Despite his recent press conference and seeming return to politics as usual, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has just gotten (another) bit of bad news: his former high school chum (who he distanced himself from one Bridgegate broke) who is the former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive who orchestrated the George Washington Bridge lane closures is now … [Read more...] about Bad News for Christie: Wildstein Co-operating with Feds
You choose: severe weather or bioterrorism attack?
Either way, Ezra Klein re-enters our atmosphere with a new website and an article on willful stupidity. Stupidity is old and well known. The article is led by a photo of the Capitol during either what appears to be a terrible great grey storm or, possibly, after a bioterrorism attack on the Congress we would most like to annihilate. The subject is, again, stupidity. We … [Read more...] about You choose: severe weather or bioterrorism attack?
Rand Paul Says Cheney Pushed Iraq War to Benefit Halliburton
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's escalating war of words with former Vice President Dick Cheney, and, in effect, with neocons is continuing. It'll be fascinating to see if the latest episode ends with Paul's political stock plummet or soar. Because now he has all but come out and directly stated that Cheney was interested in getting the U.S. into the Iraq war so his former company … [Read more...] about Rand Paul Says Cheney Pushed Iraq War to Benefit Halliburton
Encouraging gains in renewable energy production – UN
Despite uncertain commitments by governments to confront climate change, there is a sliver of encouraging news. Private and public investments in renewable energy sources like solar and wind, excluding hydro projects, have exceeded $1.5 trillion cumulatively since 2006. They accounted for 8.5 percent of global electricity generation in 2013, up from 7.8 per cent in 2012. A … [Read more...] about Encouraging gains in renewable energy production – UN
Obamacare Effect: US Uninsured Rate Falls to Lowest Level Since 2008
A new Gallup poll released Monday found that the uninsured rate in the U.S. is the lowest level it has been since 2008. Gallup reports the uninsured rate dipped to 15.6% in the first quarter of 2014, a 1.5-percentage-point decline from the fourth quarter of 2013. The uninsured rates for blacks also fell, while the enrollment rate for young people in Obamacare, fell. The … [Read more...] about Obamacare Effect: US Uninsured Rate Falls to Lowest Level Since 2008
Supreme oligarchy
WASHINGTON -- An oligarchy, Webster's dictionary tells us, is "a form of government in which the ruling power belongs to a few persons." It's a shame that the Republican majority on the Supreme Court doesn't know the difference between an oligarchy and a democratic republic. Yes, I said "the Republican majority," violating a nicety based on the pretense that when people … [Read more...] about Supreme oligarchy
(Breaking Update) Flight MH 370: Promising ‘Pings’
UPDATE: The U.S. Navy team operating the towed pinger locator (TPL) onboard the Australian defense vessel Ocean Shield reports having detected pinging signals “consistent with sounds that would come from a black box,” April 6. The U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs: "The TPL heard consecutive pings at one-second intervals. At the time of detection the TPL was at a depth … [Read more...] about (Breaking Update) Flight MH 370: Promising ‘Pings’
Charles Sumner ‘Chuck’ Stone (1924-2014)
Back when we worked together at the Philadelphia Daily News, I usually could hear and smell Chuck Stone before I saw him. The city desk, where I worked, was around the corner from a lobby. An elevator door would open with a ceremonial "ding" and I would hear the "click, click, click" of the cleats on the heels of Chuck's wingtips on the marble floor and the aroma of the … [Read more...] about Charles Sumner ‘Chuck’ Stone (1924-2014)
F Is For Fame
Fame.... Something many people strive for. In many ways this is understandable. Who doesn't like being recognized and known ? Who doesn't want to leave behind a legacy ? Certainly in my own life my little bits of radio work, or my writing on this blog are enhanced when someone recognizes them. But what kind of fame should we strive for ? Many kinds of fame are … [Read more...] about F Is For Fame
RIP Mickey Rooney
Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney has died at the age of 93. According to news reports he had been ill for some time … [Read more...] about RIP Mickey Rooney
R.I.P John Pinette: master comedian and “Seinfeld” actor dies at 50 (UPDATED)
And now we see yet another great comedy talent die young. John Pinette, perhaps best known as the guy who got mugged in the final Seinfeld episode, but known to stand up comedy fans as the overweight comic who did truly classic routines about going to buffets and to a water park, is dead at 50. There's no official cause of death but it's believed heart and liver problems played … [Read more...] about R.I.P John Pinette: master comedian and “Seinfeld” actor dies at 50 (UPDATED)
SciFi Weekend: Hannibal; Arrow; Continuum; Doctor Who; 12 Monkeys; The Wil Wheaton Project; The Americans; The Big Bang Theory Does Star Wars; How I Met Your Mother Ends In The Darkest Timeline
With Futamono, we are about half way through the second season of Hannibal, and some people are beginning to suspect that bad things are happening to people around the title character. We know that he will be exposed by the end of the season, but at the moment he is a sort of Superman who is able to outsmart almost everyone and evade detection. He can even manage to get Abel … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: Hannibal; Arrow; Continuum; Doctor Who; 12 Monkeys; The Wil Wheaton Project; The Americans; The Big Bang Theory Does Star Wars; How I Met Your Mother Ends In The Darkest Timeline
Tina Turner, Mad Max, Al Gore and You (Guest Voice)
Tina Turner, Mad Max, Al Gore and You Raging Moderate by Will Durst According to a new UN report, there's good news and bad news about global warming. The good news- it's worse than we thought. Yeah. That's the good news. The bad news- you don't want to know. Because then there's worse news and ultimately, "holy moley, is that an asteroid the size of a mini-mall crushing my … [Read more...] about Tina Turner, Mad Max, Al Gore and You (Guest Voice)
Supreme Court (Cartoon)
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 Supreme Court (Cartoon)
The Democrats’ Bad 2014 Seniors Moment
The Democratic Party in 2014 is having a bad seniors moment. Once upon a time, seniors were big supporters of the Dems. But started to shift and this year the Democrats could get a sharp senior blow to their political stomach. Seniors are not happy and now could be counted on to be GOP voters: Democrats are facing a senior problem that could get even worse this … [Read more...] about The Democrats’ Bad 2014 Seniors Moment
(Updated) Venezuela’s Maduro Does a Putin Impression
Update: A couple of reactions to Maduro’s “I-am-so-misunderstood” op-ed in the New York Times -- in Times' Letters to the Editor by some influential readers. Some excerpts: … Venezuela is plagued by one of the world’s highest murder rates, rampant corruption related to state assets, a 57 percent inflation rate, a junk rating on the global bond markets and … [Read more...] about (Updated) Venezuela’s Maduro Does a Putin Impression
Putin, Paul Krugman, and our latest President Painter
Actually, those "noted" art critics who say George W. Bush's paintings are good are right. Not all of Bush's work is good, but he does have genuine talent. One of his portraits shows an egotistical, bloated Putin who's also unnaturally pale and looks frightened. There's a lot of truth in that. George W. Bush saw it. Bush was a spoiled, irresponsible, privileged, and … [Read more...] about Putin, Paul Krugman, and our latest President Painter
(Updated) Commander Identifies Fort Hood Shooter, Provides Details
UPDATE: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Fort Hood Wednesday for a memorial service for those killed and wounded in the shooting there last Wednesday, the Austin American-Statesman reports. "The president will be delivering a keynote address Thursday at the LBJ Library in Austin as part of a Civil Rights Summit on the 50th anniversary of the … [Read more...] about (Updated) Commander Identifies Fort Hood Shooter, Provides Details
Is Christie through as serious GOP Presidential contender?
Is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie through as a serious contender? Despite Christie arranging and paying for lawyers to look into the "Bridgegate" scandal that resulted in a report that (surprise!) exonerated him of wrongdoing, he has been hit but a new political blow: the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey has conveened a grand jury to look into the issue. And already some savvy … [Read more...] about Is Christie through as serious GOP Presidential contender?
How Frozen won me over (psstt, it didn’t have to try hard
I unashamedly love Disney. One of the reasons why I love movies so much is because of that mouse's company. For me, Aladdin and The Lion King are so important, so personal that they still conjure amazingly powerful emotions even though I have watched them numerous times. Don't judge me. Disney have a very difficult role to play in today's film landscape - it is clear that … [Read more...] about How Frozen won me over (psstt, it didn’t have to try hard