It's may be like a faint wind on the hottest, most humid day -- and it way be emanating from almost as pungent neighborhood -- but there could be a fresh breeze stirring in the Massachusetts House. The mini-protest over House Speaker Robert DeLeo's refusal to air out the particulars of a $378,000 legal bills rung up in defending the House from the mess left by Sal DiMasi, probably makes ...

On June 1, 2009 I mailed the following letter to my representative in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton. I told Representative Norton that I believed I was a victim of a federal civil rights violation, and I requested that she refer the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for possible investigation. The FBI investigates federal civil rights violations. In a letter dated June 10, 2009, ...

"Why do politicians so easily get away with telling lies?" James Bovard explains: "...because the news media are more interested in bonding with politicians than in exposing them" read on... The Media As Enablers of Government Lies var sc_project=5311659; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=59; var sc_click_stat=1; var sc_security="b58d3ec7"; <div class=& ...

Today the Virginia Quarterly Review begins publishing a four-part account of the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2009, written by Jason Motlagh. The series begins with a bullet whizzing past the head of a snack bar manager at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, then continues with minute-by-minute chronicle of the chaos. Motlagh's account, which runs to 19,000 words, was assembled from& ...

Funniest thing ever. I stopped at this place called Super Taco Express on my way home from work. This is a Mexican food restaurant staffed entirely with Chinese people. And the guy working the counter had a perfect American accent. Watching them fix my enchiladas I managed to not laugh out loud, but it wasn't easy. var sc_project=983313; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=9; var ...

- Mum? - Yes. - You know how there are people in the ballet school who have dark skin? - Yes. (This should be interesting!) - Well, then they can't have these undies you see (holding up special ballet "skin"-coloured undies) because they are the wrong colour. What would they wear? - I don't know. Maybe dark coloured undies? - But that's not fair. The undies might be the ...

Easing Parking Rules and Opposing Gas Drilling by Gail Robinson 17 Nov 2009 In its first meeting since Mayor Michel Bloomberg won re-election by a narrower than expected margin, the City Council took on the administration’s enforcement of parking regulations and passed four bills on how the city issues tickets. The mayor has vowed to veto at least one of them. At Monday’s stated ...

Dilana at The Roxy in Vancouver, BC on October 29, 2008. Dilana performed an acoustic set with Eric Eldenius on guitar, and ending the evening with an electric set with the Murder City Sparrows band. Dilana's new album "Inside Out", originally titled "Darklight", was digitally released on November 17, 2009 and is available from amazon.com and iTunes. The physical CD is ...

This morning I experienced a bizarre phenomenon--an accusation levied at me about a crime that never existed, and yet it created problems in reality. I was sitting at a red light with my husband at my side; I was driving him to work, and we were stationary, sleepily contemplating the sky, when a driver somewhere behind us began blowing his horn. We looked back. Who was doing that? It was ...

I've brought up stories and commentary before about white people who consume reggae, a historically black musical genre (I totally fall under the category of white people who consume reggae). Now I'd like to complicate things a little by talking about white producers, rather than consumers, of reggae. In order to do this, I'd like to examine three (primarily) white bands that have ...

Just when Obama's demand for total freeze of Israeli settlements in the West Bank restored hope in our hearts for a shot at peace BEHOLD, Hillary Clinton retracts and declares that a partial freeze, not including settlements in East Jerusalem (the intended capital for the palestinian state) is "unprecedented". I'm not a fan of Hillary Clinton, especially since her position ...

Here's a question for the numerous British university-based readers for this blog. I am absolutely tickled because one of my students wants to study palaeontology at university. And it's because of me. Is that not the best thing ever? So, to give my new favourite student the best chances, I'm helping out by suggesting a few universities to apply to. Said student is doing Biology ...

Julianna, don't you want to wrestle, c'mon, just like me and Stroey! I got all my fiber from the mulch. J-girl, you should try it! Very healthy! Me and my best buddy in the whole world Carson have STINKY F T!! Two Toofs var sc_project=1610564; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=15; var sc_security="30432ac1";

It is November, and as a result far too minging to spend too much time outside in the garden. Fortunate, then, that it has been mild enough that I haven't needed to fleece up any plants yet (I'm not looking forward to that task!). So today I dealt with the indoor component of Jurassic Park. Firstly, disposing of the pathetic excuse for a rubber plant I had rotting in the corner of the ...

The late Emmet Watson, always published his Thompson Turkey recipe this time of year; NPR's Susan Stamberg offers her mother-in-law's cranberry relish. Michelle Obama makes her Apple Cobbler; Hillary Clinton touts the Chocolate Chip Cookies she famously doesn't make. Slade Gorton has his Warm Crab Dip; and the Bush Family their Zuni Stew. These are beloved family traditions and ...