FOREIGN POLICY: Budapest, Hungary — In late July, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivered a bold speech in the Transylvanian town of Tusnadfurdo. His message, articulated at a retreat of Hungarian leaders, was unquestionably controversial; to many observers of Hungarian politics, it was nothing short of galling. Orban announced plans to make his country an […]
Judges once again will be allowed to judge: Hurrah!
A front page article on “Mandatory minimum sentences are ‘unconstitutional,’ Pa. court says” was the best news we have encountered in a long time…
Why More, Not Fewer, People Might Start Getting Health Insurance Through Work
The law’s best-known and least-liked provision — the “individual mandate” — is probably causing the trend. For the first time, people must buy insurance this year or be subject to a tax penalty. In Massachusetts, a similar requirement changed the employer-sponsored insurance market in two ways, said Sharon Long, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, who has studied the state’s experience.
Food and the Dying Patient (and the last meal)
NEW YORK TIMES: …But contrary to popular belief, a feeding tube does not prolong life in a patient with dementia. It actually increases suffering. A stomach full of mechanically pumped artificial calories puts pressure on an already fragile digestive system, increasing the chance of pushing stomach contents up into the lungs. And surgically implanted tubes […]
GOP: Wolf ‘Fresh Start’ campaign violates Pennsylvania law
The complaint, signed by [Party Chair] Gleason and GOP vice chair Joyce Haas, says Fresh Start “only exists because Wolf authorized its formation on behalf of his campaign.”…
EDITORIAL: The U. S. phone number is not 911
Critics and idlers like to say that Obama is ‘weak’ and this is encouraging every problem that breaks out in the world, as though with George W. Bush all was peace and quiet.
Plenty of Room at the Top of Ukraine’s Fading Rebellion
NEW YORK TIMES: Donetsk, Ukraine — To outward appearances, Fyodor D. Berezin is the picture of a senior military commander. He wears camouflage, has bodyguards and confidently gives orders as the newly named deputy defense minister of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic. Yet, just four months ago he was an obscure author of 18 science […]
Pope Francis says he expects to live two or three more years, and may retire
THE GUARDIAN: Pope Francis has publicly broached the prospect of his own death for the first time, light-heartedly giving himself “two or three years” but not ruling out retirement before then… Pope Francis also mentioned the possibility of retiring from the papacy, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did last year, if he felt he could […]
Tense moments after peaceful Ferguson protests
USA TODAY: The streets of Ferguson saw pockets of violence during protests Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning but on the whole the shaken St. Louis suburb was more peaceful than in recent days, police said. “Tonight, the elders in the community, volunteers, activists and the clergy came out in large numbers,” Capt. Ron Johnson […]
LANCASTER NEW ERA
Editorial “Higher costs, fewer members for some community pools” advises: “At least two — Manheim and Leola — are experiencing rising costs and declining memberships that threaten their futures… “In an effort to save money, Manheim and Leola could continue to look for ways to streamline day-to-day pool operations. “But unless the pools attract more […]
Penn State Board entrenchment worst option
After the badly divided board voted last week to maintain the ill-considered consent decree the university entered with the NCAA after Mr. Sandusky’s arrests, some board leaders proposed reducing the number of alumni-elected board members from nine to six…
Gas production from Marcellus shale sets record despite fewer new wells going online
EDITOR: It is long past time that the gas be taxed as it is in other states, despite Tom Corbett getting huge contributions from the industry. Allowing gas to go untaxed is an outrage.
The Ukrainian Army
On August 11 a Ukrainian web site news.liga.net published a sensational interview with the commander of the Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion Dnepr–1 Yuri Bereza. What is the Volunteer Battalion Dnepr–1 and why an interview with its commander made such a sensation?
National Guard Troops Fail to Quell Unrest in Ferguson
NEW YORK TIMES: Violence erupted here once more on Monday night, even as Missouri National Guard troops arrived, the latest in a series of quickly shifting attempts to quell the chaos that has upended this St. Louis suburb for more than a week. In the days since an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot […]