Get ready to hear it. Those on the right will say I told you so because no one wants to hear liberals and liberal bias. Those on the left will jump through hoops to try and rationalize or defend it, or turn the topic to Fox News. But the bottom line is that MSNBC is going down by double digits. Sometimes if you lean forward you can fall flat on your face. But before you … [Read more...] about MSNBC Ratings Nosedives Double Digits
Hugh MacLeod fills a Gaping Void (Guest Voice)
Hugh MacLeod fills a Gaping Void by Al Getler With a child on my lap, I have explained the concept of editorial cartoons three times in my life. All three children are now smart, beautiful young women. All three understand that the mind of a person that tells a story in a small box, an editorial cartoonist in a newspaper, is a special mind. With limited space to make a … [Read more...] about Hugh MacLeod fills a Gaping Void (Guest Voice)
Possibly One of the Worst Management Concepts Ever
Over on Slate David Auerbach writes a first hand account of the kind of effects the concept of stack ranking had at Microsoft. He provided a good one paragraph summary of one of its biggest problems here: The stack rank was a zero-sum game—one person could only excel by the amount that others were penalized. And it was applied at every level of the organization. Even if … [Read more...] about Possibly One of the Worst Management Concepts Ever
Joe Biden: ‘No Doubt Syria Used Chemical Weapons’
The BBC: US Vice-President Joe Biden has said there is "no doubt" that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons and that it must be held accountable. The US has said its military is ready to launch strikes should President Barack Obama order an attack, and allies say they too are ready to act. The Syrian government has strongly denied claims it used chemical … [Read more...] about Joe Biden: ‘No Doubt Syria Used Chemical Weapons’
Reynolds Got First Bit Of Northern Exposure To Wallace in ’64
Historic Tidbit: "What's the difference between a pigeon and an Iowa farmer? A pigeon can still make a deposit on a tractor." Mo Udall stumping in Iowa during his 1976 campaign for the Presidency. After securing an international reputation for famously staring down federal marshals at the University of Alabama schoolhouse door in 1963, Governor George Wallace moved quickly … [Read more...] about Reynolds Got First Bit Of Northern Exposure To Wallace in ’64
UN prepares Syria peace talks even as West readies missiles
Even as the sound of war drums against Syria amplifies in Washington, London and Paris, a special task force of top diplomats led by United Nations special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is stepping-up preparations for a peace conference at the UN in Geneva. The UN Security Council convenes on Wednesday in New York to discuss reactions to the use of chemical weapons, while a meeting … [Read more...] about UN prepares Syria peace talks even as West readies missiles
Further self-inflicted wounds on Howard Kurtz
It's extremely sad for those of us who truly liked Howard Kurtz's writing and broadcasts to see the path he is taking -- by design or accident. He is increasingly coming across as a classic "disgruntled" employee, taking potshots at people who freed him up to spend more time with his family (or other websites). First it was Kurtz versus The Daily Beast's Tina Brown. Now he's … [Read more...] about Further self-inflicted wounds on Howard Kurtz
Assad must be punished
WASHINGTON -- History says don't do it. Most Americans say don't do it. But President Obama has to punish Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's homicidal regime with a military strike -- and hope that history and the people are wrong. If it is true that the regime killed hundreds of civilians with nerve gas in a Damascus suburb last week -- and U.S. officials say there is … [Read more...] about Assad must be punished
Barack Obama’s Budding Syrian Disaster
To date the biggest foreign policy success of Barack Obama has been keeping us out of another war we didn't need to fight. If John McCain or Mitt Romney had been elected president, we certainly would have been at war with Iran by now. But Obama, to his credit, hasn't been pulled into the "Big Stick" conservative think tank macho miasma — until now. A headline in today's … [Read more...] about Barack Obama’s Budding Syrian Disaster
Pat Robertson: Gay People Deliberately Spreading HIV/AIDS by Cutting People With Special Rings
Right wing evangelical lunatic Pat Robertson told "700 Club" co-host Terry Meeuwsen that gay people deliberately spread AIDS/HIV in cities like San Francisco by cutting people with special rings while shaking hands. "You know what they do in San Francisco, some in the gay community there they want to get people so if they got the stuff they’ll have a ring, you shake hands, … [Read more...] about Pat Robertson: Gay People Deliberately Spreading HIV/AIDS by Cutting People With Special Rings
Nightmare (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction without licensing is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Nightmare (Cartoon)
Olaf Sings Beware The Winds Of War
"i sing of Olaf glad and big whose warmest heart recoiled at war" e.e. cummings My first experience with reading the works of e.e. cummings came in high school and was re-energized in an American Poetry class at the University of Wisconsin. Admittedly, the initial attraction to this particular poem, in my teens, had to do with the foul … [Read more...] about Olaf Sings Beware The Winds Of War
Syria: Both Sides Now
Much ink and countless computer pixels are being devoted to Syria’s, we believe, gassing of its own citizens and what the response of the United States should be. We all have an opinion, but each of us would do well to be cognizant of the other side. My own opinion will be presented later in a separate piece. But for now an interesting point/counterpoint has been written by … [Read more...] about Syria: Both Sides Now
Hagel: U.S. Continues to Work With Other Nations on Syria
From American Forces Press Service, by Cheryl Pellerin While traveling in Southeast Asia today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone with British Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond and French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian about chemical attacks that have killed innocent civilians in Syria. In a summary of the conversations, Pentagon Press Secretary George … [Read more...] about Hagel: U.S. Continues to Work With Other Nations on Syria
The conservative political entertainment complex at work: The Impeachment Store
Yours truly and others have long noted that there's big bucks indeed in promoting political and ideological partisanship: $$$ from talk shows, $$$ from mega-partisan or meg-ideological websites or super blogs, and $$$ from a whole book industry. So why not an impeachment store? Yes, there is now one for those who utterly detest Barack Obama and as noted HERE are trying to find … [Read more...] about The conservative political entertainment complex at work: The Impeachment Store
US forces ‘ready to go’ on Syria if ordered: Hagel
US forces 'ready to go' on Syria if ordered: Hagel (via AFP) US forces are "ready to go" if called on to strike the Syrian regime, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the BBC Tuesday, saying evidence pointed to its use of chemical weapons. The comments by Hagel, on a tour of Southeast Asia, will add to mounting… … [Read more...] about US forces ‘ready to go’ on Syria if ordered: Hagel
Ocean Acidification Just Might Complicate the Climate As Well
Recent research shows that ocean warming just might be even worse than previously thought because it has gone deeper than previously believed but another way in which climate change has been affecting the oceans is by altering their chemistry. Having just read another article about this acidification last week and having taken a chem class or two I was wondering how that might … [Read more...] about Ocean Acidification Just Might Complicate the Climate As Well
Bad to Worse to What in Syria and Egypt?
Every new headline from Egypt and Syria affirms chaos in the Middle East and American helplessness to do anything about it. Impotence is a bad basis for foreign policy, but self-delusion would be worse, as we presumably learned in Iraq but seem to have forgotten. John McCain rants about a “loss of credibility” in not responding faster to the latest crises, but the President … [Read more...] about Bad to Worse to What in Syria and Egypt?
Syria: Part 1: Ten Points Compared to Washington State, USA
FORMAL NAME 1. Like the United States of America being that nation's actual name, [not America, and not the United States--] Syria's formal name is Syrian Arab Republic LAND AREA 2. Syria is equal in land area to the size of the State of Washington in the United States. --Generally Syria is about 1/70th the size of the overall land mass of the entire … [Read more...] about Syria: Part 1: Ten Points Compared to Washington State, USA
C.I.A Acknowledges Area 51 Exists — Is It What We Think? (Guest Voice)
C.I.A Acknowledges Area 51 Exists — Is It What We Think? by Courtney Gordner For all of you alien enthusiasts out there, the Central Intelligence Agency has great news — Area 51 is a real government base. Area 51, which has long been the fodder of conspiracy theorists, has generally been thought of as a top secret base where the government has kept evidence of aliens. … [Read more...] about C.I.A Acknowledges Area 51 Exists — Is It What We Think? (Guest Voice)