Global Standards for Garment Industry Under Scrutiny After Bangladesh Disaster (via PBS News Hour) JEFFREY BROWN: And next to the Bangladesh building disaster. It's now the worst ever for the country's booming clothing industry, with more than 300 killed. Ray Suarez has the story. RAY SUAREZ: Wailing relatives tried to console one another as the death toll from Wednesday's … [Read more...] about Global Standards for Garment Industry Under Scrutiny After Bangladesh Disaster
Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays
Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays (via The Christian Science Monitor) Copyright ImageClick to View Travelers stand in line at Los Angeles International airport Monday. Flight delays piled up as thousands of air traffic controllers were forced to take an unpaid day off because of federal budget cuts.(Damian Dovarganes/AP) Jet fumes. In … [Read more...] about Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays
Because nobody cares about men and boys
Earl Silverman, founder of the only abused men's shelter in all of Canada, has killed himself. After 20 years of fighting for the forgotten, the overlooked, the marginalized, and the sneered at, he closed his shelter due to lack of resources, and today closed out his life, because no one gives a damn about men and boys. The last I spoke to him, he'd just managed to get some … [Read more...] about Because nobody cares about men and boys
Bomb suspects’ mother a person of interest: US lawmakers
Bomb suspects' mother a person of interest: US lawmakers (via AFP) The mother of the two Boston bomb suspects is being treated as a "person of interest" by US authorities seeking to determine whether she radicalized one of her sons, US lawmakers said Friday. Ethnic Chechen brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stand accused of launching the deadly attacks last week… … [Read more...] about Bomb suspects’ mother a person of interest: US lawmakers
Imagine A World Without Balloons
The US House spent the last couple days debating (of all things) helium. One member had a brilliant response http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4445337 … [Read more...] about Imagine A World Without Balloons
Not the Worst and Not the Best U.S. President
An article at the U.S. Air Force web site titled “Leadership not defined by shapes, sizes,” caught my attention this morning. After reading “Short in stature at 5 feet 4 inches, not particularly handsome, a bookworm and not exactly the life of the party,” I became very hopeful that the subject of this essay was going to be yours truly. But when I read something about “his … [Read more...] about Not the Worst and Not the Best U.S. President
How can we fix a country where money and partisanship are in control? (Guest Voice)
How can we fix a country where money and partisanship are in control? (via GlobalPost) Commentary: Term limits for the three branches of government would be a start. Mac Deford OWLS HEAD, Maine â?? Last week was a bad one for the homeland (that's the politically correct term we've been taught to call our country since Sept. 11). And the worst thing was not the Boston Marathon … [Read more...] about How can we fix a country where money and partisanship are in control? (Guest Voice)
Michelle Malkin Links Anti-Tax Crusader Grover Norquist to Mosque Once Attended by Boston Bombing Suspects
More right wing freak out. During an appearance on Fox News Wednesday night, Michelle Malkin alleged that anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist was indirectly linked to the Boston Marathon bombing. “I think of course political correctness has always been the handmaiden of terrorism, on top of that political pandering, and unfortunately neither party has its hands completely free … [Read more...] about Michelle Malkin Links Anti-Tax Crusader Grover Norquist to Mosque Once Attended by Boston Bombing Suspects
Stains on a Legacy
WASHINGTON -- In retrospect, George W. Bush's legacy doesn't look as bad as it did when he left office. It looks worse. I join the nation in congratulating Bush on the opening of his presidential library in Dallas. Like many people, I find it much easier to honor, respect and even like the man -- now that he's no longer in the White House. But anyone tempted to … [Read more...] about Stains on a Legacy
Fiction and Non-Fiction in Manhattan
I have been absent since my computer blew up on April 15. The problem is unresolved, and in synchronicity with the Boston Marathon Bombings, there has been no need to comment: I assure you, every single, solitary thought, conspiracy theory, paranoia, factoid and opinion -- informed and un -- have filled the airwaves and packet exchanges ever SINCE that date, so my absence has … [Read more...] about Fiction and Non-Fiction in Manhattan
A Monster of a movie, a Monster of a performance
My lady did an inventory of all our DVDs and Blu Rays and it turns out that I have a lot. I felt a stupid sense of pride, which followed a haunting realisation about how much those damn things have cost me over the years. The wife reckons we have between £2,000 to £3,000 worth of discs. I fear it’s more. In fact, I know it’s more because she didn’t take into account the films I … [Read more...] about A Monster of a movie, a Monster of a performance
Syria: Chuck Hagel’s First Test?
Our newest Secretary of Defense, a former grunt, a former sergeant who many claimed would not be able to stand up against generals or handle a security crisis, just completed a five-nation “inaugural” tour -- Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates -- where he met with royalty, heads of state, defense ministers and, yes, with many generals, but also … [Read more...] about Syria: Chuck Hagel’s First Test?
Hear Alexander Graham’s Voice 128 Year Later: New Technology Makes Unplayable Playable
An old supposedly unplayable wax recording from 1885 is now playable due to modern technology. The voice: telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell. And it was hiding in plain sight: at the Smithsonian Institution. You might want call him "Count Alexander Graham Bell" since he first counts, then rattles off some dollars and sense and then mentions his name> Listen, as you go … [Read more...] about Hear Alexander Graham’s Voice 128 Year Later: New Technology Makes Unplayable Playable
What About Joe? Examining Biden’s Options Post 2016
So what about Joe? Most people think the Vice-President's mind is already made up about seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2016. The belief is that only one woman can stop him, and it's not Hillary. That would be his wife Jill. Many rank and file Democrats, particularly those who encompass the core of chief Democratic constituencies, would rather not have to … [Read more...] about What About Joe? Examining Biden’s Options Post 2016
Boston suspects planned Times Square attack: NY mayor
Boston suspects planned Times Square attack: NY mayor (via AFP) The brothers accused of staging the Boston Marathon bombings planned a new attack in Times Square as they were being hunted by police, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev confessed the plan to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in his hospital bed, Bloomberg… … [Read more...] about Boston suspects planned Times Square attack: NY mayor
Freedom and Healthcare: Are Libertarians In Danger of Becoming Relevant?
You don't have to be a economist to understand why American healthcare has been such a disaster for so long -- and why Obamacare has spectacularly failed to do the one thing that would have solved most of its problems. Because of a near-evil system in which employers are subsidized to pay health insurance premiums that the consumers of healthcare never pay, the health … [Read more...] about Freedom and Healthcare: Are Libertarians In Danger of Becoming Relevant?
(UPDATES) Syrian Chemical Weapons: Enough of a ‘Red Line’ for Obama? What Next?
UPDATE II: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel comments on “The Red Line” during today’s Media Availability with Secretary Hagel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Q: Mr. Secretary, does this cross the red line? SEC. HAGEL: Well, first, I would answer your question this way. We need all the facts. We need all the information. What I've just … [Read more...] about (UPDATES) Syrian Chemical Weapons: Enough of a ‘Red Line’ for Obama? What Next?
Do “Reforms” Ever Hurt The Rich?
I'm a writer. Maybe that's why I have such a clear understanding of how words can be used to affect the way readers and listeners of words think. In the economic realm, over a period of decades, I've watched as some very important words have come to be used systematically, pervasively, and brilliantly to make certain conclusions that benefit the rich seem undeniable, and … [Read more...] about Do “Reforms” Ever Hurt The Rich?
Bush Presidential Library Dedicated
This morning ceremonies were held marking the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library. I know that Bush remains a lighting rod for controversy but it was nice to see that today everyone put politics aside to celebrate this country and the institution of the Presidency. Five Presidents and First Ladies gathered together for the ceremonies, a historic moment … [Read more...] about Bush Presidential Library Dedicated
Hagel: Chemical Weapons Have Been Used in Syria
CNN has this: The United States has evidence that the chemical weapon sarin has been used in Syria on a small scale, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday. But numerous questions remain about the origins of the chemicals and what impact their apparent use could have on the ongoing Syrian civil war and international involvement in it. Sen. John McCain says, "It's … [Read more...] about Hagel: Chemical Weapons Have Been Used in Syria