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Saturday, August 10, 2013

The Hoarding Class Crashed the Economy and Now Refuse to Re-Invest In Recovery

The Hoarding Class Crashed the Economy and Now Refuse to Re-Invest In Recovery
In the 2011 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study “Trends in the Distribution of  Household Income Between 1979 and 2007,” the CBO documents that for the 1% of the population, average real after-tax household income grew by 275 percent over a period of 28 years.

ALEC at 40: Turning Back the Clock on Prosperity and Progress

Source: sourcewatch.org & additional info from prwatch.org
Today, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released a new report: "ALEC at 40: Turning Back the Clock on Prosperity and Progress." The report identifies and analyzes 466 American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) bills introduced in 2013.

This week, ALEC celebrates its 40th anniversary in Chicago. At this meeting -- as in all ALEC meetings -- lobbyists from U.S. and foreign corporations will vote as equals alongside state legislators to adopt ALEC "model" bills, which then will be distributed nationwide with little or no disclosure of their ALEC roots.

In 2013, ALEC is going to new lengths to hide its lobbying of legislators from the public eye. It has taken to stamping all its documents as exempt from state public records laws, dodging open records with a "dropbox" website, and other tricks. After Watergate, many states strengthened their laws regarding open meetings and open records, but real sunshine on government is anathema to ALEC.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Signs of new climate 'normal' apparent in hot 2012

Signs of new climate 'normal' apparent in hot 2012

Sea ice of Greenland is pictured as captured by the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite in this October 16, 2012 handout photo. REUTERS/NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team/HandoutLast year was one of the 10 hottest on record, with sea levels at record highs, Arctic ice at historic lows and extreme weather in various corners of the globe signaling a "new normal," scientists said Tuesday in the 2012 State of the Climate report.

Meant to be a guide for policymakers, the report did not attribute the changes in climate to any one factor, but made note of continued increases in heat-trapping greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. 
http://reut.rs/145v2Fl

President Obama gives Jay Leno new car for collection

President Obama gives Jay Leno new car for collection
Wrapping up his sixth Tonight Show appearance with Jay Leno —and probably his last before the host hands over the reins of the franchise to Jimmy Fallon early next year — President Barack Obama said he’d come with a parting gift for a man who owns perhaps Hollywood’s most famous car collection.

“There’s one piece that’s missing,” Obama said, unveiling a Matchbox-size replica of the presidential limousine, complete with flying flags above the headlights.
http://politi.co/17y1HW1

Complete Guide to Troop ID Military and Veteran Discounts

Complete Guide to Troop ID Military and Veteran Discounts
Until recently, brands and non-profits were unable to deliver military and veteran discounts through their website or mobile apps because they were unable to verify their customers eligibility. Troop ID  solved this problem by creating a digital ID card for service members and veterans so they had a secure means of proving their identity online. The service -- free to service members and veterans -- launched on November 12, 2012 with Under Armour. Since launch, many more brands like Overstock and Tough Mudder have integrated the technology.

The following list is a comprehensive guide to Troop ID protected military and veteran discounts: http://bit.ly/16A68Tc

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

I've learned a couple of cool new tricks the last few days.

I've learned a couple of cool new tricks the last few days.
Trick number 1: See a giant spider near the computer, and being freaked out by the spider spray lots of bug spray around the computer room. (small room) Without venting the room or anything, continue working on the computer until feeling dizzy and seeing double. For the next few hours I was dizzy, feeling like crap, seeing double, barely able to walk, etc. Lesson learned... bug spray isn't a good thing to breath.
Trick number 2: I just did this one. Put a pan of water on the stove and put in eggs to hard boil. Go do stuff on the computer and forget about the eggs. Hear a small explosion upstairs, remember about the eggs that were on the stove. Go upstairs and find the pan empty of water, and eggs partially blackened. One egg had exploded and left in pieces from the pan. Our dog was cleaning up the pieces of egg on the floor. Lesson learned... eggs should only be cooked for so long...

Monday, August 5, 2013

Wisdom From Beyond the 23rd Century

“Stand up and dance,” commands the voice from the future, “oh and eat more cereal.” It’s not often that we receive motivation from “well after the 23rd century,” but in Sean Pecknold’s short film, a robotic voice gives us some very un-robotic advice. Besides dance and cereal, the voice from the future advises eating veggies, being nicer, running in the dark, and taking advantage of nature. Apparently, us citizens of the early Internet age have much to learn (and this is probably true given all the research linking shorter life spans to our desk-focused sedentary lifestyles). So in the near future, “when you’re sitting at this screen wondering what it all means, just stand up and dance like a lunatic.”

See the video here: http://bit.ly/23Century