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
No matter who’s at fault, Christie comes off looking grimy
Evidently, Christie's office couldn't manage to put some distance between the governor and the governor's old "friend" and ally. David Wildstein, who told the press that Christie knew all about those lane closings on the GeoWash bridge, is now the target of Christie's staff. The attack on Wildstein goes all the way back to high school days, sounds desperate. In a … [Read more...] about No matter who’s at fault, Christie comes off looking grimy
Turning Point? Christie faces damage from angry, knowledgeable friend (Guest Voice)
Chris Christie faces the wrath of a scorned friend (via NJ.com) Of all the arrows fired at Gov. Chris Christie over the years, the one that inflicted the deepest wound came not from a rival, but from an ally. David Wildstein, by all accounts, was thrilled to be part of the governor’s inner circle. He was known… … [Read more...] about Turning Point? Christie faces damage from angry, knowledgeable friend (Guest Voice)
Missouri Man Executed While His Appeal Pending in Court: Not the First Time
And now here's a truly shocking story. The debate over capital punishment continues to rage and one of the key points of debate is whether innocent people are executed. But now comes a new twist: cases where people whose cases are still pending are hurriedly put to death -- and the cases reportedly come out of the state of Missouri, the Atlantic reports: It is 2014, not … [Read more...] about Missouri Man Executed While His Appeal Pending in Court: Not the First Time
Loudest Voice in the Room
Check out an excerpt from Gabriel Sherman's biography of Fox News' Roger Ailes--"The Loudest Voice in the Room" on The National Memo. Sherman's picture of Ailes is a lot like other backgrounders on right-wing figures . Ailes was reportedly abused both physically and emotionally by his father. He has spent his professional life paying that abuse forward with a paranoid, bullying … [Read more...] about Loudest Voice in the Room
NFL Super Bowl XLVIII rundown
NFL Super Bowl XLVIII rundown (via Fox Sports) Joel Beall Updated Feb 1, 2014 10:39 PM ET Of New York, Walt Whitman once wrote, “There is no place like it, no place with an atom of its glory, pride, and exultancy. It lays its hand upon a man’s (guts); he grows drunk with ecstasy; he grows… … [Read more...] about NFL Super Bowl XLVIII rundown
The GOP Psyche: An Explainer (Guest Voice)
The GOP Psyche: An Explainer By Tina Dupuy I believe the Republican Party's psychic break happened the moment their "compassionate conservative" economic philosophy melted the world's economy. President George W. Bush, the champion of deregulation, bailed out the banks and then offered: "I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market system." I know when I … [Read more...] about The GOP Psyche: An Explainer (Guest Voice)
Immigration Reform: Cruz, Boehner Vie for Less
After building the most powerful nation on earth by welcoming those around the world who want a better and freer life, a significant number of Americans now want to slam the gates. Sorting out and integrating millions of illegal aliens is no easy matter, too long delayed, but John Boehner and Ted Cruz are taking off the masks that Republicans donned after losing the White … [Read more...] about Immigration Reform: Cruz, Boehner Vie for Less
Christie’s “brand” implodes
The crises swirling around New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are likely to have several legal and political consquences, but there's one consequence now, no matter how he emerges legally: the collapse of his political brand. The montage of newspaper covers above tell the story. When have we seen such a rapid implosion of a brand? To be sure, we've seen the sex scandals … [Read more...] about Christie’s “brand” implodes
A Hair Story, Confrontation and Lessons Learned
When my daughter was fourteen I got a call from her pediatrician that she had been diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma, a very aggressive soft tissue cancer. I was on the way to her basketball game. She was a starter on her women's high school basketball team. I watched her play with tears in my eyes knowing that she didn’t have any idea what was coming; that I might … [Read more...] about A Hair Story, Confrontation and Lessons Learned