Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has now said what many Americans have suspected and some historians have at times hinted: his father Robert F. Kennedy had serious doubts about whether President John F. Kennedy was killed by a lone gunman -- and suspected the possible involvement of organized crime. The Daily Mail reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is convinced that a lone gunman … [Read more...] about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Says Evidence Strong JFK Killed By More than Lone Gunman
Reddit Co-founder Aaron Swartz Dies at 26
Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz dies at 26 (via AFP) Aaron Swartz, an Internet genius who helped deliver new Web content to users by co-developing Reddit and RSS before becoming a digital activist, has committed suicide. He was 26. Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for New York's chief medical examiner, told AFP that Swartz had hanged himself and was pronounced… … [Read more...] about Reddit Co-founder Aaron Swartz Dies at 26
How Hot is it Going to Get? A Devastating 9 to 15 Degrees Hotter
How hot is it going to get? A devastating 9 to 15 degrees hotter (via Red Green & Blue) It would be very hard to adjust to a world that is 3 degrees hotter on average than today (despite deniers’ glib assertions that we’ll just deal with it somehow – ask the folks on the Jersey Shore how easy they’re adjusting to having their homes trashed by superstorm Sandy). … [Read more...] about How Hot is it Going to Get? A Devastating 9 to 15 Degrees Hotter
Hagel And The Republicans
In the early 70s the Scoop Jackson Foreign Policy interventionalist wing of the Democrat party was purged from the Democratic Party after the debacle in Vietnam. They found a new home in the Republican Party and became neoconservatives. Over time they took over the military/foreign policy ideology of the Republican Party pushing aside the pragmatic realists. James Joyner … [Read more...] about Hagel And The Republicans
Comic Pat Cooper: Paul Ryan is garbage, Kim Kardashian’s getting fat, today’s comics don’t earn fame
Comic Pat Cooper: Paul Ryan is garbage, Kim Kardashian's getting fat, today's comics don't earn fame (via NJ.com) MORRISTOWN — It's hard to predict in what direction a conversation with comic Pat Cooper will go. The safe bet: all of them. It's been 50 years since Cooper got his big break with an appearance on the "Jackie Gleason Show." In that time, … [Read more...] about Comic Pat Cooper: Paul Ryan is garbage, Kim Kardashian’s getting fat, today’s comics don’t earn fame
Farewell to Aaron Swartz, an Extraordinary Hacker and Activist (Guest Voice)
Farewell to Aaron Swartz, an extraordinary hacker and activist (via EFF) Yesterday Aaron Swartz, a close friend and collaborator of ours, committed suicide. This is a tragic end to a brief and extraordinary life. Aaron did more than almost anyone to make the Internet a thriving ecosystem for open knowledge, and to keep it that way. His contributions were numerous, … [Read more...] about Farewell to Aaron Swartz, an Extraordinary Hacker and Activist (Guest Voice)
Report: Online Activist Aaron Swartz Commits Suicide, Relative Says
Very sad. In 2005 I was on a panel on "eDemocracy: The Role of Blogs and Online Activitists in 2004" at Stanford University. The youngest member was a dynamic, highly eloquent, teen named Aaron Swartz, who became an online activist and a kind of Internet pioneer. Now the news comes that Swartz has committed suicide, at 26: Aaron Swartz, an Internet savant who at a young … [Read more...] about Report: Online Activist Aaron Swartz Commits Suicide, Relative Says
Seinfeld Was Wrong; I Was Interested in This
Despite his prediction at the beginning, I was interested in this interview Jerry Seinfeld gave to The New York Times. I've always found his bits funny, but confession time: I've never watched a single episode of the Seinfeld sitcom. [Read the whole post here.] … [Read more...] about Seinfeld Was Wrong; I Was Interested in This
Meme-Busting: Do 85% of the children who die from gun violence live in the US?
If you haven't seen or heard this yet, just wait -- it's making its way around Facebook. The quick answer is "no." Read on to see how the meme got started. In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and former astronaut Mark Kelly, her husband, spoke out on gun violence. Kelly said, according to the ABC transcript at midnight … [Read more...] about Meme-Busting: Do 85% of the children who die from gun violence live in the US?
“Can You Limit Your Sitting and Sleeping to Just 23-1/2 Hours a Day?”
That's the question Dr. Mike Evans asks at the end of this 9-1/2 minute video which, in a compelling, fun, and content-rich format, gives us all plenty of "food" for thought and may incite us to get off our duffs to walk for a half-hour a day. Watching the video is required for members of the insurance plan to which clergy who wish to get some health discounts. (Good idea, … [Read more...] about “Can You Limit Your Sitting and Sleeping to Just 23-1/2 Hours a Day?”
Since When Is Sanity News? Since When Is News Sane?
“Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” ~ Robert Heinlein What's all this then? I will stipulate that the closest they come to sanity in our Modern World is Sean Hannity, and that connection is only by rhyme. But, in a week that has been astonishingly snarky, I suppose that this qualifies as "news": Gingrey speaks out on the issue of … [Read more...] about Since When Is Sanity News? Since When Is News Sane?
Armed Janitors, Teachers in Wake of US Shooting
Armed janitors, teachers in wake of US shooting (via AFP) A rural Ohio school district which has asked its janitors to carry handguns has become the latest to push for armed staff members in the wake of a horrific school shooting last month. The United States has been embroiled in a debate over gun control and the best way to protect children after an … [Read more...] about Armed Janitors, Teachers in Wake of US Shooting
National Conference of Independents: Grassroots Independents to Converge on NYC Feb. 16 at NYU Skirball Center
For every other of the past 14 years, grassroots leaders of the independent movement who are organizing independents from across America come together to talk to each other, listen to each other, and appreciate the hard work and gutsy-ness of a growing movement of nonpartisan, non-ideological, non-box-ified, outsider political cultural change agents. It's called the National … [Read more...] about National Conference of Independents: Grassroots Independents to Converge on NYC Feb. 16 at NYU Skirball Center
OB-GYN Phil Gingrey U-HVE2B-KIDDING: Says Todd Akin “Partially Right” on Legitimate Rape
F. Fitzgerald said there "are are no second acts in American lives" -- but there apparently are second acts in conservative ideologues who wish to flaunt their studity. An so I submit to you one Rep. Phil Gringley: U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) said that former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) was “partly right” regarding Akin’s remarks — which were proven untrue by doctors — about … [Read more...] about OB-GYN Phil Gingrey U-HVE2B-KIDDING: Says Todd Akin “Partially Right” on Legitimate Rape
Army Veteran to Be Awarded Medal of Honor for Heroism in Afghanistan (Updated)
UPDATE: We learn some more details about the actions for which Sgt. Romesha is being awarded the Medal of Honor from Jennifer Hlad at the Stars and Stripes with contributions by Leo Shane: According to written accounts by military historian Richard S. Lowry, enemy fighters launched an assault against the post, attacking from three sides and coming close to … [Read more...] about Army Veteran to Be Awarded Medal of Honor for Heroism in Afghanistan (Updated)
Downton Abbey Economics
Downton Abbey is a soap opera in period dress featuring an appealing cast of easily recognizable stock characters involved in absurd relationships set against a background of cartoonish social mores. The show is a hoot. I love it. I find the underlying economics of the show's Crawley family especially fascinating. The Crawleys live in their ancestral home, a monstrous … [Read more...] about Downton Abbey Economics
Senator Rockefeller To Retire, Possible GOP Pickup in 2014
West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller has announced that he will not run for re-election in 2014. Although West Virginia has traditionally been a blue state the GOP has been making gains in recent years and this is now seen as a prime target for them in 2014. They already have a strong candidate in Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and assuming she makes it through the … [Read more...] about Senator Rockefeller To Retire, Possible GOP Pickup in 2014
China and Japan One Step Closer to War
China and Japan one step closer to war (via GlobalPost) A longstanding territorial dispute over the resource-rich Senkaku islands prompts China and Japan to step up their air force presence in the region. Robert Johnson, Business Insider After repeatedly flying surveillance aircraft into disputed airspace with Japan, prompting Tokyo to scramble F-15s in… … [Read more...] about China and Japan One Step Closer to War
The Chuck Hagel Smears: Fighting Back with Bagels
Right-wing neoconservatives -- including Bill Kristol, Eliott Abrams, Jennifer Rubin and many others -- are wasting no time in launching a swiftboat-reminiscent campaign to besmirch Hagel's reputation and derail his nomination. One organization is fighting back in an interesting and innovative way. J Street, “the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans,” in an … [Read more...] about The Chuck Hagel Smears: Fighting Back with Bagels
Venezuela’s Future Uncertain Amid Chavez Absence
Venezuela's future uncertain amid Chavez absence (via AFP) Venezuela faced an uncertain future without its ailing President Hugo Chavez on Friday, a day after a giant rally in support of the cancer-striken leader on the day he was to have been sworn in for another term. Thousands of Chavez supporters fervently swore "absolute loyalty" on Thursday to the … [Read more...] about Venezuela’s Future Uncertain Amid Chavez Absence