DN Speak

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

If Election Were Held Today, Democrats Would Win House In A Landslide — And Only Win A 5 Seat Majority

If Election Were Held Today, Democrats Would Win House In A Landslide — And Only Win A 5 Seat Majority
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kbSnf

According to a Quinnipiac poll released today, if the election were held today 43 percent of the electorate would support a ... Read more

Why Republicans Are To Blame For Obamacare’s Delays

Why Republicans Are To Blame For Obamacare's Delays
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kbZcC

The Obama administration's decision to delay the enactment of the Affordable Care Act's small business exchanges ... Read more

Why America Needs To Boost Investment Into Early Childhood Education

Why America Needs To Boost Investment Into Early Childhood Education
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kcnfi

New York Times reporter Eduardo Porter has a big piece up today up on the benefits of preschool education and the United ... Read more

Mike Huckabee: Obama May Be Planning To Grab Guns And Launch A Nazi-Like Dictatorship

Mike Huckabee: Obama May Be Planning To Grab Guns And Launch A Nazi-Like Dictatorship
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kcjVX

Republican lawmakers are refusing to support universal background checks, the cornerstone of the Senate's gun violence ... Read more

GOP Pitches ‘Family-Friendly’ Policy That Would Weaken Overtime Pay

GOP Pitches 'Family-Friendly' Policy That Would Weaken Overtime Pay
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kcHiW

House Republicans are planning to consider legislation that would weaken rules requiring businesses to pay workers when they ... Read more

Family Planning Clinics Are Essential Health Care Providers, But They’re Under Attack

Family Planning Clinics Are Essential Health Care Providers, But They're Under Attack
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kcDnQ

In states across the country, women rely on publicly-funded family planning clinics — such as their local Planned ... Read more

Tennessee May Deliberately Exclude Muslim Schools From New Voucher Program

Tennessee May Deliberately Exclude Muslim Schools From New Voucher Program
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kc1G5

Several conservative lawmakers in Tennessee are throwing the brakes on a fast-moving bill that would divert money away from ... Read more

2013 Pigasus Awards Announcement

One of the complaints leveled against me is, "Oh, Bill, you're such a meanie, Why do you have to go after religion? It gives people comfort; it doesn't hurt anything." Okay, well..." Bill Maher [733×550]

One of the complaints leveled against me is, "Oh, Bill, you're such a meanie, Why do you have to go after religion? It gives people comfort; it doesn't hurt anything." Okay, well..." Bill Maher [733×550]
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k60AC

STUDY: States With Loose Gun Laws Have Higher Rates Of Gun Violence

STUDY: States With Loose Gun Laws Have Higher Rates Of Gun Violence
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kbnKa

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and its allies in Congress frequently claim that gun violence is highest in places with ... Read more

Head Of Gun Organization: ‘Time To Hunt Democrats’

Head Of Gun Organization: 'Time To Hunt Democrats'
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k5tZ5

As the Senate prepares to take up a comprehensive gun violence prevention plan later this month, gun advocates have amped up ... Read more

Eleven North Carolina Republicans Sponsor Resolution Saying Their State Can Ignore The Constitution

Eleven North Carolina Republicans Sponsor Resolution Saying Their State Can Ignore The Constitution
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kblxx

The Constitution "does not grant the federal government and does not grant the federal courts the power to determine what ... Read more

Seven States Working Hard To Shut Down Abortion Clinics

Seven States Working Hard To Shut Down Abortion Clinics
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kaQxJ

Abortion opponents are chipping away at reproductive rights from all angles — and one particularly insidious attack on ... Read more

First Amendment doesn't apply here: N.C. lawmakers push bill for state religion

First Amendment doesn't apply here: N.C. lawmakers push bill for state religion
TOP NBCNEWS HEADLINES | APRIL 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kc4hE
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have introduced a bill declaring that the state has the power to establish an official religion — a direct chal... Read more

'White Student Union' Blames 'Black Predators' for Crime

Fox News Guest Says She Went to Heaven and Smelled God

Pat Robertson: Miracles Don't Happen Because...of Science?!

Lizard People?! The Craziest Conspiracy Theories Americans Believe

GOP Quaking in Its Boots Over Sanford's Chances - Women dislike him, and he's playing defense already

http://www.newser.com/story/165585/gop-quaking-in-its-boots-over-sanfords-chances.html

ATHEISM poisons everything - Christopher Hitchens & David Berlinsky

Gay Son of GOP Politician's Heartbreaking 'It Gets Better' Video

The Aryan Brotherhood's 'Jihadist' Murder Streak in the U.S.

O'Reilly Explodes At Laura Ingraham

O'Reilly Explodes At Laura Ingraham
THE HUFFINGTON POST - MAGHREB FEATURED NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kb35B

Bill O'Reilly exploded at conservative radio host Laura Ingraham Tuesday over her criticism of his argument that gay ... Read more

The Truth Behind Calorie Labels

Found one of my favorite Atheism quotes

Found one of my favorite Atheism quotes
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kaG3f

"Koch Suckers" by Old Fart Rants

Who is Alexander von Humboldt? - George Mehler

Crazy - Gay Marriage Will Unleash North Korean Attack, Says Church Leader

GOP Chair: Gay Marriage is a SCAM

Sarah Palin's Embarrassingly Hypocritical PAC Expenses

Jim Carrey & 'Cold Dead Hand' vs. Fox News 'Culture Fart'

"What is the purpose of living if you are an atheist?" Succinctly put answer.

"What is the purpose of living if you are an atheist?" Succinctly put answer.
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k8p3d

STUDY: 80 Percent Of U.S. Teens Are On Their Way To Developing Heart Disease

STUDY: 80 Percent Of U.S. Teens Are On Their Way To Developing Heart Disease
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/kaAWM

According to researchers from the American Heart Association (AHA), a staggering 80 percent of U.S. teens have diets high in ... Read more

Republican Admits Obama Slams Are 'Good'

Republican Admits Obama Slams Are 'Good'
THE HUFFINGTON POST - MAGHREB FEATURED NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k8VZs

While denying suggestions that his persistent criticism of President Barack Obama over the Benghazi attacks is politically ... Read more

Penn Jillette hits the nail on the head again. "I murder all I want, and the amount I want is zero"

Penn Jillette hits the nail on the head again. "I murder all I want, and the amount I want is zero"
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/ka41g

Isn't it so obvious? That gods were created by men? Who could deny it?

Isn't it so obvious? That gods were created by men? Who could deny it?
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k94Is

Couldn't believe it when my mother said this today

Couldn't believe it when my mother said this today
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k7UAs

Six months after Mitt Romney called electric auto company Tesla a "loser," Tesla is posting profits, expects to pay back the Dept. of Energy five years ahead of schedule, and won Motor Trend's Car of the Year.

Six months after Mitt Romney called electric auto company Tesla a "loser," Tesla is posting profits, expects to pay back the Dept. of Energy five years ahead of schedule, and won Motor Trend's Car of the Year.
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k8D0M

Exxon’s Duck-Killing Pipeline Won’t Pay Taxes To Oil Spill Cleanup Fund

Exxon's Duck-Killing Pipeline Won't Pay Taxes To Oil Spill Cleanup Fund
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k9nIF

A technicality has spared Exxon from having to pay any money into the fund that will be covering most of the clean up costs of ... Read more

How Justice Scalia’s Same-Sex Parenting Ignorance Also Harms LGBT Foster Youth

How Justice Scalia's Same-Sex Parenting Ignorance Also Harms LGBT Foster Youth
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k9WOq

Our guest blogger is Lindsay Rosenthal, Research Assistant with the Health Policy Program and the Women's Health and Rights ... Read more

Texas Conservatives Start Fund To Battle Impacts Of Warming-Driven Droughts, But Won’t Mention Climate Change

Texas Conservatives Start Fund To Battle Impacts Of Warming-Driven Droughts, But Won't Mention Climate Change
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 2, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/ka8Tz

Whether Texas lawmakers want to admit it or not, they are already planning for the effects of climate change. Much of Texas has ... Read more

How this millionaire activist is making atheism the next civil rights issue

http://io9.com/how-this-millionaire-activist-is-making-atheism-the-nex-459198569

"We Believe" Todd Stiefel speaking at the Reason Rally (3/23/2012)

The money man behind atheism’s activism

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/23/the-money-man-behind-atheisms-activism/

Will Evangelicals and GOP Split On Gay Marriage?

Reagan Wanted Universal Background Checks; GOP Furious

Dark Money - Did Big Oil Money Launder to Bust Unions?

Mindblowing Benefits in New Tailpipe Pollution Law

Seriously Americans... Silhouette Man Wonders WTF is Wrong with Americans

Seriously Americans... Silhouette Man Wonders WTF is Wrong with Americans
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k8qZ8

Garry Wills: "Why Priests? A Failed Tradition" (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-02-13/garry-wills-why-priests-failed-tradition

Pope Benedict XVI, the Roman Catholic Church's top priest, took the world by surprise with his decision to resign. Pulitzer Prize-winning author -- and lifelong Catholic -- Gary Wills asks why we need priests and suggests Christianity would have been better off without the priesthood.

How Processed Food Took Over The American Diet (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-02-28/how-processed-food-took-over-american-diet

A customer checks out the ready made food section at a grocery store in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Nearly all Americans consume much more sodium than they should, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Most of the sodium comes from common restaurant or grocery store items. Health officials say most Americans get too much salt, mostly from processed and restaurant foods -- not added from the salt shaker.

President Obama's Plan For Universal Preschool (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-02-18/president-obamas-plan-universal-preschool

Before leaving for a weekend getaway, President Barack Obama announced details of a plan to make high-quality preschool available to all American children. It would use federal money to make preschool classes available for more low- and moderate-income children. But the goal would be to persuade states to offer preschool to all who wanted it. The program could cost as much as $10 billion a year -- nearly a tenth of the entire federal education budget. Supporters say it would provide long-term benefits to all American children. Critics are concerned about the scope of the program, its quality controls and the criteria for participation. Diane and her guests discuss the president's plan for universal preschool.

New Questions About The Safety Of Hip Replacements (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-02-14/new-questions-about-safety-hip-replacements

The Food and Drug Administration recently issued new warnings on the safety of some hip replacements. As part of our occasional series, "Mind and Body," Diane and her guests discuss what patients need to know about safety and cost of hip replacements.

The Growing Threat Of Cyber-Espionage (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-02-12/growing-threat-cyber-espionage

Until very recently, cyber espionage was only a concern of intelligence agencies and the military. But a new report warns U.S. infrastructure and businesses are broadly under attack in cyberspace. Experts say the biggest offender is China, whose cyber spies threaten competitiveness and national security. Recent targets include Google, Lockheed Martin and The New York Times. While Congress weighs legislative options, President Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order on cyber security tomorrow. But critics say new laws raise privacy concerns. Diane and guests discuss what to do about the growing threat of cyber-espionage.

The Secret World Of Scientology (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/02/12/the-secret-world-of-scientology

L. Ron Hubbard was a pulp fiction writer so prolific that he typed on an endless roll of butcher paper. He poured out book after book of wild derring-do. He created stories of cowboys and adventurers and science fiction – and then he kept right on going, to create a religion, Scientology.

With deathless souls, billion-year contracts, endless powers and – in Hollywood and beyond – a unique appeal.
To Tom Cruise. To John Travolta. And a dark side, too. Shocking. Secret

This hour, On Point: Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist Lawrence Wright on the world and ways of Scientology.

-Tom Ashbrook

Education Lessons From Top-Ranked Finland And South Korea (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/02/07/finland-south-korea http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/02/07/finland-south-korea

Countries number one and two in the world in the latest global ranking of student academic performance: Finland and South Korea. The U.S. ranked number seventeen, down with Hungary and Slovakia.

We know we can do better, but the interesting thing about the top-ranking two is how very differently they achieve success.
South Korea, super-intense. School all the time. Finland, strikingly laid back. Teachers called by their first names. And yet they both pin the needle on outcomes.

This hour, On Point: two different paths to the very top in education, and what the U.S. can learn.

-Tom Ashbrook

Adderall On Campus: Use And Abuse (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/02/06/adderall

The United States has four percent of the world’s population, and produces 88 percent of the world’s legal stimulant drugs. Including Adderall, the amphetamine-based drug widely prescribed for ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Impressive numbers.

But visit an American college campus, and really pay attention, and they add up. Lots of young Americans, many with no ADHD, taking Adderall just to focus.

To read. To write. To perform. Now there’s Adderall addiction and suicide in the news, but it’s bigger than that.
This hour, On Point: Adderall everywhere on campus.

-Tom Ashbrook

Gay Marriage On The Docket (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/03/28/gay-marriage-supreme-court

The US Supreme Court takes on huge issues. But it takes a giant issue to fill the steps outside the court – and the whole country – with the kind of passion we’ve seen this week.

Gay marriage has gone from deep outlier to broad public acceptance with amazing speed. Now it is in the hands of the court. States’ rights. Federal obligations. History. Morality. A shifting culture. And individual rights and liberties under the US Constitution, all before the court.

This hour On Point: the arguments, the outlook, and the history of social change and the law as the Supreme Court weighs gay marriage.

- Tom Ashbrook

The Inquisition: A Model For Modern Interrogators

Interview:
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/23/145512271/the-inquisition-a-model-for-modern-interrogators

The individuals who participated in the first Inquisition 800 years ago kept detailed records of their activities. Vast archival collections at the Vatican, in France and in Spain contain accounts of torture victims' cries, descriptions of funeral pyres and even meticulous financial records about the price of torture equipment...

Week In The News (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/03/29/week-in-the-news-236

The highest court in the land tackles same-sex marriage. “On the National Day to Demand Action,” President Obama says, “Shame on us,” for not cracking down on guns since Newtown.

North Dakota enacts the toughest restrictions on abortion in the nation. Tensions grow between North and South Korea. With an EU bailout, Cyprus banks reopened yesterday.

A massive landslide in Washington State. And, Tiger Woods, back on top.
This hour On Point: Our week in the news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

- Jane Clayson

Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-03-29/friday-news-roundup-domestic

President Barack Obama urges lawmakers to pass gun control legislation as Republicans threaten a Senate filibuster. In Connecticut, unsealed search warrants for the Newtown shooter reveal a large stash of weapons and ammunition. The Supreme Court hears arguments in two cases involving same-sex marriage. Questioning by the Justices suggests the Court might strike down DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. The so-called “Gang of Eight” senators visits the U.S.-Mexico border. Housing prices reach the highest levels in six years but consumer confidence drops. And North Dakota passes the nation’s strictest abortion laws. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)

Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-03-29/friday-news-roundup-international

Cyprus banks reopen under tight controls. The Arab League recognizes the Syrian opposition. And a new government crackdown in Egypt. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

Hours after Republicans call the Keystone XL pipeline a “no-brainer” that passes environmental “muster,” ExxonMobil spills 10,000 barrels of crude oil in a residential neighborhood. [Video]

Hours after Republicans call the Keystone XL pipeline a "no-brainer" that passes environmental "muster," ExxonMobil spills 10,000 barrels of crude oil in a residential neighborhood. [Video]
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k6vNz
Read more

Ronald Reagan's big fat lie: 93 percent of non-home wealth is now owned by the richest quintile of Americans, while everyone else has experienced a 35-year decline in income.

Ronald Reagan's big fat lie: 93 percent of non-home wealth is now owned by the richest quintile of Americans, while everyone else has experienced a 35-year decline in income.
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k6tXi

Tennessee Advances Legislation That Would Tie Welfare To Children’s Grades

Tennessee Advances Legislation That Would Tie Welfare To Children's Grades
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k7RD7

Two Tennessee lawmakers introduced legislation that would tie welfare assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy ... Read more

Congressman Claims Immigrants Are Turning America Into A ‘Sinking Ship’

Congressman Claims Immigrants Are Turning America Into A 'Sinking Ship'
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k7QSn

Three days after one of the longest-serving House Republicans called Latinos "wetbacks," a GOP Congressman told the ... Read more

No, American Corporations Aren’t Paying The World’s Highest Tax Rate

No, American Corporations Aren't Paying The World's Highest Tax Rate
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/jQRrx

Japan lowered its corporate tax rate one year ago this week, leaving the United States with the highest statutory corporate tax ... Read more

Don’t Believe The Hype: Medicaid Expansion Won’t Overwhelm The U.S. Health Care System

Don't Believe The Hype: Medicaid Expansion Won't Overwhelm The U.S. Health Care System
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k7g6K

One concern consistently raised by Obamacare skeptics is the effect that the law's optional Medicaid expansion will have ... Read more

If you want to know how much worse our economic recovery could be, check out Scott Walker’s austerity-rocked Wisconsin — which has gone from 11th in job creation to 44th in just two years.

If you want to know how much worse our economic recovery could be, check out Scott Walker's austerity-rocked Wisconsin — which has gone from 11th in job creation to 44th in just two years.
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k778Q

His super religious mother was so pissed.

His super religious mother was so pissed.
REDDIT TOP NEWS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k7kmC

In An Ominous Sign For Women Workers, Full Federal Appeals Court Agrees To Hear Birth Control Case

In An Ominous Sign For Women Workers, Full Federal Appeals Court Agrees To Hear Birth Control Case
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k752L

Last December, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a request from crafting retail chain ... Read more

Ted Cruz: Obamacare Forces States To Release Violent Criminals Onto The Streets

Ted Cruz: Obamacare Forces States To Release Violent Criminals Onto The Streets
THINKPROGRESS | APRIL 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k3ABv

States that expand their Medicaid programs under a provision in the Affordable Care Act will be forced to open their prison ... Read more

Do Atheists Have a Civil Rights Problem?

Fox Fail: Sex Ed Isn't Worth It??

Harvard Doctor removed from Mississippi Board of Health because of affiliation with abortion...AND REPLACED with college dropout, forced-birth advocate. VISIBILITY NEEDED PLEASE.

Harvard Doctor removed from Mississippi Board of Health because of affiliation with abortion...AND REPLACED with college dropout, forced-birth advocate. VISIBILITY NEEDED PLEASE.
REDDIT TOP NEWS | MARCH 31, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/jZ6jo

Spring Bicycle Maintenance: DIY Bike Check

Spring Bicycle Maintenance: DIY Bike Check
| MARCH 29, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k2NTe

Use these checkpoints to make sure it's safe to return your wheels to the road this spring. Itching to get back in the saddle this spring? Your first... Read more

Ex-Reagan Adviser Issues Harsh Criticism Of Bush Policies

Ex-Reagan Adviser Issues Harsh Criticism Of Bush Policies
THE HUFFINGTON POST - MAGHREB FEATURED NEWS | MARCH 31, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k6pXK

A former adviser of Ronald Reagan has some choice words for George W. Bush. David Stockman, Reagan's budget director from 1981 ... Read more

'ESPECIALLY ABSURD'

'ESPECIALLY ABSURD'
THE HUFFINGTON POST - MAGHREB FEATURED NEWS | MARCH 30, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k3Q83

WASHINGTON — Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal ... Read more

Chris Rock

Chris Rock
REDDIT TOP NEWS | MARCH 31, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k5moV

Easter Fun: Contradictions in the Resurrection Story

Easter Fun: Contradictions in the Resurrection Story
REDDIT TOP NEWS | MARCH 31, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k5gJP

While the North Dakota legislature,was busy protecting fetuses with some of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws, it killed a bill providing free milk or juice to impoverished schoolchildren who had actually been born. Protect the fetus, shun the child?

While the North Dakota legislature,was busy protecting fetuses with some of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws, it killed a bill providing free milk or juice to impoverished schoolchildren who had actually been born. Protect the fetus, shun the child?
REDDIT TOP NEWS | MARCH 31, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/k5hJu