Afghan girls enjoy new winter jackets they received from U.S. soldiers and Afghan police in the Khoni Kwar area of Afghanistan's Khowst province, Dec. 14, 2012. The U.S. soldiers are assigned to Company A, 3rd Special Troops Battalion. I have a general idea of what most of us did this Christmas. Thought you would like to see what “they” -- our troops far away from home … [Read more...] about This Is What ‘They’ Did for Christmas
Did Mitt want to be President? Or…
I'm with Charles Pierce on this. It's not about want, contrary to what Tagg Romney said about his father in an interview with the Boston Globe. ... "He wanted to be president less than anyone I've met in my life. He had no desire... to run. If he could have found someone else to take his place... he would have been ecstatic to step aside...(Willard) is a very private … [Read more...] about Did Mitt want to be President? Or…
2013 Precap (Guest Voice)
2013 Precap by Peter Funt Should auld acquaintance be forgot? How 'bout the presidential campaign, the 112th Congress and Newsweek magazine? Journalists usually favor year-end recaps of news but as a public service I'm going to focus instead on the glorious months ahead, in this handy precap of 2013: JAN. 1: At a New Year's breakfast with Congressional leaders, President … [Read more...] about 2013 Precap (Guest Voice)
Biggest Solar Power Company in U.S. Could More than Double in Size (Guest Voice)
Biggest Solar Power Company in U.S. Could More than Double in Size (via Clean Technica) With control over 320 megawatts of solar power generating capacity, Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources already calls itself the biggest solar power company in the U.S. (at least for now), and it is about to add a whopping 750 more megawatts in one fell swoop if the … [Read more...] about Biggest Solar Power Company in U.S. Could More than Double in Size (Guest Voice)
India Gang-Rape Victim ‘Extremely Critical’
India gang-rape victim 'extremely critical' (via AFP) Doctors in Singapore battled Thursday to save the life of an Indian student who sustained horrific injuries in a gang-rape, after she was dramatically airlifted from a hospital in New Delhi. As India's prime minister vowed that the 23-year-old's attackers would face swift justice, doctors at Singapore… … [Read more...] about India Gang-Rape Victim ‘Extremely Critical’
Start the Day With a GREAT Lip Sync
GOOD lip syncing is not always easy. And this guy -- TheEverydayGeek on You Tube -- has it down to an art. Literally. Watch him lip sync "Kids" from the musical "Bye Bye Birdie." A+: … [Read more...] about Start the Day With a GREAT Lip Sync
Former US President Bush Senior in Intensive Care
Former US president Bush senior in intensive care (via AFP) After more than a month in hospital battling bronchitis, former US president George H.W. Bush has taken a turn for the worse and is in intensive care with a "stubborn fever," a spokesman said. "He's had a series of setbacks now that have landed him in guarded condition in the intensive care unit,"… … [Read more...] about Former US President Bush Senior in Intensive Care
Supreme Court Nixes Blocking Provision Covering Contraceptives in Health Care Law
The opening salvo in what's likely to be a long legal battle over women's health issues: -- The U.S. Supreme Court declined Wednesday to put a temporary hold on a controversial provision in the new health care law requiring employers to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives. Two businesses challenging the act -- the nationwide chain of 500 Hobby Lobby … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Nixes Blocking Provision Covering Contraceptives in Health Care Law
Could the US Learn from Australia’s Gun-control Laws?
Could the US learn from Australia's gun-control laws? (via The Christian Science Monitor) Almost two weeks after a shooting spree stunned Australia in 1996, leaving 35 people dead at the Port Arthur tourist spot in Tasmania, the government issued sweeping reforms of the country’s gun laws. There hasn’t been a mass shooting since. Now, after the recent … [Read more...] about Could the US Learn from Australia’s Gun-control Laws?
Russian Press ‘Duped’, Ejected, as Bill Halting U.S. Adoptions Goes Ahead (Moskovskij Komsomolets, Russia)
The Russian print media continues to show some impressive independence, as a bill that threatens to halt the adoption of Russian children by Americans winds its way through Russia's legislature. According to reporter Mikhail Zubov of Russia's Moskovskij Komsomolets, Russian journalists were deceived into leaving the room before Federation Council [Senate] talks on the proposed … [Read more...] about Russian Press ‘Duped’, Ejected, as Bill Halting U.S. Adoptions Goes Ahead (Moskovskij Komsomolets, Russia)
Pakistan to Mark Five Years Since Bhutto Murder
Pakistan to mark five years since Bhutto murder (via AFP) Pakistan Thursday marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, with her son expected to launch his political career with a speech in the family's ancestral home town. Bhutto, twice elected prime minister, was killed in a gun and suicide attack after an … [Read more...] about Pakistan to Mark Five Years Since Bhutto Murder
Republican Pollster Luntz: NRA Not Listening to Public
Republican pollster Frank Luntz says the NRA isn't listening to the public. But if the NRA isn't listening to the public and many Republican conservatives (and some Democrats) are listening to the NRA, then guess who also isn't listening to the public? Pollster Frank Luntz, who has studied attitudes about gun control, said on Wednesday that he doesn’t “think the NRA is … [Read more...] about Republican Pollster Luntz: NRA Not Listening to Public
A Cost Savings Everyone Should Endorse (Guest Voice)
A Cost Savings Everyone Should Endorse by Ruth Marcus Washington Post Columnist WASHINGTON -- The cliff talks have disintegrated, victim of the Crazy Caucus also known as the Republican House. But eventually they will resume, and with them discussion of a way to raise billions in tax revenue -- an approach on which House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama … [Read more...] about A Cost Savings Everyone Should Endorse (Guest Voice)
The Best, Worst and Most of 2012
Here's my annual list looking at 2012: Worst Political Primary Performance of the Year: Texas Gov. Rick Perry's run for president. It wasn't just his lackluster performance, forgetting his own program during a debate, or that video suggesting he had either an attack of giddiness or more than a few drinks. Perry never lived up to his advance mainstream and conservative media … [Read more...] about The Best, Worst and Most of 2012
Smart Gun Technology – Expanding The Gun Violence Discussion
Looking at the recent tragedies in New York, the murder of the firefighters, and Newtown, the murder of children and teachers, there is a common thread. That common thread expands beyond mass murder to the gun violence arenas of accidental shootings and criminal use of firearms. The common thread is that the weapons in New York and Connecticut were not legally purchased by … [Read more...] about Smart Gun Technology – Expanding The Gun Violence Discussion
Starbucks CEO: Let’s Come Together America
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is coming out strong for America to come together and pull back from the Fiscal Cliff. Here's his message as posted on his compay's website: There are moments in our lives when we have an opportunity to ignite tremendous positive change—not just in the lives of the customers and communities we serve every day, but in our country. This was … [Read more...] about Starbucks CEO: Let’s Come Together America
The Reality Of Modern Politics, We Go After Each Other
So, a White Plains newspaper, The Journal-News, published the names and addresses of every licensed pistol permit holder in three New York counties. Just unbelievable. It just proves the sanctimonious self righteous attitude of liberals like the publisher and reporters that see the ends justifying the means of their agenda, even if it invades the privacy of citizens. She … [Read more...] about The Reality Of Modern Politics, We Go After Each Other
Guns and Freedom (Works)
It's a little breath-taking to realize that Dick Armey tried to keep control of the tea party's money machine, Freedom Works, by marching into the office with a gun. But that's what happened. Richard K. Armey, the group’s chairman and a former House majority leader, walked into the group’s Capitol Hill offices with his wife, Susan, and an aide holstering a handgun at … [Read more...] about Guns and Freedom (Works)
The Day After Christmas — Let Us Still Remember
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Lyon reunites with his wife and children during a homecoming celebration in Virginia Beach, Va., Dec. 18, 2012. Lyon, a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 83, returned to Naval Air Station Oceana after a six-month deployment to support Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo: U.S. DoD) While I said that “tens of thousands” of our troops in Afghanistan would be … [Read more...] about The Day After Christmas — Let Us Still Remember
Selig Cartwright, Goldman Sachs Washroom Attendant, Explores The Mysterious World Of Quantitative Easing
(The scene opens in the executive washroom of Goldman Sachs. Washroom attendant Selig Cartwright has just finished his morning chores as Mr. B. comes by for his usual 10 a.m. refresher.) You're looking chipper today, Mr. B. I thought all the layoffs on Wall Street would be getting you down. Layoffs? Oh those. They're only in The Street's retail businesses with small … [Read more...] about Selig Cartwright, Goldman Sachs Washroom Attendant, Explores The Mysterious World Of Quantitative Easing