As usual, a big deal is made of this: But this is simply the obeisance that any hopeless debtor would give its largest creditor. It reminds me of a quip by a local county commissioner: if you walk into a bank as a large depositor, they tell you "yes, sir" or "yes, m'am," but if …
The day we cease to be explorers and revert to armchairs and joysticks is the day we begin to dwell on past achievements rather than future adventures.
True words, spoken by Aerospace Industries Association CEO Marion Blakey at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches: “Let’s face it, it will be a long time — if ever — before a robot could repair the Hubble telescope or make the many adjustments needed to add modules to the International Space Station,” Blakey said. …
My Tribute to the Poles
The terrible plane crash which has killed much of Poland's leadership leaves one speechless. The Poles have taken much: partition of their country at the end of the 18th Century (the "Enlightenment" no less!), a battlefield in World War I, re-emerging after that only to be dismembered (and much of the population, Jew and Gentile, …
Book Review: History: Think for Yourself About What Shaped the Church
History is, for Americans especially, a problematic business. There are those who want to transmit history, and others who want to redefine it. But for most people history is something that gets ignored. For Evangelicals, the common attitude that "between Apostles and us, people weren't saved" only makes matters worse. But the history of the …
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The Legacy of John Paul Stevens: Illinois, the Hardest Place to Run a Corporation
Towards the end of David Savage's piece on John Paul Stevens, this: Stevens' early life had more than its share of grand moments and deep tragedies. He was born in 1920, the youngest of four boys in a wealthy family. When he was 7, his father opened the 28-story Stevens Hotel on Michigan Avenue (now …
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The Importance of One Vote in Palm Beach
It decided the Mayor's race: An appellate court has affirmed a Palm Beach County Circuit Court judge’s decision upholding the result of the town’s February 2009 mayoral election. Mayor Jack McDonald defeated challenger Gerry Goldsmith by a single vote in a Feb. 21 recount of a Feb. 17 runoff between the two. In an opinion …
Stupak Calls It Quits
Not a moment too soon either: Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, targeted for defeat by Tea Party activists for his crucial role in securing House approval of the health care overhaul, said today he would retire from Congress this year. The nine-term congressman told the Associated Press he could have won re-election and insisted he wasn't …
British democracy is no better than Uzbekistan's. Is the US's?
That's the opinion of former British diplomat (to Uzbekistan) Craig Murray: So, there we have British elections today: an unfair electoral system, censorship of candidates' electoral addresses, little real political choice for voters, widespread postal ballot-rigging and elections administered by partisan council officials in a corrupt political climate. Some of the "on the ground issues" …
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Brits Place Their Bets on a General Election
As we in the US slog through another tedious (but very important) election cycle, the British accelerate the process with Gordon Brown calling an election on 6 May 2010. There's a lot to say about this but let's start with the fun observation. The Times has a way cool interactive election chart which is a …
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Easter Greetings, Russian (and Technical) Style
Over the years, I've come to associate Easter with the Russians. It's an odd thing; it started with the discovery of the traditional Russian Easter greeting (which I duly exchanged with a Muscovite friend this weekend.) That was accentuated by the discovery of Christianity's comeback during the "Great Patriotic War" (Visit to Zagorsk) and the …
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Positive Infinity 