Washington (AFP) - A government watchdog fired suddenly by Donald Trump was investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said a Democratic lawmaker who accused the president of committing a potentially illegal act of retribution. The State Department confirmed the late Friday dismissal of Inspector General Steve Linick without giving a reason for his departure.Eliot Engel, who … [Read more...] about Trump fires State Dept watchdog investigating Pompeo
Wonder Woman’s Real-Life Ancestors
Wonder Woman may be imaginary, but apparently her ancestors aren't. From Smithsonian magazine: "The Amazon warriors of ancient Greek lore were once considered mythical figures. But in recent years, archaeological work and genetic analysis have identified women buried with weapons, horseback riding equipment and other accoutrements traditionally associated with warriors." … [Read more...] about Wonder Woman’s Real-Life Ancestors
Awful data show US economy is in deep trouble
Washington (AFP) - Newly released economic data shows the US economy is in a terrible state and may not rebound quickly even when the devastating lockdowns imposed to stop the coronavirus pandemic are lifted.Data tracking industrial production and the vital retail sector released Friday showed record declines in April, the first full month of lockdowns to stop the spread of … [Read more...] about Awful data show US economy is in deep trouble
Lean Into COVID-19
If you believe Abraham Maslow, and I have no idea why you wouldn’t, then Robert Emmon’s quote of the well regarded humanistic psychologist may well resonate with you, “the most important learning lessons... were tragedies, deaths, and trauma... which forced change in the life-outlook of the person and consequently in everything that he did.” Yes, great minds like Maslow’s … [Read more...] about Lean Into COVID-19
I Don’t FB
By Steve Schneider I met some good people last spring when I attended an event at Hollywood Beach, in Florida. The meeting happened a year before Covid-19 forced many of us to stay home or wear a mask or stand or sit six feet apart from one another. The meeting, at night, was held by a local Democratic club so we could listen to people speak about Amendment 4, a … [Read more...] about I Don’t FB
BIGGEST CRIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Donald Trump has been on a Tweetstorm of late, even more so than usual. Even more deranged than usual. On at least one day this week, he tweeted or retweeted over 100 times. I’m a political cartoonist self-isolating with nothing to do but watch TV, draw cartoons, and eat, and eat, and eat, and eat…and even I couldn’t find the time to tweet 100 times day, not that I’d want to. … [Read more...] about BIGGEST CRIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY
For Europe’s strongmen, pandemic is opportunity and risk
Paris (AFP) - Europe's strongmen leaders want to use the coronavirus pandemic to tighten their grip while touting their prowess in overcoming crises, but their authority risks being badly undermined if the outbreak is mishandled.From Turkey to Russia and other ex-Soviet states such as Belarus, the coronavirus has proved an unexpected test for systems already facing economic … [Read more...] about For Europe’s strongmen, pandemic is opportunity and risk
THE FAKE ‘OBAMAGATE’ IS TRUMP’S NEW BIRTHER CON
Trump’s pathetic competitive obsession with his predecessor knows no bounds, and now that his deadly failures are being fully exposed, he actually thinks he can distract the public with yet another lie about the guy who easily tops him as a president and as a man. With 80,000 Americans dead and no plan to staunch the pandemic, America’s Mortician went wild on Mother’s Day … [Read more...] about THE FAKE ‘OBAMAGATE’ IS TRUMP’S NEW BIRTHER CON
LA BILANCETTA
“Some folks are born silver spoon in hand. Lord, don't they help themselves? But when the taxman comes to the door...” - “Fortunate Son”, John Fogerty, 1969 Barack Obama came to office in part because he was the physical embodiment of the ideas he advanced. His speeches were eloquent, and the rhetorical devices he used to convey his message made him the living … [Read more...] about LA BILANCETTA
The Washington Post Finally Comes Clean on the Obamagate Crimes – Almost.
[This post is political satire] At a recent coronavirus press conference in the Rose Garden, Trump went right to the heart of the pandemic crisis: He accused his predecessor, President Barack Obama, of committing the biggest political crime in history. When asked by a Washington Post reporter to name a specific crime, Trump said, “You know what the crime is. The crime is … [Read more...] about The Washington Post Finally Comes Clean on the Obamagate Crimes – Almost.
Mend, Restore, Rebuild Yourself Through COVID19
While coronavirus has killed, toppled, and impaired so many, there’s a far more mammoth plague that has disturbed our planet. The lack of self-love, self-care, and self-acceptance is linked to many physical and emotional conditions and infirmities, far too many to catalogue here. Self-acceptance could well be, heck it is, the starting place for all healing, particularly during … [Read more...] about Mend, Restore, Rebuild Yourself Through COVID19
Our Enchanted Evening with Stiller and Meara
I’m taking a break from corona today to write about an enchanted evening with Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara in Nantucket in the early 1980s at the Opera House Restaurant, jammed that night on a crowded Fourth of July. Peggy and I were with our friend Lincoln and a friend of his. The Opera House, a famous watering hole, that closed many years ago, where people sat very … [Read more...] about Our Enchanted Evening with Stiller and Meara
Oval Office Virus (Cartoon)
Mike Slosberg is a cartoonist and novelist. He lives with his wife and hundreds of drawing pens on the Upper Westside of Manhattan, New York. You can see more of his cartoons and learn about his books by going to: mikeslosbergbooks.com … [Read more...] about Oval Office Virus (Cartoon)
What FDR’s polio crusade teaches us about presidential leadership amid crisis
President and Mrs. Roosevelt enjoying after-luncheon conversation with patients of the Warm Springs Foundation. Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images Thomas Doherty, Brandeis University Throughout much of the last century, a lethal and terrifying virus besieged America. Then, as now, the fear of contagion gripped ordinary Americans. And then — unlike … [Read more...] about What FDR’s polio crusade teaches us about presidential leadership amid crisis
Can a reality TV president create a new US reality that pretends death, despair don’t exist?
Donald Trump has been here before. At the dawn of the 2000s, the Manhattan real estate developer and short-fingered vulgarian was literally — as The New York Times would later document — the worst businessman in America, having lost more than $1 billion in one 10-year period.But then, to paraphrase Dylan, you didn’t need an accountant to see which way the bottom line was … [Read more...] about Can a reality TV president create a new US reality that pretends death, despair don’t exist?
Trump’s Lawyers ‘Appalling’ Performance before the Supreme Court
Two months before the 2016 elections, Paul Walman wrote at The Week, “Trump will not be releasing his returns to the public. And not only that, I'm pretty sure he won't release them even if he becomes president of the United States…” Walman may have been right on both counts. For sure, Trump stubbornly refused to release his tax returns while running for president and now … [Read more...] about Trump’s Lawyers ‘Appalling’ Performance before the Supreme Court
How early did Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbreed?
"The next time you're tempted to call some oaf a Neanderthal, you might want to take a look in the mirror." - National Geographic, 08 May 2010 "The discovery of yet another period of interbreeding between early humans and Neanderthals is adding to the growing sense that sexual encounters among different ancient human species were commonplace throughout their history." - … [Read more...] about How early did Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbreed?
Ghostly Tales of Japan provide supernatural bedtime stories
Review and interview by Doug Gibson Andi Brooks, who lives in Japan with his wife and son, is the co-author of "Vampire of London: Bela Lugosi in Britain," a book we’vereviewed in this blog. He also oversees the superb, The Bela Lugosi Blog. Andi has also been writing fiction for more than a generation and recently published “Ghostly Tales of Japan,” (Kikui Press, 2020) an … [Read more...] about Ghostly Tales of Japan provide supernatural bedtime stories
Donald Trump’s Closet of Anxieties
US Supreme Court enters fray over Trump tax documents
Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court takes up Tuesday the most politically charged case of the year -- President Donald Trump's refusal to turn over his tax returns and financial records to Congress and a New York prosecutor, a case that may define the limits of presidential immunity.The high court's nine justices, confined at home by the novel coronavirus pandemic, will … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court enters fray over Trump tax documents