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Arthur I. Cyr

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of ”˜After the Cold War’ (Palgrave/Macmillan and NYU Press). His blog offers opinions and insights on a range of current issues.

Ben Grabow: Thinly Read

Ben Grabow, a recent Ohio University graduate, now working in the corporate world, leaves the jargon of the pharmaceutical industry behind long enough to take a wry look at the life of a single twenty-something.

Cheap Shots: John Lindsay

John Lindsay blogs about sports and other things.

Dinah Eng

Dinah Eng is the nation's first Asian-American syndicated columnist. Based in Los Angeles, her column offers a positive take on life, with a single woman's viewpoint on topics ranging from relationships and career challenges to entertainment and diversity.

Babe Waxpak

Babe blogs on sports collectibles and memorabilia

David Nielsen

David Nielsen blogs about sports and other issues in the popular culture.

Tech Talk

Michael L. Berman's Tech Talk blog covers personal technology without complicated jargon.

Latest posts

Upper Deck caves; settles with MLBP

Waxpak

Da Babe predicted last week that the suit brought by Major League Baseball Properties again Upper Deck over the issuance of unlicensed cards would be settled long before it came to trial. I just didn’t think it would come as quickly as it did and with as much finality.
Wednesday MLB issued a press release followed later in the day by one from Upper Deck.

Immerse Yourself into the Beautiful World of Sound

Michael L Berman

OK, I admit it! I'm a sound/movie/home theater addict - - - and proud of it!

I just finished playing with the new Sherwood R-904N Netboxx ($650) and have fallen in love. In fact, I was seriously considering scrapping my huge, hernia-inducing $1,800 Yamaha receiver and replacing it with this 700-watt beauty when I was subtly reminded by others in my household that the purchase would severely crimp my style - - - and deflate my bank account.

"The Hurt Locker" & Vietnam

Arthur I. Cyr

“’The Hurt Locker’ and Vietnam War Precedents”
by Arthur I. Cyr

Dinah Eng's picture

Love is the reason...

Dinah Eng

My friend sat at the bar, talking about reaching the next milestone year of his life.

“I’m going to be 60, and I don’t know why I’m still here,” he says. “I guess my spirit guides want me alive for a reason, but I don’t know what it is.”

Toyota's Terrible Ordeal Hardly Unique

Arthur I. Cyr

Akio Toyoda, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the great vehicle manufacturer Toyota, was a man in pain when he appeared before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. “Grilling” is a very apt term to describe the person in the hot seat of public interrogation by Congressional committees.

Neither side in baseball card dispute wants to chance a final ruling

Waxpak

Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) has sued Upper Deck (UD) for trademark infringement and for $2.4 million it supposedly owes MLBP. Upper Deck has responded. According to a Michael O’Keefe article posted on www.NewYorKDailyNews.com, UD claimed that using game-action photos is “fair use,” claiming those shots are protected by the First Amendment.

Bernanke Reconfirmed & In Charge

Arthur I. Cyr

Ben Bernanke has been reconfirmed by the U.S. Senate for a second four-year term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. The final vote of 70-30 came despite extensive media attention to vocal opponents of Bernanke. On this matter of vital national interest, good sense has prevailed.

Capture of Taliban Leaders Encouraging

Arthur I. Cyr

The arrests of the Taliban’s Afghanistan provincial leaders Mullah Abdul Salam of Kunduz and Mullah Mir Mohammed of Baghlan, following the capture of top Taliban military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar earlier this month, are dramatic successes. All three men were taken in Pakistan, an especially important but vexing partner for Washington.

Karzai's Smart Military Move

Arthur I. Cyr

On February 7, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan made an important statement during a visit to Germany, publicly announcing plans to institute mandatory national military service. At a stop in Munich, he said the Afghan Army will return to the draft for reasons of national defense but also national unity and public service.

Taiwan Weapons Spark Beijing Blast

Arthur I. Cyr

Beijing’s blasting rage at the current U.S. arms shipments to Taiwan actually is useful for Americans and the world at large. China and the U.S., increasingly interconnected through trade and investment, remain very much at odds about basic political institutions and values.