The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Wealth

The Politics of Wealth

 

 

 

REDDIT users target supporters of SOPA/PIPA legislation. [Forbes]

A look back at 2011: Taxes, bailouts, and American idiots. [Fortune]

Blocking the Strait of Hormuz would not be nearly as easy as Iran claims. [CNBC]

The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of the Planet

For those who are making a resolution to travel more in the coming year, here are the top travel destinations for 2012. [cnn.com]

There has been a dramatic increase in whale sightings of the California coast. This could mean increased numbers of whale or just a change in behavior. Either way it is good news for whale watchers. [latimes.com]

In India the use of solar panels is growing, but there are also complications that arise. [nytimes.com]

New technology turns paper into power. [bbc.co.uk]

The RP’s BREAKING News: The Politics of Pigskin

Tom Brady has a left shoulder injury. While it does not seem to be severe, it was enough of a concern to have x-rays done. [ESPN]

Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 4: A Final Farewell to a Real Hero

(Click Here to read Part 1 of Rod Jetton’s 4 part series: “Losing a Good Friend”; Click Here to read Part 2: “Trane McCloud: Putting Duty First”; and Click Here to Read Part 3: “Living, Dying and Remembering”)

Pray for Maggie and pray for her family as well as all the families who have lost loved ones to this war.  Only the Lord can provide them with the comfort, peace and strength to keep going each day.  Watching Maggie at the funeral and seeing her strength through a very hard time makes me feel the Lord is already at work comforting her.

Arlington is a moving place.  Every American should visit that cemetery.  If you ever go to Washingtonand only have time to visit a few things, make sure Arlington is on your list.  Yes, the White House and Capitol are important and interesting, but they are not the reason America is strong and free. 

There are thousands of little white stones with some of the most important names from all over the country written on them.  Those people and their actions are why America is such a great country.  Many of those people died so we could be free.  I very seldom go to Washingtonwithout stopping at Arlington to look over the graves and see the Marine Corps monument.  I always stop at the Vietnam Memorial too, but Arlington is a special place across the river up on a quiet, peaceful hill that seems miles away from the Capitol and politics.

Trane’s memorial service was held at his home church in Alexandria, VA, which is just south of Arlington.  The Marine Corps makes you plan out your will and service before you leave for any deployment.  After looking at the program, I could tell Trane had it all planned. 

Read the rest of…
Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 4: A Final Farewell to a Real Hero

The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Tech

The Politics of Tech

Many people across the web vowed to boycott domain-register GoDaddy.com over their support of SOPA. Last week the count was around 72,000 domains lost. [Techi]

The comedian Louis CK recently sold his THING on his website for $5. His goal was to prove it could be done cheaply, DRM free, and on the Internet. It generated $1 million in 12 days so it seems he was successful. [LouisCK]

Italy has fined Apple $1.2 million over their Applecare Protection Plan. Italy has a law that requires companies to provide 2 years of free support. [TechCrunch]

This is what a 5MB hard drive looked like in 1956. I write this as I save the image to my 1TB hard drive that fits in the palm of my hand. [TheNextWeb]

LG’s new 84-inch LCD TV is stunning. [engadget]

For fun: some odd tech industry job interview questions. [BBC]

 

The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Fame

The Politics of Fame

 

 

 

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich says: Get ready for an Obama-Clinton ticket. [Business Insider]

Rick Santorum who? The former U.S. Senator is getting a timely surge in Iowa. [New York Times]

No matter what happens in Iowa, Mitt Romney has a safety-net in New Hampshire. [Washington Times]

John Y.’s Musings from the Middle: Fruitcake

Life’s great –perhaps greatest conundrum.

Society has become so complex. The mysteries of the human mind coupled with mind-boggling technological advances, has created perennial questions that we may never fully have satisfactory answers to.

From space exploration to string theory to crop circles to revisiting the theory of relativity and countless intractable political and economic conditions, so much of our world remains perplexing.

But no riddle, no puzzling reality seems more elusive more wholly inexplicable than Fruit Cakes.

Each year around during the holiday season millions of people buy and gift Fruit Cakes to friends and loved ones.

That’s right, MILLIONS!

And yet no one has ever been spotted eating a piece of Fruit Cake. Ever!

Why do people buy them?

Why do others feign excitement when receiving fruit cake gifts?

And what happens to these cakes after the gift is given and nobody is watching?

One social commentator, Calvin Trillin, several decades ago posited that there was really only one Fruit Cake in the world. And it simply has been re-gifted millions of times. But technological advances have undermined this otherwise plausible theory.

Others have theorized aliens are making us buy and gift Fruit Cakes against our will by an race of sophisticated space aliens who own several thousand mall kiosk franchises that sell cheese and sausage baskets and, you guessed it, Fruit Cakes. But there is inadequate evidence to to prove this theory at this time.

Which leaves the mystery of the Fruit Cake perhaps the human conundrum least likely to be solved in any of our lifetimes.

The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Food

The Politics of Food

If you’re planning a New Year’s Eve party that involves wine and cheese, here are some helpful tips on pairing the two. [Delish]

Asian tiger prawns are invading the Gulf of Mexico, threatening native species of marine life. [Kristv.com]

The FDA has yet to define what a gluten-free food is, which means that some food products that are labeled as such may actually contain small amounts of gluten. [Slashfood]

Artur Davis: Romney Revived

Mitt Romney is alive again. The revived pulse is measured in several forms, from a substantial narrowing in Newt Gingrich’s lead in the Gallup national tracking poll, to a Rasmussen survey putting Romney on top in Iowa, to the persistent and growing advantage Romney holds in New Hampshire.

Gingrich has some of his own propensities to blame. Before the heroic comeback story, the saga of a man grittily fighting back from despair, could take hold, Gingrich turned triumphalist: in his immodest account, he was redesigning campaign strategy in the way Sam Walton and Ray Kroc invented the modern consumer market. He reverted to the cerebral analyst coldly assessing the trend-lines.

Then, the politician who eloquently denounced intra-party infighting unveiled a caustic edge: the pundits who admired the smoothness of his jabs in the ABC debate were too tone-deaf to hear the jeers in the room when the guy who was forced out of his speakership ridiculed Romney for losing an election.

Nor has it helped Gingrich that the entirety of the Republican philosopher wing has assailed him, from the old lions, David Brooks and Charles Krauthammer, to the young turks like Ross Douthat, to the venerable National Review. Not one of them is mandatory reading in the early states, but the intelligentsia do matter in the corridors of New York and Washington, where money and endorsements should have been flowing to a newly minted front-runner with stature. The case they have made is personal and cutting, and reminds the GOP elite of why Gingrich was consigned to disgrace.

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Artur Davis: Romney Revived

The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Laughter

The Politics of Laughter

Christmas Vandalism [picture]

We dare you to pee on the ice. If it breaks we’ll save you with this rope. [gif]

“29 of 49 people found this review helpful.” [picture]

Santa is one shady dude. [Cheeseburgers in the Sky]

Watermelon on my brain. [Buttersafe]

The Recovering Politician Bookstore

     

The RP on The Daily Show