News of the death of Leonard Nimoy dominated the news and blogosphere since Friday. I had previous posts on Friday and Saturday, including tweets from those who worked with him, those at NASA who were inspired by him, and even from President Obama. Obama also issued this longer statement: Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy. Leonard was a lifelong lover … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: Leonard Nimoy, Who Lived Long And Prospered 1931-2015; Parks and Recreation Finale; Sleepy Hollow; Agent Carter; How To Get Away With Murder; Broadchurch; Arrow; 12 Monkeys
Maps to the Stars (Movie Review)
5/5 There is skewering Hollywood and then there is squeezing it by the neck, disemboweling it with a straight razor and gathering ‘round to watch ants engulf the giblets as the host writhes in pain on the Walk of Fame. I’m often quite suspicious of cynicism, but here, screenwriter Bruce Wagner assimilates it so totally that it rises beyond simplistic pessimism and alchemizes … [Read more...] about Maps to the Stars (Movie Review)
Congress and Israel-Iran: Another Veto?
[icopyright one button toolbar] Nerves are already frayed, tempers are already flaring, invectives are already flying over the ill-advised, ill-mannered, ill-natured and ill-timed decision by Boehner & Co. to unilaterally invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress next week without the courtesy of even mentioning it to the … [Read more...] about Congress and Israel-Iran: Another Veto?
Cartoon: Boris Nemtsov Killed in Moscow
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Boris Nemtsov Killed in Moscow
Netanyahu Speech to Congress Sparks Increasing Warnings
[icopyright one button toolbar] Conservative talkers and some in the non-monolithic Jewish community may be applauding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to take up House Speaker John Boehner's offer to in effect give President Barack Obama and the State Department a fingered half a peace sign and speak to Congress anyway, but the decision is also now … [Read more...] about Netanyahu Speech to Congress Sparks Increasing Warnings
Yes Indeed: Venezuela Coup Attempts are Aided by Washington (La Jornada, Mexico)
[box type="shadow"][icopyright one button toolbar] Since Hugo Chavez was first elected president of Venezuela in 1999, the country's leaders have charged the United States with overtly and covertly working to undermine its government, which Washington regards as hostile to its interests. Never mind that according to former President Jimmy Carter, Venezuela has 'the best … [Read more...] about Yes Indeed: Venezuela Coup Attempts are Aided by Washington (La Jornada, Mexico)
Justifiable Fear of a Creeping Police State (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
[icopyright one button toolbar] The recently reported theft by American and British intelligence of SIM card codes for potentially billions of smart phones around the world may be a tipping point in thinking about how much crime a democracy is willing to allow its spies to commit. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung columnist Jasper von Altenbockum writes that 'If even American … [Read more...] about Justifiable Fear of a Creeping Police State (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
Cartoon: Stalin Putin
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Stalin Putin
Olbermann: The Once and Former King
Olbermann: The Once and Former King By Christine Flowers Keith Olbermann should be used to this by now. Two-bit, Class B second tier provocateurs can't be terribly surprised when they're disciplined for the umpteenth time. They thrive on reaction, court controversy and have a masterful way of turning justified castigation into unjustified persecution. Among this motley crew … [Read more...] about Olbermann: The Once and Former King
Ex-Mossad chief: Netanyahu taking ‘intolerable’ risks with Israeli security
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan at a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in 2010. (photo credit: Yossi Zamir/Flash90) Former Mossad spy agency chief Meir Dagan accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday of having caused Israel “heavy strategic damage on the Iranian issue” by antagonizing US leadership, and said the premier had… … [Read more...] about Ex-Mossad chief: Netanyahu taking ‘intolerable’ risks with Israeli security
Guantanamo: Interview with Nancy Hollander
[icopyright one button toolbar] Nancy Hollander is a partner at the law firm of Freedman, Boyd, Hollander, Goldberg, Urias & Ward in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her practice is largely devoted to criminal cases, including those involving national security issues. She has also been counsel in numerous civil cases, forfeitures and administrative hearings, and has argued and … [Read more...] about Guantanamo: Interview with Nancy Hollander
About #theDress
[icopyright one button toolbar] Of course, you've heard of #theDress by now. I initially thought the Tumblr post was trolling. In other words, I thought the controversy was fake. But by late on Thursday night I was convinced it was real, and I shared it on Facebook. Of course, I shared it in an attempt to explain how it could be possible. Perhaps this all-in-fun story … [Read more...] about About #theDress
Inhabitants Of A Class M Planet Say Goodbye To Leonard Nimoy
[icopyright one button toolbar] A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP — Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015 Above is the final tweet posted by Leonard Nimoy, who died yesterday. His twitter feed remains open, retweeting messages of condolence. Among those with tweets in memory of Nimoy were Barack … [Read more...] about Inhabitants Of A Class M Planet Say Goodbye To Leonard Nimoy
Buchanan on GOP Hawks
[icopyright one button toolbar] Paleo-conservative Patrick Buchanan offers an insightful (and sobering) take on his party's foreign policy hawks in The American Conservative. If the sadists of ISIS are seeking—with their mass executions, child rapes, immolations, and beheadings of Christians—to stampede us into a new war in the Middle East, they are succeeding. Repeatedly … [Read more...] about Buchanan on GOP Hawks
Head transplants less than three years away, surgeon says
Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck The first-ever human head transplant operation could take place in less than three years time, according to bold claims made by one prominent Italian surgeon earlier this week. According to CNET, Sergio Canavero, director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group (TANG) in Italy, believes that he had found a way… … [Read more...] about Head transplants less than three years away, surgeon says
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Leonard Nimoy Leaves Us
Leonard Nimoy Leaves Us by Mike Peters Of Related Interest: --To a Star Trek fan like me, Leonard Nimoy meant everything --Leonard Nimoy’s Passion for Photography --Our favorite Leonard Nimoy video clips --George Takei Devastated Over ‘Extraordinary’ Leonard Nimoy’s Death Mike Peters is recognized as one of our nation’s most prominent cartoon artists for his … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Leonard Nimoy Leaves Us
Russian opposition leader and Putin critic Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow
Russian opposition leader Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has been shot dead in Moscow. Nemtsov, 55, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, had been due to take part on Sunday in the first big opposition protest in months in the capital. Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed the death, saying it had opened a criminal … [Read more...] about Russian opposition leader and Putin critic Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow
(Breaking Updates) Republican Groundhog Day, Again and Again and…
[icopyright one button toolbar] Final Update: After hours, a day, a week of shameful posturing and attempting to hold funding for the critical Department of Homeland Security hostage to get their way on immigration, a Republican controlled Congress finally and reluctantly came to its senses -- albeit temporarily. The Washington Post: Congress passed a … [Read more...] about (Breaking Updates) Republican Groundhog Day, Again and Again and…
Let’s Give O’Reilly Some Slack
[icopyright one button toolbar] I was in the thick of it on las Malvinas; I saw the nuns in El Salvador who were shot in the back of the head; I had to dig myself out of a mountain of bricks and rocks that pummeled on me during the Los Angeles riots; I answered the knock on the door at de Mohrenschildt’s daughter’s house just after de Mohrenschildt blew his brains out; I was … [Read more...] about Let’s Give O’Reilly Some Slack
Cartoon: Leonard Nimoy
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Leonard Nimoy