HART KIRCH TALK NEWS

2011-07-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

The Latest American Outrages The gun cops sell guns to gangsters. The U.S. lets Iraq sell oil rights to China. And don't even talk about the debt debate. Leslie H. Gelb on nine things that just make you want to scream. by Leslie H. Gelb (/contributors/leslie-h-gelb.html) | July 7, 2011 10:24 PM EDT Will Rogers liked to say, "It's easy to be a humorist, you have the whole government working

Argument, Truth and the Social Side of Reasoning By GARY GUTTING NYTimes

2011-06-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers on issues both timely and timeless. Arguments, Philosophy, reasoning The Stone is featuring occasional posts by Gary Gutting, a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, that apply critical thinking to information and events that have appeared in the news. Philosophers rightly think of themselves as experts on reasoning. After

Study: Post-9/11 wars cost U.S. at least $3.7T

2011-06-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

The final bill American taxpayers will end up paying for the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq will be much more than the total amount put forward by the Congress and the federal government, the Reuters news agency reported Wednesday. The Reuters article focused on a Brown University research project released Wednesday titled "Costs of War." In the end, between at least $3.7 trillion and $4.4

Why Is He Bi? (Sigh) By MAUREEN DOWD NYTimes

2011-06-26T13:07:00.001-07:00

HE was born this way. Bi. Not bisexual. Not even bipartisan. Just binary. Our president likes to be on both sides at once. In Afghanistan, he wants to go but he wants to stay. He’s surging and withdrawing simultaneously. He’s leaving fewer troops than are needed for a counterinsurgency strategy and more troops than are needed for a counterterrorism strategy — and he seems to want both

LIKELY more than $4 trillion!! They don't count replacement costs. medical costs, disability pay etc.....

2011-06-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

$1 TRILLION ON WAR IN 10 YEARS -- OBAMA LAST NIGHT , in 15-minute address from East Room, "Remarks by the President on the Way Forward in Afghanistan": "[T]his has been a difficult decade for our country. We've learned anew the profound cost of war -- a cost that's been paid by the nearly 4,500 Americans who have given their lives in Iraq, and the over 1,500 who have done so in Afghanistan --

2011-06-21T13:02:00.001-07:00

Bachmann’s nonsensical Medicare-‘Obamacare’ claim By Glenn Kessler (SEAN GARDNER/REUTERS) “While we've been seeing the liberals in the last few weeks trying to scare Americans about Medicare, and especially senior citizens, what's been ignored is President Obama's plan for senior citizens regarding Medicare. … And do you know what the president's plan is? This hasn't been talked about very

THIS FAIRNESS?

2011-06-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

With executive pay, rich pull away from rest of America By Peter Whoriskey, Published: June 18 It was the 1970s, and the chief executive of a leading U.S. dairy company, Kenneth J. Douglas, lived the good life. He earned the equivalent of about $1 million today. He and his family moved from a three-bedroom home to a four-bedroom home, about a half-mile away, in River Forest, Ill., an upscale

2011-06-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

Weiner's Fabulous Retirement Perks Anthony Weiner may be resigning, but he's entitled—for the rest of his life—to a pension, quality health care, and a parking space on Capitol Hill. Rep. Anthony Weiner may be resigning in shame, but he’ll leave Capitol Hill with the same golden parachute afforded to all members of Congress who leave public service. Having been in Congress since 1999 and a

Epistemology and the End of the World

2011-06-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

Epistemology and the End of the World The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers on issues both timely and timeless. In the coming weeks, The Stone will feature occasional posts by Gary Gutting, a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, that apply critical thinking to information and events that have appeared in the news. Apart from its entertainment value, Harold

Can You Guess Which City In America Has The Most Sex?

2011-06-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Trojan has just released the results of its annual "sex census," and good news for the people of Los Angeles -- they're having more sex than anyone else in the country, an average of 135 times per year. But that doesn't necessarily mean the sex is any good. Philadelphians report the highest levels of sexual satisfaction, with 82% of respondents there saying they are sexually fulfilled. Just 75%

PROOF RIGHT WINGER GOP HAVE NO HUMOR BONE!

2011-06-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

A day of awkwardness with Mitt Romney MANCHESTER, N.H. Mitt Romney, the leading contender to become President Obama’s Republican opponent next year, had just finished working the room at Blake’s Creamery here when he paused for a photo with the restaurant’s owner, Ann Mirageas, and decided to tell her a joke. I saw the young man over there with eggs Benedict, with hollandaise sauce,” he said. “

ROCK BANDS - Name Origins - Just in case you didn't need to know!

2011-06-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Bands often have unusual names and here are the origins of some popular bands both past and present. One thing that you will discover if you look into this area is that RUMORS abound! Listings are alphabetical ABBA - Abba is "father" in Hebrew but the band claims that to be unintentional - rather it is an acronym for the first names of the band members: Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid (

What's Wrong With Adult Sexting? Weiner weird or just stupid? I'm starting a new Website "WEINER's WEINER!"

2011-06-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

Experts on adult sexting were in demand all week, as details continued to emerge about Representative Anthony Weiner's online sexual communications with at least six women. While research into teenagers' exchange of sexually explicit messages or photographs of themselves has gained a lot of attention, there is less information on sexting among adults. A Pew Research Center poll found that 6

2011-06-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Gates: Prospects for U.S.-NATO alliance "dim" BRUSSELS - America's military alliance with Europe — the cornerstone of U.S. security policy for six decades — faces a "dim, if not dismal" future, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday in a blunt valedictory address. In his final policy speech as Pentagon chief, Gates questioned the viability of NATO, saying its members' penny-pinching

2011-06-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our Wasteful Health Care System PAUL KRUGMAN NYTimes The Economist’s “Democracy in America” blog has a very good illustration of the reasons our privatized, market-based system is so much more expensive, for no better results, than everyone else’s: A medical technology company is going public to generate the money it needs to advertise its products to hospital directors and insurance-company

FLY ON THE WALL!?

2011-06-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

Imaginary Eavesdropping on Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin Three years ago, we imagined a conversation between Silda Wall Spitzer and Hillary Clinton. At that time, we didn't know that there was such a conversation, but this time around, we can be almost certain Hillary Clinton has had a consoling conversation with Huma Abedin, the newish wife of Congressman Anthony Weiner. For over a decade

NOW CUT THAT OUT!

2011-06-05T13:26:00.001-07:00

Efforts to Ban Circumcision Gain Traction in California By JENNIFER MEDINA SANTA MONICA, Calif. — When a group of activists proposed banning circumcision in San Francisco last fall, many people simply brushed them aside. Even in that liberal seaside city, it seemed implausible that thousands of people would support an effort to outlaw an ancient ritual that Jews and Muslims believe fulfills a

FRACK US!

2011-06-02T10:16:00.001-07:00

"Fracking" the cause of two minor quakes? Mining company doesn't deny the controversial natural gas extraction process triggered the temblors in northwest England (CBS News) A British mining company abruptly stopped drilling after scientists raised the alarm that its work may have triggered two recent minor earthquakes in northwest England. Cuadrilla Resources immediately -- and voluntarily

2011-05-27T12:07:00.001-07:00

Army report: Military has spent $32 billion since ’95 on abandoned weapons programs By Marjorie Censer, Friday, May 27, 8:00 AM The Army’s Comanche helicopter was envisioned as “the quarterback of the digital battlefield,” a technologically superior aircraft that could hide from enemies, operate at night and in bad weather, and travel farther than any other helicopter. Gen. Richard Cody, a

2011-05-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

'Good' Cholesterol Not So Good It seems “good” cholesterol is just OK. After a large body of research found that people with low HDL levels were more likely to suffer heart attacks, researchers began to look into ways of boosting HDL cholesterol levels, hoping it would clear out the LDL cholesterol that clogs arteries and causes heart problems. But a large study shows that this isn't the

TRUMP TRUMPS HIMSELF!

2011-05-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Inside Donald Trump's Empire: Why He Won't Run for President by Wayne Barrett Info Wayne Barrett is a Newsweek contributor and a fellow at the Nation Institute. With lawsuits pending, Trump's business empire could not withstand the close scrutiny of a presidential campaign, and even his kids might have been muddied. Wayne Barrett, who first exposed Trump’s ties to organized crime in his 1992

STRESS and how to handle it!

2011-05-27T10:09:00.001-07:00

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... she fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile. Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. She replied, "The absolute

A GREAT COUNTRY OR WHAT!! Thanks you druggies out there!!

2011-05-26T01:55:00.000-07:00

28 Dead, 700 Flee as Gang Battles Hit West Mexico MORELIA, Mexico (AP) — Fierce fighting among apparent rival drug gangs in western Mexico bloodied one highway with 28 dead, while in a nearby state more than 700 people huddled in shelters after fleeing villages that had become battlegrounds. The violence, which appeared to be unrelated, escalated Wednesday in the western states of Nayarit and

2011-05-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Newt Gingrich’s dubious claim of a ‘normal’ no-interest charge account at Tiffany NEWT GINGRICH: You know, we don't do elaborate things. BOB SCHIEFFER: Did you owe a half-million dollars to a jewelry company at one point? GINGRICH: We had a revolving fund. SCHIEFFER: Well, what does that mean? GINGRICH: It means that we had a revolving fund. It was a – SCHIEFFER: I mean, who buys a

2011-05-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

POLL: Bill O'Reilly Is The MOST BELIEVABLE Person On All Of Television A new poll out of Boston's Suffolk University reveals that Fox News and Bill O'Reilly are the most trusted names in news. By a lot. More that a quarter of those polled believe that Fox News is the most trustworthy, and 9% say that Bill O'Reilly is the most believable (from a list of 28 choices). This result is