The rise of the super-rich hits a sobering wallThis is by far one of the most interesting articles I've read about the financial crisis. Beyond talking about why the rich have, for the first time in around thirty years, stopped growing richer, it discusses inequality. Apparently in 2007, the top 1% of earners in the United States pocketed 23.5% of ( Read more... )

Cher is speaking out for the first time about her daughter Chastity Bono’s decision to become her son Chaz.

The 63-year-old pop diva tells People, "Chaz is embarking on a difficult journey, but one that I will support. I respect the courage it takes to go through this transition in the glare of public scrutiny, and although I may not understand, I ( Read more... )

It's academic: TV cures loneliness.Four new studies by the University at Buffalo and Miami University of Ohio found that watching TV can drive away feelings of loneliness and rejection. The studies are reported in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and suggest that watching TV provides viewers with the illusion that their social needs ( Read more... )

I'm drunk at my friend Jem's house with over a dozen of my best Mass Comm friends, and huddled in a room reading up on the swine flu outbreaks, and feeling this sense of foreboding. There are a few movies running through my head right now, and they all involve a sense of doom. I'm telling myself it's the alcohol talking, but this whole thing's come ( Read more... )

63% of Americans reject Darwin's Theory of EvolutionIn the greater scheme of things, believing in Creationism probably wouldn't destroy the balance of society. I mean think about it: if evolution were true, then we'd all have to be prettier on average than people who lived thousands of years ago, right ( Read more... )

Disneyland's "It's A Small World" renovation removes cultural featuresDisneyland's "It's A Small World" ride re-opens Thursday after a re-tooling, and Disney has mixed characters from its movies like Nemo and Aladdin in with the anonymous small figures representing cultures from around the world.
I just- what?

OH MY GOD.

Birmingham, the second-largest city in in England, has decided to drop apostrophes from all street signs, saying they're confusing and old-fashioned.

"Apostrophes denote possessions that are no longer accurate, and are not needed," councilor Martin Mullaney, who heads the city's transport scrutiny committee, said. "More importantly, ( Read more... )

Right, one last gasp of political reacting and we can go back to listening to Joseph talk about himself. ♥

Palin to news organizations: Leave my kids aloneAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin is going on the offensive against news organizations and bloggers she says are perpetuating malicious gossip about her and her children. But political observers say the ( Read more... )

The coolest thing: Nel and I opened a cabinet in an empty room at home, and it was filled with antique and vintage trinkets! She is now the proud owner of a dozen plaid shirts our grandfather used to wear, a few fake leather belts to cinch them with, and many, many, many bra pads the size of my grandmother's- bra pads ( Read more... )

Australia offers 'best job in the world' on paradise islandAn Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months ( Read more... )