Editorials from around the world were dripping with schadenfreude yesterday as they heralded the ‘first ever electoral defeat’ for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez… Nevertheless, Chávez may yet have the last laugh. [Referendum defeat actually vindicates Chávez, TIJ, December 4, 2007] I remember well being criticized for sounding this cautionary note whilst other (more-authoritative) pundits were… Read more.
Archives for February 2009
Happy 4th Anniversary of TIJ
As improbable as it seemed when I launched this weblog, today marks the fourth anniversary of The iPINIONS Journal. Remarkably enough, I enjoy writing and publishing my commentaries even more now than I did back then. Therefore, I have no doubt that I shall be doing so for at least another four years. I only hope that you continue to find my… Read more.
Israeli elections: too close to call between Livni and Netanyahu
If Livni succeeds (and I predict she will despite Israel’s notoriously fractious politics), she will become the second female prime minister in the country’s short 60-year history. It’s anybody’s guess, however, what her election would portend for Israel’s two most-pressing national issues, namely its looming war with Iran and elusive peace with Palestine. But, given… Read more.
UPDATE: Zimbabwe forms (improbable) coalition government
One of the potential hazards of publishing online commentaries is that it’s very easy for experts on any subject you’re writing about to expose you as an uninformed fool. In fact, I know extremely intelligent people who refuse to even submit online comments out fear of having them undermined by more informed comments. Therefore, I… Read more.
Open Letter on the TCI Commission of Inquiry
My Fellow TCIslanders Now that the hearings have ended, this seems an appropriate time to address the frustrations and concerns many of you have shared with me about the conduct of the ongoing Inquiry into government corruption or other serious dishonesty in our country. I am especially mindful that your feelings in this respect have… Read more.
UPDATE: A-Rod admits using steroids; Obama laments
Here, in part, is how A-Rod attempted to rationalize and excuse his use of steroids yesterday afternoon in an interview with ESPN: When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and… Read more.
Alex Rodriguez is a steroids junkie … duh!
The world of Major League Baseball reacted with shock and indignation (again) last weekend after Sports Illustrated outed Alex Rodriguez as one of 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003. Rodriguez of course is the New York Yankees’ third baseman, the highest-paid player in baseball (having signed a new 10-year contract just a year ago for… Read more.
Want your kids to be like Mike ?
Legalize marijuana! Related commentaries: Phelps, 14-time Olympic champion, is a dope fiend Read more.
Former VP Cheney planting seeds to undermine Obama’s presidency
Nothing demonstrates how strong an advocate former VP Dick Cheney was for the Bush Administration’s universally condemned tactics in the war on terror than the fact that he seems more determined than George W. Bush himself to defend them until the day he dies. Indeed, unlike Bush – who had the decency to return to… Read more.
UPDATE: Comeuppance for Pfizer – in America – for crimes committed in Africa !
Last year a lower-court judge ruled that Nigerian families who claim that Pfizer used their children as guinea pigs to test new drugs had to file their suits in Nigeria. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York ruled on Friday that they can sue the pharmaceutical giant in U.S. courts after all. … Read more.