Month: July 2008

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announces his intention to resign as Prime Minister of Israel on July 30, 2008 in Jerusalem, Israel. Embattled Prime Minister Olmert will step down from office in two months time when his Kadima Party chooses a new leader from it’s scheduled leadership vote on September 17. Olmert said he will stand down because his family is being hurt by the corruption allegations against him. A corruption inquiry as well as criticism of his handling of recent conflicts have put pressure on Olmert to resign. Image by photo pool/Getty.

By Patrick Appel
Where the candidates are spending their money.

by Chris Bodenner
Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet:

The baby was also wrapped in a blanket emblazoned with the Gore family crest, which, because it is made of Earth materials, will be invulnerable on the new planet. It is hoped that one day it will be fashioned into a colorful costume for the boy to wear while fighting wrongdoers.

By Patrick Appel
Tyler Cowen advises:

Think of a blog as competing with both Google and Wikipedia, among other aggregators.  If you knew you wanted to read about "the minimum wage," you could bypass Tyler and Alex and Google to the best entries (some of which might include us, of course).  But with Google and Wikipedia you must choose the topic.  A good blog writer can randomize the topic for you, much like a good DJ controls the sequence of the music.

by Chris Bodenner
Dayton’s Grandview Hospital is using Nintendo to help patients recover from physical injury.

By Patrick Appel
Weigel observes:

Has McCain run the sloppiest Republican campaign since Dole ’96? Sure; I don’t think you can look at how he wasted his four-month honeymoon during the Clinton-Obama fight and conclude otherwise. But convincing voters that the media is unfair to him is the most impressive trick McCain has pulled. This is a campaign that, seven months ago, was rebroadcasting Tim Russert’s description of McCain’s heroism in its TV ads.

I don’t think McCain’s comeback would have been possible had the political press not been scoring points for him all throughout 2007. His comeback was willed into existence by reporters; you could find helpful analyses of what he could do to win as early as July last year. It’s part of what makes the Obama-McCain battle a fair fight, not a hopelessly lopsided fight: Both men are beloved by the press in a way no one’s been since, arguably, Carter in 1976. Seriously, look at the way the ridiculous Wesley Clark story was covered this month and try to argue that the media’s being unfair to McCain.

by Chris Bodenner
Reacting to news that AP Washington bureau chief Ron Fournier considered taking ‘a senior advisory role’ with the McCain campaign in 2006, TAP‘s Adam Serwer wrote:

The point is — none of this should have mattered. Having political beliefs or sympathies shouldn’t affect the way a journalist does their job, and this article wouldn’t even have been written if the AP didn’t have reporters writing stuff like this. Some might see this as just another example of why ‘objectivity’ in journalism is a myth, but for some reason, that’s an argument I find a great deal more compelling with a network or a newspaper. There’s something disconcerting about bias in wire services, since many papers may rely on them entirely for their national affairs or international coverage. There’s also something bizarre about Fournier’s brand of ‘accountability journalism’, which aims to be opinionated but essentially relies on the credibility of the AP’s past, non-opinionated work for any sense of authority, the reputation of wire reporters as ‘straight-shooters’. In other words, the appeal of AP reporters giving their opinions is premised on the myth that wire reporters can’t possibly have strong ideological opinions.

(H/T Blogometer)

By Patrick Appel
McCain’s new anti-Obama ad has pushed former McCain strategist John Weaver over the edge:

"John’s been a celebrity ever since he was shot down," Weaver said. "Whatever that means.  And I recall Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush going overseas and all those waving American flags…For McCain to win in such troubled times, he needs to begin telling the American people how he intends to lead us. That McCain exists. He can inspire the country to greatness…There is legitimate mockery of a political campaign now, and it isn’t at Obama’s. For McCain’s sake, this tomfoolery needs to stop."

By Patrick Appel
Despite being born without arms, Tony Melendez can play "Let It Be" —with his feet:

(Hat tip: Good)

By Patrick Appel
A chart showing the biggest arm dealing countries in the world.