If you don't laugh or smile at the following video clip, you might be suffering from depression. Or maybe you're just one of those "cat" people... … [Read more...] about Quick Test

A reminder that this site's normal posting flow has been a bit erratic over the past few weeks due to some logistical problems and other matters connected with many of the bloggers. It should be getting back to normal as of tomorrow. So keep checking back.... … [Read more...] about Thanks For Your Patience

Got a breaking news email from the BBC: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is taken to hospital after suffering a minor stroke, Israeli media report. Haaretz: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed to hospital in Jerusalem on Sunday evening after suffering a minor stroke, the Israeli media reported. According to Channel 2 television, 77-year-old Sharon was taken to … [Read more...] about I hope that he watches out at the hospital!

It's called "Disease Mongering." … [Read more...] about A Medical Issue To Consider

The Advocate: Annie Proulx tells the story behind "Brokeback Mountain" New York Times: Masculinity and Its Discontents in Marlboro Country Cross-posted at Julien's List. … [Read more...] about More on Brokeback Mountain

Someone emailed this to me, apparently it's by Molly Ivins: FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2005, AND THEREAFTER From the Texas Observer AUSTIN, Texas — The Lord Impersonator is back again. This fella reappears every couple of years and causes no end of trouble. The jokester goes around persuading feeble-minded persons he is the Lord Almighty and that they are to … [Read more...] about The Lord Impersonator is back again

Oh yes, it's true. And yet, China continues to rack up the brownie points with the world community given their "blistering" economy... When will they let their people go? More here...HONG KONG, Dec. 16 — At first glance, it looked like a spirited online discussion about an essay written nearly 80 years ago by modern China's greatest author. But then again, the exchange … [Read more...] about Chinese Continue To Evade Censorship

Looks like good money wasted...WASHINGTON — U.S. military officials in Iraq were fully aware that a Pentagon contractor regularly paid Iraqi newspapers to publish positive stories about the war, and made it clear that none of the stories should be traced to the United States, according to several current and former employees of Lincoln Group, the Washington-based … [Read more...] about More On Planted US Stories

The true inventor of the internet started a blog at the beginning of the month. Here's his latest post.In 1989 one of the main objectives of the WWW was to be a space for sharing information. It seemed evident that it should be a space in which anyone could be creative, to which anyone could contribute. The first browser was actually a browser/editor, which allowed one to edit … [Read more...] about Tim Berners-Lee Has A Blog!

Yet ANOTHER new question is being raised about Senate Majority Bill Frist: were consultants paid out of funds from his AIDS charity? According to the AP, the answer is yes: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's AIDS charity paid nearly a half-million dollars in consulting fees to members of his political inner circle, according to tax returns providing the first financial … [Read more...] about Frist’s AIDS Charity Funds Were Used To Pay Consultants

I always like discovering great quotes or arguments from old blog posts that I missed when they first came out. Just due to the nature of the blogosphere, even the best posts tend to sink into the morass, such that if you don't see it within the first few days of their posting, you're never going to see it at all. Hence, finding a gem in an older post (usually when another … [Read more...] about Oh Snap!

Via Haaretz & Reuters: LONDON - Britain ran a secret prison in Germany for two years after the end of World War Two where inmates including Nazi party members were tortured and starved to death, the Guardian said on Saturday. Citing Foreign Office files which were opened after a request under the Freedom of Information act, the newspaper said Britain had held men and … [Read more...] about Guardian (UK): Report: Britain ran secret prison in Germany after end of WWII

This just in: Running Scared ain't. We've been dropped by some blogs on their blogrolls because they got mad at what we wrote. In our case, we have a monster blogroll — which we use extensively for our posts and on the road. If we're dropped, unless its an essential site, we simply follow suit. We then add a new link for that category on our blogroll. There are many … [Read more...] about Ideology Over Reason: Dropping A Blog From A Blogroll (UPDATED)

...the amount of snow matters... (This one was a testicle testimony to creativity) … [Read more...] about Snow Sculpture Can Be FUN And

In the United States we (and this unfortunately includes this weblog) get so bogged down in events facing and involving our nation that we forget a tiny fact: there are other important foreign policy stories or items that get scant coverage or are buried in the back of the news section or used as "evergreen" padding for the Sunday papers. On television, these stories often get … [Read more...] about Those Ignored Foreign Stories

Apparently some folks think this is the answer. … [Read more...] about “Wanna Have A Good Time…”

Amid growing controversy swirling around renewal of the Patriot Act and reports that President George W. Bush personally approved secret spying on Americans, Bush has thrown down the gauntlet to Congress and critics, essentially saying that the War On Terrorism is his to conduct as he sees fit. That's the bottom line if you watched his radio address this morning (delivered … [Read more...] about Bush-Approved Spying On Americans Sparks Controversy

AP via the Cincinnati Enquirer: WASHINGTON - Ohio's largest labor union endorsed political newcomer Paul Hackett on Friday in his Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate against recognized labor champion U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, a surprising move that signals a potentially damaging split in union support. The United Auto Workers said that its 17 area councils and 10 at-large … [Read more...] about AP: Hackett wins UAW nod

What can you say about a classy actor? Except that there are so few who truly fit into the top ranking of that category. And John Spencer was one of them. No matter when you saw him, he held the screen. He was the consummate late 20th century, 21st century character actor — and how sad it is that he won't be around...as a person (because he was well liked) and as an … [Read more...] about “West Wing” Actor John Spencer Dies Suddenly At 58

Once again, apologies to our readers but it has been logistically impossible for TMV himself to post much the past few days — and it's fortunate our co-bloggers have picked up our slack. There are still some important stories we haven't addressed here and TMV's own posts will resume later today, after 6:30 a.m. San Diego time. TMV was away the whole day yesterday — … [Read more...] about TMV’s Own Posts Begin Later Today