by Guest Scrogue
on March 31, 2009 in Freedom & Privacy, Internet, Telecom & Social Media, Journalism, Media & Entertainment, Politics, Law & Government
Washington Post and CNN media critic Howard Kurtz dedicated an entire segment of this past Sunday’s Reliable Sources cable program to a gratuitous pie fight between two players involved in Nadya “Octomom” Suleman’s never-ending nationally televised freak show. But a little over a month ago, Kurtz decried the media for exploiting the octuplet mother for ratings and for doing so under the false pretense that concern for her babies’ well being drove their round-the-clock coverage.
What a difference a few weeks make.
by Samuel Smith
on March 31, 2009 in Music & Popular Culture
The results of last week’s Name Those Bands contest are in. In first place we have … a disqualification, sorta. Our friend Ubertramp logged in with an impressive 47 of 53. Seriously, that’s pretty damned good. But he has disqualified himself because I’m the one who turned him onto most of these outstanding artists and […]
by Former Scrogue
on March 31, 2009 in Music & Popular Culture, TunesDay, World
by Dawn Farmer Tarab is a state of ecstasy and surrender one enters while listening, with Body and Soul, to music. Whether it’s the dancing strings of the oud, the weeping melody of the violin, the mystical call of the nay or the pulsating rhythm of the drums… A few years ago I decided to […]
by Brian Angliss
on March 30, 2009 in Business & Finance, Economy, Environment & Nature, Politics, Law & Government
American-style capitalism, sans regulation, has earned its present bad rap. Even so, some market mechanisms do work quite well. Commodities pricing is discovered and costs kept low because markets are very efficient at making sure that metals, oil, food, etc. are moved to where the demand is the highest from where the supply is greatest. […]
by Former Scrogue
on March 30, 2009 in Economy, Media & Entertainment
by Djerrid Sometimes it’s good to go back and see who had it right. Poor Peter Schiff came out again and again on Fox to sound the alarm bell that we borrowed too much to sink into shoddy morgages – and was laughed off every time. If only the nation listened to him 2-3 years […]
by Mike Sheehan
on March 30, 2009 in Features, Nota Bene
Hot links from recent days: “Dear wife of John” … The cold fusion debate is on again … Orwell’s Animal Farm was refused publication–by T.S. Eliot … Gaddafi more empowered than ever, which again begs the question, why is he still just a colonel? … John Mellencamp sizes up the music biz … The Gitmo […]
by Russ Wellen
on March 30, 2009 in Freedom & Privacy, War & Security
A Flip Through the Karen Annals The Karens, as well as other ethnic groups, actually arrived in Burma before the majority group known as the Burmans (as opposed to the Burmese, all the citizens of Burma). But, in the sixteenth century, the Burmans conquered most of Burma and proceeded to impose their will on the […]
by Guest Scrogue
on March 30, 2009 in Scholars & Rogues
by Jeff Huber President Barack Obama’s March 27 announcement of a “new strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan” makes it official.He has no clue what he’s doing in the Middle East.Unless, of course, he’s leading us further down the road to ruin on purpose, in which case he knows exactly what he’s doing and is making […]
by Lex
on March 29, 2009 in Politics, Law & Government, World
The buzzing topic of conversation throughout liberal America appears to be just how much change the new president brings to the table. His stalwart defenders rally to his side on comment threads, regularly regurgitating the stock phrases that appear in emails from campaign headquarters, er, the White House. One need not look very far to […]
by Gavin Chait
on March 29, 2009 in Freedom & Privacy, Politics, Law & Government, Religion, World
These are from the weekend paper. Actual quotes from South Africa’s minister of foreign affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Jacob Zuma’s ex-wife, and the ex-ex-minister of health who introduced the idea that AIDS is simply a disease of poverty, easily cured with garlic and African potatoes)… “A judge is not supposed to do that. It’s not for […]
by Russ Wellen
on March 28, 2009 in War & Security
Deterrence 2.0 Graham Allison has been a pioneer in issuing clarion calls about nuclear terrorism. He’s been accused of alarmism, but Cassandras are supposed to err on the side of caution. Especially when it comes to an issue that’s susceptible to being elbowed aside in this Age of the Emergency that we’re living through. Between […]
by Russ Wellen
on March 26, 2009 in Politics, Law & Government
A recent letter to Salon’s distinguished advice columnist Cary Tennis reads: Like many extended families, ours has people who live and breathe Republican doctrine, and people who are liberal. Since the early Bush years, we have given each other a wide berth. This week, someone sent out an e-mail talking about how Obama’s policies weren’t […]
