Curated knowlege, trenchant insights & witty bon mots
Last week, the U.S. Senate shot down a motion proposing to congratulate Bruce Springsteen on the 30th anniversary of his Born to Run album, one of the great records of the 1970s or rock history, for that matter. It's really no suprise why. An excerpt from the NYT commentary by Harlan Coben: So why was [...]
Fri, November 25 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Media » Comments Off
It's nice to know that even Richard Nixon and Henry Kissingers, otherwise fairly amoral practitioners of realpolitik, were queasy about the thought of all-out nuclear war. An excerpt from the NYT story: The recently declassified papers, from the first days of the Nixon presidency in 1969 until the end of 1974, show that Nixon wanted [...]
Fri, November 25 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
The Toronto Star reported today that Lord Black of Attica, er Crossharbour, wants back the Canadian citizenship he renounced in order to become a British lord. One advantage of Canadian citizenship is if you're convicted of corporate fraud in, say, the U.S., you can serve it here — something you can't do if you're a [...]
Fri, November 25 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
This New York Observer story looks at the U.S. media's undercoverage of the Iraq war: An excerpt: On the morning of Aug. 3, 1965, a 33-year-old CBS correspondent named Morley Safer, in fatigues and with a bulky recording contraption on his hip, stood in Cam Ne, Vietnam, before a backdrop of burning thatch-roof huts. He [...]
Fri, November 25 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Media » Comments Off
The musicians who made up New Orleans' unique musical culture are scattered to the four winds, with no place to live and no place to play. Lovers of Nawlins music wonder if they'll ever make it home — and what will happen if they don't. Some excerpts from the BBC story: The musicians of New Orleans [...]
Fri, November 25 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
Lara Logan, a swimsuit model in her native South Africa, will become CBS News's leading foreign correspondent. While people have muttered about her looks, Logan has also proven her courage in the field. Some excerpts from the NYT story: Since joining CBS News as a correspondent in 2002, Lara Logan has been periodically told that [...]
Fri, November 25 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
Artists from filmmakers to rappers warned of a coming storm among the neglected people of the banlieues, but French politicians apparently don't go to movies or listen to rap. Update: A French MP has accused French rappers of inciting the violence, according to this BBC story. An excerpt from the NYT story: So life often [...]
Fri, November 25 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
Lord Black of Crossharbour, the self-described Darwinian capitalist, predicted complete vindication of himself when his corporate fraud case is eventually heard. A brave declaration, and who knows, maybe he’ll ultimately be proved right. But the ball hasn’t exactly been bouncing Conrad’s way lately. And with David Radler, his right-hand henchman pleading guilty, well … . Here’s the [...]