Biomedical scientist (renal pharmacology) and professor. Retired from the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2006. Now involved with woodworking, golf, sailing, grandkids (3) and some political activism. Still give a few lectures on drug-related topics.
This piece reports the facts of the matter, but could have told us what the show actually contained, and could have addressed the veracity of the charge that the show was "propaganda." It could also have told us a bit more about the Florida Family Association. As it happens, Jon Stewart did a pretty good job of showing that the Muslims seen in the show are just folks like the rest of us -- and other Muslims of my acquaintance.
This is excellent journalism. In something around 600 words this article concisely summarizes the positions on global warming of 3 Republican candidates. In the same journalistic breath, the article shows how these candidates differ with regard to their understanding of how science and scientists work at answering questions. Romney and Huntsman both emerge as men who can put what science tells us about climate change into a credible world view that doesn't necessarily put self-interest ahead of what the data indicate. Perry, on the other hand, clearly has an agenda that doesn't suffer scientific data well. What is most telling here is how he insists on discounting the mounds of data that support the notion that the climate is ... More »
I suspect that were I to go looking I would find Perry using the same quote, i.e., "...a scientific theory that has not been proven" when he expresses his views on evolution, too. The author cites Huntsman as viewing Perry as "outside the mainstream" on this issue. One can only hope, but there are lots of folks out there who seem content to get their scientific information from the likes of Rush Limbaugh. More's the pity.
This concise, nicely-written piece provides clarification of some of President Obama's comments from yesterday's press conference; specifically, those pertaining to Obama's opposition to special tax breaks for owners of corporate jets. Seems the Heritage Foundation went to bat for the corporate jet owners, accusing the Obama administration of wanting to eliminate tax breaks for these folks that the Obama administration actually had included in the stimulus package of 2009. Turns out this is not true; Obama is aiming at tax breaks that have been on the books for these folks since 1987. Thanks to this article, we know now that owners of corporate jets enjoy several tax breaks, some of which have been in place literally for ... More »
Here's an interesting -- and well-written -- perspective on Mitch McConnell's frank admission that the congressional Republicans' raison d'etre since the 2008 presidential election has been the destruction of the Obama presidency.
While I suppose one could appreciate McConnell's frank honesty (or miscue) when he spilled this can of beans, the fact that what he said is true and has been coming to pass looms in my mind as utterly cynical and inexcusable. The only thing that's worse is that the voters who put McConnell and the rest of them in office apparently view the destruction of a presidency as a goal worth pursuing. God help us if none of these august congressional Republican yahoos deviate from this destructive path.
An excellent historical piece from Reich’s blog–an opinion article, actually–but the opinion of one of the most influential business thinkers of our time, who is also considered one of the ten best cabinet members of the century. If you want to know from whence we came economically, this is a great start.
Reich puts the start date of America’s plunge into its current chaos at 1977. Reaching back into my memory, that was the decade of Nixon’s resignation, the first oil crisis that forever ended cheap gas, and the Iranian revolution which took the American Embassy hostage. In 1979, conservatives’ darling, Ronald Reagan, was elected president. An appropriate start date.
Starting more than three decades ago, trade and technology began driving a wedge between the earnings of people at the top and everyone else….Government could have ... More »
Dates, shmates. It doesn’t really matter who was president at the time, or who was the “best cabinet member of the century.” The point, which Mr. Reich makes in spades, is that somewhere around that time the dismantling of the middle class — and the U.S. ... More »
This piece is, first, an opinion, but second, good journalism. In the author's opinion teachers have been getting a bad deal for decades and it's time we citizens changed the situation for the better. The journalism behind this piece comes in the form of verifiable facts and data that back the claims and opinions of the author, and his comparison between the way we treat poor performance by our fighting soldiers and poor performance by our teachers is compelling and convicting.
I whole-heartedly agree with everything in this piece. If you agree, too, share this article with your family, friends and state legislators. Probably wouldn't hurt to send it to your congressional representatives, either.
The journalism evident in this piece seems good. The subject is complex but the author has done a good job explaining the nuances -- and consequences -- behind deregulation of the commodities market. The bottom line, of course, is that those of us at the bottom of the food chain -- you and me -- are getting the short end of the carrot, for which we're now paying lots more. No surprise there.
This is a depressing piece if, as the author suggests, there's no way to reverse this trend of "long-only trading in food commodities." What price greed? I guess we'll find out as time goes by.
This story presents an interesting, even sad, take on the misfortune that has befallen NPR in this age of political polarization and vengefulness. Here we learn how many of NPR's hardworking journalists feel betrayed by a management that won't stand up to the bullies and accusations from the right.
The charge that NPR has a left-wing bias is just so much baloney, as amply shown by the survey figures mentioned in the article. I have little hope for this fine nation if folks can't tell the difference between "fair and balanced" when offered by the likes of NPR or Fox News.
This little report reflects okay journalism. It reports the facts of Coulter's appearance on O'Reilly's show, and O'Reilly's (welcome but unsuccessful) effort to hold Coulter accountable for her remarks. The POOR journalism, though, is what's found in Coulter's "recent column" on this subject, which is referenced by link in the piece. There we have Coulter presenting an opinion piece as journalism in which she unabashedly cites secondary material (from the NY Times) as authoritative rather than citing (and, presumably, reading) the original sources. Worse, she presents HER interpretation of the Times report without the counter-balance of any published scientific perspective on the matter (which does exist). Then, solely on the ... More »
Coulter's crass blatherings normally merit no serious attention. This one, which is no exception to that notion, crosses the lines of bad journalism and poor taste.
The story told by these figures is concise, self-evident, and crystal clear. That makes this piece excellent journalism. I don't believe I've given many 5.0 ratings, but this piece deserves it.
I wonder what it'll take to bring the 97% of us who are getting the worst of this deal to the realization that things actually do need to change. Does anyone know an email address or phone number of that guy who got things rolling in Tunisia...
Ms. McGlynn presents a concise and accurate (I saw the show) report of what Stewart did -- and the clear winner is...Megyn Kelly. Stewart's segment, of course, is for those who have ears to hear. I don't think that includes Reilly, Beck, Kelly or the rest of them.
No surprise that the piece is from someplace other than the US.
This piece represents excellent, insightful, well-researched journalism. I'll be interested to see if any or our congressional bright lights pick up this torch. I won't, however, be holding my breath...
The words in this piece, as were Ike's words in 1961, are for those who have ears to hear. No one was listening then, and for sure anyone who's listening now and speaks out will be either ignored, silenced by the special interests, or both. Chalmers Johnson's books (BLOWBACK, SORROWS OF EMPIRE, NEMESIS) recall Eisenhower's warnings -- in spades -- but I doubt that anyone who can do anything about reining in the military-industrial-CONGRESSIONAL complex has read them, much less ... More »
This well-written opinion piece qualifies as reasonably good journalism in that it likely puts into (strong) words what maybe half the country is feeling about the folks who represent the GOP in Congress. The sad reality, though, is that the folks who need to hear this message aren't listening.
This piece is nicely written, seems complete, and says it all in a minimum number of words. Good journalism. The piece tells a bit of the story behind the story; i.e., NPR appears not to have been happy with Mr. Williams' decision to become a commentator for Fox News. Accordingly, this incident apparently provided the proverbial back-breaking straw.
I wondered why NPR hadn't severed relations with Mr. Williams way back when he first went over to Fox. Now I know. NPR's termination was neither capricious nor arbitrary. It clearly had been brewing for some time. O'Reilly and the rest of them will fume and fuss, but this, too, shall pass.
This is a timely, concise and well-written piece outlining the basics of the case for cutting defense spending as a means of realistically meeting our national needs for security. The lead quotes Admiral Mullen remarking that cuts in defense spending "would be dangerous, given [our] national security requirements...", and explains how such a policy goes against the wisdom and wishes of presidents from Eisenhower to Obama. The article also points out that Defense Secretary Gates sees the nation's debt as the "most significant threat to our national security."
President Eisenhower first warned against what would happen if a military-industrial complex became rooted in this country's economy: inevitable expansion (not unlike metastatic cancer, I suppose) to the point of choking the life out of the nation. The MIC is here, folks, in spades, and it's going to take some serious surgery -- and effort -- to bring it under control. No one paid much attention to Chalmers Johnson when he raised the alarm about our defense spending and proliferation ... More »
This piece isn't late-breaking news, but it is journalism in the sense that it describes "The Rapture" in the context of the 5 Ws. In that context, and as history, the piece makes a good read.
My theologian friends tell me that the the Greek in the Thessalonians passage makes it appear that it's the folks who are left here on earth, rather than those who are whisked away, who actually are the favored believers. Go figure. I'd say that our Dispensationalist friends should be careful about what they pray for...
Not much journalism here. More a celebrity's "whiny moment" for one of the print or TV tabloids. The major saving grace of the piece is that it's short.
There's no mystery here that I can see. Neither Maher's comedy nor his political commentary are worth an Emmy. Period.
This article does a fairly decent job of informing on the latest development in the continuing stem cell story and of providing a sense of what comes next.
The potential good that might come from stem cell research demands that we at least evaluate the possibilities. To slam the door (again) on such needed research merely on principle is utterly short-sighted; but, more to the point, it is unspeakably cruel to the unfortunate folks who suffer from the diseases and conditions that might be treated, cured or eliminated by the results of the research. Stem cell research must continue.
This short little piece informs, reveals and entertains, which in my view makes it good journalism. Seems Beck took a little license during his recent speech at the Lincoln Memorial and inflated the facts of his tour of the National Archives, claiming that he actually held in his hands George Washington's inaugural address when, in fact, he hadn't. This piece emphasizes the old adage that self-righteous moralizers who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
This piece presents passable journalism. It reports poll results with some limited analysis, but mostly it provides conjecture and sound-byte reactions to the poll. The article includes no analysis of the mechanics or demographics of the poll, nor does it indicate by how much the record 10% finding exceeds previous numbers.
Big woop. There's no surprise here. The economy's still in the tank and jobs are scarce. That's not the Democrats' fault -- their Republican colleagues have had their sticks in the spokes since Inauguration Day -- but the Democrats present an easy target. Time will tell whether this poll proves prescient.
Krugman describes how the nation's corporations -- actually, the folks at the top of the food chains in these corporations -- are contributing inordinate amounts of money to the Republican party. This is because, presumably, these corporate magnates fear that the Obama administration will raise their taxes back to Clinton-era levels (shudder) and, worse, enact regulations that favor the public interest more than the magnates' self-interest. Pity.
There are more of us than there are of them. You'd think folks'd be able to see through whatever ads those corporate dollars will buy. Time -- and Fox News -- will tell, I suppose...
This well-written piece clearly and concisely explains the notion, the reality and the problem of the placebo effect. The author wanted to say even more about these topics and so tagged on a lengthy series of notes and references for the interested reader. This piece makes for good, informational reading.
Ethical concerns notwithstanding, a compelling case exists for using placebos in medicine. The medical community best be about finding an ethical way to employ them.
This opinion piece tells an interesting story insofar as it goes (probably within an editorial word limit), but for anyone familiar with how most new drugs fare, the piece is incomplete and a little soft. It should be said, for instance, that many "new" drugs differ in only minor chemical ways from the first such drug to have hit the market; indeed, in some cases, another company's "wonder" drug is nothing more than an active metabolite or close chemical relative of the competition's drugs. These "me, too" drugs capitalize on another company's bright idea and may expand the therapeutic horizon, but usually end up doing nothing more than assure a manufacturer their piece of the profit pie. The advertising that promotes "me, too" ... More »
It's good that pieces such as this one get written. This subject provides plenty of grist for the journalistic mill.
This nicely written piece puts both the "jabberers" on the right and the "yammerers" on the left in context concerning their mean-spirited jabbering on the one hand, and their adolescent-like pouting and posturing on the other. Mr. Halperin quietly cites -- with references and links -- the accomplishments that Mr. Obama has already made during his short time in office, and puts the lie to those who fussed early on that Mr. Obama wouldn't be quite up to the challenge of being President.
The jabberers on the right won't go away until they begin to see that what the President has been accomplishing actually helps them. In the meantime, folks -- especially the media -- should either ignore them or cut way back on the attention paid to them. The rest of us, who presumably voted the man into office, should cut him some slack and celebrate his accomplishments as he achieves them. Any scorekeepers out there should go to PolitiFact.com and examine their tally of Mr. Obama's ... More »
This piece offers a story that may prove hazardous to Carl Paladino's political health, if what it reports turns out to be true. The article itself is well written and provides some perspective (with sources named and interviews) on what appears to be a huge number of offensive, insulting and racist emails that Mr. Paladino sent (presumably forwarded) to friends and colleagues. The piece pulls no punches in exposing the sordid details behind these emails. The reaction of the Tea Party faithful to this news will be interesting. I'd give the piece a higher rating if I was knew that this source was fully reliable. Time will tell.
Guess what. No surprises here. One only has to watch a few minutes of any Tea Party rally to know that this stuff -- sophomoric on the one hand, unforgivably racist on the other -- is there waiting to spew forth. If this expose' proves to be true, maybe we can bid a fond good-bye to Mr. Paladino.
This isn't journalism, it's show biz -- and priceless. Sarah I mean Tina comes forth with the launch of her new TV network with a line-up of shows that is sure to please nearly everyone (except the obvious, of course). I'd love to give this piece a 5.0 but Tina didn't cite any experts that I can see, the balance is way, way, way to the left, and the piece is oh, so unfair to be utterly hilarious. It's probably not very factual, either. In any case, Obama (and SNL) fans will love it. McCain/Palin fans might like it, too, if their skins have toughened up a bit.
This piece provides an interesting, albeit somewhat disturbing, look into a part of Dick Armey's past that makes one wonder what the Tea Party Faithful see in him. Not stated, but clearly evident, is the implication that the TP Faithful, including Sarah Palin, have hitched their stars to Armey's wagon without having asked where that wagon's been. The piece is a thorough and credible example of good journalism.
This piece simply reinforces my stereotype of those in the Tea Party movement as uninformed, and fully intending to stay that way.
This is a nicely done piece on one laid-off worker's frustration with the economy/national focus/etc. The author has done the homework necessary to put some background and personalized information into this feature without bias. There are no surprises here; Mr. Millam seems clearly to be an embittered product of the globalization of his job at Kraft and of slanted television news and talk-show hyperbole. None of this is the President's fault, of course, but Millam's pain is palpable.
One can only urge patience in situations such as these. The Obama administration is doing what it can, but the damage that gave Mr. Millam (and countless thousands like him) his current state of misery was done long before Mr. Obama entered the Oval Office. One can only hope that cool heads will prevail; it takes only one deranged nutcase (remember Oklahoma City) to plunge us all into chaos -- and worse.
This opinion piece reflects quality writing and offers a frank, in-your-face assessment of the issues that face rank-and-file conservative Republicans in the wake of passage of the health care bill. The author pulls no punches as he asserts that Republicans have no one to blame but themselves (and the lunatic fringe) for this defeat.
I could not possibly have said this any better. The question, though, is if any of the folks who should read -- and accept -- this upbraiding will do so.
In a journalistic world that features cost-saving opinion over investigative jounalism, PolitiFact.com rewrote the rules by (gasp) actually checking up on the facts as stated or written by political operatives. This piece is a fine example of the quality journalism that PolitiFact.com provides. There is no hype, no hysteria, just the facts, ma'am.
PolitFact.com and FactCheck.org deserve awards for all they have provided during these hot political times. I especially love PolitiFact's Truth-O-Meter and the Pants-On-Fire feature.
This story reports efforts to clean up the diplomatic mess caused by Israel's announcement that it will build 1600 housing units in East Jerusalem despite earlier promises not to inflame the situation in the mid-East. The writing is good, the facts are clear, and the story carries a reader's interest through to the end.
Nothing good for mid-eastern peace will happen over there while right-wing folks are in charge. Sorta like what happens over here under similar circumstances, no?
This piece presents opinion. Accordingly, facts are optional, and I found precious few of them here. Mr. Barnes claims to know the future should the health care bill be passed. I'm sure we'll hear an "I told you so," should Barnes' prediction prove accurate, but haven't we heard such prattle already? Oh yeah, that would have been on Fox News.
This piece presents an objective and concise account of the seemingly endless struggle, this time taking place in Texas, to determine whose biases get passed to future generations in the guise of objective education. The quotes from the members of the school board speak for themselves.
This is opinion. Maher is a comedian, not a journalist. Journalism it isn't. Indeed, Maher's snide sexual asides detract from an otherwise reasonable argument. If he's going to delve into the journalistic realm he'd best take some lessons from the professionals. Otherwise, he's just another tiresome voice a la Beck, Limbaugh and O'Reilly.
The distasteful nature of the messenger aside, I agree that our lackluster educationees aren't that way primarily because of their teachers. Every one of the teachers I know (or knew) were not in education to make money; they are/were there to teach kids, and most of them went above and beyond the call of duty to do that. That some teachers are better than others goes without saying, but parents, school boards, and not least, students, must bear most of the responsibility for the ... More »
Although a bit lengthy, and at times cumbersome, this opinion piece makes a compelling case for passing the health care bill now and smoothing out the inevitable wrinkles later. The author rebuts some of the myths and untruths that have plagued the debate and urges the Democrats to get on with the job whether the Republicans come to their senses or not.
Health care reform is such a no-brainer for me that I am unable to see how any but the health insurance corporations (now that they are people like you and me) and the very stingiest of folks could possibly oppose it. The fiscal conservatives say that we can't afford it. I say, if Canada and others can afford it, so can we. Of course, Canada has the good sense not to fight two wars simultaneously. Think what we could be accomplishing if we hadn't started them in the first place, and ... More »
This piece makes a nice blend of journalistic reporting and opinion, showing how at least one thoughtful group of pollsters has managed to dissect more than superficial information from a routine bit of polling. The piece tells the story and offers up some opinion in a minimum number of words. Nicely done.
The congressional and partisan folks who have political axes to grind in opposition to whatever the President and the Democrats are trying to accomplish won't be swayed by new numbers. But no matter. I find these numbers reassuring and hope that the President and the Dems get on with business and pass this bill. Then maybe the naysayers and talking heads from the media will finally just go away...
This one sets a standard for quality. Simple, thorough, to the point. Period. Bottom line: the Senate and House Republicans are obstructionist hypocrites.
Send this to your legislator. If he or she is a Republican, 'nuff said. If a Democrat, tell him or her to get the job(s) done.
This is refreshingly thorough and insightful journalism addressing the religious right's continued effort to bring its moral agenda to bear in the face of past voters' rejection.
This group's ability to distort history, theology and Christianity in one fell swoop takes my breath away. To liken the Obama administration to the ultra-right national socialism of Nazi Germany is almost as absurd as the claim that Dobson, Colson and their minions represent the 21st Century version of the "Confessing Church" movement in Germany in opposition to the Nazis. What hubris. What gall. What disservice to those German pastors and priests. The sad irony, though, is that this ... More »
Seems to me that Lowe's wussed out on this one, caving to a flood of emails from a bunch of automatons who did what they were told to do without thinking the matter through for themselves. It's the Florida Family Association that's now suspect in my book. I think I'll shop at Home Depot or Menard's for a while...