(no subject)

Over 50 percent of companies fire workers for e-mail, Net abuse

Oldest hominid discovered is 7 million years old: study

Fossil sea monster big enough to "bite a car"

Blind Irishman sees with the aid of son's tooth in his eye -- No, really.

(no subject)

Last night, Olbermann flatly compared Bush to Beavis.

The similarity? Their laugh.

He was referencing Bush's remark about civil liberties during yesterday's press conference.

Here's an example of Bushspeak (our version of Doublespeak--at least Eric Blair's language still conformed to the rules of syntax):

Q But the political context --

THE PRESIDENT: You're trying to get me to be the pundit again. Look, you all figure that out. I mean, we've -- what I'm dealing with is the situation at hand, and I appreciate that -- both Democrats and Republicans in the United States Congress and Senate for getting this bill done very quickly. And it's a substantial piece of legislation, and it's a good sign that we can figure out how to cooperate with each other at times.

And so we'll see the effects of this pro-growth package. I know there's a lot of -- here in Washington, people are trying to -- stimulus package two and all that stuff. Why don't we let stimulus package one, which seemed like a good idea at the time, have a chance to kick in?

( more excerpts )

This was the money quote:

Q You can get the Congress to protect telecom companies from lawsuits, but then there's no recourse for Americans who feel that they've been caught up in this. I know it's not intended to spy on Americans, but in the collection process, information about everybody gets swept up and then it gets sorted. So if Americans don't have any recourse, are you just telling them, when it comes to their privacy, to suck it up?

THE PRESIDENT: I wouldn't put it that way, if I were you, in public. Well, you've been long been long enough to -- anyway, yes, I -- look, there's -- people who analyze the program fully understand that America's civil liberties are well protected. There is a constant check to make sure that our civil liberties of our citizens aren't -- you know, are treated with respect. And that's what I want, and that's what most -- all Americans want.

The transcript doesn't reflect it, but there was a snicker between "yes" and "look". (Laughter, presumably general, is reflected elsewhere.) Edit: Here is the Countdown excerpt.

( And speaking of money )

No, no, no, no, no. No.

Clinton may challenge Texas vote rules

Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign has raised the possibility of a challenge to Texas' primary and caucus rules just days before the contest, drawing a warning against legal action from the state's Democratic Party.

[...] Texas party officials said they believed [Clinton political director Guy] Cecil was threatening legal action and wrote a letter to him and to Obama senior strategist Steve Hildebrand reflecting that concern.

"If it is true that litigation is imminent between one or both of your campaigns and the Texas Democratic Party, such action could prove to be a tragedy for a reinvigorated democratic process that is involving a record number of participants here in Texas and across the nation," party attorney Chad Dunn wrote. "Litigation regarding the TDP could cripple the momentum of a resurging Texas Democratic Party and ultimately the November 2008 election."

The letter also noted that many of Clinton's senior campaign advisers in Texas had helped to develop the rules governing the state's caucus system. A Texas party official also noted that former President Clinton won the state's caucuses in 1992 and 1996 following the same rules.

(no subject)

Spanking Kids Increases Risk of Sexual Problems as Adults -- found in feminist

"These results, together with the results of more than 100 other studies, suggest that spanking is one of the roots of relationship violence and mental health problems. Because there is 93 percent agreement between studies that investigated harmful side effects of spanking, and because over 90 percent of U.S. parents spank toddlers, the potential benefits for prevention of sexual and relationship violence is large," Straus says.

"Furthermore, because other research shows spanking is not more effective than other discipline methods, there is no need to expose children to the harmful effects of spanking. We can help prevent mental health problems and relationship violence from happening by a national health policy recommending never spanking," he says.

Going offline soon

I will be out of town for the greater part of next month, and my Internet access will be slim to none. Hold down the fort. I trust you to get your news elsewhere in the interim. I depart March 4.

Meanwhile, enjoy the news so far:

Evidence Of 'Rain-making' Bacteria Discovered In Atmosphere And Snow (thanks, rialian)

NASA Baffled by Unexplained Force Acting on Space Probes

Scientists see deep inside human brain: New imaging technique peers into areas key to behavior -- focus on the brainstem

U.Va. research: Snake phobia hardwired

Soaring food prices imperil U.S. emergency aid: Government to scale back donations, reduce number of recipient nations

Bloody Israeli-Hamas clashes escalate in Gaza

Grande Un-Americano: Clinton smears latte liberals everywhere.

Mukasey refuses probe of Bush aides -- Mukasey already needs to be impeached. As for why the House didn't pursue inherent contempt charges, I don't know.

(no subject)

Stocks Dive on New Signs of Economic Chill

The Dow Jones industrials plunged 315 points, and every major index shed more than 2.5 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index is off to its worst start to a year since 1941.

The market was poised for a poor opening after American International Group, the world's largest insurer, posted the worst quarterly loss in company history Thursday night. The Dow was off 100 points shortly after the opening bell.

Income growth slowed in January and consumer spending was flat when adjusted for inflation, the Commerce Department said. For the first time in at least 50 years, Americans spent more than they earned for the third consecutive month.