Sarcastically Yours

Iran nuclear weapon 'over year away' : US President Barack Obama tells an Israeli TV channel that it would take Iran "over a year or so" to develop a nuclear weapon.

It's Close Enough, Right?

Detroit gets new financial manager : The US city of Detroit appoints an emergency financial manager in the biggest state takeover in 20 years.

There's absolutely no innovation coming from facebook.  They're like Microsoft gone crazy and buying up good ideas or just flat out copying them. ~~~ WSJ: Facebook Stealing Hashtags From Twitter : If you're #dying for #newwaystoexpressyourself then you're about to read some #goodnews (#rumoralert!). The #wallstreetjournal says #facebook will "incorporate the hashtag" on its own (#copying much?). More »

Pretty funny.  Not funny was the other Democrat senator saying that no rights in the Constitution are absolute. ~~~ A Ted Cruz Missile Strikes Dianne Feinstein : If Ted Cruz keeps this up in the Senate, Democrats might try to impose gun control on his Cruz missile strikes. Earlier today at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on guns, Ted Cruz directly challenges Dianne Feinstein to answer how her gun bans are constitutional if the same language protecting the right to bear arms (“the right of the people”) is used for the First | Read More »

Iron Man 3: Revealing the Mandarin : By Marc Strom Ben Kingsley stars as the Mandarin in "Iron Man 3" For decades, the Mandarin has plagued Tony Stark in the pages of the Iron Man comics. Now, with Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” he comes to cinematic life to challenge the Armored Avenger in a whole new way. Played by Ben Kingsley in the film, the Mandarin has received a 21 st -century update for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the filmmakers have long teased the villain, even since the early days of the firs Iron Man movie. “For those of you following along I think it was Comic-Con 2007 when [‘Iron Man’ director] Jon Favreau said, ‘I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you the Mandarin is the bad guy,’” recalls “Iron Man 3” producer Kevin Feige. “We thought, ‘what can we tell them? That’s probably pretty safe.’ And then we changed it about 12 weeks before we started filming. We said, ‘there’s too much stuff going on here, we want to focus on Tony more,’ so we took [M...

Rand Paul Steals Marco Rubio's Thunder at CPAC : Rand Paul Steals Marco Rubio's Thunder at CPAC

Aaron Swartz prosecutor accused of 'professional misconduct' : Lawyers claim he hid evidence and abused plea bargaining The legal team acting for now-deceased internet activist Aaron Swartz has filed an official complaint with the Department of Justice alleging two counts of professional misconduct by Assistant US Attorney Stephen Heymann in his handling of the case.…

What AEG Not Selling Means For The Future of Football in L.A. : Anschutz Entertainment Group will not be for sale and CEO Tim Leiweke will be stepping down, the Anschutz Company announced today in a press release. [ more › ]

President Obama supports the assault weapons ban — to a point.

The Shadowy Residents of One Hyde Park—And How the Super-Wealthy Are Hiding Their Money | Vanity Fair

The Pension Fund That Ate California by Steven Malanga, City Journal Winter 2013

Another step towards an East-West trade war – Telegraph Blogs

How Colleges Are Making Income Inequality Worse - NationalJournal.com

New Party in Germany Goes after Euro Skeptic Voters - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Don't be fooled: 7.7% is likely a short-lived low in the US unemployment rate | Dean Baker | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

A Dangerous ‘New Normal’ in College Debt - NYTimes.com

What's Fueling the Housing Boom in Vegas?

It Would Be Great if Millionaires Would Not Lecture Us on 'Living With Less'

BBC News - Alice Walker - honouring truth

Canada's Arctic glaciers headed for unstoppable thaw: study | Reuters

There May Be a Brand New, Sprawling Subway System... For Our Giant Nuclear Missiles : In an effort to upgrade its aging nuclear weapons and accompanying silos, the Air Force is exploring the possibility of chauffeuring its missiles around in a massive, underground network of tunnels. Driving Miss Daisy , meet the Apocalypse. More »

Zombie Apocalypse Lightbulb

President Obama's grand political experiment : In a speech to handful of loyalists and donors Wednesday night, President Obama made clear the grand experiment he is embarking on with the creation of a new grassroots operation known as Organizing for Action . Read full article >>

KTLA Weatherman Tricked Into Saying "Hugh Janus" On-Air : Mediabistro captured footage of a veteran Los Angeles weatherman unwittingly falling for a prankster's ruse to get him to say a "naughty name on-air."Good-spirited KTLA meteorologist Henry DiCarl... Continue reading "KTLA Weatherman Tricked Into Saying "Hugh Janus" On-Air" >

2 Year Anniversary of Fukushima: The Accident Is NOT Contained : Worse Than Ever? Nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen said today that the containment vessel at Fukushima reactor 2 has a large crack in it . Reactors 1, 2 and 3 all exploded. BBC reports today: They know very little about what’s going on inside Reactors 1, 2, and 3 [...] They don’t really know what the state of the reactor core is. Indeed, there is no containment at Fukushima . Large quantities of radiation are still leaking into the Pacific Ocean . And see this . The operator of the Fukushima plants says it’s “impossible” to keep storing radioactive water in tanks , and Tepco will need to intentionally dump it into the ocean. The area around Fukushima has become so contaminated that even the trees are radioactive . And Tokyo is almost as irradiated as Fukushima . Agence France-Presse notes : Beach walkers are likely to encounter a disturbing but relentless flow of flotsam [from Japan] for years to come. Indeed...

Sequel to 'Simpsons' Movie Unlikely Anytime Soon, Creator Says : Don't hold your breath for a sequel to The Simpsons Movie creator Matt Groening says making the first one was arduous enough that a follow-up isn't likely anytime soon "It took us four years and it killed us" Groening said Saturday at UCLA's annual entertainment symposium where he did a...

Terrorism Really Gets On Their Goat : Not new : A suicide bomber murdering people New : During a game of horse polo Israellycool : Played with a dead goat A suicide bomber blew himself up during a traditional Afghan game of buzkashi, a game of horse polo played with a dead goat, killing at least 10 spectators in the northern province of Kunduz on Wednesday, the local governor’s office said. Among those killed were the district police chief who is the brother of Afghanistan’s House Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor said. Two other family members were also killed. At least 10 people were wounded when the attacker strapped with explosives, who was in the crowd, struck during the game being played in front of 3,000 spectators, the spokesman said. For years after the Taliban were overthrown in 2001, northern Afghanistan was largely free of insurgent violence but security has been deteriorating over the past two years. Ten police officers, including the...

'The Image Revolution' Trailer: Documentary Takes Inside Look at Image Comics (Exclusive Video) : The documentary takes a look at how Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld and others created a company that challenged Marvel and DC. read more

Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis Close Deals for 'Horrible Bosses 2' (Exclusive) : Jamie Foxx is in negotiations to reprise his role as the murder mentor for New Line's workplace comedy. read more

National Geographic's Tumblr : National Geographic's has launched an excellent Tumblr of archived photos, called National Geographic Found. No, this isn't last year's Folsom Street Fair but rather a shot of some gents in London from 1966. (Photo by James P. Blair.)

US lawmaker uses neat flip phone trick to avoid talking to "pesky reporters" : In an article that reads an awful lot like an Onion parody, Politico reports that Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) "is well known for pulling a flip phone out of his pocket and pretending to hold a conversation." “I try to teach my colleagues this excellent technique,” he said as he quickly tried to hop into an elevator. “I say, ‘You want to avoid these pesky reporters, talk on your cellphone.’” When he can’t grab his phone, Schumer will often turn to the closest senator – Democrat or Republican – and start a conversation. It’s considered a violation of protocol to interrupt two members while they’re talking. “There is a time and place for everything,” said Schumer, who is known to warn freshmen about talking to reporters, sometimes specific ones, in the hallways. More nifty Senator tricks to avoid the fourth estate: " The silent senators " [politico.com]

Is Disney Scared of Activision? : Disney delays its entrance into this hot console gaming market.

His father was Italian. ~~~ 14 Facts About the Newly Elected Pontiff : 14 Facts About the Newly Elected Pontiff

New U.S. foreclosure filings rise in February: RealtyTrac : NEW YORK (Reuters) - More U.S. homeowners were hit with new foreclosure filings in February, pointing to the challenges the market still faces even as the housing recovery gains traction, data from RealtyTrac showed on Thursday.

Hitler Isn't Happy About The Google Reader Shutdown : Add Hitler to the list of people frustrated by Google's decision to shut down Google Reader. In the latest addition to the Hitler Reacts meme, Hitler fumes over the news that his favorite RSS reader is being killed off "Why on Earth do they need to destroy all things good?" Hitler says at one point. "How dare they take away Google Reader. I have over 300 feeds in there. Have they any idea how much effort I've put in?" When one of his lieutenants tries to tell him that the product has been shut down so Google can focus on other areas such as Google Glass, Hitler shouts that Glass is the worst product idea since Google Wave, before going back to his rant.

California's earthquake early warning system passes major test : Sensors gave 30 seconds' warning before Monday's desert temblor was felt at Caltech. Scientists hope to get funds to expand the pilot project into a statewide network. In the seismic annals of California, Monday's magnitude 4.7 earthquake was little more than a footnote. It gave Southern California a small morning jolt but caused no damage and was largely shrugged off by noon.

Kobe out indefinitely with severe ankle sprain : Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant will be out indefinitely with a severe left ankle sprain suffered in Wednesday night's 96-92 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the team announced.

Karzai talk 'put Nato lives at risk' : US and Nato troops in Afghanistan face greater risks after an "inflammatory speech" by President Hamid Karzai, Nato's top commander warns.

Israel PM 'reaches coalition deal' : The Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reaches a deal to form a coalition government with the Yesh Atid and Jewish Home parties, officials say.

That's One Hot Ride

Ecstasy is a Hell of a Drug

First the Injury, Then the Insult

Trampolining Isn't For Everyone

The Guy in The White Shorts Demonstrates My Fighting Ability

Dammit. ~~~ Powering Down Google Reader : Posted by Alan Green, Software Engineer We have just announced on the Official Google Blog that we will soon retire Google Reader (the actual date is July 1, 2013). We know Reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go. We’re sad too. There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience. To ensure a smooth transition, we’re providing a three-month sunset period so you have sufficient time to find an alternative feed-reading solution. If you want to retain your Reader data, including subscriptions, you can do so through Google Takeout . Thank you again for using Reader as your RSS platform.

Breakup: The Brutal Business of the NFL : Breakup: The Brutal Business of the NFL

U.S. Senate rebuffs Obama request to shift funds for IMF : WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers late on Monday rebuffed a request by the Obama administration to approve a permanent increase in U.S. funding to the International Monetary Fund in a setback for IMF reforms to boost the voting power of emerging economies.

As Afghan trip goes badly off script, Hagel opts for caution : KABUL (Reuters) - It was a harrowing international debut for Chuck Hagel, whose first trip to Afghanistan as U.S. defence secretary went dramatically off-script and challenged the American narrative about the 11-year-old war.

Greece may still have to quit euro - Merkel ally : BERLIN (Reuters) - Greece remains the biggest risk for the euro zone despite a calming of its economic and political crisis and may still have to leave the common currency, a senior conservative ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

Why Amazon Prime Could Soon Cost You Next to Nothing : A new report says Amazon makes so much money off Prime customers that the company could drop the annual fee by dozens of dollars and still come out ahead.

Think the Napster Revolution Is Over? Think Again : Documentary Downloaded , which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival, details why the Napster story was -- and is -- relevant to all disruptive technologies.

Analysis: Many people curb spending in two-speed economy : (Reuters) - The Dow Jones industrial average is at an all-time high, the jobless rate has fallen to a four-year low and the housing market is seeing a recovery, but for many lower income and middle class Americans, the improving economy has yet to take hold.

If Fed tapers bond buying, is end in sight? Maybe not : SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - With the jobs market showing signs of healing, economists think they know what's next for monetary policy: the Federal Reserve will at some point taper its monthly bond purchases, and soon after, end them altogether.

Congress urged to pass vote changes for IMF : WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 130 academics and global policy pundits urged the Congress on Monday to enact delayed changes in voting powers in the International Monetary Fund and warned that failure to do so would diminish U.S. influence in the global financial lender.

Mexico readies bill to shake up telecoms, TV industries : MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's government is expected to present a bill on Monday that aims to loosen billionaire Carlos Slim's hold on the telecommunications market and curb top broadcaster Televisa's rule of the airwaves, according to a draft copy of the document.

Analysis: U.S. concern on China currency fades as yuan grinds higher : WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After years of grabbing the spotlight in U.S.-China economic relations, U.S. concerns over the value of Beijing's currency appear to be fading, giving ground to newer issues like cyber-security and trade secret theft.

Obama Administration To Allow All Spy Agencies To Scour Americans' Finances - Slashdot

North Korea Kills Phone Line, 1953 Armistice; Kim Jong Un's Funds Found In China - Slashdot

Court: 4th Amendment Applies At Border, Password Protected Files Not Suspicious - Slashdot

Obama Administration Supports Journalist Arrested For Recording Cops : New submitter SplatMan_DK writes "Ars Technica reports that the Obama Administration has filed a brief in support of a Maryland photojournalist who says he was arrested and beaten after he took photographs of the police arresting two other men. The brief by the Justice Department argues that the U.S. Constitution protects the right to photograph the actions of police officers in public places and prohibits police officers from arresting journalists for exercising those rights. Context: 'Garcia says that when Officer Christopher Malouf approached him, Garcia identified himself as a member of the press and held up his hands to show he was only holding a camera. But Malouf "placed Mr. Garcia in a choke hold and dragged him across the street to his police cruiser," where he "subjected him to verbal and physical abuse." According to Garcia's complaint, Malouf "forcibly dragged Mr. Ga...

Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio elected pope : VATICAN CITY – Argentine Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope Wednesday and chose the papal name Francis, becoming the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.A stunned-looking Bergoglio shyly waved...

Pot brownie sickens elementary kids, authorities say : COSTA MESA – Seven children were taken to a hospital after ingesting a marijuana-laced brownie, authorities said. Police and fire crews shortly after noon responded to reports of a student at Pomona Elementary School complaining of nausea,...

9 bills propose changes to Proposition 13 : Californians have consistently expressed overwhelming support for Proposition 13, but opinion polling – and a key ballot measure – has also shown voters open to tweaking aspects of the landmark reform. How far they're willing to go may soon be...

Democrats, Brown at odds over healthcare act : The governor wants to scale back some of the Medi-Cal benefits that the Legislature has proposed. But Democrats see this as a good time to fill some aid gaps. SACRAMENTO — As Democratic lawmakers speed to implement President Obama's healthcare overhaul in California, they are finding themselves at odds with the leader of their own party: Gov. Jerry Brown.

Public-employee unions push back with lawsuits over pension cuts : Gov. Brown, normally seen as a labor ally, is forced to defend the reforms he backed. SACRAMENTO—California unions, accustomed to getting their way in the Capitol, lost some ground last year when Gov. Jerry Brown pushed through the Legislature a series of public-pension cuts that affect their members.

Officials rejected some fixes to San Onofre plant, report shows : Report says officials considered making design changes to nuclear plant's generators but rejected some in part because it would extend the approval process. A report on the root causes of problems at the San Onofre nuclear power plant shows that officials considered making design changes to its new steam generators before they were installed but rejected some fixes in part because they would require further regulatory approvals.

Will Mickey Mouse's 'Croissant de Triomphe' Give Disney Another Viral Hit? : After scoring an Oscar and viral hit with its animated film, Paperman , Disney has debuted another short — this time starring Mickey Mouse . Entitled Croissant de Triomphe — a play on Paris' famed monument, the Arc de Triomphe — it follows hero Mickey as he speeds through the City of Light, battling heavy traffic and other obstacles, to deliver croissants to Minnie's cafe. While the film is spoken entirely in French, any viewer can enjoy its simple storyline. Croissant de Triomphe is the first in a series of 19 cartoon shorts that Disney will release on the Disney Channel, Disney.com and WATCH Disney Channel, starting June 28. Paul Rudish, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls , is the executive producer and director for this new Walt Disney Television Animation project.

So Long, Old Star Wars: Lucasfilm Sends a Strong Message : Even casual fans of the Star Wars franchise may have felt a great disturbance in the Force on Monday That's when Lucasfilm stepped in after months of speculation about the fate of its long-running animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars , and made one thing lightsaber-clear: content from the pre-Disney Star Wars era has been moved to the back burner. "As we enter into an exciting new era focused on the next Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm has decided to pursue a new direction in animated programming," the Lucasfilm announcement began . It then went on to tease fans in the most frustrating way possible: there is plenty more Clone Wars content in the can — and here's a clip from it — but nobody knows when or where you're going to see the whole thing.

Hamas Admits Allah And G-d NOT The Same Thing : @ idfspokesperson إلى جهنم وبئس المصير May Allah send them to hellfire, God willing — Alqassam Brigades (@AlqassamBrigade) March 12, 2013

Use Cola to Clean Up Oil Stains : Oil dripping from a car can tarnish your driveway or garage floor, but it's easy to clean up with some cola. More »

Palestinian activists: Obama non grata in Palestine : Group called "Palestinian For Dignity" plan demonstrations in protest of Obama's planned visit to the West Bank.

Breaking: Andy Rubin Is Out at Android : Google has announced that Android chief Andy Rubin is stepping down, and will be replaced by Sundar Pichai. Pichai is currently VP of Chrome and Apps. This is a pretty monumental shakeup. More »

How to Not Get Stuck Sitting Next to a Jerk at Dinner : Ugh, it never fails. No matter the size of the group, you always seem to get stuck sitting next to someone you'd rather not be—an overtly intoxicated uncle at your brother's wedding, a co-worker that believes closed-mouth chewing is more suggestion than rule, or the girl you wish you hadn't started a conversation with at a party . More »

Electronic Sensor Tattoos Can Now Be Printed Directly Onto Human Skin : Thanks to the same people that brought us the stick-on electric tattoo and stretchable battery , we're now looking at a future of electronic sensors that can be printed directly onto human skin. More »

Marvel Project Gamma: Comic Books Just Got Their Own Soundtracks : Marvel's new Project Gamma is the answer to a pretty simple question: What if comics had their own soundtracks? More »

The New Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer Kicks It Up to Warp Speed : We were able to make a pretty good guess as to the villain of Star Trek Into Darkness after the full-length trailer came out, and although this new teaser doesn't seem to reveal any big secrets of its own, it's damned awesome. This trailer's been showing up attached to Oz: The Great and Powerful and gives us a near whiplash-inducing, full-speed tour through the upcoming movies awesome set-pieces. More »

Why People Should Just Stay Away from Electric Fences : There's this thing called being smart that explains how you can avoid getting shocked by an electrical fence by avoiding them altogether. There's also this thing called being human and tip toeing the line of dumb behavior which causes people to play around with electric fences... and predictably get shocked and knocked down. You can guess which one this is. More »

Vatican department above gay sauna : A historic palazzo in Rome that houses a key Vatican department is also the home of what claims to be the "the number one gay sauna in Italy".

This is How I Shop, Too!

This Basketball Celebration Goes Wrong Quickly

You Can't Run From The Law, Bud