"Emo kids in Iraq targeted for death" -- Monday morning, C.I. hit the net with the Emo kids story, one she'd covered before. Al Mada -- an Iraqi publication in Arabic -- was reporting on the move to not just demonize the Emo kids but also to target them. By apparently being one of the few US online voices who reads Arabic (or follows Iraq), she was able to be one of the online leaders on this story as 459 of you reminded in your e-mails to this site voting for this post. You all pointed out that she would return to the topic throughout the week but felt that this one needed attention and praise because it was the first news in English of what was happening to the Emo kids of Iraq. There's talk of doing some sort of piece on this here but in case time runs out, Mike asked C.I. right away, "Why 'Emo' and not 'emo'?" In the US, we use "emo." For whatever reasons, the term has been capitalized in the Iraqi press since they first started noting it last month. C.I.'s followed their lead on that.
"Women of the one world" -- with 451 votes, this was the second most requested highlight by readers of this site. Melissa e-mailed to say, "I was really upset that there was not room in the Thursday snapshot to note some of this information. I appreciated the two paragraphs C.I. did include on the topic and I appreciate she was addressing other issues and reporting on a Congressional hearing and all. But I am really glad that this went up Thursday morning. I e-mailed it to everyone I know because it's so rare that we get this kind of honesty. This is my favorite of everything that went up at The Common Ills this week. And the closing with Carly Simon's song? I didn't get that at first. The Nyro and Near songs were obvious choices. But then the teamwork, the solidarity and the friendship of 'Libby' hit me and I thought it was near genius to include that song."
Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Jim Moron" -- Isaiah takes on Jim I Hate Free Speech Moran.
"Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "The VFW," "The VA and education (Wally)," "Impressions"
"Iraq snapshot," "VA wants money but not rules," "VA refuses to take accountability," "US House Veterans Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations" and "Iraq snapshot" -- don't say this community just aggregates! If you thought C.I. knocked herself out lalst week reporting on Congresional hearings, you weren't prepared for this week! She reported on four hearings -- three veterans affairs, one Senate Armed Services Committee -- and also brought in information from two other hearings this week (brought into the snapshots) that she didn't have room to do a full report on. In addition to C.I., Ava, Wally and Kat reported on two veterans affairs hearings as well.
"Sit your tired ass down, John Conyers," "Gutless Barbara Lee" and "Schumer?" -- Marcia, Betty and Ann on members of Congress.
"Warren and Brown" -- Hey guys and gals, who's that Boston blogger who's told you what the polls now reflect about Big Mass' Senate race? Who's explained it to you for months now as the press -- with no polling -- has repeatedly told you Warren's a sure thing? Why it's Trina. And while the gas bags are full of beans, she's been full of facts. Trina writes about this race at least twice a month, usually more. As the latest polls demonstrate, her calls have been correct.
"Whitney," "Desperate Housewives," "Whitney," "revenge,""Cougar Town," "Cougar Town," "Whitney," "TV thoughts," "The Firm and this week's idiot," "Happy Endings," "The Good Wife," "Smash," "Desperate Housewives" and "US government cancels NewsHour interview" -- Betty, Ann, Rebecca, Ruth, Marcia, Mike, Stan, Elaine and Trina cover TV.
"THIS JUST IN! THE PRESS FAWNS AGAIN!" & "Don't call them reporters," "US government cancels NewsHour interview,""Josh Rogin is an idiot and so is Foreign Policy," "POLITICO wallows in its sexism" and "Memo to AFP: Snark is not reporting" -- Wally & Cedric, Trina, Stan, Elaine and C.I. offer media criticism.
"The press looks the other way for Killer Barry," "Obama the Executioner" "The two of a kind," "Awful?" and "Martin Sheen's an ass who will rot in hell" -- Barack the executioner and his lackeys get called out by Betty, Ann,
"THIS JUST IN! NATURAL BORN LOSER!" and "Even with no real opponent, he loses" -- Oklahoma results attest to just how sad Barack is.
"Lonely Boy," "How Sad He Is" and "They want to distort Woody Guthrie" -- Kat and Ruth offer some music coverage.