Euro Jules Crittenden writes: "Europhobia" is on the rise across Europe, where many Christian, Jews and secular Europeans are menaced and misunderstood — some on a daily basis — the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia said Monday in a new report. The Vienna-based center, which tracks ethnic and religious bias across the 25-country European Union, said … [Read more...] about Europhobia on the Rise… In Europe?

In God's Universe, Harvard Professor of Astronomy and the History of Science Emeritus Owen Gingerich spells out his views on the creation of the universe, arguing that "the universe has been created with intention and purpose, and that this belief does not interfere with the scientific enterprise." He believes that the universe can be seen as a more "coherent and congenial … [Read more...] about Book Review: “God’s Universe”

Japan's conservative government has removed two pillars of its post-World War II pacifism. It now requires schools to teach patriotism and has upgraded its Defense Agency to a full ministry. What to make of this news? Perhaps both too much and not enough given Japan’s unique status and character: Sixty one years after the end of World War II, Germany is a fully fledged … [Read more...] about War & Peace: What Is It With Japan?

The results of the 2006 Weblog Awards are in. The list of 2006 Weblog Award Winners is HERE. All of us here at TMV want to express our appreciation to everyone who voted for this site — ending in our winning the Best Centrist Blog category. As longtime readers of this nearly-three-year-old weblog know, in past years we either had fun with almost satirical posts about … [Read more...] about 2006 Weblog Awards: The Crew At TMV Says “Thank You”

Comedy that adds up: … [Read more...] about Blind Date – Olde English Sketch Comedy

A few things to pass along to TMV readers: THE REFORMAT OF TMV is well underway. You will note some changes on this page. You'll also note that you now can click on CATEGORIES on the lower right side of the site's margin. This will increasingly let you read stories under specific categories. It is NOT retroactive, though, so this is something that will be starting now. Also … [Read more...] about Note To Readers

Do I even have to ask? And did you know that marijuana is becoming the biggest cash crop in the US? More here? … [Read more...] about Are We Winning The War On Drugs?

">From Reuters"U.S. growers produce nearly $35 billion worth of marijuana annually, making the illegal drug the country's largest cash crop, bigger than corn and wheat combined, an advocate of medical marijuana use said in a study released on Monday. ..."Like all profitable agricultural crops marijuana adds resources and value to the economy," he added. "The focus of public … [Read more...] about Marijuana top US cash crop

Show of Bipartisanship on Energy Tax CreditA bipartisan group of 42 senators is urging President Bush to extend renewable energy tax credits for five years when he sends Congress his fiscal 2008 budget in early February. In a letter to the president, the lawmakers pointed out that the tax incentive for renewable energy outlined in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is set to expire … [Read more...] about Show of Bipartisanship on Energy Tax Credit

Washington is giving serious thought to sending more than 20,000 troops to Baghdad mainly to militarily defeat the Mahdi militia of the nationalist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. This could be America’s greatest blunder so far and also cause the world to see it as an act of desperation. Supporters of this option hope it would strengthen Prime Minister Nuri Kamal … [Read more...] about On sending more troops to Iraq

The harrowing story of Donald Vance, detained by America in Iraq for 97 days. His "crime"? Being caught in a raid of a company involved in weapons smuggling. The problem? He was the whistleblower who called for the raid in the first place! … [Read more...] about An American Detainee

Today's Literary Quote of the Day is from Virginia Woolf's Jacob's Room:Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by his heart, and his friends can only read the title.As always, share your thoughts or drop one of your own favorite literary quotes in the comment section of this post. … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: Virginia Woolf

I was not initially amused to read over the weekend that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "offered qualified support Sunday for a plan to increase U.S. troops in Iraq," according to the AP. After all, it's one thing for Silvestre Reyes to come out in favour of an increase, quite another for the Senate's top Democrat to do so. But Reid does not support an increase just for the … [Read more...] about Reid’s risky strategy

H/t 'Interested' From Macnelly.com. … [Read more...] about They Can’t BUY Me!

Church or School? That is the question An interesting article at the NYT about a teacher who seemed to have some difficulty distinguishing a school building from a Church:Before David Paszkiewicz got to teach his accelerated 11th-grade history class about the United States Constitution this fall, he was accused of violating it. Shortly after school began in September, the … [Read more...] about God and School

The Guardian reports that life isn't quite as good for Ahmadinejad as he might wish:Early results from last Friday's election suggested that his Sweet Scent of Service coalition had won just three out of 15 seats on the symbolically important Tehran city council, foiling Mr Ahmadinejad's plan to oust the mayor and replace him with an ally. Compounding his setback was the … [Read more...] about Setback for Ahmadinejad

The Wall Street Journal on why Obama may not run:Just about everybody seems convinced that Sen. Barack Obama is going to run for president. The Chicago Sun-Times, his hometown paper, is writing as if his candidacy is an established fact. Newsweek magazine cites sources close to him who claim that he's "about 80 percent" certain to run. Obamamania will continue to build until … [Read more...] about WSJ: Why Obama May Not Run

My favorite Diva... by far My good friend Alexandra von Maltzan from All Things Beautiful announced today that she has been nominated for the Grande Conservative Blogress Diva 2007 Award, hosted by Gay Patriot. Obviously, there are many divas in the blogosphere, but there is - in my mind - but one true Diva, with capital 'd': Alexandra. I would like to encourage all of you … [Read more...] about Grande Conservative Blogress Diva 2007… How’s This a Contest?

Hat Tip: Dr. Barnett Report: China weighs covert ops to overthrow North Korea's KimChina has begun drawing up plans to attack North Korea, according to the Paris-based Intelligence Online newsletter. Hu Jintao, head of the Central Military Commission, has ordered the Chinese military to draw up the attack plan as a move "deliberately meant as a threat to the regime of Kim … [Read more...] about China weighs covert ops to overthrow North Korea’s Kim

Florida pols find center fieldLooks like the political middle is going to be crowded in 2007. Gov.-elect Charlie Crist's centrist approach to leadership is suddenly catching on with fellow Republicans, perhaps another sign that Gov. Jeb Bush's my-way-or-the-highway style is waning. House Speaker Marco Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt last week gave Democrats unprecedented … [Read more...] about Florida Legislature Embraces Centrism