It's not nice to bug mother nature -- or it'll bug you. Literally. Just imagine you're out hiking and see an object that looks like an image of a big cat. In reality, it's a yellow jacket nest about the size of an electric dishwasher. Suppose you got too close, or walked up to it? What would happen? Possibly you'd be seriously or stung. If you don't believe it, just … [Read more...] about Extremely angry yellow jackets angrily attack (Videos)
Question for TMV’ers
I am leaving Houston today to take my wife to Disney World to celebrate our 20th anniversary over the weekend. Therefore, I probably won't post anything until early next week. Vacations for me tend to be times of reflection as well as relaxation and fun. So, in addition to telling Mickey hello, I will likely do a bit of thinking about my role here at TMV among a number of other … [Read more...] about Question for TMV’ers
Heritage Becoming Less Crazy?
Dylan Scott reports on a staffing change at the Heritage Foundation that may signal greater moderation on Talking Points Memo. 2013 wasn't exactly been a banner year for the Heritage Foundation, Washington's most well-known and influential conservative think tank. In its first year under former senator and tea party godfather Jim DeMint, there was a growing consensus -- and … [Read more...] about Heritage Becoming Less Crazy?
Christie on two levels
WASHINGTON -- It's rare that you can look at your television screen and see not only what is happening but also what might have been. Chris Christie's inaugural address on Tuesday was at once a masterful summary of the best thinking among Republicans about where their party needs to move and a compendium of proclamations that now carry unfortunate double-meanings. The … [Read more...] about Christie on two levels
Obama’s Push/Pull
Andrew Sullivan describes the cognitive dissonance in West Virginia as people say they hate Obama's policies but love the good they do on The Daily Dish. The state has been drifting red for a while now, but it is still Democratic enough that the governor agreed to the Medicaid expansion in the ACA so many other GOP-led states have turned down. And that’s why it’s so … [Read more...] about Obama’s Push/Pull
Headline order reflects life?
Cuomo Unwelcome (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 Cuomo Unwelcome (Cartoon)
Poll: Dramatic decline in Christie’s favorability as loses Democrats’ support
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's favorables are sinking like an anchor thrown into the Long Island Sound, a new poll finds. The key reason: he's losing the support of Democrats, who started to support him during Hurricane Sandy -- and now his poll numbers have returned to pre-Sandy levels. It's a dramatic decline. The reason: "Bridgegate." Following a second week of … [Read more...] about Poll: Dramatic decline in Christie’s favorability as loses Democrats’ support
Are The Brick and Mortar Retail Stores History?
Now we can all see that the economy is changing and in many cases for good. Charles Hugh Smith posting at Zero Hedge explains that retail shopping malls are an endangered species. We have all seen the many empty store fronts in the malls. Dead Mall Syndrome: The Self-Reinforcing Death Spiral of Retail Retail CRE is highly leveraged and loaded with staggering amounts of … [Read more...] about Are The Brick and Mortar Retail Stores History?
Wikipedia’s ‘Invisible Hand’: More Right-Wing than Left (Le Temps, Switzerland)
Why are so many academics still not sold on Wikipedia? After all, encompassing shared digital property provided for free by a collective, Wikipedia may seem like the realization of left-wing utopian ideal. But Dr. Frederic Kaplan, professor of digital humanities at Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, writes that by advocating decentralized conflict resolution and … [Read more...] about Wikipedia’s ‘Invisible Hand’: More Right-Wing than Left (Le Temps, Switzerland)
Our Military at Sochi – The Games
Our military may be involved in helping the Russians make the Winter Olympics Games at Sochi safe, but they certainly will be participating in them and, hopefully, will be bringing home the gold. For those who are interested in what our military do -- especially in the field of sports -- I’ll be updating this story frequently. Just look for the lead image above (courtesy … [Read more...] about Our Military at Sochi – The Games
Obama’s push for Syria peace is not hopeless, yet
At first glance, the Syrian peace talks seem condemned to failure because of the apparently irreconcilable positions stated heatedly today at Montreux, Switzerland. US Secretary of State John Kerry clashed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov while the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem brushed aside the US-backed Syrian opposition as terrorists. Both Moallem … [Read more...] about Obama’s push for Syria peace is not hopeless, yet
Court To Website: Reveal Commenter’s ID’s
This story comes out of Louisiana. NOLA.com/Times-Picayune has been ordered to reveal the identities of commenters to its site. The case grows out of the prosecution of an individual accused of self dealing with funding following Hurricane Katrina, but the issue with commenters arose out of a case involving five police officers and their conduct in the aftermath of the … [Read more...] about Court To Website: Reveal Commenter’s ID’s
“Knockout game” victim: Well-known New Orleans musician in coma (with videos)
Has the "knock out game" -- a "game" where young males pick someone at random and suddenly knock them out for "fun" -- claimed another victim? And is it soon to claim that victim's life? It certainly sounds that way as "the game" is apparently still being played, something that'll continue for a while until the courts make examples of "players" but sentencing them to the … [Read more...] about “Knockout game” victim: Well-known New Orleans musician in coma (with videos)
Afghanistan: Lest We Forget
We are no longer losing them by the dozen every day We are not even losing them every day They do not make the headlines But we are still losing them Every one, one too many The drip-drip continues In Afghanistan -.- The latest: DOD Identifies Army Casualty 01/22/2014 07:42 AM CST ________________________________________ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. … [Read more...] about Afghanistan: Lest We Forget
The Chris Christie Florida Travel-Log: The weather is fine and expected to get even hotter in New Jersey
The Chris Christie Florida Travel-Log: The weather is fine and expected to get even hotter in New Jersey The view from the Virgin Islands by John. F. McCarthy TMV Columnist Is there a smoking traffic cone in Bridgegate? The taint of a brown burn mark on the bright orange plastic yet? And if there is - will it hurt Chris Christie's chances to be elected President … [Read more...] about The Chris Christie Florida Travel-Log: The weather is fine and expected to get even hotter in New Jersey
Governors Gone Wild: States Vie for Crazy
Mediawise, running a state used to be a boring job. Mostly signing papers and posing at the opening of small town rec centers. But no more. On the heels of the Christie circus comes word that Sen. David Vitter wants to go back and govern Louisiana. Surely you remember Vitter: Since being outed seven years ago as a frequent flier on the DC Madam’s joy circuit, he has been … [Read more...] about Governors Gone Wild: States Vie for Crazy
What Happened To Our Republic ??
For most of us our first introduction to the American Republic comes in grade school when we learn about our founding fathers and the freedoms they fought for. We are told that ours is the great experiment in which great leaders engage in a noble discourse of ideas. Elections are one of the centerpieces of this great freedom, where Lincoln and Douglas eloquently debate the … [Read more...] about What Happened To Our Republic ??
Christie now seen as damaged goods
Among people who have heard of the scandal, the new survey found 58 percent don't believe Christie's claim that he was duped by treacherous aides. And while Americans have learned more about the governor, they don't like what they see. Christie's favorability rating is essentially unchanged from a year ago – dropping from 40 percent to 38 percent – but many who previously had … [Read more...] about Christie now seen as damaged goods
Springtime for Hitler?
Is it springtime for Hitler in the 21st century? From eBooks, to Google Maps, to political polemics, to cafes, one of the biggest mass murderers in world history seems to be on many people's minds. But one thing seems to elude their thoughts: the almost incomprehensible barbarity of one of history's worst mass murders who snuffed out men, women, children and infants -- and … [Read more...] about Springtime for Hitler?