Michael Bloomberg, Newt Gingrich, and the New York Mets.

The current fad for atheism, as expressed by the spate of books on the subject, may be explained by the looming threats creationism and Islamic extremism pose to Western values, though in markedly different forms. Tensions between Faith and Reason rise commensurately with the stakes. No wonder that...

toothpastefordinner.com In the comments to my post below on discovering new music, one commenter noted that it’s fruitful to pay attention to movie soundtracks, which reminded me of a certain group on Facebook: Just Because You Own the Garden State Soundtrack Doesn’t Mean You are Indie Rock It...

Earlier this year, I urged support for the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007 which would remove some restrictions on documents produced by the White House. These restrictions were put in place by executive order after 9/11. The House version of the bill (H.R. 1255) passed by a vote of 333-93...

If I throw away African Americans, and then I throw away Latinos, and then I throw away suburban women, and then I throw away people under 40, and then I throw away everything north of Philadelphia — there’s a morning where Republicans can’t get to a majority. Newt Gingrich speaking...

In a fine post below, David asks who in America would have the moral authority to lead a major public protest, should the need arise for one? I believe that sort of moral authority does exist in America, even though those who possess it are not often in the limelight. People who come to my mind as having...

President Bush commenting on the improvements in U.S. student test scores: “As yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.” It’s true.

Shine On

Current events in Myanmar (aka Burma) are worth following. Some 35,000 Buddhist monks are currently leading protest against that country’s unpopular military junta, despite curfews and sanctions against peaceful assembly. Soldiers in full battle gear met the anti-government protesters yesterday,...

There’s been a lot of commentary on how Columbia University President Lee Bollinger’s victory in the slam contest between him and Iranian “President” Mahmoud Ahmadenijad was teh awesome. Time for some contrarianism. Matt Yglesias: “[I]t’s still fundamentally odd to...