Welcome To Fantasy Island: U.S. House Majority Leader Fights For ‘School Choice’ With Dubious Data

" ... Studies and reports consistently show that vouchers don’t improve student academic performance. Nor do they offer families any meaningful choices – the best schools have the opportunity to pick which students they want to accept, and vouchers don’t do anything to change that..."

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Congress Members Use Immigration Myths To Justify Reform Opposition

While some House Republicans are keen on maybe bringing immigration reform "to the floor over the next few months," others are ... Read more

Not An Isolated Incident: Christie Has Been Repeatedly Accused Of Political Retribution

Christie vetoed hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for a New Jersey college professor who backed a re-districting map ... Read more

Women At Risk For Breast Cancer Will Get Free Preventive Medications Under Obamacare

Thanks to the health law, breast cancer prevention drugs like tamoxifen and raloxifene will be available without a co-pay.The ... Read more

New York Governor Announces $1 Billion For Solar Energy

New York governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his State of the State address on Wednesday and announced an even greater commitment ... Read more

How IRS drives taxpayers crazy

"... The agency's funding has been cut by about 8% since 2010, including an 87% drop in its training budget. Its full-time personnel have been reduced by nearly 8,000 people over the same period.

The government shutdown in October and the onset of automatic spending cuts known as sequestration haven't helped matters.

And all the while, Congress has greatly expanded the agency's responsibilities -- for instance, it plays a key role in the administration of Obamacare.

As a result, Olson notes, the IRS last year was only able to respond to 61% of taxpayer calls received, and 47% of correspondence. It has also reduced or eliminated taxpayer services at walk-in sites around the country..."
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Is Sugar Addiction Why So Many January Diets Fail?

 Indulge or resist? Sugar cravings can be a serious cha... Read more

Vermont Lawmakers Introduce A Bill To Protect Women’s Right To Choose

It represents the latest proactive piece of legislation to expand reproductive rights, rather than restrict them.The post ... Read more

Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Calls For Minimum Wage Cut, Then Backs Down Under Pressure

Bruce Rauner made $7.36 per second last year but wanted to slash Illinois' minimum wage to $7.25 per hour.The post Illinois ... Read more

No, Marriage Is Not A Good Way To Fight Poverty

Sen. Marco Rubio claims marriage is the best tool for fighting poverty. Here's what the research says.The post No, Marriage Is ... Read more

Betty Bowers Explains Abortion to Everyone Else

Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian, takes a moment out of her busybody day, to settle once and for all America's most contentious subject: abortion. This video may offend some. But, then again, the truth always does . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq3U09DeKpg

No Sympathy For The Devil?: Proposed Satanist Monument Enrages Okla. Lawmakers

"Members of a group called the Satanic Temple mistakenly released images of its proposed monument at the Oklahoma state capitol, igniting a predictable furor among supporters of the state’s controversial Ten Commandments display."

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'Golden age' of antibiotics 'set to end'

"...: We cannot say we weren't warned. The growing threat of antibiotic resistant organisms is once again in the spotlight. Prof Jeremy Farrar, the new head of Britain's biggest medical research charity The Wellcome Trust said it was a 'truly global issue'"...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25654112

Senator Will Only Support Unemployment Benefits If Congress Stops Helping Children Of Immigrants

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) is forcing a choice between extending a lifeline for unemployed Americans and taking one away from the ... Read more

5 things we just learned about Fox's Roger Ailes

"For the three years that Gabriel Sherman was reporting and writing "The Loudest Voice in the Room," a biography of the Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, friends and enemies of both men (and impartial observers) wondered what surprising information Sherman would dig up..."

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Elizabeth Warren, Top Conservative Seek To Expose True Cost Of Legal Settlements With The Feds

Federal officials tend to exaggerate how good a deal they've gotten for the American people in legal settlements.The post ... Read more

Republicans Are Being Taught How To Look Compassionate While Denying Benefits To The Long-Term Unemployed

Republicans are learning how to message -- but their resistance to extending unemployment benefits isn't shifting. The post ... Read more

Introduing: Secular Safe House

"The Mission of Secular Safe House is to provide physical “secular safe houses” via a network of facilities and private homes as well as a virtual community of support for those coming out of religion, cults or as LGBT.  Here’s how you can become an ally of those coming out of the chaos..."
http://secularsafehouse.org/become-an-ally/

Report: House Of Representatives Voted 109 Times To Undermine Environmental Efforts In 2013

Votes include a bill that would have imposed a $5000 fee on environmental protesters.The post Report: House Of Representatives ... Read more

How sugar affects the brain - Nicole Avena

"When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXBxijQREo&feature=youtu.be

GOPer On Jobless Benefits: They Pay People 'Not To Work Forever'

An Illinois Republican congressional candidate who gained notoriety last month by comparing "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson to Rosa Parks argued in... Read more

Boehner Angles to Kill Jobless Benefits As Senate Moves Forward

In a surprising move Tuesday, six Republicans joined Senate Democrats to break a filibuster and advance a three-month revival of unemployment insuranc... Read more

GOP Memo Coaches Members To Show Empathy Toward Unemployed

"...A memo from House leadership to the Republican caucus coaches members on how to speak about unemployment in a compassionate manner, according to the Washington Post.

The memo tells representatives that unemployment is a "personal crisis" and asks them to give "proper consideration" to an extension of longterm unemployment benefits..."
... Read more

Satanists unveil 7 foot tall goat-headed Baphomet statue for Oklahoma state capitol "The lap will serve as a seat for visitors"

"...A group of Satanists who hope to build a statue of the devil next to a monument of the Ten Commandments by Oklahoma's Capitol building have unveiled their proposed design..."

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/oklahoma-satanic-temple-unveils-design-baphomet-devil-statue-1431330

Mitch McConnell Attempts To Hold Unemployment Benefits Hostage For Obamacare Delay

Mitch McConnell suggests that Democrats should agree to a one-year delay of Obamacare's individual mandate. The post Mitch ... Read more

How States Refusing To Expand Medicaid Are Undermining The Fight Against HIV

Nearly 200,000 Americans with HIV will have more coverage options under Obamacare. But GOP-led states refusing the health law's ... Read more

REPORT: Hospital Prices Are Skyrocketing And Americans Are Getting Stuck With The Bill

According to new data from a national nurses' union, some hospitals in the U.S. charge patients 10 times more than the actual ... Read more

A Third Of Americans Lived In Poverty For At Least 2 Months After The Recession

While poverty was temporary for many, more and more can't escape it.The post A Third Of Americans Lived In Poverty For At Least ... Read more

5 Ways The GOP Will Continue Trying To Undermine Obamacare In 2014

Millions of Americans have already signed up for coverage under Obamacare. But that won't stop the GOP from trying to target ... Read more

Fact Check: Congressman Says ‘Illegal Aliens’ Will Turn Georgia Blue

This congressman believes that Georgia will turn blue if "illegal aliens" are given a chance to vote.The post Fact Check: ... Read more

Discerning what is – and isn't – persecution

"In America, a reality TV star gets suspended for controversial remarks on race and homosexuality and conservative Christians claim victim and martyr status in the media. In Egypt, churches are torched by Islamic mobs and those Christians respond instead with humility and prayers for their persecutors..."

http://www.abpnews.com/culture/social-issues/item/28202-discerning-what-is-and-isn-t-persecution#.UswKHLSOeP0

The ONLY Group Opposing Racial Equality [POLL]

"It is an undeniable fact that the United States is becoming increasingly diverse, rapidly heading toward the day when there will no longer be any clear racial or ethnic majority in the U.S. population. You might think America, with its long history of racial panics, might be freaking out.

But it turns out, according to a massive new study of public attitudes about rising diversity by CAP and PolicyLink, that's not so. Americans are reacting amazingly well to growing diversity — with the curious exception of white conservatives.

Already, more than half of newborns today are children of color, and demographers predict that more than half of all youth will be of color before the end of this decade. As youth drive this demographic change, each generation is becoming more racially and ethnically mixed than the one before."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYgsM2CzKq0

8 movies on Netflix Instant Streaming that you probably haven't seen, but should.

"...After Cuban teenager Raul is accused of assault, he and his best friend decide to flee the country and make the 90-mile journey to the United States. Elio's twin sister -- whom he is reluctant to leave behind -- narrates their harrowing story...."

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Health Care Costs Grew More Slowly Than The Economy In 2012

Health Care Costs Grew More Slowly Than The Economy In 2012 by Julie Rovner January 06, 2014 5:30 PM Listen to the Story All Things Considered 3 ... Read more

Funding Could Dry Up For Kentucky's Noah's Ark Theme Park

Funding Could Dry Up For Kentucky's Noah's Ark Theme Park by Scott Neuman January 06, 2014 8:55 PM i i Mike Zovath, co-founder of Answers in Genes... Read more

Sunday Assembly: A Church For The Godless Picks Up Steam

"...Congregants in Los Angeles were encouraged to volunteer to read to children at a downtown elementary school, to donate blood and plant some trees with a local charity organization....
It sometimes feels like church in the auditorium of the Professional Musicians union in Hollywood. It's a Sunday morning, and hundreds of people are gathered to meditate, sing and listen to inspirational poetry and stories.
But then, the live band starts up — performing songs by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Jerry Lee Lewis. And instead of a sermon, there's a lecture by experimental psychologist and neuroscientist Jessica Cail about the biology of gender identification and sexual orientation...

"...There's little talk of God at "Sunday Assembly," but you will find community, music and skepticism. There are now almost 30 congregations in several c... "    Read more

Zoroaster – forgotten prophet of the one God | John Palmer | Comment is free | theguardian.com

The Abrahamic religions were preceded, and decisively influenced by, followers of an earlier prophet.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/jul/13/abrahamic-religion-zoroastrian-judaism

Religious Right Leaders Meet To Plot Big-Money Blitz For 2014 Elections

"The Religious Right hopes to take a page from the playbooks of Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers. ...
Politico reported that 25 organizations participated in the summit, among them Gary Bauer’s American Values, Focus on the Family, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, Americans United for Life, the Family Research Council and the National Organization for Marriage. Representatives of various Tea Party groups and organizations affiliated with the infamous Koch Brothers were also on hand..."
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The Price of GOP Obamacare Sabotage In One Chart

The GOP's relentless assault on Obamacare hasn't succeeded in repealing or defunding the law, but it has managed to do something: prevent a lot of uni... Read more

The USA paid $200 billion dollars to cable company's to provide the US with Fiber internet. They took the money and didn't do anything with it.

"...Over the decade from 1994-2004 the major telephone companies profited from higher phone rates paid by all of us, accelerated depreciation on their networks, and direct tax credits an average of $2,000 per subscriber for which the companies delivered precisely nothing in terms of service to customers. That's $200 billion with nothing to be shown for it..."


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Wind power was Spain's top source of electricity in 2013: Remarkable new figures from Spain's grid operator have revealed that greenhouse gas emissions from the country's power sector are likely to have fallen 23.1% last year, as power generation from wind farms and hydroelectric plants soared.

Surge in wind power and hydropower drives emissions down by more than 23%, reports BusinessGreen

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/06/wind-power-spain-electricity-2013

Free learning sources on the Internet

http://www.reddit.com/r/DecidingToBeBetter/comments/1ugcvt/24_awesome_skills_to_learn_for_free_online/cehzb7p

Co-worker dropped this one on me

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Hey, Joe Gordon-Levitt here. Watch the whole first episode of my show HITRECORD ON TV!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am beside myself with joy and anticipation :oD It is my sincere pleasure to present the very first episode of HITRECORD ON TV! Watch the entire first episode here before it premieres on television.

Everything you're gonna see on this show was made collaboratively on our site -- hitRECord.org -- and the work of 426 Contributing Artists is featured in this particular episode. There's gonna be 8 episodes this season, each revolving around a different theme, like RE: Space, RE: The Other Side, and RE: Money. And since this is our first ever episode, I figured the theme of this one would be RE: The Number One. HITRECORD ON TV will be coming out on January 18th on a new cable channel called Pivot.

I'm deeply proud of this show, and I think you're realllllly gonna like it. Honestly, making this thing together with all the artists from around the world in our hitRECord community has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life so far. So, without any further ado, enjoy the show!"

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Koch Groups Alone Raised More In 2012 Than Candidates Spent During Entire 2000 Presidential Election

A political network linked to conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch raised $407 million in the last presidential ... Read more

Virginia Legislator Proposes Letting Schools Teach Kids That Climate Change And Evolution May Not Exist

 A new bill, up for consideration this year in the Virginia General Assembly, would give Virginia's public school teachers ... Read more

Anatomy Of A Hit Job: Expert Featured On 60 Minutes Exposes How Show Knowingly Ignored Facts On Clean Energy

 "What's the matter with 60 Minutes?" The post Anatomy Of A Hit Job: Expert Featured On 60 Minutes Exposes How Show Knowingly ... Read more

Senator James Inhofe Rejects The ‘Global Warming Thing’ Because It’s Cold Outside

 Cold weather tends to bring the climate change deniers out -- in the Senate, that would be Senator James Inhofe (R-OK). The ... Read more

How to fossilize...yourself - Phoebe A. Cohen

"You can aspire to great things in life, but how about in death? Could you be one of the world's greatest fossils many years from now? To ensure being found by a future paleontologist, you'll need to die in a highly specific way (think within tree sap or on the bottom of the ocean floor), and nature takes care of the rest. Phoebe A. Cohen details the steps your body must take to find future fame as a fossil."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDIQzUSezmA

Super Strong Micro-Muscles! (Brainstorm Ep168)

Science update: actuators, stem cells, news in evolution...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbLbFnsTPWg

Tea Party Group Demands Something You'll Never Guess

"The Southern Co. makes billion-dollar decisions that affect millions of people in Georgia, yet it has attracted little political scrutiny -- until now.

Leaders of the Atlanta Tea Party are challenging Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power over the monopoly's reluctance to increase its use of solar power, the ballooning costs of building a new nuclear power plant and even its legal right to monopoly status.

The group's action in Georgia seems relatively rare among the loosely linked tea party organizations nationally."*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viUIFqzHMX0

Biblical birth control: The surprisingly contraception-friendly Old Testament - Salon.com

"... As many have already argued, we should not have to live our lives according to certain groups’ interpretations of religious laws. But as a student of ancient religious texts – I run a secular Jewish house of study for culture-makers in New York – I take real issue with these groups’ reading of the Bible, too.

"The Old Testament, despite some believers’ insistence to the contrary, does not take a hard line against contraception or abortion. The Bible and the 24 other books that make up the Jewish canon make both direct references and thinly veiled allusions to women using contraception..."

http://www.salon.com/2014/01/05/biblical_birth_control_the_surprisingly_contraception_friendly_old_testament/

The Politics of Abortion in Latin America

"...However, the church’s strong opposition to abortion has not been constant. While the church has always condemned abortion, it used to be considered a misdemeanor and not a murder of an innocent human life, as in the current discourse. In addition, it was not until the late 1800s that the church considered that life started at conception. Until 1869, a fetus was thought to receive its soul from 40 to 80 days after conception, abortion being a sin only after the ensoulment had taken place..."

http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/07/17/the-politics-of-abortion-in-latin-america/

Killed For Being Gay In Latin America - It's Worse Than You Think

"The human rights arm of the Washington-based Organization of American States recently launched a database about the trend, with killings in the region often running at several a day.

Yet like most other sources, it may only include a fraction of the real toll. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists warn that most homophobic murders in Latin America are never officially registered by local police or courts as such.

One example is Brazil. Rio de Janeiro might be famous for its drag queens and "travestis," gender-bending sex workers, but growing up gay in much of the South American giant is no picnic, says Maria Guilhermina Cunha Salasario, the vice president of the Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals."* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDXcdDQj3I

Michigan Officials Will Defend Discrimination With Showcase Of Gay Parenting Pseudoscience | ThinkProgress

"The case challenging Michigan’s bans on same-sex marriage and adoption will go to trial in February, and state officials announced Friday that they are going to showcase four prominent “researchers” who claim that same-sex parenting harms children: Mark Regnerus, Douglas Allen, Loren Marks, and Joseph Price.
Here’s a look at the “research” these four have produced that will likely inform their testimony..."


http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/11/18/2957551/michigan-regnerus-parenting/

60 Minutes Hit Job On Clean Energy Ignores The Facts

Clean technology is booming by every key indicator -- but you would never know that from Sunday's absurd 60 Minutes piece ... Read more

Debate: Were the Nazis Evolutionists?: Richard Weikart vs Hector Avalos

Mickelson Anytime (May 19, 2008): "Was Darwinism MORE significant than Christian anti-Judaism in explaining Nazi ideology?"

Historian Richard Weikart (author of "From Darwin to Hitler") easily bests atheist Hector Avalos in this important debate. This debate was provoked from the documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH96XDLxkCc

The GOP’s ‘Jobs’ Hypocrisy

I bring good news this new year! Conservatives have a jobs agenda, one that isn't built around merely cutting taxes and regulations and getting the go... Read more

Gay Marriage Opponents Call For Uprising In Utah

The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association on Saturday organized a meeting in Highland, Utah to call for an uprising and to express th... Read more

Poverty Rate Would Be Nearly Twice As High Without Government Programs

Social Security, tax credits, and other programs are keeping millions out of poverty.The post Poverty Rate Would Be Nearly ... Read more

Where's All the Nuclear Waste We Dumped in the Ocean? - Wall Street Journal raises questions decades later

The US dumped vast quantities of nuclear material off its coasts between 1946 and 1970—more than 110,000 containers, says one official count. Today, the whereabouts of many of those 55-gallon drums and other containers is a big question mark, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Many were not dropped on target," according to a 2010 federal report.

http://www.newser.com/story/180117/wheres-all-the-nuclear-waste-we-dumped-in-the-ocean.html

Canadian libricide: Tories torch and dump centuries of priceless, irreplaceable environmental archives

'"...Unsurprisingly, given the Canadian Conservatives' war on the environment, the worst-faring archives were those that related to climate research. The legendary environmental research resources of the St. Andrews Biological Station in St. Andrews, New Brunswick are gone. The Freshwater Institute library in Winnipeg and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland: gone. Both collections were world-class..."
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All-Nighters May Cause Brain Damage - Maybe get that studying done early

http://www.newser.com/story/180136/all-nighters-may-cause-brain-damage.html