Hissyspit
Hissyspit's JournalBreaking: Supreme Court Orders New Look at Health Care Challenge
Source: Associated Press
Court Orders New Look at Health Care Challenge
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 26, 2012 at 9:39 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has revived a Christian college's challenge to President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, with the acquiescence of the Obama administration.
The court on Monday ordered the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., to consider the claim by Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., that Obama's health care law violates the school's religious freedoms.
A federal district judge rejected Liberty's claims, and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the lawsuit was premature and never dealt with the substance of the school's arguments. The Supreme Court upheld the health care law in June.
The justices used lawsuits filed by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business to uphold the health care law by a 5-4 vote, then rejected all other pending appeals, including Liberty's.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/11/26/us/politics/ap-us-supreme-court-health-care.html?smid=tw-share
Animals are Already Dissolving in Southern Ocean Acid
Source: New Scientist
Animals are already dissolving in Southern Ocean acid
18:00 25 November 2012 by Michael Marshall
"This is actually happening now," says Geraint Tarling of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK. He and colleagues captured free-swimming sea snails called pteropods from the Southern Ocean in early 2008 and found under an electron microscope that the outer layers of their hard shells bore signs of unusual corrosion.
As well as warming the planet, the carbon dioxide we emit is changing the chemistry of the ocean. CO2 dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, making the water less alkaline. The pH is currently dropping at about 0.1 per century, faster than any time in the last 300 million years.
Lab experiments have shown that organisms with hard shells, such as corals and molluscs, will suffer as a result. To build their shells, corals and molluscs need to take up calcium carbonate from the water, but more carbonic acid means more hydrogen ions in the water. These react with carbonate ions, making them unavailable to form calcium carbonate.
Aragonite shortage
The most vulnerable animals are those, like pteropods, that build their shells entirely from aragonite, a form of calcium carbonate that is very sensitive to extra acidity. By 2050, there will be a severe shortage of aragonite in much of the ocean.
Read more: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22531-animals-are-already-dissolving-in-southern-ocean-acid.html
Suspected Walmart Thief Dies after Altercation with Employees
Source: Reuters
Suspected Walmart thief dies after altercation with employees
Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:26pm EST
(Reuters) - A suspected shoplifter died in Georgia on Sunday after a confrontation with two Walmart employees and a contract security guard who caught him in the store's parking lot, local media reported.
Police said the man stole two DVD players from a Walmart in Lithonia, southeast of Atlanta, before he walked out the front door and was apprehended by the workers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reported in a story on its website.
The three workers were on top of the man when police arrived, and officers found him unresponsive and bleeding from his mouth and nose, the newspaper said.
The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was declared dead. He appeared to have been put in a choke hold by the security officer, the paper reported.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE8AP00Y20121126
Former Bush Campaign Advisor: Norquist an Impediment to Good Governing
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/25/former-bush-campaign-advisor-norquist-an-impediment-to-good-governingFormer Bush campaign advisor: Norquist an impediment to good governing
By Eric W. Dolan
Sunday, November 25, 2012 15:16 EST
Former Bush campaign advisor Matthew Dowd on Sunday slammed anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, blaming his organization for GOP obstruction in Congress.
Dowd said on ABC’s This Week that every member of Congress knew — but refused to admit — that the federal deficit could only be lowered by raising tax rates on the wealthy, cutting defense spending and reforming entitlement programs like Medicare.
“And they also all know that Grover Norquist is an impediment to good governing,” he added. “The only good thing about Grover Norquist is he’s named after a character from Sesame Street.”
Nearly every Republican member of Congress has signed Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform pledge, vowing to oppose tax increases under any circumstance.
After the 12-member congressional “super committee” failed to create a federal budget to cut U.S. deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years, Democratic Sen. John Kerry (MA) complained that Norquist was the committee’s thirteenth member. The super committee was tasked with averting the upcoming fiscal cliff, but Democrats said Republicans refused to compromise on raising government revenue.
MORE[p]
Raw Story (http://s.tt/1uL1P)
Sen. Graham: ‘Grover is Wrong… I will Violate the Pledge’ (if Entitlement Reforms)
Source: ABC News / Raw Story
Sen. Graham: ‘Grover is wrong… I will violate the pledge’
By David Edwards
Sunday, November 25, 2012 13:29 EST
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Sunday said that he was willing to break with anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist and find ways to raise additional revenues for the government because he was worried that spending cuts would hurt the military.
Norquist recently insisted to The Wall Street Journal that no Republicans would violate his tax pledge because of the so-called fiscal cliff, which he called of a “completely invented crisis” where lawmakers of both parties agreed to automatic rate increases and spending cuts.
“What I would say to Grover is that the sequester destroys the United States military,” Graham told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “I am willing to generate revenue. It’s fair to ask my party to put revenue on the table. We’re below historic averages. I will not raise tax rates to do it. I will cap deductions.”
“But to do this, I don’t just want a promise of spending cuts, I want entitlement reforms,” he added. “Republicans always put revenue on the table, Democrats always promise to cut spending. Well, we never cut spending. What I am looking for is more revenue for entitlement reform before the end of the year. I think that’s the magic deal.”
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/25/sen-graham-grover-is-wrong-i-will-violate-the-pledge/
This Thanksgiving, Avoid a Horror Story (Food Safety Tips!)
http://abcnews.go.com/story?id=17776559This Thanksgiving, Avoid a Horror Story
By LISA STARK
Nov 21, 2012, 7:40 PM
- snip -
First is to clean- wash hands, utensils and food surfaces frequently. Second is to separate--keep raw meat and poultry away from anything you're not going to cook, such as salad or bread. Third, make sure you cook your turkey to the proper temperature, and finally get those leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours of dinner.
Mishandling your turkey, or stuffing or even your pumpkin pie can put you at risk of salmonella bacteria which is found in meat, poultry and eggs, or campylobacter bacteria which is found in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. Both can be killed by heat and thorough cooking.
"These are really serious illnesses," said Hagen, "that's why we're talking about this during a holiday that is so focused on the food and family."
Food safety experts advise against washing off your turkey; that can simply spread bacteria around the kitchen. And, they say, it's critical not to thaw the bird on the counter. "The surface of the turkey may have bacteria on it," said Diane Van, Manager of USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline. "If it's sitting in a warm environment, the bacteria can multiply to quite high levels."
The best way to defrost the turkey is in the refrigerator. "You have to plan ahead," said Van, "it takes about a day for every four or five pounds of turkey." If you don't have the time for that, you can also defrost in cold water. That requires submerging the turkey in cold water, and changing that water every 30 minutes. To thaw the turkey, it will take about half an hour for every pound of meat.
- snip -
Johnson and the USDA also point out it's critical to cook the turkey to the correct temperature, at least 165 degrees as measured by a meat thermometer in three separate places, in the thigh, in the wing joint and in the thickest part of the breast. Johnson, who has a degree in nutrition dietetics and has been working the Butterball hotline for over a decade, says if you've stuffed the turkey, you also need to put the thermometer into the center of the stuffing and make sure the temperature there reaches 165 degrees.
It turns out stuffing is a touchy subject. There are those insist on stuffing their bird, and those who make the stuffing separately. From a safety standpoint, stuffing your turkey could be hazardous to your health if it's not done carefully.
"There are bacteria in the cavity of turkey," said the USDA's Van, "Stuffing is a rich medium for bacteria to grow." Van says if you do stuff your turkey, put the stuffing in right before you cook it, and pack it in loosely.
MUCH MORE AT LINK
Hamas, Israel Agree to Truce (Clinton Announces)
Source: Reuters
Will update
@Reuters: Egyptian TV says news conference expected soon from presidency where Clinton has held talks on Gaza truce http://t.co/vyx1DHrV
@Reuters: EGYPTIAN OFFICIAL CONFIRMS TO REUTERS CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN PALESTINIANS, ISRAEL
@Reuters: More: Egyptian official says formal announcement by Egypt about ceasefire deal to be made shortly http://t.co/vyx1DHrV
Hamas, Israel agree truce: Palestinian source
GAZA | Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:07pm EST
(Reuters) - Israel and the Islamist militant group Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a Gaza ceasefire deal, said a Palestinian official with knowledge of Egyptian mediation between the two sides.
The official declined to be named or to give further information.
There was no immediate official confirmation of the news, which came on the eighth day of intensive Israeli fire on the Gaza Strip and militant rocket attacks out of the Palestinian territory.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/21/us-palestinians-israel-ceasefire-idUSBRE8AK0ZX20121121
@CBSNews: BREAKING NEWS: Sec. of State Clinton and Egyptian President Morsi announce Gaza cease-fire http://t.co/ir9VstBX
Allen West Concedes to Patrick Murphy
Source: Politico
Allen West concedes to Patrick Murphy
By ALEX ISENSTADT | 11/20/12 5:45 AM EST
Florida Rep. Allen West — the tea party pugilist and face of the class of House Republicans that stormed to power two years ago — conceded Tuesday to 29-year-old construction executive Patrick Murphy in one of the nation’s highest-profile congressional races.
After two weeks of battle with St. Lucie County elections officials — and a recount of early votes that wound up extending Murphy’s lead — West acknowledged that he couldn’t surmount his 1,904-vote, or 0.58 percent, deficit. That difference was just outside the 0.5 percent threshold to automatically trigger a recount of all votes.
- snip -
“For two weeks since Election Day, we have been working to ensure every vote is counted accurately and fairly. We have made progress towards that goal, thanks to the dedication of our supporters and their unrelenting efforts to protect the integrity of the democratic process,” West said in a statement to POLITICO. “While many questions remain unanswered, today I am announcing that I will take no further action to contest the outcome of this election.”
West congratulated Murphy, saying, “I pray he will serve his constituents with honor and integrity, and put the interests of our nation before his own.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84068.html?hp=bn
Tom Tomorrow: Droney Says "Humans are Weird"
Daily Kos Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/19/1162612/-The-general-s-legacy?detail=hide
Paul Krugman: The Twinkie Manifesto
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/opinion/krugman-the-twinkie-manifesto.html?smid=tw-NytimesKrugmanOP-ED COLUMNIST
The Twinkie Manifesto
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: November 18, 2012
- snip -
Needless to say, it wasn’t really innocent. But the ’50s — the Twinkie Era — do offer lessons that remain relevant in the 21st century. Above all, the success of the postwar American economy demonstrates that, contrary to today’s conservative orthodoxy, you can have prosperity without demeaning workers and coddling the rich.
Consider the question of tax rates on the wealthy. The modern American right, and much of the alleged center, is obsessed with the notion that low tax rates at the top are essential to growth. Remember that Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, charged with producing a plan to curb deficits, nonetheless somehow ended up listing “lower tax rates” as a “guiding principle.”
- snip -
Strange to say, however, the oppressed executives Fortune portrayed in 1955 didn’t go Galt and deprive the nation of their talents. On the contrary, if Fortune is to be believed, they were working harder than ever. And the high-tax, strong-union decades after World War II were in fact marked by spectacular, widely shared economic growth: nothing before or since has matched the doubling of median family income between 1947 and 1973.
Which brings us back to the nostalgia thing.
There are, let’s face it, some people in our political life who pine for the days when minorities and women knew their place, gays stayed firmly in the closet and congressmen asked, “Are you now or have you ever been?” The rest of us, however, are very glad those days are gone. We are, morally, a much better nation than we were. Oh, and the food has improved a lot, too.
Along the way, however, we’ve forgotten something important — namely, that economic justice and economic growth aren’t incompatible. America in the 1950s made the rich pay their fair share; it gave workers the power to bargain for decent wages and benefits; yet contrary to right-wing propaganda then and now, it prospered. And we can do that again.
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