Rasputin: Two Perspectives
Perhaps no character stands out in pre-Revolution Russia as much as that of Grigory Rasputin. He was influential, enigmatic, charismatic, secretive, held no office, yet had enormous influence on the…
World Politics
Shaolin: the film
I like Chinese films, particularly the epic wuxia films. They are often a refreshing change from the effects-driven/CGI monstrosities pumped out by Hollywood. Subtitles don’t bother me (better them than…
Thank gawd, finally a new cult leader was appointed in Italy by…
Thank gawd, finally a new cult leader was appointed in Italy by an elite cabal during a secret backroom ritual. This one is from Argentina. I guess that country deserves…
As a follow-up to my last post, here are a few quotes about our…
As a follow-up to my last post, here are a few quotes about our crazy, corrupt, upside-down world. “A sane person to an insane society must appear insane” – Kurt…
On being a left wing pinko socialist
My left-wing, pro-union friends would be amused to hear me called a “leftie.” They generally think of me as right as Steven Harper. The only difference to them, I suppose,…
Doomsday averted (again)
Seventeen thousand miles. Seems like a long way, but it’s less than one tenth the distance from here to the moon, and it’s within the satellite belt. In cosmic terms,…
Propaganda, PR and Spin
What is propaganda? The word gets thrown around easily by people who obviously mean “anything we dislike or don’t agree with.” It’s a pejorative often used by a small group…
It’s snowing, snowing, snowing…
I was looking outside today as the snow fell in Collingwood (-11C when we awoke, -10C when I first walked my dog…) and thinking of my brother-in-law in England, where…
Is Tar Baby the new N-Word?
As far back as I can recall, the term “tar baby” was a metaphor in common political parlance for a “sticky situation.” It has no racial meaning in that context,…
Dutch election aftermath: it’s pretty much all good
Dutch election yesterday, with preliminary results as follows, via Parties and Elections in Europe: Party – Preliminary results (99,5%) – Ideology, Affiliation, Founding 2012 Seats 2010 Seats Volkspartij voor Vrijheid…
Dutch polls: not quite diseased
Just when you thought I had successfully limited my international political obsessions to Malta, Ireland, and New Zealand, I remembered my interest in Dutch politics. Way back when (by which…
Christian crackpot radio and useless Bible prophecy
I’ve been doing a fair bit of driving lately, often between the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Québec City. Entertainment while behind the wheel is typically my car stereo as…
Melting in Antarctica
Besides the poor title, “Global Worming” written by the YouTube poster, this is an interesting video on melting ice in Antarctica.
Bill O’Reilly Tells Tony Snow, “You can’t win”
I am still in shock and have been pinching myself to make sure I am awake after watching this O’Reilly video here at the Raw Story. When O’Reilly starts making…