Decades ago—before videos, before Netflix, before all the myriad alternative ways to see movies—I used to go out to movie theaters quite a bit and I ended up seeing all the big movies every year and many of the smaller … Continue reading →
I suspect that this may be correct; Despite threats that they planned to release ISIS prisoners and abandon their front-line positions against the remaining pockets of ISIS fighters, Kurdish fighters of the YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces have not … Continue reading →
Or partial shutdown. Who will blink first? The press coverage, as you would expect, is spinning this as Trump-caused. A typical one-sided characterization can be found at Vanity Fair: “Trump is digging in, negotiations are at a standstill, and even … Continue reading →
How many people who think Trump is a tyrant because he does too much by executive decree felt the same way about Obama when he used the same tool? Does the Venn diagram of those two groups intersect at all? … Continue reading →
It doesn’t seem likely that it has. But lately I’ve noticed that there’s no spam in my Yahoo email spam folder. That’s a first. Anyone else having the same experience? UPDATE 12/27/18 12:57 PM: I’ve discovered what the change is … Continue reading →
The opioid abuse (and overdose) epidemic isn’t fueled by chronic pain patients. Most of the abuse problem involves the use of illicit drugs by addicts, and then to a lesser extent the selling of drugs left over from short-term prescriptions … Continue reading →
The con goes deep with this one: An award-winning German journalist who was recently found to have fabricated parts of stories may be facing more trouble. Claas Relotius, 33, is facing new accusations that he solicited donations for orphans of … Continue reading →
On Christmas Day—blog? I’d rather have grog, Or maybe eggnog, Then go walk the dog. Or watch a Yule Log, And eat like a hog, Then go for a jog. Blogging’s a bog. My mind’s in a fog, Or maybe … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post. Merry Night-Before-Christmas and Merry Christmas!] …a creature was stirring. Last night was Christmas Eve. I was expecting a visit from my son, who was flying in as a rare treat. I … Continue reading →
Perhaps you’ve heard of German journalist Claas Relotius. He wrote for the German periodical Der Spiegel and and had won “numerous awards such as CNN’s Journalist of the Year and Germany’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.” I guess you’d say … Continue reading →
After the announcement of the Syria and Afghanistan pullout, some Trump-defenders have emerged. One is Rand Paul, who says: I think the burden is really on Mattis and others who want perpetual war to explain why if there is no … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Regulars here may remember that most years I put up a family Christmas recipe. And here it is again.] This recipe was brought over from Germany sometime in the mid-1800s, and was my favorite of all the wonderful treats … Continue reading →