DAYLEE PICTURES: The once and future Mrs. Newt Gingrich. At top, Calista, the normal person from 15+ years ago ... and, below, what she is today. From the Daily Mail of the UK
The Rebranding of Mrs Gingrich: How Callista Transformed her Look from Young Professional to Aspiring First Lady (PHOTOS) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"She may be just 45, but with her penchant for boxy suits, pearls and that gleaming helmet of peroxide, Newt's wife is dressing way beyond her years."
She's ... 45?! I had to look it up! I thought she was pushing 60! There are several things that are uniquely disturbing about the possibility of this person becoming First Lady. She would be the first "home-wrecker (a term I dislike)" First Lady, the women who enabled the married Newt Gingrich in cheating on wife No. 2. Second, stories suggest she is one of the driving, micro-managing forces behind Newt's bizarre presidential campaign up to now (which makes me seriously wonder about her judgment); and third, as this article and its photos chronicle, her physical transformation from a normal person to a tightly-wound GOP robo-wife are, to put it mildly, off-putting! I long for the days when GOP candidate spouses looked like real human beings rather than sprayed-in-plastic, two-hours-a-day-with-the-beautician replicant women striving to achieve ... some kind of an effect! It's getting to the point you can tell a male candidate's party affiliation just by looking at his spouse! Plastic hair and a Doris Day dress = GOP; anything else = Democrat. What exactly IS the effect they are trying to achieve? I know we've tracked here how the GOP wants nothing more than to turn the clock back to the Eisenhower years (or earlier) -- but does it extend to fashion as well!? And is it just for women? The thing that makes this trend even more strange is that what this retro-modeling presents us with (to my eyes anyway) is a caricature of a Kennedy/Eisenhower era woman. Maimie and Jackie NEVER looked this artificial! You almost expect to see electrical wires or battery packs protruding from underneath the zip-up-the-back dresses many of these women wear! One final note: is she going to get the GOP "treatment" during what may shape up to be a nasty, pro-longed primary fight? Will she be given a pass ... or the piranhas-vs-Bambi treatment? If Romney and the GOP establishment get pushed all the way to the wall, will they go there? I can't predict. If she were the spouse of a Democratic candidate (try on Michelle Obama in '08) with a past like this, take it to the bank - she'd be getting the full piranha!
Syria’s Civil War is Bigger than Syria Itself (Jim Hoagland) from the Washington Post
"Syria’s burgeoning civil war involves forces and stakes that reach far beyond that country. Unlike the upheaval that ousted entrenched leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and (it seems) Yemen, the outcome in Syria will shift the balance of power in a larger civil war within Islam that has raged for three decades."
What's Up in China: Hint, It's Not War With the U.S. (James Fallows) from the Atlantic
"The outright rebellion that has erupted in the southern coastal town of Wukan is a powerful illustration of the economic, political, environmental, and social tensions that have built up inside China during the recent boom decade -- and that, if anything, may intensify as the boom slows down."
In Japan, a Long Decline Accelerates from the Washington Post
"For two decades now, Japan has endured its economic downturn largely because the slope felt so gentle. But in recent months, with a record-strong yen cutting profits of Japan’s major exporters, the world’s third-largest economy is seeing the first signs of a nastier drop."
Russian Internet Revolution Fuels Protest from the Washington Post
"Today’s young Russians connect with the world on their laptops instead of around the fabled kitchen table, where their parents sat in Soviet times, the only place they could speak openly and safely. ... Informed and motivated by blogs and social networks so far unfettered by government limits, they have emerged with the potential to confront the authorities and demand change. The months and years ahead will reveal whether they will achieve this promise."
Drone-Ethics Briefing: What a Leading Robot Expert Told the CIA (Patrick Lin) from the Atlantic
"Robots are replacing humans in battle. But could they also be used to interrogate and torture suspects?"
So When Should You Default on Your Mortgage? (Megan McArdle) from the Atlantic
""Can I afford this mortgage?" is, of course, a subjective question, one that only you can answer. But I think it's probably worth outlining the questions I would ask myself before I defaulted on my mortgage:"
What's the Difference Between a Religion and a Cult? And where Does Mormonism Fit In? (Brian Palmer) from Slate
"... the word eventually gained currency outside the ivory tower, and professors lost control of its meaning. In the early 1970s, Americans were curious about many of the emerging religious groups without fully condemning them."
This item doesn't really provide a deep discussion -- but it is an interesting question -- especially when applied to several modern evangelical movements.
Pew Research Poll: Anti-Incumbent Fever Could Hurt Republicans (Mark Blumenthal) from the Huffington Post
"Results from a new national survey from the Pew Research Center should strike fear into the hearts of incumbents in Congress, especially those who are members of the Republican Party. A record number of respondents want to vote sitting lawmakers out of office, and Republicans take more of the blame than Democrats for perceptions of a do-nothing Congress."
National Review Must be Too Embarrassed to Endorse Mitt Romney from Daily Kos
"To put it another way, the candidates they think Republicans should consider are Mitt Romney (who they endorsed in 2008 and say would "make a fine president"), a pair of one-percenters (when it comes to the polls), and a magic pony (who has yet to make an appearance). I can't imagine a weaker vote of confidence in Romney..."
Huntsman Posts Surprisingly Strong Showing in N.H. Poll from Slate
"The long-time afterthought creeps up into third place in the Granite State."
Given how oddly the GOP merry-go-round has spun this year, you had to figure his horse would get some attention eventually.
Rick Perry’s Presidential Candidacy a Bitter Pill for Texans (Evan Smith) from the Daily Beast
"All the governor’s “oops” moments have again saddled his state with unwanted stereotypes, says Evan Smith."
"Unwanted" but well-deserved. Any state that could elect George W. Bush for governor twice and, having learned nothing from that experience, then gone on to elect Perry governor THREE TIMES, deserves mockery and ample helpings of opprobrium. I place a substantial amount of blame on the local media who have (with a couple of exceptions) simply knuckled under to GOP and conservative dominance of the state. They stopped asking the challenging questions -- and demanding answers. Politicians like W and Perry became accustomed to a flaccid media environment where reporters pretended to ask "tough questions" and politicians pretended to answer them in an elaborate co-dependent relationship that produced good ratings and virtually no real information for voters. Sadly, after a decade+ of reporter softballs and lax treatment, Texas's state and local government is now chocked full of Perry, Bush, Rove and DeLay wannabes, men and women with similar abilities, predilections and ambitions who have been repeatedly rewarded with reelection -- despite all the failings (and more) that they share with Perry. Don't hold your breath waiting for an LBJ or even an Ann Richards to come out of this environment any time soon. They've all largely been burned out by years of electoral losses. It's a textbook case of what happens to a democracy when a supposedly "free and independent media" fails to take its responsibilities to inform the public seriously.
HILARIOUS X-MAS VIDEO NUGGET!!
Dancer in a Hideous Festive Jumper Takes Gleeful Spin Around Mall to Mariah Carey on his iPod (VIDEO) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The expression 'dance like no one is watching' could have been written for him. But frankly everyone was after this young man's interpretative dance video to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" went viral on YouTube, receiving almost 800,000 hits."
You can hear the mall security guys now: "Food Court. Level two. We've got a live one!" You've got to give the guy some credit though -- there was some pretty ballsy, uninhibited self expression going on there!
ACTION MOVIE REVIEW NUGGET!!
“Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol”: At Long Last, the Year’s Best Action Flick from Salon
"Don't count out the star or the franchise! The latest "Mission: Impossible" is a terrific holiday surprise."
I have to confess, while no fan of Mr. Cruise, I AM a fan of the Mission Impossible movie franchise -- so I'm glad to hear this one might be good.
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