Enormous Health Problems from Gulf Oil Spill

The health impact is enormous, while neither BP, the state, or the U.S. government offers anywhere near sufficient assistance.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/150816/health_crisis_rocks_the_gulf_in_aftermath_of_the_spill,_but_feds_and_bp_turn_a_blind_eye/?page=entire

JD Power Bank Survey

Here are JD Power’s bank ratings:
http://www.jdpower.com/news/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2011043
http://www.jdpower.com/finance/ratings/retail-banking-ratings/south-central/

Packing Heat on Texas Campuses

Whoopee! This should be fun for faculty and students, as they deal with anger management issues in classrooms.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/10/us-campus-guns-texas-idUSTRE74902920110510

Nuclear Plant Building Cancelled in Japan

Is the cancellation of nuclear plant building in Japan a taste of events to come or an anomaly?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/world/asia/11japan.html?_r=1&nl=afternoonupdate&emc=aua2

Politics in the South and Possible Shifts to Come

An interesting analysis projecting long-term demographic trends (especially the growth of the Latino population) that favor progressive Democrats in the South. We shall see. In any case, it will take at least ten twenty years, I would guess.
http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=gone_with_the_2010_win

The Horizon

Wherever earth and heaven meet, that’s the horizon.

Neo-Nazi Shot by Son

A strange story in a strange world of hate:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11nazi.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/us/13hall.html

Secret Political Donors may owe Back Taxes

IRS signals that political donors may own back taxes. This is potentially game-changing for the 501(c)4 world and may have a major impact on the 2012 election. Not many donors want to pay thirty-five percent gift taxes

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-irs-outside-groups-20110512,0,7620681.story?track=rss

Dems Strategize to End Big Oil Tax Breaks

Great idea, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/us/politics/09congress.html?_r=1

Repub Medicaid Cuts To Increase Uninsured by 44 Million

Which century do we live in?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_medicaid_cuts

Delphi

I have been to Delphi three times, twice with other graduate students, faculty, and archaeologists, and again later with Dianne, my wife, who was then a graduate student herself.  In 1986, Dianne and I visited Delphi so that we could share travel in Greece together.  It was that third time that Delphi became a magical place for me, full of wonder and deep feeling.  We spent three days there, enjoying great food and scenery, with Mount Parnassus majestic in the background.  Yet it was during our visit to the archaeological site, with our Blue Guide (and other guide books), methodically going over as many stones in as much detail as we possibly could, when we encountered the sacred character of this site.  Anybody who watched us would think we were somewhat compulsive, trying to figure out the location of as many details in the Blue Guide as we possibly could.  We spent hours and hours identifying the monuments, thinking about their organization and layout, and reflecting on the religious nature of the place (including the Sybil who apparently ingested hallucinogenic gases to open her up to cosmic forces).  Somehow, as we read painstakingly through this rather dry book, the Dephic energy arose almost out of the ground itself suffusing us.  We did not go there looking for something, seeking some kind of mystic message,  Rather, it was by studying and observing, and relating to each other that (even when we did not fully understand things) we unexpectedly felt what it was to be in a holy place.

Torture is always Wrong

Torture destroys the torturer:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/torture-apologists-stain-triumph-over-bin-laden/2011/05/05/AFl7881F.html

Healing Severe Battlefield Injuries

A moving description of military trauma medicine in the setting of the Naval Medical Center of San Diego.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0507-marine-injury-20110507,0,2209855,full.story

Chris Hondros’ Photo that Screamed Pain

A sad story about the trauma of war and the power of photographs: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/07/world/middleeast/07photo.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

Bob Dylan and Judges

Bob Dylan has the largest influence on U.S. judges of any cultural icon.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bob-dylan-law-20110509,0,7507838.story

U.S. Ready for Fight with Pakistanis in Bin Laden Raid

Hmm…It’s possible, but unlikely given the deal between the two countries. Still one has to plan for every contingency:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/world/asia/10intel.html

http://mysticscholar.org/2011/05/09/secret-deal-between-pakistan-and-u-s-on-bin-laden/

Rumsfeld Denies Waterboarding Helped Kill Bin Laden

Even Donald Rumsfeld agrees that water-boarding was not important in the intelligence that identified the location of Osama Bin Laden:
http://foknewschannel.com/rumsfeld-disproves-conservatives-tortured-argument/

Bradley Manning’s Miraculous Recovery

Isn’t it amazing how quickly Bradley Manning recovered from his problems? Gee, I wonder if public pressure had anything to do with it.
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/05/06/miraculous-reversal-bradley-mannings-humane-conditions-at-leavenworth/

The Wisconsin Bullies are at it Again

Wisconsin Republicans push radical agenda ahead of recalls. I guess that’s what bullies do:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110507/GPG0101/110507020/1207

Bin Laden Photos are not Trophies

I agree with Obama’s decision not to release the gruesome photos.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-photo-20110506,0,7106745.story

Pakistan Leaks CIA Officer Name

This an indication of at least some tension between the U.S. and Pakistan. Then there is “On the other hand”: Maybe this was part of the agreement concluded ten years ago.  You know, it’s the Kabuki thing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/world/asia/10pakistan.html?_r=1

Secret Deal between Pakistan and U.S. on Bin Laden

The U.S. and Pakistan agreed ten years ago that Pakistan would allow a U.S. attack on Bin Laden on its territory and that Pakistan would respond by lambasting the U.S. Ah, the ways of diplomacy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/09/osama-bin-laden-us-pakistan-deal

Christian-Muslim Clashes in Egypt

Clashes leave twelve dead and two churches in flames in Cairo: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/world/middleeast/09egypt.html

Why Do Stores Junk Up Their Aisles?

To get you to buy more stuff:
http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clark-howard/shopping-retail/retailers-junking-look-their-stores-appeal-price-s/nCT9H/

Ganges in Queens

Here’s one way the environment and a religious tradition (Hindu) can come into conflict.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/nyregion/hindus-find-a-ganges-in-queens-to-park-rangers-dismay.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha29

Patients are not Consumers

We cannot reduce everything to a commodity or money, as Paul Krugman concisely notes: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/opinion/22krugman.html

Bin Laden Dead: Keith Olbermann Chronicle

This is a humorous account of a very serious event, including local twitter updates:
http://foknewschannel.com/bin-laden-dead/

Israel and the U.S. Are Ultimate Allies

This is an excellent analysis and survey by U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Michael Oren: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/25/the_ultimate_ally?page=full

Many Paths

We have many paths to choose that lead us to different places, but each one is part of a larger map laid out for us.

U.S. Resists China Investment

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/business/global/04yuan.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25 (via Nelson French)

Love

Love stems from the awareness that we are not alone.

German Civil Society Movement

A grassroots movement called Wutburger is roiling German politics:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/europe/02germany.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Television Ownership Declines in U.S.

With the economic recession and the advent of internet technology, U.S. television ownership is on the decline for the first time in many decades: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/business/media/03television.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25

Banks Continue to Bully Homeowners

This is an excellent survey of the many ways in which banks bully homeowners and decimate the middle class:
http://dailycensored.com/2011/04/20/beyond-foreclosuregate-it-gets-uglier/

Israel Taking Holocaust Restitution Into Own Hands

This is part of a very complex story it seems:
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/04/28/3087161/israel-taking-matters-into-its-own-hands-on-holocaust-restitution

Majority of East Jerusalem Residents Prefer to Stay Part of Israel

This says it all.  When push comes to shove, under whose authority do the Arab residents of East Jerusalem want to live? Surpise. It’s Israel
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=218722

Taxes for Super Rich Drop Dramatically

And the beat goes on: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110417/ap_on_bi_ge/us_no_taxes

Problems with Off-Shore Oil Rig Regulation

This article illustrates the serious problems with oil rig regulation and the close relationship between oil companies and their regulators:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/us/politics/17regulate.html

Pennsylvania Limits Authority of Natural Gas Inspectors

What a world: http://www.propublica.org/article/pennsylvania-limits-authority-of-oil-and-gas-inspectors

Theresienstadt Propaganda Film and the Holocaust

A sad and revealing story about a Jewish director who in 1944 made a propaganda film under Nazi supervision at the Theresienstadt camp in order to fool the International Red Cross. This film was just re-released to remind us not only of the holocaust, but to show us the use of propaganda to propagate a lie:
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/04/27/3087086/rare-nazi-propaganda-film-showcases-theresienstadt-as-paradise-for-inmates

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