NYT Op-Eds (3)

"Masculinity is wide enough and deep enough for all men. We should remember that when society, and male culture in particular, tries to render it narrow and shallow" (Blow); "I’m sure you heard about President Obama’s new rule on health care coverage of contraceptives. Was it a cave, a tweak or a compromise?" (Collins); "Building the oil pipeline is not going to lead to apocalypse" (Nocera)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Cancerous Politics and Ideology of the Susan G. Komen Foundation | Common Dreams

Posted by Michael Butler, Sunday, February 5, 2012

NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (10)

"Three major legal cases may influence the 2012 election, but the cases also illustrate how politics shape the Supreme Court" (Editorial); "Whether Barack Obama wins or loses in November, the Democratic Party’s attention will immediately turn to 2016" (Guest Op-Ed); "Whether you can obtain a job, credit or insurance can be based on your digital doppelgänger — and you may never know why you’ve been turned down" (Guest Op-Ed); "Anyone entertaining such dreams of the Internet as a refuge for the bohemian, the hedonistic and the idiosyncratic probably didn’t know the reasons behind the disappearance of the original flâneur" (Guest Op-Ed); "How do the laws and mores of different nations manage, if at all, the multinational companies that now govern our digital lives?" (Guest Op-Ed); "Romney’s Mormon faith is too central to his biography and identity to be swept to the side" (Bruni); "Web tools can turn the world upside down. Change.org has empowered ordinary people to close down homophobic 'clinics' in Ecuador, shine a light on sex trafficking, and force banks to drop fees" (Kristof); "Vladimir Putin has been unable to make the political, economic and educational changes needed to make Russia a modern European state. Will he step up?" (Friedman); "Can Callista transform Newt so that he can transform her into the First Third Lady?" (Dowd); "Half of the country wants to restrict or end abortion, but you wouldn’t know that from the coverage of the Planned Parenthood-Komen controversy" (Douthat)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, February 5, 2012

Susan G. Komen and the Planned Parenthood Jihad

Posted by Michael Butler, Saturday, February 4, 2012

NYT Op-Eds (2)

"Mitt Romney said that he was concerned about 'middle-income Americans.' He certainly has a funny way of showing it" (Blow); "With that big political dust-up about breast cancer this week, we’ve clearly hit the point where there’s nothing that can’t be divided into red state/blue state" (Collins)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, February 4, 2012

Marcy Wheeler: I Always Hated Pink, Anyway

Wheeler ..

Komen just pretended to reverse its decision defund Planned Parenthood’s cancer screening services (it promises only to consider Planned Parenthood applications in the future, not to fund them) .. But now that everyone has become aware of Komen’s sleaziness, it’s time to look at what they – and the cancer industry – do more generally. They fund efforts to diagnose and find a cure but they work against things like prevention. They also tend to push back against research that shows we’ve been over-diagnosing and over-treating breast cancer .. We ought to use this scandal to examine more closely where cancer money gets spent – on treatment, turning cancer patients into customers – and rarely on prevention. While I appreciate the gesture, pink ribbons to me have come to symbolize cancer patients as profit centers, both for consumer goods capitalizing on an association with the goodwill (and Komen), as well as for ungodly expensive drugs that don’t always provide better outcomes

.. read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Saturday, February 4, 2012

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"Mitt Romney has said that his comments about not caring about the very poor were taken out of context. But the more context you give them, the worse it gets" (Krugman); "At a time when political leaders never admit fault and rarely accept responsibility, Komen did both, and that's worth celebrating" (Rosenthal); "The viral phenomenon of 'Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus' and the debate that it prompted have a fogy offering advice on how to beat the fogies" (Brooks)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, February 3, 2012

NYT (3): National News

In wake of growing outrage, Komen Foundation reverses itself, restores funding to Planned Parenthood; Why is SEC still giving banks a pass?; Senate overwhelmingly passes ethics bill re insider trading.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, February 3, 2012

NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (5)

"The Supreme Court of the United States should broadcast its hearings live. Adding video would enhance public understanding of the court" (Editorial); "Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a bill making Indiana another 'right to work' state" (Rosenthal); "This primary season, pro-choice Republican women don’t have good options" (Guest Op-Ed); "The Republican Party used to be known for its moderate pragmatists. Then the party forced moderates like Mitt Romney to feign extremism just to compete" (Kristof); "Did you hear? Mitt Romney said he doesn’t care about poor people. Really, he did. Let’s break this down" (Collins)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, February 2, 2012

NYT (9): National News

SuperPac secrecy - the spawn of Citizens United; Indiana gov signs "right to work" bill; Washington to become 7th state to approve same-sex marriage; Keystone pipeline is central to GOP economic argument; Three states order insurers to have climate change responses; Despite directive, pot arrests are up again in NYC; "Pink ribbon" breast cancer org finds itself red-faced as it ends funding for Planned Parenthood; NRC rejects Indian Point fire safety plan; Company behind exchange students who filed lawsuit re working conditions is barred from further biz.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, February 2, 2012

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"Charles Murray’s 'Coming Apart' describes the most important cultural trends today and offers a better understanding of America’s increasingly two-caste society" (Brooks); "Thanks to a gap between discrimination laws and disability laws, it’s possible for a pregnant woman to be forced from her job" (Guest Op-Ed); "With use of drones, the world could get clear, instant evidence of atrocities in Syria" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The War on a Woman’s Right to Choose, 2012 Edition

Why can't they leave women alone?
Posted by Michael Butler, Friday, January 27, 2012

Public Integrity

Posted by Michael Hamilton, Tuesday, January 24, 2012

NYT Editorial, Op-Eds, Letters (11)

"Americans spend more than patients in any other country, but with very mixed results" (Editorial); "Drones are blurring the civilian and military roles in war and circumventing the constitutional mandate for authorizing it" (Guest Op-Ed); "If only a presidential candidate would adopt this four-part agenda, he would surely be the winner on election night in November" (Friedman); "'Porgy and Bess' supplies a prism through which African-Americans have viewed their history" (Nocera); "No longer will only men be allowed to sell a bra to a woman clothed head-to-toe in an abaya" (Guest Op-Ed); "Could 2012 be a race between two powerful victims yearning to be lonely at the top?" (Dowd); "In both parties, there is a long tradition of underwhelming nominees" (Douthat); "If liberals care about middle-class salaries, public education and other state-funded services, they need to care about controlling health care costs as much as conservatives do" (Guest Op-Ed); "Lessons from Paula Deen on indulgence and its consequences" (Bruni); "It's 2012, and let's face it, the old way of sizing up candidates on the left-to-right spectrum just will not do" (Guest Op-Ed); "Sunday Dialogue: State Laws on Unions" (Letters)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, January 22, 2012

The GOP’s Ten Most Extreme Attacks on a Woman’s Right to Choose

Posted by Michael Butler, Thursday, December 29, 2011

NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

Angry over planned sanctions, Iran threatens to "choke" Strait of Hormuz; Will an 8-year-old girl alter the religious balance in Israel?; Egyptian court assails "virginity tests."
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, December 28, 2011

NYT (9): National News

Finally, it's the GOP that caves; Once again, FCC looks to ease media ownership rule; Judge blocks large part of SC immigration law; After death of G.I., military "hazing" is investigated; NYC's campaign finance law survives another challenge; Black women enlisting at remarkably high rate; Unseasonably warm weather has drawback - no snow for skiing; Man sentenced to 14 years for arson in response to election of Obama; Earthquake damage to Washington Monument more extensive than initially thought.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, December 23, 2011

Image of unknown woman beaten by Egypt’s military echoes around world

Ahdaf Soueif in The Guardian ..

The woman is young, and slim, and fair. She lies on her back surrounded by four soldiers, two of whom are dragging her by the arms raised above her head. She's unresisting – maybe she's fainted; we can't tell because we can't see her face. She's wearing blue jeans and trainers. But her top half is bare: we can see her torso, her tummy, her blue bra, her bare delicate arms. Surrounding this top half, forming a kind of black halo around it, is the abaya, the robe she was wearing that has been ripped off and that tells us that she was wearing a hijab

.. read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Tuesday, December 20, 2011

NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (5)

"The hard right’s immigration hero in Arizona has been exposed as a disgrace to law enforcement" (Editorial); "Some recent surveys seem to suggest that many Americans are in denial about the seriousness of the gap between the rich and poor" (Blow); "On Jan. 1, American workers may lose their right to be represented by a union" (Guest Op-Ed); "In weighing the extension of the operating licenses of the Indian Point nuclear plants, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should consider land contamination" (Guest Op-Ed); "Have you been wondering what’s up with reproductive rights this holiday season? I thought so!" (Collins)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, December 17, 2011

NYT (7): National News

Occupy San Francisco is cleared, and Occupy Boston gets bad news; As GOP candidates suck up to Israeli lobby, Dems see advantage in helping prolong "2-horse" GOP race; Abu-Jamal death sentence overturned; In a first, HHS overrules FDA re contraceptive; Kelly finally weighs in on NYPD Facebook slurs; NYC horse-and-carriage rides may finally go the way of the horse and buggy.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Atlantic (5)

"Our man in Kandahar" is helping alot - though he may also be guilty of mass murder; As pols and the public bicker, a quiet "health-care revolution" is occurring; Having your email hacked is no longer a simple issue; How the economy and other factors have created a "perfect storm" re the end of "traditional" marriage; Why some prisoners prefer death row.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, November 5, 2011

NYT Op-Eds & Letters (6)

"Instead of importing so many fruits and vegetables, let's grow them" (Bittman); "The quest to legalize same-sex marriage has met particular resistance from African-Americans" (Bruni); "The most troubling problems that leave many Americans at a disadvantage have gotten lost in the debate over the top 1 percent of earners vs. the bottom 99 percent" (Brooks); "European leaders have focused on treating the symptoms of what ails the common currency, rather than the disease itself" (Guest Op-Ed); "Herman Cain’s media narrative: from 'is he legitimate?' to 'will this ruin his legitimacy?'" (Dowd); "The Road Ahead for Occupy Wall Street" (Letters)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, November 2, 2011

NYT (6): National News

BOA drops plans for $5 debit card fee; Sexual harassment "pay-offs" come back to bite Cain; Attendance records for voting in Congress vary; Debate over new school lunch plan; As SCOTUS refuses to hear appeal in religious First Amendment case, House votes symbolically to reaffirm "In God We Trust" as national motto.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, November 2, 2011

NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

Afghan suicide bomber kills 18, including 12 Americans; As U.S. leaves Iraq, it moves to Persian Gulf; Mere hint at lifting curb on polygamy in Libya causes huge stir.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, October 30, 2011

NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (4)

"An extreme ballot measure in Mississippi, which would define a fertilized human egg as a 'person,' would destroy women’s reproductive rights" (Editorial); "There were alternatives to the economic doctrine that championed bank bailouts and mass suffering from the public. Look at Iceland" (Krugman); "Civil rights have barely made a dent in today’s most severe and persistent social injustices" (Guest Op-Ed); "The tired and poor the Statue of Liberty once welcomed are now often part of an enormous backlog of deportation cases" (Morgenthau)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, October 28, 2011