Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Romney’s ‘Plan’ To Help The Auto Industry: Massive Corporate Tax Breaks

Mitt Romney’s misleading auto bailout ads that hit Ohio this week touted his plan to help the auto industry, even though no specific plan was mentioned, no plan exists on his web site, and his presidential campaign did not respond to requests from reporters when asked about the plan.

Hidden Tapes & Secret Emails: Right Wing Now Throwing Kitchen Sink At Obama On Libya

In the closing days of the election, Republicans are throwing everything they can think of at President Obama to rattle his position on national security. Though a CBS poll taken immediately after the final Presidential debate had 64 percent of undecided voters believing Obama would be better on national security than Mitt Romney, the right remains convinced that Libya will be Obama’s undoing.

President Barack Obama Targeted By Anonymous Hate Text Messages

WASHINGTON -- A sting of vitriol-laden text messages hit voters' phones Tuesday night, blasting President Barack Obama with anti-gay attacks and false claims.

Steve King: Hurricane Sandy Aid Must Have Strings Attached To Avoid Waste On 'Gucci Bags'

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said on Tuesday that federal aid for people impacted by Hurricane Sandy should be approved only with a specific spending plan in place so funds are not used for "Gucci bags and massage parlors," like after Hurricane Katrina.

Romney Releases Another False Ad, Revives Claim That Obama ‘Gutted’ Welfare Reform

After releasing false radio and television ads about the auto bailout, Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign unveiled a new commercial that highlights another one of the candidate’s favorite false claims. This ad, first flagged by the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, revives Romney’s claim that President Obama has “gutted the welfare work requirement” through a waiver program that Republican governors,including Romney himself, have long asked for.

Eurozone Unemployment Hits Record 11.6%

Unemployment in the 17-country eurozone hit a record high of 11.6% in September, official figures showed today, a sign the economy is deteriorating as governments struggle to get a grip on their three-year debt crisis. The rate reported by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, was up from an upwardly-revised 11.5% in August. Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone at 25.8%. Greece is not far behind at 25.1%, though its figure is from July.

Author Aaron Overfield: “Nina Simone Would Slap The Black(er) Face Off Zoe Saldana”

As the controversy continues to spin out of control over the selection of Afro-Latina actress, Zoe Saldana, to play the role of The High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone, in an unauthorized film, author and web content manager of NinaSimone.com, Aaron Overfield, made it clear that the legend herself would not tolerate the erasure of such an intimate part of her struggle.

The Award For Ghetto Momma Of The Year Goes To This Bytch Here, If You See Her, Report Her! (Or Should I Say Friend Of Ghetto Momma?

Out of all the video's I have seen online this one made me feel kind of bad. The girl should not have young kids around her, at all.  Want you kid to swim? Good, take them to the Y! She may just have done more to scare the child from ever really trying to learn to swim.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

50 Top Accomplishments From President Obama

1. Passed Health Care Reform: After five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act (2010). It will cover 32 million uninsured Americans beginning in 2014 and mandates a suite of experimental measures to cut health care cost growth, the number one cause of America’s long-term fiscal problems.

Bush’s FEMA Director During Katrina Criticizes Obama For Responding To Sandy Too Quickly ("The Heck Of A Job Guy Speaks!")

Former FEMA Director Michael Brown offered criticism of President Obama’s early responses to Hurricane Sandy yesterday, including a dig at the administration’s response to last month’s attack in Libya.

Why The Federal Government Should Handle Disaster Relief

Almost on cue after Hurricane Sandy,conservatives and libertarians have begun arguing that the federal government should get out of the business of providing disaster relief. The function could be delegated to states and the private sector, they claim, echoing an argument advanced by Mitt Romney last year.

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: Storm Leaves Millions Without Power, More Than A Dozen Dead

NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of people from Maine to the Carolinas awoke Tuesday without electricity, and an eerily quiet New York City was all but closed off by car, train and air as superstorm Sandy steamed inland, still delivering punishing wind and rain. The U.S. death toll climbed to 33, many of the victims killed by falling trees.

NJ Nuclear Plant Declares Alert After Storm Surge

America's oldest nuclear plant has declared an alert amid rising water levels from superstorm Sandy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says. The alert, the second-lowest of the four NRC action levels, was issued after water levels at New Jersey's Oyster Creek nuclear power plant rose more than six feet above sea level, high enough to affect the plant's water pumps, Reuters reports. The plant was already out of service for refueling and the NRC expects water levels to subside over the next few hours, reports the AP.

BS. Billboard: MLK Was A Republican. Vote Republican! (WTF..Moment Here)

This is not the first time we have hear rumors over Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being a member of the GOP–especially around election time.

How Economic Inequality Makes Hurricanes More Deadly

While the Eastern seaboard braces for Hurricane Sandy, 65 people have already been killed by the storm in the Caribbean. The tragic death toll and accompanying widespread property damage are caused in part by poor infrastructure and poverty — problems that aren’t limited to the Caribbean. Indeed, America’s inequality problem is a key reason why natural disasters wreak such havoc inside the United States.

Monday, October 29, 2012

How House Republicans Would Make It Harder To Provide Hurricane Relief

The east coast is bracing for the ever-strengthening Hurricane Sandy, which will affect 50 million people when it makes landfall on Monday evening. President Obama has declared a state of emergency in 7 states and DC, allowing them to receive federal funds for emergency disaster assistance.

5 Reasons Idris Elba Would Be Good For The James Bond Franchise

The rumors that Idris Elba will follow Daniel Craig as the next James Bond come and go, but they’re back again. I’m obviously in favor of this potential development on the grounds that Idris Elba is awesome (though I also think you could make great cases for David Oyelowo or Chiwetel Ejiofor) and it would give me an excuse to make a lot of “Able was I, ere I saw Elba” jokes. But there are a lot of reasons that it would be great to have a black Bond, and Elba in particular, beyond his simple excellence as an actor:

Joss Whedon Endorses Mitt Romney’s Zombie Apocalypse (HA HA....Good one Joss) True One Too!

If you’ve ever wanted to test out how you’d fare in the post-apocalypse, Joss Whedon is here with the case that Mitt Romney is the candidate for you!

Arkansas Hit With Mild 3.9-Magnitude Quake

Apparently the planet is cranky today. As if Hurricane Sandy weren't enough, Arkansas got a jolt from a 3.9-magnitude earthquake this morning, the US Geological Survey announced. The quake hit near the Tennessee border, at a depth of about 3.2 miles, according to CNN. The quake is the third of note to hit North America since yesterday morning, following another 3.9 affair in downtown LA and a 7.7 off the coast of Canada.

Happy Birthday Bob Ross! (This Man Inspired Me As Public Access Television Was One Of The Few Things That I watched Growing Up, His Show Help Me Deal With Hood Life. Letting Me Know It Was Ok To Be A Nerd)


Robert Norman "Bob" Ross was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He is best known as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a television program that ran for more than a decade on PBS in the United States and Canada. Wikipedia

Obama, In Morning Joe Interview, Predicts War Inside Republican Party If He Is Reelected

President Barack Obama said in an interview Monday that the Republican party would have to overcome an internal war if he were reelected, but expressed hope that the partisan gridlock in Washington could come to an end.

Politics On Hold As Hurricane Sandy Approaches

The presidential race has come to an abrupt halt for President Obama, who headed back to Washington, DC this morning as the largest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, Hurricane Sandy, approached the East Coast shore.

Educated Americans Have More Debt Woes

Think highly educated Americans came out better in the 2008 financial crash? According to two new studies, those with college degrees actually took on more unmanageable debt than other Americans, reports Time. "People with college educations may have thought they were immune to any economic problems," says Sherman Hanna, who co-authored the research. "But when people stop believing things might go bad, that’s when they get in trouble."

Romney Auto Bailout Ad Tells Four Myths In 30 Seconds

As Mitt Romney continues to struggle to explain his various positions on the auto rescue that saved General Motors and Chrysler, his presidential campaign has released an ad about the bailout that is littered with falsehoods and misdirections.

Gingrich Defends Mourdock’s Rape Comments, Advising Women To ‘Get Over It’

Just days after several key Republicans sought to distance themselves from Indiana senate candidate Richard Mourdock in the wake of his misogynistic comments on rape, top-level Romney surrogate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich tried a different approach, taking the time to defend Mourdock’s comment that a forced pregnancy resulting from a rape was a “gift from god” as a mainstream Christian value on Sunday’s episode of This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

How Romney And Ryan Would Severely Impair Disaster Relief Efforts

The federal government’s ability to respond to natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy currently bearing down on the East Coast, would be significantly hindered under a Romney-Ryan administration.

Hurricane Sandy Superstorm Threatens New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Baltimore With Disastrous Weather

NEW YORK -- From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns Sunday buttoned up against the onslaught of a superstorm that could endanger 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the nation, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it – an 11-foot wall of water.

Mitt Romney In GOP Debate: Shut Down Federal Disaster Agency, Send Responsibility To The States (INSANE!!!!)

During a CNN debate at the height of the GOP primary, Mitt Romney was asked, in the context of the Joplin disaster and FEMA's cash crunch, whether the agency should be shuttered so that states can individually take over responsibility for disaster response.

Hurricane Sandy: Climate Change Activists Offer Stark Reminder Before Storm Hits

NEW YORK -- A group of climate change activists braved the calm before the storm on Sunday afternoon to rally in New York City's Times Square.

The Sunday, October 29th 2012 Talking Heads

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

Today, Fox News Sunday reports that "Obama and Romney are pulling out all the stops," which is a weird way of characterizing "Obama and Romney are repeating the exact same stump speech several times a day." I hope that's what's meant by pulling out all the stops, because if the alternative is "having Ron Johnson, Rob Portman, Mark Udall, and Mark Warner smear their pure animal charisma all over the screen" then the stop I pull out is the one that makes this actually stop.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

British Columbia Hit With Earthquake, Tsunami Warning For Alaska, Hawaii

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the west coast of Canada, but there were no reports of major damage. Residents in parts of British Columbia were evacuated, but the province appeared to escape the biggest quake in Canada since 1949 largely unscathed.

Jailbreaking Tablets Deemed Illegal By The U.S. Copyright Office

Go ahead, jailbreak your cellphone. But just know that tablet computer of yours is off limits.

The U.S. Copyright Office published a document on Oct. 26, specifying that while jailbreaking a smartphone is deemed legal, the same rules do not apply to gaming consoles or tablets like Apple's iPad or the Microsoft Surface.

Subway, Wendy's, Chipotle Offer Best Value For Quality, Consumers Say

Finding out which fast food chain is the cheapest is easy -- you just look at the prices on their menus. And there's no objective way to determine which one has the best food... de gustibus non est disputandum, after all! But what about something in between? Is it possible to find out which fast food chain offers customers the best bang for their buck?

Melissa Harris-Perry Delivers Open Letter To Richard Mourdock On Rape

MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry addressed Indiana U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's controversial comments on rape in a powerful segment Saturday morning.

Bill Maher's Mitt Romney Warning: 'When You Elect Mitt You're Electing Every Right-Wing Nut He's Pandered To In The Last 10 Years'

If you're a moderate considering voting for Mitt Romney, there are certain facts you should know... according to Bill Maher. While you may not think the two candidates are terribly different, in Maher's opinion, only one of them is poised to release the Kraken in terms of the religious right:

Wen Jiabao Wealth Reports Denied By Family Lawyers: Report

BEIJING -- Lawyers have denied a report that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's family has amassed $2.7 billion in "hidden riches," a Hong Kong newspaper said Sunday.

States Refusing To Expand Medicaid Will Cost Hospitals Over 50 Billion Dollars

According to new findings by the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH), by 2019, safety net hospitals’ uncompensated care costs will be $53 billion higher than originally estimated if states don’t opt into the voluntary expansion of the Medicaid program under Obamacare.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

‘Anti-Business’ Obama Is Best President For Corporate Profits Since 1900

Since he came into office, Republicans have consistently attacked President Obama for supposedly being anti-business. As ThinkProgress noted last week, the data shows that this charge is nonsense.

How A Loophole Allowed A Mass Murderer To Obtain His Murder Weapon Without A Background Check

Radcliffe Haughton, the man who reportedly killed three people and wounded four others at a Wisconsin day spa before taking his own life, should not have been able to legally obtain a firearm. Three days before Haughton’s mass killing, his estranged wife obtained a restraining order against him and he was ordered to turn over all of his firearms. Haughton’s wife was one of his victims.

High Health Care Costs Force Many To Crowd Source Medical Bills

While politicians clash over the details of health policy and President Obama’s landmark health reform law, social media often serves to cut through the political rhetoric and reveal the human impact of what’s at stake in this debate. When a musician tweeted about her experience going without insurance and received a flood of personal 140-character stories about the struggle to afford health care in response, it became clear that Internet tools can provide a platform for Americans to communicate the way that insurance — or the lack thereof — has changed their lives.

Did Climate Change Help Create ‘Frankenstorm’?

As the East Coast braces for a possible direct hit from Hurricane Sandy, meteorologists are closely watching the storm’s “freak” formation. They’re calling it “unprecedented and bizarre,” a “perfect storm,” and a “frankenstorm” that could cause historic storm surges, last for multiple days, and cause over a billion dollars in damage.

Death Penalty Repeal Picking Up Steam In California

A new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll finds support building for a California ballot initiative that would repeal the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in that state. Although opponents of the ballot initiative retain a 45-42 edge in the poll, this is a significant shift from September, when 51 percent supported retaining state-sponsored executions and only 38 percent would vote to repeal them. Moreover, when voters are read the actual language that will appear on the ballot this November, which includes an explanation that repealing the death penalty is estimated to eventually save the state $130 million a year, a 45 percent plurality of voters express support for ending executions.

ANTI-BLACK PREJUDICE INCREASED SINCE 2008, POLL FINDS

A new Associated Press poll finds that racial prejudice increased since the election of President Obama in 2008, with 51 percent of Americans expressing “explicit anti-black attitudes, compared with 48 percent in a similar 2008 survey.” 56 percent displayed implicit anti-black sentiments, “up from 49 percent during the last presidential election. In both tests, the share of Americans expressing pro-black attitudes fell.” The survey found that Obama could suffer a net loss of 2 percentage points in the popular vote “due to anti-black attitudes.”

Casino Mogul Tells Workers That Voting For Romney Would ‘Protect Your Job’

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who has donated more than $50 million to Republicans, is now pressuring his casino employees to vote for Mitt Romney. According to the Huffington Post, Adelson’s Management at Las Vegas Sands Corp. “has been distributing voter guides friendly to Republican nominee Mitt Romney and critical of President Barack Obama to its casino employees in Las Vegas.”

Friday, October 26, 2012

Chevron Donates $2.5 Million To GOP Super PAC In Single Largest Corporate Donation Post-Citizens United

Chevron, the second-largest oil company in the U.S. and eighth-largest in the world, contributed $2.5 million in October to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC to elect House Republicans. That makes Chevron’s super PAC donation the single largest from a corporation.

Follow The Money: Why Romney Wants A Bigger Navy

The airwaves of three key battleground states — Florida, Virginia, and New Hampshire — were hit this morning with advertisements from the Romney campaign about the size of the American navy. “Our navy is smaller now than any time since 1917,” Romney warns in the radio spots. A narrator adds, “As commander in chief, Mitt Romney… will invest in our military.”

Paul Ryan: Providing Women With Affordable Contraception Is A ‘Threat’ To The Poor

At Paul Ryan’s speech on poverty yesterday in Ohio, he intended to explain how the Republican party’s platform would help combat poverty in America. But he made it clear that those GOP-endorsed policies don’t involve ensuring that women have access to affordable preventative health care.

CEO Threatens Employees With ‘Personal Consequences’ If Romney Loses ("I Gonna Make Him An Offer He Can't Refuse!" Sound Familiar?

The list of corporate CEOs and owners who have tried scaring their employees  into voting for Mitt Romney got a bit longer this week thanks to Milwaukee businessman Mike White.

Top Romney Adviser: If You Own A Microwave, You Aren’t Really Poor (WTF, People Please Put These Folks Back In Their Mansion On November 2, So The Insults To The 47% Will Stop!)

Note:  Come to think of it, someone said this same shyt back in the mid 80's. I have to look up who it was!


A top adviser to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign denied the nation’s income inequality gap in a Wall Street Journal editorial on Thursday, brushing off the growing concentration of wealth in the hands of the very wealthy by arguing that lower-income Americans are buying more consumer goods.

Romney Campaign Chair: Colin Powell Endorsed Obama Because He Is Black

In an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan this evening, Romney Campaign Co-Chair and former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu (R-NH) offered a surprising theory on why General Colin Powell endorsed President Obama for reelection today — because both men are black:

John Sununu’s History Of Racial Remarks About Obama

On Thursday, Romney campaign co-chair advanced the theory that Gen. Colin Powell endorsed President Obama because he’s black. But this isn’t the first time Sununu or even Mitt Romney’s campaign have introduced Obama’s race into the election. The former New Hampshire governor has repeatedly suggested that Obama or his policies are “foreign,” European, and something less than American. Here are some of his greatest hits:

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Emanuel Steward Dead At 68

Thursday morning, trainer to boxing’s greatest Emanuel Steward died, according to TMZ.
Reports indicate that Steward’s close friends announced Steward’s death to the media.

Pennsylvania Bill Would Reduce Welfare Benefits For Women Who Cannot Prove They Were Raped

A Pennsylvania House bill seeks to limit the amount of TANF assistance that low-income women receive based on the amount of children they give birth to while covered under the program.

As Foodborne Illnesses Skyrocket, GOP Slashes Funds For Food Safety

Even though President Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act — giving the Food and Drug Administration wider power to stop foodborne illness outbreaks before they start — the number of Americans who become sick or die because of contaminated food has increased 44 percent over the last two years, according to a new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

Dead Sperm Whale Found In Gulf Raise Questions About Truth Of BP Oil Spill Disaster (With All Their Rose Colored Commericals On T.V. Today You Would Think This Did Not Happen, Plus They Have Tried to Up-grade Oil To The Par Of Solar And Wind Energy!)

Photographs of a dead sperm whale found in the Gulf of Mexico a few weeks after the BP Deepwater disaster have reignited a debate as to the extent of the oil spill damage and the lasting consequences of the ecological tragedy.

Elizabeth Taylor Tops List Of Highest-Earning Dead Celebrities: Forbes

NEW YORK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Elizabeth Taylor surpassed Michael Jackson as the highest-earning dead celebrity in the past year, with her estate pulling in $210 million, much of it from the auction of her jewels, costumes and artwork, Forbes said on Wednesday.

The World's Strongest Beer, Brewmeister's Armageddon, Concocted By Scottish Brewery

Paging the Guinness World Records. A Scottish brewery claims it has produced theworld's strongest beer, Brewmeister's Armageddon, with an ABV of 65 percent.

Pennsylvania Bill Includes Provision Requiring Women To Prove They Were Raped

A bill in the Pennsylvania House proposing the reduction of welfare benefits for low-income women contains a provision requiring a woman who became pregnant from rape to prove that she reported her assault.

7 Critics Are Split On Microsoft's Tablet

On Friday, Microsoft will make history when it releases not only its first tablet, but its first computer ever. The Remond, Wash. company that became the most valuable company ever by selling software is trying its hand at making hardware with the Surface tablet. As sales of PCs slump, Microsoft hopes to break into the red-hot tablet market.

Did Israel Just Attack Sudan

It's not often that a government eagerly announces a military facility in its capital city has been destroyed in a stunning and audacious sneak attack, even in light of plausible evidence to the contrary. Yet here we are: Yesterday, Sudanese culture and information minister Ahmed Bilal Osman alleged that the previous evening, four Israeli fighter jets flew over Khartoum from the east and partially destroyed the Yarmouk munitions factory, in the city's south. 

GOP Voter Fraud Accusations Suddenly Blowing Up In Their Faces

Republican officials, who have used hysteria about alleged voter fraud as an excuse to support measures that disproportionately block Democratic voters, are furiously trying to distance themselves from a growing number of GOP voter registration drives that either submitted false applications or threw away authentic ones.

CNN Scratches Story On How Women's Hormones Influence Voting Choices

CNN has removed a story from its website about how women's hormones can affect their voting choices.

The story, which appeared on the website's health section, reported on a study that investigated how women vote differently based on a variety of factors: if they were ovulating, single, in a committed relationship, and more. The study reportedly found that women who are ovulating tend to vote liberal because they "feel sexier."

Colin Powell Endorses Obama For President

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed President Barack Obama for a second term Thursday.

"You know, I voted for him in 2008 and I plan to stick with him in 2012, and I'll be voting for he and Vice President Joe Biden next month," he said on CBS' "This Morning."

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

5 Voter Misinformation Campaigns To Watch Out For


Though most voter ID laws and voter purges have been thrown out or delayed by judges, voter suppression efforts are still alive and well. With two weeks to Election Day, voters in critical swing states are being inundated with false information and intimidating messages meant to discourage them from voting. While shenanigans have been reported in every election, voting rights advocates say efforts to confuse and intimidate voters are taking an even more prominent role this year.

One Year Out Of College, Women Already Earn Less Than Men For Doing The Same Job

On graduation day, men and women walk across the stage as equals to get their college diplomas. But one year later, a new study shows, female graduates can expect to be earning less — about 82 cents on the dollar — than their male peers. The old problem of a pay gap is already prevalent in the newest generation to enter the workforce.

Conservatives Panic Over ‘U.N.-Affiliated’ Election Monitors

Conservative blogs and news media are all buzzing about a team of international election monitors coming to observe the presidential elections in November. The observers are arriving at the invitation of the State Department and the behest of a number of civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, ACLU, and others.

8 Things To Know Before Paul Ryan’s Speech On Poverty

Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan will deliver a speech on poverty and economic mobility in Ohio today. According to the campaign, Ryan plans to argue that “Mitt Romney offers a better pathway for low-income Americans to improve their lives through opportunity and upward mobility.”

Fungus, Debris Discovered At New England Firm Linked To Meningitis Outbreak

BOSTON (AP) — State officials investigating a pharmacy linked to a deadly outbreak of meningitis said Tuesday they found shoddy sterilization practices and unclean conditions there, including debris-covered floor mats and standing water from a leaking boiler.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Mis-Education of the Negro Pastors Urging Congregants Not to Vote

"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary." Carter G. Woodson, The Mis- Education of The Negro

Sharmeka Moffitt, Louisiana Woman, Set On Fire And Confronted With 'KKK' Slur In Race-Related Attack (Updated: This May Not Be True, Will Wait For More Facts)

Note: As stated this may not be true, but if found to have some merit I hope the cops put as much effort in finding out who did this as they did in saying the women did this too herself!

A Louisiana woman was the victim of a horrific attack during which she was reportedly set on fire and had her car defiled with the letters "KKK," police reported Monday.

U.S. Poised To Become World's Top Oil Producer; May Soon Overtake Saudi Arabia

NEW YORK — U.S. oil output is surging so fast that the United States could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer.

The Terrifying Rise of Greece’s Nazi Party

GULAM HUSSEIN, a 20-year-old Afghan with a bushy brush cut, hates Greece. He’d leave if he could—even if that meant returning to the imperiled village in eastern Afghanistan that he fled a decade ago. “Anywhere but Greece,” he told me one afternoon late this summer in Athens. “I’d heard it was bad here, but I didn’t know how bad.”

Hart Senate Office Building Solar Panels May Come With Roof Replacement

The Architect of the Capitol is replacing the roof on the Hart Senate Office Building, and as part of an effort to become more energy efficient, the AOC might look at installing solar panels.

U.S. Coal Exports On Pace To Hit All-Time High, Fueling Surge In International Global Warming Pollution

Here’s an energy-related foreign policy issue that isn’t getting any campaign attention: Coal exports are booming, fueling a surge in global warming pollution — and American taxpayers are picking up a good portion of the tab.

After Bashing Government Spending, Romney Campaigns At National Landmark Built By The New Deal

On the campaign trail, Mitt Romney and his campaign advisers have made a habit of attacking the 2009 Recovery Act (i.e. the stimulus). Romney calls the stimulus, “the largest one-time careless expenditure of government money in American history.” During Monday night’s final presidential debate, Romney even scoffed at the very idea that government spending can lead to job growth, saying “it’s not government investments that make businesses grow and hire people.”

Company Held Up As Evidence Of ‘War On Coal’ Quietly Plans To Resume Mining Operations

When Consol Energy, a leading U.S. coal and gas company operating in Appalachia, announced it would be closing its flagship mine in Virgina, Republicans were quick to blame their favorite scapegoat: the Environmental Protection Agency.

GROWING NUMBER OF AMERICANS PLAN TO DELAY RETIREMENT UNTIL THEY’RE 80

According to a survey by Wells Fargo, 30 percent of Americans plan to delay retiring until they reach the age of 80, up from 25 percent one year ago. 70 percent of respondents said they intend to work during retirement. Another recent survey showed that 40 percent of Americans report having less than $500 in savings. Meanwhile, 85,000 pensionsfor American workers have been eliminated since 1985.

CHARTS: ‘Uncertainty’ Is Not Holding Back The Economy

Congressional Republicans love to blame “uncertainty” — ostensibly caused by the Obama administration’s tax and regulatory policies — for the country’s still too slow job growth. “By pursuing a steady repeal of job-destroying regulations, we can help lift the cloud of uncertainty hanging over small and large employers alike, empowering them to hire more workers,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), in one example.

At The Last Presidential Debate: Romney Told 24 Myths In 41 Minutes (Myth Romney)

1) “Syria is Iran’s only ally in the Arab world. It’s their route to the sea.” Romney has his geography wrong. Syria doesn’t share a border with Iran and Iran has 1,500 miles of coastline leading to the Arabian Sea. It is also able to reach the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.

Suddenly Centrist Romney Repeatedly Praises Obama’s Foreign Policy In Debate

If you didn’t know better, you would think at times in the third and final debate that Governor Mitt Romney was actually an Obama campaign surrogate. For someone who once said, “This is the first time we’ve had a president that doesn’t have a foreign policy,” Romney agreed in part or in totality with an astonishing number of the President’s policies.

Monday, October 22, 2012

American Atheists To Display Anti-Mormon Ads During Florida Presidential Debate

From interfaith efforts in support of Islam to "I am Mormon" billboards, it's become common for religious organizations to buy public ads to promote their faiths and causes. But a national atheist organization is taking it a step further, using Monday's presidential debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., to launch a week-long attack on the faith of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

New Generation Of Veterans Skeptical Of Presidential Politics And Political Parties

WASHINGTON -- Veterans and military families are no longer the dependable core of support for Republicans that they were for generations.

Why The Charge That Obama Is ‘Anti-Business’ Is Ridiculous, In Three Charts

Republicans, during the current campaign, have continuously labeled the Obama administration as “anti-business.” “The president and his people just don’t understand how the private sector works,” said Mitt Romney. “Too often, you find yourself facing a government that looks at you like you’re the bad guys.” “This is certainly the most anti-business administration since the Carter years,” added Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). “I think he borders on being hostile to the private sector,” said former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR).

A Comprehensive Timeline Of Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy Positions During The Campaign

Mitt Romney has spent considerable effort trying to avoid foreign policy and national security this campaign season. But when he’s had to engage, he’s forced to strike a delicate balance between satisfying his neocon advisers and right-wing war base on the one hand — while speaking to the rest of the country, which has no appetite for the militaristic Republican policies that have plagued this country since 2001, on the other.

5 Facts To Commit To Memory Before Tonight’s Foreign Policy Debate

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will debate foreign policy tonight. We’ve chronicled Romney’s foreign policy positions throughout the campaign here and below are five facts we think you should have on hand during tonight’s third and final presidential debate:

Wounded Knee Activist Russell Means Dies

Russell Means, a former American Indian Movement activist who helped lead the 1973 uprising at Wounded Knee, reveled in stirring up attention, and appeared in several Hollywood films, has died. He was 72. Means died early today at his ranch in Porcupine, SD, an Ogala Sioux tribal spokeswoman said. Means announced in August 2011 that he had developed inoperable throat cancer, and that he was forgoing mainstream medical treatments in favor of traditional American Indian remedies and alternative treatments.

Boy Scout Sex Abuse Files Reveal 90 Maryland Cases

The veil was lifted Thursday on decades of confidential sexual-abuse allegations in the ranks of the Boy Scouts of America with the court-ordered release of more than 1,200 of the organization's "perversion files."

Jordan Busts 11 in '9/11 (2)' Terrorist Plot

Jordan has foiled what it calls a "major terrorist plot," arresting 11 men who were planning a series of attacks they dubbed "9/11 (2)." The men, described as being "associated with the ideology of al-Qaeda," planned to start by attacking diplomats in hotels; then bomb two shopping malls; then attack other locations including residential buildings using TNT, new forms of explosives, car bombs, suicide bombers, and other weapons, ABC News reports, citing state media.

Smartphone Thefts Soaring

Police departments, lawmakers, and wireless companies are scrambling to tackle a crime wave veteran cops call "the new purse-snatching," the AP reports. Cell phone thefts, especially of the priciest smartphones, are soaring nationwide and now make up close to half of all robberies in cities including New York and San Francisco. In Los Angeles, cell phone thefts are up 27% from a year ago and in Oakland, city council candidate Dan Kalb became one of the city's estimated 1,300 victims so far this year—after an anti-crime meeting.

Family Learns WWII Vet's Secret in Cremation

Ronald Brown's family always believed he had a bullet in his leg. That's what he told them, after all, and it explained why the World War II veteran would set off airport scanners and ask his grandkids to sit on "the other" knee. But when he died at age 94 and was cremated, officials at the crematorium handed his family the remains—mixed with the 6 ounces of shrapnel he was carrying around in his leg, the Telegraph reports.

'Samurai Vigilante' Breaks Up Train Fight

Two men punching and kicking a guy on a Phoenix train a couple weeks ago got a little surprise—when a passenger threatened them with a Samurai sword, the Huffington Post reports. The Bushido vigilante, wearing a baseball cap and headphones, inched forward until the terrified attackers fled the light rail car. Naturally, another passenger recorded the whole thing on video.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Mah Gul, Young Afghan Woman, Beheaded For Refusing To Become A Prostitute

A young woman who refused to be forced into prostitution was beheaded in Afghanistan last week, a murder that illustrates the continuing cycle of violence against women in the country, according to advocates in the region.

Mitt Romney Ad Hits Obama For Inability To Work With Congress (Do They Think People Forgot Terms Like One Term President, NO, And You Lie!)

The Romney campaign released a new TV ad Sunday contrasting Mitt Romney's tenure as governor of Massachusetts with President Barack Obama's first term in office, focusing on how Romney worked with a Democratic legislature while Obama has blamed his inability to "change Washington" on opposition from House Republicans.

The Sunday October 21'st, 2012 Talking Heads

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

The battle of surrogates is a very, very lame one, between Duck Durbin and Lindsay Graham, aka Chuck Schumer's Roommate and Jowly Dave Foley. Shucksy and Emo. Both men have got two flags behind them -- makes you wonder if they mean it anymore. There is plenty of room for more flags, guys!

Beef Sustainability: Global Definition Is Impossible, Experts Say

Earlier this month, McDonald's Corp.'s sustainability vice president Bob Langert addressed the issue of sustainable beef and the difficulty defining it.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

"MIttens" Romney's 1-Point Plan

Everyone Else Pays More So the Wealthy Can Pay Even Less

First, Mitt Romney had 59-point plan. Lately, he’s been touting a 5-point plan.

But the truth is that Mitt Romney really just has 1-point plan: Make everyone else pay more so the wealthy and huge corporations like Big Oil can pay even less.

CEO Asks Employees To Help Company ‘And Yourself’ By Donating $2,500 To Romney

A growing number of CEOs are pressuring their employees to vote for Mitt Romney, whose tax cut plan could offer millionaires an $87,000 tax break. Now, MSNBC’s Up with Chris Hayes, has uncovered at least one executive who called on his employees to donate up to $2,500 to the GOP presidential candidate’s campaign.

Obama Endorsed By Salt Lake Tribune: Romney Can’t Be Trusted

The center of Mitt Romney‘s campaign, both personally and politically, has revolved around Utah. His remarkable handling of the 2002 Olympics has been touted as prove of his business acumen. And Salt Lake City, the hub of Mormonism and home of the Mormon church, has played a pivotal role in Romney’s religious growth as well.

George Stinney’s Birthday Reminds Us That The Death Penalty Must End: Executed At 14

George Junius Stinney Jr., the 14-year-old Black boy who died as the youngest person ever executed in the United States in the 20th century, would have been 83-years-old this Sunday.

Top 10 US political donors

Here's a guide to the biggest political donors in the 2012 US election, which is on track to the most expensive ever.

Women At Work Video From 1959: Inadvertently Hilarious, Kinda Sad Attempt At Battling Sexism

Mitt Romney isn't the only boss with problems finding a few good women.

Boy Scouts Perversion Files Document Sexual Abuse Cover-Up, Spark Public Interest

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A website with files showing the Boy Scouts of America's cover-up of decades of sexual abuse is generating interest from people wanting to know who the alleged abusers are and whether people who molested them as Scouts are in the files.

Abortion-Related Election Ads Spiked In October

Campaign ads on abortion, contraception, and Planned Parenthood have spiked in the last month, from abortion-related ads running in just 14 races in September to more than 1,500 mentions of abortion in 50 races in the last week, according to data from Kantar Media CMAG. Eleven new ads on abortion aired in House and governor races on Wednesday alone.

Koch-Affiliated Group Campaigns To Make Wind Tax Credit ‘So Toxic’ Republicans Won’t Back It

The wind energy industry faces a lame duck fight in the House of Representatives over extending the expiring production tax credit. The tax credit has broad bipartisan support, and considering that 81 percent of U.S. wind projects are installed in Republican districts, GOP lawmakers have a good reason to support it.

Violent Crime Rate Spikes 17 Percent

The violent crime rate jumped 17 percent between 2010 and 2011 and property crimes rose 11 percent, according to a new U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report. This was the first violent crime increase in 20 years, and the first spike in property crime in more than a decade.

Number Of Gun Dealers Increased By 3000 Under Obama

The moment President Obama took office, the NRA’s primary product became paranoid theories about how Obama plans to seize gun owners’ guns. Even after Obama served as president for nearly three full years without signing a single new gun regulation — his primary contribution to gun law is a minor bill allowing gun owners to bring loaded guns into national parks — NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre claimed that Obama’s lack of interest in guns is actually a “massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and hide his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment in our country.”

How Country Music Stars Are Gaming The Tax Code In Tennessee

According to an investigation by The Knoxville News Sentinel, wealthy individuals — including corporate CEOs and country music stars — are taking advantage of a loophole in Tennessee law to claims huge tax breaks on their property. This tax provision is meant to help farmers, but instead is helping members of the 1 percent save tens of thousands of dollars on their property taxes every year:

After Attending Stimulus Funded Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, Tea Party Rep. Dismisses Stimulus Money

CONWAY, New Hampshire — Less than a year after attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new stimulus funded infrastructure project in New Hampshire, Rep. Frank Guinta (R-NH) derided the Recovery Act, telling constituents at a debate to ask “if that stimulus helped them.”

Washington City Paper Stops Using ‘Redskins,’ Picks A New Team Name

Two weeks ago, the Kansas City Star drew attention when the paper’s public editor explained the paper’s long-standing policy against using “Redskins” when referring to Washington’s National Football League franchise. The name, public editor Derek Donovan wrote, is “an egregiously offensive term.”

Friday, October 19, 2012

Benghazi Suspect: Army Too 'Chicken' to Arrest Me

If Ahmed Abu Khattala is worried about being arrested, he's doing a good job hiding it. The man authorities believe helped lead the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi has given interviews to both Reutersand the New York Times. "Here I am in the open, sitting in a hotel with you," he says in one. In another, he smirks at the idea of Libya's army arresting the culprits, calling it a "national chicken." He admits being at the consulate, but denies being a ringleader. He's also sticking to the story that the attack grew out of a spontaneous protest over The Innocence of Muslims.

British Police Investigate Lawmaker's Anti-Gay Tweets

Police in England are investigating controversial tweets posted by the head of a small, far-right conservative party, reports the BBC. The postings from British National Party leader Nick Griffin listed the address of a gay couple who recently won a court case against a Bed and Breakfast that refused to provide them with a single-bed room. The first of two consecutive tweets listed the name and address of the couple, then read that protesters would arrive to "give you a ... bit of drama by way of reminding you that an English couple's home is their castle. Say No to heterophobia!"

Good News: Malala Can Stand, Communicate

A great sign of hope for Malala Yousufzai: Doctors say that with help, she was able to stand for the first time since being shot in the head by the Taliban, reports ITV News. The Pakistani teen also is able to write, reports AP, though she still can't speak. She is being treated in Britain, and doctors hope to arrange to have her listen to a phone call from her father in Pakistan. The extent of her brain injuries still is not clear, but she is "well enough that she's agreed that she's happy, in fact keen, for us to share more clinical detail," says the medical director of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Obama's Pension Invests In Sheldon Adelson, The Super Rich Guy Funding Romney

Among the many contentious exchanges in Tuesday's presidential debate was a barbed back-and-forth between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama about the size and contents of their pensions plans.

Connecticut woman, 80, arrested for ripping down posters of Obama with Hitler mustache (Some White People Really Are Tired Of This Racial Shyt Too, I Applaud This Lady!)

Connecticut woman Nancy Lack, 80, was arrested after she ripped down campaign posters depicting President Obama with a Hitler mustache. ‘I was very angry, and I just took three,’ she explained.

Mitt Romney's Dad Was Born In Mexico, Now Here's His Immigration Plan

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney offered a disclaimer in the second presidential debate Tuesday before he addressed his stance on immigration, offering a policy mix from "self-deportation" to support for green cards for members of the military and undocumented immigrants with critically needed skills.

Police, Politicians, Pastors And Prosecutors Cover Up Decades Of Boy Scoutmasters’ Sexual Abuse

PORTLAND, Oregon —Local Boy Scout leaders, police officials, prosecutors and mayors helped hush up numerous child sex abuse allegations against scoutmasters and other volunteers, according to details in a trove of nearly 15,000 pages of so-called “perversion files” compiled by the Scouts from 1959 to the mid-1980s.

Arizona GOP Senate Candidate Openly Hostile To Free School Lunch Program He Relied On As A Child

A new Esquire profile of Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) details the Senate candidate’s hard-scrabble childhood on an Arizona cattle ranch — where he was sustained by federal school lunch programs he has repeatedly tried to hobble as a Congressman.

More Junk Science: GOP Congressman Says Abortion Is Never Necessary To Save A Woman’s Life

On Thursday, after his debate against Demcorat Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) told reporters that an abortion exception is never necessary to save a woman’s life, explaining, “with modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance” of a woman dying from childbirth. Walsh claimed pro-choice advocates simply used the prospect of maternal death “to make us look unreasonable.”

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Debt Rises Again for New College Grads

It's the latest snapshot of the growing burden of student debt and it's another discouraging one: Two-thirds of the national college class of 2011 finished school with loan debt, and those who borrowed walked off the graduation stage owing on average $26,600—up about 5% from the class before. And those figures, released today by the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), likely underestimate the problem, because they don't include most graduates of for-profit colleges, who typically borrow more than their counterparts elsewhere.

Obama Called Libya Attack Terrorism Long Before Romney

During the past several weeks of campaigning, Mitt Romney has argued that President Obama’s supposed failure to label the killing of Benghazi “terrorism” for two weeks was evidence that he had failed to lead on the issue. After Candy Crowley debunked Romney’s claim during the Tuesday debate, the right doubled down on Romney’s argument, suggesting Obama only used the term “act of terror” generally despite clear references to Benghazi on September 12 and 13.

How The U.S. Is Squandering As Much As $430 Billion In Corporate Tax Revenues

Each year, multinational corporations based in the United States shelter $1.5 trillion in profits in other countries, and because the U.S. doesn’t tax offshore profits, that money is not subject to the corporate income tax. Corporate profits kept offshore don’t face American taxation until they are repatriated — that is, brought back to the United States.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Boxee TV, New Media Player, Combines Live TV, Unlimited DVR And Apps In Latest Shot At Cable

Boxee, the streaming media company with the funnest name this side of Roku, has unveiled its latest Internet-connected player: It's called the Boxee TV, and it's a $99 box that contains an antenna to watch broadcast high-definition television and a DVR system that gives you unlimited online storage of your recordings. It is, according to Boxee CEO Avner Ronen, the first DVR system that has no storage limits whatsoever.

Cici's Pizza Is America's Favorite Fast-Casual Pizza Chain, Study Finds

New findings from research agency Market Force suggest that America's favorite fast-casual pizza chains is CiCi’s Pizza.

U.S. Postal Service Hits $15 Billion Borrowing Limit For First Time

WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The financially struggling United States Postal Service has hit its $15 billion borrowing limit for the first time ever, meaning it will have to rely on revenues from stamps and other products to fund operations.

Michelle Obama & Ann Romney: Pink Is The Color Of The Second Debate!

Call it bipartisanship, call it a coincidence. (Or hey, maybe it was a Breast Cancer Awareness Month thing.) But at Tuesday night's second presidential debate, Michelle Obama and Ann Romney wore nearly identical outfits. Hot pink, or Schiaparelli pinkas you fashion hounds might call it, was apparently the color of the night.

Mitt Romney 'Binders Full Of Women' Claim Misleads (The Romney Play Book: A Binder Full Of Lies!)

Mitt Romney raised eyebrows during the presidential debate Tuesday night when he claimed that as governor of Massachusetts, he had been so dismayed at the lack of female cabinet candidates that he sent women's groups out to find them.

Obama Attacks Mitt Romney's '47 Percent' Comments In Presidential Debate

President Barack Obama waited until his final exchange to attack Mitt Romney's much-maligned comments at a fundraiser that 47 percent of Americans are "dependent on government" and see themselves as "victims."

GOP Senator Slams Pro Sports Leagues For Using Non-Profit Status To Avoid Paying Taxes

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn (R) is out with the latest edition of an online chronicle of wasteful government spending, and he is taking aim at several of America’s professional sports leagues. Coburn objects to the fact that the leagues are classified as tax-exempt non-profit organizations, even as they rake in millions of dollars in profits.

New York State Senator: Romney Uses Immigrants As A ‘Pinata’

Mitt Romney has wavered between the extreme anti-immigrant positions he staked out during the GOP primary and moderating his views on immigration to appeal to Latino voters in the general election.

At Last Night’s Debate: Romney Told 31 Myths In 41 Minutes

During the first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado Romney managed to tell 27 myths in his 38 minutes of speaking time. But at his second encounter with Obama in New York, the GOP presidential candidate — who has run a post-truth campaign from day one — outdid himself and crammed 31 myths in 41 minutes:

32 Seconds After The Debate Ended, Fox Started Blaming The Questions

Exactly 32 seconds after the debate ended, Fox anchor Megyn Kelly began spinning the debate as biased as a consequence of the questions asked by the undecided voters in the audience. Here’s what she said:

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Citigroup CEO Walks Off With $260 Million After His Bank Loses 88 Percent Of Its Value

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit abruptly resigned today, leaving the helm of the bank that he guided through the financial crisis of 2008. For his five years of leading Citi, Pandit will receive compensation in the neighborhood of $260 million:

What Everyone Should Know About The Benghazi Attack

Six weeks following the assault on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya, many questions remain regarding the nature of the attacks, what the Obama administration knew and when, and the way that knowledge was delivered to the public. Adding to that confusion is the GOP’s desire to politicize the issue in the run-up to the presidential election.

8 Important Economic Questions For The Presidential Debate That Have Nothing To Do With Taxes Or The Deficit

During both the first presidential debate and last week’s vice presidential debate, moderators said that they wanted to focus on “the economy,” an admirable sentiment considering the still slow recovery that is underway. However, “the economy” has, for the most part, meant discussing taxes and the budget deficit. Those are important issues, but they by no means account for all of the economic challenges that the nation faces.

Commit These Five Facts To Memory Before Tonight's Debate

Debates move quickly. The candidates toss out facts at breakneck speeds, trying to get across their entire plans in just 90 minutes. Tonight, Obama and Romney will square off in a debate that’s been billed as high-stakes — Obama will seek to regain the momentum, while Romney hopes to sustain his.

Monday, October 15, 2012

2012 Saw Warmest September On Record Across The Globe, Says NOAA

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the globe recorded its warmest September on record, tying with 2005 for the title. Global surface temperature records stretch all the way back to 1880. September marked the 331st straight month with above average temperatures, and the 36th straight September with a global temperature above the 20th century average.

How Paul Ryan Pretended To Volunteer At A Soup Kitchen

Between Mitt Romney’s claim that 47 percent of the country “believe they are entitled to” government assistance to afford food and Paul Ryan’s assertion that people on food stamps are “takers, the entire Romney campaign has cemented the impression that they are “not concerned about the very poor.”

Koch Industries Warns 45,000 Employees Of ‘Consequences’ If They Don’t Vote For Republicans

The Koch brothers’ $60 million pledge to defeat President Obama — along with their political network’s $400 million spending — make them two of the most influential conservatives this election.

Fast Food Chains Use Loopholes And Low-Tax Countries To Avoid Millions In Taxes Each Year

Technology companies have mastered the use of schemes involving low-tax foreign countries in order to avoid billions of dollars in American taxes each year. Now, fast food chains like McDonalds, Burger King, and Subway are doing the same.

Study Shows More Manufacturing Jobs Created Under Democratic Presidents

Since World War Two, manufacturing jobs have grown under Democratic presidentsand faced more challenges under Republicans, a new study reported on Monday.

Romney Vs. Romney: Watch ‘Mittens’ Debate Himself

Republican presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, probably has whiplash from all of the flip-flopping on issues that he does and a revealing video edited by Daily Kos illustrates that in hilarious fashion.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Another CEO Threatens To Fire Employees If Obama Wins

Last week, billionaire CEO David Siegel, who runs a timeshare empire, threatened to fire employees if President Obama is reelected in November, saying in an email, “the economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration.”

Arlen Specter Dead: Former Pennsylvania Senator Dies From Complications Of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

Former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter died on Sunday from complications of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, according to the AP.

Republicans Try Compare Obama's Response To Libya Attacks With George Bush's Handling Of Iraq

WASHINGTON -- Several prominent Republicans on Sunday sought a pound of flesh from the Obama administration over its shifting explanations for the attack on the American consulate in Libya.

Clarence Thomas Is 'Wrong On Affirmative Action': Melissa Harris-Perry

Melissa Harris-Perry wrote an open letter to Justice Clarence Thomas and read the note aloud on her Saturday MSNBC show.

UFO Conspiracy Film Crew Detained At Gunpoint At Legendary Area 51 Gate: EXCLUSIVE

A BBC film crew was detained after it breached the back gate of the top secret military facility known as Area 51 while filming a new documentary about UFO conspiracy theories.

Malala Yousufzai Shooting: Thousands Of Pakistanis Rally For Girl Shot By Taliban

ISLAMABAD -- Tens of thousands have rallied in Pakistan's largest city in support of a 14-year-old girl shot and critically wounded by the Taliban for promoting girls' education and criticizing the militant group.

Dating Decisions

People incorporate their romantic interests' flaws into their self-concepts

It’s no secret that people like to see themselves positively. Decades of research indicates that people go to great lengths to accentuate their positive qualities and downplay their flaws. But what happens when an attractive potential partner has those flaws? In a recent pair of studies published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, researchers Erica Slotter and Wendi Gardner hypothesized that when people are attracted to flawed potential partners, their romantic desires may motivate them to adopt those flaws themselves. The authors cited the example of Sandy Olsson from Grease, who (spoiler alert?) decides to give up her squeaky clean, goodie-two-shoes image in an effort to win over her “greaser” love interest, Danny Zuko.

Apple Passes Green Product Registry, Glued-In Batteries And All

Apple’s triumphant return to an eco-friendly electronics product registry called EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) has been officially confirmed: On Friday, EPEAT published the results of its latest investigations into the recyclability and repairability of Apple’s Macbook Pro and notebook computers made by other companies (Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba), giving them all a green light to remain on the registry.

5 UK Marines Charged With Murder in Afghanistan

Five Royal Marines have been charged with murder over a death in Afghanistan last year, Britain's Ministry of Defense said today. They are the first British troops to be charged with murder in the country since 2001. The five are among nine marines arrested—seven on Thursday and two in the last 48 hours. Four have been released without charge. Officials have said the incident involved an "engagement with an insurgent" in Helmand province, where the majority of Britain's 9,500 troops in Afghanistan are deployed. They say no civilians were involved.

Navy Ship, Sub Collide Off Fla. Coast

A nuclear-powered submarine belonging to the US Navy chose the wrong moment to stick its head up yesterday: The USS Montpelier was apparently ascending to periscope depth in waters off the coast of Jacksonville, reports the Navy Times, when it collided with the USS San Jacinto, an Aegis class Navy cruiser. Both ships continued to operate under their own power and the Montpelier's nuclear power plant emerged unscathed, though the San Jacinto's sonar dome suffered damage. No injuries were reported. Both the San Jacinto and Montpelier were conducting routine training, and the Navy is investigating.

Romney Ad Spending: Candidate And Allies Greatly Outpace Obama As Election Closes

WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney's campaign and its Republican allies are set to outspend the president's campaign and allied Democratic groups by more than $18 million on the airwaves just this week, according to data provided by a Democratic source.

Obama Leads Among Early Voters: Poll

WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are neck and neck in opinion polls, but there is one area in which the incumbent appears to have a big advantage: those who have already cast their ballots.

Crown Jewels From Ghana Snatched in Hotel Lobby

Even a king has to keep an eye on his luggage, apparently. King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II of Ghana was visiting Norway this week when some of his family's crown jewels were snatched from a hotel lobby in Oslo, the BBC reports. Police say they have "good" surveillance images of the scene and are trying to identify the suspects. The king's secretary, who first said the jewels had "tremendous value," later dismissed the theft as "not such a big deal"—just a few rings and some lost headgear.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Client List From Zumba Sex Scandal Could Be A Problem For Some

A state judge in Kennebunk, Maine, decided today not to block the release of over 100 alleged clients of Alexis Wright, the 29-year-old Zumba instructor who is accused of running a prostitution ring out of her dance studio.

'Million Muppet March' Planned To Defend PBS After Romney Big Bird Comments

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Plans to save Big Bird, the fuzzy yellow character on U.S. public television's "Sesame Street," from possible extinction are taking shape in the form of a puppet-based protest next month dubbed the "Million Muppet March."

How the GOP Destroyed its Moderates

MITT ROMNEY HAS BEEN running for president as the Republican nominee, de facto or de jure, for eight months now, and the grand historical joke of it has not yet worn off. A party that has set itself to frantically, fanatically expunge its moderates, quasi-moderates, suspected moderates, and fellow travelers of moderates chose as its standard bearer the lineal heir, biographically and genealogically, to its moderate tradition. It entrusted its holy crusade to repeal Barack Obama’s hated health-care law to the man who had inspired it and run, four years before, promising to do the same for the rest of America. The man and his historical moment could not be more incongruous. It was as if the Mongol tribes of the thirteenth century, setting out to pillage their way across the Asian steppe, had somehow chosen Mahatma Gandhi as their supreme khan.

Maher Slams Focus On The Family & Being Wrong With No Penalty

Bill Maher ended Friday's episode of "Real Time" with a rant echoing a common theme throughout this election season: Why are so many high-profile figures and groups allowed to distort the truth or outright lie with little to no punishment?

Walmart Strike Memo Reveals Confidential Management Plans

Walmart launched a large-scale response this week to a series of unprecedented labor strikes, according to a confidential document obtained by The Huffington Post.

Matthew Shepard, Fourteen Years Later

Fourteen years ago, on October 12, 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard died after a vicious anti-LGBT hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming. His murder galvanized the LGBT community and its allies to push for stronger legal protections against similar acts of terrorism.

Israeli Experts Say Nuclear Deal Could Allow Iran To Enrich Uranium

Two Israeli security experts said on Friday that they could envision a deal between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany) over the former’s nuclear program that would include a provision allowing Iran to enrich low-grade uranium for civilian use.

Oklahoma’s Biggest Stimulus Hypocrite Tapped To Deliver GOP’s Weekly Address

Oklahoma congressional candidate Markwayne Mullin, the Republican nominee to replace retiring Rep. Dan Boren (D), has openly criticized President Obama’s economic stimulus package throughout his campaign. The stimulus was a “horrible waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Mullin, who will give the GOP’s national address this weekend.

Porn Industry Supports Barack Obama Over Mitt Romney, According To Poll

In a poll that President Barack Obama might not flaunt, porn actors said they favor re-electing the President over electing Mitt Romney.

William Koch, Billionaire Koch Brother, Accused Of Imprisoning Executive

Billionaire William Koch is facing a lawsuit in federal court from a former top-level employee who claims the energy mogul lured him to a secluded property, where he was imprisoned and interrogated for a period of time, according to a report in Courthouse News.

Skinny Minnie Mouse Could Give Girls Body Image Problems For Christmas

As New York department store Barneys gears up for its annual holiday campaign, they’ve announced something for the kids: A runway display that will feature classic Disney stars like Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Shot Fired at Obama Campaign Office in Denver

Denver police say someone fired a shot through the window of President Obama's Denver campaign office yesterday. People were inside at the time, but no one was injured. A large panel of glass was left shattered at the office on West Ninth Avenue. Investigators are looking at surveillance video but have not yet confirmed a description of a vehicle that might be linked to the shooting.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Florida GOP Group Uses Image Of Dead Ambassador’s Body In Obama Attack Ad

A Florida chapter of the pro-gay Log Cabin Republicans has published an attack ad against the Obama administration that prominently features a picture of slain Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya last month. Accompanying the picture is the claim that the President refuses to protect gay and gay friendly Americans against “Islamic radicalism.”

GOP Consultant Under Investigation For Voter Registration Fraud Quietly Restarts Registration Efforts

The Republican National Committeehastily cut ties with Strategic Allied Consulting in late September, when Florida opened a criminal investigation into the GOP-funded voter registration firm for turning in hundreds of fraudulent registration forms in Florida counties. Once Palm Beach County raised the alarm, other states discoveredfraudulent registrations, including North Carolina, Virginia, Nevada and Colorado. Now under fire, Strategic Allied Consulting founder Nathan Sproul has quietly started a new identical firm called Issue Advocacy Partners, which is operating in 10 major battleground states.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS TV SHOW CREATOR TO ROMNEY: ‘COME UP WITH YOUR OWN CAMPAIGN SLOGAN’

Since the first presidential debate, the Romney campaign has beenemploying a line from popular TV show Friday Night Lights: “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” But the series creator, Peter Berg, has sent the campaign a letter accusing Romney of plagiarizing the rallying cry, which has been used in stump speeches, on social media and on posters. Berg’s letter went even farther, declaring, “Your politics and campaign are clearly not aligned with the themes we portrayed in our series.” He also compares Romney to one of his characters, Buddy Garrity, a somewhat ignorant car salesman who started selling imported Japanese cars instead of American-made ones. Read the letter in full here.

Five Questions Martha Raddatz Could Have Asked About Abortion In Last Night’s Vice Presidential Debate

I was gritting my teeth waiting for a question, any question, to be asked about reproductive health, contraception, insurance coverage for women’s health, or sexual assault at last night’s debate. So I was glad that moderator Martha Raddatz asked about abortion. But I was less than thrilled with how she phrased the question, asking Vice President Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan “I would like to ask you both to tell me what role your religion has played in your own personal views on abortion. Please talk about how you came to that decision. Talk about how your religion played a part in that. And, please, this is such an emotional issue for so many people in this country, please talk personally about this, if you could.” As Irin Carmon pointed out at Salon, it was a framing that put the issue on turf where religious conservatives like to have it, that posited the beliefs of two men, neither of whom will ever have to face the prospect of themselves carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term, was more important than the experiences of women, and that personalized a debate with important policy implications. So here are five questions Raddatz could asked to get, meaningfully, at any of the factors her question excluded:

Wyclef Jean's Charity Quietly Goes Bust

Wyclef Jean's ineffective and scandal-plagued charity Yéle quietly went belly up last month, after CEO Derek Johnson announced his resignation. "As the foundation's sole remaining employee, my decision implies the closure of the organization as a whole," he wrote. In its wake, the charity leaves "a trail of debts, unfinished projects, and broken promises," the New York Timeswrites in a profile today. In Haiti, there's little sign it ever existed; its headquarters is abandoned, its tents and tarps have disintegrated, and its street cleaning crews have disbanded.

Republicans Reveal Location Of Secret CIA Base During House Hearing On Libya Attacks

The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank caught an interesting tidbit from yesterday’s House hearing on the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya last month. The GOP — having spent months railingagainst the Obama administration for allegedly leaking classified information — yesterday revealed classified information. “When House Republicans called a hearing in the middle of their long recess, you knew it would be something big,” Milbank reports today, “and indeed it was: They accidentally blew the CIA’s cover.”

GOP Plans Congressional Investigation Into September Jobs Number Conspiracy

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Fox News on Wednesday that he would hold hearings into the September job numbers, buying into a widely-discredited conspiracy theory that President Obama faked last month’s figure to improve his re-election chances.

Four Ways A Romney Supreme Court Would Change The Constitution Without Amending It

In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch yesterday, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney brushed off a suggestion that he would usher in a constitutional amendment overruling Roe v. Wade, stating that “[t]hat’s not where America is now.” That does not mean, however, that Romney will not usher in massive changes to the Constitution if he is given the opportunity to name new Supreme Court justices. Here are just four ways that Romney’s appointees would vote to effectively rewrite the Constitution if given the chance to do so:

At The Vice Presidential Debate: Ryan Told 24 Myths In 40 Minutes


1) “It took the president two weeks to acknowledge that [the Libya attack] was a terrorist attack.” Obama used the word “terrorism” to describe the killing of Americans the very next day at the Rose Garden. “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for,” Obama said in a Rose Garden statement on September 12.

How A Terrible Debate Question Helped Paul Ryan Mislead About Social Security

During last night’s debate, Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan told 24 lies during his 40 minutes of speaking time. But in one instance, he was aided by debate moderator Martha Raddatz, who asserted that Social Security “is going broke”:

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Mother Of Navy SEAL Killed In Libya Demands Romney Stop Talking About Him In Stump Speech

The mother of a former Navy SEAL who was killed in the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya last month has asked Mitt Romney to stop recounting a story about meeting the former SEAL, Glen Doherty, at a holiday party a few years ago.

What Everyone Needs To Know Before Watching The VP Debate

1. Romney and Ryan would eliminate health care for 31 million people who are poor or disabled. Medicaid, which helps poor Americans, some seniors, and children afford health care, is right in the crosshairs of Paul Ryan’s House budget. He proposed cutting $1.4 trillion from the program, a move that would kick about 11 million people off Medicaid over the course of ten years. The Romney-Ryan plan is even worse, and is estimated to force about 44 million people off the program.

Discovery’s Embarrassing Embrace of Ted Nugent, And The Value of Public Broadcasting

Normally, when celebrities embarrass the networks who are about to dedicate programming hours to them, it’s something of a shock. VH1 had no idea Chad Johnson would batter his wife, Evelyn Lozada, shortly before a reality show about the couple was slated to air. And normally, when something like that takes place, the network responds quickly: VH1 cancelled “Ev and Ocho” before a single episode of it had even aired. But the Discovery Channel is in a decidedly different situation with Ted Nugent, the subject of an hour-long special called “Ted Nugent’s Gun Country” which airs on the network at 10 tonight.

Special Interest Groups Spent Nearly $11 Million On Solyndra Attack Ads Since April — But They Didn’t Work

When the solar manufacturing company Solyndra went bankrupt last September after receiving a $527 million loan guarantee, it sparked a politically-motivated Congressional investigation into the White House’s handling of the program — an “investigation” that critics admitted would “stop on election day.”

COURT PUTS SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER ID LAW ON HOLD UNTIL AFTER ELECTION

A three-judge panel rejected South Carolina’s request that itreinstate a state voter identification law for the 2012 elections. The law had been denied pre-clearance by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating the Voting Rights Act. Much like the recent Pennsylvania decision, the panel ruled that the law may go into effect after this year, but implementing it this close to the November elections would have potentially discriminatory effects on minority voters.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Billionaire CEO Threatens To Fire Employees If Obama Wins

The CEO of a massive timeshare company sent an email about the upcoming election to his employees yesterday, threatening to fire some of them if President Obama wins re-election.

Despite Court Order, At Least Five Pennsylvania Counties Still Telling Voters They Need ID To Vote

Last week, a Pennsylvania court mostly suspended that state’s voter ID law for the upcoming election. Under the court’s order, voters will still be asked for ID at the polls, but they will still be able to cast a regular ballot — not a provisional ballot — if they are unable to show it.