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Category Archives: Government
MORE PAVING, FEWER TREES. SO MUCH FOR A GREEN ‘ONE SEATTLE’
Thanks to MaryLou P. – from the Seattle Times For Seattleites who appreciate trees, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “One Seattle” comprehensive plan ought to spark grave concerns. The city’s proposed 20-year blueprint for growth contains major changes for residential neighborhoods, paving … Continue reading
Posted in environment, Government, In the Neighborhood, Law, Parks
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How Do You Like That Filibuster Now?
by Michele Cottle in the NYT As Republicans prepare to take control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency, Senator Joe Manchin, the conservative West Virginia Democrat turned independent, has a question for his former Democratic teammates: “How do … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Politics
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Global plastic talks collapse as oil states rebel
by Esme Stallard in BBC News (thanks to Mike C.) More than nine billion tonnes of plastic has been produced globally with less than 10% recycled Countries have failed to reach a landmark agreement on tackling plastic pollution after more … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, environment, Government
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The history of liberal democracy
by Heather Cox Richardson (thanks to Mary M.) Cas Mudde, a political scientist who specializes in extremism and democracy, observed yesterday on Bluesky that “the fight against the far right is secondary to the fight to strengthen liberal democracy.” That’s … Continue reading
Posted in Government
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Mr. Trump, Do You Realize How Much the World Has Changed Since You Were President?
Ed note: Friedman raised has legitimate concerns that an unfocused chaotic Whitehouse will not have the bandwidth to deal with, let alone understand, the major changes in Iran and Israel. Perhaps more importantly he won’t understand the coming explosion of … Continue reading
Posted in artificial intelligence, Essays, Government
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November 12th – a fateful day
by Heather Cox Richardson “It all began so beautifully,” Lady Bird remembered. “After a drizzle in the morning, the sun came out bright and beautiful. We were going into Dallas.” It was November 22, 1963, and President John F. Kennedy … Continue reading
Posted in end of life, Government, Race
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A note from Robert Reich
Thanks to Mike C. Friends, What do card sharks, magicians, pickpockets, and tyrants do to hide their tricks? They deflect your attention. “Look over here!” they say, as they create a commotion that preoccupies your mind while they bamboozle you. … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, Government
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It Can Happen Here: Reckoning with Donald Trump’s 2024 Election Victory
Everyone who realizes with proper alarm that Trump’s reelection is a deeply dangerous moment in American life must think hard about where we are. By David Remnick in The New Yorker (thanks to Ed M.) On the morning after Donald … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, Government
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Masterpiece Story: Statue of Liberty
Anastasia Manioudaki (thanks to Ann M. who notes I think the Lady must now be weeping. Please note her imagined damage (head knocked off) in the WW1 poster on display in our Art of the Month + her history below. … Continue reading
Posted in Government, History, War
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Against Panic: A Survival Kit
By Margaret Renkl in the NYT (Thanks to Ed M.) Ms. Renkl is a contributing Opinion writer who reports from Nashville on flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South. I had an elaborate itinerary for Election Day that I … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Grief
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No, democracy isn’t dead
by Steve Iskeep in Substack My mailbox this week included a note with the subject line, “Democracy Without America.” The writer was sharing a link to an article with a slightly less stark headline, given its punctuation: “Democracy without America?” … Continue reading
Posted in Government
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Borowitz — “What Happens Now?”
Nixon’s landslide victory in 1972 made him appear invulnerable. He wasn’t. (Cindy Yamanaka/MediaNews Group/The Riverside Press-Enterprise via Getty Images) Maybe you’ve been asking yourself: 1. “How could Donald Trump have won 51 percent of the popular vote?” 2. “How hard … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Politics
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What should Trump’s opponents do next?
by David French in the NYT (thanks to Put B.) There is no mystery about what happened Tuesday night. Unlike 2016, when the anticipation of Hillary Clinton’s victory turned into the shock of defeat, every smart analyst I know not … Continue reading
Posted in Government
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The all-female mobile health team working against the odds in Afghanistan
From the International Rescue Committee in August 2022 (after the Taliban took over in 2021) Despite countless hurdles, all-women teams of medical doctors are braving long distances and treacherous terrain to bring health care to the remotest villages in Afghanistan, … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Health, Religion, War
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Voting for the Light
The religious imagineer (thanks to Mary Jane F.) Pablo Picasso, La Minotauromachie (1935). Picasso’s turbulent etching from the eve of the Spanish Civil War seems a timely image of my own country in this harrowing election season. The monstrous beast towers over … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Government, History
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Charlie Chaplin’s greatest speech
Thanks to Pam P. But before that comes this scene. I’m looking at Putin.
Posted in Government, Politics, Race
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The will of the people
“Fellow-citizens,” Lincoln reminded his colleagues, “we cannot escape history. We…will be remembered in spite of ourselves.” Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson I’m home tonight to stay for a bit, after being on the road for thirteen months and traveling through … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Race
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This Is Not the End of America
By McKay Coppins in The Atlantic (thanks to Alice W.) Everything about the staging of Kamala Harris’s “closing argument” rally Tuesday night on the White House Ellipse seemed designed to frame the upcoming election as a referendum on democracy. Flanked by … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Politics
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Hell yes! The Seattle Times edit board endorses Harris for president
By Frank Blethen and Kate Riley – Seattle Times publisher and Times editorial page editor As one of the country’s very few family-owned and -operated metro newspapers left, The Seattle Times is also apparently one of the few whose editorial board is … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, Government
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“Floating pile of garbage”
Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson I stand corrected. I thought this year’s October surprise was the reality that Trump’s mental state had slipped so badly he could not campaign in any coherent way. It turns out that the 2024 October … Continue reading
Posted in Dementia, Government, Politics, Social justice
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Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson
A bombshell story last night from the Wall Street Journal reported that billionaire Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world, who is backing the election of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with a daily million-dollar sweepstakes giveaway … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Government, Politics
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Resistance to Public Health, No Longer Fringe, Gains Foothold in G.O.P. Politics
The merger of the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald J. Trump campaigns puts the so-called medical freedom movement on the cusp of real power in Washington, with a new slogan: “Make America Healthy Again.” By Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Health
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It’s getting more bizzare — and dangerous
Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson As the two presidential campaigns position themselves for the final sprint to the election on November 5, the difference between them is dramatic. Trump is hunkering down behind what has always appeared to be a … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Politics
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A history of the “stolen” 2020 election by Heather Cox Richardson
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