Politics
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Ron English Remembers the Berlin Wall, 1989
“The Berlin Wall was interesting because there was this group of East Germans that were sitting, protesting. The wall is on the side of East Germany—or it was. So they can actually capture you if you’re within like 10 or…
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Secret Treaty Is Very, Very Scary
Boing Boing, the EFF and Michael Geist are reporting that a secret treaty that could determine the future of file sharing is being negotiated without any input from the public at an international conference in Seoul. The treaty, called the…
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1989: Was It Really The End Of History?
“The basic point — that liberal democracy is the final form of government — is still basically right. Obviously there are alternatives out there, like the Islamic Republic of Iran or Chinese authoritarianism. But I don’t think that all that…
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If We Try, We Can All Push California Into The Ocean
I have a terrible admission to make. I used to work for a bunch of politicians. And not only that. Part of me enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy the way my various state, federal and local bosses would fly off…
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Health Care Links
Reversal: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pushes for a public option, but one that comes with an escape hatch. Leadership, progressives, and advocacy groups get behind the opt-out plan after Reid backs it. Senator Olympia Snowe, the only Republican to…
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The Racist Velvet Rope
Teri Woods, a “pioneer … urban or hip-hop fiction” author, recently tried to have a party to celebrate the release of her new book Alibi in a Soho night club called Greenhouse. When she got there, she found that some white…
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The Pre-existing Condition of Rape
Cirrhosis, Huntington’s Chorea, Parkinson’s Disease, and now rape: perfectly valid reasons for denial of health insurance coverage. One of these things is not like the other, and while womens’ health groups have tried to raise awareness via the web for…
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Health Care Links
“Lay of the Land,” a look at where the health care debate is right now. “Reid: I’m Discussing the Public Option With Democrats and Republicans” “If a new tax is passed and no one actually pays it, can it fund…
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A Clean, Well Lighted Place for Thoughtful Essays
Now here’s something you don’t see every day: a thoughtful, historical essay several thousand words long on the Huffington Post. The piece is a concise history of terrorism, or rather, of the modern chapter of terrorism, beginning in the nineteenth…
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Health Care Links
Is the public option in Reid’s hands? Ezra Klein weighs in on “The Insurance Industry’s Deceptive Report” Senator Snowe (R) helped vote through legislation to remake the health care system, but where does she stand on public option? “Nearly 100…
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“Narcocorrido’s”: Music About The Drug Cartels
“In San Jose, Costa Rica, they took him prisoner, now the whole world knows how the ballad begins of Rafael Caro Quintero.” These are the some lyrics to an older narcocorrido, a genre of ballad sung about the infamous Mexican…
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“The Hunted”
“Fadi called Ahmed. They spoke for an hour. They were devastated by their friends’ deaths, of course. They were also terrified. Under torture, Mazen and Namir may have given up their names.” From Matt McAllester’s horrifying piece, “The Hunted,” which…