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Nikki Gloudeman's blog

Miami Tall Ship Heads South to Bring Aid to Haiti

While most young professionals spend their days holed up in cubicles, Jared Talarski, 29, has made a career captaining a schooner and lending a hand to those in need.
 
He spoke with YPNation about his sailing career and recent relief voyage to Haiti on the Liberty Schooner.
 
You're a captain on a ship. What's that job like? Read more

A Dialogue Across the Aisles

When I sat down to watch President Obama's recent televised discussion with House Republicans on health care, the economy and other pressing national issues, I expected either a snoozer or a bloodbath.
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A SCOTUS Decision Dud: Corporate Campaign Limits

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled (pdf) that corporations should be allowed to spend freely in political elections. The decision will have a profound impact on how candidates are elected, starting with the Congressional campaigns in the fall. And the reactions have been heated.
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The Late Night War and the Generation Gap

The feud between Conan, Leno and NBC has captured the nation's attention with its high-stakes, blame game drama. But what I find most fascinating is the way it illustrates the rift between America's young and old generations.
 
It's well-known that Conan's subversive wit appeals more to the Gen Y crowd, while Leno's mainstream yuks are favored by the Boomers. It's fitting, then, that Coco's fanbase is revolting in the most millennial way possible: online.
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In Defense of Entertainment Journalism

Recently, I wrote a blog for Mother Jones about the new Sherlock Holmes flick. It wasn't about Robert Downey Jr.'s celebrity comeback, or Jude Law and Sienna Miller's tumultuous relationship. It was about the (possibly) homosexual relationship at the center of the film, and what it revealed about America's attitudes toward sexuality and masculinity. As an example, here was one commentator's response: "Awww, come on folks--I think they scooped TMZ [the online gossip rag]!Read more

What Obama and Clinton Have in Common

"[The President] is backtracking on promises...faster than you can say, 'George Bush is a buffoon--we can do better.'" (Reason)

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What to Look Forward to in 2010

It's official: 2009 is over and 2010 is upon us. You've no doubt consumed your fair share of best-and-worst-of lists for the past year (and decade), but what about the horizon? Here are some major events to look forward to for the next 365 days:
 
Senate Elections
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Obama: A Different Kind of Change

When Barack Obama swept into the presidential office, it was because the public believed in his bold idea of Big Change. A year later, he's having a harder time garnering support for his small change results.
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Why America Loves to Hate Infidelity

It's hard to believe it's been more than a decade since Bill Clinton faced impeachment for cheating on his wife. Now there's Tiger Woods, confronted with professional impeachment for cheating on his wife. It seems then, as now, America's favorite cause for brandishing the pitchfork is infidelity.
 
Of course, cheating is worthy of condemnation. But what makes us focus on sexual indiscretions before other, more sweeping ones?
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Climategate, MSM, and Partisan Pundits

Unless you're a rock dweller, you've no doubt heard about so-called "Climategate": The hacked e-mails from University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) that prove scientists have manipulated statistics to hide the fact that global warming is a hoax.
 
Or, a series of catty e-mails among colleagues, with no bearing whatsoever on the scientific reality of catastrophic climate change.
 
Like many things, it depends on who you ask—which makes it an interesting case study in news coverage.
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