The nurse who took the prank call about Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, was found dead of a suspected suicide. Jacintha Saldanha is believed to have committed suicide after she took a prank call from two Australian DJs asking about the pregnant Duchess days ago. The King Edward VII Hospital described her as an "excellent nurse" who was "well respected and popular" with … [Read more...] about Jacintha Saldanha, Nurse Who Took Prank Call About Kate Middleton, Found Dead in Suspected Suicide
Confused Loser?
That's what Greg Sargent's assessment of Boehner's press conference today says about the Speaker. Or lower-case speaker, the guy sounds so defeated. "He resembled nothing so much as a football coach nervously eying the clock with time running out — with his team losing and no new set of plays to run." Boehner said Obama has an obligation to offer a plan that can pass … [Read more...] about Confused Loser?
To Spite Your Face (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 To Spite Your Face (Cartoon)
Swedish Probe into Holocaust Victims’ Ashes Painting
Swedish probe into Holocaust victims' ashes painting (via AFP) Swedish police on Friday said they had launched an investigation into an artist who says he used paint mixed from the ashes of Holocaust victims in a watercolour. Carl Michael von Hausswolff claims he used ashes he took from a crematorium at the Majdanek concentration camp in 1989, mixing them … [Read more...] about Swedish Probe into Holocaust Victims’ Ashes Painting
US jobless Rate Falls to 7.7% in November
US jobless rate falls to 7.7% in November (via AFP) The US unemployment rate fell in November to a nearly four-year low and job growth picked up, showing only modest improvement in the economy, government data released Friday showed. The jobless rate dropped to 7.7 percent, its lowest level since December 2008, from 7.9 percent in October, the Labor… … [Read more...] about US jobless Rate Falls to 7.7% in November
Manufacturing Female Victimhood, Marginalizing Vulnerable Men
Female Rapists, versus, the Helpless Female and the Demonic Male: One of the more taboo areas in modern culture. My radio co-host Typhon Blue wrote a classic essay on the subject earlier this year, and I have received her permission to reprint it here. I do so with pride.--DE Toxic victim-consciousness is the process by which women are made into class “acted upon” by … [Read more...] about Manufacturing Female Victimhood, Marginalizing Vulnerable Men
The Home Front After Pearl Harbor
Fantastic pictures, accompanied by a short essay on the immediate aftermath of the December 7, 1941 attack by the forces of Imperial Japan on US military installations at Pearl Harbor, can be found here on life.time.com. Worth the short time required to read the essay and go through the slide show composed of many pictures that never were used in Life magazine, the eminent … [Read more...] about The Home Front After Pearl Harbor
US Unemployment Rate Fell to 7.7% for November, 146,000 Jobs Added
The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent in November and the economy added 146,000 new jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. The unemployment rate for whites is 6.8 percent; Hispanics 10.0 percent; Asians 6.4 percent and blacks, 13.2 percent, declining over the month. This comes as a Gallup poll found small business owners' hiring intentions plunge. This was … [Read more...] about US Unemployment Rate Fell to 7.7% for November, 146,000 Jobs Added
America: A Nation of Have-Starbucks’ and Have-Nots? (Updated)
At another blog where this piece appeared, a reader defended Starbucks’ success and employment record saying, “perhaps we need more successful companies like Starbucks to help reduce poverty in this country by creating jobs and helping people to better themselves through education,” and that “there are better examples of greed and excess in this country than the new Starbucks … [Read more...] about America: A Nation of Have-Starbucks’ and Have-Nots? (Updated)
Dave Brubeck (Guest Cartoonist)
Dave Brubeck by Mike Peters Of Related Interest: Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist and composer, dies one day before 92nd birthday The sacred ran through jazz legend Dave Brubeck’s music Dave Brubeck: Beyond 'Take Five Dave Brubeck: More Than A Musician Mike Peters is recognized as one of our nation's most prominent cartoon artists for his outstanding work as both a … [Read more...] about Dave Brubeck (Guest Cartoonist)
Why Did Sen. Jim DeMint Quit the Senate? (Guest Voice)
Why did Sen. Jim DeMint quit the Senate? (+video) (via The Christian Science Monitor) Jim DeMint, one of the tea party’s founding fathers and leading intellectual lights, is leaving the US Senate for the presidency of the Heritage Foundation think tank – a move that some say may give him a greater clout as an arch-conservative voice uninhibited by party … [Read more...] about Why Did Sen. Jim DeMint Quit the Senate? (Guest Voice)
Mitch McConnell Makes Congressional History: He Filibusters Himself (No Joke)
Senate Minority Leader today took the phrase "self-defeating" to a new height. Or low. Literally. He felt he would embarrass the Democrats by putting them on the spot by demanding a vote -- but then Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose career was built on opponents underestimating him, decided to call his bluff and give the vote. So McConnell filibustered … [Read more...] about Mitch McConnell Makes Congressional History: He Filibusters Himself (No Joke)
McConnell’s End: Beauty and the Senate Beast
If Ashley Judd unseats the Senate Minority leader in 2014, could Ugly Americans sue for prejudice? Not if handsome is as handsome does. Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr., on government payrolls all his life, is now the tenth richest Senate member, with a reported fortune somewhere between $9,839,049 and $44,587,000 in 2010. In four years he has transformed the Upper House … [Read more...] about McConnell’s End: Beauty and the Senate Beast
Greek schools ‘fertile ground for neo-Nazis’
Greek schools 'fertile ground for neo-Nazis' (via AFP) Schools in crisis-hit Greece are proving fertile ground for Golden Dawn, the neo-Nazi group suspected of orchestrating attacks on migrants whose popularity is on the rise, anti-racism activists warn. Once a secretive group on the fringe of Greek politics, Golden Dawn picked up over 400,000 votes in… … [Read more...] about Greek schools ‘fertile ground for neo-Nazis’
Things To Come: France Will Soon Disappear
A study that tracked thousands of Frenchmen, aged 18 to 70, between 1989 and 2005, found that the average sperm count among this group of guys fell more than 32 percent in this period. This is still above the infertility level, but the trend is clear. France as we know it will soon empty out. The large unoccupied area this will leave between Germany and Spain is then likely … [Read more...] about Things To Come: France Will Soon Disappear
Conservative DeMint leaving US Senate to Run Heritage
Conservative DeMint leaving US Senate to run Heritage (via AFP) Diehard conservative US Senator Jim DeMint, a favorite of the Tea Party movement advocating small government and lower taxes, said Thursday he will retire in January to head the Heritage Foundation. "It's been an honor to serve the people of South Carolina in the United States Senate for the past … [Read more...] about Conservative DeMint leaving US Senate to Run Heritage
The Conservative Learning Curve
WASHINGTON -- Over the long run, the most important impact of an election is not on the winning party but on the loser. Winners feel confirmed in staying the course they're on. Losing parties -- or, at least, the ones intent on winning again someday -- are moved to figure out what they did wrong and how they must change. After losing throughout the 1930s and '40s, … [Read more...] about The Conservative Learning Curve
Celebrations as Pot Becomes Legal in Washington State
As someone who does not use marijuana (I've tried it, I seriously don't like it, stopped playing with it years ago, it makes me depressed and paranoid) I was thrilled recently when multiple states injected sanity into their marijuana laws, some at least legalizing it for medicinal use and some legalizing recreational use outright. There were celebrations as this new law went … [Read more...] about Celebrations as Pot Becomes Legal in Washington State
Poll Gives Obama Edge in Poll Over Republicans on ‘Good Faith’ Bargaining Efforts Amid Shifting Political Dynamics
A new poll again underscores the fact that in political terms President Barack Obama is probably at his political peak as he plays what Dean Esmay calls a high-stakes game of "chicken" with GOPers in Congress over the fiscal cliff. U.S. voters trust President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies more than congressional Republicans to make “good faith” efforts to deal … [Read more...] about Poll Gives Obama Edge in Poll Over Republicans on ‘Good Faith’ Bargaining Efforts Amid Shifting Political Dynamics
Ike’s Bluff (Book Review)
Ike's Bluff (via The Christian Science Monitor) Ike's Bluff By Evan Thomas Doubleday It’s been quite a year for the president. No, not Barack Obama. And not even Bill Clinton’s much-lauded speech at the Democratic National Convention. The president who has had, perhaps, the most surprising year is none other than No. 34, Dwight Eisenhower. Continuing… … [Read more...] about Ike’s Bluff (Book Review)