Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Pentagon Says GOP's Benghazi Probes Have Cost Millions
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress' multiple investigations of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, have cost the Pentago... Read more
The 'Religious Liberty' Campaign May Be Backfiring For Conservatives
"...After years of shedding crocodile tears for the victims of late-term abortions, anti-choicers are now finding themselves defending businesses who in open court argue that the dividing line between acceptable contraception and murderous abortion occurs moments after sexual intercourse — when women instantly transition from autonomous individuals to “hosts” for a state-protected zygote. And after years of arguing against marriage equality on behalf of the positive “rights” of men and women in “traditional marriage,” those who actually think gay people in love are abominations unto the Lord are being exposed for who they really are..."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-religious-liberty-campaign-may-be-backfiring-for-conservatives
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-religious-liberty-campaign-may-be-backfiring-for-conservatives
Damning study blames BP oil spill for heart defects in fish
Scientists find evidence of Deepwater Horizon's potentially lethal effect on commercial fish species
Read more
Read more
Georgia Governor Expected To Sign ‘The Most Extreme Gun Bill In America’
A sweeping bill to allow guns in bars, airports, and libraries has made its way to the governor's desk. The post Georgia ... Read more
Ohio Pipeline Spill Twice As Large As Original Estimate
20,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a damaged pipeline into a nature reserve in southwest Ohio, double the initial ... Read more
BP Refinery Leaks Oil Into Lake Michigan
An Indiana official said a sheen of about 5,000 square yards was reported on Lake Michigan Monday afternoon.The post BP ... Read more
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Contraception Looks Like a Loser
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Hobby Lobby and
Conestoga Wood cases Tuesday, in which two companies have challenged the
Affordable Care... Read more
Detroit Gives Oil Co HUGE Tax Break, Learns How Capitalism ACTUALLY Works
Join the fight against money in politics: http://www.wolf-pac.com
"In an attempt to get more people hired in Detroit, the city decided to award a $175 million tax break to Marathon Petroleum as it underwent a "massive expansion project." This should have been enough to get a significant number of people hired, but today the City Council blasted the refinery for using all that money to hire just 15 Detroit residents.
(We're pretty sure that each resident did not receive a $11.6 million salary, or anything close to that amount.)
According to the Detroit Free Press, Marathon Petroleum has 514 employees, hiring an additional 194 people ever since the $2.2 billion expansion began in 2007. Out of those employees, however, only 30 of them are from Detroit, and 15 of those employees were hired in the expansion, which the City Council find ludicrous."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/kRHjmJx-5cw
"In an attempt to get more people hired in Detroit, the city decided to award a $175 million tax break to Marathon Petroleum as it underwent a "massive expansion project." This should have been enough to get a significant number of people hired, but today the City Council blasted the refinery for using all that money to hire just 15 Detroit residents.
(We're pretty sure that each resident did not receive a $11.6 million salary, or anything close to that amount.)
According to the Detroit Free Press, Marathon Petroleum has 514 employees, hiring an additional 194 people ever since the $2.2 billion expansion began in 2007. Out of those employees, however, only 30 of them are from Detroit, and 15 of those employees were hired in the expansion, which the City Council find ludicrous."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/kRHjmJx-5cw
'Social Welfare' Groups A Dark Money Scam & This Scary Chart Proves It
"More and more money is going into U.S. elections without any disclosure of where it's coming from.
Spending by "dark money" groups -- organizations that do not have to disclose the sources of their political money -- has skyrocketed from about $25 million in 2000 to about $336 million in 2012, according to Federal Election Commission and Internal Revenue Service data that the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in U.S. politics, sent to The Huffington Post.
As CRP's infographic below shows, the vast majority of dark money can be attributed to so-called "social welfare" groups, considered 501(c)(4) nonprofits. "Social welfare" groups have been a choice form of political spending for everyone from corporations to unions because of the anonymity they provide."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/3PKEBH1E7ZQ
Spending by "dark money" groups -- organizations that do not have to disclose the sources of their political money -- has skyrocketed from about $25 million in 2000 to about $336 million in 2012, according to Federal Election Commission and Internal Revenue Service data that the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in U.S. politics, sent to The Huffington Post.
As CRP's infographic below shows, the vast majority of dark money can be attributed to so-called "social welfare" groups, considered 501(c)(4) nonprofits. "Social welfare" groups have been a choice form of political spending for everyone from corporations to unions because of the anonymity they provide."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/3PKEBH1E7ZQ
Beautiful Response To An Ugly Offer From A Known Catholic Bigot
"The Catholic League's Bill Donohue, pit bull of the Catholic Church in America and a man who now seems completely out of touch with his own pope, is furious that Guinness beer opted for diversity rather than bigotry when the company decided to pull out as a sponsor of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City this year. Donohue has now called for a Catholic boycott of Guinness beer (we'll get to that in a minute), and yesterday he also applied to the NYC Pride march committee to march this June in the parade under a banner that reads, "Straight Is Great," and the committee has agreed to let him march.
I say: Bring it on! Let's let Bill Donohue march in the parade and show that we are better than those troglodytes who run the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York, increasingly out of touch with the world. Of course, the Pride parade is about LGBT pride, so perhaps Donohue has to tweak that banner a bit to say, "Straights Who Support Gays Are Great," or "Catholics Who Support Gays Are Great." After all, the LGBT people who want to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade don't want to march under a banner that says, "Gay Is Great." They want to celebrate Irish pride and being gay and would more likely have a banner that says, "Irish, Gay and Proud.""* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/DwuSFuwemgc
I say: Bring it on! Let's let Bill Donohue march in the parade and show that we are better than those troglodytes who run the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York, increasingly out of touch with the world. Of course, the Pride parade is about LGBT pride, so perhaps Donohue has to tweak that banner a bit to say, "Straights Who Support Gays Are Great," or "Catholics Who Support Gays Are Great." After all, the LGBT people who want to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade don't want to march under a banner that says, "Gay Is Great." They want to celebrate Irish pride and being gay and would more likely have a banner that says, "Irish, Gay and Proud.""* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/DwuSFuwemgc
Surprising Allies In The Fight For Birth Control
*Their discussion about the Bible is misinformed, but their report of current events is valuable.
"As the Supreme Court prepares to hear two religious challenges to Obamacare's birth control provision, it may appear that battle lines are drawn in the sand between faith communities and secular interests. But that's actually somewhat of a false dichotomy. Not all religious groups are opposed to contraceptive coverage — and some are actually speaking up in favor of it, urging the nation's highest court to rule in favor of the health law.
A group of 45 religious leaders have signed onto a letter in support of birth control coverage, pointing out that the two for-profit companies challenging Obamacare don't speak for all people of faith. Although Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood are arguing that extending birth control coverage to workers is a violation of their religious liberty, the letter's signatories point out that isn't how that concept has traditionally been defined."* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down.
http://youtu.be/ADemjxTeUcw
"As the Supreme Court prepares to hear two religious challenges to Obamacare's birth control provision, it may appear that battle lines are drawn in the sand between faith communities and secular interests. But that's actually somewhat of a false dichotomy. Not all religious groups are opposed to contraceptive coverage — and some are actually speaking up in favor of it, urging the nation's highest court to rule in favor of the health law.
A group of 45 religious leaders have signed onto a letter in support of birth control coverage, pointing out that the two for-profit companies challenging Obamacare don't speak for all people of faith. Although Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood are arguing that extending birth control coverage to workers is a violation of their religious liberty, the letter's signatories point out that isn't how that concept has traditionally been defined."* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down.
http://youtu.be/ADemjxTeUcw
RWW News: Michele Bachmann Calls America To Prayer
Rep. Michele Bachmann promotes the upcoming "Washington: A Man Of Prayer" event by explaining how God has blessed and formed America.
http://youtu.be/h1lc2myT-g8
http://youtu.be/h1lc2myT-g8
Bill Clinton: Learning to Work with Others
Fareed Zakaria asks President Bill Clinton if it is possible to learn how to successfully work with others.
http://youtu.be/5momchgLRFE
http://youtu.be/5momchgLRFE
The Unholy Trinity Tour
This tongue-in-cheek-titled event features 3 atheist activists (AronRa, Matt Dillahunty and Seth Andrews) giving individual presentations, and then coming together on stage for an hour of audience interaction.
http://youtu.be/axM3qWkTTT8
http://youtu.be/axM3qWkTTT8
Soon The Ocean Will Be Generating Power Near Seattle
The 10-year pilot project will install two underwater turbines in the Admirality Inlet of Puget Sound, to test their ... Read more
Apple Adds NPR News Channel To iTunes Radio
Apple's iTunes Radio has gained a news channel today with the addition of NPR, as first reported by re/code and confirmed ... Read more
Christian Right Has Major Role in Hastening Decline of Religion in America | Alternet
"...Political scientists Robert Putman and David Campbell, the authors of American Grace,
argue that the Christian Right’s politicization of faith in the 1990s
turned younger, socially liberal Christians away from churches, even as
conservatives became more zealous. “While the Republican base has become
ever more committed to mixing religion and politics, the rest of the
country has been moving in the opposite direction.”..."
http://www.alternet.org/belief/religion-america-great-decline-christian-right-has-major-role-hastening-it?paging=off¤t_page=1
Report: Taxpayers Subsidize Anti-Science Curriculum In 14 States
Taxpayers in 14 states are subsidizing a sometimes vehemently anti-science curriculum at private religious schools through voucher programs, a Politic... Read more
TIL Negative stimuli is processed in the brain by the amygdala...
...whereas positive memories are processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala and sleep-deprived people can have problems recalling positive memories, yet recall negative memories just fine.
Read more
Read more
With Sobering Science, Doctor Debunks 12-Step Recovery
There is a large body of evidence now looking at AA success rate, and the success rate of AA is between 5 and 10 percent. Most people don't seem to know that because it's not widely publicized.
Read more
Read more
How Mark Twain became Mark Twain: The amazing story of the lectures that made him a superstar
He was broke, tired of being a freelancer and bored in California. One trip and some lectures changed everything
Read more
Read more
"You don't talk about the spherical earth with NASA and then say let's give equal time to the flat-earthers," said Tyson.
"...The show's host, Neil deGrasse Tyson, has flat-out denied the
requests and has made it abundantly clear that the show will contain
scientifically-proven fact. He said while he approves of the media's
ethos to provide opposing views so they may remain balanced, that has no
place in science..."
Read more
Read more
Read This One Document To Understand What The Christian Right Hopes To Gain From Hobby Lobby | ThinkProgress
It’s should be noted that Hobby Lobby’s concerns are not grounded in science.
As a brief filed by multiple health provider groups — including the
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — explains, “there
is a scientific distinction between a contraceptive and an abortifacient
and the scientific record demonstrates that none of the FDA-approved
contraceptives covered by the Mandate are abortifacients.” So Hobby
Lobby isn’t just claiming the right to object to abortion, it is
claiming the right to label many common forms of birth control a form of
“abortion” and object to those as well — even though drugs and devices
don’t actually cause abortions.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/03/24/3416549/hobby-lobby-they-have-a-plan/
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/03/24/3416549/hobby-lobby-they-have-a-plan/
A Quarter of Mississippi Residents Struggle To Afford Food
In 16 states, at least one in five residents couldn't afford the food
they needed at least once over the past year.The post A ... Read more
Solar Power Is Now Just As Cheap As Conventional Electricity In Italy And Germany
An analysis by Eclareon shows solar's levelized cost of energy at grid parity with other sources of electricity in both ... Read more
Koch-Funded Groups Fuel Assault On Kansas Clean Energy Law
A bill designed to repeal Kansas' renewable energy standard is moving quickly through the state legislature -- led by ... Read more
Slippery Slope
What you need to know about the Hobby Lobby case.The post Slippery Slope appeared first on ThinkProgress. Read more
Monday, March 24, 2014
Expiring on Netflix 3/28/2014: Udaan
Upon returning to his industrial hometown, a young man must decide whether to follow his own dreams or acquiesce to his father's plans for his future.
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Udaan/70139542?trkid=13641790
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Udaan/70139542?trkid=13641790
The Billionaire-Funded Obamacare Attack Ad That "IS NOT Political"
"Americans for Prosperity, the well-funded conservative group that has been attacking Democrats in battleground states over the health care reform law, put out TV ads Monday against Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Mark Udall (D-CO).
But what's notable about the ads is what they aren't: A personalized story of someone who's been negatively affected by Obamacare, the kind of verifiable set of facts that can be checked -- and rebutted, as happened with a recent AFP ad that led to significant backlash from the fact-checking community.
"People don't like political ads. I don't like them either," a woman tells the camera to start AFP's new ads, announced Monday by the group. "But health care isn't about politics. It's about people.""* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/mf-YYxChB54
But what's notable about the ads is what they aren't: A personalized story of someone who's been negatively affected by Obamacare, the kind of verifiable set of facts that can be checked -- and rebutted, as happened with a recent AFP ad that led to significant backlash from the fact-checking community.
"People don't like political ads. I don't like them either," a woman tells the camera to start AFP's new ads, announced Monday by the group. "But health care isn't about politics. It's about people.""* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
http://youtu.be/mf-YYxChB54
Just After It All Began, the Universe Sent Us a Text Message. We Just Decoded It.
"We all heard the cosmos-stretching news this week. On Monday, a team of researchers working with a special telescope at the South Pole confirmed that they had observed evidence of "inflation," the sudden and rapid expansion of the universe that occurred in an unimaginably small slice of time just after the Big Bang, the beginning of space and time some 13.8 billion years ago. The researchers achieved this feat by examining what is known as the cosmic microwave background or CMB, which has been called the "residual heat of creation." It is a light glow that suffuses the universe and that is nearly as old as the Big Bang itself—its leftover radiation and, you might say, its signature..."
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/inquiring-minds-phil-plait-big-bang-inflation-explained
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/inquiring-minds-phil-plait-big-bang-inflation-explained
Crying Wolf on Religious Liberty (NY Times Editorial Board)
"...The claim that the contraception coverage rules put a “substantial
burden” on religious exercise is very weak. The companies’ owners remain
free to worship as they choose and to argue (incorrectly) as much as
they want that some of the contraceptive drugs and devices on the
F.D.A.’s list actually induce abortions. If an employee decides to use
an insurance plan for such contraceptives, that would be a personal
decision. It does not burden religious exercise...'
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/opinion/sunday/crying-wolf-on-religious-liberty.html
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/opinion/sunday/crying-wolf-on-religious-liberty.html
Are You There God? It's Me, Hobby Lobby
"...The fact that Hobby Lobby once covered the drugs it now objects to is "evidence that these cases are part of a broader effort to undermine the Affordable Care Act, and push new legal theories that could result in businesses being allowed to break the law and harm others under the guise of religious freedom," says Gretchen Borchelt, senior counsel and director of state reproductive health policy at the National Women's Law Center..."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/03/hobby-lobby-supreme-court-obamacare
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/03/hobby-lobby-supreme-court-obamacare
Germans seize cocaine addressed to Vatican
Officers at Leipzig airport found 340 grams (12 ounces) of the drug
packed into 14 condoms inside a shipment of cushions coming from South
America, the paper, reported citing a German customs report. It said the
package was simply addressed to the Vatican postal office, meaning any
of the Catholic mini-state's 800 residents could have picked it up.
Read more
Read more
Why do Republicans hate America's National Parks?
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Republicans hate it. House Republicans are taking a break next week from both taking ... Read more
Don’t laugh, but Rand Paul could be our next president
A few weeks ago this article raised the ire of many. It explored
whether Hillary Clinton was the president we needed at this ... Read more
Yes, Manmade Global Warming Is Worsening California’s Epic Drought
California's epic drought got even worse last week. The U.S. Drought
Monitor reports that the area of California under moderate ... Read more
New strategy would drop college textbook costs to zero
University System of Maryland holds pilot in which students use free open-source textbooks put together by their professors.
Read more
Read more
Texas Barge Collision Spills Up To 168,000 Gallons Of ‘Sticky, Gooey, Thick, Tarry’ Oil
"This is an extremely serious spill ... It is a persistent oil."The
post Texas Barge Collision Spills Up To 168,000 Gallons Of ... Read more
A Culture Of Unchecked Abuse Thrives In Ukraine And Crimea
Ukraine has a long history of impunity when it comes to its treatment of journalists and activists. A recent incident leaves many wondering if the new... Read more
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Seafood’s Dirty Secret
These fisheries are even fishier than they smell. A new study
released this week called Wasted Catch: Unsolved Bycatch Problems in
U.S. Fisheries rev... Read more
Going Green When You Die: An Alternative to Toxic Funerals
Google "green burial" and the name of your state for local green burial service information.
... Read more
... Read more
Congressman Claims Immigration Reform Would Force People To Become U.S. Citizens Against Their Will
"The Senate bill would force them to become American citizens and
that's not even what they want," Rep. Steve Scalise said. The ... Read more
Jimmy Carter Issues 'Call To Action' Against Subjugation Of Women
The former president joins NPR to talk about his new book, the state of human trafficking and whether religion can be a conduit for lasting change aro... Read more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Click Older Posts above to see more.
