This is Greg Piper, Joe's late-arriving guest blogger, and I do my thing at GregPiper.com. You might remember me from a few weeks ago, when I filled in for Joe. As he mentioned below, I'm a journalist working in Washington, DC, but what he fails to mention (for my feelings, I'm sure) is that this is my first professional gig. I haven't reported since college and it's taken a … [Read more...] about Runt of the litter

...until you dig deeper. … [Read more...] about The headline seems to presage a funny story…

Hello everyone! Joe mentioned me a while ago, but I just wanted to introduce myself formally. I'm a neo-Libertarian Centrist, and I hope to, as Joe said, always surprise you ideologically. I run my own blog, Verité. I am in the midst of a busy evening, but I'd like to leave you with a few interesting links if I might... Hey, the Right likes Free Speech too! We the … [Read more...] about A Brief Word

...at least not from his owner. From MSNBC.com: J.D. the Labrador retriever meant well, but he's landed his owner in a mess of trouble. Police say his owner was playing Frisbee golf with two friends at a suburban Dallas-Fort Worth course Monday when a police officer arrived. The officer thought he smelled burning marijuana, so he asked the men for identification and began … [Read more...] about I don’t think he’ll get a scooby-snack for this one…

...wait until they infect things other than your computer. … [Read more...] about And you thought the viruses in your PC were bad…

I can't reconstruct the entire link-chain that got me to this discussion by Anil Dash on the direction of blogging in light of recent events with respect to both the Jordan and Gannon imbroglios, but regardless of how I got there, it is well worth reading. A brief excerpt to tempt you to go there and read: And about Eason Jordan: More myopic blogger triumphalism. Dear … [Read more...] about Whither blogging?

Max Burns of the content-packed site The New Democrat looks at the status of moderates these days. A few highlights: On a dare, a friend of mine ate two cloves of raw garlic without water. He chewed on them for a while as tears welled up in his eyes, and reluctantly swallowed the awful mess. That's what being a moderate during this time of tension within both parties feels … [Read more...] about Are Moderates Passe?

...falls the Faith Based Initiative. The question is asked at Centerfield, and the comments make interesting reading. … [Read more...] about In the “Whatever happened to?” bin…

Instead of merely throwing rocks at proposals that we don't like, at which blogworld has shown it can excel, it is far more constructive to make alternate proposals. In that spirit, here are some alternatives to the plans being put forward by the administration on Social Security, which is being used as a lever in creating the "ownership society" that President Bush says is … [Read more...] about Instead of just throwing rocks

That's the question Oxblog's David Adesnik explores in a short but potent post about a University of Chicago model UN. Read it all but here's his final comment: But is a "model" UN supposed to be effective and decisive? Or are students expected to behave like actual UN delegates? For that matter, does the Chicago Model UN program teach high school students how to embezzle like … [Read more...] about Is A Model UN A Contradiction In Terms?

..and we have a reminder of that today with the sad news that Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's diease. This lymph cancer diagnosis is just the latest health challenge to the 75-year-old Republican Senator and he's facing it with courage and determination: In the statement, Specter said: "I have beaten a brain tumor, bypass heart surgery and … [Read more...] about Politics Isn’t What Life Is All About…

Ah, yes, The Moderate Voice is going to be running around so much the next two days he will be an authentic Wandering Jew. But have no fear: We're leaving you in the capable hands of our guest bloggers Jack Grant (an American scientist working in France..his blog is in the process of being moved so I can't link to it) and Greg Piper (a journalist working in Washington, DC), … [Read more...] about Welcome Our GUEST BLOGGERS

Watch out Iran...you are being scrutinized...bigtime. Not just by the State Department. But, very soon, by a slew of major weblogs that vow to clamor for a free referendum. Read the details here. Basically, in his latest National Review column Michael Ledeen talks about the importance of Iran in the context of the Middle East and that its an issue that must be met at the very … [Read more...] about The Titans of Blogs vs. Mad Mullahs of Iran

Let's tell you this person doesn't belong to the Bush family. Not related to LBJ. This person didn't used to kill bugs for a living before he went to Congress. And we're not talking about a singer (though some partisans say the person has given voters a song and dance). Can you guess who? The answer is here. … [Read more...] about A Famous Texan May Be Readying A Run For Governor

This time a GOPer put his foot in his mouth -- and talking about the Howard Dean scream doesn't obscure the sleaziness of his implication...no matter what party you belong to (and we don't belong to either). ALBANY, N.Y. — Howard Dean, just four days into his job as Democratic National chairman, called Wednesday for New York's state Republican chairman to apologize or … [Read more...] about GOP Foot-In-Mouth In NY

Has the revolt begun? Are there murmers from The Rulers to crack down on those peasants? Is there a revolt brewing in Publisher/Editorland? Pennywit carries the story of a Tulsa blogger who has been battling the local newspaper — which has threatened him and some other bloggers with litagation if he excerpts their articles or links to them. "A newspaper threatening to … [Read more...] about Are Publications Clamping Down On Bloggers?

The zesty group blog Running Scared (which took out a Blogad today, our second day of offering them on this site) has a fascinating story about how the Mars rover Spirit keeps going and going and going — way after it was supposed to have been kaput. It keeps finding new rocks and signs that there once was water. Read it in full (a welcome change from political screamfests … [Read more...] about But It Hasn’t Found Alan Keyes’ Home There Yet

This may actually be a case of coincidental timing — but, then, as the days pass it could turn out that it is not: TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An explosion was reported Wednesday in southern Iran near a nuclear power plant, with state-run media offering conflicting explanations for what happened, from blasting for dam construction, a fuel tank dropping from an Iranian … [Read more...] about Iran Explosion: Is It Just Coincidental Timing?

With every passing hour it's clear that Syria is just a tad short of being openly accused of having played some kind of a role — large or small — in the murder-by-homicide bomber of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a popular leader. The United States recalled its ambassador to Syria yesterday, and both the UN and Lebanese governments have issued strong … [Read more...] about Syria Continues To Take Heat On Assassination

There are two key stories on non-blog outlets now recapping the saga of Jeff Gannon, the pen name of a conservative journalist brought down by liberal bloggers — which in itself has sparked a controversy. Joe Conason has a piece in the New York Observer that recounts the controversy in great detail, offering his perspective on it, concluding: Imagine the media explosion … [Read more...] about Jeff Gannon Story Starts To Show MSM Legs