Curated knowlege, trenchant insights & witty bon mots
The Toronto Star ran a six-part series this week on the Secret Capital — a look at how the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper manages information. I've excerpted the media-related parts. From How Harper controls the spin (May 26): In the 6th-floor office of a nondescript building sit the gatekeepers, the bureaucrats who decide [...]
Sat, May 31 2008 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
From the Guardian: It has long been the holy grail for those who believe that technology can save us from catastrophic climate change: a device that can “suck” carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, reducing the warming effect of the billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas produced each year. Now a group of US scientists [...]
Sat, May 31 2008 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
“Elite” and “elitism” used to have different definitions, but in the faux populism of U.S. politics today, either word is used to denigrate opponents. This must stop, because the slur is also being directed at knowledge itself, even though ignorance is a big problem facing the U.S., argues an author. From an NYT op-ed piece by Susan Jacoby, author [...]
Sat, May 31 2008 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page, Media » Comments Off
From the NY Sun: A leading (U.S.) reporter on the national security beat, William Gertz of the Washington Times, has been ordered to appear before a federal judge next month to identify the sources for a news article about the prosecution of a Chinese spy ring based in southern California. Judge Cormac Carney, who sits in [...]