From Politico: Obama had committed just before Thanksgiving to saving or creating 2.5 million jobs in the next two years, more than twice his campaign promise of 1 million new jobs over an unspecified period. But he didn’t say how he would do it. On Saturday, he began to spell it out, offering “five key parts” of his economic plan: —ENERGY: “[W]e will launch a massive effort to make public

From Blitz, via Theo Spark, on this day before Pearl Harbor Day: Saturday, 6 December 2008 The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in

First, given cynn’s anger over the cheesecake photo of Bettie Page, I thought I’d put her out a little bit more by touting You Sexy Thing, a Brazilian blog that publishes glamor and arty nude shots. The guy who runs it is really nice, and it might make a nice holiday gift for someone you know. But contact the site owner first, because he hasn’t posted since 11-26. Maybe he’s

A little more deserving than, say, Krugman. None of this is news, exactly, but it might make for some stimulating discussion. And if you’ve only read about it in AP reports, this entire article is worth reading: When historians chronicle the stem cell research wars, Shinya Yamanaka will likely go down as a peacemaker. The Japanese scientist has helped send the field on a surprising end run around the moral

I Stumbled upon this. I’d read this years ago, but with the popularity of Twilight and related vampiremania in pop-culture, I thought it worth posting: Rabies causes hypersensitivity to strong stimuli, as well, so patients are often repelled by light, by bright things — such as mirrors, and by strong odors — including the smell of garlic. Rabies victims may vomit blood, Gomez-Alonso explains. And since the disease causes hydrophobia,

Pride and Prejudice goes to Facebook.

Scientists make bold preliminary diagnosis: A baby boy with eight toes on each foot was discharged from a hospital in Leizhou, southeast Guangdong province on November 5, 2008. The baby has five fingers on each hand but doesn’t have thumbs. Doctor said this might have something to do with genetics or environment pollution. And this little piggy said, holy shit, look at all these piggies! In England, man given three

Bettie Page, one of the most notable models of the 20th century, is hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles. From all accounts, she’s a pretty nice gal. Some time ago, I mentioned I liked the movie about her, The Notorious Bette Page.

Via Hot Air Headlines: Men of higher intelligence tend to produce better quality sperm, UK research suggests.

conducting elaborate social engineering project: A white social studies teacher attempted to enliven a seventh-grade discussion of slavery by binding the hands and feet of two black girls, prompting outrage from one girl’s mother and the local chapter of the NAACP. After the mother complained to Haverstraw Middle School, the superintendent said he was having “conversations with our staff on how to deliver effective lessons.” “If a student was upset,