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Thoughts on Democrats Winning The House And Republicans Winning The Senate

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The conventional wisdom is that the Democrats have no chance to take control of the House, and the Senate is up for grabs. Is there any chance for a better outcome? Since winning the presidency, Obama acted quickly to prevent the full fledged depression which George Bush’s economic policies were pushing us towards. Since then we have seen record corporate earnings and stock … [Read more...] about Thoughts on Democrats Winning The House And Republicans Winning The Senate

Conservative Publication Claims Obama To Back Warren Over Clinton

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Conservative publications often report on a Bizarro World, fact-free version of the real world. I'm sure readers know about the general outlines of their alternate reality. In conservative publications Barack Obama is a Muslim Socialist born in Kenya, Republicans support limited government, and the generally accepted principles of science and economics do not exist. There are … [Read more...] about Conservative Publication Claims Obama To Back Warren Over Clinton

The Mysteries of ISIL and the ‘American Hand’ (L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon)

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Ironically, the widely held belief that America is manipulating events in the Middle East appears to be making the region's political leaders complacent about the threat posed by ISIS [aka/ISIL]. For Lebanon's L'Orient Le Jour, columnist Scarlett Haddad writes that political authorities in Lebanon, Jordan, and other countries, are so certain that ISIL is a tool of the United … [Read more...] about The Mysteries of ISIL and the ‘American Hand’ (L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon)

Bundestag’s NSA Investigators Blast Music – Just to be Safe! (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany)

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How paranoid are German lawmakers about NSA spying? According to this news item from the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, after news broke that a German intelligence officer was arrested for spying on the Bundestag's NSA Committee of Inquiry, committee chairman Patrick Sensburg took to playng Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor during secret sessions. For the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, … [Read more...] about Bundestag’s NSA Investigators Blast Music – Just to be Safe! (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany)

Missouri Baseball Fans Can Sue Mascot for Negligence

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[icopyright one button toolbar] Although most media attention focuses on the United States Supreme Court's opinions addressing constitutional issues, the vast majority of law that affects people's day-to-day lives is decided by state courts. Accordingly, this post represents the first in a hopefully extensive category of posts examining interesting, important, or just … [Read more...] about Missouri Baseball Fans Can Sue Mascot for Negligence

“Mad Men” Era Swagger Epitomized: Sinatra and Count Basie do “Pennies from Heaven” (VIDEO)

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I've met a lot of young people who are fascinated with the era they see depicted on "Mad Men." No song better epitomizes the era than this swaggering 1960s version of Pennies from Heaven by singing legend Frank Sinatra with jazz legend Count Basie and his Orchestra. The genesis was a "historical" album Sinatra did in 1962 with Basie. The two had long admired each other and … [Read more...] about “Mad Men” Era Swagger Epitomized: Sinatra and Count Basie do “Pennies from Heaven” (VIDEO)

SciFi Weekend: The Leftovers; Under The Dome; Community; Arrow; Better Call Saul

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Two shows based upon novels about a change to a small town premiered, The Leftovers and the second season of Under the Dome. Both have aspects which are bound to be frustrating to viewers who prefer to see hard science fiction. The Leftovers, based on Tom Perotta' novel, is about a town in upstate New York three years after a rapture-like event in which two percent of the … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: The Leftovers; Under The Dome; Community; Arrow; Better Call Saul

Richard Mellon Scaife’s sins live on…

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[icopyright one button toolbar] I doubt there's a truly thoughtful person alive today who mourns the death of one of radical conservatism's supporters -- Richard Mellon Scaife. Focus on that middle name first, because that's the family and the money that made him possible. A radical crank and one of the most vicious political funders, he paid the Republican party to attack … [Read more...] about Richard Mellon Scaife’s sins live on…

Buffer Zones for Hypocrite Justices

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Buffer Zones for Hypocrite Justices By Dick Polman If only the women at abortion clinics could get the same deal that the high court justices have arranged for themselves. As you know, all nine members decreed last week that Massachusetts was wrong to carve out a 35-foot buffer zone to protect women from the abuse routinely heaped upon them by anti-abortion protestors. … [Read more...] about Buffer Zones for Hypocrite Justices

Dutch ‘Zwarte Pieten’: Innocent Tradition or Inadvertent Racism?

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When I was a little kid (“little” being ages 10 through 17), I lived in the Netherlands Antilles and in the Netherlands. That was back in the 50s. I remember Zwarte Piet, or “Black Pete,” well. I remember them (sometimes there were dozens of them) running and clowning around with their burlap sacks -- scaring the daylights out of some little kids, might be a better term … [Read more...] about Dutch ‘Zwarte Pieten’: Innocent Tradition or Inadvertent Racism?

American Teenager Caught Up in Israel Violence

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WTSP.com reports that an American boy, Tampa teenager Tariq Khdeir, a 15-year-old student at the Universal Academy of Florida high school in Tampa, is being detained in Jerusalem following an attack carried out by Israeli defense forces, as claimed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Young Khdeir was attending a demonstration following the death of his 16-year old … [Read more...] about American Teenager Caught Up in Israel Violence

Aided by America and Europe, ISIS Poses Mortal Threat to Iran (De Morgan, Belgium)

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How much of a threat does ISIS pose to Iran - and is that part of the agenda of Washington and its Western allies? In another twist on the theory that the United States has not only fostered ISIS, but is using it as a foreign policy tool to alter the map of the Middle East, columnist Kader Abdolah of Belgium's De Morgen starts with a visceral history of why Shiites hate Sunnis: … [Read more...] about Aided by America and Europe, ISIS Poses Mortal Threat to Iran (De Morgan, Belgium)

A New American Dream?

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I'm a baby boomer at 68.  When I got divorced 18 years ago I downsized buying a very small condo.  It had many advantages including less cost and there was a lot less to clean.  I was still making good money so I was able to salt money away which came in handy when I lost my job because of outsourcing in my late 50s with little hope of getting another job.  A recent survey … [Read more...] about A New American Dream?

Happy Canada Day: “We’re 147 Years Old”

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TMV Editor's Note: While Americans celebrated the 4th of July, three days earlier was an important and cherished holiday to our friends and neighbors up north: Canada Day. Here's TMV Assistant Editor Michael Sticking's homage that ran on his blog The Reaction: Born in 1867... To all my Canadian friends and family, have a safe and happy day. And to everyone else, to all of … [Read more...] about Happy Canada Day: “We’re 147 Years Old”