USA Today
Will that be cash, credit — or finger?
What, Me Worry?
Bush abandons the Alfred E. Neuman school of public relations.
by Daniel Henninger
Pouting Pundits of Pessimism
Every bit of good economic news gives them reason for despair.
by Brian Wesbury
'A Beacon on the Summit'
Foreign policy "realists" aren't always very realistic.
by Eliot Cohen
Let There Be Light . . .
. . . in the murkiest recesses of the United Nations.
by Bret Stephens
Truth or Consequences
If the war is to be lost, it will be a collapse of stateside civilian morale that loses it. Everything else is secondary.
by David Tell
Leaking At All Costs
What the CIA is willing to do to hurt the Bush administration.
by John Hinderaker
Pump Up the Volume
Finally the "nonpolitical" White House gets wise.
by Fred Barnes
President Outlines Strategy for Victory in Iraq United States
Naval AcademyAnnapolis, Maryland
National Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Fact Sheet: Training Iraqi Security Forces
In Focus: National Security
Vice President's Remarks at the Frontiers of Freedom Institute 2005 Ronald Reagan Gala
The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Most of you know, I have spent a lot of years in public service, and first came to work in Washington back in the late 1960s. I know what it’s like to operate in a highly charged political environment, in which the players on all sides of an issue feel passionately and speak forcefully. In such an environment people sometimes lose their cool, and yet in Washington you can ordinarily rely on some basic measure of truthfulness and good faith in the conduct of political debate. But in the last several weeks we have seen a wild departure from that tradition. And the suggestion that’s been made by some U.S. senators that the President of the United States or any member of this administration purposely misled the American people on pre-war intelligence is one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city. (Applause.)
Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence, and were free to draw their own conclusions. They arrived at the same judgment about Iraq’s capabilities and intentions that -- made by this Administration and by the previous administration. There was broad-based, bipartisan agreement that Saddam Hussein was a threat, that he had violated U.N. Security Council Resolutions, and that, in a post-9/11 world, we could not afford to take the word of a dictator who had a history of weapons of mass destruction programs, who had excluded weapons inspectors, who had defied the demands of the international community, whose nation had been designated an official state sponsor of terror, and who had committed mass murder. Those are the facts. (Applause.)
What we’re hearing now is some politicians contradicting their own statements and making a play for political advantage in the middle of a war. The saddest part is that our people in uniform have been subjected to these cynical and pernicious falsehoods day in and day out. American soldiers and Marines are out there every day in dangerous conditions and desert temperatures –- conducting raids, training Iraqi forces, countering attacks, seizing weapons, and capturing killers –- and back home a few opportunists are suggesting they were sent into battle for a lie.
The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone -– but we’re not going to sit by and let them rewrite history. (Applause.)
We’re going to continue throwing their own words back at them. And far more important, we’re going to continue sending a consistent message to the men and women who are fighting the war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other fronts. We can never say enough how much we appreciate them, and how proud they make us. (Applause.)
They and their families can be certain that this cause is right and just, and the performance of our military has been brave and honorable. And this nation will stand behind our fighting forces with pride and without wavering until the day of victory.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Friday, December 02, 2005
Chamberlin splits from Chase to join Edelman in China
by Hamilton Nolan, PR Week USA
Dec. 2, 2005, 14:22
NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase is experiencing some turnover as the head of external communications for the Chase card division departs to become head of Edelman's Shanghai office.
David Chamberlin, who was at Bank One until it merged with Chase in 2004, will begin his new post in January. Director of internal communications Paul Hartwick will succeed Chamberlin temporarily.
Fred Hill, the head of communications for JPMorgan Chase, said the company has recently downsized its corporate advertising group and its design group, and cut jobs in the philanthropic area. He added, however, that the communications department is not being downsized.
Melinda McMullen, an SVP of communications and public affairs who is leaving the company at the end of the year, will not be replaced.
When Jamie Dimon takes over as CEO on January 1, Hill will begin reporting to chief strategist Jay Mandelbaum.
"If you look at where [Dimon] has been in his career, he has never had communications report directly to him," said Hill. "Obviously I don't agree with that, but he's the boss."
Monday, November 28, 2005
Saturday, October 29, 2005
articles 10/29
A new credit card of Chase Bank with 'blink' technology that lets users wave their cards near a computer reader instead of having to swipe them through a device, is shown Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005 in New York.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Paying in a blink
News-Journal
Chase unveils Wawa credit card
‘Contactless’ device frees customers of PINs, signatures
NY Post
New Card To Make Spending As Easy As A "blink"
Internet News
Gotham Can Purchase Without Contact
WPVI-TV, ABC Philadelphia
New Hi-Tech Credit Cards
Information Week
Chase Rolls Out RFID Credit Cards in NY and Philadelphia
A new credit card and card reader from Chase Bank with 'blink' technology that lets users wave their cards near a computer reader instead of having to swipe them through a device, is shown Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005 in New York.
Bono: The Rolling Stone Interview
Toledo Blade
Bono and U2 ask God some tough questions
Friday, October 28, 2005
Native of Sidney now topples terror
By JARED STRONG
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
October 25, 2005
A little background:
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
October 25, 2005
A little background:
It's a long way from Depot Street in Sidney to the halls of the National Counterterrorism Center. Scott Redd made the trip like he does everything else: one step at a time.
Redd, a 61-year-old retired vice admiral, has held numerous high-level government jobs since 1998, when he left the Navy after 36 years. He's led an intelligence commission on weapons of mass destruction and last year directed programs to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure.
In the news:
Redd was confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He's been on the job 90 days. The center is the primary organization for analysis of terrorism intelligence, and it helps plan counterterror activity. Redd answers to the director of national intelligence — and to the president. But first, he answers 10 (or so) Questions:
Q. Did you spend your entire childhood in Sidney?
A. Yes, indeed. We lived on what was commonly called Depot Street — no street numbers in those days — which later was christened Fillmore Street. I remember making up a street number for my ham radio license application.
Q. How often could you be seen at the famous Penn Drug Store? Do you miss their vanilla phosphates?
A. Penn Drug was the place to be, and I spent my fair share of time there downing more than a few vanilla phosphates. I wonder if they still make them.
Q. When did you graduate from Sidney High School?
A. 1962. We had, as I recall, 36 in our graduating class.
Q. Did you get along with those guys in Shenandoah?
A. They were OK, but then they were "city boys" compared to those of us from Sidney.
Q. Do you miss the Sidney Rodeo?
A. Of course. Every former resident of Sidney misses the rodeo. I remember that no matter from which direction you entered town, it seemed there was a large sign proclaiming Sidney as the "Largest Outdoor Rodeo in the World."
Q. Were you ever a rodeo participant?
A. No. My skill set didn’t run in that direction. However, I suppose everyone would like to be a bull rider.
Q. Did you play high school sports?
A. I certainly wasn’t a great athlete, but with 36 students in the class, you almost had to play every sport or there wouldn’t be a team. The game I remember most was playing a much larger high school baseball team from Council Bluffs and beating them 1-0. I pitched a one-hitter and won it with a home run. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Q. What is the worst part about growing up in southwest Iowa?
A. Putting up hay on my uncle’s farm in the middle of summer and walking to school in the midst of those Iowa winters.
Q. Hawkeyes or Cornhuskers?
A. Hawkeyes, of course.
Q. How do you plan to stop terrorism from hitting a small town like Sidney? Are there any targets in particular the town should safeguard?
A. Our mission at NCTC is difficult, but it’s straightforward: do everything possible to stop each and every attack.
I’d rather not get into a discussion of what specific locations or site might be tempting targets for terrorists. What I would say is that residents of Sidney, all other Iowans, and everyone in the country should remain vigilant. Report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary to the appropriate authorities.
We need to keep looking out for each other.
Q. Are there any lessons you learned growing up in Sidney that stick with you?
A. Lots of them. I learned the importance of values and integrity there. I also learned the value of hard work, making your world your bond, and getting along with people from varied backgrounds.
Q. How does a man who grew up in small-town Iowa become an important part of the safety net for our country?
A. I guess it sounds trite, but the answer is "one step at a time." Do your best, bloom where you’re planted, take care of those entrusted to your leadership, have a vision for where you want to go. And always be able to look yourself in the mirror.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Redd: U.S. Making Progress on Terrorism
By KATHERINE SHRADER
Associated Press Writer
Thu Oct 13, 3:46 AM ET
Photo 1
Photo 2
A top-secret bulletin zips across the globe, from Iraq to the National Counterterrorism Center, a leading nerve center for U.S. intelligence. The tip is critical: Terrorists may be plotting to blow up New York subways.
The operations center swings into action. Is the information credible? Are the people about to be grabbed in Iraq truly a threat? Well before the sun rises, counterterrorism chief John "Scott" Redd has already received several updates.
Morning, afternoon and middle of the night, conference calls connect counterterrorism experts to as many as a dozen U.S. agencies, including FBI, CIA and the Defense and State departments.
In New York, city officials decide to warn the public to be on the lookout for suspicious packages and behavior. In Washington, federal officials decide the tip isn't credible.
No bombs have gone off.
As the new NCTC chief, Redd was at the center of last week's efforts to analyze the threat.
In an interview at the start of his third month on the job, Redd described how the four years since 9/11 have brought sweeping changes to the way counterterrorism agencies communicate.
His center, for instance, has access to 26 different computer networks containing intelligence information and brings that information together into NCTC online, available to 4,000 counterterrorism experts across the government. That, he says, is unprecedented.
Some information is also shared directly with foreign allies. While Redd declines to offer specifics, intelligence experts have long said countries such as Britain are among the United States' closest partners.
The NCTC's operations center — complete with flat-panel televisions and easy-on-the-eyes lighting — is considered state of the art. Most of the desks can move, allowing the al-Qaida and weapons experts to sit together — or in whatever configuration best addresses the current threats.
The center officially came into existence in December, absorbing a counterterrorism analysis operation called the Terrorist Threat Integration Center. In the process, the NCTC won more authority.
A mathematician, Redd was reluctant to give a score on the progress the U.S. government has made in working together. But, he said, on a 10-point scale, "It's above five."
As often happens in government, the center has had growing pains.
Redd's predecessor and senior CIA leaders fought for months over how many counterterror analysts the CIA should share with the NCTC. Some in Congress and elsewhere have also questioned whether the wave of intelligence reforms has only created more bureaucracy and confusing chains of command.
Redd said he comfortably wears two hats: He's the president's top adviser on terrorism, but he also answers to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte while serving as his "mission manager" for terrorism analysis and strategy.
The retired Navy vice admiral, who spent much of his career aboard ships, has come a long way from Sidney, Iowa, population 1,000.
He remembers making up a street number for his amateur radio license application because the town was so small actual numbers weren't necessary. Redd's first trip east of the Mississippi River was to report for his freshman year at the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1962.
In the bureaucratic hierarchy, Redd is now considered an equal to CIA Director Porter Goss.
Here's a look at some of Redd's views on the latest threats:
• Osama bin Laden can't communicate with his followers the way he had in the past. "The more you communicate, the more you try to directly run an organization, the more vulnerable you are," Redd said. "And he is pretty deep in hiding. We know he is not communicating very much."
• Al-Qaida is changing. "My analysts would probably tell you that since 9/11, there have been very few terrorist operations which have been directed directly by al-Qaida," Redd said. "They may have influenced them, they may have had prior knowledge, but by and large, we have really set them back on their heels."
• While Redd directs specifics on the July attacks in London to British investigators, he said it appears that al-Qaida may have had a closer connection to the successful bombings on July 7 than the failed attacks two weeks later. But "the jury is still out" on any connections to al-Qaida's central leadership, he said.
• The London attacks provide a valuable lesson. "'Fortress America' doesn't work. ... You can't assume that every threat that comes to the country is going to come across the border," Redd said. "There is always the possibility that it could be internal."
• Terrorists are paying attention to events in the United States, including the hurricanes. "We know that they are reasonably media savvy," he said.
• The war on terror may take a generation and that's part of the reason Redd said he took the job. "The Cold War took 40 years. We don't know how long this one is going to take. I may not be around before this is finished, but my grandchildren will be around."
What threat keeps Redd up at night? "The one I don't know about."
Associated Press Writer
Thu Oct 13, 3:46 AM ET
Photo 1
Photo 2
A top-secret bulletin zips across the globe, from Iraq to the National Counterterrorism Center, a leading nerve center for U.S. intelligence. The tip is critical: Terrorists may be plotting to blow up New York subways.
The operations center swings into action. Is the information credible? Are the people about to be grabbed in Iraq truly a threat? Well before the sun rises, counterterrorism chief John "Scott" Redd has already received several updates.
Morning, afternoon and middle of the night, conference calls connect counterterrorism experts to as many as a dozen U.S. agencies, including FBI, CIA and the Defense and State departments.
In New York, city officials decide to warn the public to be on the lookout for suspicious packages and behavior. In Washington, federal officials decide the tip isn't credible.
No bombs have gone off.
As the new NCTC chief, Redd was at the center of last week's efforts to analyze the threat.
In an interview at the start of his third month on the job, Redd described how the four years since 9/11 have brought sweeping changes to the way counterterrorism agencies communicate.
His center, for instance, has access to 26 different computer networks containing intelligence information and brings that information together into NCTC online, available to 4,000 counterterrorism experts across the government. That, he says, is unprecedented.
Some information is also shared directly with foreign allies. While Redd declines to offer specifics, intelligence experts have long said countries such as Britain are among the United States' closest partners.
The NCTC's operations center — complete with flat-panel televisions and easy-on-the-eyes lighting — is considered state of the art. Most of the desks can move, allowing the al-Qaida and weapons experts to sit together — or in whatever configuration best addresses the current threats.
The center officially came into existence in December, absorbing a counterterrorism analysis operation called the Terrorist Threat Integration Center. In the process, the NCTC won more authority.
A mathematician, Redd was reluctant to give a score on the progress the U.S. government has made in working together. But, he said, on a 10-point scale, "It's above five."
As often happens in government, the center has had growing pains.
Redd's predecessor and senior CIA leaders fought for months over how many counterterror analysts the CIA should share with the NCTC. Some in Congress and elsewhere have also questioned whether the wave of intelligence reforms has only created more bureaucracy and confusing chains of command.
Redd said he comfortably wears two hats: He's the president's top adviser on terrorism, but he also answers to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte while serving as his "mission manager" for terrorism analysis and strategy.
The retired Navy vice admiral, who spent much of his career aboard ships, has come a long way from Sidney, Iowa, population 1,000.
He remembers making up a street number for his amateur radio license application because the town was so small actual numbers weren't necessary. Redd's first trip east of the Mississippi River was to report for his freshman year at the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1962.
In the bureaucratic hierarchy, Redd is now considered an equal to CIA Director Porter Goss.
Here's a look at some of Redd's views on the latest threats:
• Osama bin Laden can't communicate with his followers the way he had in the past. "The more you communicate, the more you try to directly run an organization, the more vulnerable you are," Redd said. "And he is pretty deep in hiding. We know he is not communicating very much."
• Al-Qaida is changing. "My analysts would probably tell you that since 9/11, there have been very few terrorist operations which have been directed directly by al-Qaida," Redd said. "They may have influenced them, they may have had prior knowledge, but by and large, we have really set them back on their heels."
• While Redd directs specifics on the July attacks in London to British investigators, he said it appears that al-Qaida may have had a closer connection to the successful bombings on July 7 than the failed attacks two weeks later. But "the jury is still out" on any connections to al-Qaida's central leadership, he said.
• The London attacks provide a valuable lesson. "'Fortress America' doesn't work. ... You can't assume that every threat that comes to the country is going to come across the border," Redd said. "There is always the possibility that it could be internal."
• Terrorists are paying attention to events in the United States, including the hurricanes. "We know that they are reasonably media savvy," he said.
• The war on terror may take a generation and that's part of the reason Redd said he took the job. "The Cold War took 40 years. We don't know how long this one is going to take. I may not be around before this is finished, but my grandchildren will be around."
What threat keeps Redd up at night? "The one I don't know about."
Sunday, September 18, 2005
articles 9/18
NY Times Magazine
The Statesman
In his global campaign against disease and destitution, Bono has taken the power of rock celebrity to new places — prime ministerial residences, the White House and the offices of the United Nations. But the success he has had is about a lot more than his soaring voice.
Will the GOP be Katrina’s Biggest Casualty?
by Mark Tapscott
Yes, President Bush gave a good speech Thursday night but no amount of inspiring rhetoric can obscure the fact that Hurricane Katrina may well have drowned the Republican Party as a credible vehicle of conservative reform.
LA Times
Louisiana Officials Indicted Before Katrina Hit; Feds found dubious expenditures by state's emergency preparedness agency...
How to Fix the Airline Mess
When Delta and Northwest airlines went bankrupt last week, it was the latest blow to an industry plagued by poor management, combative unions and huge pension burdens. Gordon Bethune, the former CEO and savior of Continental Airlines, says the government has only made the problem worse
A Teen Twist on Sex
A new survey says many U.S. teens have engaged in oral sex--and it's not just boys on the receiving end
College Football Rankings
USC in No. 1 spot for record 22nd straight poll; Oklahoma drops out
The Statesman
In his global campaign against disease and destitution, Bono has taken the power of rock celebrity to new places — prime ministerial residences, the White House and the offices of the United Nations. But the success he has had is about a lot more than his soaring voice.
Will the GOP be Katrina’s Biggest Casualty?
by Mark Tapscott
Yes, President Bush gave a good speech Thursday night but no amount of inspiring rhetoric can obscure the fact that Hurricane Katrina may well have drowned the Republican Party as a credible vehicle of conservative reform.
LA Times
Louisiana Officials Indicted Before Katrina Hit; Feds found dubious expenditures by state's emergency preparedness agency...
How to Fix the Airline Mess
When Delta and Northwest airlines went bankrupt last week, it was the latest blow to an industry plagued by poor management, combative unions and huge pension burdens. Gordon Bethune, the former CEO and savior of Continental Airlines, says the government has only made the problem worse
A Teen Twist on Sex
A new survey says many U.S. teens have engaged in oral sex--and it's not just boys on the receiving end
College Football Rankings
USC in No. 1 spot for record 22nd straight poll; Oklahoma drops out
Saturday, September 17, 2005
articles 9/17
Reuters
Power-dressing man leaves trail of destruction
Reuters
Vatican's search for gays in seminaries raises alarm
The menace of multiculturalism
by Suzanne Fields
It's not easy to dislodge a trendy fad, particularly among the public intellectuals and the aspiring sophisticates of the chattering class, but 'multiculturalism' may be getting an intellectual re-examination.
“The Grapple in the Big Apple”
Hitchens vs. Galloway.
By Alex Massie
'Sinister Piffle'
Christopher Hitchens "debates" a demagogue.
by Kimberley Strassel
George Galloway Is Gruesome, Not Gorgeous
Now, watch me debate him.
By Christopher Hitchens
Reinventing Television
He's the smart-ass host of The Daily Show. But more than that, Jon Stewart is helping invent a new kind of TV -- time-shifted and multiscreen.
By Thomas Goetz
Blame throwing
by David Warren
In two-parent families, the kids are all right
Study finds stability pays big dividends
Chief Justice Roberts
The distinction between law and politics that the Judiciary Democrats do not respect lies at the heart of Roberts's approach to judging
Media Cooked Up Storm Over Katrina
by Victor Davis Hanson
The Bush Doctrine, Unpacked
by David Gelernter
Union trouble
by George Will
Pilots, flight attendants and other members of different unions are crossing the picket lines manned by members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.
NY Times Magazine
Taking Stock of the Forever War
Omaha-Born Man Will Lead Nation's Counterterrorism Center
Back with a Bang
It may be only rock & roll, but the Stones still rule
by David Fricke
Reformation Chart
Just how different are the Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines?
Power-dressing man leaves trail of destruction
Reuters
Vatican's search for gays in seminaries raises alarm
The menace of multiculturalism
by Suzanne Fields
It's not easy to dislodge a trendy fad, particularly among the public intellectuals and the aspiring sophisticates of the chattering class, but 'multiculturalism' may be getting an intellectual re-examination.
“The Grapple in the Big Apple”
Hitchens vs. Galloway.
By Alex Massie
'Sinister Piffle'
Christopher Hitchens "debates" a demagogue.
by Kimberley Strassel
George Galloway Is Gruesome, Not Gorgeous
Now, watch me debate him.
By Christopher Hitchens
Reinventing Television
He's the smart-ass host of The Daily Show. But more than that, Jon Stewart is helping invent a new kind of TV -- time-shifted and multiscreen.
By Thomas Goetz
Blame throwing
by David Warren
In two-parent families, the kids are all right
Study finds stability pays big dividends
Chief Justice Roberts
The distinction between law and politics that the Judiciary Democrats do not respect lies at the heart of Roberts's approach to judging
Media Cooked Up Storm Over Katrina
by Victor Davis Hanson
The Bush Doctrine, Unpacked
by David Gelernter
Union trouble
by George Will
Pilots, flight attendants and other members of different unions are crossing the picket lines manned by members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.
NY Times Magazine
Taking Stock of the Forever War
Omaha-Born Man Will Lead Nation's Counterterrorism Center
Back with a Bang
It may be only rock & roll, but the Stones still rule
by David Fricke
Reformation Chart
Just how different are the Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines?
Sunday, August 14, 2005
articles 8/14
She's So Cool, So Smart, So Beautiful: Must Be a Girl Crush
At the Pumps and on the Web, Drivers Check for Lowest Prices
For millions of Americans, filling up the tank has become an eye-popping experience as prices reached levels not seen in decades.
G.I.'s Deployed in Iraq Desert With Lots of American Stuff
Soldiers in Iraq have taken the quest for the succor of the familiar to astonishing levels, accumulating all the accouterments of home.
Inside Iran's Secret War For Iraq
A TIME investigation reveals the Tehran regime's strategy to gain influence in Iraq--and why U.S. troops may now face greater dangers as a result
Don't Let Travel Miles Burn a Hole in Your Pocket
Some advice for using frequent-flier miles on airlines that are close to, or already in, bankruptcy.
The Great American Jobs Machine
Employment is higher than at any time in history.
The New Litmus Test
The left-wing blogosphere is ready to take on the party establishment. What do Democratic candidates have to do to earn the love?
by Dean Barnett
The Overlooked Case Of Mohammed Afroze
Al Qaeda's terrorism isn't really motivated by the Iraq War and Israel.
by Edward Morrissey
Bordering on a Policy
Is there an agreement in the works on immigration?
by Tamar Jacoby
Keep Quiet And Listen!
The words of radical Islam speak for themselves.
by Victor Davis Hanson
Iraqi Game Plan
If you're unhappy about the way things are going in Iraq or Afghanistan, you can now refight the battles yourself, from the comfort of your couch.
The New Soldiers of Fortune
There are dozens of private security companies operating in Iraq, and Triple Canopy is one of the largest. How was it formed, who are its men — and what is the line between "security" and warfare?
Four Amendments & a Funeral
A month inside the house of horrors that is Congress
Bassist turned comic mocks the stars he backed
UnconfirmedSources.com
U2 Will Play Free Concert in Crawford Texas to Honor Cindy Sheehan
World Bank's Paul Wolfowitz Says Bomb Cindy Sheehan
At the Pumps and on the Web, Drivers Check for Lowest Prices
For millions of Americans, filling up the tank has become an eye-popping experience as prices reached levels not seen in decades.
G.I.'s Deployed in Iraq Desert With Lots of American Stuff
Soldiers in Iraq have taken the quest for the succor of the familiar to astonishing levels, accumulating all the accouterments of home.
Inside Iran's Secret War For Iraq
A TIME investigation reveals the Tehran regime's strategy to gain influence in Iraq--and why U.S. troops may now face greater dangers as a result
Don't Let Travel Miles Burn a Hole in Your Pocket
Some advice for using frequent-flier miles on airlines that are close to, or already in, bankruptcy.
The Great American Jobs Machine
Employment is higher than at any time in history.
The New Litmus Test
The left-wing blogosphere is ready to take on the party establishment. What do Democratic candidates have to do to earn the love?
by Dean Barnett
The Overlooked Case Of Mohammed Afroze
Al Qaeda's terrorism isn't really motivated by the Iraq War and Israel.
by Edward Morrissey
Bordering on a Policy
Is there an agreement in the works on immigration?
by Tamar Jacoby
Keep Quiet And Listen!
The words of radical Islam speak for themselves.
by Victor Davis Hanson
Iraqi Game Plan
If you're unhappy about the way things are going in Iraq or Afghanistan, you can now refight the battles yourself, from the comfort of your couch.
The New Soldiers of Fortune
There are dozens of private security companies operating in Iraq, and Triple Canopy is one of the largest. How was it formed, who are its men — and what is the line between "security" and warfare?
Four Amendments & a Funeral
A month inside the house of horrors that is Congress
Bassist turned comic mocks the stars he backed
UnconfirmedSources.com
U2 Will Play Free Concert in Crawford Texas to Honor Cindy Sheehan
World Bank's Paul Wolfowitz Says Bomb Cindy Sheehan
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Sunday, August 07, 2005
articles 8/7
Will We Ever Arrive at the Good Death?
Almost 40 years after the birth of the hospice movement, and despite the rise of living wills and palliative care, the end of life remains anxious and hypermedicalized.
AFP
Men do have trouble hearing women, scientists find
Men who are accused of never listening by women now have an excuse -- women's voices are more difficult for men to listen to than other men's, a report said.
AP
Daylight-Saving Switch May Cause Tech Woes
When daylight-saving time starts earlier than usual in the United States come 2007, your VCR or DVD recorder could start recording shows an hour late.
The Rise of the Digital Thugs
The newest big corporate menace: disgruntled techies, who find company secrets and will keep them, for a price.
Finding Bargains (and Headaches) at Foreclosure Sales
If rising interest rates cause more people to default on their adjustable-rate mortgages, investors could face a potential boon.
Pince Me -- Is That Wal-Mart
The house of fuddy duddy is now aiming to become the next trendy-setter.
Liberals Fund New Approach
Democratic backers pledge $80M for advocacy network to compete with conservative groups.
See the War, After an Ad for the Army
by Sarah Boxer
This week the Web site ifilm.com introduced a new "channel" called WarZone with film clips from World War II, Vietnam, Israel and Iraq. Looking at the selection of videos about Iraq, it's hard to say which are scarier: the clips themselves or the advertisements that run with them.
The Blogs of War
On the 21st-century battlefield, the campfire glow comes from a laptop. Military bloggers offer a real-time window into life behind the lines. And they're putting the Pentagon on the defensive.
By John Hockenberry
Rolling Stone
Marine Gone Mad
Andy Raya didn't kill anyone while stationed in Iraq. He waited until he returned home.
New Pope: Reasserting Christianity in the West
The new pontiff has offered clues to the ways in which he will lead the church and, he hopes, change Europe.
The Condi Doctrine
After six months as Secretary of State, she has seized control over U.S. foreign policy. Now comes her toughest test--finding a way out of Iraq. An intimate look at Rice's world.
60 Years Later, Remembering the Pacific War
Sixty years later, veterans of the Pacific War remember: 'Kill or be killed.'
The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies
Rejecting the Moynihan report caused untold, needless misery.
A Feasible Fix for Social Security
Our recipe for saving the system, protecting the poor, and boosting the investor class
Brain Workouts May Tone Memory
Keeping your gray matter in great shape doesn't prevent age-related cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's. But "cognitive fitness" proponents say mental exercises can help stave off such diseases.
By Joanna Glasner.
The Dog Ate My Steroids
Why athletes fail drug tests, in their own words.
By Josh Levin and Rachael Larimore
Rivers of Coke
Drug researchers piss-test an Italian river and find huge quantities of cocaine residue. Seems Italians are sniffing four times as much coke as officials estimate. By Stephen Leahy.
U2's City of Blinding Lights
12,000 daisy-chained LEDs. Spycams controlled by a PlayStation. The Vertigo tour is a monster concert machine - and the ultimate rock-and-roll R&D lab.
By William Gibson
Almost 40 years after the birth of the hospice movement, and despite the rise of living wills and palliative care, the end of life remains anxious and hypermedicalized.
AFP
Men do have trouble hearing women, scientists find
Men who are accused of never listening by women now have an excuse -- women's voices are more difficult for men to listen to than other men's, a report said.
AP
Daylight-Saving Switch May Cause Tech Woes
When daylight-saving time starts earlier than usual in the United States come 2007, your VCR or DVD recorder could start recording shows an hour late.
The Rise of the Digital Thugs
The newest big corporate menace: disgruntled techies, who find company secrets and will keep them, for a price.
Finding Bargains (and Headaches) at Foreclosure Sales
If rising interest rates cause more people to default on their adjustable-rate mortgages, investors could face a potential boon.
Pince Me -- Is That Wal-Mart
The house of fuddy duddy is now aiming to become the next trendy-setter.
Liberals Fund New Approach
Democratic backers pledge $80M for advocacy network to compete with conservative groups.
See the War, After an Ad for the Army
by Sarah Boxer
This week the Web site ifilm.com introduced a new "channel" called WarZone with film clips from World War II, Vietnam, Israel and Iraq. Looking at the selection of videos about Iraq, it's hard to say which are scarier: the clips themselves or the advertisements that run with them.
The Blogs of War
On the 21st-century battlefield, the campfire glow comes from a laptop. Military bloggers offer a real-time window into life behind the lines. And they're putting the Pentagon on the defensive.
By John Hockenberry
Rolling Stone
Marine Gone Mad
Andy Raya didn't kill anyone while stationed in Iraq. He waited until he returned home.
New Pope: Reasserting Christianity in the West
The new pontiff has offered clues to the ways in which he will lead the church and, he hopes, change Europe.
The Condi Doctrine
After six months as Secretary of State, she has seized control over U.S. foreign policy. Now comes her toughest test--finding a way out of Iraq. An intimate look at Rice's world.
60 Years Later, Remembering the Pacific War
Sixty years later, veterans of the Pacific War remember: 'Kill or be killed.'
The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies
Rejecting the Moynihan report caused untold, needless misery.
A Feasible Fix for Social Security
Our recipe for saving the system, protecting the poor, and boosting the investor class
Brain Workouts May Tone Memory
Keeping your gray matter in great shape doesn't prevent age-related cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's. But "cognitive fitness" proponents say mental exercises can help stave off such diseases.
By Joanna Glasner.
The Dog Ate My Steroids
Why athletes fail drug tests, in their own words.
By Josh Levin and Rachael Larimore
Rivers of Coke
Drug researchers piss-test an Italian river and find huge quantities of cocaine residue. Seems Italians are sniffing four times as much coke as officials estimate. By Stephen Leahy.
U2's City of Blinding Lights
12,000 daisy-chained LEDs. Spycams controlled by a PlayStation. The Vertigo tour is a monster concert machine - and the ultimate rock-and-roll R&D lab.
By William Gibson
Saturday, August 06, 2005
articles 8/6
LA Times
New Chapter in the Mystery of Marilyn: Her Own Words?
By Robert W. Welkos, Times Staff Writer
Miner's Transcript of Monroe Tapes
Miner's Account of Monroe's Death
Former Los Angeles prosecutor John W. Miner was head of the District Attorney’s medical-legal section when Marilyn Monroe died.
Bush v. Rumsfeld
The president knows we have to win the war in Iraq . . . Rumsfeld doesn't.
by William Kristol
Sanctuary No More
It's no longer springtime for jihadis in Britain.
by Gerard Baker
Goldilocks Economy
The bad news is the good news isn't being heard.
by Irwin M. Stelzer
Nuclear Explosion
A portrait of our scary world, 60 years after Hiroshima.
by Fred Ikle
WSJ Editorial
Hiroshima
Nuclear weapons, then and now.
Truth Has Nothing to Do With It
Is Theory going out of fashion in American universities?
by James Seaton
The Cut-and-Run Caucus
Why are some Democrats so eager to give up in Iraq?
by Brendan Miniter
Phone sex firm's odd bedfellows
What do Microsoft, eBay and the Carlyle Group -- employer of a number of former high-ranking government officials -- have in common?
USA Today
Preseason Football Poll
The Wolverines open the 2005 season ranked fourth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, the eighth straight season the program has listed in the top 10 of the coaches poll.
Football Tops Big Ten Preseason Media Poll
The Wolverines were selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten Conference in a poll of media attending the Big Ten Kickoff Event.
New Chapter in the Mystery of Marilyn: Her Own Words?
By Robert W. Welkos, Times Staff Writer
Miner's Transcript of Monroe Tapes
Miner's Account of Monroe's Death
Former Los Angeles prosecutor John W. Miner was head of the District Attorney’s medical-legal section when Marilyn Monroe died.
Bush v. Rumsfeld
The president knows we have to win the war in Iraq . . . Rumsfeld doesn't.
by William Kristol
Sanctuary No More
It's no longer springtime for jihadis in Britain.
by Gerard Baker
Goldilocks Economy
The bad news is the good news isn't being heard.
by Irwin M. Stelzer
Nuclear Explosion
A portrait of our scary world, 60 years after Hiroshima.
by Fred Ikle
WSJ Editorial
Hiroshima
Nuclear weapons, then and now.
Truth Has Nothing to Do With It
Is Theory going out of fashion in American universities?
by James Seaton
The Cut-and-Run Caucus
Why are some Democrats so eager to give up in Iraq?
by Brendan Miniter
Phone sex firm's odd bedfellows
What do Microsoft, eBay and the Carlyle Group -- employer of a number of former high-ranking government officials -- have in common?
USA Today
Preseason Football Poll
The Wolverines open the 2005 season ranked fourth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, the eighth straight season the program has listed in the top 10 of the coaches poll.
Football Tops Big Ten Preseason Media Poll
The Wolverines were selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten Conference in a poll of media attending the Big Ten Kickoff Event.
- Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 842-274-36 (.7465277).
- Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.7465277).
- Michigan has a run of 107 straight AP polls (20 polls longer than Miami) in which it has been ranked in the Top 25, the longest streak in the nation. The streak, which is 80 week long, began Oct. 24, 1998.
- Michigan is 262-82-10 (.756) all-time when listed in the AP Top 10, including a 38-17 mark during Lloyd Carr's coaching tenure.
- Michigan has had 343 football games televised, which leads the NCAA.
- Michigan has appeared in 30 straight bowls, the longest current streak in NCAA history.
- The Wolverines set an NCAA record in 2004 by averaging 111,025 fans per game at Michigan Stadium.
- The Michigan football program is the only Big Ten team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big Ten Conference history.
- Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2003), passing Notre Dame for the top spot after last season's #6 final ranking.
- Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (19) than any other Big Ten Conference school. They are 8-10.
- Michigan has 42 Big Ten titles (OSU -29) which is the most of any college football program in ANY conference.
- Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7.
Lloyd Carr Stats
- Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .779 (95-28), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches.
- Michigan has a 35-18 overall record against AP nationally ranked teams under Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines have compiled a 125-104-8 (.542) all-time record against AP nationally ranked teams.
- He now leads active Big Ten coaches with 63 conference wins (63-17).
- His teams are an amazing 14-4 against Top 10 opponents and 7-2 against Top 5 opponents.
- He grabbed the active career lead in Big Ten wins during the 2003 season.
- He is the eighth coach in conference history to claim five or more Big Ten championships.
- He is fourth among active Division I-A coaches with a .77236 winning percentage.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Bono gives an explicit confession of being saved by Grace, not Karma
August 6, 2005
Salty Dogman
by Gene Edward Veith
Salty Dogman
by Gene Edward Veith
Is Bono, the lead singer and songwriter for the rock group U2, a Christian? He says he is and writes about Christianity in his lyrics. Yet many people question whether Bono is "really" a Christian, due to his notoriously bad language, liberal politics, and rock star antics (though he has been faithfully married for 23 years). But in a new book of interviews, Bono in Conversation by Michka Assayas, Bono, though using some salty language, makes an explicit confession of faith.
The interviewer, Mr. Assayas, begins by asking Bono, Doesn't he think "appalling things" happen when people become religious? Bono counters, "It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma."
The interviewer asks, What's that? "At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one," explains Bono. "And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that. . . . Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."
The interviewer asks, Like what? "That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge," says Bono. "It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity."
Then the interviewer marvels, "The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that."
"The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death," replies Bono. "It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven."
The interviewer marvels some more: "That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has His rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?"
Bono comes back, "Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.' . . . So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. . . . The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched."
What is most interesting in this exchange is the reaction of the interviewer, to whom Bono is, in effect, witnessing. This hip rock journalist starts by scorning what he thinks is Christianity. But it is as if he had never heard of grace, the atonement, the deity of Christ, the gospel. And he probably hadn't. But when he hears what Christianity is actually all about, he is amazed.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
articles 8/3
Why Truman Dropped the Bomb
Sixty years after Hiroshima, we now have the secret intercepts that shaped his decision.
by Richard B. Frank
When Tush Comes to Dove
Real women. Real curves. Really smart ad campaign.
By Seth Stevenson
But Why Can't Hillary Win?
Sen. Clinton's electability problem.
By Jacob Weisberg
God vs. Satan
Who's the better investor?
By Daniel Gross
America’s Pro-Choice Movement at a Crossroads
They've been dreading this moment for decades. How the pro-choice movement is readying for Roberts—and navigating a critical political crossroads.
Frist's Stem Cell Capitulation
by Eric Cohen & William Kristol
Correcting the CIA
by Robert Novak
A statement attributed to the former CIA spokesman indicating that I deliberately disregarded what he told me in writing my 2003 column about Joseph Wilson's wife is just plain wrong.
Health benefits of prayer
by Armstrong Williams
Prayer heals. So say thousands of Americans who use prayer to improve their health.
Senator Frist's grave mistake
by Cal Thomas
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist made some fundamental mistakes in announcing his support of federal funding for stem cell research.
10 Years That Changed the World
A decade ago, Netscape went public, blasting the Web into everyday life. Now, Wired talks to the inside players - from Marc Andreessen to Shawn Fanning to Steve Jobs - about 10 years of boom, bust, and sock puppets.
Interviews by Jeff Howe
The Big Gulp
NASA pisses away millions hauling H2O into orbit. But there's a better way - recycle astronaut urine. Just one question: How does it taste?
By Tom McNichol
Building the Béisbol Brand
Signing Pedro Martínez, developing young phenoms in the Dominican Republic, luring Spanish-speaking fans — Omar Minaya is reinventing the Mets by embracing the Latinization of professional baseball. Is this the future of big-league business?
Rafael Palmiero
• Jayson Stark: Yes vote Buster Olney: Sham artist Raffy busted• Gene Wojciechowski: True lies Ray Ratto: Canseco got it right• Patrick Hruby: A yawner
USA Today
Steroid test nabs first major star
Palmeiro out for 10 days; drugs back in sports spotlight
By Mike Dodd and Hal Bodley, page 1A
Suspended
Full coverage
Palmeiro's image takes hard hit
Steroid suspension may hurt Hall hopes
By Mel Antonen, page 1C
BALTIMORE — One day, Rafael Palmeiro is a legend with elite Hall of Fame statistics. The next, his legacy is swirling in a steroid controversy.
Full coverage
Say it ain't so, Palmeiro
Oriole lets everyone down; ‘accident' story not believable
On baseball By Hal Bodley, page 2C
Rafael Palmeiro, nattily attired in a perfectly tailored navy pinstriped suit, walked into the hallowed halls of Congress on March 17 and said he never used steroids.
Full coverage
Appeals process part of policy
Players have right to challenge result before disciplinary action
By Hal Bodley, page 2C
Rafael Palmeiro received no special treatment from Major League Baseball by having his grievance for testing positive for steroids heard — and decided — before his 10-day suspension was announced Monday.
Full coverage
Orioles fans stunned by violation
By Scott Boeck, page 2C
BALTIMORE — Fans attending Monday's game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox expressed shock, disbelief and disappointment when hearing Rafael Palmeiro had been suspended for 10 days after violating Major League Baseball's steroid policy.
Full coverage
Sixty years after Hiroshima, we now have the secret intercepts that shaped his decision.
by Richard B. Frank
When Tush Comes to Dove
Real women. Real curves. Really smart ad campaign.
By Seth Stevenson
But Why Can't Hillary Win?
Sen. Clinton's electability problem.
By Jacob Weisberg
God vs. Satan
Who's the better investor?
By Daniel Gross
America’s Pro-Choice Movement at a Crossroads
They've been dreading this moment for decades. How the pro-choice movement is readying for Roberts—and navigating a critical political crossroads.
Frist's Stem Cell Capitulation
by Eric Cohen & William Kristol
Correcting the CIA
by Robert Novak
A statement attributed to the former CIA spokesman indicating that I deliberately disregarded what he told me in writing my 2003 column about Joseph Wilson's wife is just plain wrong.
Health benefits of prayer
by Armstrong Williams
Prayer heals. So say thousands of Americans who use prayer to improve their health.
Senator Frist's grave mistake
by Cal Thomas
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist made some fundamental mistakes in announcing his support of federal funding for stem cell research.
10 Years That Changed the World
A decade ago, Netscape went public, blasting the Web into everyday life. Now, Wired talks to the inside players - from Marc Andreessen to Shawn Fanning to Steve Jobs - about 10 years of boom, bust, and sock puppets.
Interviews by Jeff Howe
The Big Gulp
NASA pisses away millions hauling H2O into orbit. But there's a better way - recycle astronaut urine. Just one question: How does it taste?
By Tom McNichol
Building the Béisbol Brand
Signing Pedro Martínez, developing young phenoms in the Dominican Republic, luring Spanish-speaking fans — Omar Minaya is reinventing the Mets by embracing the Latinization of professional baseball. Is this the future of big-league business?
Rafael Palmiero
• Jayson Stark: Yes vote Buster Olney: Sham artist Raffy busted• Gene Wojciechowski: True lies Ray Ratto: Canseco got it right• Patrick Hruby: A yawner
USA Today
Steroid test nabs first major star
Palmeiro out for 10 days; drugs back in sports spotlight
By Mike Dodd and Hal Bodley, page 1A
Suspended
Full coverage
Palmeiro's image takes hard hit
Steroid suspension may hurt Hall hopes
By Mel Antonen, page 1C
BALTIMORE — One day, Rafael Palmeiro is a legend with elite Hall of Fame statistics. The next, his legacy is swirling in a steroid controversy.
Full coverage
Say it ain't so, Palmeiro
Oriole lets everyone down; ‘accident' story not believable
On baseball By Hal Bodley, page 2C
Rafael Palmeiro, nattily attired in a perfectly tailored navy pinstriped suit, walked into the hallowed halls of Congress on March 17 and said he never used steroids.
Full coverage
Appeals process part of policy
Players have right to challenge result before disciplinary action
By Hal Bodley, page 2C
Rafael Palmeiro received no special treatment from Major League Baseball by having his grievance for testing positive for steroids heard — and decided — before his 10-day suspension was announced Monday.
Full coverage
Orioles fans stunned by violation
By Scott Boeck, page 2C
BALTIMORE — Fans attending Monday's game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox expressed shock, disbelief and disappointment when hearing Rafael Palmeiro had been suspended for 10 days after violating Major League Baseball's steroid policy.
Full coverage
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, by John Piper
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part One
June 12, 2005
Romans 13:1-7
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part Two
July 3, 2005
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part Three
July 10, 2005
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part Four
July 17, 2005
June 12, 2005
Romans 13:1-7
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part Two
July 3, 2005
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part Three
July 10, 2005
Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part Four
July 17, 2005
Sunday, July 24, 2005
articles 7/24
Bush Rises to the Occasion
The Roberts pick is courageous and important.
by William Kristol
NY Times
Cigarettes, Taxes and Thin French Women
Economists have been wondering whether high cigarette taxes may have the unintended effect of increasing obesity.
Time
Living Under the Cloud
The atom bombs dropped over Japan ended a terrible war and persuaded the world never to use nuclear weapons again. Why that legacy is now in peril--and what we should do about it
NY Times
How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart
US News & World Report
The Pentagon has a secret new strategy for taking on terrorists--and taking them down
Good Riddance . . . But Not Much Improvement
Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, is out. Prince Turki is in.
by Stephen Schwartz
The Presidents' Man
Why John Roberts' service in the White House Counsel's office matters.
by Hugh Hewitt
Jihad Made In Europe
There may be more to fear from a mosque in Leeds than a madrassa in the Middle East.
by Reuel Marc Gerecht
Another Link in the Chain
The role of Saddam and al Qaeda in the creation of Ansar al Islam.
by Stephen F. Hayes & Thomas Joscelyn
Your Papers, Please
Will the Democrats go fishing for documents to sink Roberts?
by Duncan Currie
Reading Roberts's Mind
He'll certainly be better than O'Connor. But how much better?
by Terry Eastland
It Takes an Establishment
At some point the radicals need assistance, support, and reinforcement from establishment conservatives--like John Roberts.
by William Kristol
And Then They Came After Us
We’re at war. How about acting like it?
by Victor Davis Hanson
Currency basket case
Of all the news stories regarding China's so-called currency reform, 'Saying Goodbye to Mr. Greenspan,' written by Keith Bradsher of the New York Times, hits the nail closest to the head.
The Neoconservative Convergence
Some once famously dissenting ideas now govern U.S. foreign policy, maturing as they go.
by Charles Krauthammer
Wedding bells aren't ringing, but neither are phones of divorce ...
The U.S. divorce rate has dropped 5% since 1980, while the marriage rate dropped 50% since 1970. Analysts credit the change to the increase in cohabitation -- people living together without being wed. These couples are 40% more likely to break up than married couples.
Cohabitating Americans in 7 states run afoul of the law
The almost 1 million unmarried heterosexual Americans who live together in Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia are violating state laws against "lewd and lascivious" cohabitation.
'Cohabitation is replacing dating'
More than two-thirds of married couples in the USA now say they lived together before marriage. And the number of unmarried, opposite-sex households overall is rising dramatically even in seven states where laws against intimate relations between unmarried partners are still on the books.
Sweden's 'marriage lite' gets closer examination
The rise of cohabitation in the USA has prompted those who track the state of American marriages and families to take a closer look at Sweden, where unmarried, opposite-sex partners routinely live together.
Where Have All the Jockstraps Gone?
The decline and fall of the athletic supporter.
By Daniel Akst
The Roberts pick is courageous and important.
by William Kristol
NY Times
Cigarettes, Taxes and Thin French Women
Economists have been wondering whether high cigarette taxes may have the unintended effect of increasing obesity.
Time
Living Under the Cloud
The atom bombs dropped over Japan ended a terrible war and persuaded the world never to use nuclear weapons again. Why that legacy is now in peril--and what we should do about it
NY Times
How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart
US News & World Report
The Pentagon has a secret new strategy for taking on terrorists--and taking them down
Good Riddance . . . But Not Much Improvement
Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, is out. Prince Turki is in.
by Stephen Schwartz
The Presidents' Man
Why John Roberts' service in the White House Counsel's office matters.
by Hugh Hewitt
Jihad Made In Europe
There may be more to fear from a mosque in Leeds than a madrassa in the Middle East.
by Reuel Marc Gerecht
Another Link in the Chain
The role of Saddam and al Qaeda in the creation of Ansar al Islam.
by Stephen F. Hayes & Thomas Joscelyn
Your Papers, Please
Will the Democrats go fishing for documents to sink Roberts?
by Duncan Currie
Reading Roberts's Mind
He'll certainly be better than O'Connor. But how much better?
by Terry Eastland
It Takes an Establishment
At some point the radicals need assistance, support, and reinforcement from establishment conservatives--like John Roberts.
by William Kristol
And Then They Came After Us
We’re at war. How about acting like it?
by Victor Davis Hanson
Currency basket case
Of all the news stories regarding China's so-called currency reform, 'Saying Goodbye to Mr. Greenspan,' written by Keith Bradsher of the New York Times, hits the nail closest to the head.
The Neoconservative Convergence
Some once famously dissenting ideas now govern U.S. foreign policy, maturing as they go.
by Charles Krauthammer
Wedding bells aren't ringing, but neither are phones of divorce ...
The U.S. divorce rate has dropped 5% since 1980, while the marriage rate dropped 50% since 1970. Analysts credit the change to the increase in cohabitation -- people living together without being wed. These couples are 40% more likely to break up than married couples.
Cohabitating Americans in 7 states run afoul of the law
The almost 1 million unmarried heterosexual Americans who live together in Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia are violating state laws against "lewd and lascivious" cohabitation.
'Cohabitation is replacing dating'
More than two-thirds of married couples in the USA now say they lived together before marriage. And the number of unmarried, opposite-sex households overall is rising dramatically even in seven states where laws against intimate relations between unmarried partners are still on the books.
Sweden's 'marriage lite' gets closer examination
The rise of cohabitation in the USA has prompted those who track the state of American marriages and families to take a closer look at Sweden, where unmarried, opposite-sex partners routinely live together.
Where Have All the Jockstraps Gone?
The decline and fall of the athletic supporter.
By Daniel Akst
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Senate Confirmation Hearing for National Counterterrorism Center Director
Sunday, July 17, 2005
articles 7/17
Gay Teenager Stirs a Storm
By ALEX WILLIAMS
When Zach, a 16-year-old from Tennessee, wrote on his personal Web page that his parents were sending him to a fundamentalist Christian program because he was gay, he caused an uproar.
The power of Potter
Can the teenage wizard turn a generation of halfhearted readers into lifelong bookworms?
An American in London
My countrymen seemed more alarmed by the 7/7 attacks than the natives.
by Rebecca Goldsmith
US News
Democrats kick off an multifront campaign to connect with religious voters
More Immigrants, More Jobs
Keeping America's door open has kept America's economy booming.
by Stephen Moore
London and Guantanamo
The 7/7 attacks show the importance of keeping terrorists out of circulation.
Fighting Words
Take two bloggers from opposite ends of the overheated political debate, put them on a Washington tour bus together, then ponder the fate of an increasingly uncivil society
Polling Islam
by David Warren
A Pass on Privacy?
By CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL
E-Z convenience has become all the rage. But what's it doing to your identity?
The Framing Wars
Do Republicans win elections because they know how to turn issues into stories? Can Democrats learn the same trick? And can they find the magic words to win the coming battle over the Supreme Court?
What to Do After Your Data Is Stolen
By M.P. DUNLEAVEY
Someone swiped my debit card account data, but another kind of headache started with some of the advice given to me as an identity theft victim.
London: The Pakistani Connection
Those paying attention to Britain's Jamaati culture shouldn't be surprised by London's home-grown terrorists.
by Stephen Schwartz
The Electoral-Based Community
Why the rise of the left-wing blogosphere has been bad for the Democratic party.
by Dean Barnett
Jihad Made In Europe
There may be more to fear from a mosque in Leeds than a madrassa in the Middle East.
by Reuel Marc Gerecht
Breeding Stupidity
Where does the insistence that the war in Iraq is creating terrorists come from?
by Hugh Hewitt
Ed Gillespie's rise
by Robert Novak
Super-lobbyist Ed Gillespie has been given his own office in the West Wing of the White House to manage President Bush's Supreme Court confirmation battle.
No Place for Me
I Still Love God, But I've Lost Faith in the Black Church
By John W. Fountain
Sunday morning arrived, like so many before, with a mix of sunlight and chirping birds outside my bedroom window and a warm greeting from my tiny son, lying beside my wife and me. My wife rose quickly, announcing her plan to jump in the shower and get ready for Sunday school at the Baptist church,...
By ALEX WILLIAMS
When Zach, a 16-year-old from Tennessee, wrote on his personal Web page that his parents were sending him to a fundamentalist Christian program because he was gay, he caused an uproar.
The power of Potter
Can the teenage wizard turn a generation of halfhearted readers into lifelong bookworms?
An American in London
My countrymen seemed more alarmed by the 7/7 attacks than the natives.
by Rebecca Goldsmith
US News
Democrats kick off an multifront campaign to connect with religious voters
More Immigrants, More Jobs
Keeping America's door open has kept America's economy booming.
by Stephen Moore
London and Guantanamo
The 7/7 attacks show the importance of keeping terrorists out of circulation.
Fighting Words
Take two bloggers from opposite ends of the overheated political debate, put them on a Washington tour bus together, then ponder the fate of an increasingly uncivil society
Polling Islam
by David Warren
A Pass on Privacy?
By CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL
E-Z convenience has become all the rage. But what's it doing to your identity?
The Framing Wars
Do Republicans win elections because they know how to turn issues into stories? Can Democrats learn the same trick? And can they find the magic words to win the coming battle over the Supreme Court?
What to Do After Your Data Is Stolen
By M.P. DUNLEAVEY
Someone swiped my debit card account data, but another kind of headache started with some of the advice given to me as an identity theft victim.
London: The Pakistani Connection
Those paying attention to Britain's Jamaati culture shouldn't be surprised by London's home-grown terrorists.
by Stephen Schwartz
The Electoral-Based Community
Why the rise of the left-wing blogosphere has been bad for the Democratic party.
by Dean Barnett
Jihad Made In Europe
There may be more to fear from a mosque in Leeds than a madrassa in the Middle East.
by Reuel Marc Gerecht
Breeding Stupidity
Where does the insistence that the war in Iraq is creating terrorists come from?
by Hugh Hewitt
Ed Gillespie's rise
by Robert Novak
Super-lobbyist Ed Gillespie has been given his own office in the West Wing of the White House to manage President Bush's Supreme Court confirmation battle.
No Place for Me
I Still Love God, But I've Lost Faith in the Black Church
By John W. Fountain
Sunday morning arrived, like so many before, with a mix of sunlight and chirping birds outside my bedroom window and a warm greeting from my tiny son, lying beside my wife and me. My wife rose quickly, announcing her plan to jump in the shower and get ready for Sunday school at the Baptist church,...
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
articles 7/13
Lawyer: Cooper “Burned” Karl Rove
Rove’s attorney talks to NRO.
by Byron York
The Anonymity Trap
Norm Pearlstine didn't go far enough.
By Jacob Weisberg
Karl Rove, Whistleblower
He told the truth about Joe Wilson.
Saddam and al Qaeda
There's abundant evidence of connections.
by Claudia Rosett
Hollywood's Last Taboo
Movie studios censor themselves to placate Muslim pressure groups.
by Bridget Johnson
WSJ
As Identity Theft Moves Online,Crime Rings Mimic Big Business
Russian-Led CarderplanetSteals Account Numbers; Mr. Havard Hits ATMs
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Left
What the press missed in Hillary Clinton's Aspen speech.
by Edward Morrissey
Business Week
The Rich Boys
An ultra-secretive network rules independent oil trading. Its mentor: Marc Rich
Signs of Intelligence?
What the neo-Darwinists don't understand about theories of Intelligent Design.
by Isaac Constantine
WSJ
Searching for a HomeIn Atherton, Calif.? Look Out for Googlers
As Employees Cash In Stock, Bidding Wars Escalate; A $3.5 Million Tear-Down
HowStuffWorks.com
How Blink Technology Works
Credit cards using "contactless" technology allow you to pay for stuff by waving your credit card in front of a special reader.
Rove’s attorney talks to NRO.
by Byron York
The Anonymity Trap
Norm Pearlstine didn't go far enough.
By Jacob Weisberg
Karl Rove, Whistleblower
He told the truth about Joe Wilson.
Saddam and al Qaeda
There's abundant evidence of connections.
by Claudia Rosett
Hollywood's Last Taboo
Movie studios censor themselves to placate Muslim pressure groups.
by Bridget Johnson
WSJ
As Identity Theft Moves Online,Crime Rings Mimic Big Business
Russian-Led CarderplanetSteals Account Numbers; Mr. Havard Hits ATMs
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Left
What the press missed in Hillary Clinton's Aspen speech.
by Edward Morrissey
Business Week
The Rich Boys
An ultra-secretive network rules independent oil trading. Its mentor: Marc Rich
Signs of Intelligence?
What the neo-Darwinists don't understand about theories of Intelligent Design.
by Isaac Constantine
WSJ
Searching for a HomeIn Atherton, Calif.? Look Out for Googlers
As Employees Cash In Stock, Bidding Wars Escalate; A $3.5 Million Tear-Down
HowStuffWorks.com
How Blink Technology Works
Credit cards using "contactless" technology allow you to pay for stuff by waving your credit card in front of a special reader.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
articles 7/12
NY Times
Live Surgical Webcasts Play to Potential Patients
The Export of Democracy
Jefferson's ideas presaged the Bush doctrine.
Islam does incubate terrorism
By Mark Steyn
The Governor Is Still Pumped
A new biography presents Arnold Schwarzenegger as disciplined, focused and optimistic.
by John Fund
The Filtered Future
China's bid to divide the Internet.
By Tim Wu
Discard This Idea
A national I.D. doesn’t make sense.
by John J. Miller
Unstoppable?
The U.S. economy is back on a roll and even the oil question may be on its way to resolution.
by Irwin M. Stelzer
The Art of Pettiness
by Douglas Jones
AP
Goats Hired to Ease Wildfire Danger
LOS ANGELES - Goats grazing on 12 acres of brush at San Pedro's Peck Park Canyon for the past two weeks should have the wildfire danger eliminated this week.
SF Weekly
Say-It-Ain't-So Joe
Why does Joe Morgan -- the best second baseman in history and a prominent TV broadcaster -- hate Moneyball? And Billy Beane and his Oakland A's? And you, too, if you think the statistical revolution that's overwhelmed Major League Baseball has any
Bishops Riot as Da Vinci Code Film Starts Production
BRUSSELS—In response to Newsweek's publication of portions of the screenplay for the forthcoming Ron Howard-directed film of the Da Vinci Code, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist Bishops from around the world began riots which killed at least sixteen people in major metropolitan areas.
Police clashed with anti-Ron Howard demonstrators in Brussels and London, killing at least three people on Thursday as protests spread over areport about how the film depicts astronaut Tom Hanks rescuing Mary Magdalene from an abusive relationship behind enemy lines in Seattle.
The unrest came a day after riots in the city of Paris left four people dead —the worst anti-Ron Howard protests in France since the death of Jerry Lewis in 2001. Howard's publicist announced at a press conference Wednesday that "These bishops are animals; the film is just a simple story, just a story. Opie is ticked off."
PETA Protests Treatment of Wookies
PRINCETON, N.J.—The animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Wednesday called on federal investigators to shut down public display of the film Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith, accusing its director George Lucas of mistreating Wookies, the shaggy giants used in the filming of the movie.
In making its claims at a news conference, PETA showed a videotape it said was covertly filmed by a staffer working undercover at Lucasfilm Ltd. The 273-page report PETA has given to the U.S. Department of Agriculture depicts frightened Wookies being yanked from their cages and handled roughly by aggressive and often cursing film technicians.
PETA spokeswoman Laura Isrington said, "Despite their savage countenance, Wookies are loyal and trusting—these are sacred tenets of Wookie society." Lucasfilm spokesman Jack Henner noted that Wookie tempers are short, and when angered, "they can fly into a beserker rage and will not stop until the object of their distemper is sufficiently destroyed."
Henner insisted that Lucasfilm Ltd. takes great care of all the galactic species in its charge, and its work with Wookies also helps develop medicines to treat diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and severe hair loss.
Live Surgical Webcasts Play to Potential Patients
The Export of Democracy
Jefferson's ideas presaged the Bush doctrine.
Islam does incubate terrorism
By Mark Steyn
The Governor Is Still Pumped
A new biography presents Arnold Schwarzenegger as disciplined, focused and optimistic.
by John Fund
The Filtered Future
China's bid to divide the Internet.
By Tim Wu
Discard This Idea
A national I.D. doesn’t make sense.
by John J. Miller
Unstoppable?
The U.S. economy is back on a roll and even the oil question may be on its way to resolution.
by Irwin M. Stelzer
The Art of Pettiness
by Douglas Jones
AP
Goats Hired to Ease Wildfire Danger
LOS ANGELES - Goats grazing on 12 acres of brush at San Pedro's Peck Park Canyon for the past two weeks should have the wildfire danger eliminated this week.
SF Weekly
Say-It-Ain't-So Joe
Why does Joe Morgan -- the best second baseman in history and a prominent TV broadcaster -- hate Moneyball? And Billy Beane and his Oakland A's? And you, too, if you think the statistical revolution that's overwhelmed Major League Baseball has any
Bishops Riot as Da Vinci Code Film Starts Production
BRUSSELS—In response to Newsweek's publication of portions of the screenplay for the forthcoming Ron Howard-directed film of the Da Vinci Code, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist Bishops from around the world began riots which killed at least sixteen people in major metropolitan areas.
Police clashed with anti-Ron Howard demonstrators in Brussels and London, killing at least three people on Thursday as protests spread over areport about how the film depicts astronaut Tom Hanks rescuing Mary Magdalene from an abusive relationship behind enemy lines in Seattle.
The unrest came a day after riots in the city of Paris left four people dead —the worst anti-Ron Howard protests in France since the death of Jerry Lewis in 2001. Howard's publicist announced at a press conference Wednesday that "These bishops are animals; the film is just a simple story, just a story. Opie is ticked off."
PETA Protests Treatment of Wookies
PRINCETON, N.J.—The animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Wednesday called on federal investigators to shut down public display of the film Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith, accusing its director George Lucas of mistreating Wookies, the shaggy giants used in the filming of the movie.
In making its claims at a news conference, PETA showed a videotape it said was covertly filmed by a staffer working undercover at Lucasfilm Ltd. The 273-page report PETA has given to the U.S. Department of Agriculture depicts frightened Wookies being yanked from their cages and handled roughly by aggressive and often cursing film technicians.
PETA spokeswoman Laura Isrington said, "Despite their savage countenance, Wookies are loyal and trusting—these are sacred tenets of Wookie society." Lucasfilm spokesman Jack Henner noted that Wookie tempers are short, and when angered, "they can fly into a beserker rage and will not stop until the object of their distemper is sufficiently destroyed."
Henner insisted that Lucasfilm Ltd. takes great care of all the galactic species in its charge, and its work with Wookies also helps develop medicines to treat diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and severe hair loss.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Once a Baseball Cathedral in Detroit, Now Neglected and Decrepit
The official hotel for Tuesday's All-Star Game is in Dearborn, Mich., and most players will take buses to Comerica Park, in downtown Detroit, for the festivities. On their way, they may pass another stadium and have the same reaction Derek Jeter did last week.
Jeter and Jorge Posada were in town with the Yankees, staying in Dearborn, and their car service took them past Tiger Stadium. Both had played there, but Jeter's memories ran deeper. He is from Kalamazoo, Mich., and attended games there as a boy, sitting in the outfield lower deck to watch the visiting Yankees. Jeter and Posada wondered why the park was still standing.
"We were saying, 'What are they going to do?' " Jeter said. "They probably should tear it down if they're going to just let it sit there and rot. Either keep it up, or tear it down and put some kind of monument there. I don't think it's fair to just let it sit there and rot."
But that is what is happening at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, a famous baseball address. With the All-Star Game - and tomorrow's home run derby - taking place less than two miles away, Tiger Stadium is closed to the public, just another abandoned building in a city full of them.
"It's like the old lady sitting in the corner with nobody paying any attention to her," Ernie Harwell, the retired Tigers broadcaster, said at Comerica Park last week. "And the young debutante here's getting all the attention."
There is a statue of Harwell at Comerica Park, a sturdy, brick-and-steel palace with a carousel, a Ferris wheel and a center-field fountain. The Tigers are eager to promote the park, which has not caught on with many fans. The team has not played host to any playoff games since moving there in 2000, and the All-Star Game is a showcase.
Tiger Stadium, built in 1912, is a sensitive topic for the team and the city. The Tigers refer most questions to the city, and the city refers reporters to a prepared statement. When a Detroit television station, WXYZ, tried to interview a city official about Tiger Stadium last week, he turned his back and walked away.
The station reported that the city had given the Tigers' owner, Mike Illitch, $2.5 million over the last five years to maintain Tiger Stadium and provide security. This year, the report said, Illitch reduced the annual maintenance fee to $200,000 from $400,000.
Michael J. Healy, the Tigers' All-Star week liaison, said in an interview last week, "We've tried to clean up around the outside of Tiger Stadium, so that the purists who want to go over there and take their picture at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull will be able to do that."
But baseball purists may be disheartened. Tiger Stadium is a ghost town. It had its last game on Sept. 27, 1999, and has been closed to the public since, except for three collegiate and semipro games in 2001. A nearby billboard advertises the All-Star Game, but there will be no events at Tiger Stadium.
"It would have been so cool if they could have the home run derby there," said C. J. Nitkowski, a former Tigers pitcher who started the last night game at Tiger Stadium. "It would have been so much more fun. Guys would be launching balls out of the stadium. That would have been a great idea."
Healy said Major League Baseball had expressed some interest in having an All-Star event at Tiger Stadium, but the team was worried about safety because "the ballpark's interior is in disrepair."
Last Saturday, at the entrance to the Tigers' old offices, potato chip bags, candy wrappers and weeds clustered at the step. The numerals for the street address - 2121 - were barely visible over the glass door. Above it were Tigers logos, a newer one painted over an older version, chipping away so badly that they blended.
Inside, a ceiling tile rested in a hanging light fixture. A guard waved off a reporter and disappeared through a side door.
A plaque designating Tiger Stadium as a historical landmark was still there, though a Ty Cobb plaque was moved to Comerica last Friday. Faded orange Tigers paws still covered the park's exterior and sidewalks, leading to nowhere.
"It's like they played the last game, locked the door and walked away," Tony DeLuca, a visitor from Philadelphia, said last week. "See ya."
Ticket windows remained - complete with the blue Will Call sign - but the blinds were drawn. The only pronouncement that the Tigers had moved was at the main box office, near a deserted food court, where four white signs were taped to the ticket windows: Tickets Now On Sale At Comerica Park.
The chain-link players' parking lot was locked, but empty, beside the Fisher Freeway. Around the corner, on Cochrane Street, there was graffiti on the walls, a dangling sheet of metal and exposed wires overhanging the sidewalk. A man slept against the stadium, across the street from an abandoned brick storefront.
That was a common sight. Hoot Robinson's, a bar Babe Ruth is said to have frequented, was closed for good. So was a nearby memorabilia store. "Go Away!" the sign on the door said last week. The creaky ballpark was only slightly more inviting.
"They really don't know what they want to do with it, but people still come to see it," said Keith Davis, who works at another memorabilia store. "They need to open it up and put a dome on it and make it into a shelter for the homeless. That would be a beautiful thing."
Peter C. Riley, a former Tigers employee, works at Brooks Lumber, which borders the park and was supposedly the landing place for a Kirk Gibson home run in 1983. Riley is the president of Michigan & Trumbull, the group that was host to the collegiate and semipro games, which drew about 6,000 fans.
Riley has made proposals to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the ballpark, but the city has rejected them. He was discouraged that the city had refused to open the park for tours or for a possible minor league team.
"It's not necessarily going to be around forever," Riley said. "But in the time you've got it, why not make the best of it? It's really a complete and utter travesty, because there is no good explanation, or one that should be accepted, anyway."
Gary Glaser, who produced a documentary that Riley financed called "Stranded at the Corner," said he believed Illitch was content to leave the site undeveloped so it would not divert attention from Comerica Park.
"The city is not going to do anything Illitch doesn't sign off on," Glaser said. "It's becoming a very contentious issue."
Sylvia Crawford, supervising publicist for Detroit, said the city had listened to community groups by keeping the stadium standing.
"The reason the stadium is not torn down is because the city yielded to calls by preservationists and fan groups that wanted to see the stadium stay," she said.
Some redevelopment proposals have included preserving the field. The Detroit News reported in March that one plan would have converted the stadium into an amusement park, and another would have included a fitness center with a running track around the upper deck. Other proposals have included condominiums or a Wal-Mart store.
"We've seen a few creative ideas," Derrick Miller, chief administrative officer for the city, said in an interview last Friday. "But we want to see the ideas associated with the money in order to make it a reality."
The Detroit Free Press estimated that it could cost $3.5 million to $4 million to tear down Tiger Stadium. Instead of doing that, the city has let the building stand, theoretically to show developers.
But in the statement, the city said that no serious proposals were under consideration. The ballpark remains, a sad reminder of rich history and modern-day blight.
"You drive by it and you have a little pang every now and then, because it's standing there and it's going to fall down," Harwell said. "People have had a lot of grandiose ideas about what to do with it, but nobody's had the financial backing, so it's just sitting there. And eventually it's either going to collapse, or they're going to knock it down with a wrecking ball. That's inevitable, I think. It's just too bad."
Harwell has not been to Tiger Stadium since 2000, when Billy Crystal invited him for the filming of the television movie "61*." Alan Trammell, the Tigers' manager and the former star shortstop for the team, took visitors inside as recently as last year. When Trammell tried to do so again this year, he could not find a guard to let him in.
"It's just falling apart," Trammell said. "You see some of the wood that hangs from the upper deck. The press box was on top, and there's a big panel falling off. All the padding around the outfield has been gone for years; you can see the paint that's chipped off it.
"I went in our dugout to go into the home clubhouse. You go down a couple of steps and you make a left, and it was dark down there and I stepped in some water, because I couldn't see. And they had a gate closed so you couldn't go all the way up the tunnel. But I'm sure if I would have, the clubhouse would have been locked."
There is no comparable situation in the major leagues. Seventeen teams (not including the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals) have moved to new stadiums since 1981. Thirteen of the old parks have been torn down.
Two, in San Diego and San Francisco, are used by N.F.L. teams. Another, the Astrodome in Houston, is used for high school football and may soon house a professional soccer team. Only Tiger Stadium is shuttered.
The closest comparison - and the nightmare for many Detroit fans - is probably Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. When the Phillies moved out in 1970, the ballpark became a wasteland, overgrown with weeds, vandalized and damaged by a fire.
It was razed, finally, in June 1976. The Phillies played host to the All-Star Game the next month.
Jeter and Jorge Posada were in town with the Yankees, staying in Dearborn, and their car service took them past Tiger Stadium. Both had played there, but Jeter's memories ran deeper. He is from Kalamazoo, Mich., and attended games there as a boy, sitting in the outfield lower deck to watch the visiting Yankees. Jeter and Posada wondered why the park was still standing.
"We were saying, 'What are they going to do?' " Jeter said. "They probably should tear it down if they're going to just let it sit there and rot. Either keep it up, or tear it down and put some kind of monument there. I don't think it's fair to just let it sit there and rot."
But that is what is happening at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, a famous baseball address. With the All-Star Game - and tomorrow's home run derby - taking place less than two miles away, Tiger Stadium is closed to the public, just another abandoned building in a city full of them.
"It's like the old lady sitting in the corner with nobody paying any attention to her," Ernie Harwell, the retired Tigers broadcaster, said at Comerica Park last week. "And the young debutante here's getting all the attention."
There is a statue of Harwell at Comerica Park, a sturdy, brick-and-steel palace with a carousel, a Ferris wheel and a center-field fountain. The Tigers are eager to promote the park, which has not caught on with many fans. The team has not played host to any playoff games since moving there in 2000, and the All-Star Game is a showcase.
Tiger Stadium, built in 1912, is a sensitive topic for the team and the city. The Tigers refer most questions to the city, and the city refers reporters to a prepared statement. When a Detroit television station, WXYZ, tried to interview a city official about Tiger Stadium last week, he turned his back and walked away.
The station reported that the city had given the Tigers' owner, Mike Illitch, $2.5 million over the last five years to maintain Tiger Stadium and provide security. This year, the report said, Illitch reduced the annual maintenance fee to $200,000 from $400,000.
Michael J. Healy, the Tigers' All-Star week liaison, said in an interview last week, "We've tried to clean up around the outside of Tiger Stadium, so that the purists who want to go over there and take their picture at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull will be able to do that."
But baseball purists may be disheartened. Tiger Stadium is a ghost town. It had its last game on Sept. 27, 1999, and has been closed to the public since, except for three collegiate and semipro games in 2001. A nearby billboard advertises the All-Star Game, but there will be no events at Tiger Stadium.
"It would have been so cool if they could have the home run derby there," said C. J. Nitkowski, a former Tigers pitcher who started the last night game at Tiger Stadium. "It would have been so much more fun. Guys would be launching balls out of the stadium. That would have been a great idea."
Healy said Major League Baseball had expressed some interest in having an All-Star event at Tiger Stadium, but the team was worried about safety because "the ballpark's interior is in disrepair."
Last Saturday, at the entrance to the Tigers' old offices, potato chip bags, candy wrappers and weeds clustered at the step. The numerals for the street address - 2121 - were barely visible over the glass door. Above it were Tigers logos, a newer one painted over an older version, chipping away so badly that they blended.
Inside, a ceiling tile rested in a hanging light fixture. A guard waved off a reporter and disappeared through a side door.
A plaque designating Tiger Stadium as a historical landmark was still there, though a Ty Cobb plaque was moved to Comerica last Friday. Faded orange Tigers paws still covered the park's exterior and sidewalks, leading to nowhere.
"It's like they played the last game, locked the door and walked away," Tony DeLuca, a visitor from Philadelphia, said last week. "See ya."
Ticket windows remained - complete with the blue Will Call sign - but the blinds were drawn. The only pronouncement that the Tigers had moved was at the main box office, near a deserted food court, where four white signs were taped to the ticket windows: Tickets Now On Sale At Comerica Park.
The chain-link players' parking lot was locked, but empty, beside the Fisher Freeway. Around the corner, on Cochrane Street, there was graffiti on the walls, a dangling sheet of metal and exposed wires overhanging the sidewalk. A man slept against the stadium, across the street from an abandoned brick storefront.
That was a common sight. Hoot Robinson's, a bar Babe Ruth is said to have frequented, was closed for good. So was a nearby memorabilia store. "Go Away!" the sign on the door said last week. The creaky ballpark was only slightly more inviting.
"They really don't know what they want to do with it, but people still come to see it," said Keith Davis, who works at another memorabilia store. "They need to open it up and put a dome on it and make it into a shelter for the homeless. That would be a beautiful thing."
Peter C. Riley, a former Tigers employee, works at Brooks Lumber, which borders the park and was supposedly the landing place for a Kirk Gibson home run in 1983. Riley is the president of Michigan & Trumbull, the group that was host to the collegiate and semipro games, which drew about 6,000 fans.
Riley has made proposals to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the ballpark, but the city has rejected them. He was discouraged that the city had refused to open the park for tours or for a possible minor league team.
"It's not necessarily going to be around forever," Riley said. "But in the time you've got it, why not make the best of it? It's really a complete and utter travesty, because there is no good explanation, or one that should be accepted, anyway."
Gary Glaser, who produced a documentary that Riley financed called "Stranded at the Corner," said he believed Illitch was content to leave the site undeveloped so it would not divert attention from Comerica Park.
"The city is not going to do anything Illitch doesn't sign off on," Glaser said. "It's becoming a very contentious issue."
Sylvia Crawford, supervising publicist for Detroit, said the city had listened to community groups by keeping the stadium standing.
"The reason the stadium is not torn down is because the city yielded to calls by preservationists and fan groups that wanted to see the stadium stay," she said.
Some redevelopment proposals have included preserving the field. The Detroit News reported in March that one plan would have converted the stadium into an amusement park, and another would have included a fitness center with a running track around the upper deck. Other proposals have included condominiums or a Wal-Mart store.
"We've seen a few creative ideas," Derrick Miller, chief administrative officer for the city, said in an interview last Friday. "But we want to see the ideas associated with the money in order to make it a reality."
The Detroit Free Press estimated that it could cost $3.5 million to $4 million to tear down Tiger Stadium. Instead of doing that, the city has let the building stand, theoretically to show developers.
But in the statement, the city said that no serious proposals were under consideration. The ballpark remains, a sad reminder of rich history and modern-day blight.
"You drive by it and you have a little pang every now and then, because it's standing there and it's going to fall down," Harwell said. "People have had a lot of grandiose ideas about what to do with it, but nobody's had the financial backing, so it's just sitting there. And eventually it's either going to collapse, or they're going to knock it down with a wrecking ball. That's inevitable, I think. It's just too bad."
Harwell has not been to Tiger Stadium since 2000, when Billy Crystal invited him for the filming of the television movie "61*." Alan Trammell, the Tigers' manager and the former star shortstop for the team, took visitors inside as recently as last year. When Trammell tried to do so again this year, he could not find a guard to let him in.
"It's just falling apart," Trammell said. "You see some of the wood that hangs from the upper deck. The press box was on top, and there's a big panel falling off. All the padding around the outfield has been gone for years; you can see the paint that's chipped off it.
"I went in our dugout to go into the home clubhouse. You go down a couple of steps and you make a left, and it was dark down there and I stepped in some water, because I couldn't see. And they had a gate closed so you couldn't go all the way up the tunnel. But I'm sure if I would have, the clubhouse would have been locked."
There is no comparable situation in the major leagues. Seventeen teams (not including the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals) have moved to new stadiums since 1981. Thirteen of the old parks have been torn down.
Two, in San Diego and San Francisco, are used by N.F.L. teams. Another, the Astrodome in Houston, is used for high school football and may soon house a professional soccer team. Only Tiger Stadium is shuttered.
The closest comparison - and the nightmare for many Detroit fans - is probably Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. When the Phillies moved out in 1970, the ballpark became a wasteland, overgrown with weeds, vandalized and damaged by a fire.
It was razed, finally, in June 1976. The Phillies played host to the All-Star Game the next month.
articles 7/11
USA Today
Cybercrooks lure citizens into international crime
Ordinary Americans are being turned into 'mules' - unwitting collaborators who reship goods bought with stolen identities
How agents busted Nigerian reshipping ring
Recruits were wooed with gifts, flowers
Don't be a mule
How a reshipment gets done
Hollow Point
by Noam Scheiber
Aspen Times
Clinton: Global warming an opportunity
Former president says U.S. should stick it out in Iraq
The Mother of All Connections
A special report on the new evidence of collaboration between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and al Qaeda.
by Stephen F. Hayes & Thomas Joscelyn
Neoconservatism's Big Tent
How distinctively neoconservative is President Bush's foreign policy?
by Paul Mirengoff
Property Rights Are Civil Rights
Opposition to the Kelo decision crosses racial and party lines.
by John Fund
Their Will Be Done
How the Supreme Court sows moral anarchy.
by Robert Bork
A gender nomination?
by Robert Novak
Conservatives are privately urging that President Bush replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor with another woman in an effort to disarm feminist opposition.
London's terrorist blitz
by Cal Thomas
The words heard most often by political leaders, commentators and citizens in the aftermath of the London terrorist bombings were 'shocked, but not surprised.'
A judge with no agenda
by John Leo
No 'agents of social change,' please, on the Supreme Court. We need a modest and nonideological justice who is determined not to impose his or her politics from the bench.
Our House of Lords
by Michael Barone
The Supreme Court is our House of Lords. It is a deliberately, necessarily unrepresentative body of government that from time to time makes binding decisions on public policy -- some of which spark great protest.
Terrorism Lessons From 1870
By Arnold Kling
Up to this point, however, moderate Muslims have seemed paralyzed. We might wonder why this is the case.
Spy Granny
By Val MacQueen
Feds Fear Air Broadband Terror
Law enforcement officials want to eavesdrop on air passengers' internet use with a court order. The federal agencies are concerned that terror attacks could be coordinated using new in-flight broadband connections.
By Kevin Poulsen.
AP
Housing Markets Pricing Out Middle Class
Cincinnati Enquirer
The torch is passed
Felipe Lopez fulfilling Larkin's prediction with outstanding play
Cybercrooks lure citizens into international crime
Ordinary Americans are being turned into 'mules' - unwitting collaborators who reship goods bought with stolen identities
How agents busted Nigerian reshipping ring
Recruits were wooed with gifts, flowers
Don't be a mule
How a reshipment gets done
Hollow Point
by Noam Scheiber
Aspen Times
Clinton: Global warming an opportunity
Former president says U.S. should stick it out in Iraq
The Mother of All Connections
A special report on the new evidence of collaboration between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and al Qaeda.
by Stephen F. Hayes & Thomas Joscelyn
Neoconservatism's Big Tent
How distinctively neoconservative is President Bush's foreign policy?
by Paul Mirengoff
Property Rights Are Civil Rights
Opposition to the Kelo decision crosses racial and party lines.
by John Fund
Their Will Be Done
How the Supreme Court sows moral anarchy.
by Robert Bork
A gender nomination?
by Robert Novak
Conservatives are privately urging that President Bush replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor with another woman in an effort to disarm feminist opposition.
London's terrorist blitz
by Cal Thomas
The words heard most often by political leaders, commentators and citizens in the aftermath of the London terrorist bombings were 'shocked, but not surprised.'
A judge with no agenda
by John Leo
No 'agents of social change,' please, on the Supreme Court. We need a modest and nonideological justice who is determined not to impose his or her politics from the bench.
Our House of Lords
by Michael Barone
The Supreme Court is our House of Lords. It is a deliberately, necessarily unrepresentative body of government that from time to time makes binding decisions on public policy -- some of which spark great protest.
Terrorism Lessons From 1870
By Arnold Kling
Up to this point, however, moderate Muslims have seemed paralyzed. We might wonder why this is the case.
Spy Granny
By Val MacQueen
Feds Fear Air Broadband Terror
Law enforcement officials want to eavesdrop on air passengers' internet use with a court order. The federal agencies are concerned that terror attacks could be coordinated using new in-flight broadband connections.
By Kevin Poulsen.
AP
Housing Markets Pricing Out Middle Class
Cincinnati Enquirer
The torch is passed
Felipe Lopez fulfilling Larkin's prediction with outstanding play
Sunday, July 10, 2005
articles 7/10
Please Appease Me
by James Joyner
George Galloway, Juan Cole, and Tariq Ali explain 7/7.
Kicking the Can
By John Luik
New research shows it's time to accept some hard truths about soft drinks.
Victory in Spite of All Terror
The resoluteness of the Blair government and the British people could well mean that July 7 will turn out to be a setback for al Qaeda.by William Kristol
Withdrawal Under Fire
By Michael Totten
Time Inside Business
Eat, Blink and Pay Up
NY Times Magazine
The Enigma of Damascus
President Bashar al-Assad and his Western-educated wife say they are transforming Syria into an open society. Should Syrians — or the White House — believe them?
NY Times Magazine
The Seat-Belt Solution
A quick look at the Fatality Analysis Reporting System data reveals a striking result: among children 2 and older, the death rate is no lower for those traveling in any kind of car seat than for those wearing seat belts.
NY Times Magazine
Will Any Organ Do?
Transplant surgeons are increasingly using organs from drug users, the obese and the very ill. But with little known for certain about the consequences, doctors are confronting complex medical and ethical questions
Newsweek
What Karl Rove told Time magazine's reporter.
By Michael Isikoff
A Retail Revolution Turns 10
Amazon.com began as a three-person start-up in a converted garage; now some wonder if the company is spread too thin.
NY Times Magazine
Euthanasia for Babies?
Dutch doctors have proposed a procedure for infant mercy killing. Is this humane or barbaric?
Faked Research Results on Rise?
Charges of scientific misconduct are increasing in the United States, up 50 percent from 2003. Pressure to publish and competition for grant money push some scientists to falsify data, fabricate patients and plagiarize.
When All Is Lost, Call the Airport
LAX security workers collect -- and try to return -- cellphones, laptops, wallets, even passports.
Using Tech to Thwart Terror
More technology is in the pipeline to battle terrorism, but skeptics question if it will be enough.
Back to Narnia
Harry Potter’s mother country.
by James Joyner
George Galloway, Juan Cole, and Tariq Ali explain 7/7.
Kicking the Can
By John Luik
New research shows it's time to accept some hard truths about soft drinks.
Victory in Spite of All Terror
The resoluteness of the Blair government and the British people could well mean that July 7 will turn out to be a setback for al Qaeda.by William Kristol
Withdrawal Under Fire
By Michael Totten
Time Inside Business
Eat, Blink and Pay Up
NY Times Magazine
The Enigma of Damascus
President Bashar al-Assad and his Western-educated wife say they are transforming Syria into an open society. Should Syrians — or the White House — believe them?
NY Times Magazine
The Seat-Belt Solution
A quick look at the Fatality Analysis Reporting System data reveals a striking result: among children 2 and older, the death rate is no lower for those traveling in any kind of car seat than for those wearing seat belts.
NY Times Magazine
Will Any Organ Do?
Transplant surgeons are increasingly using organs from drug users, the obese and the very ill. But with little known for certain about the consequences, doctors are confronting complex medical and ethical questions
Newsweek
What Karl Rove told Time magazine's reporter.
By Michael Isikoff
A Retail Revolution Turns 10
Amazon.com began as a three-person start-up in a converted garage; now some wonder if the company is spread too thin.
NY Times Magazine
Euthanasia for Babies?
Dutch doctors have proposed a procedure for infant mercy killing. Is this humane or barbaric?
Faked Research Results on Rise?
Charges of scientific misconduct are increasing in the United States, up 50 percent from 2003. Pressure to publish and competition for grant money push some scientists to falsify data, fabricate patients and plagiarize.
When All Is Lost, Call the Airport
LAX security workers collect -- and try to return -- cellphones, laptops, wallets, even passports.
Using Tech to Thwart Terror
More technology is in the pipeline to battle terrorism, but skeptics question if it will be enough.
Back to Narnia
Harry Potter’s mother country.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Thursday, July 07, 2005
articles 7/7
The Roe Effect
The right to abortion has diminished the number of Democratic voters.
by James Taranto
The Anticipated Attack
Don't blame Iraq for the bombings.
by Christopher Hitchens
The Voice Of Appeasement
National Review editorial
Courage Under Fire
War Footing
The attack in London is a stark reminder of what we must do to prevail.
by Frank J. Gaffney Jr.
The Circus Comes to Town
If Bush nominates the right candidate for the Supreme Court, Democrats could be in trouble, again.
by Hugh Hewitt
Second Thoughts on Kelo
A proper understanding of property rights suggests that the Kelo decision wasn't so bad after all.
by John Hinderaker
The Two Roads
Will President Bush try to move the court or broaden the Republican party?
by Fred Barnes
Supreme Court politics
by Robert Novak
While Kennedy's ploy presents a temporary problem, Bush's stance could be fatal.
George Allen
by George Will
The ideal Republican candidate can meld two Republican tendencies that are in tension -- social conservatism and libertarianism.
The Next Sandra Day
Harry Reid may be willing to give up Roe v. Wade to get a trial lawyer on the Supreme Court.
by Walter Olson
AP
Giuliani: Attacks Eerie Reminder of 9/11
LONDON - Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who was yards away from one of the deadly explosions that struck London on Thursday, said the attacks were an "eerie reminder" of Sept. 11, 2001.
Gangstas Grow Up
Some of rap's fathers start taking responsibility.
by Martha Bayles
Circumcision may offer Africa AIDS hope
Procedure linked to much lower rate of new HIV infections
E-Vote Guidelines Need Work
A federal agency is publishing a new set of guidelines to address security concerns about electronic voting. But some experts say a preliminary version doesn't go far enough to ensure fair elections.
By Kim Zetter
AP
Man Lights Himself on Fire to Propose
GRANTS PASS, Ore. - To prove his love, a 38-year-old man set himself on fire before getting down on one knee and asking his girlfriend to marry him.
The Coming Boom
Big Pharma has made billions pumping up the male population. Now neuroscientists are turning their attention to women.
AP
Body of Steelers Fan Viewed in Recliner
PITTSBURGH - James Henry Smith was a zealous Pittsburgh Steelers fan in life, and even death could not keep him from his favorite spot: in a recliner, in front of a TV showing his beloved team in action.
The right to abortion has diminished the number of Democratic voters.
by James Taranto
The Anticipated Attack
Don't blame Iraq for the bombings.
by Christopher Hitchens
The Voice Of Appeasement
National Review editorial
Courage Under Fire
War Footing
The attack in London is a stark reminder of what we must do to prevail.
by Frank J. Gaffney Jr.
The Circus Comes to Town
If Bush nominates the right candidate for the Supreme Court, Democrats could be in trouble, again.
by Hugh Hewitt
Second Thoughts on Kelo
A proper understanding of property rights suggests that the Kelo decision wasn't so bad after all.
by John Hinderaker
The Two Roads
Will President Bush try to move the court or broaden the Republican party?
by Fred Barnes
Supreme Court politics
by Robert Novak
While Kennedy's ploy presents a temporary problem, Bush's stance could be fatal.
George Allen
by George Will
The ideal Republican candidate can meld two Republican tendencies that are in tension -- social conservatism and libertarianism.
The Next Sandra Day
Harry Reid may be willing to give up Roe v. Wade to get a trial lawyer on the Supreme Court.
by Walter Olson
AP
Giuliani: Attacks Eerie Reminder of 9/11
LONDON - Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who was yards away from one of the deadly explosions that struck London on Thursday, said the attacks were an "eerie reminder" of Sept. 11, 2001.
Gangstas Grow Up
Some of rap's fathers start taking responsibility.
by Martha Bayles
Circumcision may offer Africa AIDS hope
Procedure linked to much lower rate of new HIV infections
E-Vote Guidelines Need Work
A federal agency is publishing a new set of guidelines to address security concerns about electronic voting. But some experts say a preliminary version doesn't go far enough to ensure fair elections.
By Kim Zetter
AP
Man Lights Himself on Fire to Propose
GRANTS PASS, Ore. - To prove his love, a 38-year-old man set himself on fire before getting down on one knee and asking his girlfriend to marry him.
The Coming Boom
Big Pharma has made billions pumping up the male population. Now neuroscientists are turning their attention to women.
AP
Body of Steelers Fan Viewed in Recliner
PITTSBURGH - James Henry Smith was a zealous Pittsburgh Steelers fan in life, and even death could not keep him from his favorite spot: in a recliner, in front of a TV showing his beloved team in action.
Monday, July 04, 2005
articles 7/4
The Debt Threat: How Debt Is Destroying The Developing World
by Noreena Hertz
Rock the Vote - Chapter 1
Rock the Vote, Pt. 2
LA Times
With Live 8, Rock Changes the Way It Calls for Change
Bob Geldof and U2's Bono redirect activism from the streets into the corridors of power.
Religion News Service
Clarification: Graham Remark on Hillary Clinton Was Not an Endorsement
1776
by George Will
Using narrative history to refute historicism, McCullough's two themes in '1776' are that things could have turned out very differently, and that individuals of character can change the destinies of nations.
Richie Daley's party
by Robert Novak
Last week's long-range confrontation between Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin was much more than a personal tiff involving two formidable Illinois Democrats who obviously are not fond of each other.
NY Times Magazine
A Church-State Solution
By NOAH FELDMAN
At the heart of the culture wars is the failure of both sides to accept America's rules for religious expression in public life and public money in religious life. Maybe that's because those rules are wrong.
W. Post Magazine
Return of the Angry Man
He might have simply disappeared after the Scream ended his presidential hopes. But as head of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean is still going to go to New Hampshire. And South Carolina. And Oklahoma ...
By Sally Jenkins
CIA, Pentagon to Avoid Overlap
Agencies reach a new written agreement to try to prevent conflicts in spying, analysis activities.
Reversing the Bork Defeat
With a Republican Senate, President Bush has the chance to succeed where Reagan failed by getting a conservative constitutionalist confirmed to the Supreme Court.
by William Kristol
The Worst of Intentions
What Saddam's Iraq was up to.
by Daniel McKivergan
The Bork Precedent
What the defeat of Robert Bork's nomination has taught the Bush White House.
by Fred Barnes
Body of Evidence
A CNN anchor gets Iraq and al Qaeda wrong. But will the network issue a correction?
by Stephen F. Hayes
Rolling Rockefeller
The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee once saw "a substantial connection between Saddam and al Qaeda." Not any more.
by Stephen F. Hayes
Columbia and the Academic Intifada
Efraim Karsh
Deadly Immunity
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. investigates the government cover-up of a mercury/autism scandal.
The Neoconservative Convergence
by Charles Krauthammer
Mao and Us
The book review China's communists don't want you to read.
CBS Evening News
Radio Transmitter Credit Cards
The next generation of credit cards include tiny chips that work by waving the card in front of a reader. There's also added security, since no one gets to see your card numbers, reports Brett Larson.
BBC
U2 Before Live 8
Now For Some Good News . . .
by Steve Chalke
Many have understood the gospel as "God's got a big stick and he's on your case." But what kind of message is that for the single parent struggling to bring up her child with inadequate resources? What kind of hope is that for the young teenager who has only known a life of abuse at the hands of those he should have been able to trust? What kind of liberation does that offer the lonely, the redundant, the homeless, the forgotten, the cheated, the vulnerable or the countless individuals, young and old, who suffer from an acute sense of failure or lack of self esteem? What kind of good news is that for humanity as a whole? What popularly passes for "the gospel" might provide a faith to die by, but offers little hope to live by. And most worryingly of all, it bears scant resemblance to the message of Jesus.
Paul's Gospel & Caesar's Empire
by Tom Wright
If Paul's answer to Caesar's empire is the empire of Jesus, what does that say about this new empire, living under the rule of its new lord? It implies a high and strong ecclesiology, in which the scattered and often muddled cells of women, men and children loyal to Jesus as Lord form colonial outposts of the empire that is to be: subversive little groups when seen from Caesar's point of view, but when seen Jewishly an advance foretaste of the time when the earth shall be filled with the glory of the God of Abraham and the nations will join Israel in singing God's praises.
How Sweet the Sound?
by Donald McCullough
If Grace Is So Amazing, Why Don't We Like It? Grace set to music is one thing, but what about grace itself? What about grace as an idea? Grace as an act? Grace as a force? We don't like it. It might be amazing, as the hymn insists, and it might be wonderful and marvelous and "a thought that changed the world" (as the band U2 sang on a recent album), and it might sometimes even be necessary, but when all the adjectives have worn themselves out with the hype and have called it a day, and we're left with nothing but the thing itself, then what? As I said, we don't like it.
The Emerging Church
What is the Emergent Church? The movement is spreading through different denominations and across the world. The author uses the life stories of Emergent’s leaders to paint a picture of this new expression of Evangelicalism.
by D. A. CARSON
Cool Kids Church
by ERIC LANDRY
Most of us here at Modern Reformation like the Emergent Church folks. Frankly, it’s a bit of a relief to have someone within Evangelicalism making the same points we’ve been trying to make for the past fourteen years. We also like their interest in liturgy, in church history (prior to 1972), and in engaging with Scripture in ways that take it beyond the “handbook for living” genre that so many of our own churches have adopted. And, truth be told, we were always the nerdy kids in the youth group, so now that the cool kids with their cool hair, tats, and body piercings are saying much the same thing we do we can’t help but look around with some appreciation.
But the appreciation is a nervous one. As much as we are warmed by their insightful criticism of Evangelicalism, we just can’t shake the sense that these children of the megachurch are taking their postmodern angst and marketing it to the urban jungles just like their chino-wearing, cool hair dads did in middle America. That, of course, leads us to wonder if Emergent will really offer anything substantially different than what they are critiquing.
After reading their books and blogs, conversing with them, and attending their conferences most of us just want to grab a beer and talk with these men and women. I think we would find that we have much in common and I would hope that our own like-minded efforts might serve to keep the Emergent folks from swinging the pendulum too far in an unhealthy direction. We’re grateful to New Testament scholar D.A. Carson for making the same point in his article, which we’ve adapted from his new book Becoming Conversant with Emergent. Carson’s article is a good overview of the Emergent movement’s concerns with a few pointed observations about evaluating the movement as it grows into maturity.
Shane Rosenthal, the executive producer of the White Horse Inn, had a chance to visit the Emergent conference that was held in San Diego this spring. His first-hand report also helps those who are curious about the movement get a better idea of its strengths and weaknesses. Turning to critique, Reformed theologian and editor in chief Michael Horton takes a hard look at the theology and practices that characterize the Emergent movement. We’ve also included a transcript of a discussion by younger Reformed and Lutheran pastors on how our own churches are responding to the concerns we hold in common with the Emergent movement. To make sure that we’re not dealing with caricatures we’ve included interviews with Brian McLaren and the late Stanley Grenz as well as extensive reviews of the seminal books in the movement.
Will the Emergent Church be anything other than another passing evangelical fad? We hope so. But in order to be such the movement will have to acknowledge how their history as an evangelical institution (as the Young leaders Network and Terra Nova Project, arms of the Leadership Network) continues to shape their present course. In order to be a real force for good within Evangelicalism the movement will have to go beyond Evangelicalism and appropriate a churchly tradition that gives it real depth, not just an ecclesiological field guide. Otherwise, their efforts at reform will be truncated, for Evangelicalism can’t be reformed. By its very nature the movement is shaped not by confession or doctrine but by personality, culture, and circumstance. And thus far, that seems to be what is shaping the efforts of the Emergent Church as well.
by Noreena Hertz
Rock the Vote - Chapter 1
Rock the Vote, Pt. 2
LA Times
With Live 8, Rock Changes the Way It Calls for Change
Bob Geldof and U2's Bono redirect activism from the streets into the corridors of power.
Religion News Service
Clarification: Graham Remark on Hillary Clinton Was Not an Endorsement
1776
by George Will
Using narrative history to refute historicism, McCullough's two themes in '1776' are that things could have turned out very differently, and that individuals of character can change the destinies of nations.
Richie Daley's party
by Robert Novak
Last week's long-range confrontation between Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin was much more than a personal tiff involving two formidable Illinois Democrats who obviously are not fond of each other.
NY Times Magazine
A Church-State Solution
By NOAH FELDMAN
At the heart of the culture wars is the failure of both sides to accept America's rules for religious expression in public life and public money in religious life. Maybe that's because those rules are wrong.
W. Post Magazine
Return of the Angry Man
He might have simply disappeared after the Scream ended his presidential hopes. But as head of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean is still going to go to New Hampshire. And South Carolina. And Oklahoma ...
By Sally Jenkins
CIA, Pentagon to Avoid Overlap
Agencies reach a new written agreement to try to prevent conflicts in spying, analysis activities.
Reversing the Bork Defeat
With a Republican Senate, President Bush has the chance to succeed where Reagan failed by getting a conservative constitutionalist confirmed to the Supreme Court.
by William Kristol
The Worst of Intentions
What Saddam's Iraq was up to.
by Daniel McKivergan
The Bork Precedent
What the defeat of Robert Bork's nomination has taught the Bush White House.
by Fred Barnes
Body of Evidence
A CNN anchor gets Iraq and al Qaeda wrong. But will the network issue a correction?
by Stephen F. Hayes
Rolling Rockefeller
The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee once saw "a substantial connection between Saddam and al Qaeda." Not any more.
by Stephen F. Hayes
Columbia and the Academic Intifada
Efraim Karsh
Deadly Immunity
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. investigates the government cover-up of a mercury/autism scandal.
The Neoconservative Convergence
by Charles Krauthammer
Mao and Us
The book review China's communists don't want you to read.
CBS Evening News
Radio Transmitter Credit Cards
The next generation of credit cards include tiny chips that work by waving the card in front of a reader. There's also added security, since no one gets to see your card numbers, reports Brett Larson.
BBC
U2 Before Live 8
Now For Some Good News . . .
by Steve Chalke
Many have understood the gospel as "God's got a big stick and he's on your case." But what kind of message is that for the single parent struggling to bring up her child with inadequate resources? What kind of hope is that for the young teenager who has only known a life of abuse at the hands of those he should have been able to trust? What kind of liberation does that offer the lonely, the redundant, the homeless, the forgotten, the cheated, the vulnerable or the countless individuals, young and old, who suffer from an acute sense of failure or lack of self esteem? What kind of good news is that for humanity as a whole? What popularly passes for "the gospel" might provide a faith to die by, but offers little hope to live by. And most worryingly of all, it bears scant resemblance to the message of Jesus.
Paul's Gospel & Caesar's Empire
by Tom Wright
If Paul's answer to Caesar's empire is the empire of Jesus, what does that say about this new empire, living under the rule of its new lord? It implies a high and strong ecclesiology, in which the scattered and often muddled cells of women, men and children loyal to Jesus as Lord form colonial outposts of the empire that is to be: subversive little groups when seen from Caesar's point of view, but when seen Jewishly an advance foretaste of the time when the earth shall be filled with the glory of the God of Abraham and the nations will join Israel in singing God's praises.
How Sweet the Sound?
by Donald McCullough
If Grace Is So Amazing, Why Don't We Like It? Grace set to music is one thing, but what about grace itself? What about grace as an idea? Grace as an act? Grace as a force? We don't like it. It might be amazing, as the hymn insists, and it might be wonderful and marvelous and "a thought that changed the world" (as the band U2 sang on a recent album), and it might sometimes even be necessary, but when all the adjectives have worn themselves out with the hype and have called it a day, and we're left with nothing but the thing itself, then what? As I said, we don't like it.
The Emerging Church
What is the Emergent Church? The movement is spreading through different denominations and across the world. The author uses the life stories of Emergent’s leaders to paint a picture of this new expression of Evangelicalism.
by D. A. CARSON
Cool Kids Church
by ERIC LANDRY
Most of us here at Modern Reformation like the Emergent Church folks. Frankly, it’s a bit of a relief to have someone within Evangelicalism making the same points we’ve been trying to make for the past fourteen years. We also like their interest in liturgy, in church history (prior to 1972), and in engaging with Scripture in ways that take it beyond the “handbook for living” genre that so many of our own churches have adopted. And, truth be told, we were always the nerdy kids in the youth group, so now that the cool kids with their cool hair, tats, and body piercings are saying much the same thing we do we can’t help but look around with some appreciation.
But the appreciation is a nervous one. As much as we are warmed by their insightful criticism of Evangelicalism, we just can’t shake the sense that these children of the megachurch are taking their postmodern angst and marketing it to the urban jungles just like their chino-wearing, cool hair dads did in middle America. That, of course, leads us to wonder if Emergent will really offer anything substantially different than what they are critiquing.
After reading their books and blogs, conversing with them, and attending their conferences most of us just want to grab a beer and talk with these men and women. I think we would find that we have much in common and I would hope that our own like-minded efforts might serve to keep the Emergent folks from swinging the pendulum too far in an unhealthy direction. We’re grateful to New Testament scholar D.A. Carson for making the same point in his article, which we’ve adapted from his new book Becoming Conversant with Emergent. Carson’s article is a good overview of the Emergent movement’s concerns with a few pointed observations about evaluating the movement as it grows into maturity.
Shane Rosenthal, the executive producer of the White Horse Inn, had a chance to visit the Emergent conference that was held in San Diego this spring. His first-hand report also helps those who are curious about the movement get a better idea of its strengths and weaknesses. Turning to critique, Reformed theologian and editor in chief Michael Horton takes a hard look at the theology and practices that characterize the Emergent movement. We’ve also included a transcript of a discussion by younger Reformed and Lutheran pastors on how our own churches are responding to the concerns we hold in common with the Emergent movement. To make sure that we’re not dealing with caricatures we’ve included interviews with Brian McLaren and the late Stanley Grenz as well as extensive reviews of the seminal books in the movement.
Will the Emergent Church be anything other than another passing evangelical fad? We hope so. But in order to be such the movement will have to acknowledge how their history as an evangelical institution (as the Young leaders Network and Terra Nova Project, arms of the Leadership Network) continues to shape their present course. In order to be a real force for good within Evangelicalism the movement will have to go beyond Evangelicalism and appropriate a churchly tradition that gives it real depth, not just an ecclesiological field guide. Otherwise, their efforts at reform will be truncated, for Evangelicalism can’t be reformed. By its very nature the movement is shaped not by confession or doctrine but by personality, culture, and circumstance. And thus far, that seems to be what is shaping the efforts of the Emergent Church as well.
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