I'm not going to try to persuade you of who is fibbing in this week's skirmish between the establishment (represented by Sen. Diane Feinstein) and the upstart (Edward Snowden). Just two quotes: Asked about those conversations, NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines sent a prepared statement to The Post: “After extensive investigation, including interviews with his former NSA … [Read more...] about Then and now: the NSA on Snowden
Report: Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to (apparently) buy Clippers for $2 billion
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles' Clippers' -- and the NBA's -- nightmare may be over: the paper reports that former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer will buy the team...for big bucks: Former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer won a frenetic bidding war for ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers, with his $2-billion offer setting a record … [Read more...] about Report: Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to (apparently) buy Clippers for $2 billion
Cartoon: Buying a Gun
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: Buying a Gun
In Amazon-Hachette Dispute, Who Really Gets Hurt?
In case you haven't heard about Amazon's latest dispute, the online retailer is taking on Hachette, the world's fourth-largest book publisher. The two companies are currently at odds over pricing, specifically, how much Amazon can charge for Hachette's ebooks. According to CNET, online booksellers such as Amazon will typically charge 30% on top of the publisher's price. Amazon … [Read more...] about In Amazon-Hachette Dispute, Who Really Gets Hurt?
Is There a Pilot in the House?
Nice and true story about what many of us wannabe pilots and would-be heroes often dream about, but only a real, cool pilot could accomplish. Some comparisons between a B-1B Lancer bomber and a 737 commercial aircraft: A B-1B Lancer (U.S. Air Force illustration) The multi-mission heavy bomber B1-B Lancer, originally developed as a nuclear bomber replacement … [Read more...] about Is There a Pilot in the House?
US jobless claims fall to 30,000: lowest trend line in nearly seven years
US jobless claims fall (via AFP) New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits fell last week to 300,000, pulling the trend line to its lowest level in nearly seven years, the Labor Department said Thursday. New claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, fell by 27,000 in the week… … [Read more...] about US jobless claims fall to 30,000: lowest trend line in nearly seven years
Paul Ryan Can’t Understand Why Some People Mistake Him for Anthony Weiner
Republican Congressman and former Mitt Romney Vice Presidential running mate Paul Ryan can't understand it. Why are some people mistaking him for former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, whose (in)famous sexting made Weiner the embodiment of his name? But the real laughs, and groans, came when Ryan told the story of one of the two times he was confused for a scandal-ridden … [Read more...] about Paul Ryan Can’t Understand Why Some People Mistake Him for Anthony Weiner
Mitch McConnell Backs Kentucky State Exchange While Calling For Obamacare Repeal
Now that people are experiencing the advantages of the Affordable Care Act it is becoming harder for Republicans to call for repeal. While people might tell pollsters they dislike Obamacare, they also oppose the consequences of repeal. In Kentucky, people might say they dislike Obamacare, but they certainly do like Kynect, their highly successful insurance exchange. This is … [Read more...] about Mitch McConnell Backs Kentucky State Exchange While Calling For Obamacare Repeal
Why You Still Shouldn’t Drink Diet Soda More
Why You Still Shouldn't Drink Diet Soda More From Our Authors (via Fitbie) Diet and Fitness News May 27, 2014 | By Ravelle Worthington | Leave a Comment Science is confusing: Earlier this year we reported on a study that found that drinking diet soda can actually make you gain weight, and new research in the journal Obesity… … [Read more...] about Why You Still Shouldn’t Drink Diet Soda More
Health Care Billing
At the end of April I visited a cardiologist. It was covered by a Medicare Advantage plan. Note that the base bill was for $524.00 but because it was covered by United Health Care $358.97 was deducted up front. Now if I had not had insurance I would have been billed for the entire $524.00. I see this as a problem. A few years ago when I had no insurance I checked with a … [Read more...] about Health Care Billing
Regressing In Utah
There was a time that the largely Mormon state of Utah made getting an alcoholic drink nearly impossible. I used to make connecting flights at the Salt Lake City airport and had to buy a $5.00 permit to get a drink in an airport bar. At some point they discovered that this policy was harmful to the economy because professionals didn't want to move there so they let up a bit. … [Read more...] about Regressing In Utah
German Officials Face Prosecution for Reading Snowden Coverage (Netzpolitik, Germany)
This news report from Germany's Netzpolitik gives new meaning to the phrase 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.' Even at this late date, and even if the entire world knows about it, German officials and lawmakers who read media coverage of the leaks by Edward Snowden are, according to the German Interior Ministry, liable for prosecution, unless they have security … [Read more...] about German Officials Face Prosecution for Reading Snowden Coverage (Netzpolitik, Germany)
Mitch McConnell, Partisan Hack And Liar
The ACA (Obama Care) has been a great success in Kentucky. So what is Mitch McConnell who is facing a tough general election race to do? He tries to have his cake and eat it too and lie. Well a Kentucky newspaper has called him out. One of the biggest newspapers in Kentucky is taking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to task for taking a bizarre new position … [Read more...] about Mitch McConnell, Partisan Hack And Liar
MAYA ANGELOU: GODMOTHER TO THE WORLD HAS PASSED
Dr. Maya Angelou of the beautiful name and the radiant spirit has passed. I hope for all who love her, and who admired her many works in civil rights, in autobiographies, in speaking out boldly, that we can be today and always in happiness for her life on earth-- for certain she is One of a Kind. Iconic woman, hard scrabble beginnings, raped as a child, mute from the post … [Read more...] about MAYA ANGELOU: GODMOTHER TO THE WORLD HAS PASSED
Why restraint makes us stronger
WASHINGTON -- By laying out a long-term foreign policy vision in a speech at West Point on Wednesday, President Obama challenged his critics, at home and abroad, not to speak in vague terms about American "decline" or "weakness" but to answer the question: Exactly what would you do differently? This is as close as we have gotten to an Obama Doctrine, and here it is: The … [Read more...] about Why restraint makes us stronger
Why UKIP? The Answer Is In History – Not Bigotry
Many people regard Magna Carta as the first Constitutional guarantee of the basic liberties of the English-speaking world. Fewer people know that Magna Carta wasn’t imposed on King John just because he abused his power (which after all has been true of most kings and governments throughout history), but because he had handed away the sovereignty of England to a foreign … [Read more...] about Why UKIP? The Answer Is In History – Not Bigotry
After Memorial Day…
. ~.~ . One of my wife’s favorite songs -- I like it, too -- is Engelbert Humperdinck’s After the Lovin' What does it have to do with Memorial Day, or the day after? Perhaps nothing. It just seems to me that it is after Memorial Day, after the photographs of officials and celebrities laying wreaths, making speeches, remembering and honoring our fallen … [Read more...] about After Memorial Day…
In Which Sarah Palin Is Called Out Again
Sarah Palin, the former half-term Alaska Governor, vice presidential candidate, presidential wannabe, conservative heart throb and coiner of the term "death panels," has never been good at irony. Come to think of it, in the six years since she burst on the national scene, she has repeatedly proven herself to be good at nothing except deception and obfuscation, as well as a … [Read more...] about In Which Sarah Palin Is Called Out Again
Medicaid Expansion Leading To Increased Care For Poor And Increased Revenue For Hospitals
After Medicaid was expanded in Oregon prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act there was an increase in Emergency Room visits from people using their new coverage. This was not surprising and the challenge was to get those with the new coverage both established with primary care physicians and to get the Medicaid patients in the habit of seeing a primary care physician … [Read more...] about Medicaid Expansion Leading To Increased Care For Poor And Increased Revenue For Hospitals
The Imprinting of Elliot Rodger and Us
When the news first hit that 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six students in Santa Barbara, it didn't foreshadow the horrific details yet to come. Six promising young lives knifed and shot dead. Families instantly plunged into grief. Rodger's film industry parents getting his 137-page biographical manifesto and seeing his threatening YouTube videos racing from Los Angeles … [Read more...] about The Imprinting of Elliot Rodger and Us