Hey, the debate circuit made the L.A. Times! Because we're craaaaazy (true statement). But we're also the future rulers of the earth. So read, and be afraid (actually, I don't think you have any reason to fear--that's the purpose of my post. But I harbor no illusions that I'll convince any of you that rap-centered cases are actually positive signs in our intellectual … [Read more...] about Performance Debate

Don't hate me because I keep asking for your vote! Go here or click the picture, and cast a ballot for The Debate Link! … [Read more...] about The Daily Plug

Strange..., to say the least. … [Read more...] about Where’d He Go?

Oil and the New Anti-Capitalist Fareed Zakaria helps to put oil into perspective in this Newsweek Column.All the growth sectors, from technology to services, are powered by the grid, not gasoline. What will feed this grid—coal, nuclear power or new technologies—is another large subject, but one thing is certain: it will not be oil. ...Oil will go from being the … [Read more...] about Putting Oil in Perspective

Kevin Carey wonders whether American students should learn a (or multiple) foreign language(s). His view? Nope.Not that I think studying language is a waste of time. I just would have been better off spending that time studying this language, doubling up on English literature, writing, rhetoric, etc. I know that students in other countries around the world are generally much … [Read more...] about Do You S.P.E.A.K. English?

Does it strike anyone else as slightly ironic that, if Al Gore actually manages to walk away with both the Statue and the White House, he will have done what Reagan couldn't? Even more ironic maybe, for you movie trivia buffs, is the fact that Reagan's character in Bedtime for Bonzo was a professor (Prof. Peter Boyd, to be exact) ... and Gore is remarkably professorial when he … [Read more...] about And the Oscar Goes to …

I must admit, Marc, I am extraordinarily disturbed by the growing chorus of apologia for brutal thug Augusto Pinochet. The argument seems to be twofold: 1) A left-wing dictator would have been worse, and 2) At least he helped spark the economy. Both, I feel, are being wielded far too casually to excuse one of the hemisphere's most notorious tyrants. To the first, yes, … [Read more...] about Sooner the Fly to God

Another horrific day for Iraqis.Two car bombs targeting day laborers looking for work exploded within seconds of each other Tuesday on a main square in central Baghdad, killing at least 63 people and wounding scores, the government said. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a member of Iraq's Shiite majority, condemned the attack and blamed it on Sunni extremists and supporters of … [Read more...] about Bombs Everywhere

Via America Blog, an article at WorldNetDaily: There's a slow poison out there that's severely damaging our children and threatening to tear apart our culture.... The dangerous food I'm speaking of is soy. Soybean products are feminizing, and they're all over the place.... Unfortunately, when you eat or drink a lot of soy stuff, you're also getting substantial quantities of … [Read more...] about Soy Causes Homosexuality

In an acknowledgement of what everyone else knows — that Iraq is in civil war — there is talk of the White House endorsing a so-called "80 Percent Solution" by throwing its weight behind the Shiite majority. As awful as abandoning the minority Sunnis in favor of the Shiites (who make up 80 percent of the Iraqi population) would be, such a solution is in keeping … [Read more...] about Dick Cheney & The 80 Percent Solution

In my first day as a guest blogger on TMV, I hit a nerve and provoked a yawn. The first post on political advertising prompted almost 20 comments. The second post on blogger motivations prompted three – two of which really don’t count, as they were another TMV contributor and I trading “hello’s.â€? I think I know why that second post crashed: It dealt with … [Read more...] about Why I Throw Shoes

When someone recently got stuck in an elevator at a New Jersey hospital, the serviceman wouldn’t make repairs until a check was hand-delivered as payment in advance. When another New Jersey hospital completed construction of a flashy new building, it was unable to equip it because the hospital is overwhelmed by debt. The new building is sitting empty and the hospital is … [Read more...] about Code Blue for America’s Hospitals

Do they exist? It sounds like they do.. Update: Libertarian GOP Defection? … [Read more...] about The “Liberaltarians”

From Foreign Policy Watch:The corruption of the Iraqi security forces has dramatically undermined attempts to stabilize Iraq and presents, in my opinion, perhaps the most significant barrier to long-term peace. The failure of local forces to prevent sectarian violence and to act in a lawful and just way has exacerbated the country's civil war, undermined support for the … [Read more...] about Can Iraq’s Security Forces Be Trusted In Stabilization?

Perhaps not. … [Read more...] about Is Everyone In The Real World Talking About The Iraq Study Group?

Good Will Hinton has a troubling post titled:"American Falsely Accused of Murder and Imprisoned in Nicaragua." The MUST READ begins:The following is a time line documenting the false arrest and imprisonment of Eric Volz in Nicaragua. Hundreds of persons have asked what they might do to assist Eric in his fight for freedom and justice; the fight for his life. It is vital that … [Read more...] about An American In Trouble Abroad

Literally everyone here at TMV and our immediate and extended families happily welcomes TMV's "final" new co-blogger, Pete Abel, as we gear up for 2007 and a new era in Blogtopia (term "Blogtopia" © skippy the bush kangaroo). Pete Abel has a gem of a centrist weblog called Central Sanity, which has the great tagline "supporting the rebellion of reasonable people in an … [Read more...] about TMV Happily Welcomes Its “Final” New Co-blogger

THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Insurgents Form Own Study Group War ‘Going Great,’ Report Says Just days after the Iraq Study Group issued their downbeat assessment of the war on Iraq, Iraqi insurgents announced that they have formed their own study group and have released their own report, one that offers a much rosier picture of the Iraqi … [Read more...] about This Just In!!

Everyone says Stalag 17 is a classic. Puh-leeze. It's clear to any contemporary viewer that "the Third Reich isn't even trying." … [Read more...] about What a Ripoff!

This article reads like a play by play of our midterm elections. From Arab News: Ahmadinejad May Be Heading for His First Major Political DefeatWhile trying to project his image as a world leader offering an alternative to "American hegemony", President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic of Iran may be heading for his first major political defeat at home. In fact, some … [Read more...] about Ahmadinejad May Be Heading for His First Major Political Defeat