Your Halloween Afternoon Read

Happy Halloween For the first time ever, my daughter will spend Halloween in a foreign country. I can fully sympathize with the author of this piece. Trick or treat: Is Halloween another tacky American import or a bit of harmless fun that boosts the economy? As urban legends go, the one about unsuspecting trick-or-treaters having [...]

Gratuitious ratings scheme or just good information?

Over at Townhall.com they’ve sparked a debate over whether Dr. Nancy, from MSNBC, was looking for a ratings boost or reporting on important information.  It stems from an on-air depiction of a breast-self exam demonstrated on a local news station, WJLA in Washington DC.  Dr. Nancy led her segment off with a clip of the [...]

Halloween Frights and Funnies: Party Open Thread

The time nears when ghosts, goblins, witches, and black cats will be lining the darkened streets of your neighborhood in search of “Tricks” or “Treats.”  Halloween, October 31st, has been linked to several religious and pagan celebrations such as the Celtic festival of Samhain, the Christian holiday of All Saints (All Hallows Eve), or the [...]

Friday Morning News and Views: Halloween Eve Edition

Good Morning Conflucians!!! It’s Friday and on top of that it’s Halloween Eve! And I’m looking forward to the TC Halloween party tonight, hosted by Stateofdisbelief! I hope to see you all there. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Rico, the bartender. Perhaps he’ll put in an appearance at the party. So what’s happening in [...]

Thursday Schmursday…gimme some Friday

Ahh, Thursday.  We’ve made it through hump day and it’s downhill now to the end of the day Friday.  The news has been predictable and slow: Healthcare yada yada yada. ************************** Hillary Clinton’s arrival in Pakistan Met by Fatal Attacks ************************** Was that poor girl in California who was gang-raped in front of 20 people [...]

Obama told us so

There’s some amazement floating around (e.g. Digby, TPM) about this: President Barack Obama is actively discouraging Senate Democrats in their effort to include a public insurance option with a state opt-out clause as part of health care reform. In its place, say multiple Democratic sources, Obama has indicated a preference for an alternative policy, favored [...]

Monday Morning News and Views

Good Morning Conflucians! I’ve been grading papers nonstop over the weekend, so I’m a little bit out of touch with what’s happening in the news. From what I can gather through my web surfing this morning, it looks to me like the two biggest stories on the domestic front are the protests late last night [...]

Happy Birthday Hillary!

Today is Hillary Clinton’s birthday.  How can we thank her appropriately for her inspiration and leadership? I would like to express my wishes by saying this to you Hillary: On behalf of my family, who is ever grateful to you and your fabulous husband, thank you Madame Secretary from the bottom of my heart.  I [...]

Your Breakfast Read, Sunday Edition

Democrats In The Age of Obama Obama fatigue or Democrats fatigue? Which one is it? Democratic Party encounters ‘Obama hangover’ in state, local elections Some Democratic candidates running for local office around the country call the phenomenon the “Obama hangover.” It is proving tougher to recruit volunteers and get people to vote. “It’s like the [...]

Helen Thomas and Craig Crawford Offer Advice to President Obama

This is interesting Helen Thomas and Craig Crawford have written a book together in which they discuss Thomas’ recollections of all the Presidents she has covered, beginning with John F. Kennedy. It’s called Listen Up, Mr. President At CNN.com, the two reporters offer “five key insights” for the current President. There is also a great [...]