retreat

11 Stories

What It's Like to Be in Total Darkness for 82 Hours

'Outside' writer Tim Neville details his experience at a 'dark cave' retreat

(Newser) - Darkness retreats made headlines last year, when NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers went on one in order to spend time contemplating his future in the league. Such retreats are nothing new—they've evolved from centuries of practices involving total darkness used by people like the Tibetan monks in the 10th...

No One Wants to Go to Mike Johnson's GOP Retreat

Fewer than 100 House Republicans plan to attend in W. Va., with some saying they're tired of drama

(Newser) - This year's retreat for House Republicans is nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, promising a break from the confines of DC and a chance for the GOP to recalibrate ahead of the November election. It doesn't look like the getaway will be a particularly well-attended event,...

Lord of the Ring Stars Have a Request for Tolkien Fans

They want help purchasing the author's former home in Oxford

(Newser) - There's not currently a literary center devoted to the late JRR Tolkien, among the world's most celebrated authors. But if celebrities including Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films) have their way, there soon will be. A campaign called Project Northmoor is raising funds...

Lawmakers OK After Train's Fatal Collision With Truck

Republican members of Congress were on their way to West Virginia; person in truck is dead

(Newser) - A train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia struck a garbage truck on Wednesday. One person aboard the truck is dead and another seriously injured, reports NBC Washington . No lawmakers were believed to be seriously hurt, though one was taken to the hospital, according to...

Writers Break Silence on Secret Amazon Retreat

The bookseller's literary weekend, called Campfire, is famously secretive and lavish

(Newser) - Not much is known about the literary weekend Amazon founder Jeff Bezos hosts in Santa Fe every year, other than that it is lavish and the writers are showered with gifts and even a suitcase in which to carry the gifts home, occasionally on private jets. But the spare-no-expense "...

House GOP's New Idea: Short-Term Debt-Limit Boost

It would then shift focus to other deadlines

(Newser) - House Republicans are coming around to the idea of raising the debt ceiling—for a few months anyway. At a closed-door session at the caucus' annual Williamsburg, Va., retreat yesterday, Paul Ryan championed a plan to pass an extension of, say, one to three months, and shift the debate to...

GOP to Talk Minority Outreach —at Former Plantation

What a splendid idea, writes Gawker's Cord Jefferson

(Newser) - House Republicans are in colonial Williamsburg today for their annual retreat, and the Hill reports that restoring party unity is high on the agenda. But they've also got a session planned on "successful communication with minorities and women," which prompts this from Cord Jefferson at Gawker :
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Death in Desert Leads to Shadowy, Silent Yoga Retreat

Ian Thorson succumbed to dehydration in Arizona

(Newser) - How Ian Thorson died isn't really up for debate: exposure and dehydration. Rescuers found his body in the Arizona desert in April next to that of his delirious wife and a container with but an inch of brown water in it. What came before the 38-year-old's death is...

US Abandons Afghan Valley Where 42 Americans Died

Five-year Afghanistan battle deemed a mistake

(Newser) - The last US troops left Korengal Valley this morning, ending five years of seemingly pointless combat. Before dawn an American captain showed local village elders around what used to be the US base, the Washington Post reports, showing them the bullet-ridden crane and full fuel bladder they’d traded for...

Tobacco, Oil, Bank Lobbyists Crowd Dem Senators' Retreat

Miami guest list doesn't quite jibe with anti-'fat cat' rhetoric

(Newser) - Lobbyists for some of the industries most often blasted by Democrats—oil, big tobacco, banks—made up a good chunk of the guest list at a Miami retreat featuring a dozen Senate Democrats. A $30,000 contribution to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is typical, reports Politico , which scored a...

GOP Takes Heat for Hawaii Meeting


 GOP Takes Heat 
 for Hawaii Meeting 
PARADISE LOST
Jan 28, 2010 10:08 AM CST

GOP Takes Heat for Hawaii Meeting

Choice for retreat draws fire; 'We're working hard,' says Steele

(Newser) - As we speak, the Republican National Committee is holding its winter meeting amid the “lush tropical gardens” of a resort in Honolulu, Hawaii, a fact that appears to embarrass all involved and Republicans everywhere. “We’re working hard out here,” RNC Chairman Michael Steele reasons, but many...

11 Stories