America Circa 2019

by Nomad

Obsolete Ideals: The Truth Behind Putin's Eulogy for Western Liberalism

by Nomad

In Conflict with the Majority

Quite a few eyebrows were raised recently when President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with the Financial Times, declared that Western liberalism and its values were "obsolete" and have been rejected by the majority of the people in Western nations.

Much like Trump during his campaign, Putin talked about migrants running amok who are allowed to "kill, plunder and rape with impunity." Every crime, he declared, must have its punishment.
(Unless, of course, you happen to be an oligarch with lots of bigly connections.)

Good News Round-up for July 2019

by Nomad

Thought you might like a break from the Trump News.
The theme of this collection of good news stories is not scientific developments or large scale efforts to right some man-made wrong.

Rather, these are stories on a smaller (but no less significant) calibration: personal acts of charity and courage that have made or are making a difference in the lives of strangers.

Four Political Cartoonists Weigh In on the Migrant Children Fiasco

by Nomad

This month, the editors of the New York Times' decided to close down all political cartoons from its newspaper. That decision came as a result of a controversial cartoon critical of Benjamin Netanyahu and which some considered anti-Semitic. Here's the item in question. Judge for yourself.

The elimination of this feature sparked widespread protests with one cartoonist calling it “chickenshit and cowardly.”

This move by the NYT actually follows a long term trend. As one source notes:

A 2012 report by The Herb Block Foundation found that there were fewer than 40 editorial cartoonists with newspaper-staff jobs in America, a steep decline from more than 2,000 such positions in the beginning of the 20th century. 

Sanity Sunday - Soul Mix

by Nomad

Thought I would drop a Sanity Sunday on you today. The theme is soul groups from the early 70s. The period linking soul and the disco era produced some fantastic music.