Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category
Cartoon by Kal
This past week, the U.S. government observed an anniversary that some would rather forget. On Wednesday, Guantanamo Bay is turning the big 1-0!
The controversial detention camp opened 10 years ago to hold captives of the Bush administration’s War on Terror. And it’s been the center of debates on human rights and military imprisonment ever since.
The use of torture is the main reason for the appalling and shocking fact that 10 years after 9/11 the alleged perpetrators of those attacks have not been brought to justice, despite the fact they’ve been held for many years.”
Recently the dispute has focused on President Obama’s failed promise to close Guantanamo over two years ago. A goal his administration is still touting.
The commitment that the president has to closing Guantanamo Bay is as firm today as it was during the campaign … I think this is a process that faces obstacles that we’re all aware of and we will continue to work through them.”
Maybe they are waiting for the right moment to win back all the dissatisfied liberals before the election…
The last year has been full of discussion about the growing disparities in pay in the United States. But there is at least one sector where wealth is going up instead of down.
That sector?
Congress.
An article for the New York Times reports that members of Congress’ earnings have continued to go up during tough economic times, causing some to question their effectiveness.
The fact that rich people are in Congress isn’t usually that big a deal. But when Congress struggles mightily to take care of the economic business of the country — from the recent payroll tax extension fight to the debt limit fight — it starts to seem pretty evident to the average, everyday voter that members really don’t understand the economic problems their constituents face.”
Can rich members of Congress really represent the average American?
Image from Talking Points Memo
The state of Wisconsin has been political mud-wrestling match in recent months.
You might recall earlier this year, the Republican Governor Scott Walker was propelled into the national limelight when he spearheaded legislation to limit union rights in his state.
There naturally has been bitter opposition to the law by union supporters. There also was a fair amount of support for the governor’s proposal in this deeply divided battleground state.
Now the Walker’s foes are nearing what they hope will be the final battle with the Governor.
They are mounting a formidable recall effort against the Wisconsin leader.
Last week, the groups claimed to have 507,533 of the needed 540,208 signatures.
But now legal obstacles for Democrats and unions supporting the movement have started to trickle in.
Walker himself is leading a challenge to the authenticity of the signers.
If people want to sign it — and they have every right to in this state — it should be enforced that they can sign it once and they actually have to sign it with a real name related to a real voting location in this state.”
The governor is also supporting a law that would require his opposition to pay to protest.
As judges and lawyers get involved, the process will likely get messier… like the giant political mud-wrestling match Wisconsin is…
Thanks to the NY Times!
One of the greenest cities in the country is making another big change in the name of environmental awareness.
On Monday, the Seattle City Council voted to ban plastic bags from being given out in stores. In their place, retailers can offer paper bags for a 5-cent fee.
The fee is meant to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. Amendments in the bill exempt food banks and low-income residents from having to charge and pay the extra fee.
The ban is expected to reduce pollution, free up landfill space and improve the environment. Seattle’s residents use 292 million plastic bags and 68 million paper bags a year. About 82 percent of paper bags are recycled, while only 13 percent of plastic bags are recycled.”
Seattle is not the first city to take such steps. Several municipalities in the state of Washington and all around the country have targeted plastic bags.
If the ordinance goes on to become law, it will take effect in July of 2012.
Image from Politico
Do you remember S.B. 1070, Arizona’s highly disputed immigration law?
Well, the disputed law is about to be disputed by the top disputers in the country…
The U.S. Supreme Court!
On Monday, the high court agreed to review the constitutionality of the law, which made headlines in 2010.
The Arizona law requires local police to try to determine the immigration status of people they detain during a traffic stop or for questioning if there’s a ‘reasonable suspicion’ that those individuals are in the U.S. illegally.
Under the measure, police are required to determine whether someone arrested is a citizen or legal resident before releasing him or her. The law also demands that foreigners have immigration papers in their possession at all times.”
The Obama administration argues that immigration control is the responsibility of the Federal government not local police.
Border states respond by saying the federal government is not doing its job controlling illegal immigration. They suggest laws like S.B. 1070 are meant to compliment Federal enforcement.
Others argue the law is an unfair attack on the Latino community. And, legal challenges and appeals from the Obama administration have already blocked several of the law’s key parts.
The Supreme Court is currently looking at two other notable cases which could also impact the 2012 election.
Do you think S.B 1070 goes too far?
Thanks to the LA Times!
While the country is snarling at democratic candidates in much of the country, there’s at least one Democrat whose chances of a win in 2012 look bright.
Her name is Elizabeth Warren.
If you’re thinking, “I know that name.” you are not alone…
Warren previously served as President Obama’s Special Adviser to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which she also created.
But now she’s running for the U. S. Senate in Massachusetts facing the rookie Republican Scott Brown.
Recent polls show the candidate leading Brown by a significant 7 points. The Republican incumbent won the seat in the heavily Democratic state after the death of longtime senator Ted Kennedy. He now must run for his own full term.
The new poll results are bound to send more shockwaves across the country, where Democrats and Republicans are closely watching to see whether the Harvard Law professor can knock off one of the GOP’s rising stars. The Massachusetts race could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate and Democrats are making the race one of their top priorities.”
While Warren must first win her state’s primary, big name Republicans are already eyeing her as the eventual competitor.
…the consumer advocate-turned-Massachusetts Senate candidate, is fighting back after a new ad from an independent group founded by Karl Rove accuses her of being too close to big business. Warren has emerged as an early target of Rove’s Crossroads.”
Do Democrats have one thing to look forward to in 2012?
Thanks to NY Daily News!
Are you too promiscuous to be an organ donor?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might think so.
Newly proposed guidelines take donors’ sexual activity into account. Organs coming from anyone who had sex with two or more people in the past year would be deemed “high-risk.”
The proposal is designed to protect recipients from sexually transmitted diseases. But some fear it will do more harm than good.
Some are arguing that the rule will limit the amount of organs donated by certain groups; especially from young people.
With the new guidelines, every college student in America will be high risk. Right now, it’s probably a prostitute or a guy with a needle in his arm. Next time, it will be just a young guy.”
What is more important, quality of quantity?
Thanks to Flickr!
Here’s a hint: The answer isn’t Fox News viewers.
Research conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University finds that those who watch the network are less informed than those who don’t watch news at all. It is one of several studies to find similar results.
Participants were asked to answer questions about their news habits, followed by inquires about current events. Those who identified as Fox viewers proved to know the least on the matters.
The results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all.”
Those who go to sources like NPR, USA Today, and the New York Times were generally more informed. Followers of “The Daily Show” were also found to have a better understanding of the issues.
Jon Stewart has not spent a lot of time on some of these issues. But the results show that when he does talk about something, his viewers pick up a lot more information than they would from other news sources.”
Where are you getting your news?
Thanks to Gizmodo!
Netflix has had a rough few months. In July, they angered customers by bumping up their prices. Then, in October, they saw record losses, as thousands of subscribers fled.
But one move is likely to make up for it all.
They’re bringing back Arrested Development!
The show’s revival became news a couple weeks ago. An announcement of a feature film preceded by a handful of new episodes left fans wondering where they could watch. Having beat out Hulu and Showtime, Netflix will be the series’ new home.
Since Netflix started licensing original series, the service has been seen as a potential savior for ill-fated productions that get shuttered over the objections of a cult following too narrow to sustain them. But rescuing a show that comes with a built-in audience–albeit one too small to survive on TV–may be a safer strategy than creating a new property out of whole cloth.”
New episodes won’t be available until 2013, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be excited now!
Image from Flickr
All the attention on Occupy Wall Street has made it easy to forget another movement going on in the U.S.
Months before anyone spent the night in Zuccotti Park, there was another type of occupation happening in Wisconsin. In February, teachers and other public employees filled the state house to protest a law that would restrict their rights to collective bargaining.
Now, the fight to unseat Gov. Scott Walker, who proposed the legislation, has officially begun.
The drive to collect an average of 9,000 signatures a day, fueled by anger over Walker’s successful push to take away nearly all public worker collective bargaining rights, began with pajama parties and other events after midnight. Daytime activities included rallies, neighborhood canvasses and booths set up around the state Capitol.”
Walker’s proposal and the protests that followed made national headlines. Since, others Republican governors have attempted similar measures.
The recall effort launches a week after voters in Ohio repealed a similar but harsher collective-bargaining law. The repeal has galvanized anti-Walker forces in Wisconsin, which has long been seen as ground zero for the broader Republican push to curtail union rights as a way to trim state budgets.”
The governor’s opponents will have to collect over half a million signatures to force the recall.
Will Walker’s move against public employees leave him publicly unemployed?
Thanks to Politico!
Ohio’s closely watched ballot initiative, Issue 2, was defeated on Election Day. The vote stops a recent anti-union bill from becoming law.
If passed, the law would have limited the bargaining rights of public employees, including police officers and firefighters. Republican Gov. John Kasich faced backlash for his support of the measure.
Ohio sent a message to every politician out there: Go in and make war on your employees rather than make jobs with your employees, and you do so at your own peril.
Issue 2 was one of many talked-about votes as Americans headed to the polls.
Thanks to the LA Times!
The list of problems for America’s schools just got a little heavier.
School systems across the country have implemented bans or restrictions on access to soda and other sweetened drinks in recent years. All in an effort to combat childhood obesity.
State laws that ban soda in schools — but not other sweetened beverages — have virtually no impact on the amount of sugary drinks middle school students buy and consume at school…”
Research published this week shows students across the country are drinking the same amount of sugary drinks, no matter the limitations.
Further complicating the issue is some schools’ reluctance to get rid of vending machines, which have become a source of funds when budgets are tight.
Any other ideas?
President Obama has beaten one of his biggest challengers…
Smoking!
The president had been public about his bad habit in the past and has tried to quit since taking office. Now, having received his official check-up, his physician certified him as “tobacco free.”
The president is in excellent health and ‘fit for duty.’ All clinical data indicate he will remain so for the duration of his presidency.”
The report also noted healthy eating and exercise for the commander-in-chief.
Now how will he deal with the stress of this economy?!
Thanks to Bloomberg!
Earlier this year, Netflix users were outraged when the service announced price hikes for its subscription plans. They again upset customers with a botched attempt to turn their DVD-mailing service into a separate entity.
Now, 800,000 subscribers have called it quits.
The company appeared surprised by the news:
Our primary issue is many of our long-term members felt shocked by the pricing changes, and more of them have expressed that by canceling Netflix than we expected.”
Investors have taken notice in the company’s struggles, causing their stock to drop 35% after the announcement.
There might still be some hope for Netflix. After all, it’s cheaper than going to the movies!
Image from Gallup
For the first time, a majority of Americans support the legalization of marijuana. A Gallup poll found 50% of those surveyed favored legalization of the substance, while 46% were against it.
The study also found some groups to be more supportive than others: Liberals (69%), respondents between the ages 18 to 29 (62%), and those who live in the West (55%) were found to be some of the most ardent supporters.
Gallup released a statement:
When Gallup first asked about legalizing marijuana, in 1969, 12 percent of Americans favored it, while 84 percent were opposed. Support remained in the mid-20s in Gallup measures from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, but has crept up since, passing 30 percent in 2000 and 40 percent in 2009 before reaching the 50 percent level in this year’s Oct. 6-9 annual Crime survey.”
If the numbers keep rising, will Congress pass a bill to pass a joint?
