Archive for 2006

When I heard about ABC anchorman Bob Woodruff being injured in Iraq, I thought first about his wife and four children. Then I thought about TV ratings. The unpleasant truth is that Woodruff was sitting in that vehicle because ABC is desperately chasing evening-news ratings. We all laugh when TV talking heads stand outside in…

Gary, with all due respect, I believe I’ll pass on defending (see post below) the drug companies. Have at ‘em with my best wishes.

Sometimes – though I feel a bit queasy about it – I think the liberals may have a point about the oil companies. The New York Times reports that while gasoline and natural gas prices have soared, big oil royalty payments for oil and gas pumped from publicly owned lands is little more than it…

Well, there’s good news on corruption – sort of. The folks over at the Civitas Institute have taken a statewide poll and asked voters which party is more corrupt – Democrats or Republicans. So, who wins? Well, when it comes to corruption right here in North Carolina: 25% say Republicans are more corrupt (which puzzling…

Oprah Winfrey already had become the most powerful bookseller in the world. Her endorsement – and an appearance on her show – guaranteed an author fame and fortune. Now she’s become even more powerful – by eviscerating (one report said “emasculating”) lying author James Frey on national TV. She also scolded publishers for publishing memoirs…

Well, there’s good news on corruption – sort of. The folks over at the Civitas Institute have taken a statewide poll and asked voters which party is more corrupt – Democrats or Republicans. So, who wins? Well, when it comes to corruption right here in North Carolina: 25% say Republicans are more corrupt (which puzzling…

Bush/Rove think they’ve turned some good political judo on the Democrats over the eavesdropping battle. (Political judo is when you turn your opponent’s strength into his weakness.) Washington Dems thought they had Bush on the run when the New York Times revealed the eavesdropping program. Now Bush/Rove have gladly taken up the fight. They’ve served…

Voters are hearing a lot of talk from politicians these days in Washington about lobbying reform. Both parties have presented packages to ‘clean up the mess’ and though the Democrats say they’re going a little further than Republicans, basically, both parties are saying the same thing, they want to curtail gifts and travel paid for…

Here’s a strange twist. The Morrisville City Council seems about to give Chinese computer giant Lenova $1 million in tax breaks – to relocate there. Giving tax breaks – even to a Chinese conglomerate – is not strange. But what’s unusual is that the federal government told Lenovo it had to leave the Research Triangle…