After three months of spewing millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, it appears that BP’s runaway well has been permanently plugged, albeit both BP and the U.S. government won’t claim victory until the relief well is completed sometime this month. We will not know the short and long-term effects of the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history for … [Read more...] about What Is the Real Magnitude of the BP Oil Spill? (Updated)
Kagan Prepares To Be Sworn In Saturday
Elena Kagan will be sworn in as the newest U.S. Supreme Court justice tomorrow, after a fairly close vote: 37 Senators voted "nay". Here are the most recent Supreme Court nomination votes. Do you see a trend? 1975, John Paul Stevens confirmed, 98-0 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor confirmed, 99-0 1986, Antonin Scalia confirmed, 98-0 1987, Robert Bork not confirmed, … [Read more...] about Kagan Prepares To Be Sworn In Saturday
Shameless Self Promotion: Help Me Save The World
I'm someone that puts his brain where his mouth is, meaning that I actively try to work to address problems that I talk about. One of these days I'm going to do comprehensive posts about everything I'm involved with from health care to energy to food production to economic modeling, there may be some other stuff I don't remember now. I've been wanting to do so, but until we've … [Read more...] about Shameless Self Promotion: Help Me Save The World
How Chicken Democrats And Creepy Republicans Killed The 9/11 First Responders Bill
For three days I fumbled how to write my disgust over House Democrats and Republicans killing needed help for 9/11 first responders. I’ll do it by letting the experts lay it on the line. First, this news release on the website of Rep. Carolyn Maloney, author of HR 847. Next this fact check Q&A. And, finally, this from Jon Stewart of the Daily Show. The guy nailed … [Read more...] about How Chicken Democrats And Creepy Republicans Killed The 9/11 First Responders Bill
Hiroshima Plus 65
Note: This is a reposting from a couple years ago This week marks the 65th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the beginning of the end of World War 2. As is usually the case every year, we have the stories of those who attack the incident as a ‘war crime’. These historical revisionists miss (or ignore) the fact that they are looking back with … [Read more...] about Hiroshima Plus 65
The New York Mosque Controversy and Religious Freedom
The controversy over a mosque in NYC two blocks from 911's Ground Zero continues to boil -- heated up by both genuine issues on each side of the argument and also by those who are transparently pressing hot buttons to get TV ratings or mid-term election votes. One of the many issues at play is the issue of religious freedom. And yesterday a group of rabbis rallied in support … [Read more...] about The New York Mosque Controversy and Religious Freedom
Obama’s Foreclosure Program Is Flopping
The Government’s Naked Scanner Scandal
There's a new scandal about a government agency that has collected naked images from advanced body scanners at airport security points. Details HERE. No wonder the TSA people were pointing and laughing at me as I approached the inspection area on my second trip from San Diego airport this month. In the future I'll just turn the other cheek. Now you can follow Joe … [Read more...] about The Government’s Naked Scanner Scandal
Is the Tea Party Losing Steam?
Is the Tea Party losing steam? CNN's Rick Sanchez (whose Rick's List show is getting better and better) looks at the issue with some guests who raise the issue of whether lower profile means losing steam or just shifting to work with...a somewhat lower profile. Aother question is how the media covers the Tea Party and the accuracy of coverage: Now you can follow Joe … [Read more...] about Is the Tea Party Losing Steam?
Tightrope Dollar
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Tightrope Dollar
Coca Cola: No Consumer Could Reasonably Think Vitaminwater Is Healthy
This is so annoying: Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company's vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself? In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that "no consumer could … [Read more...] about Coca Cola: No Consumer Could Reasonably Think Vitaminwater Is Healthy
More Bad Economy News: 131,000 Jobs Lost In July
The economic news continues to be grim on the jobs front -- partially due to the loss of U.S. jobs: With the American economic recovery hanging in the balance, private employers added 71,000 jobs in July, up from a downwardly revised 31,000 in June but below the consensus forecast of 90,000. The unemployment rate stayed steady at 9.5 percent. Over all, the nation lost … [Read more...] about More Bad Economy News: 131,000 Jobs Lost In July
Hitler’s Parents Lose Custody
I can't wait to see what Adolf has to say about this on You Tube: New Jersey parents have lost custody of a son they named Adolf Hitler, as well as daughters Jocelynn Aryan Nation and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie. The Appeals court ruling overturned a family court decision, and found that the parents suffer from unspecified physical and psychological disabilities. Heath and … [Read more...] about Hitler’s Parents Lose Custody
129,864,880 Books in the World
Google Books aims to catalog and make searchable, scan and digitize, all the books in the world. In order to do that first they have to determine what exactly is a “book?” We’re not going to count what library scientists call “works,” those elusive "distinct intellectual or artistic creations.” It makes sense to consider all editions of … [Read more...] about 129,864,880 Books in the World
Olbermann “Interviews” Sharron Angle
I'm not a Keith Olbermann fan, although I do monitor his show and many others on Fox, CNN and MSNBC, but as a former full-time journalist I must say: the segment below is a classic. Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle recently said that she wants reporters to be her friends, who'll ask her the questions she wants to answer and let her give out her website address so she … [Read more...] about Olbermann “Interviews” Sharron Angle
Arizona’s History?
I came across this interesting piece at Open Salon. Its title: “Immigration – Another Political Dog and Pony Show” Its opening paragraph: It is Arizona’s history…home of Japanese Internment; site of German and Italian POW camps, and site of the controversial Phoenix Indian School, a government boarding school that suppressed and prohibited Native American culture … [Read more...] about Arizona’s History?
Interview with Saddam’s Former Aide, Tariq Aziz: The Guardian, U.K.
One of the stories we posted today at Worldmeets.US is quite a fascinating interview with the man who was perhaps Saddam Hussein's closest aide, Tariq Aziz. Iraq's former foreign minister and chief spokesman, in his first interview since Baghdad fell, explains to Britain's Guardian the conduct of his government before both Gulf Wars, why Iraq pretended to have weapons of mass … [Read more...] about Interview with Saddam’s Former Aide, Tariq Aziz: The Guardian, U.K.
Big Scale Public Works Projects: History and a Dead as a Doorknob Idea?
Afghanistan
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Afghanistan
Inferno
Here in the Pacific Northwest it has been cool this year. Only four days above 90 in July as opposed to 14 last year. My electric meter is happy but my tomatoes aren't. But in the Midwest and Southeast it's been a different story. A dangerous heat wave baked a large swath of the nation Thursday from Texas to New York with high humidity making … [Read more...] about Inferno