TresSugar

Some Firefighters & New Yorkers Believe 9/11 Conspiracies

CitizenSugar — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:00:02 -0700

An issue that doesn't get much mainstream attention made the front page of Slate this week: 9/11 conspiracy theories. Following an episode of Rescue Me, during which firefighter character Franco Rivera shares his beliefs that 9/11 was an inside job, writer Christopher Beam began to wonder: do actual firefighters subscribe to 9/11 conspiracy theories? The answer is yes.

The various alternative versions of the horrific day are not that easy to follow, but the one favored by many firefighters is that the Twin Towers and 7 World Trade Center fell thanks to controlled demolition, and not because of the plane crashes. In recorded interviews right after 9/11, firefighters said they heard explosions right before the buildings fell. But those tapes were not released until 2005.

A 2007 poll found that 26 percent of Americans think the government had something to do with the attack. A group of 9/11 families, first responders, and other citizens is working on getting a measure on the New York state ballot that would legally mandate the formation of a new investigation with subpoena power. Do you want to see more investigation or do these theories offend you?

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What Did the Press Get Wrong About Mumbai?

LibertySugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:00:54 -0800

Slate ran a useful piece this week looking at all the mistakes the press made in its reporting on the Mumbai massacre. Inconsistencies involved the nationalities of the killers (some were British citizens?), the planning of the assault (did the attackers visit Mumbai to spy?), and the targets of the attacks (Americans and Brits, Mumbai's luxury hotels, or anyone and everyone?). The author even takes issue with the fact that multiple publications provided different spellings of the lone remaining gunman Kasab.

The thrust of the article is that newspapers and networks should at least "warn readers of the provisional nature of their hot breaking reports."

When a crisis strikes would you rather get information quickly and do the fact-checking yourself, or do you want the outlets to remind you that they're not 100 percent sure about their reports?

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Bailing It Out: Just How Much Is $700 Billion Anyway?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:11 -0700

Oh, bailout, you're our new Sarah Palin. We can't stop talking about you, yet we know so little about you. The president is set to give a televised address about the state of the economy tonight at 9 p.m. EDT - but here's the real question I've been wondering about since the $700 billion figure first popped up: exactly how much is $700 billion anyway?

Well for starters, if you count this double-image pic of gajillionaire Bill Gates as two . . . and then add the other 10 of him in net worth, that's how much $700 billion is: 12 Bill Gateses. That's only a dozen right? Not so many. (?!)

To see the whole dirty dozen of Billy, and more perspective on the figure (including Titanic comparisons) read more.

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The bill for every living soul currently in the US, if everyone were to pay their share? $2,300 per person.
The sum of everyone's net worth on the Forbes 400 list is twice the cost of the bailout.
It would take the box office equivalent of 381 Titanics to reach $700 billion.
Florida's gross domestic product would cover the tab.
Though looking forward, if nothing is done to fix Social Security, in 75 years the shortfall of $4.3 trillion will be the cost of six bailouts.

So $700 billion: it's pocket change really. It's all in your perspective - right Bill?

How Old Is Too Old? Should Medicare Shell Out for Over 100s?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:00:15 -0700

Seen a lot of sliver foxes running around lately? That's because the population of folks in the US over 100 has nearly doubled since 2000. If the candle-blowing continues like this, within 40 years, it could exceed one million. A million people over 100. Slate has a piece examining the cause and effect of great medical care - people live longer, and consequently require more and more care for many years longer than the Medicare system was equipped to handle - like one woman who received a $35,000 pacemaker the month before her 100th birthday.

Living long is fantastic, but it raises a question: Would the health care money be better spent on younger patients? The piece makes the argument that health is like wealth. Some people are blessed with it, and some aren't - and it floats this theory:

Just as some people have enough money, others have had enough time. If you make it to 100 and can fund your own surgery, that's terrific. But Medicare should focus its resources on people who haven't been as lucky as you. Living to 99 is no tragedy. It's a blessing.

Should there be an age consideration for patients to receive spendy medical procedures for those who've lived good, long lives?

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Ever Wondered Why Jehovah's Witnesses Don't Vote?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:00:55 -0700

I'm not so much a sportsy-follower and admit that I didn't know that Serena Williams is a Jehovah's Witness until she started talking about Barack Obama in this Slate piece, but I'm glad she did - this is fascinating stuff. Do you know why Jehovah's Witnesses tend not to vote? Passages like John 17:14 where Jesus says of those who follow him: "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." This other-worldliness is what Jehovah's Witnesses have interpreted as a directive to remain above terrestrial concerns like the election and neutral in all political matters.

Though voting isn't completely prohibited it's cautioned against - the Watchtower, the official publication of the Jehovah's Witnesses has suggested that whether to stop into the voting booth was one of personal conscience. Not limited to voting, Witnesses also don't serve in the military, pledge allegiance to the flag, or run for office.

The cautioning against politics does work - only 13 percent are registered to vote, and though they're the biggest religious group that opts out of voting, there are others, like the Amish and the Rastafarians (though even their attitudes have altered the last few years.) Is God a big reason to stay vote-free? In the US about 2 percent of people who don't register to vote cite religion as the reason.

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The Symbolism of Deciding to Wear a Muslim Headscarf

CitizenSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:30:00 -0700

I knew the hijab (the scarf Muslim women cover their head with) is symbolic, but I hadn't given much thought to just how meaningful the decision whether or not to don it is until I read this piece in Slate. Especially for Muslim women living in America, covering up or not varies just as often as someone might switch jobs or leave a relationship, and it's just as life changing.

The author of the piece tells of her own decision to cover and shares other's stories, too. One woman originally covered up as an act of rebellion, a way to stand out - but decided to unveil later after being set up with potential dates who thought her hijab broadcast a submissive attitude toward marriage whereas her education had prompted her to examine roles for men and women laid out in classical Islamic law. To see it applied in modern times, read more.

The Quran has two verses dealing specifically with women's dress. And though they seem vague to a modern ear, the rules lead 51 percent of Muslims in the United States to wear a hijab all or most of the time. One of the modern interpretations resulted in a Facebook group called "Just Because I Don't Wear Hijab Doesn't Mean I'm Not Muslim."

The author sums up the decision beautifully saying:

Wearing hijab or not wearing hijab - just like owning a gun or driving a Prius - says something fundamental about your beliefs and aspirations. And in America, at least, beliefs have a funny way of changing.

Do religions that have outwardly visible cues require a higher level of faith? Could wearing a hijab be liberating? Is wearing one a rebellion just as not wearing one is? Would you look differently at a woman in a hijab knowing she's made a conscious decision to wear it?
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Can You Hear Me Now? Whose Ringtone Would You Blast?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:45:23 -0700

I suppose it was only a matter of time - for those of you el sicko of the campaign-o, Slate has found a way to make it even more culturally insidious. (Of course it's possible! Dare to dream!) Are you ready for this? Candidate. Cell phone. Ringtones.

I can't help it; they're so obnoxious they fill me with glee. They have a selection, and here are a few favorites. Which one would you assign to your best friend? Your nemesis? Would you give any of them a jangle?

McCain:

Obama:

Hillary:

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Who Wants to Watch HBO's Recount With Me?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:34 -0700

Everyone I've heard talk about the upcoming HBO movie Recount about the aftermath of the 2000 election has loved it, including and not limited to Slate's John Dickerson who's the non-grumpy man on my beloved Slate Political Gabfest.

So I'm hotly, hotly anticipating this flick. It stars Laura Dern as Katherine Harris, and Tom Wilkinson as James Baker - Kevin Spacey, Ed Begley Jr. and Denis Leary star as well.

"This is a street fight for the presidency of the United States." Hot. I know it was real, with all kinds of historical ramifications. . .but it seems like a great movie too? Can it be both?

It airs Sunday, May 25 at 9 p.m. I'm sending out a little butterfly ballot of my own - I'm thinking of throwing a little virtual viewing party. . . complete with "Hanging Chad" cocktails - who's in?

A Mother/Daughter Wedge Issue? One's Pro-Hillary . . .

CitizenSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:00:53 -0700

The prospect of the first female president has raised tensions along the gender divide - it's not just boys vs. girls, older Hillary-loving moms are squaring off against their young, hip, hope-inspired Obama-voting daughters. Slate ran a piece on this very phenomenon, and we wanted to put it to the test.

We peeked in on one such mom and daughter, to see what happens when they stop being polite and start being real - true life: my mom's trying to get me to vote for Hillary! To see what happens, read more.

Is this a conversation you're familiar with? Do you think older women see the election differently than the younger generation? Are you just glad it's inspired passionate conversations like this? And how cute is the end of the conversation?!

Where in the World Is John McCain? On The View and More!

CitizenSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:15:37 -0700

John McCain might be on cruise control until the Democrats figure out their nominee, but he hasn't been sipping margaritas on the beach by a long shot. Here's what he's been up to - and who's saying what about the Republican soon-to-be nominee.

After his time back at his day job for the Petraeus hearings, McCain sat with the ladies of The View today.

The Economist recently ran this great piece considering whether the US would elect a war hero, since the last three who've run (Kerry, Dole, and Bush Sr.) have all lost. Here's the part that got my attention:

In all his speeches, Mr. McCain urges Americans to make sacrifices for a country that is both “an idea and a cause.” He is not asking them to suffer anything he would not suffer himself. But many voters would rather not suffer at all.

I'm incorrigible, and there's tons more to see - the good and the bad, plus McCain on The View - so read more.

Slate had two goodies on the Mac Attack: a wildly touching story about how McCain visited his friend Rep. Mo Udall in the hospital for years. It's a heart-tugger:

It was a simple act of affection and admiration, and for that reason it meant all the more to McCain. It was one man saying to another, We disagree in politics but not in life.

The other Slate piece to check out details McCain's plan to campaign deep into "enemy" territory - holding events in places where Republican votes rarely see the light of the ballot box.

There have certainly been a lot of critical things said about him recently too: regarding his position on a budget deficit and his unwillingness to rule out fighting preemptive wars.

I've got a question for all the Republicans (and McCain Democrats) out there: Are you satisfied that he will be the Republican nominee? Since the exit of all of the other candidates, some of whom were certainly more conservative than McCain, have you come to terms with him as the choice? If not, what will it take?

If you plan to vote Democrat, are you glad McCain is the opponent?

Here's a look at his time on the couch with Whoopi, Babs, and company. . . .

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