This is a developing news story. Until recently, Iceland has averaged a volcanic eruption a couple of times each decade. Three volcanos have erupted since March 2021. One was this past July. Signs suggest another eruption is imminent. The Iceland Met Office reported Friday at 12:30 pm local time that an earthquake had occured on average every minute for the prior 24 hours … [Read more...] about Updated: Iceland declares state of emergency after thousands of earthquakes foreshadow a volcanic eruption
This was not a “leak.” 37,000 customers in WA and ID lose heat, hot water, ability to cook because someone did not call 811.
Just as the Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010 was not a "spill" (it was an explosion), the reason 37,000 customers in eastern Washington and northwestern Idaho have no heat or hot water and can't cook meals is not a gas pipeline "leak." In each case, however, news organizations minimized the extent of the man-made disaster with weasel words. In the case of the rupture in … [Read more...] about This was not a “leak.” 37,000 customers in WA and ID lose heat, hot water, ability to cook because someone did not call 811.
Feds bust prostitution ring operating near Washington D.C., Boston. Clients include lawyers, elected officials, military officers.
Three men operated a network of "high-end" brothels in greater Boston and the Washington, D.C. suburbs, Joshua Levy, acting US attorney for Massachusetts, announced Wednesday. “Pick a profession. They’re probably represented in this case,” Levy said during a Boston press conference announcing charges against James Lee, 68, Torrance, CA; Han Lee, 41, Cambridge, MA; and … [Read more...] about Feds bust prostitution ring operating near Washington D.C., Boston. Clients include lawyers, elected officials, military officers.
The Trump Solution
by Don Hermann Columnist What will the media do when Trump is off the front page? What will publishers do? What will the Fake Gurus do? What will Cable News do? Trump morning, noon and night has put a lot of money in a lot of people’s pockets. Trump has fed all the bigots with an appetite for Hate to goose step and threaten and lie and get their day in the … [Read more...] about The Trump Solution
Book Review: ‘My Mother’s War within Me: A Search for Inner Freedom and a Life of Love’
The small country of the Netherlands was hit disproportionally hard by the high and cruel toll its Jewish citizenry suffered during World War II. Of the approximately 140,000 Jews living in the Netherlands when Germany invaded it, more than 100,000 were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. That is nearly three-quarters of the Dutch Jewish population at the time. … [Read more...] about Book Review: ‘My Mother’s War within Me: A Search for Inner Freedom and a Life of Love’
UN humanitarian office reports grim toll on people of the war in Gaza.
In the latest update after 30 days of war in Gaza, the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) reported that one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza. That brought the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 29, according to Israeli sources. The burden on Gaza’s people is grim despite US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s … [Read more...] about UN humanitarian office reports grim toll on people of the war in Gaza.
Eighteen UN and humanitarian agencies call for immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and unconditional release of hostages.
The heads of 18 United Nations bodies and other humanitarian organizations called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza today. They voiced “shock and horror at the spiralling numbers of lives lost and torn apart” in Israel and “the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. “We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. It’s been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop … [Read more...] about Eighteen UN and humanitarian agencies call for immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and unconditional release of hostages.
San Diego Muslim Leader’s Wife Quits USD Job Amid Furor Over ‘Horrific’ Image on Facebook
by Ken Stone The Times of San Diego The wife of a San Diego Muslim leader has quit her teaching job at the University of San Diego amid outrage over a “horrific” image she purportedly posted to her Facebook account. Lallia Allali, whose husband is Imam Taha Hassane of the Islamic Center of San Diego, also has lost her contributor roles with The San Diego Union-Tribune. … [Read more...] about San Diego Muslim Leader’s Wife Quits USD Job Amid Furor Over ‘Horrific’ Image on Facebook
Giraffes could go extinct – the 5 biggest threats they face
Derek E. Lee, Penn State Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals and an African icon, but they are also vulnerable to extinction. Giraffe populations have declined by 40% in the last 30 years, and there are now fewer than 70,000 mature individuals left in the wild. What are the causes of this alarming decline, and what can be done to protect these gentle giants? The … [Read more...] about Giraffes could go extinct – the 5 biggest threats they face
REPUBLICANS’ CHOSEN PEOPLE (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
New Speaker of the House MAGA Mike Johnson has refused to attach aid to Ukraine to Aid to Israel, but he has attached cuts to the IRS. How does that work? Johnson said standing with Israel is a “more immediate need than IRS agents.” But it’s not about new IRS agents. Republicans have been barking that increasing the IRS’ budget is hiring new agents to go after the middle … [Read more...] about REPUBLICANS’ CHOSEN PEOPLE (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
Biden v Trump, the unwanted rematch for America’s soul
Published by AFPWashington (AFP) - While the stakes could hardly be higher for American democracy, voters are increasingly turned off by the apparently inevitable rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. "It's hard to be excited about it," said Keely Catron, 22, from Arizona, a swing state that Biden narrowly won in 2020. "It's frustrating that our only two options seem like … [Read more...] about Biden v Trump, the unwanted rematch for America’s soul
Rescuing Jesus from the GOP
"Rescuing Jesus from the GOP" is a growing trend, which is good because the GOP doesn't represent the Jesus of the New Testament. Sure, plenty of Republicans insist that their political party reflects faith in Messiah Jesus, but they are just fooling themselves. If anything, Republicans are discouraging people from placing their total faith in the Jesus of the New … [Read more...] about Rescuing Jesus from the GOP
JUNIOR AND THE FRAUDSTER (CARTOON)
Biden’s 2024 challenge: Winning over white working-class voters
Published by AFPWashington (AFP) - He calls himself "Joe from Scranton," the offspring of a family from a blue-collar city who wants to preserve the dignity of all working people. But President Joe Biden will have his work cut out for him if he is to win over some of the working-class voters who cast ballots for Donald Trump in the last election. White working-class voters -- … [Read more...] about Biden’s 2024 challenge: Winning over white working-class voters
Kristallnacht, 85 years ago, marks the point Hitler moved from an emotional antisemitism to a systematic antisemitism of laws and government violence
The Boerneplatz synagogue in flames on Nov. 10, 1938, during the ‘Night of Broken Glass’ in Frankfurt, Germany. History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Michael Scott Bryant, Bryant University Late in 1938, Nazis across Germany attacked Jews and their homes, businesses and places of worship and arrested about 30,000 Jewish men. The attacks … [Read more...] about Kristallnacht, 85 years ago, marks the point Hitler moved from an emotional antisemitism to a systematic antisemitism of laws and government violence
Shall we pray?
by Don Hermann I’m not one who has relied on the prayer to help himself deal with various problems as they arise in life. However I will say there have been crises where I tried anything and everything a rational person could think of and more. Prayer was one of those things I not only considered, I tried. When both my daughter and wife got major chronic illnesses at … [Read more...] about Shall we pray?
Trump 2024: Impeached, indicted – and popular as ever
Published by AFPWashington (AFP) - He was impeached twice. He has been found liable in fraud and sexual abuse lawsuits. He is charged with 91 felonies, accused of recklessly endangering national security, and of conspiring to defraud the United States. If that sounds like the kind of resume unbecoming of a leader of the free world, millions of Americans disagree -- and want … [Read more...] about Trump 2024: Impeached, indicted – and popular as ever
Hamas Propaganda War
How can one determine who is winning or has won the war between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas in Gaza? Is it the number of people killed, the amount of land taken, the number of buildings destroyed? Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyhu has declared the destruction of Hamas is the war’s avowed aim, but that does not seem likely when the Hamas adherents are mixed in with the … [Read more...] about Hamas Propaganda War
Origin: October Twenty Sixth, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Three
Was the day that my first piece appeared in print. I have not been out of it since. I won't go into long details about the career since then. (I was particularly obtuse and didn't fully commit to writing as a profession until the winter of 1975, but that's another story.) But my career begins sitting on the grass of the Brown-Lupton Student Center. On the lower … [Read more...] about Origin: October Twenty Sixth, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Three
Mike Johnson is scarier than Jim Jordan
Last week, every House Republican agreed that "mild-mannered" Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) should be the man to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House. Whether that party-line vote came from chaos fatigue (22 days without a leader) or the support of disgraced former president Trump is possibly a coin toss. After blackballing Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) who voted … [Read more...] about Mike Johnson is scarier than Jim Jordan