Social media platforms are replete with people venting outrage. And nothing commands coverage in mainstream media these days quite like an outrage going viral on social media. Except that such outrage often stems from little more than human herds banging out ignorant snark on their smart phones. Only this explains the viral outrage among black… Read more.
Archives for February 2018
In Finally Criticizing Russia re Syria, Trump Criticizes Himself
President Trump was obliged to hold a joint press conference when Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull visited the White House on Friday. This gave reporters an increasingly rare opportunity to question him in a formal setting. I feared they would waste the two questions Trump allowed to ask redundant ones about the Russia investigation. Therefore,… Read more.
PyeongChang Olympics: Day 15 – Closing Ceremony, Ending a Ratings and Diplomatic Bust
I am pooped. What’s more, I risk permanent damage to my already failing eyesight if I watch another event. Never mind the irony that my addictive interest in watching healthy people compete is making me unhealthy. Frankly, I deserve a gold medal — not just for watching so many events but for writing so many… Read more.
Solution to the Menace of Guns: Treat Them Like Alcohol…?!
In a Thursday tweet, Trump vowed to push for comprehensive background checks for gun sales, while calling for the minimum purchase age to be raised to 21. (The Hill, February 24, 2018) How crazy is that? After all, show me an 18-year-old who doesn’t drink because he’s not of age and I’ll show you one… Read more.
PyeongChang Olympics: Day 12, 13, 14 — Jamaican-style Bobsledding Jumps the Shark
I noted in “Diplomatic Brinkmanship Upstages the Opening Ceremony” on February 9 that supervening events might limit my commentary on Olympic events. That has been the case, most notably last week with the Parkland mass shooting and the resignation of South African President Jacob Zuma, and this week with the death of Billy Graham and… Read more.
Boko Haram (a la Chibok Girls) Strikes Again. So Where’s the Outrage?!
Terror group Boko Haram incited international outrage four years ago when it kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. In fact, no less a person than First Lady Michelle Obama led the viral protest #BringBackOurGirls. Yet, just two years later, you would have been forgiven for having no clue this infamous kidnapping… Read more.
Billy Graham, Preacher to Masses, Counselor to Presidents, Is Dead
Billy Graham figures prominently in my earliest memories of television. My family used to gather round to watch his Christian crusades in the late 1960s, much as families do to watch Football games today. This analogy works on many levels. Most notably, we were as fanatical about religion as any fan is about Football. And… Read more.
PyeongChang Olympics: Day 11 – Hot Ice Dancing Full of Intrigue
Figure Skating Ice Dance In Sochi, this event was Exhibit A for the alleged rigging that complemented Russia’s state-sponsored doping program. Except that the United States reportedly colluded with Russia: According to L’Équipe, which quoted an unnamed Russian coach, the United States intended to help Russia win the overall team event and the pairs competition.… Read more.
PyeongChang Olympics: Day 10 – Norway vs. the Netherlands (with Russia, the Wildcard)
Men’s Speedskating 500 (Long Track) Norway is dominating skiing events at these Games much as the Netherlands is dominating skating events. Therefore, it looked like a scene from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly when one Norwegian took on three Dutchmen and … iced them. Okay, for a more athletic analogy, this is rather… Read more.
PyeongChang Olympics: Day 9 – Women Ski Jumpers Still fighting for Equal Rights
Yesterday was the final day of competition in this sport. But my only interest stems from the equal rights campaign the IOC forced women ski jumpers to wage just to compete. The IOC argued ski jumping was simply too dangerous. The female jumpers repeatedly found themselves responding to the idea that jumping would injure their… Read more.