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

07 Jan 2010 22:47

tags

U.S.: Kiss of death: The Newark Airport terror scare caused by true love

  • NO NO NO NO NO. You cannot skip airport security to make out with your girlfriend. Your girlfriend might be the hottest girl in the world, but it’s back of the line for you if you really want to expose your feelings (or yourself, which you can’t do in the airport, either). Who’s worse in this situation? The TSA, who greatly overreacted because of some incident at another airport recently, or the guy who wanted to give his lady a little lovin’? We vote the TSA. They make a good, sturdy, punchable punching bag. source

07 Jan 2010 10:25

tags

U.S.: Bad idea: Crazy guy starts shouting anti-Semitic stuff on a plane

  • obvious In case you haven’t heard, there’s been a lot of activity around airline security lately. Everyone is on their Ps & Qs. Security is on the up.
  • idiotic You’re a random guy, and you start shouting on a plane that you’re Palestinian and you “want to kill all the Jews.” It’s taser time! source

07 Jan 2010 08:53

tags

U.S.: Looking for a job? The U.S. Census could use your help

  • 1.2 million people are getting hired to count heads source

07 Jan 2010 08:47

tags

U.S.: Bad timing: Underwear bomber was to be questioned after flight

  • wha? In a classic case of timing gone bad, U.S. border officials planned to question the underwear bomber AFTER he landed in Detroit.
  • why? While Umar Abdulmutallab was up in the air, the officials caught his ties to Yemen. They missed the explosives in his undies. source

06 Jan 2010 11:24

tags

U.S.: Reverse carpetbagging? Harold Ford considers N.Y. Senate run

Like Hillary Clinton nearly a decade ago, Ford, a former Tennessee Democratic Rep., moved north and is now considering taking on Kirsten Gillibrand. source

06 Jan 2010 10:59

tags

U.S.: The saga of “Drunk Bus Driver” leads to jail time. With video!

  • When the students on the bus seem to have more control than the driver, you know you probably shouldn’t be a bus driver. In this tense video, a New York bus driver, Martha Thompson, left students at her mercy, believing she was fine. She blew a .15 on the breathalyzer. She’ll now be spending the next 12 weekends in jail after pleading guilty to 37 child endagerment counts. The video alone is worth the wild ride. source

06 Jan 2010 10:48

tags

U.S.: Mom of nine gets sterilized without consent, sues, gets trashed on

  • I’m shocked at the virulence. It’s borderline bigotry against somebody that is on public assistance, against somebody that has more than 2.1 children, against somebody that doesn’t have a college degree.
  • Lawyer Max Borten • On the criticism his client, Tessa Savicki, has gotten after an article was released discussing her situation. Savicki, who is on public assistance, had surgery in 2006 to get a reversible form of birth control. Instead, doctors sterilized her without her written consent. Savicki, 35, has nine kids already – including children as old as 21 and as young as 3. source
 

06 Jan 2010 10:34

tags

U.S.: Democrats droppin’ like flies: Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. drops out

  • His drop-out completely fragments the race. Colorado’s first-term governor, who won on the strength of his own party and the fragmentation of the other guys in 2006, found himself in a different situation in 2010. Among other things, his decisions sometimes ran counter to his party’s, especially the appointment of Michael Bennet to the Senate. And, learning from their mistakes, the Republicans got behind a strong candidate, former Congressman Scott McInnis, early. It’s drop-out day, guys! source

06 Jan 2010 10:03

tags

U.S.: Chris Dodd’s drop-out might have an effect on financial regulation

  • Obama’s big plan for 2010: Financial industry regulation. Unfortunately for Obama, Chris Dodd has been having trouble working with ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby on the plan. While the lack of electoral pressures might make it easier for Dodd to focus on it, it also makes it just as easy for the Republicans to stall until next year, when a more moderate Democrat (or based on how things go, a Republican) might chair the Senate Banking Committee. source

06 Jan 2010 09:52

tags

U.S.: Chris Dodd tight-lipped about leaving the Senate; let’s speculate!

  • Financial industry ties Dodd, a five-term senator, is chair of the powerful Senate Banking Committee. Some feel he’s used these ties in interest-conflicting ways, including receiving a nice mortgage from the now-disgraced Countrywide Financial Corp.
  • Weak poll numbers Dodd, despite being a longstanding member of the Senate and once being seen as a presidential candidate, hasn’t been polling well in his home state lately, leading to fears he might lose in the election. Dude probably got scared.
  • What’s next? Let’s just say that Dems can’t like knowing that two senators have dropped out their races within 12 hours of each other. Especially Dodd, who was a health care plan architect. It may help the seat stay Democratic, though. source