The latest news suggests that the two health care workers who have been infected with ebola oughtn't be a great surprise: Presbyterian workers wore no hazmat suits for two days while treating Ebola patient Dianna Hunt / Dallas Morning News Health care workers treating Thomas Eric Duncan in a hospital isolation unit didn't wear protective hazardous-material suits for two … [Read more...] about Fear is What We Need to Fear Most
Ebola, Islamic State fears hurt Democrats’ chances of keeping Senate majority
As fear sweeps the nation about the prospect of Islamic State terrorists winning in Iraq and the Ebola virus spreading in the United States, President Obama's job approval rating is taking a beating and some Democrats' hopes for keeping the Senate majority are losing ground. Sen. Kay R. Hagan of North Carolina, who entered the race… … [Read more...] about Ebola, Islamic State fears hurt Democrats’ chances of keeping Senate majority
Cartoon: Distancing Dems
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: Distancing Dems
Misnomer ‘Islamic State’ Highlights Dangerous Societal Deceit (Publico, Portugal)
What's wrong with calling the newest terrorist scourge 'the Islamic State'? Beyond handing the group an easy propaganda victory by conferring upon it attributes it lacks and doesn't deserve, it contributes to the destruction of language and discourse by assigning false names and descriptions to all kinds of things, concepts and people. Columnist Jose Vitor Malheiros of … [Read more...] about Misnomer ‘Islamic State’ Highlights Dangerous Societal Deceit (Publico, Portugal)
Falling for Gregory
I realise that I am an excitable lad who is prone to over exaggeration. So when I say that I have heard the new Don Hathaway mixed in with Teddy Pendergrass, you should probably take that with a pinch of salt. But I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a musical artist... it was probably Janelle Monae – and I don’t care what her sales figures say, I wasn’t … [Read more...] about Falling for Gregory
GOP Crazy Now Normal
Paul Waldman says crazy statements by Republican candidates are now accepted by the press as normal in The Washington Post. For instance, when Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst flirted with the “Agenda 21? conspiracy theory — a favorite of Glenn Beck, in which the U.S. government and the United Nations are supposedly conspiring to force rural people in Iowa and elsewhere to … [Read more...] about GOP Crazy Now Normal
Second Texas health care worker tests positive for Ebola
A second health care worker who cared for Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan in Texas has tested positive for the virus, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The preliminary Ebola test was run late Tuesday at the state public health laboratory in Austin, and results were received at about midnight. From MSNBC: The CDC described the latest … [Read more...] about Second Texas health care worker tests positive for Ebola
U.S. mum on aging Iraq chemical weapons, making our soldiers victims
The U.S. military systematically withheld information about caches of chemical weapons in Iraq from 2003-2011. U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police were harmed as a result. Moreover, military doctors dismissed claims of exposure and mistreated those exposed to mustard gas. [icopyright one button toolbar] From the New York Times: In five of six incidents in which troops were … [Read more...] about U.S. mum on aging Iraq chemical weapons, making our soldiers victims
Energy Drinks Are Dangerous, WHO Confirms
Energy drinks have long been maligned for the perception that such massive amounts of caffeine can't be good for anybody, much less children. Now the World Health Organization has validated their fears, on Tuesday proclaiming that rising rates of energy drink consumption is "poised to become a significant public health problem." Here's the problem: Hot coffee… … [Read more...] about Energy Drinks Are Dangerous, WHO Confirms
ISIL’s Dehumanization of Women and Girls
[icopyright one button toolbar] If the brutal beheadings, the mass murders of innocent men, women and children and the numerous other atrocities committed by ISIL terrorists are not sufficient reason for the civilized world to “degrade and defeat” ISIL, here is just one more reason. Press Statement by Secretary of State John Kerry, October 14, 2014 Just days after … [Read more...] about ISIL’s Dehumanization of Women and Girls
No shock and no awe
WASHINGTON -- It's not too soon to state the obvious: At this point, the war against the Islamic State can only be seen as failing. U.S.-led air power has barely been able to keep the jihadist militants from capturing the Syrian town of Kobane, near the Turkish border -- and the besieged city may yet fall. Far to the southeast, Islamic State fighters have come within a … [Read more...] about No shock and no awe
She Asked “Do I Look Like Man”
The short answer is no. [icopyright one button toolbar] I just returned from a trip where I coached and mentored elite female athletes competing in or preparing for the triathlon World Championships; Ironman Hawaii. Ironman is a combined 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. For the elite athletes it’s a race, not a bucket list event. For some it may be hard … [Read more...] about She Asked “Do I Look Like Man”
Plunging Oil Prices
To get the WTI oil price, please enable Javascript. Oil prices have been plunging. This is bad news for many oil exporting nations. The biggest energy story in the world right now is the collapse of global oil prices. And for major producers like Russia or Iran or even Saudi Arabia, that's unsettling news. How bad is it? One good place to start is with this excellent … [Read more...] about Plunging Oil Prices
(Updates) Federal Judge Blocks Texas Voter ID Law
Update II: And here we go again in the courts-one-upmanship saga. The Austin American-Statesman reports: A federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated Texas' tough voter ID law for the November election, which the U.S. Justice Department had condemned as the state's latest means of suppressing minority voter turnout. . The ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th … [Read more...] about (Updates) Federal Judge Blocks Texas Voter ID Law
Is The Culture War Really Over?
Bill Scher has an article at Politico on How Republicans Lost The Culture War. While it might be premature to say they lost and the war is over, a subject I’ll get into later, he does have some good points as to what went wrong for the Republicans. Scher makes three main points. First, Republicans stopped being savvy on abortion. Rather than taking the purist position which … [Read more...] about Is The Culture War Really Over?
Democrats’ chances are changing
Democrats' chances are changing. This just posted at the Times: ... The chances of the Republicans taking control of the Senate have inched up to 68 percent. Democrats struggling to hang on to the Senate, who have been drowning in dreary news, have spotted a hopeful sign: Democratic voters who sat out the 2010 elections are becoming more interested in voting this … [Read more...] about Democrats’ chances are changing
The French American – A True Story
[icopyright one button toolbar] It is a story of idyllic young love in Nazi-occupied France, suddenly and heartbreakingly cut short -- but never abandoned or forgotten. It is a story of bravery and patriotism. It is a story of war, intrigue, "La Résistance," invasion and eventual liberation. It is also a story of hope and sheer perseverance on the part of a World … [Read more...] about The French American – A True Story
The New Poll Tax
For politicians, democracy entails getting a leg up on your opponents if you possibly can by changing the rules of the game and lying about it if necessary. If what is done is unfair or what is said is untruthful, so what? Winning is everything and every dirty trick that can be used, should be used. This includes doing whatever is possible to keep various population groups, … [Read more...] about The New Poll Tax
Cartoon: Target Audience
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: Target Audience
Are European Taxes REALLY Oppressive? (Guest Voice)
Are European Taxes REALLY Oppressive? by Fig Letters on car mirrors sometimes says "Objects may be closer than they appear." Some emails circulated on the Internet should have the advisory "Some emails circulated on the Internet may not be as accurate as they appear." For instance, this one: Current European Tax Rates United Kingdom Income Tax: 50% VAT: … [Read more...] about Are European Taxes REALLY Oppressive? (Guest Voice)