LIVE: Tim Walz and JD Vance Spar at the 2024 Vice-Presidential Debate

by Nomad

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio are meeting Tuesday for their first and only scheduled vice presidential debate.

LIVE: Harris and Trump Face Off At US Presidential Debate 2024 In Philadelphia

by Nomad

Republican ex-president Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris meet for the first time on Tuesday night in their only scheduled debate of the U.S. presidential campaign, a key moment in a close-fought contest. The nationally-televised debate takes place just eight weeks before the Nov. 5 election, and days before early voting will start in some states.

The rules for tonight's debate mean each candidate’s microphone is only turned on when it is their turn to speak, there is no studio audience and the candidates aren’t allowed to talk to their staff during breaks or bring any notes with them. Both candidates are provided with only a pen and pad and a bottle of water.

Netflix: The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem

by Nomad

If you've ever asked yourself how on earth we could have gotten ourselves in such a pathetic political situation, Netflix currently has a documentary you might find interesting.

“The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem” charts the downward spiral from 4Chan to QAnon, from Rickrolling memes to the January Capitol insurrection, and from the vigilante Anonymous band of hackers to the Donald Trump brand of treason. 

Time to Welcome in the New Year!

by Nomad

Once again we find ourselves at the end of another year. So long, 2023, and have mercy on us, 2024. Here's wishing good tidings for all my blog friends.

What's been the most important event in 2023 in your opinion?

Merry Christmas From Nomadic Politics

by Nomad

I just wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas. What better way to celebrate the holidays than relaxing music. 

Donald Trump Expected to Testify Under Oath in NY Fraud Case

by Nomad

Co-defendants in the New York civil fraud case Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump testified in court last week. By all accounts, the testimonies proved to be an existential disaster for the Trump empire.

Indictment Number Four: Trump Charged in Georgia Election Interference Case

by Nomad

In a significant development, an Atlanta-based grand jury has handed down indictments against Donald Trump and 18 additional individuals, encompassing state charges linked to their unsuccessful attempts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. 

Former President Donald Trump Indicted for 2020 Election Interference

by Nomad

On Tuesday, August 1, a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia handed down an indictment against former President Donald Trump.

History: Ex-President Trump Indicted on 37 Counts in Classified Documents Case

by Nomad

In a significant turn of events, former President Donald Trump has made history as the first former president to be indicted on thirty-seven counts in the special counsel's classified documents probe.

In addition to the 31 counts of mishandling of documents, there are charges of obstruction of justice, destruction or falsification of records, conspiracy, and false statements. 

LIVE: Ex-President Trump Formally Arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court

by Nomad

Today- 4 April 2023- former president and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to make a court appearance in New York City where he will be arraigned on numerous charges linked to payments made to conceal information - an event that marks the first instance in U.S. history where an ex-president will face criminal charges.

About Time: Former President Trump Indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

by Nomad

Donald Trump's comeuppance has definitely been a long time coming. As Jeff Wise, writing for New York Magazine points out:

His entire life, after all, is one long testament to the power of getting away with things, a master class in criminality without consequences, even before he added presidentiality and all its privileges to his arsenal of defenses.
As he himself once said, “When you’re a star, they let you do it.” But for all his advantages and all his enablers, including loyalists in the Justice Department and the federal judiciary, Trump now faces a level of legal risk unlike anything in his notoriously checkered past — and well beyond anything faced by any previous president leaving office.

Sanity Sunday Musical Break- Cellist Patrick Dexter

by Nomad

Irish Cellist Patrick Dexter provides us with some music for a relaxing Sunday. In the videos, he plays from his cottage in the West Irish hills with his dog nearby.

LIVE: Chaos in Congress as Republicans Struggle to Select a House Speaker

by Nomad

Chaos reigned in the US Congress on Tuesday as the Republicans struggled to select a House Speaker. Yesterday, in what should have been a day of pomp and triumph for the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, turned out to be a historic embarrassment. The presumed nominee, Kevin McCarthy, failed - three times - to find enough votes to become Speaker.
Until yesterday, the selection was considered a no-brainer, a mere formality. However, McCarthy appears to have grossly underestimated the opposition within his own party.

Wishing You All A Happy New Year in 2023

by Nomad

With the new year on the horizon, I wish that you embrace it with an open heart and go forward with faith, hope, and courage. Who knows what the coming year will bring us, but together we are strong enough to cope with whatever happens. 

Happy New Year, my friends.

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Merry Christmas To All My Nomadic Friends

by Nomad

Sanity Sunday Musical Break for November 2022

by Nomad

All in all, it's not been as bad a week as it could have been. In fact, it was a very good political week. It's time to take a calming break.

Analysis: The Riddle of Why Russians Don't Protest Against the War in Ukraine

by Nomad

Although now a British citizen, Oxford-educated political philosopher Vlad Vexler was born in the Soviet Union. For this reason, when it comes to an understanding the Russian mentality, he is something of an insider.
He says:

I know that there are a lot of people who are concerned and overwhelmed about what's happening with politics, not just in their country but all over the world, what I do here is help us operate openly in the light and not blindly in darkness.

In the video below, he takes on one of the most perplexing questions of our time: What can account for the apathy of the Russian people in the wake of the brutal invasion of Ukraine?

You will probably what he has to say interesting and, given the current politics in the USA, a bit foreboding.

On the Madness of the Mob

by Nomad

Time to dig into our past and to discover something interesting.

Meet Mr. MacKay.
Charles MacKay was, intellectually, a man of varied pursuits. Born in Perth, Scotland in 1814, MacKay was, in his time, a poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and even songwriter. 

Today, if he is remembered at all, he is remembered for his early study of crowd psychology entitled Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. 

This entertaining work was published in three volumes: "National Delusions", "Peculiar Follies", and "Philosophical Delusions". (When it comes to public insanity, there are categories but not degrees.)

As a first-rate storyteller. MacKay covers such diverse topics as economic bubbles, alchemy (the imaginary science of transforming worthless metals into gold), haunted houses, fortune-telling, and the mania for murder through slow poisoning. (It was apparently the thing to do.)

Persons who would have revolted at the idea of stabbing a man to the heart, drugged his potage without scruple. Ladies of gentle birth and manners caught the contagion of murder, until poisoning, under their auspices, became quite fashionable.

Watch LIVE: Day 9 of the Public Hearings of the January 6th House Select Committee

by Nomad

After a month's delay, the January 6 House-Select Committee today picks up where it left off back in summer. The committee has spent the last 15 months wading through tens of thousands of documents and interviewing more than 1000 witnesses.

 

This was to be the last of the public hearings, however, given the amount of newly-discovered information gathered from subpoenaed witnesses, there could be further hearings added to the schedule. 

Sanity Sunday Musical Break for October 2022

by Nomad

alexrainbirdMusic · Relaxing Sunday Mornings  - An Indie/Folk/Pp Playlist | Vol. 1R

I thought you would might like a bit of calming music this Sunday. 

Queen Elizabeth II - The End of an Era

by Nomad

At the age of 96, Elizabeth II has died peacefully at her castle in Balmoral, Scotland.

Trump: "No One is Above the Law"

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Watch LIVE: Day 8 of the Public Hearings of the January 6th House Select Committee

by Nomad

A “minute-by-minute” account of Donald Trump’s actions throughout the melee at the Capitol- that's the focus of Thursday's prime-time hearing of the January 6 House committee. Sources tell us:

Investigators will press their case that Trump’s refusal to intervene more quickly is further evidence that the former president was squarely on the side of the protestors, even as their demonstration against Trump’s defeat escalated into a violent mob attack on Congress — one that threatened the lives of lawmakers and his own vice president.

Watch LIVE: Day 7 of the Public Hearings of the January 6th House Select Committee

by Nomad

For the 7th day of the House Select Committee's investigation of the January 6th insurrection, the focus will now zero in on the role that extremist groups, such as Proud Boys and the OathKeepers, played in the Capitol riots. 

Just Because It's Not Happening Here..

by Nomad

Even though this video is eight years old, this PSA, produced for Save the Children Fund, is still impactful.. and timely, especially given the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This video shows how a girl's life is completely transformed in one year.

 
Originally it was entitled "If London were Syria." But I found it online with the new (and probably more universal) title "Just Because It's Not Happening Here, It Doesn't Mean It Isn't Happening."

Watch LIVE: Day 6 of the Public Hearings of the January 6th House Select Committee

by Nomad

In an expected change to the schedule, the January 6 Select Committee will hold a last-minute public hearing Tuesday to present new evidence and hear witness testimony. Before Monday, the panel had scheduled the next hearing for mid-July. Interestingly, unlike previous hearings, the witnesses who were to be testifying were not been announced.

Watch LIVE: Day 4 of the Public Hearings of the January 6th House Select Committee

by Nomad

Day Four of the House Select Committee hearings on the events of January 6 will include the testimony of Brad Raffensperger, secretary of the state of Georgia, and Gabriel Sterling, one of his top aides.

LIVE: Public Hearings of the January 6th House Select Committee Continues

by Nomad

The second House Committee hearing on the January riots at the Capitol will deal primarily with evidence that Mr. Trump knowingly spread the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him in an attempt to overturn his defeat.

LIVE: Public Hearings of the January 6th House Select Committee - Day One

by Nomad

Watch live coverage on June 9 of a public hearing from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The committee will present previously unseen material, including hundreds of thousands of documents, phone and email records, and witness testimony. 

In this the first of eight public hearings, the committee will provide the American people an initial summary of its findings of the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power.

“Prayer for Ukraine”

by Nomad

“Prayer for Ukraine” (“Молитва за Україну”, “Molitva za Ukrainu”) is a patriotic hymn composed and published in 1885, during a time when the Ukrainian language was suppressed by the government of Imperial Russia. The text was penned by poet and interpreter Oleksandr Konynsky and the music was provided by composer Mykola Lysenko.

Alexander Nevzorov: Where Putin's Disastrous War in Ukraine Will Leave Russia

by Nomad

Russian and Soviet television journalist, a film director and a former member of the Russian parliament, Alexander Nevzorov isn't afraid to criticize Russia's ruling elite. And he is not a man to mince his words.

Putin's Disastrous Misadventure in Ukraine

by Nomad

Russian Invasion of Ukraine: A Dark Day for Europe

by Nomad

BBC Podcast: Hunting Syria's War Criminals

by Nomad

Imagine walking down a street in a European capital and meeting your torturer. For many Syrian refugees fleeing war and human rights abuses, Europe was meant to be a sanctuary. 

So it was a shock when people began bumping into their torturers out shopping or in a cafe. 

In fact, many of those involved in the Syrian government’s notorious interrogation facilities are hiding in plain sight in European cities, having used the refugee wave as a “ratline” out of the country. 

More and more are now being investigated, arrested and put on trial in European courts. But with President Assad firmly in control in Syria, the long arm of the state is reaching those willing to testify..

  

Take a moment to listen to this chilling podcast from the BBC program "The Documentary."

How We Got Here

by Nomad

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Say Hello to 2022!

by Nomad

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

by Nomad

 

 

Santa's Third Category

by Nomad

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Nomad

To all my American compatriots, here's wishing you a delightful Thanksgiving holiday. 

I found this selection of classical autumnal pieces to put you in the mood.

Twenty Years Ago

by Nomad

Photo of the World Trade Center from 20 years ago (10/9/01). Around 12 hours before the attack. 

It's hard to believe it all happened two decades ago. Do you remember where you were and what you thought? What do you recall about that moment?

Shelter from the Storm: First Afghan Families Arrive in the US

by Nomad

A family evacuated from Afghanistan arrives at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia.

"The Disappearance of the Woman"

by Nomad

(Photo by Boushra Almutakawel)

Watch Live: House Committee Holds First Hearing On January 6th Capitol Attack

by Nomad

Sanity Sunday- Classical Mandolin Pieces Played by Avi Avital

by Nomad

Another summer is upon us. This year, summer has brought hope that normalcy - whatever that means- would finally emerge. After four desperate years of Trump, I am not even sure I would recognize normalcy if it tapped me on the shoulder. 

  

Happy Mother's Day

by Nomad

The Ask Project: What Do Israelis and Palestinians Really Think?

by Nomad

Canadian-born Corey Gil-Shuster isn't what most people would consider an activist. He is just very curious.

With his YouTube channel, The Ask Project, he conducts one-to-one interviews with Jewish, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinian peoples to find out what they think on a particular subject. 

The responses are always interesting and sometimes counter-intuitive.

As Gil-Shuster explained to The Jerusalem Post:

“I don’t really care about leaders...  I want the guy selling bread, I want the regular guy who sells oranges... they are part of society, too.” 

Too often, says Gil-Shuster, those opinions and beliefs are ignored "unless they can serve a specific purpose or agenda." His quest to understand people takes him into the streets, the markets, the cafes, the offices, the malls, the tiny shops, and even into people's homes.

Sanity Sunday- The Music of Frédéric Chopin

by Nomad

A bit of change of pace.

I thought I would offer you a sanity break this Sunday, featuring the music of Frédéric Chopin. 

Although his musical career was foreshortened by his early death at age 39, this Polish composer was considered a "poetic genius...without equal in his generation." As his Wikipedia bio reminds us:

Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest celebrities, his indirect association with political insurrection, his high-profile love-life, and his early death have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era.

This selection is Prelude no.15 ‘Raindrop’, op.28, played on the piano by the Chinese concert pianist popularly known as Yundi.

 

Mask Burning Protests in Boise Idaho

by Nomad

Around a hundred Idahoans gathered at the front of the Idaho Capitol in Boise to burn masks in a protest against measures taken to limit coronavirus infections and deaths. 

"What's Wrong With That?"- QAnon Shaman's Mom Speaks Out on Insurrection Charges

by Nomad

Martha Chansley, the mother of 33-year-old Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman, appeared on 60 Minutes to defend her son of charges. In the interview, when asked if she thought her son did anything wrong, Ms. Chansley said:

"What do you mean by wrong? He went through open doors. He was escorted into the Senate. So I don't know what's wrong with that."

The Perfect Winter Storm: Texas, Arctic Cold and Power Outages

by Nomad

Embed from Getty Images

The huge winter storm that swept across the southern US has killed at least 21 in Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, North Carolina and Missouri. 

The news out of the Lone Star State has gone from bad to worse. Record-breaking winter temperatures have strained the energy grid leading to widespread outages across the state.