Is the world ready for MSNBC's intriguing upcoming experiment with more "transparent" news? … [Read more...] about Is The World Ready For It?

And now a new threat, courtesy of global warming...havok caused over the course of the century to the blossoming U.S. wine industry. The AP:Climate warming could spell disaster for much of the multibillion-dollar U.S. wine industry. Areas suitable for growing premium wine grapes could be reduced by 50 percent - and possibly as much as 81 percent - by the end of this century, … [Read more...] about Is Global Warming Threatening U.S. Wine Industry?

From moderate cartoonist Tom Briscoe: … [Read more...] about The True Illegals

Why people don't bother finding out about politics, and why "deliberation" isn't going to get us any closer to a more just, humane, or effective polity. … [Read more...] about Rational Ignorance

The speculation has been rampant, but I for one do not think that the Democrats will take back the Senate or the House in 2006. 2008, by contrast, is a whole 'nother story. … [Read more...] about Back in Blue

In continuation of the post Shia Militias Slaughter Women And Children, my attention has been drawn to today's top story about Saddam Hussein's trial. "The last phase of the turbulent trial of Saddam Hussein on charges of crimes against humanity resumed on Monday with a boycott by the deposed Iraqi leader and key members of the defence team. "The Iraqi high tribunal, which is … [Read more...] about President Bush and Saddam Hussein : A Gripping Unfinished Story

For reasons as yet unclear, a 3-4 story building on East 62nd Street between Madison and Park Avenues (Upper East Side of Manhattan) has exploded and collapsed in a fire. UPDATE: As a commenter indicated, this was apparently a gas explosion. The owner of the building was inside and may have attempted suicide but numerous people had smelled gas there recently. Also, AP via … [Read more...] about NYC Building Explodes

Kurtz Media Notes (Washington Post): It starts off like a typical negative ad, with swelling music and pictures of John McCain: "Flip-Flopper? Yes. Waffler? Yes." But then the Internet spot takes a strange turn: "Eh, whatever. He should still be president," the graphics say. "John McCain 2008. He's Not Hillary." This is one of the 60,000 videos added each day to YouTube.com , … [Read more...] about Howard Kurtz on the Rise of Internet Video

And from their representatives in Congress. It seems that even Republican Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a defender of both the NSA's domestic surveillance program and the Treasury Department's financial tracking program, has some concerns: In a sharply worded letter to President Bush in May, an important Congressional ally … [Read more...] about What else is Bush hiding from the American people?

Russia has reportedly scored a blow in its war against terrorism with the reported death of a Chechen rebel leader responsible for one of the worst terrorist massacres in Russian history. The AP:Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, the purported author of modern Russia's worst terrorist attacks, was killed Monday, the head of the Federal Security Service said. FSB head Nikolai … [Read more...] about Russia Terrorism Blow: No. 1 Chechen Terrorist Rebel Basayev Killed

From investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:PAT ROBERTSON SENT TO NORTH KOREA FOR MADMAN-TO-MADMAN TALKS Televangelist Selected From Shortlist of Bananaheads The Reverend Pat Robertson left today for North Korea to engage in what the State Department called a series of high-level “madman-to-madmanâ€? talks with North Korean president Kim Jong-Il. The United States, frustrated … [Read more...] about This Just In!!

The New York Times reports that President George Bush is making a stylistic shift — partly due to a rethinking of approach and partly due to the new power-realities that face him:President Bush has never made apologies for enshrining pre-emption as the defining doctrine of his first term. He has declared many times that in a post-9/11 world, presidents no longer have the … [Read more...] about Bush Shifts His Approach To Being More Patient

And if you think this is a lot of crap you might be right. We thank The Locust Fork for the tip. … [Read more...] about A Lot Of Stuff About President George Bush Is Classified

Our linkfest offering you reading from varying viewpoints. Is There A Rising Moderate-Liberal Democratic "Star" In Tennessee? Sounds that way. The Joe Lieberman Debate (Over Lieberman Himself) Continues: Some think he's a kind of JFK and others make the case "no way." Copyright Stupidity: Are the courts perpetuating it? The UN Piles On Israel and blames it for the … [Read more...] about Around The Sphere July 10, 2006

Younger readers not familiar with jazz who click on the link above will notice that the voice of the guy singing seems awfully familiar: it's Louie Prima, jazz musician, singer and showman who did the voice for one of the apes in the Walt Disney cartoon "The Jungle Book." Prima was an incredible showman with personality that jumped out and grabbed audiences whether he was seen … [Read more...] about And Now Some Classic Jazz: Louie Prima

If he wanted to do this he would have had to take a number and stand in line...... … [Read more...] about Let Me Guess

"I just got one from Larry King and now I'll give myself one: I'll call myself The Environmental President!" Actually, most groups that deal with environmental issues would more-than-slightly disagree. And this Republican is probably turning over in his grave. … [Read more...] about Giving Yourself A Birthday President

A spokeswoman for the California governor, Margita Thompson, said Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger passed both a written and a riding test and got the required permit on Monday, nearly six months after he crashed one of his Harleys into an S.U.V. pulling out of a driveway while riding near his Los Angeles home with his 12-year-old son in a sidecar. But Ms. Thompson said Mr. … [Read more...] about Arnold Becomes A Legal Motorcyclist!

"What’s gone wrong with America’s image and why - reprise 2006". For more food for thought on this subject there is lot to chew on in WhirledView. Some excerpts:... "An America that does not understand – and makes little effort to understand – why it has become so unpopular abroad is almost certain to find itself both disliked and ineffective in many parts of the … [Read more...] about More On America’s Image

A Leader in the British newspaper Observer stands out in sharp contrast to the article I had mentioned earlier in this blog from The Times of London. … [Read more...] about “Home truths in Afghanistan”?