meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
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Good News About Poverty By / NYT — Permalink I hate to be the bearer of good news, because only pessimists are regarded as intellectually serious, but we're in the 11th month of the most prosperous year in human history. Last week, the World Bank released a report showing that global growth "accelerated sharply" this year to a rate of about 4 percent. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: Then there's global growth, which as David Brooks notes is quite rapid: "Some rich countries, like the U.S. and Japan,... FrancoAlemán: But he bears some good news in a great article, nevertheless; he says that we are in the 11th month of the most... Orrin Judd: IT'S THE END OF HISTORY AS WE LKNOW IT, AND THE WORLD FEELS FINE: Good News About Poverty (DAVID BROOKS, 11/27/04, NY... |
Damian Penny: Globalization feeds the world — David Brooks notes that 2004 was the most prosperous year in human history - thanks to... Steve Antler: "...only pessimists are regarded as intellectually serious..." David Brooks explains why the New York Times is so... Pejman Yousefzadeh: And here is an excellent reason why: "I hate to be the bearer of good news, because only pessimists are regarded as... |
Academia, Stuck To the Left By / WaPo — Permalink Oh, well, if studies say so. The great secret is out: Liberals dominate campuses. Coming soon: "Moon Implicated in Tides, Studies Find." One study of 1,000 professors finds that Democrats outnumber Republicans at least seven to one in the humanities and social sciences. | |
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Betsy Newmark: George Will looks at liberalism in academia. [snipped quote] How long can colleges continue this way? |
Greg Ransom: DEMOCRATS & LEFTISTS ONLY, PLEASE. |
Di on Charles: lousy lover By / NY Daily News — Permalink LONDON - Prince Charles was a "hopeless" lover who rarely slept with Princess Diana, according to a never-before-seen video to be shown next week. The late princess also claims her husband brazenly admitted carrying on an affair with his mistress and Queen Elizabeth brushed off her complaints. | |
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Oliver Willis: Make Them Go Away — I thought we were all done with the idiotic Princess Diana hagiographies, but like the endless... Steve Bainbridge: I don't get it — The continuing fascination with Princess Diana puzzles me. I just don't get the fascination with this odd dimbulb. |
Joe Gandelman: Princess Di Said Prince Charles Was A Lousy Lover — Now my life is complete. Let's file this in the Haven't We Heard Enough Already Department... |
Mystery surrounds Yushchenko ailment AP — Permalink VIENNA, Austria (AP) — What ails Viktor Yushchenko? As Ukraine's popular pro-Western opposition leader claimed victory Tuesday in hotly contested presidential elections, the mystery surrounding an appearance-altering illness that twice prompted him to check into a Vienna hospital persisted. | |
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Daniel Drezner: UPDATE: Much obliged to Andrew for the link (and for his startling link to before/after shots of Yushchenko and the mysterious illness that plagued him this summer). Andrew Sullivan: WHAT HAPPENED TO YUSHCHENKO? Take a look at these two photographs of Ukraine opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko. |
Jan Haugland: In around four months of this year, Ukrainian opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko appeared to age twenty years or more. |
Blood Is Thicker Than Gravy By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — I've been surprised, out on the road, how often I get asked about my family. They're beyond red - more like crimson. My sister flew to West Virginia in October to work a phone bank for W. People often wonder what our Thanksgiving is like. | |
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Hindrocket: Before yielding the floor to Kevin, Maureen writes: [snipped quote] Kevin's worth reading, but better yet is the thought... |
Michelle Malkin: MAUREEN DOWD'S BUSH-LOVING BROTHER — Maureen Dowd writes this week about the right-thinking members of her family. |
Protesters won't rule out possible acts of violence By / Globe and Mail — Permalink OTTAWA — A coalition of anti-war protesters, left-wing lawyers and anti-capitalists refused repeatedly yesterday to condemn those who might resort to violence during the "loud" demonstrations planned for the visit next week of U.S. President George W. Bush. | |
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Charles Johnson: Peace Activists Threaten Violence — Canadian "peace activists" are issuing veiled threats of violence during the visit... |
Damian Penny: Moonbats on the march — Massive demomstrations against George W. Bush's upcoming visit to Ottawa are being organized -... |
Parliament Says Votes in Ukraine Were Not Valid By / NYT — Permalink KIEV, Ukraine, Nov. 27 - Ukraine's Parliament, meeting in a stormy special session, voted overwhelmingly that last Sunday's presidential runoff did not reflect the will of the people, and more narrowly to declare the results invalid. | |
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Ace: Constitutions Don't Make Stable Democracies; Tradition Does — You can specify all the checks and balances you like, but... |
Daniel Drezner: [quote]5) The BBC's Sebastian Usher reports that the state-run media outlets, "have joined the opposition, saying they have had...[end quote] |
Pakistan bans Newsweek magazine BBC — Permalink The latest issue of US news magazine Newsweek has been banned in Pakistan for publishing material that "desecrates the Koran". A district magistrate in the capital, Islamabad, ordered all copies of the 22 November issue to be destroyed. | |
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Wind Rider: Pakistanis pitch a fit over Newsweek — Courts and government officials in Pakistan were thrown into such a tizzy over... |
KJL: IF ONLY people got as outraged about actual murder... |
In China, Workers Turn Tough By / WaPo — Permalink DONGGUAN, China — Heralded by an unprecedented series of walkouts, the first stirrings of unrest have emerged among the millions of youthful migrant workers who supply seemingly inexhaustible cheap labor for the vast expanse of factories in China's booming Pearl River Delta. | |
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Richard TPD: Thanks to the two different readers who pointed me to this great article in the Washington Post on the new militancy of... |
Captain Ed: The workers who once stoically endured any conditions for the hope of a reliable salary have suddenly begun conducting... |
Vast Borrowing Seen in Altering Social Security By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 - The White House and Republicans in Congress are all but certain to embrace large-scale government borrowing to help finance President Bush's plan to create personal investment accounts in Social Security, according to administration officials, members of Congress and independent analysts. | |
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Atrios: Nonsense — So, it's okay to borrow a bunch of money and raise taxes to "save" social security by demolishing it but not... |
Tyler Cowen: It is enough if he thinks this is true... [snipped quote] Here is the full story, NYT password required but invaluable reading, or try the archive link. |
Bush Says World Is Watching Ukraine's Election Dispute By / WaPo — Permalink CRAWFORD, Tex., Nov. 26 — President Bush on Friday used his first comments about the disputed presidential election in Ukraine to warn authorities that the world is watching, but he struck a more conciliatory tone than Secretary of State Colin L. Powell used earlier in the week. | |
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David Adesnik: According to correspondent Mike Allen, "Bush's comments appeared to allow for the possibility that the Moscow-backed... |
Gene @HarrysPlace: But Friday, Bush himself sounded more equivocal: "There's just a lot of allegations of vote fraud that placed their... |
Ukrainian Parliament Declares Presidential Runoff Results Invalid, but Decision Not Binding ABCNEWS — Permalink From left, Ukraine's opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Ukrainian Prime Minister and... | |
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Daniel Drezner: Open Ukraine thread — The latest developments in the country: "1) The Associated Press reports that the Ukrainian parliament has declared the last election invalid. |
Roger L. Simon: Election Section — The Ukranian Parliament has declared "no confidence" in their presidential election, but let's be... |
Party Debates Ins and Outs of Chairmanship By / WaPo — Permalink Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is out, former Vermont governor Howard Dean may be in, a host of others are considering, and everybody wants to know: Whom do the Clintons want? | |
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Joe Gandelman: UPDATE II: So now the operative question within the Democratic party is: who do the Clintons want — underlying... KJL: Anyone who wants it, needs him and my junior senator, though. |
DemFromCT: More on the DNC Chair — This (the Politics 101 version) from the WaPo: [snipped quote] For political junkies, though,... Glenn Reynolds: HOWARD DEAN: Bringing people together. He's a uniter, not a divider! |
Why Bush Won By / Rolling Stone — Permalink It was an outcome that took even the President's closest advisers by surprise. George W. Bush emerged from the election with fifty-one percent of the popular vote — the first outright majority for any presidential candidate since his father in 1988, and the... | |
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Steve Bainbridge: Rolling the dice on the future of politics — A fairly conventional discussion at Rolling Stone on why the Democrats... |
PoliPundit: Cocoon — In an unintentional self-parody of the liberal cocoon, Rolling Stone tries to find out how Republicans won the election by asking … three partisan Democrats! |
Not Buying Into Shopping's Big Day WaPo — Permalink To most weary shoppers, it's the semiofficial start of the holiday retail season. But to hundreds of regional residents and countless others worldwide, the Friday after Thanksgiving is annual Buy Nothing Day. They're out there, all right. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: And then check out the following passage from this story to which Andrew links: [quote] "For 24 hours, millions of people...[end quote] |
Andrew Sullivan: BUY NOTHING DAY: I have absolutely nothing against capitalism, but I have to say I feel solidarity with the dissidents here. |
Iran's Lonely Crowd By / NYT — Permalink Tehran — When Friday Prayer here finishes at about two o'clock in the afternoon, hundreds of worshipers parade toward waiting buses east of Tehran University, shouting canned rhetoric against America and Israel, defining themselves by their animosity toward others. | |
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Laura Rozen: And Iranian journalist Farouz Farzami writes in the New York Times today asking, "How can such a small minority of vocal... |
Betsy Newmark: Farouz Farzami describes what it is like to be an Iranian journalist and how most of them print the government-fed lies out of fear. |
The Truth Abour CAIR and Terrorism By / Front Page Magazine — Permalink Two weeks ago, the National Post and I were served with a notice of libel by the Canadian branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR. The Post and I are not alone. | |
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Bunuel Cela: "Two weeks ago,(writes David From in frontpagemag.com),the National Post and I were served with a notice of libel by the... |
Bird Dog: David Frum writes of his experiences in Canada, where CAIR threatened litigation in order to shut up both him and the National Post. |
Big Iraqi Parties Are Urging Delay in Jan. 30 Voting By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 26 - Some of Iraq's most powerful political groups, including the party led by the interim prime minister, called Friday for a six-month delay in elections scheduled for Jan. 30, citing concerns over security. | |
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Roger L. Simon: But speaking of elections, at first blush I oppose the postponement in Iraq. |
Matthew Yglesias: Delay — Kurdish, secular, and Sunni Arab parties are now calling for a delay in the January elections. |
Mother's the word By / Guardian — Permalink Think about the word mother: does it make you burst into a fantastic smile as you think of the woman you will love with a passion for all eternity, she who guides your destiny towards freedom, liberty and perhaps tranquility? | |
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Mike Pechar: Most Beautiful English Word — According to this article in The Guardian, a survey of thousands of people resulted in... |
Joe Gandelman: The whole list is here but here are the top 10: 1 Mother 2 Passion 3 Smile 4 Love 5 Eternity 6 Fantastic 7 Destiny 8... |
6,635 bodies in Baghdad mortuary: counting cost of crime and chaos Times of London — Permalink SHOT, stabbed, blown up,burnt: the bodies of Iraqis killed in Baghdad lie piled in overcrowded refrigerators at the city's central mortuary, their ever-increasing number overwhelming both staff and storage space in a wave that marks the city's descent into a Hobbesian world of crime and brutality. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: The number of deaths from crime has skyrocketed in Baghdad (almost surely a factor influencing the opinion of 94% of... Chris Bertram: The Times reports that in Baghdad alone more that 700 people are killed every month: Shot, stabbed, blown up,burnt: the... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Crime, for example, has skyrocketed in Baghdad. [snipped quote] Those that work in the mortuary are divided as to whether things are worse now than under Saddam. Juan Cole: The London Times reports that nearly 700 persons die under suspicious circumstances (most of them from bullet wounds) every month in Baghdad. |
Saving the Iraqi Children By / NYT — Permalink Iraqis are paying a horrendous price for the good intentions of well-meaning conservatives who wanted to liberate them. And now some well-meaning American liberals are seeking a troop withdrawal that would make matters even worse. Heaven protect Iraq from well-meaning Americans. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: In today's New York Times, Nicholas Kristof looks at the same numbers discussed here — the enormous civilian... |
Atrios: Bubble Boy — Poor Kristof. There are always these well-meaning liberals doing and saying things he doesn't like. |
Chief Justice Won't Return to the Court This Year By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who missed the Supreme Court's November argument session while being treated for thyroid cancer, will be absent for the December session as well, the court announced on Friday. | |
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Will Baude: Hail to the ... Both Charles Lane and Linda Greenhouse are reporting that Chief Justice Rehnquist will not be returning to the Court before the break. Hugh Hewitt: Not good news for Chief Justice Rehnquist. From the Clovis Independent News, a micro-look at the impact of Target's decision top exile the Salvation Army. |
John Cole: Our hopes for a temporary respite have been dashed: [snipped quote] If you thought Bork and Clarence Thomas were something, you ain't seen nothing yet. |
Hastert Launches A Partisan Policy By / WaPo — Permalink In scuttling major intelligence legislation that he, the president and most lawmakers supported, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert last week enunciated a policy in which Congress will pass bills only if most House Republicans back them, regardless of how many Democrats favor them. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: So does The Great Pursuit. Democrats don't like being the minority party, and the Washington Post sympathizes. Erasmus @Centerfield: The Hastert Maxim: 'a majority of the majority' — From the Washington Post: "In scuttling major intelligence... Oliver Willis: GOP Puts Partisanship Over American Security — Republicans | Right-Wing Stupidity Idiots. |
Lambert @Corrente: Taxation without representation — Funding bills originate in the House. Henceforth, Democrats will have no voice in funding bills. KJL: SHOCKING, BREAKING NEWS — The GOP in the House will act as a majority party. |
The Fear Born of a Much Too Personal Look at Jihad By / NYT — Permalink THE first thing to know about the woman known widely here as Doris Glück is that Doris Glück is not her real name. She won't tell you her given name, or even her official new name - provided by the German police - beyond the first name and initial,... | |
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Jan Haugland: Marrying a Jihadist murderer — A German woman known as Doris Glück or Regina S has written a book about her life after she married Egyptian Reda Seyam, who became a Jihadist. David Allan Pell: So I Married a Jihadist — From The New York Times: "About a month ago, under the pseudonym Doris Glck, she published a... |
The Big Trunk: In today's Times Bernstein profiles the German Muslim convert whose experiences turned her into a disillusioned informant: "The fear born of a much too personal look at jihad." Orrin Judd: SO, YOU MARRIED AN AX-MURDERER: The Fear Born of a Much Too Personal Look at Jihad (RICHARD BERNSTEIN, 11/27/04, NY... |
Rehnquist Will Be Absent Again By / WaPo — Permalink Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October, will again not be present when the Supreme Court reconvenes to hear oral arguments on Monday, court officials said yesterday. His absence will apparently continue for at least two more weeks. | |
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Jan Haugland: Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, earlier diagnosed with thyroid cancer, will be absent from the court for the next session, and probably the rest of the year. Joe Gandelman: Supreme Court Nominee Political Battle Is Looming — This doesn't sound good for the Justice or for giving the country... KJL: REHNQUIST will not be back on the bench next week. |
DHinMI: Rehnquist to Miss Court Proceedings — [snipped quote] Federal judges are often hard to pry off the bench, Supreme Court... Steve Dillard: Rehnquist Will Be Absent Again—No Specifics Given; Chief Justice Still Being Treated for Cancer: Please continue to keep the Chief in your thoughts and prayers. Oliver Willis: The Coming Supreme Court Fight — It is becoming quite clear that Rehnquist is going to step down soon. |
Turkey Shoot! NRO — Permalink The beautiful thing about Thanksgiving has always been its character as the one American holiday to which no strings attach. No gifts, no cards, and apart from the inevitable explosion of family pyrotechnics, no grief or guilt or remorseful loners staring into martini dregs as the jukebox plays the tinny strains of "Jingle Bell Rock." | |
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SLZoll: Who Said It? Bill S. (and the rest of you ) quickly identified yesterday's Mystery Guest as Meghan "Cocks" Gurdon. |
Tbogg: Just not AWM's™ week... Meghan Gurdon, who is America's Worst Mother™, wrote a Fever Swamp column this week... |
Ukraine state TV in revolt By / BBC — Permalink Journalists on Ukraine's state-owned channel - which had previously given unswerving support to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych - have joined the opposition, saying they have had enough of "telling the government's lies". | |
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Jan Haugland: The opposition also scored a major victory when staff at the state television, previously an unashamed cheerleading... Damian Penny: Declarations of Independence — Another extraordinary development in Ukraine - two government-controlled television... Glenn Reynolds: UKRAINE STATE TV in revolt. Meanwhile, look at these diverse allies supporting the opposition: [snipped quote] I hope Soros has more luck with this election than with the last . |
Captain Ed: Ukraine Executive Loses The Parliament — Reuters just reported that the Ukrainian parliament just issued a... Betsy Newmark: The fact that the state-run media is turning on the administration is a good sign. KJL: AS UKRANIAN STATE TV TURNS — This kinda hurts the Kremlin grip effort. |
| Also: Orrin Judd, Oliver Willis, Jonah Goldberg | |
Can Howard Dean Save the Democrats? By / Newsweek — Permalink Nov. 26 - The struggle to be Democratic National Committee chair is round one of the battle for the soul of the party. The obvious choice is Howard Dean, who has the clarity of conviction and the passion that voters hunger for even if they don't always agree with him. | |
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H.D. Miller: Deniac — I love this detail from crazy old Eleanor Clift's column on Howard Deans attempt to win the chairmanship of... Jerome Armstrong: Update for Dean— Eleanor Clift writes that a DraftHoward.com Web site has sprung up, and a Democratic source says Dean... Orrin Judd: NOT MOVING ON: Can Howard Dean Save the Democrats? : The Vermont firebrand is essentially a centrist—with conviction and passion. |
Joe Gandelman: The push is on for the Democratic party to commit mass political suicide in the selection of head of the Democratic... Charles Johnson: The Screaming Centrist — Eleanor Clift calls Howard Dean a "centrist" (yes! really!) and says he's a perfect choice to... Oliver Willis: Dean for DNC — While some parties keep smearing Howard Dean and his positions (for old times sake, I guess), Eleanor... |
Annan's Son Took Payments Through 2004 By / New York Sun — Permalink One of the next big chapters in the United Nations oil-for-food scandal will involve the family of the secretary-general, Kofi Annan, whose son turns out to have been receiving payments as recently as early this year from a key contractor in the oil-for-food program. | |
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FrancoAlemán: On the New York Sun Claudia exposes Kojo Annan, the son of UN's secretary-general, who received payments from Cotecna... Bird Dog: As Claudia Rosett wrote, Kojo Annan worked for Cotecna Inspection Services from December 1995 through February 1998, and... Wretchard: The Beat Goes On — New York Sun "CLAUDIA ROSETT - Special to the Sun November 26, 2004 One of the next big chapters in... |
Charles Johnson: Also see Claudia Rosett's article in the New York Sun: Annan's Son Took Payments Through 2004. Joe Gandelman: Note this story in the NY Sun: "One of the next big chapters in the United Nations oil-for-food scandal will involve... Damian Penny: According to Claudia Rossett, he was recieving payments for much, much longer than anyone had thought - and Kofi Annan was, at the very least, wilfully blind to what was going on. |
| Also: Greg Ransom, The Big Trunk, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Glenn Reynolds, KJL | |
U.N. Said Not Protecting Sudan Refugees By / AP — Permalink GENEVA - The United Nations is failing to protect millions of people displaced by conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and violence in other hotspots around the world, a U.N. report said Friday. | |
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Captain Ed: UN Admits It Can't Protect Refugees — The United Nations issued a report yesterday that confirms its inability to... Charles Johnson: UN Says UN a Failure — The UN criticizes itself: U.N. Said Not Protecting Sudan Refugees. |
Alisa @SilentRunning: I was as surprised as Charles by the apparent self-criticism of the UN, so I thought I'd follow the link, and see if I... |
Ukraine's postmodern coup d'etat By / Guardian — Permalink Oranges can often be bitter, and the mass street protests now going on in Ukraine may not be quite as sweet as their supporters claim. For one thing the demonstrators do not reflect nationwide sentiments. Ukraine is riven by deep historical, religious and linguistic divisions. | |
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Jan Haugland: With near-unanimous support of the protesters in western media, it is good to see that the Guardian heeds the calls from... Glenn Reynolds: Old Europe, not so much. UPDATE: On the other hand, here's some premium Old Europe thinking on the subject. |
Daniel Drezner: I'm not aware of any pro-Yanukovich blogs in English, but Jonathan Steele's essay in the Guardian gives you a sense of what they would say if they existed. Roger L. Simon: Suffering from yet another attack of nostalgie pour le fascisme, the Guardian's Jonathan Steele predictably warns us of... |
What is...Pajamahadeen? By / Times of London — Permalink LAST WEEK the veteran American news anchorman Dan Rather stepped down from his post at CBS. Though the demotion was sweetened by his resuming a reporting role, few doubted the sequence of events. | |
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Oliver Kamm: This column appears in The Times today. LAST WEEK the veteran American news anchorman Dan Rather stepped down from his post at CBS. Betsy Newmark: A British columnist wishes that Britain had its own "pyjamahadeen" network of media critics to spare the BBC some of its blunders. |
Greg Ransom: THE TIMES OF LONDON introduces British readers to the Pajamahadeen. (via Memeorandum & Betsy's Page, who leads this... |
Dean, Clinton and Kerry: No, No, No for 2008 By / LAT — Permalink Thanksgiving is traditionally an occasion for Op-Ed columnists to put aside their customary bile and offer up heartfelt thanks for the many blessings that we Americans share. But I say: Heartfelt thanks are what grandmothers are for. I'm going with bile. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: AND NOW FOR YOUR PRE-WEEKEND BILE — Courtesy of Jonathan Chait: [snipped quote] I have to say, I agree with this analysis. Dale Franks: But he's not bitter — Liberal pundit Jonathan Chait knows what he needs to be thankful for during this holiday: The political death of John Kerry. Glenn Reynolds: JONATHAN CHAIT: "Heartfelt thanks are what grandmothers are for. I'm going with bile." His targets are Howard Dean, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton. |
Captain Ed: They'll Be Coming Around Soon Enough Now — Even the diehard Bush haters may be regaining their senses. Betsy Newmark: You almost have to pity Jonathan Chait as he ponders a 2008 with Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, or John Kerry as the candidate. PoliPundit: 2008 — Jonathan Chait, who's admitted to "hating President Bush," is not at all happy with the Democrat prospects for 2008. |
A Fight for Shiites By / WaPo — Permalink In 1864, 11 of the 36 states did not participate in the presidential election. Was Lincoln's election therefore illegitimate? In 1868, three years after the security situation had, shall we say, stabilized, three states (not insignificant ones: Texas, Virginia and Mississippi) did not participate in the election. | |
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Jim Lindgren: UPDATE: Charles Krauthammer, making an analogy to the US elections of 1864 and 1868, argues that the Iraqi election would be legitimate even without Sunni areas (tip to Betsy). Dale Franks: Questions of legitimacy — Charles Krauthammer has a response to those who argue that, if all parties in Iraq don't... |
Greg Ransom: CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER — time to get real about the Iraqi elections. Betsy Newmark: Gosh, I love Charles Krauthammer. He makes a great point about the idea that the Iraqi election will somehow not be legitimate if Sunnis decline to particpate. |
US campaign behind the turmoil in Kiev By / Guardian — Permalink With their websites and stickers, their pranks and slogans aimed at banishing widespread fear of a corrupt regime, the democracy guerrillas of the Ukrainian Pora youth movement have already notched up a famous victory - whatever the outcome of the dangerous stand-off in Kiev. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: The second piece was a Guardian article on American support — far beyond moral support — for the Ukrainian opposition:... Oliver Willis: Marketing Vs. Government — Interesting story on possible U.S. involvement in Ukraine, from a marketing/p.r. point of view. Joe Gandelman: The Guardian argues that political events in the Ukraine are part of a skillfully-engineered new U.S.-created form of revolution. |
Jesse Walker: You can read a somewhat fearful take on the topic here. I've been working on a story on the subject myself, hopefully to appear next week. Harry @HarrysPlace: Behind the scenes — A very informative piece in the Guardian today from Ian Traynor looking at how various US agencies... Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, look at these diverse allies supporting the opposition: [snipped quote] I hope Soros has more luck with this election than with the last . |
| Also: Bird Dog, Pessimist @LeftCoaster, Orrin Judd | |
Inside the Ring Washington Times — Permalink The Colombian terrorist group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, threatened to attack President Bush during his stop in Colombia this week. | |
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Juan Cole: Do I detect sarcasm toward the US military in the column of Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough? |
Orrin Judd: Bush targeted (Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough, 11/26/04, THE WASHINGTON TIMES) "The Colombian terrorist group... |
Freedom's front line By / Guardian — Permalink Can Europe's velvet revolution claim another prize? When Ukrainian demonstrators on the frozen streets of Kiev place flowers in the perforated metal shields of their country's riot police, they are sending us two desperate yet dignified messages: "We want to join Europe" and "We want to do this in a European way". | |
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Gary Farber: WHO SAYS EUROPE IS BORING? Not Tomothy Garton Ash, not of Ukraine. Andrew Sullivan: UKRAINE'S VELVET REVOLUTION? Tim Garton Ash has one of the best columns I've read on the subject. |
Glenn Reynolds: UKRAINE UPDATE: Timothy Garton Ash writes: "If we, comfortably ensconced in the institutionalised Europe to which these... |
Floyd hit kids sue for unpaid cash Reuters — Permalink LONDON, England (Reuters) — A group of former London state school children who sang on Pink Floyd's 1979 classic "Another Brick In The Wall" have lodged a claim for unpaid royalties. | |
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Robert Prather: I guess it was just a matter of time. [snipped quote] I grew up hearing the song and managed to learn to appreciate education. |
Ann Althouse: But we do want our royalties. |
Anti-Jewish yearbook prank another blot on posh school By / Globe and Mail — Permalink MONTREAL — Montreal's exclusive Lower Canada College is again in an embarrassing spot after two graduating students placed coded messages calling for death to all Jews in the school's yearbook as a joke. | |
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Joanne Jacobs: A joke — As a prank, two students at an elite prep school in Quebec inserted a secret message in the yearbook "calling for death to all Jews." |
Glenn Reynolds: WELL, AT LEAST THIS TIME it wasn't at Concordia University: [snipped quote] Sigh. |
Ukraine Court Delays Results in Vote Dispute By / NYT — Permalink KIEV, Ukraine, Nov. 25 - Ukraine's Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked the victory of Prime Minister Viktor F. Yanukovich in the disputed presidential election, barring publication of the Central Election Commission's results until the court reviews complaints of widespread fraud and abuse. | |
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Damian Penny: Lawyers have a bad reputation in North America, and not without reason, but this kind of thing makes me proud to be one. Pejman Yousefzadeh: UKRAINIAN DRAMA — There is reason to hope that the electoral crisis in Ukraine will be resolved in favor of the man who... |
Joe Gandelman: The Ukraine's Supreme Court today temporarily blocked the victory of the government-backed candidate for President... |
My Sportsman Choice: Pat Tillman By / AP — Permalink On the evening of last April 23, I found myself sitting in a tall director's chair in the middle of the newsroom at WTNH-TV in Hartford, Conn., the nearest television station to my home. | |
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Blackfive: This year there is one athlete who stands out. Tim Layden of CNN/Sports Illustrated lays it out for you. Vanderleun: Patriot Gains — Pat Tillman, Champion I'm not a fan of online polls and am even less sanguine about "stuffing the... Pejman Yousefzadeh: SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR — Well-deserved. And I am sure that somehow, someway, Ted Rall will bring his tastelessness to bear once again on this issue. |
Michelle Malkin: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR — Tim Layden's inspired choice gets my vote. Jeff Quinton: Vote for Pat Tillman for Sportsman of the Year — Vote for Pat Tillman. If you aren't convinced as to why, read this. Greg Ransom: SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR — PAT TILLMAN. |
Four Killed in Baghdad's Green Zone By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - A mortar attack killed four employees of a British security firm and wounded 15 others in the Baghdad's Green Zone, a fortified area that houses the U.S. and Iraqi leadership, the company and British officials said Friday. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: That four were killed in the Green Zone, however, is something people should take note of. |
Lambert @Corrente: qWagmire: Green zone hit — More proof that we're winning: [snipped quote] Can't protect the Green Zone, can't protect the road to the airport... Oh, wait. |
One gulp, and Bush was gone By / Guardian — Permalink At the dedication of the Clinton library last week in Little Rock, Karl Rove and President Bush received separate tours of the dramatic building, a glistening silver, suspended boxcar filled with light and with a panoramic view of the Arkansas river. | |
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Joe Gandelman: What It Was REALLY LIKE At The Clinton Library Dedication (?) President George Bush seemingly tries to push Bill Clinton... Andrew Sullivan: SID AND KARL: Sidney Bumenthal is in fine, paranoid form in an article decrying Bush's alleged behavior at the Clinton library festivities. |
Pessimist @LeftCoaster: One gulp, and Bush was gone Behind the scenes at the Clinton library, we saw America's future [snipped quote] I try to... |
Arab world: 73.72% want Hamas to replace Arafat Jerusalem Post — Permalink A survey of the Arab world organized by the Al-Arabia network website after the death of Yasser Arafat, showed 73.72% want a Hamas representative to replace Arafat, ITIM reported. In contrast only 0.7% expect that one of the PLO leaders will take over. | |
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Chad Evans: Poll: Palestinians Support Hamas - Jerusalem Post (via Outside the Beltway) [snipped quote] This is not completely... Ted Belman: 74% of Arabs want Israel destroyed — Arab world: 73.72% want Hamas to replace Arafat By JPOST A survey of the Arab... |
Charles Johnson: This means that according to a new survey, an overwhelming majority of Arabs are in favor of genocide and terrorism: Arab world: 73.72% want Hamas to replace Arafat. |
New High-Tech Passports Raise Snooping Concerns By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 - The State Department will soon begin issuing passports that carry information about the traveler in a computer chip embedded in the cardboard cover as well as on its printed pages. | |
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Captain Ed: However, the ACLU has launched objections to the practice, claiming that the new technology will point out Americans... |
Jeralyn Merritt: The State Department has plans to put an embedded computer chip in passports, as early as next year, that raise serious privacy concerns. |
After Victory, Crusader Against Same-Sex Marriage Thinks Big By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 - The warning call came in December 1995. "Do you folks on the mainland know what is going on here?" a friend from Hawaii asked Phil Burress, an antipornography crusader from the suburbs of Cincinnati. Mr. Burress confessed that he did not. | |
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Orrin Judd: PEOPLE WILL WAKEN AND LISTEN TO HEAR: After Victory, Crusader Against Same-Sex Marriage Thinks Big (JAMES DAO, 11/26/04,... |
The Jaded JD: Knowing the Enemy — James Dao has this article in this morning's New York Times, detailing the organizational brilliance of Mr. Phil Burress of Cincinatti, Ohio. |
Where Snobbery Is Out of Style By / Opinion Journal — Permalink As shoppers hit the stores for this year's holiday rush, the "wish books" many are consulting come not from Sears or Neiman Marcus but from Condé Nast and Hearst. They're poring over "shopping magazines," the publishing category established by Lucky and joined this year by its male-oriented spinoff, Cargo, and its new competitor, Shop Etc. | |
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Virginia Postrel: Pleasure In, Snobbery Out In this article for the WSJ's "Taste" page, I argue that the success of the much-maligned... |
Glenn Reynolds: VIRGINIA POSTREL PRAISES SHOPPING MAGAZINES: [snipped quote] Interesting take. |