Category Archives: RagBlog

Sorry Hillary : Obama Boys Behaving Badly

Jon Favreau, left, and unidentified friend with Sen. Hillary Clinton cutout. From the “44” Blog / Washington Post. ‘Asked about the photos, Favreau, who was recently appointed director of speechwriting for the White House, declined comment. A transition official said … Continue reading

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Academic Study : Hot Sounds, Cool Stock Market

Dan Burrows: ‘Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” beat variance is as smooth as, well, a baby’s bottom. Maybe that’s why there was mad volatility on the market’s dance floor.’ ‘When the stock market endures periods of high volatility — such … Continue reading

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Foodie Friday: Champandongo and Black-Eyed ‘Peans’

High time we resurrected the “Foodie Friday” tradition with the Rag Blog. I was doing this in the early days of the blog, but let it slip as political events overtook us. Now we bring it back in all its … Continue reading

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Supremes Take Case Challenging President’s Right to Indefinite Detention of Suspects

Supreme Court to decide if the president can order the indefinite military detention of people living in the United States?By Adam Liptak / December 5, 2008 WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide the most fundamental question … Continue reading

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Eschenbach: On Letting Go of Religion, Part II

The Case for Intolerance of Religion, Part IIBy Sid Eschenbach / The Rag Blog / December 5, 2008 The Ecumenical Experiment Our tolerance of religion simply prolongs the agony of an ethical system in crisis and conflict. “Ecumenicalism”, the noted … Continue reading

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Gov’t. Outsourcing Has Been Nothing But Trouble

Here is another legacy of the Bush administration: a government gutted by corporate crony outsourcing. The two articles here tell the story of that legacy: corruption, lies, inefficiencies, and incessant problems, whether health, compensation, or otherwise. It will take decades … Continue reading

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Texas : Mental Health Care a Disgrace

Farhat Chishty, right, spends time with her mentally retarded son Haseeb Chishty at Denton State School in Denton, Texas, Jan. 16, 2008. In 2002 Haseeb nearly died after a beating by a care worker and is now confined to a … Continue reading

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Producer Marc Shaiman on Prop 8 – the Musical (With Video!)

The musical itself is the brainchild of Marc Shaiman, the composer of the film and stage musical “Hairspray,” as well as some of the filthier songs in “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.” By Dave Itzkoff / December 4, 2008 … Continue reading

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Eschenbach: On Letting Go of Religion, Part I

The Case for Intolerance of Religion, Part IBy Sid Eschenbach / The Rag Blog / December 4, 2008 It has been said that “God did not create man; man created God”. The case for this argument is clearer with each … Continue reading

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Junior’s Legacy: Hundreds of Needlessly Dead Americans

Clinton Fein’s latest exhibition, Torture, which opened at Toomey Tourell Gallery in San Francisco in January 2007 is a shocking and defiant exploration of America’s approach to torture under the Bush administration. A series of staged and digitally manipulated photographic … Continue reading

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Obama : A Healthy Use of the Internet

The health-care mobilization taking shape before Obama even takes office will include online videos, blogs and e-mail alerts as well as traditional public forums. Already, several thousand people have posted comments on health on the Obama transition Web site. By … Continue reading

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Cole: Rising Tuition, Prison Populations, and Pot

Click on image to enlarge. State Universities versus State Prisons;And Marijuana Legalization as a SolutionBy Juan Cole / December 4, 2008 Why is tuition so high in state universities that the NYT is wondering if families will go on being … Continue reading

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