Op-Ed (opinion editorial)

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  • Op-Ed Columnist: Lunar Colonies, Lunacy and Losses

    NYT > Opinion
    By CHARLES M. BLOW
    28 Jan 2012 | 12:30 am
    It was only a matter of time before the erratic and unpredictable Newt Gingrich of the ’90s took center stage in the Republican presidential contest.

  • Romney wins the pandering prize for his debate comments on Israel

    L.A. Times - Opinion Blog
    Michael McGough
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:37 pm
    Not surprisingly, there was a good deal of pandering at Thursday’s Republican presidential debate. With the exception of Ron Paul,  the candidates took a hard line on easing relations with Cuba, a sop to Florida's die-hard anti-Castro Cubans. But the worst panderer was Mitt Romney on the subject of the Middle East. "I believe the best way to have peace in the Middle East is not for us to vacillate and to appease, but is to say we stand with our friend Israel,” he said. “We are committed to a Jewish state in Israel; we will not have an inch of difference between ourselves…

  • Cartoon gallery

    USATODAY.com Feed
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:52 pm

  • Un-districted: The state justices leave Pennsylvania hanging

    post-gazette.com - Opinion
    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's incomplete pronouncement on reconfiguring state House and Senate districts is a victory for many legislative incumbents, but it is a loss for citizens and for fairness. It's also infuriating and perplexing.

  • Politics this week

    The Economist: The world this week
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:02 am
 
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    L.A. Times - Opinion Blog

  • Phyllis Diller's second act [Mimi Pond cartoon]

    Alexandra LeTellier
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:19 pm
    (Click on the cartoon to see it at full size.) ALSO: Hollywood forever [Mimi Pond cartoon] The Richard Simmons vortex [Mimi Pond cartoon] Acts of random transit in L.A. [Mimi Pond cartoon] Cartoon by Mimi Pond / For The Times

  • The dogs on the trail of the severed head

    Karin Klein
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:12 pm
    As Times writer Gale Holland reported in her column Friday, the woman walking the dogs that found the severed head in the Hollywood Hills has unfortunately been subjected to various sorts of harassment. So let me add to it here. I'm sure that Lauren Kornberg has been through an undeservedly tough time, a traumatic time, just as Holland reports. But Kornberg, a professional dog-walker who was caring for nine dogs at the time, also is quoted as talking about the squirrels and other wildlife that at least one of the nine dogs with them usually…

  • Romney wins the pandering prize for his debate comments on Israel

    Michael McGough
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:37 pm
    Not surprisingly, there was a good deal of pandering at Thursday’s Republican presidential debate. With the exception of Ron Paul,  the candidates took a hard line on easing relations with Cuba, a sop to Florida's die-hard anti-Castro Cubans. But the worst panderer was Mitt Romney on the subject of the Middle East. "I believe the best way to have peace in the Middle East is not for us to vacillate and to appease, but is to say we stand with our friend Israel,” he said. “We are committed to a Jewish state in Israel; we will not have an inch of difference between ourselves…

  • President Obama, winner of Florida debate?

    Alexandra LeTellier
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:06 pm
    You can say one thing about the Republican candidates for president: They’ve been debating each other for so long that they can now swap stinging personal attacks without getting visibly angry. Mitt Romney was on the offensive in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday evening. He needed only a little prompting to accuse Newt Gingrich of shilling for Freddie Mac, one of the government-backed mortgage firms that conservatives loathe, and of being soft on illegal immigration. “Our problem is not 11 million grandmothers,” Romney said, responding to Gingrich’s reluctance to deport foreign-born…

  • How Cynthia Nixon's "gay by choice" might play in court

    Karin Klein
    26 Jan 2012 | 4:46 pm
    When actress Cynthia Nixon described herself as "gay by choice" in a New York Times magazine interview, she not only set off a storm of reexaminations of the evidence on whether homosexuality is a matter of nature or nurture, but threw a verbal monkey wrench into the legal question of gay rights. As Times science writer Karen Kaplan summarized, "The scientific consensus seems to be that there is indeed a biological basis for homosexuality -- though it's not necessarily 100% determined by either genes or by environmental factors." Science is painting a complex portrait…
 
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    Washington Post Editorials: Latest Editorial and Editorial Archive

  • Editorial Board: President Obama’s hybrid approach to taxing manufacturers

    Editorial Board
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:37 pm
    AUTOMAKERS DON’T offer brand-new versions of each model every year; instead, they add a feature or two and call it a “refresh.” Similarly, President Obama’s ”blueprint” for U.S.-based manufacturing, unveiled in his State of the Union address, updated arguments he has offered before. Was this version persuasive? Read full article >>

  • Editorial Board: O’Malley and McDonnell’s entertaining rivalry

    Editorial Board
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:34 pm
    GOV. MARTIN O’MALLEY (D) unveiled his 2013 budget for Maryland the other day, accessorizing it with 38 pages of PowerPoint charts, graphs and talking points. The first slide pointed out that Maryland outstripped Virginia last year in job creation — a data point that has nothing to do with the state’s fiscal plan and everything to do with the Democratic governor’s personal rivalry with his Republican counterpart in the Old Dominion, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R). Read full article >>

  • Editorial Board: Charles Grassley crossed the line in attacking an Obama aide

    Editorial Board
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:34 pm
    PRESIDENT OBAMA’S DECISION this month to install executive-branch nominees without the advice and consent of the Senate continues to be fodder for an intense and legitimate debate. But there should be no room for the kind of personal vitriol introduced by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa). Read full article >>

  • Editorial Board: Robert McDonnell’s empty promises on roads funds

    Editorial Board
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:04 pm
    RICK SNYDER, the Republican governor of Michigan, wants a major tax increase — $1.4 billion a year — to expand and maintain his state’s ailing transportation system. Terry Branstad, the Republican governor of Iowa, is eyeing a gasoline-tax hike for his state’s roads. Read full article >>

  • Editorial Board: E-mails renew questions about Jim Graham’s role in lottery contract

    Editorial Board
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:03 pm
    ON MAY 29, 2008, D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) met with representatives of a District business who were pressing their bid for the city’s lottery contract. Allegations have emerged, most recently in a report by D.C. Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby, that the council member offered to drop his opposition to the group’s bid if one of its members would agree to withdraw from a separate real estate deal with Metro, on whose board Mr. Graham sat. As this page reported Wednesday, Mr. Graham flatly denied that he ever made such an offer. Read full article >>
 
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    Our Opinion

  • Today's Mike Luckovich cartoon 1/29

    Mike Luckovich
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:30 pm
    Cartoonist Mike Luckovich's take on Wall Street.

  • Gold Dome is a priority for us

    Kevin Riley, Editor
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:28 pm
    I took a trip to the state Capitol last week to observe the Georgia General Assembly in action - and get a feel for the show under the Gold Dome.

  • The economy: Keep state a shining star

    AJC Editorial Board
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:15 pm
    “These brave adventurers, with only primitive tools at their disposal, charted a course by looking to the stars for guidance.”

  • Make Georgia No. 1
 in nation for business

    Nathan Deal
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:14 pm
    My top priority as governor is making Georgia the No. 1 state in the nation in which to do business.

  • No challenge is more vital than job creation

    Mike Berlon
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:13 pm
    Georgia faces significant challenges, but not one is more important than our job crisis. We’ve lost more than 300,000 jobs, third-highest in the nation, since the beginning of the Great Recession.
 
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    The Seattle Times: Opinion

  • A fresh look at the challenge of improving Washington's higher-education system

    27 Jan 2012 | 9:27 pm
    The Times underscores its positions on Washington state Legislature's responsibility to the state's education system — for citizens from birth through college — in graphical form. Editorial Page editor Kate Riley explains why.

  • Jobs, jobs and the auto industry

    27 Jan 2012 | 7:46 pm
    Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, in his State of the Union response, portrayed the late Steve Jobs as a great job creator, writes Paul Krugman. Jobs definitely wasn't a job creator. And if we ask why Apple has created so few American jobs, we get an insight into what is wrong with the ideology dominating much of our politics.

  • A high-school student's view of what makes a good teacher

    27 Jan 2012 | 7:46 pm
    Want better teaching? How about opening up a creative dialogue on the subject through town-hall-style meetings and teacher evaluations by students, suggests a Mercer Island High School junior.

  • Give every Washington student an opportunity for success

    27 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm
    Washington state's budget crisis creates an opportunity to craft a single, workable strategy for school improvement if sides each can step toward a common good, says Microsoft's Brad Smith.

  • State of the Union: government in increments

    27 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm
    President Barack Obama had some big themes in the State of the Union speech, writes David Brooks, but the policies were mere appetizers. The Republicans absurdly call Obama a European socialist on the stump, but the Obama we saw Tuesday night was a liberal incrementalist.
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    seattlepi.com: Opinion & Commentary

  • J.A. Jance

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:37 pm
    J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of both the J. P. Beaumont series and the Joanna Brady Series. She has written 40 novels and she has more than 10 million copies of her books in print. Visit her Web site: JAJance.com.

  • Kate Bergstrom

    27 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm
    I am a Seattle native that, after ending a 5-year relationship, ventured into the world of online dating. It hasn't always been pretty but I have had an entertaining time meeting more than 100 men. My friends and family were entertained by my dating stories and, after realizing that other singletons needed to know they weren’t alone, I thought I might share them with the world, one man at a time.

  • Candace Calloway Whiting

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:09 pm
    Candace Calloway Whiting has studied and trained dolphins, seals, and orca whales. She is currently a volunteer at the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor.

  • Robert A. Brown

    24 Jan 2012 | 2:04 pm
    Just another weblog

  • David Nelson

    23 Jan 2012 | 3:24 pm
    David teaches a variety of courses for the Seattle Community Colleges. Prior to teaching, he served in the Marine Corps for nearly 6 years in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. While in the Marines he worked in the White House, served in a Reconnaissance unit, performed in military funerals and color guards, instructed midshipmen at the Naval Academy, and volunteered with the Toys for Tots program. David is also a blogger for SeattlePI.com's Inside Belltown blog.
 
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    Opinion

  • Has Paula Deen fallen off her pedestal?

    Staff
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:04 pm
    One thing is certain — people have strong opinions about Paula Deen. We asked members of our Email Interactive Group what they think of Deen’s recent revelation that she was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago. The revelation came with an endorsement of a product for diabetics. Readers had every possible opinion. It’s none of our business. Or she should not have kept it secret. For more lively examples, see the Opinion Page Blog: tinyurl.com/3cqbkx9.   A DOCTOR’S VIEW read more

  • Is covered courthouse walkway worth $1.7 million?

    Ron Littlepage
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:02 am
    Mousing through the news of the day ... click. Hats off to Mayor Alvin Brown for walking where even our judges have feared to tread. He’s telling State Attorney Angela Corey no, she can’t have the elevated walkway that would connect her offices to the new, overpriced county courthouse. read more

  • Local debate could be key to nominee

    Matt Towery
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    Never before have debates in the primary/caucus season ever meant so much to the final outcome of the vote than this year. It seems the public is infatuated with these endless verbal battles. And each contest seems to result in some degree of a shift in public opinion. read more

  • Letters from readers: Mayport Ferry

    Staff
    26 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pm
    As he starts his second year as CEO of the Jacksonville Port Authority, I commend Paul Anderson for his success in helping us understand the full benefits of investing in Jacksonville’s port assets. I applaud him for having the guts and common sense to suggest that we stop the insanity of spending millions of JaxPort dollars in annual port subsidies for the St. Johns River Ferry. I know the JaxPort board of directors will also continue to exercise leadership and fiduciary responsibility. read more

  • Lead letter: RAP's job should not include transit

    Staff
    26 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pm
    In answer to the statement that Riverside Avondale Preservation should purchase a shuttle bus to resolve parking issues in the area, it is important to recognize that there is no single organization that has spent more time focusing on transportation initiatives here than RAP. We are a nonprofit neighborhood organization, and a shuttle bus is not within our means. Instead, we have given the most that we can give by providing an extraordinary amount of time and expertise, and by often serving as the lonely advocate in a fight to expand transportation options in the area. read more
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    Commentary - baltimoresun.com

  • State of the Union: A presidential rerun

    28 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am
    Summertime is usually when TV networks air repeats of shows we've already seen. In his State of the Union Address this week, the president got a five-month jump on the summer season by re-running a class-envy video he has broadcast more times than local stations have shown episodes of "The Andy GriffithShow."

  • State of the union, and of the GOP

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Two major political events shared center stage this week -- the traditional presidential State of the Union address and what could be a showdown in Florida in the fight for the Republican presidential nomination. The contrast between the tones of the two could not have been sharper.

  • Baltimore's green necklace

    26 Jan 2012 | 4:26 pm
    A belt of parks and preserved lands around the metro area is an underappreciated resource that we should do more to promoteWhen people think of Baltimore, things such as the aquarium, Camden Yards, the Ravens, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs and perhaps past crime shows immediately come to mind. But I believe we have another asset that is unappreciated and worthy of recognition.

  • Creating an economy 'built to last'

    26 Jan 2012 | 4:18 pm
    President calls for tax changes to bring jobs home, all-of-the-above energy strategy and a 'reemployment' systemAfter World War II, a generation of heroes returned home to build the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. Today, as another generation of brave troops comes home, we have a similar opportunity.

  • Let's talk about the meaning of fairness

    26 Jan 2012 | 4:14 pm
    Is it right that almost half of Americans pay no income tax?In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama talked about Americans paying their fair share in taxes. For most of my life, I thought that I had a reasonably good idea about what "fair" means — except for that period when my children were young and "fair" meant getting precisely what they wanted, when they wanted it, and if they didn't get it instantly it was "not fair." The meaning of the word became especially tricky when each of my children wanted something different. How could something be fair to one and "not…
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    MiamiHerald.com: Opinion

  • How the GOP can win back Hispanic vote

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    In the 15 states that are likely to decide who controls the White House and the Senate in 2013, Hispanic voters will represent the margin of victory.

  • Plenty of parking

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    The Miami Herald and others should give credit where it’s due when it comes to the Marlins. Parking at the new stadium is not going to be a problem. I have lived in Miami many years, through the days of the Hurricanes, Dolphins and Bowl games — plus firework displays — at the old Orange Bowl. It held more than 74,000 people. The new stadium, a little more than half that.

  • A broken heart

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Recent events in my beloved hometown of State College, Pa., seem surreal. I believe that former Penn State coach Joe Paterno died of a broken heart after the cruelty and disrespect shown him by the PSU board. Paterno was a busy executive with his own football team and staff to manage. He could not be expected to be everyone’s mother! It was not the place of a self-righteous and arrogant board to hastily judge or legislate what is moral.

  • Romney is capable

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    The most striking characteristic of Mitt Romney is his abundantly proven ability in business. Frankly, I don’t see a more decisive skill for a presidential candidate today than creating wealth. Mr. Romney took corporations destined to fail and made them productive again.

  • DCF improvements on the horizon

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    It has been nearly a year since Nubia Barahona, a beautiful 10-year-old girl from Miami, was found dead in her father’s truck off of I-95 in Palm Beach County on Valentine’s Day. It’s difficult to describe the impact her death has had on so many.
 
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    post-gazette.com - Opinion

  • Local option: Communities deserve a say in gas drilling rules

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    It was Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's secretary of environmental protection who made a good case for local control when it comes to safeguarding the landscape. What a shame that nine Republican senators had to remind the administration of the point.

  • Giffords' grace: She leaves Congress as a fighter and an inspiration

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Gabrielle Giffords has made remarkable medical progress since she was shot in the head a year ago. Her strength and courage were on display again Wednesday, when she made the difficult choice to resign her seat in the U.S. House to focus on her recovery.

  • Letters to the editor

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    While I sincerely believe that Penn State coach Joe Paterno was deserving of all the accolades that have been bestowed upon him this week (though more than a few Pitt fans are, no doubt, willing to add stubborn and arrogant to the list), I feel that the university's trustees deserve a bit of defending. What were they to do?

  • Un-districted: The state justices leave Pennsylvania hanging

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's incomplete pronouncement on reconfiguring state House and Senate districts is a victory for many legislative incumbents, but it is a loss for citizens and for fairness. It's also infuriating and perplexing.

  • Unsettled spring: Egypt must stay on the path to democracy

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    The Arab Spring continues to flower in Egypt, presenting some serious problems, but also pushing the country toward a democratic stability in government that can move it forward. Progress occurred in the completion of electing a parliament.
 
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    SacBee -- Editorials

  • Pia Lopez: Can we find common ground on schools?

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    As a historian who takes the long view, Diane Ravitch, author of "The Death and Life of the Great American School System," is rightly skeptical of "easy solutions" to the problems of American education. In her visit to The Bee's offices on Jan. 20, she showed she has little tolerance for quick fixes, panaceas or miracle cures. Education historian Diane Ravitch last week visited The Bee and gave a talk in Sacramento. She showed little tolerance for a new generation of education thinkers who, in her mind, offer too many quick fixes for the challenges facing public schools. Pia Lopez

  • Editorial: GOP keeps having bad days in court

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    The California Republican Party keeps making matters worse as it struggles against what seems inevitable.

  • Editorial: Romney shows why tax code changes are needed

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    In highlighting our broken federal tax code, President Barack Obama has captured something important. Following the law, honestly and without cheating, millionaires and billionaires can pay lower federal tax rates than ordinary working Americans.

  • Editorial: Caltrans sidesteps accountability – again

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    This week's settlement between Caltrans and Duane Wiles is disturbing on several levels.

  • Editorial: State should put an end to plum patronage boards

    26 Jan 2012 | 5:04 pm
    To save money and make government more efficient, Gov. Jerry Brown, like his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, proposes to eliminate dozens of state boards and commissions that have outlived their usefulness.
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    Cincinnati.Com - All Opinion

  • Marcus: Obama's road map includes Arizona

    28 Jan 2012 | 4:22 am
    Presidential travel, especially in an election year, offers an insight into the favored electoral road map.

  • Avoiding foreclosure saves money

    28 Jan 2012 | 4:22 am
    Cecil Thomas and P.G. Sittenfeld write: Even though we are seeing some recovery in our local economy, foreclosures continue to pose a serious threat to our community.

  • Ignatius: Davos networking disconnects elite

    28 Jan 2012 | 4:22 am
    The organizers of the World Economic Forum were self-critical enough to have panels this year on such dark topics as "Is Capitalism Failing?" and "Global Risks 2012: The Seeds of Dystopia." And these were just the latest in a series of annual ruminations

  • Guilty, imprisoned and human

    28 Jan 2012 | 4:22 am
    When our client joined us, he was in shackles, hands and legs. The officer led him in and locked his shackled legs to the floor... when he talked about his execution date, he was calm and resolved. He is human, he is humble and he is happy to teach us.
 
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    Arkansas Online stories: Opinion and Letters*

  • No opinion, thank you

    28 Jan 2012 | 3:46 am
    WHAT IS it with the water in the Midwest? Or maybe in its editorial writers’ bourbon. Because they’re making the news again.

  • The post-colonial hangover

    JOSHUA E. KEATING FOREIGN POLICY
    28 Jan 2012 | 3:41 am
    It’s hard to find countries that are nostalgic for colonialism, at least among those that were on the receiving end of it. At the same time, it’s hard to escape the impression that some countries had a worse time of it than others.

  • The SOTU flop

    Charles Krauthammer
    28 Jan 2012 | 3:41 am
    Once upon a time, small ball was not Barack Obama’s game. Tuesday, it was the essence of his State of the Union address.

  • Papa Ray and Granny Gene

    <StaffMember: Mike Masterson>
    28 Jan 2012 | 3:32 am
    When I hear of couples married for 60 or 70 years, folks like the Sprotts of Marble; my aunt and uncle, Ken and Bobbie Masterson of South Haven; and Albert Ray and Illa Gene Wheeler of Searcy County, I realize it’s possible for people to meet, fall in love and remain loving companions across a lifetime.

  • Hitting right note

    ROBERT L. BROWN SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
    28 Jan 2012 | 3:31 am
    At the 2012 inaugural meeting of the Political Animals Club, Gov. Mike Beebe struck precisely the right note in his call to public service.
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    The News & Observer -- O | Editorials

  • Tree work

    ()
    28 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    There wouldn't be any point in putting up billboards if they were obscured by trees, now would there? Like 'em or not, billboards in many situations are legal and to…Click to Continue »

  • Rescue in Somalia

    ()
    28 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    Call them what you will - pirates, members of an armed gang, common criminals or militants - they're no longer holding an American woman and a Danish man captive in…Click to Continue »

  • Semans' well-lived life

    ()
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    In Durham and indeed throughout North Carolina, the surname Duke - if it signals a connection to the Dukes who founded a tobacco empire and used their fortune to propel…Click to Continue »

  • One and done

    ()
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    The re-election fight was shaping up as a tough one for Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, who won her office in 2008 against Charlotte Republican Pat McCrory, the former mayor whom…Click to Continue »

  • ... millionaires' taxes

    ()
    26 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    The red-hot Republican primaries, plus President Obama's focus on tax fairness in his State of the Union address, revive an old question: In our ostensibly progressive income tax system, do…Click to Continue »
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    Editorials - Courant.com

  • A New Partner

    27 Jan 2012 | 5:25 pm
    Development Authority Gov. aMalloy to refocus city development agencyThe problem with the Capital City Economic Development Authority, the quasi-public agency created in 1998 to build the "Six Pillars of Progress" in Hartford and Rentschler Field in East Hartford, was that it was tied to the six projects — all, except for the housing component, in a defined geographical area. When the projects were finished, as they mostly are, the agency didn't have much to do. It wasn't in a position to keep the ball rolling.

  • Liquor Law Shouldn't Disqualify First Selectman

    27 Jan 2012 | 4:28 pm
    Law preventing first selectmen from holding permits makes no senseAfter years of serving on East Lyme boards and commissions, Paul M. Formica decided in 2007 to run for first selectman.

  • Student Achievement Key To Teacher Evaluations

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Statewide Panel: Test scores would be a big part of grading teachers – but is it big enough?After dithering for about two years, a statewide advisory panel has finally agreed on a new performance standard for evaluating teacher performance that for the first time in Connecticut places significant emphasis on student achievement — including test scores and work samples.

  • Choosing Intervention Over 'Scream Room'

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Time Out: Out-of-control students at Middletown school will now get human intervention, not locked upHow should a public elementary school deal with an out-of-control student whose misbehavior is disrupting the classroom? At Middletown's Farm Hill School, one solution has been to confine the child to a time-out room, known as a "scream room." But that's an archaic way to deal with behavioral issues.

  • The Mayor Is An Idiot

    25 Jan 2012 | 3:53 pm
    Joseph Maturo 'Tacos' comment is insensitive, inappropriateFor those who are wondering why the East Haven Police Department is out of control, one possible answer is that Mayor Joseph Maturo is an idiot.
 
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    Editorials

  • Mercury News editorial: Let California voters follow the money

    <p class="Byline">Mercury News Editorial</p>
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:11 pm
    As political action committees pour millions into often-vicious campaign advertising in the Republican presidential primaries, the most outrageous thing is the murky source of funding: Donors behind the ads usually aren't identified until after the primary is over.California could prevent that from happening in state and local elections with a bill coming to a vote Tuesday in the Legislature. The California DISCLOSE Act would make sure that political ads placed by PACs prominently name the top three people or corporations that have contributed $10,000 or more. It wouldn't cover…

  • Mercury News editorial: Obama lays campaign groundwork -- and why not?

    <p class="Byline">Mercury News Editorial</p>
    24 Jan 2012 | 10:29 pm
    President Barack Obama's 2012 State of the Union address was his most political, clearly a set-up for this year's re-election campaign. But in some ways, it also was his most effective. The speech was more a statement of his values, and what he believes are American values, rather than a litany of detailed programs. It was the most practical approach for the time. Given the frequent gridlock of the past three years, it would be crazy to think Republicans would join him in a bipartisan agenda as they pull out all the stops to end his presidency. From Obama's first day in office, the GOP placed…

  • Mercury News editorial: Romney should release 10 years of tax returns

    <p class="Byline">Mercury News Editorial</p>
    24 Jan 2012 | 10:14 pm
    In a curt nod to growing public pressure, Mitt Romney on Tuesday finally released his tax return for 2010 and an estimate for 2011. As if that's enough.Romney is one of the richest men ever to run for the White House, with an accumulated wealth of more than $250 million. He is campaigning on his assertion to be a "jobs creator" in the private sector -- but we've seen nothing to convince us that it's true. Having made the argument, Romney has a special obligation to release records that can help show where his money came from, what causes he supports and how the tax policies he…

  • Mercury News editorial: Valley should help bring a Super Bowl to Santa Clara

    <p class="Byline">Mercury News Editorial</p>
    23 Jan 2012 | 11:15 pm
    OK, 49ers fans, let's all take a deep breath, get over Sunday's travesty, er, game, and think ahead. Next year's Super Bowl will be in New Orleans' Super Dome. In 2014 it'll be in New York and in 2015, Phoenix. In 2016, or as soon as possible after, why not a Super Bowl in the 49ers' new Santa Clara stadium? It could happen, but only if Silicon Valley leaders make it a priority and start working on it together.The National Football League loves to showcase new stadiums by awarding them Super Bowls if they meet NFL criteria, and the Santa Clara stadium will more than do that. The seating…

  • Mercury News editorial: State still has far to go on prison health care

    <p class="Byline">Mercury News Editorial</p>
    21 Jan 2012 | 9:05 pm
    It's hard to celebrate California's progress in meeting constitutional health care standards for prison inmates when it's spending the outrageous sum of $10,000 per inmate each year to do it.If voters want someone to blame, they should look in the mirror. They passed the Three Strikes Law that led to overcrowding in the prison system and then made it clear they didn't want to spend tax dollars on new prisons or providing medical care for inmates.U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson seized control of the prison medical system six years ago after a lawsuit demonstrated that inmates…
 
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    FresnoBee.com: Opinion

  • EDITORIAL: Thumbs up, thumbs down

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    Thumbs up to Focus Forward, a nonprofit group that works with incarcerated youth in Fresno County, which has launched a magazine called "U Turns Allowed -- Stories of Hope." The magazine featured 10 stories of community leaders and members who had been incarcerated in the Fresno County Juvenile Hall as youth but who are now successful adults. The stories are inspirational, and show that we must continue to invest in our young people, even if their lives have skidded out of control for a time. Read comments

  • EDITORIAL: Top CSU salaries are still out of touch with reality

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:09 pm
    The California State University board of trustees, which has been politically tone deaf on pay raises for CSU campus presidents, finally capped the pay for newly hired presidents at $325,000 a year. Read comments

  • EDITORIAL: Judge sends wrong message about car theft in Fresno

    26 Jan 2012 | 3:19 pm
    Robert Wollert is a career criminal who was considered the top car thief in Fresno last year. He's been arrested and rearrested several times by Fresno police, only to be released early from the crowded county jail. He's so arrogant toward the criminal justice system, that he blew off court appearances, believing authorities wouldn't punish him. Read comments

  • EDITORIAL: High court GPS ruling leaves much unsettled

    26 Jan 2012 | 10:49 am
    The nation's highest court made an emphatic stand Monday for safeguarding privacy and civil liberties in the digital age. Read comments

  • EDITORIAL: Lawmakers spin their wheels on pension reform

    25 Jan 2012 | 12:24 pm
    A joint Senate/Assembly conference committee will hold its third informational hearing today on the 12-point pension reform plan that Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled with such fanfare last October. Don't expect anything to come of it. So far, a lot of talk has emerged but no pension bill. Efforts to substantially reduce state pension obligations are a sham in this Legislature, and most people who work in the Capitol know it. Read comments
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    Opinion Blog

  • Thought police place limits on hate speech

    Readers' Page
    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    To the Editor: George Orwell’s book “1984” hit the nail right on the head in describing our current problems in this country. We are being systematically brainwashed by politically-correct newspeak: “love is hate,” “war is peace,” etc., by this ministry...

  • Help save Siberian tigers from extinction

    Readers' Page
    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    To the Editor: My name is Rowan E. Montgomery and I’m 9 years old. I want to tell you about Siberian tigers and how they’re going extinct. Siberian tigers live in Russia. They are aggressive and hunt alone. They’re active...

  • Civilians should place right hand over heart during national anthem

    Readers' Page
    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    To the Editor: Playing the national anthem at sporting events is a custom that goes back as long as I can remember, and I am 79 years old. It is a wonderful way to begin any sports event. However it...

  • People with disabilities live with annoyances

    Readers' Page
    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    To the Editor: I’m writing in response to the Dec. 29 letter from Beth Thomas. She asked if people are usually inconsiderate of those in wheelchairs. While Deborah Hardy answered Thomas’ question very well Jan. 2, I would like to...

  • Graphic no-smoking ads motivate people to quit

    Readers' Page
    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    To the Editor: This is in response to the Monday letter asking if grisly tobacco ads really work to reduce smoking. The answer is yes. There are research studies supporting the use of graphic no-smoking messages. Research demonstrates that quit...
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    Toledo Blade Latest Headlines

  • Police rescue suspect dangling from window

    28 Jan 2012 | 1:14 am
    NEW YORK — Police say two officers rescued a suspect as he dangled from a seventh-floor Manhattan apartment window after nearly lunging to his death.

  • Poll shows Romney gaining in Florida

    28 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney bounded onto the small stage inside an assembly room for spacecraft payloads Friday and acknowledged the cheers of supporters before launching into criticism of his opponent -- President Obama.

  • Scoreboard: 1-28

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:52 am
    GOLF

  • Prep scoreboard: 1-27

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:49 am
    Boys

  • Tax mascot chases suspects

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:43 am
    Isaac Underwood may not know how to deal with complicated tax issues, but he does know a thing or two about trying to right an injustice.
 
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    Tribune-Review Opinion

  • On Santorum's side I

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    The Trib's obvious contempt for pro-family, pro-life presidential candidate Rick Santorum apparently seems to know no bounds. I was totally appalled to read the "Skeleton in Rick's wife's closet" item in "Whispers".

  • 'Unindicted co-conspirator': A deserved label

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    A prosecutor calling the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia an unindicted co-conspirator in child sexual abuse is an overdue rebuke of systemic church sickness.

  • Saturday essay: Endorsing pols

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    The Chicago Sun-Times announced on Sunday that it no longer will endorse candidates for political office. It cited, in part, the "school of thought" that such endorsements, "more so than all other views on an editorial page, promote the perception of a hidden bias by a newspaper, from Page One to the sports pages." But that's not so much an explanation as it is an excuse for its abdication of responsibility.

  • On Santorum's side III

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    Thank you, Thomas S. Wehrli, for your letter "Ease up on Rick" about the Trib's treatment of Rick Santorum.

  • Punxsutawney Phil & predictable outcomes

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am
    enry Kacprzyk is the Pittsburgh Zoo curator of reptiles and Kid's Kingdom. As Punxsutawney Phil prepares to leave his burrow at Gobbler's Knob to make his annual weather prognostication for the remainder of winter, Kacprzyk, 57, of Stanton Heights, spoke to the Trib regarding the forecasting abilities of groundhogs and other animals.
 
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    Editorial and Opinion | The Times of India

  • It's a mutual win-win

    2 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Investment-hungry India and capital-rich Japan have good reason to deepen ties.

  • Look Ahead

    1 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Obstacles on the spiritual path can be overcome when we are patient with ourselves. We will progress at our own pace no matter what the drawbacks, so look ahead.

  • Look skywards

    19 Dec 2011 | 12:30 pm
    Kamal Nath suggests vertical growth to decongest Delhi

  • Killer hooch

    18 Dec 2011 | 12:30 pm
    End the illegal liquor business

  • Heading for grain drain

    16 Dec 2011 | 12:30 pm
    As it stands, the food security plan is flawed and can have a negative impact
 
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    Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

  • Even among the Skins generation, some know how to just be themselves | Trim Lamba

    Trim Lamba
    28 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am
    Depictions of today's youth show them as uncomplicated fashion victims – but not all young people want to be hipstersPeople of a certain age, or rather those who spend leisurely time with the Daily Mail and taped recordings of Antiques Roadshow, tend to spend a fair amount of time worrying about the "youth of today". They picture hoodlums dressed in Lonsdale tracksuits kicking cans of Pepsi Max down dingy alleyways, ready to loot and antagonise innocent civilians. Rest assured, adults: the vast proportion of youth, excluding the rodents who rioted, actually have the menace of a Mr Kipling…

  • Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief's bonus – cartoon

    Martin Rowson
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:51 pm
    Row erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson

  • Unthinkable? A federal upper house of parliament | Editorial

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:20 pm
    If Scots vote for independence, England's political will would shape that of the UK even more decisivelyAlex Salmond's plans for a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 are concentrating minds on the future shape of the United Kingdom. If Scots vote yes, the country they leave will consist of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. England, currently with 84% of the UK population, would then have 92%, Wales 5% and Northern Ireland 3%. England's share of the seats in the Westminster parliament would rise in proportion; its dominance, already great, would become even greater, so that the…

  • The conversation: Are the Olympics too commercial?

    Oliver Laughland
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:03 pm
    The Olympics are a purely commercial enterprise and as such have been utterly devalued. True or false? Sports writer Mihir Bose and medal-winner Fatima Whitbread discussIt's six months until the Olympics, but should we be celebrating? With a series of negative news stories this week, sports journalist Mihir Bose, who has just written a book on the demise of the sporting spirit, tries out his theory on Olympic legend Fatima Whitbread. Oliver Laughland listens in.Mihir Bose: My journey on this subject began when I was in Calcutta. I saw premiership football being shown endlessly on TV, and…

  • The US government's capital punishment prerogative | David A Love

    David A Love
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:22 pm
    To our shame, the federal authorities have broad powers to execute – even in states that have abolished the death penaltyWhile much attention is paid to the 34 US states that still administer the death penalty, federal and military systems of executions also exist. The retention of the US federal death penalty undermines those states that have abolished capital punishment – and federal executions undermine Washington's claims of world leadership in human rights.Historically, perhaps the most well-known federal executions were of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in New York. The Rosenbergs were…
 
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    Home/Opinion

  • What the local media says

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am
    Guangdong Barbecue Restaurant, a cha chaan teng known for its Cantonese roast meat dishes, was found to be overcharging diners who don't read Chinese, especially foreign tourists. They were being given a different menu on which the dishes were double the price of the menu for local customers. A reporter posing as a tourist visited the chain's Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui branch and was charged HK$335 for a plate of rice and a small serving of barbecued pork and roast suckling pig. When confronted about the exorbitant bill, the manager begged for a second chance.

  • More letters

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am
    I generally like babies in the appropriate habitat. But infants tend to make discordant sounds and have messy table manners, which do not enhance the ambience of a restaurant where I am paying an awful lot of money to enjoy not only the food and drink but also the overall atmosphere.

  • Obama's dreams exposed to the glare of harsh political realities

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am
    US President Barack Obama came roaring back this week with a strong state-of-the-union address, promising to put America back to work as the world's greatest country. It was wonderful theatre in the chamber of Congress that has done much to taunt Obama and snuff out the hopes so many Americans had of the new young, intelligent, telegenic president.

  • HK must adapt to stay in the picture

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am
    Hong Kong prides itself on the flexibility to remain competitive as a finance and services hub. Long may it be able to. The fate of Eastman Kodak, a faded icon of American capitalism now filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors, is a reminder of the need to adapt to change and innovate to avoid becoming an also-ran.

  • Poor example

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am
    Albert Cheng explains why an attempt to show Beijing's neutrality in the chief executive election has only highlighted the opposite.
 
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    Le Monde diplomatique - English edition

  • Blood on whose hands?

    Chase Madar
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:57 am
    Who in their right mind wants to talk about, think about, or read a short essay about... civilian war casualties? What a bummer, this topic, especially since our Afghan, Iraq, and other ongoing wars were advertised as uplifting acts of philanthropy: wars to spread security, freedom, democracy, human rights, gender equality, the rule of law, etc. A couple hundred thousand dead civilians have a way of making such noble ideals seem like dollar-store tinsel. And so, throughout our decade-long (...) - Open page

  • Egypt one year on

    Glen Johnson
    26 Jan 2012 | 5:59 am
    Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Egypt on Wednesday 25 January, marking the first anniversary of the “lotus revolution” which forced Hosni Mubarak from power. But though spirits were high, the mood was tempered by fears of continuing military rule: many demonstrators said they were protesting against the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) rather than celebrating the revolution. My midday Cairo's Tahrir Square was packed, with huge crowds stretching down the nearby (...) - Blog posts / Open access

  • The myth of “isolated” Iran

    Pepe Escobar
    24 Jan 2012 | 8:11 am
    Let's start with red lines. Here it is, Washington's ultimate red line, straight from the lion's mouth. Only last week Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said of the Iranians, “Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No. But we know that they're trying to develop a nuclear capability. And that's what concerns us. And our red line to Iran is do not develop a nuclear weapon. That's a red line for us.” How strange, the way those red lines continue to retreat. Once upon a time, the red line for (...) - Open page

  • The crash and burn future of robot warfare

    Nick Turse
    19 Jan 2012 | 8:36 am
    American fighter jets screamed over the Iraqi countryside heading for the MQ-1 Predator drone, while its crew in California stood by helplessly. What had begun as an ordinary reconnaissance mission was now taking a ruinous turn. In an instant, the jets attacked and then it was all over. The Predator, one of the Air Force's workhorse hunter/killer robots, had been obliterated. An account of the spectacular end of that nearly $4 million drone in November 2007 is contained in a collection of (...) - Open page

  • Understanding the UK riots

    Matthew Moran
    13 Jan 2012 | 11:46 am
    The riots that shook England in 2011 are beginning to fade from memory, but the causes won't disappear as quickly. The UK should look to France, where the anger and frustration that erupted in 2005 still simmers below the surfaceThe riots that broke out in the UK last August took the authorities completely by surprise. Nobody imagined the death of Mark Duggan in Tottenham in north London would be the catalyst for large-scale violence and destruction in cities across England. More than 4,000 (...) - Blog posts / Exclusive
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    nzherald.co.nz - Opinion

  • Fran O'Sullivan: Key hits stride with Crafar farms decision

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am
    The Crafar decision is a victory for economic rationalism over blind xenophobic nationalism. Long may the former reign.Instead of bowing to whipped-up public pressure (which it can't do anyway without breaking the law and marring...

  • Paul Thomas: One man's hero is another's charlatan

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am
    Deciding who deserves admiration is a subjective and fraught process. A reader responded to last week's column questioning the eulogistic treatment given Wellington's late celebrity vagrant Ben Hana, aka Blanket Man, with a pertinent...

  • John Roughan: A day to look back, and forward

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am
    If Monday is fine I might take a wander on North Head, watch the anniversary regatta and ponder Auckland. From there, with a little imagination, you can see the city's beginnings as well as its splendour.Away to the east, below...

  • Paul Holmes: Arrogance from port, vision from President

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am
    Tauranga has twice the productivity and half the wage bill. Go figure. I love American Presidential State of the Union addresses. I've never seen a duff one. Every president rises to the occasion but no one is finer at the set piece...

  • David Leggat: It's no time to step off the Wright track

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am
    Every now and then something happens in sport which leaves you thinking: "What was that all about?"You scratch your head and wonder how it even happened in the first place.Take the idea floated this week that John Wright might...
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    The Irish Times - Opinion

  • 28 January 1982

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:41 pm
    FROM THE ARCHIVES:Finance Minister John Bruton’s budget 30 years ago was defeated by a single vote over taxing clothes and shoes, bringing down the six-month-old Fine Gael-Labour government. Olivia O’Leary described the moment of truth.

  • This Week They Said

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:41 pm
    What happened in our country was that people simply went mad borrowing. The extent of personal credit, personal wealth created on credit, was done between people and banks – a system that spawned greed to a point where it just went out of control completely with a spectacular crash.

  • An Irishman's Diary

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:41 pm
    YET ANOTHER small premium on the peace process will be paid off tomorrow, when the long-defunct William Carleton Society holds a first public event since its resurrection.

  • National traits can bring out the worst in us

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:41 pm
    IS IT possible to indulge in national stereotyping without being a racist? It’s a tricky one. Even the most committed pluralist must, from time to time, remark on certain distinctions between his or her own compatriots and friends across the ocean.

  • Shock! Horror! Kenny tells truth

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:41 pm
    THE FURIOUS, though largely politically manufactured, response to Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Davos debt comments have a lot more to do with cynically playing to a national inhibition about washing our dirty linen in public than any real belief that Kenny was wrong. Wandering off script, his words were perhaps insensitive, unnuanced and unqualified. But the fundamental truth of their thrust is indisputable. And, like the alcoholic, the first step to recovery is to break the habit of denial, that insistence that someone else, everyone else, is to blame.
 
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    Fish Riding Bicycles

  • Let’s get ready to RUUUUUMMMMBLE!!!!

    Chad
    24 Jan 2012 | 11:08 am
    It’s been about a week since I posted my dream/health nightmare, but I’ve been a busy little beaver. This first thing I did was to build a daily vitamin/supplement regimen that supports the immune system, helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and makes me feel really damn manly because I can swallow all of those fucking pills in 30 seconds or less. The next thing was to pull out some of our exercise equipment, dust it off, and start putting it to good use. OK, so I just started using the equipment yesterday but at least I’m on the right track (better late than never,…

  • The big push

    Chad
    15 Jan 2012 | 8:55 pm
    A few nights ago, I had a dream that woke me up in a cold sweat. The dream takes place only 2 or 3 years in the future, but there really wasn’t much of a future for me. I was sick ~ really sick ~ and knew that my time was short. I was in a hospital bed, my hair (well, what was lest of it) was solid white, and I could see and feel the oxygen tube in my nose. I was dying, and my wife and young daughter were there with me trying to comfort me, all the while I was doing my best to comfort them. Then I woke up. I’m not a firm believer in prophetic dreams, but this one had a huge impact…

  • Creating a 2012 I can be proud of

    Chad
    1 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm
    Every new year, we seem compelled to make New Year’s Resolutions in an attempt to better ourselves and improve the overall quality of life. I still haven’t figured out exactly why we do this. Maybe this is just human nature because, as humans, we are never truly content with where we are or what we have accomplished. We know there is something better, and we constantly strive to make life better for ourselves and our loved ones. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our ambition and curiosity have pushed us to do some pretty amazing things. For example, someone had the ambition to place a…
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