No End in Sight (NYT)

steps urged

Before the economic crisis gets any worse, Congress must take several steps. The country cannot afford any more delay and posturing.

Less Than Golden Years (NYT)

demographic overhang not noticed.

it's not possible to save for retirement when there are no young people to buy services from.

Americans are saving too little for retirement. The sooner lawmakers and employers respond to this crisis — with legislation and education — the better the chances for limiting the damage.

Russia’s War of Ambition (NYT)

russian feelings hurt

There is no imaginable excuse for Russia’s invasion of Georgia.

Flush With Energy (NYT)

learn the discovered oil trick

by Thomas L. Friedman

America needs to learn from Denmark, which responded to the 1973 Arab oil embargo in such a way that today it is energy independent....

...(And it didn’t happen by Danish politicians making their people stupid by telling them the solution was simply more offshore drilling.)

What was the trick? To be sure, Denmark is much smaller than us and was lucky to discover some oil in the North Sea.

Energy Fictions (NYT)

rhythm of a maxim tried

A nation that uses one-quarter of the world’s oil while possessing less than 3 percent of its reserves cannot drill its way to happiness at the pump.

Behind the Aurora Borealis (NYT)

science opinion

Perhaps now is a good time to think about Earth’s magnetic field or the solar wind.

A lttle more serious in the case of the NYT, but

Hence, the tendency of all lists of “journalistic ethics” to trail off into farce and nonsense. Ethics are for people who have no morals -- no humility in the face of the good, the true, and the beautiful. To tell the truth, to capture the “ring of truth,” requires instead a form of hard-earned simplicity. Seeking the true means seeking the obvious.


David Warren.

On His 47th Birthday, Obama Is All Business (CBS)

for an audience that's eight and a half

(CHICAGO) - It's Barack Obama's 47th birthday, but from his campaign schedule you wouldn't know it.

Long Overdue Crane Safety (NYT)

yet another blot discovered

The Bush administration’s negligence in addressing accidents involving construction cranes is shameful.

Past Time for Speaking Out (NYT)

new blot discovered

President Bush’s refusal to speak out publicly and clearly about China’s repressive behavior is an abdication of leadership and a blot on his record.

As Rebates Run Their Course (NYT)

voodoo economic desk

A second round of economic stimulus is needed, but lawmakers will be doing a disservice if they serve up more of the same.

How Obama Became Acting President (NYT)

the manchurian snowman

by Frank Rich
Barack Obama-branded change is snowballing, whether it’s change you happen to believe in or not.

Ford $8.8 Billion Loss Traced To Honest Car Dealer

Overlooked by The Onion.

Higher Fares, Worse Service, No Help (NYT)

free money sought

With a possible fare increase looming, New York City’s subway riders deserve better service, and more help from both their city and their state.

Debating From the Domestic Front (NYT)

embrace the intertubes

Attending a Google-sponsored debate in New Orleans, fed by text-messaging questioners and YouTube aficionados, would be a good move for both presidential candidates.

Finally, Nowhere to Hide (NYT)

moral lesson

Radovan Karadzic’s capture should serve as a warning to other leaders who incite and abet genocide and believe they can escape justice.

A Time for Urgency (NYT)

too leftist to fail

The nation’s leaders must act quickly and take the necessary, if politically unpopular, steps to rescue Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from insolvency.

It’s the Economic Stupidity, Stupid (NYT)

theater critic economics

by Frank Rich
Were voters forced to actually focus on John McCain’s response to our economic crisis, the prospect of his ascension to the Oval Office could set off panic.

9/11 and 4/11 (NYT)

weekly apocalyptic wonderment

by Thomas Friedman
We are addicted to dirty fossil fuels, and this addiction is driving a whole set of toxic trends that are harming our nation and world in many different ways.

Losing Private Dwyer (NYT)

the basket-case model of the military

By LAWRENCE DOWNES

Pfc. Joseph Dwyer was a model of the strength and selflessness of the American soldier fighting in Iraq. But it was post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction that eventually killed him.

Drilling’s Lure (NYT)

editorial apparently fit to print

Congress should not sacrifice long-term environmental protections for short-term political gain by giving into the pressures to lift the moratorium on offshore oil drilling.

Help Closer to Home (NYT)

habitual liars

One proven way to prevent borderline young offenders from becoming serious criminals is to treat them — and their families — in community-based counseling programs instead of shipping them off to juvenile facilities that are often hundreds of miles away from home.

Katrina’s Most Vulnerable (NYT)

a city of homeless

Political leaders in New Orleans should understand that getting homeless people into permanent housing is the right thing to do for the homeless and for the city.

Oil and Inflation (NYT)

burn wood

A systematic plan for reducing the nation’s dependence on oil should be a priority for policy makers.

All Too Human (NYT)

slippery slope for essayists

by Bob Herbert
Once the green light is given to torture, the guaranteed result is an ever-widening landscape of broken bodies, ruined lives and profound shame to all involved.

Anger and Restraint (NYT)

politics eliminated

By striking down the death penalty for the rape of a child, the Supreme Court’s ruling should deter efforts to extend the use of capital punishment.

More Phony Myths (NYT)

Dowd attacks Rove's elite charge but not the snide comments one.

by Maureen Dowd
“Even if you never met him, you know this guy. He’s the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by.”

Wounds You Can’t See (NYT)

Liberals prefer soldiers as helpless fluff because anything else is too complicated for propaganda.

by Bob Herbert
In the absence of any general call for sacrifice, we have an ironclad obligation to look out for the short- and long-term needs of the troops we send off to combat.

Census Damage Control (NYT)

liberal district expansion wanted

Preparations for the 2010 census are a shambles.

Mr. Bush, Lead or Leave (NYT)

words not found

by Thomas Friedman
It is hard to find the words to express what a fraudulent, pathetic excuse for an energy policy President Bush’s new plan is.

Vice Is Nice (NYT)

to strafe at, (by women) = to strafe

by Gail Collins
On the other end, there’s the Cheney version in which the pet takes over the checkbook, diversifies the family investment portfolio and starts strafing at the neighbor’s cat.

The Court and Workers (NYT)

court as policy making arm of liberal government

The Supreme Court’s pro-worker decision on Thursday is notable because the court has appeared in recent years to go out of its way to side with corporations.

A Dubious Milestone (NYT)

lower classes explained

by Bob Herbert
A lot of clowns have fathered babies when they shouldn’t have, but it’s also difficult for many people to find the kind of job that makes raising a family feasible.

Public Funding on the Ropes (NYT)

criminals are basically good people

Unfortunately, Barack Obama has come up short of his vows to depart from self-interested politics in his decision to reject public spending limitations.

The Big Pander to Big Oil (NYT)

don't be cruel

President Bush’s decision to ask Congress to end the federal ban on offshore drilling along much of America’s continental shelf is cruelly misleading.

North Plainfield gas station closed for changing prices (Newsday)

Brain-dead populism is the price of eternal vigilance.

Officials have ordered a gas station in North Plainfield to close for 20 days for changing prices more than once in a 24-hour period.

Letter From Cairo (NYT)

price of Friedman opinion pieces falling

by Thomas Friedman
If prices keep soaring, food and fuel could reshape politics around the developing world as much as nationalism or Communism did in their days.

Obama on the Nile (NYT)

Cleft sentence packed with cliches

by Thomas Friedman
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Democrats’ nomination of Barack Obama as their candidate for president has improved America’s image abroad.

Primary Reforms (NYT)

new principle discovered in constitution

Tested against the principle of American democracy, which says that all voters should have equal opportunity, both parties’ systems fall short.

The Hate Speech Exception to the First Amendment

Savor the Moment (NYT)

the most unqualified candidates ever

by Bob Herbert
This election year has been a testament to the many decades of work by men and women to build a more just America.

A Gift to the G.O.P. (NYT)

clue bat tripped over

by Bob Herbert
The Democratic Party’s war with itself can only make you wonder about its vaunted claims of moral superiority when it comes to tolerance.

The Handicapped U-Scan

Handicapped U-scan
Originally uploaded by rhhardin

Gradient Farming

Gradient Farming
Originally uploaded by rhhardin

Gradient Farming in Ohio.

Orthogonal to coutour farming.

Another Horse-Racing Horror (NYT)

Helpless fluff is the condition the left prefers their animals in. Anything else is too complicated for propaganda.

The first rule of racing must be the welfare of the horses. Nothing else is acceptable.

Helping the Unemployed (NYT)

Recession extension and paid vacation act proposed

What is needed — now — is for Congress to extend jobless benefits for people who exhaust their initial 26 weeks of payments.

Spinning Iraq (NYT)

The new NYT theory is that they don't believe it. They just lie, like Soviet commissars.

The only mission that needs to be accomplished is an orderly exit from Iraq, and President Bush is no closer to acknowledging that reality.

Woman believed to be 'D.C. madam' kills herself (AP)

Two shots to the head

Found in Ft. Marcy Park

Police say a woman they believe to be convicted Washington escort service operator Deborah Jeane Palfrey has committed suicide.

Much Ado (NYT)

In this case, his or her facts are wrong.

by Stanley Fish
More than a half century later, “McCarthyism” was joined in the lexicon by “Swiftboating,” the art of the smear campaign mounted with the intention not of documenting a wrong, but of covering the victim with slime enough to cast doubt on his or her integrity.

Is Trade the Problem? (NYT)

I am astounded to find the NYT on the right side of trade.

But ``solutions'' to what isn't a problem shows that everything goes down the same hole sooner or later on the left.

That means expanding the social safety net to help workers displaced by trade. But a lot more must be done, since the problem far transcends shuttered factories. The government has to invest more in education to help produce better-prepared, better-paid graduates. To help American companies compete, it must invest in better roads and ports and address the country’s health care crisis. And it must move toward more progressive taxation to help redistribute the spoils of growth.

The Low Road to Victory (NYT)

negative editorial

It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the campaign’s negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

Shoddy! Tawdry! A Televised Train Wreck! (NYT)

not intuiting the problem

by Frank Rich

Ludicrous as the whole spectacle was, ABC would not have been so widely pilloried had it not tapped into a larger national discontent with news media fatuousness.

Road Map to Defeat (NYT)

kindergarten candidate threatened

by Bob Herbert
The Clintons are running around with flamethrowers, gleefully trying to incinerate the prospects of the party’s leading candidate, Barack Obama.

The Unfinished Reforms of 9/11 (NYT)

who better than NYT staff

If there is to be better oversight of the intelligence agencies, the people who control the purse strings must have knowledge, expertise and clear responsibility.

Carter Offers to Be Hamas Go-Between... (Drudge)

Why not hostage?

A Rider Off the Rails (NYT)

whose ax is gored

The Long Island Rail Road’s etiquette bully has walked — again. John Clifford, notorious for loudly and aggressively harassing fellow riders to make them behave better, was acquitted on Tuesday of assault, disorderly conduct and other charges stemming from an ugly encounter on the Long Beach line last year. Judge Larry Stephen of Manhattan Criminal Court said most of the witnesses had “an ax to grind,” and threw the case out.

More Time for More of the Same? (NYT)

winning

It is clear that Gen. David Petraeus and President Bush don’t have a strategy for ending America’s disastrous involvement in Iraq.

A Thousand Words for Snow

Does Arabic have a thousand words for shithead?

More Flimflam on Warming (NYT)

flimflam detected

Despite the blather about George Bush’s newfound awareness of the dangers of climate change, his administration refuses to do anything about the problem.

Pain at the Pump and Beyond (NYT)

no stone unturned

The Bush administration’s shortsighted energy policies mean the country is too dependent on oil that is both ruinously expensive and ruinous for the environment.

So Much Sex, but What’s Fit to Print? (NYT)

with democrats it's how to keep it interesting

By CLARK HOYT

The recent reports of sexual misdeeds have presented interesting challenges for a newspaper that normally steers well clear of the salacious.

Free GRB 080319B!

terrorist activity

Scientists have detected an interstellar explosion so bright that it was briefly visible to the naked eye—from 7.5 billion light-years away.

Attidue (Dr. Helen)

Dr. Helen :

Do not be sloppy in the way that you use your tools. A professional differs from the incompetent mostly in attidue, in the willingness to proceed carefully and with full attention.

Mr. Obama’s Profile in Courage (NYT)

WTF?

What is evident is that Barack Obama not only cleared the air over a particular controversy — he raised the discussion of race and religion to a higher plane.

Ashley Dupre

How come some cable news outfit hasn't snapped her up as an anchorbabe?

Fox would be best.

When Ben Bernanke Speaks ... (NYT)

NYT essence distilled

Ben Bernanke’s proposals are unlikely to work, because they are based on the notion that lenders and everyone else in the mortgage chain will act voluntarily.

A One-Party New York State (NYT)

The NYT subscription base consists entirely of bemused conservatives wondering what they'll say next.

Giving one party so much power would require a leap of faith by voters. Now is the time for Democrats to show that this faith would be well placed.

Declarations : Over The Top (WSJ)

yahoo contract suspected

by Peggy Noonan
Everyone knows that if you Yahoo "Clintons" and "scandals" you get 4,430,000 hits.

Slipping Away (NYT)

more rules needed

The mounting violence is making it even harder for the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, to negotiate the core issues.

Priced Out of the Market (NYT)

print dollars on corn starch

The human costs of the diversion of food into energy are all too evident. Relief agencies must get the support they need to feed the most vulnerable people.

McCain Channels His Inner Hillary INYT

speak quietly to the boat

by Frank Rich
He further channels Mrs. Clinton by belittling Mr. Obama’s oratory as an “eloquent but empty call for change” — a tact that calls attention to how flat and uninspiring his own speeches can be.

Clinton Adopts Harsher Tactics (WSJ)

nurse channeled

Clinton ratcheted up her attacks on Obama, comparing his campaign tactics to those of President Bush.

Somber Clinton Soldiers On as the Horizon Darkens (NYT)

bar lowered

“That said, she knows that there will be an end,” Ms. Hope said. “She is a very smart woman.”

Subtle Weather Distinction Made

Freezing rain until early afternoon...then freezing rain likely.

Look, Up in the Sky! (NYT)

Every piece of debris has an orbit that passes through the original point of intercept. Thus it all falls to earth pretty immediately, for a low intercept point.

It stays up a long time, for a high intercept point.

Elementary physics is too hard for the NYT.

by Gail Collins
The only known instance of somebody shooting down a satellite occurred last year when the Chinese brought down one of their old weather satellites, also citing vague threats to humanity. At the time, the United States was extremely peeved and complained the Chinese were creating space debris.

McCain camp hits back hard (politico)

homosexual charge

John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election.

The Global Tobacco Threat (NYT)

credulity limit reached at the NYT

It is impossible to believe claims by many tobacco companies that they are not trying to addict new smokers but only to convert adults who are using inferior local brands.

Virus from China the gift that keeps on giving (SF Chronicle)

Insidious is the Sino- in Sino-Soviet.

An insidious computer virus recently discovered on digital photo frames has been identified as a powerful new Trojan Horse from China that collects passwords for online games - and its designers might have larger targets in mind.

A Flawed Feminist Test (NYT)

big ears

by Marueen Dowd

And since women — and some men — tend to be more protective when she is down, it is impossible to rule out a rally, especially if voters start to see Obama, after his eight-contest rout, as that maddening archetypal figure: the glib golden boy who slides through on charm and a smile.

So Much for Paglia

tinpot orator day

The galvanizing energy aroused by Barack Obama's thrilling coast-to-coast victories gives Democrats a clear shot at regaining the White House.

Next Up for the Democrats: Civil War (NYT)

keep your cotton-pickin' hands off my gin - Eli Whitney

By Frank Rich
The question now is how much more racial friction the Clinton campaign will gin up

Suggested Column Tag for Maureen Dowd

Maureen Dowd is off today.

Because They Said So (NYT)

19th amendment responsible

Even by the dismal standards of what passes for a national debate on intelligence and civil liberties, last week was a really bad week.

Clouded Crystal Ball, Private Enterprise Edition

Polaroid failed to embrace the digital technology that has transformed photography, instead sticking to its belief that many photographers who didn't want to wait to get pictures developed would hold onto their old Polaroid cameras.

Mysterious Distinctions in Weather

the thesaurus prediction

Numerous showers this morning...then widespread showers this afternoon.

My Media Prediction

If Hillary wins the nomination, she'll be titular head of the Democratic Party.

Prediction : the media will avoid the word.

Fed Chief’s Reassurance Fails to Halt Stock Plunge (NYT)

Stagflation offered.

Recession is how you stop people from doing the wrong things.

It doesn't work on government. Just the opposite.

WASHINGTON — The stock market plunged again on Thursday on bad economic news, taking little comfort from reassuring words by the chairman of the Federal Reserve or an emerging consensus about a stimulus plan that many worry could be too late.

Revealed: New NASA images show Mercury as you have never seen it before

displacement of female genitals

Among many new sights, the picture shows the full Caloris Basin, a huge impact basin more than 620 miles across that sits on the border between the known and previously unknown regions of the planet.

They also show the complete basin interior and reveal that it is brighter than the surrounding regions, which could suggest it has a different composition.

There are darker smooth areas completely surrounding Caloris and unusual dark-rimmed craters in the basin.

Emotion Without Thought in New Hampshire (NYT)

Hey it's only 40% of women.

Soap women also are the sole support of the news biz, all soap all the time; for they are the only group that will tune in day in and day out, news or no news, so long as there is soap opera, and thus whose eyes can be sold to advertisers.

Which politicians trade on, and which edits every public debate on everything.

There is, in the primaries, nothing to think about, as a result, even if you're a guy. Everything is for the grand soap opera story line.

Above all, soap must be treated as serious news. Breaking the curtain is forbidden. The gimmick is saying ``You are serious people'' to soap opera fans.

See the ancient NYT article Diana's Death Resonates With Women in Therapy to explain the dynamics.

The truth is that women follow their interests, just as men do, but their interests differ. They are not men.

In a neighborhood setting, this is positive : women empathize with and help the neighbors. In a mass communication market, their neighbors are whoever are the story of the day, and their empathizing helps nobody but themselves as a sort of pornography ; and helps the advertisers of course.

Women's virtue is traded on and makes them dysfunctional instead.

The fix is to ridicule these women and make that advertising market disappear.

by Judith Warner

I don’t for a moment begrudge Hillary her victory on Tuesday. But if victory came for the reasons we’ve been led to believe – because women voters ultimately saw in her, exhausted and near defeat, a countenance that mirrored their own – then I hate what that victory says about the state of their lives and the nature of the emotions they carry forward into this race. I hate the thought that women feel beaten down, backed into a corner, overwhelmed and near to breaking point, as Hillary appeared to be in the debate Saturday night. And I hate even more that they’ve got to see a strong, smart and savvy woman cut down to size before they can embrace her as one of their own.

Controversy Raised

Grimm's fairy tales

Blitzer: But tell me why, as an African-American, Donna, you feel that the president's comments weren't appropriate.

New Year’s Eve (NYT)

Get out before midnight because that's when the guns go off and it scares the horses.

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

There is something deeply gratifying about joining the horses in their pasture a few minutes before the clock strikes 12 at the turn of a new year.

About That Peace Process (NYT)

army suggested

Next week President Bush will make his first trip since taking office to Israel and the Palestinian territories. He should use this visit to get real work started.

Looking at America (NYT)

favorite candidate hard to guess

We hope that American voters will have the wisdom to grant the powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity and principle to use them honorably.

Priests brawl at Bethlehem birthplace of Jesus (AFP)

Southern Baptists

Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Student wins lottery, leaves school (Reuters)

Happy news for a change

Zoo Officials Probe Killing by Tiger (AP)

offensive remarks made

The police chief would not comment on whether the animal was taunted.

Time May Be Running Down (Telegraph)

not just an entropy gradient anymore

Prof Senovilla says: "One thing that is definitely not included in our models is the possibility of having more than one time dimension."

Blindly Into the Bubble (NYT)

former enron advisor speaks

by Paul Krugman
So where were the regulators as one of the greatest financial disasters since the Great Depression unfolded? They were blinded by ideology.

Slavery’s Place in the Capitol (NYT)

blacks not americans

The House and Senate have set an encouraging standard by naming the main welcoming chamber of the Capitol’s mammoth new visitors’ center Emancipation Hall.

Decongesting the Skies (NYT)

union involved

As helpful as is the Bush administration’s short-term remedy for the nation’s congested skies, Washington needs to aggressively consider longer-term solutions.