And, good for her, she punches him in the face: PRETORIA, South Africa — Algeria soccer player Rafik Saifi slapped a female journalist across the face as the aftermath of the United States’ dramatic World Cup victory turned ugly at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday night. While walking through the interview zone, Saifi spotted writer […]
Eli Sanders
Eli Sanders is The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won this, but he also once crashed his bike into a parked car while on his way to a staff meeting, never mind this, so… His website, which probably hasn't been updated in a while, is www.elisanders.net.
Posted inPolitics
Al and Tipper Gore No More
Via Politico: Al and Tipper Gore, whose playful romance enlivened Washington and the campaign trail for a quarter century, have decided to separate after 40 years of marriage, the couple told friends Tuesday. In an “Email from Al and Tipper Gore,” the couple said: “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought […]
Posted inBikes
Guilty: The New York Police Officer Who Allegedly Shoved a Critical Mass Rider
Remember this? It’s led to this: A former police officer was convicted on Thursday of lying about a confrontation with a bicyclist who was participating in a Critical Mass bike rally in Times Square in 2008 — a collision that was videotaped and became a viral presence on the Internet. The officer, Patrick Pogan, 24, […]
Posted inPolitics
Boycott Arizona
Says La Opinion, the Spanish language daily in Los Angeles, citing the new Arizona immigration law that allows police to stop and question people based simply on a suspicion that they might not be citizens: The law is a violation of basic civil rights. It also wrongfully asserts that states can set their own immigration […]
Posted inPolitics
Obama’s Health Care Summit
Right here, right now. 8 a.m.: We’re now an hour into this multi-hour event, and opening statements are just wrapping up. Which, Obama pointed out, is not surprising in a room full of elected officials. The biggest flash-point so far has been the question of whether reconciliation will be used to move the health care […]
Posted in$$$
The New Credit Card Responsibility Act
Explained by Jon Stewart: (Including: Why this is the best thing to happen since mandated calorie charts at McDonald’s stopped Americans from eating McDonald’s. Remember that? So amazing.)
Posted inPolitics
Massachusetts: The Blame Game, by the Numbers
In times like these I like to crawl into the mathematically certain arms of Nate Silver, who parses the Massachusetts results this way: Overall, we have a 31-point swing in the vote to explain: from Barack Obama’s roughly 26-point victory in November 2008, to Martha Coakley’s roughly 5-point loss today. At a bare minimum, 10 […]
Posted inHomo
Prop 8 Trial: The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage
Among many fascinating things about the Prop 8 trial in California is that a prominent conservative lawyer, Theodore B. Olson, is helping to make the argument that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. As Olson wrote recently in Newsweek: My involvement in this case has generated a certain degree of consternation among conservatives. How could a […]
Posted inCrime
Seattle Police Describe the Clemmons Shooting
The Seattle police describe the shooting of Maurice Clemmons (suspected of killing four cops in Lakewood) on their blog: At approximately 2:43 a.m. today, a uniformed patrol officer came upon a suspicious vehicle in the 4400 block of South Kenyon Street. The vehicle, an Acura Integra, was unoccupied. The engine was running and the hood […]
Posted inEthics
Gore Vidal on Roman Polanski
Via The Atlantic: I really don’t give a fuck. Look, am I going to sit and weep every time a young hooker feels as though she’s been taken advantage of?
Posted inPolitics
A Preview?
In just a few minutes, President Obama will hold a town hall meeting on health care reform in New Hampshire. Because, you know, town hall meetings have been going so well for Democrats lately. The president is prepared for disruptions, says his spokesman. Which is good. Because if Obama’s town hall meeting looks anything like […]
Posted inPolitics
Suffer, Teabagger
Meet Kenneth Gladney, 38, of St. Louis. He recently disrupted a town hall meeting to complain about health care reform, got in a fight with some union members, and, in the process, got hurt. Now Mr. Gladney is looking for donations to cover the cost of treating his injuries. Why? Because he has no health […]