Tag Archives: Breaking News

Katie Couric: ‘Obama Has Enough Stress to Last a Lifetime’

Give the guy a break, he deserves it. That was Katie Couric’s message a week ago in her Notebook blog entry about President Obama’s 49th birthday (emphasis mine): The job has aged him, as it did his predecessors. Dr. Michael Roizen at the Cleveland Clinic stated constant stress can age the Commander in Chief two years for every one year in office. So I guess that means he’s really turning 50. President Obama has enough stress to last a lifetime … and as he blows out his birthday candles, war, recession and a giant oil spill won’t magically disappear. But I hope he’s able to take a break tonight, forget his troubles and spend time doing something he loves. But as Paul Bedard of USNews.com noted in an August 11 blog Washington Whispers blog post, Obama has not exactly been lacking in the R&R department : There they go again. For the fifth time since July, the first family has set plans to board Air Force One for a frilly vacation , a 10-day return trip to exclusive Martha’s Vineyard where they are expected to stay at the 28-acre oceanfront Blue Heron Farm that rents for up to $50,000 a week. But first the Obamas will be traveling to the Gulf Coast of Florida for a mini-vacation as a way to encourage other vacationing Americans to head to the beaches that have been shunned by tourists worried about oil-slicked sands due to the Gulf oil spill. They are expected to travel to Florida this weekend, return to Washington for a few days then it’s off to the Massachusetts island August 19. For a recap, here is this year’s Obama Travelogue: -Full family Christmas and New Years in Hawaii . -March spring break-first lady Michelle Obama, mom Marian Robinson, and both daughters hit Broadway. -Memorial Day in Chicago with the family. -Three days in July in Maine, primarily tony Bar Harbor. -Last week, the president traveled to Chicago for a birthday party with Oprah and others. -Michelle and Sasha spent much of last week on Spain’s southern coast, ending it with a trip to Majorca to meet the king and queen of Spain. -Florida this weekend for a night on the Gulf Coast. -August 19-29 on Martha’s Vineyard. Of course, every president faces unimaginable stress from the weight of responsibility from the job, but the media never ceased to remind us of how many days President Bush spent in the summer telecommuting to work from his Crawford, Texas, ranch.  Yet when it comes to President Obama and his penchant to jet off on vacation every few weeks, Couric and company tell us Obama deserves a break, even as he’s taken care to do that plenty of times already.

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Katie Couric: ‘Obama Has Enough Stress to Last a Lifetime’

Dan Rather Has Cameo in Forthcoming Alien Invasion Flick ‘Skyline’

It may well be Dan Rather’s finest hour. Make that his finest five seconds. The disgraced former “Evening News” anchor apparently has a brief cameo in “Skyline,” an alien invasion flick landing in theaters on November 12.  Rather isn’t the only liberal journalist featured in the film. Self-described socialist and sometime “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” guest host Lawrence O’Donnell is also featured in the movie trailer, which we’ve included below the page break (h/t Jim Geraghty ):

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Dan Rather Has Cameo in Forthcoming Alien Invasion Flick ‘Skyline’

Michael Lohan new girlfriend Sonia Stickles picture

Michael Lohan and Sonia Stickles (right), seen last weekend, are drawing stares over Stickles#39; resemblance to Lindsay. Lindsay and Dina couldn#39;t care less that Michael is now dating the 26-year-old Hamptons-based waitress, who claims to be a model and actress. #39;#39;What creeps out both Lindsay and Dina is the fact that this girl is dressing and styling her hair to look like Lindsay — and Michael finds that appealing!#39;#39; said a solid LiLo source Tuesday. “Michael Lohan is a sick

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Michael Lohan new girlfriend Sonia Stickles picture

Open Thread: Harry Reid Thinks ‘Hispanic Republican’ Is an Oxymoron

Don’t tell Marco Rubio. Or Quico Canseco. Or Susana Martinez. Or Brian Sandoval. Or these guys . Thoughts?

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Open Thread: Harry Reid Thinks ‘Hispanic Republican’ Is an Oxymoron

Al Gore Complains about Global Warming Media Coverage; Blasts The Wall Street Journal on ClimateGate

No matter what happens, even surrounding his personal life or his pet cause global warming, former Vice President Al Gore just isn’t going away. During an Aug. 10 conference call , Gore launched into a critique of the media’s recent coverage of ClimateGate, specifically blogs, talk radio and “biased right-wing media.” “Well I believe Mark Twain often gets the credit for the saying … that a lie runs around the world before the truth gets its boots on,” Gore said. “Now I’m not sure that’s the real reason for it, but there is a sad but undeniable truth that those who wanted to try sewing confusion used an echo chamber from blogs and talk show hosts and biased right-wing media to promulgate the distortions of the paid skeptics and professional deniers who tried to undermine the evidence.” Gore, who earlier during the call said he all but given up on cap-and-trade legislation being passed this Congress ( audio here ), alluded to a handful of “formal inquiries” that he argued cleared the science of any doubt that may have been caused by the leaked e-mails from ClimateGate, despite the questionable circumstances surrounding these inquiries . “There have been of course multiple, formal inquiries, all of which have dispelled the falsehoods that go under the title of ‘ClimateGate,'” Gore continued. “The three separate inquiries conducted not only cleared the scientists and the organizations involved, but strongly reaffirmed the basic assertions that they have been making.” But this time the former vice president named names. He went after The Wall Street Journal for its coverage of ClimateGate, even though the daily newspaper was one of the few outlets covering the scandal with much vigor. “I’ll give you one example – The Wall Street Journal wrote upwards of 30 editorials and news stories during the time about the story of the University of East Anglia broke and not a single one of them presented the side of the science. There are many other examples as you know.” In recent months, Gore has had his own public relations problem with media coverage surrounding his personal life, including a divorce and allegations sexual misconduct , which he was later cleared of by Portland, Ore. authorities. But to combat the media, which he alleges has been working against him on global warming, he urged his supporters to send letters to the editor, demand equal time and write op-eds. “It is our responsibility to demand that reporters, editors and all journalists report the truth,” he said. “It is only through consistent and constant pressure from us demanding equal time in local and national media that we will get the truth out. And that is why it’s so critical to write letters to the editor, to post comments online, to draft and write op-eds that share your point of view and use the facts and spread them far and wide. Only when the media hear from enough of us will they change their habits and print the truth about these scientific facts.” A 2008 Business & Media Institute study disputes the idea that Gore’s cause of climate change alarmism has faced an uphill battle as far public relations goes. Over the years, it showed the alarmists have outnumbered the skeptics in airtime, a trend that has been occurring over the years.

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Al Gore Complains about Global Warming Media Coverage; Blasts The Wall Street Journal on ClimateGate

Bad Apple Seed

Arizona, California, and now, New York City. What the people/voters/citizens want just doesn’t matter any more.

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Bad Apple Seed

Ted Stevens Plane Crash

Ted Stevens, 86, was the longest-serving Republican senator until he lost his bid for a seventh term in 2008 after he was found guilty of corruption. The case, however, was later dismissed on account of prosecutorial misconduct. Former U.S. Senator from Alaska Ted Stevens has died after the plane on which he and eight others were aboard crashed in southern Alaska on Monday night. Five others in the aircraft were also believed killed, according to authorities. “The family has been notified that

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Ted Stevens Plane Crash

HuffPo Columnist Celebrates ‘Slow, Whining Death’ of Christianity

It’s not often you see an obituary as snarky and bitter as the one written by British columnist Johann Hari announcing what he called the “slow, whining death of British Christianity” in the UK edition of GQ and online at The Huffington Post. Citing an unlinked ICM study, which is not available on the organization’s website, Hari called on reader to “put your hands together and give thanks, for I come bearing Good News. My country,Britain, is now on the most irreligious country on earth.” Hari called Christianity, “superstition,” “weak,” “cruel,” and based on “intimidation.” He predicted that, “As their dusty Churches crumble because nobody wants to go there” and predicted that “the few remaining Christians in Britain will only become more angry and uncomprehending.” While he mentioned Judaism and Islam twice, Hari focused his ridicule on Christianity and the Church of England. He used the survey to call for an end to government support for Anglicanism. Hari reported that 63 percent of British respondents called themselves non-believers, and “only six percent of British people regularly attend religious services.” While religious believers might find such number disheartening, Hari celebrated. “Now, let us stand and sing our new national hymn: Jerusalem was dismantled here / in England’s green and pleasant land.” He concluded by stating he had “a Holy Lamb of God to carve into kebabs – it’s our new national dish. Amen, and hallelujah.” Hari’s snide obituary may be early, however. A  BBC Religion poll  conducted in March 2010 found 64 percent of Brits identify as Christians – 25 percent identified with no religion, and 22 percent said they were Muslim.  Another poll  conducted in 2009 found that 63 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, “Our laws should respect and be influenced by UKreligious values.” Additionally, the annual  British Social Attitudes Report , published in January 2010, found that only 18 percent of Brits said they don’t believe in God, while 18.6 percent were unsure. More than 62 percent expressed some faith in God. Like this article? Sign up for “Culture Links,” CMI’s weekly e-mail newsletter, by   clicking   here.

Blogger Unearths Interesting Info on ‘Teacher’ That Criticized Palin As ‘Worst Governor Ever’

While filming a segment for her new TLC program in Homer, Alaska, former governor Sarah Palin was recently accosted by one Kathleen Gustafson, a local bearing a large handwritten banner reading “Worst Governor Ever.” Several news agencies and networks have picked up on the story , uncritically relaying that Gustafson is simply a local teacher. But that’s not accurate, as MacRanger of the Mac’s Mind blog discovered.  Gustafson is listed as a “theater tech” at Homer High School. In addition to those duties, she’s on staff at the Homer public radio station and on the board of directors for a family planning clinic in town . From her bio: Kathleen Gustafson :  I’ve been on the board since 2003.  I feel like volunteering with KBFPC is the natural compliment to my work in Youth Theater and public radio.  When I worked at Smoky Bay Learning Center, I witnessed directly the good work that Family Planning does in health education programs and I want to do what I can to be a part of it. Far from an apolitical teacher who just happens to be set off by Palin resigning mid-term, there’s arguably more than meets the eye when it comes to Gustafson’s politics.  Is it that hard for anyone in the mainstream media to apply a little skepticism and work a few keystrokes on Google? Photo of Gustafson via macsmind.com .

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Blogger Unearths Interesting Info on ‘Teacher’ That Criticized Palin As ‘Worst Governor Ever’

New Black Panther Leader: Fox ‘Jews’ Stoking Voter Intimidation Anger

New Black Panther Party leader Samir Shabazz on Monday made an anti-Semitic remark while blaming the Fox News Channel for fanning the fires of discontent over his involvement in voter intimidation back in November 2008. As NewsBusters reported on Election Day that year, two Black Panthers were situated outside a polling station in Philadelphia (video right). This eventually led to complaints by the Bush administration which the Justice Department recently dropped fueling accusations that the charges were dismissed for racial reasons. With this in mind, the Associated Press reported the following Monday (h/t Rusty Weiss): New Black Panther Party leader King Samir Shabazz made the derogatory reference to Fox News during a news conference in Harlem. It was held in response to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, who recently called for hearings into the Justice Department’s handling of the matter. Samir said the allegations of voter intimidation were false and that he had been caricatured by conservative news organizations, including Fox. “You call me a white hating bigot? Let me tell you who King Samir really is,” he said, describing himself an activist and hip hop artist who spends most of his time caring for his children. “That’s what you don’t hear from Fox Jews, I mean Fox News,” he said. For more racist rantings by Shabazz, watch this: Any questions?

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New Black Panther Leader: Fox ‘Jews’ Stoking Voter Intimidation Anger