I am not as freaked out as others about the lack of a Memorial Day Google Doodle but I do think the critics have a reasonable point. Yes Memorial Day is primarily a holiday in the United States but Google has done doodles for a variety of nation specific doodles and honoring those who have died in service of their country seems a thing most people can get behind. But … [Read more...] about Google Doodle Memorial Day Controversy
The Boom And Bust Of Shale Oil
The fossil fuel industry has been pulling your leg - shale oil is not a panacea. The shale oil boom will become a bust in North Dakota and Texas in less than a decade. And now it appears that the great California shale oil boom is a bust before it even got started. The great imaginary California oil boom: Over before it started, California has been abuzz for the past … [Read more...] about The Boom And Bust Of Shale Oil
The European Union
Is the European Union (EU) unraveling? I lived in Germany for over 3 years and visited several European countries including Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, England and Italy. I got to know the people and they were often very nationalistic and often very prejudiced. After WWII there was a shortage of labor they instituted a guest worker program. I lived in Munich, a … [Read more...] about The European Union
The Demons of Democracy
Here they are again, the demons of democracy making a reappearance and questing for power. For a while, it had seemed as if they were under control, poking their heads out now and then, but hidden for the most part and believed suppressed by the mainstream politicians and the media. Well, they ain’t suppressed and they’ve come back to upset the apple cart and haunt those who … [Read more...] about The Demons of Democracy
The times when race matters
WASHINGTON -- When Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., remarked last week that some of the opposition to President Obama's Affordable Care Act is "maybe he's of the wrong color," he was just saying out loud what many people believe. And no, he wasn't calling Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a "racist." Believing that some of the Republican and tea party opposition to Obama has to … [Read more...] about The times when race matters
The Case for Reparations
Ta-Nehisi Coates makes the case for reparations to African-Americans much as Germany paid the Jews of Israel in The Atlantic. Perhaps no number can fully capture the multi-century plunder of black people in America. Perhaps the number is so large that it can’t be imagined, let alone calculated and dispensed. But I believe that wrestling publicly with these questions matters … [Read more...] about The Case for Reparations
Perspective On The VA Scandal: Face It, We’re Indifferent To Our Well Being
Now that the dust is beginning to settle around the Veterans Administration hospitals scheduling scandal, it is time to put an unwelcome perspective on things. I say unwelcome because this scandal is merely the tip of an immense iceberg -- a profoundly dysfunctional American health care system that thrives on indifference, a reality that virtually no one wants to acknowledge, … [Read more...] about Perspective On The VA Scandal: Face It, We’re Indifferent To Our Well Being
Our truly vile, toxic politics
Our politics is now so vile and toxic. Some people won't give it a rest for a moment in their obsession with attacking others...even parents who may be grieiving or students who may be traumatized by the butchery at Isla Vista. SHAME ON HIM. … [Read more...] about Our truly vile, toxic politics
Binge-watching: How the hungry habit is transforming TV
Binge-watching: How the hungry habit is transforming TV (via NJ.com) "One episode." At 9 p.m., that's the plan. A quick diversion before bed. Six hours later, Erin Fitzgerald-Theriault is still awake to tally the score — it's 3 a.m., and she's consumed 360 minutes of TV. Peeling herself away from the screen, she tries… … [Read more...] about Binge-watching: How the hungry habit is transforming TV
Memorial Day’s calling
WASHINGTON -- Memorial Day is a peculiarly appropriate holiday for our times. Its origins lie in the Civil War, which resulted from the failure of a deeply polarized political system to settle the question of slavery. Reading the history of the period leading up to the war is jarring because its political conflicts bear eerie similarities to our own -- for the sharp … [Read more...] about Memorial Day’s calling
Memorial Day 2014: Some Closing Images
~.~ As yet another Memorial Day weekend draws to a close, and after so many have so eloquently expressed their thoughts on the meaning and history of Memorial Day, perhaps a few images is all that is left to “say” -- after watching and listening to President Obama’s Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery, below. A soldier salutes the grave of a … [Read more...] about Memorial Day 2014: Some Closing Images
The Theft of Decoration Day celebrated To-Day!
My Great Great-Grandpa. He served under Thomas at Chickamauga (Turchin's Brigade). My wife's great grandfather served under Sherman at Vicksburg. For Memorial (originally Decoration) Day. Photo is © Decoration Day was the day that we Union descendants and relatives remembered those who gave their lives in defense of the Union and ended slavery. Congress stole this day … [Read more...] about The Theft of Decoration Day celebrated To-Day!
(Video – Updates) Breaking: President Obama Visits U.S. Troops in Afghanistan
Update II: Just could not resist sharing this photo, referred to by DOD as "the happy hugger." And guess who is being hugged... A U.S. soldier hugs President Barack Obama following his remarks on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 25, 2014. Good for you, Mr. President. We need more moments like these. Update I(The White House): Following an opening … [Read more...] about (Video – Updates) Breaking: President Obama Visits U.S. Troops in Afghanistan
Mad Men Concludes First Half Of Final Season With Personal Victories Coming Out Of Waterloo
The first half of the final season of Mad Men was often disappointing, but this turned around in Waterloo, which was actually a victory to hold us over until the final episodes are shown next year. The manner in which Mad Men has divided up the final season has led to comparisons to Breaking Bad, another AMC show to recently conclude. Prior to Waterloo, the comparison was often … [Read more...] about Mad Men Concludes First Half Of Final Season With Personal Victories Coming Out Of Waterloo
Memorial Day
While it's true that Memorial Day was originally intended to be a day to remember those who died in combat in my lifetime (68 years) it has morphed into a day to remember and memorialize all loved ones who have died. Some have a problem with that - I don't. As I was growing up I remember going to several cemeteries to place flowers on the graves of deceased parents, … [Read more...] about Memorial Day
This Week in Hillary-World: Could the Big Announcement be Upon Us?
This Week in Hillary-World: Could the Big Announcement be Upon Us? by Nikki Gloudeman Each week, we explore Hillary Clinton's universe to provide a round-up of the week's most compelling news, while providing analysis on media commentary, punditry, polling and more. Yes, the election is still a bazillion years away, but when it comes to the story of the potential first … [Read more...] about This Week in Hillary-World: Could the Big Announcement be Upon Us?
A Happy — Reflective — Memorial Day
It's Memorial Day. Be happy-- and remember. … [Read more...] about A Happy — Reflective — Memorial Day
Cartoons on Isla Vista Shootings
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license these cartoons for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoons on Isla Vista Shootings
Mad Men’s Pitch Perfect Bert Cooper Robert Morse Send-off (Videos)
SPOILER ALERT: Don't read any further if you haven't seen last night's mid-7th-season finale of Mad Men. But, trust me, you won't be able to escape the news. Mad Men, AMC's consistently excellent drama about 1960s-1970s era advertising pros and their turbulent lives, gave a send off to one of its key characters -- and actors -- that will likely go down as one of the top … [Read more...] about Mad Men’s Pitch Perfect Bert Cooper Robert Morse Send-off (Videos)
(Update) Memorial Day – Every Day – Take Good Care of Old Glory
Update: Watch President Obama during his surprise Memorial Day visit to our troops in Afghanistan refer to the American flag recovered at the Twin Towers site and now on display at the National September 11 Memorial Museum (discussed below) as “Our flag is still there” in the video below at the 18:21 mark. One of the most solemn, gut-wrenching … [Read more...] about (Update) Memorial Day – Every Day – Take Good Care of Old Glory