I don’t know what caught my attention while browsing the web today. Perhaps it was the similarity to the title of that famous song, “How much is that doggie in the window?” Perhaps it was the similarity to the title I chose for one of my military aviation stories, “How much is that F-35 in the window?” But more likely it was the incongruence in the words in the title of the story itself: “How much...

The New Year of 2012, a general election year, will be a year when the fortunes of political parties and politicians will rise and fall; it will be a year of unprecedented social and ideological confrontation; most important, it will be a year when “we the people” once again have the opportunity — the obligation — to make necessary adjustments or corrections to the course of our society,...

Reading bloggers’ own favorite posts of 2011 is a reminder of how much political and social sanity has been lost in this Tea Party world. Satire and rage abound. Yet it’s cathartic to read these notes in a bottle from survivors and realize we are not alone in this shipwrecked world. Such comfort is provided by keeping alive a tradition started by the late Al Weigel, who wrote brilliantly under the nom...

Now that we have pulled out of Iraq — on a schedule negotiated by the Bush administration — and as instability and violence are on the increase there — as we feared they would — the very same chickenhawks who got us into this mess are now rearing their heads to blame Obama — as we knew they would. They are now saying the same they would have said if we had pulled out of Iraq six...

Despite recent unrest over the rule of Vladimir Putin and the perception that the recent Duma elections were rigged in favor of his party, many Russians regard him as a hero that has protected the nation from Western interests seeking to undermine Russian influence. For the Komsomolskaya Pravda, columnist Dmitry Voskoboinikov writes that whatever warts Putin and Russia may have, at least they aren’t being...

Why We Need Better BS by Tom Purcell Here’s something we can do with less of in 2012: BS. It’s all over television, in magazines and in newspapers — and even in our serious papers, such as The New York Times. It is spouted by politicians and pitched by product spokesmen. Modern life is manufacturing an unprecedented amount of it. BS “is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone...

I need to warn you that what follows may be a bit confusing. It sure as hell confused me over a decade and more. But it’s timely for “Boxing Day” and if it scores a knockdown, that’s great. A TKO or KO would be better, but we takes what we can gets. [h/t to Jan C. for the link that started this descent into the "Political Cesspool"] Note the use of “parasites” below, cribbed...

Is America’s fear of terrorism putting a chill on essential scientific research? For Italy’s La Stampa, columnist Piero Bianucci warns that the White House, in an unprecedented move to prevent terrorists from getting their hands on an even more deadly form of bird flu, has persuaded science journals Science and Nature to censor themselves, undermining the free flow of information that scientific...

White Christmas is popular in many languages, particularly Spanish. To wit: My favorite version: students at a public school in Madrid. I find this somehow very touching when they sing both in Spanish — and in English: A version for younger people: And one a bit more keeping with Bing Crosby’s original concept of the song: And here is Bing Crosby doing the song for the last time on ABC television...

Cell Phones Don’t Kill People by David Goodloe I was listening to the radio yesterday morning, and, for awhile, the topic of the discussion was banning cell phone use while driving. Should we or shouldn’t we? I missed the beginning of the conversation, but I assume it was in response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s proposal this week for a ban on cell phone use and text messaging...

Taylor Jones, El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

I really cannot compete with the many recent and excellent TMV posts on this subject. I particularly enjoyed Walter Brasch’s post from yesterday confirming that anyone can guiltlessly embrace the many versions of this ancient holiday to which many cultures, religions, and people have contributed. I appreciate all the religious and secular aspects of Christmas. I feel sorry for those who wish to define it...

As I wrote here: One of the most interesting and exciting assignments during my U.S. Air Force career was my tour of duty at the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) complex some 1,400 feet beneath granite Cheyenne Mountain, south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the height of the Cold War. The assignment was interesting and exciting not only because we were working to “protect North America from a space,...

I can’t gift-wrap this, but it’s the closest thing to a Christmas treasure that I have to share. Decades ago, I published it twice in different magazines. Eric Sevareid was a gifted writer who spent most of his life as a radio and TV journalist working with Edward R. Murrow during World War II as part of “a band of brothers” and later at CBS-TV in its glory days. He was a hero and a role model to me...

Washington’s new impasse could ironically lead to a gift of sanity as the House Tea Party is finally revealed for the berserk faction it has been all year, holding the nation hostage to a scorched-government ideology. Senate Republicans, after passing a short-term payroll tax extension by 89 to 10, are outdoing the President in denouncing them for “harming the view, if it’s possible anymore, of the American...

From US Drought MonitorThe southern US, almost coast-to-coast, remains mired in drought conditions. Comparisons to the Dust Bowl are common; one estimate has the Texas drought lasting another 10-15 years. And Texas has been “in a period of enhanced drought susceptibility” since at least the year 2000. The drought of 2007-2009 “was one of the worst” residents could remember. In central...

With my best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season to our readers, especially our veterans and active duty military. Two Christmases ago, in a “Christmas wish for our troops serving in harm’s way,” I expressed my empathy and admiration for the tens of thousands of our brave men and women who were serving in hostile territory , away from their loved ones, attempting to, in some fashion,...

A warning from a professor in Germany. Think twice about giving a “boobs job voucher” as a gift this Christmas season: People planning to give their loved one a nip and tuck at Christmas could be risking more than upsetting their partners – cheap seasonal offers with time limits are not to be recommended, a top surgeon has warned. Professor Peter Vogt, president of the German Society of Plastic...

Lately, I have been watching hours of scratchy black-and-white film about my childhood years, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and seeing through very old eyes a different America, peopled in turmoil by those who don’t resemble their descendants today. Instead of fighting for bargains on Black Friday, they stand patiently in breadlines with gaunt faces and hopeless eyes, waiting for food. Instead of blaming...

If the feisty Libertarian, who now leads in Iowa, should win the nomination, all of us who have qualms about 21st century government will be put to a test. With Congress tied in knots and a narrowly divided Supreme Court, we have had a sneak preview of what may be coming—-total loss of faith in a flawed system that has more or less worked for centuries and, in an election between Barack Obama and Ron Paul,...

In recent weeks everyone from bloggers on the net to pundits on the networks have been discussing the issues of partisanship versus unity. Some have argued that it is more important for us to work together and to put partisan topics aside while others argue just as strongly that voters elect people to office to fight for the issues they believe in and thus it is necessary to be partisan. As the title of this...

For me, I’d vote to cause all persons who were polled to also make a youtube video of their phone conversation with the pollster so I can see who they are, where they are, and their tones of voice, and judge for myself how in depth the poll was, whether anything was answered in depth, whether anyone had humor, or a sick baby, or a car broken down, or a mortgage they couldnt pay, or ten classic cars outside...

There are some endorsements that politicians love to have. Then there are endorsements that are neither here nor there. Finally, there are those endorsements a politician can definitely do without. Here is an endorsement for Newt Gingrich that probably falls into the latter category.

I enjoy Disneyland. Disneyland is square footage within a well fortified boundary. Within the boundary is magic; outside the boundary is Southern California. Southern California is less magical. My family and I regularly travel to Southern California for the purpose of abiding within the fortified boundaries, within the magic. There are six in our family so the journey is costly. Multiples of six define...

When scoring athletes look upward and thank God for His help, why don’t opponents ever shake their fists at the sky for being disfavored? Debate over piety displays by Denver’s Tim Tebow and a Barry Bonds conviction for using testosterone enhancers prompt broader questions about the definition of manhood today and its manifestations. We are a long way from the culture’s strong, silent heroes (Joe DiMaggio,...