Potluck Quote (2 of 10): Slavoj Zizek

According to the Instagram site for "Mental Floss," the American embassies for nations of Slovenia and Slovakia get together once a month to exchange letters that are meant for the other. We imagine the folks at "Washington Diplomat" are fully aware of this.

And, perhaps by merely mentioning Peter Sagal, the host of NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," who actually wrote a play called "Denial" some twenty years ago, we can get a few more domestic hits for this blog.

Today, we quote Slovenian left-leaning philosopher Slavoj Zizek who is probably not admire by either Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio:

"When I really love someone, I can only show it by making aggressive and bad-taste remarks."

GOP Debate without Trump Hangover....

Here are some leftover tweets from last night's Republican debate in which Donald Trump pretended he was Matthew Broderick in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," as well as some nifty tweets that were posted today on Twitter:

1) John Fuselgang (liberal): GOP debate was like The Suicide Squad without their Joker.

2) Ian Cioffi (libertarian): If watch CNN you'd think Rand Paul had a good night. If you watch Fox News, you'd think Rand Paul never attended the debate.

3) Hugh Hewitt (conservative): I'm going to sleep because I'm agreeing with David Axelrod too much.

4) Donna Brazile (liberal): A GOPDebate can still provide winners and losers even without Trump there to proclaim himself the winner and call everyone else losers.

5) Michelle Malkin (black Republican): In case you missed Jeb last nite Immigration pandering__check. Generational pandering__check. The Cringe. It burns.

6) Markos Moulitsas (liberal): So Donald Trump is taking down the Republican Party, now he's trying to do the same for Fox? Best primary ever.

7) Michael Crowley (Politico): Gonna be a lot of 'Hey, maybe we wrote off Jeb Bush too soon' overnight and tomorrow. Might be too late though....

8) Bernie Sanders: EqualPayCantWait when women in America who do the same work earn 79 cents on the dollar compared to men.

9) John Robinson (UNC journalism professor): Politics as bloodsport is fun to watch, but I do wish presidential candidates acted with dignity and intended, at least, to be presidential.

That makes a cool nod to our Luca Libre (Mexican wrestling image) along with a still from the movie "The Hangover" with Bradley Cooper and an image of Iowa State cheerleaders. Go Cyclones! Well, we don't live close to Iowa at all actually.....

SOTU Tweets Blogathon: Good Morning Dubai....

Good morning, Dubai! Where it is now 10:00 a.m. Kudos to Aston Villa, the last place team in the English Premiere League for their 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace.

Here is our final list of tweets, which does NOT involve any commentary from the likes of George F. Will and Fozzie the Bear.(pict. center).......

1) Taz Ahmed (American Muslim female comedian, activist): Can you PLAY INTO THE MODEL MINORITY STEREOTYPE any harder, Nikki Haley ?!?!?!

2) Catholic Democrats: So Nikki Haley is just repeating GOP talking points w/a clenched jaw and a southern accent? Cool, it's not like we expected anything else.

3) Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va., pict. top): As POTUS noted the scourge of opioid addiction  cuts across party lines. Let's come together to lift up communities hurt by this epidemic.

4) Andrea Mitchell (NBC, she is mentioning Sen. Ted Cruz R-Tex.,pict. bottom; he was campaigning for president in New Hampshire today instead of being at the SOTU): Ted Cruz rejects POTUS criticism of his threat to carpetbomb ISIS, says Obama and Hillary Clinton are putting their head in the sand regarding terrorism.

5) Jonathan Scott (Huffington Post): Wolf Blitzer also thought Jesus was born in Jerusalem on Celebrity Jeopardy.

6) Maryland Dem Party: Nikki Haley literally said nothing. Nothing of substance, and no answers.

7) Chuck Todd (NBC): If it's possible for Haley to actually rise up on the VP short list, she accomplished that as well tonight. Strong showing for SCGOV.

8) Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): POTUS is right, vote. Speak out. Stand up for others, esp the vulnerable, knowing each of us is only here 'cause somebody stood up for us.

9) Josh Kraushaar (National Journal): Donald Trump is providing a rare moment of bipartisanship tonight.

10) Liz Mair (conservative new media adviser): "Judging by Twitter, it appears that continuing to watch 'Making a Murderer' (a Netflix doc series) was the right call."

11) 9NewsDenver: "SC Gov. Nikki Haley sounds optimistic tone in GOP SOTU response."

http://www.lizmair.com

http://www.goodmuslimbadmuslim.com/tazandzahra/

http://www.catholicdemocrats.org/

http://www.9news.com/

Colorado Republican Debate Tweets: The DC Insiders Perspective (3 of 3)

Instead of focusing on strife in places like Afghanistan, Syria, and South Sudan, the BBC World Service will be giving live updates from the CNBC Republican Debate held tonight in Boulder, Colorado. Perhaps, that it is indeed quite fitting.

SPOILER ALERT: The Kansas-Iowa State college volleyball game we mentioned in earlier tweets resulted in a Kansas victory (3-1).

These tweets are from Washington, DC, media outlets as well as some partisan and non-partisan observers. Now, the BBC is saying that Google is trying to reach remote jungle areas in Indonesia, hmm....yeah, we can't imagine we get many hits from those areas.

The photo above is of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex), one of the Republican candidates, who bears a stark resemblance to the late "Dracula" actor Bela Lugosi.

Here are the tweets:

1) The Hill: "Ben Carson on homosexuality_ I believe our Constitution protects everybody."

2) The Onion (a satirical publication): Jeb Bush Inching Podium Closer to Center of Stage During Commercial Breaks.

3) Chris Cillizza (Washington Post): Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are just on a different level tonight.

4) Robert Costa (Washington Post): Bush muted. No more hits on Rubio for now.

5) Bernie Sanders (liberal presidential candidate): "It is an embarrassment that we have a major political party that rejects the overwhelming science on climate change."

6) Emily Stephenson (Reuters): Rubio: Democrats have the ultimate Super PAC, it's called the mainstream media.

7) Glenn Kenny (movie critic): One liners not withstanding Rubio's a goddamn fascist.

8) John Robinson (former  Greensboro, NC "News&Record" news editor): "You poor people watching the GOP Debate. You could be watching the Series or the NBA or Jane Seymour's Skin Care Secrets."

9) Tom Tomorrow (liberal cartoonist): Another hit on the media DRINK.

Colorado Republican Debate Tweet Round-up: The Local Angle (2 of 3)

Colorado Springs, Colorado, is not only the most politically conservative in Colorado, but also one of the leading right-wing settlements in America. But, the CNBC Republicans Debate took place at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo., a liberal enclave which is represented by Cong. Jared Polis (D-Colo., pict. above), one of the few openly gay current members of Congress.

Here are tweets which are mostly from Colorado sources, mixed in with an update on the Kansas-Iowa State college volleyball game in Ames, Iowa, which was broadcast on ESPN-U tonight.

1) The Colorado GOP: Packed house at the official Colo GOP watch party. CO Republicans are engaged.

2) Denver Political News: Carly Fiorina blasts politicians for talking about tax reform for years, but not doing anything about it.

3) Jared Polis: Jeb and Rubio fighting as only lovers can.

4) Marshall Zelinger (local newspaper reporter): Chris Christie makes an appearance at the GOPDebate. Better make it worth it, not sure when he's gonna be asked another question.

5) Cyclone Volleyball: ISU has sure fire now! 3-0 run has reduced the Kansas advantage to 9-7 in the fourth.

6) Adrian D. Garcia (Coloradoan Reporter, a newspaper in Fort Collins): CNBC to Fiorina: 'Your board fired you, I'm just wondering why you think we should hire you now?'"

7) Foreign Affairs: For those glued to the GOPDebate tonight, the World Series Game 2 is tied 0-0 at the top of the fourth.

8) College Republicans: Thank you, Ted Cruz for saying what we are all thinking.

 9) Colorado Dems: Rand Paul's budget priorities cuts to programs that hurt Coloradans. 

10 for 10 (3rd Entry): Elephants.........

Greetings to our blog readers in Taiwan, Ghana, and the Czech Republic......

Just because we are featuring the images of elephants, the traditional symbol of America's Republican Party does NOT mean we are endorsing Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Donald Trump again, Jeb Bush, Jim Gilmore, George Pataki, Chris Christie, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee........well, you get the idea (excuse the political humor, it should be pointed we didn't go with Carly because we did not want to spell her name incorrectly)......

There are many zoos here in America and around the world where one can discover his or her inner child and perhaps see a live elephant, here are four links you can check out:

http://www.marylandzoo.org/ (Maryland Zoo)

http://www.hoglezoo.org/ (Hogel Zoo of Salt Lake City, Utah)

http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/ (San Diego Zoo)

http://www.zoo-berlin.de/en (Berlin Zoo in Germany)

SOTU Tweets: Which Member of Congress Will Fall Asleep Tonight?

Greetings to Our Blog Readers in Lithuania, Italy and Brazil as well as the city of Eskisehir, Turkey, where it will be 4:00 a.m. when President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union (SOTU) address to both houses of Congress.

We are projecting that Cong. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) or Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will be the two members who go ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..........tonight, but then again, we love making fun of Republicans though we are just a tad bit more objective tonight.

The images are of Cong. Gerry Connolly (D-Va), a sleeping man who is younger than most members of Congress except those crazy Tea Partier like Cong. Mia Love (R-Utah) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Chilly Willy, the cartoon penguin, who hopes the GOP realizes global warming is a reality.

Here are the tweets:

1) Matt Fuller (reporter with "Roll Call"): Fox News, The Daily Beast, and Roll Call just teamed up to count 449 regular seats on the House floor. Will send breakdown if needed."

2) Connolly: Caught Selma at Cinema Arts. The LBJ miscue notwithstanding, it's a moving rendition of the critical civil rights events of 1964-5. (Cinema Arts is a movie theatre in Fairfax, Va.)

3) Cong. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va): "Tune in President Obama will deliver the State of the Union tonight at 9 p.m. Will we hear more of the same?"

4) Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): "Honored to have Vanessa Fontaine, Avonte Oquendo's mother at the SOTU tonight to rally support for Avante's Law. (Avante was a New York City teen with autism who was found dead last week).

5) Chris Cillizza or The Fix (Washington Post political columnist): "Who will fall asleep in the State of the Union tonight?" (We were actually asking the same question before this tweet)

6) Cong. Joe Crowley (D-NY): "Our president has been a champ for the middle class and has expanded access to the American dream. Looking fwd to his SOTU address!"

7) Politico: "Obama's SOTU to address 'middle-class economics' and to call for a 'smarter kind of American leadership abroad.'"

8) Sierra Club (progressive environmental group): "The Senator who is giving the GOP State of the Union response campaigned on ending the EPA" (Environmental Protection Agency; Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican freshman from Iowa, has been become both a darling of the far right and a pariah to those on the left and center-left even though she has barely been in office).

9) John Dickerson (of CBS News): "I think Joe Biden should play the spoons tonight."

10) National Review (a conservative journal): "White House Drops 'News' from Fox News placard at SOTU lunch."

11) Talking Points Memo: "SCOTUS (Supreme Court) ruling against Obamacare threatens GOP in 2016 swing states."

http://www.rollcall.com

http://www.politico.com

http://www.c-span.org

Quote of the Day: The Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalia Lama of Tibet made an appearance on Capitol Hill this week, of all places, to offer the opening prayer for Congress. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va) was among those who had photographs taken with the most recognized Buddhist in the world.

The Dalai Lama also came to Washington, DC, as CPAC 2014, a gathering of arch conservatives like Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) were essentially giving rough drafts of would-be TED Talks focusing on how wimpy President Barack Obama has allegedly been with regards to Russian head of state Vladamir Putin regarding the hostile takeover of the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea coast of Ukraine.

Of course, many Republicans, such as Rudy Giuliani have professed admiration for Putin, which lead center-left political columnist E.J. Dionne of "The Washington Post" to suggest on NPR that Republicans are suffering from Putin Envy.

His Holiness was also in Washington, DC, when the Washington Capitals were playing vital home games. The Caps were able to put away the Phoenix Coyotes last night 3-2; we imagine very few people in Tibet or Bhutan watch pro hockey games.

Here is our quote from the Dalia Lama:

"The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred."

http://www.dalailama.com/

http://boulderzen.org/ (Boulder Zen Society in Boulder, Colo.)

http://www.politico.com/

http://thehill.com/

http://www.rollcall.com/

DC Week (3 of 8): Escape from DC............but, Skyline Drive is Closed Too

With images of 1) Cong. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah, who is one of the most social media savvy members of the House), 2) The Metro line map for Washington, DC, the Red Line is the one used to get to Washington Capitals games and 3) Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who will be appearing on at least one Sunday morning talk show tomorrow.

Here are the tweets:

1) The Hill: "John Boehner spokesman takes flack for calling House Dems 'hostage takers..'"

2) Huff Post Politics: "Conservative shutdown architects hosting fancy fundraiser on debt ceiling day" (which was yesterday).

3) Washington DC News: "Ted Cruz wins religious conservatives 2016 straw poll."

4) Mother Jones (a liberal publication): "Demonstrating the lies of pundits is sort of like shooting fish in a barrel."

5) Politico: "Ken Cuccinelli's campaign released its most brutal ad yet in the very nasty Virginia governor's race." (he is running against Democrat Terry McAuliffe).

6) DC United (the local pro soccer team): "Tailgate is underway. Pick up your tickets and visit the food trucks in Lot 8 as well as Nocha Latina festivities!"

http://chaffetz.house.gov/

http://www.wmata.com/

http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/

http://thehill.com/

http://www.motherjones.com/

http://www.politico.com

DC Week (2 of 8): Washington DC Metro Area also Preps for the Rain

These three images above are of: 1) Cong. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), one of the few openly gay members of the House; 2) cats in the rain; 3) Cong. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), whose far right politics have made him a Tea Party darling.

Here are the tweets:

1. Washington DC News: "Ted Cruz the star of Values Voters Summit"

2. Cong. Jared Polis: "It is an enormous simplification to speak of the American. Every American has his own mind," Ludwig Von Mises.

3. Capital Weather Gang: "Flood warning extended thru 7:45 a.m. Sat. for much of DC metro area w/   rain continuing overnight."

4. The Nation (a liberal magazine): "Shutdown Politics: Support for Democratic Takeover of the House Spikes."

5. Washington Examiner ( a reportedly conservative-leaning  publication): "Senate GOPers push Obamacare delay as alternative to House plan requesting sequester."

6. Washington Blade (a gay political journal): "Still no action from Obama as Natl Guards deny benefits for gay spouses."

http://www.cruz.senate.gov/ (Not an endorsement)

http://polis.house.gov/constituentservices/colorado-flood-information.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/

http://www.thenation.com/#

http://washingtonexaminer.com/

http://www.washingtonblade.com/

Apocalypse Now 2: Who's Afraid of Virginia Foxx?

Forgive the biased political humor, but I think if Republican members of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress vote for a government shutdown this evening, they should clean up the elephant dung at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. (for those of you in Dubai, the elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party).

Alas, a family of six from Winston-Salem, NC, or Knoxville, Tenn., who were hoping to visit the National Zoo during a weekend trip to Washington, DC, will have to make alternate plans. Perhaps, they can tour the Dutch Embassy?! (yes, that is a joke, but it gives us a reason to post a photo of windmills).

And, this brings us to Cong. Virginia Foxx (R-NC, pictured top) who was at one time considered to be most conservative Congressional member of the North Carolina Republican delegation. But, those were in the grand ole days of 2009.

Here are 10 tweets regarding the mess in Washington, DC:

1) HuffPost Politics: Unless Congress acts, the govt will shut down in 4 hours.

2) David Frum (a conservative who has been critical of GOP): "Just to put things in context: tomorrow, the Italian government will be open for business as usual."

3) E.J. Dionne: "Great Edward Gluce column: It makes more sense for Obama to talk to the leader of Iran than the GOP in Congress."

4) WashDCNews: "WUSA9 speaks to DC Mayor Vincent Gray about government shutdown."

5) The Daily Edge: "Republican extremists dig in their heels 'We remain determined to kill as many Americans as possible."

6) Huffington Post: "Michele Bachmann compares being dependent on health care to being addicted to crack cocaine."

7) Talking Points Memo: "Senate will reject House's latest Obamacare gambit before midnight."

8) WashingtonPost: "Man arrested at the National Zoo after police find white powder, shards of glass at zoo exhibit." (This is our one tweet not related to a govt shutdown, but it caught our attention).

9) Amanda Terkel: "Ted Cruz, whose wife works at Goldman Sachs says he'll give up his salary in shutdown."

10) LOLGOP: "If you judge House Speaker John Boehner by all the laws he's repealed rather than the laws he's passed he's even worse."

http://www.rollcall.com/

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/

http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com

http://www.visitholland.com

Image to Fill Space: An Antique Chevy Van

Editorial Comment: In the 21 hours and 19 minutes that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex/TP-Tex.) spoke he could have driven from Capitol Hill to Fargo, North Dakota, in an antique Chevy van!

8 Things You Need to Know: Turkish Soccer Riot, the Durham Bulls and Billy Bragg on Tour in America

Here are 8 Things You Need to Know Today:

1) The 11th Annual Washington D.C. Turkish Festival gets underway this weekend. The event will take place between 12th and 14th Street, two blocks from the White House, of course, Turkish food will be served!

2) In a nationally-televised game on ESPN-U tonight at 8:00 p.m. (eastern time) the undefeated University of North Carolina Tarheels take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack (Mr. Wuf, one of the Wolfpack mascots is pictured bottom) in women's volleyball. UNC has two international players in Ece Taner, a junior from Turkey, and Jovana Bjelica, a gradate student from Serbia. The Wolfpack's lineup includes stand-out Tamm Aljoe.

3) Ivy League women's volleyball gets underway this weekend. Among the games is a match between visiting Columbia University and Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY, at 2:00 p.m. Kelly Marble of Davie, Fla., is among the seniors for Cornell.

4) A major soccer riot broke out in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday, in extra time, no less! The game featured two Istanbul powerhouse rivals, Galatasaray and Besiktas. The game had 76,000 spectators in Ataturk Stadium. The Eagles of Besiktas had a 1-0 lead going into half-time. But, Ivory Coast stand-out Didier Drogba scored two goals within minutes for the Lions of Galatasaray. Felipe Melo, (pictured top),got a red card in the 92nd minute, and shortly thereafter hooligans came down on the field. There is still no official winner of the game. Various sources blame far right wing activists disguised as Besiktas fans for the incident, but there appears to no conclusive resolve as to who is to blame. For more on this situation, and Turkish soccer, we highly recommend the blog of our friend Ahmet Bob Turgut: http://turkeyfootball.blogspot.com/

5) Kudos to the Durham Bulls of Durham, NC, (pictured middle) as the Triple-A affiliate of the Tamps Rays won its fourth International League title by besting the Pawtucket (Rhode Island) Red Sox. The team went on to the Minor League World Series, which was won by the Omaha (Nebraska) Storm Chasers. Vince Belnome of the Bulls was named as the MVP of the Rays' organization.

6) Legendary progressive singer Billy Bragg, who hails from England, takes the stage at the State Theatre in State College, Pa., which is home to Penn State University, on Oct. 2nd. The venue is located at 1300 W. College Avenue.

7) Insert Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joke here........

8) Teasers: We are hoping to post entries about tweets regarding Washington, DC, and quips from some of our favorite novels on this blog later in the week.

http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t234 (Durham Bulls)

http://www.turkish-football.com/

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

http://www.turkishfestival.org