More trouble for New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner. There are reports that his campaign manager, Danny Kedem, has thrown in the towel after a week of blistering revelations of an online sexual relationship with liberal blogger Sydney Elaine Leathers. NY Times: Mr. Kedem, 31, informed Mr. Weiner of his decision in the last 24 hours, the two people said. Mr. Kedem … [Read more...] about Report: Anthony Weiner’s Campaign Manager Danny Kedem Calls It Quits After New Sexting Revelations
New lake at North Pole? More of a pond, really (Guest Voice)
New lake at North Pole? More of a pond, really (via The Christian Science Monitor) A remote Arctic webcam shows a large meltwater pond on July 22. (North Pole Environmental Observatory) The online buzz over a new "lake" on the North Pole as the latest symbol of global warming is mostly hype. Yes, there is a new foot-deep body of water… … [Read more...] about New lake at North Pole? More of a pond, really (Guest Voice)
Political Benefits of a Royal Baby
Political Benefits of a Royal Baby By Dick Polman Back in the early '90s, when I worked in London and wrote frequently about the hi-jinks of the monarchy, I tried in vain to understand why the British clung to such an archaic institution. But with the arrival of The Royal Baby, I finally get it. The House of Windsor gives the British permission to ignore their political and … [Read more...] about Political Benefits of a Royal Baby
The North Pole Is A Lake Right Now — Small Melt Lake At The Top Of The World (VIDEO) (Guest Voice)
The North Pole Is A Lake Right Now — Small Melt Lake At The Top Of The World (VIDEO) (via Planetsave) The North Pole is a lake right now. Yeah, you read that right — there’s a small meltwater lake at the top of the world right now, as these photos from the North Pole Environmental Observatory show us. That’s an interesting thought isn’t it?… … [Read more...] about The North Pole Is A Lake Right Now — Small Melt Lake At The Top Of The World (VIDEO) (Guest Voice)
NASA’s IRIS telescope sends back first images of the sun
NASA's IRIS telescope sends back first images of the sun (via GlobalPost) Enlarge This image by NASA's new ISIS telescope shows the region around two sunspots, giving scientists unprecedented detail of the lowest parts of the sun's atmosphere, known as the interface region. (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/NASA… … [Read more...] about NASA’s IRIS telescope sends back first images of the sun
The Great American-EU Sleaze-Off
Which major economic power, the United States of America or the European Union, has the sleaziest politicians? The field is crowded, the competition intense, and some potential top-sleazers aren't even permitted in the match because their behavior is so utterly despicable it's more suitable for medical intervention than comparative sleaze recognition. Here are my own … [Read more...] about The Great American-EU Sleaze-Off
Middle East Exhaustion: Time to Ease Out
If new bloodshed in Egypt is a wakeup call, could Syria be the last straw? Cairo is aflame again, with scores of protesters killed, bloody fruit of an Arab Spring that keeps yielding more death than democracy. As tolls rise, it is past time to rethink the Bush-Cheney Neocon doctrine of a strong America bestowing freedom on benighted nations across the world. Now the Joint … [Read more...] about Middle East Exhaustion: Time to Ease Out
The Biology of Risk
Recently, I listened to a very interesting interview with world-class Cambridge neuroscientist John Coates, PhD who was discussing his new book. It focuses on the biology of risk taking and how our actions literally transform our body chemistry. It is fascinating stuff that may begin to explain why so many of us at one time or another have said, “Damn, why the heck did I do … [Read more...] about The Biology of Risk
$444 Million New Red Wings Hockey Arena Still a Go in Detroit Despite Bankruptcy Filing
Disgrace in Detroit -- $444 million hockey arena for the Red Wings is still a go in the Motor City despite grappling with the biggest public sector bankruptcy in U.S. history. Of course, a new hockey arena is far more important than preserving pensions plans and health care coverage to city employees and retirees or even investing in schools, right? SMH. Advocates of the arena … [Read more...] about $444 Million New Red Wings Hockey Arena Still a Go in Detroit Despite Bankruptcy Filing
Remembering the ‘Forgotten War’
It has been 60 years since the end of a war that many Americans call "The Forgotten War." While the Korean War may be for many "a conflict fought in a far-off country and so painful that even survivors have tried to erase their memories of it," the North Koreans have not forgotten. "Sixty years after the end of the Korean War, [North Korea] is marking the milestone … [Read more...] about Remembering the ‘Forgotten War’
UPDATED: UK Misogyny On Twitter Met With US Silence, Then Promise
[UPDATED 11.15 pm 1:30 pm Sunday Pacific] UPDATE 2: Arrest made UPDATE 1: Late Saturday on the west coast, Alex Howard reported that Twitter had emailed GigaOm and the BBC, promising it would be “extending the ability to report tweets [to] all of its hundreds of millions of active users around the world.” That ability had been rolled out for Twitter iPhone users … [Read more...] about UPDATED: UK Misogyny On Twitter Met With US Silence, Then Promise
Fiscal Fight Looming Over August Recess (Guest Voice)
Fiscal Fight Looming Over August Recess (via PBS News Hour) By: Terence Burlij and Christina Bellantoni Pressure to reach an agreement on how to fund the U.S. government lingers while Congress prepares to go on a month-long recess next week. Congress is a week away from a month-long summer recess, and appears… … [Read more...] about Fiscal Fight Looming Over August Recess (Guest Voice)
Dozens die in Egypt as clashes erupt at Morsi rally
Dozens die in Egypt as clashes erupt at Morsi rally (via AFP) Dozens of Mohamed Morsi's supporters were shot dead in the Egyptian capital on Saturday as violence erupted after a night of massive rallies for and against the ousted Islamist president. Morsi's camp said more than 100 people were killed. An AFP correspondent… … [Read more...] about Dozens die in Egypt as clashes erupt at Morsi rally
Who Can Save San Diego? (Guest Voice)
Who Can Save San Diego? (via LA Progressive) Stay classy? That may be too much to ask of San Diego these days. “America’s Finest City” is in the middle of another one of its routine, self-destructive crises of local government. This one is an ugly fight over the fate of Mayor Bob Filner.… … [Read more...] about Who Can Save San Diego? (Guest Voice)
Park-Your-Heart Politics: Christie Nails Rand Paul
If nothing else, Chris Christie will be pumping blood into hardened Republican arteries between now and November 2016. Naming Rand Paul among “any number of people” who project a “dangerous strain” of libertarianism on domestic surveillance, the Governor cites families in his state who lost loved ones on 9/11: “These esoteric, intellectual debates--I want them to come to … [Read more...] about Park-Your-Heart Politics: Christie Nails Rand Paul
Even Gaining Seats May Be A Struggle For House Ds
At one point after President Obama's re-election, I thought it possible for the Democrats to gain eight House seats. The President's high approvals, as well as the improving economy and the GOP struggling to find it's place would seem to add fuel to the momentum. But Democrats as of late have been besieged by declining poll numbers for the President, and a series of recruitment … [Read more...] about Even Gaining Seats May Be A Struggle For House Ds
The Korean War, Then and Now.
Foreward: This one, Willwright, is for your wife’s nephew, “a Marine who was wounded and decorated for actions near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea.” The Korean War, which began June 25, 1950, with the North Korean army's invasion of South Korea, officially ended July 27, 1953, a day now recognized as Armistice Day. The President, in a message said in … [Read more...] about The Korean War, Then and Now.
Chris Christie’s On-Target Attack on Libertarianism
Much ink has been spilled since the 2012 elections (or even 2008) about the need for a Republican makeover. Many of those pushing the narrative have anything but Republicans' best interests at heart. Their desire is for perpetual Democratic dominance, not a Republican renewal. But the underlying point is undeniable: the current Republican Party is in a handbasket riding to … [Read more...] about Chris Christie’s On-Target Attack on Libertarianism
Winner of the best Anthony Weiner magazine cover yet
And the winner of the best Anthony Weiner magazine cover yet goes to....The New Yorker. … [Read more...] about Winner of the best Anthony Weiner magazine cover yet
Arctic methane breach an ‘economic time bomb’
Arctic methane breach an 'economic time bomb' (via AFP) Massive leakage of methane from thawing shoreline in the Arctic would devastate the world's climate and economy, a trio of scientists warned on Wednesday. Billions of tonnes of this potent greenhouse gas are locked in the shallow frozen shelf of the… … [Read more...] about Arctic methane breach an ‘economic time bomb’