Politics, News, Art, Illustrations, Creative, Content and more showcased via Media Man Facebook and social media; Art and news do mix


Politics, News, Art, Illustrations, Creative, Content and more showcased via Media Man Facebook and social media; Art and news do mix

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US government hours from shutdown, funding chaos - September 30, 2013

The US government on Saturday was hours from shutting down after the far right of the Republican Party scuppered final attempts at a temporary budget agreement, throwing into doubt everything from access to national parks to Washington's massive support for Ukraine.

The closure of all but critical government services, set to start after midnight Saturday (0400 GMT Sunday) if lawmakers fail to reach a deal, would be the first since 2019 -- immediately delaying salaries for millions of federal employees and military personnel.

The two chambers of Congress are deadlocked, with a small group of Republicans in the House of Representatives pushing back against stopgap measures that would at least keep the lights on.

On Friday, House Republicans defeated a plan proposed by their own leader, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, to keep funds flowing, deepening the sense of growing chaos within the party ahead of 2024 elections where hard-right former president Donald Trump hopes to return to the White House.

The White House Office of Management and Budget's director Shalanda Young said there was "still a chance" of avoiding a shutdown if Republicans could end internal divisions.

And White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made clear that President Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term in 2024, did not intend to wade in.

"The conversation needs to happen between Speaker McCarthy and his caucus. That's the fix, that's the chaos that we're seeing," she said.

Speaking to the news outlet ProPublica on Friday, Biden said McCarthy has made "a terrible bargain. In order to keep the speakership, he's willing to do things that he, I think, he knows are inconsistent with the constitutional processes."

McCarthy, however, blamed Democrats, saying they are the ones blocking a solution.

- Big question on Ukraine -

All critical government services will remain functioning. However, a shutdown would mean the majority of national parks, for example -- from the iconic Yosemite and Yellowstone in the west to Florida's Everglades swamp -- would be closed to public access beginning Sunday.

With student loan payments resuming in October, officials also said Friday that key activities at the Federal Student Aid office would continue for a couple of weeks.

But a prolonged shutdown could cause bigger disruptions.

A shutdown "unnecessarily" places the world's largest economy at risk, White House National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard told CNBC.

Risks that could percolate through the wider economy include air travel delays, with air traffic controllers asked to work without pay.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned a closure could also delay infrastructure improvements.

"In the immediate term, a government shutdown will only reduce GDP by 0.2 percentage points each week it lasts," said a report released Friday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank.

"However, halting critical trade functions of the United States will also undermine the United States' overall credibility as a commercial partner, impede ongoing negotiations and hinder export control enforcement capabilities," the report added.

The mess casts a growing shadow over Biden's policy of arming and funding Ukraine in its desperate war against the Russian invasion. For Republican hardliners behind the derailment of a new budget, stopping aid to Ukraine is a key goal.

Most Republican members of Congress continue to support US backing for Ukraine, but the shutdown will at minimum raise questions over the political viability of renewing the multibillion-dollar flow of assistance.

 

 

 

Laser-eyed superhero to the rescue: Trump hawks trading cards as campaign lags - 16th December 2022

 

New York: Donald Trump teased a “major announcement” just weeks after declaring a third presidential run, leading political-watchers to speculate about big campaign moves.

Instead, he hawked digital trading cards with his head atop cartoon super-hero figures in an NFT market that’s already sagging.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the “Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection” could be collected like baseball cards and stored digitally (a NFT, or non-fungible token, is essentially a unique digital file). The “cards” cost $US99 ($147) each and people who buy them are also entered into a sweepstake for prizes including a golf outing with the former US president.

They are being offered by NFT INT LLC, which says on its website that they are not connected to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and the company is not owned, managed or controlled by Trump, his company, or their affiliates. Trump gets paid under a licence for use of his name and likeness, according to the website.

Trump has over the years licensed the Trump brand to a number of third-party, and mostly failed, products including steak, vodka, an airline and a university.

The market for NFTs has fallen sharply in recent months along with the rest of the crypto universe, which has endured a series of spectacular blow-ups including the November implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX digital-asset empire.

Trump had teased the announcement with a post on his social platform on Wednesday depicting himself as a Superman-like character standing in front of Trump Tower with lasers shooting from his eyes saying, “America needs a superhero”. In crypto parlance, laser eyes are a bullish signal and that picture is now one of the available digital cards.

There was speculation that the “major announcement” would be something dramatic like Trump returning to Twitter or running to be House speaker.

Trump announced on November 15 that he would wage a 2024 White House bid.

Trump’s comeback run has so far been marked by one downturn after another, including being blamed for a disappointing Republican midterm showing; the growing popularity in the party and among voters of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; the public dinner he held with two well-known anti-Semites; deepening legal woes; subpar online fundraising and polls showing him losing favour among his base.

President Joe Biden took a jab at Trump on Twitter, noting that he, too, had some “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS,” over the last couple of weeks, including signing the Respect for Marriage Act and securing the release of basketball star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison.

Shortly after his NFT announcement, Trump posted a video to his social site to outline what he described as a platform to “reclaim” the right of free speech should he retake the White House in 2024.

 

 

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Politics, News, Art, Illustrations, Creative, Content and more showcased via Media Man Facebook and social media; Art and news do mix

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis

 

Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and political candidate. Yang is best known for being a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He is the co-chair of the Forward Party, alongside former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. (Wikipedia)

 

Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. He was elected governor with the Reform Party and is the party's only candidate to win a major government office.

Ventura was a member of the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War.[6] After leaving the military, he embarked on a professional wrestling career from 1975 to 1986, taking the ring name "Jesse 'The Body' Ventura". He had a lengthy tenure in the WWF/WWE as a performer and color commentator and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 In addition to wrestling, Ventura pursued an acting career, appearing in films such as Predator and The Running Man (both released in 1987 and starring fellow actor-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger). (Wikipedia)

 

 

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Politics and sports, athletics, do not mix" - Mean Gene Okerlund. New York, Madison Square Garden, during ;Iron Sheik match

Donald Trump orders Florida crowd to ‘re-elect’ Ron DeSantis (Sky News Australia)

WWE Crown Jewel 2018; Triple H makes a compelling argument on why the vent in Saudi Arabia should go ahead as planned

Take a leaf out of Bondi’s book and ban smoking on this ‘filthy’ street, says Maroubra resident

Local newspaper story back on track for Maroubra Business Media; Community people power thank you, by Greg Tingle - September 2017

Arnold Schwarzenegger: King of bodybuilding, movies, politics and media, by Greg Tingle - 8th August 2003

Arnold Schwarzenegger doing motivational speaking tour of Australia; Flys into Sydney Airport; Starts tour in Perth today - 12th June 2013

 

Interviews

PM Malcolm Turnbull addresses Google presented conference: Let's Put Our Businesses On The Map with Google. (Question by Greg Tingle - Media Man Australia and Media Man Int) video
- 22 April 2016

Phillip Adams, journalist, author, intellectual and farmer - 3rd April 2003

Graham Young, Director & Editor, Online Opinion - 11th May 2003

Logan Clements, Candidate for Governor of California: 21st August 2003

Peter Ueberroth, Political Candidate for Governor, California Recall Election: 30th August 2003

Jesse Ventura (by Chris Jericho) - July 2022

Talk Is Jericho: Jesse Ventura Talks About Suing Vince McMahon (YouTube)

 

Videos

It's 'shaping up to be a very good night' for Republicans in the midterms - 9th November 2022 (Sky News Australia)

'The Five': Democrats will get a reality check (FOX News YouTube)

Election 2022 voting results from top races across the country | LiveNOW from FOX

Pelosi attacker, David Depape, to face attempted murder & other charges | LiveNOW from FOX

Can we explain Twitter v. Musk in 2 minutes? A POLITICO reporter tries (and fails)

Succession Season 4 | Official Teaser | HBO Max

POLITICO YouTube Channel

One America News Network YouTube Channel

 

Politics (from Greek: politiká, 'affairs of the cities') is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies politics and government is referred to as political science.

It may be used positively in the context of a "political solution" which is compromising and nonviolent, or descriptively as "the art or science of government", but also often carries a negative connotation. The concept has been defined in various ways, and different approaches have fundamentally differing views on whether it should be used extensively or limitedly, empirically or normatively, and on whether conflict or co-operation is more essential to it.

A variety of methods are deployed in politics, which include promoting one's own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising internal and external force, including warfare against adversaries. Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies, through modern local governments, companies and institutions up to sovereign states, to the international level.

In modern nation states, people often form political parties to represent their ideas. Members of a party often agree to take the same position on many issues and agree to support the same changes to law and the same leaders. An election is usually a competition between different parties.

A political system is a framework which defines acceptable political methods within a society. The history of political thought can be traced back to early antiquity, with seminal works such as Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politics in the West, and Confucius's political manuscripts and Chanakya's Arthashastra in the East. (Wikipedia)


 

International Olympic Committee: Credit: Cagle Cartoons

 

 

Rupert Murdoch illustration by David Rowe (The Australian Financial Review)

 

News

John Shakespeare wins Media Man 'Illustrator / Artist Of The Month' award

John Shakespeare

John is one of Australia's leading cartoonists / illustrators, well known for his work appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald. A most deserving winner.

In second place we have Megan Hess, and Bondi's Nina Norden scoops third.

Well done to all. The competition in the professional arts and illustrations world is fierce and next month we will be handing out awards once again so stay tuned.

John Shakespeare

 

Media Man

Features

 

Megan Hess

 

Nina Norden

Photography by Greg Tingle