(Reuters) - Western leaders condemned the coup by Myanmar's military against Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government and hundreds of thousands of her supporters took to the social media to voice their anger at the takeover. The sudden turn of events in the early hours of Monday derailed years of efforts to establish democracy in the poverty-stricken country and … [Read more...] about Coup prompts outcry from Myanmar as West ponders how to respond
JEWISH SPACE LASERS (Cartoon, Column and Video)
The first thing we need to address is that this crap is dangerous. I mock people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump because I use humor to show they shouldn’t be taken seriously. Yet, they are taken seriously. Donald Trump became president (sic) of the United States of America. Marjorie Taylor Greene is sitting on the House Education Committee despite believing school … [Read more...] about JEWISH SPACE LASERS (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Mike Pence To Form Fundraising Committee For 2024 Presidential Candidacy; St. Croix Vacation Continues
ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands — Former Vice President Mike Pence was spotted Sunday night at a St. Croix restaurant famous for its surf and turf and casual dining atmosphere. Pence, in his fifth day on island, dined with his wife Karen, U.S. Secret Service agents and a VIPD Special Operations Bureau officer at Duggan’s Reef in Teague Bay on the east end of the island. It … [Read more...] about Mike Pence To Form Fundraising Committee For 2024 Presidential Candidacy; St. Croix Vacation Continues
Dance Feud: John Travolta vs. Rude Imbecile
Roughly 40 years ago, a dance feud began in the discotheques of that era, a feud that had John Travolta pitted against rude imbeciles. The feud resulted in one of the latter fighting for the right to pogo. No, I do not mean the opossum from the Okefenokee Swamp who discovered that the enemy is us. I mean the pogo that attracts monsters . . . . . . but not the … [Read more...] about Dance Feud: John Travolta vs. Rude Imbecile
Russia detains over 4,500 at protests against jailing of Kremlin critic Navalny
By Maria Tsvetkova and Tom Balmforth MOSCOW (Reuters) - Riot police broke up protests across Russia on Sunday in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, detaining more than 4,500 people who had braved the bitter cold and the threat of prosecution to demand he be set free. In a massive show of force, police imposed a sweeping security lockdown in the heart of Moscow, sealing … [Read more...] about Russia detains over 4,500 at protests against jailing of Kremlin critic Navalny
Trump loses his impeachment legal defense team
Donald Trump has lost his legal team a week before his impeachment trial in the Senate. According to CNN, the lawyers left when Trump insisted his defense should be re-litigating the "big lie" that he won the election rather than on constitutional grounds. This isn't really surprising. It was clear this is what would happen. Now that it looks 99.99% certain that Senate … [Read more...] about Trump loses his impeachment legal defense team
Top Trump donor funded rally that preceded U.S. Capitol riot – WSJ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An heiress to the Publix Super Markets chain donated about $300,000 to fund a rally that preceded the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol this month by supporters of former President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The Journal said the funding from Julie Jenkins Fancelli, a prominent donor to Trump's 2020 campaign, was … [Read more...] about Top Trump donor funded rally that preceded U.S. Capitol riot – WSJ
Getting the COVID Vaccine ‘Deep Down in Texas’
Many of us “Group 1B seniors” ("down in Texas," 65 or over), and especially those in “higher risk” categories have been struggling for weeks to “pre-register” with Austin Public Health in order to – “eventually” – receive an appointment to get the first dose of the coveted COVID-19 vaccine. The process has not been “pretty.” One hears horror stories of seniors hammering … [Read more...] about Getting the COVID Vaccine ‘Deep Down in Texas’
REPUBLICANON PARTY (Cartoon)
Biden says action on COVID-19 stimulus needed ‘now’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that Congress needs to take immediate action on his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal, adding that most economists believe additional economic stimulus is needed. "We have to act now," Biden told reporters at the White House. "There is an overwhelming consensus among economists ... that this is a unique moment … [Read more...] about Biden says action on COVID-19 stimulus needed ‘now’
Russia moves to isolate Navalny allies, shut part of central Moscow ahead of protests
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court ordered on Friday that the brother and several allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny be put under house arrest while Moscow police said they would close metro stations and streets near the Kremlin ahead of planned protests. The court rulings are part of a crackdown targeting Navalny's allies after tens of thousands of people joined … [Read more...] about Russia moves to isolate Navalny allies, shut part of central Moscow ahead of protests
Green hell: Taking the jungle trek to Colombia’s ‘Lost City’
The route from the mountain village of Machete Pelao to the Ciudad Perdida - the Lost City - is a four-day hike through dense jungle. Early treasure hunters who fought their way to the site, Teyuna, the ancient Tayrona city in the Sierra Nevada, cursed it as a "green hell" beset with snakes, mosquitoes carrying Yellow Fever, scorpions and jaguars. It's only around 25 kilometres … [Read more...] about Green hell: Taking the jungle trek to Colombia’s ‘Lost City’
Biden talks the talk in first 10 days — but can he deliver?
Washington (AFP) - Normal is the new extraordinary under President Joe Biden. "It's been a busy week," he said in the Oval Office on Thursday. Biden was referring to the cascade of executive orders he has signed since taking power on January 20, overturning rules enacted by Donald Trump on everything from immigration to health care. But Biden's most dramatic achievement in 10 … [Read more...] about Biden talks the talk in first 10 days — but can he deliver?
North America’s largest cemetery struggles to cope with COVID deaths
WHITTIER, Calif. (Reuters) - Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier, California, may be the biggest cemetery in North America but the 1,400-acre park is struggling to cope with the number of bodies awaiting funeral services due to an increase in COVID-19 deaths. Despite the numerous facilities at Rose Hills, there is about a month's delay before families can receive … [Read more...] about North America’s largest cemetery struggles to cope with COVID deaths
Is MAGA A Death Cult? If Trump’s Jonestown-Like Followers Drink The Kool-Aid, Who Gets Hurt?
Fittingly, it was the CBS comedian Stephen Colbert who first suggested that MAGA is a death cult. And Colbert made that fateful prediction seven full days before election day in 2020. “Alright children of MAGA: Put on your Nikes, fill your thermos with Kool-Aid and go vote,” Colbert opined on October 27, 2020. “Then, I promise, we all board the spaceships to the comet. … [Read more...] about Is MAGA A Death Cult? If Trump’s Jonestown-Like Followers Drink The Kool-Aid, Who Gets Hurt?
Mike Pence Is Not ‘Homeless’ In Indiana, He Is Vacationing In St. Croix
ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands — The now-former vice president could have gone anywhere. But to get away and just feel safe, Mike Pence — who left office eight days ago — chose St. Croix. News that the 2016 and 2020 running mate of Donald Trump was in the territory came less than a day after MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said Pence is “in fear for his life.” Pence and his … [Read more...] about Mike Pence Is Not ‘Homeless’ In Indiana, He Is Vacationing In St. Croix
THERE IS HOPE
After a year like 2020 it is very easy to think that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. The pandemic, the very contentious presidential election, various events provoking protests and riots, natural disasters, Brexit and other troubling events from out in the world, and the media coverage of all these events can easily lead to the conclusion that every thing in the … [Read more...] about THERE IS HOPE
Death threats and intimidation of public officials signal Trump’s autocratic legacy
Rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, seeking to intimidate politicians into overturning the presidential election. AP Photo/John Minchillo Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton As the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump approaches, federal officials are investigating threats to attack or kill members of Congress. This comes in … [Read more...] about Death threats and intimidation of public officials signal Trump’s autocratic legacy
The Son of a Holocaust Survivor Remembers
“I have to stay alive to tell all of this, to tell everyone about it, to convince people that it was true…” — Auschwitz survivor, Eddy de Wind, in his “Last Stop Auschwitz.” Melcher de Wind, my distant cousin, has mixed feelings about “herdenkings,” or commemorations. To him, Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 marks the end of a year full of commemorations of the Holocaust and … [Read more...] about The Son of a Holocaust Survivor Remembers
Transition reveals extent of COVID vaccine mismanagement in the US
I was surprised to receive a call from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance about 5 pm last Wednesday, asking me if I’d like to be vaccinated. In what seemed like a snap, I had an appointment for Friday morning. This isn't what I usually mean when I say breast cancer is the "gift that keeps on giving." The quasi-mass vaccination process at the Fred Hutchinson Research Center in … [Read more...] about Transition reveals extent of COVID vaccine mismanagement in the US