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17 Oct 2011 23:28

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Politics: Herman Cain takes a stroll towards becoming president

  • He’s not running for president; he’s sort of strolling for president.
  • George F. Will • On Herman Cain. If Cain is strolling for president, Newt Gingrich is crawling for president. source

17 Oct 2011 23:06

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Culture: Casual Monday: ABC anchor comes out on-air like it’s no big deal

  • Big kudos to ABC World News Now host Dan Kloeffler.  Not only did he come out while broadcasting on-air — itself an incredibly courageous thing to do — but he did it in a casual, nonchalant way. No big, dramatic announcement; Kloeffer just off-handedly dropped it during a story about actor Zachary Quinto. “He’s thirty-four, I’m thirty-five,” Kloeffler said about Quinto, who also just came out. “I’m thinking, I can lose my distraction about dating actors for that one.” Kloeffler didn’t present it as a game-changing fact of outsized importance, but just a part of who he is. This is the kind of thing that helps encourage — however slightly — mainstream acceptance of different sexualities, even. source

17 Oct 2011 22:01

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Politics: $1 trillion or bust: Ron Paul would take a giant slash out of the deficit

  • $1 trillion in budget cuts offered up by Ron freaking Paul
  • five number of agencies Paul would get rid of with these budget cuts
  • 30% size of the cuts Paul would push on the EPA with his budget cuts
  • zero number of wars Paul would fund after he got his cuts through source
  • » The biggest cut? Presidential salary: If Paul were president, he would cut his salary to $39,000 — the median salary for U.S. citizens. That’s a big downgrade from the standard $400,000-per-year salary and actually less than we make from our job. That would be a huge symbolic gesture, if you ask us.

17 Oct 2011 11:45

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World: Israel’s prisoner exchange for Gilad Shalit draws heavy controversy

  • 1,000 number of Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed in an exchange with Israel; as you might guess, this is controversial for some
  • one number of Israeli prisoners expected to be freed in exchange; this one, however, is Gilad Shalit, whose plight is fairly well-known source
  • » The fight goes to court: While Shalit’s parents fight for his freedom, families of the victims of militants in Israel aren’t exactly quite happy with this situation, and are trying to fight it in court. It’s unlikely the court is willing to fix this, but Israeli leaders are trying to soft-pedal this nonetheless. “I understand the difficulty in accepting that the vile people who committed the heinous crimes against your loved ones will not pay the full price they deserve,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a letter to families affected by the exchange.

17 Oct 2011 11:22

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Biz: Has-bean? Starbucks worried climate change will damage coffee supply

  • They say they’re already seeing the effects: Could you imagine a world without Starbucks … or coffee? That’s what officials for the world’s largest caffeine hawker are seriously worried about, especially after a fairly busy hurricane season and more resistant bugs. The company has even considered partly converting many outlets to juice bars. “What we are really seeing as a company as we look 10, 20, 30 years down the road – if conditions continue as they are – is a potentially significant risk to our supply chain, which is the Arabica coffee bean,” says the company’s sustainability director, Jim Hanna. Three words, Jim: Yerba Mate Frappuccino. (photo via TPEGroup Photography & Design’s Flickr page) source

17 Oct 2011 10:54

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Offbeat: Phoenix Jones is far from alone in real-life superhero lore

  • The movement has grown majorly. What I tell these guys is, `You’re no longer in the shadows. You’re in a new era. … Build trust. Set standards. Make the real-life superheroes work to earn that title and take some kind of oath.’
  • Writer Edward Stinson • Discussing the advice he gives the large number of real-life superheroes — at least 660 in total, according to RealLifeSuperheroes.org. Don’t let the situation with Phoenix Jones fool you into thinking that Jones is alone. There are superheroes all over the world, and they’re quickly learning that their work is becoming more high-profile. Despite the mocking plots in movies from Blankman to Kick-Ass, real-life superheroes have existed since at least the 1970s, when San Diego’s Captain Sticky paved the way for crime-fighting in a costume. We love the fact that this story exists. source