Month: February 2011
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China Facing A “Jasmine Revolution”
The wave of popular protests that has swept that Arab world seems to have made its way to the Middle Kingdom: BEIJING – Jittery Chinese authorities wary of any domestic dissent staged a concerted show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a “Jasmine Revolution” apparently modeled after pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the…
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Death Toll in Libya at 200
Via the BBC: Libya unrest: Scores killed in Benghazi ‘massacre’ More than 200 people are known to have died, doctors say, with 900 injured. The most bloody attacks were reported over the weekend, when a funeral procession was said to have come under machine-gun and heavy weapons fire. Human Rights Watch puts the number of…
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Wisconsin Doctors Offering Fake Sick Notes For Strikers?
There are widespread reports that sympathetic doctors are offering to sign fraudulent documents certifying that the striking Wisconsin public workers, who are engaging in an illegal wildcat strike, are sick and thus entitled to miss work. Crooks and Liars traces a video going around to the discredited Breitbart network, so let’s discount that entirely. But…
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Quorum Rules
A commenter asks, “Why does Wisconsin have a quorum rule if not for situations like this?”
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Buenas Noticias Sobre El Bilingüismo y Los Alzheimer’s
Via the AP: Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s.
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James Earl Jones Reads Justin Bieber Lyrics
This video has started going viral: Of course James Earl Jones could read the phone book out loud and it would still sound fantastic.
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Want A Job: Give Us Your Facebook Password
Should employers be allowed to ask for your Facebook login as a condition of employment?
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Yes, Wisconsin Really Does Have A Budget Crisis
One of the most common refrains I’m seeing from many on the left in their commentary about the Wisconsin situation is the idea that Governor Walker has created a phony sense of crisis in Madison and that Wisconsin’s budget problems aren’t nearly as severe as he claims: It has taken hold with conviction: the idea…
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The Political Geography of Congressional Ethanol Support
Via Knowledge Problem: The geography of ethanol’s support in Congress. The post has two maps worth examining. The conclusion: If you are among those few people who still believe U.S. ethanol policy is driven by something other than the demands of the U.S. ethanol industry, then you might be surprised. For the rest of us:…
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Redistribution from the Feds? Not Really.
There really isn’t a lot of redistribution happening in the United States.
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Former Sarah Palin Aide Planning Tell-All Book
Something tells me this will be cable news fodder for weeks when it comes out: JUNEAU, Alaska – One of Sarah Palin’s trusted advisers is planning a tell-all memoir, drawing upon thousands of personal e-mails during his time with the former Alaska governor to paint what his agent calls an expose of the inner workings…
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The U.S. Government Exists Primarily To Write Checks And Redistribute Wealth
The primary job of the Federal Government today is to take money from Peter and give it to Paul.
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Info on US Presence in Bahrain
Via NPR: Bahrain: Key U.S. Military Hub
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Bahraini Security Forces Withdrawn from Pearl Square
The situation in Bahrain continues to evolve as the state has pulled back the stick.
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Libya Update: At Least 84 Dead, Possibly Hundreds
The crackdown in Libya is turning into a massacre.
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House Republicans Punt On Promise To Cut $100 Billion
Last night, the House Republicans basically punted on their promise to cut $100 billion from this year’s budget: The House rejected a measure cutting an additional $22 billion from the Republican spending bill, as conservatives ran into a wall of opposition from the GOP establishment over the depth of reductions to federal funding. The amendment…
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Elections Have Consequences
Republicans won the right to govern Wisconsin. What does that mean for Democrats?
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Wisconsin Teachers Failing At Their Jobs
In the middle of our discussion about the union protests in Wisconsin, here’s a fact worth noting. As of 2009, only 40% of Wisconsin 8th graders tested as being proficient in math (PDF). And their teachers are complaining about being required to do something we all do, contribute a portion of their health care premiums.…
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Glenn Beck Tries To Explain His Irrational Crusade Against Google
As Steven Taylor noted the other day, Glenn Beck has somehow concluded that Google is part of some vast worldwide conspiracy and is urging his viewers to boycott it. Last night, he appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s show and talked about it some more: As is often the case when Beck goes off on one of…
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Libya, The Internet, and bit.ly
Worries that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi will shut down Internet access to stymie protesters apparently has some Americans concerned about the URL-shortner bit.ly, since the .ly domain is Libya’s. This is of particular concern since bit.ly is the default shortener for those of us who use Twitter. Bit.ly CEO John Borthwick says not to worry:…
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Wisconsin’s Hemlock Revolution
In the Middle East, protesters are marching for democracy. In the Midwest, they’re protesting against it.
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Congressman David Wu Urged to Get Psychiatric Help
Oregon Congressman David Wu was showing signs of mental breakdown during his recent re-election campaign.
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Facebook Adds Gay Friendly Status Options
Facebook has come up with new settings to meet the needs of users in same-sex relationships.
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Somali Pirates Seize American Yacht
The ongoing saga of piracy off the coast of Somali is about to get Americans’ attention again, as a yacht containing four U.S. citizens has been hijacked.
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Inauguration Of Jefferson Davis To Be Re-enacted At Alabama State Capitol
The whitewashing of the history of the Confederacy continues: The 150th anniversary of Jefferson Davis’ inauguration as president of the Confederacy will be marked Saturday with a re-enactment of his swearing-in ceremony. The sesquicentennial event — the Confederate Heritage Rally 2011 — in the state’s capital also includes a parade up Dexter Avenue to the…
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The Revolution Continues In Libya
The Gaddafi regime is facing its most serious challenge in its 41 year history.
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Ronald Reagan America’s Greatest President?
In a new Gallup poll, Americans rank Ronald Reagan as America’s Greatest President.
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Romney Is The Only Republican Seen As “Presidential”
Further evidence that Mitt Romney continues to be well-positioned in the race for thWe GOP nomination: When asked whether they view these candidates as more suited to be Commander in Chief or Numero Dos, voters see only Romney as more presidential than vice-presidential material (30-20). And even then, half of voters aren’t sure. For Huckabee,…
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Police To Female Students: Want To Avoid Rape? Don’t Dress Like Sluts
Over at Above The Law, I found this rather odd report out of Canada: “Don’t dress like a slut.” That’s the safety tip for how women can avoid a sexual assault, reportedly offered by a Toronto police officer speaking at a campus safety information session at Osgoode Hall Law School last month. At the January…
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Public Employee Bargaining Rights
The map of states which allow collective bargaining for public sector employees doesn’t match up well with the map of right-to-work states.
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House Votes To Cut Off Federal Funds To Planned Parenthood
In a largely partisan vote, the House voted today to end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood: The House just approved Rep. Mike Pence’s amendment to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, checking off a hot-button social issue even as it set up a bigger showdown over defunding the health care law. The vote was…
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Sarah Palin’s Research Team: Bristol, A Laptop, And The Google
This would explain alot: Seated in an armchair on a small stage, Palin was interviewed by the head of the Long Island Assn. at the group’s annual luncheon. Kevin S. Law, a former utility company executive, said beforehand that he had no interest in posing “gotcha-style” questions. But he did ask Palin about recent national…
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Alaska Governor Says He Won’t Comply With Federal Health Care Law
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell says he won’t comply with any of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but his decision seems to rest of precarious legal ground.
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Is Email Dead?
Is social media killing electronic mail?
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Jeff Bingaman To Retire From Senate
New Mexico Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman became the sixth sitting Senator to announce that his current term will be his last: Sen. Jeff Bingaman is expected to announce Friday his plans to retire after serving five terms in the Senate. Bingaman’s office confirms that the 67-year-old New Mexico Democrat weighed running for a sixth term…
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Wisconsin Teacher Showdown
Neither side is covering themselves in glory in the battle over the Badger State budget.
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More on Watson
Alva Noë writing at NPR: The Watson System no more understands what’s going on around it, or what it is itself doing, than the ant understands the public health risks of decomposition. It may be a useful tool for us to deploy (for winning games on Jeopardy, or diagnosing illnesses, or whatever — mazal tov!),…
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Bahraini Forces Fire on the Crowd
The Bahraini state appears willing to continue to use force against its population.
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Tucson Firefighter Refused To Respond To Giffords Shooting Due To Political Differences
As John Cole says, this is just weird: A Tucson firefighter refused to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting rampage that wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords because of political differences with his crew, delaying his unit’s arrival at the scene, according to internal department records. Firefighter Mark Ekstrum’s unit was not a first responder and was…
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Quote of the Day, Party Discipline Edition
“My preference, I suppose, would be for parliamentary leaders to actually physically whip members of congress into line (willingness to withstand lashing being a decent proxy for preference-intensity) but barring that the House’s tradition of iron-fisted rule-based discipline is a great model.” — Matthew Ygelsias
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Chicago Population Slips To 1920 Levels
Chicago’s population is back down to levels not seen since the days of Al Capone and Elliot Ness: CHICAGO—A larger-than-expected exodus over the past 10 years reduced the population of Chicago to a level not seen in nearly a century. The U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday that during the decade ended in 2010, Chicago’s population…
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Dozens Dead As Libya Cracks Down On Protesters
As in Baharain, the Libyan Government has reacted violently to the populist uprising sweeping the Arab world. The difference is the Libyans are doing it largely without anyone noticing
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Unrest in Bahrain Continues
The unrest continues as those killed during protests are buried. Plus some facts about Bahrain.
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Betty McCollum Gets Death Threats Over NASCAR Proposal
Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum has received death threats after questioning the wisdom of the U.S. Army sponsoring a NASCAR Sprint Cup team to the tune of $7 million a year.
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The Post Where I Agree With Sarah Palin
During her appearance on Long Island today, Sarah Palin said this: [Palin] made it clear that she has no patience with birther claims. “The faith, the birth certificate, others can engage in that kind of conversation. It’s distracting. It gets annoying. And let’s just stick with what really matters,” Palin urged, talking about Obama’s fiscal…
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Sarah Palin Joins Attacks On Michelle Obama Over Breast-Feeding
Taking a cue from Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin has decided to speak out on the silliest issue ever: Sarah Palin followed in Rep. Michele Bachmann’s footsteps and took a swipe at Michelle Obama on Thursday, mocking her efforts to get mothers to breast-feed their children. “No wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody, ‘You’d better breast-feed…
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Jeff Flake (R., Az): Birthers Need To Accept The Reality That Obama Is A Natural Born Citizen
Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake is one of the first Republicans to do more than dance around the birther issue, saying this morning that birthers need to accept reality: Rep. Jeff Flake said people who don’t believe President Obama was born in the U.S. need to “accept reality.” Responding to a question Thursday on CNN about…
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Supporters Of Gay Marriage, DADT Repeal To Be Banned From CPAC
The social conservatives seems to have won the battle over CPAC.
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I Guess This Means They’re Not Closing Guantanamo Bay After All
CIA Director Leon Panetta says that if Osama bin Laden is ever captured, he’ll be held at Gitmo: What would the government do if Osama bin Laden, the FBI’s most-wanted terrorist for more than a decade, were captured? (…) When faced with that question yesterday during a Senate hearing, CIA Director Leon Panetta said the…
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National Drinking Habits
Americans drink less than Europeans and far less than Russians.