Month: March 2013
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Physicists Confirm Discovery Of Higgs Boson
Last July, a group of scientists at CERN announced that they had discovered evidence pointing toward the elusive Higgs Boson, a particle whose existence was postulated decades ago but whose existence had never been proven. Today, it’s revealed that they have indeed found the Higgs Boson: GENEVA (AP) — The search is all but over…
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Google Reader To Shut Down July 1st
Almost from the very time I started reading blogs nearly ten years ago now, I’ve been doing so via an RSS reader. It is, quite obviously, the most convenient way to keep track of a content on a large number of sites, and takes far less time than actually visiting all the blogs that interests…
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Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Is Pope Francis I
Habemus Papam
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Papal Conclave Ends With A Puff Of White Smoke
After just one and a half days and five ballots, the Papal Conclave has ended: VATICAN CITY — With a puff of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and to the cheers of thousands of rain-soaked faithful, a gathering of Catholic cardinals picked a new pope from among their midst on Wednesday.…
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Cory Booker Holds Strong Lead In NJ Senate Race
Newark Mayor Cory Booker is currently leading prospective opponents for the Democratic nomination for Senate in New Jersey: Newark Mayor Cory Booker has a 43-point lead over his closest competitor in a 2014 Democratic primary for New Jersey’s Senate seat, a new poll shows. Half of all Democratic voters in New Jersey said they would…
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Twinkies To Return By Summer
The company that bought Hostess’s snack food business out of bankruptcy expects to have product back on the shelf in a few months: The new owner of Hostess Brands Inc’s snack cakes hopes to have Twinkies back on U.S. store shelves by this summer, according to a member of the purchasing group. “Our family is…
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Judicial Confirmation Crisis
The D.C. Circuit now has four vacancies out of eleven seats.
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How the Quiet Car Explains the World
With “How the Quiet Car Explains the World,” Ta-Nehisi Coates has become an old white dude.
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Chris Christie On The Necessity Of Compromise In Politics
From a recent Gubernatorial Town Hall, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks common sense: And, of course, conservatives will denounce him for it.
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Hagel Halts Drone Medal
Chuck Hagel has cemented his legacy as the greatest Secretary of Defense ever.
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Virginia Lt. Governor Declines Independent Bid For Governor
Virginia Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, who dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination for Governor late last year, has said that he will not be running as an independent: RICHMOND — Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced Tuesday that he would not run for governor as an independent, ending a months-long tease that had promised to add…
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A Conservative Critique Of Paul Ryan’s Budget
James Pethokoukis at the American Enterprise Institute isn’t too thrilled with Paul Ryan’s new budget plan: [S]ince Ryan’s PTP also serves as the fiscal 2014 budget resolution for House Republicans, the blueprint is far from ideal: 1. If the GOP’s Medicare reform plan is such a good idea (and budget deficits are such a problem),…
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Shocking Headline of the Day (or not) (Goldbug Edition)
Gold is the worst investment of 2013.
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Reflections on the Panama Canal
The Canal made a number of impressions.
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Speaking of Asylum-Seekers
Last week, I noted a story about a German family seeking permanent asylum in the United States because they wish to home-school their children. In the comments section, some took exception to the fact that I felt that the story had direct resonance with the ongoing immigration debate in the US. Along those lines, I…
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Falkland Islanders Vote To Remain Part Of United Kingdom
Voters in the Falkand Islands voted overwhelmingly to remain part of the United Kingdom: BUENOS AIRES — All but three voters in the Falkland Islands, the south Atlantic archipelago, cast ballots Sunday and Monday in favor of remaining an overseas territory of Britain. Argentina claims sovereignty over the clutch of tiny islands 310 miles from its shores, which…
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We are all Doomed (Mummy CT Edition)
Via the AP: Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries Even without modern-day temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever hunt for the condition in mummies. Researchers say that suggests heart disease may be more a natural part of human aging rather than being…
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Judge Bars Bloomberg’s Large Soda Ban From Going Into Effect
New York City’s law banning most establishments from serving soft drinks larger than 16 ounces was supposed to go into effect tomorrow, but a State Judge has entered an order barring the law from going into effect: A state judge on Monday stopped Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration from banning the sale of large sugary drinks at New York…
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North Korea Nullifies 1953 Armistice
Things are heating up on the Korean Peninsula again.
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Not The Singularity: New Blog, Old Bloggers
Longtime blogger Steve Hynd has launched a new group blog called Not The Singularity.
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What If The Papal Election Were Like American Politics?
The Daily Show answers the question:
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Intrade Shuts Down
Online betting site Intrade, which became famous for the political side of its betting operations, has shut down operations amid hints of a major scandal: The online betting site Intrade announced late on Sunday that it had halted trading and frozen customer accounts after the company said it had discovered potential financial irregularities. The firm,…
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Looking to the Venezuelan Presidential Elections
Via the BBC: Venezuela opposition leader Capriles to stand in election Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles has confirmed that he will stand in presidential elections on 14 April. In a televised address, Mr Capriles accused the governing PSUV party of manipulating the recent death of Hugo Chavez. Mr Chavez died on 5 March after a…
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Falkland Islanders to Vote on Status
Via the BBC: Falklands referendum: Islanders vote on British status The islanders decided to hold the vote in response to Argentine pressure for negotiations over sovereignty. Some 1,672 British citizens – out of a population of about 2,900 – can vote. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has said the inhabitants’ wishes are not relevant…
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Karzai Accuses U.S. Of Colluding Against Him With Taliban
Afghan President Hamid Karzai made some rather odd comments today: KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan accused the Taliban and the United States on Sunday of working in concert to convince Afghans that violence will worsen if most foreign troops leave — an accusation that the top American commander in Afghanistan rejected as “categorically false.” Mr. Karzai…
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Paul Ryan’s Budget Plan Is Not Serious
The Chairman of the House Budget Committee is proposing a budget that is based largely on fantasy.
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Susan Rice On Short List To Be National Security Adviser
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who took her name out of contention for Secretary of State in the face of Republican resistance, looks likely to become President Obama’s new National Security Adviser: UNITED NATIONS — Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who lost out in a bruising bid for the job of secretary…
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Republican Hill Staffers Jumping Ship
Frustrated Republican health care staffers are leaving the Hill for lucrative positions on K Street.
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Grayson: Replace Sequester with Ending Afghanistan War
Congressman Alan Grayson says we could stave off the sequester cuts by simply ending our useless war in Afghanistan. HuffPo (“Alan Grayson, Florida Congressman: Replace Sequester Cuts With Ending Afghanistan War (VIDEO)“): Democratic Florida Congressman Alan Grayson told HuffPost Live on Friday that he believes the automatic spending cuts triggered by sequestration should be replaced with a…
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Feinstein: Veterans Shouldn’t Be Exempt From Assault Weapons Ban—Because PTSD
California’s senior senator comes to the right conclusion through the wrong reasoning.
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How Much Should We Trust Those Jobs Reports?
Buzzfeed’s Willie Herrmann points out that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been doing a lot of revising of its employment reports lately: A full 50% of the time, the initial perception of the jobs numbers would have been incorrect: Reported jobs growth exceeded economists’ expectations, but then the revised numbers actually fell short of them,…
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FCC About To De-Link Area Codes And Location?
Since the beginning of the telephone system, area codes have been generally strictly tied to the location where the phone was located. Someone in New York City would get a number with a 212 Area Code, New Jersey residents initially got 201, and, of course, the District of Columbia got 202. As time wore on…
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South Dakota Now Allows Teachers To Carry Guns In School
South Dakota’s Governor has signed into law a bill that would allow teachers to carry guns in school: Gov. Dennis Daugaard has signed the “school sentinels” bill letting schools arm volunteer defenders. Hotly debated this legislative session, it was pitched as a way for small schools without nearby law enforcement to protect themselves against shooters…
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Juan Williams Caught Plagiarizing, Blames Researcher
Columnist and frequent Fox News talking head Juan Williams is the latest person to be caught plagiarizing, and his explanation reveals again an unspoken truth about many major columnists: In a case of apparent plagiarism, Fox News pundit Juan Williams lifted — sometimes word for word — from a Center for American Progress report, without…
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Papal Conclave To Begin March 12th
Vatican officials announced today that the Conclave to select a successor to Benedict XVI will being next Tuesday: The Vatican said Friday that cardinals gathered in Rome to elect a new pope would begin the actual election process, known as the papal conclave, Tuesday. It has been widely reported that divisions among the cardinals over…
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February Jobs Report Mostly Positive, But Long Term Problems Remain
A somewhat good jobs report for February, but still no sign that the jobs recession is ending any time soon.
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Michigan’s Carl Levin Announces Retirement From Senate
Michigan Senator Carl Levin is the latest member of the upper chamber to announce that he will not be running for re-election in 2014: WASHINGTON — Senator Carl Levin, a liberal fixture in the Senate and in Michigan, which he has served since 1979, said Thursday that he planned to retire, saying he would spend the…
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Lucas Hints Fisher, Hamill, and Ford All Returning For Episode VII
George Lucas is hinting that the core stars from original Star Wars trilogy will be returning in some capacity in Episode VII: The cat keeps creeping out of the “Star Wars” bag when it comes to the reports that original cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher will reprise their roles from the…
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Chavez’s Body To Be On Permanent Display
Apparently, Venezuela’s ruling party hopes to keep the Hugo Chavez cult of personality around after his death: CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting president says Hugo Chavez’s embalmed body will be permanently displayed in a glass casket so that “his people will always have him.” Vice President Nicolas Maduro says the remains will be put…
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Senate Confirms Brennan As CIA Director
Not surprisingly, the Senate has confirmed John Brennan as the next CIA Director: The Senate on Thursday afternoon approved John O. Brennan’s nomination to lead the Central Intelligence Agency by a vote of 63 to 34. The vote followed a filibuster by Senator Rand Paul, who spent nearly 13 hours on the Senate floor in pursuit of…
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Why Rand Paul’s Filibuster Mattered
Rand Paul’s filibuster is one that all American’s should thank him for that.
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White House Responds To Rand Paul
Rand Paul’s filibuster finally earned a response from the White House on the use of drones on American soil: President Barack Obama would not use a drone to kill an American on U.S. soil, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Thursday, responding to Sen. Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster a day earlier on the Senate floor. “The…
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Study Finds Billions Wasted In Funds Used To “Rebuild” Iraq
In addition to the money it actually cost to fight the Iraq War and station American troops there from 2003 through 2011, which according to some estimates amounted to upwards of $1 Trillion for the entire eight year period, the United States also spent, and indeed continues to spend, billions of dollars to rebuild the…
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Joe Flacco Not Highest Paid Player (After Taxes)?
The Ravens quarterback cashed in after winning the Super Bowl. Now it’s Maryland’s turn.
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Al Gore Sued Over Sale Of Current TV To Al Jazeera
A media consultant in California is suing former Vice President Al Gore and others over the sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera: Current TV’s $500 million sale to Al Jazeera has prompted a lawsuit that claims co-founder Al Gore originally was opposed to the deal but had a “change of heart” on selling his…
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More North Korean Saber Rattling
North Korea is continuing its saber rattling in the wake of an apparent agreement on new UN sanctions: SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Thursday threatened for the first time to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States and South Korea, issuing the warning as the United Nations was preparing tough new sanctions over its nuclear…
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House GOP Spending Bill Requires Post Office To Keep Saturday Delivery
The spending bill passed yesterday by the House of Representatives to fund the government through the end of the year includes a provision requiring the Post Office to keep Saturday mail delivery: WASHINGTON – A spending measure passed by the House on Wednesday to keep the government operating through September requires that the Postal Service…
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Comet Pan-STARRS Passing Close To Earth, Will Soon Be Visible
A comet that was only recently discovered is making a very close approach to Earth and the Sun, and will soon be visible in the Northern Hemisphere: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A recently discovered comet is closer than it’s ever been to Earth, and stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere finally get to see it.…