Net Neutrality — it is the Internet policywonks’ battle cry for all that is fair and decent about the Internet. And now, in light of President Obama’s request that the FCC “implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality” it has become a major political battlefield. What happened? What happened is that the … Read more
Political campaign finance laws in the U.S. are hurting our democracy; so much so as the US may not be any more democratic than Hong Kong or Iran, according to Harvard Law Professor Larry Lessig. While this sounds like a radical assessment, Lessig is one of the brighter and moderate academic minds in the country, … Read more
If it is possible to have too much of a good thing, then the retail wine market could be a nominee for this dubious distinction. Walk into a wine store or, worse, browse an online wine sellers’ website and you’ll be overwhelmed by the choices available to wine purchasers. Its not red wine that causes … Read more
And this isn’t a case of a few misplaced animals! (has anyone seen what I did with that woodchuck?) According to the World Wildlife Federation (a fairly credible, although not unimpeachable, non-profit) and the London Zoological Society, the number of wild animals on Earth has halved in the past 40 years. Two key concepts: … Read more
In 1995, Keanu Reeves took a “walk in the clouds” in the movie of the same name. His character falls in love with a Napa Valley beauty as well as with the grape-filled Valley itself. Most people who have seen this film will describe it as “magical”. That same magic can be found less than … Read more