September 2, 2012

Drought is ruining people’s ability to throw cow dung at things

from Grist:



Drought is ruining people’s ability to throw cow dung at things
By Jess Zimmerman





When it’s really hot and dry out, cows stay near the barn. When cows stay near the barn, they do not poop in open fields. When cows don’t poop in open fields, those fields don’t get full of dried-out manure chips. When the fields don’t get full of dried-out manure chips, people have nothing to throw at cow-chip-throwing contests. And that, my friend, is a tragedy.

The Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and Festival is set to have 300 chip-throwing competitors this year, but organizers have only collected 200 to 300 chips, a third of the usual amount. That means they’re having to release chips from the Strategic Manure Reserve in order to meet demand. They can get another 150 to 200 that way, but reserve stocks will be depleted — if the summer of 2013 is another hot one, they’ll be shit (if you will) outta luck.

This means it’s possible that climate change will eventually destroy the sport (?) of cow-chip throwing for good. Competitors currently throw for distance (record: 248 feet!), but for symbolism’s sake they should probably switch to aiming for a fan.


http://grist.org/list/drought-ruining-peoples-ability-to-throw-cow-dung/

September 2, 2012

Chemical Barrels: Underwater threat may devastate Black Sea

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Published on Sep 1, 2012 by RussiaToday

The future of the Crimea's holiday friendly beaches is at stake due to a danger at the bottom of the Black Sea. RT's Alexey Yaroshevsky looks at what lies beneath .

September 2, 2012

Keiser Report: Fraud on Wheels

Published on Sep 1, 2012 by RussiaToday

In this episode, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss what happens when ersatz money heroin stops working and Treasury bonds are sold by hucksters and everything is guaranteed by the state. In the second half of the show, Max Keiser talks to John Rubino of Dollarcollapse.com about fiat currencies, how they collapse and how fast it happens.

September 2, 2012

Chris Hedges: Hear the 99% Roar

Published on Aug 29, 2012 by AgendaStevePaikin

Chris Hedges on what he sees as the consequences of an uneven distribution of wealth: destruction, violence and revolt. He tells Piya Chattopadhyay what the Occupy movement should be about and how best to deal with these socioeconomic issues in the public discourse.

September 1, 2012

Grifting Ain't Easy

from the LA Times:


Is Sarah Palin on the outs at Fox News? You betcha, says New York magazine.

According to Fox-watcher Gabriel Sherman, Palin is in the early stages of renegotiating her lucrative contract as a contributor to the network, where she earns a reported $1 million a year for occasional guest appearances on shows like “On the Record” and “Hannity.”

Palin’s current deal makes her the network’s highest-paid contributor, but she may not be for much longer. The former vice-presidential candidate, hardly known for her thick skin, is reportedly miffed at the network for not giving her appearance top billing, even though she no longer draws ratings the way she once did.

No doubt it doesn’t help that Palin is quick to take her grievances public, as she did this week when three scheduled interviews were canceled by the network. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sarah-palin-fox-news-contract-20120831,0,870978.story

September 1, 2012

Romney/Ryan/Rand 2012 (cartoon)

September 1, 2012

Twin skyscrapers blown up in Chongqing Port, China

Published on Aug 31, 2012 by itnnews

Two towers are demolished at Chongqing Port, China, to make way for a new development.

September 1, 2012

Even less airline competition on the way?

CHICAGO — U.S. airline behemoths United Airlines and Delta Air Lines could be joined by a third mega-carrier, as talks to merge American Airlines and US Airways heated up heading into the Labor Day weekend.

AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, and US Airways Group Inc. announced Friday that they signed a non-disclosure agreement and would exchange confidential information in an effort to merge their companies. A merged airline would have complementary route networks and achieve the scale necessary to compete head-to-head with the largest carriers, US Airways officials have said.

For consumers, an American-US Airways combination might not be beneficial.

"It is pretty clear that a smoothly executed merger — a historical coin flip at best — would probably create a stronger business entity," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com. "Unfortunately for passengers, we would likely see an acceleration in the current trend in reduced choice, packed planes and higher ticket prices, albeit finally on newer aircraft." .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-usairways-american-20120831,0,7599996.story

September 1, 2012

Man complains to police of prostitute price hike

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Police in southeast Michigan say a man called to complain that a woman he had agreed to pay for sex unexpectedly increased the price.

AnnArbor.com reports that police were called to an Ann Arbor home late Wednesday on a report of a robbery. Police say the 45-year-old man and a 19-year-old Ohio woman he contacted online had agreed on a price, but that the man claimed she upped the cost after taking his money.

Police say the woman was arrested. The man wasn't taken into custody. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/man-complains-police-prostitute-price-hike-143257147.html

September 1, 2012

Which Urban Freeways Are Ready to Go?

Which Urban Freeways Are Ready to Go?

Seattle | 08/30/2012 1:22pm |
Alex Vuocolo | Next American City





To many city-dwellers, the obsolescence of aging urban highways is obvious. Here in Philadelphia, for instance, I-95 is fast-approaching the end of its design life. What will become of it — particularly a three-mile stretch along the Delaware River that divides the city from its waterfront — has occupied the concern and imagination of residents and city planners alike.

It’s an issue that many U.S. cities face as they still reel from the legacy of mid-20th century highway construction and the present threat of infrastructural failure.

But wholesale demolition of urban highways remains unlikely, and the cities that have succeeded in removal have awaited a critical mass, such as pressing safety issues, or spent years fighting for political consensus.

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), which has long been a proponent of more walkable and less automobile-oriented cities, hopes to quicken the process by identifying urban freeways primed for demolition crews. Following a similar report in 2010, CNU’s 2012 Freeways Without a Futures report lists 12 urban freeways throughout North America based on the following factors: “The age and design of structures, redevelopment potential, potential cost savings, ability to improve both overall mobility and local access, existence of pending infrastructure decisions, and community support.”

Here are the freeways listed:

.................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://americancity.org/daily/entry/urban-freeways-ready-to-go