A Washington state lawmaker has introduced a bill requiring life jackets in canoes and kayaks, but wants to exempt Native Americans due to their “eons” of experience. Native Americans have the highest drowning rate of any racial demographic, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Nevertheless, State Rep. Cindy Ryu said that her bill exempts …
The US economic sanctions against Russian oligarchs will have some effect, but unfortunately probably won’t go far enough to stop Putin in his tracks. Most of the richest Russians – like Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov – who famously hold assets in the West will go largely unaffected by sanctions. Most oligarch wealth (both Russian …
Having ruled out the direct use of military force, the U.S. and its allies now must decide how to respond to this flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. One tool among many that should be considered is to attempt to strip Russia of its seat on the United Nations Security Council. Russia sits in one of …
Many years ago I was fortunate enough to have a college tutor who was an expert on Russian history. I spent many hours under his guidance. My knowledge has dimmed since then as I have concentrated on things like washing the dishes and putting out the trash for collection, but what I do know is …
Thanks to a complex publishing exercise by the Guardian, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Le Monde and other newspapers in Europe and around the world, a huge data leak has shed light on the owners of £80bn held in thousands of accounts in one of Switzerland’s foremost banks, Credit Suisse. They include people involved in torture, drug trafficking, …
“55 million Americans live in states that restricted their voting rights last year. And we know more harmful laws are coming this year that will threaten the stability of our election system. We need a federal response. The comprehensive Freedom to Vote Act has provisions that would improve election administration, election security, redistricting, campaign finance …
News from London Jacob Rees-Mogg, Lord Frost’s spiritual successor in his new role as minister for Brexit opportunities, has a novel approach. He told the Sun last week that he is bypassing the civil service to ask if anyone else in the country has any ideas about “Brexit benefits”. Sun readers are invited to write …
The cost of a trucksworth of fresh fruit from Spain to Bristol – £2,200 before Brexit, £3,600 after Brexit (BBCj My comment: It was always going to be thus.
“Being a citizen means having the benefits of being one but also the responsibilities: such as paying taxes, and looking out for others. Wearing masks, getting vaccinated (if you can, which is the case for the vast majority) is part of that. There is a limit on how selfish you can be in a society.” …
This week’s biggest Brexit news is firmly in the ‘beyond satire’ category. Jacob Rees-Mogg is now UK Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency (Rees-Mog is not regarded as serious by some). Response of pro-EU activists was very short, though probably still longer than Mr Rees-Mogg’s list of opportunities. Former top civil servant Jill Rutter …
A heavily redacted letter from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) revealed Thursday that the CIA has been doing some sort of bulk collection of Americans’ data. We don’t really know the details — those parts are blacked out in the redactions, natch — but it was enough to alarm the senators, who …
Continue reading ‘Your government is spying on you — again.’ »
“It has been two and a half years since the publication of parliament’s “Russia report”, which laid bare the extent of links between the Kremlin and Russian-backed financial interests – and the resulting flows of illicit cash through the City of London. The UK’s allies are beginning to take note of the intractability of the …
A note to all the participants of last Friday’s antiabortion March for Life rally, in Washington DC: I hope you’re preparing to make condoms rain from the sky. Buckets of them. Craploads, hurled from the cargo holds of the biggest planes you can find. Also, birth control pills. I hope every time a teenager opens …
Continue reading ‘Abortion: a matter solely for the mother (long but worth it!)’ »
AR-15-style assault weapons were designed to kill people quickly with little effort. Allowing shooters to buy these weapons of war has torn so many families and communities apart: Boulder – 10 murdered El Paso – 22 murdered Parkland – 17 murdered Sutherland Springs – 26 murdered Las Vegas – 60 murdered Orlando – 49 murdered …
“Oxfam’s new bombshell report “Inequality Kills” lays out in stark detail just how much economic inequality has grown over the past two years of the pandemic and the negative, real-world consequences of the growth. “We all know that inequality is out of control, but some of the numbers coming out of this report are truly …
