Beau Willimon (real name) is the writer of Netflix's zowie success, "House of Cards." There's a touch of OCD about Willimon, at least as he's described in the latest New York Times Sunday magazine. "House of Cards" is the fantasy about Bush>Obama Washington in the way that "West Wing" was the feel-good Clinton era series: "'West Wing' arrived in 1999 as a televised … [Read more...] about Howard Dean and Washington politics
See 63 Years of Climate Change In 15 Seconds [NASA Animation] (Guest Voice)
See 63 Years of Climate Change In 15 Seconds [NASA Animation] (via Planetsave) Despite what some in the “mainstream” media assert, there is no “debate about global warming” — not amongst informed scientists, anyways. Scientists knowledgeable about climate change debate only the finer details, such as: how much CO2 increase… … [Read more...] about See 63 Years of Climate Change In 15 Seconds [NASA Animation] (Guest Voice)
Amanda Knox, Italian Justice, and ‘Conviction at All Costs’ (La Stampa, Italy)
In the case of the trial of Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, how trustworthy is the recent reinstatement of their conviction for murder? For Italy's La Stampa, columnist Alessandro Perissinotto writes that Italian prosecutors, goaded by a public weaned on TV crime dramas, are loathe to admit when a lack of evidence requires dismissal. To add insult to … [Read more...] about Amanda Knox, Italian Justice, and ‘Conviction at All Costs’ (La Stampa, Italy)
Dignity in the Workplace (Part 2)
This is the eighth 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 4: DIGNITY IN THE WORKPLACE (Part 2) When the Boss Is a Bully The film 9 to 5 depicted a nasty boss. More recently, Mean Girls showed how "popular" girls … [Read more...] about Dignity in the Workplace (Part 2)
Superbowl Ad Controversy: English Aint the Language of ‘America.’
Especially not 'the king's English' as satirized by using 'ain't in this headline. Coca-Cola put up an ad at the superbowl: 'America the Beautiful' sung in seven different languages, including Keres, which is a language of certain southwestern Pueblo peoples. Online after the tv commercial, came a barrage of 'Twitterish'… 'speak English!' accompanied by various … [Read more...] about Superbowl Ad Controversy: English Aint the Language of ‘America.’
Kerry Thinks it’s Back to Business as Usual? ‘What a Miscalculation!’ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
It appears that the American delegation to the Munich Security Conference had hoped they could entirely avoid the subject of NSA spying while visiting Germany. No such luck. For the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, columnist Thomas Gutschker writes that rather than going away, the gap between the United States and Germany on the issue of spying is expanding, leading to the most … [Read more...] about Kerry Thinks it’s Back to Business as Usual? ‘What a Miscalculation!’ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
There is no truth in the truther: trying to squeeze the zest out of a lemon
There is no truth in the truther: trying to squeeze the zest out of a lemon The view from the Virgin Islands By John F. McCarthy TMV Columnist If you’re from Detroit (and if you are at this point few would admit it) “Monday moanin’” is a tradition that you are not only familiar with – but comfortable with. The Pulitzer-Prize winning newspaper here has a … [Read more...] about There is no truth in the truther: trying to squeeze the zest out of a lemon
Republicans defend using GOP websites set up to look like Democratic ones for fundraising
Our partisan politics gets smellier and smellier than ever -- and partisans and parties defend the smelly practices, issuing statements that even a mosquito knows are flimsy, unconvincing cover-story plausible deniability statements that are...smelly. Partisans fall in line with each smelly lowering of the bar in American politics because it's their political sports team trying … [Read more...] about Republicans defend using GOP websites set up to look like Democratic ones for fundraising
Republicans Divide Over Renewable Energy
Republican dogma for decades has been that man-made global warming is a myth and that an emphasis on renewable energy will damage our economy. It appears, however, that a split is developing within the Grand Old Party and that some Republicans now favor renewable energy over fossil fuels. Barry Goldwater Jr has been in the forefront of conservative Republicans pushing for … [Read more...] about Republicans Divide Over Renewable Energy
Is it time to stop talking about the Holocaust? (Guest Voice)
Is it time to stop talking about the Holocaust? (via GlobalPost) BERLIN, Germany — Midway through the hit film “Fack Ju Gohte,” schoolkids groan when a comic stand-in teacher proposes a class trip. “Please, not another concentration camp!” Cue rimshot. Is it still too soon for that kind of humor? Germany… … [Read more...] about Is it time to stop talking about the Holocaust? (Guest Voice)
We’re losing this drug war
WASHINGTON -- Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is yet another victim of the war on drugs. Prohibition is not working. It is time to try something new. Hoffman, 46, was found dead in the bathroom of his Manhattan apartment Sunday morning, apparently the victim of a heroin overdose. According to widely published reports, there was a syringe in his arm. Police … [Read more...] about We’re losing this drug war
Joan Mondale, “Joan of Art” Passes Away
In her 1972 book, “Politics in Art,” she framed a connection between [art and politics]. “Sometimes we do not realize how important our participation in politics is. Often we need to be reminded of our duty as citizens,” she wrote. “Artists can do just that; they can look at our politicians, our institutions and our problems to help us understand them better.” Brilliant … [Read more...] about Joan Mondale, “Joan of Art” Passes Away
Barack Obama has Been An ‘Absolute Disgrace’ (L’Hebdo, Switzerland)
Perhaps even more than within this country, the Obama presidency has been a profound disappointment to people around the world. For Switzerland's L'Hebdo, columnist Charles Poncet registers his sense of how badly things have gone since Obama took office, punctuating no less than four paragraphs by ending them with the word 'disgrace.' For L'Hebdo, Charles Poncet writes in … [Read more...] about Barack Obama has Been An ‘Absolute Disgrace’ (L’Hebdo, Switzerland)
Tales of Hoffman: The Price of Keeping It Real
The actor who died yesterday gave me an experience I have had only twice on screen—-coming face to face with the reincarnation of a close friend. In the 2005 “Capote,” for which he won an Oscar, he was the title character not only in looks and manner but essence. Four years later, in “Julie and Julia,” Meryl Streep created the same effect as Julia Child. The death of Philip … [Read more...] about Tales of Hoffman: The Price of Keeping It Real
Chemical Weapons Cache Bites the Dust
As the M/V Cape Ray plies the Atlantic en route to the Mediterranean to help eliminate Syria’s vast arsenal of chemical weapons and even as Syria drags its feet in shipping out those weapons, another deadly cache of chemical weapons has bitten the dust in the Libyan desert. When Libya signed the international Chemical Weapons Convention in 2004, the Syrian regime was … [Read more...] about Chemical Weapons Cache Bites the Dust
A Tragedy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
The news that Philip Seymour Hoffman died shocked me more than it had the right to. I don’t claim to be a huge fan of the actor, but news of his death had me shaking my head in disbelief for a good while. Hoffman may not have been a ‘superstar’, but he was the type of actor to routinely steal a film from the headliners – he did this in every film I saw him in. The perfect … [Read more...] about A Tragedy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Is New Republican Robot Paul Ryan in Drag?
GOP white coats are thisclose to getting it right. Previous prototypes like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann blew up after leaving the launching pad, but Cathy McMorris Rodgers is in orbit as their new Matron of the Year, full of empty catch phrases with no content whatsoever but friction-free. Only SNL or the Daily Show would be mean enough to parody a nice farm girl, first … [Read more...] about Is New Republican Robot Paul Ryan in Drag?
Joan Mondale Enters Hospice Care
Sometimes humanity trumps politics and this is such a case. Joan Mondale, wife of former VP Walter Mondale, has entered hospice care. No other details were released. … [Read more...] about Joan Mondale Enters Hospice Care
So here’s why Germany is struggling to ban neo-Nazis (Guest Voice)
So here's why Germany is struggling to ban neo-Nazis (via GlobalPost) BERLIN, Germany — Reeling from revelations that a neo-Nazi cell allegedly robbed banks and murdered immigrants with impunity for more than a decade, the authorities have been at pains to show they’re acting against extremism. Leading the effort… … [Read more...] about So here’s why Germany is struggling to ban neo-Nazis (Guest Voice)
Oscar Winner Philip Seymour Hoffman Dead Of Suspected Drug Overdose
Once in a while there's a talent that is so huge you're in awe of it and figure you'll be able to enjoy and marvel at it your entire life. Such was the talent of Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman whose life has ended too soon at 46. The cause: a drug overdose. He was found with a needle hanging out of his arm. Hoffman was an actor's actor -- someone able to appear totally … [Read more...] about Oscar Winner Philip Seymour Hoffman Dead Of Suspected Drug Overdose