(Gradual) Change We Can Believe In

June 8th, 2009

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Liberty University declares Democrats immoral

May 22nd, 2009

Liberty University, the evangelical school in Virginia founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, is drawing heat Friday for its decision to revoke recognition of the College Democrats' chapter on campus.

According to the Lynchburg News & Advance, the school decided a week ago the organization “stood against the moral principles” held by the school and therefore could no longer be sanctioned.

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Older people have antibodies that target the Swine Flu

May 21st, 2009

Until 1957, the different strains of seasonal flu were weaker descendants of the 1918 Spanish Flu. In 1957, the Asian Flu became the dominant kind of flu (and was later replaced by the Hong Kong Flu in 1968). Because the Swine Flu is more closely related to the Spanish Flu, people who were born before 1957 have more resistance to the Swine Flu.

Confirming the first impressions of many American and Mexican doctors, federal health officials said on Wednesday that people born before 1957 appear to have some immunity to the swine flu virus now circulating.

Tests on blood serum from older people showed that they had antibodies that attacked the new virus, Dr. Daniel Jernigan, chief flu epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a telephone news conference.

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Afghanistan’s Only Pig Quarantined in Flu Fear

May 6th, 2009

Afghanistan apparently has one pig. It lives in a zoo.

Afghanistan’s only known pig has been locked in a room, away from visitors to Kabul zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as swine flu.

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The Mormons Baptized Obama’s Mom

May 6th, 2009

In 2008, the Mormon Church baptized President Obama’s mother posthumously. Which didn’t surprise me much. But apparently the baptism was against the Mormon religious code because the dead are only supposed to be baptized when a living, Mormon relative submits them for it. And here I thought they were just baptizing the entire human race will-nilly.

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Renegado, Mr. Tempest, and the Virgin Mary

May 4th, 2009


Lucha Libre wrestlers Renegado and Mr. Tempest look at an image of the Virgin Mary said to have appeared on a griddle at Las Palmas restaurant in Calexico. “I follow Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Mr. Tempest said after the viewing. “This is amazing. It’s a true miracle.”

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VP and POTUS holding hands

April 29th, 2009

Always fun: The White House Flickr stream. Here’s a picture of the President and Vice President holding hands.

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Fox & MSNBC on Specter

April 28th, 2009

An event like Arlen Specter’s party switch really brings out the differences between Fox & MSNBC.

Here’s MSNBC:

Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter abruptly switched parties Tuesday, a move intended to boost his chances of winning re-election next year but also pushed Democrats within one seat of a 60-vote supermajority they need to push President Barack Obama’s agenda through the Senate.

“This is a painful decision,” said Specter at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “I know that I’m disappointing a lot of my friends and colleagues…the disappointment runs in both directions.”

And Fox:

Veteran GOP Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced Tuesday he will switch political parties and run in the Democratic primary in 2010.

Republican voters had sent him to the Senate five times. But faced with the prospect of a strong challenge from conservative Pat Toomey in the GOP primary and the state trending Democratic, Specter issued a statement that he was going to jump ship.

“I deeply regret that I will be disappointing many friends and supporters,” Specter said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“I can understand their disappointment,” he continued. “I am also disappointed that so many in the party I have worked for for more than four decades do not want me to be their candidate. It is very painful on both sides.”

Love Fox’s emphasis on how sad Specter is that Republicans hate him for being a total loser. Of course MSNBC pushes the notion that Republicans are jerks and they push nice guys around, but as a partisan, I’m ok with that.

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Obama learns from a Bush success

April 23rd, 2009

An interesting observation in David Broder’s column about Obama’s first 100 days. Whatever else you may say about Bush, he knew how to manage his schedule, and that’s one of the fundamental challenges of the Presidency.

Obama inherited a much-improved scheduling system from the first MBA president, George W. Bush, with an electronic calendar, stretching from the next day to the next month to the next year, available to senior staffers. Obama has continued Bush's pattern of weekly Saturday scheduling sessions, run by Emanuel; Alyssa Mastromonaco, the director of scheduling and advance; and Danielle Crutchfield, the president's own scheduler, and attended by other senior staffers. A daily early-morning scheduling huddle allows for fine-tuning.

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