GeekSugar

US Congress Launches Their Own YouTube Channels

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:00:33 PST

Taking their cue from Barack Obama's high-tech campaign that won him the presidency, the US Senate and the House of Representatives have launched their own YouTube channels in order to connect with the American public. Although past restrictions have prevented government officials from posing on outside websites, the rules have quickly changed to catch up with the online population.

Not only will the Senate's Official YouTube page bring you messages straight from your senator's office, but you'll also catch some behind the scenes tidbits, like which senators entered into a friendly wager on the Florida Gator/Ohio Buckeye game, and which one had to pay up in push-ups. As for the House of Representatives, they like to stay a little more low key - you can get your burning questions answered from the Reps themselves, and find out how many friends Ohio Representative Tim Ryan has on his Facebook page. That's right, he's on Facebook.

Women We Love Make the White House Correspondents' Dinner Guest List

Annie Scudder — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:23:05 PDT

The red carpet will come out tonight for some of the most famous faces from Hollywood - and Washington. The White House Correspondents' Dinner, which dates back to 1920, is the hottest ticket in the nation's capital. Each year media publications invite celebrities and politicians to join them at their tables for a night of wining, dining, and laughs. This year's reported guest list includes women we love to root for. Like Elizabeth Banks, who charmed us this year playing Effie in The Hunger Games and by sticking up for Planned Parenthood, or Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a mother of two who is dedicated to equal pay for women. They're not alone. Here are 10 women we love who reportedly made this year's list.

Savvy Links: Beautiful People Earn $230,000 More Than the Rest of Us

Emily Co — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:33:51 PDT

Beautiful people earn $230,000 more than the rest of us - The Jane Dough
25 things to never pay full price for - Wise Bread
Your male co-worker is scared of you - LearnVest
Why she ditched beauty pageants for the army - HuffPost Women
4 behaviors you don’t have to put up with from a work friend - The Daily Muse
Senate explores legality of employers demanding Facebook passwords - Tecca
What’s the best day to email? - Corporette
Money missteps that matter - Real Simple
Save more on online shopping - AllYou

George Clooney Arrives in DC Ahead of a Meeting With Congress

Allie Merriam — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:08:19 PDT

George Clooney arrived in Washington DC last night on an Amtrak train. He was rocking a bit of scruff on his face and carried his own dry cleaning out to a waiting car. George is back in the US after visiting Africa. George Clooney was in Sudan and South Sudan, visiting with locals and bearing witness to the crimes taking place in the oil-rich area. He has a visit with Congress planned for today. George will speak in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about what he saw in the two countries.

Last night, George went to the Council on Foreign Relations to speak on the same topic. He joked about wanting to bring Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to task for his alleged crimes. "We could have a surprise party in Lake Como for Omar al-Bashir. Come on over! It’s a great party! And have the International Criminal Court waiting for them." The political activism is a stark contrast to George's early 2012, which involved dressing up in tuxes to hit a variety to red carpets during award season.

Flashback: Obama PDA on the 2008 Campaign Trail

Annie Scudder — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:54:33 PST

Presidential campaigns can get ugly, with their divisive rhetoric and negative TV ads. A bright spot in the political contest is the support and love we see on display between the candidates and their spouses. We've already looked back at the sweet smooches during this year's Republican primary. As we hope for more love from both the Republican and Democratic couples this year, let's go back in time to 2008, when Senator Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, made us collectively say "aw." Here are their cutest PDA moments from the last campaign.

A Picture For Every Year of Hillary Clinton's National Service

Annie Scudder — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:05:53 PST

"I think after 20 years, and it will be 20 years, of being on the high wire of American politics and all of the challenges that come with that, it would be probably a good idea to just find out how tired I am," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told State Department employees yesterday. Hillary has been on the national stage for two decades, as a presidential candidate's wife, first lady, senator from New York, presidential candidate herself, and now as secretary of state.

Although she didn't attain her goal of becoming the first woman elected president in the US, Hillary Clinton has blazed trails for women. Hillary was active in policy making during her time as first lady, and now as secretary of state she champions the rights of women around the world. When she does eventually step down, which she says she'll do once President Obama nominates a replacement, many Americans will likely miss her presence, as nearly two-thirds of Americans have a favorable opinion of Hillary today. Until she does retreat back into private life, let's look back at a picture for each year of Hillary Clinton's national service.

Sexy Movie Politicians Win Our Vote!

Tara Block — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:11:41 PDT

Tomorrow The Ides of March hits theaters, starring a super sexy Ryan Gosling as a political strategist for George Clooney's US Presidential hopeful Governor Mike Morris. While we wouldn't mind having George as our country's leader, he's not the first fine actor to play the part of an elected official. From Robert Redford to Harrison Ford, we've rounded up the sexiest presidents, governors, and senators to hit the big screen. See the political eye candy now!

Family Planning Debate Could Shut Down the Government

Annie Scudder — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:00:33 PDT

How do you know the abortion debate in the country has gotten out of control? When it threatens to shut down the US government. Senate Democrats say they've almost reached a deal with Republicans over the budget but won't move forward unless the GOP drops efforts to defund family planning services with the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "It's an ideological battle that has nothing to do with fiscal integrity of this country, everything to do with the ideology on that other side of the Capitol."

Republicans are hoping they can successfully stop all government funding to Planned Parenthood, even though it's already against the law to use federal funds for abortion. Last month, a similar bill failed to pass the Senate, so the GOP-controlled House added an amendment to the budget bill. Also written into the bill is a provision that would eliminate all funding for family planning clinics nationally, and there's another amendment that would forbid Washington DC from using even nonfederal funds to pay for abortions. As Joan Walsh pointed out this week on Salon, cutting Planned Parenthood funding, which helps provide contraception to poor women, could ironically cause the abortion rate to spike.

Do you hope Democrats will risk a government shutdown, which would put 800,000 out of work temporarily, keep national museums closed, and disrupt business and home loans, in order to protect family planning funding against Republican attacks?

Texas Wants to Ban Groping as a Prerequisite For Air Travel

Annie Scudder — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:03:01 PDT

Ever since full-body scans became the norm at most US airports last Fall, I've opted for the extensive pat down instead. The thought of someone seeing under my clothes doesn't bother me as much as the potential radiation risks amplified by regular exposure to the scanners. And while the pat down is intrusive and slightly embarrassing, especially when they go inside the top of your pants, I guess I feel relieved that I have an option to avoid the scanner.

The Texas House of Representatives doesn't think we should have to pick between two intrusive evils. Last month it approved a bill that would ban any pat down that "touches the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person including through the clothing, or touches the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person." There's also a parallel bill that would ban scanners that allow people to be seen naked. The bill has stalled in the state senate after federal officials threatened to shut down any flights out of Texas due to security concerns.

Today the Republican sponsor of the bill David Simpson defended it in the New York Times. Find out what he said when you keep reading.

Speed Read - Senate Vote Means Planned Parenthood Keeps Funding

TresSugar — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:42:54 PST

The Senate rejects bill defunding Planned Parenthood - Politico
Journalistic objectivity goes too far in case of 11-year-old's rape - Double X
Designers speak out about fashion industry pressures - Fashionologie
Is the reign of conventional pop princesses over? - Daily Beast
Spider-Man musical to get a new director - New York Times
New study shows lack of penis bone makes us human - Guardian
Katie Couric is looking for a syndicated talk show - THR
Kelly Preston says former fiancé Charlie Sheen is really a good person - People