It appears that staring at boobs is important for one's health...thank you.
http://www.themedguru.com/20091206/newsfeature/stare-boobs-longer-life-study-86131320.html
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Scientists Are Cleared of Misuse of Data
An inquiry by a federal watchdog agency found no evidence that scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration manipulated climate data to buttress the evidence in support of global warming, officials said on Thursday.
Georgia Lawmaker Proposes Classifying Miscarriages as ‘Prenatal Murder’
Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin, a Republican from Marietta, Georgia, has introduced a bill that would criminalize miscarriages, making abortion and miscarriage -- or "prenatal murder" in the language of the bill -- potentially punishable by death.
“The Wisconsin Lie Exposed: Taxpayers Actually Contribute Nothing To Public Employee Pensions”
Out of every dollar that funds Wisconsin’ s pension and health insurance plans for state workers, 100 cents comes from the state workers.
New Life's Hero Comes Out -- Heroically
Thanks for saving our lives, but please leave now, because we don’t like what you stand for.
That is the message Jeanne Assam says she received last year when she informed the powers-that-be at New Life Church that she is gay. It was Assam, you’ll remember, who was widely hailed as a hero for ending a murderous rampage at New Life Dec. 9, 2007.
Rupert Murdoch and David Koch Collude Against Wisconsin Workers
While Fox News feeds its rabble the anti-union line, Murdoch's Wall Street Journal columnists front for Koch's Americans for Prosperity and coddle elite investors.
http://www.alternet.org/story/150047/rupert_murdoch_and_david_koch_collude_against_wisconsin_workers
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Union-Bashing Right-Wing Media Stars Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Reilly Are AFL-CIO Union-Affiliated Members
When it comes to the Wisconsin union fights, right-wing pundits Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh have a couple of things in common. For starters, have all voiced their opposition to the plight of public employee unions in the state.
On Feb. 18, Limbaugh said on his radio program, "We are either on the side of the Wisconsin protesters or we are on the side of our country." Hannity has featured several guests critical of the union and its supporters, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, on his Fox News television and radio shows.
On the Feb. 18 edition of "The O'Reilly Factor," O'Reilly stated, "Governments can't afford to operate" because of "union wages and benefits." But it turns out that opposing workers' rights isn't the only thing these blowhards have in common.
As it turns out, all three of them belong to the American Federation Television and Radio Artists union (AFTRA), which is the AFL-CIO affiliate for television and broadcast workers. Yes, you read that right. While Hannity, O'Reilly and Limbaugh have been railing against union workers in Wisconsin, all three of them belong to an AFL-CIO affiliate union.
The Koch Brothers' Right-Wing Conspiracy to Undermine the Patriot Act
The Kochs' contributions to political candidates are often touted as the true indicator of what the family and their company really stand for. I'm not particularly fond of most of the politicians the Kochs have supported over the years, but it seems to me that this is precisely backwards. It's not only significant that the Kochs' contributions to actual politicians are dwarfed by gifts like the one they made to the ACLU, their spending to found and fund think tanks, and their contributions to non-political causes like the arts and medical research—this is precisely the point.
http://reason.com/blog/2011/02/25/the-koch-brothers-right-wing-c
Obama Signs Temporary Extension of Patriot Act
The law extends two areas of the 2001 act. One provision allows law enforcement officials to set roving wiretaps to monitor multiple communication devices. The other allows them to ask a special court for access to business and library records that could be relevant to a terrorist threat.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/25/AR2011022505562.html
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sarah Palin Tell-All: More Details, Marital Problems, Nude Photo, More
Palin Sent Letters to the Editor Using Other Names, Praising Herself
Bailey writes that Palin drafted her own letters to the editor during her run for governor and sent them in under supporters' names. Palin relayed the first one in an email to Bailey:
"Dear Editor,
It's been a pleasure watching our life-long Alaskan gal, Sarah Palin, campaign for governor these past six months. I am impressed with her leadership skills, experience, ethics, and energy. And I'm most impressed with how she communicates her message that is connecting with so many Alaskans. Sarah tells it like it is and is obviously not your typical politician. She doesn't just go with the flow or test the waters with political polls before taking action. It's clear Sarah is committed to just doing the right thing, even if her Republican Party bosses try to punish her for it," the letter reads in part.
Bailey alleges the letter was the first of many they wrote in supporters' names, to be sent to Alaska newspapers. Bailey writes "nothing struck me as wrong" with the faux letters, even though the campaign had become what he calls a "letter-manufacturing plant."
Koch Industries: The 100-Million Ton Carbon Gorilla
The virulence of the Koch brothers’ opposition to climate policy — to anything that would make polluters instead of society pay for the cost of their pollution — is purely a matter of self-interest. The immense profitability of their carbon holdings depends on their freedom to pollute without consequence — a toxic freedom they have sold to the American public, and particularly the Tea Party faithful organized by the various Koch front groups, as inherent to the American dream.
http://climateprogress.org/2011/02/02/koch-industries-carbon-pollution
North Korea: First Public Protests Against the Kims’ Regime
For the first time ever, small groups of North Koreans protested in public against Pyongyang’s Stalinist government. For the first time also, no one betrayed them. Fear of the “third” Kim is stronger than all else.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/First-public-protests-against-the-Kims%E2%80%99-regime-20861.html
New Report: 'Higher Hate Group Count Than Ever'
A new study by the Southern Poverty Law Center describes a big rise in hate groups across the country.
By its count, there are now more than 1,000 active extremist groups in the U.S. Experts say the largest increase comes from militias that consider the federal government their enemy.
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/23/133970226/new-report-higher-hate-group-count-than-ever
Ron Paul: The Tea Party Is Now Corporately Owned
When the man who is credited with the inception of the Tea Party, as a grassroots movement, says it’s now corporately owned, it’s worth hearing — but we already knew this.
http://freakoutnation.com/2011/02/24/ron-paul-the-tea-party-is-now-corporately-owned
What the Right-wing Assault on Women, Unions, the Environment, Health Care and PBS Is All About | Economy
Conservatives really want to change the basis of American life, to make America run according to the conservative moral worldview in all areas of life.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Hawaii Governor Signs Civil Union Bill into Law
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed into law a bill that will legalize civil unions for same-sex couples in the Aloha State.
"People have worked long and hard for this day," Abercrombie said at the bill-signing ceremony Wednesday. "This is a prime example of exercising civic courage. It is about doing what is right, no matter how difficult, no matter how much opposition."
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/24/hawaii.civil.unions/index.html?hpt=T2
Tennessee Bill Would Jail Shariah Followers
A proposed Tennessee law would make following the Islamic code known as Shariah law a felony, punishable by 15 years in jail.
Glenn Beck Posts Biggest Ratings Drop Of Any Cable News Show In January
January cable news ratings came out yesterday and contained a few notable surprises.
Perhaps the most notable was this.
Despite the continued dominance of Fox News, the fourth most-watched cable channel in Primetime -- that's cable channel not cable news channel -- Glenn Beck's ratings slipped in January.
A lot.
Fox Reverses Poll Results To Falsely Claim Most Americans Favor Ending Collective Bargaining
On Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade claimed, along with an on-screen graphic, that a recent USA Today/Gallup poll found that "61 percent" of Americans are in favor of taking away collective bargaining rights from public unions. In fact, Fox aired the results of the poll completely backward: the Gallup poll found that 61 percent of Americans are opposed to taking away collective bargaining rights.
Gay Rights Victory as Obama Drops Defence of Anti Same-Sex Marriage Law
n a huge policy turnaround, Barack Obama's government today announced it will no longer defend a federal law which bans the recognition of gay marriage.
The president ruled the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it defines marriage as only being between men and women.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Gaddafi Orders Oil Sabotage
Gaddafi had also ordered the release from prison of the country's Islamist militant prisoners in hopes they would act on their own to sow chaos.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/us-libya-oil-time-idUSTRE71L6TK20110222
Former Libyan Interior Ministerl Kidnapped
Hours after Libya's former interior minister said he resigned to support anti-government protesters, the Libyan government said he had been kidnapped.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/23/libya.interior.minister/index.html
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Glenn Beck Uses the Rape of Lara Logan to Push His Egypt Conspiracy
On his Fox News program tonight Glenn Beck used the rape of Lara Logan as evidence that he was correct about Egypt. Beck said, “While everyone was saying oh listen this is great. In this crowd, we found out today that an American woman was being sexually assaulted by 200 men in this crowd,” so because Lara Logan was raped, Glenn Beck was correct on Egypt.
The Koch Brothers' End Game in Wisconsin
As always this has to do with money, and the union "compromise" coming down the pipe was set up to be the "booby" prize while the Koch Brothers get their "booty" prize. This is all being well-orchestrated with an end game that has absolutely nothing to do with unions.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/21/947947/-The-Koch-Brothers-End-Game-in-Wisconsin
Watson: First 'Jeopardy!'... Now the Doctor's Office
The supercomputer made quick work of his human competitors on "Jeopardy!" Now his creators want Watson to help you stay healthy.
http://theweek.com/article/index/212351/watson-first-jeopardy-now-the-doctors-office
Baby Dolphins Are Washing Up Dead Along the Gulf
Scientists at the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies are investigating unusually high numbers of stillborn and aborted dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico region. Seventeen infant dolphins have washed up on shore so far this year, compared to an average of one or two a month, says one scientist.
Monday, February 21, 2011
As Republicans See a Mandate on Budget Cuts, Others See Risk
In Congress and in statehouses, Republican lawmakers and governors are claiming a broad mandate from last year’s elections as they embark on an aggressive campaign of cutting government spending and taking on public unions. Their agenda echoes in its ambition what President Obama and Democrats tried after winning office in their own electoral wave in 2008.
Karl Rove vs. Birthers
The former Bush adviser says it's time for the GOP to stamp out birtherism, a dubious conservative movement that is hurting Republicans more than it hurts Obama.
http://theweek.com/article/index/212318/karl-rove-vs-birthers
A Giant Hidden Planet In Our Own Solar System?
The quest for Planet X always starts out with celestial objects behaving badly. Astronomers notice that a known planet, or a bunch of comets, begin moving in ways Newton's laws of motion can't explain. They propose that it's caused by the gravity of something massive and still undiscovered lurking out in the Solar System, and they head to their telescopes to search for it.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2049641,00.html?xid=newsletter-weekly
10 Developments in the Huge Story of Wisconsin's Uprising
The fight over Republican Governor Scott Walker's Union-busting bill may have just begun.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
140 'Massacred' as Gaddafi Sends in S to Crush Dissent
Women and children leapt from bridges to their deaths as they tried to escape a ruthless crackdown by Libyan forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The Five Senators Who Refuse To Say If They Anonymously Killed The Whistleblower Bill
While the bill had some significant shortcomings, we were still somewhat surprised to find out that a US Senator used an anonymous hold to block a bill designed to protect whistleblowers. At the time, we wondered if there would be a whistleblower who would reveal who blocked the bill. However, the folks at WNYC's On the Media set up a neat campaign to contact all 100 Senators and get them to say whether or not they put the hold on the bill. For weeks, many Senators refused to respond, but now the project has reached the point where 95 Senators have said they did not put the block on the bill, leaving just five Senators who have refused to answer.
They are:
* David Vitter
* Jeff Sessions
* James Risch
* Mitch McConnell
* Jon Kyl
On the Media is still asking for help contacting those five senators to see if they'll finally explain whether or not they put a hold on the bill. The whole process of an "anonymous hold" in the Senate seems to go against basic principles of transparency in democracy. Anonymity is an important part of free speech for the citizenry, but it does not apply to a single Senator blocking legislation. If they are going to do that in the name of the people they represent, they should be expected to step forward and admit it.
Unions Aren't to Blame for Wisconsin's Budget
Let's be clear: Whatever fiscal problems Wisconsin is -- or is not -- facing at the moment, they're not caused by labor unions. That's also true for New Jersey, for Ohio and for the other states. There was no sharp rise in collective bargaining in 2006 and 2007, no major reforms of the country's labor laws, no dramatic change in how unions organize. And yet, state budgets collapsed. Revenues plummeted. Taxes had to go up, and spending had to go down, all across the country.
Blame the banks. Blame global capital flows. Blame lax regulation of Wall Street. Blame home buyers, or home sellers. But don't blame the unions. Not for this recession.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2011/02/unions_arent_to_blame_for_wisc.html
Wis. Assembly Near Chaos Over Union Bill
Republican Assembly leaders called members to the chamber in Madison Friday for a 5 p.m. vote on the bill to repeal public employee bargaining rights but began voting before Democrats arrived, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. As they entered the Assembly chamber, Democrats called the vote illegal and demanded the majority Republicans rescind it.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/02/18/Wis-Assembly-near-chaos-over-union-bill/UPI-87221298021400
House Votes to Defund Planned Parenthood
The House just approved Rep. Mike Pence’s amendment to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, checking off a hot-button social issue even as it set up a bigger showdown over defunding the health care law. The vote was 240-185 with 11 Democrats voting for the amendment, and seven Republicans voting against. One member voted present. A group of Republicans on the floor applauded when the vote hit 218
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Public Employee Union Protests Spread From Wisconsin to Ohio
Demonstrations against bills to restrict public employees’ collective-bargaining rights spilled from Wisconsin into Ohio in what union leaders said was becoming a national fight.
O.J. Simpson Reportedly Beaten in Prison
O.J. Simpson, in prison, versus white supremacists. That scenario is as bad as it sounds, as the former NFL player was reportedly beaten so severely that he had to spend weeks in an infirmary.
http://www.limelife.com/blog-entry/OJ-Simpson-Reportedly-Beaten-in-Prison/116488.html
Mississippi Under Fire for Considering KKK Leader and Confederate Hero on License Plate
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has come under fire for failing to condemn efforts by the state's Sons of Confederate Veterans to institute a license plate commemorating Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Historically, Forrest has been both hailed for his military brilliance and condemned for his brutality both during and after the Civil War. The general infamously slaughtered black Union troops that surrendered at Fort Pillow Tennessee in 1864 and became a Grand Wizard in the KKK after the war ended.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/16/report-mississippi-under-fire-for-considering-kkk-leader-and-co
Protesters Stay Overnight at Wisconsin State Capitol
For the last two days, protestors have been marching on the Wisconsin State Capitol, protesting Governor Scott Walker's new union-busting budget proposal. Last night, a public forum was held and protesters got a chance to speak inside the Capitol to let their voices be heard. As of early Wednesday morning, citizens are still speaking to the Joint Finance Committee in the Capitol.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-vines/live-updates-protesters-s_b_823836.html
Glenn Beck Warns Against Searching His Conspiracy Theories on Google
Okay, Glenn Beck has completely lost it. Now he's warning his audience against looking up his conspiracy theories on Google...because Google might be a part of the conspiracy
Iranian Warships Bound for Syria Are Set to Transit Suez Canal, Israel Says
Israel warned on Wednesday that two Iranian warships were poised to pass through the Suez Canal en route to Syria, something it called a provocation that had not happened in years.
The first word came from Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in an address to a group of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. The speech, which hinted at a possible response, was closed to reporters, but Mr. Lieberman’s office issued a statement afterward with a partial text of what he said.
“Tonight, two Iranian warships are meant to pass through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea and reach Syria, something that has not happened in many years,” Mr. Lieberman said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/world/middleeast/17suez.html?_r=3
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Report: Gen. Petraeus to Step Down?
Somewhere behind the Times of London paywall, there is a report that General David Petraeus is preparing to step down as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and that the search is already on for his replacement. Petraeus took command of the Afghan war effort last summer following Stanley McChrystal's dismissal over remarks made in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Report-Gen-Petraeus-to-Step-Down-7005
Poll: Majority of Republicans Doubt Obama's Birthplace
A slim majority of Republicans are still in disbelief that President Barack Obama, now in his third year in office, was born in the United States and therefore is legally eligible to be president, according to a poll by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/Poll-Majority-GOP-Birthers-203418-1.html
Defector Admits to WMD Lies that Triggered Iraq War
The defector who convinced the White House that Iraq had a secret biological weapons programme has admitted for the first time that he lied about his story, then watched in shock as it was used to justify the war. Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, codenamed Curveball by German and American intelligence officials who dealt with his claims, has told the Guardian that he fabricated tales of mobile bioweapons trucks and clandestine factories in an attempt to bring down the Saddam Hussein regime, from which he had fled in 1995.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/defector-admits-wmd-lies-iraq-war
Violent Protests Break Out in Libya
Clashes reported in eastern city of Benghazi as security forces and government supporters confront demonstrators.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/20112167051422444.html
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Boehner: If Jobs Are Lost As A Result Of GOP Spending Cuts 'So Be It'
If House Republicans succeed in cutting tens of billions of dollars in discretionary spending over the next six months, some of the most immediate victims will be federal employees, many of whose jobs will be slashed as their agencies pare back.
The 25 Best Quotes of CPAC 2011
"It's just like a liberal, they import slaves, they hold slaves, they fight for slavery, they go to war in a civil war to defend slavery. They then install legal discrimination against blacks for a hundred years…" - Ann Coulter.
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/best-cpac-quotes-2011-5232253
2,000 Post Offices in Danger of Being Closed
Did you know that USPS is losing $23 million a day?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7751858/2000_post_offices_in_danger_of_being.html?cat=3
Michele Bachmann Betrayed Tea Party with PATRIOT Act Vote
The chairwoman of the House Tea Party caucus promptly found her Facebook page under attack from tea partiers who couldn't believe she voted in support of a law that grants the federal government all kinds of prying access into the lives of ordinary citizens.
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2011/02/michele_bachmann_tea_party_patriot_act.php
Berlusconi Indicted on Underage Sex Charges, Will Stand Trial
Silvio Berlusconi will go to court to face charges that he paid for sex with an underage prostitute and later used his power to cover it up.
The Italian Prime Minister has been indicted (following requests by prosecutors in Milan that he stand trial immediately).
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/112641/20110215/berlusconi.htm
Monday, February 14, 2011
2045, When Humans, Machines Merge
Computers are getting faster. Everybody knows that. Also, computers are getting faster faster — that is, the rate at which they're getting faster is increasing.
True? True.
So if computers are getting so much faster, so incredibly fast, there might conceivably come a moment when they are capable of something comparable to human intelligence. Artificial intelligence. All that horsepower could be put in the service of emulating whatever it is our brains are doing when they create consciousness — not just doing arithmetic very quickly or composing piano music but also driving cars, writing books, making ethical decisions, appreciating fancy paintings, making witty observations at cocktail parties.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2048138,00.html?xid=newsletter-weekly
Conservatives Suggest Planned Parenthood May Be Criminal Enterprise
Its foes have been relentless, and it now faces some of the most withering attacks of its history. A bill in Congress would strip the organization of federal family-planning grants and a series of covertly taped videos seek to depict some Planned Parenthood staff as willing to assist sex traffickers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/13/planned-parenthood_n_822681.html
Official: US to Expand Yemeni Military Training
Faced with an increasingly alarming threat from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the U.S. military will begin a new training program with Yemen's counterterrorism unit so it can move against militants believed to be plotting attacks on America from safe havens there. The effort will mark the first time the U.S. has trained the counterterrorism unit, which has traditionally focused on protecting Yemen's capital, according to a senior defense official.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
10 Historical 'Facts' Only a Right-Winger Could Believe
Facts, including historical ones, are 'biased' against the right's worldview.
"We Were a Stalin-esque Mouthpiece for Bush" -- Fox News Insider
"They’re a propaganda outfit but they call themselves news," says a former insider from the world of Rupert Murdoch.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The GOP's Selective Memory on Ronald Reagan
When he took office as governor of California in 1967, the state faced a huge budget deficit. Reagan promptly raised taxes by $1 billion - at a time when the entire state budget amounted to just $6 billion. It was then the biggest state tax increase in history. During Reagan's eight years in Sacramento, the top state income tax rate increased from 7 percent to 11 percent. Business and sales taxes also soared.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020704538.html
Bill O'Reilly vs. Science: O'Reilly's Top 8 Science FAILs
Everyone's favroite insane Fox news pundit, Bill O'Reilly, is waging a war against science and, unfortunately for him, losing horribly. It's pretty embarrassing for all parties involved. From disputing irrefutable facts such as why the tides go in and out, to even going as far as calling teaching science in schools "fascism," here are the 8 craziest Bill O'Reilly quotes that show that he really hates (by which we mean doesn't understand) science.
http://www.ranker.com/list/bill-o_reilly-vs-science-o_reilly_s-top-8-science-fails/jennifer-lee
The Only Thing Republicans Didn't Slash was the Budget Deficit
As things now stand, the budget deficit will be $1.500 trillion for this fiscal year. If the GOP has their way, it will be $1.477 trillion. That's a cut of merely 1.5% . Despite everything the GOP is going after, our budget deficit will be 98.5% of what it would have been otherwise -- virtually unchanged. In other words, the only thing they didn't slash was the budget deficit.
What this exercise proves is that the Republican approach doesn't represent a serious effort at deficit reduction. Instead, it's an exercise in targeting programs that help the kinds of people Republicans don't like. They really don't care about deficit reduction: the GOP's precious tax cuts for the wealthy added nearly twice as much to the deficit as the total amount of cuts in this proposal.
Congress Punting on Patriot Act Reform
If history is our guide, before the month ends both chambers are likely to agree on the spy extensions and haggle over Americans’ civil liberties later. And when that later date nears, Congress is likely to punt again.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/02/patriot-act-punt/?[8]
Americans Pay Less in Taxes Under Obama Than Under Bush
According to The Associated Press, “for the third straight year, American families and businesses will pay less in federal taxes than they did under former President George W. Bush. ...” In fact, as a share of gross domestic product, Americans haven’t paid this little in taxes since Harry Truman called the shots.
Sex Scandal Might Bring Down John Boehner
Boehner has been involved in extramarital affairs with at least two women, according to a new report in the National Enquirer. We don’t normally cite supermarket tabloids as primary source material. But the Enquirer was first to write about the John Edwards’ infidelity, and the newspaper proved to be right on target. And back in the early ’90s, the mainstream press picked up on the Bill Clinton/Gennifer Flowers story after it broke in a tabloid.
http://my.firedoglake.com/rogershuler/2011/02/08/sex-scandal-might-bring-down-john-boehner
Saudia Arabia's King Abdullah Dies
King Abdullah talked with Obama about the situation in Egypt over the phone yesterday. Obama and the King got into a heated debate about their opinions of what Hosni Mubarak should do. After the phone call sources stated that King Abdullah was furious and then suffered a sudden heart attack.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Think the Muslim Brotherhood is a Threat? Think Again
In order to become a popular and steady movement, the Brotherhood mainstreamed itself. The change was a shrewd gamble against radical movements to become a middle-class, conservative group with the intention of being a permanent, systemic political player. As their base has grown in Egypt, the Brotherhood has found itself in step with the current revolutionists, who are not extremists but the average people looking for a government that listens.
Impeach And Prosecute Justice Clarence Thomas For Corruption
We have long known that Thomas was totally unqualified to sit on the Supreme Court. And at a minimum, for him to claim he cannot understand and truthfully complete a simple disclosure form, this proves it. Immediate impeachment is the least we should expect.
The motto of the Supreme Court is "Equal Justice Under Law". If those words are to mean anything, Thomas must be prosecuted just as he would coldly affirm the conviction of anyone else who did such a thing.
Shocking 'Egypt Images' Emerge
Al Jazeera has obtained footage showing violent clashes between pro-democracy protesters and supporters of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president.
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/02/201127184024139962.html
Monday, February 7, 2011
Bat-Winged Drone Bomber in Test Flight: US Navy
A robotic, bat-winged bomber designed to take off from a US aircraft carrier has passed its first test in a debut flight in California, the US Navy said. The X-47B jet, which looks like a smaller version of the B-2 stealth bomber, stayed in the air for 29 minutes and climbed to 5,000 feet in a test flight on Friday at Edwards Air Force Base, according to the Navy and defense contractor Northrop Grumman.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110206/ts_alt_afp/usmilitaryaerospaceindustryrobots
Al Jazeera Takes Out Full Page Ad In Sunday's NYT
At the bottom of the page they've included a link to where Al Jazeera can be found online in America. Admittedly not terribly useful in a print ad, but it certainly goes some ways to pointing out they are not carried on cable here, which is presumably the point of the ad.
http://www.businessinsider.com/al-jazeera-takes-out-full-page-ad-in-sundays-nyt-2011-2
Sunday, February 6, 2011
10 Things Conservatives Don’t Want You to Know about Ronald Reagan
Unemployment soared after Reagan’s 1981 tax cuts. Unemployment jumped to 10.8 percent after Reagan enacted his much-touted tax cut, and it took years for the rate to get back down to its previous level. Meanwhile, income inequality exploded. Despite the myth that Reagan presided over an era of unmatched economic boom for all Americans, Reagan disproportionately taxed the poor and middle class, but the economic growth of the 1980′s did little help them.
Fox News' ACORNing of Planned Parenthood Goes Terribly Wrong
More sleazy, low life tactics from the shameless Right wing media as Live Action’s Lila Rose’s Planned Parenthood “sting” makes the rounds on Fox News in spite of it showing no wrong doing and now being exposed for laying audio over different video clips. Yeah, yeah, it never ends. But the good news is that some of the main stream media, having been burned before by the doctored ACORN tapes and aware of O’Keefe’s CNN “sting” operation were hesitant to take the tape at face value and actually did some fact checking. Their consensus? No wrong-doing occurred. That didn’t stop Fox from leaving that little tidbit out of their coverage.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/fox-acorning-planned-parenthood
Bush's Swiss Visit Off after Complaints on Torture
Former President George W. Bush has canceled a visit to Switzerland, where he was to address a Jewish charity gala, due to the risk of legal action against him for alleged torture, rights groups said on Saturday.
http://betaus.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7141CU20110205?WT.tsrc=Social%20Media&ca=rdt
List of Reagan Administration Convictions.
Challenged by a conservative to present evidence that Reagan ran the most corrupt administration of the 20th century, I assembled this list of convicts from Reagan's ranks.
If anybody can provide additional info, it would be appreciated. I do know there were many others convicted, but I'd like to keep it to people who were actually employed by the administration, and to crimes that were actually related to the office they served. I've never been able to find a good list online anywhere, and so I assembled this hoping to provide a resource for others as well. As far as I know, Nixon only had eight staffers convicted of crimes against their office. Clinton, of course, only had one.
Ronald Reagan Myth Doesn't Square with Reality
Following his party's losses in the 1982 election, Reagan largely backed off his efforts at spending cuts even as he continued to offer the small-government rhetoric that helped get him elected. In fact, he went in the opposite direction: His creation of the department of veterans affairs contributed to an increase in the federal workforce of more than 60,000 people during his presidency.
And while Reagan somewhat slowed the marginal rate of growth in the budget, it continued to increase during his time in office. So did the debt, skyrocketing from $700 billion to $3 trillion. Then there's the fact that after first pushing to cut Social Security benefits - and being stymied by Congress - Reagan in 1983 agreed to a $165 billion bailout of the program. He also massively expanded the Pentagon budget.
Meanwhile, following that initial tax cut, Reagan actually ended up raising taxes - eleven times.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20030729-503544.html?tag=reddit
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
WikiLeaks Cables: US Agrees to Tell Russia Britain's Nuclear Secrets
The US secretly agreed to give the Russians sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent to persuade them to sign a key treaty, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
Glenn Beck Digs Himself Deeper in the Hole With His Conspiracy Theories
Hardball's Chris Matthews has finally started paying attention to the fact that Glenn Beck's show is nothing but fear mongering and incoherent rants and touting nonsensical conspiracy theories. Media Matter's Eric Boehlert and The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson discuss some of Beck's latest wingnuttery with the uprisings in the Middle East.
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/glenn-beck-digs-himself-deeper-hole-his-co
Limbaugh Jokes About Detention of NYT Journalists, Until He Learns Fox 'News' Reporters Hospitalized
Rush Limbaugh is a disgusting human being. But you probably knew that. If you didn't, audio from his show today --- which is broadcast over our public airwaves to some 15 million Americans a day, and even over U.S. Armed Forces Radio --- makes it as clear as ever.
America's Other Most Embarrassing Allies - By Joshua E. Keating | Foreign Policy
Maintaining good relations with autocrats is an unfortunate but often necessary component of the delicate balancing act that is U.S. foreign policy.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/31/americas_other_most_embarrassing_allies
Thursday, February 3, 2011
12 Examples of Stunning Hypocrisy from Tea Party Republicans In One Short Month
It's only been a month since the new Tea Party lawmakers took office, but the entirely predictable results of their ascension are already coming in. The Republican Party's newest class of “mavericks” have again stormed into office intent on proving their theory that government is inherently evil by screwing up everything in sight.
John McCain Announces That He Won’t Be Endorsing Sarah Palin In 2012
If the man who selected her to be his vice president in 2008 will not endorse her presidential campaign during the Republican primaries in 2012, it speaks volumes about McCain’s true feelings on Sarah Palin’s competence and electability. It should also give Republican primary voters even more doubts about Palin’s ability to handle the job of being president. Sarah Palin’s strategy for the 2010 midterms was to use her endorsements to get a slate of candidates elected who would owe their loyalty and endorsements to her in 2012.
DiGiorno's Pizza And Cookies Combo Is Watershed Moment In American Obesity
DiGiorno is rolling out a new combo box that includes both frozen pizza and a batch of Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough. While you heat up your pizza, why not also make a side of cookies? The only thing this is missing is a side of lard dipping sauce. Yes, you would dip both products in it.
http://consumerist.com/2011/01/digiornos-pizza-and-cookies-combo.html
Yes, Even the Great Groundhog's Day Blizzard of 2011 Has Ties to Climate Change
The big question is how exactly this Arctic Oscillation is being impacted by loss of sea ice and generally warmer surface and ocean temperatures. NOAA's recent "Arctic Report Card" is the best resource so far for answers. The very basic formula seems to be: warmer Arctic temperatures lead to loss of sea ice in the Arctic, which leads to changes in air pressure and wind patterns in northern latitudes, which very probably lead to colder temperatures and more severe winter storms across North America and northern Europe.
Why is America so Afraid?
The Egyptian revolution threatens an American-imposed order of Arabophobia and false choices
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/29/weiss_egypt_scared
ACLU Defends Student Who Called Teacher 'Douche Bag' on Facebook
From the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights comes the latest tale of First Amendment issues in the digital age -- this one sparked by a high school sophomore who was suspended for calling his biology teacher a "douche bag" on Facebook.
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/01/facebook_student_insult.php
Bill O’Reilly Blows A Gasket Because Al-Jazeera Isn't Fair & Balanced
Unintentional hilarity ensued during The O’Reilly Factor when host Bill O’Reilly blew a gasket at guest Alan Colmes during a discussion about Al-Jazeera. O’Reilly flipped his lid because Al-Jazeera is not fair and balanced. O’Reilly screamed at Colmes, “Grasp this!!! This is no counter on it.” Perhaps, Bill-O has forgotten that he works for Fox News.
Effort To Repeal Health Care Law Fails In Senate
An effort spearheaded by Republicans to repeal the new health care law collapsed Wednesday evening after the Senate refused to ignore its adverse impact on the deficit.
By a vote of 47-51, the Senate sustained an objection to the legislation on the grounds that it does not comply with congressional budget rules. Because a full repeal of the law is projected to increase the deficit, waiving that point of order would have required 60 votes.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/senate-effort-to-repeal-health-care-law-fails.php
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Michele Bachmann Promotes Video Smear of Planned Parenthood
Michele Bachmann wants to defund Planned Parenthood, and she wants you to think that Planned Parenthood supports child sex trafficking.
Is the GOP Redefining Rape?
A proposed new bill would bar federal funding for abortion except in cases of "forcible rape." What does that mean?
http://theweek.com/article/index/211685/is-the-gop-redefining-rape
Man Arrested for Sending Threatening Letters to L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services
Special agents with the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service arrested a Claremont man this morning on federal charges of sending threatening letters containing a powdery substance to multiple offices of the Department of Child and Family Services and the Los Angeles County Children's Courthouse over a period of approximately 18 months.
http://losangeles.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/la012811.htm
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Nearly Half of Palin Backers may Flee GOP if She isn’t Nominated
A new poll from Rasmussen released Monday reported that Sarah Palin's divisiveness as a candidate may pose a serious electoral problem for the Republicans in 2012.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/palin-backers-flee-gop-nominated
Jordan's King Abdullah II Dismisses Government
King Abdullah of Jordan, a close U.S. ally, on Tuesday replaced his prime minister after protests over food prices and poor living conditions, naming a former premier with a military background to head the government.
A Jordanian official said the monarch officially accepted the resignation of Samir Rifai, a wealthy politician and former court adviser, and asked Marouf Bakhit to form a new cabinet.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/01/new-jordan-government-king-abdullah-ii_n_816755.html
Senators Vow to Strip Obama Climate Power
Conservative senators vowed Monday to strip President Barack Obama of his power to regulate greenhouse gases, in a move that would cripple US efforts on climate change if successful.
Eleven Republican senators introduced a bill that would stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases, which scientists blame for global warming, without explicit approval by Congress.
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