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Saturday, January 30, 2016

'Crown Of Creation'

  Jefferson Airplane live on Ed Sullivan.

  I was listening to an interview from 2013 with the late Paul Kantner on WAMC this last week. Kantner said that he took inspiration from Pete Seeger and The Weavers. Kantner also said that he wanted a band that had the same three-part vocal harmony as The Weavers featuring a woman and also had a similar commitment to a political/social message in the lyrics. This song as a totality, in my opinion, does not hold up well although it is a terrific effort from twenty-something-year-old kids. But listen to the last segment, roughly the last minute, and you can hear this very charming three-part harmony section and the intention of the lyrics are in my opinion somewhat poignant. As a teenager, there was a period when I listened to The Jefferson Airplane all the time.

Have A Great Saturday

work by Oscar Delmar

The Onion - Dazed Marco Rubio Wakes Up In Koch Compound To Find Cold Metal Device Installed Behind Ear

The Onion: Dazed Marco Rubio Wakes Up In Koch Compound To Find Cold Metal Device Installed Behind Ear - ‘Hello Marco, We Will Now Begin The Program,’ Says Soothing Voice

Cholesterol Levels

Science Daily: Cholesterol levels improve with weight loss, healthy fat-rich diet
summary - Weight loss programs that provide healthy fats, such as olive oil in the Mediterranean diet, or a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet have similar impacts on pound-shedding, research shows. More specifically, the researchers report that a meal plan rich in walnuts, which are high in polyunsaturated fats, has a significant impact on lipid levels for women, especially those who are insulin-resistant.

TRNN - Inside A Caucus, Iowa 2008

'Revealing look at an Iowa caucus: Is this democracy in action?'

Santorum - Victim Of A Vicious Cycle

  Excuse me for chuckling here...

MSNBC: Contemplating oblivion with Santorum, 2016’s saddest candidate
As the senator described it on Thursday night, he was the victim of a vicious cycle. He has decades of scars from fighting abortion and same-sex marriage alongside the Christian conservatives who turned out for him four years ago. But with Trump sucking up attention, he can’t get coverage, and without coverage he can’t move up in the polls, and without moving up in the polls, voters see him as a lost cause.

Uh Oh

Guardian UK: US government finds 'top secret' information in Clinton emails - State Department censors 22 emails after confirming for the first time that the Democratic frontrunner’s home server contained closely guarded secrets

Lead Paint

  I can tell you without hesitation that lead paint is all over the place. There are probably millions of structures in the USA and around the world that have been built prior to the mid 70s when lead was removed from paint.

Guardian UK: Baltimore warns that children are at risk of lead poisoning from paint - After seven homes certified as lead-free were found to be contaminated, doubts over inspections mean 384 families have been urged to have their children tested

Global Warming - The California Drought

Climate Central: El Niño Is Here, So Why Is California Still in Drought?
The short answer, experts say, is that the drought built up over several years (with help from hotter temperatures fueled in part by global warming) and it will take many more storms and almost assuredly more than a single winter — even one with a strong El Niño — to erase it.

Racism Is Fear

AlterNet: Hardline Racist Rhetoric Takes Centerstage in GOP Debate — Even Without Trump - Trump hardly has the monopoly on Islamophobic hysteria in the Republican field.

Friday, January 29, 2016

‘Sexual Consent And Tea’

Cher Tweets


The Politico Five

Politico: Five takeaways from the GOP debate - Cruz mocks Trump, Rubio speeds through, and Bush lightens up a little.

Stephen Colbert Moderates An All-Trump Debate

Fifty-Six Years Later, Barbie Gets A Slightly Realistic Makeover

  Talk about change taking place in tiny incremental movements over a long period of time - Barbie is looking slightly more 'real' these days and hopefully little girls have one more tiny positive sliver to help with their sense of self esteem.

Yahoo: Barbie Becomes More Reflective of Society With 3 New Body Types

Have A Great Friday

work by Oscar Delmar

The Onion - Concept Car Designers Struggling To Think Of Cool New Ways For Doors To Open

The Onion: Concept Car Designers Struggling To Think Of Cool New Ways For Doors To Open

Lose Fat, Gain Muscle

Science Daily: Losing fat while gaining muscle: Scientists close in on 'holy grail' of diet and exercise
summary - Researchers have uncovered significant new evidence in the quest for the elusive goal of gaining muscle and losing fat, an oft-debated problem for those trying to manage their weight, control their calories and balance their protein consumption.

TRNN - How The U.S. Drives The Drug Wars In Mexico

Two Hours Worth Of Blah Blah Blah

MSNBC: Three takeaways from the Iowa GOP debate without you-know-who
That left an opening for Christie, who argued the debate over esoteric amendments and failed legislation indicted all the senators onstage.

“Stop the Washington bull and let’s get things done!” he said.

Europe Is Literally Getting Hotter

Guardian UK: Modern European summers are warmest since Roman times, study finds - Average summer temperatures in Europe are about 1.3C hotter than two millennia ago due to manmade climate change, scientists say
Much of the data for the period before 755 comes from analysis of tree rings and density information from three pine tree species in Finland, Austria and Sweden. These trees grow in warm weather but are dormant in the cold, meaning that their rings, density – and the outside temperatures – can only be measured in summer.

America's Greatest And Best Vaudeville Act

Guardian UK: Trump's solo act takes cues from vaudeville and tap dances around issues - Republican frontrunner’s boycott turned political rally steers clear of plans for policy but rival event attracts veterans, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee
Trump then closed the hour-long event by telling his pregnant daughter: “It would be so great if you had your baby in Iowa! It would be so great – I would win”.

Global Warming - Zika And Climate Change

Climate Central: What You Need to Know About Zika And Climate Change
Heavy rain and warm temperatures have helped the mosquitoes carrying Zika thrive.

Robert Reich - 6 Responses To Bernie Skeptics

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. It is 31 degrees and cloudy with breaks of sunshine here in the Upper Hudson Valley. The temperature will get into the high 30s this afternoon. Monday's temperature in the 50s is right around the corner, oh boy. I did watch a bit of the GOP 'debate' last night, and I was happy to see that the elephant was not in the room. Once again Rand Paul in my opinion came across as the only candidate marginally making any viable sense. Is Ted Cruz a trip or what! He is the slipperiest thing out there. The moderator may very well have read a random paragraph out of Reader's Digest ending with a question mark inflection as to imply a question was being asked. And Cruz would simply avoid and redirect to whatever nonsense he believes people want to hear or he thinks is important as a campaigner. Cruz is extremely unimpressive. It strikes me that if the American people apply a tiny modicum of common sense with either Cruz or the big elephant not in the room as the GOP nominee, then the Dems should win easily.

  At 9:00 a.m. ET futures are significantly higher and the price of oil per barrel is up for the fourth day straight. The market is poised to open higher.

  Check out Japan's Central Bank, they are reducing that country's base interest rate into negative territory in attempt to stimulate Japan's economy. That is crazy stuff man, I mean I'm sure economists around the world are going to savor this move like a fine wine. When do you ever see this. It will be like a little kid looking at an ant under a microscope.

CNN: Stocks surge on Japan's negative rates surprise
The Bank of Japan ...The central bank announced Friday that it will introduce an interest rate of minus 0.1%, and will go even lower if needed.

In theory, negative rates encourage consumers to save less, and borrow and spend more. They can also weaken a country's currency, helping exporters.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Paul Kantner Dies

Yahoo: Paul Kantner, Jefferson Airplane Co-Founder & Guitarist, Dies at 74

'Protection'

Massive Attack

Fifteen

Guardian UK: Franchisees in Seattle look to supreme court to delay $15 minimum wage - The brief filed claims the city’s law discriminates against franchisees by considering them part of large corporations instead of as small businesses

Oil

Reuters: Oil jumps as Russia says Saudis proposing global oil cut

Zika

NBC News: Zika Virus Outbreak: WHO Chief Calls Emergency Committee Meeting

Coulter On Trump And Arrogant FOX News

Have A Great Thursday

work by Oscar Delmar

The Onion - NicoDerm Introduces New Nicotine Eye Patch

The Onion: NicoDerm Introduces New Nicotine Eye Patch

Science Conspiracy

Science Daily: Large-scale conspiracies would quickly reveal themselves, equations show
summary - Physicists decided to test whether some science-related conspiracies alleged to exist were in fact tenable. The answer -- they'd all have given themselves away in less than four years.

TRNN - LIBOR Traders Get Off Scot Free In Rate-Rigging Scandal

Flint

MSNBC: Maddow examines the catastrophic toll of the Flint water crisis

Sweden

Guardian UK: Sweden sends sharp signal with plan to expel up to 80,000 asylum seekers - Move is another message to refugees that Sweden’s warm welcome has cooled as many now face being forcibly ejected

The Zika Virus

Guardian UK: Zika virus spreading 'explosively', says World Health Organisation - Director general convenes emergency committee saying it is deeply concerning virus linked to birth defects has now been detected in more than 20 countries

Global Warming - Northeast Seagrass

Climate Central: Warming Waters Linked to Northeast Seagrass Die-offs

Fun Stuff

  check it out, Tom is terrific.

AlterNet: AlterNet Comics: Tom Tomorrow on Primary Phenomena 2016 - Let the games begin. By Tom Tomorrow

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 25 degrees and it is sunny here in the Upper Hudson Valley. Another fine winter day with afternoon temperatures in the 40s is expected. The forecast is also still predicting that the temperature will go into the 50s at the beginning of next week; February will be starting out with unusually mild temperatures. We see that Trump will not be making the debate tonight. The media is reporting that Trump is tapping into the anger of GOP voters over FOX News. My question is, exactly what anger is Trump not 'tapping into' these days? He is without a doubt the most anger tapping candidate we've ever seen. He certainly has not tapped into my anger over the fact that he is actually in the running.

  At 8:50 a.m. ET futures are ever so slightly up and the price of oil per barrel is also up. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

  The day appears to be more fourth quarter corporate report based than any other pressing world event. Facebook is looking rather dandy lately. Although I have not read anything about it, one might suspect that oil inventories were a little short if the price of oil is a little higher this morning.

CNN: Stocks: 4 things to know before the open
During the last three months of 2015, Facebook brought in $5.8 billion and made $1.6 billion in profit -- a whopping 123% increase from a year earlier.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Black Voters And Bernie

CS Monitor: Why many black voters aren't flocking to Bernie Sanders - Bernie Sanders has civil rights credentials, but many black thinkers are wary of his brand of liberal socialism, which they say ignores the role of racism in society.
“In the rush to make it all about class, you turn on your blinders to certain things that quite frankly aren’t about class.... He’s missing a very large piece of the puzzle, and what makes some black voters nervous, there seems to be a huge gap in his understanding about race.”

Japan's Ivory Trade

Guardian UK: Yahoo Japan defends online ivory trade - Petition signed by over 1 million people calls on company to halt ‘appalling’ trade estimated at 12 tonnes in recent years

Occupy This

Guardian UK: Oregon militia could face more than 10 years in prison, legal experts say - Ammon Bundy and his followers, who have refused to leave the Malheur national wildlife refuge, appear to have violated several laws

Have A Great Wednesday

work by Oscar Delmar

The Borowitz Report - Palin Blames Obama For Her Defeat In 2008 Election

New Yorker: Palin Blames Obama for Her Defeat in 2008 Election

Cancer Riddle Solved

Science Daily: Cancer riddle solved: How cancer cells form tumors
summary - Using real-time recording of cellular movement, biologists have discovered how tumors form. Cancer cells extend cables and grab other cells. As little as five percent cancerous cells are needed for tumor formation, they suggest, stating that their findings could lead to more precise cancer testing.

TRNN - Howard Zinn On Trickle Down

  From 2008

The Drought

KCRA: Snowpack in drought-stricken California hits 5-year high - Electronic readings at highest point since 2011

North Carolina Voter ID

  If this archaic law is not removed, expect to see other states follow North Carolina's lead. Essentially we will see another leg of our quickly disintegrating democracy seriously injured.

MSNBC: North Carolina’s voter ID law on trial
Rosanell Eaton, a 94-year old African-American woman who was made to recite the preamble to the U.S. Constitution to vote under Jim Crow, testified via video Monday that, because her name was spelled differently on different documents, she had to take 10 separate trips to various state offices in order to get an ID that complies with the law. Sylvia Kent described a similarly frustrating process in trying to get IDs for her two elderly disabled sisters.

Punitive Measures

  I'm surprised the Danes didn't require the removal of a few vital organs as well...

Guardian UK: Danish parliament approves plan to seize assets from refugees - New law allows police to search asylum seekers to secure cash and valuables, as European leaders continue to call for sealing of Balkan borders
The centre-right government said the procedure is intended to cover the cost of each asylum seeker’s treatment by the state, and mimics the handling of Danish citizens on welfare.

Idiots

  How tragic, yet apparently this is what they were looking for - martyrdom.

Guardian UK: Oregon militia standoff: one dead after Ammon Bundy and others arrested - FBI officials say they arrested the leader of the armed militia occupying the Malheur wildlife refuge and several others, and one person was killed during a shootout with federal agents
On 26 January, Robert ‘LaVoy’ Finicum and five other militia members left the refuge they had occupied since 2 January.

They were stopped en route to a community meeting in the town of John Day by federal officials. Finicum was killed in the ensuing shootout and the other men arrested.

Living In Poverty

AlterNet: WATCH: Bernie Sanders Comforts Sobbing Iowa Woman Struggling to Live on Minimum Wage - At an Iowa event, Sanders asked audience members to speak out about what it was like to live on less than $12,000 a year. By David Edwards

Global Warming - Oceans, Flooding

Climate Central: Ocean Warming is Making Floods Worse, Study Finds

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. It is 37 degrees and presently sunny here in the Upper Hudson Valley. It's likely we will have an afternoon with temperatures in the low 40s. Looking ahead the forecast is indicating that the temperature goes into the 50s on Monday. Let's just say that is very unusual for this time of year in this part of the world. Ironically Syracuse which is a scant drive west of here has one of the top five snow accumulations up to this point in the US. Syracuse also gets hit with the Great Lake effect cold while we do not. So Trump is skipping the debate, big deal. It's not really a debate either, more like a fear mongering mess actually. Why should Trump attend anyhow, he already knows everything and his judgment is impeccable, godlike in so many ways, the god of anger...

  At 8:50 a.m. ET futures are moderately lower and the price of oil is down. The market is poised to open lower.

  Although Apple just presented a record breaking quarterly report, the company is resigned to less demand in the upcoming quarter. This fact coupled with the ongoing oil oversupply/price deflation is being given as the reason for this morning's slump. And they say the Saudis are our friends...

CNN: Oil and Apple sour stock market mood
Apple said it expected sales in the current quarter will fall for the first time in 13 years. Its shares are dipping by 3% ahead of the open.

The correlation between oil price moves and stock markets has been jarring for many long term investors. U.S. oil futures were down nearly 4% around $30 a barrel.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Shooting

CNN: Shooting reported at San Diego's Naval Medical Center

'Dark Money'

  Listeners to WAMC radio might have heard Joe's interview with Jane Mayer on her new book 'Dark Money'. I was impressed.

Amazon: Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

Advice

LA Times: How not to say the wrong thing

Survival

HuffPo: Noam Chomsky Says GOP Is 'Literally A Serious Danger To Human Survival’ - The MIT professor and noted author said "strategic voting" can keep Republican candidates away from the levers of power.

Have A Great Tuesday

work by Oscar Delmar

The Onion - Jeb Bush Campaign Kicks Off 3-State Farewell Tour With Iowa Town Hall Meeting

The Onion: Jeb Bush Campaign Kicks Off 3-State Farewell Tour With Iowa Town Hall Meeting

Aliens

Science Daily: The aliens are silent because they're dead - Life on other planets would probably go extinct soon after its origin, due to runaway heating or cooling on their fledgling planets
summary - The universe is probably filled with habitable planets, so many scientists think it should be teeming with aliens. But life on other planets would likely be brief and become extinct very quickly, say astrobiologists. In research aiming to understand how life might develop, the scientists realized new life would commonly die out due to runaway heating or cooling on their fledgling planets.

The Voice Of Europe - What We Know About North Korea?

Obama Shows More Compassion

MSNBC: Obama to end solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons
“These steps will affect some 10,000 federal prisoners held in solitary confinement — and hopefully serve as a model for state and local corrections systems..."

North Korea, Drought, Starvation

Guardian UK: Unicef warns of severe child malnourishment in North Korea - UN children’s agency wants £12.6m to help 25,000 children affected by country’s severe drought as part of global £1.9bn appeal for 2016

The Town Hall

Guardian UK: Hillary Clinton defends popularity among young voters at Iowa forum - Bernie Sanders appears at ease at presidential town hall during which student presses Clinton: ‘I don’t see the same enthusiasm from younger people for you’

Global Warming - Record Heat

  This week the MSM seems to be coalescing around the fact that humans are responsible for global warming. Hopefully the trend continues minus the usual suspects - The Daily Caller, etc etc.

Time: Record Heat Wouldn’t Be Happening Without Human Influence, Study Says

Flint

AlterNet: Paul Krugman: The Flint Water Disaster Was No Accident - "What we see in Flint is an all too typically American situation of (literally) poisonous interaction between ideology and race," Krugman writes.
It’s easy to come up with examples. Kansas, which made headlines with its failed strategy of cutting taxes in the expectation of an economic miracle, has tried to close the resulting budget gap largely with cuts in education. North Carolina has also imposed drastic cuts on schools. And in New Jersey, Chris Christie famously canceled a desperately needed rail tunnel under the Hudson.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is a whopping 36 degrees and it is overcast here in the Upper Hudson Valley. The forecast is predicting the temperature goes into the 40s later and there's a chance of rain. The warm winter of 2016 continues, let's see what February brings as we have gotten through January relatively unscathed with respect to snow and the temperatures have been mild. I did not watch the Democratic town hall last night opting to watch The X-Files and then hitting the sack early. The first glimpses of the news seem to indicate that Hillary Clinton presented herself in outstanding form. Bernie continues to excite his fans and soon we get to see exactly what is what. It could be a real battle or it could be a lopsided victory for Hillary, who knows.

  At 8:45 a.m. ET futures are modestly higher and the price of oil per barrel is down now in the $30.50 range. The market is poised to open higher.

  Seeing oil continue to drift lower and lower is now a regular daily spectacle. The Saudis continue to crank it out and the world financial community continues to attempt to adjust. There is some speculation that the market and oil will continue to drift, there's a lot more potential hurt out there.

CNN: Stocks: 5 things to know before the open
The Case-Shiller home price index will come out at 9 a.m. ET, giving investors insight into the current state of the U.S. housing market.

Then the U.S. Conference Board will issue its January Consumer Confidence Index at 10 a.m.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Nate Silver, 'The Party Decides'

FiveThirtyEight: The Republican Party May Be Failing - What “The Party Decides” could get wrong about Donald Trump and the GOP.

File It

  How fun! Thirteen years later the X Files is back. The second episode of the season is on tonight, Monday, at 8 ET. If you missed the first episode, you can view it at the link. 

Axelrod On Trump

NYT: The Obama Theory of Trump By DAVID AXELROD
His bombast allows no room for nuance or complexity. He proudly extols his intolerance as an assault against “political correctness,” and he vows to bring the world to heel, from Mexico to China to Syria and Iraq.

'The World's Biggest Names'

WaPo: GOP senator calls out Donald Trump’s ‘many affairs’ in lengthy tweetstorm
Trump has also said: "I have too much respect for women in general, but if I did [write about my love life], the world would take serious notice. Beautiful, famous, successful, married — I've had them all, secretly, the world's biggest names..."

Supremes On Abortion In North Dakota

MSNBC: US Supreme Court rejects plea to revive North Dakota abortion ban

Have A Great Monday

work by Oscar Delmar

The Borowitz Report - Trump’s Plan To Randomly Shoot People Lacks Details, Random Shooters Say

New Yorker: Trump’s Plan to Randomly Shoot People Lacks Details, Random Shooters Say

Lung Disease Protection

Science Daily: Fiber-rich diet may reduce lung disease
summary - A diet rich in fiber may not only protect against diabetes and heart disease, it may reduce the risk of developing lung disease, according to new research.

The Empire Files - Examining The Syria War Chessboard

The Drought

LA Times: El Niño inspires hope of 'major dent' in drought, but empty reservoirs point to long recovery

Nate Silver On Trump

Flint

MSNBC: Flint turned into a 'third world country'

'I Don’t Know If That Was Aimed At Me … Perhaps'

Guardian UK: Donald Trump goes to church in Iowa … and gets a lesson in humility - With the Republican frontrunner seated in a fifth-row pew, pastor questioned harsh policies, including his stance on Mexican migrants and Syrian refugees
“Jesus is teaching us today that he has come for those who are outside of the church,” she said, preaching a message of healing and acceptance for “those who are the most unloved, the most discriminated against, the most forgotten in our community and in our world”.

Among those she cited were “the Syrian refugees” and “the Mexican migrants”.

Global Warming - Record Heat

Guardian UK: Record hot years near impossible without manmade climate change – study - New calculations shows there is just a 0.01% chance that recent run of global heat records could have happened due to natural climate variations
“It has led to unprecedented local heatwaves across the world, sadly resulting in loss of life and aggravating droughts and wildfires..."

Reich's Latest

Robert Reich: Bernie’s Movement
But not even a half loaf is possible unless or until we wrest back power from the executives of large corporations, Wall Street bankers, and billionaires who now control the whole bakery.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 23 degrees and overcast here in the Upper Hudson Valley. The forecast predicts a warming trend for the week with afternoon temperatures in the 40s. This part of the Northeast completely missed snowzilla and the ground remains brown grassed and snow free. I hope you had a good relaxing weekend. I've has a nice week long respite from the news although I did tune in periodically. I thought the Palin endorsement of Trump was the highlight of last week both in comedy value, which was well exploited by Tina Fey, and representing the continued de-evolution of American politics exemplified by the GOP's top candidates in this election cycle.

  At 8:45 a.m. ET futures are moderately lower and the price of oil per barrel is trending down with oil just above $31 a barrel. The market is poised to open lower.

  There was a brief rally in the market and oil in particular last week probably sparked by the cold and the storm but today that is old news. The DOW has dropped below 16K and the downward drift of oil appears to be brake free once again. The Saudis want the entire oil market to go through them and saturating the world with their oil is their method. I'm reading that Saudi Arabia is borrowing money so one can presume they know how they will pay it back and right now quantity as opposed to high price is the choice.

CNN: Oil and stocks resume their slide
Crude oil prices dipped below $27 per barrel last week, hitting lows not seen in over a decade. The price then shot up at the end of the week, helped by cold weather in the U.S., which boosts demand for heating oil.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Blog Closed Sunday January 17th Through Sunday January 24th

I will see you bright and early on Monday morning January 25th. Do have an excellent week.

Pass It On

  I have an idea for a Trump protest that I think might be fun.

  A few months ago there was a video of a fellow playing goofy tuba music live at a KKK march. It was an effective protest and I suspect you may have seen the clip. If not, it's on Youtube.

  My idea is similar. As people are lining up to go into a Trump stump speech, someone drives by in a vehicle outfitted with sound, microphone, etc and starts shouting out Hitler like orders to the crowd of supporters. The thing is filmed and shared on social media etc, and repeated often. A brave soul is required but it's doable.

  If you can think of someone who might make use of this idea, please do.

Cross

A car full of Irish nuns is sitting at a traffic light in downtown Dublin, when a bunch of rowdy drunks pull up alongside of them.

"Hey, show us yer tits, ya bloody penguins!" shouts one of the drunks.
Quite shocked, Mother Superior turns to Sister Mary Immaculata and says, "I don't think they know who we are; show them your cross."

Sister Mary Immaculata rolls down her window and shouts, "Piss off, ya fookin' little wankers, before I come over there and rip yer balls off!"

Sister Mary Immaculata then rolls up her window, looks back at Mother Superior, quite innocently, and asks, "Did that sound cross enough?"

Closing

WaPo: Walmart is ending its Express concept and closing 269 stores

Have A Great Saturday

work by George Sugarman

The Onion - Huckabee Decries Obamacare’s Failure To Help Slow, Cross-Eyed Cousin Who Got Kicked By Mule

The Onion: Huckabee Decries Obamacare’s Failure To Help Slow, Cross-Eyed Cousin Who Got Kicked By Mule

Low Fiber, Saturated Fat, Sugar, Sleep

Science Daily: What you eat can influence how you sleep - Daily intake of fiber, saturated fat and sugar may impact sleep quality
summary - A new study found that eating less fiber, more saturated fat and more sugar is associated with lighter, less restorative, and more disrupted sleep.

"It was most surprising that a single day of greater fat intake and lower fiber could influence sleep parameters."

TRNN - Wage Pressures, Falling Commodity Prices Spell Trouble For The Global Economy ROKU

The Drought

Sacramento Bee: Drought rules could be eased for Sacramento region, other inland areas - Mandatory conservation rules would be less stringent under new plan

Cruz Get A Birther Lawsuit

MSNBC: Ted Cruz gets hit with ‘birther’ lawsuit

Bowie's Last Months

Guardian UK: David Bowie's last days: an 18-month burst of creativity - Over the last months of his life, the singer was able to shake off late career doldrums and, despite his illness, find a final creative surge

Burkina Faso

Guardian UK: Burkina Faso hotel attack: 18 nationalities among dead - At least 27 killed in overnight assault by al-Qaida-linked terrorists on hotel popular with UN staff and foreigners

Global Warming - Denmark

Climate Central: Denmark Just Set a Wind Power Record…Again

Bomb Bomb Bomb

AlterNet: They Make Cheney Look Like Chomsky: Cruz, Trump, Rubio and the Frightening Bellicosity of Today's GOP - They want to "carpet bomb," "bomb the shit" out of them and make "sand glow." The GOP field somehow makes Cheney seem moderate. By Lou Dubos

Friday, January 15, 2016

Daily Cruz

  The front page of today's Daily News, their the response to Cruz's NY debate comments.

Anger Wins The Day

Boston Globe: Donald Trump the big winner of the debate
“I’m not angry,” said Trump. “I’m very angry because our country is being run horribly and I will gladly accept the mantle of anger.”

Four Scenarios On Cruz

Reuters: Natural-born mess: What would it take to kick Ted Cruz off the ballot? By Derek Muller
Federal courts, for example, threw out dozens of birther challenges to Barack Obama’s eligibility in 2008 and 2012 because voters sued and failed to identify a concrete injury.

Have A Great Friday

work by George Sugarman

The Onion - Rubio Refutes Claim He Soft On Immigration By Dragging Undocumented Worker He Knocked Out Cold Onto Stage

The Onion: Rubio Refutes Claim He Soft On Immigration By Dragging Undocumented Worker He Knocked Out Cold Onto Stage

A Allele In The Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase

Science Daily: Genes may contribute to making some nations happier than others - First study to show link between genetic make-up and perceived national happiness
summary - The citizens of nations that rate themselves happiest display a specific genetic feature: their DNA is more likely to contain a specific allele involved in sensory pleasure and pain reduction, say researchers. They weighed up genetic and various external factors to might contribute to national differences in happiness.

TRNN - Sanders Supporters Optimistic As He Surges In Polls, Earns Endorsements

The Drought

Yahoo: California Governor Brown pushes big water project amid drought

Interrupt

MSNBC: Demonstrators briefly interrupt Trump in Iowa - During his interview with Morning Joe at Java Joe's in Iowa, Donald Trump is briefly interrupted by demonstrators.

Drug Trial

Guardian UK: French drug trial leaves one brain dead and five critically ill - French health minister travels to clinic in Rennes, where all trials of the drug have been suspended
It did not say what the new medicine was intended to be used for, but a source close to the case told AFP that the drug was a painkiller containing cannabinoids, an active ingredient found in cannabis plants.

Tweedledumb and Tweedledope

Guardian UK: ‘Donald Trump would be disqualified’ for president under citizenship logic, says Ted Cruz - During the Republican debate, Ted Cruz shut down questions over his eligibility by pointing to precedent – and to his persistent accuser
Then Cruz said that both McCain, born in Panama, and George Romney, Mitt’s father, born in Mexico, were eligible to run for president. He continued: “The birther theories that Donald is relying on say that you have to have two parents born on US soil. I would be disqualified, Marco Rubio would be, Bobby Jindal would be disqualified. And Donald Trump would be disqualified.”

Trump’s mother was born in Scotland.

Global Warming - Alaska's Permafrost

Climate Central: Warming Could Mean Major Thaw For Alaska Permafrost
There are also major worries about the carbon locked up in the frozen soils, which can be released into the atmosphere as methane as the permafrost thaws, to enormous global costs. While methane is less abundant and shorter-lived than carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere, it packs a much larger warming punch on a molecule-by-molecule basis.

Fact Free

AlterNet: 7 of the Worst Distortions and Outright Lies of the GOP Debate - Fox Business manages to out-Fox Fox News. By Adam Johnson
1. Trump says that refugees and migrants are "strong, powerful men"

This is categorically untrue. The majority of the more than 4.6 million Syrian refugees are women and children. Of the refugees that arrived by boat over 50% are women or children. According to the U.N., only 22.7% of refugees of Middle Eastern origin are men older than 18.

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. It is 31 degrees and overcast here in the Upper Hudson Valley. The forecast is indicating that the temperature will go into the 40s this afternoon. I did not watch any of the GOP debate. I already know the gist of it, lots of proud chest thumping posturing tough guy talk, lots of fear mongering, no explanation of policy on any important issue, and a lot of preposterous and inaccurate presumptions. Summing it up one could say it is an incomprehensible two hour mess. At this point the GOP is no longer functioning as a coherent party, it is an insurgent radical war machine hellbent on destruction and the bizarre.

  At 9:00 a.m. ET futures are significantly down and the price of oil is significantly lower. The market is poised to tank at the opening bell.

  We look at market data every morning and all I can say is, this is about as bad as it gets. So, millions of portfolios are losing equity value today and remember that the stock market must fluctuate. This is the game.

CNN: Stocks poised for losses as China markets and oil plunge
Oil below $30: Crude oil futures remain as volatile as ever, and are down nearly 5% -- crashing below $30 in morning trading.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

'The Official Donald Trump Jam'

  This is real. Children performing the Donald Trump song.

Take A Look

WaPo: This is actually what America would look like without gerrymandering

'Lazarus'

David Bowie

Nightmare Crash

NBC News: Arizona Crash: Five Dead in Fiery Phoenix Accident
...at a good rate of speed" (the vehicle slammed) into an off-ramp's concrete barrier on Interstate 10 in Phoenix..went through the barrier, "vaulted through a chain-linked fence, and then fell down approximately 30-50 feet to the interstate 10 median where it caught fire..."

Tweedledum And Tweedledick

NPR: GOP Debate: Desperation Time Is Setting In
There's a battle royale going on among the establishment candidates, all trying to edge the other out, especially in New Hampshire. They believe whichever of them emerges in New Hampshire can consolidate enough support to defeat Trump.

Cartoon On Depression

  It's a 17 panel cartoon and it's very well done.

CBS News: This comic blows the lid off depression
Cartoonist Nick Seluk of The Awkward Yeti specializes in re-imaging real-life medical stories and bringing them to life in a way that lightens the heaviness of the topic matter, rendering complicated disorders more relatable to the general public.

So, when he was contacted by a 16-year-old girl who suffers from crippling depression and anxiety, Seluk knew exactly what to do.

Have A Great Thursday

work by George Sugarman

The Onion - Study Links Binge Eating To Stress, Contentment, Depression, Joy, Boredom, Anger, Relaxation

The Onion: Study Links Binge Eating To Stress, Contentment, Depression, Joy, Boredom, Anger, Relaxation

Regulating Negative Emotions

Science Daily: Brain can be trained to regulate negative emotions, study shows
summary - A simple, computer-training task can change the brain's wiring to regulate emotional reactions, according to a recent study. The researchers hope to examine the impact of this non-emotional training on individuals who are depressed or anxious. It may also be helpful for those at high risk of developing high blood pressure reactions to emotional information.

TRNN - A Response To Governor Nikki Haley

The Drought

Sierra Sun Times: California Drought Monitor and National Drought Summary for January 14, 2016

The Jobs

Guardian UK: US solar industry now employs more workers than oil and gas, says report - Growth in the solar industry was not shared equally across all types of jobs in 2015 – employees of installation companies accounted for 65% of jobs added

Alan Richman Dies

Guardian UK: Alan Rickman, giant of British screen and stage, dies at 69 - Much-loved star of stage, TV and films including Harry Potter and Die Hard – and owner of one of the most singular voices in acting ­– has died in London

We're Doomed!

AlterNet: Why Trump's Feverish Doom-Talk Makes Literally Zero Sense - The GOP frontrunner is lying to his fans about the state of the economy, something Obama pointed out in his State of the Union address. By Bob Cesca
“We have to take our country back. We’ve lost our jobs, we’ve lost our money. We’re a third world nation and we’re a debtor nation at the same time, you need somebody with the kind of thinking — I built a great company. I have some of the great assets of the world. And I talk about only form- not bragging- I talk about it because that’s the kind of mentality that this country needs. We need that mentality now and we need it fast.”

Global Warming - The Gulf Of Maine

Climate Central: Gulf of Maine Fishermen Face Warming ‘Double Whammy’
New research using a next-generation computer model developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals that warming rates in the fishing hotspot could be three times the global averages during the decades ahead.

Jakarta

Guardian UK: Jakarta attacks: Islamic State militants claim responsibility – live updates - Six explosions reported in Indonesian capital - Police claim Isis ‘definitely’ behind the attack - Five attackers and two other people confirmed dead - Police regain control of the area after three hours

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 21 degrees and hazy sunny here in the Upper Hudson Valley. The temperature is expected to get into the low 30s this afternoon. There's been a terrorist attack in Jakarta, ISIS is claiming responsibility. One would expect that terrorism will dominate tonight's GOP debate, if it's not fear, it's not the GOP. We have a Powerball winner, apparently three.

  At 9:00 a.m. ET futures are moderately higher and the price of oil is up. The market is poised to open higher.

  Globally, the terrorist attack has affected investors, now let's see if Wall Street brushes it off or also gets rattled. Otherwise oil seems to be temporarily firming around $30 per barrel. Next stop is evidently $20.

CNN: Stocks: 5 things to know before the open
More security fears: A terror attack Thursday in the heart of Jakarta, Indonesia, has rattled investors once again.

Oil is a little firmer Thursday morning with crude futures hovering above $30.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

And Of Course

MSNBC: Trump hits back at Nikki Haley: ‘Very weak on illegal immigration’

Have A Great Wednesday

work by George Sugarman

The Onion - Area Dad Stares Longingly At Covered Grill In Backyard

The Onion: Area Dad Stares Longingly At Covered Grill In Backyard - ‘I Haven’t Forgotten You,’ Father Softly Whispers

The Dog

Science Daily: A man’s best friend: Study shows dogs can recognize human emotions
summary - Dogs can recognize emotions in humans by combining information from different senses -- an ability that has never previously been observed outside of humans, a new study published today reveals.

TRNN - The Most Durable Economy In The World?

The Drought

US Drought Monitor: California January 5th, 2016

Irresponsible, Mean Spirited, Juvenile, Hate Driven

MSNBC: Nikki Haley: Donald Trump has contributed to ‘irresponsible talk’

Gisela Mota

Guardian UK: Young, idealistic – and dead: the Mexican mayor gunned down on her second day - Gisela Mota, 33, was shot in her own home just after taking office as her town’s first female mayor. Her death highlights organised crime’s grim hold on politics

Obama Attacks

Guardian UK: Republicans react to State of the Union by accusing Obama of stoking division - Part of speech was seen as attack on tenor and content of Republican primary - Marco Rubio: ‘This president has been the single most divisive figure’ - Ted Cruz: ‘This was less a State of the Union than it was a state of denial’

Global Warming - Solar Job Boom

Climate Central: Solar Job Boom Continues As Prices Spur Demand

SOTU

  The Medium link will take you to the complete transcript of Obama's last SOTU address.

Medium: President Obama’s 2016 State of the Union Address

AlterNet: Obama's State of The Union Dismisses GOP 'Hot Air' - and Makes the Case for the Future - One of the strongest speeches of his presidency.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. It is 22 degrees and sunny here in the Upper Hudson Valley. A cold day in the 20s is predicted. We got about an inch of snow last night, so everything is coated in white; winter is here. We are into our fourth week of increasing daylight and in my opinion that increase becomes more noticeable in February. I'm glad to read that the ten Navy sailors picked up by Iran have now been released. I watched a little of Obama's SOTU address and I liked it. He spoke of lofty ideals and in some sense it was more like a sermon. What a contrast to the bellicose, mean spirited, and fundamentally hateful rhetoric coming from our fear driven right. That's America, driven between hope, hate, fear and anger; not to mention racism and fundamental stupidity.

  At 9:00 a.m. ET futures are significantly higher and the price of oil per barrel is up after drifting below $30 per barrel on Tuesday. The market is poised to open higher.

  There are many articles out now predicting oil can go down to as low as $10 a barrel. Hell, why not simply give it away for free. Meanwhile BP is laying off 4,000 people, as the price of oil bottoms out, away go the jobs in the oil companies as well. This is partly what the Saudis have in mind with their overproduction policy no doubt inspired by a few royally rich 20 something year old Harvard MBAs, bless their greedy little hearts.

CNN: Stocks: 4 things to know before the open
Crude futures are bubbling up around 1% to above $31 a barrel after oil briefly sank below $30 for the first time since December 2003. The selling on Tuesday left crude down 19% this year alone, and 72% from its June 2014 peak of almost $108. Traders will closely watch a weekly update on U.S. crude inventories that is due at 10:30 am ET.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

A Little Something Extra

Gawker: Angry Militia Leader: Stop Mailing Us Dildos

Turkey

BBC: Turkey: 'IS suicide bomber' kills 10 in Istanbul Sultanahmet district

The Borowitz Report - Poll, Republicans Would Rather Actually Be Shot By Gun Than Agree With Obama

New Yorker: Poll: Republicans Would Rather Actually Be Shot by Gun Than Agree with Obama

Worse

FiveThirtyEight: There’s One Thing Worse For The GOP Than A Trump Nomination - A third-party run. By Julia Azari
The lessons of history suggest, instead, that significant damage to party reputations is done by unsuccessful presidencies, not unsuccessful presidential candidates.

Bernie Sanders - Get Walmart Off Welfare

Knicks Fans

WSJ: Knicks Coach Is No Longer a Fish Out of Water - In his second season on the bench, Derek Fisher is emerging as a more effective leader

Read And Weep

WaPo: Pat Buchanan says Donald Trump is the future of the Republican Party

Leaders

CNBC: NBC Online Poll: Trump, Clinton Retain Double-Digit National Leads

Shrinking

NPR: GOP Debate Shrinks To 7 Candidates; Rand Paul To Skip Undercard

Have A Great Tuesday

work by George Sugarman

The Onion - American People Lead World In Compressing Big Sandwiches So They’re Bitable

The Onion: Report: American People Lead World In Compressing Big Sandwiches So They’re Bitable

Hookah Smoking

Science Daily: One hookah tobacco smoking session delivers 25 times the tar of a single cigarette
summary - As cigarette smoking rates fall, more people are smoking tobacco from hookahs: communal pipes that enable users to draw tobacco smoke through water. A new meta-analysis shows that hookah smokers are inhaling a large load of toxicants.

TRNN - Former Cops, Urban Gun Violence Won't Stop Until We End The War On Drugs

The Drought

KQED: When Will California’s Drought End?
December rains added 293 billion gallons to the 154 major state and federal reservoirs in California, which sounds substantial. But by December’s end, that was still only 31 percent of capacity.

Wage Stagnation

MSNBC: Stagnant wages linked to GOP outrage in 2016 race

Oil

CNBC: UAE moves to quash talk of OPEC emergency meet as oil slumps
"I think all the members including Iran have the right to increase their production. I don't think we are going to restrict anyone," Mazroui said.

Such prospects have led oil analysts to downgrade their forecasts in recent days, with Standard Chartered saying prices could drop to $10 a barrel.

Promised

Guardian UK: Promises, promises: how Obama's State of the Union pledges were kept … or not - Analysis of the president’s previous annual addresses to Congress and his two inaugurals shows a very mixed success rate for his policy commitments

Global Warming - Icebergs

Guardian UK: Giant icebergs are slowing climate change, research reveals - Known more as a symbol of global warming, the nutrient-rich plumes that trail melting giant icebergs are in fact sinking carbon deep into the ocean

Take A Look

AlterNet: Here's What America Would Look Like If Trump Actually Won - Now the GOP frontrunner for six solid months, it behooves us to imagine what Trump's America would look like. By Heather Digby Parton
Regarding Kim Jong Un Trump said:

“You’ve got to give him credit: How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals and all of a sudden, you know, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it. How does he do that?”

“Even though it is a culture, and it’s a culture thing, he goes in, he takes over, he’s the boss. It’s incredible.”

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is 24 degrees and hazy cloudy here in the Upper Hudson Valley. The logo is predicting that is goes into the 30s later today. We see that Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch are engaged to be married. We wish the love birds nothing but the best...Is the news some of the wildest stuff we've seen in a long time? I'm reading statements from our top tier GOP presidential contenders and thinking WTF is this. Where do they come up with this stuff?

  At 8:50 a.m. ET futures are significantly higher and the price of oil per barrel is around $31. The market is poised to open higher.

  Oil continues to fall and allegedly OPEC is in a state of turmoil because of it. Well what did they expect? Also allegedly OPEC is planning another meeting to discuss this situation and meanwhile a new prediction has oil per barrel going into the $15 range. This is weird.

CNN: Stocks: 5 things to know before the open
Crude futures are falling again, down around 1%, after a 6% fall Monday. RBS analysts say $16 oil is possible and advises its clients to... well, sell everything. "We think investors should be afraid," the note cheerily warns.

Monday, January 11, 2016

EPA Finally Discovers What’s Killing The Bees

Sunday Afternoon




Happier

This is a fascinating article, and the author is the president of the American Enterprise Institute!

NYT: To Be Happier, Start Thinking More About Your Death
Paradoxically, this meditation on death is intended as a key to better living. It makes disciples aware of the transitory nature of their own physical lives and stimulates a realignment between momentary desires and existential goals. In other words, it makes one ask, “Am I making the right use of my scarce and precious life?”

Have A Great Monday

work by David Bowie

The Onion - Emotional Wayne LaPierre Honors Victims Of Background Checks

The Onion: Emotional Wayne LaPierre Honors Victims Of Background Checks

Gravitational Fields

Science Daily: Gravitation under human control? Physicist proposes using magnetic fields to produce and detect gravitational fields
summary - Produce and detect gravitational fields at will using magnetic fields, control them for studying them, work with them to produce new technologies -- it sounds daring, but one physicist has proposed just that in a new article. If followed, this proposal could transform physics and shake up Einstein's theory of general relativity.

TRNN - California Methane Leak One Of The Worst Climate Disasters In The US

The Drought

NPR: What Does El Niño Precipitation Mean For California Drought?

Trump Birthers Cruz And Blames Democrats!

MSNBC: Trump says Democrats would attack Cruz on citizenship
And Trump assured the crowd that he knows lawsuits. “Does anyone know more about litigation than Trump?” he asked. “I know a lot. I’m like a PhD in litigation.”

Cologne

Guardian UK: Cologne gangs attack groups of foreigners as New Year's Eve assault complaints grow - Local newspaper says attackers arranged via Facebook to go on ‘manhunt’ of foreigners after assaults on women on New Year’s Eve

Mr Natural

Guardian UK: Harvard scholar: Ted Cruz's citizenship, eligibility for president ‘unsettled’ - Liberal law professor Laurence Tribe cited by Donald Trump in his ‘natural-born’ citizenship attacks has questioned Cruz’s own constitutional positions

Global Warming - US Coal Production

Climate Central: U.S. Coal Production Dropped to 30-Year Low in 2015

The Dark Side

AlterNet: Republican Presidential Contenders Compete to See Who Can Kill and Torture the Most - The election season is proving to be a visit to America's darkest side.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 28 degrees, mostly overcast with some broken clouds and a little sunshine here in the Upper Hudson Valley. A cold day in the high 20s is expected. The week is expected to be more like winter with temperatures oscillating between the high 20s and in the 30s. I hope you had a good weekend. I think we were all surprised to read the news that David Bowie passed away after an 18 month long fight with cancer - rest in peace David Bowie. What can I say, he was a global phenomenon, as big a rock star as there can possibly be, and his work was captivating and excellent. He was a very clever artist, that's for sure, strikes me that he was usually a good decade or so ahead of the current trends.

  At 9:00 a.m. ET futures are up and the price of oil is holding at around $33 a barrel the market is poised to open higher.

  The Chinese stock market continues to fall as China's economy is going through a serious shake out. Oil continues to drift lower and lower. And we are entering corporate fourth quarter reports season. The year is starting out with a bang.

CNN: Stocks: 5 things to know before the open
The main stock markets in China plunged again. The Shanghai Composite closed down 5.3%, and the Shenzhen Composite ended 6.6% lower.

David Bowie Dies

BBC: David Bowie dies of cancer aged 69

Saturday, January 09, 2016

Closed Sundays

  The blog is closed on Sundays. see you bright and early Monday morning.

Sarah Parcak - Space Archeology

  Fascinating and concise.

'The Pride Is Back'

David Cross

Agnotology

  This article is a must read.

BBC: The man who studies the spread of ignorance - How do people or companies with vested interests spread ignorance and obfuscate knowledge? Georgina Kenyon finds there is a term which defines this phenomenon.
“Donald Trump is the obvious current example in the US, suggesting easy solutions to followers that are either unworkable or unconstitutional,” says Dunning.

So while agnotology may have had its origins in the heyday of the tobacco industry, today the need for both a word and the study of human ignorance is as strong as ever.

Have A Great Saturday

work by Jim Sande


The Onion - Chicago Police Department To Monitor All Interactions With Public Using New Bullet Cams

The Onion: Chicago Police Department To Monitor All Interactions With Public Using New Bullet Cams

Time Vs Money

Science Daily: Valuing your time more than money is linked to happiness
summary - Valuing your time more than the pursuit of money is linked to greater happiness, according to new research. In six studies with more than 4,600 participants, researchers found an almost even split between people who tended to value their time or money, and that choice was a fairly consistent trait both for daily interactions and major life events.

TRNN - Carl Stokes, Baltimore's Tax System Totally 'Unfair' To Residents

Needle Exchange

FiveThirtyEight: It Took 20 Years For The Government To Pay For An Obvious Way To Prevent HIV By Anna Maria Barry-Jester

Maine GOP Governor Paul LePage

MSNBC: Awkward defense from Maine's cringeworthy governor

Saudi Arabia Vs Iran

Guardian UK: Saudi Arabia v Iran: Riyadh defiant and angry after turbulent week - Ian Black in Saudi capital and Jeddah finds commentators cataloguing alleged Iranian crimes as tensions continue to run high over execution of Shia cleric
“Iran causes problems and promotes deviant thoughts,” was the response of Mohammed al-Ghamdi, interviewed in Jeddah, the Red Sea shimmering in the background. “Saudi Arabia is a peaceful country with a wise and moderate leadership.”

Egypt Attack

Guardian UK: Egypt: three tourists wounded in attack at Red Sea resort hotel - Two Austrians and a Swede injured after pair of suspected militants launch assault at entrance of hotel in resort of Hurghada

Reich's Latest

Robert Reich: The Economy in 2016: On the Edge of Recession

Digby On Cruz

AlterNet: This Is How Ted Cruz Wins: Why the Formerly Unthinkable Could Actually Happen - Establishment Republicans are beginning to reconcile themselves to supporting the lesser of two evils. By Heather Digby Parton
If that’s the case, the establishment is going to have a big decision to make. Do they back the hated Cruz to stop the loathsome Trump? Or do they back the detestable Trump to stop the odious Cruz? What a choice.

Friday, January 08, 2016

Theorems

FiveThirtyEight: Three Theories Of Donald Trump’s Rise - We put more stock in Theories 2 and 3.
Theory 3: Trump’s support reflects a media bubble

'That's My Guy'

Cleveland.com: Hijacked by the votes of angry white men, the GOP could be primed for disaster: Brent Larkin
Peggy Noonan, the gifted Wall Street Journal columnist and former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, is beginning to think it might end very badly.

"We could see a great party split in two," she wrote Dec. 31. "That, I think, is what I'm seeing among the Republicans, a slow-motion break."

Ridicule

Very humorous - #BundyEroticFanFic - the public responds to Oregon's militiamen on Twitter.
"As Cletus gazed longingly at Ammon's naked body, he finally understood the real fight for grazing rights."

If I Must, I Must

CBS Boston: Chocolate Is The Best Cure For A Cough, Expert Says
Research concludes that the thickness of chocolate coats the throat and prevents the urge to cough...

Maine Governor Paul LePage

MSNBC: GOP governor under fire following racially charged comments
“These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty … these types of guys … they come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home,” LePage told a large crowd. “Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road.”

Have A Great Friday

work by Al Held

The Onion - Saudi Executioner Thinks He Pulled Something In Shoulder During Last 10 Decapitations

The Onion: Saudi Executioner Thinks He Pulled Something In Shoulder During Last 10 Decapitations
“Around the seventh or eighth beheading I came around kind of awkwardly on my windup and heard this loud pop, and I knew immediately that something wasn’t right..."