Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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PDF What do you make of this story? Either Robert Gibbs misspoke in raising this Queen business, or someone in the Obama White House was supposed to handle this chore and didn't get around to it. Weird.
I think it's pretty clear at this point that Obama has some kind of thing about poor Gordon Brown. He doesn't really like the guy. Maybe it's just that Brown is very unpopular, and Obama is suspicious that Brown would try to bask in Obama's refracted glow. But that wouldn't explain non-watchable DVDs.
The more chilling possibility, of course, is that it isn't really about Brown and that Obama just doesn't like England that much. Could this be possible?
When Barack and I were growing up -- we're about the same age -- Britain was the coolest thing going. The Beatles, the Stones, everything that came after -- I would have killed to have a British accent when I was young. I doubt he was immune to this. Usually these emotional impulses, the ones that get implanted into your DNA when you're very young. But maybe he was immune to it. Strange.
Hence, the contest: Since Obama gave Brown DVDs about America, what DVDs about Britain would you suggest he see in order that he get a better, fuller, more nuanced picture of your great nation? I don't necessarily mean patriotic or happy-talk movies, just great movies that are very British. My list: This Happy Breed; Brief Encounter; The Entertainer; The Four Feathers; A Hard Day's Night; Last Orders (very underappreciated); Look Back in Anger; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; something by Hitchcock, and something by Powell and Pressburger, though I'm not sure what.
Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
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Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
[Source: Nascar News]
Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
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Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
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Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
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Queen Elizabeth's D-Day anniversary snub, and a Tomasky blog contest
posted by 88956 @ 11:02 PM,
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Gay mayor's illicit love shakes a Texas town
PrintEmailPDF The small Texan city of San Angelo has been turned upside down by one of the most unusual sex scandals ever to make an impact on American political life.
Joseph Lown, the popular mayor, suddenly resigned last week after revealing he had fallen madly in love with an illegal immigrant. That was the first revelation; the second was that his new partner was another man.
Not surprisingly the news has become the talk of Texas. In the socially conservative and solidly Republican state, gay marriage and illegal immigration are probably the two hottest potatoes in town. Perhaps, then, it was no wonder that Lown announced the end of his career from Mexico, where he had fled to be with his new boyfriend and from where he could mourn the end of an otherwise successful political career.
The news came as a bombshell. Lown, aged only 32, had just won a fourth term with a massive 89% of the vote. He was immensely popular after having worked long hours to fix the city's infrastructure and attending hundreds of community meetings.
But, in a scene of drama that would be hard to top, he sent a text message to a city official hours before a ceremony to swear him back into office. Lown explained he was in Mexico City with the man he loved, and would not be coming back any time soon.
Not surprisingly, some local commentators greeted the news with a degree of hyperbole. "It was, simply put, the most stunning abdication since Edward VIII gave up the British throne for Wallis Simpson in 1936," declared Rick Casey of the Houston Chronicle
It left San Angelo officials bemused. At a hastily called press conference they were at pains to point out that Lown had left not because his partner was a man, but because he was illegal. Lown's decision to resign, they said, had been taken because no mayor could be seen to be aiding and abetting someone who had broken the law. "He hopes that the people of San Angelo will respect his decision," said Ty Meighan, the city council spokesman.
Despite the image of Texas as firmly in the anti-gay bible belt, there is a strong chance of that happening. The demographic nature of Texas has changed in recent years. Houston, Dallas and Austin all boast thriving gay communities. Dallas, in fact, has an image as the "gay cowboy capital" of America.
Lown himself seemed to back the view that his decision to follow his heart had struck a chord with the citizens of San Angelo. In a press conference from Mexico, Lown said he had received hundreds of messages of support. He had already personally replied to more than 300 of them. "I am frankly very touched. Touched deeply by all the support of the people in our city," he said.
Lown explained that he and his unnamed partner would shortly be moving to another city in Mexico. There they would embark on the long process of trying to apply for legal residency for his boyfriend, although he admitted that could take years. He said he wanted to come back to the United States but, in the finest traditions of great love stories, he said that he had to follow his heart and try to make things work with the man he loved.
"I had to give this situation the opportunity or I would regret it the rest of my life," he said.
guardian.co.uk ? Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Gay mayor's illicit love shakes a Texas town
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Gay mayor's illicit love shakes a Texas town
[Source: Sun News]
Gay mayor's illicit love shakes a Texas town
[Source: The Daily News]
Gay mayor's illicit love shakes a Texas town
[Source: News Article]
Gay mayor's illicit love shakes a Texas town
posted by 88956 @ 8:11 PM,
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Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
PrintEmailPDF Interesting point from First Read: "We've wondered what Obama's election would do to other senators. For years, senators were told they'd never get to the White House, and the stats proved it. Now, with governors in general less popular now than before, having a well-rounded issue experience that a senator gets may mean more to voters than so-called executive experience."
Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
[Source: Television News]
Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
[Source: Salem News]
Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
[Source: Television News]
Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
[Source: China News]
Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
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Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
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Will GOP Look to Senate for 2012 Nominee?
posted by 88956 @ 6:59 PM,
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Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
PrintEmailPDF It's not surprising when Vice President Dick Cheney disagrees with President Obama. But it is surprising when he takes a more progressive position than the president.
Said Cheney: "I think that freedom means freedom for everyone. As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay, and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish. The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don't support. I do believe that... historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis... But I don't have any problem with that. People ought to get a shot at that."
Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
[Source: The Daily News]
Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
[Source: Rome News]
Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
[Source: The Daily News]
Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
[Source: News 4]
Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
[Source: News Herald]
Cheney Supports Gay Marriage
posted by 88956 @ 5:34 PM,
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Monolith hiring for new 'first-person action game'
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Monolith Productions -- the developers behind titles such as F.E.A.R., Condemned, and, if you're an older gamer, No One Lives Forever -- are looking for a software engineer for a "triple-A next-generation console title," as a recent job posting on the developer's site points out. Further down into the nitty-gritty of the listing, you'll find a brief description for this new Xbox 360, PS3, and PC title: "Work closely with engineers, designers, and artists on the creation of game systems for a cutting-edge first-person action game on PlayStation 3, XBox 360 and PC."
And, sadly, that's about all of the information on the game the job listing provides. With F.E.A.R. 2 releasing this past February, we'd be hard-pressed to consider a new entry in that series, so we're crossing our fingers for a new No One Lives Forever.
[Via IGN]
Monolith hiring for new 'first-person action game' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Monolith hiring for new 'first-person action game'
Monolith hiring for new 'first-person action game'
posted by 88956 @ 2:51 PM,
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Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy
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About the Author: P.J. Crowley serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.
Last week, I began my tenure as the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. I am humbled and exhilarated by the task before me and am grateful for the trust and confidence President Obama and Secretary Clinton have placed in me.
Almost 20 years ago, I was assigned to Germany, one of the highlights of my 26 years serving with the U.S. Air Force. I have been contemplating those days as I prepared for this assignment. During my time in Germany, the Berlin Wall ceased to divide East from West. The people of East and West Germany literally pushed until the wall was breached and ultimately removed.
In the aftermath, when given a choice, the people of Eastern Europe rejected Communism and moved swiftly to associate themselves with the rule of law, market economies and responsible and accountable governments. This success was due in no small measure to institutions like the United States Information Agency, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, which helped foreign publics understand that they could have the rights and opportunities of free people. This was public diplomacy at its best, and proved to be a cornerstone of our policy of containment. Now, Secretary Clinton’s focus on using smart power – the full compliment of diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural tools is leading us back to a balanced approach to foreign policy that served us well throughout our history.
As we know, global challenges hardly disappeared with the end of the Cold War. Today, we continue to combat extreme ideologies in an expanding conflict in Afghanistan while dealing with festering violence in Iraq. Success in this current struggle will require the same kind of patience, determination and skill that we demonstrated during the Cold War – identifying a clear, peaceful and modern alternative to the people of the world, reinforcing our strategic narrative while diminishing that of extremist insurgents. As Secretary Clinton stated in her recent testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the State Department is seeking the resources to deploy a new strategic communication strategy to buttress our foreign policy. Ultimately, we cannot succeed unless we build and sustain public support at home and around the world.
Today’s global communications environment is dramatically different than it was even a few years ago. A digital image can be transmitted from anywhere in the world at an instant, as we saw with the cell phone image of the execution of Saddam Hussein and its impact.
One of my goals is to have the State Department communicate its message more strategically. In order to do this, we must be dynamic and use all available means both old and new media - traditional methods such as the Daily Press Briefings as well as experimenting with new media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and video through the Internet. The culmination of this effort will be a virtual presence that is engaged in a global dialogue, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in all corners of the world.
Given the expanded nature of the communications environment, Secretary Clinton decided to restructure the Bureau of Public Affairs. I will serve as the Assistant Secretary, but not as the every day spokesman for the department. One of my foremost responsibilities will be to ensure that public affairs informs public policy. This is why you’ll hear me repeatedly coming back to the idea of a strategic communications plan. My task, working with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and the newly designated spokesman, Ian Kelly, will be to serve as the senior advisor to the Secretary, contribute to the administration’s interagency strategic planning and lead the Bureau of Public Affairs and the dedicated public affairs professionals at the State Department and around the world. I am an avid Red Sox fan. Judith is a Yankees fan and Ian, a Cubs fan, but we are united by a higher calling and significant challenges.
Tackling these global challenges – extremism, nonproliferation, climate change, global health and food security just to name a few – will require, as Secretary Clinton has said repeatedly, coordinated, international partnerships at the government-to-government and people-to-people levels and all variations in between. In order to build and sustain such partnerships, we must communicate effectively. Effective communication is a two-way street, so as much as I look forward to keeping you informed on new initiatives, I’m even more eager to hear your ideas.
Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy
[Source: News Paper]
Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy
[Source: Sunday News]
Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy
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Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy
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Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy
posted by 88956 @ 2:37 PM,
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