Displaying 601 To 630 Of 13,190 Comments In spite of Putin’s allegedly high popularity numbers, Kalima, apparently he’s not all that well liked, no? I loved the slogans of the marchers: “We Are Not Afraid,” “Russia Without Putin,” and “Fight On!” Meanwhile, Putin claims that he intends to find and prosecute the murderer. Kinda reminds me of O J Simpson swearing that he would track down the “real killer” of his wife. We’re still waiting on that one. And I think it’ll take about the same amount of time for Putin to find the person who really did this — not a scapegoat. » Posted By kesmarn On March 1, 2015 @ 8:08 pm Good evening/morning, Kalima! We’re clinging to the last of our positive numbers (3, to be exact) as the evening wears on and headed below zero again for tonight’s temps here in the midwest. Hoping it’s warmer and cozier where you are in Tokyo. Don’t you have to wonder what the “logic” is in accepting radioactive waste for storage in the Fukushima area? What are they thinking? “Ah well, it’s already contaminated, so where’s the harm in a little more radioactivity?” Talk about beyond cynical. Apparently the Abe government has unofficially (or even officially) given up on the area. Such an interesting article on the Goto tragedy in the ME. The author took this brave man’s death as a cue to examine priorities in Japanese life. It was so poignant to read about the Japanese husband who was away from his family working for such long hours every day that his kids had gotten used to his absence. When he went away for several days on business and brought a gift back home for his young daughter, her response was: “Oh. Were you away?” Now if that’s not a wake-up call, I don’t know what is. I was relieved to read that the American-style political attack ads that the Tories are running in Britain are not flying at all. YAY! The author makes the point that “Americans have a much higher tolerance for meanness.” Now there’s an understatement. She describes the Tory attempts as “cruel and flippant.” That’s just what they are. I hope British standards of civility and decency don’t ever allow Tea Party style campaigning to get a foothold there. ALEC is one of the most pernicious organizations ever. Now they’re taking aim at any legislation that would establish a minimum wage. They lament that “it’s like a game of Whack-a-mole. You knock them down in one place and they pop up in another.” Yes. Nice analogy. Americans are like underground rodents who need to be smacked down every time they raise their uppity little heads. How much wealth is enough for these people who employ ALEC to write their oppressive legislation? In our continuing American effort to resurrect the “Know-Nothing Party” we now present Scott Walker. When he was in London, he “didn’t know” about evolution. Then he finds that he “doesn’t know” about the President’s faith. Or about much else, for that matter. “I don’t know” is becoming his default answer to every question. And then when he’s pressed, he sticks his lower lip out and declares that he’s the victim of “gotcha” questions. Poor Scotty. If he doesn’t have the Koch-approved script in hand, he knows nothing. And then we have Rudy Giuliani. He knows everything. He “knows” that the President doesn’t love this country. And he “knows” that the President has only “a dilettante’s knowledge of history.” I have to laugh at the way these people on the right have mastered the art of projection. Palin says that the President is inarticulate, and Giuliani says that he doesn’t know history. Hmmmm. Now who would be the people who actually do fit those descriptions? So frustrating — looking at the situation in Iraq — that even as ISIS approaches Baghdad, the Shi’ites, Turkmen and Kurds are still having turf battles. Now’s the time to close ranks and deal with this threat in a united way. Otherwise these smaller turf struggles will be the least of their worries. Tonight there was an eloquent plea on PBS for all the nations who pledged relief aid to Gaza rebuilding projects last summer to move forward with fulfilling those promises. Many hopes that those pleas did not fall on deaf ears! » Posted By kesmarn On February 23, 2015 @ 4:56 pm Thanks so much for that terrific article on the nefarious Jeremy Hunt, Kalima! I think Oliver James is my new journalistic hero at the Guardian. As we’ve noted so often before, there’s an eerie similarity between the way neo-cons on both sides of the Atlantic operate. The push to privatize everything and the technique of spewing faux outrage at the “chronic incompetence of government” (while, as James says, conveniently overlooking the massive failures of the private sector — especially finance) are the same in the US as in England. I’ve noted that the latest demonstration of this neo-con trans-oceanic coziness is what I call the “exchange of idiots.” Chris Christie and Scott Walker go to London to try to get their conservative street cred in order, while in return we get Boris Johnson galloping through the US trying to drum up business for London. Do they think they’re cooking up the new British-American Empire? With guys like at potentially at the helm of it, I’d say we’re in for some rough sailing ahead. » Posted By kesmarn On February 17, 2015 @ 6:27 am Almost exactly the midnight hour here in corn country, Kalima! And you might be eating your Tuesday lunch right now in Tokyo. First off, it’s good to know that the earlier 6.9 level earthquake in northern Japan was nowhere near you or yours. And I’m hoping that there was no damage to life or limb for anyone else in the Honshu area either. A pretty funny story about the Japanese guys who were protesting the capitalist tyranny of Valentine’s Day. Seems that all forms of conspicuous consumption — like buying chocolate or roses — are to be shunned like the plague. But the leader of the group says that he just bought a new Mercedes. Which is — natch — a whole different story and doesn’t mean that he’s a greedy materialist at all. Suuuuurre it doesn’t. No wonder he doesn’t have a sweetheart. 😆 On the not-so-funny side of the news though, is the huge rip-off of the American Medicare system by the British hospice care provider, Optum. What they’re doing is clearly fraud. And I have to wonder if there aren’t some American doctors who are colluding with them on it. To initiate hospice services, a patient must have the statement of a physician that he has likely less than 6 months to live. At least 50% of Optum’s patients are living much longer than that (and the money for care over all that time is going to Optum). Now either their people are some real miracle workers, or there is something very fishy going on here. My vote is for the latter. The GOP notion of taxing the poor more so that the rich can be taxed less is kind of like asking the patients in the hospital who are anemic to donate blood to the healthy doctors. Does the GOP call this plan “trickle up”? More and more I’m hearing from honorable Jewish citizens how deeply offended they are by Bibi Netanyahu’s narcissistic display of disrespect toward our President. So proud of them for speaking out. The judge’s words on the sentencing of the men guilty of the recent lynching of a Black man in Mississippi were so powerful: “T]here is something different about Mississippi…something primal and vicious…savage” His meaning being, of course, that this was Mississippi’s past and that this heinous act brought all that horror back. The South really must move toward a better future or there will be more Fergusons to come. I have to say that I was genuinely creeped out by the Koch “history lessons” in the NC high school textbooks. I think that if I were a teacher in the NC school system and were required to use these books, the only option I would have would be to deconstruct them and use them as an example of how propaganda is written. It would become an exercise in sorting out fact from opinion. And I would emphasize that a journalist or historian has an obligation to clearly label his own opinions on history as just that — editorializing — not fact. What a disgrace! Speaking of disgrace. The current situation in Gaza really qualifies. People use the phrase: “bombed back into the stone age” — often as hyperbole. But in this case — that is the true situation there. Stunning photos. If Netanyahu were consciously trying to reproduce the conditions in the Warsaw ghetto of the late 1930s, he couldn’t have done a better job. And when over 60% of the dead are women, children and older men, there’s no way the Israeli military can call this “precision bombing.” There are way too many innocent fatalities for this to be called “merely collateral damage.” Is Nigeria finally beginning to get its act together when it comes to facing down Boko Haram? The story about their being turned back at the town of Gombe is — I think — the first I’ve seen of a successful resistance to these maniacs. People have had enough, it seems. “Eid of Love.” Love that new name for Valentine’s Day in Iraq. Good Lord, these people are resilient! After all they’ve been through, they have the energy to indulge in buying teddy bears, candy and roses out there in the marketplace and to celebrate love. In the midst of car bombing and strife — they find time for a little tenderness. That’s pretty darned impressive. 🙂 » Posted By kesmarn On February 16, 2015 @ 9:50 pm Nirek, I’m so sorry to hear that you weren’t feeling well. Hope you and your dear missus are both doing better now. And please be careful up there on that roof! » Posted By kesmarn On February 7, 2015 @ 8:42 pm Kalima, 😆 somehow I hit the wrong button and my reply to this edition of MB is up there at the top. So sorry if you get a stiff neck from looking up there. I’ll try to do it right the next time! » Posted By kesmarn On February 7, 2015 @ 8:40 pm Good night/morning, Kalima! When it came to owners, Maru really lucked out. He looks like the most relaxed and well-cared-for feline on the planet — with the possible exception of the ones in the K household? After reading some of the horror stories about health care in the UK in the 21st century, I have to confess that I was a bit surprised to learn that people actually are trying to sneak into the country to take advantage of it. But as we all know, there are places in the world where health care is much worse. This story and the one about Norway’s plan to outlaw begging (and giving aid to beggars) are such a clear reminder that poor and dysfunctional countries anywhere in the world will eventually begin to affect wealthier and more stable countries in ways that we never could have imagined. And these would be two of them. Undaunted, though, the NHS is now planning to initiate online diagnosis? Oh boy. This ought to be good. Apparently even the current phone-based system is full of holes. The people manning the phones are described as “non-clinically trained staff who follow a script…” Nothing like an untrained person managing your health care. You’d think that some of those 6000 nurses they laid off a couple of years ago might be utilized to handle those phone calls. But no. This is the Tory-dominated NHS we’re talking about. If a online program can diagnose patients, forget nurses. Now they can even lay off the clinically untrained people! I’m so glad that E. J. Dionne addressed Paul Ryan’s horrible comments about “envy economics.” Truly one of the most insulting phrases ever used by a lying politician. The implication is that the American working class is basically lazy and that it actually already has everything it needs. But that it isn’t satisfied with merely having enough (while exerting very little effort). No. It has to have more. Because it’s just mindlessly envious of the ultra-wealthy. So it wants to confiscate the wealth of hard-working billionaires, for no other reason than jealousy. Thanks for your high opinion of us all, Mr. Ryan. As Dionne said — this isn’t about envy. It’s about social justice. I heard a commentator say that ISIS had seriously over-played its hand when it murdered the Jordanian pilot and I think it’s fairly obvious he was right. This has really galvanized Jordan and the last I heard was that they were bombing ISIS furiously. My hope is that their information on where ISIS is (as opposed to where innocent civilians are) is very accurate. But surely ISIS can’t be surprised at this reaction to their burning a Jordanian citizen alive. In the mean time, though, going after ISIS funding is probably an even more effective long term strategy. And apparently the money trail there leads right back to — surprise — Saudi Arabia. That was a pretty convincing case made in the article you linked to, Kalima. Now might be the time for Dubya to make an appeal to his old friends, the Saudi royal family, to see what can be done about this. Don’t hold your breath. I never thought I could be heartless enough to find the sight of a 91 year old man falling down funny. But when it’s Mugabe, well… what can I say? Your comment on the story was all that needs to be said. 😉 Happy ending: the story of the Detroit worker who was walking a round trip total of 21 miles/day to work and back. I was so thrilled to see that his Go-fund-me account is now up to $300,000 and he also has a brand new Ford Taurus. (Bless that college kid who set up the account, too.) It’s nice to see the good guys win one every now and then! 😀 » Posted By kesmarn On February 7, 2015 @ 8:37 pm You were absolutely right on that one, Kalima. And I think the Jordanian government must have had its own suspicions as to whether this pilot was still alive, because they were demanding “proof of life” before they’d proceed further with negotiations. ISIS is massively overplaying its hand here, to say nothing of committing atrocities that have horrified the whole world. Reports on tonight’s news were saying that Jordanian opinion on whether or not to actively engage in the fight against ISIS was mixed. Until now. » Posted By kesmarn On February 3, 2015 @ 5:47 pm Kalima, my heart goes out to Goto’s family as well. Horrible tragedy! And now — as if ISIS feels that beheading has lost it’s shock value (and as if it could have) — we hear that they have burned the Jordanian pilot alive in a metal cage. Any deluded person who is considering allying him/herself with ISIS should realize that this is truly a devil’s bargain. These people are not Muslims. They’re convincing the world that they aren’t even humans. » Posted By kesmarn On February 3, 2015 @ 3:46 pm Kalima, omigosh, I didn’t realize this was the same person! Thanks for the information. Poor man — his untreated mental illness ended up costing him his life. How sad. I heard about the woman who had been arrested too. What a sad and sorry mess. I’m working my way through today’s MB now, since the weather turned out to be too bad to do my usual Sunday activities. Baby, it’s cold (and very windy) outside! » Posted By kesmarn On January 25, 2015 @ 1:38 pm Kalima, this seems to be the most recent information on this hostage situation: » Posted By kesmarn On January 24, 2015 @ 9:22 am Like MacArthur, I have returned, Kalima! Loved the article on the return of Charlie Hebdo, even after tragedy. The magazine is on a better financial footing and more widely read than ever now. So the power of the pen really was demonstrated. As you said — offensive? Yes. I very likely wouldn’t have wasted my time or money on a publication like this. But that doesn’t mean it has no right to exist. An interesting question in the BBC article too. What would be your last five words? My Mom always joked that hers would be: “I told you I was sick.” (Well, that’s six words, but close enough…) I used to kid that mine might be something like: “I can’t come to the phone…” (“but if you leave your name, number and message, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible…”) LOL! Because there were days when that was about all people heard from me when the kids were little and folks tried to get through to me on the phone. I’m hoping to get to the Planet in time for the SOTU address tonight by the Prez, but may be a little late because there’s a public meeting at the local Islamic Center mosque. One of the leaders there — who is also a physician — is from Peshawar and he’s going to speak. As you know, Peshawar is where more than 100 school children were massacred recently. This doctor knew some of the families who lost children and he’s going to speak about terrorism. I’m going to try hard to get there before all the seating is taken up. Then home to cheer the Prez on. Trivia guess: 8%? (I’m afraid I’ve given up making New Year’s resolution because my Catholic guilt kicks in when they’re all broken before Lent even begins! 😆 ) » Posted By kesmarn On January 20, 2015 @ 1:52 pm Good night/morning, Kalima! The video of Martin Pistorius and his wife is such a gift! Thank you so much for posting it. For those who haven’t heard of this man — no, he is not the Pistorius who was tried recently in S. Africa for shooting his girlfriend. This is a different Pistorius. A man who had a severe form of meningitis when he was 12 and gradually lost the ability to speak or even to move. He was declared basically “brain dead,” but at about age 14 he started to “wake up” mentally. His body, though, was still immobile and he was still unable to talk. So he was — in effect — trapped in his own body.The story of his comeback is incredible. As is his sense of humor. I would urge everyone to PLEASE check out the Pistorius interview! If you’re coming off of a day that has had its difficulties (as I am today — but nothing that most humans haven’t encountered) it will remind you that other people have overcome some pretty tough circumstances. And the video of the giggling baby is just the icing on the cake! Now to go back and read some of the rest of this terrific collection of stories… What a treasure chest in this edition of MB. » Posted By kesmarn On January 18, 2015 @ 7:16 pm Good night/noon, Kalima! Hope you’re staying warm there in Tokyo. I haven’t made it quite all the way through MB, but I just had to take a few minutes to comment on some stand-out stories. One was the article about the NYPD work slow-down. For starters, until now I never realized how very sensitive the cops in NYC really were. Even the mildest of comments from Bill deBlasio have thrown them into such a tailspin of hurt feelings that they are unable to do their jobs. I wonder if they’d all like some cheese to go along with that whine. (I do have total respect and sympathy for the families of the two slain officers, and recognize that there is absolutely no justification for such acts. But this work slow-down is more about sticking it to the Mayor, from everything I’ve read.) Also — irony of ironies — since they’ve been sulking and sitting in the corner refusing to work — the NY crime rate has actually gone down. The other great article was the one by Joan Smith on the need to examine the issue of gender and violence when looking at events like the tragic massacre at the Charlie Hebdo offices. She makes a powerful point when she talks about the way that a gang can become family for a young man — after the family structure breaks down. We see this in American cities, in German skinhead biker clubs and in gangs like ISIS in the Middle East. This seems to be a true crisis of identity. Young men feel they’re at an economic and social dead-end and they fall for the allure of “belonging,” and the “power” that comes from holding a gun. Smith even cites a gun ad that uses the ominous come-on phrase: “Consider your man card re-issued.” She’s so right when she suggests that we need to take a hard look at the way we define masculinity. Real men can be kind and just. Last — I just had to laugh at some of the “inappropriate” calls to the Japanese police emergency line: There’s no toilet paper in the public rest room? You’ve forgotten your computer password? And there were over 2 million of them! 😆 I’m sure every country has similar statistics. You really don’t know whether to laugh or cry, no? » Posted By kesmarn On January 12, 2015 @ 9:41 pm Kalima, what a shame it is that some people in Europe are now trotting out the “told ya so!” taunt. It’s absurd to say that this atrocity demonstrates that Muslims in general are incapable of democracy. Every nation, every religious sect has behaved in a less than civilized manner at some point in its history. Were Dubya and his ill-conceived war proof that all Americans are violent and ignorant? Any time I hear someone say: “Them! Well — you know — all of “them” always act like that.” it makes me wince. Sometimes I wonder if we’ve learned anything from WWII at all. » Posted By kesmarn On January 8, 2015 @ 10:03 pm Good night/morning, Kalima, from the frozen tundra here in the midwest. Rumor has it we’ll get all the way up to ten degrees here tomorrow. Break out the short sleeves and sandals! Well, Abe-nomics is certainly working out just beautifully, no? In fact — it’s setting records. Record high numbers of people on welfare, that is. And — predictably — it’s people over 65 who are getting hit the hardest. Another in the unending series of examples of the failure of “supply-side” economics. I thought I couldn’t possibly be surprised by anything that was being done in Britain’s National Health Service meltdown, but I was flabbergasted to read that — after firing 6000 nurses some time ago — they’re now importing foreign nurses and recruiting unpaid volunteers to get the bare minimum of patient care done. Of course, what’s the up side of foreign nurses and unpaid workers for the wealthy? Why, yes…they’re ever so much cheaper. This Charlie Hebdo massacre is such a horrifying tragedy, isn’t it? I was touched when I discovered this article that compiled a dozen responses by prominent cartoonists. It shows such courage and determination not to succumb to intimidation: http://www.vox.com/2015/1/7/7508387/cartoonists-respond-charlie-hebdo I’m waiting anxiously for word of the capture of the murderers of these brave folks. The latest I’ve heard is that they robbed a gas station in the north of France. E. J. Dionne was definitely able to read between the lines and see past the b.s. when John Boehner and Turtle McConnell started spouting their alleged “compromise and governance” nonsense. Their agenda is clearly an austerity nightmare for the average American citizen and the fact that people like Cruz and Ryan are so much worse doesn’t alter that fact a bit. Then to add insult to injury Yertle the Turtle McConnell actually had the gall to claim that the GOP is responsible for the upturn in the economy that started in the third quarter of last year. Well before the current GOP-dominated Congress was elected. Weren’t he and his cronies just recently bleating that Obamacare was going to completely destroy the economy by now? One of the most depressing sentences in the article about the 100 wealthy people who now control politics and campaign funding in America was the one quotation from Ronnie Cameron, Arkansas poultry king: “Our country was founded by the wealthy landowners having the authority and representing all the people.” Oh really?? Well, couldn’t that have been accomplished without separating ourselves from King George III then? Sounds like a plan that involves ending up with royalty in the long run anyway, so why not skip that whole Revolution part? 🙄 Speaking of true patriots — wouldn’t it be great if there were a law against American citizens sending campaign contributions to fund the elections of foreign heads of state? Like Bibi Netanyahu? If folks have time to read only one article from today’s MB, I’d have to recommend the Rolling Stone one: “America’s Dirtiest Cops.” It’s a long article, but truly, it reads like a movie screenplay. The layers upon layers and generations upon generations of corruption are incredible. A really gripping story of the rise and fall of a corrupt and still largely unrepentant Texas family. A fascinating portrait of Adrian Carton de Wiart — one of the most wounded veterans ever. Apparently he was a man who genuinely loved war and felt lost when he was not involved with it. I’ve been reading a biography of General MacArthur and he seems to have had a very similar personality — thrived on battle — but much better luck when it came to dodging bullets. 😉 Great news about the discovery of Teixobactin, the new antibiotic. Health care was getting really desperate for a new weapon in the battle against antibiotic-resistance bacteria and this looks like it might be just what’s needed. It has the potential to be a real life saver. » Posted By kesmarn On January 8, 2015 @ 8:57 pm Kalima, thanks so much for keeping us posted on this sad event. I really appreciated the one comment on the bbc article regarding this tragedy: Hamed Saeedi: In my Islamic upbringing I was taught that the pen is man’s strongest weapon. These extremists must know that they can never silence freedom of speech, for it is a stronger weapon than any they’d dare to carry. Why couldn’t they answer peacefully through the pen as our prophet likely would have? True Islam condemns such attacks, more so when they are ignorantly and violently carried out in its name. Long live freedom of expression, religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. What a brave person to come out and put his name to that comment. This is how the whole world should react to these terrorist activities. » Posted By kesmarn On January 7, 2015 @ 7:39 pm So good to hear that the yummy Western food you worked so hard on was such a huge hit! (I think we all suspected it would be. 😉 ) Now to dig into today’s edition of the MB! Till later…. » Posted By kesmarn On January 1, 2015 @ 4:35 pm And a very Merry Christmas to you too, Nirek! I agree — we’re so often on the same wavelength it’s eerie. I do love Morning Blog. I know Kalima puts hours of work into each edition, and I’ve learned about events and opinions here that I never would have known of otherwise. Peace to you and your wonderful family as well. » Posted By kesmarn On December 20, 2014 @ 8:59 am Good night/morning, Kalima! I’m not even close to being ready for Christmas, but the calendar just doesn’t care. Those days just keep zipping on by, and not a single cookie baked yet. Still some gifts to be bought too. Ah well, somehow it will all get done… or not. (Fingers crossed.) The post-tsunami clean-up is just beginning now in Futaba — 3 1/2 years after the disaster. One comment that amazed me came from the 77 year old guy who said: “Now we can begin to rebuild…” That’s a pretty optimistic outlook for a man that age. More power to him! The connection between mental illness and terrorism — always a tough question. Of course, it’s almost impossible to imagine that any sane person would commit an act of terrorism (or become a mass shooter), but to document every person who seeks help for mental health issues and/or keep them under surveillance could deter people who would never become violent from seeking help for problems. It’s a real dilemma — and has been since before Columbine or Oklahoma City. What a story — about the two women who lost brothers to the Tory welfare benefit cutbacks in England. One died of diabetic ketoacidosis (and had no food in his stomach at the time of his death) and the other was noted to have been “underweight and malnourished.” Don’t you wonder if the little bit of money the government saved on their welfare benefits has contributed enormously to balancing the budget in Great Britain? Kinda doubt it. I suspect trimming Pudge Cameron’s wine budget by half would have netted them a LOT more. A good article on the hypocrisy of the GOP howling about the restoration of normal diplomatic relations with Cuba. You’d think that they’d be thrilled to witness history in the making as the glories of unfettered capitalism are finally exposed to the people of Cuba and they rush to emulate their prosperous neighbors to the North. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work in the Republican dream? Kudos to the Obama administration for thumping the countries (and individuals) who are defying the sanctions on selling oil to Assad’s regime in Syria. While I suppose there might be some understanding of why the UAE would do that, it’s aggravating that Switzerland and the Netherlands are. Sounds like pure greed and profiteering to me. Has any group of women ever suffered more than those in Iraq? Over a decade of violence and insecurity and now ISIS offers them the choice: marry jihadis or die. Sometimes I wish we could airlift all the women and children who would like to leave that country out of there. Let the ISIS men marry each other. Barack and Michelle Obama are very gracious about having been mistaken for “the help” on more than one occasion. I don’t know that I could be that kind. Last but not least: gotta love the collection of pictures of Kim Jong-un — mostly “looking at things.” I wonder if there’s a rule that says that everyone who accompanies him on these little inspection tours has to carry a small notebook and pen — apparently to record each and every pearl of wisdom that falls from his plump and pouty lips. The other question I have is: does he ever notice that the people at these various facilities he tours seem to be terribly emaciated? Does he ever notice the vast difference between his body shape and theirs? Does he observe that their ankles are almost never fractured due to the burden of carrying their own body weight? Does he pick up on the looks of abject terror on their faces? Questions to ponder as we wait for the online release of Sony’s “The Interview.” » Posted By kesmarn On December 18, 2014 @ 8:00 pm Good evening/morning, Kalima! After reading about the very persistent little old lady who called you over and over again, I’m beginning to understand why Mr. Sakamoto did give her the wrong number. It’s just too bad it happened to be yours. 😉 Being stranded on a train in the snow for 8 hours would be a real pain, but at least in Japan they hand out food and little disposable heater thingies. I have a feeling here in the US it would be a lot like being stuck in a plane on the ground — freezing, starving and overflowing toilets. It’s the American way. Freezing and starving might become the British way in the near future too, if Osborne has his way. It’s hard to imagine the consequences of reducing government spending to 1930s levels. I saw a chart recently that indicated that real income in Britain is already below the levels of the Great Depression. How could this not end up in costing actual human lives? Do they even care? Someone who really did care was Tugce Albayrak. What a brave little woman. And what a tragedy that her life was cut short. All for the “crime” of defending two women who were being harassed. Incredible that the murderer felt that her decency called for the death penalty. No words… I realize that — for once — John McCain was actually speaking the truth when he talked about neo-fascism in Hungary, but wouldn’t it be nice if he could manage — just for a little while — to stop meddling in US foreign affairs? He has done this consistently since the beginning of the President’s administration. Is he ever going to recognize that he did NOT win that election? Kalima, thanks so much for posting the article about the nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine. This is the first I’ve heard of it here in the US. So many channels on television, so many hours of blah-blah, so little actual information. Peter King’s comments on the notion that Eric Garner was responsible for his own death — due to obesity — is jaw-dropping in its stupidity. Is he really willing to overrule the opinion of the coroner, who ruled it a homicide? I never noticed that “M.D.” after his name before… Terrific article by the NYT’s Charles Blow on the problem of the “perfect victim.” This one paragraph really struck me: And yes, racist is the word that we must use. Racism doesn’t require the presence of malice, only the presence of bias and ignorance, willful or otherwise. It doesn’t even require more than one race. There are plenty of members of aggrieved groups who are part of the self-flagellation industrial complex. They make a name (and a profit) saying inflammatory things about their own groups, things that are full of sting but lack context, things that others will say only behind tightly shut doors. These are often people who’ve “made it” and look down their noses with be-more-like-me disdain at those who haven’t, as if success were merely a result of a collection of choices and not also of a confluence of circumstances. Last but not least: there are 100 brains missing in Texas?!? That leaves only AlphaBitch and the Blov!!! Time to send in a rescue helicopter! » Posted By kesmarn On December 5, 2014 @ 7:17 pm Good evening/morning, Kalima! All I could think of when I saw that clam slurping up that salt from the table is: “Boy, is he gonna be thirsty.” and I didn’t see a glass of water there for the poor guy! Leave it to me to feel sorry for a clam. I was appalled like you, when I read about the sale of NHS patient records. Not only that it happened, but that there’s not a law against it. AND that there’s no plan to stop it! And then to add insult to injury, it’s presented and something that’s being done for the “patient’s own good.” MmmmHmmm… A great article on the fact that the working class is not a homogeneous “intolerant blob,” and that the media and politicians shouldn’t be making pitches to them based on that misconception. Although it should be obvious to the Tories, I was glad to see that the author reminded them that there are working class people who aren’t racist and who have read a book or two. Total change of subject, but I happened to catch the Presidential pardon of the Thanksgiving turkey and I just had to giggle. You can tell he spent a few years in a Catholic school as a kid because as he announced the pardon, he made the sign of the cross over the turkey! After reading the grand jury testimony of Darren Wilson, I have to agree with Michael Brown’s parents that the account he gave of the shooting and the events that led up to it was “crazy.” There were so many inconsistencies. And referring to Brown as “like a demon” and to the conflict as “a five year old against Hulk Hogan” was ridiculous hyperbole. I think he was carefully coached by his attorney’s to go to any lengths to represent himself as a terrified victim rather than a 6′ 3″ tall adult who lost control of himself while he was holding a gun. Tomasky’s analysis of the situation with Hagel and the Defense Dept was so well-written as always. Love this one comment: “[G]o look at the list of the 11 new incoming GOP senators and Google around about them. With the lone exception of Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, they’re all in way-out land.” They sure are. Two stories — the one on mental health in Libya and the other on the psychiatrist to the Taliban — address something I’ve often thought about: the mental consequences of living in conditions of endless stress and violence. When you think of the fact that Dubya lit the powder keg back in 2003, there are young people now who were little kids back then, and they’ve hardly ever known anything else. No wonder they’re depressed, have flashbacks and nightmares. It’s going to take decades to begin to undo this damage. The Mosul diary was fascinating. Those poor elementary school age kids. ISIS eliminates art and sports from the school curriculum and substitutes something called “jihad.” Great. Just what they need… Sigh. Amazing article about the Chinese store that didn’t allow Chinese citizens to shop there. That’s incredible enough, but the fact that it’s allowed to continue to do this because China actually has no laws banning racial discrimination is even worse. If I were a Chinese citizen, they sure wouldn’t have to worry about my darkening their door. Loved that article on all the potential of graphene when it comes to the future of green energy. I don’t get all the physics and chemistry involved, but I get the impression that this will literally allow fuel to be derived from air! So cool. » Posted By kesmarn On November 28, 2014 @ 6:57 pm Congratulations, Kalima! On 5 years of wonderful stories, articles and photos from around the globe! Without your tireless efforts we would all be the poorer when it comes to knowledge of the world — and of our own backyard, too! I’ll be back later to read the latest offerings, but in the meantime, here’s a little food for thought: [img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UrSfiOww64c/T_m0pjGcILI/AAAAAAABRjk/f4wYL9Qv5bU/s1600/DSC_6285+%2528Custom%2529.JPG[/img] » Posted By kesmarn On November 20, 2014 @ 1:43 pm Hahaha! Kinda the equivalent of: “Jus’ you wite, ‘enry ‘iggins, jus’ you wite!” ? » Posted By kesmarn On November 18, 2014 @ 7:26 am What a great memory, PPO. My friend would have been thrilled to be 37th assistant coffee getter just to be in that close proximity to John Ford! I’ve always been a huge fan of Gregory Peck’s, so there’s where the little green envy monster would have popped up for me. Truly a memorable childhood, and we’re so lucky that you’ve shared it with us here. » Posted By kesmarn On November 18, 2014 @ 7:23 am PPO, this article is just a total delight. I’m sure your “Da” is smiling down on you and the way you’ve brought his marvelous, colorful and kind character to life with your eloquent words. I have a good friend who teaches film theory and history and she has always adored John Ford. She would be sooo jealous of your family’s closeness to him — and to so many other notable stars of the era. You were indeed a lucky person to grow up in such a vibrant household. But then your parents were pretty lucky too, you know? 😉 Thanks for a sprightly and heartwarming post! Later edit: Ahhh! I just saw your comment below about the possibility of an article about your Mum. Let the arm-twisting commence!! » Posted By kesmarn On November 17, 2014 @ 10:57 am foodchain, if I may barge in here, let me say that you have never, ever been a lightweight here on the Planet! 😆 And whether you have a little time to spend here or a lot, you’re always more than welcome. Good to see you! 😀 » Posted By kesmarn On November 17, 2014 @ 10:49 am That’s an excellent summary, Murph! I wonder if we could add one more troll type – the one I always think of as the bomb-thrower. They interject their points of view into discussions among progressives, but not with the purpose of adding to the exchange of ideas. Their goal is to de-rail the conversation (and muddy the issues), not to enhance it. If the subject is shifted from whatever the topic had been to a flurry of defensive statements in response to the troll, he gives himself a high five, dons his flight suit, and hangs out the “Mission Accomplished” banner. 😉 » Posted By kesmarn On November 14, 2014 @ 7:26 pm Now that is what is known as class, Michael. And the other guy? Well, he’s the total opposite. » Posted By kesmarn On November 14, 2014 @ 7:02 am Land of Id describes it perfectly, Michael. And what happened to you shows just how low they’re willing to go. Disgusting. » Posted By kesmarn On November 14, 2014 @ 6:48 amComments Posted By kesmarn
I can only imagine the investigations that would follow if Lebanese or Egyptian Americans sent large contributions to politicians in the Middle East.
«« Back To Stats Page
Home Stats