We finally made it through the 10-part, 18-hour Burns-Novick "The Vietnam War" series on PBS on Sunday. A sprawling but deeply emotional experience. Heartbreaking. Elucidating. And overall, superb. Some criticism of the series is valid, but most is not. (People just gotta push their own agendas because they're more important than everyone else's, ya know?) Burns and … [Read more...] about The ‘Vietnam’ Series: Heartbreaking & Elucidating, But Mostly Lessons Not Learned
Revising biblical law by executive order
WASHINGTON -- Seems Roy Moore, the Ten Commandments Judge and very likely the next U.S. senator from the state of Alabama, has been playing a bit fast and loose with the whole thou-shalt-not-bear-false-witness thing. My Post colleagues Shawn Boburg and Robert O'Harrow Jr. reported this last week that Moore, who claimed he did not take a "regular salary" from the … [Read more...] about Revising biblical law by executive order
Trump and the dismantling of Obama’s legacy
Brick by brick, the demolition job has begun: since taking office less than a year ago, Donald Trump has launched an all-out assault on the legacy of Barack Obama. Climate, free trade, health care, immigration, foreign policy -- the 45th US president has set about undoing just about everything done by the 44th. All new presidents,… … [Read more...] about Trump and the dismantling of Obama’s legacy
Cartoon: Trumping Obama’s Legacy
Other than proposing to build a ridiculously expensive and stupid wall on the border with Mexico, Donald Trump hasn’t presented any original ideas of his own. His legacy will be undoing Obama’s legacy. Trump has yet to realize the presidency is bigger than him, that he’s a public servant, president for all the people and not just his incredibly shrinking base, or that the … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Trumping Obama’s Legacy
Dense breast tissue increases risk of cancer; 30 states require notification
If you've ever heard, "you've got dense breasts" during a mammogram ... were you also told how that might affect your risk of breast cancer? … [Read more...] about Dense breast tissue increases risk of cancer; 30 states require notification
Kate Winslet didn’t thank Harvey Weinstein when she won the Oscar; here’s why
NEW YORK — When Kate Winslet won the lead actress Oscar for "The Reader" in 2009, she thanked 19 people by name along with many others in general. She did not mention Harvey Weinstein, whose company financed and distributed the movie. "That was deliberate. That was absolutely deliberate," Winslet told the Los Angeles Times in an… … [Read more...] about Kate Winslet didn’t thank Harvey Weinstein when she won the Oscar; here’s why
Harvey Weinstein kicked out of motion picture academy
LOS ANGELES — Harvey Weinstein — a once-dominant force in the Academy Awards who rewrote the rules of Oscar campaigning — was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Saturday in response to mounting allegations of sexual harassment and assault against him. The film academy's 54-member board of governors, which includes such stars… … [Read more...] about Harvey Weinstein kicked out of motion picture academy
PLEASE
PLEASE Recently a patient of mine, a chronic heavy smoker, quit smoking. He says “Doc in the after visit summary it said, “Please quit smoking" and no one had ever asked me “Please” before.” I am going to try this charm and see if I can get lucky again realizing that this one is a rather stiff ask. I find myself somewhere between gloomy and more gloomy since the Vegas … [Read more...] about PLEASE
Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue
Friday the Thirteenth. For you triskaidekaphobics: 15 states sue over Trump-halted ObamaCare payments Rachel Roubein / The Hill A new multistate lawsuit has been announced to stop President Trump from halting key ObamaCare payments to insurers. — Fifteen states and Washington, D.C., are signing onto the new lawsuit, which will be filed Friday … The rich man has aimed … [Read more...] about Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue
‘BLADE RUNNER 2049’ Restores Sci-Fi to Magnificent Glory
SCORE: 5/5 During Blade Runner 2049's sensational climax, a knife fight in the blistering rain, something remarkable came over me: I began to cry. Not for the movie's characters, fleshed out and lived in; nor for its scope and grandeur, unparalleled in modern movies; but because the legacy of Blade Runner, one of the most storied in all of cult cinema, had been pulled from the … [Read more...] about ‘BLADE RUNNER 2049’ Restores Sci-Fi to Magnificent Glory
Military Weekend: Puerto Rico, California Fires, Pacific Ocean…
Soldiers from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter unload relief supplies as residents help distribute them in Puerto Rico, Oct. 11, 2017, following Hurricane Maria. Army photo by Sgt. Jeremy Bratt Sailors perform a surgical operation in an operating room aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort in the Caribbean Sea, Oct. 6, 2017. The Comfort is providing medical services to people … [Read more...] about Military Weekend: Puerto Rico, California Fires, Pacific Ocean…
What’s next for Catalonia: Confrontation or dialogue?
Today, we are witnessing one of the most important turning points in Spanish political history since the country's return to democracy. Only a few years ago, almost no one outside Spain knew anything about Catalonia's historical aspirations of independence, but now most people have at least a vague idea about this region and the dreams of… … [Read more...] about What’s next for Catalonia: Confrontation or dialogue?
Republicans Decide Sex Harassment is Very, Very Bad
I never knew that Donnie Junior was such a feminist. Yet there he is, on Twitter, wringing his hands about Weinstein's "3 decades of rampant sexual hatrassment" (sic); he's so upset about Hurricane Harvey's treatment of women that he can't even spell the word right. He's demanding that Hollywood liberals speak out against Weinstein (indeed, more of them should), and that … [Read more...] about Republicans Decide Sex Harassment is Very, Very Bad
Cartoon: Scarey White Guys
India’s economy falters under Modi
The economy of the world's largest democracy is growing at a pace, which is the slowest in the last three years. Jobs are being lost. Inflation is threatening to pick up. There are few takers for bank loans. Consumer confidence is down. In May 2014, the right-wing Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power under… … [Read more...] about India’s economy falters under Modi
Trump the Entertainer
by Neal Gabler It is becoming increasingly clear that to speak of a “Trump presidency” is a misnomer. There is no presidency, at least not by traditional standards. There is a “Trump show,” and that makes all the difference in the world. I and many others have written about how heavily our president borrows from entertainment: the cooked-up suspense (this week’s “calm before … [Read more...] about Trump the Entertainer
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Trump and Puerto Rico
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST: --Trump hints at ending aid as Puerto Ricans forced to drink polluted water --U.S. House approves disaster funds as Trump criticizes Puerto Rico Just in: A reader told me she called WH switchboard to object to Trump's Puerto Rico tweets. WH receptionist told her WaPo was "fake news."— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) October 12, … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Trump and Puerto Rico
An Ode to Las Abuelitas
One of the beauties and flexibilities of the Spanish language – some other languages have such properties, too -- is that one can take a simple word, a noun or adjective, and by adding a special ending or suffix, make that noun or adjective convey a sense of affection, tenderness, intimacy or a measure of physical smallness. For example, a small perro, or a cute dog, could … [Read more...] about An Ode to Las Abuelitas
Trump Health Care Order Will Do What GOP Failed to Do
President Donald Trump's executive order could take health care insurance away from millions of sick Americans, which was also a criticism of his earlier effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in Congress. The new plan would roll back some of Obamacare's protections and coverage, but it could lower premiums for healthy Americans. The… … [Read more...] about Trump Health Care Order Will Do What GOP Failed to Do
Bloomberg donates $64 million to environmental organizations
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday that he will donate $64 million to environmental organizations after the US government moved to roll back Obama-era measures to counter climate change. Repealing the Clean Power Plan (CPP) was a campaign promise by President Donald Trump and follows his decision in June to withdraw from the 2015 Paris agreement to… … [Read more...] about Bloomberg donates $64 million to environmental organizations