Is life today more dangerous than it used to be? It certainly seems that way. Between Alar in apples (remember that one?), acrylamide in crackers and trans fats in just about everything, our food has become inedible. What with the radiation emitted by our houses, the arsenic in the water and the toxic rays coming out of cell phones, it isn’t really safe to sleep, drink or talk, either. Continue reading “Finding Things To Fear”
The Washington Post Column
Stubborn Swedes and ‘United’ Europe
Imagine, if you can, an issue that united the entire American political and business elite. Continue reading “Stubborn Swedes and ‘United’ Europe”
The New Radical Chic
They’re here! They’re angry! And they’re naked! Yes, I’m afraid it’s true — if you happen to be in Cancun, Mexico: The first anti-globalization protesters already have arrived in the place where the world’s negotiators are to gather tomorrow for a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Continue reading “The New Radical Chic”
Talking the Talk Of the Town
Ferk, nerk, es-em-dee. Pooka, purpa, ar-tee-o. No, I am not writing code, or gibberish, or avant-garde poetry. On the contrary, I am writing a list of terms that you, too, will need to know if you want to keep up with the big hitters in Washington this fall. Here’s a hint: It’s to do with that big blackout last month. Here’s another hint: Think acronyms. Continue reading “Talking the Talk Of the Town”
Winged Bureaucracy
About halfway through my extensive dealings with Lufthansa last week — after I had been sent, futilely, to Dulles Airport to change a ticket but before I was told, definitively, that the ticket could not be changed — I began to have a sense of deja vu. Continue reading “Winged Bureaucracy”
When Money Talks Too Loudly
Can money buy you influence in Washington? Before answering that question, I’ll pause for the hoots of derision. Of course it can, is the short answer, and it’s a pretty simple equation. Continue reading “When Money Talks Too Loudly”
Parallel Universes
Late last week Tony Blair made a speech in Washington. Afterward various British journals of record summed up their prime minister’s performance. The Daily Mirror found “something quite nauseating” about the speech, in which Blair once again “backed America in what many now view as a war based on lies.” Continue reading “Parallel Universes”
A Coalition That Dare Not Speak Its Name
Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of them: In this country, Moazzam Begg and Feroz Abbasi have not exactly become household names. Continue reading “A Coalition That Dare Not Speak Its Name”
The Other Thatcher
While flogging her book in London last week, Hillary Clinton unexpectedly revealed her admiration for a great British political figure. Curiously, her kind words were not for Tony Blair, who is often compared to her husband, but rather for one of his illustrious conservative predecessors. Continue reading “The Other Thatcher”
Martha Stewart Fantasizing
Martha Stewart has been indicted, Martha Stewart has resigned from the chairmanship of her company, Martha Stewart is in disgrace. But Martha Stewart, Incorporated — or, more precisely, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. — lives on. Continue reading “Martha Stewart Fantasizing”