Politics

Ouch. Andrew Cuomo's Book Sold A Whopping 945 Hardcovers In Its First Week On Shelves http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6028496?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013

Deleted from 'The Meaning of Life.'

'Weird hobby!' Couple gain hordes of fans after picketing pro-life abortion clinic protests with witty inappropriate signs Grayson Haver Currin, 31, and wife Tina began their protests in March Signs point at pro-lifers declaring 'He's single' and 'Honk if you're horny' More surreal ones say 'Bring back crystal Pepsi', 'Jesus slays' and 'Pro Dog' Thousands of people have shared the images since they were put online Dozens join protests Raleigh, North Carolina, as they spread to west coast A couple have gained thousands of fans after they 'counter-protested' anti-abortion pickets with bizarre slogans like 'Bring back Crystal Pepsi' and 'Who farted?'. Grayson and Tina…

Interesting article about what is going on with Putin and his clique and what it is doing, long term, to Russia. http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/10/14/putins-reaction-to-sanctions-is-destroying-the-economy-and-china-wont-help/

PYONGYANG — As the mystery surrounding the absence of dictator Kim Jong-un deepens, the North Korean government on Wednesday issued an official statement reassuring its citizens that it had “a deep bench of brutal madmen.” While it offered no comment about the status of Kim, the statement from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) emphasized that “making North Korea an authoritarian horror-drome is not the achievement of one man; it has been and will always be a team effort.” “There are at least twelve highly unbalanced people at the upper echelon of this government who, at a moment’s notice, can imprison an ex-lover, execute a relative, or threaten to incinerate the Un…

More evidence that this is having a real effect. Drugs flushed into the environment could be cause of wildlife decline New studies show antidepressants causing starlings to feed less and contraceptive drugs reducing fish populations in lakes http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/13/drugs-flushed-into-the-environment-could-be-cause-of-wildlife-decline

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/13/millions-of-voiceprints-quietly-being-harvested-as-latest-identification-tool

Federal judge rules against Alaska's ban on gay marriage US court rules that Alaska cannot enforce state amendment saying marriage must be 'between one man and one woman' http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/13/alaska-gay-marriage-ban-struck-down

Second leaker in US intelligence, says Glenn Greenwald Citizenfour, new film on spying whistleblower Edward Snowden, shows journalist Greenwald discussing other source http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/11/second-leaker-in-us-intelligence-says-glenn-greenwald

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/11/citizenfour-review-snowden-vindicated-poitras-nsa-journalism

Leon Panetta boiled down Democrats' criticism of Barack Obama to one sentence By Chris Cillizza, Washington Post Former CIA director Leon Panetta was on "Andrea Mitchell Reports" on MSNBC on Thursday for an extended interview about the critiques he lobs at President Obama in a new book entitled "Worthy Fights". The most cutting -- and perhaps most insightful -- portion of the interview was when Panetta told Mitchell about his disagreement with Obama's approach to politics. "Too often in my view the President relies on the logic of the law professor rather than the passion of a leader," said Panetta. That simple sentence encapsulates much of the criticism that I've hea…

Carter unhappy with Obama’s policies in Middle East By Jim Jones Special to the Star-Telegram Posted Wednesday, Oct. 08, 2014 FORT WORTH — Former President Jimmy Carter put down his hammer at a Meadowbrook Habitat for Humanity project Tuesday for a wide-ranging interview that touched on subjects such as the Obama administration’s use of drones, women’s rights and faith. “I really object to the killing of people, particularly Americans overseas who haven’t been brought to justice and put on trial,” he said. “We’ve killed four Americans overseas with American drones. To me that violates our Constitution and human rights.” In May 2013, the Obama administration acknowle…

Missouri ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, state judge rules http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/03/missouri-ban-same-sex-marriage-unconstitutional-state-judge-rules

Secret Service fumbled response after gunman hit White House residence in 2011 http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-stumbled-after-gunman-hit-white-house-residence-in-2011/2014/09/27/d176b6ac-442a-11e4-b437-1a7368204804_story.html?tid=HP_more

Guantánamo Bay force-feeding videos to be released – read the judge's orderJudge Gladys Kessler of the Washington DC district court has ordered the US government to prepare public versions of videos showing a Syrian detainee, Abu Wa'el Dhiab, being force-fed at the Cuban detention centre http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/interactive/2014/oct/03/judge-order-release-video-guantanamo-bay-force-feeding

Earth lost 50% of its wildlife in the past 40 years, says WWF Species across land, rivers and seas decimated as humans kill for food in unsustainable numbers and destroy habitats http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/29/earth-lost-50-wildlife-in-40-years-wwf

Dept. of Can't Make This Stuff Up http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/

Woman who faced Jim Crow takes on North Carolina's powers over voting rights Rosanell Eaton, 93, is challenging a voter ID law that she and other plaintiffs say targets black voters with slew of new hurdles http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/25/north-carolina-voter-id-law-jim-crow-african-american

Listen up Cameron, the Queen doesn't 'purr' By Hannah Betts 1:51PM BST 24 Sep 2014 The Telegraph Despite not being on intimate terms with the fellow, I can tell you how David Cameron awoke this morning. For 30 blissful seconds there was merely a contented blur. Next, he remembered his recent coup in Jocklandia and a beam began to spread. Then: "Gaaaaah! PURR-gate!" There is no way that second 33 did not have D-Cam feeling like the world's biggest banana, because, in saying that Her Majesty purred over the referendum result, that is what he is. Let's get this straight: the Queen does not purr. She may steer, suggest, propose, decree; she may hear, elicit, lend perspec…

TV reporter uses F-word as she quits to fight for marijuana legalisation Alaskan station apologises after reporter says 'fuck it', resigns on air and reveals herself as owner of medical marijuana club http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/sep/22/tv-reporter-f-word-marijuana-legalisation-ktva-charlo-greene

I have long thought the deforestation of the rainforest in Brazil a tragic mistake. Not to deny mistakes made in the US and other countries but this huge rainforest I have thought to be a major CO2 scavenger for the whole planet. Therefore to eliminate it is a travesty being perpetrated upon all of humanity. But, of course, that is what is happening. In addition, somewhat similar to US Native Americans, the local Indians are being forced out to seek a livelihood other than their native villages and culture. Not easy. I do not know the solution but I invite our Brazilian posters and others who know Brazil to comment on this. Best regards, RA1

BOROWITZ REPORT Integrity Disqualifies Sanders for White House BY ANDY BOROWITZ WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) The Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders's potential bid for the 2016 Presidency was declared over, on Monday, before it even began, because of a key feature of the American political system that makes a person with integrity ineligible for the White House. According to some experts, the electoral system has developed a number of safeguards over the past few decades to prevent someone with independence and backbone from occupying the Presidency. "Bernie Sanders's failure to become a member of either major political party excludes him from the network of cronyism…

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/16/america-state-secret-privilege-lawsuits

Pope Francis to marry couples 'living in sin' in first for his papacy By Nick Squires, Rome 4:51PM BST 12 Sep 2014 telegraph.co.uk Twenty couples to be married by Pope Francis in Rome's St Peter's Basilica, including "those who are already cohabiting", in first papal ceremony of its type since 2000 Couples who have been "living in sin" and women who had children out of wedlock will be married by Pope Francis at a ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday, in a further sign of his determination to make the Catholic Church more inclusive and compassionate. They will be among 20 couples from Rome who will tie the knot in St Peter's Basilica, in the first such ceremony led by t…

Another thread today reminded me of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the U.N., worth remembering for what statesmen can be, at their best. THE FAITH OF A HERO By Michael Ignatieff New York Review of Books, November 7, 2013, Pages 34, 36, & 38 http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/nov/07/dag-hammarskjold-faith-hero/ (subscription required) Review of Robert Lipsey, Hammarskjöld: A Life (University of Michigan Press, March 2013). 760pp. $35.00 (Amazon $25.79; Kindle $24.50). When Dag Hammarskjöld’s body was recovered from the crash site in Ndola, Zambia, where the Albertina, his chartered DC-6, went down on the night of September 18, 1961, h…