NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

Somali group was behind Uganda terror attacks; Israeli panel finds flotilla killings justified, but cites numerous errors; and Chinese labor movement continues to make gains.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, July 13, 2010

NYT (4): Foreign Affairs

Switzerland refuses to extradite Polanski; Synchronized bombings in Uganda kill 50 World Cup watchers; Ruling party in Japan suffers huge setback; and Chavez chafes at U.S. base in Curacao.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, July 12, 2010

Matt Taibbi: The Five Funniest Things About the “LeBron James: Global Superdouche” Broadcast

Taibbi ...

"The Decision" was simultaneously the most painful and most hilarious television show I've seen in a long time. Its entertainment value rested almost entirely in its scope .. I watched "The Decision" in breathless awe of the sheer scale of the narcissism involved. By any measure it was a landmark moment in the history of human self-involvement .. This is the beginning of our big Lost in Space journey together, where news and reality-show programming fuse completely and we all end up complete morons, voting strippers and X-games athletes into the White House.

.. read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Sunday, July 11, 2010

Dave Zirin on the US World Cup Team

after the US beat Algeria Zirin wrote After Donovan's Goal: Joy or Jingoism? when he overheard a guy on a DC sports radio show say "When I think of Algeria, all I think about are terrorists and Abbott and Costello movies" (referring of course to France's long time occupation of Algeria and the, um, "terrorists" who fought back). Zirin then inevitably got attacked by the same right wing idiots like the guy on the radio show so he's followed up with Putting Tears Aside: Celebrating Ghana's Victory - mab
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Sunday, June 27, 2010

Matt Taibbi: Why the World Cup Sucks

This is pretty funny

The American Empire has had a bad run in the past few decades. We’re deep in debt to former colonial vassals in China and the Middle East, our kids are fat video-game addicts who think reality shows are culture, and we’ve been listening to the same classic rock for 30 years now. We’re in decline, that can’t be denied, but until recently we still had one thing going for us: We didn’t watch the World Cup.

.. read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Friday, June 25, 2010

NYT (4): Foreign Affairs

McChrystal out, Petraeus in; Rudd steps down as Australian PM; Ramifications of France's exit from World Cup go way beyond sports; and the longest tennis match in history continues.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, June 24, 2010

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"The victories of so many Republican women in the primaries is a victory for feminism" (Douthat); "Expand the Hatch Act and ban White House staff from participating in all partisan activity" (Guest Op-Ed); "After all these years, the Brits still don't get us" (Egan)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, June 14, 2010

NYT (10): National News

As Obama plays politics with national primaries, Cuomo does same in NYS; GOP chooses Blakeman to run against Gillibrand; Jury selection begins in Blago trial; Why are jobless numbers stagnant despite new hiring?; Going solar is harder than it looks; Bloomberg beau potential politician?; Attys warned Walmart re lawsuits; Kellogg to rescind health claims for cereals; and "worst-ever call" in baseball may finally lead to broader use of instant replay.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, June 4, 2010

NYT (10): National News

O'KEEFE ET AL GET OFF LIGHT ON LANDRIEU SCAM; Could E. coli go pandemic?; CA votes to vote on voting; Military chiefs bridle at repeal of DA/DT; Obama to host Netanyahu and Abbas - but not together; Just how badly is CNN doing?; Facebook bows to pressure re privacy; Apple overtakes Microsoft as most valuable tech company; Both sides unhappy with Paterson's proposed rent laws; and will it be footballs and snowballs as Super Bowl comes to NY?
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, May 27, 2010

NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (4)

"The Phoenix Suns were true role models in donning 'Los Suns' jerseys in protest of Arizona’s harsh anti-immigration law. Let’s hope state leaders get the message" (Editorial); "As the Tea Party tries to lose its racist image, recent polls suggest this could prove to be difficult" (Blow); "In Chicago, more than 150 children have been shot this school year, and there has been too little national outcry against the violence" (Herbert); "The risks of high-frequency trading can be easily addressed without undermining the positive role that it plays in the market" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, May 8, 2010

NYT+ (9): National News

AS FIRST LEGAL CHALLENGES ARE FILED RE AZ LAW, AZ BASEBALL TEAM IS BOYCOTTED IN IL, AND FBI SAYS LAW ENFORCEMENT STATS DO NOT SUPPORT "NEED" FOR LAW; Gates and Mullen "warn" Congress re changing DA/DT; Obama criticizes liberal SCOTUS courts; Oil spill becomes an incident of "national significance"; Palin email hacker guilty of felony; Officer in bicycle shove case found guilty of lying; and Labor Dept outlines plan for greater compliance with labor laws.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, April 30, 2010

NYT (4): International Affairs

IF IRAN DOES GET THE BOMB, CAN IT BE CONTAINED?; What if the winner in Iraq has no clear mandate?; Is there a "campaign" against the Pope?; and Russia fears "humiliation" at home in 2014.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, March 14, 2010

NYT (4): International Affairs

Lacking campaign finance rules, Iraqi candidates use every possible means to secure votes; Iranian gov't shuts last two opposition publications; Chile finally realizes it needs outside aid; and in wake of lousy Russian showing at Olympics, Medvedev wants trainers' heads.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, March 2, 2010

NYT Op-Eds (4)

"No financial reform is better than a weak reform that would only create a false sense of security then fail in the clinch" (Krugman); "The government doctors and psychologists who participated in and authorized the torture of detainees should be investigated" (Guest Op-Ed); "Mitch Daniels, Republican of Indiana, has become America’s best governor. Is that enough to drive a presidential campaign in 2012?" (Douthat); "The best way to end waste, promote stability and return the focus to the athletes would be to base all Olympic activities in traditionally neutral Switzerland" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, March 1, 2010

NYT (4): International Affairs

Over 2 million displaced in Chilean quake, with numbers expected to rise; Is Yemen headed toward civil war?; War of words continues in Iran, as Moussavi calls leaders a "cult"; and for some U.S. Olympic winners, there is increasingly no "team" in "I."
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, February 28, 2010

NYT (4): International Affairs

Obama meets with Dalai Lama, and China expectedly protests; U.N. climate chief quits; Czech court bans far-right party; and what happened to Russian dominance of the Winter Olympics?
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, February 19, 2010

NYT (8): International Affairs

COALITION TROOPS ON THE MOVE AS AFGHAN WAR HEATS UP; Tymoshenko refuses to concede Ukrainian election; Idealism gives way to realism as Chavez gives oil contracts to Western companies; Profile of a moderate French imam; In rebuke to U.S., Europe nixes sharing of bank data; Greece's economic crisis causes others to reconsider switch to euro; Death of luger casts pall on Olympics; and the strange case of rewarding blatant plagiarism.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, February 13, 2010

NYT Op-Eds (3)

Paul Krugman compares the deficit to the Iraq war ("Fear-mongering on the deficit as part of the Republican political strategy could end up doing as much harm as the fear-mongering on weapons of mass destruction"); David Brooks philosophizes about sports and character-building ("Big-time college sports, though absurd, have some virtues"); and is "Precious" racist? ("The blacks who are enraged by 'Precious' have probably figured out that the film wasn’t meant for them")
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, February 5, 2010

The kings of trash talk

Posted by Bill Swiggard, Wednesday, February 3, 2010

NYT (9): National News

As Democrats fret over MA race, a look at the man who maintained Kennedy's legacy in the interim; Does the G.O.P. only see health care as a political tool?; Dobson to get national radio show; Electric cars finally become a reality; WA braces for Vancouver Olympics; a review of "Game Change"; and new books on the failure of corporate boards, and the power of our unconscious minds.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, January 17, 2010

NYT (8): National News

NJ approves medical marijuana; Prop 8 trial opens on "personal" note, as Supreme Court bars webcasts; White House still meddling in U.S. Senate race in NYS; Financial Crisis Commission begins its inquiry; Detroit Auto Show features energy savers; McGwire finally admits to steroid use; and Palin will become paid talking head on Fox.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 12, 2010

NYT (6): National News

House toughens federal regs against Wall Street, including new consumer protection agency; Ban on grants to Acorn ruled unconstitutional; Blackwater loses job with C.I.A.; Geothermal project in CA shut down after similar project is shut in Switzerland; Woods will take "indefinite break" from golf; and a new documentary on social change from Howard Zinn (History Channel, Sunday).
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, December 12, 2009

AlterNet: Why Is Tiger Woods in Trouble? It’s Not His Steamy Sex Life; It’s His Family Values Hypocrisy

Very interesting, level-headed approach. mb
Posted by Michael Butler, Friday, December 4, 2009

The H1N1 Vaccine Debate

Redskins cheerleader is permanently crippled by vaccine. This story is being widely tracked in the mainstream media as well as the AM. And don't believe for a second that this is (as at least one media outlet called it) a "one in a million" case.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, November 9, 2009

NYT (9): National News

After slim victory, Bloomberg tries to make nice with Dems - but some aren't buying; G.O.P. is "energized" by gov wins, but can they avoid internecine warfare?; Abortion raises its ugly head in health care bill debate; Gay rights loss in Maine may lead to altered tactics; Jobless benefits extended for another 20 weeks - a record 2 years total (so far); Parole system utterly failed in Jaycee Dugard case; Kerik accepts plea deal; and the Yankees win their 27th world series (see also sidebar articles)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, November 5, 2009