Review of Vernon Dent: Stooge Heavy, a second banana gets his due by Doug Gibson It's a pleasant surprise to see that BearManor Media has provided cinema genre fans a biography of that most famous supporting character of slapstick comedy shorts, Vernon Denton (here). Mentored by Keystone cop Hank Mann, his career started about 100 years ago and never really ceased, moving … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Vernon Dent: Stooge Heavy” by Bill Cassara (a second banana gets his due)
Jeb Bush and “Death Panels”
Ezra Klein notes Jeb Bush's support for end-of-life directives on Vox.com. The dumbest controversy of Obamacare, by far, was when Sarah Palin took an anodyne provision directing Medicare to cover end-of-life care consultations and branded it a "death panel." Senator Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican who had backed the idea, was unsparing. "How someone could take an … [Read more...] about Jeb Bush and “Death Panels”
Can the GOP Learn from California?
LOS ANGELES -- Jim Brulte, California's Republican chairman, has sobering but useful words for his party's leaders and 2016 candidates: If they don't learn from what happened to the GOP here, they may doom themselves to repeating its decidedly unpleasant experience. "California is the leading edge of the country's demographic changes," Brulte said in an interview. … [Read more...] about Can the GOP Learn from California?
Cartoon: On your marks
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: On your marks
Will Immigrants Be Key to California—and America’s—Success?
Will Immigrants Be Key to California—and America’s—Success? By Chris Jennewein Last Wednesday afternoon, a booster rocket built in Los Angeles came very close to making the first return landing in history after lofting a resupply mission to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Falcon 9 booster tipped over after landing, but it’s another example of out-of-the-box … [Read more...] about Will Immigrants Be Key to California—and America’s—Success?
Holocaust-Deniers Hold ‘Unprecedented’ Major London Conference
An unprecedented meeting of holocaust-deniers took place in London last week, drawing the who's who of the European and North American fringe far-right and triggering concern from Jewish and anti-fascism groups. The meeting - said to be the largest of its kind ever held in the UK - took place in on Saturday April 11 at… … [Read more...] about Holocaust-Deniers Hold ‘Unprecedented’ Major London Conference
(Another) Bush-Cheney Consquence: Fired Iraqi Officer Under Saddam Masterminded The Rise Of ISIS, Reports Spiegel
On a day when yet another ISIS brutality is pitchforked into the headlines -- this time news that the terrorist group issued a new video showing the beading and shooting of nearly 30 Christians in Ethiopia who wouldn't convert -- a new report gives further evidence of the unintended consquences of the Bush-Cheney administration. An Iraqi officer who was one of many in the Iraqi … [Read more...] about (Another) Bush-Cheney Consquence: Fired Iraqi Officer Under Saddam Masterminded The Rise Of ISIS, Reports Spiegel
Marijuana, Needle Exchange Programs, And Clinton’s Cultural Conservatism
Following recent posts about Lincoln Chafee talking about running for the Democratic nomination I began looking to see if there are any other issues where the two have major differences besides Clinton's support for the Iraq war, which he has been attacking Hillary Clinton on. I was pleased to see that back in 2011 Chaffee called for a reclassification of medical marijuana from … [Read more...] about Marijuana, Needle Exchange Programs, And Clinton’s Cultural Conservatism
700 African Migrants Believed Dead after Boat Capsizes
Some 700 African migrants are feared dead on Sunday, after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean Sea. Declared an emergency at around midnight, the ship is believed to have started capsizing when migrants aboard all moved to one side of the ship, as a merchant vessel approached. Only twenty-eight people have… … [Read more...] about 700 African Migrants Believed Dead after Boat Capsizes
A Review of Death Cab for Cutie’s Kintsugi: A Beautiful Reformation of Life’s Shards
Death Cab For Cutie’s new album Kintsugi is more Death than Cutie, but it still has plenty of Cab to make it a worthwhile journey. The album’s title, Kintsugi, comes from the Japanese art of repairing or transforming broken pottery with gold, silver or platinum lacquer. Instead of hiding the breakage lines of the pot, the gold, silver and platinum threads highlight the cracks … [Read more...] about A Review of Death Cab for Cutie’s Kintsugi: A Beautiful Reformation of Life’s Shards
Report Clinton To Oppose Iran Deal & The Politics Of Tipping
The Hill is running a story that major Clinton contributor Haim Saban is hinting that Hillary Clinton will come out against the Iran deal. Clinton was often more hawkish than others in the Obama administration, and had criticized Obama for his plans to negotiate with Iran during the 2008 campaign. She had claimed that the United States could "totally obliterate" … [Read more...] about Report Clinton To Oppose Iran Deal & The Politics Of Tipping
UPDATE: A Former, and Possibly Future, First Daughter’s Role in Her Mother’s White House Bid
[icopyright one button toolbar] UPDATE: Interesting piece by Maureen Dowd in the Sunday New York Times, highlighting the competing forces and impulses a woman running for the highest office in the land -- to date always occupied by a man -- feels and has. Dowd: “The most famous woman on the planet has a confounding problem. She can’t figure out how to campaign as a … [Read more...] about UPDATE: A Former, and Possibly Future, First Daughter’s Role in Her Mother’s White House Bid
‘Love hormone’ helps pet bonding
The "love hormone" that secures the bond between a woman and her newborn baby is also involved in bonding between dogs and their owners, scientists have found. Researchers in Japan have found that oxytocin, the hormone released into the bloodstream by women after childbirth and babies during breast-feeding, also increases in dogs and their owners after… … [Read more...] about ‘Love hormone’ helps pet bonding
Chris Christie Has Gone to Pot (Guest Voice)
Chris Christie Has Gone to Pot By Dick Polman Amidst all the early GOP presidential jockeying, let's check on our Jersey boy Chris Christie. Looks like the tough-love guv surfaced this week on a radio show and ranted about reefer madness. "Right now, we've got the states of Colorado and Washington (defying) federal law by allowing people to sell dope legally," said host … [Read more...] about Chris Christie Has Gone to Pot (Guest Voice)
Cartoon: Bill and Hillary
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Bill and Hillary
Jeb’s ambition? Be like W. …only more so.
Lots more war along with more strong-arming -- what this Republican candidate calls "American leadership." If Jeb Bush is elected president, the United States won’t be on speaking terms with Cuba and will partner more closely with Israel. He’ll tighten sanctions on Iran and urge NATO to deploy more troops in Eastern Europe to counter Vladimir Putin. And he’ll order the … [Read more...] about Jeb’s ambition? Be like W. …only more so.
How ‘Liberal Hollywood’ Raised Money For GOP
After the Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 2010, Hollywood bigwigs, often stereotyped as liberals, adapted. In order to build clout with the new Congress to help ensure favorable legislation, the entertainment industry started moving its money to Republicans. The Wall Street Journal chronicled this major shift last year. Now, emails from executives at… … [Read more...] about How ‘Liberal Hollywood’ Raised Money For GOP
Weekend Images
[icopyright one button toolbar] The last thing I want to do is usurp Ron Beasley’s traditional posting of beautiful photography, but just wanted to post a "Texas couple" of photographs. One of them, the lead photo, is to brag about my grandson’s photography talents. He took that one at a nearby golf course at sunset. We had gone out to photograph some bluebonnet fields … [Read more...] about Weekend Images
Martin O’Malley Scores Point Against Clinton On Same-Sex Marriage
"History celebrates profiles in courage, not profiles in convenience." Martin O'Malley has demonstrated the benefits of having a liberal in the race to compete with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He has been jabbing Clinton while campaigning in Iowa over her position that same-sex marriage should be decided by the states. O'Malley has been arguing in Iowa that … [Read more...] about Martin O’Malley Scores Point Against Clinton On Same-Sex Marriage
‘Learning from the Holocaust: Choosing to Act’
[icopyright one button toolbar] While yesterday, April 16, was the official 2015 Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Week of Remembrance runs from the Sunday before Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) through the following Sunday -- this year April 12-19. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has designated this year’s theme as “Learning from the Holocaust: Choosing to … [Read more...] about ‘Learning from the Holocaust: Choosing to Act’