Outside the Beltway

Will one of the worst natural disasters to hit Japan in centuries change the relationship between the Japanese government and the people?

New York Times journalists Anthony Shadid, Stephen Farrell, Tyler Hicks, and Lynsey Addario have not been heard from in more than 24 hours.

Alain Juppé’s concession that “the moment has passed” for NATO to successfully intervene in Libya is correct.

Automated programs are getting very good at poker and are winning large sums on online gambling sites.

Facebook limits accounts to those who say that they are at least 13 years old. Shockingly, some kids lie to get on the popular social network.

Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake, which in turned spawned a tsunami.

We’ve been hearing about peak oil for years. But now some experts are warning of an even more serious crisis: Peak coffee.

The Democrats appear ready to come home (or, as per the update, maybe not).

Pfc. Bradley Manning is being treated worse than a Prisoner Of War, and he hasn’t been convicted of a crime yet.

Why is Charlie Sheen seen as likable despite his serial abuse of women?

The saga of accused Wikileaks conspirator Bradley Manning continues to get uglier, with the military acknowledging that he was forced to spend the day naked for, well, no apparent reason.

James Franco is a film director, screenwriter, painter, author, performance artist and actor. And working on a PhD at Yale.

As the standoff in Wisconsin drags on, there is no sign that the public accepts the argument being made about public sector unions by Governor Scott Walker and other Republicans.

Nine years into a war that seems to be without end, it’s time to declare victory and go home.

A new site will identify news articles based on press releases rather than journalism.

The Wall Street Journal is joining the modern era and dropping the practice of referring to people as “Mr.” and “Ms.” But only on the sports pages.

It’s time to end the ability of public sector labor unions to hold taxpayers hostage.

Neither side is covering themselves in glory in the battle over the Badger State budget.

JCPenney used black hat SEO to game Google. But Google’s penalties are arguably just as bad. And what about HuffPo?

Later this week, Clarence Thomas will have gone five years without asking a question during oral argument at the Supreme Court. Is that really a big deal?

Hosni Mubarak has stepped down — for reals this time.

Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak is expected to step down after 17 days of pro-democracy protests.

New York Times writer Adam Liptak discovers that a Supreme Court decision protecting “corporate speech” might not be a bad thing considering that he works for a corporation.

They’re from the government, and they’re here to take that tasty snack out of your hands.

President Obama is telling business they have a social responsibility to invest in America. He’s wrong.

AOL has bought the Huffington Post. But, really, it’s the other way around: HuffPo has taken over AOL.

The end game in Egypt may be beginning.

Egypt entered a second day of chaos with all signs pointing to things getting worse before they get better.

The Egyptian army has publicly ruled out a use of force.

How rich is the United States? Our poor are richer than the richest in India.

The speculation on Keith Olbermann’s abrupt departure from MSNBC’s top-rated show continues. Was he fired? Did he quit? Did the Comcast overlords push?

Didn’t we just talk about this?

We won’t be able to solve our fiscal problems until the American people grow up. So far, there are no signs of that happening.

While the violence is down in Iraq, it’s not gone.

The American media and Sarah Palin have developed an odd symbiotic relationship, and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

NYT public editor Arthur Brisbane explains how it came to pass that his paper reported as fact the erroneous news that Gabrielle Giffords had been killed.

150 years ago, President-Elect Abraham Lincoln was presented with a chance to avert Civil War. He passed it up, and we should be glad that he did.

The Stuxnet virus that has set back the Iranian nuclear weapons program by several years at least appears to have originated as a joint project between the United States and Israel.

People find the most interesting ways to justify something that is obviously wrong.