This item isn't news but its low profile is: Nobody knows better than journalists that the best way an organization can bury an announcement it knows will make news is to do so late on a Friday. So it's little wonder that the Society for Professional Journalists decided to announce its retirement of the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award on January 14. Of … [Read more...] about Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award Retired by Society of Professional Journalists
Revolution in TUNISIA
This copyrighted cartoon is license to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Revolution in TUNISIA
Explaining the ‘Murder and Hatred’ in Arizona: Le Figaro, France
Is the rise of the Tea Party movement the ugly twin of the youth uprisings of the 1960s? According to Veronique Saint-Geours and Jean-Sebastien Stehli of France's Le Figaro, the Tea Party, 'which considers the government tyrannical, the elected as sodomites, and the country's demographic changes as a menace to be fought by force of arms if necessary' may be spawning a far more … [Read more...] about Explaining the ‘Murder and Hatred’ in Arizona: Le Figaro, France
Animals Are the Real People
Andrew's title is "Love, Actually." Says it all. … [Read more...] about Animals Are the Real People
Doctor King and Star Trek
Today is a day for celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King and so I thought I'd share one of my favorite stories about his impact on our society. It's being reported a lot today but is well worth hearing. Star Trek was on the air in the late 1960s and one of the performers on the show was Nichelle Nichols AKA Lt. Uhura. Nichols liked the part well enough but was … [Read more...] about Doctor King and Star Trek
Polls: Favorable to Obama Arizona Response and Mixed on Palin Crosshairs Map
The poll numbers are coming out now on how Americans are perceiving the tragic shootings in Arizona and the response of some politicians to it. The verdict: Obama rising and Palin at the very best did not impress or unimpressed. ABC News reports: Americans divide on the risks posed by the tone of the country's political discourse but approve overwhelmingly of President … [Read more...] about Polls: Favorable to Obama Arizona Response and Mixed on Palin Crosshairs Map
Tunisia Forms Caretaker Government, Praises Army
Not really surprising that they were the key to the fall of a brutal dictator. Might be causing some other dictators to wonder about their own army and just how far they can be pushed. … [Read more...] about Tunisia Forms Caretaker Government, Praises Army
What Will Steve Jobs’s Absence Mean?
Rumors about Steve Jobs’s health surfaced again after he didn’t show up at the Apple iPhone launch on Verizon Wireless in New York last week, as was expected. This morning Apple released the following email to all Apple employees: Team, At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be … [Read more...] about What Will Steve Jobs’s Absence Mean?
Ike’s Warning
It was 50 years ago today that we were warned of the Military Industrial Complex and the war state. It wasn't some hippie or liberal that gave us that warning but a war hero and Republican President. Source: YouTube "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial … [Read more...] about Ike’s Warning
The Market Seems to Love Obama
The Stock Market - a predictor by the brightest financial minds in the world who are putting their own money where their mouth is - has risen consistently and aggressively in the two years President Obama has been president. In January of 2009, when he began his term, the Dow stood at 6,547. Friday it closed at 11,787. That is an increase of 5,208, which equals 179%, or … [Read more...] about The Market Seems to Love Obama
Martin Luther King, Jr.: January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
"What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye: April 2, 1939 - April 1, 1984 … [Read more...] about Martin Luther King, Jr.: January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
Star Trek Debate
I'm not sure if this will work but I thought it might be an interesting way to have some debate without getting too emotional by using a theoretical situation. Some background: In the series they have a symbiotic life form. The symbiote is joined with a 'human' host and this creates, in essence, a new being which shares the memories and personalities of both beings. When the … [Read more...] about Star Trek Debate
Paul Krugman on GOP’s “War on Logic”
Here's a riddle for you: How can the Medicare "doc fix" payments be considered part of the spending that Republicans say will be saved by repealing the Affordable Care Act if those payments would remain even after repeal? … [Read more...] about Paul Krugman on GOP’s “War on Logic”
Get Your House Free And Clear If You Live In Utah!
More MERS related mess. … [Read more...] about Get Your House Free And Clear If You Live In Utah!
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Message Still Resonating
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On the occasion, my hometown newspaper published a wonderful editorial appropriately titled, “Still resonating in America: MLK's message of peace ... and senseless violence.” USA Today also had an excellent opinion piece titled “MLK was a religious visionary, too.” Both are right. King was a visionary on many fronts. Witness his … [Read more...] about Martin Luther King Jr.’s Message Still Resonating
MLK, Jr., Civil Disobedience and the Tea Party Movement
As an African-American and a Republican (as was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), I think it is important to clarify the meaning of the phrases "civil discourse" and "civil disobedience." In the height of the civil rights movement, Dr. King and his followers adapted the strategy of civil disobedience used effectively by Gandhi in India. People from across the country (white and … [Read more...] about MLK, Jr., Civil Disobedience and the Tea Party Movement
Love as a Concealed Weapon
Martin Luther King always made it clear his mission was more than just passive resistance to evil. At the start of the Montgomery bus boycott, he told followers, “If we are arrested every day, if we are exploited every day, if we are trampled over every day, don’t ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate him. We must use the weapon of love.” In the years that followed, … [Read more...] about Love as a Concealed Weapon
Is Texas’ Gov. Rick Perry Running for President?
Is Texas Governor Rick Perry gearing up for a run for President? Some see the signs and the issue has come up. And now National Review lends more credence to the speculation: Texas governor Rick Perry’s high-profile battle with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) couldn’t have come at a better time. The fight may not be over in time for the 2012 presidential … [Read more...] about Is Texas’ Gov. Rick Perry Running for President?
Civility Along the Great Chasm
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Civility Along the Great Chasm
Balance The Budget
Another of the many 'balance the budget' programs, this time from the NYT I'll be curious to see how folks tackle this. I presume some will do nothing but spending cuts while others will focus mostly on tax hikes and cutting the military. But it's a fun exercise … [Read more...] about Balance The Budget