Angst-filled missives on the fate of American Democracy -- half-hearted or completely botched attempts at humor and constant, unadulterated whining!
A British research team studying the Greenland ice sheet has discovered evidence of a rapidly accelerating rate of melt...
Greenland's ice sheet holds 10% of the world's freshwater reserves - at its centre it is more than 3 km thick.
Its rate of reduction has tripled in the last ten years.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich twice called on the United States to attack North Korea and Iran Thursday because the United States has only attacked "one out of three" of so-called "Axis of Evil" members by invading Iraq.
What we’re also doing by the burning of the Quran on 9/11 is we’re saying stop. Stop to Islam. Stop to Islamic law. Stop to brutality.
We have nothing against Muslims...
WaPo's Sally Quinn is out of the wedding writing business. And it looks as though she won't get a chance to revive the genre anytime soon.
This morning Quinn told MSNBC's dayside anchor Tamron Hall that she and her hubby, Ben Bradlee, are not invited to what's turning out to be the royal event of the year - Chelsea Clinton's wedding. She blushed as she said between clenched teeth "We're not close to the Clintons." All the while, she offered a hard smile.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Leader's Digest | ||||
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As a conservative, I normally write more favorably about Republicans than Democrats and I routinely treat conservative ideas as superior to liberal ones. But I've never been part of a discussion with conservative writers about how we could most help the Republican or the conservative team."
"[Muslims] hate Jews, they hate Christians [sic], they hate women, they hate dogs."
..."I want you to stress this -- I'm not prejudiced."
He's 27, he's won three-batting titles (as many as all other cathers in Major League History combined) and was AL MVP in 2009, the first catcher to lead the league in batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage in a single year, and the first player to lead the American League in all three since George Brett did it nearly 30 years earlier. He only batted .365! highest batting average by a catcher in history -- lifetime average .325 -- as a catcher!He led the American League in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587). This is rare stuff, the Sabermetric Triple Crown. Alex Rodriguez hasn’t done this. Nor has Albert Pujols or Ken Griffey Jr. Nor did Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays or Henry Aaron. It’s the kind of thing done by men like Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds and Ted Williams — the absolute dominant hitters of their eras. And now Mauer stands with them...
Of the candidates for best catcher in history, only Mickey Cochrane — not coincidentally the catcher Mauer seems most similar to — ever led the league in even one of the percentage categories. He led the league once in on-base percentage (1933).
Scientists have discovered that the phytoplankton of the oceans has declined by about 40 per cent over the past century, with much of the loss occurring since the 1950s. They believe the change is linked with rising sea temperatures and global warming.
If the findings are confirmed by further studies it will represent the single biggest change to the global biosphere in modern times, even bigger than the destruction of the tropical rainforests and coral reefs, the scientists said yesterday.
Iowa GOP Supports Amendment To Strip Obama’s Citizenship Because He Won The Nobel Peace Prize
At its state convention in Des Moines last month, the Iowa GOP adopted a new party platform that includes the repeal of mandatory minimum wage laws, the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, and even clarification on the definition of manure. Out of the “387 enumerated planks and principles,” Newsweek’s Jerry Adler found the most “startling” section of the platform calls for “the reintroduction and ratification of the original 13th Amendment.”
[A] “formula for the decline of the United States.”
There’s no question in my mind that taxes have to go up on the wealthiest among us. The question is when. I don’t think this is the moment.
Protesters of a planned mosque and Muslim community center in Riverside County, California are calling on locals to come to a rally outside an existing mosque with their pet dogs because, as the protest organizer says, Muslims "hate dogs."
The Defense Department is unable to properly account for $8.7 billion out of $9.1 billion in Iraqi oil revenue entrusted to it between 2004 and 2007, according to a newly released audit that underscores a pattern of poor record-keeping during the war.
Of that amount, the military failed to provide any records at all for $2.6 billion in purported reconstruction expenditure...
Though there is no apparent evidence of fraud...
Gen. Michael Hayden told CNN's Candy Crowley Sunday that an attack on Iran now "seems inexorable."
"In my personal thinking -- and I need to emphasize that -- I have begun to consider that may not be the worst of the possible outcomes," he said.
The archive is not comparable to the Pentagon Papers or the secret files of the East German Stasi secret police, as Julian Assange variously claimed on Sunday and Monday. Nor does it provide evidence for war crimes prosecutions -- though in making that assertion, Wikileaks' founder revealed his organization's antiwar agenda.
After a weekend of detailed negotiations over Mr Hayward's severance package, it now appears almost certain that he will announce his departure ahead of BP's half year results on Tuesday.
A huge cache of secret US military files today provides a devastating portrait of the failing war in Afghanistan, revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, Taliban attacks have soared and Nato commanders fear neighbouring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency.
A former CIA director says military action against Iran now seems more likely because no matter what the U.S. does diplomatically, Tehran keeps pushing ahead with its suspected nuclear program.
Michael Hayden, a CIA chief under President George W. Bush, says that during his tenure a strike was "way down the list" of options. But he tells CNN's "State of the Union" that such action now "seems inexorable."
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said that allowing tax cuts for the wealthy to expire would be "the responsible thing to do."
The documents, made available by an organization called WikiLeaks, suggest that Pakistan, an ostensible ally of the United States, allows representatives of its spy service to meet directly with the Taliban in secret strategy sessions to organize networks of militant groups that fight against American soldiers in Afghanistan, and even hatch plots to assassinate Afghan leaders.
Taken together, the reports indicate that American soldiers on the ground are inundated with accounts of a network of Pakistani assets and collaborators that runs from the Pakistani tribal belt along the Afghan border, through southern Afghanistan, and all the way to the capital, Kabul.
Fox News Sunday: Newt Gingrich and Howard Dean on the 2010 Midterms. Plus, Rev. Jesse Jackson. Fox News AllStars: Brit Hume, Mara Liasson, Bill Kristol, Juan Williams.
Bill Kristol places a "deuce" atop the table, all behold how little it stinks.
Chris Matthews: ... Topics
: Will African Americans Stick With Obama This Year?
Rep. Zack Wamp (R-Tenn.), in an interview with Hotline on Call, was the latest to raise the idea [secession]. "I hope that the American people will go to the ballot box in 2010 and 2012 so that states are not forced to consider separation from this government," he said.
..."Patriots like Rick Perry have talked about these issues because the federal government is putting us in an untenable position at the state level," said Wamp.
Rove’s RNC ‘grassroots’ rival, American Crossroads, raised 97 percent of its money from four billionaires.
Traylor is also currently involved in a romantic relationship with Denise Lively, the estranged wife of his stepson, Ryan Ellington, the son of Noble Ellington.
"America's Two Most Polarizing Moms" television special - coming soon, to TLC?
The Silver Spring-based cable network went into full "No Comment" mode yesterday in response to a media pile-on over a report Kate Gosselin and Sarah Palin were going to meet up in one spectacular "Kate Plus 8" TV special being shot for the cable network.
The report released Thursday by Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, found that seven of 10 Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates examined had amassed surpluses more than three times the level regulators deemed necessary for them to remain solvent.
For instance at the close of 2009, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona had a surplus of $717billionmillion, more than seven times the regulatory minimum. The same year the company raised premiums for its individual market customers between 8.8 percent and 18.4 percent.
Those Islamists and their apologists who argue for "religious toleration" are arrogantly dishonest. They ignore the fact that more than 100 mosques already exist in New York City. Meanwhile, there are no churches or synagogues in all of Saudi Arabia. In fact no Christian or Jew can even enter Mecca."
“I’ve got real empathy for those who are unemployed, as most of you know I’ve got 11 brothers and sisters. I know that three of my brothers lost their jobs, I’m not sure whether they’ve found jobs, yet, so I’ve got a lot of empathy for those caught in this economic downturn,”
Anti-mosque protests on the rise, say Muslim advocates
California authorities have launched an investigation into claims that Goldline International — the favorite investment arm of Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee — is scamming people into buying coins and is sending them "something different from what they had ordered."
Some angry customers say Goldline invokes Glenn Beck as a way to steer them to their collectable gold coins, citing his frequent warnings that only gold coins are safe from government seizure."
Beck called the recent ABC News report about Goldline "the biggest spin you've ever seen" and suggested it was part of a government conspiracy to deprive mainstream Americans of choices in how they invest their savings.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, little black boys and little white girls shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
Surely, there’s a few good lawyers out there who’d love to come to Ms. Sherrod’s assistance. Since, you know, there’s no one at the White House who will.
The Tuolumne County man accused of shooting at CHP officers on Interstate 580 in Oakland over the weekend was headed to San Francisco to kill people at the ACLU and the Tides non-profit organization.
The ACLU offices are in the Financial District and the Tides Foundation has offices in the Presidio.
"Good afternoon, I'm Fox strumpet Megyn Kelly from our News Headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, C.S.A., with a breaking and SHOCKING story.California authorities have launched an investigation into claims that Goldline International — the favorite investment arm of Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee — is scamming people into buying coins and is sending them "something different from what they had ordered."
... Once they get people on the phone, they basically steer them into these so-called collectible coins and that's where the rip off becomes really profound," Weiner told ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross.
"So there's no other value that these coins have because they're unusual or because there's a mistake in them?" Ross asked.
"There's no doubt about it, that there's a whole universe of rare collectible coins and I know nothing about that field," Weiner replied. "Except to say this: Goldline doesn't sell those coins."
A federal judge who overturned the Obama administration's initial six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling has refused to disqualify himself from the case.
Several environmental groups had asked U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman to withdraw from the case because of his investments in several oil and gas companies. Feldman refused in an order issued Friday and posted Monday.
"We're winning."Now that B.P. has finally capped the well, the temperature on the story is going down considerably because so much of it was driven by the irresistible cable-bait of the live video of gushing oil. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if within the next couple of months a major newspaper runs a story on how the most extreme scenarios of destruction from the spill aren’t coming to pass and the Gulf might bounce back sooner than expected.
...last month was the warmest June on record worldwide. Last month also saw the lowest recorded level of Artic sea ice.
Right now we're at war with the Taliban and the Muslims and our boys are over there fighting and dying for our freedom.
"[The] NAACP is fast becoming—like the Anti-Defamation League—a routine pressure group for the Liberal Left." -- 1958
These sentiments have long existed on the fringe and always will. The problem is that conservative leaders and Republican politicians, in their blind rage against Obama these last 18 months, invited the epithets of the fringe into the mainstream. Godwin's Law has spread from the chat rooms and now applies to cable news and even to the floor of the House of Representatives.We need to remember that the phenomenon is not now and never has been "fringe".
What does the leadership of the National Rifle Association have to do to finally convince anyone paying attention that they are extremist, self-interested, and devoid of all principle? Here's an idea: They could blatantly lie about the law in an attempt to block authorities in Daytona Beach, Florida, from accessing information that would help law enforcement catch a potential serial killer.
Oh wait, they've already done that.
Researchers analyzed popular brands and found 69 percent of imported oils and 10 percent of domestic oils sampled did not meet the international standards that define the pure, cold-pressed, olive oils that deserve the extra-virgin title.
After sitting stuffed and mounted for more than 40 years in a museum, Roy Rogers' horse Trigger and dog Bullet will be TV stars once more. Rural cable network RFD-TV bought Bullet for $35,000 on Thursday and Trigger for $266,000 a day earlier at an auction in New York City. After sitting stuffed and mounted for more than 40 years in a museum, Roy Rogers' horse Trigger and dog Bullet will be TV stars once more.
Rural cable network RFD-TV bought Bullet for $35,000 on Thursday and Trigger for $266,000 a day earlier at an auction in New York City.
Who is the worst president in history?
Barack Obama 11.65%
George W. Bush 5.12%
Bill Clinton 0.71%
George Washington 71.07%
The combined global land and ocean surface temperature data also found the January-June and April-June periods were the warmest on record, according to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, which based its findings on measurements that go back as far as 1880.
In June, the combined average for global land and ocean temperatures was 61.1 degrees Fahrenheit (16.2 Celsius) -- 1.22 degrees Fahrenheit (0.68 Celsius) more than the 20th century average of 59.9 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius).
A Nebraska cable TV network ponied up $266,500 for Roy Rogers' stuffed and mounted horse, Trigger, at an auction in New York City on Wednesday.
The movie cowboy's faithful companion was bought by the cable company RFD-TV in Omaha, Neb....
...by and large, crime is down across the board. In Arizona as a whole, it has dropped 12 percent in the past seven years. But in major Maricopa County cities with their own police forces -- Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe -- the rate has dropped even faster...
...the more telling number may be the crime statistics for the portion of Maricopa County that is under the purview of controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio. According to data compiled by America's Voice, crime in that area has actually increased 58 percent since 2002.
...to imply that stunts like [racist signs] are such a pressing problem that they will be one of the few selected for action by the NAACP is to concede that there isn't much real racism to worry about.
It's the sort of headline-hungry act that shadows the NAACP's other priorities -- one example being Michelle Obama's admonition for African-Americans to "increase intensity," which is now being spun by Limbaugh et al as a call for more racial outrage...
Pollster Scott Rasmussen, who maintains he is reliable and independent despite criticism from Democrats that he tilts to the right, will in November speak for no fee on a post-election National Review cruise to raise money for the conservative magazine.
Besides Rasmussen, the week-long cruise features an impressive lineup of conservative operatives, journalists and academics -- Karl Rove, Andrew Breitbart, Phyllis Schlafly and Jonah Golderg, to name just a few -- and will sail around the Caribbean stopping at ports in the Bahamas, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico.
if you're going to toss around words like "narcissism," well, it's probably best that you don't pose for pictures like this one...
Majority of Americans lack faith in Obama: poll
Asked how much confidence they have in Obama to make the right decisions for the country's future, 58 percent of respondents said "just some" or "none."
Sixty-eight percent expressed the same sentiments about Democrats in Congress and 72 percent said the same of Republicans.
...Obama found this war on his doorstep, took it in, nursed and even escalated it, and swaddled it in his own clothes: more troops, and still more on the way.
The war in Afghanistan is eminently more winnable than was Vietnam...the war will require more than a significant commitment of troops and, of course, money. It will take presidential leadership, a consistent staying of the course -- an implacable confidence that the right choice has been made...
Does Obama Have the Backbone?
The president is no happy warrior -- not much of a warrior at all
