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January 2016

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 01, 2016 6 Comments
A somewhat unlikely story, via The Washington Post, These singing sisters are wildly popular in Yemen. And they’re Israeli Jews:
With their ebony hair and Yemeni accented Arabic, singing sisters Tair, Liron and Tagel Haim would probably not seem out of place on the streets of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. But the sisters, collectively known as A-Wa, or “yes” in Arabic slang, are actually descendants of Yemeni Jews who immigrated to Israel decades ago. Today, they live in Tel Aviv. While siblings singing sweet harmonies together might not be big news, these Jewish sisters — who mix near extinct Yemenite poetry with fast-paced hip-hop and electronic beats — just might be.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 01, 2016 4 Comments
When Professor Jacobson suggested I put together a "Top 5" post, I thought it would be easy peasy. I was wrong. 2015 was a wild year and I wrote a lot of things. Picking a few favorites our of 40-some-odd pages of posts though? That was no easy task. And what posts should be included in the list? Posts I enjoyed writing? Subjects I found compelling? Stories I just liked? Posts y'all liked? Featured images I found humorous? So.many.questions. Questions that became a bit more difficult to answer after a few mimosas. I settled on a few that I liked for any number of the above-listed reasons. I'm sure I could've included a few more, but I reiterate -- mimosas. And maybe a bloody mary or three. Without further ado, My Top 5 Posts of 2015 in no particular order:

1. That time President Obama forgot all about that whole Barbary Corsairs War thing

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 01, 2016 8 Comments
Back in April, the Ted Cruz campaign had a fundraiser in which one could win an afternoon "shooting with Ted," so on the one hand, it's not surprising that when a "Netflix and chill" fundraiser went out people believed it. In other ways, however, because of the meaning of that phrase; it is surprising . . . simply because the Cruz campaign has been pretty savvy thus far about not making such cultural and social media faux pas. https://twitter.com/A_Garcia1990/status/681595388718133248/photo/1 And they didn't this time--the entire thing turned out to be a Photoshopped hoax.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 01, 2016 14 Comments
A new batch of Hillary Clinton's emails was released last night on New Year's Eve. One particularly entertaining exchange revealed that the progressive billionaire George Soros had some regrets over the 2008 election. Kristina Wong reports at The Hill:
Clinton emails: Billionaire Soros said he regretted backing Obama George Soros, a billionaire Democratic donor, told a close Hillary Clinton ally that he regretted supporting President Obama over her in the 2008 Democratic primary, according to an email released Thursday by the State Department. Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden said in a May 2012 email to Clinton that Soros made the admission to her during a dinner. "I told him I worked for you in the primaries and he said he's been impressed that he can always call/meet with you on an issue of policy and said he hasn't met with the President ever (though I thought he had)," Tanden wrote.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 01, 2016 4 Comments
At least two people were killed in a terror attack on cafes in the heart of Tel Aviv. The gunman purchased goods at a store then pulled out what is described as a submachine gun and started firing, before escaping. Details on the gunman are still developing, but the latest reports indicate he was an Israeli Arab from northern Israel. Police are not clear on the motive for the attack, and whether it was what Israelis term "nationalistic" in motive. This video appears to show the gunman as he shopped then pulled out his weapon and began shooting on the street:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 01, 2016 10 Comments
In the wake of news that only one person showed up at a Martin O'Malley event in Iowa, news that he has failed to make the ballot in Ohio is probably unwelcome for the floundering campaign. The Hill reports:
Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley failed to qualify for the ballot in Ohio. A spokesman for the Ohio secretary of state confirmed to The Hill on Thursday that O'Malley did not get the necessary 1,000 signatures to appear on the March 15 ballot. O'Malley's campaign submitted 1,175 signatures, but only 772 were found to be valid, according to the secretary's office. "While this news is disappointing, we are exploring all of our options," Haley Morris, a spokeswoman for O'Malley, said in a statement. Morris said that O'Malley will "campaign vigorously" in the Buckeye State and noted that he is on the ballot in 18 other states. O'Malley, a former Maryland governor, has failed to gain traction for his 2016 Democratic bid, placing well behind former secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in recent polls.
For his part, however, O'Malley is not giving up on his campaign just yet and has opened a new campaign HQ in Waterloo [insert obvious one-liners here].

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 01, 2016 7 Comments
Enrique Marquez is finishing 2015 with an indictment by a federal grand jury of conspiring with San Bernardino terrorists Sayed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik.
Marquez, who was arrested two weeks ago, also faces two counts of making a false statement when buying two rifles, one count of marriage fraud and one count of making a false statement on immigration paperwork. Marquez is suspected of buying rifles used by Farook and Farook's wife, Tashfeen Malik, in the December 2 mass shooting that left 14 people dead in the Southern California city. Farook and Malik were killed in a shootout with police a few hours later. Authorities said Marquez, 24, and Farook, who he met in college, planned terror attacks but never carried one out.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 01, 2016 20 Comments
What better way to start off the new year than a reminder we get to elect a new president in mere months? For your enjoyment, a countdown. IMG_2023
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