Month: December 2013
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House Passes Ryan/Murray Budget By Overwhelming Margin
The House of Representatives has just passed the budget deal reached by House and Senate Budget Committee Chairs Paul Ryan and Patty Murray by an overwhelming margin: After a tumultuous and politically divisive year, the House ended 2013 on a rare bipartisan note by passing a budget deal supported by a nearly equal number of…
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North Korea Says Kim Jong Un’s Uncle Has Been Executed
Well, that didn’t take long.
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Canadian Post Office To Stop Delivering Mail To A Lot Of Canadian Homes
The Canadian Post Office is putting in place reforms that will dramatically change the way many of our neighbor to the north receive their mail: WATERLOO, Ontario — Canada’s postal service said Wednesday that it would cease home delivery over the next five years, and substantially increase postal rates. Though Canada would become the first…
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GOP Momentum In Michigan?
A new Public Policy Polling poll seems to show Republicans in both of the statewide elections set for next year gaining substantially on their Democratic opponents: PPP’s first Michigan poll in six months finds that the GOP has made gains of 7-8 points in the races for Governor and Senate. Rick Snyder, who trailed Mark…
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Tea Party Hits New Low In New Poll
The Tea Party hit another new polling low, but that really shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
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GOP Looking To Overhaul Primary, Convention Process Ahead Of 2016
Republicans have some good ideas about overhauling how they pick a nominee. Unfortunately, it’s hard to see how most of them can be enforced.
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More Photos from the Trip to SA
Via PolicyMic: 8 Photos You Didn’t See From Obama’s Trip to South Africa.
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The Story of the Selfie
From the photographer who took the shot: The story behind “that selfie”. Two things are striking: All around me in the stadium, South Africans were dancing, singing and laughing to honour their departed leader. It was more like a carnival atmosphere, not at all morbid. The ceremony had already gone on for two hours and…
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Indian Supreme Court Criminalizes Homosexual Acts
Via the Times of India: Supreme Court makes homosexuality a crime again The Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a cruel blow to lakhs of homosexuals, many of whom had started living together after the Delhi high court decriminalized same-sex relationships four years ago, by making it a crime again, even if it is consensual and…
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Australian Court Overturns Same Sex Marriage in Capital
Via the BBC: Australia high court overturns ACT gay marriage law Australia’s High Court has overturned legislation allowing gay marriage in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT parliament passed a bill in October making the territory the first part of Australia to legalise same-sex weddings. But the national government challenged the decision, saying it…
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Insomnia Costs Employers More Than Snow
With the back to back ice/snow storms that hit the Washington, D.C. area earlier this week, the Federal Government along with many businesses were either shutdown for the day, opened late, or employees were given the option of taking leave for the day. Depending on the weather going forward, this could end up being a…
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U.S. Suspends Aid To Syrian Rebels As Islamists Widen Influence
Syria’s Civil War has largely been off the radar hear in the United States, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been continuing. In the latest update to make the American media pay attention, though, it appears the U.S. has suspended aid to at least some Syrian rebel groups as it has become apparent that Islamist…
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Fake Mandela Funeral Interpreter Not Terrorist, Just Psychotic
A man claiming to be the fake sign language interpreter who appeared on stage just feet away from world leaders ranging for the President of South Africa to the President of the United States talked to a South African newspaper and said he was having a psychotic episode during the event: Johannesburg – The man…
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WWII Vets Lobotomy Story: Tragic But Not Scandalous
Some 2000 veterans of World War II were lobotomized by the VA. That’s awful but not outrageous.
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Sign Language Interpreter At Mandela Funeral Was A Fake
If you watched Nelson Mandela’s funeral yesterday, you probably caught sight of the sign language interpreter standing next to the speakers as they spoke, including President Obama. A fairly standard thing these days, of course, but as it turns out this guy was a complete fraud: To those outside the deaf community, the sign language…
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Arguments In Favor Of The Oxford Comma
The Stranger has one. And here’s another:
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Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu Distances Herself From Obamacare
Notwithstanding her vote in 2010 in favor of the PPACA, Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu is trying to distance herself from the law: Sen. Mary Landrieu, the vulnerable Louisiana Democrat, tried Wednesday to distance herself even further from both Obamacare and President Barack Obama in the first television commercial of her reelection campaign. The $250,000 buy…
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Six Year Old Labeled Sexual Harasser For Kissing Classmate
A Colorado television station is reporting that a six year old boy has been suspended from school for kissing a female classmate on the cheek: A six year old boy is suspended from school in Canon City for kissing a classmate on the cheek His mother says it’s a crush and the tOrwo children like…
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Pope Francis Named Time’s Person Of The Year, Edward Snowden Second
Not surprisingly, Time’s editors chose Pope Francis as Person Of The Year. However, Edward Snowden arguably would have been the better choice.
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Dumb Things Senators Say
"If he was going to shake his hand, he should have asked him about those basic freedoms Mandela was associated with that are denied in Cuba."—Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). Because, as we all know, if POTUS just had some well planned zingers prepared for these sorts of situations that US foreign policy goals would flourish. …
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The Ongoing Illogic of US Policy Towards Cuba
The Obama-Castro handshake at Mandela’s funeral has caused a bit of an uproar.
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Uruguay Legalizes Marijuana
Via WaPo: Uruguay votes to legalize marijuana Under the law, marijuana users will be allowed to buy a maximum of 40 grams (1.4 ounces) each month from government-regulated outlets, provided that they are at least 18 years old and registered in a database to monitor their cumulative purchases. Growers will be allowed to cultivate up…
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When Members of Congress Say Responsible, Accurate Things
Yes, it does happen on occasion (and in stark contrast to early October): “In divided government, you don’t always get what we want. That said, we can still make progress to our goals.”—Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI). Also, President Obama: “This agreement doesn’t include everything I’d like — and I know many Republicans feel the same…
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Senate Approves First Judicial Nomination Under New Filibuster Rules
After successfully changing filibuster rules for all Judicial and Executive Branch nominations except those to the Supreme Court two weeks ago, the Senate today approved its first judicial nomination under the new rules: WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Patricia Ann Millett to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia,…
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Palin Returning To Reality Television
Like the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, the former Governor of Alaska returns to her natural habitat: Sarah Palin is making a reality TV comeback in 2014 with a show focused on the outdoors. The former Republican vice presidential nominee will host “Amazing America with Sarah Palin” on The Sportsman Channel starting in April…
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Obama Shakes Castro’s Hand
And let the fallout in certain corners of the internet begin… Via The Telegraph: President Barack Obama shakes Raul Castro’s hand at Mandela memorial service. This is the second such US-Cuban shake: The gesture – which comes despite half a century of hostilities – came as Mr Obama made his way to a podium to…
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Internal Events In North Korea May Be Making China Nervous
The recent surprising removal of a top North Korean official from office, and the fact that it was done in such a public manner, may be unnerving North Korea’s benefactors in China: BEIJING — North Koreans had long known Jang Song-thaek as the No. 2 figure in their country, the revered uncle and mentor of…
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Defense Bill To Be Rammed Through Without Debate or Amendment
Democracy was nice while it lasted.
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Feds Sell GM Shares for $10.5 Billion Loss
The federal government lost $10.5 billion on the GM bailout. Was this a good investment?
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Who Was The First “Democratically Elected” President Of The United States?
In 1789, George Washington took office after being elected by only a small portion of the population of the U.S. Does that mean he wasn’t “democratically elected?”
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North Korea Confirms Removal Of Top Official
In a rare move, the North Korean government is talking openly about the removal of a top regime official: SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea confirmed on Monday that Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of Kim Jong-un, the country’s top leader, had been stripped of all titles of power and expelled from the ruling Workers’ Party…
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On Mandela, Some Conservatives Get It And Others Quite Obviously Don’t
Some on the American right have a very odd view of both Nelson Mandela and the Apartheid regime he fought against.
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Choosing A $2,000 Drug Over A $50 Alternative That Works Just As Well
Thanks to current patent and drug regulation laws, we’re paying up to $2,000 for a drug when there’s a drug that does the same thing for orders of magnitude less.
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Innumeracy is Perfect for Entertaining
Wall Street Journal was looking hard for a story.
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South Koreans Expand Air Defense Zone In Challenge To China
The ongoing client in the seas and skies in the Western Pacific took a new turn when South Korea announced an expansion of its own air defense zone: SEOUL, South Korea — Defying both China and Japan, South Korea announced on Sunday that it was expanding its air patrol zone for the first time in…
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South Carolina Sheriff Refuses To Lower Flag For Nelson Mandela
Following the death of Nelson Mandela on Thursday, President Obama ordered flags at the White House and other Federal offices to be lowered to half staff in his honor until December 9th. Typically when this happens, governments at all levels follow suit even though the President technically doesn’t have authority over them. That won’t be…
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Rand Paul Preparing An Out On 2016 Run?
While his name has been among the top tier when discussions about candidates for the 2016 Presidential nomination and he’s spent a lot of time over the past year traveling to such places as Iowa and South Carolina to speak, Rand Paul has played his cards close to his vest and not been entirely clear…
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Peter Higgs Not Productive Enough for Today’s Academy?
Nobel physicist Peter Higgs says he could not make it in academia today.
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U.S. War Veteran Freed By North Korea
Merrill Newman, the 85 year old U.S. Korean War veteran who was taken off a plane in Pyongyang in late October and held by North Korea for more than a month, has been freed and is back on his way to the United States: HONG KONG — An American veteran who had been held captive…
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Commemorate Pearl Harbor Day with Lousy Canned Spaghetti
Seventy-two years ago today, 2402 Americans were killed and another 1282 wounded in an Imperial Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Share in their sacrifice by eating some SpaghettiOs, one of the worst mass market food products on the planet. https://twitter.com/SpaghettiOs/status/409162874184298496 Update (Doug Mataconis): The original Tweet appears to have been removed and replaced with…
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Bugatti Veyron Close-out Sale
Legendary Italian auto maker Bugatti is discontinuing the Veyron and needs to remove the remaining inventory at the ridiculously low price of $1.3 million.
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Republicans Teaching Candidates How To Talk To Women
Much like the guy who’s afraid to talk to girls in High School, Republicans don’t seem to know how to talk to women. But their problems are actually bigger than that.
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Biden: U.S. Won’t Recognize China’s New Air Defense Zone
The U.S. position on China’s new air defense zone is exceedingly clear. The question is where it goes from here.