(This shot is from the iconic Dorothea Lange, whose photographs stand the test of time in terms of documenting so much of American life and poverty during the Depression.  I found this shot in a photo essay on poverty that is well worth a look.) Back in early January of this year, I sat down [...]

(Photo by Mary Ellen Mark.  Read the accompanying text with the heartbreaking photos here, please.  And have a glimpse of one tiny sliver of poverty in America.  And then, take a moment to imagine being this little girl, with this family, and all of its attendant problems — none of which she asked for in [...]

  (Photo by Larry Downing/Reuters.) If there's one phrase I will always associate with George Bush, one we've heard a gazillion times, and one that epitomizes the intellectual chasm this President has built between himself and the country, that phrase is the one that begins with "It's important for [everyone else] to understand . . [...]

Lovely Nicole at Crooks and Liars points us to two recent high-profile gaffes over in Pajamas Media Land.  Mmmmmm.  Crow.  It's what's for dinner. First up, we have this little bit of ham-handed bargain basement pseudo-Drudgery (viva Carpetbagger!):  Conservatives shoot and miss with Kerry pic Posted 3:23 pm | Printer Friendly | Spotlight Digg this [...]

Howard Kurtz is whining again.  In his Christmas Day column, Kurtz waxes nostalgaic for the Good Old Days when men were men and women were women and "truth" was a construct that was doled out to us in manageable bite-sized portions by the holy trinity of the three big networks and no one else. I [...]

Ta-daaaaaaaaaah!! Ladies and gentlemen, my first successful digital photograph, and of course, it's of Juan Carlos.  Can you imagine how hard it is to leave this little face and go to work every day?  Sorry about the red-eye.  I haven't gotten that far in the manual yet. I'll keep you posted, of course. 

The Secretary of the Department of the Interior said Wednesday that polar bears are facing increased jeopardy for survival because "…we are concerned the polar bear's habitat may literally be melting."  (according to the AP via WaPo)  The Bush Administration is currently doing "studies" to determine what may or may not be causing the ice [...]

Looks like somebody made a New Year's resolution that will make us all a little sad.  The deservedly legendary Billmon posted the picture above at the Whiskey Bar late last night. Granted, he's made some cryptic/melodramatic exits before that (thankfully) turned out to be temporary, but this post last week suggests that Billmon has given [...]

In case you were wondering, it was not just the rubber stamp Republican Congress that was failing to provide much-needed oversight of the Bush Administration's "unilateral executive" theoretical government.  Across the broad spectrum of governmental agencies, the inspectors general — whose offices are to be established and run as independent watchdogs in these agencies — [...]

  (Photo found at STiTP.) Yesterday, MSNBC reported via Reuters and AP continued fighting in the Shi'ite city of Najaf between US forces and members of the Mehdi Army, the 60,000 man militia loyal to Muqtadr al-Sadr. The reason for this specific skirmish is disputed, but US forces claim they sought out and eventually killed [...]