I am generally quite proud of my country, and I will usually defend it against its critics, but our seal hunt leaves me disgusted and ashamed. Whatever the excuses for it -- its supposed economic benefits, the alleged need to control the seal population -- there is simply no good reason for it. We're talking about the killing, the brutal killing, of 325,000 seals, most of them … [Read more...] about Shame on Canada

Vivek Krishnamurthy examines the potential downside to the recent upsurge of the Fairtrade movement. In the end, it could all be quite self-defeating, whatever it's noble intentions. For more, see here. … [Read more...] about What are the internal contradictions of the Fairtrade movement?

This isn't the first time this has been reported in the world media — but a New York Times piece is now giving wider circulation to a British memo that paints a picture of President George Bush as being intent to invade Iraq, no matter what — even to the point of suggesting that an incident was needed to provoke a U.S. invasion:In the weeks before the United … [Read more...] about British Memo Says Bush Was Intent On Invading Iraq

According to the L.A. Times, "Iran is moving faster than expected and is just days from making the first steps toward enriching uranium". What does this mean? -- "If engineers encounter no major technical problems, Iran could manufacture enough highly enriched uranium to build a bomb within three years, much more quickly than the common estimate of five to 10 years." Iran … [Read more...] about Iran close to uranium enrichment — so what do we do now?

It wasn't so long ago that pro-West reformer Viktor Yushchenko was the toast of Kiev, at least among the democratic masses. Well, how far the mighty have fallen! Last September, Yushchenko was brought low by internal divisions and allegations of corruption. And in this weekend's parliamentary elections, according to the BBC, "he has been beaten into third place by the … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s post-revolutionary about-face

We're having some severe posting problems right now. We see that our co-bloggers have gotten some posts up and some are in the timer. But TMV himself was unable to write last night due to being unable to connect to the server. These problems should be resolved but please keep checking back. If you see posts its due to in inability to get them on the site right now. … [Read more...] about Note To Readers

It's gone from balloting to protesting in Belarus, as opposition parties and supporters took to the streets this past weekend -- the anniversary of the establishment of the Belarussian republic in 1918 -- to protest the results of the recent presidential election. The BBC has the story here, the Post here. My two posts on "Balloting in Belarus" are here and here. … [Read more...] about Protesting in Belarus

With race in the media, it's damned if you do and damned if you don't. … [Read more...] about Double Dead-End

At first glance, this seems like fantastic news. After all, the guy is being let off. But the opening on this story certainly gave me pause:KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence and he will be released soon, officials said.Well, what does that mean for the next … [Read more...] about Abdul Rahman Goes Free

See why. … [Read more...] about Scalia Should Recuse Himself From Upcoming Case

Michael Reynolds just celebrated a year in the blogosphere. But he forgot the date. Trust me, I sympathize...I have never been any good at keeping track of dates. Every single year for 26 years I've missed the day my wife and I celebrate as our anniversary. July 1st, by the way, I know that. She forgets it, too. It's not the day we got married (neither of us has a clue about … [Read more...] about The Mighty Middle Celebrates One Year

Cicero questions our strategy.In spite of the view that the globalized world will deliver long-term freedom and prosperity, I have begun to wonder if openness will be an option as we cross history’s harsh thresholds, hidden in the tall grass. History always reaps the unexpected; its scythe is strident. [...] I believe we are already at a historical threshold. The first … [Read more...] about The New World Order

This just in from investigative reporter Scott Ott:U.S. Needs ‘Guest Worker’ to Answer Helen Thomas by Scott Ott (2006-03-24) — President George Bush today defended his controversial guest worker immigration proposal contending that without the policy, the United States will soon have no way of accomplishing many unpleasant tasks such as harvesting vegetables, cleaning … [Read more...] about This Just In!

Time reports that there's a sinking feeling now on the part of Republicans. Its sub-headline says it all:If the midterm elections were held today, top strategists of both parties say privately, the Republicans would probably lose the 15 seats they need to keep control of the House of Representatives.How bad is it? According to Time, there's even a slim chance — versus the … [Read more...] about Time: Scrambling Republicans On Verge Of Losing House Of Representatives And Close To Losing Senate

Where are all the Ninjas? h/t Asia Pundit. … [Read more...] about Where Have They Gone In American Culture?

Who says Vice-President Dick Cheney doesn't symbolize "Everyman?" Just look at these incredible career parallels. … [Read more...] about Amazing Career Parallels

BBC: Kember Enjoys First Day at Home ...Mr Kember, 74, restated his opposition to foreign troops in the country, but thanked the soldiers who rescued him. "I do not believe that a lasting peace is achieved by armed force but I pay tribute to their courage and thank those who played a part in my rescue," he said. He went on to thank those of many faiths who had appealed and … [Read more...] about Kember’s Thanks

Pssst! Hey, you...Vladimir Putin. Here's a hint. Don't apply for the sudden opening at the Washington Post for a blogger:THE career of President Vladimir Putin of Russia was built at least in part on a lie, according to US researchers. A new study of an economics thesis written by Putin in the mid-1990s has revealed that large chunks of it were copied from an American … [Read more...] about Why Russia’s Strongman Putin Could Never Work For The Washington Post

AP: POLICHARKI, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan court has dismissed the case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity for lack of evidence, an official said Sunday. The court, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, had been under intense international pressure to drop the case against Abdul Rahman, who faced a possible death sentence for his conversion. Some … [Read more...] about Case Dropped Against Afghan Christian

In a way, it's a non-story since you could see this one coming: Prospects for robust ethics reform in the 109th Congress are dimming, even as the criminal probes that prompted it are intensifying. It's a political calculation that could cost lawmakers in this fall's elections, if they misread the degree to which voters care about bribery inside the Beltway.Yes, let's hope so. … [Read more...] about Surprise, Surprise: Ethics Reforms Falter In Congress