3 Chics bloggers have eclectic taste and when it comes to music, there’s no exception. SG2 & Ametia were born and raised in the country.
All you Cowgirls and Cowboys we’re going to UNAPOLOGETICALLY showcase some country music this week, so put on your boots, hats, big belt buckles and get to steppin’, cause you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl! Cowgirl Up!
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music. Popular since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than twenty-one albums and compilations, has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and sold more than 25 million records.
DWIGHT?
DWIGHT?
um, ok.
I’m not against country music.
but, DWIGHT?
lol
just kidding.
I know you’ll bring the good stuff.
Don’t be talking bout my man. I loves Dwight! LOL
He is so sexy playing that guitar! mmmm…
well, what kind of country music do you consider “good stuff” rikyrah?
I knew I was gonna get in trouble…
LOL
got nothing against Dwight.
in fact, it’s my hope that you go even more ‘old school’ country in future selections.
Like how old, Rikyrah? Are you speaking Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Randy Travis, Crystal Gayle, or older?
I use to love Jolene by Dolly..
Johnny Cash
Patsy Cline
Loretta Lynn
Dolly
Hank Williams, Sr.
Randy
There you go, rikyrah. Bring the artist and some music. We ain’t shy here, at 3 Chics! :-)
Patsy Cline–Crazy
Loretta Lynn – You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)
Ah Sooky Sooky, Loretta! Better ask somebody…
Here’s something you might be interested in, Rikyrah? Maybe?
Gwyneth Paltrow Talks Cee Lo Green Collaboration (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/gwyneth-paltrow-talks-cee_n_803796.html
Gwyneth Paltrow appeared on Good Morning America on Monday, January 3rd to discuss her role in the upcoming film ‘Country Strong’. She shared her new found appreciation for country music with host Robin Roberts, following her recent headlong dive into the world of Nashville. Despite taking her musical talents from the big screen to live performance and television, Gwyneth shyly denied the possibility of her becoming a touring with her onscreen husband Tim McGraw, joking she would “bring him coffee.”
On the other hand, Gwyneth’s collaboration with funk superstar Cee Lo Green is looking quite likely. After performing Cee Lo’s latest hit on Glee (with the memorable substitution “Forget You”) the two are set to appear on SNL together. Though no further collaboration has been confirmed beyond emailing back and forth, both stars seem excited at the prospect. “We don’t know where that’s gonna go,” she admitted. “But I am such a big fan of Cee Lo, he is so gorgeous and talented and amazing. We’ll see.”
Tim McGraw….I like it, I love it!
you know, I’m going to see Country Strong when it comes out this way. And, I did love Gwyneth’s stint on GLEE – she was hilarious, because she went all in and didn’t hold back.
I love Tim. I feel about Tim and Faith the same way I feel about Will and Jada – they betta NEVAH BREAK UP :)
Lovining me some Patsy and Loretta this mornin’, SG2. LMAO@”better ask somebody. Lorreta gonna kick some arse, if you mess with her man!
In Killing Ohio’s High-Speed Rail Project, Kasich Eliminated Private-Sector Jobs He Promised To Create
Rather than acknowledge the number of jobs created or kept afloat by Democratic policies like the Recovery Act, Republicans insist that Democrats have done nothing to help create private-sector jobs. Future House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has said, “Washington has kept the private sector in bust while manufacturing a boom for the public sector.”
Boehner’s bosom-buddy Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) beat a similar drum on the campaign trail. Touting his plan to help the private-sector “quickly help create jobs,” Kasich insisted he would help “improve the atmosphere in our state for real business development” by meeting “the needs of businesses to overcome” governmental “snafus.” But Kasich undermined his rhetoric by killing Ohio’s high-speed rail project. In doing so, he derailed many businesses’ economic development plans and effectively killed the private-sector jobs he promised to create, leaving one businessman to call his decision “unbelievable,” “mind-boggling,” and “naive”:
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/03/ohio-kasich-jobs/
Vikings Name Leslie Frazier Eighth Head Coach In Team History
Eden Prairie, MN (January 3, 2011) – The Minnesota Vikings and Leslie Frazier have reached an agreement that will remove the interim tag from Frazier’s title and make him the eighth head coach in franchise history.
Frazier’s hiring follows his appointment as the team’s interim head coach for the final six games of the 2010 season. Under Frazier, the Vikings finished 3-3, including 2-1 on the road after losing the previous nine consecutive away games.
Even more notable than the wins was Frazier’s consistent composure and steady guidance during the tumultuous final four weeks of the season. In that time the Vikings were forced to play home games at Detroit’s Ford Field and the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium following the roof collapse at Mall of America Field at the Metrodome in early December. Frazier also led the Vikings to an upset victory against the NFC East Champion Philadelphia Eagles last week after a winter snow storm forced the Vikings to spend three nights in a Philadelphia hotel.
“We are very excited to announce Leslie Frazier as the new Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings,” said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. “Leslie is well-respected by our players, coaches and front office staff and has proven to be a winner on the field at every level of playing and coaching. He has a strong presence in the locker room and is an excellent leader, as demonstrated during some of the recent challenges we have faced.”
Prior to being named interim head coach, Frazier served as the Vikings defensive coordinator from 2007-10, adding Assistant Head Coach to his title in 2008. His defensive units have ranked in the top 10 in each of the last three seasons (#6 in 2008, #6 in 2009 and #8 in 2010) while notching 162 sacks from 2007-10 (40.5 avg. per season), the 5th-most of any NFL team during that time. Under Frazier, the Vikings defense allowed the 2nd-fewest rushing yards per game (85.1 avg.) and the 9th-fewest points per game (20.4 avg.) in the NFL over the last four years.
http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/Vikings-Name-Leslie-Frazier-Eighth-Head-Coach-In-Team-History/72e0fd9d-9e05-44ba-8f5e-6dcfafa79371
MSNBC SUCKS! Chris Matthews is a prick who screams about the Obama admin not selling their agendas, ummm NO, you dickhead, YOU and the MSM spin, lie, and distort, even BLACKOUT the POTUS’s speeches when he addresses the PEOPLE!
FUCK you!
Stephen Smith, Mo’ Kelly, and Chris Matthews go somewhere, sit down, and shut the fuck up about Michael Vick.
WTF did Stephen Smith say? I can’t stand that boot-licking nigga!
Surprising, Matthews used Smith as the protagonist and Mo’Kelly as the antahgonist regarding PBO’s speaking out on behalf of Vick and second chances.
Time to put it to bed, folks. the POTUS has spoken, and you mofos want to have the last word. TOO late.
There you go!
CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, where’s the reporting on this?
Ex-Bush, Reagan official’s body found dumped in landfill
By The Associated Press
Monday, January 3rd, 2011 — 6:05 pm
Death ruled a homicide
The body of a military expert who served in three Republican administrations was found dumped in a landfill over the holiday weekend, and investigators said Monday they do not know who might have killed him.
John Wheeler III, 66, was last seen Dec. 28 on an Amtrak train from Washington to Wilmington. His body was found three days later, on New Year’s Eve, as a garbage truck emptied its contents at the Cherry Island landfill. His death has been ruled a homicide.
Wheeler, who served in Vietnam, helped lead efforts to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington.
The former Army officer lived in New Castle and worked as a consultant for The Mitre Corporation, a nonprofit based in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va., that operates federally funded research and development centers.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/exbush-officials-body-dumped-landfill/
What?
New Hamsphire is NOT in teh NORTHWEST, Ya dummy
no, she didn’t. she didn’t say NEW HAMPSHIRE was in the NORTHWEST.
I know you wouldn’t lie to me..
damn, she is one dumb bitch.
…..And she has the gall to think she can be President!
Jesus Christ!
YES.SHE.DID. Listen right at the begining of the video. Palin’s pathetic. NO WAY IN HELL, this dummy would pass a citizenship test.
Posted at 2:34 PM ET, 01/ 3/2011
Steele: No ‘alarm bells’ at RNC
By Aaron Blake
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele stood up to the criticism being lodged against him at Monday’s RNC chairman debate, standing behind his record over the last two years as four opponents noted the committee’s troubles.
Steele was more soft-spoken than he has been in the past, but the message was largely the same: I am who I am, and I’m satisfied with my record. He even named abolitionist Frederick Douglass as his hero and “War and Peace” as his favorite book, as the other candidates picked more traditional Republican answers (i.e. citing Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln).
Basically nobody took on Steele directly, but there were plenty of allusions to the party’s financial straits during his time as chairman. After a few of his opponents began the debate by noting the “crisis” at the RNC — specifically referring to the committee’s reported $20 million in debt — Steele said he didn’t think that’s the right word.
“I don’t see the crisis as some may see it,” he said, noting the gains the GOP made in 2010, during his tenure as chairman. “I don’t see it as something where the alarm bells go off and you start” panicking.
Steele, in perhaps his strongest and most outspoken moment, defended his big-tent approach to the GOP, saying in front of the conservative party faithful that pushing centrists away from the party is the wrong message.
“We cannot be a party that sits back with a litmus test and excludes,” Steele said at the debate, which was presented by the Daily Caller and Americans for Tax Reform. “That is not the Republican Party I joined at 17 years old, and it will not be the Republican Party I lead the next two years.”
Steele also sounded a more inclusive note on social issues, saying that the party should support traditional marriage between one man and one woman, but “not to the exclusion of others, not to diminish anyone’s individuality.”
(The chairman previously earned some unwanted attention after he said that abortion was an “individual choice.”)
The other candidates on the dais took very different tacks.
Former Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis urged the GOP to reach out to new constituencies, but he set a high standard for inclusion.
“If somebody’s with us 80 percent of the time, then they’re probably a Republican,” Anuzis said, referring to President Reagan’s famous axiom.
Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus said that “if you’re pro-abortion, pro-stimulus, pro-G.M. bailout, pro-AIG, well guess what, you might not be a Republican.”
Priebus, the apparent frontrunner for the job at this time, largely kept his powder dry and declined to criticize the incumbent chairman in any direct — or even glancing — fashion.
“I’m not running against anybody,” he said in his closing statement.
Former RNC co-chairwoman Ann Wagner wasn’t as friendly, beginning her opening statement by saying the committee has lost credibility.
“It is time for tough love at the Republican National Committee,” Wagner said.
A fifth candidate, former RNC official Maria Cino, largely emphasized her own credentials and the role of state parties. She earned big applause for decrying the GOP’s role in passing the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill last decade.
The candidates took their chance to criticize the RNC’s current standing when a question was asked about the committee’s 72-hour turnout program, which was a shell of its former self last year.
The other candidate’s cited the committee’s financial woes, saying that the 72-hour program wasn’t fully funded and needs to be so in the future.
But Steele said the program was misunderstood, saying it was a “12-month program” rather than a 72-hour one.
“It was not discontinued. I just wasn’t put out in a way that people are used to seeing it,” Steele said, saying it relied on phone calls by volunteers throughout the country rather than on flying in those volunteers and having them work from Washington. “The idea that we didn’t fully fund it is really kind of a misnomer, because we did.”
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/republican-party/republican-national-committee-4.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Out goes Steele, in comes Allen West.
George Will: Sarah Palin ‘Cannot Be Elected’ President
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/george-will-sarah-palin-2012_n_803643.html
There is no way Sarah Palin can be elected president, according to conservative commentator George Will, who argued over the weekend that a primary victory by the former Alaska governor could serve as President Obama’s “secret weapon.”
“The president’s secret weapon may be the Republican nominating electorate, because there is one person, high in the polls, Sarah Palin, who cannot be elected president because she cannot compete where elections are decided — in the collar counties outside Chicago, Montgomery County outside of Philadelphia — just can’t compete there,” Will said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Will elaborated in a subsequent internet-only interview in “The Green Room,” referencing Palin’s failed endeavors after losing the presidential race in 2008:
“She had to go back and be a successful governor of Alaska, and she had to do her homework. She’s done neither. The hope is that perhaps she’s making so much money — and she’s a very astute businesswoman — that she won’t want to take the pay-cut to become a mere presidential candidate.”
LOL, and I’m sure Georgie boy’s gonna see to it that she doesn’t become POTUS.
Video: Mark Dayton inauguration ceremony
January 3, 2011
Mark Dayton is being sworn in today as the next governor of Minnesota at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. Watch the ceremony live here and check MPRNews.org for more photos and updates from the events.
Video courtesy of KARE-11.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2011/01/dayton-inauguration-video/index.shtml
The new Legislature, now controlled by Republicans for the first time in many people’s living memory – 40 years.
BYE, BYE, PAWLENTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Adios Pawlenty! Don’t let the door knob hit you!!
Zsa Zsa Gabor to have part of leg amputated
Mon Jan 3, 1:07 am ET
LOS ANGELES – Zsa Zsa Gabor was hospitalized Sunday to undergo surgery to have part of her right leg amputated because gangrene was setting in, a representative said.
Doctors examined a lesion on Gabor’s leg that had gone from just over an inch to about a foot and was growing gangrenous, publicist John Blanchette said.
“They’re going to have to amputate part of her leg,” Blanchette said. “They said if they didn’t, she could lose her life.” He said the amputation would likely be below the knee,
She was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and had been prepared for surgery Sunday night, Blanchette said. Her husband Prince Frederic von Anhalt was with her.
The 93-year-old former actress broke her hip and had replacement surgery in July, and has been hospitalized several times since for swelling in her legs and blood clots throughout her body. She was in critical condition and asked for a priest to read her last rites during a hospital visit in August, but recovered and returned home.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110103/ap_en_ce/us_people_zsa_zsa_gabor
Oprah Winfrey Network: Positive Reviews Come In For Oprah’s New Venture
By Matt Schneider | 4:33 pm, January 2nd, 2011
Now that we are just one day removed from the much buzzed about debut of Oprah Winfrey’s new network OWN, it’s time for the critical reviews to start rolling in. Already one critique is that the network is a “missed opportunity”, but some other early reviews are much more positive:
“OWN is a place where cynicism takes a holiday and mockery hasn’t yet been invented. . . . OWN isn’t for everyone . . . [b]ut it lives up to the Oprah Winfrey ethos — a ‘meaningful, mindful’ cable network that seeks its own truth and tries to be its own best self.” – Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times
“One of the more disquieting aspects of [OWN] is the pervasive sense (inevitable, I suppose) that this cable network is not just a programming venture and a brand extension, but a living monument to its creator’s power — and a celebration of her willingness to use that power as a force for good. We won’t just watch OWN; we will gaze upon it with awe and affection, and marvel at the sweet magnificence of its founder.” -Matt Zoller Seitz, Salon.com
http://www.mediaite.com/print/oprah-winfrey-network-positive-reviews-trickle-in-for-oprahs-big-risk/
Another
Andrew Sullivan: Obama Is “Not A Big Spending Liberal, Never Was”
by Matt Schneider | 12:27 pm, January 3rd, 2011
On The Chris Matthews Show, Chris Matthews hosted a discussion about President Obama’s biggest challenge in the year ahead, and whether he should play more to his increasingly disaffected liberal base or work more with Republicans in order to appeal to centrists. Most agreed that it would be best politically for Obama to completely forget about Congressional Democrats and instead focus on winning back independents, something that The Atlantic editor and blogger Andrew Sullivan thought would be easy for Obama because that is the type of “president he wants to be.”
Sullivan continued:
Remember, he didn’t really want the stimulus package, he didn’t expect when he ran for president he’d have the worst depression in the world, he had to spend that money. The health care reform in that context could have been skewed as a big spending liberal, but he’s not a big spending liberal, never was and he wants tax reform and debt for the reasons that he always said.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/andrew-sullivan-obama-is-not-a-big-spending-liberal-never-was/
Event-filled week begins in Minn. as Dayton becomes governor
by Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio
January 3, 2011
St. Paul, Minn. — Mark Dayton will be sworn in Monday as Minnesota’s 40th governor and the first Democrat to lead the state in 20 years.
The inauguration ceremony is set for noon at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. Dayton and the state’s constitutional officers will all be sworn in during the ceremony, and Dayton will deliver the inaugural address.
Dayton at Lt. Gov.-elect Yvonne Prettner Solon began the day at Wellstone Elementary School in St. Paul, where they served breakfast to students. Dayton said the school visit was intended to highlight the importance of volunteering.
“I’m going to be encouraging Minnesotans in my inaugural address to volunteer part of a day a month at a school or a hospital or a nursing home of where they choose to help out,” Dayton said.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/01/03/dayton-becomes-governor/
Dear Ametia:
On Wednesday, January 5th, Governor Mark Dayton will sign the Executive Order opting Minnesota in to federal Medical Assistance. The M.A. opt-in will provide secure, affordable health coverage for up to 100,000 low-income men and women in Minnesota. It is the biggest expansion of Medicaid in the country under the Affordable Care Act, our new federal health care law.
This victory is the product of over two years of grassroots organizing by TakeAction Minnesota members and leaders! Together, we fought to restore funding for the state’s General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) program, funds which are now making M.A. expansion possible. And we led the Minnesota Health Care for America NOW (HCAN!) campaign, a critical force for building momentum for the passage of the new federal health care law. And, our reNEW Minnesota leaders knew that this victory would not be possible without a governor like Mark Dayton willing to sign the Executive Order.
Join us outside the Governor’s Reception Room to celebrate Governor Dayton’s signing of Early Medical Assistance.
WHAT: Early MA Signing Event with Governor Dayton
DATE: Wednesday, January 5
TIME: 9:30am
WHERE: Governor’s Reception Room
This event would not be possible without all your work these past two years. We look forward to seeing you at the Capitol on Wednesday morning!
Liz Doyle, Policy Director
TakeAction Minnesota
Alright now!
Wish I could take off and attend the signing. :-)
School reform: A chance for bipartisan governing
By Arne Duncan
Monday, January 3, 2011
With a new Congress set to begin, key members on both sides of the aisle are poised to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In fact, the work has been underway for much of the past year, and few areas are more suited for bipartisan action than education reform.
On many issues, Democrats and Republicans agree, starting with the fact that no one likes how NCLB labels schools as failures, even when they are making broad gains. Parents, teachers, and lawmakers want a system that measures not just an arbitrary level of proficiency, but student growth and school progress in ways that better reflect the impact of a school and its teachers on student learning.
Most people dislike NCLB’s one-size-fits-all mandates, which apply even if a community has better local solutions than federally dictated tutoring or school-transfer options. Providing more flexibility to schools, districts and states – while also holding them accountable – is the goal of many people in both parties.
Both Republicans and Democrats embrace the transparency of NCLB and the requirement to disaggregate data to show achievement gaps by race, income, English proficiency and disability, but they are concerned that NCLB is driving some educators to teach to the test instead of providing a well-rounded education.
That is why many people across the political spectrum support the work of 44 states to replace multiple choice “bubble” tests with a new test that helps inform and improve instruction by accurately measuring what children know across the full range of college and career-ready standards, and measures other skills, such as critical-thinking abilities
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/02/AR2011010202378.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions
Majority of RNC against Michael Steele- NO SHIT SHERLOCK!
By ALEXANDER BURNS & JONATHAN MARTIN | 1/3/11 4:30 AM EST
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele faces an all-but-impossible path to reelection this month, as a majority of the RNC’s 168 members indicate that they will not support the controversial chairman for another term.
A weeklong canvass of the party’s governing board by POLITICO revealed 88 members who have decided not to vote for Steele, either opting to support one of his opponents or simply ruling out Steele as a choice in the race.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/46956.html#ixzz19zKUpghE
Let it go, Steele! They only used you because of President Obama. They never wanted you. Let it go and shake the dust off your feet.
Yep, and Steele was a WILLING participant. Get a grip, and let go, Michael, Hip Hop, Steele.
White House 2010 A year in pictures
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/30/year-photos-2010?utm_source=010311&utm_medium=intro&utm_campaign=daily
Posted at 6:00 AM ET, 01/ 3/2011
10 things to watch across government in 2011
By Ed O'Keefe
Happy New Year! Want to know what The Federal Eye will be watching for in 2011? Here are 10 issues across the government worth tracking as the new year — and the new Congress — begins:
1.) Will President Obama order 5 percent spending cuts?
The president ordered agencies and departments to develop plans to make cuts, but hasn’t made them official. Such cuts could severely impact non-defense agencies and programs. Also important: Will Obama propose allowing agencies to keep some of the savings for other priorities?
2.) Do Republicans propose even deeper spending cuts?
In the new Congress, Republicans promise to fight for spending cuts, a repeal of the new health care law and job creation. How much priority will they give to cutting and will they want to go further than Obama? Will they seriously push for the elimination of certain agencies and departments? (The Education or Commerce departments, are perennial favorite targets.) Also: Will Congress actually pass a budget this year?
3.) What, if anything, do Republican oversight efforts unearth?
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) appeared on three Sunday talk shows and called Obama’s administration “one of the most corrupt.” GOP investigations in the next two years could save taxpayers about $200 billion, he predicted. Several economic stimulus projects and senior administration could face serious Congressional investigations. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is “a particularly juicy target,” The New York Times recently suggested, because of his involvement with terrorism cases, civil rights enforcement and immigration reform.
4.) Will Congress order changes at the U.S. Postal Service?
Postal reform could be the sleeper issue of the year — and a politically tricky one. (Which lawmaker wants to become the champion of closing post offices?) But make no mistake: This is the year the Postal Service will really run out of money — unless Congress seriously addresses postal reform. Pensions are ballooning, mail volume and revenues are plummeting and — most perilous of all — a $15 billion line of credit with the U.S. Treasury dries up this year. Two substantive legislative proposals are on the table and after years of avoiding the issue, it appears Congress will have to deliver a serious solution in 2011.
5.) How long will it take to officially end “don’t ask, don’t tell”?
Ask anyone at the Pentagon and they really, truly don’t know. It took about eight years to fully integrate African Americans into the armed forces, but Obama, gay rights activists and lawmakers would not tolerate a similar timetable to officially permit gays and lesbians in uniform. Military leaders are expected to draft a training and implementation program, and then introduce it to the rank and file. Best guess: More than two months, less than a year.
6.) Will teleworking work?
Federal agencies and departments must expand the use of teleworking this year in an effort to cut operational costs, worker commutes and the government’s environmental footprint. Though many are eligible, many federal managers are resistant to the work-from-home option. So will workers actually telework? And will their bosses let them?
7.) How does the federal worker pay freeze impact the rank and file?
Will a two-year freeze on federal pay lead to mass retirements or low morale? And how will the pay freeze impact Obama’s campaign pledge to make the government “cool again”?
8.) What happens to federal hiring reform?
Will the pay freeze (see above) make moot the administration’s efforts to reform how the government recruit and retains workers? And if older federal employees start to retire en masse, will the government be ready to replace them? (Lawmakers have warned that many agencies aren’t ready for the impending brain drain.)
9.) Which government official, agency or department will cause embarrassment this year?
Last year Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack nearly derailed his tenure by quickly firing Shirley Sherrod and then having her rebuff repeated requests to rejoin USDA. The Securities and Exchange Commission faced days of negative headlines about porn-surfing employees and the Transportation Security Administration poorly countered the concerns of passengers upset by enhanced pat-downs while enduring several embarrassing incidents involving airport security officers. So who will screw up this year? Time will tell, but wasteful stimulus spending could yield some embarrassments. (See #3.)
10.) How fast will Washington’s revolving door swing?
Several top White House aides soon will decamp to Chicago to begin Obama’s reelection campaign and David Plouffe is moving into the West Wing. Tim Kaine appears to be staying put at the DNC and not moving to the Cabinet. Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) is looking for a job, as are several former Democratic lawmakers — will any of them get hired by Obama? And when will Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates retire? Bottom line: There’s plenty to keep the Washington parlor games going.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2011/01/10_things_to_watch_across_gove.html?wpisrc=nl_fed
Ringing In the New Year With New Education Benefits for Wounded Warriors
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/01/01/ringing-new-year-new-education-benefits-wounded-warriors
In case you hadn’t heard, in the last days of the Session, both the House and the Senate passed a Bill, S. 3447, that significantly enhanced and changed the Post 9/11 GI Bill and other educational benefits. This effort was led by a coalition of veteran services organizations, and we are proud to have seen it through.
This Bill made a lot of important changes to these programs specifically for wounded warriors and disabled veterans, and I wanted to take a moment to tell you about them and others so you can start to plan for your educational goals.
Vocational Rehabilitation Program Stipend. Most significantly, a disabled veteran receiving the housing stipend under the Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Chapter 31), which is usually significantly less than the Post 9/11 GI Bill, can now opt to receive the more generous amount under the Post 9/11 GI Bill which is the BAH rate of E-5 with dependents for their local zip code. This will be hundreds of dollars more per month for tens of thousands of eligible beneficiaries.
Vocational School Training and Apprenticeships Now Covered. The Post 9/11 GI Bill can now be used at many more vocational schools, apprenticeships, and on-the-job-training programs, which means that you can use it to enter into almost any field that you want.
Housing Allowance for Online Learners. A housing allowance is now available for exclusively online learners, so even while you are recuperating and cannot attend class in person on a campus, you can start your education online and receive the housing support allowance you need.
Book Allowance for Active Duty. If you are still on active duty, and want to start your education, you can now receive the $1,000/year book stipend that was previously not available for active duty personnel.
Prep Courses and Test Fees Now Covered. If you have not yet applied for schools, and want to bring your SAT/ACT scores up, the Post 9/11 GI Bill can now be used to fund prep courses and the test fees themselves so you can be more competitive when you apply.
Time for Eligibility Tolled During Recovery and for Caretakers. The Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30), which has a 10-year expiration date, has been extended for wounded, injured, and ill veterans and their caretakers for the length of their recovery time, which means that time spent in the hospital does not burn benefit time. This same extension also applies to children who are caretakers and have had Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits transferred to them, or recipients of Chapter 35 Survivor’s Benefits. Normally, they must use their benefits before their 26th birthday, but this can be extended for those providing care to wounded, injured, and ill veterans.
Well deserved, well deserved for our veterans.
Haitian brothers make film about joy amid devastation in homeland
By Childs Walker
Monday, January 3, 2011; 1:51 AM
The earthquake robbed Huguens Jean and Clifford Muse of the ability to fulfill a final promise to their grandfather.
Fly to Haiti, he told the brothers as cancer ate away his health, and carry my coffin, garbed in white. The color meant something. The old man wanted them to find joy, even in the sadness that accompanies death.
But the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed 230,000 and leveled Port-au-Prince made it impossible for Jean and Muse, students at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, to return for their grandfather’s funeral a month after the disaster.
It did not, however, crush their desire to celebrate the man who had imbued in them a love of stories. They resolved to build a kite like the ones he had flown with them when they were boys in Port-au-Prince.
That plan quickly expanded to include a trip to Haiti, during which they would film their journey and gather stories of Haitians coping with the aftermath of the quake.
The product, an 82-minute documentary called “Lift Up,” had its debut at the Haitian Embassy in Washington last month. Jean and Muse hope that, in its depiction of Haitians rejoicing despite the devastation dealt to their nation and their lives, the film evokes the spirit of their grandfather’s request.
“He told us that he wanted us to celebrate his life, to find the joy,” said Jean, 29, a doctoral candidate in electrical engineering at UMBC. “I had no idea what that meant until we encountered these people in Haiti. These images of life continuing on, they were very moving.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/03/AR2011010300340.html?wpisrc=nl_headline
CNN’s John Roberts Leaving For Fox
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/john-roberts-to-fox-news_n_803560.html
CNN host John Roberts is expected to join Fox News as a senior national correspondent, according to TVNewser.
Roberts, who is engaged to CNN anchor Kyra Phillips, recently left the New York-based “American Morning” to move to Atlanta with Phillips, who is pregnant with twins. He will be based in Atlanta and “will be reporting on major domestic and international stories for the network,” according to the TVNewser report.
Roberts, a former Canadian TV and radio host, spent 14 years with CBS News before joining CNN in 2006.
John Roberts, you never had any integrity anyways. Bye!
CNN=FOX THE.END
Allen West: ‘I Didn’t Learn Anything’ From Chief Of Staff Controversy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/allen-west-chief-of-staff_n_803510.html
Incoming Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) explained this weekend that he hadn’t learned anything from his initial decision to pick as his chief of staff a conservative firebrand radio show host with a history of inflammatory statements.
“Well, I think first of all what you saw was an attack from the left against Joyce Kauffman and there are some other issues with that, but they did not play the full clip of her speech when she gave that, I think it was the 4th of July,” West told Fox News Sunday. “So once again, it was the editing sound biting. And I didn’t learn anything from it, because you just adjust and you continue on. So Joyce Kauffman was a very instrumental and helpful person in our campaign and she was the one that interviewed my current chief of staff because she knows the good match.”
West has since replaced Kaufman, a Florida commentator who had notoriously advocated for the hanging of illegal immigrants and said “if ballots don’t work, bullets will,” with Washington insider Jonathan Blyth.
Following the first dustup, he blamed the criticism on both “racism,” as well as “sexism and misogynist behavior” by the liberal media, a line of reasoning that West appeared content on continuing on Sunday. He also continued his own attack on Democrats.
Typical GOPer that will NOT take responsibility, yet screams they are the party of conservatism and self- responsibility. Please, somebody, school this House NEGRO.
Good Morning, Ametia & 3 Chics!
Monday Graphics
Mornin’, SG2. LOL
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAW!!!!
Happy MUN-DANE, all you Rodeo Riders and Cowgirl Cuties!!! :-)
Nice, SG2! Loves me some Charlie Pride, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash too!
Where are the country music fans? We know y’all are out there!
I love Dwight Yoakam w/ those tight jeans. I’ve said before I like the cowboys with big trucks, big buckles, big hats & tight jeans! Sooky Sooky;)