We are not a fragile or frightful people.

President Obama said this last week at the Democratic National Convention. And while I want to believe it's true, what I see us doing instead is scaring ourselves to death.

This cartoon published in 1920 should remind us of something... Ah yes! Nothing has changed. F. Opper (1857-1937) was one of the most prolific cartoonist in the United States. He also wrote poems and children stories which he illustrated. He is also known for his exceptional political cartoons. He also was one of the "fathers" of the comic strip.

Listening to and reading the media here and overseas, one would believe that there are only two candidates for the US presidential elections 2016.

When Malcolm Turnbull saved the Liberal Party from annihilation by taking over the Leadership of the party from Tony Abbott, things were looking very rosy indeed. Here was a chap who actually listened to questions then reflected for a moment before responding. And those responses seemed to appease the voters by not simply quoting a slogan.

... all the excitement appeared to have taken a toll on husband Bill, who was seated in the audience next to Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine.  

As the topic turned to tackling Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), the former US president seemed to nod off – perhaps already dreaming of a return to the White House.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has released a series of letters in which he claims Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had promised to support his bid for the United Nations' top job as recently as December.

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity is a project of Dr. Paul’s Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (F.R.E.E.), founded in the 1970s as an educational organization. The Institute continues and expands Dr. Paul’s lifetime of public advocacy for a peaceful foreign policy and the protection of civil liberties at home.

A copy of Michelangelo's David recently put on show in central St Petersburg may be dressed up because a resident objected to its nakedness.

The Turkish Government has shut down 130 media outlets in a mass purge of the media following the coup attempt.

President Recep Erdogan has responded to the apparent coup attempt by clamping down on alleged dissidents since the failed bid to oust him from power rocked the country.

The increasingly authoritarian regime has purged the media, universities, schools, the police, judiciary and military of potential opponents.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/turkey-shuts-down-130-media-8507156

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