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12 Apr 2011 22:20

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Politics: Polling suggests drop in support for House GOP

  • That pendulum always swings: Count us amongst those who were skeptical about the emphasis put on the Republican wave that rolled into Congress last year, at least from a big picture, long-term standpoint — these two parties have been losing and gaining back ground for decades. Just as Barack Obama’s election caused media personalities to jump the gun in declaring the Republican Party dead in the water, so too have they rushed to heap dirt on the Democrats since the 2010 elections. Rest assured, if somebody strenuously tells you either liberalism or conservatism is dead, they may be taking an overly simplistic view of chaotic, real world political events. source

12 Apr 2011 21:18

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U.S.: Clogged-up Texas education funding unclogged in budget deal

  • $830 million in education funds will finally go to Texas source
  • » A federal vs. state fight: Last year, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett (a Democrat) pushed through a provision effectively barring the state from receiving any federal education money unless it promised to spend all of it on education — something that didn’t happen when Obama pushed through his stimulus in 2009. The intention of the amendment was to get Texas to spend the money on education — which they’ve cut in recent years to help close a large deficit. The result of the amendment was that the money was stalled entirely, putting a stranglehold on Texas schools for nine months. Now Doggett’s amendment will go away — and the money will go to schools.

12 Apr 2011 20:52

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World: Experts: Forget the scale. Fukushima isn’t as bad as Chernobyl.

  • Fukushima was not as bad as Chernobyl. If Fukushima is a level 7 accident, maybe we need to go back and recalibrate the scale and add a level 8 or 9.
  • University of Southern California Prof. Najmedin Meshkati • Expressing frustration that Fukushima was rated on the same level as Chernobyl, a 7 on the nuclear accident scale. Japan’s own Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says it’s only 10 percent as bad as Chernobyl. On top of that, nobody has died from the post-quakeaccident and 21 workers have gotten minor illnesses from radiation. At Chernobyl, a number of people died — dozens immediately and many more from cancer years later. If we’re somehow putting Chernobyl on the same level as Fukushima, something’s wrong about the levels.  source

12 Apr 2011 17:06

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Politics: A win for breast cancer awareness in schools

  • NO school can’t ban anti-cancer “I (heart) boobies” bracelets source
  • » And for the ACLU, there was much rejoicing: The American Civil Liberties Union had taken on the case of two middle school girls suspended from school for wearing breast cancer awareness bracelets with “I (heart) boobies” written on them. In a preliminary ruling, federal judge Mary McLaughlin said they “can reasonably be viewed as speech designed to raise awareness of breast cancer and to reduce stigma associated with openly discussing breast health.”

12 Apr 2011 16:49

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World: Heart attack may derail Mubarak corruption investigation

  • Hosni Mubarak admitted to hospital: Mubarak, who was to appear before investigators on charges of corruption (subpoenas have been issued for him and his sons), has reportedly suffered a heart attack. Reports suggest he’s receiving treatment in Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort near the Red Sea where Mubarak has lived in exile since being driven from Egypt earlier this year. The former strongman is 82-years-old, and in failing health many Egyptians fear he will die before facing justice. Journalist Jano Charbel: “The fallen dictator must be locked up in a prison cell, not placed in a five-star hospital.” source

12 Apr 2011 16:18

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Offbeat: Obama brain surgery scar conspiracy hits the web

  • At absolutely any cost: Conspiracy theories can be dangerous at their logical extremes. That said, they can also be pretty funny, when the jumps in logic and assumptions become so pronounced and inane that you can almost see the rumor’s creator feverishly hammering a square peg against a round hole. With that in mind: this picture proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that our President has had brain surgery. See that innocuous looking, faint line through the side of his hair? That’s hard proof. And if somebody’s been tinkering inside Obama’s brain… well, just think of the implications of that! (h/t Mediaite) source

12 Apr 2011 14:50

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Offbeat: 95-year-old man dies, donates penis to museum

  • People are always donating some organ after they died. It’s no more remarkable to donate a penis than it is to donate an organ like a kidney. He liked to be in the limelight, you know? He was a funny guy. He was a boaster, a braggart… he liked to be provocative.
  • Sigurdur Hjartarson, head of the Phallological Museum in Iceland • Talking about his latest acquisition, the penis of the late Pall Arason, a 95-year-old Icelandic man who had agreed to the donation. He penis was pickled for preservation following his death, and despite the museum having had similar pledges from other people throughout the years, Arason’s phallus is now the first and only successfully donated human specimen at the museum. Of course, you go for the human penis, but you stay for the 67-inch sperm whale penis. source
 

12 Apr 2011 14:29

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World: Syrian security forces reportedly killing Syrian soldiers

  • issue As we mentioned yesterday, there have been reports that members of the Syrian army have been shot and killed by the government’s own security forces, because the soldiers had refused to open fire on protesting civilians.
  • example Witnesses have told Al Jazeera and the BBC that Mourad Hejjo was one such soldier; his family and a human rights monitors say he refused to fire as the army moved into Banias, and was thus killed by security force snipers.  source

12 Apr 2011 11:23

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Biz: The weather’s getting nicer? Time to start bitching about gas prices

  • $4.11 the average peak price per gallon that gasoline reached back in July of 2008
  • $3.77 the current national level, culled from a survey of 100,000 gas stations nationwide
  • six the number of states reportedly paying more than $4 per gallon right now source

12 Apr 2011 11:05

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Politics: Donald Trump combines best qualities of Ross Perot, Charle Sheen

  • I think the Republicans are very concerned that I [may] run as an independent. I could also possibly win as an independent, otherwise I wouldn’t do it. I’m not doing it for any other reason. I like winning.
  • Donald Trump • Suggesting he would pull a Ross Perot and run for president independently if he doesn’t win the GOP nomination. With a little Charlie Sheen at the end. Oh God. Will ol’ Sideshow Don quit it? source