Saturday, September 8, 2018

Saturday Stuff

I'm making this post later than normally because the Virginia Tech - William & Mary football game ran from 2:00 to about 5:30.  In what has to be an unprecedented achievement, three different Tech quarterbacks scored rushing touchdowns, the last one by the third-stringer going for 69 yards.  Besides lots of NCAA gridiron action, here are some things going on:

From ZDNet, the U.S. House of Representatives passes a bill that would require the White House to create a database of foreign hackers.

From the New York Post, recently sentenced former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos details his run-ins with foreign operatives.

From AP News, pro-abortion activists send 3,000 coat hangers to the office of Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine).  (via The Daily Caller)

From NewsBusters, CNN contributor Ben Ferguson explains why some people are offended by the National Anthem kneeler.  (via CNS News)

From the Express, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair reveals his one-word labels for some other noted European characters.

From the Evening Standard, the U.K. records its first ever case of monkeypox.

From The Guardian, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini joins Steve Bannon's European populist group.  (Like yours truly, Bannon is an alumnus Virginia Tech.)

From the Independent, protesters against climate change march in numerous cities.  (As far as I can read, none of those cities are in China, which is by far the world's largest carbon dioxide producer.)

From France24, 18,000 people march against climate change in Paris.  (Was the Chinese embassy anywhere along the march's route?  Just wondering.)

From Deutsche Welle, a neo-Nazi gang allegedly attacks a Jewish restaurant in Chemnitz, Germany.

From Russia Today, Abkhazia's prime minister dies in a car accident traveling from Sochi airport after returning from Syria.

From Sputnik International, protesters clash with police in Thessaloniki, Greece.

From Ekathimerini, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras promises to lower VAT and property taxes.

From the Greek Reporter, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross speaks in Thessaloniki.

From Hürriyet Daily News, at least 12 people have been killed in an attack by Iran against a DPIK camp in Iraq.

From XinhuaNet, Afghan civilians suffer from repeated terror attacks.

From Rûdaw, ISIS is still killing and abducting people in Iraq.

From Gatestone Institute, the German party AfD increases its popularity.

From Breitbart Texas, the number of human smugglers arrested at California checkpoints has more than doubled this year.

From Townhall, the "independence and fortitude" of SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

From American Thinker, see you, Nike.

And from The Washington Free Beacon, "the empire strikes Bach".

Friday, September 7, 2018

Friday Fuss And Fun

As another weekend looms ahead, here are some things going on:

From Voice Of Europe, in eastern Germany, AfD has become the most popular political party.

From Radio Praha, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind visits the Czech Republic.  (via Voice Of Europe)

From Radio Poland, the family of a prisoner at Auschwitz files a claim against the German government over its medical experiments at the camp.

From Deutsche Welle, according to Germany's head of domestic intelligence, there is no evidence that "far-right" protesters chased any foreigners.  (In Germany, "far-right" appears to mean "unwilling to accept unlimited immigration and expecting immigrants to refrain from assaulting German people".)

From Dutch News, Dutch police plan to strike this weekend, handling only emergencies.

From France24, French authorities detain a Liberian man for alleged crimes against humanity.

From ANSA, Liguria Governor Giovanni Toti promises a new bridge in Genoa by October 2019.

From Ekathimerini, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross expresses American support for Greece and its economy.

From the Greek Reporter, U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt calls Greece a "crucial energy partner" for the U.S.

From Total Croatia News, researchers in Croatia's Dalmatia region find traces of what could be the world's oldest cheese.

From Global News, the leader of Coalition Avenir Quebec proposes to require immigrants to learn French within three years or be expelled from the province.

From the Express, according to the president of the French Senate, the E.U. is being "crushed" by its own bureaucracy.

From the Independent, the Archbishop of Canterbury welcomes the acceptance of the international definition of "antisemitism".

From the Mirror, a Muslim on a Spanish domestic flight terrorizes his fellow passengers.

From Russia Today, Russia exports 80 percent more wheat than a year ago.

From Sputnik International, 22 aircraft have been seen near Russian borders.

From The National, Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan has been charged with rape in Switzerland.

From the Manchester Evening News, a Muslim man is beaten and slashed while walking in a park.

From the Daily Mirror, Muslim groups in Sri Lanka call for female circumcision to be "medicalised".  (They claim that female circumcision is not the same thing as female genital mutilation.  As with another story I mentioned coming from this country, my spell checker has no problem with "Lanka", but objects to "Sri".  On the other hand, it rejects both "medicalised" and "medicalized".)

From Jamie Glazov Productions, a basic explanation of the Islamic writings.

From FrontpageMag, President Trump fights back against the anonymous op-ed in The New York Times.

From Townhall, the op-ed writer reveals "an even deeper state".

From The Washington Free Beacon, Democrats opposing the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh turn to Dean, and I don't mean the screamer.

From Fox News, U.S. Marines launch an air assault in southern Syria.

From Space War, there might be a Space Force someday, but it won't have to deal with Klingons.

From CNS News, Representative Nancy Pelosi unleashes the hyperbola.

From LifeNews, Planned Avoidance of Parenthood wants abortion with no limits whatsoever.

From CTPost, please make sure that the candle you light really is a candle.

From the New York Post, imagine (pun intended) John Lennon on a postage stamp.

And from The Babylon Bee, the man who divided the U.S. now calls for unity.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Various And Sun-Baked

It's not various and sundry, which may be (mis)understood as "sun-dried", but more like sun-baked.  As the summer temperatures continue, here are some things going on:

From Voice Of Europe, the German interior minister calls migration "the mother of all problems".  (If you read German, read the story at the Berliner Zeitung.)





From ANSA and the "well, what do you know" department, 40 migrants who had been aboard the ship Diciotti have gone missing.


From the Greek Reporter, the Ancient Greek theater at Delos will reopen for the second time in 2,100 years.  (It's not often that a story will get both the "archaeology" and "show biz" labels.)

From Radio Poland, a former employee of the Polish government has been charged with spying for Russia.  (In other words, Poland may have been hit by some Russian collusion.)







From Sputnik International, in Kristiansand, Norway, Muslim vigilantes are credited with "ending youth crime".  (If you read Norwegian, read the story at NRK.)



From American Thinker, "are feminists aiding Muslim domination?"


From National Review to the anonymous anti-Trump opinion writer at The New York Times, show yourself and your evidence.


From LifeNews, Gloria Steinem calls abortion the "basis of democracy".  ([sarc]Oh yes, I remember reading how Madison, Hamilton and Franklin discussed abortion at the Constitutional convention.[/sarc])

From Twitchy, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) was pleasantly surprised at one word used by an anti-Kavanaugh protester.  (Hint: In a statement by the above-mentioned Franklin, this word was followed by "if you can keep it".)

From Boston25, an audit of the Massachusetts RMV reveals that over 1,900 drivers licenses were issued to dead people.  (If you're going to require voter ID, it's only fair that dead voters can have theirs, too.  The story comes via Fox News.)


Burt Reynolds 1936-2018

Burt Reynolds, who had a long career in show business, died earlier today from cardiopulmonary arrest at a hospital in Jupiter, Florida.  He had previously suffered from heart problems for a number of years.  He was 82.

Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan to Burton Milo Reynolds and the former Fern Miller.  Due to his father's military career, the family moved to Missouri, back to Michigan, and finally to Florida.  While attending Palm Beach High School in West Palm Beach, Reynolds became an All-State football player at fullback, which resulted in athletic scholarship offers from several colleges.  He attended Florida State University on a football scholarship, moving to halfback.  He roomed with Lee Corso (of "not so fast" fame), who eventually went on to a broadcasting career.  Injuries cut his football career short, but he won a Florida State Drama Award from his performance in a play entitled Outward Bound.  The award included a scholarship to a summer stock playhouse in Hyde Park, New York.

Reynolds's professional acting career started with several television roles, on shows such as Gunsmoke and Dan August.  His breakout movie role was in Deliverance, which was followed by roles in films such as White Lighting, Smokey and the Bandit, Gator (which was his directorial debut), The Cannonball Run, All Dogs Go To Heaven and The Longest Yard.

Reynolds was married to Judy Carne (1963-1965) and Loni Anderson (1988-1993), both actresses.  With Anderson, he adopted a son named Quinton.  He also had romantic relationships with Dinah Shore and Sally Field.  He is survived by his son.

Read more at Page Six, US, Variety, CNN and The Hollywood Reporter.  In The Ringer, Reynolds is remembered for inventing the "athlete-movie star".
Without Burt Reynolds, there is no Bruce Willis.  No Chris Hemsworth.  No the Rock.  No Vin Diesel.  Maybe no Tom Cruise.  Reynolds, who died after a heart attack at 82 years old Thursday, modernized movie stardom in a particular way.  He was an athlete, but not muscle-bound.  He wasn’t exactly funny, but he was always cracking wise.  He was handsome, but he was losing his hair.
In his own way, Reynolds appears to have created a certain type of leading man.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Wednesday Links

Starting with a few things Tweeted by Voice Of Europe, here are some things going on:





















From The Jakarta Post, the Bireuen regency agency in the Indonesian province of Aceh asks cafes and restaurants to forbid mixed couples from sitting together, unless they are a married couple.


From American Thinker, Google has pro-Muslim algorithms.











Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Senator Sasse Speaks His Mind

As the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh get underway, Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) gives a civics lesson.  It's apparently intended for his legislative colleagues, but might also be relevant for the general public.  Take notes, everyone.



The video may also be watched directly on YouTube.

Tuesday Things

As the work week resumes (or continues), here are some things going on:

From Voice Of Europe, a Jewish man is attacked on a bridge in Paris.  (If  you read French, read the story at Le Figaro.)


From YLE, Finnish authorities suspend processing asylum decisions for Afghan refugees, while they re-evaluate their policies.  (Sounds like President Trump's travel moratorium.  The story comes via Voice Of Europe.)



From Dutch News, Dutch police tell youngsters to stop sexting.  (If you read Dutch, read the story at AD.)


From El País, an arrest warrant is issued for Spanish activist who twice refused to appear in court on charges of "offending religious sensibilities".  (His alleged actions would be protected in the United States under the First Amendment.)














From Mvslim, some European Muslim women campaign for more inclusiveness from Scottish mosques.  (Yes, the site's name is the word "Muslim" with a "v" instead of a "u".)











Monday, September 3, 2018

Links For Labor Day

As most of us get a break from work, here are some things going on:

From Voice Of Europe, a Muslim law student is among the finalists miss England beauty contest.  (VOE is Tweeting again, but so far not as frequently as before their brief hiatus.)








From Global News, language politics is simmering in Canada's only bilingual province.  (Like the U.S., Canada has a holiday today.  It's spelled "Labour Day".)










From Russia Today, according to Russia's human rights commissioner, at least 30 Russians are held as political prisoners in other countries.








From Gatestone Institute, the Boris Johnson burqa blues.






Sunday, September 2, 2018

Sunday Stuff

On the Sunday in the middle of Labor Day weekend, here are some things going on:

From Sputnik International, protesters in Chemnitz, Germany carry portraits of victims of alleged attacks by migrants.

From Russia Today, Turkish President Erdoğan says that his country does not need anyone's permission to buy Russian missiles.

From the Sunday Express, a Tory MP outlines four steps for a "better Brexit".

From the Metro, U.K. Prime Minister May says that there won't be a second Brexit vote.

From the Independent, hundreds of civil servants have withdrawn from the department assigned with delivering Brexit.



From Total Croatia News, the yacht Christina O visits the harbor of Šibenik, Croatia.  (If you read Croatian, read the story at Morski, whose name means "of the sea".)




From Greek Reporter, the world's largest ever portion of French fries is produced in Naxos, Greece.  (There's an old joke that French fries were first made in Greece/grease.  In this case, it's true.)

From Hürriyet Daily News, the transformation of the Turkish island of Yassıada into Democracy and Freedom Island is expected to be complete in 2019.  (Yes, that's an "i" without the dot in "Yassıada".)










From The Washington Free Beacon, former Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry says that the United States has "paid a price" for not enforcing President Obama's red line in Syria.  (It's easy to make such an admission in hindsight, isn't it?)


From Breitbart Border, a human smuggler is arrested after 62 migrants are found in her truck.  (As an old cigarette ad used to say, "You've come a long way, baby.")



Saturday, September 1, 2018

Stories To Start September

It's now Labor Day weekend, the first day of September, and the start of NCAA football season.  Besides all that, here are some things going on:

From BizPac Review, at Senator McCain's funeral, the vindictive apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

From Politico Magazine, President Trump's absence from funerals isn't all that surprising.  (via HotAir)

From American Thinker, did CNN prove President Trump's point about fake news?

From AP News, the Afghani man who stabbed two American tourists in Amsterdam yesterday had a "terrorist motive".  (via HotAir)

From the Express, U.K. fishermen rescue four migrants from a dinghy a few miles away from Dover.

From the Independent, a balloon depicting London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a bikini flies over parliament.  (It was an itsy-bitsy teeny-weenie yellow Sadiq Khan bikini.....)

From BBC News, last year, the U.K. saw a record demand for sexual health services.

From the Daily Mail, color-coded maps show where people of different religions live in major U.K. cities.

From the Metro, in Cardiff, Wales, a man is charged with terror offenses after police find explosives in his home.

From France24, Mauritania holds elections, in which 98 political parties are participating.

From Deutsche Welle, in Chemnitz, Germany, police tell right-wing protesters to leave.

From Dutch News, former Dutch defense minister Jeanine Hennis will lead a U.N. mission to Iraq.

From VRT NWS, the Belgian airline VLM discontinues its remaining two flights.

From Radio Poland, Poland observes the 79th anniversary of the German invasion which started World War II.

From the Hungary Journal, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban supports the migration plan of Czech President Babiš.

From Ekathimerini, Turkey's foreign minister calls for a "new chapter" in relations with Greece.

From Hürriyet Daily News, a man is accused of taking 201 photos of Turkish soldiers in northern Cyprus.

From Russia Today, the Russian Defense Ministry claims that the U.S. trained militants to carry out terror attacks in Palmyra, Syria.

From Sputnik International, Iran denies sending missiles to Shiites in Iraq.

From International Quran News Agency, a German man gets 10 years for bombing a mosque.

From Gatestone Institute, Hungary's Orban and Italy's Salvini create an "anti-immigration axis".

From Townhall, Brandon Presley wonders where the other pro-life Democrats are.  (Yes, he is related to the man from Tupelo, Mississippi.)

From The New York Times, the sonic attacks suffered by Americans in Cuba could be the product of microwave weapons.  (via the New York Post)

From U.S. News & World Report, a bishop apologizes for getting too friendly with Ariana Grande at Aretha Franklin's funeral.  (via Breitbart's Big Hollywood)

From CNS News, in an interview on Fox News, Raymond Arroyo decries Al Sharpton's Trump-bashing during Aretha Franklin's funeral.  (In my not very humble opinion, making political points at a funeral desecrates the service.  Criticize the president and every other politician all you want, but not when you're paying respects to the recently departed.)

From Fox News, despite what Hollywood might say, Neil Armstrong saw the moon landing as an American achievement.

From Yahoo News, Pope Francis addresses the problem of plastic in the oceans.  (via Twitchy)

And from Breaking Burgh, Pope Francis orders clergymen to give up sexual abuse for Lent.