tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85188662011-12-14T21:35:23.337-05:00Reading stuff, so you don't have to.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.comBlogger1201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-37829364564192337222008-10-23T19:23:00.001-05:002008-10-23T19:25:55.076-05:00

Emily Bazelon writes on "Oklahoma's gallingly paternalistic ultrasound law" at Slate:Four states-Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma-have taken the galling step of requiring [pre-abortion ultrasounds] regardless of need. They recently passed laws that go beyond offering ultrasounds to mandating them. Oklahoma's new statute dictates that either the doctor performing the abortion or a "

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-30578577297893274372008-04-22T18:35:00.002-05:002008-04-22T18:36:33.441-05:00

In an article about Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States, Ed Koch writes:Earlier in the week, I was asked by a reporter how I felt about the Pope's approving a prayer asking for the conversion of the Jewish people to Catholicism. The reporter said that many Jews were upset with the prayer. I said I was not and considered the Catholic desire that we join them in conversion as a

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-40891203377949513602008-02-11T20:31:00.000-05:002008-02-12T20:44:32.108-05:00

Sebastian Mallaby writes: "A more subtle question is whether indulging the voters is good policy."Indeed.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-75249575338171408102008-01-05T17:21:00.000-05:002008-01-05T17:23:56.291-05:00

The ASPCA should not be allowed to advertise on Comedy Central.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-20107762510525341142007-12-04T19:28:00.000-05:002007-12-04T19:33:53.909-05:00

From Gallup: Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data from the last four November Gallup Health and Healthcare polls. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats. This relationship between party identification and reports of

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-68717387295315736432007-11-28T18:28:00.000-05:002008-01-27T18:30:40.504-05:00

John Stossel writes: The market has solved environmental problems many times in the past. Before the automobile, America's cities suffered from a terrible pollutant. It bred disease and emitted noxious odors.It was horse manure.As economist Nobel laureate Robert Fogel said, "There were 200,000 horses in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century defecating everywhere. ... When you walked

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-48779940823390059292007-11-19T19:02:00.000-05:002007-11-19T19:03:31.709-05:00

With apologies to proper grammar and diction, this quote may literally make my head explode:A witty saying proves nothing.-VoltaireWitty.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-38165895735812562642007-09-23T20:24:00.000-05:002007-09-23T20:28:23.102-05:00

Mark Steyn reminds us why reality and math guarantee that most politician-annointed crises aren't crises at all:...out of 45 million uninsured Americans, 9 million aren't American, 9 million are insured, 18 million are young and healthy. And the rest of these poor helpless waifs trapped in Uninsured Hell waiting for Hillary to rescue them are, in fact, wealthier than the general population.Read

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-46423753541664700662007-09-02T11:30:00.001-05:002007-09-02T11:31:42.280-05:00

From a New York Times article on September 11th commemorations (a shoddy bit of work that makes no reference to geography): What might happen on Sept. 11 a hundred years from now? "It's conceivable that it could be virtually forgotten," said [Dr. John Bodnar, a professor of history at Indiana University]. "Does anyone go out on the streets of New York and commemorate the firing on Fort Sumter?"No

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1169688477747610902007-01-24T20:25:00.000-05:002007-01-24T20:27:57.766-05:00

From a fairly comprehensive article in Commentary Magazine:It is, indeed, a very odd thing that more than 180 million Americans should be covered by insurance purchased for them by their employers. The companies we work for do not buy our food and clothing, or our car and home insurance. They pay us for our labor, and we use that money to buy what we want.No less odd is the character of what we

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1152068914525304332006-07-23T20:15:00.000-05:002006-07-23T20:21:08.583-05:00

Rich Galen's July 5th column alerted me to an update to an earlier post, Iran Gets Something Right - the U.S. Navy has joined in the effort to rename the Persian Gulf. Today's example comes from the Fifth Fleet, "the seaborne component of the US Navy's Central Command operations." Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/ Commander, 5th Fleet's area of responsibility encompasses about 7.5

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1150750701179687842006-06-20T19:26:00.000-05:002006-06-20T19:31:25.900-05:00

Reuters:US court fails to decide wetlands regulation issueA splintered U.S. Supreme Court failed on Monday to decide whether the federal government can regulate wetlands away from navigable waters in a case that provided the first indication of anti-environmentalist views by President George W. Bush's two appointees.Bloomberg: Clean Water Act Reach Limited: U.S. Supreme Court OverviewThe U.S.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1150349516218717852006-06-19T16:35:00.000-05:002006-06-19T16:38:59.343-05:00

For once, I find myself agreeing with the Iranian government on the propriety of renaming goegraphic locations:(AP) Iran has banned The Economist magazine for describing the Persian Gulf as merely "the Gulf" in a map published in the latest edition, state television reported late Wednesday.It is the second time in two years that Iran has prohibited a publication of international repute for

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1148964354631158582006-06-11T23:13:00.000-05:002006-06-11T23:17:50.873-05:00

From a recent mistitled AP article, "Native Hawaiians Seek Right to Self-Govern":Hawaii politicians are scrambling to gather enough votes in Congress to pass a bill that would grant Native Hawaiians a degree of self-government and possibly a share of the land ruled by their ancestors.After seven years of debate, the proposal to recognize Native Hawaiians as indigenous inhabitants of the 50th

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1149874378296587592006-06-09T13:22:00.000-05:002006-11-19T16:53:06.066-05:00

The Investor's Business Daily reports on Colombia's historic presidential election: Colombia's re-election of Alvaro Uribe not only stands conventional wisdom on its head about Latin voters' rejection of free markets. It also proves that democracy lives south of our border.Most pundits don't have a lot to say about Uribe's sweeping victory... other than it's an anomaly in a region supposedly

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1149631787922107652006-06-08T21:13:00.000-05:002006-06-08T21:25:22.446-05:00

The AP covers an interesting development from American history: A state-appointed commission is urging North Carolina to provide reparations for the 1898 racial violence that sparked an exodus of more than 2,000 black residents from Wilmington.The 500-page report that was produced after six years of study also said the violence, which killed as many as 60 people, was not a spontaneous riot but

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1148535963436656512006-05-25T00:39:00.000-05:002006-05-25T00:57:41.460-05:00

George Will has an article out today which provides some interesting history and analysis of the role of the English language in political discourse:In 1906, the year before a rabbi in a Passover sermon coined the phrase "melting pot" during torrential immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe, Congress passed, and President Theodore Roosevelt signed, legislation requiring people seeking to

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1147142772034668122006-05-08T23:06:00.000-05:002006-05-09T12:46:33.170-05:00

Critics of President Bush's nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to be Director of Central Intelligence have raised a suspicious objection - whether a military officer can lead the CIA. (WaPo) Hayden ran the super-secretive NSA from 1999 until last year, when he became the top deputy to the new national intelligence director, John Negroponte, who oversees the CIA and 15 other intelligence

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1146430603704537452006-04-30T15:55:00.000-05:002006-04-30T15:59:43.753-05:00

As a part of Monday's pro-illegal-immigration pseudo-boycott, one of the laziest possible methods of participation is being promoted:Participation in the pro-[illegal] immigration events can range from marching in mass rallies to wearing white on the job.Of course in many industries, that's basically the same as saying people will be protesting by either (1) not going to work or (2) going to

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1145659538065586462006-04-22T14:31:00.000-05:002006-06-12T12:35:08.546-05:00

The Washington Post misses some crucial conclusions with their mistitled article, "Senate Democrats Ahead in Cash Race." While fundraising numbers for the RNC, DNC, NRCC, and DCCC are buried in the article, the big picture is ignored.Here are the totals, dollar amounts are in millions:RaisedOn handRNC141.943DNC74.110NRCC83.324.4DCCC52.823NRSC50.416.5DSCC56.432.1R Total275.683.9D Total183.365.1R

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1142575867047843772006-03-17T01:23:00.000-05:002006-04-04T23:22:35.230-05:00

Just over a week ago, in a decision suprising for its unanimity: The Supreme Court... unanimously upheld a federal law that forces colleges and universities to permit military recruiting on campus, despite the schools' objections to the Pentagon ban on openly gay people serving in the armed forces.By a vote of 8 to 0, the court upheld the Solomon Amendment, which permits the denial of federal

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1140640447860349082006-02-23T00:33:00.000-05:002006-02-24T18:15:32.186-05:00

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said Tuesday that a deal allowing an Arab company to take over [the operation of] six major U.S. seaports [from a British company] should go forward and that he would veto any congressional effort to stop it.Opposition appears to be based more in fear and pandering than genuine policy concerns. As the President explained: "I want those who are questioning it to

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1140203620129529602006-02-17T14:13:00.000-05:002006-02-17T14:13:55.033-05:00

Brian Ross at ABC News seems to have a problem Supreme Court justices venturing outside the Beltway: At the historic swearing-in of John Roberts as the 17th chief justice of the United States last September, every member of the Supreme Court, except Antonin Scalia, was in attendance. ABC News has learned that Scalia instead was on the tennis court at one of the country's top resorts, the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1139418883373310602006-02-08T12:55:00.000-05:002006-02-08T12:56:19.936-05:00

The Washington Post reports on minorities taking AP classes and exams, but misses a pretty crucial observation on affirmative action.Across the Washington region, more black and Hispanic students are participating in highly touted Advanced Placement courses. Now, educators say they have to make certain that those students are not only taking the classes but are succeeding in them....For many

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1138401720652598712006-01-30T16:31:00.000-05:002006-02-06T14:51:38.816-05:00

In The Washington Post, Eugene Robinson writes: Once upon a time we had a great wartime president who told Americans they had nothing to fear but fear itself. Now we have George W. Bush, who uses fear as a tool of executive power and as a political weapon against his opponents.It's not worth reading beyond this point. The ignorance, whether intended or unavoidable, is too astounding. Robinson

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1136848889803162962006-01-09T18:20:00.000-05:002006-04-23T19:27:40.376-05:00

With Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in critical condition and not expected to return to office, many are asking what will happen to Israel if he cannot return to lead it. Will Israel's next leader continue to pursue the peace and security sought by Sharon's disengagement policies? What about the upcoming national election and Sharon's new political party, Kadima?With national elections set

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1134520286073824582005-12-13T19:30:00.000-05:002005-12-13T19:32:20.980-05:00

The New York Times reports:Most Americans carry cellphones, but many may not know that government agencies can track their movements through the signals emanating from the handset.In recent years, law enforcement officials have turned to cellular technology as a tool for easily and secretly monitoring the movements of suspects as they occur. But this kind of surveillance - which investigators

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1133903244763649912005-12-06T16:05:00.000-05:002006-04-23T19:34:41.113-05:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican lawmaker on Tuesday proposed changing the U.S. Constitution to exclude non-citizens from the Census for the purpose of drawing congressional districts, a move that effectively would deny them a voice in U.S. politics.Under the present system, as determined by the 14th amendment to the Constitution, the Census Bureau counts all individuals living in the country

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1132953861354418732005-11-25T16:19:00.000-05:002005-11-27T17:04:08.346-05:00

Previously, I've written that the International Space Station should be scrapped because of its high cost and limited scientific value. The station and the shuttle essentially exist to keep each other running, but at extraordinary cost. Now, The Washington Post reports on the shuttle's (or perhaps we should say sinkhole's) budget problems: A large deficit in NASA's troubled shuttle program

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1132435463845802962005-11-19T16:22:00.000-05:002005-12-17T13:09:18.093-05:00

PC reporting from Reuters:Some states even recognize documents known as "matriculas consulares" which allow undocumented Mexicans to obtain driving licenses and open bank accounts.If these people are truly "undocumented," how can they have such documents?"Undocumented" isn't just a harmless, ambiguous PC term for "illegal alien" - it isn't even close to being true.--For more misused language,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1132174956000550852005-11-16T16:01:00.000-05:002005-11-16T16:15:00.223-05:00

From the Investor's Business Daily: If you heeded the hype from gloomy hand wringers or news photos of shop-trashing anti-American thugs, you'd think President Bush left the Argentina summit in failure. It's nothing but rubbish.Seldom has news been so distorted against facts. Most of the U.S. media claim that because the 34 states were obstructed from full agreement on a declaration to kick-start

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1132008343179043002005-11-14T17:45:00.000-05:002005-12-05T17:26:15.900-05:00

Today marks one year of Observant Observations - a site which began with the November 14, 2004 post, "Importing Price Controls" (an issue which remains significant even now).While Observant Observations continues to strive to bring you insightful insights into politics and world events, I will take a moment to note a few collaborative projects with slightly different missions which are occasional

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1131845325330550642005-11-12T20:30:00.000-05:002006-04-23T19:29:30.813-05:00

I received this email from a Spokane lawyer:The Washington State Trial Lawyers Association just had a great victory - 55.5% to 44.5%. Folks that was an 11 point spread. By the way, this was an off year election, it can get better. As a result of that campaign I feel that I learned some things that will help us on all justice and economic issues. I feel like I can pause and regroup before going

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1131248407186659522005-11-05T22:40:00.000-05:002005-11-17T20:28:45.523-05:00

From The Washington Times:A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that Congress has the authority to prevent the D.C. government from taxing commuters.In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District said the Constitution clearly grants Congress "exclusive authority" to govern the District, tossing out a lawsuit brought by more than 30 plaintiffs -- including Mayor Anthony A.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1130895743592476832005-11-01T20:30:00.000-05:002005-12-14T18:14:28.370-05:00

Insipired by a similar event scheduled for tomorrow at noon in Seattle, the Spokane terrorist group known as PJALS is helping to organize an anti-Bush "walk-out" with this email: City-wide student walkout - Nov. 2RISE UP, SPOKANE!On Nov. 2nd, Spokane's Lack of Action Collective (in alliance with PJALS) is organizing people to take responsibility to stop the whole disastrous course led by the Bush

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1130818039946340582005-10-31T23:09:00.000-05:002005-11-01T00:40:47.086-05:00

Before I went to Austria, I heard stories about boorish Europeans accosting visiting Americans in order to spout the usual irrational anti-American, anti-Bush propaganda like the claim that the war in Iraq is all about oil. I hoped to be able to point out that if that was true and oil was found in Austria or they would have to be invaded next. The Europeans I met were entirely friendly, but it

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1130383659393434052005-10-26T22:26:00.000-05:002005-10-26T22:41:27.140-05:00

Perhaps I should rethink the idea of studying Russian once I have a permanent job...Mark Steyn has a great article out, "The Death of Mother Russia." He sums up Russia's problems fairly well: Russia’s export of ideology was the decisive factor in the history of the last century. It seems to me entirely possible that the implosion of Russia could be the decisive factor in this new century. As Iran

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1130213087163862462005-10-24T22:47:00.000-05:002005-10-25T10:11:58.930-05:00

From Australia's The Age:British banks are banning piggy banks because they may offend some Muslims.Halifax and NatWest banks have led the move to scrap the time-honoured symbol of saving from being given to children or used in their advertising, the Daily Express/Daily Star group reports here.Muslims do not eat pork, as Islamic culture deems the pig to be an impure animal.Salim Mulla, secretary

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1129941182631779762005-10-21T22:25:00.000-05:002005-10-21T22:29:36.446-05:00

From the Spokesman Review:Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk endorsed a plan... to raise $6.5 million a year for mental health services by increasing the local sales tax by 0.1 percentage points.Sterk... went so far as to say that he would urge Spokane County commissioners to enact the tax even if the Nov. 8 advisory vote fails to pass public muster."We have no other resources to plug these people

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1129923126692006592005-10-21T14:31:00.000-05:002005-11-06T23:07:48.260-05:00

From Fox News:In an about-face, Gov. Jeb Bush is backing a plan allowing limited exploration for oil drilling off Florida's coastline."My position is if we can get an assurance to extend a 100- to 125-mile swath from Pensacola all the way to Jacksonville to protect our beaches, then we ought to try and get it. We don't have that today," Bush said.While the current moratorium on offshore drilling

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1128455562786797612005-10-04T14:45:00.000-05:002005-10-04T14:52:42.870-05:00

In yet another example of an overreaching federal government, the first case before the Supreme Court this session is a waste of time bickering about an inconsequential amount of time:WASHINGTON - It may not have been the type of high profile, landmark litigation that makes history, but John Roberts' first case as the 17th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court involves workers' wages at an

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1128203397916394012005-10-01T17:28:00.000-05:002005-10-01T17:30:59.243-05:00

LONDON (AP) - The latest battle of Trafalgar is getting ugly. Mayor Ken Livingstone wants to erect a statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela in Trafalgar Square alongside monuments to British military heroes. City officials oppose the idea, and in a showdown this week, one of Britain's most respected sculptors dubbed the proposed Mandela statue "mediocre." Livingstone compared

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1128041260672892882005-09-29T19:43:00.000-05:002005-09-29T19:55:45.603-05:00

Today's most idiotic news story: Flight attendants outraged over Jodie Foster film: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Labor unions representing most of the nation's 90,000 flight attendants have urged their members to boycott a new Jodie Foster film that portrays a flight attendant and a U.S. air marshal as terrorists...The Walt Disney Co. film, which was the No. 1 release at the North American box office

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1127576776769713812005-09-24T10:47:00.000-05:002005-09-24T10:53:13.720-05:00

New evidence has turned up that New Zealand really is Australia's Canada. My original theory, based on geography and populations reaches this conclusion: Canada and New Zealand are both free to pursue ridiculously pacifist foreign policies (e.g., refusing to participate in missile defense or banning nuclear-powered vessels) because in the end they will both be protected by their bigger, stronger

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1126114364713296472005-09-23T16:50:00.000-05:002005-09-23T16:55:52.426-05:00

A BBC article criticizes the nomination of John Roberts as Chief Justice because he just might agree with recent Court majorities: This is a story about a Princess and a frog, about a kiss and a betrayal. But it's not a fable...The Princess in our story is an honorary title I've bestowed on her for a grace and spirit superior to the rather sulky Princess of the fables. She's a young woman named

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1126816897041322812005-09-15T15:52:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:36:20.553-05:00

Regarding rebuilding the war-torn underwater city of New Orleans, the Anti-Giuliani had this to say: (AP) "I don't want anyone outside of New Orleans telling us how to plan this city," said New Orleans Mayor [and Dallas, Texas resident] Ray Nagin...As you may recall: (Fox News) New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin greeted President Bush when he arrived in Louisiana last night, and was at his side as he

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1126391239686032302005-09-10T17:27:00.000-05:002005-09-10T17:28:01.580-05:00

From the New York Times: BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 9 - The New Orleans business establishment-in-exile has set up a beachhead in a government annex here, across the street from the state Capitol. From here, organizations like the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau have begun to plot the rebirth of the city.In the cramped offices and hallways of this building, called the Capitol Annex, and

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1125876476269707212005-09-04T18:24:00.000-05:002005-09-04T18:29:49.613-05:00

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Police shot and killed at least five people Sunday after gunmen opened fire on a group of contractors traveling across a bridge on their way to make repairs, authorities said.Deputy Police Chief W.J. Riley said police shot at eight people carrying guns, killing five or six.Fourteen contractors were traveling across the Danziger Bridge under police escort when they came under

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1125717558939886582005-09-02T22:18:00.000-05:002005-09-09T15:00:25.286-05:00

(CNN) -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin blasted the slow pace of federal and state relief efforts in an expletive-laced interview with local radio station WWL-AM.NAGIN: I'm like, "You got to be kidding me. This is a national disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans."Nagin proves my point about do-nothing whiners:(AP Photo, "An aerial

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1125625915498325712005-09-01T20:44:00.000-05:002006-12-13T19:55:39.476-05:00

Assuming the U.S. doesn't withdraw from Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina's devastation and a budding insurgency, what is to be done next?One suggestion that deserves more attention than it will probably get is moving the city to higher ground:When the cost of restoring New Orleans to urban life is finally calculated, add to it the cost of maintaining it in its present location, then add the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1125623987859028372005-09-01T20:15:00.000-05:002005-09-02T15:49:38.406-05:00

From the BBC: Looting and lawlessness is widespread in flood-stricken New Orleans as people made homeless by Hurricane Katrina grow increasingly desperate.There are reports of shootings, carjackings and thefts across the city, where a full evacuation is under way.Medical evacuations from the Superdome stadium have been disrupted after a gun shot was fired at a rescue helicopter.President George W

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1125278840019249312005-08-28T20:22:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:41:51.613-05:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Governors and legislators from several U.S. states are vowing to fight proposed Pentagon cutbacks at Air National Guard bases after a military review commission approved stripping aircraft from dozens of units.In one contentious move, the independent panel reviewing proposed military base cutbacks voted on Friday to close the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1119317578514557602005-08-28T19:45:00.000-05:002005-08-28T20:29:24.930-05:00

I've long recognized excessive attention on the local economic effects of military base closures (the now-concluding BRAC Commission). Earlier this spring I received a mass-mailing from Representative Cathy McMorris which included this statement: "My membership on the Armed Services Readiness sub-committee will enable me to influence military base realignment critical to the future of Fairchild

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1124842012041962582005-08-23T18:55:00.000-05:002005-08-23T19:10:01.406-05:00

From the AP: An online thesaurus struck a listing Monday for the word "Arab" after Arab-American groups complained the entry listed derogatory synonyms.The entry, which appeared on thesaurus.com, listed the word as a noun meaning "beggar," and gave 16 pejorative synonyms including "homeless person" and "welfare bum."The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee contacted the synonym book's

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1124593940140980522005-08-20T23:10:00.000-05:002007-11-20T21:22:03.838-05:00

In the May/June 2005 issue of Foreign Affairs ("Down to the Wire," p. 111), Thomas Bleha complained that the U.S. is falling behind in broadband and cell phone services: In 2001, Japan was well behind the United States in the broadband race... By May 2003, a higher percentage of homes in Japan than in the United States had broadband.... Today, nearly all Japanese have access to "high-speed"

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1124503898432487732005-08-19T20:45:00.000-05:002005-10-03T11:23:40.843-05:00

The Heritage Foundation asks an important question, Is the Space Station Necessary? No, answers the New York Times in a well-argued editorial that ran this past weekend. Abandoning it and the costly, dangerous shuttle could save taxpayers $40 billion over the next decade without impairing NASA's long-term vision one bit. The space shuttle may be one of the government's biggest, longest-running

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1124411091854138212005-08-18T19:53:00.000-05:002005-08-18T20:17:51.770-05:00

Mort Kondracke, Executive Editor of Roll Call, is repeating the kind of misused statistics that caused some to predict the 2000 presidential election based entirely on the vote in Delaware:Since World War II, the party out of power has picked up an average of 34 House and five Senate seats in a president’s sixth year in office...Democrats should be able to make gains in 2006 based simply on

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1123271767687539992005-08-05T14:56:00.000-05:002005-08-05T15:01:50.110-05:00

Some Democrats have complained in the past few years (and probably long before that) that they are losing elections because Republicans "frame" issues better. Matt Bai's giant article, The Framing Wars, from the New York Times seems to do a pretty fair assessment of the debate. There's a lot of discussion of linguistics and interviews with both liberals and conservatives on the "issue." The basic

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1122946896530706412005-08-01T20:40:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:43:13.843-05:00

The Seattle Times reports that the Patriot Act was used to help catch Canadian drug thugs: As drug smugglers carried hundreds of pounds of marijuana through a tunnel from Canada to the U.S. last month, federal officials heard every word and watched nearly every movement with state-of-the-art surveillance.Investigators were able to surreptitiously install video and audio bugging devices in the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1122697712361399822005-07-29T22:59:00.000-05:002005-07-30T00:40:12.223-05:00

After researching Cologne, Germany for an article last summer, I wished I could go to this year's World Youth Day. Not only is it the last year I'll be the right age, but Cologne would be a particularly intriguing destination after my summer 2003 wanderings. Of course, bar exams and lack of wealth pretty much put a stop to that idea.Today's observation comes from a Der Spiegel article criticizing

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1122229242295469562005-07-24T13:31:00.000-05:002005-07-24T21:19:08.736-05:00

Demanding to see everything Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has ever written, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy said this:"It's a total red herring to say, 'Oh, we can't show this.' And of course there is no lawyer-client privilege. Those working in the solicitor general's office are not working for the president. They're working for you and me and all the American people," he told ABC's "This

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1122083570574472272005-07-22T20:49:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:43:45.073-05:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Militant Islamists will continue to attack Britain until the government pulls its troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, one of the country's most outspoken Islamic clerics said on Friday.We already knew this was all about Iraq, right? But for some reason he just kept talking: In an interview with Reuters, [Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed] described Osama bin Laden, leader of the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1121837532936866292005-07-20T00:19:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:45:14.626-05:00

One of the looming battles over Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is expected to be over briefs he wrote while working for the first Bush administration: (MSNBC) At the moment — unless there is some smoking gun hidden in his years of private law practice — the only avenue of attack for Democrats to block his confirmation would seem to be an attempt to get the memos he wrote while in the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1121665755346558452005-07-18T00:45:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:36:43.936-05:00

From the Wall Street Journal: When it comes to issues involving race, apparently the first instinct of congressional Republicans is to grovel. They don't believe in appeasement abroad--only at home. The immediate issue is the reauthorization of the "emergency" provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act--provisions such as preclearance that constitute such a radical, unprecedented intrusion into

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1121407054318907202005-07-15T00:20:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:38:15.816-05:00

So who knows the difference between "for" and "because of"?Froma Harrop has an interesting piece over at RealClearPolitics: It is oil's fault. The London bombings are almost surely Al Qaeda's work, which means oil paid for them. Oil keeps the Mideast backward. It funds the madrassas that fill heads with anti-West poison. And it pays the terrorists who plant bombs on European trains and drive

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1120621950250530962005-07-05T22:52:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:39:25.976-05:00

From Aljazeera: Demanding two permanent seats with veto rights, African Union (AU) heads of state and officials in Libya on Tuesday said the organisation had already presented its demand to the UN....But so far the Sirte summit in Libya has not touched on the issue of who would sit in the two potential seats.South Africa-based analyst Dr Anne Hammerstad told Aljazeera.net on Tuesday that the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1120453923503046742005-07-04T00:02:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:42:18.176-05:00

I went to see Batman Begins today. It may even have been better than I expected. This brings me to a topic I've been thinking about for a while. Commonwealth Conservative had a series of posts on the movie (here, here, here, and here) one of which asked the question, "Is Batman a Republican?" (Also asked and answered here and here - OK, enough links!) I think it's an interesting question (

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1120185478006265712005-06-30T21:35:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:38:54.046-05:00

A few highlights from a Der Spiegel interview with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani:SPIEGEL: But many Iraqis say that while Saddam was a gruesome dictator, the air-conditioning worked from morning to night during his dictatorship, and they were able to send their children to school without having to fear for their lives.Talabani: You paint a misleading picture. By the time we lost the Kuwait war,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1119333359170288702005-06-24T22:38:00.000-05:002005-06-24T22:39:07.410-05:00

There's been talk, probably among people with too much time on their hands, about the fearful prospect of Bill Clinton as Secretary General of the UN. This would be bad for several reasons, most of which still apply to any other prominent American.Why no American should be UN Secretary General: Traditionally, representatives of the permanent UN Security Council members cannot become Secretary

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1119493989481101142005-06-22T20:53:00.000-05:002005-06-22T21:36:47.293-05:00

From the BBC:Coca-Cola has formally agreed to change its sales practices in Europe after an EU investigation found that its business methods stifled competition.Agreements with shops and bars to stock Coke drinks exclusively will now end as will its practice of giving stores rebates for hitting sales targets.The European Commission said the legally binding agreement would give consumers more

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1119320516299483562005-06-20T20:33:00.000-05:002005-07-22T23:14:57.313-05:00

From The Guardian: The US threw its weight behind an expansion of the UN security council that would take in Japan as a permanent member yesterday but not the other prime contender from the developed world, Germany.Nicholas Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, said Washington backed a limited expansion from 15 members to about 20, with "two or so" new permanent ones,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1118724419271285222005-06-13T23:31:00.000-05:002005-06-13T23:49:36.156-05:00

Texas Governor Rick Perry has a good quote on the old you-can't-legislate-morality nonsense:(AP) "One of the great myths of our time is that you can't legislate morality,"..."If you can't legislate morality, then you can neither lock criminals up nor let them go free. If you can't legislate morality, you can neither recognize gay marriage nor prohibit it. If you can't legislate morality, you can

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1118559660383190792005-06-12T00:58:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:44:39.526-05:00

From MSNBC/Newsweek:Conservatives will have to decide who they hate more in 2008, Hillary Clinton or John McCain. That’s how a veteran of the Reagan White House sizes up the current field. The religious right loathes Hillary, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and they love Virginia Sen. George Allen, an amiable, Reagan-like figure whose father once coached the Redskins.Allen will do well in the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1117861047136033462005-06-03T23:57:00.000-05:002006-05-03T13:32:29.946-05:00

From Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya will pay the price of an estimated Sh1.2 billion in withdrawn military support for its unwillingness to shield American personnel from prosecution at the International Criminal Court, it has been revealed....Details from Washington show that the Bush administration may deprive Kenya of Sh616 million ($8 million) in funds for fighting terrorism, building democracy and

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1117254229761598062005-05-27T23:32:00.000-05:002005-05-30T19:07:26.910-05:00

Panic has set in at the EU as both France and the Netherlands seem poised to vote no on the new EU "Constitution." (Which must be approved by all 25 members to take effect.)In our view, the "Constitution" tries to do too much. Portions cited by the "yes" and "no" campaigns (e.g., enshrinement of social and economic policy) have no place in a constitution. A constitution exists to establish the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1117249344812781892005-05-27T21:47:00.000-05:002005-05-27T22:02:24.820-05:00

With politicians still chattering about throwing federal money at fanciful hopes for embryonic stem cell research, we thought we would ask why federal money is so important. Why can't this money be raised privately from willing donors rather than through confiscatory taxation?First, we'll remind everyone that President Bush never made the research illegal, it simply is not being subsidized by the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1116734430118069892005-05-21T23:02:00.000-05:002005-05-22T22:44:44.256-05:00

From the BBC:One of the Czech National Bank's top policymakers has questioned the merits of eurozone membership, arguing that it may damage growth.The comments by Czech National Bank board member Robert Holman are more explicit than previous comments and may signal a policy change, analysts said.... What has caught many observers by surprise is that Mr Holman has not only voiced this scepticism

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1116716104448632492005-05-21T17:33:00.000-05:002005-05-24T22:00:40.176-05:00

From CNN: During floor debate Wednesday, Minority Leader Harry Reid accused the Republican majority of "moving toward breaking the rules to change the rules." "Right now, the only check on President Bush is the Democrats' ability to voice our concern in this body," said the Nevada Democrat. "If Republicans roll back our rights in this chamber, there will be no check on this power."Try winning an

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1116563159796071332005-05-19T23:16:00.000-05:002005-05-19T23:39:33.376-05:00

From Deutsche Welle:German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder Tuesday condemned critics of the Czech Republic's refusal to abolish wartime decrees forcing the expulsion of the "Sudeten" German minority from Czechoslovakia....Around 2.5 million people were expelled from Czechoslovakia under the 1945 Benes decrees on the basis that they had supported Hitler's annexation. Their property was confiscated.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1113971094106981912005-04-20T01:30:00.000-05:002005-04-20T17:25:34.156-05:00

We welcome Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, the most important religious leader in the world. Now, some background from the BBC: Cardinal Ratzinger has been head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - formerly known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition - since 1981.One of his first campaigns was against liberation theology, which had gained ground among priests in

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1113201063890778612005-04-11T01:31:00.000-05:002005-04-11T01:47:19.186-05:00

On April 5th, Christiane Amanpour had this to say about the funeral preparations for Pope John Paul II:You do get a sense of timelessness. This majestic pomp that has been ceremonial throughout centuries. And again it's also a very religious moment. And I keep coming back to the deep belief that this is a critical juncture for this church. It's got find out how to be relevant for the next several

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1112512752245977782005-04-03T01:57:00.000-05:002005-04-03T02:24:38.250-05:00

5 months after the election which produced two governors-elect, King County "discovers" 87 more ballots.The discovery is likely to bolster a key Republican claim: that there were so many irregularities in the election that the true winner can't be determined. Republicans have cited many errors by election workers and have focused on King County, where batches of uncounted and improperly rejected

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1112399692135797372005-04-01T19:05:00.000-05:002005-04-01T19:12:06.370-05:00

There's been some discussion, probably less serious than it should be, about creating a new state out of Eastern Washington so that its residents wouldn't be subject to policies created primarily for the Puget Sound area. The only argument to be widely used against the split (or for it, in the view of some Westerners) is that Eastern Washington receives more money in transportation spending than

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1111690266794116882005-03-24T14:26:00.000-05:002005-04-09T18:19:23.076-05:00

Two of the most important reasons for having a death penalty are punishment and use as a bargaining chip (most disputes over deterrence and selective use of perceived international trends ignore these issues).Today's news reminds us of the value of that "bargaining chip": BATH, Pa. (AP) - Prosecutors are considering whether to make Kathy MacClellan one of the oldest U.S. defendants in modern

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1111192911502059092005-03-18T19:40:00.000-05:002005-03-18T19:45:55.840-05:00

From Taiwan's Taipei Times, "French Perfidy Must be Challenged" (a vivid article, well worth reading it its entirety):The English poet Coleridge, of Ancient Mariner fame, once said that ""Frenchmen are like grains of gunpowder, -- each by itself smutty and contemptible, but mass them together and they are terrible indeed." How well the arms embargo case illustrates this. The desire to sell arms

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1110931410457304062005-03-15T19:03:00.000-05:002005-03-15T19:07:47.586-05:00

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Reuters) - A Harvard University student's fledgling dorm-cleaning business faced the threat of a campus boycott on Thursday after the school's daily newspaper slammed it for dividing students along economic lines.The Harvard Crimson newspaper urged students to shun Dormaid, a business launched by Harvard sophomore Michael Kopko that cleans up for messy students."By creating yet

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1110269658353502052005-03-08T02:59:00.000-05:002005-03-08T03:18:20.670-05:00

The People's Republic of China has given us a great example of when talk about "law" is simply irrelevant:China has for the first time outlined a proposed law allowing it to use force against Taiwan should attempts at peaceful reunification fail.Elsewhere, the "law" has been described as providing a legal justification for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.If this is true, Taiwan should simply pass a

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1109888549937015692005-03-03T17:09:00.000-05:002005-03-03T17:23:32.230-05:00

Texas and a few other states are debating whether to allow cities to compete with private industry by offering "free" wireless networks to their residents. The primary dispute is between (1) the policy of not using government power to compete with private industry and (2) the potential "educational" benefits of a more wired community.I have to wonder what the service quality of networks like this

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1109645571497640022005-02-28T22:52:00.000-05:002005-02-28T23:01:31.966-05:00

Karin Temple is a Nazi.Nazis were German and directed hatred at an -ism to promote their own political purposes. Karin Temple is German and directs hatred at an -ism to promote her own political purposes. That makes her a Nazi, right?This appears to be the core of her argument (the writer gives pitifully few details):She said that comparisons can be made from the U.S. government to that of

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1109501897797511342005-02-27T05:48:00.000-05:002005-03-29T03:12:13.123-05:00

From our friends in Europe: Another row has broken out over the name [Microsoft] proposes giving to the version of Windows without the MediaPlayer audiovisual programme which it is making available to PC manufacturers....The EU's competition authorities... have rejected out of hand Microsoft's initial suggestion of calling the "degraded" version of its operating system "Windows reduced media

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1109219055111969782005-02-23T23:22:00.000-05:002005-02-23T23:26:52.243-05:00

Canada is expected to officially refuse to participate in the U.S. missile defense system. The question remains, do we care?Prime Minister Paul Martin will deliver a firm No to Canadian participation in the U.S. missile defence plan and break a lengthy silence that fomented confusion on both sides of the border....The end of Martin's silence will come as an about-face for a prime minister who had

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1108976588518609132005-02-21T04:25:00.001-05:002008-02-17T13:45:10.106-05:00

Hopefully this is the start of a trend (but probably not). Sales tax should be based on where the sale takes place, not where a customer lives (or claims to). (Observant Ovation to Orbusmax)Oregon Shoppers Could Soon Pay Wash. Sales TaxOregonians who shop in Washington could soon find themselves paying more.A proposal by Washington Rep. Deb Wallace would close the loophole that exempts Oregonians

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1108968890120227642005-02-21T02:31:00.000-05:002005-02-21T04:23:20.710-05:00

Today, we observe Mark Steyn's observant observation on the Canadian government's opposition to removing Saddam:For a year, the antiwar crowd had told us it was “all about oil”--that the only reason Iraq was being “liberated” was so Bush, Cheney, Halliburton and the rest of the gang could annex in perpetuity the second biggest oil reserves in the world. But, if it was all about oil, then the fact

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1108977558629121452005-02-21T02:05:00.000-05:002005-02-21T04:24:39.613-05:00

We were in need of something semi-unique to credit sources on the web that would not otherwise be linked to. It will generally be used when stories would not otherwise have come to our attention through ordinary news browsing, but the source is not quoted separately.It was inspired by the "WWC High Five" and the "PaulSchafer.com thumbs-up."In development, the phrase reached even beyond the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1107991624357823332005-02-09T19:21:00.000-05:002005-02-12T03:49:51.926-05:00

From the BBC:French lawmakers have voted in favour of a controversial bill to increase the country's 35-hour working week.The proposal backed by a large majority allows private-sector employees to work up to 48 hours a week....Other than allowing people to work for up to 48 hours in a week - the EU approved maximum - the proposal also relaxes the overtime limit from 180 hours per year to 220.I

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1106378516689964652005-01-22T02:22:00.000-05:002005-02-14T05:12:29.243-05:00

Quick Observant Observations from the 55th Presidential Inauguration, starring President George W. Bush, Vice-President Richard W. Cheney, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William W. Rehnquist, First Lady Laura W. Bush and many more:There was a disappointingly low number of hippies. Some of the Texans standing next to us noticed this as well.Hippies were using professionally printed signs, what

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1106109527213248252005-01-18T23:36:00.000-05:002005-02-14T05:13:46.403-05:00

The International Herald Tribune and the New York Times report:Even as plans to celebrate President George W. Bush's inauguration were taking final shape, the capital on Tuesday appeared more like a city under siege.Hour by hour, the city of grand buildings and marble statues seemed to disappear behind curtains of steel security fences and concrete barriers.Piece by piece, the massive security

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1105641352618303302005-01-13T16:49:00.000-05:002005-01-13T20:35:49.780-05:00

Reported as a "victory for science": ATLANTA (AP) - A federal judge on Thursday ordered the removal of stickers placed in high school biology textbooks that call [the theory of] evolution "a theory, not a fact," saying they were an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.No, they're redundant. The stickers read, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1105645116107941522005-01-13T16:26:00.000-05:002005-01-13T20:40:54.276-05:00

Rossi contests election:Citing numerous problems with the election – including counties’ inability to match every vote with a voter, hundreds of improperly cast provisional ballots, and some instances of felons and dead people voting, and of double votes – Rossi said the people of Washington need a new election to restore their faith in the process.Timothy Goddard writes a good summary of the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518866.post-1105650061317059802005-01-13T16:05:00.000-05:002005-01-13T20:38:27.093-05:00

The British media freaks out over a colonial-themed costume party: Prince Harry has apologised for wearing a swastika armband to a friend's fancy dress party.Clarence House issued a statement in response to a photograph published on the front page of the Sun newspaper under the headline, "Harry the Nazi"....Prince Harry, 20, appears to be wearing a German desert uniform and a swastika armband. He

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082165211136849273noreply@blogger.com3