TweetThat’s attention-grabbing, but it shouldn’t be all that shocking, given that a), the Russian economy is smaller than ours and b), the United States itself spends less of GDP on the military than it did for most of my lifetime. But still, as things ratchet up in Ukraine, this is worth taking note of… Oh, […]
TweetThe Washington Post should be ashamed of itself. Not because it won a Pulitzer for helping Edward Snowden achieve his goals, but because it led readers of its The Switch blog to believe that it was going to finally clear up the raging controversy over whether Han Solo or Greedo shot first. That didn’t happen. […]
Tweet Not a huge news day, but just to acknowledge what’s going on out there: Russia in ‘partial’ border pullout (BBC) — So… what’s he leaving in place? I’ll bet it’s still a threat to Ukraine. Health Website Failures Impede Signup Surge as Deadline Nears (NYT) — A blast from the past on Obamacare’s big day — […]
TweetAs y’all know, I’ve had critical things to say about Edward Snowden. But I have to say, sometimes we learn about some pretty cool stuff as a result of his revelations. For instance, if we really have this capability, that’s pretty awesome: The National Security Agency has built a surveillance system capable of recording “100 […]
TweetThis just in from the WashPost: The National Security Agency is collecting less than 30 percent of all Americans’ call records because of an inability to keep pace with the explosion in cellphone use, according to current and former U.S. officials. The disclosure contradicts popular perceptions that the government is sweeping up virtually all domestic phone data. […]
Tweet I took this quiz to which Bryan drew my attention. It’s one that places you regionally in terms of, well, your terms — not your accent, but by the regionalism expressed in your choice of words. I’m a little suspicious of the result. For the most part, it shows some influence from the places […]
TweetI’ve sort of been listening along during the president’s pre-holiday press availability while doing other stuff. I liked the question — I forget who asked it, and pressed it, but he was pretty insistent — that amounted to this: Mr. President, several months ago you said the NSA wasn’t doing anything wrong. Why do you […]
Tweet Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald are feeling like pretty important guys (just ask ’em; they’ll tell ya), especially since they finally got one federal judge to agree with their view of NSA surveillance programs. But as far as Google is concerned, they’re not all that interesting. At least, they don’t show up in the […]
TweetI found this interesting, from Max Boot writing over at Commentary: I have a word of advice for American allies outraged by alleged NSA spying on their leaders: Grow up. That means you Germany. You too France. And you, Brazil. Mexico too. Also the EU and the UN. Does the NSA spy on your leaders? […]
TweetThis morning, in her column for tomorrow (that still confuses me; I don’t think any other major columnist in the country writes columns that appear online so long before they do in print), Peggy Noonan was waxing deeply concerned about my privacy, or her privacy, or someone’s (I didn’t read the whole thing; in any […]
TweetOK, some of these headlines are repetitive from the “Open Thread” this morning, but here goes: Canceled summit is the latest sign of faltering U.S.-Russia ties (WashPost) — It’s about Snowden. For a look at the Russian perspective, NPR did a historical piece on three people wanted to extradite from here (one of whom we let […]
TweetThere are all sorts of things you may want to discuss amongst yourselves, such as: Now we see just how powerless the mayor of Columbia is — The city manager tells him off, and not one member of council backs him in trying to rein her in. Obama cancels meeting with Putin, because of Snowden […]
TweetPolishing off your week with a skim through the headlines: U.S. Issues Global Travel Alert Over al Qaeda Threat (WSJ) — First the announcement we were closing embassies; now this. U.S. Adds 162,000 Jobs as Growth Remains Sluggish (NYT) — It strikes me that it’s tough for most people to connect with these monthly figures. Know what […]
TweetSince some of y’all seem to like this “open thread” thing, I thought I’d post one bright and early this morning, just to get things rolling until I have time to post something else. Actually, to tell the truth, I’m not up before 6 a.m. doing this. I’m actually writing it at 2:33 on the […]
TweetLindsey Graham took little time in reacting to the news that Edward Snowden has been allowed to enter Russia technically and officially, and will be granted asylum for a year: WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made this statement today on the reports that Russia has granted Edward Snowden temporary asylum. “If these […]
TweetSeveral of the most amazing things I’ve seen technology do in recent years are associated with Google Maps. Such as the traffic feature. Look at Google Maps on your phone, and you’ll see how well traffic is moving — or whether it’s moving at all — on the road ahead of you. Google does this […]
TweetThought this was interesting, from over at Slate: In the central courtyard of CIA headquarters stands an odd statue—in the shape of a 12-foot-high, S-shaped wall with letters punched out of it—named Kryptos (the Greek word for “hidden”). The statue, created by Jim Sanborn and installed in 1990, is more than just a curious piece of […]
TweetI meant to post this over the weekend, but the question still bears examining, I think. Late last week, Andrew Sullivan wrote the following, under the headline, “The ‘Scandals’ Go Up In Smoke:” There was always something desperate about them: an attempt somehow, after five years of remarkably scandal-free governance, to try once again and […]
TweetA bit late in the day, but here goes: Senate approves bill to overhaul immigration (WashPost) — That’s one miracle, comprehensive immigration reform getting through the Senate. Now we need a bigger one for the House to pass anything remotely like it. Boston Bombing Suspect Is Indicted on 30 Counts (NYT) — He’s charged in four deaths, […]
TweetThings are now moving pretty fast in Syria. A lot faster than I’m moving, since I’ve meant to write about this since yesterday morning. While we were gazing at our navels and talking about the NSA “scandal” revealed by Edward Snowden, Bashar Assad was winning the war against the rebels. He was doing so with […]