One quadrillion seventy two trillion four hundred and eighteen billion and three million dollars only
Zimbabwean dollars, that is. To help curb the country’s 11.2 million percent inflation, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe cut ten 0’s off of the currency. This check was written just prior to that. (via investment postcards from cape town)
Why did Lieberman speak at the RNC? Isn’t he a Democrat?
Why no, he’s not. He’s been an “Independent Democrat” since 2006. He spoke at the convention because “country matters more than party.”
Did Palin really sell the government plane on eBay?
No. She did put it on eBay but it was later sold by a plane broker for $2.1 million. Palin’s predecessor, Frank Murkowski, used state money to buy the plane for $2.7 million. (thanks Nick and Matt for the heads up.)
What was the Bridge to Nowhere?
A proposed bridge from Ketchikan, Alaska to Ketchikan International Airport on Gravina Island, Alaska. It would replace the ferry and was projected to cost about $400 million. It was proposed in 2005 and was cancelled by Palin in 2007, indicating the funds could be better used elsewhere.
What is the SPR?
It’s the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, America’s emergency supply of oil. We currently have 707.2 million barrels of oil as of August 29, the largest emergency supply in the world.
Drill Baby Drill?
Um, no. That’s not going to cure what ails us. The EIA estimates drilling in the ANWR would lower the price of oil by a mere $1.44 per barrel, at most.
Is it true Obama abstained from 130 Senate votes?
Yes, Obama voted “present” 129 times during his eight years in the Illinois Senate. But “not all ‘present’ votes are cowardly… I think he believed that he was doing the right thing, because something, in his mind, might have been unconstitutional,” says Rich Miller, who writes and publishes The Capitol Fax, a daily newsletter and blog on Illinois politics.
Giuliani really went full throttle didn’t he?
Yep.
How old is Mrs. McCain?
96.
How old is Mrs. McCain?
54.
Why can’t McCain raise his arms?
As a prisoner of war in Vietnam, he was tortured by having his head tied between his ankles with his arms behind him, where he was left for hours. It so badly hurt his shoulders that he cannot raise his arms above his head.
We all know the story about how McCain was released from Vietnamese prison early, but elected to stay. But why was he chosen to leave?
He states in his reflections that he was allowed to go home early because his father was a high ranking admiral. Did you know that McCain’s family has a tradition of military service dating back to the Revolutionary War?
How does McCain have a Bangladeshi daughter?
Cindy McCain was visiting Mother Theresa’s orphanage in Bangladesh in 1991 and met an infant with a cleft palate so severe the orphanage could not feed her properly. Fearing she could not be saved, Cindy took the child home wtih her to save her life. After the long flight with the child, she decided the baby would be joining her family.
Does McCain really vote against Vets?
He voted against various amendments that would provide money to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for healthcare.
Does anyone remember when McCain was almost left the Republican party?
You should, he did it twice. In 2001, he had discussions with Democrats about leaving the GOP. Then again in 2004, he apparently considered becoming Kerry’s running mate on a Democratic ticket.
And as for a stated plan?
He didn’t outline hard plans in his speech, but played more to his integrity, his service to our country, and his ability to cross party lines. Though I did get the following:
- keep taxes low; create more jobs
- cut government spending
- non government run healthcare system
- offshore drilling, as well as investment and research into nuclear, renewables, and clean coal
- equal access to education for all
- limiting power of teachers unions
- wage insurance for laid off factory workers
Is McCain the next Bush?
No. But that’s just my opinion. I thought this article about the “frenemies” was pretty interesting.
“In July 2006, women accounted for just under 17% of parliamentarians worldwide. A woman was the head of government in only seven countries.” This could be due to short supply, higher cost to entry due to family, or to voter attitude, which previous research has found may be “distaste” for female leadership.
Is that “distaste” why we’ve seen such out lash against Palin? As Laura Bush suggested in an interview with ABC’s Brian Williams this week, “No one would be talking about a man’s children and how many children they had, or any other thing about their children.” And as Giuliani last night proclaimed, “How dare they question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president? When do they ever ask a man that question?” Instead of attacking Obama’s lack of experience, the media attacks Palin’s, arguing she would be unfit to step in as President if circumstances required it. So is this more than just the typical media bias?
Researchers at the Center for International Development at Harvard have found that voters, men in particular, are prejudiced against female leaders. At least those in certain villages in India, where the 73rdAmendment mandates that at least 1/3 of government positions be filled by women. This mandate allowed the researchers to study the attitude toward female leaders and how exposure to female leadership changed those attitudes.
They found that the voters in a village with its first female leader give evaluations of the woman’s performance that are lower than those of her men counterparts (even when the woman outperforms the men). However, that “distaste” dissipates over time – when a village is exposed a second time to a female leader, the woman’s evaluations are on par with those of her male counterparts. It appears, per the research, that exposure to a female leader reduces prejudice by 50 to 100% (depending on the village).
The study is both preliminary and incomplete, and it certainly may be a stretch for me to apply the findings to our current political situation, especially considering Hillary’s 18 million popular votes do not exactly scream “distaste.” One could think that Hillary paved the way for Palin’s nomination. But if certain states swing red, it may be Palin who could pave the way for Hillary in 2012.
