From France’s Prime Minister Manuel Valls, a declaration of war that is surprisingly specific: “It is a war against terrorism, against jihadism, against radical Islam, against everything that is aimed at breaking fraternity, freedom, solidarity,” Mr. Valls said during a … Continue reading →
All three perpetrators in the recent terror attacks in France—the two Kouachi brothers at Charlie Hebdo, Coulibaly at the kosher market—were known to French authorities. And not just known, but well known to be jihadis who supported the Islamic terrorist … Continue reading →
Who was the Gerber baby? Ann Turner Cook, who became a mystery novelist when she grew up. But in old age she still managed somehow to look almost exactly like she did as a baby:
Continue reading →Do you remember the William Styron book Sophie’s Choice? First published in 1979, it was a literary sensation and became a movie starring Meryl Streep. Sophie was a Christian Polish woman who ended up in a concentration camp during World … Continue reading →
What’s planned for the new Congress: The House plans to vote next week on legislation that would defund President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Republicans also plan to include language rolling back a 2012 order from the Obama administration that … Continue reading →
The fog of war is operating in France right now, but reports are that the Charlie Hebdo killers have themselves been killed in a shoot-out with police, and the hostage they took has been freed. However, a related French terrorist/hostage … Continue reading →
A police operation of some sort is currently underway in the small town of Dammartin-en-Goele, where the two Charlie Hebdo killers are reported to be holed up. They may have taken a hostage.
Continue reading →“Bella” and “Max” were the two most popular dog names for 2014. For cats? Bella and Oliver. Max? Way down at #5 on the list for names of male felines.
Continue reading →The number of US citizens who call themselves “Independents” has risen in recent years. Here’s the graph: You can see that the increase in Independent affiliation has come at the expense of both parties, although slightly more from Democrats during … Continue reading →
The still-at-large suspects in the Charlie Hebdo massacre in France fall into the dreaded category of native-born jihadis. The brothers Kouachi, one of whom had served time for trying to get to Iraq to fight the Americans, apparently fell off … Continue reading →
I recently watched a few episodes of the popular TV show “Blue Bloods” and was struck by two things: the topical nature of so many of its themes re the police and New York City, and its unusual depiction of … Continue reading →
…explains why he didn’t vote against Boehner yesterday. It essentially boils down to “when you strike at a king you must kill him.” Most of the responders to his argument aren’t buying it. It’s the old Don Quixote vs. Sancho … Continue reading →