World News Center
Divorce is costly. The settlement need not be. (The Christian Science Monitor)
July 31, 2010The Christian Science Monitor - A new wave of legislation aimed at rectifying perceived injustices in divorce cases is rolling into state legislatures. For example, in Massachusetts, a controversial âfatherâs rightsâ bill would create a presumption of joint child custody, and proposed changes to alimony statutes would limit the duration of spousal support. All of these proposals will probably face stiff opposition.
Is Charlie St. Cloud This Summer's 'Notebook'? (The Atlantic Wire)
July 31, 2010The Atlantic Wire - The latest such film, Charlie St. Cloud, stars Zach Efron as a sailing prodigy who loses his younger brother in a horrific car accident and eventually begins to communicate with his brother's ghost. Reviewers have declared it an episodic and sappy melodrama akin, in some respects, to The Sixth Sense. And while the harsh buzz may doom St. Cloud, Efron isn't giving up anytime soon on becoming the leading man in a romance film: he's signed on to play a soldier in The Lucky One. A movie adaptation of a book, you may recall, that was written by Nicholas Sparks. Critics weigh in:
War on terror's other cost: undeserved anger at all Muslims (The Christian Science Monitor)
July 31, 2010The Christian Science Monitor - This September and October, Americans mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the ninth year of war in Afghanistan, respectively. This war has become arguably the longest in our history. Given the jihad-until-doomsday rhetoric of the Islamists, the war on terror will probably stay with us in one form or another for the foreseeable future.
10 Congressmen Who Should Be Fired (The Daily Beast)
July 31, 2010
The Daily Beast - They tried to build a Bridge to Nowhere, fretted about "killing Grandma," and stiffed the IRS. John Avlon presents a rogue's gallery of House members who should be bounced come November, from Joe Wilson to Alan Grayson.
5 Best Friday Columns (The Atlantic Wire)
July 31, 2010
The Atlantic Wire - Paul Krugman on Obama's Tentative Centrism While the current President
rode into office on a "wave of progressive enthusiasm," the New York Times columnist writes he has since been
far "more centrist and conventional than his fervent supporters
imagined." This isn't necessarily a good thing, argues The New York
Times opinion columnist, and Obama's choices can't always be blamed on
Republican obstructionism. He concludes: "The point is that Mr. Obamaâs
attempts to avoid confrontation have been counterproductive. His
opponents remain filled with a passionate intensity, while his
supporters, having received no respect, lack all conviction. And in a
midterm election...[that] could spell catastrophe."Peggy Noonan
on the Competent Chris Christie In what has recently become a trend
among conservative pundits, the Wall Street Journal columnist gives a
ringing endorsement for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie saying that,
"He's going to break through in a big way." While the Democrats are
campaigning against the GOP's "populist spirit" (the Tea Party) in the
lead up to the November midterms, their biggest worry should be worried
about Christie's courageous and, more importantly, competent style of
governance. She enthuses, "But Mr. Christie's way is also closer than
most national Republicans have comeâor Democrats will comeâto satisfying
the public desire that someone step forward, define the problem, apply
common sense, devise a way through, do what's needed."David
Brooks on the Long Slow Decade The New York Times columnist fears the
impact of the recession will be felt for years to come. "What we have is
not just a cycle but a condition," writes Brooks. "We could look back
on the period between 1980 and 2006 as the long boom and the period
between 2007 and 2014 or so as the nasty crawl." So, how to the spur
economic growth? Brooks sees good plans on both sides of the aisle. For
Democrats, it's what Brooks calls the "Moon Shot Approach"--an economy
buoyed by a strong infrastructure and tax breaks for key sectors.
Republicans see hope in the "Unleash America" school of thinking--it's
defined by "a free-market and entrepreneurial vision of their country."
Both approaches, Brooks says, are better than the inevitable "nativist
and antiglobalist visions that will be arising" in coming years.Patrick
Kennedy on a Brain Disorders Battle Writing in the Boston Globe, the
Rhode Island congressman says the recent 20th anniversary of the
Americans With Disabilities Act should inspire politicians to demand the
same protections for those with brain disorders. "Approximately 100
million Americans have some form of traumatic brain injury," writes
Kennedy. "Millions more suffer from Alzheimerâs, autism, Parkinsonâs,
and epilepsy." Yet only 5 percent of the NIH budget is spent researching
neuroscience. Kennedy argues America must respond to the rise in brain
disorders with "the same kind of urgency...as we did with AIDS."Steven
Pearlstein on the New Division of Labor "The only surprise is that
anyone is surprised by the lack of private-sector hiring," concludes the Washington Post columnist. "It is only in the world of Chamber of
Commerce propaganda that businesses exist to create jobs." Writing in
response to the recent news that corporate profits have soared while
little new job opportunities have been created, Pearlstein isn't
optimistic that most employers will soon be adding full-time employees.
"There are lots of theories why this is happening," he writes. "With
consumers cutting back on debt-financed spending, cutting expenses has
been the most obvious way for businesses to increase their profits." In
effect, the profits are addition by subtraction.
Op-Ed: Securing Medicare's future (Exclusive to Yahoo! News)
July 31, 2010
Exclusive to Yahoo! News - Forty-five years ago today, the creation of Medicare transformed our health-care system and our nation. It helped to make us a stronger and more prosperous country by freeing older Americans from the fear that sickness or injury would cost them their lifetime savings and security.
Obama on 'The View': Canny Decision or Unpresidential? (The Atlantic Wire)
July 31, 2010
The Atlantic Wire -
Is the Intelligence Community Unmanageable? (RealClearPolitics.com)
July 31, 2010RealClearPolitics.com - Beginning with the Washington Post's "Top Secret America" series last week, the media are creating a narrative aimed at cutting down to size what the Post called the American intelligence community: a system so big and unwieldy that its effectiveness is impossible to determine. Our intelligence community, according to the Post series, has become ungovernable in the way the media used to characterize New York City.
Do Guantanamo media restrictions also prevent open trials? (McClatchy Newspapers)
July 31, 2010McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — Reporters covering trials of accused terrorists at Guantanamo on Monday will have their first-ever face-to-face chance to air their complaints about the U.S government's restrictive rules, which journalists say make it nearly impossible for the public to follow the proceedings.
Time's 'horrific' cover: Honesty or sensationalism? (The Week)
July 31, 2010The Week - Time's latest cover may shock you — and that's exactly the point. The haunting image shows an 18-year-old Afghan woman — her name is Aisha — whose nose and ears were cut off by the Taliban after she tried to escape her abusive in-laws. The accompanying article, "What happens if we leave Afghanistan," details the gruesome dangers women will face if the fundamentalist Islamic movement regains control of the country. "I'm acutely aware that this image will be seen by children," writes Time's managing editor Richard Stengel, but I would rather people know the reality "as they make up their minds about what the U.S. and its allies should do in Afghanistan." Did Stengel make a responsible choice?
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