Category Archives: News

WSJ : “Hispanics Outlive Whites and Blacks”

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I saw in my daily Wall Street Journal read the “startling report” that “Hispanics Outlive Whites and Blacks.”

“Startling” for whom, may I ask?

According to the article (which is online now), “U.S. Hispanics outlive whites by more than two years and blacks by more than seven, according to the government’s first calculation of Hispanic life expectancy.”

Wait… their first calculation of Hispanic life expectancy? Seriously?

The article says that “until recently, federal researchers didn’t calculate life expectancy for Hispanics as a separate group; they were included among the black and white populations.”

Wow.

Anyhow, the article goes on to say… “The startling report released Wednesday is the strongest evidence yet of the “Hispanic paradox”—long life expectancy for a population that has a large share of poor, undereducated members. A leading theory is that Hispanics who manage to immigrate to the U.S. are among the healthiest from their countries.”

The article concludes that “An estimated 40% of the U.S. Hispanic population are people born in other countries who immigrated here, and in some cases they arrived after arduous journeys to do taxing manual labor. It takes a fit person to accomplish that, suggesting that the U.S. is gaining some of the healthiest people born in Mexico and other countries, said Dr. Peter Muennig, an assistant professor at Columbia University’s school of public health who has studied life expectancy in different countries.”

Um… hey guys? Maybe the extended lifespan is genetic. Maybe it has something to do with the awesome food selection. Maybe it’s the amazingly strong family bonds. Maybe it has something to do with an overall happier and content lifestyle.

Lumping a extended lifespan under the “fit immigrants came over” banner? I think there’s more to it than that.

Want to see how much your taxes will go up if the Bush tax cuts expire?

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An article titled “Not So Golden Years: Rise in Capital Gains and Dividends Tax Would Hit Seniors Hard” at the top of this page has a box you can type in your income after deductions to see how much your tax burden is now (the “tax cuts are extended” button) and how much your tax burden will be if the Bush tax cuts are not extended (the “tax cuts are expired” button)

Some quick calculations…

  • A household with a $30,000 income will go from a $4,716 tax burden to a $5,435 tax burden ($719 increase or 14%)
  • A household with a $50,000 income will go from a $11,261 tax burden to a $12,441 tax burden ($1,180 increase or 10%)
  • A household with a $75,000 income will go from a $17,266 tax burden to a $19,202 tax burden ($1,936 increase or 11%)
  • A household with a $100,000 income will go from a $31,922 tax burden to a $35,732 tax burden ($3,810 increase or 11%)

Not. Good. News.

A big thanks to NASA for helping get the Chilean miners to safety

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I noticed that NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued a statement at 10:44 this morning on the rescue effort for the Chilean miners, but no major website has posted his comments.

Sooooo here it is in its’ entirety!

“On behalf of the entire NASA family, I want to ask that our heartfelt thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the courageous miners, their families and friends, and the dedicated people who have been working to safely reach those who are still trapped underground.

“There is a lot of hard work ahead for rescuers, but the Chilean government and the people of that great nation should be praised for their steadfast determination. Their unwavering commitment is the reason we are witness to the joyful and emotional reunions today as the miners are returned to the surface one-by-one.

“I also want to express my personal thanks to the Americans who have assisted in this heroic effort, and specifically the NASA team that traveled to Chile in the early days of the crisis. For decades, the people of this agency have learned to live, work, and survive in the hostile environment of space. Our expertise in maintaining physiological and psychological health, and our technical and engineering experience in spacecraft design all proved to be valuable in a situation that is far from our traditional scope of work.

“I am proud of the people of this agency who were able to bring the experience of spaceflight down to Earth when it was needed most. As the drama of this recue continues to unfold before us, we pray for the safe return of each and every miner.”

NASA played a BIG role in helping get these men to safety. DISCOVERY and UNIVERSE TODAY have interviews about NASA’s efforts and details some of the ‘tech used in this crisis.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Science Rocks.

Google is making their awesome 411 service walk the plank

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Google is making thousands of phones cry this week by announcing they’re going to cut off their free 1-800-GOOG-411 service on November 12th of this year.

I mentioned this awesome service back in September ’09, and I’ve used it pretty much daily. It has been a lifesaver on my trips through the Texas yonderosa, and has consistently been on my top 10 speed dial favorites for over two years.

Google seems to be keel-hauling all ships that aren’t flying under the “Android” flag with this move, pointing out that you can still use Voice Input and Voice Actions on Android phones, but all other phones can suck it. (Actually, that “suck it” part was my interpretation of their press release about the Voice Input and Actions bit.)

Google still says “you can send a text message with the name and location of the business to 466453 (“GOOGLE”) and we’ll text you the information”, so that’s still something awesomely free.

I’m writing gblog@google.com to shamelessly plead for mercy myself.

Here’s the official press release from Google.

News stories the mainstream media missed : 10/09/10**

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Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* When police arrived at a man’s house to investigate a domestic violence call, the male suspect quickly covered himself in fresh paint thinking it would prevent the police officer’s tasers from affecting him! Captain Brilliant then decided since he was invulnerable, he would “scuffle with the police”. Needless to say, hijinks ensued. The final score : Police = 1 | Sherman Williams = 0 [MILITARY.COM]

* Hands only CPR is the way to save lives now? Apparently keeping blood going to the brain > breathing. Plus you actually don’t have to trade saliva with a bleedy-hurty stranger. [YAHOO]

* White noise helps “inattentive” children learn. You know what else helps? A coupla’ good SMACKS on the butt with a old splintery wood paddle from a principal who’s had a real bad day. That seems to make “inattentive” children behave better, too! [SCIENCE CODEX]

* Men apparently tend to “Check out” in stressful fight-about-to-start situations, while women tend to “Show Increased Brain Coordination.” In other words, Supergirl think real gooder, and HULK SMASH!!!! Right? I think that’s kinda’ what they meant. [SCIENCE DAILY]

* European scholars are doing their best Monty Python impersonation when it comes to the US economy… RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! [TELEGRAPH.CO.UK]

* And in related news, do you remember musical chairs as a kid? When the music stopped, all hell broke loose? Kinda the same thing is happening now that the economic stimulus is coming to a halt. Doo dee doo dee doo dee dee doo… [NY TIMES]

* The UN has decided to fly a big-ass freak flag last week by appointing a… “space ambassador to act as first contact for aliens visiting Earth”. OK, with all the disasters and crap going on in the world, the UN actually sets aside the time to announce they’re gonna’ have a space ambassador? Howzabout we take care of stuff here on Earth first before opening a modern day Casablanca for the local galaxy, yes? [TIME.COM]

* And finally, isn’t one of the prophesies of the “end times” that “ye shall see crap movies, and the tech in them shalt be made real!” I think it goes something like that. Anyhow, the GI Joe “accelerator” suit from the same lame-ass GI Joe movie from last year is apparently getting close to being field-use ready. In other movie terms, we’re about to have a army of Iron Men, Mark I series. This is alllll sorts of awesome and alllll sorts of “oh hell no” kinds of bad at the same time. [AOL.COM]

** Actually upped on 10/10/10 for evil reasons all my own! Mu ha ha ha ha!!!!

News stories the mainstream media missed : 09/25/10

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Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* I’m a big fan of Science. Every so often, though, science brings out the kind of discovery that makes me do the 3-stooges-Curly “Nyaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa!” sound. Exhibit A: scientists and doctors now want to freeze patients into a state of suspended animation for surgery. I’m talkin’ deep suspended animation. As in “No pulse, no blood pressure, no electrical waves in the brain” suspended animation. Hey, if you’re already dead, there’s no more harm to be done! Hippocratic oath fulfilled! [TELEGRAPH.CO.UK]

* Date with a warlock? Check. Blood on the altar? Check. Getting fed on the altar of he-who-shall-not-be-named at midnight? Check. GOP candidate? You betcha’! [THINKPROGRESS.ORG]

* The “big side eye” award winner of the week are the Russians on the International Space Station! They took a gun up to the space station! Seriously. A gun. If any advanced intelligence travels across the friggin’ galaxy to meet us, their tech will be light years beyond ours, so a handheld oxygen-based kinetic energy weapon won’t do diddly squat. So the only other possible use I can see for a gun on the space station is to make damn sure the last glass of Tang always goes to Russia. [WESH]

* The headline says “How night owls are cleverer and richer than people who rise early”. Being a night owl myself, I must point out it’s “more clever”. Ain’t no such word as cleverer! [DAILYMAIL.CO.UK]

* Somebody watched too much “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” as a kid. “Chocolate creator Georges Larnicol, who owns a dozen shops across western France, won a bet by successfully building a seaworthy boat from chocolate.” Wait, wasn’t it a chocolate river in the movie? And wasn’t the boat a one-way trip down the local psychosis-r-us lane? NOTE: VIDEO LINK [BBC]

* And now for a quick slice of serious pie. This is a direct bit from SALON.COM: “Not only does the President have the right to sentence Americans to death with no due process or charges of any kind, but his decisions as to who will be killed and why he wants them dead are “state secrets,” and thus no court may adjudicate their legality.” This isn’t filed under BUSH. It’s filed under OBAMA. Yup. Obama is ordering Americans killed overseas that are deemed terrorists without a trial, and it’s Obama who says his actions are “state secrets” and nobody can second guess them. Sooooooo where all the screams of protest? All the demands of justice? This kind of un-American crap was wrong when Bush was doing it, but it’s OK under Obama? [SALON]

* And finally, there’s been an ongoing project to drill into a very deep, heavily fortified, and unmapped room in the great pyramid of Giza in Egypt? A room in the Pyramid of Khufu that was not on any hieroglyphic tablets or records? A room no one ever ever ever mentioned in all of history? A room that’s completely surrounded by thick slabs of solid rock and that has been 100% sealed off for 4,500 years with no access in or out? A room that is “blocked after 60 meters by a limestone door with two copper handles… and 20 centimeters behind it, a second door that looks like “it is screening or covering something.”” Somebody call Brendan Fraser, Oded Fehr and Rachel Weisz and tell ’em to standby. We might have a live one here. [CNET] and [INDEPENDENT.CO.UK] and the driller’s page at [DR HAWASS]

That’s all I got for this week. Back Monday!

Et Tu, Jon Stewart? “Saddened” by Obama?

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I’m still buried in projects at work, but I saw on CNN on my lunch break that Jon Stewart said he “thought Obama would do a better job when he voted for him in the 2008 presidential election.”

Wow. First Donald Trump, and now Jon Stewart.

Stewart said “I thought we were in such a place [in 2008], much like the Tea Party feels now, that the country … needed a more drastic reconstruction – I have been saddened to see that someone who ran on the idea that you can’t expect to get different results with the same people and the same system has kept in place so much of the same system and same people,” he said.

What he said! What he said!

So to sum up, the Democrats are getting torpedoed because “more of the same!” isn’t what the voters wanted, the Republicans are getting torpedoed because their message isn’t what the voters want to hear, and the Tea Party is doing well right now because the voters want real change, but they’re going to eventually be torpedoed because nobody wants the faaaaaar right loony-tunes brigade in charge.

It’s still a douchebag and turd sandwich choice, but now there’s a new option of toejam taco to go with it.

Not. What. We. Want.

Here’s the link to the CNN Jon Stewart article.

Donald Trump displays amazing psychic powers! He says what I’ve been thinking on CNN!

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I’ve been swamped with projects this week, but I saw this video on CNN and wanted to post it before it got too late.

Who knew Donald Trump was a psychic? Right around the 1 minute mark on a CNN interview, he says what I’ve been thinking (and endlessly ranting on about in this blog) for awhile!

“When we see the taxes just going up, we see wars that we shouldn’t be in, we see roadways going into Manhattan that are falling apart… and yet we’re rebuilding Afghanistan. I don’t know that it’s going to work out for him.”

Him being Obama.

It’s not just a rant about the Democrats. It’s about how more and more people are finally getting fed up with all the political BS.

Check it out…



LIHEAP – Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

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I just saw this press release and was quite surprised that the federal government has a program to pay electric bills for low income families.

The “Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program” (AKA LIHEAP) “helps eligible families pay for home heating and cooling costs, as well as helping weatherize eligible families’ homes.”

LIHEAP just got a $101 million hot cash injection in their veins to “provide states, territories, tribes and the District of Columbia with additional assistance to pay heating and cooling costs.”

This $101 million isn’t the first pile of cashola LIHEAP has been given. LIHEAP got “$4.5 billion… and $490 million in emergency contingency funds… earlier this year.”

That’s $5,091,000,000 for LIHEAP this year alone. That’s a lot of money.

Anyhow, LIHEAP is saying “We are releasing these funds at a time when many Americans are struggling to find jobs and make ends meet as our economy begins to recover. These funds will help many families and seniors heat their homes in the coming winter,” said David A. Hansell, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families.

To qualify, “an eligible household’s income must not exceed the greater of 150 percent of the poverty level or 60 percent of the State median income (In FY 2009, 75 percent of the State median income)…. but they may give priority to those households with the highest home energy costs or needs in relation to income.”

Every state has a different threshold to qualify, which mainly depends on how many members of the family there are. Looking at a website that breaks down 2009/2010 estimated state median income levels per state (and by number of home occupants and the required 60% median amount), 60% of the state median income in Texas of a 4 person family would be $33,964. For a family of 6, it jumps to $44,832.

You can see the official LIHEAP site here, check out their information brochure here (NOTE: PDF), scan the eligibility requirements here, read the press release from the US Department of Health and Human Services here, or just call ’em at 1-866-674-6327.

News stories the mainstream media missed : 09/18/10

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Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* When McDonald’s said they have specialty coffees, I didn’t think they meant maggots were in the machines that make them! But wait! It gets better! “The regional manager was contacted and her response was the machine must be kept on and we must continue to sell our specialty coffees.” The McDonald’s jingle needs to be updated to Ba! Da! Bah! Ba! Baaaaaarf!! [LANSING STATE JOURNAL]

* Next on “CSI : Detectives Gone Wild”… a man found dead with his hands tied behind his back and a bag over his head in the restroom of the LA Airport… “apparently committed suicide.” Wait, what? “The man apparently placed a plastic grocery bag over his head and tightened a jacket around his neck, then secured his hands behind his back using plastic zip ties… “so he couldn’t back out” of the attempt, said Los Angeles police Detective Mark Morgan”. Whoooooo are you? Who Who? Who Who? Iiiiiii really ain’t buying it. [YAHOO]

* In the middle of some hot and heavy court prosecutin’ action, Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz sent a domestic abuse victim “sexually suggestive text messages”. Kratz was apparently somewhat bored by the fact he was prosecutin’ the victim’s ex-boyfriend on charges he nearly choked the victim to death, and decided to send her “a series of respectful messages” to pass the time. So let’s see what kind of respectful messages he sent…

  • R U “the kind of girl that likes secret contact with an older married elected DA?”
  • U R A ‘tall, young hot nymph’!
  • ‘You are beautiful and would make a great young partner one day’!
  • “I would want you to be so hot and treat me so well that you’d be THE woman! R U that good?”

Oh yeah. Very respectful. And perfect timing! I wonder if he thinks it would be OK for doctors to sell cigarettes in the cancer ward? Or firefighters to give free matches to every arson victim? A DA hitting on a domestic abuse victim of a case he’s prosecuting? That’s a whole new breed of heartless! [AP]

* Remember when the “old” broadcast TV went away a few years ago? Ever wonder what happened to all those reserved frequencies? Well, it looks like the big tech juggernauts are moving in fast to make it… broadcast WiFi. WiFi connections with the old-TV city-wide broadcast signal strength? Hoo-ah!! Bring it on!! [BLOOMBERG]

* Instead of a cool headline like “Jupiter is careening towards Earth! Everybody Panic!!”, the science blogs go all fact-based and say stuff like “Jupiter will pass 368 million miles from Earth late Monday, its closest approach since 1963.” Fine! If you want to be all factual about it! [PHYSORG]

* Speaking of factual, apparently everybody’s taxes will go up if the Bush’s tax cuts aren’t re-enacted. D’oh! [YAHOO] and [USA TODAY]

* And finally, if I ever get to be a multimillionaire, have mansions on three different continents, own an art collection worth more than most companies’ annual incomes, and have fans that still pay $50 a ticket to fill up a stadium to hear me sing (BWA HA HA!!), I sure as HELL won’t start taking drugs and pass out in a pot haze in public so many times I eventually wind up in jail for it!! George Michael, you ungrateful bastich. Take your own advice! “Better watch out. Baby who’s that? Don’t look now, there’s a monkey on your back… why can’t you do it? Why can’t you set that monkey free?” [YAHOO]

…and, of course, the obligatory video….



That’s all I got this week. Back Monday!