Full disclosure straight off: your writer is a Brit, but that doesn’t mean he can’t poke fun at both sides in this apparent debate. A recent article on the BBC (full disclosure again! This writer worked for the BBC for many years) noted how Americanisms in the English language aren’t a good thing. As the
Continue reading …Ah, the sands of narcissism. An Abu Dhabi oil sheikh has written his name in the sand. (Well, his laborers did the etching.) Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, had “Hamad” carved out in capital letters on an island he owns in the United Arab Emirates called Al Futaisi. (We
Continue reading …Our general attitude about Jennifer Aniston’s red carpet appearances is: this again? What sort of strapless and/or little black, possibly drapey, goddess-cut dress with a slit is she wearing now? But, we’ll say it — girl looked classy in London on Wednesday night at the U.K. premiere of “Horrible Bosses.” The actress picked a silver-embroidered Valentino frock with braiding at the neckline and waist paired with high-heeled slippers. Check out some pictures and tell us what you think. WATCH:
Continue reading …When our kids know more about the Kardashians than the Constitution– When Ke$ha’s “Get Sleazy” tour becomes the favorite summer stop for the tween set– When grown men share their girlfriends’ concealer and eyeliner– When parents name their children after appliances, fruits, numbers, and one of the five boroughs of New York– When people nurture their virtual crops on Farmville while subsisting on Lucky Charms in their parents’ basements– You know we have a cultural meltdown on our hands (all of which I discuss in my new book). Think you’re immune to the fall-out? Not a chance. None of us is safe. Not even our pets. (Do you know who “friended” your Chihuahua last night?) Accompany me on a quickie tour of the seven rings of America’s cultural hell. Editor’s note: This blog post currently reflects that there are five boroughs of New York, not five boroughs of Manhattan.
Continue reading …One of America’s oldest cities is also its most poorly dressed—or so says a new list from GQ magazine. Boston topped the magazine’s survey of America’s 40 worst-dressed cities. GQ even dubbed it the nation’s “Bad-Taste Storm Sewer” (harsh!) and blasted Bostonians’ penchant for Uggs, hoodies and wearing leggings as pants. Los Angeles, at fault
Continue reading …Kids can be devils sometimes, can’t they? Well, not in New Zealand, they can’t. New Zealand’s Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages has now rejected three parents’ requests to name their new babies Lucifer, effectively banning the name, reports the Australian Associated Press. (LIST: Top 10 Dubious Name Changes) This is part of a wider effort
Continue reading …As lawmakers scramble to hammer out a debt deal, Wall Street firms are working on ways to deal with America defaulting on its debt—and on ways to make a buck out of any upheaval. Treasury bonds function like a currency on Wall Street and default after the August 2…
Continue reading …When MSNBC shuffled Ed Schultz up to the 10 p.m. slot they placed left-wing blogger and radio host Cenk Uygur (pronounced jenk you-gur) in the 6 p.m. Eastern time slot that Ed vacated as an interim host. But Uygur has been curiously absent from his dinnertime perch since early July, with the Rev. Al Sharpton filling in but not explaining why Uygur was out. Yesterday MSNBC announced that Uygur had officially left the network and today the New York Times is reporting that Sharpton's hiring as a full-time host is “imminent.” The past is prologue, so a look back at Sharpton's wacky pronouncements to date should be instructive. We at NewsBusters have a full archive on Al Sharpton that you can find here , but I thought we'd highlight a few items that stand out. Who can forget the time, for example, when Sharpton insisted on March 21, 2010 that “we have to say the American public overwhelmingly voted for socialism when they elected President Obama”? Sharpton was defending passage of ObamaCare and dismissing Republicans who claimed that the bill's passage was against the wishes of the American public. It was a fine moment of raw honesty from the good Reverend, but as we've seen in the past two weeks, Sharpton has been remarkably good at adapting his message to toe MSDNC's party line. Sharpton, you may recall, has been portraying Obama as more Reaganesque than the Tea Party , and saying that as a way to compliment Obama and bash conservatives over the debt ceiling fight . One might even argue Sharpton is ahead of MSNBC's bias curve. In April 2010 , Sharpton agreed with a guest on his radio program who suggested that Rush Limbaugh's political commentary may set off unbalanced, violent people. MSNBC really picked up that drumbeat in early 2011 after the Gabby Giffords shooting. The days of Sharpton proudly declaring Obama to be socialistic may be long gone, but his penchant for race-baiting is sure to shine through. For example, just last month, Sharpton suggested Republican presidential Rick Santorum was racist for saying that America “was great before 1965.” Santorum was referring to the advent of LBJ's Great Society, including programs like Medicare, but Sharpton hinted that Santorum really meant the 1965 Voting Rights Act . Sharpton's deranged view of Republican candidates doesn't stop at Santorum, of course. In July 2009, following Michael Jackson's death, Sharpton failed to call out a caller on her crazy theory that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may have had something to do with Jackson's death: FEMALE CALLER: He (Michael Jackson) is truly the soundtrack of my life. I also have a theory about Sarah Palin as well and I'm going to put it out there on radio, hopefully someone can investigate. But, I think maybe she did something to Michael Jackson. Maybe there's a scandal there. Maybe she's stepping down because something's about to come out. I don't know, but I'm gonna just put it out there on your show so we'll see. SHARPTON: All right, thank you for your call, Ashley. That's interesting. I'll put it out, we'll see. I don't know. No objective journalist by any stretch,
Continue reading …So far Roger Ailes, Chris Wallace, and the Koch Brothers — along with almost every conservative TV pundit on the planet — have all been clamoring for New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie to run for president, but to no avail. The latest group from the billionaire elites to beg for his services include some prominent donors and Hedge Fund managers: Fifty of the most prized donors in national politics, including several hedge-fund billionaires who are among the richest people in the world, schlepped to a Manhattan office or hovered around speakerphones Tuesday afternoon as their host, venture capitalist Ken Langone (pronounced LAN-goan), a co-founder of The Home Depot, implored New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to reconsider and seek the GOP presidential nomination . The governor was firm that it’s not in the cards this time, but left his spurned suitors with the impression he might well go in 2016. He impressed the audience with his emphasis on family and commitment, and flashes of disarming humor. Langone backed Rudy Giuliani in 2008, and his guests came from both parties, although most were moderate Republicans. Most are uncommitted in the presidential race. Participants who rank on the Forbes list of richest Americans included Bernie Marcus, Paul Tudor Jones (hedge funds; $3.3 billion), Stan Druckenmiller (hedge funds; $2.5 billion) and Bernie Marcus (Home Depot; $1.9 billion). Several of them said: I’m Republican but I voted for President Obama, because I couldn’t live with Sarah Palin. Many said they were severely disappointed in the president. The biggest complaint was what several called “class warfare.” They said they didn’t understand what they had done to deserve that: If you want to have a conversation about taxation, have a conversation. But a president shouldn’t attack his constituents – he’s not the president of some people, he’s president of all the people . Someone mentioned Huey Long populism. These whiny, vain men of wealth have only seen rocketing profits and have been insulated from prosecution or the financial collapse that has plagued middle America with high unemployment, but being called a few names is too much for them to handle. What wankers. Digby writes: The only thing Obama did to these Masters of the Universe was use the word “fat cat” a couple of times and mouth platitudes like “people like me should pay their fair share” as if it will really hurt any of these hedge fund hogs to give up the tiniest percentage of their ill gotten gains. Other than that, he’s been downright subservient. Certainly nothing in the deficit reduction talks can be seen as particularly threatening. No, they are the very definition of what Atrios dubbed the WATBs. (You can look it up.) This is purely because they feel they haven’t gotten the public respect and deference they deserve. Even though they screwed everything up royally (pun intended) and the ungrateful little people had to bail them out. As Michele Bachman would say — that’s some major chootspaw. These people of wealth sure love the conservative bully from New Jersey, but a new poll released by the PPP shows his support among New Jersey voters keeps plummeting. “New Jerseyans are smart. So, it’s no surprise that Governor Christie’s poll numbers are dropping faster than Rupert Murdoch avoiding a cream pie at a Parliament hearing,” said Joshua Henne, spokesman for One New Jersey, a new progressive watchdog group. According to data released today by “Public Policy Polling”, a mere 43% of voters approve of the job Christie is doing, while a whopping 53% disapprove. This ten-point differential represents a full thirteen-point dip from when PPP last polled earlier this year. “While Governor Christie might be popular in Iowa or among GOP fundraising circles in the D.C. beltway, those families who have to live with the ramifications of his policies in New Jersey know better,” said Joshua Henne, spokesman for One New Jersey, a new progressive watchdog group. “With Chris Christie in the Statehouse, New Jerseyans are paying more and getting less. After nearly two years of Christie’s bluster, middle-class and working families are far worse-off than when he took office – with less jobs and higher property taxes.” — For fun, PPP decided to put Bruce Springsteen in a head-to-head poll with Christie. Right out the gate, he would tie Christie 42-42. Bruce would start in this position because – unlike Christie – Springsteen knows “nobody wins unless everybody wins If only The Boss would run. The MillBills Club are acting like love sick puppies over the nasty Christie, but the people that he serves have turned on him because they actually are feeling the results of what his policies bring. of course his ideas will never hurt the wealthy like they do the 98%ers.
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