Get ready for our already ugly and violent 21st century to be the century of soft targets for terrorists. The number of places where people feel safe will diminish as terrorists pick new venues to increase body counts -- and grab more of that new and mainstream media publicity that helps with recruitment. What humanity is seeing now is yet another shift in how people kill … [Read more...] about Get Ready for Terrorism on Soft Targets
A VERY Special day for Killy Budgen (Guest Voice)
One day at work I happened to be on a Charger fan page on Facebook. Shhhh. I came across a post from a mother that happened to have a 3-year-old son, also a Charger fan, that had terminal brain cancer. His name is Killy. I’ve seen so many of these posts on social media. For one reason or another, it really got to me. It was touching to see him in his favorite player’s … [Read more...] about A VERY Special day for Killy Budgen (Guest Voice)
Wrongly pointing fingers
WASHINGTON -- It is absurd to have to say this, but New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, activist Al Sharpton and President Obama are in no way responsible for the coldblooded assassination of two police officers in Brooklyn on Saturday. Nor do the tens of thousands of Americans who have demonstrated against police brutality in recent weeks bear any measure of blame. A … [Read more...] about Wrongly pointing fingers
The New York Times Calls For Prosecution Of Those Responsible For Torture
In an editorial, The New York Times pointed out that Barack Obama "has failed to bring to justice anyone responsible for the torture of terrorism suspects." They recommended prosecution of those responsible in light of the recent Senate report: Americans have known about many of these acts for years, but the 524-page executive summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s … [Read more...] about The New York Times Calls For Prosecution Of Those Responsible For Torture
UPDATES: North Korea’s Internet Coming Back
[icopyright one button toolbar] UPDATE II: After having been down or severely degraded for about nine hours, North Korea’s internet is coming back to life. The New York Times: But when the sun rose in North Korea on Tuesday morning, the few connections to the outside world — available only to the elite, the military, and North Korea’s prodigious … [Read more...] about UPDATES: North Korea’s Internet Coming Back
For Cuba and America, Time May Heal All (Guest Voice)
For Cuba and America, Time May Heal All by Chris Jennewein HAVANA, Cuba — Time heals all wounds, maybe even the ones that have festered for half a century between Cuba and the United States. Quite by coincidence, my wife and I landed in Havana last Wednesday morning for a long-planned, six-day cultural tour of Cuba. As we exited Jose Marti Airport, our tour guides were … [Read more...] about For Cuba and America, Time May Heal All (Guest Voice)
SciFi Weekend: Ascension; Person of Interest; Daredevil; Orphan Black; Hannibal; Fargo; Doctor Who Easter Eggs On Gracepoint; The Newsroom; The Fall; The Interview
Ascension was billed as Syfy's big attempt to return to outer space based, hard science fiction, including the return of Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica. It didn't exactly do that, but despite some flaws it was mostly a success. Major spoilers here if you plan to watch this at a later date. The show was billed as sort of Mad Men in space with the advertised premise … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: Ascension; Person of Interest; Daredevil; Orphan Black; Hannibal; Fargo; Doctor Who Easter Eggs On Gracepoint; The Newsroom; The Fall; The Interview
Joe Cocker, Heartbroken Singer, Passes. RIP
http://www.southbendtribune.com/entertainment/inthebend/entertainmentnews/british-singer-joe-cocker-dead-at/article_b1802f8a-8a12-11e4-a6f0-873ff18480ff.html many will remember his brokenhearted songs and his fullbody expression while he sang that resembled sometimes a giant raptor flapping wings, and other times as though he was carried away by a drumbeat only he could hear … [Read more...] about Joe Cocker, Heartbroken Singer, Passes. RIP
‘Operation Christmas Drop’ – An Island Holiday Tradition
[icopyright one button toolbar] Do you know where Micronesia is? I am sure you do. It is a sub region of Oceania way out in the Western Pacific consisting of thousands of small and smaller islands. You probably also know that within the “Micronesia Region” there is now the Federated States of Micronesia, in turn consisting of four main island groups -- one of them the … [Read more...] about ‘Operation Christmas Drop’ – An Island Holiday Tradition
Wind Company that Sued to Block Release of Bird Death Data Pleads Guilty to Killing Birds in Wyoming
Wind Company that Sued to Block Release of Bird Death Data Pleads Guilty to Killing Birds in Wyoming By Miriam Raftery December 19, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Pacificorp pled guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Wyoming to violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in connection with the deaths of protected birds, including golden eagles, at two of … [Read more...] about Wind Company that Sued to Block Release of Bird Death Data Pleads Guilty to Killing Birds in Wyoming
Chuck Schumer: Take two
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Charles Schumer gave Democrats a talking-to about their obligation to stand up for government's role in helping struggling middle-income Americans -- and his message got swallowed up by a few paragraphs on health care. If you heard anything about his speech late last month at the National Press Club, you know he said Democrats "blew the opportunity … [Read more...] about Chuck Schumer: Take two
Best and worst television shows of 2014
A pall hung over the TV bazaar this year. There were passings both major (James Garner, Joan Rivers, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and minor (Pugsley from The Addams Family, Reuben from The Partridge Family, the Professor from Gilligan's Island). The medium's Dowager Countess, Barbara Walters, stepped down from The View. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was yanked… … [Read more...] about Best and worst television shows of 2014
America’s Drug Trade Imports More Than Just Addiction
America's Drug Trade Imports More Than Just Addiction by Daniel Faris Drug use has been a hot topic in the U.S. for some time now. Washington and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, and Washington, D.C. is going head-to-head with Congress over the city voters' decision to legalize. But what isn't often mentioned in the current national debates over drug trade … [Read more...] about America’s Drug Trade Imports More Than Just Addiction
Blame Game
Kevin Drum calls Rudy Guiliani on blaming the NYPD killings on Obama, Holder and Sharpton on Mother Jones. But I assume this means we can blame Bill O'Reilly for his 28 episodes of invective against "Tiller the Baby Killer" that eventually ended in the murder of Wichita abortion provider George Tiller by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder. We can blame conservative talk radio … [Read more...] about Blame Game
Newsweek Staff’s Favorite Films of 2014
Life in an increasingly digitized world means, among other things, that you can stream practically any film you want online or through providers like Netflix; more and more, cinema is designed to be viewed from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy recliner. Still, the convenience is no substitute for sitting in a dark movie theater, electrified by… … [Read more...] about Newsweek Staff’s Favorite Films of 2014
Despite Problems, Santa Still on Schedule
[icopyright one button toolbar] Fortunately, no matter the myriad of problems the world faces during what should be a season of joy and peace, NORAD has informed the Defense Department that “every indication is that Santa Claus will arrive on time this year to deliver presents to the world’s estimated 1.9 billion children.” As reported here, NORAD has gone Hi-Tech, using … [Read more...] about Despite Problems, Santa Still on Schedule
Time for a convention of the states?
[icopyright one button toolbar] I see some Conservatives are echoing some Liberals who've been saying it's time to hold a Constitutional Convention. Since I have for some time now believed our Constitution is functionally broken, with just about every exploitable part of the thing exploited, I think it's a fine idea. On the other hand, this group appears to only be using … [Read more...] about Time for a convention of the states?
Techies Join Other Liberals Who Are Not Ready For Hillary
[icopyright one button toolbar] Hillary Clinton continues to look like a strong favorite to win the 2016 Democratic nomination, but there continues to be many Democrats who hope that the party decides upon a liberal nominee. This includes the techies who helped Obama to beat her in 2008. Politico reports: Scores of the Democratic techies who helped Barack Obama defeat … [Read more...] about Techies Join Other Liberals Who Are Not Ready For Hillary
The AP’s top 10 movies of the year
The top 10 films of 2014, according to AP Film Writer Jake Coyle: 1. "Ida" - Where did this perfect little gem come from? Its director, Pawel Pawlikowski, wasn't previously a major name in international cinema. Yet at a time when most filmmakers can't keep their movies under two hours, Pawlikowksi plunges into Polish history and… … [Read more...] about The AP’s top 10 movies of the year
Cartoon: Clinton/Bush 2 C
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: Clinton/Bush 2 C