Since January 2009, there's a big wooden bowl of apples in the Oval Office. Its steadfast presence is kind of soothing.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Monday, August 13, 2012
40 Photos Of The Oval Office Apple Bowl
Since January 2009, there's a big wooden bowl of apples in the Oval Office. Its steadfast presence is kind of soothing.
Monday, July 30, 2012
4 Animals That Ran for Mayor (And Won!)
Has the presidential race soured you on politics as usual? Next time you're in the voting booth, consider casting your ballot for a nontraditional candidate. Like Stubbs, a cat who was elected mayor of the town of Talkeetna, Alaska in 1997, as a write-in candidate.
As of 2012, Stubbs is still honorary mayor. These towns are also enjoying the benefits of a super hands-off - or more precisely, paws-off - government.
(via Look At This...)
Friday, May 18, 2012
10 Landlocked Countries With Navies
While landlocked countries are obviously unable to develop a sea-going blue-water navy, they may still deploy armed forces on major lakes or rivers. There are a number of reasons a landlocked country may choose to maintain a navy. If a river or lake forms a national border, countries may feel the need to protect and patrol that border with a military force.
In some regions, roads may be unreliable or circuitous, and a river or lake may be the easiest way to move military forces around the country. Sometimes, possession of a body of water may actually be contested - for example, countries around the landlocked Caspian Sea have different views of how ownership should be divided.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
10 Things You Didn't Know About The President's Secret Army
The U.S. Joint Special Operations Command is best known for the Osama bin Laden raid. But it has long served as the president's secret army, planning and executing the most dangerous, highly classified missions of the United States military. In 2009, its snipers rescued an American ship captain held captive by Somali pirates.
In 2003, they hunted down and captured Saddam Hussein near Tikrit, Iraq. In 1993, two Delta snipers earned posthumous Congressional Medals of Honor for actions during the Battle of Mogadishu. And before that, members of the Command were tracking Scud missiles during the Gulf War and slithering down ropes in Panama.
Here are a few things about the president's secret army that you might not know.
In 2003, they hunted down and captured Saddam Hussein near Tikrit, Iraq. In 1993, two Delta snipers earned posthumous Congressional Medals of Honor for actions during the Battle of Mogadishu. And before that, members of the Command were tracking Scud missiles during the Gulf War and slithering down ropes in Panama.
Here are a few things about the president's secret army that you might not know.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
10 Ways The CIA Tried To Kill Castro
In 1959, Fidel Castro became the Prime Minister of Cuba. Since then, according to Fabian Escalante, the former head of the Cuban Secret Service and the man who was charged with protecting him for most of his regime, he's survived over 600 assassination attempts.
There are only so many different ways you can ambush someone with a sharpshooter, so some of the ways the CIA plotted to kill Castro were pretty wild. Here are just a few of the unorthodox methods considered to oust him.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Would Mitt Romney Be The Richest U.S. President Ever?
GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney is worth as much as $200 million, the candidate has said, thanks to his considerable investment fortune. If Romney wins the election in November, he would become the richest commander-in-chief in the last half century. But would he be the richest U.S. President ever?
No! George Washington's land made him far wealthier. But still, Romney is worth more than the last eight presidents, combined, times two. Here's an analysis that estimates the net worth of every U.S. president based on land, salary, and investments, all adjusted for inflation.
No! George Washington's land made him far wealthier. But still, Romney is worth more than the last eight presidents, combined, times two. Here's an analysis that estimates the net worth of every U.S. president based on land, salary, and investments, all adjusted for inflation.
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Technical Examination Of SOPA And PIPA
The Stop Online Piracy Act is a U.S. House bill to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. The bill would criminalize the streaming of such content, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The Protect Intellectual Property Act is a proposed law with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to 'rogue websites dedicated to infringing or counterfeit goods,' especially those registered outside the U.S.
A Technical Examination of SOPA and PIPA.
(thanks Danny)
A Technical Examination of SOPA and PIPA.
(thanks Danny)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The GOP Debate In Hand Gestures
Body language accounts for between 55% and 65% of our communication. Body language is carriage, facial expressions, eye contact and gestures. Gestures can be made with your hands, arms, shoulder, torso, legs, feet or a combination of these, but hand gestures are probably the most common.
The GOP debate in hand gestures.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Most American Presidents Live Longer Than Other Men Their Age
Despite a common assumption that life in the Oval Office prematurely ages its occupants and speculation that it may even shorten life spans, a new statistical analysis has found that most presidents have actually lived longer than other American men their age. And all living presidents have either already surpassed the average expected life span or are likely to do so.
Experts on aging at the University of Illinois at Chicago gathered the evidence and concluded that 23 of the 34 presidents who died of natural causes 'lived beyond the average life expectancy for men of the same age when they were inaugurated.'
Monday, November 7, 2011
US Government: No Evidence Of Extraterrestrial Presence Here On Earth
Two petitions were asking the Obama Administration to acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence here on Earth. Their answer:
The US government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race. In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the
public's eye.
However, that doesn't mean the subject of life outside our planet isn't being discussed or explored. In fact, there are a number of projects working toward the goal of understanding if life can or does exist off Earth.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
10 Richest Heads Of State In The World
They say that being in the top job of any organization is stressful, but that the pay is worth it. It seems the same is true when it comes to the government - as these super-rich heads of state show. Who says working in the public sector has to pay badly?
Friday, September 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin, Action Man
Vladimir Putin, the 58-year-old former president and current prime minister of Russia, has cultivated a distinct public image over the past several years. The politician has piloted firefighting planes, darted whales, driven race cars, and even taken a submersible below the surface of Lake Baikal.
Here are some of the more interesting photos taken of Vladimir Putin during his tenure as Russia's prime minister over the past few years.
related posts:
Vladimir Putin Sings 'Blueberry Hill'
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Vicious Vintage Campaign Buttons
Think current U.S. political campaigns are nasty? It's not a modern development. Political campaigns have always been nasty. The attack-pinback has long been a tool of partisans and politicos.
(thanks Lisa)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Obama's Birth Certificate
After years of speculation and conspiracy theories, the White House has released President Obama's birth certificate. Declaring that he and the country have 'better stuff to do' than fight about where he was born, President Obama released his long-form Hawaii birth certificate yesterday and asked that the 'sideshows and carnival barkers' stop raising the issue.
No troubles finding my birth certificate. Here it is.
No troubles finding my birth certificate. Here it is.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
10 Best Places To Live For Escaping World Conflict
Where would you be the safest if World War 3 broke out tomorrow? Safety and distance from world conflict can be a motivating factor in your choice to expatriate. At the very least, conflict around the world can weigh heavy on the soul, and it's nice to know there are some places still left in the world where you might be left in peace.
Here's a list of the 10 best places to live if you want to escape world conflict.
Here's a list of the 10 best places to live if you want to escape world conflict.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Barack Obama's Top Secret Tent
A rare photo, released by the White House, shows Barack Obama fielding calls from a tent in Brazil, to keep up with events in Libya. The tent is a mobile secure area known as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, designed to allow officials to have top secret discussions on the move. They are one of the safest places in the world to have a conversation.
Designed to withstand eavesdropping, phone tapping and computer hacking, Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities are protected areas where classified conversations can be held. They can be permanent enclosures within a building, or mobile areas set up when a world leader is on the move, to allow them to view sensitive documents or have secret conversations without any outsiders listening or hacking in.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The President's Desk
Take a look around John F. Kennedy's Oval Office. Explore the President's desk. Objects that shine are interactive. Click on a highlighted object to learn more about its significance.
There are seven illuminated objects - a telephone, picture frame, campaign button, diary, secret taping button, a piece of scrimshaw from Kennedy's collection, and the coconut husk paperweight containing the rescue message that saved Kennedy and his PT-109 crew.
(thanks Cora)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
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