Via the Telegraph:
From the moment that President Barack Obama – who has won the Nobel peace prize – entered the Oval Office, he made clear that resolving the conflict in the Middle East would be a key priority of his foreign policy.
His very first phone call was to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, and [...]

After the arrest of suspects based in Colorado and New York in an alleged ‘varsity level’ terrorist plot, the spectre of terrorism in the United States has re-emerged as an issue, one that also has economic overtones because of the fragility of recovery. President Obama is following his predecessor George W. Bush in restricting civil [...]

Yesterday I wrote a healthcare polemic which was mostly designed to discuss the politics of healthcare for the President. The essence of my argument was that Barack Obama has not shown enough willingness to fight for specific policies he espoused on the campaign trail. In a poor economic environment, this [...]

This was a front-page story at the Wall Street Journal today.  It should bring home the problem with lack of benefits in America. Also see Mark Thoma’s post yesterday on health care called "The Hottest Places in Hell are Reserved for Those Who, in Times of Moral Crisis, Maintain a Neutrality".
A link to the WSJ [...]

When news first broke regarding the ethnic tensions and violence in Xinjiang, China, I was not familiar with the situation there.  I have gotten up to speed and wanted to post a few videos and links for you on the situation there.
Wikipedia (population nearly 20 million):
Xinjiang … is an autonomous region (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) [...]

Happy 4th of July everyone.

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In America tomorrow is July 4th, which is a big celebration.  For a lot of people it means fireworks.  But, fireworks are actually pretty dangerous.  So before you go out and buy those illegal M-80s, you need to watch this video.  Do not try this at home (you know I’m talking to you David).
Otherwise, have [...]

As Americans ponder the health care reform initiatives now coming from Congress and the Obama Administration, I want to say a few words about what the subject means to me.
America is often touted as the richest country in the world.  It is certainly a rich nation with an advanced economy.  As such, certain basic services [...]

I happened upon an article about shops being closed in France that highlighted a larger issue about cultural attitudes in the U.S. and Europe regarding work, leisure and material wealth.  I would like to share some thoughts with you on these issues because I think they are significant in regards to savings, debt and other [...]

Love him or hate him, Michael Jackson was an extraordinary performer. His death is as shocking as Elvis’ 32 years ago. Rest in peace. Here are some videos I got via Mashable. Tragically, Farrah Fawcett has also died. Rest in peace.