Category Archives: Commentary

The DoD’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals for a program which will enable them to monitor ideas on social media sites and intervene to prevent “adverse outcomes.” This might seem tame by comparison with other DARPA … Continue reading →

In September 1973 Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett was approached by an Indian official in Algiers and asked about his relations with the Chinese. India and China were in the midst of a border dispute and Burchett was widely known in … Continue reading →

In the absence of a clear moral choice, pick Flick in 2012.

So this past week my Twitter and Facebook feeds were flush with friends and followees’ declarations of disbelief, shock and anger that Casey Anthony should be acquitted of allegedly murdering her two year old daughter. One friend remarked that she … Continue reading →

Hendrick Hertzberg addressing a question about race-baiting birthers during a live chat on April 25: “All Republicans are not racists, but it’s increasingly true that all racists are Republicans. Or at least Republican leaners. However, the G.O.P. has the racist … Continue reading →