The ‘eloquent, purposeful, and clear-eyed’ response from the pupils of Stoneman Douglas School to the killing of 17 of their friends has evoked admiration (mainly). The reaction does seem different with this mass shooting, as if teenagers have had enough. An insightful piece in Slate (URL below) notes some of their tactics: *Give … Read more
After North Korea’s diplomatic triumph at the Winter Olympics, the jousting is back as the US administration redoubles its effort to starve Pyongyang of resources and force it to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Quite how Kim Jong Un will respond to Trump’s announcement of the “heaviest” ever set of U.S. sanctions against North Korea … Read more
Mass evangelist Billy Graham who ran crusades, advised Presidents and attracted huge audiences at his religious rallies, has died aged 99. He preached a simple message which met with a wide response; was pro-integration though had oddly backward views on women’s role being primarily as homemaker. Born 7 November 1918 3.30pm Charlotte, … Read more
Florida is in shock after the Parkland shooting coming only 18 months after the Orlando nightclub rampage and Hurricane Irma last September. It’s been a devastating couple of years as first the tr Saturn in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces hit on the Florida Pisces Sun in 2016; with a ‘shocking-collision’ Solar Arc … Read more
Now that Mueller has moved directly against Russians interfering in the 2016 election, the interesting question isn’t why Putin wanted Trump to win – he was probably as surprised as anyone that Trump actually made it – but what was his beef with Hillary. She was singled out as the bulls’eye target. … Read more
The eighth US mass shooting this year so far and the worst since Sandy Hook in 2012 saw at least 17 die when a mentally disturbed ex-pupil, armed with an assault-style rifle he had purchased legally, went on the rampage. The local police chief called for gun control though Trump appears to be … Read more
The fallout from the resignation of White House staffer Rob Porter over domestic abuse charges continues to damage John Kelly, Trump and Hope Hicks. Abusive husbands are hardly confined to Republicans but the handling of the affair couldn’t have been worse. Porter had been refused security clearance because of his former wives’ … Read more
Christopher Steele is the ex-MI6 agent caught in the middle of the furore over alleged Russian manipulation of the 2016 election. A long-time and trusted intelligence worker, he in the past had worked for both UK and US governments after leaving the service to go private. An ex-head of MI6 said he was … Read more
Sharp drops and volatility in the global stock markets are being blamed on fears about the withdrawal of the stimulus which artificially kept economies afloat in recent times; and to correct an overpriced market. Though, as ever, the markets don’t bear much relation to the health of the real economy, which at … Read more
Uma Thurman, star of Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, has opened up about an alleged assault by Harvey Weinstein. In an interview with the NY Times she said: “I knew him pretty well before he attacked me,” she said. “This was my champion. He had a chokehold on the type of films and … Read more