meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
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Why There's No Escaping the Blog Fortune — Permalink 1 Early in the evening of Dec. 1, Microsoft revealed that it planned to take over the world of blogs—the five-million-plus web journals that have exploded on the Internet in the past few years. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Why? Well, a new blog gets created every 3 seconds . Glenn Reynolds: FORTUNE: "Why There's No Escaping the Blog." Lots of interesting stuff on blogs from a corporate PR and marketing perspective. Jeff Jarvis: They just put the story online — free! — and so here's the link. |
Captain Ed: Fortune Favors The Blog-Ready — Fortune Magazine published an analysis of blogs and the blogosphere, with a business rather than political viewpoint. RCox: BloggersCorp Scores First Success. Blogs Means Business (via Instapundit). AP Admits Working with Terrorists in Iraq(via Instapundit). Charles Johnson: Fortune Magazine on Blog Power — Fortune Magazine has a very interesting piece by David Kirkpatrick and Daniel Roth on... |
A Rare Tsunami, and a Change in Geography LAT — Permalink The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck off Indonesia on Sunday morning moved the entire island of Sumatra about 100 feet to the southwest, pushing up a gigantic mass of water that collapsed into a tsunami and devastated shorelines around the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. | |
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Jan Haugland: Earthquake rewrites SE Asia map - warning system — A good LA Times article puts the powerful earthquake in some... Michael J. Totten: Shifting Geography — Whoa. Lambert @Corrente: Geology lesson — From the LA Times (naturally): [snipped quote] Moved an entire island 100 feet... Yikes... |
Joe Gandelman: The Earthquake: So Catacylsmic It Literally Moved An Island — While news reports predict occasional supposed calamities... David Allan Pell: + A Washington Post staff writer on the Tsunami: "I was taking my morning swim..." + The entire Island of Sumatra moved more than 100 feet. |
The Year Of Blogging Dangerously By / TCS — Permalink For those of us Webloggers who track the media the way that sports fans follow the NFL, 2004 will be remembered as the year the mask not only slipped, it completely came off the mainstream media. | |
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Norbizness: According to this guy, the following were the top blogopshere-related developments in the past year. Charles Johnson: The Year Of Blogging Dangerously — Ed Driscoll picks the top ten events that defined the blogosphere in 2004: The Year Of Blogging Dangerously. Lorie Byrd: Update: Be sure to check out Ed Driscoll's excellent "top ten events that ricocheted through the Blogosphere in 2004," presented in order of importance, at Tech Central Station. |
Ace: Yet Another Year-End Top Ten: Top Ten Blog Moments — Wish I had thought of this. You won't be very surprised at what Number One turns out to be. Radley Balko: The Year in Blogs (That I Read) To read Ed Driscoll's "top ten blog moments of 2004," one would think that there isn't a left side of the blogosphere at all. Bill Hobbs: Ed Driscoll recounts the blogosphere's top-10 media-related stories and achievements of 2004 - and much to my surprise... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, Orrin Judd, Ed Driscoll, Glenn Reynolds, Greg Ransom, Greyhawk | |
The new status quo By / Townhall.com — Permalink Once upon a time, liberals were the folks who wanted to change society. They thought existing institutions were unjust and that individuals needed protection against the workings of the market. They looked forward to a society that would be different. | |
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Deacon: They stopped thinking about tomorrow — Michael Barone looks back on the 2004 election and is "struck by how many of the... Roger L. Simon: More on Who's a Fogey — This article by Michael Barone... has he been reading this blog or have I been reading him?... Jesse Taylor: Oh, Dat Wascawwy Wogic — I'm going to take Michael Barone's criticism of Democratic embrace of "old ideas" to its... |
Betsy Newmark: Michael Barone has a great (as usual) column looking at how liberals are now the ones who oppose change and reform. Ed Driscoll: Few pundits are as respected on both sides of the aisle as Michael Barone, and he picks up the theme in his latest... PoliPundit: The Reactionary Left — Michael Barone on reactionary liberalism: "Looking back on election year 2004, I am struck by... |
Yushchenko wins Ukraine election BBC — Permalink Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has won the re-run of Ukraine's troubled presidential election by a clear margin, election officials say. With more than 95% of votes counted, the pro-Western leader is nearly 10 points ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych following Sunday's vote. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: "Yushchenko wins Ukraine election" — From the BBC: [snipped quote] Orange. It's the new black. Captain Ed: UPDATE II: It's as official as it will get, for now — Yushchenko has won the election by over 3 million votes,... Byron LaMasters: A Victory for Democracy — It's a victory that both the American right, and the American left can celebrate, because this is a victory for democracy. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: And speaking of Viktor Yushchenko, his victory is clear: [snipped quote] Hopefully, any Yanukovych challenge collapses soon. Jan Haugland: Yushchenko wins! Opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko has won the Ukrainian presidential election by a clear margin. Glenn Reynolds: UKRAINE UPDATE: Yushchenko's victory is official. Photos here. |
| Also: KJL | |
Ukraine minister found shot dead BBC — Permalink Ukraine's Transport Minister Heorhiy Kyrpa has been found dead at his holiday home near the capital Kiev. The minister is reported to have gunshot wounds and officials said a gun was found near his body. Mr Kyrpa, 58, appointed in 2002, was a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. | |
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Captain Ed: Yanukovych Supporter Found Dead, Suspected Suicide — The fallout from the collapse of Viktor Yanukovych and the... |
Jan Haugland: In other news, Ukraine's Transport Minister Heorhiy Kyrpa was found dead from gunshot wounds at his holiday home. |
From America With Love Opinion Journal — Permalink In the most peaceful revolution since South Africa ended its apartheid regime by electing Nelson Mandela president in 1994, Ukraine has just elected opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko president of the former Soviet satellite republic. | |
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Gail Heriot: There are many reasons for this, most of which are obvious, but one of them is his wife, Kateryna Chumachenko... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Read all about her here. And congratulations to Viktor Yushchenko for both his presidential victory, and his fine taste in women. Dean Esmay: I didn't know that. Campaign analyst John Fund has an interesting profile of Kateryna Chumachenko Yushchenko. |
Betsy Newmark: John Fund profiles Viktor Yushchenko's American-born wife. She sounds like a great asset as he starts his new job. Jayson @PoliPundit: It's Like 1989 All Over Again — The great John Fund reviews the peaceful Ukrainian democratic revolution, plus a... |
Stop Doubting Thomas By / LAT — Permalink Chief Justice William Rehnquist must loathe opening the morning paper these days. Every day, there is fresh speculation on his impending death or resignation. Pundits have opined on whether his agreement to administer the inaugural oath in January is a sign that he is staying or that he is bidding farewell. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Jonathan Turley looks at how Clarence Thomas has gone about quietly building up a base of support throughout Washington, D.C. Orrin Judd: PATIENCE: Stop Doubting Thomas (Jonathan Turley, December 27, 2004, LA Times) [snipped quote] Remember what happened to the last guy the Democrats thought was a moron. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE SECOND MOST MISUNDERESTIMATED MAN IN WASHINGTON — Law professor Jonathan Turley goes beyond the stereotyping of... Jonathan H. Adler: TURLEY ON THOMAS — In today's LAT. |
With No Alert System, Indian Ocean Nations Were Vulnerable By / NYT — Permalink The earthquake that struck northwest of Sumatra, Indonesia, at dawn yesterday was a perfect wave-making machine, and the lack of a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean essentially guaranteed the devastation that swept coastal communities around southern Asia, experts said. | |
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Mark Kleiman: Within fifteen minutes, seismologists knew the tsunami was coming, and started making phone calls to their friends in... Greg Ransom: LACK OF A TSUNAMIS warning system spelled doom for tens of thousands in wake of 9.0 quake off the coast of Sumatra. |
Matthew Yglesias: Like everyone else, I've been learning to day that many, many lives could have been saved if some sort of technologically feasible warning system had been built. |
Pro-West Leader Heads to Victory in Ukraine By / NYT — Permalink KIEV, Ukraine, Dec. 27 - Viktor A. Yushchenko, the opposition leader, headed for victory today in a riveting presidential race marked by intrigue, charges of poisoning, fervent street demonstrations and widespread abuses of state power. | |
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DavidNYC @DailyKos: Yuschenko Wins Ukraine Re-Vote — Confirming Armando's earlier exit poll story, the New York Times reports that... Matthew Yglesias: Orange Revolution — Looks like Yuschenko's the man, as we've all been hoping. |
Chris Bowers: Ukrainian Election Reversed — In the new vote, Yushchenko emerges victorious: [snipped quote] Under his leadership, Ukraine will move toward the EU, and away from Russia. |
The Millennium War By / Weekly Standard — Permalink OUR BLACKHAWK FLIGHT FROM VICTORY Base to Babylon packs 2,700 years of Iraqi history into a 100-kilometer dash at altitudes a cubit or so above the tallest date palms. Every Iraqi August day is a blowtorch by 1030 hours, and this morning is no exception. | |
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Donald Sensing: His piece is called, "The Millennium War," appearing in The Weekly Standard. Go read it! |
Glenn Reynolds: AUSTIN BAY'S COVER STORY ON IRAQ for this week's Weekly Standard is now available online. |
Why Some Politicians Need Their Prisons to Stay Full By / NYT — Permalink The mandatory sentencing fad that swept the United States beginning in the 1970's has had dramatic consequences - most of them bad. The prison population was driven up tenfold, creating a large and growing felon class - now 13 million strong - that remains locked out of the mainstream and prone to recidivism. | |
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Captain Ed: More NIMBY Weeping And Illogic From The Gray Lady (Update) The New York Times takes a second bite at the... |
Jeralyn Merritt: The Politics of Prisons — Don't miss this New York Times editiorial on mandatory minimum sentencing and on why politicians need to keep the prisons full. |
Rumsfeld says 9-11 plane 'shot down' in Pennsylvania WorldNetDaily — Permalink WASHINGTON - Ever since Sept. 11, 2001, there have been questions about Flight 93, the ill-fated plane that crashed in the rural fields of Pennsylvania. The official story has been that passengers on the United Airlines flight rushed the hijackers in an effort to prevent them from crashing the plane into a strategic target - possibly the U.S. Capitol. | |
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Kevin Aylward: Rumsfeld Slip Fuels Conspiracy Mills — The conspiracy nuts are already ga-ga over this...WorldNetDaily - During his... SLZoll: WorldNetDaily Stupidest Exclusive Story of the Week I realize that a "stupidest" WorldNetDaily story is only a matter... KJL: A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM DON RUMSFELD for conspiracy theorists. |
Tim Cavanaugh: DoD Down — With the headline "Rumsfeld says 9-11 plane 'shot down' in Pennsylvania..." Drudge links to this World Net... Steve Bainbridge: But look closely at what he said: [snipped quote] Throughout Rumsfeld is talking about terrorists' acts. |
Drug Firms Issue Memos on Michael Moore AP — Permalink LOS ANGELES - Some pharmaceutical companies are telling their employees to look out for the scruffy guy in the baseball cap. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that at least six drug companies have released internal communications telling employees to be wary of filmmaker Michael Moore. | |
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Charles Johnson: A Karmic Coincidence — Drug Firms Issue Memos on Michael Moore. |
Ace: Rightwing Photoeditorializing at AP? Seems that site-favorite Michael Moore is now ranting about health insurance. |
Sea Surges From Massive Quake Kill About 20,000 Across South Asia WaPo — Permalink JAKARTA, Indonesia, Dec. 27 — A gargantuan earthquake centered off the western end of the Indonesian archipelago unleashed a series of tsunamis Sunday that crashed into coastal towns, fishing villages and tourist resorts from Sri Lanka to India, Thailand and Malaysia, killing about 20,000 people in at least nine countries and leaving thousands missing. | |
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Amy Sullivan: With the death tolls reaching levels the mind can barely grasp, the disaster does seem to belong to another age. |
Jan Haugland: Earthquake death toll at 20,000 — The massive waves created by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Sumatra have killed an... |
Catastrophes and Their Cures By / TCS — Permalink A killer asteroid is on the way. Or maybe not. As I write this column, Asteroid 2004 MN is projected to have a roughly 1-in-42.5 chance of striking the Earth. By the time you read this, the odds number — which is being continually revised as new data come in... | |
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Tim Blair: Glenn Reynolds writes: "This weekend's deaths were as much a result of poverty and inattention as of earth movement ... |
Glenn Reynolds: CATASTROPHES AND CURES: My TechCentralStation column, about killer asteroids and tsunamis, is up. |
For Bush, Key Foreign Policy Goals Intersect By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush and his top aides have repeatedly said they want to improve relations with European allies in Bush's second term, beginning with a presidential visit in February. Bush has also said he believes the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has provided a new opportunity to pursue peace between Israelis and Palestinians. | |
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Captain Ed: Glenn Kessler writes that Europeans have a threshold of "cooperation" that they expect Bush to meet before dealing with... James Joyner: For Bush, Key Foreign Policy Goals Intersect — For Bush, Key Foreign Policy Goals Intersect (Glenn Kessler, WaPo)... |
Steven @AndrewSullivan: EURO-ATLANTICISM AND THE MIDEAST: The Washington Post argues that the president's desire to mend relations with Europe... |
Asia quake death toll tops 21,000 CNN — Permalink CHENNAI, India (CNN) — The death toll from Sunday's tsunamis climbed to 21,000 by Monday as fears of disease from decaying bodies and contaminated water grew in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. | |
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Rebecca MacKinnon: The traditional news updates via Reuters, AP, and CNN.com? Or Wikinews? Hit the "comments" section and let me know what y'all think. |
Nick Gillespie: Tsunami Toll — CNN is reporting that over 21,000 people are dead in the aftermath of tidal waves triggered by a massive... |
A Day of Devastation NYT — Permalink The location of yesterday's devastating earthquake came as no surprise. Its epicenter lay just off the western tip of Sumatra in one of the most geologically violent regions on the planet, where two of the plates that make up the earth's surface collide. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Warnings — The New York Times editorial page waxes existential: "It's instinctive in humans to search for the meaning... |
Chris Mooney: Reacting to the Quake — Recent events have left the New York Times feeling borderline nihilistic: "It's instinctive in... |
Jet Is an Open Secret in Terror War By / WaPo — Permalink The airplane is a Gulfstream V turbojet, the sort favored by CEOs and celebrities. But since 2001 it has been seen at military airports from Pakistan to Indonesia to Jordan, sometimes being boarded by hooded and handcuffed passengers. | |
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Gary Farber: TAIL NUMBER N379P is taken note of, as Time Canada makes Maher Arar their Man Of The Year. How many Americans have a clue who Arar is, one wonders. Steve Gilliard: Next stop, Cairo — Torture Airlines Jet Is an Open Secret in Terror War By Dana Priest Washington Post Staff Writer... Jeralyn Merritt: The Washington Post catches up with this new article on ConAir for Detainees—a Gulfstream V turbojet |
Cori Dauber: This Dana Priest article on the CIA practice of renditions goes into great detail about the methods used by the CIA to move suspects from country to country. Stuart Buck: Rendition — This is a very interesting, and potentially troubling, article about the CIA practice of "rendition,"... |
Bush Plan Could Imperil Tax Write-Off for New York By / NYT — Permalink As the Bush administration looks to revamp the tax code, New York officials say they are particularly worried about one idea being considered: eliminating the federal deduction for state and local taxes. | |
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Max B. Sawicky: FIT TO PRINT — MaxSpeak quoted in the New York Times. Because they couldn't find Len Burman. |
Orrin Judd: FUNNY HOW POLITICS WORKS: Bush Plan Could Imperil Tax Write-Off for New York (IAN URBINA, 12/27/04, NY Times) [snipped quote] They didn't vote for him, did they? |
Asia Tsunami Toll Tops 21,000; Rush to Find Bodies By / Reuters — Permalink COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - The death toll in a tsunami that slammed into coasts from India to Indonesia topped 21,000 on Monday as rescuers scoured the sea for missing tourists and soldiers raced to recover bodies amid growing fears of disease. | |
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Captain Ed: Estimates now number the dead at more than 21,000 and the bodies left in the water have health experts worried about a... |
Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 12/27/04 8:04:10 am: The latest toll is over 20,000. |
Tribal Money Linked to GOP Fundraising WaPo — Permalink For most politicians, fundraising is a dreaded chore. But until recently, Rep. John T. Doolittle of California and other members of the House Republican leadership had adopted a painless solution: fundraising events in luxury sports boxes leased largely with... | |
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Charles Kuffner: He in turn points me to an update on Jack Abramoff, the College Republican alumnus and Tom DeLay crony who is currently getting grilled over his sleazy ripoffs of Indian tribes. |
The Farmer: Long article, I haven't even finished reading it yet myself, but — continue reading here: WaPo via YahooNews More... |
Asian tsunami disaster: country by country Independent — Permalink In Indonesia, more than 2,500 people were killed as raging waters dragged villagers from Sumatra out to sea. The worst affected area was Banda Aceh, the capital of the rebellious Aceh province in the north of the island, where more than 1,400 were killed. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: The tsunami : The Independent has a helpful if horrifying country-by-country report on the impact of the earthquake and destruction. |
Glenn Reynolds: TSUNAMI UPDATE: Jeff Jarvis has more links and reports, some rather harrowing, and points to this country by country roundup from The Independent. |
An American Married to Al Qaeda ABCNEWS — Permalink Dec. 22, 2004 - A California woman reveals to ABC News that she unknowingly married a Muslim extremist who helped set up what authorities say was one of the first al Qaeda sleeper cells out of their Orange County apartment complex. | |
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Jeff @BeautifulAtrocities: ' The Amber Frye Deaf, Dumb, & Blonde Award goes to Saraah Olson, who found herself living every woman's nightmare when... |
Charles Johnson: "A Terrorist in My House" — Some background information on Orange County-born Adam Gadahn, whose ranting was featured in a recent Al Qaeda video: An American Married to Al Qaeda. |
Yushchenko claims triumph in Ukraine: "Now we are free," he declares AFP — Permalink Pro-West opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko claimed victory in Ukraine's historic presidential election rerun, telling supporters the vote was a triumph for the country and proclaiming that "now we are free" from dominance by neighboring Russia. | |
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Ace: Freedom's Century Takes Another Baby Step — Great for the Ukraine: "Pro-West opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko... |
Captain Ed: Orange On Top (Updated) Viktor Yushchenko has declared victory in the Ukrainian presidential run-off today, leading... |
Asia Quake's Tsunamis Kill Nearly 11,800 By / AP — Permalink COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - An earthquake of epic power struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean on Sunday, unleashing 20-foot tidal waves that ravaged coasts across thousands of miles and killed nearly 11,800 people. | |
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Captain Ed: UPDATE, 8 PM CT: The quake apparently unleashed a tsunami that killed almost 12,000 people, one of the worst natural disasters of all time. |
Charles Johnson: The Restless Earth — The gigantic, record-setting earthquake in the Indian Ocean has claimed more than 11,000 lives: Asia Quake's Tsunamis Kill Nearly 11,800. |
Yushchenko claims Ukraine victory BBC — Permalink Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has claimed victory in the re-run of the presidential election, as early results indicate a clear lead. Incomplete official results put Mr Yushchenko 18 percentage points ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. | |
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Jan Haugland: Update 2: Yushchenko has claimed victory, as incomplete official results show him 18 percentage points ahead. It's a landslide! |
Ann Althouse: So says the new victor, Viktor Yushchenko. The best of good wishes to the poisoned Ukrainian hero. |
'There's Something Strange Happening With the Sea' By / WaPo — Permalink WELLIGAMA, Sri Lanka, Dec. 26 — Disaster struck with no warning out of a faultlessly clear blue sky. I was taking my morning swim around the island that my businessman-brother Geoffrey bought on a whim a decade ago and turned into a tropical paradise just 200 yards from one of the world's most beautiful beaches on the Sri Lankan mainland. | |
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McQ: Relief agencies responding to this disaster are the following if you're interested in providing some help: American Red... Tim Blair: And here's the Washington Post's Michael Dobbs, in Sri Lanka: "As the water rushed out of the bay, I scrambled onto the main road. Greg Ransom: TSUNAMI coverage from the BuzzMachine with maps and first-person accounts, including this one from Michael Dobbs of the... |
Joe Gandelman: Far away, yet even with newspaper accounts the Internet made it seem MUCH closer...because some local weblogs... Jeff Jarvis: Later I found out that my friend had been rescued by boat with a mild concussion and lacerations from all the wreckage... Virginia Postrel: "There's Something Strange Happening with the Sea." WaPost reporter Michael Dobbs, vacationing with his family on an... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, KJL, Laura Rozen, Orrin Judd, Rickheller @Centerfield, Lambert @Corrente | |
Asia quake death toll nears 10,000 CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Massive tsunamis triggered by the largest earthquake to shake the planet in more than 40 years wiped out coastal areas across Asia as far as 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away, killing almost 10,000 people. | |
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McQ: Tsunami — A huge earthquake (9.2) centered just below the Indonesian town of Banda Aceh on Sumatra Island has... Talking Dog: Stories about "Christmas miracles" of long lost family reunions or seeming generosity that, really, aren't anything... |
Joe Gandelman: MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE In Asia: Some Asian Blogs' Accounts 2004 decided not to go quietly today when the biggest earthquake... Jesse Taylor: Tragedy — Jesus. |
As Nuclear Secrets Emerge in Khan Inquiry, More Are Suspected NYT — Permalink When experts from the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency came upon blueprints for a 10-kiloton atomic bomb in the files of the Libyan weapons program earlier this year, they found themselves caught between gravity and pettiness. | |
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Mark Kleiman: As a truly horrifying story in yesterday's New York Times makes clear, the Administration that is so eager to shred the... Charles Johnson: Nuclear Secrets Emerge in Khan Inquiry — The New York Times has a report on the frightening depth and pervasiveness of... Roger L. Simon: Khan Game — The NYT's front pager this morning about the extent of A. Q. Khan's nuclear network is worth reading even... |
Kevin Hayden: The Conservative Proliferation of a killer of a plan — The more I read of Dr. Khan's global Nukes-R-Us emporium for Cruel Tyrants, the more I recall how it came to be. Talking Dog: (Thanks, and saints be praised, to Bruce-the-veep for the always timely assist; Bruce also sends along this Grey Lady... Jan Haugland: Nuclear proliferation — If we are to believe this NYT article, Pakistan's A. Q. Khan had been investigated by western... |
| Also: Laura Rozen | |
Tidal Waves Kill More Than 5,300 in Asia WaPo — Permalink JAKARTA, Indonesia Dec. 26 — A gargantuan earthquake centered off the west coast of Indonesia unleashed a series of tidal waves Sunday morning that crashed into coastal towns, fishing villages and tourist resorts from India and Sri Lanka to Thailand and Malaysia, killing more than 5,300 people and leaving many more missing. | |
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Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: EARTHQUAKE DIPLOMACY — The earthquake in Indonesia is being reported as the fourth largest in recorded history, and (at... James Joyner: Tidal Waves Kill Thousands in Asia — Tidal Waves Kill More Than 3,000 in Asia (WaPo) [snipped quote] Tragic. Rickheller @Centerfield: Tsunami — An earthquake underneath the Indian Ocean produces a tidal wave. The Washington Post's Michael Dobbs was caught in it, and is lucky to be alive. |
Cori Dauber: And then some. That's what the death toll looks to be right now. Laura Rozen: He survived, but ten thousand others perished in the meteorological phenomenon he experienced just a tiny part of. Josh Chafetz: A TRULY AWFUL TRAGEDY in Southeast Asia. Our thoughts are with the people of the region. |
Elections over, blog popularity wanes By / Dallas Morning News — Permalink In 2004, blogs became the next big thing. With the presidential campaigns in high gear, the online Web journals debunked candidates' claims, spread rapid-fire rumors and broke some news of their own. | |
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Byron LaMasters: Hmmm, well judge for yourself: "A few part-time computer geeks parlayed their blogs into full-time gigs, attracting advertisers and loyal followings. Avedon Carol: Everybody's talkin' — Let's see what's up at Memeorandum... This week's obligatory newspaper article about blogging... Charles Kuffner: Death of blogging predicted: Film at 11 — This DMN article on blogs post-election has been making the rounds lately. |
McQ: Blogs meet Darwin's theory — Yes folks, since the election has come and gone, the popularity of blogs, once the hot... Jay Rosen: PressThink's Top Ten Ideas for 2004: Introduction — These are my top ten ideas for the year 2004. The year in press think, as it were. |
'Minister of Defense' Reggie White dies at age 43 By / AP — Permalink "Today our beloved husband, father and friend passed away," White's wife, Sara, said in a statement through a family pastor. "His family appreciates your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of Reggie White. We want to thank you in advance for honoring our privacy." | |
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Captain Ed: Reggie White, RIP — One of the greats of the NFL has died today at the terribly young age of 43. Charles Kuffner: RIP, Reggie White — This is a shock. [snipped quote] They said it was a heart attack on the NFL pregame show on CBS this morning, but whatever it was, he was far too young. Kevin Hayden: Minister of Defense passes — [snipped quote] Our condolences to his family and friends. |
Michele Catalano: aww damn — Reggie White is dead. Back when I worked in a record store in the 80's, I had this friend Kevin, a Cowboy fan, who was fond of saying "Damn, damn Reggie White!" Orrin Judd: SACKED: 'Minister of Defense' Reggie White dies at age 43 (AP, 12/26/04) [snipped quote] So passes a great conservative. |
First of All, There's the Continuing Daily Miracle By / NYT — Permalink I really hadn't planned on doing this. Several weeks ago I decided that I'd write a year-end column enumerating a bunch of The Times's crimes and misdemeanors over the past 12 months - the ones I never got around to writing about because they seemed of... | |
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Captain Ed: UPDATE: Via JustOneMinute's Tom Maguire (hat tip Doug), Daniel Okrent may be celebrating just a bit too soon: "The Op-Ed... Lambert @Corrente: Okrent spurns unwashed hordes unworthy of World's Greatest Newspaper (not!), then takes credit for their achievements — I know, I know. |
Tom Maguire: However, his year-end progress report is quite celebratory - the Times is more accurate, and less slanted! |
U.S. Is Suggesting Guaranteed Role for Iraq's Sunnis By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 - The Bush administration is talking to Iraqi leaders about guaranteeing Sunni Arabs a certain number of ministries or high-level jobs in the future Iraqi government if, as is widely predicted, Sunni candidates fail to do well in Iraq's elections. | |
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Juan Cole: The New York Times reported on Sunday that the Bush administration has been exploring with Iraqi figures like Grand... Kevin Drum: Apparently so: [snipped quote] It's the same story over and over and over again, isn't it? |
Cori Dauber: We're not aiming for perfection here — The Times reports that there are talks underway between the US and various... Max B. Sawicky: FOR IRAQ The Sunni/Shi'ite divide in Iraq goes to precisely the sort of considerations undelrying Lani Guinier's work on... |
College Republicans' Fundraising Criticized By / WaPo — Permalink The College Republican National Committee is under fire for using front organizations to collect millions of dollars in contributions, including money from elderly people with dementia. | |
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Charles Kuffner: The CRNC and Jack Abramoff — Boffoblog points me to this WaPo article updating the College Republicans fundraising scandal. Roger Ailes: The Future Of The Republican Party — Let's hope these punks got the Christmas they deserve: [snipped quote] Hey, the shield of God isn't cheap. |
Lambert @Corrente: [quote]If the press asks you about it, tell them you have no comment." (via WaPo) [end quote] And we want to put the Republicans in charge of Social Security? Taegan Goddard: College Republicans' Fundraising Criticized — [snipped quote] the Washington Post reports. |
Election Season Opens for Palestinians By / WaPo — Permalink DAHARIA, West Bank, Dec. 23 — The sun slipped behind the rolling hills, and the temperature went down with it, but the line of would-be voters outside the Daharia Girls School on Thursday wasn't getting any shorter. | |
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Brian Crouch: Blogger David Gertsman observes: [quote] In the article "Election Season Opens for the Palestinians" a Washington Post...[end quote] |
David Gerstman: More Democratic than America — In a positive review of the recently concluded Palestinian municipal elections, the... |
Evolution Shares a Desk With 'Intelligent Design' By / WaPo — Permalink DOVER, Pa. — "God or Darwin?" Lark Myers, a blond, 45-year-old gift shop owner, frames the question and answers it. "I definitely would prefer to believe that God created me than that I'm 50th cousin to a silverback ape," she said. | |
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Joe Carter: Baggage Check: Answering Philosophical Objections to Intelligent Design Theory [Note: The Washington Post has a article... |
Hugh Hewitt: Now, to the main subject of this morning's work: "Intelligent Design" gets a close look from the Washington Post on Page A-1 of this morning's Sunday edition. |
An oasis of freedom amid slavery By / Boston Globe — Permalink More than 150 pages of documents and notes accompany ''Israel on the Appomattox," a testimony to the meticulous scholarship that undergirds Melvin Patrick Ely's fascinating account of a free black community that not only survived but thrived in Prince Edward... | |
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Joe Gandelman: You can read about the book and the fascinating history it details by clicking here. |
Chris Lawrence: Relative-blogging — My cousin Melvin Ely's most recent book, Israel on the Appomattox: A Southern Experiment in Black... |
In pictures: Asian quake disaster BBC — Permalink Huge waves flooded towns in the Indonesian province of Aceh, close to the epicentre of the quake. Some residents of Aceh have been forced to flee their homes. The Patong beach area of Phuket in Thailand was also wrecked by flood waters. | |
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Hindrocket: Bloggers in Indonesia and elsewhere in South Asia have posted first-hand observations of the disaster, and have supplied photographs, some of which have been picked up by the BBC. |
Bigwig: Update: More pictures, from the BBC, the Thailand Photo Gallery, Yahoo, and the Vakaruge Community. |
Pratfalls, Catcalls and Spitballs: A Year in Ephemera By / NYT — Permalink Even if you're trying to forget this year's news, this quiz should be relatively painless. It's a test of how much trivia you accumulated — or at least, how good you are at guessing. Happy News Year. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Try this quiz from the NY Times Week in Review . I got 22 of 27 which makes me suspiciously well-informed. Jim Henley: Not So Bad, Baby! - 78% on John Tierney's year-end news trivia quiz. This surely means I've been blogging too much. |
Tom Maguire: John Tierney's News Quiz — John Tierney of the NY Times has a funny yet challenging Year-in-Review News Quiz. |
Holland Daze By / Weekly Standard — Permalink THE SMALL CITY of Schiedam, on the Nieuwe Maas river near Rotterdam, has played a big role in the Dutch imagination of late. Five years ago, the historian/journalist Geert Mak entranced the country with a long narrative called My Father's Century. | |
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Charles Johnson: The Dutch Rethink Multiculturalism — At the Weekly Standard, Christopher Caldwell has a piece on Holland's... |
Kate @OTB: The Majority Minority — Christopher Caldwell on the growing Islamic crisis in Holland (in tomorrow's Weekly Standard),... |
Freeing Ourselves to Take Bold Diplomatic Action WaPo — Permalink Some former U.S. policymakers are now urging the United States to identify an exit date, as early as the end of next year, after completion of Iraq's three-step transition. "This is never going to end as long as we're there. | |
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Deacon: The impoverished diplomacy of Bush's critics — Robin Wright of the Washington Post calls upon the Bush administration... |
Laura Rozen: Former Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross, lately of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is urging the... |
Yushchenko Leading in Ukranian Exit Polls AP — Permalink KIEV, Ukraine — Three exit polls projected Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko the winner by a commanding margin over Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in Sunday's fiercely fought presidential rematch. | |
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Roger L. Simon: No blogging until later tonight Pacific time. Meanwhile, rejoice in what appears to be a Big Orange Victory. |
KJL: UKRAINE exit polls see orange. |
Bush Team Prepares to Swing Budget Ax By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — For years, government has been about singling out winners for favored treatment in spending and tax policy. That era is about to end — and the change could be painful. | |
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Jesse Taylor: The Three Monkeys Of The Budget — In yet another piece talking about Bush's future "tough" budget choices, it's... Orrin Judd: HOW ABOUT A PEACETIME BUDGET: Bush Team Prepares to Swing Budget Ax: The president says he will not raise taxes to keep his promise to cut the deficit. |
Talking Dog: While I'm still waiting to hear Democratic outrage over continuing to engage American volunteers into needless death and... |
Blame The New Yorker By / NYT — Permalink Now that America's urbane sophisticates have had to acknowledge their status as a fringe group so out of touch with mainstream moral values, tournament bass fishing, Nascar and Christian rock that their electoral and cultural clout is marginally less than that... | |
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Ann Althouse: Walter Kirn gets a little too upset about New Yorker cartoons after having a childhood flashback reading his review copy... KJL: "USELESS, LONELY AND CRIPPLING": HOW THE NEW YORKER KILLED THE LEFT — Walter Kirn: "Now that America's urbane... |
Peter Burnet: A CONSERVATIVE FIFTH COLUMN — Blame The New Yorker (Walter Kirn, New York Times, December 26th, 2004) [snipped quote] As... |
Touring With the U.S.O. in '04, It's Still Thanks for the Memories By / NYT — Permalink BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq - On stages in war zones like this one, Bob Hope used to wag a golf club, affecting nonchalance as he poked fun at pompous military brass and making light of the dangers around him. | |
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Cori Dauber: Credit where it's due — Be as critical as you want to be of Hollywood performers for their political statements at... Tom Maguire: Thanks For The Memories — The NY Times travels with the USO and gives us a nice holiday story. Props to Robin Williams. |
Virginia Postrel: By contrast, the Times article by Thom Sanker is much duller—they don't call the Times the gray lady for... |
More Than 3,000 Believed Killed by Huge Tidal Waves in Asia AP — Permalink JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into villages and seaside resorts across Asia on Sunday, killing more than 3,800 people in six countries. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Having rattled through a couple of 6.4+ earthquakes, an 8.9 temblor is pretty hard to imagine, and early reports of a... Ann Althouse: We wake up to the news of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake near Sumatra, with thousands dead in tidal waves. |
Matthew Yglesias: Tragedy in SE Asia — Well, I'd be hard pressed to offer any commentary on this situation that's killed thousands ("more... |
Ex-Packers lineman Reggie White dies at 43 Boston Globe — Permalink Defensive lineman Reggie White, who terrorized quarterbacks for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, has died of a massive heart attack at age 43, according to ESPN. | |
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Jeff Quinton: Reggie White dead at 43 — Boston.com: [snipped quote] Other blogging: James Joyner Steven Taylor |
Betsy Newmark: Sadly, Reggie White just died. Rest in Peace. |
In Clerics' Iran, Children of the Revolution Seek Escape By / LAT — Permalink TEHRAN — Their cheeks were bitten by the threat of snow, but the sisters didn't have anywhere else to go. They'd coated their faces with makeup and painted their eyelashes until they looked too heavy to blink, gaudy faces to offset drab denims and black coats. | |
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Betsy Newmark: The Los Angeles Times looks at the younger generation in Iran. They're not revolutionaries against the regime and they're not devout Muslims. Orrin Judd: In Clerics' Iran, Children of the Revolution Seek Escape: Repelled by theocratic rule, some youths turn to drugs or suicide, music or the mountains. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE STATE OF IRANIAN YOUTH — Heartbreakingly described here: "Their cheeks were bitten by the threat of snow, but the sisters didn't have anywhere else to go. |
Big Pharma's Dirty Little Secret By / LAT — Permalink The American healthcare system is the best in the world. Or so we are often told. But is it really true? It is certainly the best system for drug companies, which can charge the highest prices in the world to some U.S. consumers. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: When Bush cronies — Big Pharma, Big Oil, cattle barons, whatever — want something from government, they get it next day. |
Kevin Drum: A PHARMACEUTICAL QUIZ....Question #1: Who wrote this op-ed about how healthcare costs are low for some people but high for others? |
Recounts and Partisan Bickering Tire Washington Voters NYT — Permalink SEATTLE, Dec. 25 - Washington voters, confused by the bizarre turn of events in the excruciatingly close race for governor after more than seven weeks of vote counting, legal wrangling and partisan battling, are starting to sound quite flustered. | |
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Kevin Hayden: That's how the NY Times began its article. And what did they provide as evidence of the tiredness and confusion of the voters? James Joyner: Washington Voters Tired and Suspicious — Recounts and Partisan Bickering Tire Washington Voters (NYT) [snipped quote] Indeed. |
Avedon Carol: Here's a story in the NYT that seems to be wallowing in the nostalgia of four years ago when the press kept on and on about how long the counting process was taking. |