CIA admits to spying on Senate intelligence committee - CSMonitor.com
"The CIA is generally forbidden from conducting operations on US soil. One reason no criminal charges have been filed, said a Senate aide who was not authorized to be quoted, is that the Senate computers were on a CIA network subject to agency monitoring. But the CIA violated its agreement not to scrutinize the Senate side of the network."
‘Sharknado 2’ star Tara Reid debuts shark-inspired perfume | New York Post
"The perfume, which costs $24.95, is also a ‘complex scent’ (as one would expect a ‘Sharknado’-inspired fragrance to be) with ‘three different levels of nodes [sic] that embrace our fresh, light, and fun feel.’"
Netanyahu warns U.S.: Don’t ‘ever second guess me again’ on Hamas - NY Daily News
"Netanyahu added that he now 'expected' the U.S. and other countries to fully support Israel's offensive in Gaza, according to those familiar with the call. "
"The city explained that Lake Erie, one of the Toledo's water sources, likely developed a harmful algal bloom, causing the toxins to trickle into the treatment plant."That kind of outbreak occurs when nitrogen and phosphorus collects in a body of water — often the result of fertilizer-laced runoff or broken septic systems."
Obama says that after 9/11, 'we tortured some folks' | Reuters
"'It's important for us not to feel too sanctimonious…'"
…not with a bang or a whimper, but just a shrug.
U.S. House passes border-security funding bill to speed deportations | Reuters
"(Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Friday to crack down on Central American migrants, including unaccompanied children, who are flooding to the U.S. border with Mexico, as lawmakers passed a $694 million border security bill."
Congress approves more Iron Dome funding for Israel - CNN.com
"Washington (CNN) -- Divided on other issues, U.S. lawmakers united in support of Israel on Friday with the Senate approving another $225 million for the Iron Dome missile defense system. The House followed Friday night by voting 395-8 in favor of the measure. "
Old Workers Hit New Record High As Jobs For Key 25-54 Age Group Slide By 142K | Zero Hedge
"Another month, another case where the primary age group of the US work force, those aged 25-54, gets shafted."
"Shelnutt admits that a participant group of 97 is not large enough to be considered representative of the general public's opinion, but…"
"'Ebola patient will be brought to the U.S. in a few days — now I know for sure that our leaders are incompetent. KEEP THEM OUT OF HERE!' he wrote on Twitter."
House Republicans Vow To Stay In Washington Until They Vote On Border Funding
"They'll stay in Washington, postponing the start of their August recess, until they pass something.…
"'We could be here until Christmas,' quipped Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas)."
Google says 'forgetting' isn't easy, as requests mount
"For example, a person requesting the removal of links to information about a crime committed as a teenager may omit that he or she was convicted of similar crimes as an adult, or that he or she is a politician running for office."
(Running for office? How likely is that?)
Is God Green? | National Review Online
"This week 28 religious leaders, representing not only a number of Christian denominations (Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Quaker, Baptist, and more) but other faiths (Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Bahāʾī), testified in support of proposed regulations on coal power-plant emissions."
But what does He think about the pipeline?
“[Homophones] are words that sound same but are spelled differently and have different meanings, such as 'peace' and 'piece.'"
(Your spellchecker does not recognize homophones—you spell it right, you keep it.)
Israeli Frustration With Obama Reaching Boiling Point - Israel Today | Israel News
"Obama is a fool, and Kerry is an idiot."
'City of big hearts' can take in 1,000 immigrant kids, Rahm says | Early & Often
"‘My grandfather left Moldova in Eastern Europe. His parents put him on a boat to get away from the pogroms [and] leave the violence. Thirteen-years-old by himself. Not a word of English to come to a place called Chicago. He left the violence of Eastern Europe.’"
At the end of July, right before vacation, the House passes H.R. 4250, the “Sunscreen Innovation Act."
Hollywood joins forces with Kodak to keep movie film alive | The Verge
"The Wall Street Journal reports that the agreement is likely to see studios commit to buying from Kodak in set quantities for upcoming years regardless of their plans to actually shoot movies in the format. Kodak is now the sole major provider of movie film following Fujifilm's exit from the market in 2013"
Film is what makes movies movies.
Now, for those few of us left on the planet who don’t do Facebook, there’s an alternative. Well, there are actually several alternatives (sorry, Google). But this one, this one, is special. It’s, no kidding, Reaganbook, and it’s, well, currently unavailable (in “offline mode”) while making "the necessary changes to keep the site free from obscenity, pornography, and those intent on the destruction of life, liberty, and the family.” Ain’t that grand?
Hightower: Our Do-Nothing Congress Takes a Vacation | Alternet
"Gosh, has it already been three weeks since Congress took a vacation?"
How Will Kindle Unlimited lmpact The Publishing Industry? A Thorough Investigation | ThinkProgress
From this thoroughly annoying Amazon’s new Kindle Unlimited product, a subscription service for (some) books, emerge several other interesting sources for electronic books:
The free services Project Gutenberg (but you knew about that already, right) and Open Library (and there’s also an Internet Public Library on our Work Avoidance List)…
And the subscription services ScribD and Oyster (compatible with many, but not all, devices.
Certainly there will be (even are) more.
FYI.
Here's why cannibalism is bad for your health | Fox News
"Have you ever wondered if would be OK—healthwise, not morally speaking—to feast on a fellow human?"
Photo App Makes You Wait an Hour for Your Snaps to ‘Develop’ | TIME
"The idea is that you shouldn’t get so caught up in reviewing, sharing or deleting photos right after you take them that you miss out on whatever’s actually happening around you. "
No kidding. Nothing is too dumb for the Internet.
Man facing charges for urinating on Modell’s grave - Salon.com
"The man, who has been identified only as a Cleveland Browns fan, will be charged with disorderly conduct in a cemetery.…He posted a video of the incident to YouTube this month."
Really?
Federal Highway Trust Fund Pays for Bike Paths in Wis. | RedState
"A looming shortfall in the federal highway trust fund threatens to dramatically cut the amount of money states get from the federal government for road and highway maintenance. But even as some policymakers examine the possibility of raising taxes to boost revenues, a review of federally-funded transportation projects in Wisconsin finds that federal money has been spent on things like bicycle paths, archeological research, and beautification projects, among other things."
Revealed: The Glenn Greenwald and Pierre Omidyar Money-Making Scheme | The Daily Banter
"First Look Media will scare you into believing that the government is watching everything you do, then it’ll sell you software to protect yourself.…
"It’s exactly like Glenn Beck telling his audience that the nation is about to collapse then selling them survival gear and telling them to buy gold."
Here's How To Protect Yourself from the NSA by Looking Completely Ridiculous | The Daily Banter
"The narcissism here is just staggering and it’s worth mentioning that it must be fantastic to live a life so free from real threats that phantoms — phantoms that you believe are targeting you specifically — are all you have to worry about."
"Earlier this month, (July 16, 2014), the British newspaper The Independent, reported that Moscow and Havana have reportedly reached an agreement on reopening the SIGINT facility in Lourdes, Cuba – once Russia’s largest foreign base of this kind – which was shut down in 2001 due to financial problems, as well as U.S. pressure.…"‘From the base’, according to The Independent, ‘Russia could intercept communications in most part of the US including — the classified exchanges between space facilities in Florida, and American spacecraft in orbit’."
Scott Brown Ad: 'Secure the Border' | The Weekly Standard
"The 30-second spot, among the first in the 2014 cycle to address the illegal immigration crisis on the border, features the former Massachusetts senator juxtaposing the security lines at airports and public events with the lack of security at the Mexican border.”
Mexico! Yeah! Although New Hampshire is about as far away from there as you can get.
The New Gilded Age - Lawyers, Guns & Money : Lawyers, Guns & Money
"The inflation-adjusted net worth for the typical household was $87,992 in 2003. Ten years later, it was only $56,335, or a 36 percent decline, according to a study financed by the Russell Sage Foundation. Those are the figures for a household at the median point in the wealth distribution…"
As U.S. kicks off crude exports, Iran casts a shadow in Asia | Reuters
"Iran, whose economy has been throttled by Western sanctions that have halved its crude shipments, is now selling higher quality and cheaper oil to China that leaves little room for the U.S. crude to enter the world's top energy consumer."
Obama could curb corporate 'inversions' on his own: ex-U.S. official | Reuters
"(Reuters) - President Barack Obama could act without congressional approval to limit a key incentive for U.S. corporations to move their tax domiciles abroad in so-called 'inversion' deals, a former senior U.S. Treasury Department official said on Monday."
The 10 Worst New Yorker #Longreads
"How do you have it all? How do you have a family, a job AND time to exercise? There are only 24 hours in a day! In this classic New Yorker-style 'it's-a-trend-not-really' piece, Susan Orlean reports on the nefarious trend of sitting down and why you should get a treadmill desk so you can walk all day, constantly burn calories and live FOREVER!!!!!!!!"
Facebook Is Ending the Free Ride
"Companies on Facebook will have to pay or be pointless."
Real Startup That Mails You Quarters for Laundry Isn't Seeking Funding
"Young male founders must all be drinking the same Soylent. Either that or they have a hard time multitasking because these bros can't seem to disrupt anything besides doing your laundry. The latest entrant is Washboard, a subscription service for quarters. The $20 (of quarters) monthly plan will cost you $26.99."
Sarah Palin's Low-Budget TV Channel Is Pricier Than Netflix - Conor Friedersdorf - The Atlantic
"The Sarah Palin Channel launched Sunday, asking prospective viewers for 9.95 per month–96 cents more than Netflix–or 99.95 a year. (No word on whether subscribers get money back if Palin decides to stick with the project for only half of that term.)"
Political Blotter: Congressional Soccer Caucus sets a goal - San Jose Mercury News
"Yes, there is a Congressional Soccer Caucus.…"'The mission of the Congressional Soccer Caucus is to encourage legislation, activities and events that promote soccer and issues affecting the greater soccer community, toward encouraging healthy and active lifestyles among America's youth,' according to the U.S. Soccer Foundation's website."
Also, apparently, no caucus for helping the U.S. Soccer Foundation write an intelligible sentence.
"Six Republican governors – from Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Utah – are leading the opposing charge."
(Or possibly there should be a comma between North and Carolina?)
This has been on the Work Avoidance List for quite some time and still breaks me up:
Pointer Pointer by @StudioMoniker
And this is new:
"The United States is pulling embassy staff out of Tripoli, and has issued a travel advisory that nicely outlines what a nightmare Libya has become.…"The reckless and thoughtless Libya intervention just keeps looking worse. But don’t read the critics to see how horrible things are: as the government announces that the U.S. has officially evacuated its embassy in Tripoli this morning, the latest State Department travel advisory for the country says it all…"
A Special Urban Brand of Melancholy? Best #Cityreads of the Week - CityLab
"In Robert Burton’s mammoth 1621 The Anatomy of Melancholy, a meandering discourse…"
"Upon learning the video was a fake, Wolfe Island Mayor Denis Doyle said it was rather concerning that people ‘do those kinds of such dumb things.’"
"Some recent populist talk is owing to the election of two liberals, Elizabeth Warren and Bill de Blasio. (Liberals taking Massachusetts or Manhattan didn’t used to be news.) It’s unclear how well they and other Democratic liberals can tap populist sentiment. In any case, Democrats are late to the populist dance. Mass protests of corrupt oligarchies have roiled global politics for a decade. In America the Tea Party has been crying crony capitalism since the Bush bailout and Obama stimulus. Income inequality’s so bad Mitt Romney wants to raise the minimum wage."
10 Things Americans Have Suddenly Stopped Buying | Money.com
"America is just not the clean-shaven, gun-buying, soda-drinking, Chef Boyardee-eating place it used to be."
Airbnb slobs are causing a raucous in Montauk | Page Six
"Neighbor Theresa Eurell was so upset that she started a Facebook page…"
