It just totally upsets me that Obama, a communist, made ObamaCare instead of making the Affordable Care Act. That was a better idea. He should have done that.
This lamp is pretty awesome. There are seven pieces that can be stacked in any combination. An LED light turns on when the pieces are stacked together and stays off when they are disassembled. ($39.99)
SALT LAKE CITY • A Utah elementary school teacher who was carrying a concealed firearm at work accidentally shot herself in the leg when the weapon discharged in a faculty bathroom shortly…
They probably only pulled out names beginning with a J. This seems familiar
A reader writes:
Over the weekend, my fiancé’s company held their annual employee appreciation picnic. During the raffle, he witnessed something rather strange. One man would pull a name and show it to the HR secretary, and she would either nod or shake her head. If she nodded, the name was given to a woman from the QA department who would call it out. However, if the HR secretary shook her head, that name would be crumpled up and a new one would be drawn. My fiancé was able to witness all of this because he was standing in the front of the crowd around the prize table. And due to his location, he was able to hear as the QA woman would try to pronounce names before she would belt them out.
When they got down to the last prize, a grand prize of a 48″ LED television, he plainly heard the QA woman attempting to pronounce his name, which is distinct and difficult for most people to pronounce correctly, so he knew it was his name. But before she could figure it out, the head of HR picked a different name, and my fiancé’s slip was crumpled up and tossed aside and the new name was called out instead. At least three other people saw this happen.
Further confirmation came when he retrieved his name from the crumpled pile. He then took it to the HR head and told her that they had pulled his name, and she told him that she didn’t remember seeing it pulled and then immediately turned away from him. Then he tried to talk to the person who was calling the names and asked her why was his name crumpled up. She tried to tell him she didn’t know what he was talking about and then changed he story to saying that the names only count if the head of HR draws them. Mind you, the HR head rarely drew any of the winning names. They just picked and choose who would win in the raffle and pretended ignorance when confronted.
Usually you go to HR when you have a problem, but who do you do to when HR is the one who caused the problem? I want to see some action to fix this injustice, but my fiancé fears that if we attack them too hard he will have a target on his back until they find a way to fire him. We always suspected that they were cliquey and played favorites, but to take it to that level is so wrong I’m at a loss of words.
Well, first, this is 100% your fiancé’s decision to decide how to handle. It’s his job, he’s the one who knows the internal politics there, he’s the one who will have to live with any consequences of reporting something, and it’s up to him to decide how much he cares and how much he wants to push it (if at all).
As for the question of who you go to when your problem is with HR, people in HR have a boss. Usually there’s a head of HR who the HR staff reports to. If it’s a one-person HR department or if it’s the head of HR who’s the problem, then they report to someone like a VP of administration or a COO or the head of the organization. Additionally, if your company is large enough, it might have an ethics line that your fiancé can call to anonymously report this.
Whether to report it depends on factors that I don’t have access to — what the culprit’s boss is like, what your fiancé’s relationship is with that person, what kind of channels for communication the organization has set up (both formally and informally), what kind of standing your fiancé has versus the standing of the culprit, and how much your fiancé cares.
If he does decide to report it, “attacking hard” isn’t the way to do it. Calm and factual is the way to do it: “I observed Jane approving and rejecting names that were drawn during the raffle, with multiple names discarded on her disapproval. In addition to witnessing this, I found some of discarded names crumpled up, including my own, and I thought it was something I should report.” But that’s about all he can do — calmly report it and then leave it to someone else to handle (or potentially not handle — and he should prepare himself for the fact that he may never know what comes of it, because companies don’t usually publicize it when they discipline people). As crappy as this was of the HR person, it’s also low stakes enough that it will make your fiancé look off-kilter if he pursues it with the zeal of a special prosecutor.
This is the thing that is going around making everyone sick
CNN
An outbreak of enterovirus, which carries symptoms common to a normal summer cold, is said to be responsible for an uncharacteristically high number of hospitalizations among children in the Midwest and South. As TheWashington Post reported:
This particular outbreak is associated with an unusually high number of hospitalizations — Children’s Hospital Colorado has reported more than 900 cases since Aug. 18, while Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., has seen about 30 children per day with the illness, the Denver Post reported.
September has always been peak season for the ailment, however, the intensity of the cases, which have caused difficulty in breathing for some children, has compelled medical officials to reach out to the Center for Disease Control for help. As CNN noted:
Ten states have contacted the CDC for assistance in investigating clusters of enterovirus -- Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
Speaking with CNN, Mark Pallansch of the C.D.C. warned that this outbreak may be "just the tip of the iceberg in terms of severe cases."
Reports of the virus, which was first identified in the early 1960s, have been rare throughout the years. However, with this growing spate of hospitalizations, local governments will likely begin to take action to raise awareness about the spread of the virus and urge preventative measures in the coming days.
Of course the recoil was too much for her. now she has to live with it because of a stupid grownup.
NEW YORK • The family of an Arizona shooting range instructor accidentally killed by a 9-year-old girl while he was teaching her to use an Uzi say they feel sorry for the child.
Today we're getting word of a secret sandwich looming out of sight on the Arby's secret menu. At $10, it's called the Meat Mountain and it has an unfathomable line-up of ingredients. Local lore has it that the sadistic sandwich was created after customers wanted to eat the company's advertising. See below:
.@Arbys Meat Mountain: bun roast beef cheese Angus steak brisket corned beef cheese ham turkey chicken tenders bun http://t.co/ZpozpQ0DJ2
Over at Business Insider, Ashley Lutz guesstimated something of a calorie count, which it should be noted, is less than a Chipotle burrito with steak, guac, sour cream, and cheese.
According to my unscientific analysis on Arby's website, the Meat Mountain has about 1200 calories. 48 grams of fat. pic.twitter.com/3R6sgzXxdA
How much does it cost to sue the president? Half a grand an hour, or a total of $350,000, if you're the House of Representatives.
The House Committee on Administration announced on Monday that it has retained the law firm BakerHostetler and appointed attorney David Rivkin to lead the House's lawsuit against President Obama, which Republicans approved on a party-line vote last month.
As outlined by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the House plans to accuse Obama of exceeding his constitutional authority by delaying the employer mandate in his healthcare law without permission from Congress.
Rivkin had argued that House Republicans had a case against Obama, and G.O.P. leaders relied on his legal theory in deciding to pursue a largely unprecedented lawsuit.
The chairwoman of the Administration Committee, Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), said in a statement accompanying the release of the contract that the lawsuit was about holding the president "accountable."
No president is above nor should operate beyond the limits of the Constitution. The House of Representatives, using regular order and the powers that the Constitution has provided, calls upon our government’s system of checks and balances and asks the judicial branch to examine the president’s failure to faithfully execute the law. The president must be held accountable, and the House will continue to act in an open and transparent manner to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”
Democrats weren't buying it, and the chairman of the party's campaign committee, Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.), released a statement calling the contract an "outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars."
This outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars is yet another reminder of House Republicans’ misguided priorities. Only in John Boehner’s world does it make sense to pay lawyers $500 per hour to work on a partisan lawsuit while refusing to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for hardworking Americans trying to feed their families."
Check out the contract below. After all, you're paying for it.
One of the less popular photos of protesters. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Another unarmed black teenager was shot and killed this weekend, this time by the police. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old who would have started college classes today, and who witnesses claim was surrendering to the police when he was killed. But so much of the coverage has been focused on images of black men looting stores or looking dangerous.
The problem with the media's coverage of Brown's shooting has been its awkward handling of race. Whether it's the racial bias of photos used to represent the victim, or the fact that his shooting isn't as newsworthy as the looting and riots that followed, major news outlets are playing into the stereotypes about young black men that will lead to the next death of an unarmed teenager.
The Criminalization of Black Teens
Studies have shown that the dominant stereotype of black males in the media is one of violence and crime, and recent media coverage has shown that those stereotypes apply even for victims. Coverage of Trayvon Martin's shooting focused on marijuana in his system, and the Associated Press was criticized last week for characterizing 19-year-old murder victim Renisha McBride as a "drunk woman." As NBC News demonstrated, photo choice also matters:
The #IfTheyGunnedMeDown hashtag started in response to media outlets using the "gang sign" photo above. Black Twitter users post two photos and ask which one the media would use:
Most teenagers have Facebook photos that would make them less sympathetic — pictures with red cups in the background, provocative photos, photos that make them look a little racist — but media outlets choose the photos that best represents the image they want to portray. That messaging matters — after the Martin shooting the conservative blogosphere repeatedly argued that a full overview of his Facebook photos proved he was a dangerous thug, instead of a 17-year-old kid.
A Focus on the Looting
Most major media outlets didn't cover the Michael Brown shooting until people started rioting and looting following the Sunday vigil, with the noticeable exception of BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed covered the shooting the night it happened — the news was that an unarmed black teenager had been killed by the police:
But for most major news outlets, the Michael Brown shooting didn't become national news until the looting Sunday night, following a vigil. The Michael Brown shooting wasn't covered by The Wall Street Journal until it syndicated an Associated Press story.
The Associated Press first covered the story on Saturday and, despite using a photo of his grieving mother, led with crowds chanting "Kill the Police":
But even if the media is more concerned with the protests than the shooting itself, there was a way to cover that without sensationalizing the story. Here's how The New York Times first covered the shooting:
Hakuna Matata, an African Pygmy Hedgehog at the Oregon Zoo, gave birth to a litter of five on July 7! The tiny, spiny hoglets weigh just a tenth of a pound each, and when curled up in a ball they are about the size of a doughnut hole.
Photo Credits: Oregon Zoo/Michael Durham
Keepers aren't completely sure of the little ones' sexes yet, but they believe there are three males and two females. Two of the hoglets resemble their mother, a black-eyed cinnicot with mostly white spines; the other three take after their father, Burundi, who is a dark gray. Their quills are actually modified hairs, which fall out and grow back throughout their lives.
"When we think of African predators, we often think of lions and cheetahs and painted dogs," said Tanya Paul, who supervises the Oregon Zoo's education program animals. "But African Pygmy Hedgehogs are a great example of a smaller predator that is also important. They are insectivores, so they help keep bug populations down. They can also tolerate a fair amount of toxins in their diet, and sometimes will even feast on scorpions."
Although hedgehogs are cute, Paul warns, people should think twice before considering one as a pet. "They're very difficult to care for because of their diet and the need for special veterinary care," she said. "Many vets don't specialize in treating exotic animals like a hedgehog."
For now the hoglets are not viewable by visitors, but staff are working on ways to let people see them once the babies are about six weeks old and have been weaned.
Peeps, we know our site has been really buggy. Many of you have written in with concerns and violent threats. After notifying the proper authorities, we decided to do some housekeeping (i.e. rebuild the site), and we?re close to finishing (this month). The rebuild will mean a subtle redesign and super fast, AJAX powered comic navigation. Stay tuned.
I have never heard of this before! They are pretty cute.
Chester Zoo, in Upton-by-Chester, Chester, UK, recently welcomed four baby Rock Hyraxes! Born July 20, at the zoo's African Painted Dog Exhibit, the quad of babies were just a few ounces at birth, and they looked like miniature versions of their parents, with eyes and ears open.
Photo Credits: Steve Rawlins
Despite their diminutive size, the Rock Hyrax has a remarkable genetic link to the elephant! Curator of Mammals at Chester Zoo, Tim Rowlands, said: “Rock Hyraxes and elephants share several common features. They have similar toes, teeth and skull structures and Rock Hyraxes also have two large continually growing incisors, which correspond to an elephant’s tusks. And whereas small mammals normally have a short pregnancy period, for the Rock Hyrax it lasts for around seven and a half months (245 days), another sign of their relation to their much larger ancestors.”
Rock Hyraxes are native to Africa, but they can also be found along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as Israel, where they are protected by law. As their name suggests, they live in rocky terrain, seeking shelter and protection in rugged outcrops or cliffs. In the wild, they typically live in colonies of about 80 individuals, subdivided into smaller families.
The Rock Hyrax is a forager. Feeding in groups, with one or more posted as a sentry, they prefer a diet of grasses, broad-leaf plants, and an occasional insect or grub. They obtain most of their water from food sources.
Rock Hyrax feet are built for climbing. The bottom of each foot is bare and has a moist, rubbery pad that provides a suction-cup effect to aid in clinging to rocks.
Although, currently not endangered, the sociable Rock Hyrax serves as an important ambassador for species preservation.
CNN 
Associated Press 
