Blog Heap of Links for the day 27 December 2015

…as the president prepares for his final state of the union (the word “final” does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) his message — summed up in eight words — is chilling, if not exactly surprising.

‘I’ll squeeze every ounce of change I can’…

…New research has uncovered the most detailed account yet of the banned 1915 Christmas Truce where British and German soldiers defied official orders to make peace in No Man's Land…

Obama Celebrates “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Fails to Mention Lesbian Air Force Officer Killed in Afghanistan
Can this guy be any more out of touch? Look, we understand his vacation and golf comes first, but in mentioning the anniversary of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” perhaps an acknowledgment of this woman killed in Afghanistan might be in order?…

At least seven people were killed by tornadoes as violent weather struck the Dallas area. Five of those killed in Garland were thought to have been blown off the interstate in their vehicle. Meanwhile, wildfires are ravaging California and Australia, with more than 100 homes destroyed along the coastline in Victoria.

In other news, Afghan, Eritrean, and Syrian migrants housed in a hotel above the Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland are unhappy with the extremely cold weather and the lack of sunlight. In those latitudes the sun disappeared six weeks ago and will not return until February.…

…On this day in 1927 Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway. This is where the song Old Man River originated.…