With Barack Obama speaking at the Siegessäule this Thursday, the American presidential campaign has now definitely arrived in Germany. We spoke with Jan Burdinski, program director for Republicans Abroad Germany, and Jerry Gerber, press secretary for Democrats Abroad Berlin, about the impact of the election in Germany and the possible role of Americans living here.
They did it. With the stroke of a pen, The New Yorker did what the Republicans have been trying to do ever since Obama proved a force to be reckoned with in the 2008 election: they created the perfect GOP Smear Campaign poster.
On its July 21, 2008, cover, The New Yorker is portraying Barack and Michelle Obama in the Oval Office as fist-bumping, ‘fro donning (Michelle), US flag burning, bin-Laden-outfit wearing (Obama) and bin-Laden praising (crowning the mantlepiece) connivers.
The Obama Campaign is incensed, and HuffPost is not about to quench the fire. But let’s be honest: this cartoon barely has enough spark to ignite the bomb in the Prophet Muhammad’s turban (if you still don’t know how it got there, ask Jyllands-Posten), let alone a firecracker. To be sure, I’m not even certain if this qualifies as a stroke for freedom of speech.
So I was just watching a repeat of the Colbert Report on television today. Will Smith was there, promoting his new Movie Hancock. The story is a little lame. It’s fun at the beginning but gets really pathetic at the end. As you might expect from Will Smith it’s kind of a failure, even for a summer movie. So I can tell you what it’s about without even spoiling a great movie experience. And yes, I have to admit that I’ve seen it.
It’s basically the story of a desperate superhero indulging in alcoholic beverages. So this guy hates his job – but keeps doing it anyway – to the point that the people of Los Angeles wish him to New York City because he usually leaves a big mess every time he’s on a mission. Finally he meets this publicist played by Jason Bateman who wants to help him gain popularity by (among other things) talking him into voluntarily going to jail .
Weather: solid 83° Fahrenheit. Crowd: Tempelhof-groupies and EasyJet-set. Food: German, served with Stars & Stripes. Welcome to Amerikafest 2008.
As if Americans didn’t have enough on their plates with foreclosures and rising unemployment, the obesity epidemic continues to weigh down the Land of the Free.
Today, Princeton Professor and New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman held a lecture at the FU Berlin. You know what follows now: Liveblog ist back! Again, only in German, since I can type faster this way.
Is it women’s issues or the bathing suit competition after all?
On Sunday, May 18, Melinda Henneberger cleared up some misconceptions about women voters. And she should know, as she has traveled the U.S. for two years to find an answer to the question: How do women voters chose their candidate?
When future generations are going to judge the presidency of George W. Bush, they will base their decision to a large degree on the Iraq war and the false pretenses under which it has been started. By now, it is clear that President Bush and his aides – Rumsfeld, Powell, Rize, Cheney – proved themselves wrong about the Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, about Saddam Hussein’s co-operation with Al Qaeda, about the publicly announced reasons to invade Iraq.
The following video called “Leading To War” collects TV appearances of members of the Bush administration before the American troops began their march towards Bagdad, so that they can be held accountable for their statements. It is comprised entirely of news footage, presented chronologically from President Bush’s State of the Union address in January 2002, when he proclaimed an “Axis of Evil,” and ends with the announcement of U.S. military action in Iraq on March 19, 2003. The video is completely left uncommented, which makes the cold rhetoric sound even more chilling.
The video was produced by Walden Woods, where it can also be downloaded in its entire length. Another comprehensive resource for statements of the Bush administration is The War Card; the project aims to build up a searchable database of all relevant expressions of views and facts which led to the war. All in the hope that a more informed public will make the right judgment about this administration, as well as its successors.
Just when you thought the Dems were beginning to move in circles, looking to something as colorful as gas taxes to spike the “Donkey Punch,” Obama supporters turn the knobs and change the beat.
Following Will.I.Am’s wildly popular “Yes We Can,” featuring soul saint John Legend, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the angelic Scarlett Johansson (just to name a few), TI$A (from the superior, but much overlooked, hip-hop/r’n'b producer/writer/super group Sa-Ra Creative Partners) drops another MTV/Hollywood gem to keep the election spectacle vibrant.
In the weeks since the outbreak of demonstrations in Tibet, much debate has evolved around the Olympic Games in China. Should there be a boycott? How can the athletes express their opinion? Now athletes have found a way to show their disapproval of China’s politics without violating the Olympic Charter.
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