WASHINGTON -- The policy mystery of our time is why politicians in the United States and across much of the democratic world are so obsessed with deficits when their primary mission ought to be bringing down high and debilitating rates of unemployment. And since last week saw a cross-party celebration of the opening of George W. Bush's presidential library, I'd add a … [Read more...] about The economic whodunit
Syrian PM survives assassination bid
Syrian PM survives assassination bid (via AFP) Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi escaped an assassination bid on Monday, surviving a blast against his convoy in Damascus, in the latest attack on top members of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The attack came as Republican lawmakers in the United States stepped up calls for American action… … [Read more...] about Syrian PM survives assassination bid
CIA ‘gave millions in cash’ to Karzai over the years
CIA 'gave millions in cash' to Karzai over the years (via AFP) The CIA has delivered tens of millions of dollars in cash packed in suitcases and backpacks to the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai for more than a decade, the New York Times reported Monday. "We called it 'ghost money'," Khalil Roman, Karzai's deputy chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, told the… … [Read more...] about CIA ‘gave millions in cash’ to Karzai over the years
Fake Bonhomie in a Heartless Political World
As a respite from All Boston Bombers All the Time, cable news turns to happy talk with the George W. Bush Library dedication and the annual Correspondents Dinner of media strivers basking in their own celebrity with fake self-deflation. It’s enough to make an old journalist cry (Tom Brokaw stifled his tears by staying home rather than hobnobbing with Lindsay Lohan.) With … [Read more...] about Fake Bonhomie in a Heartless Political World
San Diego 2024 Olympics in Tijuana? How a cross-border Games could work.
San Diego 2024 Olympics in Tijuana? How a cross-border Games could work. (via The Christian Science Monitor) Copyright ImageClick to View President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama lobby for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics at the International Olympic Committee Session in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009. That failed. Maybe a proposal to hold events in Tijuana, Mexico, … [Read more...] about San Diego 2024 Olympics in Tijuana? How a cross-border Games could work.
Milestone: In 2012 Election Black Voter Turnout Surpassed White Voter Turnout
But news from the AP, via Talking Points Memo: for the first time, in the 2012 elections: back voter turnout was more than white voter turnout: America’s blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups in 2012 and by most measures surpassed the white turnout for the first time, reflecting a deeply polarized presidential election in which blacks strongly supported … [Read more...] about Milestone: In 2012 Election Black Voter Turnout Surpassed White Voter Turnout
School conflicts, violence on decline
School conflicts, violence on decline (via Santa Maria Times) Even though 38 lives were lost on school campuses in 2012 â 26 of those victims were at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. â statistics show juvenile crime has decreased significantly over the past five years, and public schools remain one of the safest places for children. âThe rates of youth… … [Read more...] about School conflicts, violence on decline
On Doing P.R. for or Not Being Accurate about George W. Bush
No, it's not unusual for former Presidents to find themselves in a middle of an overt or covert love fest, or have opponents who hate what they did in office to look the other way. But in the case of George W. Bush and his recent library, did the good-will hyping approach public relations or is some of the criticism not quite accurate? Now that the media event has receeded … [Read more...] about On Doing P.R. for or Not Being Accurate about George W. Bush
Miranda Rights and the Cartoon Police (Guest Voice)
Miranda Rights and the Cartoon Police by Daryl Cagle Now I know how Mitt Romney felt when he was dogged by complaints about his "flip-flopping". Nothing makes editorial cartoonists angrier than another cartoonist who changes his mind. There was a short lived debate about whether a Miranda warning should be given to Boston bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who had been … [Read more...] about Miranda Rights and the Cartoon Police (Guest Voice)
FULL VIDEO: Obama’s Joke-Filled Monologue at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (UPDATED)
Here's the full video of President Barack Obama's monologue at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Some great jokes with a serious finish: UPDATE: Here's the Speilberg's (satire) upcoming Obama movie (with Obama playing Daniel Day Lewis): The attention is always on the jokes (at the beginning of the speech) but the serious note (at the end) is also of … [Read more...] about FULL VIDEO: Obama’s Joke-Filled Monologue at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (UPDATED)
Michele Bachmann Tries and Fails to Quote Shakespeare (A Song for Her)
Michele Bachmann is the political and news quote gift that keeps on giving. Her latest: struggling and failing to quote Shakespeare. Why didn't she just stick to quoting (or paraphrasing) Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh like she always does? Here's a bit of advice for Ms. Bachmann: … [Read more...] about Michele Bachmann Tries and Fails to Quote Shakespeare (A Song for Her)
Martial Arts Instructor Everett Dutschke Arrested in Connection with Ricin-Tainted Letters Sent to Obama, Others
BREAKING: The FBI said Everett Dutschke, a Mississippi man, whose home and business were searched as part of an investigation into ricin-laced letters sent to President Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Judge Sadie Holland, has been arrested. Everett Dutschke was arrested early Saturday morning at his Tupelo, Miss., home in connection with the letters, the FBI said. … [Read more...] about Martial Arts Instructor Everett Dutschke Arrested in Connection with Ricin-Tainted Letters Sent to Obama, Others
Syria and the Scourge of Chemical Warfare
Today, the United States -- after Britain, France and Israel came to such a conclusion -- also believes “with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin.” While the U.S. is still ascertaining “all the facts,” the question is “what next” if and when we deem that the now-famous … [Read more...] about Syria and the Scourge of Chemical Warfare
Quote of the Day: GOP Embraces “The Crazy” with Conspiracy Theories and Extremism
Our political Quote of the Day comes from The Daily Beast's John Avlon, who warns in a column titled "False Flags, Sharia Law, and Gun Grabs: GOP Lawmakers Embrace The Crazy," that the Republican Party, in its ongoing effort to be a kind of political vacuum cleaner of all votes on the right it can muster, is playing a perilous game with its own future -- and how our democracy … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: GOP Embraces “The Crazy” with Conspiracy Theories and Extremism
“Duck Dynasty” couple will be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner which is now a joke (Guest Voice)
“Duck Dynasty” couple will be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner which is now a joke (via http://stateofglobe.com) The dinner has become a spectacle. It’s a night where Washington gets to play Hollywood, and it’s a reflection of a generation of people in Washington who aren’t serious. They smile into the cameras and bat their eyes. They drink some drinks and judge … [Read more...] about “Duck Dynasty” couple will be attending the White House Correspondents Dinner which is now a joke (Guest Voice)
Bosses arrested over Bangladesh building disaster
Bosses arrested over Bangladesh building disaster (via AFP) Bangladesh Saturday made a series of arrests over the collapse of a factory complex which killed at least 341 as rescuers braved the stench of rotting corpses to detect further signs of life. Twenty-three people were pulled alive Saturday morning from the ruins of the eight-storey Rana Plaza compound… … [Read more...] about Bosses arrested over Bangladesh building disaster
The Boston Bombers and the Theory of Relative Laziness
The Boston Bombers and the Theory of Relative Laziness By Tina Dupuy My working theory—you could call it a philosophy, or a freestanding reason of how the world works—is what I call the Theory of Relative Laziness. It goes like this: Never attribute anything to conspiracy, coordination or planning when laziness could explain it. Call it Occam's Armchair. While perusing … [Read more...] about The Boston Bombers and the Theory of Relative Laziness
Who Was Earl Silverman?
This is who he was: Oh and by the way: Men's rights are human rights. Erin Pizzey (who's in a couple of pictures in that video) and I will be doing another Ask Me Anything session on Reddit today, starting at 11am Eastern. We will be dedicating it to Earl. Anyone interested is welcome to come and read and participate. It won't all be about Earl of course, but it will … [Read more...] about Who Was Earl Silverman?
A Cartoonist Looks at the George W. Bush Presidential Library (Guest Cartoonist)
Two Cartoons on the George W. Bush Presidential Library by Mike Peters The George W. Bush Presidential Library Living Presidents Gather at the George W. Bush Presidential Library Of Related Interest: --With new presidential library, George W. Bush back in public eye --Dana Perino: Bush Library Will Make Americans Even More Proud of Our Country --WATCH: Jon … [Read more...] about A Cartoonist Looks at the George W. Bush Presidential Library (Guest Cartoonist)
Great Entertainers: A Vaudeville Showstopper by Ella Fitzgerald and Jimmy Durante
The late legendary singer Ella Fitzgerald, who was great and sang and performed with the great, would have been 96 and this week Google marked her birthday in its inimitable way. But in 1969 there was one super-magical moment, captured on video tape, when Fitzgerald did a showstopping, vaudeville number with the star of vaudeville, nightclubs, movies, radio and later TV -- … [Read more...] about Great Entertainers: A Vaudeville Showstopper by Ella Fitzgerald and Jimmy Durante