We need to come together to face a plague of addiction more tragic than any in recent memory. It’s even worse than drug addiction; even worse than nicotine addiction; even worse than food addiction; even worse than gambling addiction; even worse than shopping addiction; even worse than sex addiction; even worse than Jane’s Addiction.
I usually try to stay away from populism. Having lived around cows for much of my life, I know, vividly, exactly what herd behavior is, and how much we don’t want it in human society. But the Speaker of the House, Ms. Nancy Pelosi (D), has earned a good dose of populist rage, and I think we should give it to her.
Saturday mornings this time of year find me working the floor of the gymnasium at our church in Midland, offering halftime devotionals during Upward Basketball games. I was inspired to prepare this week’s devotional by headlines in the sporting news about a young man, a minor league baseball player who was doing so well, that most figured it would be just a matter of time till he was called-up to play in the majors. Well, he answered a call, alright … but it was not the call that many expected. [Read more →]
While searching the Internet in hope of learning more about cats, I came across a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer from October about the death of Cuddles, a six-week-old kitten who was stoned and scorched.
The tortured kitten was rescued by an animal-control officer, who named him Cuddles, after the poor, injured animal climbed up his shirt and cuddled against his neck.
I recall that a 19-year-old knucklehead was later arrested for animal cruelty. [Read more →]
You are an elected Democrat. You have voted for Obamacare and you may be asked to do so again. In any case, the two of you are now married. But Left and Right agree, she is on life support. Sentiment aside, do you want her to live or do you pull the plug? [Read more →]
I haven’t seen When in Rome, but I am disgusted by the flack it’s taking for its promotional campaign. Rome has been critiqued for ads that read, “From the studio that brought you The Proposal.” This is unusual because the plug doesn’t involve any people specifically working on the film, and as a result is the equivalent of saying, “There’s no one of particular note involved with our movie…but we know people who did something you might have enjoyed.” This attack strikes me as hopelessly ignorant, for every film studio has a very distinct style, once a filmgoer learns to recognize it. [Read more →]
Next week, the first so-called “Tea Party Convention” convenes in Nashville. It bears an eerie similarity to a convention held long ago on celluloid.
In Meet John Doe — Frank Capra’s lesser known Christmas movie — Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper stage what they believe will be a harmless ruse to generate newspaper sales: Cooper pretends to be John Doe, who — disgusted with the level of inhumanity in Depression-era America — will jump off a building on Christmas Eve in protest. [Read more →]
Today the US Senate passed a bill which will impose economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran. The plan is to “target companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand the country’s oil-refining capacity by, in part, denying them loans and other assistance from U.S. financial institutions.”
I argued in a post I wrote last year for my blog that this is collective punishment, and is therefore immoral and shouldn’t be done. Despite our leaders’ hearts constantly weeping for the Iranian populace – ”‘The situation in Iran is terrible and it’s worsening. People are dying in Iran as we speak,’ said Senator John McCain just before the Senate [sanctions] vote” — sanctions lower the standard of living for all Iranian civilians. [Read more →]
300 of these Filipino inmates are awaiting trial for murder and the others have been incarcerated for three years or less. Sure… why not make them famous. I understand that this formalized recreation has improved conditions in the prison ten-fold, but I am not sure I like the fame attached to it all. Still… the video is kind of amazing.
See more videos (oh, and there are a lot more videos) and explanations about how this all started on Byron Garcia’s You Tube channel.
I’ve always been a fan of British television programs that have made the jump ‘cross the pond to the United States. Among those currently at the top of my list is Top Gear, an imaginative and finely-crafted celebration of car and driver that is at times pointed and passionate … and sometimes downright hilarious. [Read more →]
