Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Just finished Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner. Highly recommended. Here's the video version (scroll past the inane introduction given by someone who must have gone to university):

Tim Weiner Discusses the History of the CIA

And here are two well-informed negative reviews:

The book is flawed but still well worth reading, if nothing else as an introduction to an endlessly fascinating subject.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Wisconsin protests: 'democracy in action' or 'mob rule'?

Now that the hoo-haa in Wisconsin has subsided somewhat, and attention has turned from the tidal wave of protesters in Madison to a literal tsunami IN Japan, it is time for a dispassionate look at what the Madison riot means in a nation of laws. And Patrik Jonsson of the Christian Science Monitor has kindly provided such a gaze:

Wisconsin protests: 'democracy in action' or 'mob rule'?