Author: Alexander Abad-Santos

Backpacks, Human Shields, Above and Beyond: The Oklahoma Teacher Heroes

AP

As of Tuesday evening, all students at Briarwood Elementary School and AgapeLand Learning Center have been accounted for; police said seven of nine children confirmed to have died in the storm's path went to Plaza Towers Elementary. And as the recovery efforts in Moore continue, know that there are teachers at all three schools who were there when America's kids needed them most. These are their stories.

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 3, 2012

Spatwatch

David Hockney Reminds Damien Hirst That He Doesn't Use Assistants

The Players: David Hockney, British superstar artist revered and known by many for his swimming pool paintings; Damien Hirst, British superstar artist known for his "factory" of assistants and that $100 million platinum skull.

Comments | 2,154 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 3, 2012

It's Been a Fun Week for New York Times Corrections

Within days of one another other, one The New York Times writer totally forgot which John Hughes movie Duckie was from, while another writer misidentified a My Little Pony character--leading to two awesome corrections.

Comments | 1,806 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 3, 2012

The Iowa Caucus Is Littered with Twitter Cliches

For those of us who aren't in Iowa but follow the caucus circus on Twitter, journalists reporting tweeting there have become painfully cliché.

Comments | 655 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 3, 2012

Rick Santorum: Fear the Vest

Like Steve Jobs' black turtlenecks and Don Draper's pocket squares, Rick Santorum's sweater vest (for better or worse) has now become his signature look and now has produced a nifty campaign slogan.

Comments | 1,003 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 3, 2012

Why You Don't Call Iowa a Hillbilly Flyover State

Home of the first computer, the first female lawyer, one of the first states to pass gay marriage, and the home of badass farmers--Iowa isn't a bunch of "hillbillies" and this video won't let you forget.

Comments | 4,138 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 3, 2012

Cartoon

Barack Obama's Sticker Shock Moment

Cartoonist Lisa Benson has a conservative outlook on Barack Obama's 2012 chances.

Comments | 2,243 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 2, 2012

Barbie's Dreamhouse: Hoarder Edition

Your eyes are fooling you. This isn't the latest Hoarders episode, but rather an art project from photographer/artist Carrie M. Becker, who used 1/6 scale miniatures to envision "a more 'current' view of Barbie's lifestyle" entitled Barbie Trashes Her Dreamhouse.

Comments | 9,565 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 2, 2012

Wikipedia's Silly Fundraising Banners Nabbed $20 Million

And now they're being replaced by just as silly "thank you" banners for the more than one million donors (along with non-donating bystanders) who got them to the $20 million benchmark.

Comments | 233 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 2, 2012

Trump Says His Supporters Have Filed for His Third Party Candidacy

Possibly proving that Donald Trump still matters to some people somewhere, his supporters have allegedly filed paperwork allowing him to run as a third party candidate in Texas.

Comments | 2,634 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 2, 2012

The San Diego Union-Tribune Has a Wardrobe Solution for Journalism

Dressing better and working standard 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 40-hour work week will supposedly help the company go from "good" to "great".

Comments | 522 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 2, 2012

Cartoon

The One Thing These GOP Candidates Have in Common

Cartoonist Tom Toles sees a common Republican theme.

Comments | 1,316 Views

Manhunts on in Shocking New Year's Crimes

Police are on the hunt for two "persons of interest" in the investigations of both the murder of a park ranger in Washington and an arson spree that has spooked the city of Los Angeles. 

Comments | 2,320 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 28, 2011

Watch: Arlen Specter's Stand-Up Comedy Routine Isn't Bad

The Former Pennsylvania Senator proved last night that old people saying dirty things is inherently funny.

Comments | 4,645 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 28, 2011

What We and the Senate Don't Know About Drone Killings

"Ask Osama bin Laden" has become President Obama's catchphrase and policy when it comes to the fight against al-Qaeda, but the successful results of America's drone program only provide one answer--and perhaps it's not the only one we want.

Comments | 2,602 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 28, 2011

Rick Perry Now Opposes All Abortions

All it took was one documentary and the upcoming caucuses for the dwindling Republican hopeful to say the procedure isn't justifiable in rape, incest or when it's a danger to the mother's life.

Comments | 1,961 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 28, 2011

Cartoon

Republicans Shouldn't Celebrate 2011 Just Yet

Cartoonist Lisa Benson foresees a busy year for Republicans.

Comments | 1,286 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos and Eric Randall

Dec 23, 2011

Obama Signs Payroll Tax Extension Before Flying to Hawaii

President Obama spoke, after nearly an hour's delay, about the payroll tax deal before heading to Hawaii for his Christmas vacation.

Comments | 684 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 23, 2011

North Korea Demands South Korea Attend Kim Jong Il's Funeral

Well this is awkward. North Korean officials have sternly invited demanded South Korea send a delegation to Kim Jong Il's funeral next week, and that not doing so would be "an unbearable insult and mockery of our dignity."

Comments | 21,900 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 23, 2011

Pakistan's Prime Minister Warns of a Military Coup

In one of the more disturbing things you'll hear from Pakistani leaders today, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has warned that a military coup is in the works.

Comments | 1,114 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 23, 2011

Cartoon

The Tea Party Has a Point

Cartoonist Tony Auth on the Tea Party.

Comments | 1,552 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos and Eric Randall

Dec 22, 2011

President Obama: 'Enough Is Enough'

President Barack Obama's brief speech on the payroll tax cut gridlock turned up the heat on House Republicans telling them, "Enough is enough."

Comments | 5,173 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 22, 2011

Mistletoe Has Gone Missing

Because of a lack of supply sparked by climate change the Texas drought, this holiday season will not feature much mistletoe, and no one will even notice it's gone. 

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 22, 2011

The White House Finds Out $40 Is a Depressing Number

To break down the payroll tax cut and the repercussions of the stalemate into simpler terms, the White House took to Twitter and asked the masses what $40 meant to them and came away with sad snapshots of American life in 2011.

Comments | 22,269 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 22, 2011

North Korea Starts to Make Kim Jong-un Perfect

While the rest of the world is still grasping at the tiny bits of information about Kim Jong-un, the state-run North Korean News has started producing legends of its new "divine" leader. 

Comments | 6,929 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 22, 2011

Cartoon

Republican Math Doesn't Really Make Sense at the Moment

Cartoonist Tom Toles on Boehner's holiday plans. 

Comments | 2,964 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 21, 2011

Spatwatch

Chelsea Clinton Sparks a Critic War

The Players: David Zurawik, television critic for The Baltimore Sun who's not a fan of Chelsea Clinton journalismErik Wemple, media reporter and critic for The Washington Post who actually explains why he isn't a fan of Chelsea Clinton's journalism (yet).

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 21, 2011

Former Mirror Columnist: It's Unlikely Morgan Didn't Know About Phone Hacking

One day after Piers Morgan's evasive testimony denying phone hacking during his editorship at The Daily Mirror, James Hipwell, an ex-columnist has offered up contrary details to the Leveson Inquiry, claiming the practice was widespread at The Mirror.

Comments | 1,344 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 21, 2011

Thousands of Brave Egyptian Women Marched Through Cairo

Angered by the indelible images of soldiers beating, stripping, and abusing female protesters, thousands of women marched on Cairo's streets Tuesday night in a beautiful and inspiring show of solidarity in Egypt. 

Comments | 3,130 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 21, 2011

European Central Bank Loans $645 Billion to Stave off Euro Debt Crisis

The European Central Bank first action to stave off the European Debt Crisis is one for the records, as the Frankfurt-based bank promised to lend €489 billion ($645 billion), the most ever in a single operation and more than economists had predicted.

Comments | 397 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 21, 2011

Cartoon

We Did Find a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Iraq

Cartoonist Nick Anderson on the end of the Iraq War.

Comments | 3,361 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 20, 2011

Newspaper Editors Squabble Over Who's a Fake Journalist

The Players: Dean Baquet, Managing Editor of the New York Times who once defied corporate orders at the Tribune Company and was ousted because of it, Gerould "Gerry" Kern, Editor of the Chicago Tribune often seen as a Tribune Company loyalist.

Comments | 1,184 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 20, 2011

Hedge Funders Are Getting Stock Tips from Congress

Proving that insider trading in Congress can work both ways, The Wall Street Journal reports on a disturbing trend of hedge funds gaining valuable tips from lawmakers voting on and making multi-million dollar decisions.

Comments | 1,745 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 20, 2011

Egyptian Military Official Says Protesters 'Deserve to Be Thrown into Hitler's Ovens'

Confirming that he probably shouldn't be in power, Gen. Abdel Moneim Kato, a military adviser in the government's Morale Affairs Department said yesterday that protesters "deserve to be thrown into Hitler's ovens." 

Comments | 21,434 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 20, 2011

Cartoon

Why We're Worried About Kim Jong-un

Cartoonist Tom Toles on North Korea's new leader.

Comments | 23,968 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 19, 2011

The High Stakes of the U.S. and China's Fight Over Chicken Feet

Chicken feet exports to China, which at one point brought in $278 million for the United States, has become a rather facetious-sounding sparring ground for very serious trade conflicts between the two countries.

Comments | 2,586 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 19, 2011

Robots Are Exploring Drug Tunnels So You Don't Have To

Now that robots have proven they can clear IEDs, tour the then-radioactive Fukushima nuclear power plant, and observe endangered tortoises, the next natural step for these overachievers is investigating dangerous drug tunnels. 

Comments | 7,825 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 19, 2011

Don't Worry: North Korean Missiles Tests Are Merely Routine

In one of the more disturbing things you'll hear from North Korea today, the country conducted at least one short-range missile test today, news reports are confirming. 

Comments | 3,887 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 19, 2011

Egyptian Troops Killed Three Protesters

Hundreds of troops fired at Occupy Cabinet protesters in Tahrir Square early Monday, killing at least three and bringing the four-day death toll to at least 14--which the ruling military council says is for the good of the state. 

Comments | 480 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 19, 2011

Cartoon

The Only Thing Holding Back Newt's Surge

Cartoonist Lisa Benson illustrates a giant Gingrich problem. 

Comments | 739 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 16, 2011

Dutch Archbishop Offers Apologies and Money to Sexual Abuse Victims

Dutch Archbishop Wim Eijk has offered up apologies and up to $130,000 for the 10,000- 20,000 victims of  sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church.

Comments | 873 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 16, 2011

Egypt's 'Occupy Cabinet' Sit-In Has Turned into a Scary Riot

Egypt's three-week long sit in against military rule, known as "Occupy Cabinet" is taking a terrifying turn as the ruling military junta has resorted to throwing rocks and using violence against this set of "Occupiers". 

Comments | 2,677 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 16, 2011

Cartoon

Obama Won't Abandon His Sinking Ship

Cartoonist Lisa Benson sees some rough patches in Obama's 2012 campaign.

Comments | 700 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 16, 2011

Nikki Haley Gives Romney Her Valuable Endorsement

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley gave Mitt Romney her endorsement on Fox and Friends this morning, giving him both a solid conservative nod and an endorsement he actually wanted.

Comments | 690 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 15, 2011

David Attenborough's New Documentary Uses Penguin Body Doubles

In the wake of fakery claims regarding his Frozen Planet series, David Attenborough and his team have (sadly) come clean about penguin body doubles in his new 3-D film, possibly ruining the whole idea of a true nature documentary.

Comments | 1,032 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 15, 2011

Vladimir Putin Congratulates Himself on Inspiring His Opposition

Need more signs of just how bad things are going for Vladimir Putin? The Russian Prime Minister is now happily (bizarrely?) taking credit for shaping those massive anti-government protests.

Comments | 334 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 15, 2011

Cartoon

Big Tobacco Always Gets What It Wants

Cartoonist Tom Toles on tobacco's kid-friendly options.

Comments | 528 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 14, 2011

Jack Shafer Picks the Wrong Fight with Business Insider

The Players: Jack Shafer, Reuters' media pundit extraordinaire whose job it is to keep journalists and their stories honest ; Henry Blodget, Business Insider's CEO whose site's stories have come under fire for not always being the most honest ones out there.

Comments | 944 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 14, 2011

Obama Wants to Troll Your Republican Friends

President Obama's presidential campaign effort unveiled a new strategy last night--asking his supporters (those subscribed to the President's mailing list) to submit the email addresses of their Republican acquaintances.

Comments | 2,242 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos and Ray Gustini

Dec 14, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor's Jewels Sold for $115 Million

The case against the bad global economy: people spent $115 million on Elizabeth Taylor's jewels last night

Comments | 944 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 14, 2011

Someone Told Someone Corzine Knew About the Missing Funds

Proving that $1.2 billion is actually really difficult to find, the Justice Department and news outlets are clinging to testimony from a fourth-hand witness saying that Jon Corzine knows where that MF Global money went. 

Comments | 528 Views

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