The News Bludgeon

"Give me nothing": Supreme Court nominee Alito spent many years ruling against asylum seekers. [more...]

The land of the free, the home of the gag. A Connecticut librarian was recently ordered by the FBI to produce records he had lawfully obtained. The librarian was soon handed a National Security Letter which contained a permanent gag order on talking about it. The librarian is appealing, and is debatably more appealing than the people he's fighting. [more...]

Not only do energy drinks cost way too much for the limited effect they provide, they taste odd as well. [some info on energy drinks...]

You are not alone. 38 million Americans have problems finding money for food. 'Tis truly a land of plenty. That's only about 15% of the US population.

Just some good ol' boys, never meaning no harm: In an interesting example of theological bureaucracy that makes me wonder why it's homosexuality of all things that's singled out here: the Vatican says sexually active gay men, or men who support "gay culture", are not to be considered for the priesthood, unless they've been celibate for three years. And hence prone to be attracted to anything that moves past the confession booth. [more...]

Someday, we'll find it. The Kyoto Protocol is in trouble, with major polluters like the United States and China never having signed it, and some members of the treaty itself claiming they are no longer able to meet its goals. [more...]

To those who believe life starts before conception: good news. The Target chain won't make you fill contraceptive prescriptions. [more...]

Guess what? We're building new nuclear weapons. [more...]

Is the killing of hundreds of thousands of members of a given ethnic group genocide? The state of Massachusetts says yes. The federal government says no, and is suing Massachusetts for alleged censorship and "political interference". Far be it for any group to disavow American federal politics. Guess non-Bushites really are aiding the terrorists. The federal government says so. Praise Bush on high. [more...]

Among the many things Bush has decreed will most certainly aid terrorism, freeing Iraq from US military hegemony is one of them. [click here for more...]

Recall the Iraqi constitution for which State Dept. officials have been rallying support around the Middle East? Guess they're not done drafting it yet. Lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on it. Iraqis are set to vote this Saturday.

What do you get when you take a healthy dose of "consumers don't want it", mix it with a helping of the old standard paradigm "consumers don't know what they want" - and throw in a good portion of "it doesn't work"? You get new efforts at digital copy protection. On the bright side, it's interesting to see lawyers less than MBAs and psychologists deciding what's best for the world. At least you know up front what you're getting with a lawyer. NPR reports, September 19.

No one knows much about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, beyond her spiritual conversion, which was a defining moment in her life. She's apparently not like many evangelicals. What she is like remains open to interpretation... as soon as somebody finds something out about her views... Sorry, no link available.

Goodbye, Ronald McDonald: California has sued McDonald's, among others, over cancer-causing agents in fast-food fries. The suit calls for printed warnings that french fries can cause cancer. [more...]

The Old West Moves Back East: If you've ever felt threatened at Disneyworld or the senior home, or maybe the beach, you might be glad to know that Florida will now allow you or any other resident to defend yourself in public with guns. The new law is called "stand your ground". Hear what NPR humorist Brian Unger has to say about this disaster waiting to happen.

New Orleans' two public hospitals are being shut down, and with most of the city's health infrastructure in general in ruins, the outlook may not be good for the city's population in need of health care. [more...]

Vermont's Circus Smirkus, the non-profit group with the upbeat name, needs to raise roughly $250,000 by December 1st or the touring arts company will fold. [more...]

Bizarre: Ai Ai the chimp, who picked up chainsmoking 16 years ago when her husband died, has finally quit, with the help of exercise and special food treats. Her patrons at her Chinese zoo wanted her to quit for health reasons. [more...]

California police agencies say they have a good reason for rounding up homeless people and dropping them off in downtown Los Angeles. [more...]

Defying George Bush's threats of continued abuse, via a threatened crafty veto, the Senate has overwhelmingly approved as part of the defense budget that military detainees be given humane treatment. [more...]

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