Getting Away from the Norm: How to Start a Business with Just Your Writing Skills (via BloggingPro) As entrepreneurs launch businesses all over the world, many business owners often wonder why their websites sit like isolated rocks on the expanse of a desert. How is it that some businesses do so well and many don’t? What is it about some blogs –… … [Read more...] about Getting Away from the Norm: How to Start a Business with Just Your Writing Skills (Guest Voice)
Russia on alert after suicide bombings kill 31
Russia on alert after suicide bombings kill 31 (via AFP) At least 14 people were killed Monday when a suicide bomber blew himself up on a packed trolleybus in Volgograd, raising new concerns about security at the Sochi Olympics a day after a deadly attack on the southern Russian city's train station. President… … [Read more...] about Russia on alert after suicide bombings kill 31
The Long Term Unemployed
As Jim pointed out the long term unemployment is higher than it has been since the Great Depression. As I have pointed out before there are simply not enough jobs for everyone who needs them. Long term unemployment benefits puts money in their pockets but really doesn't address the real problem. The longer you are unemployed the less likely it is you will get a job. Matthew … [Read more...] about The Long Term Unemployed
NSA Ops: Worse Than You Thought
Did you know that computers ordered online have been intercepted during shipping to be implanted with espionage software by the NSA? Me either until this and other activities of the Tailored Access Operations (TAO) of NSA was revealed by Der Spiegel, the highly respected German publication with prior ties to Edward Snowden. Snowden has not been named as a source for these … [Read more...] about NSA Ops: Worse Than You Thought
Andrew Sullivan on 2013
Andrew Sullivan sums up his ambivalence about 2013 on The Daily Dish. 2013 was one of the most dreary and depressing I can remember. Politically, it seemed scarred by the Republicans’ ever greater extremism and by the Obama administration’s surprising incompetence. Brutal, dispiriting gridlock and the lame embers of an exhausted culture war set the tone for the rest. It was a … [Read more...] about Andrew Sullivan on 2013
The Best Way to Overcome Holiday Depression
In the dying days of a hard year, those who are feeling low can take heart. Their reaction may be a sign of good mental health. Anyone who isn’t depressed may just not understand what’s happening. The young may be excused for not knowing how much better American life has been and could be again. The despair of the old can be disregarded because they have so little time left … [Read more...] about The Best Way to Overcome Holiday Depression
2013: Not as bad as you think
WASHINGTON -- "Has this been the worst year of your presidency?" It was a heck of a way for President Obama to wrap up 2013. In asking the question at the president's year-end news conference, Julie Pace of The Associated Press captured several things at once: the reality of a genuinely disappointing year for Obama; a mood of skepticism in the media about him; the … [Read more...] about 2013: Not as bad as you think
Barro on Defending Phil Robertson
Conservative columnist Josh Barro comments on what defenders of Phil Robertson are defending on Business Insider. 1.Robertson thinks black Americans were treated just fine in the Jim Crow-era South, and that they were happy there. 2.Robertson thinks the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor because they didn't believe in Jesus. 3.Robertson hates gay people. As a side note, it's … [Read more...] about Barro on Defending Phil Robertson
Conservative Republicans reject New York Times Benghazi findings
The New York Times investigation that found Al Qaeda or a terrorist group was not behind the Benghazi attack is -- as predicted here -- being rejected by Republicans. As I noted in that post: This most likely won’t change the partisan attacks on Fox News, in Congress and most assuredly on conservative weblogs. Our politics now operates on rejecting polls, … [Read more...] about Conservative Republicans reject New York Times Benghazi findings
Baby’s Penis Severed During Jewish Bris Circumcision Ceremony
In the Jewish religion, the person who performs the rite of circumcision is a mohel. And there's an old joke: "I know a mohel who works for tips." This cringe-worthy story could cause a revision in that joke: A local [Pennsylvania] rabbi is being sued after allegedly botching a bris, the traditional Jewish circumcision ritual, and severing a newborn boy’s penis. The … [Read more...] about Baby’s Penis Severed During Jewish Bris Circumcision Ceremony
The Important Employment Number Has Changed
Over at Mother Jones Kevin Drum has a go at explaining why the long term unemployment situation is so bad for everyone. The explanation is cogent and understandable...for those who will pay attention without wearing political blinders. I've been there. Back in the mid-80s the price of oil crashed hard and Tulsa was in a depression. Houses for sale everywhere and jobs … [Read more...] about The Important Employment Number Has Changed
Last-Minute Surge Pushes Obamacare Enrollments to 1.1 Million
A last-minute surge puts Obamacare enrollments over 1.1 million, Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in a blog post ahead of Tuesday night's original deadline. Tavenner wrote, “December enrollment so far is over 7 times that of October and November,” compared to only 27,000 who enrolled in October when the site's launch was a major … [Read more...] about Last-Minute Surge Pushes Obamacare Enrollments to 1.1 Million
New York Times: No Al Qaeda link evidence in Benghazi attack (but will it matter?)
A New York Times investigation has found no link that Al Qaeda of any other terrorist group had a role in the attack on Benghazi -- and that the attack was indeed sparked by fury over an American-made video seen by some as insulting Muslims. Talking Points Memo has the best summary: A months-long investigation by The New York Times "turned up no evidence that Al Qaeda or … [Read more...] about New York Times: No Al Qaeda link evidence in Benghazi attack (but will it matter?)
Why the Tea Party Can’t Govern
Daniel McCarthy provides historical context for the inability of the Tea Party to govern in The American Conservative. Something is seriously wrong with conservatism. Since Ronald Reagan’s last year in office, Republicans have only twice won a majority of votes cast for president—both times with a George Bush atop the ticket. And neither Bush was a conservative. For 25 years, … [Read more...] about Why the Tea Party Can’t Govern
Yes Virginia, We Can Have Both Liberty AND Security
On February 26, 2006, when the war in Iraq had been raging for almost three years, when more than 2,000 of our troops had already been killed and less than a year before George W. Bush announced that he had “committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq,” the following letter appeared in NEWSWEEK: Your comprehensive discussion of the thinking and … [Read more...] about Yes Virginia, We Can Have Both Liberty AND Security
Unemployment benefits expiring: Should special help continue beyond 26 weeks?
Unemployment benefits expiring: Should special help continue beyond 26 weeks? (via The Christian Science Monitor) This weekend, extended unemployment benefits expire for some 1.3 million Americans who are looking for jobs and have already been out of work for more than half a year. It’s typical for these special benefits to expire after recessions. But the question… … [Read more...] about Unemployment benefits expiring: Should special help continue beyond 26 weeks?
Man who oversaw Saddam hanging recalls dictator’s end
Man who oversaw Saddam hanging recalls dictator's end (via AFP) Mowaffak al-Rubaie sits in his office with a statue of Saddam Hussein behind him, the rope used to hang the dictator around its neck, recalling his final minutes. The former national security advisor, who oversaw Saddam's 2006 execution, said he remained… … [Read more...] about Man who oversaw Saddam hanging recalls dictator’s end
The Pope could learn something
The Pope could learn something from Republican Rep. Paul Ryan -- Paul Ryan thinks. … [Read more...] about The Pope could learn something
WILL DUR$T’$ 2013 XMA$ GIFT WI$H LI$T (Guest Voice)
WILL DUR$T'$ 2013 XMA$ GIFT WI$H LI$T Raging Moderate, by Will Durst It's the most wonderful time of the year. And finally over. Thank the maker. Because if The Little Drummer Boy was played within my immediate vicinity one more time, somebody was going to have a bacon-flavored candy cane crammed into an orifice that doesn't naturally accommodate candy canes. Bacon or … [Read more...] about WILL DUR$T’$ 2013 XMA$ GIFT WI$H LI$T (Guest Voice)
Duck Dynasty camouflage (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 Duck Dynasty camouflage (Cartoon)