The Progressive Gap Senator Bernie Sanders is frustrated. He believes there is a gap between the American people who are increasingly embracing progressive values and what's going on in Congress. "The American people are way, way ahead on matters of the economy, war, global warming," he says, over coffee with a small group of reporters. Well, the polls quoted are interesting, but one of them boasts only a 2% majority for progressives on an issue. If only this were true, that people in this country are much more progressive than our current elected leaders. There would be hope for the…
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Rove, celebs have heated debate | Chicago Tribune Here's this week's hot topic on the liberal/conservative punditblogs: Sheryl Crow picks a fight with Karl Rove. She tells him "You work for me." He tells her "No, I work for the American people." Um, dude, you told her to her face that you don't think she's an American. This is the root problem that the neoconservatives have foisted on the rest of our country – they think they're more American than the rest of us.
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Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain , by Anthony Bourdain If you’ve ever watched No Reservations, a travel and food show hosted by Anthony Bourdain, then you have “Tony’s” voice in your head as you read this book, the one that made him famous enough to be made host of his own show(s). He has a trademark writer’s voice, too – a little too cool for his own good, but genuinely racked-out sounding and with a certainhardcore urbanity and something that sounds like a foodie-sensualist’s version of Beat Poetry on his summing-up monologues. I’m a fast reader, so it’s not unusual…
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Police: Gunman in JSC shooting feared losing his job | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle At the time, it looked like the "man with a gun at NASA" story would end peacefully, so I made a bad joke and turned to other stories in the news. It didn't. It's not so funny now, I readily admit. I'm don't know if the NASA gunman snapped because of all the news this week about the shootings at Virginia Tech, but if he was that close to the edge, the incessant coverage couldn't have helped his mental state. Yes, there've been a lot of…
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Welcome to Church Publishing Psalm 23 as adapted by Ryan Kearse The Lord is all that, I need for nothing. He allows me to chill. He keeps me from being heated and allows me to breathe easy. He guides my life so that I can represent and give shouts out in his Name. And even though I walk through the Hood of death, I don't back down for you have my back. The fact that you have me covered allows me to chill. He provides me with back-up in front of my player-haters and I know that I am a…
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NASA evacuates Houston building – Space News – MSNBC.com A building at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston was evacuated Friday amid reports that an armed person was barricaded there, the space agency said. Other employees at the center were told to remain in lockdown as authorities surrounded the scene. Does somebody need some Huggies?
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Teen charged in suburban school bomb rumor | Chicago Tribune A 16-year-old Schaumburg High School student was cited as a juvenile with disorderly conduct today after he allegedly made statements he wanted to plant a bomb at the school on the 8th anniversary of the Columbine massacre. It's the time of year for spring flings, senior sluff day, and copycat bomb/campus shooter reports. Which is a pretty sick joke, y'all, but it doesn't stop kids from pulling it.
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Pope Revises 'Limbo' for Babies | Chicago Tribune VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has revised traditional Roman Catholic teaching on so-called "limbo," approving a church report released Friday that said there was reason to hope that babies who die without baptism can go to heaven. Benedict approved the findings of the International Theological Commission, which issued its long-awaited document on limbo on Origins, the documentary service of Catholic News Service, the news agency of the American Bishop's Conference. This is just…weird. Next week: the Pope announces just exactly how many angels can do the foxtrot on the head of a…
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Vermont Senate: Impeach the President | Chicago Tribune MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont senators voted Friday to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, saying their actions have raised "serious questions of constitutionality." The nonbinding resolution was approved 16-9 without debate — all six Republicans in the chamber at the time and three Democrats voted against it. Yet another non-binding resolution – let's have a binding one next time!
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When you have hair like this, as I do, you get into weird conversations with complete strangers. Why? I have no idea, but people seem to think that a comment is required sometimes. Here’s a fairly typical example of a conversation that I’m forced to have now and then. It happened earlier this week while I was heading down to the ground floor to run an errand: Random middle-aged man in elevator: “That’s some red hair you got there.”Me: “Yes, well, thanks to my parents.”RMAMIE: “Wow, both of them?”Me: “Yep, they both had it. It’s a recessive gene, so they…