Archive for December, 2008

In a study published online today in the British Medical Journal, scientists from Harvard University and UC San Diego showed that happiness spreads readily through social networks of family members, friends and neighbors. »

“In America, domestic goddesses spend just 38 per cent of their leisure time at the computer.” »

“Mr Obama had requested to stay at Blair House, opposite the White House, but was told by the Bush administration it was booked up for farewell ‘receptions and gatherings’ and was ‘not available’ until January 15, five days before the inauguration…. Mr Obama will be arriving in Washington much earlier than most incoming presidents.... »

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Helen Smith interviews State Rep. of Tenn. Stacey Campfield on PJTV. Campfield seeks to advance a bill to petition the court to disestablish paternity after DNA evidence revealed a baby was not sired by the man listed on the birth certificate. »

“Warming fears are the “worst scientific scandal in the history.” “Global warming has become a new religion.” “I am really amazed that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given on scientifically incorrect conclusions by people who are not geologists.” »

The Obama campaign and Strickland administration both deny involvement in the “Joe the Plumber” background check, but Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien still is examining Helen Jones-Kelley’s phone records to see who she spoke with around the time when her office accessed confidential state records. »

“It was always something I knew, from the time I was a child.” Jeff says, “I knew I wanted to be a daddy.” »

Joins Senate Report of More Than 650 Dissenting Scientists »

Two conflicting conceptions of feminine dignity; feminism as male-role-envy »

Conservatives face a major political challenge, but they can tackle and overcome it as they have done three times before. Three prior examples demonstrate the right way and the wrong ways to put America back on track and bounce back from a disappointing election. »

Those who drank were less able to detect male facial symmetry, a marker of attractiveness and good genes which is thought to play an important role in the choice of a partner. »

Ministers are coming under growing pressure from Labour MPs to disestablish the Church of England. »

After two nights of intensive rioting, police in the city requested assistance from units specially trained to deal with mass violent demonstrations, as locals were reportedly joined by left-wing extremists, or “autonomists”, from outside the area. »

Noel Sharkey, a professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield, argues that the steady increase in the use of robots in day-to-day life poses unanticipated risks and ethical problems. »

GLOBAL warming preachers have had a shocking 2008. So many of their predictions this year went splat. »

“My petition asks Family Law makers World-Wide to endorse Preferencial Equal Shared Parenting as the benchmark in World-Wide Family Law and Social Policy. Giving Children their biological Family from conception. Reinforcing the need for Children to be brought up under the influence of their whole Family.” »

Dr. Mike Fox: “As a former member of the Green Party, today’s ‘greens’ have changed into left-wing political activists who in large measure despise our freedoms and free-market capitalism.” »

Alec Baldwin interviewed by Joy Behar on “Larry King Live” about his book, divorce. »

Scientists are criticizing a recent Associated Press report “Obama Left with Little Time to Curb Global Warming,” calling it “irrational hysteria,” “horrifically bad” and “incredibly biased.” »

Would you rather give up sex or the Internet for two weeks? »

The study found that couples married for more than 20 years showed similar brain activity to lovers in the throes of a new relationship, when shown pictures of their partners. »

“Google this week admitted that its staff will pick and choose what appears in its search results. It’s a historic statement – and nobody has yet grasped its significance.” »

H/T dougpowers.com »

A blind man has been turned away from a fashionable Indian restaurant because his guide dog offended Muslim staff. »

Neurologists who looked into the brains of football fans while they watched a match found that seeing their team score triggered immediate activity in a particular area of the brain known to be associated with intense pleasure and sexual arousal. »

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Re-airing on MSNBC on Sunday, December 14th at 4 PM EST. Dear Zachary was named one of the top 5 documentaries of 2008 by the National Board of Review! It also recently won Best Documentary at the Orlando Film Festival and the Audience Award at the St. Louis International Film Festival. »

The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. »

“It is being designed as a way to intercept and destroy all objects from a single ballistic missile — warhead, countermeasures, booster debris, etc.” »

David Horowitz: The continuing efforts of a fringe group of conservatives to deny Obama his victory and to lay the basis for the claim that he is not a legitimate president is embarrassing and destructive. The fact that these efforts are being led by Alan Keyes, an unhinged demagogue on the political fringe who... »

Australia: In the NSW Supreme Court today, Justice Michael Adams ruled a fictional cartoon character was a “person” within the meaning of the relevant state and Commonwealth laws. »

His ranting put him in breach of an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) which had been imposed at an earlier hearing to try to stop him shouting and swearing at the television whenever he disagreed with a programme. »

Some 1.1 million fewer men are working in the United States than there were a year ago, according to the Labor Department. By contrast, 12,000 more women are working. »

The figures suggest the year-old recession will approach or even exceed the 1981-1982 downturn in severity and support expectations that Federal Reserve officials will soon lower interest rates to levels not seen in a half century. »

The 45-year-old Silverton man tore off his jacket to get rid of any extra weight, and when he looked up again she was gone. »

People’s happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon, say James H Fowler and Nicholas A Christakis in a longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study. However, analysing subsamples of the US National Longitudinal... »

H/T Dr. Helen »

senate.gov: Climate Fears Called ‘Hogwash’ – ‘Global Carbon Tax’ Urged »

At the other end of the spectrum, female arts students ranked as the most sexually active. »