PopSugar

Link Time! Adam Lambert Goes Glittery For His Album Cover

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:30:50 -0700

Behold: Adam Lambert's glitzy album cover - Best Week Ever
Will you see This Is It today? - PopSugar
Friday Night Lights premieres on DirecTV tonight - Hit Fix
Take a look at the best movies of the 1940s - Moviefone
Hooked on the bloodsuckers? Check out the 25 best reviewed vampire movies - Rotten Tomatoes
Lisa Kudrow will make an appearance on Cougar Town - Zap2it
Go behind the scenes with Spike Jonze and Kanye West - Pitchfork
Val Kilmer and Emmanuelle Chriqui will star in the upcoming film Georgia - Movieline
Family Guy is too raunchy for Microsoft - TV.Com

Georgia Considers English-Only Driver's Test - Why?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:30:47 -0700

Georgia lawmakers may soon make trying to get a driver's license an even bigger headache for some residents. The state legislature is considering a bill that would require potential drivers to take the written test in English and without a translator. It seems like a silly idea to me.

Not only could this keep nonfluent speakers from getting to and from their jobs, it will probably lead to an increased number of unlicensed drivers on the road. And that puts English speakers at risk, too. In addition, critics argue that it further isolates non-English speakers, could discourage foreign companies from investing in Georgia, and unfairly targets minorities who can't benefit from the state's nonexistent public transportation system.

Proponents say the bill will increase public safety, since drivers need to read road signs. But the driving test and road sign test are already administered in English. Do you think it makes sense to limit the written test, too?

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Octomom Bill Would Limit Number of Embryo Implants

CitizenSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:00:00 -0800

California may be all right with Nadya Suleman having octuplets, but one state senator says such a thing shouldn't happen in the great state of Georgia.

Republican Sen. Ralph Hudgens has introduced a bill that would limit women under 40 to two embryos and women over 40 to three. A doctor implanted Nadya, 33, with six, a number that violated the medical field's self-regulations. The American Society For Reproductive Medicine supports limiting embryos to two for women under 35, and five for women over 40.

Defending his legislation, Sen. Hudgens said:

She is not married, She is unemployed, she is on government assistance, and now she is going to put those 14 children on the back of the taxpayers in the state of California.

Critics worry that Georgia fertility doctors would lose business to neighboring states. Others think that the bill is an attempt to outlaw abortion, since it defines an in vitro embryo as a human being.

I'm sure there would be outrage if a law attempted to limit natural conceptions. Do you think government should step in to stop an "octomom" repeat, or should it be left to the medical community?

Front Page: Georgia's Runoff For US Senate Seat Underway!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:00:19 -0800

Today Georgians go to the polls to vote in the runoff for their US Senate seat. If Democratic challenger Jim Martin beats Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss, the Democrats will be one seat away from a 60-seat supermajority. - Atlanta Journal
After declaring a fiscal emergency in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged lawmakers to "get off of their rigid ideologies" and work toward solving the state's financial crisis. The Governor warned that California could run out of cash in two months. - LA Times

India's foreign minister has demanded that Pakistan arrest and turn over about 20 people wanted under Indian law as fugitives. Indian officials maintain that the planners of the recent attacks are at large in Pakistan and have demanded Pakistan take action. - New York Times
A cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, caused by contaminated drinking water, has killed nearly 500 people. - BBC News
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Front Page: US Unemployment Reaches Grim High at 6.5%

LibertySugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

The US unemployment reached a 14-year high of 6.5 percent today. About 240,000 nonfarm jobs were lost in October alone. So far this year 1.2 million US jobs have been lost.- Bloomberg
The still being recounted Minnesota Senate race between Al Franken and Senator Norm Coleman came within a margin of 236 votes at the end of Thursday. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Georgia's claims that it acted in defense against Russian aggression last summer are being called into question. - New York Times
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi started "suntan-gate" yesterday when he called Barack Obama "young, handsome, and tanned." When asked if the comment might have been misunderstood as undiplomatic or even racist, the Prime Minister told his opponents to get a sense of humor.- BBC News

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Front Page: Fed Cuts Interest Rate, Judge Orders 17 Freed From Gitmo, Russia Begins Georgia Pull-Out

CitizenSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:58:30 -0700

Fed Cuts Interest Rate:
In an effort to shore up the global market slide, the Federal Reserve and six other major banks worldwid cut interest rates. The Fed downgraded from 2 percent to 1.5 percent. Banks in the UK, China, and Canada followed suit after five days of tumbling stocks. The Fed's action will reduce borrowing costs immediately to US borrowers whose home-equity loans are tied to the prime interest rate.

Judge Orders 17 Freed From Gitmo:
A federal judge ordered the Bush administration to free 17 Guantanamo Bay detainees by the end of the week, the first such order in seven years of disputes over the detentions. The 17 men have been held since 2002 and are members of a western Chinese minority. The judge says, “I think the moment has arrived for the court to shine the light of constitutionality on the reasons for detention."
Russia Begins Georgia Pull-Out:
Russia says its troops are leaving the so-called "buffer zone" around South Ossetia and five of the six checkpoints have been dismantled. Under a ceasefire deal, Moscow has to pull troops out of other areas around South Ossetia by Friday, though they will keep 8,000 troops in areas they've recognized as independent states. The move is part of the deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in August.

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Despite Conflict With Russia, Georgia Has Love For Stalin

LibertySugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Jamil Ziyadaliev is a professional Stalin impersonator in Georgia. Hosts of weddings and other events pay him to dress up as the Soviet dictator. But he also sports the costume on days off, and I don't blame him. Thanks to Stalin similarities, Jamil receives free meals, car repairs, and passages through Russian checkpoints.

The most fascinating aspect of Jamil's unlikely career choice is that it reveals the unlikely respect many Georgians have for native son Stalin. A cult of Stalin persists in Georgia, a country of 4.6 million that has troubles with modern Russia. One Georgian historian explains: "Every Georgian knows Stalin came from here. He may have given his execution orders in Russian, but he did so with a heavy Georgian accent."

To find out what the Georgian government is doing to combat Russian love, read more.

In Gori, Georgia, where Stalin was born, a statue of Stalin pervades the town square, and the Stalin museum sells Stalin memorabilia. Cleverly, following Russia's invasion of Georgia last August, Georgia's government announced plans to open a museum in Gorgi about Russian occupation throughout history.

Even though a Stalin impersonator gets a free ride in Georgia, many Georgians denounce Stalin for his brutal acts. And according to sociologists, those who still revere Stalin do so thanks to Georgia's failure to adequately air Stalin's atrocities.

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Briefing Book! Everyday Russians React to Putin and US

LibertySugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Russia: What do Russian blog readers think about Georgia and the US? Translated reactions to Putin's assertion that the US orchestrated recent war between Russian and Georgia to help John McCain. - The Lede
Obama: How is the average Obama supporter going to become more aggressive this week? Outraged Obama supporters are ready to tumblr. - 23/6
Oil: Every drop of arctic or offshore oil will go directly to world market? China says drill baby drill! - Donklephant
POW: Will it get some play? In independent ad, fellow POW says McCain should not be near red button. - Townhall
Economy: What do candidates think? McCain and Obama split on strength of economy. - Politico

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Should the US Push For Georgia to Join NATO?

LibertySugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Sarah Palin echoed John McCain's tough talk toward Russia, when she told Charlie Gibson that she favors putting Georgia in NATO, even though membership would mean the possibility of war with Russia. Last month, McCain said: "I would move forward at the right time with the application for membership in NATO by Georgia. As you know, through the NATO membership, that if a member nation is attacked, it is viewed as an attack on all."

Obama also called for partnership between NATO and Georgia in August: "I have consistently called for deepening relations between Georgia and transatlantic institutions, including a membership action plan (MAP) for NATO, and we must continue to press for that deeper relationship." Membership in NATO's MAP can last for decades, and before full membership in NATO is awarded, territorial disputes with Russia would have to be worked out. This Summer, NATO deferred even MAP membership for Georgia.

Thinking about how a candidate's casual comment on the possibility of war with Russia plays out in Russia or other countries makes me a little nervous, but then again everyone in the race seems to have Georgia and a NATO relationship on their minds.

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Front Page: US to Send $1 Billion to Georgia, New Orleans Residents to Return, North Korea Reassembling Nukes

CitizenSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:01:11 -0700

US to Send $1 Billion to Georgia:
The Bush administration is set to announce $1 billion in aid to help Georgia rebuild after its conflict with Russia last month. The package reflects an increase of support from the administration. In addition, Vice President Cheney has visited the region, and the aid and visit will probably increase tension with Russia.

New Orleans Residents to Return:
Mayor Ray Nagin has given New Orleans residents the go-ahead to return to their homes tomorrow - at their own risk. A curfew will still be in effect, and many homes are without electricity or working toilets. Nagin said, "It's my humble opinion that the city is still in a very, very vulnerable state." 800,000 people are still without power in the state.

North Korea Reassembling Nukes:
North Korea has begun to reassemble its main nuclear facility saying the US has delayed its removal from the list of terror sponsors. In response, Washington has reiterated its condition that North Korea commit to a plan verifying the accounting of the nuclear program submitted in June. The US is talking to North Korean officials to "look for solutions."

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