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Greece Closer to a Moment of Truth
Anyone who thought the Greek bailout plan was actually going to work was either under-informed or delusional, and certain pan-European leaders seem to be both. To expect the kind of growth necessary for it to work (7 percent/year) while also cutting spending from the biggest spender in the country sounds like something from Kurt Vonnegut. I sincerely hope there is a back-up plan written somewhere for the withdrawal of Greece from the Eurozone that is designed to function on reality instead of hopes and dreams, as the current bailout package is. 49 Decapitated Bodies Found Near Mexican Border
President Felipe Calderón It is true that, according to some estimates, 70 percent of the weapons used by Mexican drug gangs are smuggled across the American border and that the U.S. must do much more to stop the illegal gun trade. It is also true that American demand for narcotics fuels Mexico’s drug business. But if easy access to guns were the cause of Mexico’s predicament, then Texas would be as lawless as Chihuahua. If a border with the U.S. drug market were the problem, then Canada would also be fighting such gangs.
Saving Sergeant Bergdahl - Grassroots Movement Grows to Bring Taliban Captive Home
Thank you for reporting on SGT Bergdahl. I've always felt SGT Berdahl has been ignored largely by the media, and at times it would seem our government, and I can only surmise that this is because his story doesn't interest people or can't be manipulated to further some political agenda. While almost everybody's heard of Pat Tillman, or Jessica Lynch, or even protestor Cindy Sheehan and her deceased son Casey, nobody is talking about Bowe Bergdahl. Had it not been for the social media and a friend sharing his story, I probably would not have heard of him either. But yet here he is, living in captivity, in either reportedly Pakistan or Afghanistan and there seems no sense of urgency of getting the man back home. If we can get Osama Bin Laden, how come we cannot get this man home who has now been held captive for over 3 years? Could it be that he isn't known because there is no cool story to sell? Is he too ordinary that the press won't focus on him? Had he gotten the media attention that the others received, would he have been brought home? One has to ask these questions because Jessica Lynch was retrieved relatively quickly compared to what's going on with Bowe Berdahl. Unlike Cindy Sheehan or Pat Tilman's family and their outrage, SGT Berdahl's family has largely shied away from media attention. As his father has stated, they are quiet in public but loud behind the scenes. Regardless of whether you agree with the war or not, this man Bowe Robert Bergdahl is somebody's son. He's young, at 26, and deserves at least the chance of a full, fruitful and prosperous life: the pursuit of happiness we are all entitled to. Taking Credit for Bin Laden's Death
The classic false equivalency here - "Geroge W Bush and Obama are both militarily aggressive" - hides the truth, as it always does when it's wheeled out. We on the non-existent "left" might not agree with his choices all the time, but at least he's using force *intelligently.* He applies surgical precision to very targeted attack: Bin Laden is attacked, not Pakistan; individual Al Qaeda leaders are taken out, Yemen and Somalia are not occupied. The Great Ship RMS Titanic - A World Remembers and Reflects
As the anniversary of Titanic's sinking arrives tomorrow, I've had opportunity to reflect on these stories of grace under pending doom that keep emerging.
Facebook Update: Share Your Status --And Your Organs
I don't have any objection to organ donation whatosever -- in fact I am on the organ and bone marrow transplant lists. What I object to is Facebook attempting to get its tentacles into yet another area of our private lives for its own gain. I might be cynical, but they have form. Everything they do is for the supposedly laudable aim of creating 'connections' but the truth is that you are nothing more to them than a tiny slice of their 900-million-strong product offering. I don't want any part of my life, much less something as important as my decision whether or not to donate my organs, being a part of their attempt to reduce every human being on the planet to a saleable Facebook profile. I'm all for raising awareness of the issue, absolutely. And I can see why Facebook is an obvious means of doing so. But that doesn't make it the right place for it. I'd rather see awareness being increased through other means less tied with commercial ends. Will Asteroid Mining Fuel a New Age of Discovery?
By far the most readily available workable asteroid mineral is plain old ordinary water, and the designated target asteroids are 40% water by mass. Properly (and easily) refined in space this water becomes an equal mass of LH2/LO2 (liquid hydrogen and oxygen), also known as "rocket fuel", in a near-zero g environment. Kilotons of the stuff. It makes nice drinking water and breathable air too, and it might be possible in the longer term to actually grow produce in space to provide food and provisions to humans, though this is a minor impact over the fuel issue. ... If you have a robotic rocket fuel factory in high lunar orbit you can sell its output to people who want to do things in space at a considerable profit. You can then fuel robotic lunar landing craft to collect more water to refine from the lunar poles until you have unlimited fuel. You don't even have to claim you own this space produce (a political sticky point): you can charge for delivery and processing only. You can fuel, for example, manned trips to Mars the quick way rather than the slow way, and ensure that it's a round trip rather than a one-way trip. You can even send robotic fuel ships in advance to await the human mission in orbit around Mars, or anywhere else in the solar system.
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Same-Sex Marriage: Evolution of a President
Always trying to keep an open mind, I like to be to see both sides of an issue, because only then can I make an informed decision. However try as I might I cannot see a plausible argument against same sex marriage. As a heterosexual Christian male, same sex marriage does not affect me. It not as if the newlyweds will be living in my kitchen! The only argument against same sex marriage I’ve heard is that passages in the bible forbid it. So what! The decisions of others don’t affect my holy divinity. And last time I checked America had a separate church and state, so why are religious policies holding sway over social issues? Can someone please prove me wrong? Show me a valid argument against same-sex marriage.
Pew: Receding Tide of Illegal Immigrants from Mexico
One can argue about the actual numbers of illegals in the US but, the truth is, no one really knows.
Secret Service Scandal Tarnishes Reputation of Agency
Born 60 years ago in the Elite NYC suburb of Short Hills, and raised there, and living a career as executive in the computer industry leading elite teams to turn around failing organizations for 30 years, I know excellence. I know talent. I've led, worked with, our best from Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford.... For the last 10 years I've had the privilege of logging 1000's of hours watching, and being watched by the Secret Service in DC. By orders of magnitude this is the most stunning group of human beings I've ever seen, read of, heard of.... Unimaginable, impossible, if I'd not seen it with my own eyes. Courageous, disciplined, mature, professional, kind, decent, unbreakable, proud, honorable, immensely intelligent. I would take a bullet for any of these folks. You should too, starting now, the bullets launched at them by the ignorant rock throwers throughout our sick society. Weight of the Nation: Sizing Up the Big Report on Obesity in America
One part of the solution is a tax which squarely put accountability for the obesity epidemic on the makers and consumers of such foods, which is a level of personal responsibility via targetted taxation that a rational conservative should applaud. You may also note, the other major solution is a major cut in federal spending in terms of cutting farm subsidies for unhealthy foods. That said, while I agree that all of these environmental factors are important contributing factors to the obesity epidemic, I think it is not appropriate to take the emphasis off of personal responsibility. Very few obese, overweight people are that way “naturally” due to “big bones” and “glandular problems”, most of them are that way because they have no self-control, and everything is everyone else’s fault, and enabling that attitude is very unhealthy. Here is a great tip for losing weight from someone currently having some success moving back towards my college weight from a peak late 20′s/early 30′s “bloat”: don’t get on the scale, don’t count calories, don’t listen to or rely on gimmickry and for god sakes don’t wait for the government to help. Just eat less and excercise more. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. The More You Sleep, the Less You Weigh? - Study
All this is true. I observed the same thing and came up with my own conclusion
about this idea years ago. The less I slept, the less energy I had. The less
energy I had, the more I ate to compensate. The more I ate, the more weight I
put on. Is Overuse of Antibiotics Causing an Explosion of Allergies and Asthma?
And this is why people are taking probiotics. We've super sanitized our homes and kids to the point they're essentially exposed to nothing, and thus have difficulty processing certain foods and have limited or problematic immune responses. Combine this with a continual decline in proper breastfeeding due to societal and employment pressures and the kids are not even betting a good start with a full suite of antibodies. READ MORE •••• Red Meat: How Much is Too Much?
Here's a novel idea - eat in moderation and add some physical activity! Don't eat the the 3 lb. lard burger with all the trimmings, fries and wash it down with a 48 oz. cola then go sit on your fat a.. and wonder why I weigh 400 lbs. and need all the pharma drugs to keep me alive. I agree with the notion that processed red meat is bad but another killer to consider is most food that comes boxed/baged is highly processed with many preservatives. Beware Sly Santino and His Hidden Rock Pile
I'm wondering why no one is characterizing this as Santino actually using surprise tactics to engage an opponent. I also love the phrase "whether some humanlike animal behaviors might have simpler explanations". It should be contrasted with "whether seemingly complex behaviors by humans are better explained as simple animal behavior". Just because we can come up with complex scenarios as to why we do certain things doesn't mean that is really why we are doing them.
Are Pit Bulls "Inherently Dangerous?"
As a dog owner, I think that all the attention placed on "pit bulls" (as if they are an entirely different species of animal from other dogs) is bad policy. In reality, all dogs can bite and larger dogs can usually inflict more harm than smaller dogs (the size/health of victim plays a part as well). Before the Big Melt: CO2 and the Last Ice Age
The breathable atmosphere on this planet is only approximately 8 km thick. If you could point your car straight up, it would only take 5 minutes to get there driving at 100 km/Hr. It would only take an hour to park your car in low Earth orbit. That ain't a heck of alot.
The Scientists, The Rat, and The Big Stick Insect
This is absolutely amazing. I've always loved bugs, stick bugs in particular. I'm just curious about eradicating ALL the rats on the island, would that have any impact on the ecosystem? I mean, yes rats are what most people consider a nuisance and disgusting, but don't they help in some ways as well? Eating other bugs to keep their populatations down? They eat carrion, and other garbage as well that might be benneficial. What would the effects of removing all the rats be?
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To Like or Not To Like Facebook IPO?
Mark Zuckerberg Those who expect FB to be overtaken by something newer or better are wrong. 10%
of all the people on earth have accounts. In contrast, nobody uses new services
because nobody uses them. It's called the Network Effect, and it's nearly
impossible to overcome. Just ask Google Plus: It's superior to Facebook in many
ways, but it's a desert.
JP Morgan's $2 Billion Loss: " "Errors, sloppiness and bad judgment"
"Throughout the debate around the Volcker Rule, which is named after Paul A. Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman, Mr. Dimon has said the rule goes too far. Mr. Dimon told CNBC earlier this year that under the Volcker Rule, “if you want to be trading, you have to have a lawyer and a psychiatrist sitting next to you determining what was your intent every time you did something.”"
"Not Fit to Exercise Stewardship of Major Company," say British Lawmakers
Rupert Murcdoch Photo: David Shankbone I used to work for News Corp and met Mr Murdoch in passing a few times. He seemed like a pleasant person, however the way he has his supposed news companies run is utter garbage. It's a shame that a publication as prestigious as the Wall Street Journal is caught up in all of this mess. Say what you will about the "liberal media," at least they make sure they get the facts straight and always run corrections when they do not. He may be sorry, he may have even not been told specifics of what was happening, however he put in place a corporate atmosphere that brewed those results and deserves whatever he gets for it. A Dark Day for the Future of Books?
The theory here is that customers should embrace higher prices, since that will allow old-school, inefficient book publishers to stay in business rather than change their business practices and become more efficient in this new digital age.
Remembering Writer Carlos Fuentes, a Universal Mexican
What a brilliant Renaissance man, virtuoso writer, inspiring and kind teacher. His sweeping vision encompassing both cyclic and linear time inspired me as no other; his novel "The Death of Artemio Cruz" a precision-wrought jewel perfectly merging form and content, Citizen Kane and Faulkner fused in a top-to-bottom x-ray of Mexican society and history in the first half of the twentieth century, lit by lights cosmic and visceral; his love of Proust, Tristram Shandy, and Cervantes; of language; of women in all their forms from Aura to Malinche to the wizened crones who have seen and known life's circus from inside out, who have lived to bear fruit and watch its corrupting cycles of decay (were these perhaps inspired by his grandmothers, the ones whom he called "the two authors of my books, really"?). He was generous, supportive, a force of nature, vital source (as his name connotes), a gift to us all. I salute you, Fuentes, my one-time friend and mentor and perpetual inspiration! And my sympathy to Silvia, who knew him as no other
"Sailing Home" - Remembering Maurice Sendak and the Wild Things
What a tribute to humankind, this man was. He put expression before perfection. He showed little people that their raucous energy and imaginative dark sides weren't strange or wrong. I'm honored and grateful to have lived when his work was fresh. I understand it was a challenge to some teachers and parents at the time. They were used to the anodyne product that kids were supposed to be seeing all the time. His work just cut through the clutter of all that. It demanded to be seen. I remember seeing it the first time and making the teacher let us see the book again and again. There was nothing like it, you could go into that world and be there for a while. A great example. A contrast to this packaged auto-tuned time. The Perplexing Case of Activist Chen Guangcheng
Under international law, Mr. Guangchang would certainly be treated as a refugee were he to arrive at the United States' borders, since he clearly has a legitimate fear of political persecution. The situation is more difficult when he arrives, not at a United States border, but at the US embassy in Beijing. There is something called the 'diplomatic asylum' in international law, which seems to be basically what Mr. Guangchang sought. This occurs when a person appears, not at the borders of another country, but at that country's embassy, and seeks asylum. Under such circumstances, the general rule is that the receiving state cannot grant asylum to the person if the state where the embassy is located requests his surrender. The justification is that, in the absence of such rules, states might actually attack a foreign country's embassy, thus harming the stability of international relations. Heartfelt Tributes to Donna Summer, Queen of Disco
My mom bought Love to Love You Baby on 8-Track. She loved Donna Summer the way I would grow to love Rush. She even cut and styled her dark hair to look the very style Donna is wearing in that iconic photo featured here. She and I would cruise the streets of El Paso in 1975-76 blasting the stereo of her boyfriend's 1974 Grand Prix in a time when it was still taboo for a woman to: divorce (oh, shame!), have a live-in boyfriend (scandal!), and embrace her sexuality (eternal damnation!). Looking back, I now see what Donna Summer embodied for my mother and millions of women coming of age in those duplicitous years.
I'm a Stern admirer more than a fan; his schtick just isn't my cup of tea. However, his remarkable success at finding a unique (and lucrative) niche in our pop culture is worthy of the kudos of even the most priggish aesthete. His debut last night was a smash. Even in his prime on American Idol, Simon Cowell didn't rivet attention and set the tone as did Stern. His touch was masterful, sensitive, and often HILARIOUS! To my taste, he was edgy without really crossing any real "family time" boundaries and, although he grabbed the lion's share of the camera's focus, did not seem intrusive. NBC's "daring experiment" is off to a great start! READ MORE ••••
The Scream Brings a Shattering $119.9 Million at Auction
This is ridiculous: why are people disparaging wealth and personal choice? If any of us had that kind of pocket jingle to spend on a painting that we wanted, why shouldn't we buy it? So many of us dream of winning the lottery and landing hundreds of millions of dollars. Were any of us to win said lottery, or have our start-up company bought for a gazillion dollars by Microsoft or Facebook, to whom would we pay any attention, when we buy a nice car or a nicer home or a pricey painting, that we should be giving our earned or won money to the oppressed or underprivileged? We don't know the philanthropic inclinations of the painting's buyer and so -- whom are we to judge? The buyer is probably way psyched he or she won the auction, and let us celebrate that art still matters to some people, whether or not the sky's the limit. The Avengers Launch Summer Movie Season with a Blast
I saw it yesterday in 3D, here in Germany it's running already. The performances are absolutely stunning, the new Hulk is the bomb. Fantastic storyline that really feels like a comic. Epic action scenes. Really, really epic. Great jokes. Did I say the action scenes are absolutely nuts? Yes. They're amazing. Also, character development, but not too much, not too little. Everything is just... right. It's unbelievable. There is nothing really wrong with this movie. Almost 24 hours have passed and I'm still thinking about how great it was. That didn't happen to me since Kill Bill Vol. 1. I have to see it again, in the English original version the next time. Joss Whedon is more than a hero. He gave us Firefly, and now he gave us The Avengers. Thank you so much, Joss Whedon. I pray that you'll direct the sequel as well
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COMMENTOPIA
Curating the Best Comments from Top News Sites and Blogs