We've made it through another week, which means it's time for a reward. From accidental art on the iPad to handsomely restored vintage speakers, we have plenty of beautiful things for you to ogle at this week.
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Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger paid Hillary Clinton, who was also secretary of State, compliments at an event Wednesday. If she runs and wins in 2016, she could reestablish an old pattern.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks in Washington on Thursday. Henry Kissinger, who was also secretary of State, paid Mrs. Clinton lots of compliments and noted that in US history, 'at least four' secretaries of State have risen to the presidency.
Cliff Owen/AP
EnlargeIf Hillary Rodham Clinton runs for president in 2016, will she have fellow former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in her corner? OK, Henry K is a Republican and she?s not. But at an Atlantic Council event on Wednesday night, Mr. Kissinger paid Mrs. Clinton lots of compliments and noted that in US history, ?at least four? secretaries of State have risen to the presidency.
Skip to next paragraph Peter GrierWashington Editor
Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.
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?I want to tell Hillary that when she misses the office, when she looks at the histories of secretaries of State, there might be hope for a fulfilling life afterwards,? Kissinger said.
Actually, Mr. Kissinger, the correct number here is six instead of four. But first, we?ll take a timeout to note that the Atlantic Council dinner was a serious event. Clinton got an international leadership award. She gave a heartfelt speech about the importance of NATO and the growing gap between the United States and its allies in regard to bearing the burden of the common defense.
This gap risks creating a ?two-tiered alliance,? she noted.
OK, back to the banter: Kissinger, secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, seemed to be having a good time in this return to the spotlight. He acknowledged that he?d thought about the Oval Office during his time in government but was stymied by the pesky constitutional requirement that presidents be natural-born US citizens.
?I thought up all kinds of schemes to get around that,? he said, to general amusement.
(Kissinger was born in Germany, in case you did not know or have never heard his accent. His folks fled to the United States prior to World War II.)
As to secretaries of State who have become president, most date to that era when the Founding Fathers moved up through the steps of government as if on an escalator ? kind of like in civic organizations today where you start as treasurer, segue into VP, and end up in the top job, with minimal opposition.
Thus Thomas Jefferson served as the nation?s first secretary of State before becoming its third president. Jefferson?s secretary of State was James Madison, who was the fourth US president. Madison?s secretary of State was James Monroe, who became the fifth president. Monroe?s you-know-what was John Quincy Adams, who became the sixth president.
Then upstart Andrew Jackson got himself elected president in 1828. His secretary of State was Martin Van Buren, who ascended to the top job as the eighth president. Then the chain pretty much ended. The only subsequent sec/State to become POTUS was James Buchanan, who is routinely rated worst US chief executive of all time.
So Clinton could reestablish an old pattern, if she wins. Right now she remains the dominant figure in the Democratic field, at least. A new Quinnipiac poll puts her as the choice of 65 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters.
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ZEDELGEM, Belgium (AP) ? On a Saturday evening two weeks ago in Zedelgem, townsfolk were disturbed by the wail of a siren and the shriek of tires, the din of a high-speed car chase that broke the tranquility of their sleepy city.
Suddenly, cash was flying through the air like confetti at carnival.
Dozens of people rushed out of homes or cars to grab a share of the accidental bounty: about 1 million euros ($1.3 million) in all. The small fortune had flown from a safe that cracked open when the fleeing robbers panicked and threw it out the window.
"It was," recalled Mayor Patrick Arnou, "a rainstorm of money." Everyone from kids to the elderly ran out to take part in the free-for-all.
Now, the cops want the money back, and the townspeople face a thorny dilemma: Play things badly, and you could face two years in jail. Keep a poker face, and the money could be yours to keep.
A veil of suspicion has fallen over the town: Neighbors watch neighbors as police go door to door, questioning townsfolk about what they did ? and what they saw others do.
"People talk about nothing else any more in this town," said Arnou. "In the street itself, there is an atmosphere of bitterness."
Some Zedelgem inhabitants who missed the windfall said they understood the actions of their fellow townsfolk, but insisted the size of the cash pile should have made them think twice. "If it were a 20 euro note," said 77-year-old pensioner Hector Clarysse, "I'd pick it up, too, and join in."
But he added: "If you pick up so much money, you know it's not normal."
It all started when the robbers broke into a home in a neighboring town, and made off with the safe. The getaway car was soon identified; by chance a motorcycle police officer spotted it and gave chase.
When the cop and robbers hit Zedelgem's Ruddervoordsestraat, a street lined by simple red-brick row houses, the thieves tried to shake off the officer by throwing the safe in his way. As it careened down the asphalt, the box shot open: A cloud of bills ? some worth as much as 500 euros ? swirled through the air and drifted down.
Dozens of wide-eyed people flooded the street, grabbing handfuls of cash. Drivers got out of their cars, snatched money and sped away. One lady even came out of her house with a broom, Arnou said, and swept the money inside.
Police quickly returned and literally plucked cash from the hands of people who were too slow in stashing it away.
Arnou says authorities have secured nearly half of the million euros that were originally in the safe. But the rest of the cash has disappeared into the hands of those who happened to be on that street in Zedelgem. As for the robbers, they have still not been caught ? as police attention was diverted by trying to retrieve the money.
A disheartened Arnou says his citizens should have known better. After all, he points out, the money belongs to innocent people who are now out of 1 million euros.
"What we have seen is beyond decency," said the mayor.
Once the adrenaline rush subsided, some people reached the same conclusion and handed back what they found. Late Wednesday, a couple drove from Antwerp, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, to hand over 16,200 euros they had picked up driving through town.
Arnou designated the mailbox outside city hall as a spot for people to hand over money ? no questions asked. One contrite individual wrapped a big wad of money in an envelope and deposited it there.
Not a good idea.
Once word got out, thieves tried to unhinge the heavy stone letterbox over the weekend and make off with its contents. It didn't work and, the postbox stood there half-cracked for days ? a sad testament to human greed. On Thursday, Arnou watched as workmen repaired the postbox and encased it deeper in concrete.
The case has triggered a passionate debate in Zedelgem.
"There is a major discussion between people who think it should be given back and those who say 'keep what you got,'" Arnou said. "We are talking about sharp debates and opinions are very divided."
But for local prosecutor Jean-Marie Berkvens, things could not be clearer: "Fraudulent concealment," he said, "carries a maximum jail penalty of two years."
At the Cartouche bar, across the street from the city hall postbox, bar owner Emely Derous has been moderating between people on both sides of the divide.
She says picking up the money is just human nature.
"Jokingly they say: 'I would have done it this way or that way to keep as much as possible,'" Derous said. "And yes, I might have done the same thing myself. I think everybody thinks that way."
Police want them to change their minds.
In a letter sent around to townsfolk, police again asked for a return of the money and added: "If you have additional information regarding people who picked up money, pass it along to our services."
In those magical minutes that Saturday, it remains unclear whether anyone took out a camera or a mobile phone to capture the moment. And there's no CCTV on the street.
The lack of evidence only adds to the suspense for mayor Arnou. But the consequences promise to be serious.
"For now, police are still trying benign ways," he said. "Once everyone has had the chance to talk and it turns out they still have money, then the legal cases will come."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/belgian-mystery-hiding-stolen-money-063111370.html
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HBO
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones."
Actress Emilia Clarke turns 25 today, so for the mother of the fire-breathing dragons from "Game of Thrones," we're celebrating with a birthday hot list of sorts.
As Daenerys Targaryen on the popular HBO series, Clarke has established herself as one tough khaleesi. As she marches toward the Seven Kingdoms to reclaim the Iron Throne, let's appreciate five of her best scenes along the way.
Beware of spoilers if you're still catching up.
Khal Drogo likes what he sees
When the Dothraki warrior meets his bride-to-be, he doesn't say anything. He doesn't need to. His horse does all the grunting.
Serious pregnancy cravings
Daenerys impresses Drogo and the chanting Dothraki clan by chomping on a raw horse heart -- she's having a son, after all, and now "the prince is riding." "They promised me that it would taste similar to a gummy bear and it definitely didn?t," Clarke told Vulture.
She walks in to a burning ring of fire
When Khaleesi walks into the pyre consuming her dead husband's body, and emerges the next morning a little charred around the edges, we know we're in for a great ride as a tiny dragon screeches over her shoulder.
Death in the House of the Undying
Chained to a wall with her three tiny dragons, an imprisoned Daenerys appears to be out of options against Pyat Pree, the warlock who intends to hold her until "the end of time." Or until he's set ablaze in a dramatic display of the creatures' best attribute.
What's the Valyrian term for 'burn him alive'?
No need for a translator -- Daenerys speaks to all of us in this powerful scene in which she takes control of the Unsullied. With a newly freed slave army at her back, the march to the Iron Throne just got real.
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