MicCheck Radio

Trouble In Somalia

According to a new report from the U.N. Security Council, as much as half of the food sent to help the poor in Somalia "is diverted from needy people to a web of corrupt contractors, radical Islamist militants and local United Nations staff members." [NYT]

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Full-Court Press

Source: flickr/sebastienb

When Scotus Met Phelps

Court Watch
The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday said they would hear the case over whether hate-monger "Rev." Fred Phelps has a First Amendment right to disrupt funerals of fallen U.S. troops with signs like "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God For Dead Soldiers." Oral arguments for the next Court term begin in October. [ABC News]

Tags: phelps, scotus

And Justice For All

Abortion Subway Ads

New anti-abortion advertisements are running in New York subways reading, woman saying, "I thought life would be the way it was before." We liked Salon's Broadsheet's response: "Not that abortion can change a woman, but that it always does, and that is quite simply a lie. It isn't the sort of message born of concern for women, but rather a concern for converting women. Also, you know what is guaranteed to change you and your life in a profound way? Motherhood. But I don't recall seeing any subways ads featuring a woman knee-deep in dirty diapers with the text, "I thought life would be the way it was before." [Salon]

Tags: right to choose, women

Right Wing Wackiness

Source: flickr/therocketeer

Glenn Beck Doesn’t Like Your Church

Glenn Beck is trash talking your church. The right-wing megamouth is telling his listeners that Christian churches they must quit any churches that talk about "social justice" (aka: poverty or human rights) because that's "code" for socialism. "I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!" [Belief Net]

Tags: faith, beck

Health & Wellness

Source: flickr/roadsidepictures

Soda Diet

According to nutrition researchers at the University of North Carolina, if the price of soda were increased by 18%, we'd all consume an average of 56 fewer calories a day and weigh about 5 lbs. less every year. Adding more ammo to those politicians who want to levvy a "soda tax" on our fizzy drinks, Prof. Barry Popkin at the University of North Carolina says, "What shocked me is that it's a much higher weight reduction than we expected. If we could reduce everyone in America's weight by five pounds, they'd be happier and healthier." [USA Today]

Tags: weight

Money Money Money

Barbie Bargain

This is just a business decision, but it really doesn't look good.

Walmart is raising eyebrows after cutting the price of a black Barbie doll to nearly half of that of the doll's white counterpart at one store and possibly others.

A photo first posted to the humor Web site FunnyJunk.com and later to the Latino Web site Guanabee.com shows packages of Mattel's Ballerina Barbie and Ballerina Theresa dolls hanging side by side at an unidentified store. The Theresa dolls, which feature brown skin and dark hair, are marked as being on sale at $3.00. The Barbies to the right of the Theresa dolls, meanwhile, retain their original price of $5.93. The dolls look identical aside from their color.

Talk about a PR nightmare! [ABC News]

Tags: civil rights

Right Wing Wackiness

Source: Wikipedia

Romney Stands up to Rush…Wait, Nope.

And just in case you thought maybe Mitt Romney wasn't running for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2012, there's this:

Last month, Rush Limbaugh criticized Mitt Romney for endorsing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in his campaign against J.D. Hayworth in Arizona’s GOP Senate primary. “I think he’s risking his career over a guy, endorsing McCain, who is so out of step with what’s going on right now,” Limbaugh complained. Today, though, Newsmax asked Romney about Limbaugh’s criticism in a new interview. But while Romney stuck to his position, he couldn’t help but seize the moment to pander, saying, "Well, you know, I find it hard to disagree with Rush Limbaugh on topics..." [ThinkProgress]

Tags: 2012, republicans, limbaugh

Right Wing Wackiness

Shocker: Hypocrisy in D.C.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has been attacking Democrats for not returning contributions from Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), who this week stepped down from his Ways and Means chairmanship over an ethics investigation, and calling his donations "tainted money."

But House Minority Leader John Boehner doesn't have a problem with the "tainted money" Rangel gave to Rep. Parker Griffith (AL), a Democrat-turned-Republican who switched parties in December.

In an interview with an Alabama TV station during a fund-raising visit Monday for Griffith, Boehner said it didn't matter to him if Griffith accepted Rangel's money. [Talking Points Memo]

Tags: hypocrisy, money, republicans, right-wing hypocrisy

Money Money Money

I WOULD WALK 500 MILES…

No this isn't a story about the hit song from the 90s, but it is the true life story of a man who's willing to go the distance to find a job. GM worker Steve Kerl was layed off after the GM assembly plant in Janesville, Wisconsin was shut down.  Luckily, he was fortunate enough to be offered jobs at another GM plant, which he took. The catch? The job is more than 1,000 miles away in Arlington, TX. Talk about a commute. [CNN]

Tags: jobs

Over The Rainbow

Source: flickr/Marlith

LOVE’S IN THE AIR

Same-sex couples began marrying in Washington, D.C. today, with many lining up to pick up their licenses from D.C. Superior Court as early as 3:30am. Sinjoyla Townsend and Angelisa Young, who have been together for more than a decade, became the first same-sex couple to marry. D.C. is now the sixth place in the country where marriage equality is legal, following Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. For the video, click here. [CNN]

Tags: glbt, civil liberties, equality

Money Money Money

MORE JOBS ON THE HORIZON?

Job openings rose sharply earlier this year, just one sign that employers may be ready to hire more workers. The number of openings in January rose about 7.6 percent, to 2.7 million, compared with December. Currently, there are now about 5.5 unemployed people, on average, competing for each opening. This number is still higher than the 1.7 people who were competing for each opening when the recession began. [AP]

Tags: jobs

Just Plain Cool

Oh Canada

If 80% of Canda watched the Olympic gold medal hockey game against the U.S., it goes to figure that they'd all get up during the few breaks, right? Check out this chart, which shows the epic peaks and lows of Canadian water consumption during the game. Hint: it's highest during each break, and the low point is during the medal ceremony. [PatsPapers]

Tags: olympics

Star Gazing

Oscar-rific

Were you watching the Oscars? You weren't the only one. An estimated 41.3 million people watched the Oscars in the most popular telecast since 2005. This follows a trend of larger audiences for major TV events, as shown by the Super Bowl's all time TV viewership record just a month ago. [MSNBC]

Tags: oscars

Just Plain Cool

Terrifying Toyotas

Toyota's acceleration problems certainly haven't been resolved. This week, a driver was on the highway when his gas pedal stuck, speeding him up to over 90 mph. Luckily, the quick thinking of the California Highway Patrol helped the driver use the emergency brake, regular break, and even police cars to guide him in order to keep the driver safe and alive. We don't know about you, but we're glad we take public transportation. [LAT]

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Just Plain Cool

Fun Fact of the Day

Ten percent of African Americans and Hispanics reported having...relations almost every night, compared with 4 percent of whites and just 1 percent of Asians. Do you think that's linked to their bedroom habits? The data shows that nine out of 10 whites who are married or "partnered" sleep with their significant others, compared to just one quarter of Hispanics and one third of Asians, respectively sleep with their partners. [CNN]

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Right Wing Wackiness

Quote of the Day

On health care reform: "I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica." --Rush Limbaugh. You know, that should be all the motivation progressives need to get health care reform passed. [TP]

Tags: limbaugh

Right Wing Wackiness

Conservatives Want You Out Of Their Bedrooms

The conservatives in the Oklahoma legislature are melting down as two right-wing principles are clashing in piece of legislation meant to address the state's ginormous divorce rate. Oklahoma has the highest church attendance in the country and the whole "family values" thing is big during campaign season, but the staet has the third-highest divorce rate in the nation. Some conservatives are going the family values route and want to pass a law requiring couples who want to get married to attend mandatory counseling and forcing a certain number of therapy sessions for couples wanting to divorce. On the other hand, you have the conservatives who don't want government meddling in their personal lives, like whether or not they have to see a counselor with their wives, for example. One conservative actually asked without irony, "How far do I want government to come into my home and your home about private personal matters?" leading pro-choice women and gay couples everywhere saying...exactly. [AP]

Tags: divorce

Health & Wellness

Source: flickr/thomasroche

Sarah Palin, Eh?

It turns out Sarah Palin was *for* so-called socialized medicine before she was against it. At a speech this past Saturday in Calgary, Canada, Palin highlighted the difficulty of getting affordable health care in the United States, telling her audience that growing up, "We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada. And I think now, isn’t that ironic?" Palin, of course, in the past has insisted Canada should reform its helath care system to let the private sector take over. (Guess the Palins would have to then get their medical care from Mexico? Russia?) [WonkRoom]

Tags: health care reform, palin

Just Plain Cool

Source: flickr/KidPluto

Joe Biden’s Locker

Jeremy Renner, the actor whose powerful performance in The Hurt Locker garnered him an Academy Award nomination this year, says if he could meet any politician out there, he'd pick Vice President Joe Biden. ""If I were to meet a politician, I would love to meet Joe Biden ... He reminds me of my father [and] of my godfather — he's affable and kind of punchy, and I think it would be a really fun meeting." [The Hill]

Tags: biden

Right Wing Wackiness

Coming Out

Right-wing California state Sen. Roy Ashburn has long been known as a fierce opponent of gay rights, voting against "efforts to expand anti-discrimination laws and recognize out-of-state gay marriages" and opposing the creation of a day to honor Harvey Milk. After getting busted with a DUI in front of a popular gay bar, Sen. Ashburn has also admitted this week that he is gay. The 55-year-old father of four told a local radio show "I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long" and asked people to pray for him. [Huffington Post]

Tags: glbt, right-wing hypocrisy

Health & Wellness

Source: flickr/HankAshby

Booty Caulk

Here's yet another example of why it's a bad idea to get your cosmetic enhancements from that dude in a van in front of the local 7-11: Six women from New Jersey are recovering this week after going to unlicensed practitioners and receiving "buttocks-enhancement injections containing silicone used to caulk bathtubs" instead of medical-grade silicone. [CBS News]

Tags: plastic surgery

Right Wing Wackiness

A little too “Hollywood” for our taste

Lawmakers in Florida are hoping to pass a $75 million incentive package to attract movie studios to film in Florida.  Good idea for the state, right?

Well, not quite. A little noticed provision could deny these tax credits to movies that feature gay or other “nontraditional family values.” State representative Stephen Precourt, whose district includes Disney World, says the purpose of the credit is to encourage movies to depict cinematic life from the 1960s. “Think of it as like Mayberry,” Precourt told the Palm Beach Post News. “That’s when I grew up — the ’60s. That’s what life was like. I want Florida to be known for making those kinds of movies: Disney movies for kids and all that stuff. Like it used to be, you know?”

Wow.  [ThinkProgress]

Tags: right-wing, movies, states

Star Gazing

Biting heads off bats = skeleton in the closet?

SHARON!  Vote for SHARON!

Rock matriarch Sharaon OSBOURNE is eyeing a new career, and it isn't another terrible TV show.

Believe it or not, she's considering a post in politics because she's unimpressed with the way Britain is currently run.

The wife of Ozzy Osbourne is passionate about politics, but she's unhappy with the current Members of Parliament over last year's expenses scandal, which saw a string of high profile MPs resign for having over-claimed using tax-payers' money. [Contact Music]

Tags: elections, celebrity

Right Wing Wackiness

Source: wikipedia/wikipedia

Delay looking for a job

Boy, how we've missed former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.  Last week, Sen. Jim Bunning stood on principle and continually blocked an extension to unemployment benefits in the Senate.

In case you missed this yesterday, DeLay says Bunning was "brave" for blocking the benefits package.

Why?  DeLay subscribes to the notion that people only try to find jobs when their benefits run out.  Here's his exchange with CNN's Candy Crowley:

"There is an argument to be made that these extensions, the unemployment benefits, keep people from going and finding jobs," said DeLay.  "In fact there are some studies that have been done that show people stay on unemployment compensation and they don't look for a job until two or three weeks before they know the benefits are going to run out," he argued.

People are unemployed because they want to be? " asked Crowley.

"Well, it is the truth. And people in the real world know it," said DeLay. [Rawstory]

Tags: right-wing, jobs, unemployed, unemployment

And Justice For All

Catholic Church Hypocrisy?  No!

In an interesting display of selective discrimination, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School, in Boulder, CO,  has refused to readmit a preschooler because the child has two moms.

Two dozen demonstrators who turned out at Sunday's church service.  The church released a statement saying, "To preserve the mission of our schools, and to respect the faith of wider Catholic community, we expect all families who enroll students to live in accord with Catholic teaching. Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment."

One of the protesters said it seems there's a double standard. "I don't think they interview to see what parents are divorced or what parents are using birth control or other things that are against the teaching of the Catholic Church," she said.

Amen. [The Denver Channel]

Tags: religion, gays, civil rights

Star Gazing

R.I.P.

The oldest living person in the United States, Mary Josephine Ray, died at the age of 114, the New Hampshire Union leader reports. Ray, who was born in Canada on May 17, 1895, died after midnight today at the nursing home where she resided in Westmoreland, N.H. According to her daughter-in-law, Barbara Ray,  Mary Josephine hadn't been feeling well in the last few weeks. Ray had been recognized as the second oldest living person in the world by the Gerontology Research Group; the oldest person in the world is believed to be Kama Chinen, a Japanese woman  born seven days week before Mary Josephine. [USA T]

Tags: death

Just Plain Cool

Source: picasaweb/DSR

DRINK WINE TO KEEP YOUR WEIGHT IN LINE

A new study released today suggests that women who drink a moderate amount of alcohol on a regular basis, particularly when red wine is the drink of choice, are less likely to experience long-term weight gain than non-drinkers. The study, conducted by researchers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, found that alcohol-free women gained the most weight over a 13-year period. But, there is a catch: Experts are quick to remind women that the study doesn't change evidence on the affects of heavy drinking: Consuming more than one or two glasses of alcohol per day is still associated with weight gain. [CBS News]

Tags: informational studies and reports

Just Plain Cool

TROUBLE IN IVERSON-LAND

According to multiple NBA sources, star player Allen Iverson may be facing alcohol and gambling issues that have derailed his career and threaten his post-basketball well-being.  The four-time NBA scoring champion left the Philadelphia 76ers last  year to deal with his daughter's illness. Now NBA officials and players think Iverson "will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away." Iverson's gambling problem is serious enough that he has been banished from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City, N.J., according to sources. [ESPN]

Tags: sports

Source: Nasa Images/Nasa

WHAT’S IN A NAME

In a new interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) says he thinks former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) would be a great candidate in 2012 -- except for one thing. Said DeMint: "He would be a great president. He'd probably be the best on the list, if he didn't have the Bush name. It may not work in 2012.." Hey, at least his last name isn't Madoff. [St. Petersburg Times]

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The Global Scene

ELIMINATING MOTHER-CHILD HIV SPREAD

The United Nations is working on ways to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission, which it thinks can be eliminated by 2015 if health programs receive increased investments as planned. The Global Fund is meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 24 to see how it can meet its goals eliminating instances of the three diseases by 2015. The agency estimates that between $13-20 billion are needed for the period 2011-2013. [Time]

Tags: humanitarian aid

And Justice For All

Source: flickr/Jiggs Images

International Women’s Day

1) Honoring Women Across the Globe

• Today marks International Women's Day, an annual celebration that highlights their economic, political and social achievements.[CNN]
• While each country celebrating the day can select its own theme each year, the United Nations named the theme of the Day for 2010, "Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all." [Tonic]
• Says the U.N.: "International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men."[CNN]

2) History of International Women's Day

• International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, "a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies." [International Women's Day]
• 1908: After suffering through oppression and inequality, in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. [International Women's Day]
• 1909: The first National Woman's Day was observed across the U.S. on February 28, in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America; women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913. [International Women's Day]

3) Taking Action

• Today, thousands of women will stand together across the globe, honoring Women for Women International's "Join Me on the Bridge" project, which strives to unite societies and people in peace across the world. [All Africa]
• Supporting the project will be thousands of women from Afghanistan, Congo, Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Sudan, Nigeria, United States and the United Kingdom, to say no to war and yes to peace and hope. [Women for Women]
• The Enough Project, here at the Center for American Progress, is holding a midday march across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to celebrate, with speakers from across the globe. [All Africa]

4) Women Stats Across the Globe

• Growing 60 to 80 percent of the food in developing nations, women are important contributors to the global economy. [Tonic]
• Even so, women and children in poor countries are most vulnerable to food insecurity across the globe and the majority of the world’s 1.3 billion absolute poor are women. [AFLCIO][Tonic]
• 75 percent of the civilians killed in war are women and children, according to statistics. [Women for Women]

5) Women in the Workplace

• According to the latest statistics, as stated in CAP's new paper, "The Working Nation" :
• Half of all workers on U.S. payrolls are women.
• Two-thirds of mothers are bringing home at least a quarter of the family’s earnings.
• Four in 10 mothers are either the sole breadwinner or are bringing home as much or more than their significant other.
• This increase in women’s workforce participation and contribution to the family income has been the most dramatic among low-income women who are now primary breadwinners in two-thirds of their families.

Tags: women's rights, women's rights, women's rights, women's rights, women's rights

Nerd Alert!

Fun Facts

For your next party: Google gets an average of 7.2 billion page views a day. Fictional languages that get Google support: H4x0r, Klingon, Pig Latin, Elmer Fudd. Products in beta: 45%. Oh, and our favorite: there are 17 gourmet cafeterias for Google employees. For more fun facts check out this awesome chart. [Pingdom]

Tags: google

Star Gazing

Source: flickr/justo_ruiz_photogrpher

Oscar Oops

While tearing up at the montage to film starts lost in the past year, you might have noticed a huge omission: Farrah Fawcett, who died last June of cancer. While the segment is generally dedicated to film stars, and she is most well known for a TV series, she did light up the big screen in movies such as 'Man of the House,' 'Dr. T and the Women' and 'The Apostle.' Also left off: Bea Arthur, who passed away in April. [Huffington Post]

Tags: oscars

The Global Scene

Violence in Nigeria

Members of a machete-wielding Muslim group attacked mostly Christian villages this past weekend in central Nigeria, leaving hundreds dead. Officials put the death toll at 200, but Sani Shehu, president of the non-governmental agency Civil Rights Congress, put the number of dead at about 485 people. [CNN]

Tags: war

Source: flickr/jwpacifist

Monday, March 8

The President

• 11AM: POTUS travels to Philadelphia to Arcadia University discuss health insurance reform - PA (Philadelphia)
• 4:30PM: POTUS, Mrs. POTUS deliver remarks at reception honoring women from around the world and their achievements

The Administration

• Noon: Labor Secretary Hilda Solis delivers remarks to the United Nations Foundation; United Nations Information Center; and Women's Foreign Policy Group's annual International Women's Day Luncheon. The Mayflower Hotel
• 1PM: EPA Admin Lisa JacksondDelivers remarks on the strides the EPA made in 2009 and its priorities for 2010 at a National Press Club Newsmaker Luncheon. National Press Club.

The Shows

• Leno: Simon Cowell, Ben Harper
• Letterman: Kelly Ripa, Lady Antebellum
• Stewart: Harry Markopolos (SEC whistleblower guy)
• Colbert: Tom Hanks

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