After humiliating and bycotting Narendra Modi, India's powerful leader beloging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the US administration has finally woken up from its Rip Van Winkle sleep after almost a decade. The US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell will meet Narendra Modi on Thursday in Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat, India's western state that has elected Modi … [Read more...] about US ends boycott of India’s Prime Minister-aspirant Narendra Modi
House Votes To Increase Debt Ceiling
The House passed a clean bill increasing the debt ceiling today, showing that the Democrats have learned their lesson to refuse to negotiate with terrorists. The bill extending the debt ceiling until March 2015 passed by a margin of House voted 221-201, with the support of only 28 Republicans. Initially Republicans had hoped to tie their vote to some concessions, such as … [Read more...] about House Votes To Increase Debt Ceiling
Dignity in Education (Part 1)
This is the ninth part of the serialization of All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity (Berrett-Koehler, 2006). The ideas in this book are further developed in my recent novel The Rowan Tree. CHAPTER FIVE: DIGNITY IN EDUCATION (Part 1) I’m afraid of dying before I prove that I’m somebody. –Tyondra Newton, a teenager raised in foster homes One of … [Read more...] about Dignity in Education (Part 1)
Live music in Adelaide’s old cinema hall
One of the fascinating things I find Down Under is the dedicated participation of volunteers in all spheres of life - cultural, educational, economic and social. It is because of the involvement of the volunteers that Capri Theatre, one of the oldest cinema Halls in Adelaide (the capital city of South Australia), has become a rallying point for those passionate about movies, … [Read more...] about Live music in Adelaide’s old cinema hall
François Hollande Is Coming to Dinner – Alone.
Sugar roses and fleur-de-lis, the official flowers of the United States and France. White House chefs made 38 of each for tonight's White House State Dinner. (White House photo) The White House no longer has to guess who is coming to dinner tonight and is probably breathing a big sigh of relief knowing that French President François Hollande is showing up with neither the … [Read more...] about François Hollande Is Coming to Dinner – Alone.
House passes bill raising US debt ceiling until 2015
House passes bill raising US debt ceiling until 2015 (via AFP) The House of Representatives on Tuesday narrowly approved a measure raising the US debt ceiling until March 2015, a move that dials back the threat of an election-year fiscal showdown. The legislation, which passed 221-201, now heads to the Senate where… … [Read more...] about House passes bill raising US debt ceiling until 2015
Sherlock Season 3 In Review
Every week at Liberal Values I have a post entitled SciFi Weekend which extends from science fiction to genre television and other areas of entertainment. Generally it contains briefer news items and comments on a variety of items, but some weeks I deal with a single topic. I had briefly covered the third season of Sherlock as the episodes came out in the U.K. but held of on … [Read more...] about Sherlock Season 3 In Review
Republicans Take Further Right Turn
Just when it seemed as if the Tea Party was losing momentum and the Republican Party was more willing to compromise over issues of national importance, the party has taken a step backwards on immigration. Even though businesses, farmers, and technology companies have been pushing for legislation that would give immigrants legal status, the conservative wing of the party has … [Read more...] about Republicans Take Further Right Turn
Actress Shirley Temple dead at 85
Actress Shirley Temple dead at 85 (via AFP) Shirley Temple Black, the Hollywood child star who melted hearts in Depression-era America with her trademark blond ringlets and dimpled smile, has died at the age of 85, her family said Tuesday. She died of natural causes on Monday night in her California… … [Read more...] about Actress Shirley Temple dead at 85
The out-of-step GOP
WASHINGTON -- The Republican Party was supposed to be getting its act together for the midterm election. Instead, judging from the disarray on immigration reform, things may be getting even messier. I'm referring to House Speaker John Boehner's embarrassing climb-down. After vowing for months that the House would finally take action on immigration, last week he … [Read more...] about The out-of-step GOP
Subway: Eat Fresh Plastic (Guest Voice)
Subway: Eat Fresh Plastic Raging Moderate by Will Durst No matter who you are or where you live or what you drive or whether you thought "The English Patient" or "Anchorman 2" the funnier movie, it is time to take a stand on plastic bread. Here's a hint: most of us are against it. Formaldehyde rinsed coffee beans? Not big fans. Flame retardants in our cupcakes? That's a big … [Read more...] about Subway: Eat Fresh Plastic (Guest Voice)
The Boy Who Would Be Lama
In China "DL" stands for more than "Disabled list": Ambert Alert is nearly 20 yars old on the Panchen Lama The View from the Virgin Islands By John F. McCarthy TMV Columnist Ever wonder why you see those “Free Tibet” bumper stickers on peoples’ cars? We have a few of them here – in St. Croix, the U.S. Virgin Islands – where I live. For Liberals … [Read more...] about The Boy Who Would Be Lama
“Do This Don’t Do That … Can’t You Read The Sign?”
A physician friend of mine passed on some sage comments by Abigail Zuger, MD. My young friend had just finished the last months of his medical training. He had faced down many multiple-choice tests and triumphed over them all. Starting with the S.A.T.s and ending with a series of medical licensing exams, including all the prep courses and practice exams, he probably had … [Read more...] about “Do This Don’t Do That … Can’t You Read The Sign?”
Scientists: Earth’s mass extinction happened fast
Mass extinction happened fast (via AFP) Something wiped out nearly all life on Earth more than 250 million years ago, and whatever unleashed this mass die-off acted much faster than previously thought, scientists said Monday. Based on an analysis of rocks in China, the end-Permian extinction… … [Read more...] about Scientists: Earth’s mass extinction happened fast
The road to paralysis (Guest Voice)
WASHINGTON -- One of my favorite moments during the 2012 Republican presidential contest came when Ron Paul, fresh from his strong showing in Iowa, triumphantly told his supporters: "We're all Austrians now!" I imagined many Americans scratching their heads and wondering: Why do we want to be Austrians? They live in a nice country with stunning mountains and all that, … [Read more...] about The road to paralysis (Guest Voice)
White House Postpones Employer Mandate For Medium Sized Employers (UPDATED)
White House Postpones Employer Mandate For Medium Sized Employers by Ron Chusid Republicans have been trying to blame everything on the Affordable Care Act including long standing health care issues, unemployment, the poor performance of Denver in the Super Bowl, and Justin Beiber's recent antics. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, but to blame Obamacare for any of these … [Read more...] about White House Postpones Employer Mandate For Medium Sized Employers (UPDATED)
Would-Be Suicide Bombers Killed in Training Accident in Iraq
While the sectarian and religious violence, and the bombing, and the killings -- and the suicide bombings -- continue unabated in Iraq and in neighboring countries, what happened on Monday north of Baghdad will probably be viewed by many as an irony, by some with schadenfreude while others may claim that these (would-be) terrorists got their "just deserts" -- and everything … [Read more...] about Would-Be Suicide Bombers Killed in Training Accident in Iraq
Today’s Economy And Downton Abbey
I think most of us could agree that the economy is in transition. As they remind us over at the Wonk Blog this is certainly not the first transition. If you have been watching Downton Abbey you are aware that in post World War One the English economy was undergoing a major transition. The old estates had been mismanaged for centuries and Downton Abbey was no exception. Lord … [Read more...] about Today’s Economy And Downton Abbey
Sochi 2014 (Cartoon)
https://politicalgraffiti.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/sochi-2014/ Copyright 2014 David Donar. All rights reserved. Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Sochi 2014 (Cartoon)
NFL Prospect Comes Out
Andrew Sullivan on the public coming out of NFL draft prospect Michael Sam on The Daily Dish. A “man’s-man game.” What’s interesting to me is how that assessment of football is used to exclude homosexuals! But that’s simply a function of ignorance. That formulation equates homosexuality with femininity, but it’s a much more complicated and diverse phenomenon than that. There … [Read more...] about NFL Prospect Comes Out