The British National Army Museum has held a contest to identify England’s greatest military opponent, and the winner was . . . George Washington. The Father of our Country beat out Napoleon Bonaparte, Irish leader Michael Collins, Erwin Rommel, the crafty Desert Fox of World War II, and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a World War I [...]
Posts Tagged ‘World’
George Washington, Their Greatest Enemy
Posted in America, World, tagged America, American History, Erwin Rommel, France, George Washington, Great Britain, Michael Collins, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Napoleon Bonaparte, National Army Museum, Revolutionary War, World, Yorktown on April 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Not-So-Secret
Posted in America, Politics, World, tagged America, Politics, Preisdent Obama, Presidential Security, Prostitutes, Secret Service, Summit of the Americas, World on April 15, 2012 | 1 Comment »
The embarrassing scandal involving U.S. Secret Service agents and Colombian prostitutes should make everyone question the quality, training, and capabilities of the people who hold some of the most important jobs in the federal government. For those who missed it, 11 Secret Service agents were put on leave pending an investigation of their behavior in [...]
Trying To Value What You Take For Granted
Posted in crime, Happiness, Reflections, World, tagged crime, Happiness, Hubris, Life, News, Personal Security, Reflections, Syria, World on April 12, 2012 | 1 Comment »
This morning I cursed inwardly when, for the thousandth time, Kasey and Penny got tangled and we had to stop our walk and sort things out. A few moments later I grumbled again when an undetected jogger startled me by announcing her presence when she was right behind me and ready to pass by. Then [...]
As Binding As A UN-Brokered Cease Fire
Posted in World, tagged Bashar al-Assad, Middle East, Syria, UN, United Nations, World on April 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
In a few hours another UN-brokered cease fire is supposed to take effect in Syria. Don’t hold your breath. This is just the latest in a series of would-be cease fires announced by the United Nations. The cease fires were supposed to stop the systematic killing of women and children, but the Syrian government has [...]
iKidney
Posted in Humor, Technology, World, tagged Apple, China, Humor, Kidney Sales, Materialism, Technology, World on April 6, 2012 | 2 Comments »
I’ve noted before that I am a big fan of Apple products. I love my iMac and my iPod, and I’ve grown accustomed to my iPhone. But, you have to draw a line somewhere — and I confess that I wouldn’t sell a kidney to buy an iPad. That distinguishes me, evidently, from a teenage [...]
Happy April Fool’s Day (No Kidding)
Posted in Humor, World, tagged April Fool's Day, Gregorian Calendar, Humor, Julian Calendar, Mr. T, Pranks, World on April 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Be careful when tapping salt onto your eggs this morning, or drinking something fetched for you by another: it’s April Fool’s Day, and the prankster in your family might have loosened the cap on the salt shaker or spiked your drink with lemon juice in order to get a chuckle at your expense. How did [...]
Apocalypse (Not Quite) Now
Posted in Humor, Science, World, tagged Aliens, Apocalypse, Bugarach, Cults, France, Humor, Judgment Day, New Age, New Age Beliefs, religion, Science, World on March 27, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Weird things are happening in the French Pyrenees. New Agers have descended on the village of Bugarach because they’re convinced that aliens will emerge from a nearby mountain on December 21, the date that marks the end of the Mayan “long count” calendar. The helpful aliens will cart all humans in the vicinity off to, [...]
Still Searching For Amelia
Posted in America, World, tagged Amelia Earhart, America, Kiribati Islands, News, Nikumaroro, World on March 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Believe it or not, they’re getting ready for another expedition to search for the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s plane. Has any other individual ever been the subject of as many searches? Earhart was a famous pilot and women’s rights pioneer who set a number of flight records back in the days when people paid attention [...]
Datsun’s Return
Posted in America, Humor, World, tagged America, BBF, Blatz, Brand Names, Brylcreem, Bufferin, Burma Shave, cars, Consumer Products, Datsun, Discarded Brand Names, Humor, Quake, RainTree, Veg-o-Matic, World on March 21, 2012 | 1 Comment »
When I was a kid, Datsun was one of the Japanese carmakers that seemed to suddenly burst onto the scene and sell a lot of cars. It produced models like the Datsun 280ZX, a cool-looking, reasonably priced sports car that was popular with many of the guys in my age group. Then, one day, “Datsun” [...]
Sex (Boxes) In The City
Posted in Humor, World, tagged Humor, Prostitution, Sex, Sex boxes, Switzerland, World, Zurich on March 13, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Switzerland has a very robust voter referendum approach to democracy — and sometimes Swiss voters make interesting decisions. Consider Zurich’s recent decision to construct so-called “sex boxes” on that city’s streets. The “sex boxes” will consist of walled off parking spaces where prostitutes will be shielded from prying eyes and left free to practice the [...]
Intervention Fatigue
Posted in America, World, tagged America, foreign policy, John McCain, military intervention, News, President Obama, Syria, World on March 12, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Events in Syria are taking a turn for the worse. Every day brings a new report of a gruesome massacre of civilians by government forces, and efforts by the international community to arrange for a cease-fire have failed. Some have argued that America should take military action in Syria to stop the killing. Senator John [...]
It’s Their Loss
Posted in America, Politics, World, tagged America, Greece, Politics, Rights, U.S. Constitution, United States Constitution, World on February 21, 2012 | 1 Comment »
A recent study reported that fewer nations are modeling their constitutions on the U.S. Constitution. In the ’60s and ’70s, new constitutions were patterned on the American version, but that apparently is no longer the case. The explanation for this trend is that our Constitution is miserly when it comes to guaranteeing “rights.” Popular “rights” [...]
Lessons Of The Lunar Nazis
Posted in Books, Movies, TV, World, tagged Books, Fatherland, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Inglourious Basterds, Iron Sky, Movies, Nazi Germany, Nazis, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Star Trek, TV, World, World War II on February 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
The hottest ticket at this year’s Berlin Film Festival is a self-proclaimed “B Movie” called Iron Sky. Its consciously over-the-top plot features Nazis trying to conquer Earth from a swastika-shaped base on the far side of the moon. I doubt Iron Sky will ever make it to our local multiplex cinema, but the movie’s popularity [...]
Supergiants Of The Briny Deep
Posted in Science, World, tagged Amphipods, Extraterrestrial Life, Kermadec Trench, Life, New Zealand, Oceans, Science, World on February 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
It’s hard to believe, but a lot of our world remains unexplored. The oceans which cover most of the Earth’s surface, for example, remain fertile ground for scientific examination. At various locations in the Earth’s oceans are superdeep trenches that plunge downward for miles. For years scientists believed that the super-dark, super-cold trenches must be [...]
