A hundred and seventeen years after the massacre at Wounded Knee, has the hour of independence for the Sioux Indians finally arrived? According to this news item from France's Le Monde newspaper, on December 17 a Sioux delegation arrived at the State Department in Washington to declare sovereign nation status and withdraw from all treaties with the U.S. government because, 'Our … [Read more...] about Sioux Indians of Lakota Tribe Tell State Dept. of Secession
Outsourced Santa
Gary McCoy, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about Outsourced Santa
The David v. Goliath Syndrome
Why do so many of us root for underdogs? Because they resonate with our sense of "fairness and justice" and we frequently believe they "put forth more effort than top-dogs." At least, that's what researchers at the University of South Florida have concluded after a series of studies on the subject. From the summary of their findings at PsychCentral: " ... in one study … [Read more...] about The David v. Goliath Syndrome
Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)
More here and here. … [Read more...] about Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)
Stocking Stuffers
In the holiday hiatus from solving the world's problems, herewith the answers to two pressing issues of Christmas Day and beyond: If eating and drinking too much too fast bring on the hiccups, see here. For the best ever leftover turkey recipe, look here. Get home safely. Ho, ho, ho. … [Read more...] about Stocking Stuffers
Guest Book Review: Taro & Tomi: My Feline Son and Daughter by Shizue Tomoda
This is another Guest Book Review by fiction writer Jessica Schneider who also writes for the highly visited site Cosmoetica, is Book Editor for Monsters and Critics and is the only contributor to her own blog. Editor's note: This is a special review, particularly poignant and fitting for the holidays. We urge readers to read it in full (click on the MORE). Book Review: … [Read more...] about Guest Book Review: Taro & Tomi: My Feline Son and Daughter by Shizue Tomoda
Someone Who Really Did March With MLK
The New York Times: A Rabbi of His Time, With a Charisma That Transcends It In 1965, after walking in the Selma-to-Montgomery civil-rights march with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was at the Montgomery, Ala., airport, trying to find something to eat. A surly woman behind the snack-bar counter glared at Heschel — his yarmulke and white … [Read more...] about Someone Who Really Did March With MLK
Holy Daze!
Religion scholar Stephen Prothero in the Washington Post on the plethora of available holidays: The holiday season is once again upon us. But are holidays ever really out of season? Wiccans like to say that every day is a holiday. By that they mean that there is no real distinction between Christmas and the days before it and after it. Each day the sun rises and sets; … [Read more...] about Holy Daze!
Giuliani Presidential Campaign Slump Comes At Worst Possible Time
For months former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign for the 2008 Presidential nomination has been atop of the GOP front runner polls but now some stumbles and sagging poll numbers raise the question: is Rudy Giuliani's campaign a campaign with "legs"? "Legs" is the Hollywood term that has a few meanings but the basic one is that it means a movie that debuts will … [Read more...] about Giuliani Presidential Campaign Slump Comes At Worst Possible Time
A Christmas Story
Dispirited by the evil that plagues our planet? Need some evidence, no matter how small, that there are still good people left in this world? Check out this tale of one soldier and one Iraqi child. Photo credit: Associated Press. … [Read more...] about A Christmas Story
Nepal: ‘Hindu’ Kingdom Says Goodbye To Monarchy…
At a time when Britain celebrates the reign of its longest serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II, Nepal has decided to bid adieu to its centuries old royal institution. "Nepal's government has agreed to abolish the monarchy as part of a deal to persuade Maoist former rebels to rejoin the interim administration," reports the BBC. "Under the deal, Nepal will be declared a … [Read more...] about Nepal: ‘Hindu’ Kingdom Says Goodbye To Monarchy…
“Pakistan’s Musharraf Takes USA For A Ride…”
The cryptic comment above comes from a European diplomat based in Islamabad. This was his reply when the New York Times reporter asked the diplomat his reaction to the serious allegations by senior US officials that billions of dollars in American aid given to the Pervez Musharraf regime for anti-terrorism efforts have been wasted, and much of it was diverted to help finance … [Read more...] about “Pakistan’s Musharraf Takes USA For A Ride…”
‘Baby in Manger’: A Sombre Thought on a Joyous Day
In the dark of a one-room shack, a new-born baby sleeps in the arms of a young mother. It could be a biblical scene. The glow from a kerosene lamp gives the mother a halo. Add an ox, a lamb and a manger, and this could be the story of Christmas, a painting of the Madonna and Child from the Middle Ages, or the living crib assembled by St Francis in the 13th century. Sierra … [Read more...] about ‘Baby in Manger’: A Sombre Thought on a Joyous Day
A Movie More Relevant Than Ever: Network (DVD Review)
Here's another Guest film Review by Dan Schneider, who has this heavily-visited website and whose reviews for TMV have been highly popular. DVD Review of Network Copyright 2007 © by Dan Schneider Film director Sidney Lumet is, with the possible exception of Robert Wise, the most underrated director in Hollywood history. When one looks at the list of great films in … [Read more...] about A Movie More Relevant Than Ever: Network (DVD Review)
Taser Me Elmo
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch … [Read more...] about Taser Me Elmo
Dramatic Win for an Indian Leader barred by the USA
A grey-bearded, bespectacled, fiery orator 'who has come close to becoming the rock star of right-wing politics in India', Narendra Modi has won a dramatic victory in a regional election in India's Western state of Gujarat. Modi was barred from entering America in March 2005 when his visa was revoked by the US administration for "violations of religious freedom" despite his … [Read more...] about Dramatic Win for an Indian Leader barred by the USA
Approaching Iowa: A Tale of Parallel Universes
The results of the Iowa caucuses, coming on January 3, will likely tell different stories in the presidential nominating races of the Republican and Democratic parties. That shouldn't be surprising. For months now, the campaigns for the two parties' nominations have unfolded like tales from parallel universes. The datelines and the timelines are the same, but the plotlines … [Read more...] about Approaching Iowa: A Tale of Parallel Universes
Election ’08: Throwing out Bush and the Bathwater; Keeping the Baby
Watching America has a superb article from the Le Monde Diplomatique, “Scheherazade in the White House”, inspired from a quote from a Presidential Adviser in 2002, ‘We’re an empire and when we act, we create our own reality’. (Gulp.) The piece covers the Bush Administration’s attempts to manage the appearance of things in a way that presents a “reality” that is not … [Read more...] about Election ’08: Throwing out Bush and the Bathwater; Keeping the Baby
Election-Winning GOP Coalition Could Splinter Amid Wide-Open Presidential Race
Is the winning coalition that not just held the Republican Party together in recent years, but impressively sprung into action during Presidential campaigns about to splinter? If it isn't getting ready to splinter, it's surely being tested more than ever amid a highly dramatic Presidential race and segments of the coalition that seemingly want to dig in their no-compromise … [Read more...] about Election-Winning GOP Coalition Could Splinter Amid Wide-Open Presidential Race
A Holiday Parable: Bob Layton’s Mother & The Ghost of Iraq Future
(Much seems to have changed since I wrote this in December 2006. But has it really?) Despite the magnitude of the deaths -- 28 here, 57 there and 210 somewhere else, 550 one week and 700 the next -- the carnage in Iraq is so predictable that it has begun to numb my senses. Single-malt Scotch is too expensive, so the only way that I have been able to deal with this … [Read more...] about A Holiday Parable: Bob Layton’s Mother & The Ghost of Iraq Future