America has attracted adventurers in droves in the past two centuries. It's a country that has challenged human limitations of thoughts and actions. At a time when the mainstream media (MSM), by and large, prostrated itself in front of the altar of profit and greed, several alternatives to provide "real" news to the public appeared on the scene. One fascinating example is … [Read more...] about Huffington Post: Scare Mongering Or Taking The Lid Off?
North Korea Ratcheting Up Persecution of Christians
See here, from the BBC. It's all part of a pervasive hardening of North Korean policies on a broad range of subjects, the article says. Desperation will do that. … [Read more...] about North Korea Ratcheting Up Persecution of Christians
Are The Mainstream and New Media Missing The Point On Iran?
Has a kind of pack journalism and pack analysis set in regarding new and old media coverage of events in Iran? Has this been a case of the two segments of the media in effect becoming one, big, fat echo chamber -- where voices may not be as knowing as they seem? Read Kevin Sullivan HERE. … [Read more...] about Are The Mainstream and New Media Missing The Point On Iran?
Three Stupid Acts
Screw health care. The national discussion is our racial divide. So let's discuss the match which ignited the latest fire. Keep in mind not all the facts are in. I'm extremely curious to hear the 911 and police recordings of the Cambridge, Mass., incident. The scene is a quiet residential neighborhood in which renowned Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. returned from a … [Read more...] about Three Stupid Acts
Onion Bought By Chinese, For Sale Again. Cheap!
I almost missed the shocking news that The Onion, "America's Finest News Source," has sold itself to a Chinese company, Yu Wan Mei, that also sells fish by-products. Onion publisher T. Herman Zweibel accepted a heathen bargain without the slightest twinge of regret: After subjecting me to a good 20 minutes of infernal bowing and other assorted chinky-dinkery, he offered to … [Read more...] about Onion Bought By Chinese, For Sale Again. Cheap!
This Is A Leader
Understand, now? … [Read more...] about This Is A Leader
What’s The Perfect Beer For Racial Reconciliation At The White House? (UPDATED)
President Obama said he invited Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley to the White House for a beer, presumably to have a laugh about this racial and/or class flare-up about wrongful arrest and hissyfittedness in Cambridge. The more important question than whether this will result in some racial breakthrough, for beer connoisseurs at least, is: What Kind of Beer … [Read more...] about What’s The Perfect Beer For Racial Reconciliation At The White House? (UPDATED)
Obama Regrets The Stupid Comment
I sure do give him credit. That guy sees just about everything as a teachable moment! He just is not willing to let this stupid (er, did I say "stupid"?) issue get in the way of things: President Obama said Friday that he “could have calibrated” his words more carefully in the controversy over the arrest of a black Harvard professor by a white police officer, but added that … [Read more...] about Obama Regrets The Stupid Comment
A Sequel — Happy Times Are Here Again
It pays not to always believe health care providers when they say "no" to paying for services. On Tuesday I lamented my case in which California's MediCal system because of budget cutbacks no longer paid for my test strips used to monitor my blood glucose which for a diabetic is essential as breathing. Today I struck gold. After 45 minutes plowing through the automated phone … [Read more...] about A Sequel — Happy Times Are Here Again
Was Gates Incident A More A Class Issue Than Race ?
I've been thinking about this whole thing and wondering, is it really a race issue or is it a class issue ? I don't know the background of the officer involved, but if he's a Boston area police officer the odds are he grew up in a middle or working class home, probably a blue collar neighborhood. He probably did not grow up in an upper class family. This is not to look down … [Read more...] about Was Gates Incident A More A Class Issue Than Race ?
PIGS, WONDERFUL PIGS
I do not eat kosher but I learned to cook kosher for friends and family when I was younger. I personally enjoy cooking and eating roast pork, barbequed baby-back ribs, pork sausages, pork chops and even bacon or prosciutto. (I’m not going to prepare a luncheon anytime soon for Temple Beth Israel.) About once a week I’ll eat some form of pig meat. I also eat a variety of … [Read more...] about PIGS, WONDERFUL PIGS
Is Obama Snubbing the King of Morocco?: Le Quotidien d’Oran of Algeria
King Mohammed VI of Morocco One of the things we try to do at WORLDMEETS.US is bring to the attention of the American people stories and news sources rarely touched on by U.S. media - but that involve our nation. The situation in the Western Sahara is one such story, demonstrating once again that in all kinds of situations, what an American president says and does results … [Read more...] about Is Obama Snubbing the King of Morocco?: Le Quotidien d’Oran of Algeria
Harbingers Of The Next Market Bust
I'm not a professional historian. Neither are you probably. But there isn't anyone reading this who does not remember the bubble in the stock market during 2005, 2006, and early 2007. And since virtually everyone has these first-hand memories, it should be abundantly clear what we should have learned from them. In those earlier years, market movers on Wall Street were making … [Read more...] about Harbingers Of The Next Market Bust
California Budget Update
The California budget package has passed through the State Senate and is currently heading has passed through the State Assembly, with passage expected later today. But as Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters points out, this is only a short term solution as California is now on a 5 or 6 month budget cycle. Some parts of the deal that took money from local governments was … [Read more...] about California Budget Update
The Franking Commission Digs Own Grave
When exactly did the Franking Commission become part of the Democratic Party? Somehow, though the tradition of "franking" dates back to the English House of Commons, I don't think very many people saw this coming. First they shut down the mailing of a graphic with a flow chart about health care on it, and now Rep. John Carter of Texas has been informed that he can't record a … [Read more...] about The Franking Commission Digs Own Grave
Compassion Is the Key to Lowering Health Care Costs
This is the theme of Paul Krugman's column today: … [Read more...] about Compassion Is the Key to Lowering Health Care Costs
Racial Politics, Hot and Cool
In saying a policeman acted "stupidly" in arresting Henry Louis Gates Jr., President Obama has uncharacteristically inflamed a minor incident and revived last year's idiotic debate about whether or not he is "black enough" to suit African-Americans or, on the other hand, too black for those who see the world primarily in racial terms. Until Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. became a … [Read more...] about Racial Politics, Hot and Cool
Hispanics Keep Out
Azle,Texas is a small town, about 10 miles northwest of Fort Worth, with a population of about 12,000---about 93 percent white and 4 percent Hispanic. It is suddenly in the national news. The reason: one of its residents has posted a "Hispanics Keep Out" sign on the front of his or her home. Reportedly the sign has been up for months. According to khou.com, "Many … [Read more...] about Hispanics Keep Out
A Breather on Health Care Reform Might Be Good
That is Nate Silver's assessment right now -- for two main reasons: … [Read more...] about A Breather on Health Care Reform Might Be Good
A.P. Cracks Down On Web Use Of Its Content
This will likely ricochet around the blogosphere today: Taking a new hard line that news articles should not turn up on search engines and Web sites without permission, The Associated Press said Thursday that it would add software to each article that shows what limits apply to the rights to use it, and that notifies The A.P. about how the article is used. Tom Curley, The … [Read more...] about A.P. Cracks Down On Web Use Of Its Content