Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

10 Nov 2011 10:57

tags

World: Sudanese military attacks refugee camp in newly-formed South Sudan

  • 12 killed after a Sudanese military plane bombed South Sudan source
  • » A bad harbinger? Months after Sudan split in two, the attack on a South Sudanese refugee camp — filled with many fleeing from Sudan proper — could prove dangerous to the fragile new nation. The two countries have a long, troubled history together, with the most recent civil war (which led to the split earlier this year) ending in 2005 after 22 years. “Whatever allegations Khartoum labels against the Republic of South Sudan are baseless, but intended to justify his pending invasion of the south,” said Salva Kiir, South Sudan’s first president, who says that while peaceful solutions are best, “we will never allow our sovereignty to be violated by anybody.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 10:37

tags

World: Turkey quake: Riot police put down protesters upset with relief efforts

  • cause A strong 5.7-magnitude earthquake in eastern Turkey on Wednesday — the second in the region in three weeks — killed eight and forced rescuers to start searching for those missing once again, weeks after the first quake killed more than 600 people.
  • reaction A group of around 200 protesters, upset with the rescue efforts and the conditions in which they were living, had to be held back using riot police carrying tear gas and batons. Many of the protesters have been living in tents at a time of cold weather. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 10:19

tags

Politics: Rick Perry looking for mea culpa after infamous debate gaffe

  • If anyone’s looking for the slickest politician or the smoothest debater, I readily admit I’m not that person. I’m hoping the American people are the types of individuals who understand that there are mistakes that get made.
  • Texas Gov. Rick Perry • Defending his infamous gaffe, where he awkwardly forgot one of the departments he recommended eliminating, on “Fox & Friends” this morning. Many, including us, called it a campaign-killer. He’s not doing bad as far as the apologies go, though, and that could save him. Can he be a frontrunner again, though? Considering he came in as the Great Texas Hope, that’s the real question. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 19:03

tags

Politics: Join us for tonight’s CNBC GOP presidential debate!

  • “Your money, your vote”: We’re thrilled to be covering tonight’s GOP presidential debate, coming from Oakland University in Michigan. This one is being presented by CNBC, and is purported to be about jobs, economics, and fiscal issues. (Follow along at our CNBC Debate tag.) However, with one of the two contenders pictured above fighting off a slew of increasingly damaging sexual harassment claims, it’s anybody’s guess what the tone of this debate will be. Especially considering Mitt Romney, the man who stands to retain frontrunner status if Cain falters, has employed a somewhat hands-off approach in prior debates. Smelling some blood in the water, will Mitt attack or hang back?
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 15:47

tags

Politics: Rep. Joe Walsh yells at his constituents at public event

  • Well, that went great: The above video is a bewildering lesson in how not to deal with constituents. Rep. Joe Walsh, a member of the GOP’s freshman class in the House, blows up during a public event at a bar in Illinois. The video, which runs about seven minutes, highlights a shocking contrast between Walsh’s behavior and those of the people questioning him; the people, while confronting Walsh’s politics, were entirely within the bounds of polite discourse. Even as Walsh moves to one woman specifically and yells at her, her expression seems one of bemused surprise. Walsh has since excused his behavior by claiming he was “working on an empty stomach.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 14:54

tags

Biz: Dr. Always Low Prices? Wal-Mart wants to be your physician

  • Wal-Mart expanding into medical care: Beloved by some for their low, low prices and reviled by others for suspect workplace practices and their debilitating effect on local economies, Wal-Mart is moving a new direction that figures to stoke similar passions — the health care industry. Their thinking seems to be that with a huge surge in insured citizens on the horizon, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, there will be a shortage of general practitioners and medical clinics to accommodate them. These in-store medical clinics would, according to NPR, be equipped to handle such critical things as HIV and diabetes management. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 14:44

tags

Culture: Eddie Murphy drops out of Oscars show over Ratner exit

  • I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well.
  • Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences head Tom Sherak • Giving a cordial farewell to Eddie Murphy, who was slated to host the Academy Awards this coming year but decided to drop out following the dismissal of the show’s producer (and Murphy’s friend and collaborator), Brett Ratner. Ratner was removed from his producer role after he used an anti-gay epithet, and subsequently gabbed about his sex life on Howard Stern’s radio show (in other words, he appeared on Howard Stern’s radio show). What the departure of Murphy and Ratner ultimately means is unclear, as no new host or producer has been announced or proposed yet. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 14:21

tags

Politics: Bill Clinton: why not three terms for a president?

  • Wonder where he got that idea? To be clear, Clinton is not proposing this as some sort of self-interested scheme to sweep back into the White House — he emphasized that it shouldn’t count for anybody who’s already served, and with a recurring history of heart issues and the Clinton Global Initiative to run, it seems unlikely a third Presidential effort would be in the best interests of his health or professional life. That said, his argument is simple and seems reasonable enough: that citizens should have the right to elect a president to a third term, but only after he’s taken a term off. (Photo by Mortiz Hager, courtesy of World Economic Forum) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 13:54

tags

Politics: OWS members start trek to Washington DC

  • 240 mile march by Occupy Wall Street, from NYC to DC source
  • » Hitting the road: A group of OWS protesters have embarked on this lengthy walk, expecting to arrive in Washington DC on November 23rd, the congressional committee deadline on whether to keep the Bush-era tax cuts extensions President Obama agreed to last year. The Occupy movement, obviously, would like to see these cuts expire; while this would raise the tax burden of middle-income Americans to a remote extent, it would also cause a very large influx of revenue from the class most buoyed by the Bush tax policy — that vaunted 1%. The march consists of a mere dozen or so protesters right now, but they expect (we suspect rightly) to gain large numbers as they work their way towards the capitol.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 13:53

tags

Politics: Ohio referendum brings good, bad news for President Obama

  • good “Issue 2,” on which a yes vote meant approval of the Ohio state GOP’s stripping of public employees’ collective bargaining rights, was resounding defeated with 63% voting no. Gov. John Kasich’s chastened reply: “The people have spoken clearly.”
  • bad Ohioans also passed an amendment to their state constitution, saying they can’t be forced to buy health insurance. So while a union-backed Obama looks stronger now in Ohio, the health care mandate seems to irk voters in the critical swing-state. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>