Jeeer

‘Aaron Rodgers Day’ on 12-12-12

kris — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:43:56 +0000

Mark you calendars now. Wisconsin leaders, having nothing more important to take care of, have answered a grassroots effort and will make Dec. 12 “Aaron Rodgers Day” throughout the Badger State. Rodgers won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award earlier this month.

When a Country Cracks Down on Contraception: Grim Lessons from the Philippines

kris — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:41:09 +0000

The U.S. is once again at battle over birth control. It started with President Barack Obama’s “compromise” on mandatory coverage for contraceptives and has evolved into national shouting match about faith, family and fundamental rights. At the center of it all is Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, a conservative Catholic who is against abortion — yes, even in cases of rape and incest — and says he “personally” opposes birth control. Poll data suggest that when it comes to contraception, Santorum is out of step with his would-be constituents; the vast majority of Americans, including Catholics, do not oppose birth control. Many do, however, back his ultra-conservative stance on abortion, making this a good time to reflect on what the U.S. can learn from the global campaign for reproductive rights.

Food Co-op Readies for Boycott Vote

kris — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:57:10 +0000

After three years of heated debate, the Park Slope Food Coop is at last ready for a vote.

That is, a vote on if, in fact, there should be a vote at all.

Next month, the 15,500-plus member cooperative will decide whether to hold a referendum on what may be the most controversial issue in its nearly 40-year history: a boycott of products made in Israel.

Did Hitler Knock Up a French Teenager?

kris — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:51:49 +0000

Adolf Hitler may have fathered a son by a French teenager while serving as a soldier in World War I, according to a recent issue of France’s Le Point magazine.

A recent re-examination of evidence in both France and Germany has lent credence to the claims of late Frenchmen Jean-Marie Loret, that Hitler was his father.

The Year of Magical Stinking: An Oral History of Tebow Time

kris — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:02:09 +0000

Not even Jesus can save his passing game, and yet Tim Tebow somehow dominated the league last season, captivating Denver and much of this God-fearing nation with his messianic confidence and fourth-quarter miracle work. Michael Silver talks to the kid’s coaches, teammates, and opponents and asks them: How did he do that, and will it ever happen again?

8 Unknown Facts About Famous Businesses

Aaron — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:10:17 +0000

We usually only know what businesses allow us to see, but they have some very interesting stories to tell. Like how Ben and Jerry were originally going to be a bagel shop or that FedEx bailed themselves out with a winning trip to Vegas. These facts are not only ultra cool but adds a little more personality to their History don’t you think?

A Muggle At Hogwarts

kris — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:50:10 +0000

I don’t understand HARRY POTTER. I haven’t read a single book and I’ve only seen one movie (out of context). Any conversation about the subject ends with me making an ass of myself. I’m up-to-date and informed on nearly every topic in pop culture but J.K. Rowling’s massive wizard universe remains elusive to me. Join me as I watch every HP film in order and report my results. Will this HARRY POTTER virgin fall in love with the films or will I get even more confused by a series created for children? Grab your wands (very funny, sickos) and let’s get started!

Squirrel’s hoard allows flower to regenerate 30,000 years later

kris — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:45:51 +0000

It was an Ice Age squirrel’s treasure chamber, a burrow containing fruit and seeds that had been stuck in the Siberian permafrost for over 30,000 years. From the fruit tissues, a team of Russian scientists managed to resurrect an entire plant in a pioneering experiment that paves the way for the revival of other species.

Let the Imbiber Beware

kris — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:26:01 +0000

I was reading this article by Joe McClain, the President of the Beer Institute, about how beer is the “great leveler” among Presidents and how drinking it shows that the President is just a “regular guy”.

While that may have been true as recently as the last election, it’s not true anymore. Simply put, a beer isn’t just a beer anymore. A President or a candidate’s choice of brew says more about him or her than they may intend. For example:

Miller or Budweiser: You might think that drinking one of America’s most popular beer means that you’re the ultimate “Joe Six Pack”. To some people, that’s true, but others may find that your choice is symbolic of the way you probably pander to big corporate interests. Ooops.

Pabst: No, you’re not a working class stiff, you’re a dirty hipster who probably secretly agrees with all of those Occupy folks.

Corona: Rather than being a laid back person, this beer might just might show that you’re too soft on illegal immigrants.

Guinness: In some places you’ll be seen as celebrating Irish culture, in others you’re just saying you’re a drunken fighter. Or Bono.

Heinken: Like with Guinness, this doesn’t mean you have good taste, it means you support the legalization of recreational drugs

Microbrews: While you might just want to show that you’re supporting great local products, you’re probably just showing that you’re an elitist snob.

What it comes down to is that the only beer a President or politician needs to drink is a beer that they enjoy. That way, if someone criticizes your beverage of choice, you can fire back with what’s really the only acceptable response. You drink it because you like it.

That’s good news because it means that it’s just not that easy to pander anymore. You can’t just pick up a can of beer or an ear of corn to show you understand the little people. You may have to do some actual work to understand the little people. And then, maybe you actually will understand them and maybe you’ll be able to lead them.

To quote Homer Simpson, “To alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”

Jerry Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret

Aaron — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:28:15 +0000

It works because it isn’t the one-shot pushes that get us where we want to go, it is the consistent daily action that builds extraordinary outcomes. You may have heard “inch by inch anything’s a cinch.” Inch by inch does work if you can move an inch every day.

Daily action builds habits. It gives you practice and will make you an expert in a short time. If you don’t break the chain, you’ll start to spot opportunities you otherwise wouldn’t. Small improvements accumulate into large improvements rapidly because daily action provides “compounding interest.”

101 Great Presidential Quotes

kris — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:16:11 +0000

To celebrate Presidents day, I thought I’d repost this list of my 101 favorite Presidential quotes. Note that these quotes aren’t necessarily from when the individual was President, but rather something they said (or wrote) throughout their lifetime.

I’d tried to pick some that are inspirational, some that are practical, some that are topical and some that are just plain goofy. The top five quotees are:

1. Ronald Reagan with 16 quotes
2. Thomas Jefferson with 10
3. Theodore Roosevelt with 9
4. Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower with 8 each

Let the listing commence:

101. I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.
-Jimmy Carter

100. I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. I am President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.
-George H. W. Bush

99. Give me a one-handed economist! All my economics say, ”On the one hand… on the other.”
-Harry Truman

98. Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.
-John F. Kennedy

97. Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself.
-Woodrow Wilson

96. Boys, I may not know much, but I know chicken shit from chicken salad.
-Lyndon Johnson

95. For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground.
-Lyndon Johnson

94. It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquillity and occupation which give happiness.
-Thomas Jefferson

93. A radical is a man with both feet firmly planted in the air.
-Franklin Roosevelt

92. Don’t foul, don’t flinch. Hit the line hard.
-Theodore Roosevelt

91. There is no victory at bargain basement prices.
-Dwight Eisenhower

90. We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.
-Ronald Reagan

89. If you see 10 troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that 9 will run into the ditch before they reach you.
-Calvin Coolidge

88. If you want to make enemies, try to change something.
-Woodrow Wilson

87. History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
-Dwight Eisenhower

86. If you want to make beautiful music, you must play the black and the white notes together.
-Richard Nixon

85. How do you tell a communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
-Ronald Reagan

84. No one ever listened themselves out of a job.
-Calvin Coolidge

83. In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
-Dwight Eisenhower

82. Yet we can maintain a free society only if we recognize that in a free society no one can win all the time. No one can have his own way all the time, and no one is right all the time.
-Richard Nixon

81. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
-John F. Kennedy

80. Socialism proposes no adequate substitute for the motive of enlightened selfishness that to-day is at the basis of all human labor and effort, enterprise and new activity.
-William Taft

79. There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.
-Ronald Reagan

78. For of those to whom much is given, much is required.
-John F. Kennedy

77. There is nothing wrong in America that can’t be fixed with what is right in America.
-Bill Clinton

76. The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or the next. It was the deep knowledge — and pray God we have not lost it — that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest.
-Ronald Reagan

75. Pessimism never won any battle.
-Dwight Eisenhower

74. When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer ”present” or ”not guilty.”
-Theodore Roosevelt

73. Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.
-George Washington

72. The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.
-Thomas Jefferson

71. There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.
-John Adams

70. We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.
-Abraham Lincoln

69. We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind before. They are the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions — by abandoning every value except the will to power — they follow in the path of fascism, and Nazism, and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way, to where it ends: in history’s unmarked grave of discarded lies
-George W. Bush

68. I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.
-Thomas Jefferson

67. Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well, that is the way I know I am an American. America is the only idealistic nation in the world.
-Woodrow Wilson

66. Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.
-Ronald Reagan

65. Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.
-George Washington

64. To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
-Theodore Roosevelt

63. There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.
-Ronald Reagan

62. I not only use all the brains I have but all I can borrow.
-Woodrow Wilson

61. The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
-Thomas Jefferson

60. As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.
-Abraham Lincoln

59. Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
-Ronald Reagan

58. Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels — men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.
-Dwight Eisenhower

57. In politics the middle way is none at all.
-John Adams

56. No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!
-Ronald Reagan

55. Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
-John Adams

54. Towering genius disdains a beaten path.
-Abraham Lincoln

53. In matters of principals, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.
-Thomas Jefferson

52. Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.
-George Washington

51. No man needs sympathy because he has to work. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
-Theodore Roosevelt

Oh, we’re halfway there. Oh! Oh! Living on a prayer. I hope you enjoyed that short musical interlude. Now it’s time for the top 50.

50. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
-Abraham Lincoln

49. My country owes me nothing. It gave me, as it gives every boy and girl, a chance.
-Herbert Hoover

48. Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
-Thomas Jefferson

47. Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.
-Calvin Coolidge

46. Do not think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed.
-Dwight Eisenhower

45. The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away.
-Ronald Reagan

44. Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.
-Calvin Coolidge

43. I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.
-John Adams

42. Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt

41. What I do say is that no man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.
-Abraham Lincoln

40. The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’
-Ronald Reagan

39. Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution and the one which, united with that of personal liberty, has contributed more to the growth of civilization than any other institution established by the human race.
-William Taft

38. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
-Theodore Roosevelt

37. 9 times out of 10 the best thing that can happen to a young man is to be tossed overboard and be compelled to sink or swim.
-James Garfield

36. Were we to be directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread.
-Thomas Jefferson

35. You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.
-Abraham Lincoln

34. How far would Moses have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt?
-Harry Truman

33. When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike you, do not wait until he has struck before you crush him.
-Franklin Roosevelt

32. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
-John F. Kennedy

31. Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15.
-Ronald Reagan

30. The sky is no longer the limit.
-Richard Nixon

29. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.
-Thomas Jefferson

28. Government is not reason and it is not eloquence. It is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.
-George Washington

27. I always remember an epitaph which is in the cemetery at Tombstone, Arizona. It says: ”Here lies Jack Williams. He done his damnedest.” I think that is the greatest epitaph a man can have.
-Harry Truman

26. How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
-Abraham Lincoln

Still with me? Here’s the top 25.

25. Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery.
-Calvin Coolidge

24. I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.
-George W. Bush

23. I’ve often said there’s nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.
-Ronald Reagan

22. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
-Ronald Reagan

21. I have found out in later years that my family was very poor, but the glory of America is that we didn’t know it.
-Dwight Eisenhower

20. No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause.
-Theodore Roosevelt

19. Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us; to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.
-Abraham Lincoln

18. Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
-John Quincy Adams

17. It’s a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word.
-Andrew Jackson

16. The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan

15. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
-Franklin Roosevelt

14. You cannot become thorough Americans if you think of yourselves in groups. America does not consist of groups. A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American.
-Woodrow Wilson

13. The buck stops here.
-Harry Truman

12. Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.
-Theodore Roosevelt

11. Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly.
-Thomas Jefferson

10. Man is not free unless government is limited…. As government expands, liberty contracts
-Ronald Reagan

9. What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
-Dwight Eisenhower

8. The business of America is business and the chief ideal of the American people is idealism.
-Calvin Coolidge

7. One man with courage makes a majority.
-Andrew Jackson

6. America lives in the heart of every man everywhere who wishes to find a region where he will be free to work out his destiny as he chooses.
-Woodrow Wilson

5. In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
-Theodore Roosevelt

4. We, and all others who believe in freedom as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.
-Franklin Roosevelt

3. The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.
-John F. Kennedy

2. Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have.
-Ronald Reagan

1. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…
-Thomas Jefferson

President’s Day 2012 – Washington to Obama

kris — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:13:17 +0000

Report: Presidents Washington Through Bush May Have Lied About Key Matters

kris — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:31:37 +0000

In allegations likely to further erode Americans’ faith in the office of the presidency, presidents George Washington through George W. Bush may have lied about key matters of national import during their tenures as chief executive, an independent-counsel investigation asserted Monday.

No Bitter Aftertaste From This Stock Offering

kris — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:23:19 +0000

JIM KOCH is well known among beer aficionados for creating the full-bodied brew called Samuel Adams Boston Lager and for helping to foster the craft brew movement in the United States.

He is less well known for playing an important role in another niche revolution — one that has the potential to be at least as significant.

ESPN Fires “Chink In The Armor” Scribe

kris — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:04:23 +0000

ESPN has acted swiftly and definitively to the outrage of its own creation. The headline writer? Gone. The anchor (Max Bretos) with a similar slip of the tongue? Suspended. Thirty days. The radio guy who made the same mistake? Someone else’s problem—he’s not an ESPN employee. Phew.

Justin Timberlake plays Bon Iver

kris — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:40:45 +0000

A bearded, tweed-bedecked Justin Timberlake played Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon on Saturday Night Live last night, in a sketch where Beyoncé (host Maya Rudolph) and Jay-Z (played by Jay Pharoah) field a parade of celebrity visitors for their new baby.

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did

kris — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:56:45 +0000

Every time you go shopping, you share intimate details about your consumption patterns with retailers. And many of those retailers are studying those details to figure out what you like, what you need, and which coupons are most likely to make you happy. Target, for example, has figured out how to data-mine its way into your womb, to figure out whether you have a baby on the way long before you need to start buying diapers.

Colbert Report Mystery Shutdown: Production Suspended Due to “Unforeseen Circumstances”

kris — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:49:49 +0000

We can’t handle the truthiness?

Well, whether we can or not, we’re not getting it. Just hours before last night’s taping of The Colbert Report, production was abruptly canceled not just for that episode, but for the remainder of the week

Methotrexate shortage: how to help

kris — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:01:22 +0000

Methotrexate supply, a life-saving chemotherapy for children with leukemia, is at a critical shortage. Here’s how you can help

Art’s classical nudes get Photoshopped to be skinnier

kris — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:40:21 +0000

The classically plump women from Renaissance masterpieces like Sandro Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ have been digitally slimmed down in a modern-day makeover, a striking show of how views of beauty can change with time. Italian artist Anna Utopia Giordano used Photoshop to digitally slice and dice the voluptuous figures, flattening plump tummies and thinning out thick thighs, replacing strong and sturdy limbs with lean calves and skinny arms.

A Nerd’s Guide To What Jeff Probst Won’t Tell You: How To Win ‘Survivor’

kris — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:31:09 +0000

Tonight, Survivor — which premiered in the summer of 2000, to concerns about Lord Of The Flies behavior and the highly publicized but ultimately ho-hum eating of rats — begins its 24th season. For its fans, rattling off winners and runners-up is a bit like being able to name all the elements of the periodic table (without singing): a sort of mastery that will never, ever be needed, making the decision to acquire it (or the inability to avoid acquiring it) all the more impressive.

Beethoven’s Weather Symphony

kris — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:25:18 +0000

This video packs 14 years of United States weather (1997 – 2011) into 33 minutes, presenting a total of 120,900 individual frames, each spaced one hour apart. And they’re all set to Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major. If you want to get right to the drama, we recommend jumping to the climactic 27th minute.

For University of Wisconsin, a 7-Block Front Door

kris — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:38:17 +0000

A century after it was first proposed, a broad pedestrian corridor that will serve as a new gateway to the University of Wisconsin here is close to its final form.

Best in Show: Pekingese Becomes America’s Top Dog

kris — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:27:29 +0000

Judge Cindy Vogels was asked to choose between a German shepherd, an Irish setter, a Kerry blue terrier, a wire-haired dacshund, a Dalmation, and a Doberman pinscher. The crowd favorite, though, was clear: The stadium roared as she approached the Peke.

Polarization and the Independents

kris — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:15:45 +0000

Late last month, Gallup published a summary of President Obama’s job approval ratings for 2011. The pollster’s findings were stunning: Eighty percent of Democrats approved of the president’s performance through 2011, as did just 12 percent of Repub-licans. The difference between these two numbers—Gallup calls it the “party gap”—was a whopping 68 points.

Neighborhood taverns disappear from Chicago, other cities

kris — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:34:26 +0000

What used to be Johnnie’s Lounge is empty now, though a fading Hamm’s Beer sign still hangs over its locked door. Paulie’s Place is vacant. So is the spot once occupied by Max Tavern. The building that housed Lawry’s Tavern starting in 1937 is now home to a more upscale bar.

Suggest A Name For Rachel’s Colt

kris — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:50:27 +0000

Rachel Alexandra and Curlin’s very spirited colt needs a name and we are looking for suggestions from racing fans! We are looking for a name that reflects the legacy of the late Jess Jackson and embodies the vision through which he bred his two champions to produce this very special colt.

VALENTINE’S DAY GOOGLE DOODLE: Today’s charming musical animation makes for one sweet gift

kris — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:10:53 +0000

SOMETIMES, not even Google keywords can navigate the search for love.

Who is Bon Iver?

kris — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:35:47 +0000

The “Who is Bon Iver?” Tumblr

The accidental poetry of American Kennel Club breed standards

kris — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:33:53 +0000

During last year’s Westminster Dog Show, John Swansburg took a closer look at the American Kennel Club’s breed standards, which enumerate the ideal characteristics of each breed in competition. “Part eugenicist’s handbook, part love poem,” the standards reveal as much about their human authors as they do about the dogs they describe. Swansburg’s essay is reprinted below.

Bon Iver scores upset victory for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards

kris — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:47:40 +0000

Unlike past years, the 2012 version of the Grammy Awards was not a particularly shock-filled show. Most of the awards went to Adele, so it’s telling that the one big left-field selection came in a category that did not feature the big-voiced Brit.

Komen Founder Nancy Brinker’s Mysterious Expense Report

kris — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:36:14 +0000

Nancy Brinker, a socialite, powerbroker, and former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, has turned Susan G. Komen for the Cure into a cancer-fighting giant over the past three decades. Now, critics say, it may be time for her to go—if she wants to preserve the very charity she built.

Generation Catalano

kris — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:10:07 +0000

Last week in New York magazine, 27-year-old Noreen Malone (a former Slate staffer) wrote that her generation, the Millennials—battered by the economy and yet still somehow convinced that they’ll “do better” than their parents—were “hoping for the chance to put on a tie and report to their cubes.” In response, Gizmodo writer Mat Honan, who turns 39 this week, posted a screed on his blog that read in part: “Generation X is tired of your sense of entitlement. Generation X also graduated during a recession. It had even shittier jobs … Generation X is used to being fucked over.”

We Need a Second Party

kris — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:59:46 +0000

WATCHING the Republican Party struggling to agree on a presidential candidate, one wonders whether the G.O.P. shouldn’t just sit this election out — just give 2012 a pass.

Jason Whitlock: Expert On Asian Penises

kris — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:49:41 +0000

Truly Jeremy Lin’s extraordinary explosion to prominence in the NBA is bringing out the best in sportspeople.

Contraception issue more than just politics

kris — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:36:00 +0000

This whole debate ought to make us ask why health insurance is provided to most Americans by their employers in the first place, giving employers the power to determine the type and price of health care we can receive. The U.S. is the only advanced industrialized nation that relies heavily on employer financing of health insurance.

It’s Friday, so here’s a slideshow of squirrels from around the world

kris — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:39:22 +0000

FRIDAY’S MEAN ONLY one thing here at TheJournal.ie offices. Well two actually, reporting the news of the day and putting together animal slideshows for your viewing pleasure.

ESPN’s ‘Complain About Women’ Option Exposed by Twitter User

kris — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:12:22 +0000

Until Tuesday, ESPN had a special section on its website for viewers to complain specifically about announcers who happen to be female.

A weatherman just havin’ fun out there (video)

kris — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:55:00 +0000

People Are Awesome: Man Embarks on Year of Random Kindnesses

kris — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:26:36 +0000

Next week, Feb. 13-19, is National Random Acts of Kindness Week, an annual event designed to prompt Americans to give back to one another in simple but significant ways. We, of course, encourage you to participate, particularly because our GOOD 30-Day Challenge this month is to be a better citizen. But one man in Chicago says a single week of self-improvement through kindness, or even a month, is too easy. That’s why he’s going for a full year.

LA County OKs $1,000 Fine For Throwing Football, Frisbee On Beaches

kris — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:29:15 +0000

When you head down to the beach for a little fun this summer, county officials want you to leave the pigskin at home.

The Board of Supervisors this week agreed to raise fines to up to $1,000 for anyone who throws a football or a Frisbee on any beach in Los Angeles County.

NFL Releases the Season-in-Review DVD Titles for All 16 NFC Teams

kris — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:02:20 +0000

Happy Endings: Valentine’s Day to the Max

kris — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:58:25 +0000

If there’s one thing going against Happy Endings right now — much like any show that features an ensemble of funny, clever, urban twenty/thirty-somethings — is that it will inevitably be compared to Friends or Seinfeld. But that curse also just happens to be Happy Endings’ blessing because this particular comedy takes the best elements of those iconic shows, Friends‘ goofiness and sensitivity and Seinfeld‘s sharpness and cynicism and adds its own self-aware sense of humor. Not to mention some refreshingly modern characters.

Google knows too much about you

kris — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:30:53 +0000

If you use Google, and I know you do, you may have noticed a little banner popping up at the top of the page announcing: “We’re changing our privacy policy and terms.” It gives you the choice to “Learn More” or, another option, the one I’m betting most people followed, to “Dismiss.”
Who wants to read about what Google plans to do with all that information it has about us?

Purple Squirrel Found In Pennsylvania

kris — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:23:14 +0000

A couple in Pennsylvania has found a purple squirrel in their backyard. The last time the world saw a purple squirrel was in the UK in 2008. No one knows why the squirrels are this way.

It’s only a game

kris — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:40 +0000

If you wonder why that snarling NFL linebacker just blew past your precious little Alexis for an autograph, you can blame it on the kind of insanity we’re seeing around the New England Patriots right now.

To too many of us — sportswriters, analysts or supposed Patriots fans — the Super Bowl is a zero-sum game. Win and we would step in front of arrows for you. Lose and you’re the biggest choker since the Hillside Strangler.

Ban on same-sex stories in romance competition causes outcry

kris — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:07:39 +0000

Love is patient and kind – and strictly between a man and a woman, at least according to an Oklahoma-based romantic writing competition, which decided to ban same-sex entries and prompted a furious backlash from romantic fiction authors.

Komen exec quits after funding flap

kris — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:50:49 +0000

A high-ranking official resigned Tuesday from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity after a dispute over whether the group should give funding to Planned Parenthood, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Karen Handel, the charity’s vice president for public policy, told Komen officials that she supported the move to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood. She said the discussion started before she arrived at the organization and was approved at the highest levels of the charity.

Wonder Dog

kris — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:17:31 +0000

4 Paws for Ability, an agency in Xenia, Ohio, trains service dogs that will live with children who have disabilities.

New York’s Tap Water Defeated by Tiny Wisconsin Town

kris — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:16:58 +0000

New York City prides itself on being the biggest and the best, but when it comes to water quality, Stevens Point, Wisc., population 25,000, just gave the Big Apple a serious whooping.

The Non Music Fan’s Guide to M.I.A., from Truffle Fries to Her New Video

kris — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:01:59 +0000

Last night, a young British woman who goes by M.I.A. flipped the bird to 111 million Americans. Revenge for the Revolutionary War? Punk rock gesture? Involuntary muscle spasm? And who was that woman, anyway? We answer all your questions.

Searching for Silver Linings in Indianapolis

kris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:18:40 +0000

Super Bowl XLVI left the Sports Guy with no other choice but to try to look on the bright side of life

Boy gets Christmas present of his dreams: a new toilet

kris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:55:07 +0000

Jim and Michele Kruse first noticed their son’s admittedly unusual interest when he was about 18 months old and, having spotted a line of portable johns, wouldn’t leave until he had inspected each one.

The parents, understandably, had reservations about this new enthusiasm. But they decided to go with the flow. They used portable toilets to help teach Dustin his colors. Michele encouraged his interest in reading by scouring libraries for books on toilets.

And for her and Jim, a bonus: Dustin potty-trained himself.

Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, Cee Lo, MIA: Who was the best Super Bowl performer?

kris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:13:17 +0000

MIA and her middle digit may be getting the most attention for their Super Bowl performance during last night’s halftime show. But was the “Sunshowers” singer and her gutsy bird-flipping move — or, as NBC called it in the network’s apology for the incident, “spontaneous gesture” — the work of the Super Bowl’s best entertainer? Or did Madonna, Kelly Clarkskellys, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, Nicki Minaj or Cee Lo do it better?

PA farm apologizes for tainted raw milk

kris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:01:15 +0000

The owners of a milk farm in Franklin County are apologizing to their customers for selling milk that made them sick.

Raw milk from the Shankstead EcoFarm, sold at The Family Cow store in Scotland, has tested positive for Campylobacter.

Why French Parents Are Superior

kris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:51:42 +0000

When my daughter was 18 months old, my husband and I decided to take her on a little summer holiday. We picked a coastal town that’s a few hours by train from Paris, where we were living (I’m American, he’s British), and booked a hotel room with a crib. Bean, as we call her, was our only child at this point, so forgive us for thinking: How hard could it be?

We ate breakfast at the hotel, but we had to eat lunch and dinner at the little seafood restaurants around the old port. We quickly discovered that having two restaurant meals a day with a toddler deserved to be its own circle of hell.

Gisele responds to taunts

kris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:45:23 +0000

Gisele Bundchen, the wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, responded to fans who taunted her after the Super Bowl last night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

As she was making her way to an exit, someone called out “Eli owns your husband,” a reference to Brady being outplayed in the Super Bowl by Giants quarterback Eli Manning. On the video above, Gisele can be heard responding “my husband can not … throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”

Peyton Manning is not Brett Favre

kris — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:03:47 +0000

With the Peyton Manning situation likely coming to a head in the next few weeks, I’ve already started to hear some rumblings about how this is “just like the Packers and Brett Favre”.

No, it’s not.

Peyton Manning was injured, is still recovering and is owed $20+ million in early March.

Brett Favre retired. I can’t stress that fact enough. He wasn’t released. He retired on March 6, 2008 in a teary press conference watched by all of Wisconsin.

Then, in late March, he decides he wants to unretire. He calls the Packers up and they said “come on home”. Then, he calls them again and says he changed his mind.

In early April, a Favre representative allegedly calls the Packers to inquire about the possibility of Favre being traded. So, to be clear, Favre wants to play football, just not for the Packers.

On April 26, the Packers draft two quarterbacks in the NFL draft.

Favre calls Thompson on June 20 to ask to unretire and the Packers, after having been jerked around by the jerk for the past 4 years, finally, FINALLY say no.

In July & August all hell breaks loose. The Packers accuse the Vikings of tampering with Favre. They offer Favre a huge marketing contract. Favre comes to Green Bay to basically be such a distraction as to force the Packers to trade him. The Packers enter trade talks with the Jets and then Favre decides he doesn’t want to play for the Jets and considers the marketing offer. Finally, Favre is traded. You know the rest.

So, in a nutshell, here’s my interpretation of the situations.

Manning & the Colts: Peyton is hurt and may not regain the strength in his arm and is owed $20+ million before his health can be adequately evaluated. The Colts, in the meantime have the #1 pick in a draft featuring a potential franchise quarterback in Andrew Luck.

Favre & The Packers: Favre retired and hemmed and hawed about it, but eventually decided to stay retired until the Vikings tried to convince him to join their team. Then, Favre tried to manipulate the situation to make the Packers release him so he could play for the Vikings. When the Packers wouldn’t do that, Favre had to save face by playing for the Jets for a year.

The only similarity I can see is that the Colts and the Packers will both probably make the rational decision. The difference is that Peyton Manning is frankly blameless in the situation while Favre was the situation.

Komen Halted Funding for $12 Million in Stem Cell Research Like We Wouldn’t Notice

Aaron — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:57:41 +0000

Now, that Susan G. Komen for the Cure has sufficiently pissed off progressives, they’ve changed course and reinstated existing grants to Planned Parenthood, pissing off the anti-abortion crew they’d initially been trying to appease. But before Komen was loudly defunding— and then reinstating funding for— Planned Parenthood, they were stealthily defunding organizations that associate with embryonic stem cell research. And the financial damage from this iteration of their pro-life ideology totals in the millions.

Menominee Seventh Grader Suspended for Saying “I Love You” in her Native Language

Aaron — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:51:48 +0000

SHAWANO, WISCONSIN – What’s love got to do with it? Not much, especially if you say the words “I love you” in the Menominee language in front of a certain Wisconsin teacher.

Seventh grader Miranda Washinawatok, Menominee, found this out.

Miranda speaks two languages: Menominee and English. She also plays on her basketball team. However, two Thursdays ago she was suspended for one basketball game because she spoke Menominee to a fellow classmate during class.

Miranda attends Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Shawano, Wisconsin. The school body is over 60 percent American Indian. The school is approximately six miles from the south border of the Menominee Indian Tribe Reservation.

Pippa Middleton Sees Your Buckingham Palace, Raises You Hogwarts

kris — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:29:53 +0000

As Gawker’s self-styled Foreign Correspondent—I’m expecting an engraved ivory deskplate via International FedEx any minute now—I’ll start you off with news from Great Britain, a country so great it tells you so right in its name. (I’m all for taking a red pen to the Constitution and refashioning ourselves as the Awesome United States.)

Savage Love Letter of the Day: Lesbian Teen Not Happy With Her Parents—Or With Dan

kris — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:47:25 +0000

Yeah, so I’m a 17-year-old lesbian and decided to be big and brave and come out to my parents. I did the whole “born this way,” “please accept me,” etc., that I’m sure everyone tries.

2012 Light Festival – Ghent, Belgium

kris — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:59:09 +0000

Just like fireworks, originally used in celebrations to reach up to and greet the spirits in the sky, this LED-light cathedral aimed VERY VERY high! We’re not sure if it was visible from space (or higher) but it certainly glowed brightly.

Komen reverses decision to cut Planned Parenthood funding

kris — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:42:02 +0000

The Susan G. Komen Foundation has reversed its decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and apologized “to the American public,” the Associated Press reports.

The statement says the foundation will immediately get in touch with its network and key supporters “to refocus our attention on our mission and get back to doing our work.”

The 21 Rules of Surviving a Super Bowl Party

kris — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:48:06 +0000

When did the Super Bowl Party turn into New Year’s Eve? Was America’s football holiday always such an obligation, fraught with social panic, the fear of no invitations, of sitting alone in the darkness with the remote, silently eating bacon ranch Pringles from a can? Everybody I know is going to a Super Bowl party, including my football-ambivalent wife, who has watched exactly zero hours and zero minutes of NFL action this year. The Super Bowl is the sports world’s biggest amateur day, and if you’re a hard-core fan who’s spent all season paying rapt attention, you will be chagrined to discover you’re suddenly in a room with chattering dilettantes, asking if that guy on the screen is really named Ochocinco. You could see this as a bad thing, or a healthy positive—football returning to its proper place as trifling entertainment, and not the bombastic life-consuming gladiator saga it’s become.

What Is a Conservative?

kris — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:38:35 +0000

Mitt Romney’s advance toward the Republican nomination has provoked a lively conversation about what it means to be a conservative in America today. TIME asked a number of right-leaning thinkers to answer one of three questions to help define both their ideology and their challenges for the future

Colbert v. the Court: Why, in the battle over Citizens United, the Supreme Court never had a chance.

Aaron — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:20:28 +0000

The Supreme Court has always had its critics. Chief Justice John Marshall had to contend with the temper of President Andrew Jackson (“John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!”). And Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes went toe-to-toe with FDR, who wouldn’t let up with the court-packing. But in the history of the Supreme Court, nothing has ever prepared the justices for the public opinion wrecking ball that is Stephen Colbert. The comedian/presidential candidate/super PAC founder has probably done more to undermine public confidence in the court’s 2010 Citizens United opinion than anyone, including the dissenters. In this contest, the high court is supremely outmatched.

Top Susan G. Komen Official Resigned Over Planned Parenthood Cave-In

Aaron — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:11:15 +0000

But three sources with direct knowledge of the Komen decision-making process told me that the rule was adopted in order to create an excuse to cut off Planned Parenthood. (Komen gives out grants to roughly 2,000 organizations, and the new “no investigations” rule applies to only one so far.) The decision to create a rule that would cut funding to Planned Parenthood, according to these sources, was driven by the organization’s new senior vice president for public policy, Karen Handel, a former gubernatorial candidate from Georgia who is staunchly anti-abortion and who has said that since she is “pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood.” (The Komen grants to Planned Parenthood did not pay for abortion or contraception services, only cancer detection, according to all parties involved.)

Komen’s $7.5 Million Grant to Penn State Appears to Violate New Policy

Aaron — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:52:13 +0000

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which recently announced that it is ending grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening because of a controversial investigation launched by an anti-abortion Republican congressman, currently funds cancer research at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to the tune of $7.5 million. Like Planned Parenthood, Penn State is currently the subject of a federal government investigation, and like the Planned Parenthood grant, the Penn State grant appears to violate a new internal rule at Komen that bans grants to organizations that are under investigation by federal, state, or local governments. But so far, only the Planned Parenthood grants appear to have been cancelled.

Wisconsin likes Rom Coms

kris — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:06:55 +0000

Simply confirming what the rest of the nation has known for ages now, Redbox has announced the top 10 most romantic cities in the U.S. and—surprise, surprise—Wisconsin kicked the crap out of every other state in the romance department.

Susan G. Komen Website Banner Hacked

Aaron — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:58:45 +0000

Jimmy The Groundhog Didn’t See Shadow

kris — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:44:58 +0000

People wanting to have an early spring got some good news from Jimmy the Groundhog in Sun Prairie on Thursday.

Jimmy, with the help of Sun Prairie Mayor John Murray, didn’t see his shadow on Thursday morning during a ceremony in Sun Prairie. According to legend, that means that there will be an early spring this year.

Auburn recruit cites Chick-fil-A as factor saying no to Clemson

kris — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:25:16 +0000

Recruits over the years have cited different factors in their college choices. Winning tradition. Proximity to home. Chance to play early. Family atmosphere. Uniforms. And now Chick-fil-A.

Yes, that’s right, Chick-fil-A.

New Playgrounds Are Safe—and That’s Why Nobody Uses Them

Aaron — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:18:31 +0000

According to the study, the new, safer equipment often became boring because children mastered it so quickly. To make it more challenging, kids tended to improvise, walking up the slide the wrong way, or using supports as a climbing apparatus. Sometimes younger children were drawn to the older kids’ equipment, presumably because it presented a more interesting set of challenges.

Open Thread – Feb 2012

Aaron — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:51:05 +0000

Dumb Lawyer Ads: Jeff Zarzynski, the Bully

Aaron — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:37:05 +0000

No doubt this was created as cutting edge, attention grabbing and humorous. Well, it is attention grabbing. Like a horrific car crash, or a deadly beating. My guess is that Zarzynski would argue that it’s meant to be funny. My guess is that it will appeal to a simplistic and cynical portion of the population, who thinks that this reflects the type of lawyer they want, one who will get them money without regard to anything else, because this is the concept of the system that lawyer advertising tends to foster.

Who knew Susan G. Komen was so litigious?

kris — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:30:41 +0000

Cynics skeptical of large “awareness-raising” organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure now have more to question. Breast cancer is a serious condition – one that co-blogger Tatiana Von Tauber has dedicated much effort to fighting through The Art Cure – that affected 207,090 women last year (prostate cancer affected 217,730 men). Some of these funds are being used to patrol smaller charities and ensure they don’t infringe on any of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s 200 registered trademarks.

The Myth of the American Political Intelligence Gap

kris — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:58:12 +0000

Conservatives hate liberals, because they know that liberals think they’re smarter than them.
Liberals know that conservatives hate them and can’t figure out why, because they don’t hate conservatives in return.
Conservatives believe that liberals hate them, because it’s easier to feel despised than patronized. And so in addition to hating liberals, they think liberals are liars.

No More E-Books Vs. Print Books Arguments, OK?

kris — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:56:59 +0000

Jonathan Franzen’s in the news again, this time talking about how e-books are chiseling away at the foundations of civilization as we know it. Absurd, isn’t it? That the author of two of the better regarded novels of the past decade (give or take) would be concerned about how you read his books. The problem, according to Franzen, is manifold. E-books and digital readers are a con designed to rob you of money that you could otherwise be spending on paper books; e-books are trivial non-objects that you cannot hold and fetishize; print books are durable (“I can spill water on it and it would still work!” he is quoted as saying); and, most perniciously, e-books are supplanting the gorgeous permanence of book-books. “But I do fear that it’s going to be very hard to make the world work if there’s no permanence like that,” Franzen said. “That kind of radical contingency is not compatible with a system of justice or responsible self-government.”

Susan G. Komen Cancer Charity Halts Grants to Planned Parenthood

kris — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:24:19 +0000

The nation’s leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates — creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women.

The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.

Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists. Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress — a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.

Aaron Rodgers is back on Twitter!

kris — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:19:27 +0000

Bedtime. Good to be back with y’all. Gonna end the night with a special thank u to our packer fans. Thank u for ur loyalty and support….

Official: Wisconsin Rapids wrestlers molested others

kris — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:12:00 +0000

As the trial for four Lincoln High School wrestlers draws closer, new documents filed Tuesday allege that some of them had a pattern of sexually molesting teammates.

Janet Howell, Virginia State Senator, Attaches Rectal Exam Amendment To Anti-Abortion Bill

kris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:03:20 +0000

To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.

The Pop Traveler: Ten reasons to visit Minneapolis-St. Paul!

kris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:55:47 +0000

I was born and raised in Minneapolis-St. Paul (a.k.a. the Twin Cities), and it’s the perfect place for me. The people are friendly, the cultural offerings stellar, the sports exciting (if not depressing at times) and the outdoors flourishing all year round.

The Top 10 Moments of David Letterman’s First 30 Years

kris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:04:13 +0000

David Letterman has spent 43 years expanding his audience. Early on it was Hoosiers in need of a weather report, early Sunday morning 4-H project enthusiasts, kiddies catching the 1968 “Freeze-Dried Movies,” Indi 500 junkies. But tomorrow will mark 30 years of Letterman using his sardonic comedic enthusiasm on late-night national TV. It’s enough to make even NBC question Jay Leno’s credentials.

Hot New Internet Meme: ‘Breading’ Cats

kris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:00:47 +0000

Forget planking. All the cool kids are putting their cats in bread and taking pictures of them looking like little yeasty lions. “Breading” is a throw-back to the old Japanese “putting-food-on-rabbits” meme of the early viral web, but with a modern twist.

Quiet, Please: Unleashing ‘The Power Of Introverts’

kris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:54:57 +0000

From Gandhi to Joe DiMaggio to Mother Teresa to Bill Gates, introverts have done a lot of good work in the world. But being quiet, introverted or shy was sometimes looked at as a problem to overcome.

Report proposes dividing Great Lakes, Mississippi

kris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:15:41 +0000

Groups representing states and cities in the Great Lakes region on Tuesday proposed spending up to $9.5 billion on a massive engineering project to separate the lakes from the Mississippi River watershed in the Chicago area, describing it as the only sure way to protect both aquatic systems from invasions by destructive species such as Asian carp.

Quietly, U.S. Moves to Block Lawsuits by Military Families

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:15:13 +0000

But while public officials are out waving the flag toward these families, federal lawyers in court are now quietly trying to expand the U.S. government’s legal immunity from exposure to medical malpractice claims brought by those very same military folks. Now, the feds want the courts to recognize a bold application of an old doctrine — an already heavily criticized old doctrine — that would bar many plaintiffs, whose loved ones serve their country, from exercising the right merely to be able to present the substance of their claims to a jury.

The Case for a College ‘Shopping Sheet’ (or: Obama Reads ‘The Atlantic’!)

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:03:54 +0000

President Obama’s speech last week on college affordability offered a reform package that amounted to a carrot and a stick and a magnifying glass. He proposed creating a $1 billion fund to invest in colleges that showed progress toward cost control. That’s the carrot. He proposed tying federal aid to improvements in affordability. That’s the stick. And he proposed a “shopping sheet” that would help students and their families see more clearly the true costs and benefits of attending a certain school. That’s the magnifying glass.

How Much Can a Celebrity Make for Tweeting?

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:59:46 +0000

The weirdest thing about the rumor that Kim Kardashian gets paid $10,000 for a Twitter endorsement is that it’s true. (Recent plugs have been for ShoeDazzle.com and CVS.) The biggest player in the pay-to-tweet market is Ad.ly, a social-media advertorial clearinghouse pairing brands with celebs to inject highly personalized advertising into their Twitter streams.

Letters from solitary confinement reveal DWI man’s despair

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:39:35 +0000

A man arrested for driving while intoxicated and then forced into solitary confinement for two years tried to get help by writing to the jail’s nurse, but the only response he got was a dose of sedatives, his lawyer said.

Brainstorming Pro Bowl alternatives

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:30:32 +0000

How low-impact was the 2012 Pro Bowl? Chicago Bears tailback Matt Forte made the unusual decision to play despite a knee injury that sidelined him for the Bears’ final four regular-season games, and you heard almost no concerns voiced about possible re-injury.

No, Sunday night’s Pro Bowl was an unfortunate mix of half-speed football and silly gimmicks. The television at NFC North blog headquarters quickly moved to red carpet coverage for the SAG Awards, an event that offered better depth and more intriguing storylines than anything I saw from Honolulu. (Brad Pitt’s cane is no more!)

Boycott the Oscars Over the Harry Potter Diss?

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:49:03 +0000

Headline the Daily Prophet: Harry Potter robbed by Muggles. The nominations for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture are: The Artist, The Descendants, Hugo, The Help, Midnight in Paris, War Horse, Moneyball, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and The Tree of Life. It is the year of the non-movie award. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is conspicuously absent. It has been supremely dissed by mortals. Who has perpetrated this crime? Answer: every ‘prestigious’ (whatever that means) award-giving group.

Why J.C. Penney Will Be The Most Interesting Retailer Of 2012

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:43:55 +0000

J.C. Penney just blew up its brand — in a good way — thanks to a new management team with some radical new ideas. J.C. Penney is about to be the most interesting retail story of the year.

Late last year, J.C. Penney began building a dream team with Ron Johnson — the man who launched Apple‘s retail stores — as its new CEO. Johnson cut his retail teeth at Target and from there he poached Michael Francis to serve as J.C. Penney’s new president. Francis is largely responsible for Target’s branding and marketing efforts.

Genetic or Not, Gay Won’t Go Away

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:42:13 +0000

That has long been one of the rallying cries of a movement, and sometimes the gist of its argument. Across decades of widespread ostracism, followed by years of patchwork acceptance and, most recently, moments of heady triumph, gay people invoked that phrase to explain why homophobia was unwarranted and discrimination senseless.

Lady Gaga even spun an anthem from it.

Rapids’ Biegel impresses

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:40:02 +0000

Tony Biolo, football coach at Wisconsin Rapids High School, remembers how the seventh-grader wasn’t intimidated despite training alongside players four and five years older.

“When he started working out, there was no messing around,” Biolo said of Vince Biegel, now a 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior linebacker at Rapids. “He didn’t want to just do sit-ups and push-ups. He wanted to lift and do speed workouts.

“He was more disciplined in doing those things than the normal kids …

“He has had some pretty high goals for an awful long time.”

Uggie deserves to go trotting up the red carpet on Hollywood’s Oscar night

kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:31:21 +0000

This week The Artist was nominated in almost every Oscar category, but for many fans of the silent black-and-white film, however, 10 nominations are still not enough. Where, exactly, is the nomination for “best animal in a supporting role”?

Of course, Jean Dujardin is brilliant as a fading star of the silent era. Bérénice Bejo dazzles as an emerging starlet of the talkies. And I’m sure the Academy knows what it’s doing by nominating both the cinematography and the art direction (whatever the difference might be). But for Uggie, the adorable Jack Russell terrier who steals the show as Dujardin’s best friend – playing dead, walking on his hind legs, burying his head in his paws and (look away now if you haven’t seen it) saving his master’s life – there is nothing.

The Emergence Of The Content Creation Class

kris — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:03:40 +0000

The content creation class shall inherit the Internet. Richard Florida coined the expression the “Creative Class”, his belief being that these some 30 to 40 million would be the driving force for economic development in a postindustrial world. Instead of driving the macro economy the Content Creation Class refers to the group of people who drive content on the internet those that write blogs, those that upload video to YouTube, and those that upload pictures to share with the world.

J.D. Salinger’s Untold Stories: Tales Of A Recluse

kris — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:14 +0000

When it came to his work, J.D. Salinger was the ultimate control-freak. He strove for perfection in his writing and sought complete power over its presentation. He ordered his photo be removed from the dust jacket of “The Catcher in the Rye,” fought with numerous publishers over his book’s content and presentation and his disdain for editing was legendary. When a copy editor at “The New Yorker” dared to remove a single comma from one of his stories, Salinger snapped. “There was hell to pay,” recalled William Maxwell, and the comma was quickly reinstated.