Israel settlement bid a 'fatal blow' to peace: Ban (via AFP) UN leader Ban Ki-moon warned Sunday that if Israel implemented its latest plan for new settlements it would deal an "almost fatal blow" to any prospects for peace with the Palestinians. Israel's announcement about the 3,000 Jewish settler homes, whose planned location was not revealed, came in … [Read more...] about Israel Settlement Bid a ‘Fatal Blow’ to Peace: Ban
India’s ‘Dancing Bears’ Retire in Animal Rights Victory
India's 'dancing bears' retire in animal rights victory (via AFP) The sight of poorly fed and badly treated bears being forced to dance on the streets of India is a thing of the past as a campaign to wipe out the practice has finally borne fruit, activists say. The tradition of forcing sloth bears to dance for entertainment dates back to the 13th century, when … [Read more...] about India’s ‘Dancing Bears’ Retire in Animal Rights Victory
Real Psychic Predictions 2012: Politics and More: SO HOW DID THEY DO?
DECEMBER 2, 2012: So how did the psychics do? Read the full post with updates. UPDATE: November 3: "Psychic Nikki" is starting to see an Obama win in an extremely close election: As of this past week, Nikki was “feeling stronger about Obama” but added it was going to be “a very tight race, almost too close to call.” “It’s very tight between Mitt Romney and Obama but … [Read more...] about Real Psychic Predictions 2012: Politics and More: SO HOW DID THEY DO?
Grand Canyon Is 70 Million Years Old, 60 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought, Research Finds (Guest Voice)
Grand Canyon Is 70 Million Years Old, 60 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought, Research Finds (via Planetsave) New research has found that the Grand Canyon was largely created around 70 million years ago. This pushes back the accepted date for its formation by more than 60 million years. The new finding was thanks to an analysis of mineral grains found at … [Read more...] about Grand Canyon Is 70 Million Years Old, 60 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought, Research Finds (Guest Voice)
Geithner Says No US Budget Deal Without Tax Hikes
Geithner says no US budget deal without tax hikes (via AFP) Lead White House negotiator Timothy Geithner insisted Sunday there would be no deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" unless Republicans allowed tax rates on the wealthiest Americans to rise. Talks to avoid the dreaded "fiscal cliff" are at a dangerous impasse after President Barack Obama's opening … [Read more...] about Geithner Says No US Budget Deal Without Tax Hikes
Angus T Jones, Filth and Boundless Opportunities (Guest Voice)
Angus T. Jones, Filth and Boundless Opportunities Tyrades! By Danny Tyree In case you missed hearing it from CNN, the Washington Post or umpteen other outlets, another "Two And A Half Men" star is making headlines. Angus T. Jones, age 19, who plays the "Half Man" of the title, savages the CBS sitcom in a video posted by the Forerunner Christian Church on YouTube. Having … [Read more...] about Angus T Jones, Filth and Boundless Opportunities (Guest Voice)
Susan Rice’s ‘Worst Week’ Could Derail Secretary of State Bid
Susan Rice's 'worst week' could derail Secretary of State bid (via The Christian Science Monitor) Should President Obama nominate Susan Rice to be the next Secretary of State – and her loyal boss may have been pushed into doing so by the clatter of Senate Republicans eager to prevent that – Ambassador Rice already will have undergone a blistering … [Read more...] about Susan Rice’s ‘Worst Week’ Could Derail Secretary of State Bid
As the USS Enterprise Is Inactivated, Another Enterprise Will Follow in Her Wake
USS Enterprise (CVN 65). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Scott Pittman) Setting aside for now the question, or the argument, of whether we have not enough or too many bayonets, horses and aircraft carriers, and in keeping with a promise to publish from time to time information that confirms that our military remains the most powerful in the world, … [Read more...] about As the USS Enterprise Is Inactivated, Another Enterprise Will Follow in Her Wake
Home Hospice Saturday
Sometimes it's hard to believe that two years ago Mom was walking a mile a day. That said this was the best day all week. She was eating everything we put in front of her. She was alert and responsive. Life is a sine curve for all of us but towards the end the high points become more important - perhaps not for the individual but we observers. … [Read more...] about Home Hospice Saturday
The Dangers Of Trying To Create An Alternate Reality
It started during the administration of George W. Bush - the idea that Republicans/conservatives could create their own reality. In this alternate reality Mitt Romney was going to win the election and the Republicans were going to regain control of the Senate. That didn't work out too well but as Matt Lewis points out they are still trying. On the fiscal cliff, Republicans … [Read more...] about The Dangers Of Trying To Create An Alternate Reality
Egypt’s Islamists rally for Morsi as rifts widen
Egypt's Islamists rally for Morsi as rifts widen (via AFP) Hundreds of thousands of Islamists rallied on Saturday in support of President Mohamed Morsi's new expanded powers and the drafting of a contested charter, highlighting Egypt's widening polarisation. The demonstration in the heart of Cairo comes a day after crowds thronged to Tahrir Square to … [Read more...] about Egypt’s Islamists rally for Morsi as rifts widen
Harris-Perry: Obama ‘Playing Godfather’ with GOP on Fiscal Cliff (Guest Voice)
Harris-Perry: Obama ‘playing Godfather’ with GOP on fiscal cliff (via Raw Story ) Saturday morning on MSNBC’s “Melissa Harris-Perry,” host Melissa Harris-Perry said that President Barack Obama is “playing Godfather” by making the Republicans an offer “they better not refuse” on the looming issue of the so-called “fiscal cliff.” Author and Tulane University … [Read more...] about Harris-Perry: Obama ‘Playing Godfather’ with GOP on Fiscal Cliff (Guest Voice)
NFL Chiefs player Belcher dead in stadium suicide
NFL Chiefs player Belcher dead in stadium suicide (via AFP) Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot himself at the NFL team's Arrowhead Stadium Saturday after apparently shooting and killing his girlfriend, police said. Kansas City Police Captain David Lindaman told the Kansas City star that the 25-year-old player and his 22-year-old … [Read more...] about NFL Chiefs player Belcher dead in stadium suicide
Republican Agenda (Cartoon)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. 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 Republican Agenda (Cartoon)
“(The deficit is now shrinking.)”
Those aren't typos up there. That's a quote from the excellent, long overdue piece by Michael Grunwald at Time. Recommended by (among others), Greg Sargent, Taegan Goddard and celebrated (I think) in this post at Paul Krugman's blog, Grunwald really nails down what we've all been groaning about for years: the Republican party's "defiance of reality." So now it's out … [Read more...] about “(The deficit is now shrinking.)”
Republican Suckers (Guest Voice)
Republican Suckers by Michael Reagan Republicans had better learn from history -- and from Ronald Reagan's mistake. President Obama and his fellow big-spenders in Congress are promising if they get higher tax rates today they'll make even higher spending cuts tomorrow. It's an old sucker's game. Republicans -- and the rest of the country -- should know it by now, … [Read more...] about Republican Suckers (Guest Voice)
Mexico: Calderon’s Legacy of Blood and Busts (Guest Voice)
Mexico: Calderon’s legacy of blood and busts (via GlobalPost) Despite his military offensive, outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon couldnâ??t destroy the drug cartels. Ioan Grillo MEXICO CITY, Mexico â?? Shortly after President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006, he flew to a military base in his home state of Michoacan to personnally … [Read more...] about Mexico: Calderon’s Legacy of Blood and Busts (Guest Voice)
Obama Faces Tower of Babble at Fiscal Cliff
American disarray is becoming Biblical in the “confusion of tongues” at the fiscal cliff. The builders of the nation’s future seem cursed by inability to find a common language. Boehner’s gang rejects the President’s proposal as “completely unbalanced and unreasonable” while beyond the Wall Street Journal paywall Mitch McConnell rants about tearing up the social safety … [Read more...] about Obama Faces Tower of Babble at Fiscal Cliff
World’s Polar Ice Sheets Are Melting Faster And Faster, Research Confirms (Guest Voice)
World’s Polar Ice Sheets Are Melting Faster And Faster, Research Confirms (via Planetsave) The two most massive ice sheets in the world have been losing ice faster and faster over the past ten years, leaving some uncertainty about how quickly they will melt in the future. And now, new research is providing a more clarity about the state of continental ice … [Read more...] about World’s Polar Ice Sheets Are Melting Faster And Faster, Research Confirms (Guest Voice)
US criticizes Israeli plans to build new settler homes
US criticizes Israeli plans to build new settler homes (via AFP) The United States denounced Israeli plans for new settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank in the wake of a historic UN vote to upgrade Palestine's diplomatic status, calling them a setback to peace. On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a resolution … [Read more...] about US criticizes Israeli plans to build new settler homes