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

15 Nov 2011 15:19

tags

Politics: Did Herman Cain really ask Henry Kissinger to be Secretary of State?

  • Dr. Kissinger turned my offer down to be Secretary of State. He said he’s perfectly happy doing what he’s doing.
  • Herman Cain • Relating an offer of his Secretary of State position made to Henry Kissinger. Kissinger, now 88, served as National Security Adviser under Nixon, and Secretary of State under Ford, but has not held a government position since. This is pretty bizarre — in the first place, Henry Kissinger is a phenomenally divisive figure in America history, heralded as a savvy elder statesman by some and an evident war criminal by others. He’s also plainly far older than we suspect most Americans would be comfortable with for such a demanding cabinet position. Further, he cited unavoidable conflict of interest due to his financial associations when he resigned as chair of the 9/11 commission, which seems disqualifying for a job like the Secretary of State. source

15 Nov 2011 14:38

tags

U.S.: Penn State: Number of allegations against Sandusky roughly doubles

  • 10 or so new claims of sexual assault against Jerry Sandusky source
  • » The floodgates open: One of the macabre ongoing aspects of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse story has been the suspicion that the eight children the authorities believed had been victimized weren’t the only ones. This fear looks to have been warranted, as a source close to the investigation told the New York Times yesterday that about ten more people had come forward to authorities with new allegations. This comes on the heels of Sandusky’s interview last night with Bob Costas, in which he insisted the allegations were untrue and that he’d only showered with children and “horsed around” with them.

15 Nov 2011 14:18

tags

World: Jordan’s King Abdullah would step down were he Assad

  • An “expiration date”: Here’s a look at an interview recently conducted with Jordan’s King Abdullah, who speaks in understandably pessimistic terms about the nature of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria. While predicting that the use of violence against his own citizens meant that Assad could not maintain power unchallenged, he also expressed concern as to who would lead Syria afterwards — a member of the same regime doing little good. This comes at a time of great violence in Syria; just yesterday between fifty and seventy-one people were killed. source

15 Nov 2011 10:23

tags

U.S.: Michael Bloomberg: Occupy Wall Street not expression

  • New York City is the city where you can come and express yourself. What was happening in Zuccotti Park was not that.
  • Mayor Michael Bloomberg • Offering a tough take on Occupy Wall Street this morning, after a long night in which police randomly showed up at the encampment’s door and gave protesters 20 minutes to vacate. The mayor seemed to imply with his statement that safety concerns trumped First Amendment concerns, which is perhaps a dangerous take on the law. source

15 Nov 2011 00:06

tags

World: Two words you don’t normally hear together: “Whale cemetery.”

  • 15 whales found in a “graveyard”: Over the span of 15 days, paleontologists have found the remains of 15 whales, in just one area of Chile. Some of the fossils date back seven million years. Not only that, but the scientists have also discovered new species, too. “The whale discovery is a discovery of global importance,” said Sol Squire, one of the paleontologists on the project. source

14 Nov 2011 23:58

tags

Culture: “The Hunger Games” trailer launches, internet collectively can’t wait

  • We’re not sorry about how excited we are for this movie. The long-anticipated trailer for the popular book trilogy was released today. Take a look at it. This “young adult” series touches on some very gruesome subjects. 24 enter, but only one will survive the Hunger Games of Panem. The movie is slated to premiere March 23, so mark your calendars and start planning your midnight release parties. source

14 Nov 2011 23:21

tags

World: Just in case we needed another reminder to exercise once in a while

  • 552 million people could have diabetes by the year 2030 source
  • » That’s 1 in 10 people worldwide. The World Health Organization says that the rise in diabetic adults will most likely be due to an aging world population, not the increasing rate of obesity. Most cases are Type 2 and come from “weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle.” Count this number as inspiration for 2012’s resolutions.

14 Nov 2011 16:08

tags

Politics: Here’s the thing about the Gingrich surge

  • yeah…Newt Gingrich is, to the surprise and annoyance of pundits everywhere, storing ahead of his GOP rivals in national polls. Newtmentum!
  • but…Polls also show the “ideas man” faring rather poorly against President Obama in a general election, trailing the POTUS by 812 points. source
  • » Now is probably a good time to bust out this gem from last summer.

14 Nov 2011 12:44

tags

Politics: Newt Gingrich barges into the lead

  • Flavor of the Week: It looks like Gingrich is the new Black Walnut. If history is any indicator, Newt’s lead will dissipate in a few weeks and Mitt Romney will once again bask in the warm light of inevitability, but hey, you never know. One thing to keep in mind: Primaries are conducted on a state-by-state basis, so national polls, while telling, aren’t the whole story. source

14 Nov 2011 11:19

tags

U.S.: Occupy Oakland: Oakland mayor’s legal advister quits in protest

  • No longer Mayor Quan’s legal adviser. Resigned at 2 am. Support Occupy Oakland, not the 1% and its government facilitators.
  • Attorney Dan Siegel • Revealing that he resigned as Oakland mayor Jean Quan’s legal counsel, in protest of the treatment of Occupy protesters. In an early-morning raid of the camp, 32 people were arrested, including many clergy members. As we previously reported, the Occupy Oakland group received eviction notices Friday night, a day after a shooting death brought fresh negative focus onto the movement. source