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via Wendy Donahue, Chicago Tribune If a clean-cut colleague suddenly sprouts a third brow, this one just above the upper lip, don’t hesitate to confront him. For thousands of guys across the globe, getting questions is one of the goals behind growing a mustache in November, otherwise known as Movember. From its pencil-thin ambitions in … Continue reading
via Zaid Jilani, ThinkProgress One of the overarching themes of the 99 Percent Movement is that our democracy is too corrupted by corporate special interests. This corruption was worsened last year by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed for huge new unregulated flows of corporate political spending. Yesterday, six Democratic senators — Tom … Continue reading
via Nick Carbone, TIME Japan can build anything, right? How about making a second Tokyo? It’s Japan’s business hub, capital, and largest, most densely populated city. But it sits on the tumultuous Ring of Fire. Tokyo was forced to face a stark reality earlier this year when a double-whammy 9.0 earthquake and tsunami rocked a … Continue reading
via Max Read, Gawker Let’s all give a big “thanks” to the heroes of the Oakland Police Department, who have now hospitalized two veterans of the Iraq War in the last week as part of their ongoing project to look like the worst police department in the country! Bar owner Kayvan Sabeghi, a 32-year-old former … Continue reading
via Sam Stein, The Huffington Post The Obama administration has been careful in its handling of the Occupy Wall Street movement, expressing sympathy with the sentiment behind it but never going so far as to formally endorse it. But on financial regulatory and consumer protection issues, there is a clear — and inviting — overlap … Continue reading
via Tamara Lush and Verena Dobnik, AP, Yahoo News Look at a photo or news clip from around the world of Occupy protesters and you’ll likely spot a handful of people wearing masks of a cartoon-like man with a pointy beard, closed-mouth smile and mysterious eyes. The mask is a stylized version of Guy Fawkes, … Continue reading
via Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to cut staff and hours of operation at public libraries in the new city budget comes at a time when this cherished institution is already facing “formidable challenges” coast to coast, according to a recent policy report from the Chicago-based American Library Association. In an increasingly … Continue reading
via Hayley Miller, The Huffington Post As temperatures drop and snow begins to fall, thousands of Occupy protesters are beginning to fear the approaching winter while many of their supporters worry the occupations will thin out. In an effort to combat both dwindling temperatures and participation, collaborative news blog FireDogLake has launched Occupy Supply, an … Continue reading
via Michael McAuliff, The Huffington Post Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid leveled a blistering attack at Republicans Tuesday that echoed the message of Occupy Wall Street, saying the GOP wants to protect the very richest Americans at the expense of everyone else. Reid (D-Nev.) was arguing against Senate Republican resistance to a $60 billion measure … Continue reading
via Jim Kuhnhenn, Houston Chronicle A beleaguered president seeks re-election. His challenger, a candidate with Massachusetts roots and a presidential demeanor straight out of central casting, has to fight through a primary contest fending off charges of flip-flopping. In the end, the challenger’s strength also proves his vulnerability. Election 2012 is looking a lot like the … Continue reading
via BBC News David Cameron has threatened to withhold UK aid from governments that do not reform legislation banning homosexuality. The UK prime minister said he raised the issue with some of the states involved at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia. Human rights reform in the Commonwealth was one issue that leaders … Continue reading
via Tanya Somanader, ThinkProgress Next Tuesday, Mississippians will go to the polls to decide on Initiative 26, a personhood amendment to the state constitution that defines a person as “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.” Personhood amendments represent an extreme reach into a family’s privacy, essentially criminalizing … Continue reading
via Lucia Graves, The Huffington Post The White House has rejected several marijuana legalization petitions, one of which called on the federal government to stop interfering with state marijuana legalization efforts. “As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem,” wrote Gil Kerlikowske, director of … Continue reading
via P. Solomon Banda, The Huffington Post The wave of uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East that have overturned three governments in the past year have prompted the U.S. government to begin developing guidelines for culling intelligence from social media networks, a top Homeland Security official said Monday. Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary … Continue reading
via Pete Cashmore, CNN As we enter the final months of 2011, the thoughts of tech watchers like me are turning to what we can expect in 2012. Voice recognition in all our devices? Touch control replacing the mouse and keyboard? The death of the wallet as mobile payments become mainstream? Maybe. But what I’m most … Continue reading
via Hayley Miller, The Huffington Post The Supreme Court may treat corporations like people who can spend whatever they want on elections, but the American people don’t have to accept it, said Democratic senators who proposed a constitutional amendment Tuesday to retake control of campaign spending. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), doesn’t … Continue reading
via Chicago Press Release Services Governor Pat Quinn today launched the Illinois Lottery’s 2011 Veterans Cash lottery game. All the proceeds from the sale of these tickets benefit Illinois Veterans. Proceeds from ticket sales help pay for medical care, post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, disability benefits, and housing assistance services for Illinois Veterans. “The men and … Continue reading
via Elizabeth Flock, The Washington Post To better ensure its staff follows the school’s biblical mandate, Georgia’s Shorter University told its 200 employees late last month to sign a “Personal Lifestyle Statement” rejecting homosexuality, adultery and premarital sex. The pledge also bans teachers and administrators at the conservative Christian university from drinking alcohol in front … Continue reading
via Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Bank of America became the latest US bank to scrap plans for a debit card fee, acting after worries that customers of the second-largest US bank by deposits would move their accounts. BofA said its u-turn was a “response to customer feedback and the changing competitive marketplace”. Analysts had worried … Continue reading
via Thom Shanker and Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq … Continue reading
via Travis Waldron, ThinkProgress House Republicans took the government to the brink of shutdown last spring by demanding across-the-board budget cuts to many vital programs. Instead of focusing on job creation, as Americans wanted them to, the GOP turned its attention to slashing funds for programs that funded assistance for women and children, local law … Continue reading
via Mike Colpitts, Housing Predictor Responding to homeowner complaints, Nevada has become the first state in the nation to make illegally repossessing a home a felony, and may send bankers to jail for doing such. The new law was enacted after tens of thousands of homeowners complained to lawmakers about their homes being foreclosed without … Continue reading
via The Huffington Post Speaking at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) responded to an audience member’s question about what she would do about teen bullying in schools by reiterating her oft-repeated call for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education. “I think that this is an issue that needs to be … Continue reading
via Ellen Brown, Alternet Among the demands of the Wall Street protesters is student debt forgiveness – a debt “jubilee.” Occupy Philly has a “Student Loan Jubilee Working Group,” and other groups are studying the issue. Commentators say debt forgiveness is impossible. Who would foot the bill? But there is one deep pocket that could … Continue reading
via Carlos Santoscoy, Chicago Pride New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced on Friday that she would introduce a bill to bar discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people who want to adopt or become foster care parents. Gillibrand said she would sponsor the Every Child Deserves a Family Act in the Senate. If approved, … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 