Interesting News
Pic: Farmhand Jeanie lends a hand with the arduous chores. What a trooper!
Well, I suppose you read a few weeks ago how the government finally revealed that it's been secretly harboring alien beings at its famous 'Area 51'. No, wait, I got the story backwards. They haven't been secretly harboring aliens over there. Yeah, like anyone would buy that. Area 51 report won't stop Hollywood and those who want to believe
Sadly, once again those Euros are ahead of us. As you might know, running into a concrete wall over 70 mph guarantees a quick, painless death. Under 70 and you're usually just looking at a total body maiming with a grueling, painful life in a hospital bed for the rest of your days. As such, the farseeing European Union has decided to end these horrible, quick, painless, over-70-mph deaths, once and for all: EU plans to fit all cars with speed limiters
And more bad news for the Righties. As I note here, the entire right wing has simply been giddy for the past five years because of President Obama's "57 states" quote. As I cover in the post, however, these right-wingers have been wrong, wrong, wrong about President Obama's quote. He doesn't think there are 57 states.
He think there are 60.
As we've noted a few times recently, Northern Colorado is seeking to become the 51st state.
And now we have...
Northern California County Board Votes For Secession From State
At this rate, we'll be at 60 in no time!
When it comes to the popular sport of drone hunting, there's a little 'friendly rivalry' developing between a couple of everybody's favorite nation-states:
Colorado town considers licensing bounty hunters to shoot down drones
Iran to teach drone-hunting to school students
Let the games begin!
In the Unclear On The Concept department, we have: Mainers would rather move to Canada than down South
What these Mainers forgot to ask is whether or not we down here in the South even want them moving here. As it turns out, the answer is a resounding NO!, so this looks like a win-win situation for everybody.
Continuing with good news, it appears there's finally hope for many of our readers: Pennsylvania hospital to open country's first inpatient treatment program for Internet addiction
According to the article, they have two basic programs. The one with the leg irons and electroshock therapy looks like best choice for the money. Quicker, anyway.
As you might have heard, there's been a lot of controversy lately about banning the 'D' word. But let's start at the top:
— Do you deny that global warming is man-made?
— Do you deny the earth is warming naturally?
— Do you deny the earth is warming at all?
If so, then you're one of those dreaded Deniers: Time for the BBC to ban the 'D' word?
Speaking of disinformation, one of the real problems with the Internet is that it allows smooth talkers to sway the less-informed into doing something really stupid, like refusing vaccinations for their kids. Here's a new form of the problem: TN newborns get rare bleeding disorder after parents refused vitamin K shots
A bleeding disorder in babies so rare that it typically affects fewer than one in 100,000 is becoming more common in Tennessee because parents are refusing vitamin K injections at birth, according to pediatric specialists.
Since February, four babies with no signs of injury or abuse have been sent to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with either brain hemorrhages or bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Robert Sidonio Jr., a hematologist, diagnosed them with vitamin K deficiency bleeding.
Well done, Internet.
Speaking of ugly: Postal Service looks to end at-your-door mail
If you're moving to a newly built house, say goodbye to mail delivery at your door.
And if some House Republicans get their way, all door-to-door mail delivery will go away.
The U.S. Postal Service is marching towards a more "centralized delivery," where residents pick up their own mail from clusters of mail boxes located in their neighborhood. Local postmasters are sending hundreds of letters to fast-growing communities, warning that cluster boxes will be the way mail will be delivered to new developments.
And what makes it ugly is that the Republican leading the charge is the famed Darrell Issa, he of the tough congressional hearings. I even highlighted him with two video clips here.
But Rep. Darrell Issa, the California Republican leading the House effort to save the postal service, wants more. He has made doing away with doorstep delivery a key part of his bill, which would require everyone to get mail at a curbside box or from a cluster box.
So, to sum up, once again a large company is unable to trim its ranks due to union restraints and thus has to cut costs another way, one which impacts us both directly and painfully.
Painfully, that is, if you're Mrs. Hutchins, age 88, suffering from terrible arthritis and now has to hobble a quarter-mile to get her mail.
Political News
Finally! Like her or not, one thing everyone admits is that it's nice to see a woman in the White House with a little fashion sense. Or, to put it in question form; just how many of Barbara Bush's outfits do you remember? Point proven.
So, imagine how refreshing it is to see our First Lady finally doing something about the building's drab exterior: Michelle Obama To Paint White House Green
Mrs. Obama bristled but managed to maintain her silence when queried about the allegations. Not surprisingly, White House spokesmen followed her lead, declining to comment on the report in any form whatsoever.
“Official silence is expected but it’s an odds-on bet that the White House will soon be known as the Green House,” said the source. “The only thing holding Mrs. Obama back at this point is the choice of shade. From what I understand, she is torn between grass green and hunter green. When she decides, painters will show up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with brushes, ladders and scaffolds and start painting.”
Personally, I'd go with the hunter. It'll weather better and go nicer with the surrounding foliage. But I don't claim to be an expert on the subject.
From the article, proof positive!
