I remember the first time in my life I strolled upon a private, pay-to-use beach. I was 21 years old. It was in Chile. Having been born in Venice, California and grown up on the totally public Southern California beaches, I was shocked. The very notion of a private beach was incomprehensible and reprehensible to [...]

Howard Dean is trying to dig himself out of the hole he’s gotten himself into. Says the AP: Dean on Wednesday defended his recent harsh criticism of Republicans, including his observation that they are "pretty much a white, Christian party." Dean noted that he, too, is a white Christian. But he said the GOP is too [...]

Several times in the past couple of weeks I have noted the Bad News that Democrats have on their hands — namely the budding Hillary Candidacy. Now it looks like the Republicans have to stomach their own dose of poor tidings. The new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows George W. Bush definitively losing popular support [...]

My most recent Radio Nation podcast is now ready to be dowloaded with your RSS reader or listened to online. On this week’s show I speak with:Authors Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin about their new biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, American Prometheus; investigative journalist Lou Dubose about the latest turns in the scandals surrounding Tom [...]

Here’s the dream job you’ve been waiting for fresh off Craig’s List: “Personal Assistant/Family Cook Who Can Travel.” Run the errands, do the shopping, feed the baby, feed the dogs, feed the adults, clean the kitchen, make a daily report on petty cash. Only nine hours a day. Only five days a week. And as [...]

The “resistance” fighters that have taken almost 800 lives in Iraq in just the past month also target journalists.  Three more Iraqi reporters were killed on May 22 when they were among 13 people who had their throats cut when a mini-van was stopped on the road by a group of unidentified gunmen. I’m joining [...]

Some fodder for you out-of-staters: for the second time in the last handful of years, the liberal Westside of Los Angeles is going to the mattresses. And what’s the cause? To end poverty? To stop a war? No. Make that to preserve its hotty-totty area code. That’s right. The phone lines and the crackberrys from [...]

Actually, it’s Hillary’s party. Or at least it seems like it’s her 2008 nomination if she wants it. And it looks like she does. Ms. Clinton buzzed through town last night in her quest to shake out some Hollywood dough. This is, of course, how real politics are conducted in this country. Take your name [...]

Writer Gary Indiana’s new book on Arnold Schwarzenegger is just out. My review of itis strictly thumbs down! En excerpt from my review:There are plenty of hints scattered through the short but disjointed 140-page narrative that Indiana’s analysis is going to be somehow less than fulfilling in understanding the Governator’s trajectory. We could start with [...]

Looks like this is the season of online duels. A new one has politely (so far) broken out on the web page of The Nation magazine where I am a contributing editor. This, in itself, is good news as The Nation site too frequently reads as smoothly as a hymn book at morning mass and [...]

The latest Radio Nation podcast is now posted. (Remember u need an RSS reader like Ipodder to capture this feed for listening on your Ipod or other mp3 player). On this week’s show:Jon Wiener talks with former White House Counsel John Dean, University of Michigan professor Juan Cole, Columbia University historian Eric Foner about the [...]

I goofed off during the holiday weekend (even briefly played in a Texas Hold-em Tournament) and now —surprise, surprise– I have a pile of work on my desk. So on this day that Deep Throat has apparently been outted, the least I can do is share some of my reading with you: Make sure to [...]