Archive For March 2010
The Many Faces (And Arm Movements) Of Nicolas Sarkozy (PHOTOS)
on March 30, 2010 by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
While Nicolas Sarkozy and his supermodel wife Carla Bruni have taken America by storm with their dazzling smiles and hip clothes, the French president showed an audience at Columbia University another side of him. Well, several more sides of him.
Like Charles de Gaulle before him, it seems Sarkozy is quite fond of using his arms to drive home his point. Couple that with his dramatic facial expressions and you’ve got a worthy challenger to Marcel Marceau’s crown.
The GOP Is "Shooting the Messenger"
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
I disagree with House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) that the media and Democrats are “fanning the flames” by reporting harassment, death threats, vandalism, and brick throwing directed at ten Democratic Representatives who recently voted “yes” on the Health Care Reform bill that recently passed in Congress. Isn’t this, pardon the metaphor, like “shooting the messenger”?
Are we supposed to ignore this intimidation? Act as though it is not happening? How foolish is that? Also isn’t it a little hypocritical to state a bullet was shot through your office window while declaring we shouldn’t report these matters? Turns out the bullet didn’t go through Cantor’s office but landed nearby and was a stray shot as a result of random gunfire, but let’s not be picky. What the Representative was trying to say was “we Republicans get targeted too”, which I am sure is true.
President Clinton On Haiti: How His Organization Spends Money
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
President Clinton posted a video to his YouTube page on Tuesday, describing the Clinton Foundation’s efforts in Haiti, and how money has been allocated thus far.
He says donations received have been put to good use — three million dollars have already been spent on a wide array of items: 20 tons of medical supplies, 90 trucks, 9,000 solar flashlights, 34,000 tents, 2,000 latrines, over 1,000 stoves and over 100,000 pieces of clothing.
President Clinton On Haiti: How His Organization Spends Money
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
President Clinton posted a video to his YouTube page on Tuesday, describing the Clinton Foundation’s efforts in Haiti, and how money donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund has been allocated thus far.
He says donations received have been put to good use — three million dollars have already been spent on a wide array of items: 20 tons of medical supplies, 90 trucks, 9,000 solar flashlights, 34,000 tents, 2,000 latrines, over 1,000 stoves and over 100,000 pieces of clothing.
Students and Workers Face Shared Crisis
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
On March 4th, students and workers around the country took to the streets to demonstrate against statewide budget cuts that would make it more difficult for students to go to college and potentially lay off thousands of workers in the public sector.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reported:
High Speed Chase UPDATE:: Rush Hour Shooting Investigated (VIDEO)
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
LOS ANGELES (AP)— Two Burbank police officers were placed on temporary leave Tuesday as authorities investigated their actions in the shooting of a suspect after a high-speed, rush-hour chase.
The shooting occurred Monday evening, when the stolen Chevrolet Blazer being pursued got stuck in traffic near Universal Studios.
It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s… a Blanket?
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
According to Psychiatrist Dr. Passman:
A security blanket is something which dispels a sense of anxiety. The term is often used literally, to refer to the blankets and other objects carried by young children. Studies on comfort objects have shown that having a comfort object or security blanket can help a child adapt to a new or stressful situation. Being able to cling to a security blanket can help a child feel less agitated when his or her parents are not around.
Please note that Dr. Passman used the term “young children” instead of “adult” or “someone who is 33.”
Mr. Insecure and I met in line at the grocery store. The minute he flashed his pearly whites at me while making a snarky comment about my need for so many paper products (I was buying paper towels, napkins, toilet paper and 2 bottles of red wine. What? My roommate and I go through a lot of paper products and booze what can I say?), I knew this man was going to be my next conquest, ahem, I mean date here in Chicago. He was tall, dark, and handsome with piercing blue eyes and an amazing smile that exuded a certain confidence that I find very sexy. He was in front of me in line and by the time I finished checking out at the store, he was outside waiting for me and offered to help me carry my groceries home. Considering the fact that one of my gloves must have fallen out of my pocket somewhere between my house and the paper product aisle, I quickly obliged in order to be able to stick my hands in my pockets and refrain from frost bite. In the time it took to walk from the grocery store to my house, I found out that he worked for a large advertising company in the loop, he’s 33, a good small town boy at heart, and owns a condo in the neighborhood. We get to my door and he asked for my number and I happily offered it to him, along with a roll of toilet paper.
WATCH: Haitians Explain Their Needs In Student Film Project
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
The world is used to seeing videos from Haiti emblazoned with the CNN logo or AP watermark. But the moment is rare when Haitians can tell their own stories both on camera and from behind the camera.
Oxfam International sent us the video below — made by Haitian film students — along with these details about its production:
Two Birds with One Stone: Strengthen Social Security and Lower Unemployment at the Same Time
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
The recession has had victims across generations, from retired Americans who have lost value on homes and stock investments and need to go back to work, to those planning to retire soon, who now find they can’t, to recent graduates, who are looking for jobs, but find there are no openings. The President and some members of Congress are sounding alarm bells about the deficit, and targeting Social Security for cuts. But cutting Social Security will not solve any of the above problems.
Social Security is not in crisis, despite the alarmist rhetoric. Don’t be fooled. The Social Security surplus, often referred to as the Trust Fund, is $2.4 trillion dollars. It’s enough to continue to pay out benefits through 2037, without a single change, and the funding was planned this way because we knew the boomers would create a bubble when they began to retire, requiring a surplus. In the recent past, the federal government has borrowed from the surplus, which is counted as part of the national debt. It’s been used to pay for wars, bank bailouts, and Bush-era tax cuts. But we can’t reduce the debt by defaulting on those notes. It’s our money, we paid in, and the government owes it back to us.
FBI Questions American Travelers To Cuba
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
At least 10 Americans who recently traveled to Cuba through cultural exchange programs have been questioned by FBI agents, either at home or over the phone, lawyers for the groups tell Huffington Post.
Most of those who claim they were questioned traveled to Cuba through the Vencermeos Brigade, a group which sends up to 100 people to Cuba each year to participate in exchange programs, perform volunteer work and meet Cuban artists.