Episode 44: But This Pawn Is Being Played by Two Masters, Both of Whom Seem Better at Geopolitical Chess Than Biden… Related commentaries: Biden’s foreign policy team… Fate of democracy… Listen.
General
Haitian Earthquake 2021. Déjà vu or Voodoo…?
A major earthquake struck western Haiti on Saturday, likely causing high casualties and widespread disaster, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and sending shock waves across the Caribbean, where people fled their homes for fear they might collapse. The 7.2-magnitude earthquake quake struck 8 km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about… Read more.
Infrastructure Bill? The Taliban Say ‘Done. Now Yankee Go Home!’
America spent 20 years investing lots of blood and treasure to build an Afghanistan that could fend off the Taliban. Yet the world is watching things fall apart in just 20 weeks after President Biden announced a full withdrawal of all US troops. But who would’ve thought this was possible? And don’t blame it all… Read more.
Wildfires: It Might Not Be Water, But Fire Next Time
Watching the news lately, you’d be forgiven the impression the world is on fire. Of course wildfires are seasonal – as I duly noted just weeks ago in “Two-Headed Hydra of Climate Change Has California Burning, New York Flooding,” on July 13. But the devastation they’re causing is becoming increasingly apocalyptic. Here is how CBC… Read more.
What Price Party: Obama’s ‘Let-Them-Eat-Cake’ Birthday Bash
Nero fiddled. Obama danced. Legend has it that Nero fiddled while “a great fire ravaged Rome.” But history can fairly record that Obama danced while a great pandemic ravaged America. Here is how TMZ, the tabloid of record in the celebrity world former President Barack Obama now inhabits, reported the first draft on August 8:… Read more.
Tokyo Olympics Medal Count: America’s No. 1! But Just Barely…
Much ado is made every Olympics about how countries fare in the final medal count. But nothing demonstrates US dominance in this respect quite like it winning a total of 2941 medals, including 1166 gold, between the 1896 Athens Olympics and these 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Soviet Union and Russia combined is second with a… Read more.
Podcast: Osaka and Biles, the (Black) Faces of these Tokyo Olympics, Crack Under Pressure
Episode 43: But China and Russia Are Proving as Bedeviling in Sports as They Are in Politics Related commentaries: Shaunae Miller-Uibo… Online comments… Listen.
At Long Last, Catholic Cardinals Facing Trial for Sex and Financial Crimes
Nothing has defined the Catholic Church in recent years quite like the civil reckoning for the systemic way priests raped young boys. Catholic dioceses across the United States have paid more than $3 billion dollars to victims of clergy abuse. Often, these priest abuse settlements also bought silence from victims. (abuselawsuit.com) I have written many… Read more.
Caribbean Emancipation Day
Caribbean natives can invariably cite dates and facts about the emancipation of American slaves, but are often clueless about the emancipation of our own enslaved ancestors. I find this so dismaying. Mind you, the white leaders of the United States have never even deemed this historic event in American history worthy of commemoration. Whereas, the… Read more.
Don’t Make Flight Attendants Take Self-Defense Classes! There’s a Simpler Solution…
For starters, their primary job is to protect and ensure the safety of passengers. Therefore, training to protect and keep themselves safe from passengers seems oxymoronic on its face. The Transportation Security Administration will once again offer self-defense classes to flight attendants and pilots as the airline industry deals with a surge in cases of… Read more.