… [Read more...] about Well There You Go Again and Again and Again
Northern Ireland: A New Beginning at Last?
Ian Paisley speaks as Northern Ireland power-sharing re-commenced The news that once bitter foes joined ranks today as Northern Ireland re-established power sharing should be a cause for celebration at a time when sectarian conflicts, most notably in Palestine and Iraq, seem to be without end. But this watershed event in Belfast leaves this (half) Irishman feeling . . . … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland: A New Beginning at Last?
Women Power in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India (…and USA?)
India's neighbourhood has been witnessing quite a bit of turmoil in the recent past. Bangladesh and Pakistan are two rare Islamic countries where women politicians are in the forefront, and some now even taking extraordinary risks to return to power. A defiant Sheikh Hasina, former prime minister of Bangladesh, arrived in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday after the government … [Read more...] about Women Power in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India (…and USA?)
Concert Review: American Symphony Orchestra
"Under the Great Wave" Hokusai Katsushika (c. 1829) Leon Botstein is a very busy man. When not writing about music or editing books and teaching, he runs Bard College (and has since 1975 when he was elected its president at age 29), as well as recording internationally, conducting the American Symphony Orchestra and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. He also is brilliantly … [Read more...] about Concert Review: American Symphony Orchestra
The Queen: Might She Have Stayed Home and They Talked by Phone?
It would appear that the Queen is far more savvy or has a very savvy behind the scenes manager or manageress: The BBC reports that The Queen's tour of the United States "is the Queen's first carbon-offset state visit, where a donation is made to an environmental charity to offset the plane journeys made by the royal party." This seems such a contrast to the recent City of … [Read more...] about The Queen: Might She Have Stayed Home and They Talked by Phone?
Vintage Tenet-
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch … [Read more...] about Vintage Tenet-
Note To Readers
Yours truly will be on the east coast visiting a sick relative by the time this is posted (on a timer). My own posts may be a bit sparse this week due to posting problems. Cagle Cartoons, etc. may be a bit delayed. But there WILL be posts ...and of course our independent minded co-bloggers will have a lot to say. So stay tuned! … [Read more...] about Note To Readers
Quote for the Evening
"'Do you trust white people?' You do not and you know that you do not, much as you want to; yet you rise and lie and say you do; you must say it for her salvation and the world's; you repeat that she must trust them, that most white folks are honest, and all the while you are lying and every level, silent eye there knows you are lying, and miserably you sit and lie on, to the … [Read more...] about Quote for the Evening
Proposed Table Grace for The Queen’s White Tie Dinner at the White House…
In a time of war, of such loss of life of the young, or no end in sight, to see dignitaries bowing and laughing and joking, surely a long, serious table grace is called for. SEED CORN SHALL NOT BE GROUND Seed corn: The best qualities of each green living thing, kept for seed so the next generation on earth will flower. I first worked at the VA as an aide and I saw … [Read more...] about Proposed Table Grace for The Queen’s White Tie Dinner at the White House…
OPEN LETTER TO LAURA BUSH FROM LA MADRINA, THE GODMOTHER: “… no one suffers more than their president and I do when we watch this [war]…
“And believe me, no one suffers more than their president and I do when we watch this, and certainly the commander in chief, who has asked our military to go into harm's way.†Laura Bush Dear Mrs. Bush, With respect... You are an older woman of a certain age and so am I. You try to help people, and I try to help people too. You are a mother who loves her children; I … [Read more...] about OPEN LETTER TO LAURA BUSH FROM LA MADRINA, THE GODMOTHER: “… no one suffers more than their president and I do when we watch this [war]…
The Qualifications Game
Number of Black attorneys in the Criminal Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division: 2 Total attorneys in the Criminal Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division: 50 Number of Black attorneys hired for this section since 2003: 0 Last year the number of Black attorneys in this section has been this low: 1978 This, I suppose, is the fair … [Read more...] about The Qualifications Game
Darn! Vegas Incident Wasn’t a Terror Attack
You have to pity people like right-wing commentator Michelle Malkin, who seem to want a terror attack on U.S. soil so badly that they can practically taste it. Malkin was quick to connect a report that an apparent employee of the Luxor hotel-casino in Las Vegas had rolled snake eyes when he picked up a device from atop a car to reports that Al Qaeda has had its fix on the … [Read more...] about Darn! Vegas Incident Wasn’t a Terror Attack
George Bush and the GOP: Poll Axed
I am fond of saying that a public-opinion poll is merely a snapshot in time, but even so this is a dark time indeed for President Bush and the Republican Party. According to a new Newsweek Poll, the public’s approval of Bush has sunk to 28 percent, an all-time low only matched by Jimmy Carter in 1979. Pause for a moment to consider that in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, … [Read more...] about George Bush and the GOP: Poll Axed
“Work Accident” in….Las Vegas?
AP via MSNBC: 1 dead, 1 hurt in Las Vegas parking lot blastExplosion occurs in parking garage behind Luxor hotel-casino KLAS-TV Las Vegas: 1 Dead in Luxor Parking Structure Explosion There was a deadly explosion early this morning on the top level of the parking structure located at the Luxor Hotel. The victim of the bombing was an employee of the Luxor. Another person was … [Read more...] about “Work Accident” in….Las Vegas?
The Queen’s Secret U.S. Meal
The details of the White House menu prepared for the Queen of England remain something of a secret. What do you think it was? I think it was this. … [Read more...] about The Queen’s Secret U.S. Meal
Australian Study: Fathers Partly To Blame For Childhood Obesity
If a child doesn't have a strong father figure in his/her life he/she is liklier to become fat, a new study says: Fathers who play less of a role in child rearing are more likely to have overweight or obese offspring, Australian researchers said. A study of almost 5,000 youngsters revealed that fathers who do not set clear limits for their kids are more likely to have … [Read more...] about Australian Study: Fathers Partly To Blame For Childhood Obesity
Too Much Is Not Too Much
From moderate cartoonist Tom Briscoe: … [Read more...] about Too Much Is Not Too Much
The Socialist Disaster
From the Financial Times: Let the finger-pointing begin. Ségolène Royal’s defeat on Sunday night left the French Socialist party in disarray and searching for someone to blame. There is hardly a shortage of scapegoats. It is the party’s third consecutive presidential defeat. The Socialists now face the question of whether they can ever regain power without ditching … [Read more...] about The Socialist Disaster
Fred Thompson Is Capturing Conservatives’ Imaginations
Various press reports say potential conservative Republican primary voters just WISH they had another choice. And there is someone not in the race who seems to be increasingly appealing to them -- former Senator and TV actor Fred Thompson. Here he is in action talking to GOPers in Orange County, CA (watch it and leave your opinion): And Jay Leno says you can see "little … [Read more...] about Fred Thompson Is Capturing Conservatives’ Imaginations
Israeli Troubles
Yaakov Kirschen, The Jerusalem Post, Dry Bones … [Read more...] about Israeli Troubles