Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on TwitterBe a Facebook FanTumble us!

27 Jan 2012 14:52

tags

U.S.: Erin Brokovich investigating mystery disease affecting high schoolers

  • We don’t have all the answers, but we are suspicious. They have not ruled everything out yet. The community asked us to help and this is what we do.
  • Activist Erin Brokovich • Banking on her getting-to-the-bottom-of-stuff reputation to help a bunch of Le Roy, N.Y., high school students who have developed Tourette’s-style verbal and facial tics, in the wake of evidence of a toxic chemical spill near their high school 42 years ago. Regarding the claims, the school district said that “medical and environmental investigations have not uncovered any evidence that would link the neurological symptoms to anything in the environment or of an infectious nature,” but Brokovich plans to investigate anyway, saying that there are some significant holes in regulatory testing records. She previously exposed a toxic chemical cleanup in California that built her evil-chemical-company-fighting reputation and became a Julia Roberts movie, in case you were wondering where you heard that name before.  source

27 Jan 2012 14:17

tags

U.S.: Cincinnati: Casino development site suffers collapse, workers injured

  • 15 hospitalized, no life-threatening injuries: A major development in Cincinnati, the Horseshoe Casino, had stop construction this morning after a 60-square-foot section of the development collapsed. In a statement, Steve Rosenthal of Rock Gaming LLC said there would be an investigation and added: “We are thankful to report that there were no life-threatening injuries to any workers who were in the area at the time of the incident. On behalf of the entire ownership and casino construction team, we wish those workers a quick recovery.” source

27 Jan 2012 12:06

tags

Politics: Ron Paul’s former secretary: Paul PROOFED perceived-racist newsletters

  • It was his newsletter, and it was under his name, so he always got to see the final product. … He would proof it.
  • Ron Paul’s former secretary (and current supporter) Renae Hathway • Discussing the perceived-racist newsletters that went out under his name, and he has largely disowned since then. If he edited the newsletters, clearly this would contradict what Paul himself has said about them. The Paul campaign denies these allegations, but this should get this back in the news cycle for a full week. source

27 Jan 2012 00:03

tags

Biz: Newest reason to sleep in: Taco Bell now serves breakfast

  • “This is a very important launch for our brand”: Taco Bell may like to suggest that you need a Fourthmeal, but in 800 mostly-western locations, now it suddenly wants to focus on your Firstmeal. That’s right, the Gordita grandaddy is moving into the realm of breakfast food, offering up such ideals of morning goodness as the Johnsonville Sausage and Egg Wrap, above. The company, which makes three-fifths of its parent company’s U.S. profits, is assuming that its audience likes sleeping in (having of course eaten their Fourthmeal the night before), and will serve breakfast between 8 or 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. — a later window than McDonald’s, which totally owns the breakfast market. Screw this; we’re sticking with bagels. source

26 Jan 2012 10:52

tags

Culture: Obviously: People trying to sell free Joe Paterno memorial tickets on eBay

  • 16,000 number of free tickets given out for Joe Paterno’s memorial, which happens this afternoon
  • $98,000 the amount some of the tickets have gone for on eBay — before eBay took the sales down source
  • » Greed over grieving: With Paterno so highly regarded in the Penn State community, it only makes sense that there’s a lot of demand for these tickets. “It took only minutes more for pairs of the tickets to start showing up on eBay,” the Centre Daily Times pointed out. But, thing is, eBay has a rule where you can’t sell tickets you got for free for money. So many of the ticket sales got taken down. Suggestion to all: Don’t sell tickets for a memorial. A guy died. It’s not the Super Bowl. (Thanks Time’s Moneyland for the tip)

26 Jan 2012 10:13

tags

Politics: Jan Brewer vs. Obama: An airport meeting turns into an epic battle

  • She wrote some things in her book he didn’t like: The tough-on-immigration Arizona governor, who was not particularly happy with the way the president treated her in a much-talked-about-at-the-time 2010 meeting, wrote about it in her new book “Scorpions for Breakfast,” and Obama didn’t like what she said. So, last night, when Obama got into Phoenix, this happened. “I will say that a picture is what it is,” she said. “I must say, I was not hostile. I was trying to be very, very gracious. I respect the office of the president, and I would never be disrespectful in that manner.” What we would give to hear that conversation up close. (AP Photo) source

25 Jan 2012 10:43

tags

Politics: Michele Bachmann, after tough presidential bid, running for Congress again

Despite the belief among analysts that her skills might better be suited for Fox News, the Tea Party Caucus leader will stick with Minnesota’s 6th district for now. It’ll be Bachmann’s fourth term if she wins. source
 

25 Jan 2012 10:31

tags

World: Awesome: SEAL Team 6 rescues aid workers captured in Somalia

  • Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home. As commander-in-chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission.
  • President Barack Obama • Making a pre-dawn statement on the rescue of American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, two aid workers captured in Somalia back in October. The rescue was carried out by SEAL Team 6, the same group that killed Osama bin Laden eight months ago, so you know they’re good. All nine of their captors, rumored to be pirates holding the humanitarian workers for ransom, were killed in the rescue effort. Thisted and Buchanan were safe, however. Speaking about the rescue effort on the Today Show this morning, Vice President Joe Biden put it like this: “We wanted to act, and we did.” Well-put. source

25 Jan 2012 10:14

tags

Biz: HSBC faces money-laundering investigation in Senate

  • A big company with big problems: Reuters is reporting that HSBC is facing some tough allegations in the Senate, with the company reportedly getting investigated for its role in sketchy money-laundering practices. Reuters reports that while the scale of the investigation isn’t known, signs point to breakdowns in the company’s anti-money-laundering systems. In response to the Senate allegations, the company’s spokesman responded: “We have ongoing discussions with officials on a number of regulatory and compliance matters. The nature of these discussions is confidential; in all cases, we are cooperating.” Read more at the link. (awesome, incredibly fitting photo by Flickr user Will Survive) source

24 Jan 2012 11:24

tags

Culture: Our four favorite surprises from today’s Oscar nominations

  • one The amazing silent film “The Artist” didn’t top the nomination list — “Hugo” had one more, despite the fact it was shut out of the acting categories.
  • two “The Tree of Life” must’ve confused the Academy: A strange message, “Nominees to be determined,” accompanies its Best Picture nomination.
  • three Maybe not a huge surprise, but Pixar’s “Cars 2” is the first Pixar flick that didn’t get a single nomination for an Oscar. Perhaps it’s because it sucked? Yeah, probably.
  • four And a surprise going the other way: Melissa McCarthy got an acting nomination for “Bridesmaids,” her breakout role. The question is, will she win? source