Clipmarks | Newfman's 'politics' clips

Insanely Useful websites

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:58:47 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

The following sites and resources are “insanely useful Web sites” for government transparency. They provide a broad range of information available to track government and legislative information, campaign contributions and the role of money in politics.

Many of these resources apply the Web 2.0 ethos to sift, share and combine this information in innovative ways – often times by mashing data together from disparate sources to maximize the usability of that information.

This is not a complete list of government data-related Web sites

Insanely Useful Web Sites

Tags: useful

Cheney's heart shocked back into rhythm....Cheney has a heart?

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:55:49 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Vice President Dick Cheney was recovering at home Monday night after being treated for an irregular heart beat, found Monday morning during a checkup for lingering cold symptoms, Cheney's office said.

Doctors found atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart.

Cheney was treated at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., undergoing cardioversion — delivery of an electric impulse to the heart, which is a standard treatment for atrial fibrillation.

The treatment is performed as an outpatient procedure, and Cheney returned home Monday night.

Tags: politics

New political party promises weekly orgasms, marijuana for all

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:13:24 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.cbc.ca

OTTAWA - Talk about a party platform.

The Rhinos are back and they're hoping to lure voters with the tantalizing promise of weekly orgasms - and marijuana in every pot. The Neorhino party promises to declare Spanish as Canada's official language and pass legislation forcing Prime Minister Stephen Harper to go on a diet.

They're proud of smoking pot, they draw their political inspiration from cigar-chomping comics and rock legends, and they want to get elected so they can stick it to "The Man."

The new party - officially called neorhino.ca - is one of at least two groups claiming to be a reincarnation of the defunct Rhinocerous party that specialized in political satire.

Like the old Rhinos, the party has no clear political ideology except for two deep beliefs: something's seriously wrong with the state of modern politics, and Canadian public discourse could use a lot more fun.

"We are a Marxist-Lennonist party - based on the philosophy of Groucho Marx and John Lennon,"

Tags: politics

What I learned from Bush

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 20:57:34 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.flickr.com

This girl got a lot of attention for this one. The sign reads:

What I learned from BUSH
1. Lying is O.K.
2. Cheating is O.K.
3. Torture is O.K.
4. Taking people's rights is O.K.
5. Neglecting the poor is O.K.
6. Being a religious hypocrite is O.K.
7. Killing is O.K.
8. Incompetence is O.K.
9. Cronyism is O.K.

Tags: politics

Rumsfeld 'kept up fear of terror attacks'

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 02:32:40 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Donald Rumsfeld, the former United States defence secretary, tried to maintain an atmosphere of fear in America as part of the Iraq war propaganda campaign, a series of leaked memos has shown.

One memo, written in April 2006, contained a list of instructions to Pentagon staff including "Keep elevating the threat" and "Talk about Somalia, the Philippines etc. Make the American people realise they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists".

Another said "link Iraq to Iran. Iran is the concern of the American people, and if we fail in Iraq, it will advantage Iran". He also urged staff to produce "bumper sticker statements" to rally the public around the war.

The newspaper reported that his emails were so numerous they were called "snowflakes". He would send between 20 and 60 a day, often instructing his team to refute negative news stories in the media.

Tags: politics

Free Online Documentaries

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:50:42 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: best.online.docus.googlepages.com

Documentaries

Anthropology

Biographies

Business

Environment

Foreign

(Geo)Politics

Health

History

Lifestyle/Society

Mystery

Religion

Science

Technology/Future

Tags: educatiion

"Et Pew, Brutus?"......No Smelly Romans! Ancient Baths Discovered.

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 19:16:13 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

A large 2nd-century bath complex believed to be part of a wealthy Roman's luxurious residence has been partially dug up, archaeologists said Thursday.

The exceptionally well-preserved two-story complex, which extends for at least five acres, includes ornate hot rooms, vaults, changing rooms, marble latrines and an underground room where slaves lit the fire to warm the baths.

Ancient Romans put a great deal of emphasis on bathing, turning the art of the soak into a ritual. Meeting at communal bath houses, they went through a series of rooms of alternating temperatures at a leisurely pace, dipping themselves in hot and cold baths. Bathing was a social event as well as a way to purify the body and relax.

"The Romans had more leisure time than other people, and it's here in the baths that they typically spent their time," Arya said. "Because you could eat well, you could get a massage, you could have sex, you could gossip, you could play your games, you could talk about politics

Tags: history

Vermont Senate votes for Bush, Cheney impeachment

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:52:26 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Vermont state senators voted Friday to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, saying their actions have raised "serious questions of constitutionality."

The nonbinding resolution was approved 16-9 without debate — all six Republicans in the chamber at the time and three Democrats voted against it.

Bush and Cheney's actions in the U.S. and abroad, including in Iraq, "raise serious questions of constitutionality, statutory legality, and abuse of the public trust," the resolution reads.

The Vermont Senate is believed to be the first state chamber in the country to pass such a resolution, said Bill Wyatt, a National Conference of State Legislatures spokesman. "Many chambers passed resolutions about the war in Iraq, but none that we are aware have called for impeachment," he said.

State lawmakers in Wisconsin and Washington have pushed for similar resolutions.

Tags: politics

McCain: "Bomb,bomb,bomb,bomb,bomb Iran"

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:59:38 GMT

clipped by: Newfman
clipper's remarks: Sung to the tune of "Barbara Ann", by The Beach Boys

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Sen. John McCain's straight talk took a musical curve on Wednesday when the 2008 Republican presidential candidate broke out in song in response to a question about possible military action against Iran.

Speaking to a group of veterans in the Murrells Inlet VFW Hall in South Carolina, McCain, perhaps loopy from cold medicine and speaking for nearly 90 minutes, invoked the Beach Boys' melody Barbara Ann to respond to a question about when the U.S. would "send an air mail message to Iran."

McCain answered by going into the song's paraphrased chorus: “Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.”

It's not the first time the song has been borrowed to express the sentiment. After the 1979 American embassy hostage crisis, a parody was created that has been revised in varying forms since the beginning of the war in Iraq.

Tags: politics

Allies desert 'lame duck president'

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 12:50:41 GMT

clipped by: Newfman
clipper's remarks: For your commentary

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

George W Bush's presidency is effectively over on the home front two years before he is due to quit the White House, according to former aides and allies.

David Frum, a former White House speech writer, and Jim Nuzzo, a West Wing aide to Mr Bush's father, have both told The Sunday Telegraph that the president cannot achieve anything more in domestic politics and is now a captive of international events.

Mr Nuzzo branded Mr Bush a "lame duck" who had forfeited the support of senior Republicans.

They spoke out after a week in which a former member of Mr Bush's inner circle launched a withering description of how the president had "become more secluded and bubbled-in" with a shrinking band of loyalists.

Matthew Dowd, the chief strategist of the 2004 re-election campaign, said that Mr Bush had lost his once fabled "gut-level bond with the American people" and called for him to respond to a growing public desire to pull out of Iraq.

Tags: politics