White House: Guard Never Disciplined Bush (washingtonpost.com)

To quoteSNL . . . "I can't beleive I'm losing to this guy."

The New York Times > Magazine > Fear and Laptops on the Campaign Trail

Look at Bloggers. Long and interesting look at the fast changing world. Like TV 50 years ago, the Web will change politics again. Those better able to adapt and use the tools of the Web will have an advantage, unfortunately $$$ still triumphs.

washingtonpost.com: Media Notes Extra

The media is finally going off into a "red/blue" world, like the English. I know I'm not the first person with this idea, but, would it be so bad if the newspapers just came out and stated their political motives and stuck by them? This is clearly influenced by Murdoch and his power in the British media. He saw an opening (the need for opinionated news) and took advantage of it. Too bad that Turner was busy trying to save TimeWarner from self destructing so he couldn't respond quickly. Now it's too late. Basically the idea of unbiased journalism is taking a beating and probably will never (or ever) exist. Their are a lot of pressures on the "news" and this might be the most powerful yet.

The Media, Losing Their Way (washingtonpost.com)

Might be the indictment of the media that it really needs. It is shocking in its tone.

Not to say that she is bad at what she does (I don't listen to the world service), but why is that woman from the BBC on NBC all the time? Sure she's very attractive and an excellent perspective, but she offers no insight into the election. Why don't we ask someone from Australia to comment too? How about Russia, Israel, or Japan? Then why are we asking her?

Caltech News Article Archive

Interesting perspective on the power crisis. Thanks to Puff for the heads up. It looks like we are up the creek on this one :) I do have a little more faith in markets and human ingenuity than the author. What about the Whale oil crisis of the last century?

Help at Home (washingtonpost.com)

Broder is right that there is a housing problem in the US, but I think it is simpler than housing tax credits and trust funds. It's basically supply and demand. There is not enough housing in some places period. IN a place like DC or SF, there is a critical lack of supply. In DC you can't build higher than the Washington Monument. OK, that's a good aesthetic ideal, but it basically destroys the possibility of having any sort of high rise density (i.e. increased housing supply) that the market wants. It's more a thing of too much regulation and than anything else.

Simon Dumenco's Glossies: How the Cult of Adolescent Celebrity Ate the Magazine Biz

"Tiger Beat begat Popstar which begat Us Weekly and In Touch and Star— but the “adult” titles are often the most adolescent of all."

I like the thesis. I'm not sure there's an explanation for InStyle though :)

BLACKSPOT SNEAKER

Interesting idea from the adbuster folks. Looks like their media campaign is kind of working. I'm not sure that they understand economics too well, but it's a great idea.

The New York Review of Books: The Truth About the Drug Companies

Good look at big Pharma. It's a little long though . . .

'Conservative' World Order? (washingtonpost.com)

He captures the exact reason why the Bushies have killed true conservatism. There are none left, just a few "mavericks" that only sound appealing beacuse they are conservatives.

ABCNEWS.com

Should the national media even be involved in cases like this without any sense of fairness?

The New York Times > Business > G.M. Helps to Drive a Detroit Revival

The fundamental reason that cities work or not is not development (which helps), but education. If you can have communities and neighborhoods that work, then you can start getting economies of scale and then get towns and cities. Detroit's problems are from fifty years ago when there were neighborhoods and communities, but within 15 years moved out (thank you Interstate Highway system).

Detroit has been hurt most by the limits in immigration. It's too far from the coasts, yet too close to Chicago. If you look at the thriving neighborhoods in Detroit, half of the them are immigrant communities. The worst part is that amny immigrants have skipped over living in the urban part of town and have started to move directly into the 'burbs.

We’re Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore

Keillor's attitude is why the Dems lose. We're too nice and don't want it badly enough. The other side is ready to drown someone in a bathtub in order to win. Fear and manipulation are the tools of the Bushies. We should be afraid because they use it so well.

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Taking On the Myth

I guess I agree. Most importantly the Kerry Campaign has got to hit them where it hurts. That's why he brought up Swift Boats, so let it evolve into a critique of how the Bushies have made us less safe.

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Hawk vs. Hawk

Might be missing the point that the $37 Million might be considered more useful someplace else (East St. Louis or Afghanistan (you know, where the terrorists actually are)).

How Will Voters Handle the 'Truth' About Kerry and Bush?

Brownstein is right and it is uncertain if the attacks will hurt Bushie. He is a son of a gun, but that's also what makes him so damn likable. Less History, More Math.

The New York Times > Business > World Business > An Elder Challenges Outsourcing's Orthodoxy

Fascinating look at outsourcing. The article doesn't really explain what Samuelson is saying, but sure looks like good gossip for academics :)

Time for Kerry to Change His Pitch (washingtonpost.com)

As ccontroversial as Brown can be, I do enjoy her column in the Post. Sure it is all NYC/Media, but it does have a very different rhythm than the rest of the paper.

With Ball in Bush's Court, Can He Keep the Bounce Going?

Mentions the polls over the weekend again. One question that I'm sure the pollsters considered was that is was a holiday weekend. With many folks travelling and resting up for the Fall, are those numbers good? Could they be off? Is there a possibility that the "bounce" is only an illusion? I don't like it when the media take these polls as gospel without examining/explaining possible errors in the poll data.

Fallout From Democrat's Address Still Unknown (washingtonpost.com)

I'm not sure that there is a good explanation or that it's even worth exploring. The article in Slate mentioned something about a certain Wallace-like resentment of the "pointy-headed" elite. He's more into the attention than anything else. He could switch parties (Birthmark my ASS), but where would all the fun be in that? I've always heard that he hates Washington and would never run for Senate after a successful run as Governor. Coverdell's revenge has been in ruining Zell's legacy.

The GOP's Dirty Z-Bomb (washingtonpost.com)

Nothing to add to this one.