Will The Blob Devour Us All? From this charming piece in Slate, Dispatch from Blob Fest: Though Phillips might not have intended The Blob to have a political message, she did accidentally insert an environmental warning, which was reflected in the Blob Fest’s 2007 theme: “An Inconvenient Blob.” I thought it was just an attempt … Continue reading “An Inconvenient Blob”
I saw this story the other day: By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 22, 8:58 AM ET DAMASCUS, Syria – Iraq’s prime minister lashed out Wednesday at U.S. criticism, saying no one has the right to impose timetables on his elected government and that his country “can find friends elsewhere.” Prime Minister Nouri … Continue reading “U.S. Prepares to Jettison Al-Maliki”
On this day, August 19, in 1953, the Americans and British overthrew the democratically-elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh. Mossadegh ended (BP) British Petroleum’s monopoly over Iranian oil, and *gasp* nationalized their oil fields so that Iranians would benefit from their own resources. The Western powers, angry at being cut out of the oil … Continue reading “This Day In History, U.S. Overthrows Iran Gov’t”
Lots of people on MySpace (even presidential candidates) are making Simpsons avatars of themselves. HAHAH!!!!! Hi-larious. Here’s the Simpsons avatar of me. I used www.simpsonsmovie.com/avatar to make it, then added the beard and ventilator with Paint Shop Pro. You can also use SimpsonizeMe.com Fun 🙂 Nick
Dick Cheney in 1994: Invading Iraq Would Create Quagmire WOW. He made the exact same arguments the Dems made. He couldn’t have been more right. I wonder what caused his 180 degree turn after he became CEO of Halliburton then VP….
“People have access to health care in America. After all, just go to an emergency room.” — President Bush That’s what Bush said (as an aside) at a recent event where he discussed why he is going to veto a funding boost for the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP). Basically he said the “federalization … Continue reading “George W. Bush’s Health Care Plan”
Discovery of Middle Asia Cities Recasts Ancient History LiveScience.com Thu Aug 9, 11:05 AM ET New discoveries at dig sites in Middle Asia are rocking the archaeological world and redefining the origins of modern civilization. Numerous sites in modern-day Iran and the surrounding region suggest that a vast network of societies together constituted the first … Continue reading “New Civilizations Discovered”
Let’s revisit the whole point I’m aiming for with this blog. These quotes from Paul Wellstone sum it up well. “Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people’s lives. It’s about advancing the cause of peace … Continue reading “The Purpose of This Blog”
One always must be very careful with historical parallels; they are frequently used and abused to score political points.I’ve heard anti-immigration people saying “Rome collapsed ’cause they let in too many illegal aliens who turned on them!” Please! The Roman Empire succeeded because it was so intensely multicultural, not in spite of it. Often the … Continue reading “"Are We Rome?" Part VI: The Final Chapter”
There were many wars between the Romans and the Iraqis / Persians, too many wars to adequately describe here, one time a Roman general even defected to the Parthians and invaded Syria, but suffice it to say, neither side ever gained much territory long-term. The wars continued into the era of the Byzantines vs. the … Continue reading ““Are We Rome?” Part V: The Spoils of Ctesiphon”
Wednesday, presidential candidate Mitt Romney was campaigning in a New Hampshire diner. The waitress there has three sick children, and like most regular people, is struggling terribly to get the health care her family needs and is often not able to keep her head above the rising tide of costs. Governor Romney was there telling … Continue reading “Mitt Romney Confronted by Reality on U.S. Health Care”
Did you know that for nearly 150 years off and on, the Roman Empire fought to conquer Mesopotamia? At the time, the area that is now Iraq, Iran (Persia) and more was ruled by the Parthian Empire. What was the Parthian Empire like, and how did they collide with mighty Rome? The Parthians formed from … Continue reading ““Are We Rome?” Part IV: The First Roman Invasions of Iraq”