Saturday night featured The Wedding on Outlander while Doctor Who combined at least two old plot ideas. On the surface, Time Heist is a classic Ocean's Eleven bank robbery, plus throw in a little of The Bourne Identity. It was obvious something big would happen after the Doctor said, "It's just a phone Clara, nothing happens when you answer the phone." Suddenly there were four … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: Doctor Who; Outlander; Extant and You’re The Worst Finales; Pineapple Mystery From How I Met Your Mother Solved; Gillian Jacobs Gets New Show; Supergirl; Suicide Squad; Star Trek
On the Internet There’s No Such Thing as a True Science Denier
On the Internet There's No Such Thing as a True Science Denier By Tina Dupuy Science isn't like religion in that you can't just pick and choose the science you don't concur with. You can't, say, believe in evolution, but not for species you think are gross. Or think gravity is a sound theory but it only pertains to left-handed Oregonians. Or accept atomic theory but only … [Read more...] about On the Internet There’s No Such Thing as a True Science Denier
Packing Your Nose With Pork Strips Stops Nosebleeds: ‘Improbable Research’
Believe it or not, there are legitimate Nobel prizes out there for scientists who make bizarre and seemingly silly — but important — discoveries. They’re called Ig Nobel Prizes, and this year’s winners studied a wide array of fun topics from reindeers to the slippery-ness of banana peels. The Ig Nobel Prizes are also known for… … [Read more...] about Packing Your Nose With Pork Strips Stops Nosebleeds: ‘Improbable Research’
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. and Science Fiction Morality Plays
The morality play is as old as literature itself. One of my favorite Science Fiction authors is L. E. Modesitt, Jr. In his Parafaith Novels he asks the question when is OK to destroy a planet and kill billions of people to save billions of people in the rest of the universe. In his novel Gravity Dreams he asks how much freedom are we willing to give up for social stability. … [Read more...] about L. E. Modesitt, Jr. and Science Fiction Morality Plays
Kansas Supreme Court Keeps Kansas In Play For Control Of Senate
It continues to look like Kansas might have a bearing on which party controls the Senate. As I previously discussed, with the Democratic candidate dropping out of the Kansas Senate race, independent Greg Orman has a real chance of defeating Republican Pat Roberts. Multiple polls have showed Orman defeating Roberts in a head to head race, but Roberts led in a three way race. … [Read more...] about Kansas Supreme Court Keeps Kansas In Play For Control Of Senate
U.S. Military Mission to Fight Ebola: What Does Victory Look Like?
[icopyright one button toolbar] In an August 22 column on the Ebola crisis, we noted that the current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa — “the worst in recorded history” — had claimed 1,350 lives. Less than a month later the World Health Organization reports that the number of people in West Africa who have contracted and died from Ebola has doubled to 2,622. On … [Read more...] about U.S. Military Mission to Fight Ebola: What Does Victory Look Like?
What Will U.S. Forces Do With ISIS Prisoners?
Washington’s ramped up war on the Islamic State looks like an airliner lifting off the runway with mechanics still working on the wings. Among the many unresolved issues in the campaign to “degrade and destroy” ISIS, as it’s generally known, is what to do with prisoners in Iraq or Syria, should American special operators or U.S.-backed… … [Read more...] about What Will U.S. Forces Do With ISIS Prisoners?
Why is a total dunderhead the Speaker of the House?
Why is a total dunderhead the Speaker of the House? Because we're dunderheads, too? Okay, here's what happens when a Boehner meets economist: John Boehner says that unemployed Americans are pretty clearly malingerers, bums on welfare who have decided that they don’t feel like working: “This idea that has been born, maybe out of the economy over the last couple … [Read more...] about Why is a total dunderhead the Speaker of the House?
Cartoons: World cartoonists look at Scotland vote
World cartoonists are weighing in on Scotland's decision to stay in the U.K. Here's a cross section of the many cartoons: \ "Find the Difference" See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license these cartoons and others for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoons: World cartoonists look at Scotland vote
Cartoon: NFL Hits of the Week
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: NFL Hits of the Week
PROOF Right-Wingers Hate EVERYTHING Obama Does: Now Criticizing Plan to Eradicate Ebola! (Guest Voice with Video)
Just how bad is the politicization of everything these days? In their stampede to criticize Obama for daring to exist, the right-wing is now attacking his policy to help handle the Ebola pandemic in West Africa. In response to the pandemic in West Africa, President Obama traveled to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in… … [Read more...] about PROOF Right-Wingers Hate EVERYTHING Obama Does: Now Criticizing Plan to Eradicate Ebola! (Guest Voice with Video)
Russians Must Prepare for Lengthy Stand-Off with the United States (Izvestia, Russia)
Is there a solution to the Ukraine crisis short of all-out war in the heart of Europe? For Russia's Izvestia, Sergei Karaganov, chairman of Russia's Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, lays out the challenges for Moscow as it seeks to navigate difficult sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies, endure long enough to weaken the basis of U.S. power, and overcome … [Read more...] about Russians Must Prepare for Lengthy Stand-Off with the United States (Izvestia, Russia)
Arsenic-Laced Coffee Good for You
by Walter Brasch You’re sitting in your favorite restaurant one balmy September morning. Your waitress brings a pot of coffee and a standard 5-ounce cup. “Would you like cream and sugar with it?” she asks. You drink your coffee black. And hot. You decline her offer. “Would you like arsenic with it?” she asks. Arsenic? You’re baffled. And more than a little … [Read more...] about Arsenic-Laced Coffee Good for You
Isaac Asimov
When I was in high school all so many decades ago I received this huge volume of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. I devoured it like a hungry lion and read it many times. A couple of decades later when I was in my my mid thirties Asimov wrote three sequels and a prequel which proved to be more rewarding than the the original trilogy. I have just finished reading all … [Read more...] about Isaac Asimov
The Military and the NFL Scandal
[icopyright one button toolbar] I am neither a big fan of the National Football League (NFL) nor a big follower of professional football. I watch and follow mostly college football. However, unless one lives under a rock and in Timbuktu, the recent domestic violence incidents in the NFL are bound to have captured everyone’s attention, including this non-NFL fan and the … [Read more...] about The Military and the NFL Scandal
This Week In Pantsuit Politics: Emma Watson Backs Women In Uruguayan Parliament
One need only look at the Oval Office to see that when it comes to politics, we've got a bit of a gender discrepancy. In this weekly roundup, Ravishly.com focuses on powerful political women in the news who are helping to break the proverbial glass ceiling of policy-making around the world. Politicos, move aside. We bring you . . . politicas. For more on female politicians to … [Read more...] about This Week In Pantsuit Politics: Emma Watson Backs Women In Uruguayan Parliament
A wistful ‘no’ in Scotland (UPDATED Dionne column)
WASHINGTON -- Scotland's referendum on independence was decided by voters whose hearts said yes but whose heads said no. This is why the energy of the campaign in one of the most consequential democratic consultations in history was with the "Yes" side. Passion, imagination and hope are always more inspiring than reason, calculation and doubt. This kept the polls close … [Read more...] about A wistful ‘no’ in Scotland (UPDATED Dionne column)
Humoring the Headlines (Guest Voice)
Humoring the Headlines by Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO-- Chairman of the joint Chiefs General Martin Dempsey testified to the Senate on Tuesday, Sept. 16, that he couldn’t rule out dispatching boots on the ground to Iraq if circumstances warranted. President Obama continues to insist that he will never reintroduce boots on the ground there. Technically, the President might … [Read more...] about Humoring the Headlines (Guest Voice)
Surprisingly Civil Benghazi Hearing
Dana Milbank registers surprise at the civility of House Benghazi hearings in The Washington Post. When Trey Gowdy got the job to run the House’s new Benghazi select committee, there was good reason to fear bad things. Gowdy, a former prosecutor, was known for theatrical outbursts in hearings, rank partisanship and a fascination with Benghazi conspiracy theories about … [Read more...] about Surprisingly Civil Benghazi Hearing
Fall TV season brings a new-found commitment to diversity
In 2008, when America's broadcast networks unveiled their new TV schedules, only one show was anchored by a minority — and he was a black cartoon character voiced by a white actor. Six years later, prime time is undergoing a big, multicultural change. When the fall season starts in earnest Monday, it will deliver the most… graphic via shutterstock.com … [Read more...] about Fall TV season brings a new-found commitment to diversity