Today, the United States -- after Britain, France and Israel came to such a conclusion -- also believes “with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin.” While the U.S. is still ascertaining “all the facts,” the question is “what next” if and when we deem that the now-famous … [Read more...] about Syria and the Scourge of Chemical Warfare
Quote of the Day: GOP Embraces “The Crazy” with Conspiracy Theories and Extremism
Our political Quote of the Day comes from The Daily Beast's John Avlon, who warns in a column titled "False Flags, Sharia Law, and Gun Grabs: GOP Lawmakers Embrace The Crazy," that the Republican Party, in its ongoing effort to be a kind of political vacuum cleaner of all votes on the right it can muster, is playing a perilous game with its own future -- and how our democracy … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: GOP Embraces “The Crazy” with Conspiracy Theories and Extremism
“Duck Dynasty” couple will be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner which is now a joke (Guest Voice)
“Duck Dynasty” couple will be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner which is now a joke (via http://stateofglobe.com) The dinner has become a spectacle. It’s a night where Washington gets to play Hollywood, and it’s a reflection of a generation of people in Washington who aren’t serious. They smile into the cameras and bat their eyes. They drink some drinks and judge … [Read more...] about “Duck Dynasty” couple will be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner which is now a joke (Guest Voice)
Bosses arrested over Bangladesh building disaster
Bosses arrested over Bangladesh building disaster (via AFP) Bangladesh Saturday made a series of arrests over the collapse of a factory complex which killed at least 341 as rescuers braved the stench of rotting corpses to detect further signs of life. Twenty-three people were pulled alive Saturday morning from the ruins of the eight-storey Rana Plaza compound… … [Read more...] about Bosses arrested over Bangladesh building disaster
The Boston Bombers and the Theory of Relative Laziness
The Boston Bombers and the Theory of Relative Laziness By Tina Dupuy My working theory—you could call it a philosophy, or a freestanding reason of how the world works—is what I call the Theory of Relative Laziness. It goes like this: Never attribute anything to conspiracy, coordination or planning when laziness could explain it. Call it Occam's Armchair. While perusing … [Read more...] about The Boston Bombers and the Theory of Relative Laziness
Who Was Earl Silverman?
This is who he was: Oh and by the way: Men's rights are human rights. Erin Pizzey (who's in a couple of pictures in that video) and I will be doing another Ask Me Anything session on Reddit today, starting at 11am Eastern. We will be dedicating it to Earl. Anyone interested is welcome to come and read and participate. It won't all be about Earl of course, but it will … [Read more...] about Who Was Earl Silverman?
A Cartoonist Looks at the George W. Bush Presidential Library (Guest Cartoonist)
Two Cartoons on the George W. Bush Presidential Library by Mike Peters The George W. Bush Presidential Library Living Presidents Gather at the George W. Bush Presidential Library Of Related Interest: --With new presidential library, George W. Bush back in public eye --Dana Perino: Bush Library Will Make Americans Even More Proud of Our Country --WATCH: Jon … [Read more...] about A Cartoonist Looks at the George W. Bush Presidential Library (Guest Cartoonist)
Great Entertainers: A Vaudeville Showstopper by Ella Fitzgerald and Jimmy Durante
The late legendary singer Ella Fitzgerald, who was great and sang and performed with the great, would have been 96 and this week Google marked her birthday in its inimitable way. But in 1969 there was one super-magical moment, captured on video tape, when Fitzgerald did a showstopping, vaudeville number with the star of vaudeville, nightclubs, movies, radio and later TV -- … [Read more...] about Great Entertainers: A Vaudeville Showstopper by Ella Fitzgerald and Jimmy Durante
Global Standards for Garment Industry Under Scrutiny After Bangladesh Disaster
Global Standards for Garment Industry Under Scrutiny After Bangladesh Disaster (via PBS News Hour) JEFFREY BROWN: And next to the Bangladesh building disaster. It's now the worst ever for the country's booming clothing industry, with more than 300 killed. Ray Suarez has the story. RAY SUAREZ: Wailing relatives tried to console one another as the death toll from Wednesday's … [Read more...] about Global Standards for Garment Industry Under Scrutiny After Bangladesh Disaster
Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays
Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays (via The Christian Science Monitor) Copyright ImageClick to View Travelers stand in line at Los Angeles International airport Monday. Flight delays piled up as thousands of air traffic controllers were forced to take an unpaid day off because of federal budget cuts.(Damian Dovarganes/AP) Jet fumes. In … [Read more...] about Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays
Because nobody cares about men and boys
Earl Silverman, founder of the only abused men's shelter in all of Canada, has killed himself. After 20 years of fighting for the forgotten, the overlooked, the marginalized, and the sneered at, he closed his shelter due to lack of resources, and today closed out his life, because no one gives a damn about men and boys. The last I spoke to him, he'd just managed to get some … [Read more...] about Because nobody cares about men and boys
Bomb suspects’ mother a person of interest: US lawmakers
Bomb suspects' mother a person of interest: US lawmakers (via AFP) The mother of the two Boston bomb suspects is being treated as a "person of interest" by US authorities seeking to determine whether she radicalized one of her sons, US lawmakers said Friday. Ethnic Chechen brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stand accused of launching the deadly attacks last week… … [Read more...] about Bomb suspects’ mother a person of interest: US lawmakers
Imagine A World Without Balloons
The US House spent the last couple days debating (of all things) helium. One member had a brilliant response http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4445337 … [Read more...] about Imagine A World Without Balloons
Not the Worst and Not the Best U.S. President
An article at the U.S. Air Force web site titled “Leadership not defined by shapes, sizes,” caught my attention this morning. After reading “Short in stature at 5 feet 4 inches, not particularly handsome, a bookworm and not exactly the life of the party,” I became very hopeful that the subject of this essay was going to be yours truly. But when I read something about “his … [Read more...] about Not the Worst and Not the Best U.S. President
How can we fix a country where money and partisanship are in control? (Guest Voice)
How can we fix a country where money and partisanship are in control? (via GlobalPost) Commentary: Term limits for the three branches of government would be a start. Mac Deford OWLS HEAD, Maine â?? Last week was a bad one for the homeland (that's the politically correct term we've been taught to call our country since Sept. 11). And the worst thing was not the Boston Marathon … [Read more...] about How can we fix a country where money and partisanship are in control? (Guest Voice)
Michelle Malkin Links Anti-Tax Crusader Grover Norquist to Mosque Once Attended by Boston Bombing Suspects
More right wing freak out. During an appearance on Fox News Wednesday night, Michelle Malkin alleged that anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist was indirectly linked to the Boston Marathon bombing. “I think of course political correctness has always been the handmaiden of terrorism, on top of that political pandering, and unfortunately neither party has its hands completely free … [Read more...] about Michelle Malkin Links Anti-Tax Crusader Grover Norquist to Mosque Once Attended by Boston Bombing Suspects
Stains on a Legacy
WASHINGTON -- In retrospect, George W. Bush's legacy doesn't look as bad as it did when he left office. It looks worse. I join the nation in congratulating Bush on the opening of his presidential library in Dallas. Like many people, I find it much easier to honor, respect and even like the man -- now that he's no longer in the White House. But anyone tempted to … [Read more...] about Stains on a Legacy
Fiction and Non-Fiction in Manhattan
I have been absent since my computer blew up on April 15. The problem is unresolved, and in synchronicity with the Boston Marathon Bombings, there has been no need to comment: I assure you, every single, solitary thought, conspiracy theory, paranoia, factoid and opinion -- informed and un -- have filled the airwaves and packet exchanges ever SINCE that date, so my absence has … [Read more...] about Fiction and Non-Fiction in Manhattan
A Monster of a movie, a Monster of a performance
My lady did an inventory of all our DVDs and Blu Rays and it turns out that I have a lot. I felt a stupid sense of pride, which followed a haunting realisation about how much those damn things have cost me over the years. The wife reckons we have between £2,000 to £3,000 worth of discs. I fear it’s more. In fact, I know it’s more because she didn’t take into account the films I … [Read more...] about A Monster of a movie, a Monster of a performance
Syria: Chuck Hagel’s First Test?
Our newest Secretary of Defense, a former grunt, a former sergeant who many claimed would not be able to stand up against generals or handle a security crisis, just completed a five-nation “inaugural” tour -- Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates -- where he met with royalty, heads of state, defense ministers and, yes, with many generals, but also … [Read more...] about Syria: Chuck Hagel’s First Test?