The Conversation - Page 2

We now have two equally potent court rulings about NSA meta-surveillance on the books.  Unfortunately, they’re complete and total opposites of each other, drawing exactly the opposite conclusions from very similar arguments.  In D.C., Judge Richard Leon said the controversial

John Dodson, the ATF  agent who blew the whistle on the the Justice Department’s blood-soaked gun-trafficking operation known as Fast and Furious, told the Arizona Republic in an interview, Thursday, that the FBI played a key role in events leading to

Obamacare is not going to bend the cost curve downward. In fact, there are reasons to think it may exacerbate monopolistic practices which lead to overcharging. That’s the premise of a new piece in Washington Monthly which suggests further government

Former Congressman Allen West maybe gearing up for another election position, but before he does, it is important to understand why he lost in 2012. According to West’s opponent campaign consultant, Eric Johnson, West did himself in with a long-lasting

There was a surge in enrollment in December which brought Obamacare back from the brink of abysmal failure to something more like plain-old failure. A spreadsheet suggests enrollment in private plans is now at 26 percent of the goal for

Ronald McDonald is not too happy with his employee website, McResource Line, after not-so-burger-friendly comments were  posted to the website.  One of the posts “showed a meal of a burger, fries and soda – McDonald’s staples – and labeled it as an

5–“I’m gonna stop chasing my husband around the kitchen with a wooden spoon when he does something stupid.” — woman in Starbucks who could’ve been my grandmother’s twin 4–“I’m gonna stop dressing my chihuahua up like Tinker Bell on Halloween.

Boxing Day, December 26, is traditionally a day for black and “coloured” (i.e. mixed-race) South Africans to head to the nation’s beaches. That tradition has remained strong, twenty years after apartheid, even though the segregation laws that helped foster the

In response to Hallmark Channel Christmas B-Movies a Big Hit: Who doesn’t love the escapism that brings a nostalgic feel? It’s the reason we as humans watch comedies, parodies and even reality TV. These shows and more often portray the

Edward Snowden delivered Channel 4’s “Alternative Christmas Message” today, urging the the end of mass surveillance.  The message was filmed from Russia, where he has temporary asylum. Below is the transcript: Hi, and Merry Christmas. I’m honored to have the

Viewers aren’t just opting for traditional television fare this Christmas, the Hallmark Channel is having a “banner ratings season” with it’s marathon of Christmas movies.  The movies are formulaic with starring actors people often ask “What ever happened to…?” Take

As I think about Christmas, I often go back to the Dad Pun “Christ’s mass.” It’s an important–if terribly hokey–reminder of the day’s significance. It answers a vital question: how did Christianity start? It didn’t emerge as an institution with

Cape Town’s summer weather brings hazards in the form of the southeast wind, which spreads fires quickly. In addition to the brush fires–some natural, some human-caused–that tear across the landscape, there are also shack fires that can devastate the city’s

For only the second time in eight days, the infernal southeast breeze that blusters throughout the Cape Town summer has stopped for a few hours, allowing the heat of the early morning to sink in. It is early Christmas Day,

As I mentioned on Fox News Channel’s Hannity Monday night, I watched the 1975 film version of The Stepford Wives last weekend and between my channel surfing over to the news networks , who inundated their coverage with A & E’s Duck Dynasty’s

On Christmas Eve in the afternoon, Reuters dumped this story recapitulating the long history of Obamacare’s IT failure. It’s a technology failure that stemmed from management failure, one which the ultimate manager, the President himself, was completely unaware of until

Two years after his wife died of ovarian cancer, an Iowa man received a very special Christmas gift from her. Prior to her death, Brenda Schmitz had made arrangements to give her family a trip, her children’s new stepmother a

Remember to keep any and all flame away from your drying Christmas trees, as more and more stories of people losing their homes to fire, due to carelessness that leads to their trees catching fire.   Most Americans have bought

Edward Snowden will deliver the “Alternative Christmas Address” on Britain’s Channel 4.  In the past, the address was given by figures such as Ali G and Sharon Osborne.  The “Alternative Christmas Address” is the channel’s answer to the Queen’s message

Alan Turing is remembered for many things. He was a brilliant cryptographer, a genius logician/philosopher, and the father of the modern computer. He was also gay, and in 1952 Turing was convicted in Great Britain for the criminal offense of

It’s been four years since I spent time in Cape Town, and seven years since I came back to the U.S. The city has come a long way since then. Amidst stories of crisis and decline in the country as

South Africans are up in arms about their national cricket team’s decision, with victory within reach, to accept a draw with the visiting Indian squad rather than risk a loss, which would have put the two-match series out of reach.

According to a new Pew Research Poll, one in five adults without a child in the home, are expecting a visit from Santa. Eleven percent who do not celebrate Christmas are also expecting a visit from St.  Nick.  But even

The Duck Dynasty controversy doesn’t appear to be affecting the show’s merchandising.  Hanz Wilz of Ottumwa, Iowa and his company created the “Duck Dynasty Scented Candles” and reports their sales as a “huge success.” Wilz sells to large box stores

In response to Guess What? There’s No Plan B If ObamaCare Falls Apart: This is yet another reason Obama’s frequent comparisons between his health-care disaster and a troubled private sector product rollout – to cite his favorite example, Apple launching

One of the top news stories in South Africa this week has been the controversy over new allegations that Nelson Mandela received training from Israel’s Mossad spy agency–albeit inadvertently–when he received military training in Ethiopia in 1962. After the then-banned

I didn’t catch either of them in theaters, but last summer brought two conceptually similar apocalyptic comedies, “This is the End” and “The World’s End.”  The former is a nihilistic raunch-fest from the Judd Apatow crew whose highlights are the

In response to Five Great Things About ‘Man of Steel’: I liked “Man of Steel” quite a bit, as well.  Like you, I was pleased to see Superman returning from the hellish oblivion of “Superman Returns,” one of the most