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Tuesday, Sep 02, 2003
fox in the henhouse
"Many see him as a power-mad, rapacious right-wing vulgarian. Rupert Murdoch has indeed been relentless in building a one-of-a kind media network that spans the world. What really drives him, though, is not ideology but a cool concern for the bottom line—and the belief that the media should be treated like any other business, not as a semi-sacred public trust. The Bush Administration agrees. Rupert Murdoch has seen the future, and it is him."
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2003
spread the health
"As goes New Jersey, so goes the world: The battle lines drawn by McGreevey and developers typify how the story of smart growth has played out in the media. However, the most convincing arguments made at the "Preserving the American Dream" panels didn't come from developers or ideologues who oppose government regulation on principle. They came from conservatives with environmental sympathies who point to D.C.'s suburbs as just one example among many where so-called smart-growth measures have led to anything but. Indeed, as the debate over sprawl heats up, and the language of the debate is intentionally muddled by those on all sides, voters are going to have to be a lot smarter about smart growth."
last train to clarksville
"The smart money doesn't give the leading Democratic contenders much of a chance against W. Maybe no one has a shot. But there's one guy who can make it interesting."via digby
dean machine
Tuesday, August 26 8:30pm
Bryant Park Upper TerraceFormer Vermont Governor and Democratic Presidential Candidate Howard Dean ends his 3 day super-tour of the US with a celebration in the park. The night features great live music, celebrity guests, and a speech from one of the best orators in the nation.
foul pay
"BB: What part did General Electric play in this story?
JB: When my partner and I discovered that the local newspaper and the power guys were insisting on building a new baseball stadium on property owned by the newspaper in the middle of town, we tried to figure out why they would insist on doing that when they could have spent their $20 million in tax dollars on another kind of a building. A civic center, an indoor arena, a concert hall; another reason for people to come to Pittsfield. When we saw that their opposition made no sense, we tried to figure out why. I guessed, correctly it turns out, that they were trying to cover up toxic waste on that property."
mission creep
"KHALIS, Iraq - The toll of U.S. troops killed in postwar Iraq surpassed the number killed in major combat on Tuesday, reaching 139 with the death of a soldier in a roadside bombing."
Monday, Aug 25, 2003
marxmen
"As an ideological current, the Marxist Right synthesizes the worst aspects of both sides of the political spectrum – the militant utopianism of the left and the militaristic elitism of the right. It is the marriage of Socialism – or Social Democracy, at any rate – and Empire. A more compatible couple could not be imagined: this is a marriage made in Heaven, and Hitchens is their not-so-angelic offspring."
Sunday, Aug 24, 2003
chat n choo
drivin that cole train
sticky fingers
"Frank Black told London radio station, XFM, "I do dream about the Pixies reunion, I do have to say." He even revealed that the four original members get together and have jam sessions. When asked about an actual reunion he replied, "We might.""
Saturday, Aug 16, 2003
power politics
"And that's why, if you're in the Northeast, you're reading this by candlelight tonight. Here's what happened. After LILCO was hammered by the law, after government regulators slammed Niagara Mohawk and dozens of other book-cooking, document-doctoring utility companies all over America with fines and penalties totaling in the tens of billions of dollars, the industry leaders got together to swear never to break the regulations again. Their plan was not to follow the rules, but to ELIMINATE the rules. They called it "deregulation.""