As occurred after the Sandy Hook shooting, conspiracy proponents claimed that a number of the Facebook Boston Marathon bombing-related pages of the type which inevitably spring up in the aftermath of such tragedies (e.g., memorials, tributes, condolences, and donation sites for victims) bear dates indicating they were created earlier than the occurrence of the events they reference, thus exposing those tragedies as "false flag" events planned and coordinated by some sinister force (usually said to be the government) intent on deflecting blame away from the "real" perpetrators.
A recent episode of Family Guy happened to depict someone running in the Boston Marathon and, in his quest to win, running over a contestant. In an unrelated segment, Peter hooks up with a terrorist and maybe blows up a bridge. This sparked dozens of YouTube vids highlighting this, and sometimes editing clips to wrongly suggest the explosions were part of the marathon story line, to "prove" point that Seth MacFarlane "knew" about the coming blasts, etc. Fox and MacFarlane have now angrily removed the epsiode from circulation and YouTube is cracking down, but many clips remain.
It wasn't like seeing the Iraq war break out on the Boston streets, they said, but they found their experiences rushing back while watching the news as they tried to figure out what kind of bomb it might have been. Because, for a year or more of their adult lives, what happened on Monday was a regular experience. Some worried the attack could become another pretense for war. Some tried to stifle a feeling that Americans don't care about the people overseas who are blown up all the time.
News is toxic to your body. It constantly triggers the limbic system. Panicky stories spur the release of cascades of glucocorticoid (cortisol). This deregulates your immune system and inhibits the release of growth hormones. In other words, your body finds itself in a state of chronic stress. High glucocorticoid levels cause impaired digestion, lack of growth (cell, hair, bone), nervousness and susceptibility to infections. The other potential side-effects include fear, aggression, tunnel-vision and desensitization.
Rand Paul Wednesday accused President Obama and congressional Democrats of using the families of victims from Newtown, Connecticut, as political props.
[Janis Bowdler, director of the Wealth-Building Policy Project at the National Council of La Raza] said there was a concern among civil rights activists that banks would do the bare minimum, rather than do what they should in order to help families stay in their homes. She said that activists knew going into the settlement that it “wasn’t going to solve all the problems that homeowners were facing in terms of foreclosure, but it was supposed to be an influx of relief.” Unfortunately, it hasn’t been. In the year since the settlement was negotiated, civil rights activists’ fears have proven valid. The banks have barreled through their settlement obligations to reduce principal balances, but communities of color have seen little benefit from these efforts.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been. In the year since the settlement was negotiated, civil rights activists’ fears have proven valid. The banks have barreled through their settlement obligations to reduce principal balances, but communities of color have seen little benefit from these efforts.
For the third year in a row, the nation’s economic recovery seems to be petering out just as temperatures start to go up. Hiring has dropped off. Shoppers are putting away their wallets. Government spending cuts are looming. That has fueled predictions of an abrupt slowdown over the next few months. Economists are forecasting tepid growth of just over 1 percent during the second quarter of the year.
That has fueled predictions of an abrupt slowdown over the next few months. Economists are forecasting tepid growth of just over 1 percent during the second quarter of the year.
Though they be but little, they are fierce. The most powerful batteries on the planet are only a few millimeters in size, yet they pack such a punch that a driver could use a cellphone powered by these batteries to jump-start a dead car battery -- and then recharge the phone in the blink of an eye. Developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the new microbatteries out-power even the best supercapacitors and could drive new applications in radio communications and compact electronics.
Developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the new microbatteries out-power even the best supercapacitors and could drive new applications in radio communications and compact electronics.
Today is no better, as former Village Voice Editor-in-Chief Tony Ortega released a fascinating exposé about how David Miscavige, the successor of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard who for many years has been the group's unquestioned leader, became tired of his wife—and rather than divorce her, sentenced her to what amounts to permanent imprisonment in a Church compound. The story lends more fuel to the fire for critics who accuse Scientology of human trafficking, as well as unjust enrichment of Miscavige in violation of IRS rules. (Jake McIntyre)