Alec Baldwin, John Eterno and David Kennedy on Nuanced Policing

Alec Baldwin asks: What makes a good cop?

World GDP

via Ian Bremmer

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"Last week, I wrote about the crisis of Islamic radicalism and the problem of European nationalism. This week's events give me the opportunity to address the question of European nationalism again, this time from the standpoint of the European Union and the European Central Bank, using a term that only an economist could invent: 'quantitative easing.'

European media has been flooded for the past week with leaks about the European Central Bank's forthcoming plan to stimulate the faltering European economy by implementing quantitative easing. First carried by Der Spiegel and then picked up by other media, the story has not been denied by anyone at the bank nor any senior European official. We can therefore call this an official leak, because it lets everyone know what is coming before an official announcement is made later in the week. The plan is an attempt to spur economic activity in Europe by increasing the amount of money available. It calls for governments to increase their borrowing for various projects designed to increase growth and decrease unemployment. Rather than selling the bonds on the open market, a move that would trigger a rise in interest rates, the bonds are sold to the central banks of eurozone member states, which have the ability to print new money. The money is then sent to the treasury. With more money flowing through the system, recessions driven by a lack of capital are relieved. This is why the measure is called quantitative easing. The United States did this in 2008. In addition to government debt, the Federal Reserve also bought corporate debt. The hyperinflation that some had feared would result from the move never materialized, and the U.S. economy hit a 5 percent growth rate in the third quarter of last year. The Europeans chose not to pursue this route, and as a result, the European economy is, at best, languishing. Now the Europeans will begin such a program — several years after the Americans did — in the hopes of moving things forward again. The European strategy is vitally different, however. The Federal Reserve printed the money and bought the cash. The European Central Bank will also print the money, but each eurozone country's individual national bank will do the purchasing, and each will be allowed only to buy the debt of its own government. The reason for this decision reveals much about Europe's real crisis, which is not so much economic (although it is certainly economic) as it is political and social — and ultimately cultural and moral. The recent leaks have made it clear the European Central Bank is implementing quantitative easing in this way because many eurozone governments are unable to pay their sovereign debt. European countries do not want to cover each other's shortfalls, either directly or by exposing the central bank to losses, a move that would make all members liable. In particular, Berlin does not want to be in a position where a series of defaults could cripple Europe as a whole and therefore cripple Germany. This is why the country has resisted quantitative easing, even in the face of depressions in Southern Europe, recessions elsewhere and contractions in demand for German products that have driven German economic growth downward. Berlin preferred those outcomes to the risk of becoming liable for the defaults of other countries." (STRAFOR)

"Call them the Davos Ironmen. Of the 2,500 people participating in this year’s confab, dozens have been making the pilgrimage to Europe’s highest town for decades. Wilfried Stoll of Germany’s Festo Holding GmbH is the champion: He has participated in all 36 conferences since his first one in 1979, according to the forum’s organizers.  No. 2 on the list is Indian billionaire Rahul Bajaj, who is attending the meeting -- this year it’s Jan. 21-24 -- for a 35th time. Dutch real estate consultant Cornelis van Zadelhoff is back for a 34th year, which edges him ahead of German fertilizer producer Helmut Aurenz’s 33. 'Everyone asks me why I go, and my answer is I go not to do business,' said Bajaj, chairman of Bajaj Auto Ltd. 'I go there because I learn a good deal. I meet old friends and make new friends and enjoy myself.' Eighty people had been registered for 20 or more conferences as of last year, and almost 1,000 have attended more than 10 times; the latter get a crystal lapel pin to wear alongside the badge that grants them access to panels and meals. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers now has 22 under his belt. Billionaire investor George Soros has 21. Bill Gates hits the 20 mark this week. Founder Klaus Schwab, of course, has been to all 45 meetings since the first gathering in Davos’s then-newly-opened conference center in 1971. At the time, it was called the European Management Forum and included about 500 participants from 31 nations. At least a few of them stuck around for the full two weeks of the gathering.The event has since ballooned in size and cost -- companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for their executives to participate. Hotel, travel, food and drink can double the bill. The price tag leads some critics to say the forum has become little more than a celebration of the wealthy and free markets - - something its organizers and many participants deny." (Bloomberg)

Iranian Gen. Mohammad Ali Allah Dadi killed on Golan

"The dominant IDF assessment Monday, Jan. 19, is that Hizballah will not hold off its rejoinder for the Israeli helicopter missile strike on the Golan Sunday, which targeted an advance guard and caused the deaths of five Hizballah and six Iranian army officers. Tehran confirmed Monday that Gen. Mohammad Ali Allah Dadi was among the officers killed in the Israel attack.. Iran’s National Security Adviser Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani responded with a pledge of punishment for the death of Gen. Allah Dadi. 'The resistance will respond by force at an appropriate time and place for the 'Zionist terrorist entity’s aggression,' he said. Israeli military chiefs are gearing up for an early Hizballah cross-border attack on Upper or Western Galilee and have instructed local security units to stand ready, open up emergency shelters and prepare their firearm arsenals. At Monday noon, Galilee district commander Brig. Gen. Amir Baram assembled Galilee mayors and local council heads at his Biranit headquarters and issued them with crisis directives for the population of a quarter of a million under their jurisdiction. Even more than a Hizballah rocket attack, this population is gravely concerned by fear of terrorist tunnels running under the border from Lebanon and coming out under their homes. The IDF has never confirmed the existence of these tunnels and may not have located them. However, since last summer’s Operation Defensive Edge against the Palestinian Hamas, and the discovery of their uncharted tunnels snaking under the Gaza-Israeli border into neighboring kibbutzim, people living in the north dread that Hizballah has taken a leaf out of Hamas’ book of terror. They found confirmation for their dread in statements Monday in the Lebanese Hizballah mouthpiece Al Akhbar: 'Israel will not be able to prevent Hizballah from sending its forces into Galilee' and 'We shall hit back for the Quneitra strike very soon.' But, barring the unlikely eventuality of Hizballah opening up a full-front assault on Galilee, the pro-Iranian Shiite terrorist group has two options for sending send its forces across the border into Galilee, DEBKAfile’s military experts report: By seizing control of a single Israeli location or district close to the Lebanese border, or pushing a force into Israel through prepared tunnels." (DEBKA)

In the film, "Selma," King is portrayed by David Oyelowo and LBJ by Tom Wilkinson.

"Selma got tanked by Washington, and by “Washington” I really mean stealth insider factions of DC, Austin and New York, and if you connect the dots you will see they lead to President Lyndon B. Johnson and his family and inner circle, who took history and used it as leverage. But, again, with the finesse of dark arts. With the exception, perhaps, of Joe Califano’s editorial in The Washington Post, 'The Movie ‘Selma' Has A Glaring Flaw,' there are not a lot of fingerprints or even overt finger pointing from the people who protect LBJ’s legacy. The media has done it for them. That’s how it works in an effective campaign and, lest we forget, this is still the capital of campaigns. The lesson in this episode is that Washington and Hollywood have the presumption of a BFF relationship. They bask in each other’s glow. When it’s useful, it’s very useful. Go ahead and enjoy that illusion. But Hollywood should never underestimate the power here, especially when the subject gets deadly serious (knock knock, Sony) or in how it relates to presidents and their legacies and, in particular, their families. Just Google the Eisenhower Memorial." (NYSD)

DPC and Amanda Vaill at Michael's.

"I was having lunch with Amanda Vaill, author of 'Hotel Florida; Truth, Love and Death in the Spanish Civil War,' one of the New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2014, and also a Specatator magazine (UK) Book of the Year. The book focuses on three couples: photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, Arturo Barea and Ilsa Kulcsar (press officers), and Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, his third wife whom he married in 1940. Amanda has also written two other biographical studies on Gerald and Sara Murphy, the famous American expatriates of the 1920s in France, and a biography of Jerome Robbins ('Somewhere: the Life of Jerome Robbins'), as well as a biography of famous jewelry designer Seaman Schepps, who was her maternal grandfather. Amanda and I share a vivid interest in public personalities as well as social and political culture, and so there is never a moment of silence between us. A good deal of the time was devoted to personalities Amanda has been thinking of writing about next, as well as our own lives, where we live and lived in New York." (NYSD)

"This is a good time to write about a nation’s resilience in the face of calamity. I am referring to the stoic discipline with which the Japanese bore hardship and the death of 15,000 people in March 2011 following a 9-magnitude earthquake, the strongest ever known to have hit Japan. I can remember the TV coverage as if it were yesterday. Very young and very old Japanese forming a long orderly line for disaster supplies. No looting whatsoever, à la in Los Angeles or New Orleans; no weeping on camera for the world to send more funds, just plucky resolve (gaman in Japanese) and ganbaru, to endure with pride. As anyone who is familiar with Japan knows, tenacity is highly celebrated both as an individual and as a collective trait. The recent outrages in Paris, and the collective dignity of the millions who marched following the murders of innocents, brought back memories of Japanese stoicism, a national trait that has served the country well, especially after the disastrous end of World War II. Just about the time the earthquake hit Japan, my friend Peter Livanos gave me a gift that is probably the one I treasure the most of all my possessions, a samurai sword of rare value and provenance, one that embodies the samurai’s code of Bushido, and one of the most outstanding examples of Japan’s highly skilled craftsmanship. The workmanship and quality of Peter’s gift far surpasses that of Western Damascus and Toledo blades, and for my last birthday his gift to me was an Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral’s flag, finished by hand, and as rare as the sword, as there were apparently a total of only 32 officers who reached Admiral’s rank between 1897 and 1945. I keep both gifts in one room, along with any medals I may have won throughout my life in sport, alas, not in war. Peter Livanos is a very generous man whose father was a friend of mine and whose mother I’ve known since childhood. (Although rich from both sides, he is a self-made man, and that really is rare, and certainly not a trait found in my family.)" (Taki)

ENLARGE

Gambia's ruler, Yahya Jammeh, arrives at the Élysée Palace in Paris for a summit on Africa in 2013. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

"As rebels fought last month to overthrow Gambia’s autocratic leader, reporters who cover Africa frantically called Gambian government landlines for comment, with no luck. But one source had the information they sought: a Facebook page for President Yahya Jammeh. 'Rest assured that the Enemies of the People have been defeated,' it proclaimed.  Unfortunately for the numerous media houses that cited the page, it was a fake—a parody account with posts invented by two Canadians in their 30s. Jay Bahadur wrote the much-cited post while sitting across the continent in his home in Nairobi, Kenya, in his basketball shorts. The Canadian-American journalist and consultant says that a high school buddy of his created the page and that both of them post to it as a gag—a way to lampoon the eccentric dictator of Africa’s smallest country. Many reporters weren’t in on the joke. Bloomberg News, Al Jazeera and the British Broadcasting Corp. all used the fake statement, as did other media outlets. Reporting on Africa, a huge continent staffed thinly by Western media, has never been easy, and in the Internet age, reporters face pressure to gather news quickly from uncooperative regimes thousands of miles apart, from Burkina Faso to Lesotho to Eritrea. Most of these governments aren’t online and rarely speak out, and there is usually little demand to hear from them. But some African states and leaders, such as Rwandan President Paul Kagame, have begun to raise their online profiles and wade into today’s give-and-take public discourse. The reporter’s challenge is determining who is behind these accounts." (WSJ)

"Over the last two months, large opposition protests have rocked the small West African nation of Togo. In November, thousands of opposition protesters marched through the streets of the capital Lome, where two were injured in clashes with security forces. A few weeks later, women with brooms took to the streets of Sokode, the country’s second-largest city, chanting that it was time to 'sweep' out the current regime. Building on this momentum, opposition and civil society groups called for massive nationwide protests on Jan. 5 to demand political reforms ahead of the upcoming presidential elections in March.President Faure Gnassingbe came to power only in 2005, but together he and his father have ruled Togo for nearly five decades, and many Togolese have had enough. The key opposition demand is a constitutional amendment that would introduce presidential term limits and prevent Gnassingbe from running again. Though the Jan. 5 protests were postponedafter the president made some concessions, they were rescheduled for January 13 after this key demand was not met. While the details remain unclear, local reports say that security forces blocked a planned march through the streets of Lome and have made several arrests.The opposition has called for daily protests to continue. So will Togo, a sliver of a country with 6 million people and a small but growing economy, follow the path of its neighbor Burkina Faso, where Blaise Compaore, president for 27 years, stepped down in October after a week of widespread protests? Togo and Burkina Faso share several characteristics: both are impoverished, Francophone countries with semi-authoritarian leaders and a history of military coups. But a regime change in Togo appears unlikely for several reasons." (ForeignPolicy)

Gwyneth Paltrow on Howard Stern

via the brilliant Jason Hirschhorn

The Corsair: Predictions 2015

Another year, another set of predictions -- some fun, some pulled from the noosphere at great personal cost. Over the years some of my predictions have been uncanny, like, in 2012: "ABC's Good Morning America will come within a whisker of tying NBC's Today, leading to some consternation among the suits at 30 Rock as to whether or not Ann Curry was a good replacement for Meredith Vieira." Also, in 2013 The Corsair predicted: "Samantha Power will be nominated to become United States Ambassador to the United Nations;Susan Rice will be named National Security Advisor."

Some have been embarrassing. In 2012 this blog made many predictions -- like: "Charlie Rose will be forced to cut back on his hyper-media schedule due to health concerns. Walter Isaacson will replace him on his late night talk show." Yikes!

Last year I predicted: "Chuck Todd will replace David Gregory as host of Meet the Press." When I am good I am scary. I also wrote: "NY Governor Andrew Cuomo will offer Bill de Blasio $250 million in targeted state monies for pre-K spending as an olive branch instead of pressuring Albany to raise taxes on the city's wealthy." I'm fucking amazing sometimes.

Here's my predictions for this year. I made this one in 2014, I'll double down in 2015: "In Spring, in the 'Mile High City,' Hillary Clinton will give a serious, but occasionally funny argument on why marijuana should be legalized ("while it is not for me ... government should not stand in the way of the pursuit of happiness of millions of Americans"), signaling her intent to run for President."

Malia Obama will grace the prestigious September issue of Vogue 2015.

War crimes will be brought against Israel by the ICC in the second half of 2015, after Palestine becomes an official member.

Harry Reid will retire rather than run for re-election in another of his signature squeakers.

The GOP will roll back the Presidents immigration reform through executive decisions. In a surprise move, the Pope, who plans to visit the US in the Fall, will deliver a sharply pro-international immigration message that will help Democrats -- in PA, OH particularly -- and cause a lot of conservative Catholics (including, publicly, Rick Santorum and Paul Ryan) to rethink their thinking on the GOP policy. 

Rush Limbaugh, representing conservatives, will engage in a very public pissing match with Mike Huckabee, representing the hillbilly wing of the Republican party. 

Sean Penn and Charlize Theron will get married.

Mike Huckabee will surge in Iowa; Rand Paul will surge in NH.

Pakistan and India will move closer together diplomatically. 

Iran and the US will sign some sort of nuclear agreement, causing both israel and our Sunni allies -- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar -- some anxious moments.

Cameroon and West Africa will become the new central battleground in the war on terror. 

Jim Webb will mount a credible challenge to Hillary Clinton in New Hamshire, causing some conniptions in Clintonworld. Pat Buchanan and 

Lucha Libre! Starring Yahoo! Travel Editor in Chief, Paula Froelich

Let's face it: our pal Paula Froelich is living one hell of an exciting life. This time Paula takes on Mexican wrestling. "I arrived at the Arena Mexico in Mexico City on a Tuesday night before the big weekly luchadores matches (think a south-of-the-border version of a weekly smackdown) and … got put in a headlock, spun around, and body-slammed," she writes. "Not kidding."

Lunch at Michaels

Today was probably the first day that many of the media regulars at Michaels Restaurant NYC returned from their winter holiday destinations. I got to hang out and play catch up with David Patrick Columbia, one of the most interesting conversationalists as well as the editor of Quest magazine and NYSocialDiary.com. David just wrote a sharp piece today observing the tragic murder of hedge fund manager Thomas Gilbert, Sr by his own son. If you have not read it, please do. It says a lot about the present trajectory of society.

Michael McClarty was in the house, looking tan and rested. Actually, Michael -- the namesake of Michaels -- always looks tan and rested, which probably comes from owning such an incredible sociological/gastronomical/media phenomenon on both coasts. The brilliant Diane Clehane, Michaelsologist extraordinaire, stopped over to talk about Downton Abbey (and The Affair). No one is better than Diane at parsing the drama of that PBS powerhouse. Michaels, in a sense, is not unlike the complex social relationships of Downton Abbey. Just saying.

Also in the house: Star Jones, Joanna Coles of Cosmopolitan, Mel Karmazin, the very well-dressed Richard Farley, author of the upcoming "Wall Street Wars," Michael von Mueffling, Suri Kasirer,  and Rob Zimmerman of the Democratic National Committee -- among others.

Vice's Shane Smith Won $100,000 at Blackjack

Vice founder and old media harasser Shane Smith won $100,000 in Las Vegas playing blackjack, according to media reporter David Carr of the NYTimes. Earlier today Carr tweeted, "No brainer quiz. What media co exec did I watch win $100k at blackjack last nite?" He added, gamely, "Hint: gambling not his only vice." Media writer Emily Steel responded, "@carr2n was it @shanesmith30?"

At which the discussion across social media ceased. No word on whether or not there was salivating..

2014 Corsair Pirate Awards (Will be continuously updated until 12/31)

Another year has passed. What is that line in Abba's "Happy New Year" -- my favorite New Year's song -- "Happy new year/ Happy new year/ May we all have a vision now and then/ Of a world where every neighbour is a friend." Ando so on. And this makes our 11th -- ! -- annual Pirate Awards season. Cannot believe that this blog has been going for eleven years. All this week this blog will be re-hashing some of the fiascos, triumphs, epic fails and political coups that went down this year. The whole process will be a mix of funny, informative and (hopefully) smart stuff that people who have been reading this blog for over a decade are used to.Another Year's End, dear readers (The Corsair sips, Auld Lang Synish, with a touch of romantic melancholy, a Chateauneuf du Pape 1999). For the eleventh year and running -- has it really been that long? -- we present you with The Corsair Pirate Year End Awards (Part I; the rest, my dears, as the last days of December unfold ... stay with this blog). Every blogger/Tumblr worth their salt nowadays has year end awards and 'this thing of ours' is no goddam different.. Just smarter. Basta!

The Niccolo Machiavelli Award, 2014: Tie -- Speaker elect John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. The Corsair is not a fan of either politico, but they navigated between the Scylla of the tea baggers -- a motley bunch of nativists and libertarians -- and the Charybdis of the Chamber of Commerce and the Wall Street Editorial page with what can only be properly construed as extreme finesse. If Niccolo Machiavelli were alive he would note that Boehner exhibited virtu in dispatching Congressman Grimm, an ethical time bomb threatening to undo his majority in the House; if Niccolo Machiavelli were alive he would note that McConnell ran an amazing campaign against the formidable Allison Grimes, and skillfully reacted to the winds of Fortuna in the Republican midterms. Again, The Corsair is not a fan of either, but we do subscribe to the principle of "don't hate, congratulate." Uncle Niccolo would approve.

Oddest Career Move: House of DvF. What the fucketh? Princess, A-Lister, fashion magnate, arbiter elegantiae, wife of billionaire -- all of these things, and more, are the lovely Diane von Furstenberg. So -- why would someone so accomplished and ferociously fabulous want to slum in the ghetto that is reality TV and, worse, live next door to the tasteless Kardashians on the -- omg -- E! "network"? Vanity Fair, in a rare moment of edge, asked DvF if she would have appeared on a reality TV show at an earlier stage of her career. Her answer is profoundly telling. "That’s a verrrry interesting question," she begins, drawing out the answer in search for time. "Yeah . . . I would actually. I would have loved to," she says with only a whisper of conviction. Sure, Diane, suuuuurre (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment).

Underreported Story of the Year: China Overtakes the U.S. as the World's Largest Economy. Understandably, the press in the united States downplayed this story. Economist Joseph Stieglitz did not. "(t)he United States is confronted with real foreign-policy challenges that will prove hard to resolve: militant Islam; the Palestine conflict, which is now in its seventh decade; an aggressive Russia, insisting on asserting its power, at least in its own neighborhood; continuing threats of nuclear proliferation. We will need the cooperation of China to address many, if not all, of these problems," Stieglitz writes in Vanity Fair. He counsels, "(w)e should take this moment, as China becomes the world’s largest economy, to 'pivot' our foreign policy away from containment." Hear, hear.

Sourest Puss on 2014: Kanye West. Why does this man always look as if he just consumed a bad batch of yogurt?

douchebag says what?

Weirdest TV Space: Sorkinworld. Sorkinworld means people of color in ancillary roles at best, operating on the margins, saying unimportant things; Sorkinworld means women characters always in the wrong, begging the omniscient male characters for forgiveness; Sorkinworld means omnipotent white men changing the world with their optimism, verve and principle. Ah, sweetness and light. Finally, Sorkinworld means never having to say you are sorry about your misogyny.

Weirdest Ideological Space: The bromance between Paleoconservatism and Putinism. Like the many Daddy-fixated "isms" before it -- nationalism and fascism come to mind -- paleoconservatism has found a living, breathing representation in Vladimir Putin, on which to practice that which we only be properly construed as profoundly Brokeback Mountainish. Taki, Pat Buchanan -- all those old paleo bulls -- spent 2014 lavishing Vladimir of St. Petersberg with hot, moist kisses in the form of digital columns. Get a room, fellas! "Is Putin One Of Us?" Patrick asks, almost coquettishly, eyelashes batting and heartbeat racing. One cannot fail to note that the political ideology most obstinately against homoerotic love spent 2014 composing homoerotic love poetry in the key of F Major to noted anti-same sexier, Vladimir Putin. Just saying.

Most Relevant Print Magazine in 2014: Paper. Paper magazine was, hands down, the most relevant print magazine and their #breaktheinternet campaign was a stroke of media marketing genius. Kudos to Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits, who, thirty years in, are still hugely relevant in the digital age.

Hell Awaits: Anthony Marshall. It would appear that you really can't take it with you. "Tony" Marshall, the wastrel son of Brooke Astor ended up in the least "toniest" of places -- the pokey.  All sorts of deliciousness. He had the most privileged of upbringings and did fucking nothing with it all. He died unheralded and unsung in November. Brooke, the mother, hated his wife and made it publicly known. "This knowledge led to the campaign of besmirching Charlene Marshall in the press and among her friends — another blow to Anthony Marshall’s dignity, integrity and lifelong devotion to a mother who never paid much, if any, attention to him until she was an old woman who could depend on that support," wrote NYSD. "Ironically, it was a relationship not unlike Vincent’s mother and her behavior toward her son, Vincent the boy." May he rest in peace; Hell awaits.

Retro Trend: Racism, AKA, Fear of a Black Planet. Racism was the new black, it would appear, in 2014. An African-American President notwithstanding, on social media there was fear of a black storm trooper, fear of a black Annie and -- dare I bring it up? -- lots of fairly fucking disgusting tweets about police brutality. So. Very. Mississippi 1955. Stinking little bastards.

Geopolitical Gambler of the Year: Saudi Arabia. The Obama Doctrine vis-à-vis the Middle East has been, in part, to open dialogue with Iran and to de-emphasize the relationship with the hooker-chasers in Riyadh (Averted Gaze; Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment)). Clearly, one of the biggest losers of the Obama presidency has been the House of Saud. Obama's body language with the Saudi royals is ... difficult. Clearly the President of the United States does not like the cut of their jib. They have lost their stalwart ally Mubarak, the price of oil -- their main export -- is int he shitter, and they are in a  deadly position in their proxy war with Iran, which is rapidly gaining geopolitical credibility in talks with the United States and the West at, as they see it, their expense. So what does any smart, small, wealthy nation do? It gambles. Big time. Doubling down, Saudi Arabia is digging in to protect their market share of black gold. They are not cutting production, no matter how low the price of oil drops. The strategy is that many of the smaller oil players -- including the frackers -- will be driven out and in the long run Saudi Arabia will have an even stronger hand than they do now in the grey and greasy River Limpopo-ish oil game. "(Ali al-Naimi, the oil minister of Saudi Arabia) spoke of his role in persuading the 12 member cartel of the reasons to keep production at current levels," writes the FT. “'As a policy for Opec — and I convinced Opec of this — even Mr al Badri [Opec secretary-general] is now convinced, it is not in the interest of Opec producers to cut their production,' Mr Naimi told the Middle East Economic Survey." Play on, Playa.

Worst Politician: Nouri al-Maliki. "To understand why Iraq is imploding, you must understand Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — and why the United States has supported him since 2006," wrote Ali Khederi, who, from 2003-2008, was the longest serving American official serving in Iraq. To call al Maliki divisive would be a tremendous understatement. Our situation in Iraq is largely because of his inept sectrarianism.By the time he resigned, in August, Iraq had become, essentially, a client state of Iran with large swaths controlled by ISIS. So, in fine, he was monumentally inept as a politico.

Best Politician: Joni Ernst. The Natural. It didn't hurt that Joni Ernst was funny, positive and seemed to be having one hell of a time campaigning for the United States Senate in purple Iowa. It also didn't hurt that her opponent -- picked by the increasingly inept, halfhearted and overworked Chuck Schumer -- was one of the most positively horrible candidates in our collective lifetimes. Ernest is a rising Republican superstar.

Trend of 2014: Ass. 2014 is the year that we, as a society, achieved "peak ass." Terminal butt-osity. Anaconda by any other name. It is all about the bass. We are talking, of course, about the booty. Ass -- not pun intended -- was big in 2014. Everyone, it seemed, was shaking it off. Is that a good thing or a decadent thing for the world's oldest democracy? Part of me feels feels that this is wonderful, but the part of me that thinks thinks that this is rather not. 



Coming of Age Award: Vice Media. Shane Smith has come a long way -- or maybe journalism has had to adapt to different, far more competitive media universe. Shane Smith, co-founder of Vice, in 2014 made the move from indie, underground, gonzo publisher to respectable Establishment media figure. He announced in December the Knight-Vice innovators fund at the Knight Innovation Award and spoke in the media sanctum sanctorum the Paley Center in the shadow of CBS.



Courage Under Fire Award: International Correspondents. Are international journalists brave professionals bringing important information to the light of day from conflict zones or are they simply foolish? Nine out of ten journalists killed this year were local journalists, many of them in global trouble spots. According to CJR, "In total, at least 60 journalists were killed globally in 2014 in relation to their work, compared with 70 who died in 2013. CPJ is investigating the deaths in 2014 of at least 18 more journalists to determine whether they were work-related." Further, journalists all over the Arab world -- and beyond -- are being arrested (see: Turkey; see: Al Jazeera) Fool or brave, they brought us vital information about the Islamic State, they took us behind-the-scenes in Afghanistan, the Phillipines, the Central African Republic and showed us what is happening in Syria and deserve some praise.




Bad TV: There was a lot of bad TV this year -- Bad Judge, Mixology -- but Utopia was, by far, the worst. As Katy St. Claire, of the SF Weekly wrote, "The worst show of the year was Utopia, Fox's attempt at Lord of the Flies that stuck a bunch of uninteresting people on a ranch and asked them to create their own society." Yup.

Best TV: The Night The Wu Tang Weeded Up The Daily Show. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart staff writer Daniel Radosh noted, wryly, on his Facebook page the day after the Wu Tang Clan's now-legendary appearance, "My entire office smells like weed right now." As if to make sure we know exactly what he's talking about, Daniel links to the Wu Tang bio under that statement. Sounds positively herbal. It was, quite frankly, the coolest TV moment of the year -- thank you, Jon Stewart.



Asshole of the Year: Rudy Giuliani. Last year -- 2013 -- the Asshole went to Bibi Netanyahu. To be an asshole is a little like being a douchebag -- to wit: Charlie Gasparino -- but on the larger, national-international geopolitical stage. Giuliani, who has built a career race baiting, is now, it appears, the GOP point man on all things racial-dog-whistling. He was called upon by the GOP to deliver the perfect racial buzzwords speech against Obama at the 2008 Convention ("Comm-yeeeew-nity organizer") and has amped it up as the 2014 pointman for police brutality. Vladimir Putin is an asshole of world-historical proportions, yes -- but he is also pathetically cartoonish. In his own 19th century way, Putin is being a patriot. Kim Jung-Un has obvious mental health issues. Giuliani, however, appears to take a real perverse joy in his pathetic role in the Republican Party -- the hungry man's role of standing athwart the progress of people of color. He acquits this role with great gusto. Star Assy, Mr. Mayor!



Political Force of the Year: Libertarianism, Left. In the last few years, the Tea Party has risen -- on the right -- in political opposition to the nation's rising debt and the growth of government. This year, the Tea Party caucus lost key elections. But libertarianism, as a political force, rose up yet again -- this time on the Left -- as police brutality became a major national issue after the death of Eric Garner in July. One month later, in August, Michael Brown was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, further nationalized the issue. By November a grand jury decided not to indict officer Darren Wilson and in December another grand jury decided not to indict Daniel Pantaleo in the choking death of Eric Garner. Riots against the excesses of the police raged as the year came to a close. Proto-Libertarian Rand Paul penned an essay for Time arguing for the demilitarization of the police. Police brutality is now a left-libertarian issue.



Media Flameout of the Year: Matt Taibbi's The Flameout. Ah, hubris. The name, The Flameout, says it all. "Taibbi hired great, voicey, no-bullshit editors like Alex Pareene and Edith Zimmerman," Wired said of the flameout. "The plan was to make an Internet magazine that mixed hard-hitting reporting and in-depth features with wicked, Spy magazine-style satire." What's not to like? Actually satire had a bad year in 2014. We lost The Flameout -- although it never even really began -- and we lost Stephen Colbert, the blowhard, knockoff Bill O'Reilly.

Tune in tomorrow for more 2014 Pirate Awards ....