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Archives for 2016

Bowie more Popular in Death than He Ever Was in Life. Thanks for Nothing!

Friday, January 15, 2016 at 8:47 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

The Thin White Duke’s catalog drew 51 million views on Vevo on Jan. 11, a new one-day high-mark for any artist on the streaming music platform… Bowie breaks the previous same-day record, which was held by Adele whose catalog generated 36 million views on Oct. 23, 2015, the day “Hello” premiered. Bowie’s last album, Blackstar, was released… Read more.

Obama Delivers Final State of the Union Address. Thank God!

Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 4:55 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

I have listened to enough State of the Union Addresses to know that they invariably amount to a triumph of style over substance. And nothing demonstrates this quite like the most memorable thing about President Obama’s address last year being not something he said, but a congressman yelling, ‘You lie.’ (“2011 State of the Union Address,” The… Read more.

David Bowie, Gender-Bending Performing Artist, Is Dead

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 5:26 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

I’ve been a big David Bowie fan since high school (in the late 1970s). My classmates thought I was a weirdo. They preferred acts like Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones. But I took perverse pride and pleasure in having them gossip about my sexuality because I preferred him. For what it’s worth, my favorite songs… Read more.

Germany: Muslim Men More Sexual Predators than Asylum Seekers…?

Monday, January 11, 2016 at 7:21 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

German Chancellor Angela Merkel can be forgiven for bemoaning that no good deed goes unpunished. Recall that she made quite a show last summer of welcoming as many refugees as could make it to Germany. But she soon had just cause to rue her open door policy – as reports of assimilation woes and spikes in crime… Read more.

Groundhog Day: North Korea Tests Nukes. World Explodes with Outrage … Again

Friday, January 8, 2016 at 5:48 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

North Korea is commanding world attention again, after claiming it tested a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday. Because of the way that they are made, hydrogen bombs are usually much more powerful than their atomic counterparts. That is why people are so worried about North Korea’s announcement — it has already launched atomic bombs, but this… Read more.

Minister Regrets “No VAT” in Turks and Caicos Islands

Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 6:29 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

Rumors of the sun setting on the British Empire have been slightly exaggerated. The dominion Britain still exercises over the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), my mother country, attests to this. As it happened, I was in the vanguard of TCIslanders who called on the British Government in 2008 to assert its dominion by suspending… Read more.

Crappy New Year to Bill and Camille Cosby!

Monday, January 4, 2016 at 7:01 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby received bad tidings of arrest and woe this Christmas season. They arose from a confidential agreement he struck in 2006 to settle a sexual-battery lawsuit. Here, in part, is how I commented on that settlement back then – in “Bill Cosby Pays Off Woman Who Accused Him of Rape,” November 23,… Read more.