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22 Nov 2011 19:17

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Politics: ShortFormBlog + DC Decoder = GOP debate fun!

  • It’s that time again, folks! Tonight we’ll be providing coverage of the GOP presidential debate along with DC Decoder — we’ll also be participating in a livechat of the momentous evening — a CNN joint based in DC and moderated by Wolf “colossal dork” Blitzer — to boot. The stakes are rather high this evening; Newt Gingrich storms into tonight’s debate as the polling frontrunner, despite recent revelations of his high-paid work for Freddie Mac. As these revelations haven’t yet registered in any painful way for Newt, a strong debate performance tonight could vault him even higher in the esteem of the anti-Mitt contingent. Which is not to say he’s the only candidate with a lot on the line; tonight’s debate is on foreign policy, a topic on which Herman Cain has recently floundered (and how). It’s impossible to say what exactly will happen tonight, but we bet it will be damn compelling viewing. And for those of you who want a break from these debates, we promise this is the last one … for roughly three weeks. (Photo by Gage Skidmore)
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 16:41

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Culture: Thanksgiving weekend homework: On Friday, thank a teacher.

  • Can you think of the one teacher that inspires you? On Thanksgiving this year, give thanks for your meal and how lucky you are to be with your family and all that jazz. On Friday, after you’ve convinced your dad that Chrome is the browser of the future, take part in The 2011 National Day of Listening, organized by the nonprofit StoryCorps, a group “dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs.” How can you help? Simple. Thank a teacher, and tell the world about it. Who inspired you to do your best work? Who encouraged you to try something you were afraid of doing? Who helped make you the person you are today? Take a couple days. Think about it. Then report back. On Friday, the ShortFormBlog staff will put up a couple anecdotes from our own teachers. And we’ll pick a couple from readers. Shoot us a message over here, or throw up a post; StoryCorps is also looking for Facebook posts and tweets with the hashtag #ThankATeacher. Can’t wait to hear what you have to say. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 15:11

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World: UN passes resolution condemning Assad, Syria government

  • Some notable and important countries passed on sponsoring it, though. A committee in the United Nations has passed a non-binding resolution, which decries the gross human rights violations and widespread murder undertaken by the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Since the violent crackdowns began in March, the UN’s own estimates suggest that over 3,500 Syrians have been killed. The resolution, perhaps most significantly, passed with support from many Arab states; Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, and Kuwait were all co-sponsors. Of note voting against the resolution: UN Security Council members Russia and China. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 14:35

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Politics: President Obama speaks to Occupy after jobs speech interruption

  • For a lot of the folks who have been in New York and all across the country in the Occupy movement, there is a profound sense of frustration about the fact that the essence of the American dream, which is if you work hard, if you stick to it that, you can make it, feels like that’s slipping away. And that’s not the way things are supposed to be. Not here. Not in America.
  • President Obama • Responding to an interruption by Occupy protesters during a jobs speech in New Hampshire. After protesters “human-mic’d” themselves into the President’s attention (“Mr. President, more than 4,000 peaceful protesters have been arrested…”), he gave the above response, which seems both significant and somewhat lacking. That the President would directly address the protesters and cast himself on their side, in a way, speaks to the now nearly unstoppable influence the Occupy movement is having on the public discourse. At the same time, though, what Obama chose to say was fairly customary “American dream” rhetoric that didn’t address their specifically stated concern over the arrests of their comrades. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 14:10

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Culture: How much would you pay for a Twilight wedding gown?

  • $799 price tag to buy a wedding dress from Twilight source
  • » Talk about high-end merchandising! To be clear, according to CostHelper, this wouldn’t fall into the upper range of wedding dress prices; $500-$1000 would be considered “mid-range.” The gown is being sold in sizes from women’s 0-30, which is nice, as not everybody who might want to dress like Kristen Stewart therefore inherits her svelte-ness. We admit a broad ignorance of weddings and romantic vampire-related fiction, so we’ll turn it over to you — anybody excited to wear a Twilight-inspired wedding dress? It is a nice looking dress, we’ll say that.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 11:43

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U.S.: Failing the test: Long Island SAT-cheating scandal widens

  • 13 students could get arrested over SAT/ACT cheating scandal source
  • » Were the parents involved in this? According to a state senator, the amounts of money being talked about in the test-taking scandal (which involved students taking the test in place of other students) were just too much for the kids involved to raise on their own. “There are parents that are complicit in this. They are involved,” claimed State Sen. Ken Lavalle. “You can’t tell me that students are walking around with $3,500, or $2,500, or $1,200. That’s a lot of money, and that means the parents were involved.” The case involves a number of different high schools in the same region; some of the districts have emphasized that the students alone are to blame for their actions.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 11:12

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World: Three American students arrested in Cairo, accused of protesting

  • Their faces showed up on state television on Tuesday: These three study-abroad students, studying at American University in Cairo, were arrested for reportedly taking part in the mass demonstrations that have caused much unrest in the past few days. “The three boys were throwing molotov cocktails and had no passports on them when they were picked up,” claimed Adel Saeed, a spokesperson for the Egyptian general prosecutor’s office. Protesters have flooded Tahrir Square on Tuesday in reaction to a call for a “million-man” march. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Nov 2011 10:53

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World: South African parliament passes controversial secrecy law

  • cause The South African parliament passed a bill on Tuesday that they say is intended to “save lives, to enhance and to protect the freedom and security of persons, to bring criminals to justice, to protect the national security and to engage in effective government and diplomacy.” Jacob Zuma is expected to sign it into law.
  • reaction The bill has further strained the relationship between the press and the government. Many believe the law is an attempt to shield the country’s elite from criticism and prevent whistleblowing. A number of anti-apartheid leaders  have also come out against the bill, including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, who called it “insulting.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 10:31

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U.S.: Jose Pimentel’s mother apologizes for her son’s terror plot

  • I didn’t raise my son in that way. I feel bad about this situation.
  • Carmen Sosa, mother of NYC “lone wolf” bombing suspect Jose Pimentel • Apologizing for her son’s behavior while speaking with reporters outside her Manhattan home this morning. Regarding the NYPD’s actions in this incident, Sosa praised them. “I think they handled it well,” she said. If it helps Ms. Sosa, the FBI didn’t exactly treat this case very seriously, a sign it may not be a strong case. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 00:29

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World: Egypt: Cabinet offers resignations ahead of parliamentary elections

  • Protests in Egypt ahead of parliamentary elections: Last week, Egypt’s military-backed cabinet introduced plans for a new constitution — one that gave the military a lot more power, and the parliament a lot less. Reacting to the sudden changes, the Muslim Brotherhood started protests in Tahrir Square on Friday; over the weekend, hundreds camped out and continued protests. That growing group of people was met with riot police. As a result of all this, the interim cabinet offered their resignation Monday; this hasn’t stopped the protests, however. The elections start a week from now. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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