SOTU Tweets: Right, Left and the Fog Machine

Greetings to our blog readers in Canada, Scotland, Luxembourg and the city of Yozgat, Turkey, where it will be 4:00 a.m. when President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address; you Canadians are perhaps just as aware that the Edmonton Oilers will be across town in America's capital where they will play the Washington Capitals.

There are reasons why we have images of Cong. Bob Latta (R-Ohio, his district is around Toledo), Donny Osmond and Vice President Joe Biden, but let's go ahead and present some tweets from the early evening hours here in les etats unis:

1) Cong. Latta: I applaud RepFredUpton and SenJohnThune for developing a proposal to establist clear, reasonable rules for the Internet.

2) Mormon Democrats (yeah, they are the reason we chose Osmond though he is a Republican): The GOP forgets that GW Bush's resolve didn't stop Putin from invading another country, nor did it prevent North Korea from obtaining nukes.

3) The Onion (a satirical journal): Biden Arrives Early to Set Up State of the Union Fog Machine.

4) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont): The typical middle class American family made less last year than it did 25 years ago.

5) Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia): Not only did Lisa drive from Botetourt County to be my SOTU guest, she brought cookies form Mrs. Rowe's in Staunton! (I actually went to high school with Sen. Kaine's guest Lisa Shutters Barnett; Botetourt County is four hours south of Washington, DC)

6) Ken Rudin (NPR political analyst): "It's 4 p.m. on the day of the SOTU and that only means one thing: Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) is already sitting in the House chamber."

7) The Baltimore Sun: SOTU preview: Obama calls for increasing taxes on the wealthy, free community college and expanding paid leave."

8) Joy Ulfelder (political scientist): Save an hour of your life and read the SOTU instead of watching it tonight. Most boring theater ever.

9) Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri): "RT if you agree every American deserves a chance to succeed.  Our top priority should be working together to create good paying jobs."

10) Martha MacCallum (Fox News host): "I will be hosting On the Record tonight_ see you soon!"

11) David Corn (liberal reporter): "Mitt Romney shifts his position on Climate Change_ Again!"

http://www.theonion.com

http://www.thehill.com

http://www.baltimoresun.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com

http://www.c-span.org

http://www.rollcall.com

Top Ten Things We Should Blog About More in 2015 (our tenth anniversary year!)........: Soccer and Politics

Greetings to our blog readers in the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Vietnam, three places where we are surprisingly more popular than we could have ever expected! Perhaps, you guys will catch up with Slovenia (for my fellow Americans who flunked geography that's a former Yugoslav republic, yeah, that probably doesn't assist you any.......)

For the 109th time this year, we once again make fun of Cong. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va; pict. top) who is apparently fighting for companies like Amazon who don't have to pay taxes. Assuredly, this means he will have to take Jeff Bezos out for pizza the next time he's in Washington, D.C., where one may also run into Vice President Joe Biden (pictured bottom, hopefully, those of you going to Princeton University know he's the second man in charge at The White House.).

The man in the middle is Chelsea star Didier Drogba, a star player from the Ivory Coast, who also had a stint with the Istanbul soccer powerhouse Galatasaray, our favorite team. And, since the men in red and yellow tied Ankara GB 1-1 on Thursday, we presume, he is greatly missed.

Here are the top ten things we SHOULD blog more about in 2015, a year in which we will mark our tenth year of blogging!:

1. European soccer

2. Fox News nonsense

3. Israel/Palestinian nonsense

4. Cong. Bob Goodlatte

5. The Rev. Johnny Robertson of Martinsville, Va. (our favorite crazy Baptist minister)

6. Joe Biden

7. Taylor Swift

8. "Family Circus"

9. Global Warming

10. The death penalty/doing my laundry (tie)

Happy Graduation, Grads! Here is a List of Commencement Speakers

Here is a list of commencement speakers who gave commencement addresses at various public and private colleges and universities across the United States over the course of the last three weekends.

After CEOs, both active and former politicians were the most sought after speakers. Most schools went with governors from their own state, but Liberty University, the arch-conservative Christian college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, once again sought a Republican speaker as Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) arrived in Lynchburg, Va., fairly far from his home base of Baton Rouge, La.

Here are the speakers:

1) Gov. Terry MacAuliffe (D-Va., pictured top). Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, Va.

2) Susan Wojiciccki, CEO of Youtube. Johns Hopkins U. Baltimore, Md.

3) Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Denver Broncos. UVA. Charlottesville, Va.

4) Dr. Atul Dawenda, UNC. Chapel Hill, NC.

5) Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Md, pict. center). Univ. of Maryland. College Park, Md.

6) Katie Couric. American University. Washington, DC.

7) Vice President Joe Biden. Univ. of South Carolina. Columbia, SC.

8) Gen. Martin Dempsey. Duke University. Durham, NC

9) Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La., pict. bottom). Liberty University. Lynchburg, Va.

10) Gov. Mike Beebe (D-Ark). Univ. of Arkansas. Fayetville, Ark.

11) David Ferriero. Archivist. NC State. Raleigh, NC.

12) Anne Holton. Sen. Tim Kaine's wife. Radford Univeristy. Radford, Va.

13) Jill Abrahamson, former executive editor of "New York Times." Wake Forest. Winston-Salem, NC.

14) Mary Barrra. CEO of General Motors. Univ. of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Mich.

15) Thomas H. Kean, former governor of New Jersey. Rutgers U. (He was a replacement for Condi Rice)

'

Tweets of the Night_ Politics, Sports and Religion

AAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! This just in: The Washington Nationals have lost in the deciding Game 5 to the St. Louis Cardinals by a 9-7 score.

In case you are wondering, the third image is of an Armenian Orthodox priest. Since I am a Turkish-American, I thought of no greater irony, my favorite word in the English language, than to use an image of him for this entry. Above him is the American vice president Joe Biden and a kid playing little league baseball.

Here are 12 tweets from about 2.5 hours ago:

1) @MLBJesus (Major League Baseball Jesus): Thou shall pitch Strasburg in Game 5.

2) @JournalNow (Winston-Salem Journal): High Point University poll shows post-deabte bump for Romney among North Carolina voters.

3) @cnni (CNN International): Report says Turkey to avoid Syrian airspace.

4) @_faris (Faris): Saturday morning, the life version of "The Walking Dead."

5) @timesland (Roanoke Times Sports): Halifax County comes back from 20-0 and defeats Franklin county 37-36 in double over-time.

6) @seattletimes (Seattle Times): "Arrest in Seattle Tour de Banks robberies."

7) @katrinanation (Katrina vanden Heuvel, managing editor of the liberal journal "The Nation"): "Joe Biden may have bracing set of old teeth but Paul Ryan lying through his young teeth."

8) @sesameworkshop (Sesame Workshop): "We are a non-partisan, non-profit organization. We do not comment on campaigns, but we're happy we can agree that everyone likes Big Bird!"

9) @thekinghtshift (Chris Knight, blogger from Reidsville, NC): "Big Bird is a monument to all your sins #obama #romney."

10) @mtaibbi (Matt Taibbi, liberal reporter for "Rolling Stone"): "Apparently, Obama needs to rush the passer more."

11) @BigBird (a liberal blogger who is not related to "Sesame Street"): "GOPer sent me an email why Obama's out of touch with times, using an AOL account"

12) @BaltSunSports ("Baltimore Sun" sports, alas the Baltimore Orioles also lost tonight): "Memorable season will have #Orioles aiming even higher in 2013."

The Republicans Are Coming! The Republicans Are Coming!

Since this Shark Week on the Discovery Channel here in the United States, and the Republican Party National Convention will be starting on Monday, Aug. 27th in Tampa, Fla., we thought we'd make fun of our friends on the right. Of course, not all of them are as radical, fringe as Michele Bachmann, but then again, quite a few of them are indeed like sharks, and we don't mean the nice, friendly sharks one sees in the comic strip "Sherman's Lagoon."

As of today, many right-wingers are skewing Vice President Joe Biden for controversial remarks he made in Danville, Va., a town I'm a bit familiar with, in which he told a largely African-American audience that the Republicans would put them back in chains. The right immediately saw this as a reference to slavery. Biden also thought Danville is in North Carolina, but when college basketball season comes along, many residents in Danville pretend they are in the Tarheel State as well (for those of you in Dubai, the University of North Carolina and Duke University, both in North Carolina, are national powerhouses in the sport).

Of course, the partisan party faithful will be more likely to get excited if they see Chuck Norris as opposed to the likes of Congs. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky), Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), then they will accuse Chevy Chase of having too much power and influence in the Democratic Party.

Then, some convention-attenders may have one too many bourbons and have to call Yellow Cab of Tampa (a real taxi company), and hence miss out on the prayer breakfast the next day.

There have been some folks who are new Republicans like Cong. Artur Davis (R-Ala.), an African-American party who quietly switched sides in June. But, one has to wonder if this is genuine or if Cong. Davis just wants to stay in office as Alabama is a red state even by the South's standards.

And, assuredly, tonight Gov. Mary Fallin (R-Okl) will sleep well tonight having decided to execute an inmate named Michael Hooper last night. We will admit that Hooper's crime, which was the murder of his girlfriend and her two young children was very heinous. But, isn't hypocritical of Fallin and those who proclaim to be fiscal conservative to spend at least one million dollars per execution (according to a 2011 column in "Tulsa World," Oklahoma has not released figures on how much capital punishment costs), not to mention that executions seem to certainly contrast the teachings of Jesus Christ.

But, we look forward to posting several entries about it here and our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Times" as we include voices ranging from Cenk Uygur, a Current-TV progressive talk show host who used to be a Republican, and Dennis Miller, a comic/talk show host who switched stripes from liberal to conservative. Perhaps, now he even shares a Pabst Blue Ribbon or two with his pal Bill O'Reilly.


http://www.dsc.discovery.com/sharkweek

http://www.gopconvention2012.com

http://www.yellowcaboftampa.com

http://www.slagoon.com

http://www.godanriver.com

http://www.ok.gov/governor

http://www.okcadp.org

http://www.dennimillerradio.com

http://www.current.com

http://www.pabstblueribbon.com

The links above are for: 1) Shark Week; 2) Republican Convention; 3) Taxis in Tamps; 4) "Sherman's Lagoon" (comic strip); 5) Danville Register and Bee; 6) Oklahoma governor's home page 7) Oklahomans Against the Death Penalty; 8) Dennis Miller; 9) Current TV; 10) Pabst Blue Ribbon

Quote of the Day - Joe Biden

This month, we are quoting American vice presidents or veeps. We begin with this one from Joe Biden. For those of you in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he is our current veep:

"Life is a matter of really tough choices."

Silly Picture to Fill Space- Summer Jobs (Lifeguards)

We heard a great piece on NPR's "All Things Considered" yesterday, which included a brief interview with Vice President Joe Biden (of all people!).

It got me to thinking about my own summer job experiences when I was essentially a human billboard for a Domino's Pizza store in Roanoke, Va. That was not fun!

But, one would probably enjoy being a lifeguard in North Myrtle Beach, SC, a lot. According to the web site nmblifeguards.com (the official site for the North Myrtle Beach Lifeguards), a lifeguard can possibly make between $10-12.50 per hour.

The city of North Myrtle Beach, SC, which is the hometown of "Wheel of Fortune" co-host Vanna White, is also hosting a salute to military veterans and a Music on the Main festival on June 3.

We understand the show's host Pat Sajak is a major financial contributor to the Ronald Reagan Library in California (guess he makes more loot than we realize), but that's another matter.

In nearby Myrtle Beach, SC, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans host the Winston-Salem Dash from Winston-Salem, NC, the home of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, from June 7-9.

As for the lifeguard pictured here, we don't think she is actually working in North Myrtle Beach. In fact, for all we know, she could be in Zagreb, Croatia. What's with her belly-button ring?!

Olympic Athletes Profile (4 of 25) Alex Ovechkin/Men's Hockey/Russia

Most of the Winter Olympic athletes we profile here are struggling to make ends meet as they train for their respective sports. That can not be said for Russian star hockey player and Washington Capitals' captian Alex Ovechkin, who is making $9.5 million a year, but he is also scoring more goals than anyone else in the NHL.

Ovechkin was born on Spet. 17, 1985, and he is the son of former pro Russian soccer player Mikhail Ovechkin and Tatyana Ovechkin who competed for the Soviet women's basketball team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics (Misha the Bear, those games' mascot is pictured here).

It is amazing for those of us who grew up during the Cold War (I turn 40 in 15 days) that two Russian hockey players playing for their national team in Vancouver, Ovechkin and Alexander Semin also play with the Washington Capitals, the NHL pro team in the American capital!

Apparently after he was dealing with questions about jabs at the Barck Obama administration from the ever-restless Dick Cheney, Vice President Joe Biden was asked on "Meet the Press" if it was ok to be an Ovechkin fan and still be patriotic. As A Caps fan himself, Biden said that of course it was.

Ovechkin started playing hockey in Moscow at the age of 8. According to Wikipedia, he was encouraged by his older Sergei who died in a car accident when Alex was just 10.

Ovechkin actually began his pro hockey career at age 16 with Dynamo Moscow in 2001. He won the Russian Superleague's MVP in his third season. His first game with the Caps was on Oct. 5, 2005, when he scored two goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 3-2 win.

The Caps star would lead rookies in goals, points, power-plays and shots. Ovechkin was named NHL Rookie of the Year. He would appear in his first all-star game, which was held in Dallas, in 2001.

He became the first player to score more than 60 goals in a season (in 2008) since former Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr achieved that milestone during the 1995-96 season.

Ovechkin broke the Caps' team goals in a season title in 2008 as well. He ended up socring 65 goals in a season which lead him past former Caps' record holder Dannis Morok who scored 61 in a season during his playing days.

The Russian star captured both the Art Ross and Rocket Richard trophies in 2008.

He scored his 200th career goals against the L.A. Kings on Feb. 5, 2009, and he won the Rocket Richard Trophy again last season. The Caps' season ended sooner than the team would have liked though as they fell to the Penguins in seven games.

This NHL season, Ovechkin reached the 500-point milestone during a Feb. 5 game against the New York Rangers, a month after he became the Caps' captain on Jan.5.

Internationally, Ovechkin has played in the 2006 Olympics, which were disappointing to the Russian team because they failed to medal.. But, the Caps' star scored five goals including a game winner against New Jersey Devils' goal-tender Martin Brodeur, who was playing for Team Canada.

Ovechkin lead Russia to team gold in the 2008 World Championships.

He has been given the Key to the City from Washington, DC, mayor Adrian Fentry.

Ovechkin has also been named as Russia's ambassador for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

A fan web site (ovechkinfans.com) quotes him as saying: "My weapon isn't my shot. It's me."

SIDEBAR: Ovechkin has been relatively silent on his Twitter page lately, but the same can not be said for his Capitals and Team Russia teammate Alex Semin. He took a dig at American hockey players Andrew Orpik and Sidney Crosby who also play for the Pittsburgh Penguins:

"At my hotel room in Vancouver, and I hear crying through the wall. I had no idea Crosby and Orpik were sharing the room next to me.

And, he also talked about how 'he was fine-tuning' his hockey skills in the time for the team's first game:

"My first 2 goals were products of my God-given talent, but my 3rd was all hard work. I finally figured out the Wii Motion on my stick."

Know Your Congressional Reps and Senators (Entry 21 of 21)- Susan Collins (R-Maine)

Initially, I was hoping to conclude this series by the end of 2009, but somehow things just kept popping up. But, even with the earthquake crisis in Haiti, we thought this would be a good time to wrap up this marathon session which has hopefully been as informal to you the reader as it has been for us.

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) might well be ultra right-wing talk show host Glenn Beck's least favorite Republican senator. At one point her voting record was to the left of then-Sen. Joe Biden, who is of course now veep, and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Ct.).

Collins began her career in Washington, DC, back in 1975 when she was an assitant to then-Sen. William Cohen (R) from 1975-1987.

When returning to Maine, Collins lost to Angus King, an independent candidate, in the state's 1994 governor's race.

Collins would then defeat former Democratic governor Joe Brennan who was the third candidate in the '94 governor's race for a U.S. senate seat in 1996. Collins maintained her seat in 2008 election cycle by defeating Cong. Tom Allen (D-Maine).

Collins has a very interesting voting record. She was only one of a handful of Republican senators to oppose the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act and she also voted against travel restrictions to Cuba. Collins even voted against the CAFTA trade act which many centrist Democrats actually supported.

But, conversely, she supported then-president George W. Bush's controversial tax cuts and she voted for Judges Samuel Alito and John G. Roberts for the Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, Collins continues to maintain her independent streak in areas like global warming.

Even though right-wing talk radio idealogues lambasted Judge Sonia Sotomayor (Rush Limbaugh essentially said she was David Duke in reverse), Collins voted for her.

Collins also appeared in the acclaimed 2000 film "Traffic."

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) is also known for her centrist votes in the Senate.

There is a sister series on my other blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time" which profiles American mayors. Today, we are posting about Salt Lake City, Utah's mayor Ralph Becker. By sheer coincidence, I found out that both Becker and Collins were born in 1952.

Beers of the Islamic World (3 of 6) Barada from Syria

Check for an image of Petra Beer (Jordan) on our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time."

I don't think Vice President Joe Biden can drink Barada as (unlike Iranian beers) it does contain alcohol.

Political Confusion Test (19 of 21) Dijon Mustard or Buffalo Beef Jerky?

It appears that right-wing talk show hosts will get ticked with President Barack Obama for virtually anything he does. Case in point, Sean Hannity recently whined about Obama putting French Dijon mustard on a hamburger during his visit to a burger joint with Vice President Joe Biden in Arlington, Va.

So, this leads me to ask those of you independent voters out there which way you lean politically. If you prefer imported mustard over buffalo beef jerky which one can at Jackson Hole Meat in Jackson Hole, Wyo. (do we need to mention that it's located in Dick Cheney's home state), then might be a Democrat.

21 Words in Turkish (13 of 21)

Politics


Politika



Sarah Palin will be in my hometown of Salem, Va., on Monday. I hope one of the local reporters (one of whom I suspect is a staunch Republican) will ask her if she really thinks global warming is the work of a divine power.

Joe Biden was in Martinsville, Va., an hour south of Salem on Friday.