Jonathan Sabin at Commentary: Most Americans still think of Al Jazeera as the network that was Osama bin Laden\u2019s outlet to the world in the years after 9\/11. Since then, it has earned a reputation in some quarters as the best source of news about the Arab and Muslim world, especially during the Arab Spring […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

The current round of unrest in the Central African Republic brings back memories of an earlier round of unrest there from the Diplomad: About our Embassy in Bangui. Months before the coup attempt, some bean counters had decided to terminate the US marine guard detail there and at several other smaller embassies. The Pentagon, likewise, […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

One word’s tour through cultural history: Like most autodidacts, I\u2019m a spotty reader, subject to vagrant whims, led by meandering interests. \u201cPalimpsest\u201d is one of many personal guides for me. It can lead to the study of memory, to historical ideas about architecture, to geology, to art history. Stay with it long enough and you […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

Mark Perry points the finger at natural gas drilling. \u00a0So why do the NY environmentalists hate the planet?<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

Greater Greater Washington\u00a0has an animated gif showing the evolution of Metro Rail since 1976. The map is so iconic that virtually every one of the entries in the site’s contest to replace it only came up with variations on its theme.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

More dead malls on the way, according to\u00a0Walter Russell Mead: It was only a matter of time before malls starting sharing the pain of the brick and mortar retail outlets they house.\u00a0The real estate market has been slow to adjust to this new reality, and the amount of\u00a0commercial real estate built for retail has continued […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

Quantified: The authors focus on lobbyists who used to be congressional staffers. In particular, they look at the revenue generated by these lobbyists before and after the senators or representatives for whom they once worked leave office. They find that, on average, when a senator leaves office, lobbyists who used to work for that senator […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

What’s at stake: Sotomayor\u2019s decision illustrates just how difficult that task may turn out to be. Even if the owners of Hobby Lobby eventually prevail in court and their rights are upheld, a vengeful Obama administration determined to make an example of anyone who crosses them could have already destroyed their business. By sinking them […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

A somewhat contrarian view on the upcoming debt ceiling debate: Instead of political grandstanding around a redundant, made-up number, we should spend that valuable time debating how best to achieve robust growth given our current economic condition. The proper debate would be lively. Contemporary Keynesians advocate top-down, “intelligent design” economics \u2014 i.e., trusting government officials, […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

Richard Parker Windsor was unavailable for comment: Transparency is the lifeblood of democracy. Washington needs more of it, especially in the all-too-opaque world of regulation. The\u00a0Environmental Protection Agency\u00a0(EPA), for example, is the most expensive federal regulatory agency. Its annual budget is fairly modest in Beltway terms, at a little less than $11 billion, but that\u2019s […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

“We’re a $133 billion government. \u00a0Do you know what we’re capable of?” “Do you?” “Er, well, no, because they won’t tell us.” The state\u2019s Health Department found in an analysis it prepared early last year that the much-debated drilling technology known as hydrofracking could be conducted safely in New York, according to a copy obtained […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

This doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better: The spy service operates in all areas where Iran has interests, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Central Asia, Africa, Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, France, Georgia, Germany, Turkey, Britain, and the Americas, including the United States. Iranian activities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela have raised alarm […]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

Via Chart Porn:<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n