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Among the myriad things the Federal Emergency Management Agency does, like screw up disaster response, take long lunches, and provide work for the otherwise unemployable, is providing money the states for disaster mitigation. Disaster mitigation isn’t sexy but it is surprisingly effective. Like, don’t build on a flood plain. Hire building inspectors to make sure that developers are following building codes (during Hurricane Andrew much of the damage to homes could have been avoided if the homes had merely been constructed according to existing building codes). In the past, all a state needed to do to receive money for disaster mitigation was a) identify major potential causes of disasters and b) come up with a reasonable plan to mitigate those disasters. Now FEMA has decided you have to think the right thoughts:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making it tougher for governors to deny man-made climate change. Starting next year, the agency will approve disaster preparedness funds only for states whose governors approve hazard mitigation plans that address climate change.

This may put several Republican governors who maintain the earth isn’t warming due to human activities, or prefer to do nothing about it, into a political bind. Their position may block their states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA funds. Over the past five years, the agency has awarded an average $1 billion a year in grants to states and territories for taking steps to mitigate the effects of disasters.

“If a state has a climate denier governor that doesn’t want to accept a plan, that would risk mitigation work not getting done because of politics,” said Becky Hammer, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s water program. “The governor would be increasing the risk to citizens in that state” because of his climate beliefs.

The policy doesn’t affect federal money for relief after a hurricane, flood or other disaster. Specifically, beginning in March 2016, states seeking preparedness money will have to assess how climate change threatens their communities. Governors will have to sign off on hazard mitigation plans. While some states, including New York, have already started incorporating climate risks in their plans, most haven’t because FEMA’s old 2008 guidelines didn’t require it.

And we aren’t talking chump change.

FEMA’s disaster preparedness program has been granting money to states since the 1980s for projects as diverse as raising buildings out of floodplains and building safe rooms. States are required to update their plans every five years to be eligible for the agency’s mitigation funding. Since 2010, FEMA has doled out more than $4.6 billion to states and territories as part of this program.

Republican-led regions constitute eight of the top 10 recipients of this category of FEMA money between 2010 and 2014. Louisiana was No. 1, having received almost $1.1 billion from FEMA for hazard mitigation. New Jersey was third with nearly $379 million, and Texas fourth with almost $343 million.

Many (maybe most) fund mitigation efforts from fees associated with building/construction permits and inspections. This type of cut would force non-compliant governors into a series of bad choices.

This is simply bull**** on stilts. The obvious corollary to this is that states need to have a plan for responding to a Zombie Apocalypse because even, arguendo, man-caused climate change exists it is well beyond the ability of the states to change anything. Maybe they can adopt Sam Kinnison’s advice to Ethiopia (video is NSFW/language).

You want to help world hunger? Stop sending them food. Don’t send them another bite, send them U-Hauls. Send them a guy that says, “You know, we’ve been coming here giving you food for about 35 years now and we were driving through the desert, and we realized there wouldn’t BE world hunger if you people would live where the FOOD IS!

Practically, this requirement, coming in an election year, is almost certain to generate a legal challenge and it is difficult to see how, in light of the Medicaid decision in NFIB v. Sebelius, the requirements survive. Requiring a plan for this particular event in order to receive funding for other mitigation efforts is not very different.

As Ben Howe pointed out yesterday, while many of us think Obama is a failure because of the way he has trashed our economy, our military, and our diplomacy, he’s been very effective at moving the ball forward in the progressive cause. Requiring planning for a non-influence-able event creates legitimacy for the man-caused climate change, it creates highly paid sinecures for the far-left enviro-wackos that believe in it to work on the plans, and it makes the state budget dependent upon supporting the cause.

The post FEMA becomes the thought police appeared first on RedState.

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Where did all the principles in the AMC TV show The Walking Dead come from? Either Britain or The Wire. Or someplace else. Screen Junkies gives us a peek at their earlier roles. (via Uproxx)

Thanks Mike (from Spain)

 

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Thanks Mike (from Spain)

 

 

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If there’s one person you should never show your Grindr messages to, it’s your mom.

But YouTuber Riyadh Khalaf did just that, and he had her do it on video for the world to enjoy.

There’s about 3-weeks worth of “content” on there, which they both are hearing for the first time.

She even rates some of the guys’ bodies, because at this point, why not?

“This is like porn,” she says.

The post Awkward Moment of the Day: Mom Reads Son’s Grindr Messages appeared first on The Daily What.

Talented game designer and artist TJ Townsend has taken his visually stunning 2.5D shoot-'em-up Pythetron to Kickstarter, looking to secure -- in today's crowdfunding terms -- a very reasonable $5,000 to finish up work on the game and potentially add additional features. Pledges start at $5, and that will get you a digital copy of the game when it launches in May of 2016.

If the name doesn't sound familiar, you might recognize some of his highly-polished artwork from a series of concept pieces that were making the rounds, reimagining what Super Metroid would look like in HD.

Up to this point, TJ says he's invested around $4,500 of his own money into the game and expects to spend at least $2,000 more on additional assets necessary to complete it. However, with the help of funding through Kickstarter, he hopes to add features like a dynamic soundtrack, hire additional artists, and perhaps add fully animated and voiced characters.

I spent some time playing around with the free playable build of the game last night and came away incredibly impressed with what I saw. It's beautiful, and if you tinker around with the pace-accelerating feature Townsend's implemented, I'm sure you can dial up the difficulty to the level you're accustomed to.

Pythetron: A 2.5d Shoot'em Up for PC, Mac and Linux [Kickstarter]

If you’ve never enjoyed Baked Grapefruit, you’re in for a real treat. Follow this simple method and enjoy grapefruit more than you ever thought you could.

craving more? check out TasteSpotting

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When video game studio Mojang was bought by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in September 2014, Minecraft's creator Markus Persson became a billionaire. 

A few months later, news broke that the newly wealthy Persson — or "Notch," as he's known in the gaming community — had dished out $70 million for an out-of-this-world mansion in Beverly Hills. 

The home was built on spec by handbag designer and home developer Bruce Makowsky. In addition to an infinity pool, eight bedrooms, and fifteen bathrooms, the 23,000-square-foot home came furnished with some very expensive decor. 

We've rounded up some of the craziest facts about Notch's new home here.

1. Persson paid well below the asking price, but it still set a record.

When the home was first put on the market back in August of 2014, it was listed for $85 million. Though Persson's $70 million was far less than the asking price, it still was the most ever paid for a home in Beverly Hills.

2. He outbid Jay-Z and Beyonce.

The music power couple had reportedly visited the home six times, and rumor had it they were ready to close on a deal shortly before news of Persson's purchase broke.

3. The garage can accommodate 16 cars.

This home was built for a supercar lover. There's a hydraulic car lift that can move vehicles from the garage down to a lower-level lounge.

In the lounge, a rotating turntable surrounded by glass becomes a kind of gallery that can display cars from all angles.

4. A living room set made by Bentley cost $500,000.

The living room was furnished with massive leather sofas and chairs. 

The pillows are monogrammed with the Bentley "B." 

5. A giant candy wall cost $200,000 to stock. 

Located right next to the home gym, the candy wall features 25 different kinds of candy and sculptures of the M&M's characters.

6. A wine cellar came stocked with bottles of Dom Perignon.

In addition to fully stocked vodka and tequila bars, there's an enormous wine cellar that can fit hundreds of bottles.

According to Forbes, several boxes of Dom Perignon were included in the $70 million price tag. 

7. There are 15 bathrooms, each with a toilet that cost $5,600.

The bathrooms are equipped with fancy Toto Nearest toilets. Designers spent $84,000 on the toilets alone. 

8. There's also a set of fire extinguishers made by famous designers.

Artistic fire extinguishers made by Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton are displayed in a glass case in the master bath. 

According to Yahoo Homes, a carved stone bathtub cost a jaw-dropping $85,000.

9. The dining room has 24 place settings that cost $3,700 each.

When Persson wants to dine with guests, he can host them at a stunning onyx dining room table that's 18 feet long and can accommodate 24 people.

The 24 place settings were designed by Robert Cavalli. 

10.  A home theater has seats for 18 people.

The plush seats are arranged stadium-style on three levels. A 90-inch high-definition screen is ideal for private screenings.  

11. A 54-foot wall of glass opens up to an enormous infinity pool.

The pool's fountains can be controlled with an iPad. The deck offers some of the best views of Los Angeles you'd find anywhere.

12. The home came furnished with a ton of valuable art.

The pieces include a blue glass sculpture of a hand grenade. It's worth $250,000.

There's also a .50-caliber Ma Deuce machine gun that once rested on top of a World War II tank but is now covered in chrome. 

13. It even came with a gold toothbrush just for Notch.

When listing agent Branden Williams said the home came completely furnished, he meant it. 

"I provided eight OralB 3D Braun toothbrushes," Williams said to Forbes. "I’m tired of the line 'Just bring your toothbrush.'" 

Persson even got his own special gold toothbrush. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's Video Of That Bonkers $70 Million Mansion That The Minecraft Creator Bought, Outbidding Jay Z And Beyoncé

Eggs go on sale the week before Easter, so you may as well stock up and do something with those little protein-packed symbols of spring. Not all of these recipes contain eggs, but they are all creative new ideas for spicing up your Easter feast, party, or holiday snacking. And save some for me!

1. Rainbow Jello Easter Eggs

If you have egg-shaped food molds, or can fashion your own out of plastic eggs, you can impress your Easter guests with Rainbow Striped Jello Easter Eggs. The Jell-o must be firmer than the regular recipe, and to get the stripes, you’ll need to plan ahead, because each color needs to firm up before you add the next. But the finished product looks amazing when you present them at dessert time.

2. Saffron Meringue Chicks

Yes, you can make Peeps at home. Homemade marshmallow Peeps are possible, but Lenore at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories made them for gourmet tastes, out of saffron-flavored meringue. The fluffy meringue is made from egg whites (so traditional for Easter), sugar, and the saffron provides the perfect Peeps color. Other people tried them with different flavors, shapes, and colors. 

3. Deviled Egg Bunny Feet

Among promotions for several contests, Hungry Happenings has a recipe for these Deviled Egg Bunny Feet. Actually two recipes, so you can decide how spicy you want your egg yolks. Then the yolk mixture is colored with pink food dye. Just fill the egg whites and pipe the “toes” on.

4. Peepshi

A skilled sushi artist can make sushi look like anything they want to, and a really skilled food artist can take other foods and make them look like sushi. This is "Peepshi," made with marshmallow peeps. And it does contain rice -in the form of Rice Krispies marshmallow treats! The instructions for making them are at Serious Eats.

5. Chocolate Zombie Bunnies

Miss Demeanor at Criminal Crafts made gory yet edible art out of store-bought chocolate bunnies. With a little imagination and homemade colored icing as paint, you, too, can create a bloody tableau of zombie bunnies feasting on the brains of their enemies on a base of crushed Oreo soil. She even saved money by buying some chocolate rabbits that were already broken.

6. Easter Doll Bread

These cute Croatian bread dolls are a combination of braided challah bread with the addition of an Easter egg face. They are made small, so each guest at the dinner table can have their own loaf. The recipe is here, translated from the original Spanish, which may be more accurate.

7. Cheesecake-Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs with Passion Fruit Yolk

You can make your own Cadbury eggs, or you can make chocolate Easter eggs that look like candy but taste like something even better -cheesecake! Steph at Raspberri Cupcakes shows us how to make Cheesecake-Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs for a high-class dessert. The cheesecake is the white of the egg, chocolate makes up the shell, and the “yolk” is a spoonful of sauce made from passionfruit pulp, apricot jam, and butter. Not as overwhelmingly sweet as candy eggs, but rich and creamy and decadent.

8. Mosaic Easter Eggs

Chinese Tea Eggs are made by boiling eggs, rolling them to crack the shell, and then soaking them in tea. When the shells are removed, it leaves a lovely mosaic pattern. Jayne at The Barefoot Kitchen Witch substituted food dye for the tea, in lots of different colors, and came up with Edible Easter Eggs. She used gel food coloring, and recommends leaving them in the refrigerator to soak overnight.

9. Edible Birds Nests

Once you’ve got eggs and birds, you need a birds nest -one you can eat! Amy Karol at Angry Chicken made birds nests from shredded wheat squares and melted chocolate chips. That’s all. Get the instructions here.

Just remember, you will have failures when you try a brand-new art recipe, so you might want to have a dry run before Easter. Even if you only make one batch, you can always eat your own rejects!

See also: 9 Ways to Enjoy Cadbury Creme Eggs and Make Your Own Easter Basket Treats!

One of the members of Mashd N Kutcher, a techno DJ duo from Brisbane, Australia, spontaneously collaborates on a track with a Domino's pizza delivery guy.

[mashdnkutcher/via graemeeu]

That 30 yard field goal into a fierce, swirling wind puts the Miami Mantis up over the Colorado Caterpillars, 17-14. We’ll be back with all the halftime highlights, right after THESE commercial messages!
(As seen on FB, TY to Cathy H.)

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: A Bug's Life

WHOOPI THE BIRTHER: Whoopi Wants to See Cruz’s Birth Certificate, But Not Obama’s. So let’s see. If it’s a half black and half white guy there’s no need to see the birth certifacate. If it’s a half Hispanic and half white guy we need to go on the birth certificate witch hunt. Prejudiced much?

Here’s Whoopi going off on Trump about Obama’s birth certificate.

American Horror Story: Asylum actress Chloë Sevigny will be returning to FX's horror anthology series as a series regular in American Horror Story: Hotel.

Series co-creator Ryan Murphy made the announcement on Twitter, saying, "Very excited to announce that Chloe Sevigny returns to the AHS family as a series regular on 'AHS: Hotel.'"

Sevigny in AHS: Asylum.

Continue reading…

A U.S. citizen from Los Angeles says his visit to Mexico has lasted much longer than he anticipated, after he claims someone stole his identity, prompting border officials to keep him out of the country for now.

He was coming back from Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing on March 1 when he found himself stuck, reports ABC 7 News.

Instead of handing over a passport to verify his citizenship, he says he showed his California identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate because he doesn’t have a passport. When agents ran his fingerprints, someone else’s picture showed up in the system.

“Then all of a sudden it became a nightmare. The agents of Customs and Border Patrol accused him of being an impostor and told him, ‘No this is not your ID,'” his attorney told the media.

His lawyer claims border officials arrested him and kept him in custody for three days, allegedly pressuring him to sign a false document saying he had invented a fake name in order to go free.

The family believes someone stole his identity and somehow got another person’s photo to appear with his name. As such, the man’s lawyer has since written to the Inspector General to investigate possible criminal conduct.

While the attorney admits that yes, a passport would clear all this up, why would he, when his system has worked in the past?

“Obviously, he should have had a United States passport, but because he came and went with the same documents… he didn’t go get a passport,” his lawyer says.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a valid driver’s license is enough to prove citizenship to enter the country from Mexico, but it’s unclear if state identification cards are included in that.

He remains in Mexico for now, while authorities at the U.S. Consulate are reportedly investigating and trying to get him a passport. That process could take two to three months.

LOS ANGELES MAN STUCK IN MEXICO AFTER IDENTITY STOLEN [ABC7 News]