Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

21 Feb 2012 21:40

tags

Politics: Chris Christie’s gay friends are cool with him opposing their right to marry

  • My friends, whether they be homosexual or not, know me, and they know that I’m not bigoted.
  • Chris Christie • Regarding his recent veto of a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in New Jersey. Politicians who oppose marriage equality use this defense a lot, because hey, it’s easy to speak on behalf of your unnamed gay friends and say that they’re cool with your anti-gay marriage views. Any of Christie’s gay friends care to come forward and confirm this? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 21:00

tags

World: Video: What the massive mortars hitting Syrian rebels look like

  • The largest mortars used by the U.S. military are 160mm. The bad boys shown in this video of a torn-apart building in Homs are a much-larger 240mm (according to Human Rights Watch), and can be fired from as far as 20 kilometers away. Where did they get these heavy mortar rounds from? Most likely Russia, which produces the “Tulip” weapons system that fires weapons of this nature. (The towed M240 might also be used in these attacks.) So, to put it simply, Syria is lobbing giant weapons in its fight against the rebel movement. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 16:03

tags

Politics: Polling suggests Romney, Santorum running tight race in Michigan

  • 32% Mitt Romney’s support in Michigan, according to new polling by Mitchell Research/Rosetta Stone
  • 30% Rick Santorum’s support in Michigan, according to the same poll — he had been broadly leading recently source
  • » But the margin of error washes the slate clean. With a possible discrepancy of 4.7%, Romney’s 2-point lead could be a practical tie with his arch-rival of the moment, Rick Santorum. Or Santorum could, in fact, be ahead of Romney. Nonetheless, recent polling provides at least a bit of relief for the Romney camp; Santorum had opened up more impressive polling leads over Romney, but the recent trend seems to show a tightening, at bare minimum. Expect an exciting primary come February 28th; a loss by Romney would be devastating to his chances.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 14:51

tags

Politics: Democrats liken Virginia ultrasound bill to sex crime with bill set to pass

  • Object sexual penetration is a serious sex crime in Virginia. It is very difficult to look at the bill and look at the OSP statute together and think that you are not asking doctors to commit a sex crime. …Consent is a key element in the criminal statute, and there is no consent required in the ultrasound statute.
  • David Englin, Democratic delegate from Virginia • Explaining the new tactic taken by Democrats in Virginia, in their effort against a bill expected to pass the state legislature that could mandate unwanted, penetrative ultrasounds for women seeking abortions. That happening under any other circumstance would, as Englin suggested, be considered a sex crime in Virginia, carrying a prison sentence of five years. The ultrasound mandate in the eyes of its supporters bears no inherent medical relevance, exactly – the logic seems to be to try to dissuade women from having abortions by forcing them to look at their own ultrasounds. The bill is currently opposed by 55% of Virginians, according to recent polling, but is expected to pass the legislature and be signed into law by Republican Governor Bob McDonnell, one of the most conservative governors in the country. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 14:49

tags

Biz: Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches symbolic milestone

  • 13,000 points, the highest mark since 2008 source
  • » On May 20th, to be precise: The most successful private sectors early in 2012 have been finance and information technology, up nearly 13% when trading began today. The 13,000 figure is considered something of a benchmark for the Dow’s health, and while analysts are right to warn that the significance may be predominantly symbolic, the nature of investor confidence is such that a positive psychological message can itself be a big boon. The Dow crossed this threshold at a time when most attention was focused on Greece, which secured a second bailout from the Euro Zone as their fiscal crisis continued.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 11:24

tags

Politics: Supreme Court agrees to hear major affirmative action case

  • then Back in 2003, Sandra Day O’Connor wrote the majority opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger, a Supreme Court case that didn’t outlaw affirmative action outright but blocked its use in a points-based system. Colleges could take it into account in a vague way, a decision O’Connor said was meant to last for around 25 years.
  • now This morning, it was announced that the Supreme Court would hear a new affirmative action case, which, depending on how it’s decided could outlaw it outright. The court is more conservative than it was back in 2003, meaning it might go the other way. Note: It’s been nine years since O’Connor wrote that decision. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 10:47

tags

Politics: Mitt Romney’s campaign plowing through cash, not getting much back

  • 287% the “burn rate” of Mitt’s campaign in January
  • $18M the amount Mitt spent on the campaign trail in January
  • $6.5M the amount Mitt got in donations last month — far less than he took in
  • $7.7M the amount Mitt had in the bank at the end of January source
  • » Spending a lot, not getting much back? With pricey losses and close contests, including in Iowa and South Carolina, the Mitt train seems to be losing some steam. And his toughest week is ahead of him: With contests in Arizona and Michigan in just a week, and Super Tuesday on the horizon, there’s a good chance he may not be able to pull it off, leading to the possibility of a “brokered” or “contested” convention in August.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

21 Feb 2012 01:13

tags

Politics: “Outed” Arizona sheriff won’t quit Congressional race after scandal

  • I’ve never defined myself by anything other than my service, and my duty, and what we should all be judged on in life. We’ve all had relationships, as is clear as day now — now this is national news — that I have had one where he wanted to harm me. And now this is rolled out, and the timing is more than a coincidence.
  • Pinal County, Ariz. Sheriff Paul Babeu • On having to “out” himself in light of a personal scandal. The sheriff, currently running for a Republican Congressional seat in Arizona, had been dogged by rumors that he threatened to deport an ex-lover to Mexico if their relationship a secret wasn’t kept. In order to deny those rumors, Babeu held a press conference and, in turn, announced his sexuality. Babeu, a hard-line conservative who had been a rising GOP star prior to the scandal, recently spoke at CPAC, where he called his primary opponent, Rep. Paul Gosar “most liberal Republican member of Congress.” Babeu thinks political rivals were behind the recent scandal. “I’ve got a record of service. people know me. I want to be judged, as every American should be, on results,” Babeu said. Does Babeu stand a shot at getting elected in the wake of this news? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 00:58

tags

World: Massive Mexican prison riot: Not exactly what it seems?

  • whatIn a Mexican prison, 44 prisoners died in an early-morning riot Sunday. The riot, wich lasted around two hours, stemmed from a conflict between two cell blocks of around 750 prisoners each, many of whom were held without convictions. It was one of the deadliest prison riots since the Drug War gained steam.
  • why? Some rioters may have belonged to rival gang factions. Those rivals were normally separated within the prison, however, leading some to suspect that the guards used the fight as a cover to allow for a prison escape. The guards on duty at the time have been detained, along with their supervisors and the director of the prison. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 00:41

tags

Culture: Comeback trail: Lindsay Lohan’s “Saturday Night Live” hosting gig

  • Set your DVRs now: Although she hasn’t been on the show since 2006 (when her personal problems started affecting her work), Lindsay Lohan will host “Saturday Night Live” for the fourth time on March 3. Could this be her first step back into acting? She hasn’t made a movie since 2010’s “Machete,” but based on their recent tweets, Lohan and her mother are both excited about this being a real corner-turning opportunity for the 25-year-old. Hopefully this won’t be as terrible as it could be. The musical guest will be Jack White, after all. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
top tags