following, or Getting Out of the Way
Lowballing Bush Memoirs
Laura Bush was on Fox News yesterday, probably the last in a round of appearances to drum up interest in her memoirs. For some reason, publishers have not been bidding up any proposals for Bush nostalgia, even those of the relatively popular First Lady. "One question that seems to be weighing on prospective editors," the New Yorker reports, "is whether a book by Mrs. Bush … [Read more...] about Lowballing Bush Memoirs
‘Too Big to Fail’
One of my former bosses from the late 1990s recently penned a guest commentary for our hometown daily, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It was published yesterday and essentially asked, if certain financial companies have become 'too big to fail,' why did U.S. regulators allow them to get that big in the first place, and why do they continue to protect said firms' disproportionate … [Read more...] about ‘Too Big to Fail’
Smoking Police Handcuff Obama
The anti-smoking police are thrusting their will on President-Elect Barack Obama to stop smoking. We assume they mean cigarettes. By all intents and purposes, Obama seems to be trying. A medical report on Obama's health quotes his physician saying Obama smokes three to five cigarettes a day. He has quit and relapsed on numerous occasions. Three to five cigs a day? Some … [Read more...] about Smoking Police Handcuff Obama
Quote Of The Day: Some Republicans Are Trying To Rewrite Election 2008 History
The political quote of the day comes from centrist Republican Louis Zickar , editor of the Ripon Forum, from an op-ed piece he wrote for the Des Moines Register: As Republicans debate the future of the party, it's worth noting that some in the party are already trying to rewrite the past. In recent weeks, several members of the more conservative wing of the GOP have … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: Some Republicans Are Trying To Rewrite Election 2008 History
Kashmir: “Triumph Of Democracy”
A large majority of voters in the Indian-part of Kashmir have sent a clear message to the world that they want democracy and will not bow to the diktats of militants/separatists. London's Financial Times reports: "Separatists who want an independent state. or a merger with Pakistan, had urged Kashmiris to boycott the election (to the State assembly). Yet the turnout was … [Read more...] about Kashmir: “Triumph Of Democracy”
How the Independent Movement Went Left By Going Right (Guest Voice)
The election of Barack Obama was a watershed moment for the United States in many ways. One way: it was a key moment for independent voters. Some independent are exactly that -- totally off by themselves. But there are other independent voters who see the need for an independent voter movement. In this Guest Voice post cross-posted on the independent blog The Hankster, … [Read more...] about How the Independent Movement Went Left By Going Right (Guest Voice)
Building Wheelchair Ramps
In today's NYT, Paul Krugman frets about "state governors who are slashing spending in a time of recession, often at the expense both of their most vulnerable constituents and of the nation’s economic future." Krugman's worries are sparked, in part, by reports like this one, published in Friday's WaPo: States from Rhode Island to California are being forced to curtail … [Read more...] about Building Wheelchair Ramps
“Magic Negro”—What Will Limbaugh Say?
While this weekend's firestorm over the crude and offensive "Barack the Magic Negro" so-called parody centered on RNC's top office candidate Chip Saltsman, the person who proudly introduced this crap to Americans was none other than His Conservative Majesty (HCM) Rush Limbaugh---previously a.k.a. the "role model for America's youth." As such it will be interesting to hear … [Read more...] about “Magic Negro”—What Will Limbaugh Say?
The Wisdom of Hamas
Monte Wolverton, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about The Wisdom of Hamas