Failed US Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell said Thursday that accusations she misspent campaign funds are politically motivated and stoked by disgruntled former campaign workers. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …Click here to view this media MSNBC’s Cenk Uygur wondered Wednesday why Fox News’ Tucker Carlson didn’t call for Sarah Palin to be executed after she killed a defenseless caribou. After all, Carlson had proclaimed Tuesday that NFL quarterback Michael Vick should have been given the death penalty for killing dogs. “Now, I’m a Christian,” Carlson announced , while filling in for Fox News’ Republican commentator Sean Hannity. “I’ve made mistakes myself. I believe fervently in second chances but Michael Vick killed dogs and he did it in a heartless and cruel way and I think, personally, he should have been executed for that.” Carlson had become outraged because President Barack Obama praised Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie for giving Vick a second chance. “[Obama] said, ‘So many people who serve time never get a fair second chance,’” Lurie explained , after a phone call with the president. “He said, ‘It’s never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail.’ And he was happy that we did something on such a national stage that showed our faith in giving someone a second chance after such a major downfall.” White House spokesman Bill Burton clarified that Obama “of course condemns the crimes that Michael Vick was convicted of, but, as he’s said previously, he does think that individuals who have paid for their crimes should have an opportunity to contribute to society again.” “I like how [Carlson] prefaced it by saying he was Christian,” Uygur said, during the “Psycho Talk” segment of Wednesday’s The Ed Show broadcast. “Is that what Jesus would have done? I love the way that conservatives twist the Bible. If you listen to them, Jesus was a gun-toting, rich-loving Texan.” “And if you’re executing people because they killed defenseless animals you may want to remember this,” he said, playing a video clip of Palin shooting a caribou on her TLC reality show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska . “Look, I know there is a difference,” Uygur admitted. “But is it really that large? Sarah Palin is folksy for killing a caribou, who was clearly trapped and defenseless, if you watch that show. And Michael Vick should be executed? I don’t think so.”
Continue reading …Jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was sentenced to six more years in prison following a trial seen as payback for his defiance of Vladimir Putin and as a test of the rule of law in Russia. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …The Vatican on Thursday created a financial watchdog agency and issued new laws to fight money laundering and terrorist financing in a major effort to shed its image as a tax haven that for years has been mired in scandal and secrecy. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …UNITED NATIONS/ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Two United Nations advisers expressed grave fears on Thursday that ethnic violence could be brewing after Ivory Coast’s disputed presidential election, and Abidjan’s new ambassador to the U.N. declared the nation was on the “brink of genocide”. The advisers reported signs that “some leaders there are inciting violence between different elements of the population”, during a standoff between incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and challenger Alassane Ouattara after the elections which were supposed to heal the wounds of a civil war in 2002-03. U.N. soldiers stand guard near a tank during a patrol along a street in the Abobo area of Abidjan December 27, 2010….
Continue reading …Former President Moshe Katsav was convicted Thursday of raping an employee when he was a Cabinet minister, the most serious criminal charges ever brought against a high-ranking official in Israel. ( Dec. 30)
Continue reading …Fire officials say a blow dryer caused a house fire in Richmond, Va. that killed a man and his teenage daughter. The blow dryer apparently ignited the man’s mattress. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest point in nearly two and a half years, a sign that the job market is slowly improving. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …Lottery fans are hoping for a big win Friday night. The Mega Millions drawing, which is played in 41 states plus the District of Columbia, is worth $237 million. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …Photo: Kelly Rossiter My daughter is having a casual dinner party for a few friends tonight and I came across this wonderful little soup that she could serve as an appetizer as soon as her guests arrive. All that is required is pouring the ingredients in the blender and turning it on – that’s it. It’s the perfect New Year’s Eve starter because it’s so quick and easy and it tastes great. Especially after all the fuss over Christmas, it’s nice to have something casual that also looks and tastes so good…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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