US solar panel manufacturers get a gift from the US military

- The Pentagon won’t be buying any more solar panels from China
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Still making me laugh.

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High Heels in an X-Ray. I truly don't know how you women are able to walk around in these.

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I never truly understood how much healthcare in the US costs until I got Appendicitis in October.

"I'm a 20 year old guy. Thought other people should see this to get a real idea of how much an unpreventable illness costs in the US..." 
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Peru To Provide Free Solar Power To 2 Million Of Its Poorest Residents By 2016

Peru has initiated a program that will provide more than 2 million of its poorest residents with electricity -- for free. 
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Good Guy England Government as an american with no health insurance I am truly thankful

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Voucher Swamp: Audits Of Louisiana’s ‘School Choice’ Program Find Oversight Lacking, Desegregation Efforts Stalled

"A federal report released before Christmas by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Louisiana’s voucher program has increased segregation in at least 15 public schools. According to the report, those schools would have been more racially integrated had some students not left because they received vouchers..."

"How many problems have to be exposed before Louisiana's voucher scheme is finally shut down? It ..." Read more

Corporate America Likes High Unemployment Rates - It gives companies more leverage over workers, writes Paul Krugman

"Consider the leverage that companies have over their workers amid high jobless rates. Employees are more likely to put up with lousy pay and treatment because quitting isn't much of an option, writes Krugman. As a result, people are working in fear even as corporate profits are surging..."

http://www.newser.com/story/179814/corporate-america-likes-high-unemployment-rates.html

In 5 Days, ObamaCare Politics Will Change Forever - A Ron Johnson quote has Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas excited

"It’s no longer just a piece of paper that you can repeal and it goes away. There's something there. We have to recognize that reality. We have to deal with the people that are currently covered under ObamaCare."
http://www.newser.com/story/179800/in-5-days-obamacare-politics-will-change-forever.html

Viable Opposition: Your Metadata Life - Big Bro' Is Tracking You

"While one day's data looks rather innocuous, when you hit the play button on the graphic, you can track Mr. Spitz's travels throughout Germany and see the time that he's outside the country and exactly where he is on a very detailed basis..."

http://viableopposition.blogspot.ca/2013/07/your-metadata-life-big-bro-is-tracking.html

Why Gold Would Be Useless in an Economic Apocalypse

Reuters Since November, financial advisor David Marotta has been publishing a series of blog posts on how to manage your money in the event of a fina... Read more

"Not Home for the Holidays", Sarah Morehead on Atheists Talk #249, December 22, 2013

"For many of us, even as atheists, the winter holidays are a time of celebration, feasting and gifts with family. However, for some of us, leaving religion came with the cost of leaving part or all of our families behind. Some of us have been shunned. For others, strife over religion makes time with our families anything but a happy holiday.

"Sarah Morehead is the Executive Director of Recovering from Religion, an organization that has helped to support countless people through and after their transition away from belief. She has experience with the challenges of losing faith as part of a strongly religious family and with helping others through the same process. She joins us this Sunday to talk about the challenges formerly religious atheists face during this time of year and some of the ways people find to cope..."

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"Think: Why You Should Question Everything" Guy P. Harrison on Atheists Talk #246, December 1st, 2013

Author Guy P. Harrison, honored guest of Atheists Talk, returns once again to discuss science, skepticism and critical thinking. His recently released book, Think: Why You Should Question Everything, is an easy to read work, accessible to learners of all ages and experience. In the book he defines what skepticism is and isn't and devotes an entire chapter to the concept of evidence. Harrison challenges readers to explore the differences between beliefs and believers, science and superstition, skepticism and intelligence, and simply, to think...

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"The Case Against the Case for Christ" Atheists Talk #77, Sunday August 1,2010

Lee Strobel wrote his book The Case for Christ, masquerading as a skeptic, back in 1998, Strobel talked to theologians and biblical scholars to come to the conclusion there is sufficent extra-biblical support for the existence of Jesus Christ Robert M. Price read the book and found the evidence to be shy of convincing.  He found the reasoning weak, the facts sketchy and a great deal to counter Rev. Strobel's conclusions.

Price wrote a chapter by chapter refutation, The Case Against the Case for Christ, and is going to discuss the book...

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"Conversion, Deconversion and Religious Indoctrination" Atheists Talk #78, Sunday August 8, 2010

"Conversion is the process through which a person's orientation on religion changes.  How do people turn from and to new religious groups, ways of life, systems of belief and modes of relating to a deity or a the nature of reality.  Dr. Grant Steves will be with me in the studio to discuss faith, conversion and deconversion with a dollop of religious indoctrination.

"Dr. Grant Steves is a member of the Minnesota Atheists.  He has a doctorate in Theology, and is an atheist. Mike Haubrich is a director on the board of the Minnesota Atheists, a former Catholic and deconverted evangelical Christian...

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The Waltons' War On Public Education: Heirs Of Wal-Mart Founder Spend Millions Supporting School Vouchers

"A lot of people don’t like Wal-Mart, and with good reason. The big-box retailer has been accused of paying unreasonably low wages, intimidating employees who complain about poor working conditions and even bribing foreign officials. Now, Wal-Mart has given us yet another reason to shop elsewhere: a foundation run by the heirs of Wal-Mart’s founder is pumping millions into supporting school vouchers  ... Read more

Business Groups To Curb Uber-Conservatives: 'No Fools On Our Ticket'

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to aggressively shore up the campaigns of business-friendly establishment candidates in the new year, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday -- to the tune of at least $50 million...

Business groups are willing to spend big bucks to diminish the influence of the most activist conservatives and win a Republican majority in the Senat... Read more

US authorities continue to approve pesticides implicated in the bee apocalypse

As scientists race to pinpoint the cause of the global collapse of honey bee populations that pollinate a third of the world’s crops, environmental groups have indentified one culprit: US authorities who continue to approve pesticides implicated in the apian apocalypse...
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Iranian MPs Propose Bill To Enrich Near Weapons-Grade Uranium After Congress’s Sanctions Push

 Iranian Members of Parliament are proposing a bill to require the government to enrich uranium at near weapons grade levels in ... Read more

GOP theme for 2014: bashing Obamacare, again

Republicans meet next month to craft strategy for 2014, and attacks on 'Obamacare' are likely to top the list of many GOP ... Read more

“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.” - The greatest Kurt Vonnegut quotes as voted by Goodreads

Arguably one of the greatest American writers of the 20^th century, Kurt Vonnegut created some of the most memorable novels of our time. In a career spanning more than half a century he wrote fourteen books including timeless classics such as Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast Of Champions, and Slaughterhouse Five. His work is a mesh of contradictions, both science fiction and literary, dark and funny, classic and counter-culture.
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Amid Declining Popularity, The Tea Party Prepares To Fight

Amid Declining Popularity, The Tea Party Prepares To Fight by Don Gonyea December 24, 201311:33 AM Listen to the Story All Things Considered 4 mi... Read more

Park and Library Refuse Atheist Donation!

There's Video of the Morton Grove Public Library Board of Trustees Calling The Friendly Atheist a 'Hate Group'

http://youtu.be/0EBq814Liw8

Unemployed Screwed By Politicians - The Storm Is Coming!

"The left-leaning Public Policy Polling surveyed voters in four key congressional districts, as well as House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) district, to gauge support for extending unemployment benefits. The poll, funded by the liberal advocacy group Americans United for Change, showed that voters across party lines were overwhelmingly in favor of extending the benefits, with 63 to 68 percent of voters in each district expressing support for preserving jobless benefits."

http://youtu.be/E-UQ5lPflaM

Who Funds Climate Change Deniers?

"A study by Drexel University has identified the major sources of funding for climate change denial. Some of the names are all too familiar such as the Koch and Scaife families while some have done their best to remain obscure and have yet to get noticed."

http://youtu.be/CcNV4qiuKU4

Do You Trust The Clergy? Most Don't

"Clergy used to rank near the top in polls asking Americans to rate the honesty and ethics of people in various professions. This year, for the first time since Gallup began asking the question in 1977, fewer than half of those polled said clergy have "high" or "very high" moral standards.

But opinions on clergy differed markedly by party, with Republicans viewing them far more favorably than Democrats.

Overall, 47 percent of respondents to the survey gave clergy "high" or "very high" ratings, a sharp drop in confidence from the 67 percent of Americans who viewed them this way in 1985."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

http://youtu.be/u35JxVlVduQ

Inequality: Government Is a Perp, Not a Bystander

"...The problem is that President Obama wants the public to believe that inequality is something that just happened. It turns out that the forces of technology, globalization, and whatever else simply made some people very rich and left others working for low wages or out of work altogether. The president and other like-minded people feel a moral compulsion to reverse the resulting inequality. This story is 180 degrees at odds with the reality. Inequality did not just happen, it was deliberately engineered through a whole range of policies intended to redistribute income upward...."
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Glass Orb that collects energy from the sun and moon 35% better than solar panels

"...German architect André Broessel, of Rawlemon, has looked into his crystal ball and seen the future of renewable energy. In this case it's a spherical sun-tracking solar energy-generating globe -- essentially a giant glass marble on a robotic steel frame. But this marble is no toy. It concentrates both sunlight and moonlight up to 10,000 times -- making its solar harvesting capabilities 35 percent more efficient than conventional dual-axis photovoltaic designs...." 
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Billion-dollar climate denial network exposed: A network of 91 think tanks and industry groups are primarily responsible.

An extensive study into the financial networks that support groups denying the science behind climate change and opposing political action has found a vast, secretive web of think tanks and industry associations, bankrolled by conservative billionaires.


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Push Back At Notre Dame: Federal Court Rejects University’s Attack On Contraceptive Access

The University of Notre Dame is more than happy to rake in as much taxpayer support as it can get. ... Read more

Phoenix Becomes First City To End Chronic Homelessness Among Veterans

This could be a sign of things to come as the Obama administration aims to eradicate homelessness among veterans by 2015.The ... Read more

Thanks To Congress, 2014 Will Bring Uncertainty For The Wind Industry

The wind PTC has allowed the industry to grow and reduce costs, but now it is expiring. There hasn't been a big fight to extend ... Read more

Polling Reveals Consensus Support For Iran Nuclear Deal

Polls show that Americans support the recent nuclear deal with Iran while critics say some lawmakers in Congress are working to ... Read more

Ten Travesties Of Justice In 2013

 A man whose testimony was beaten out of him and a blogger who spoke his mind sat in jail this year. Several others who killed ... Read more

Germany’s Largest Utility Ditches Two Long-Term Contracts For Coal Power

The move could signal yet another shift in Germany's power mix, as renewables boom and expected electricity prices for 2014 ... Read more

Stop 'Bitching & Moaning' About Slavery, Says Tea Party Leader

"A New Mexico county tea party leader has sparked controversy by tweeting a meme Wednesday that strongly suggests blacks use the dark legacy of slavery in America for "bitching and moaning about how the world owes them a living."

On the 148th anniversary of the end of slavery, Glynis Racine of the Lincoln County Tea Party Patriots tweeted the following and deleted it shortly thereafter."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

Renewable Energy Accounted For All New U.S. Electric Capacity In November

Renewable sources now account for nearly 16 percent of total U.S. electric capacity -- more than nuclear and oil combined.The ... Read more

'The War On Fox Is Over'

"Since its founding in 2004, the progressive watchdog group Media Matters for America has been a thorn in the side of Fox News. Its dozens of staffers monitor the network's leadership, hosts, guests and financial dealings incessantly, calling out misinformation, conflicts of interest and evidence of a partisan agenda, in a bid to shed light on the workings of the right-wing echo chamber.

But in the coming years, Fox will no longer be the center of Media Matters' universe. That's because the group believes it has effectively discredited the network's desire to be seen as "fair and balanced."

"The war on Fox is over," said Media Matters Executive Vice President Angelo Carusone. "And it's not just that it's over, but it was very successful. To a large extent, we won.""* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

This Is How Politics Works

"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently delivered a direct pitch to one of America's top defense contractors: Get off the sidelines and start backing Republicans who will protect military spending.

Mr. McConnell's message, according to people who attended a Nov. 6 fundraiser with officials from BAE Systems Inc., was that if Republican lawmakers lose primary elections from challengers further to their right who have few qualms about trimming military budgets, the defense industry could expect dwindling support in Washington.

"In the current debate, spending cuts have trumped robust national-security spending," said one person at the McConnell fundraiser, held at a Capitol Hill townhouse. "The main message he was pushing was: Get involved, mainly to teach those who are primarying incumbents that it is not helpful to run against incumbents who are champions for the industry.""* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

A Majority Of Americans Want The Government To Tell Businesses What To Do On Climate Change

Solid majorities view global warming as a serious problem and want the government to actively remake the economy to fight ... Read more

Our Most Powerful Weapon Against Wall Street? The Reverse Eminent Domain Movement

Wall Street tore the heart out of our economy. It profited wildly by puffing up the housing bubble. It profited wildly again when the federal governme... Read more

Uganda Passes Anti-Gay Bill That Includes Life In Prison

"..."If you're perceived to be LGBT, no one's going to rent to you, for fear of their own criminal responsibility," she adds. "So if this law is enacted in its current form, it's basically a homelessness sentence for LGBT Ugandans..."

(Recall the role of American Evanglicals in promoting hate in Uganda -- here and here.)

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New Video Of Duck Dynasty Phil Robertson Passionately Anti-Gay

"In a speech that is sure to stir up more controversy after his suspension from A&E, "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson calls gay people "ruthless," "full of murder," "arrogant" and "liable to invent ways of doing evil" in new video that surfaced Thursday.

According to The Daily Mail, Robertson made the comments three years ago during a speech at the Wild Game Supper at the Berean Bible Church in Pennsylvania. The new video surfaced a day after Robertson was suspended from the show after making comments about gay people in GQ magazine. His suspension has already caused a political rift."* Cenk Uygur, Ben Mankiewicz, John Iadarola and Jimmy Dore break it down on The Young Turks.

IAmA homeless single mom and I never thought I'd be spending the holiday week here...

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Number of Suicides Surpasses fatalities from Car Accidents in America

"The rise in suicides may also stem from the economic downturn over the past decade. Historically, suicide rates rise during times of financial stress and economic setbacks. “The increase does coincide with a decrease in financial standing for a lot of families over the same time period,” Dr. Arias said..."

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4 Reasons Why You Should Teach Your Children about Santa

Comments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNK20IiVXRo

7 Reasons Why You Should NOT Teach Your Children about Santa

Comments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYoWsQGwWOU

Liberal Zionism in the Era of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement

Three comments on the recent landmark decision by the American Studies Association to boycott Israeli academic institutions, and to express solidarity... Read more

Polygamy: The Bible's Family Value

In the wake of the Sister Wives lawsuit, and the ruling that cohabitation may not be criminally prosecuted in Utah, it is no surprise to once again he... Read more

My buddy and I are looking to revolutionize the shipping industry. Check out our radical new cardboard box design!

Cooper Union's Invention Factory -- Summer 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xExVzADFeWo&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

Conservative Donors Pump $1 Billion A Year Into Climate Denying Groups, Study Finds

The first extensive study of groups that oppose action on climate change found they have received more than $900 million a year ... Read more

"Kill Gays" bill just passed in Uganda - president expected to sign any day now

Ugandans Dance in Streets in Support, Celebration of Kadaga's Promised Christmas "Gift" while she now claims desire for Uganda's "...laws to respect the rights of all Ugandans...

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How A Federal Judge In Utah Adeptly Dismantled All Of The Arguments Against Marriage Equality | ThinkProgress

"Friday’s decision by a federal judge overturning Utah’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage (Amendment 3) represents the first major legal victory for marriage equality since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In that case, United States v. Windsor, the Court only addressed the question of federal recognition of marriage, and though procedural rulings in cases in other state have cited it, the Utah decision is the first time Windsor was cited to completely overturn a state law banning same-sex marriage. In an extremely readable opinion, Judge Robert Shelby — an Obama appointee whose nomination was supported by both Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) — explained not only why Windsor applied, but why the state’s arguments against same-sex marriage fell flat..."
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/12/21/3098351/utah-marriage-equality/