UP-FRONT 2016 CAMPAIGN NUGGET!!
Pro-Hillary Clinton Efforts Whir to Life with Iowa Campaigning from ABC News
"Friday morning, as Washington slumbers through recess and public attention even in Iowa is far from presidential politics, a group of Democratic activists and office-holders will gather in Des Moines to discuss a topic very much on their minds – and now on their agenda: "Madam President." Organizers aren't naming this hypothetical president. But they don't have to, of course. Meet the shadow campaign for Hillary Rodham Clinton."
The Snowden Sideshow (Samuel Charap) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"If you think U.S.-Russian relations are bad now, think back to 2008."
Greek Unemployment Hit New Record in May of 27.6 Percent from Reuters
"Greece's jobless rate hit a new record high of 27.6 percent in May, official national data showed on Thursday as the country staggers under austerity linked to its international bailout."
As I have noted here several times, ongoing unemployment rates like this are very dangerous to the health of a democracy. When elected officials do nothing in the face of this level of economic suffering people will invariably conclude that democracy itself doesn't work and that some non-democratic alternative is needed to "shake things up." And that's what we've been seeing in Greece, Hungary, Italy and elsewhere in Europe the last several years.
Phony Fear Factor (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"... we live in a golden age of economic debunkery. The doctrine of expansionary austerity collapsed as evidence on the actual effects of austerity came in, with officials at the International Monetary Fund even admitting that they had severely underestimated the harm austerity does. The debt-scare doctrine collapsed once independent economists reviewed the data. And now the policy-uncertainty claim has gone the same way."
Do You Have Friends of a Different Race? Many Americans Don't (Matt Vasilogambros) from the National Journal
"Poll shows Americans are divided on which races they associate with. ... A new poll from Reuters shows that around 40 percent of white Americans and 25 percent of non-white Americans have friends exclusively of their own race. Even at work, where people may not have a choice of who they interact with, 30 percent of Americans are not mixing with people of a different race."
Why the World Is Smarter Than US (Dana Goldstein) from the Daily Beast
"Why does the US lag behind our peers when it comes to educating our students? Dana Goldstein on a new book that looks at school systems across the globe to come away with a startling conclusion: they value the intellect more than we do."
Why Major in Humanities? Not Just for a Good Job — for a Good Life. (Mark Edmundson) from the Washington Post
"Want success? Come on in, our tent flap is open. But the humanities are not about success. They’re about questioning success — and every important social value. ... That’s what’s at the heart of the humanities — informed, thoughtful dialogue about the way we ought to conduct life."
The GOP’s Fundamental Miscalculation on Obamacare (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"Today’s GOP, however, is flirting with something even more extreme than endless repeal votes: shutting down the government to force the defunding of Obamacare. And David Drucker reports this morning that even a poll commissioned by a Tea Party group finds that Republicans will bear more of the blame for a shutdown than Obama will."
Why Seniors Are Turning Against The GOP from the Carville-Greenberg Report
" To voters from the center right to the far left, the GOP is now defined by resistance, intolerance, intransigence, and economics that would make even the Robber Barons blush. We have seen other voters pull back from the GOP, but among no group has this shift been as sharp as it is among senior citizens: ..."
Immigrant and U.S.-Born Hispanics Tilt Democratic from Gallup
"Hispanics in the U.S. identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party over the Republican Party by about a 2-to-1 margin, regardless of whether they were U.S.-born. Hispanics born outside the U.S. do have slightly less attachment to either party, and are more likely to be politically independent, but these differences do little to alter the basic underlying advantage Democrats enjoy across the entire Hispanic population."
So What Comes After Repeal, Mr. Republican Congressman? (Joan McCarter) from Daily Kos
"That's what happens when Republicans are forced to confront the reality of actual people who really need health insurance. They've never had real answers and they've never been able to present a valid alternative. ... American Bridge has released their video of the exchange between Mr. Edwards and Rep. McHenry. The audience reaction to McHenry is priceless."
THIS is why GOP congressmen and women want to have more controlled, more staged events and fewer interactions with real voters.
How Will Republicans Explain Government Shutdown to Constituents? (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"If it’s hard to explain repealing certain parts of the law, how will GOP lawmakers explain shutting down the government to defund it?"
70 Percent Of Georgia Republicans Believe In Creationism: PPP Poll from the Huffington Post
"When that question was transferred over to party lines, Republicans had a staggering split -- 70 percent for creationism, 17 percent for evolution and 13 percent not sure. "
Rand Paul vs. Chris Christie: A New Hampshire Cage Match from Politico
"... the feud between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has given us a sneak preview into what the 2016 Republican presidential primary might look like. How would such a rivalry shake out in the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire?"
POSTCARDS FROM THE GOP ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!!
North Carolina, Your Anti-Sharia Law Takes the Cake (Dean Obeidallah) from the Daily Beast
"A law that would ban Islamic law from being imposed on the state’s courts begs the question: What invisible threat are you guys so scared of?"
HOLLYWOOD MEMORABILLIA NUGGET!!
The 'Priceless' Statuette from The Maltese Falcon that Turned Out to be a Lead Fake now Expected to Fetch $1.5 Million at Auction from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The original prop from the Humphrey Bogart classic The Maltese Falcon is set to be auctioned. The lead statue has been called 'the most important prop in movie history'. It is expected to garner a seven-figure sum at auction in November."
CAT & SHARK NUGGET!!
A cat ... in a shark suit ... riding a vacuum cleaner. Definitely not something you see every day!
Shark Costume-Wearing Cat on a Robotic Vacuum Rides Again in Hilarious New Video Made in Honor of Shark Week from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Like the video that first brought him fame, CatShark—aka Max-Arthur—rides a Roomba floor cleaner while wearing his suit. But instead of hungrily chasing a baby duckling, CatShark appears just to be on a kitchen joy ride in this new video as his owner shucks corn in the background."
HOLLYWOOD MOVIE NUGGET!!
They’re Greenlighting This? 14 Upcoming Movies That Make Us Question Hollywood’s Thought Process from Styleblazer
"Like a shark following a trail of blood, Tinseltown doesn’t often stop to think about the logic behind the productions being fast tracked. That’s where we come in– here are 14 projects that are causing us to seriously question Hollywood’s thought process."
None of these projects surprise me. Given the track record Marvel has had with its various characters and teams on the big screen, I wouldn't be surprised if Guardians of the Galaxy actually turns out better than this author suggests.
WORLD WAR I NUGGET!!
World War One from the OTHER side: Hundreds of Images Taken by a German Soldier Reveal the Misery of the Enemy's Trenches from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Walter Koessler took almost 1,000 images while he served in the German Army during the war.
The images have been perfectly preserved by his descendants in America but were unseen by public.
Walter's great-grandson Dean Putney has shared them and hopes they 'humanize the war'. Is fundraising to turn the unique collection into a photo book in time for next year's 100th anniversary."
PHOTO SATIRE NUGGET!!
‘Fallen Princesses’: The Amazing Photos of Depressed Disney Royalty from the Daily Beast
"Photographer Dina Goldstein discusses her mesmerizing series, which depicts pop culture’s most famous princesses’ lives—without the fairytale ending."
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