SAR #14209

Corporations can decide which federally mandated benefits apply to you. It says so in the Constitution. Now.

Fair And Balanced: “Death Toll Rises On Both Sides” Sure enough, now over 1000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children. The Israelis have lost 46, 43 of them soldiers.

Sky, Not Falling, Again: Despite repeated promises by The Serious Predictors, Medicare is not going broke again this year. In 2010 it was supposed to expire in 2017. Last year the guess was that it would last until 2026. Now it won't be giving up the ghost until 2030. Ah, receding horizons. 
 
Twisted Plot: John 'Reality Challenged' Boehner now claims that the Republican calls to impeach Obama are “a scam started by the Democrats.” 
 

High And Higher: One out of three Americans (who have credit files) has a past-due debt in collection. The average household owes $15,000 [sic - this seems improbable] in credit card debt. Interest rates on credit cards are now at their highest in over a decade, while the banks' cost of funds is the lowest in history. The middle class is 20% poorer today than it was in 1984 and has lost 35% of its net worth in real terms in the last decade, so the only way we can get by now is by borrowing today to pay back yesterday's borrowing.
 
Scout's Honor: Former Chief Eavesdropper Keith Alexander is worth $1 million a month because... Well, I'm sure it's not because of anything he took with him when he left NSA, like blackmail files or other secrets. 
 
Our team: Retail sales (and thus corporate profits) are increasingly depend on borrowing, loans, and other forms of credit by progressively marginal customers. When they stop paying, and they inevitably will sooner or later because no one's gotten a raise in 20 years, the music will stop. Again. How many defaults are but one paycheck away? Again. 
 
Location, Location, Location: The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index reflected a 0.3% drop in prices nationwide. It was the weather, of course. It's always the weather. Or something. 
 
Passive Aggression: Facebook admits it manipulated its users, British Intelligence manipulates Internet users, a site called OKCupid admits messing with its users. If you use the internet (like you're doing right now) someone is undoubtedly running some sort of experiment on you. Mostly to make money, of course. 

No Sweat: Scientists have developed a malaria vaccine which gives children ongoing protection from the disease. Now if they could come up with something to protect children from their parents' misinformed fears of vaccines...

Investment Opportunity: Twitter reported losing $145 million in the last quarter, three times more than it had a year ago. So its stock went up over 26%. And check out Amazon. Nothing like losing money to boost your value.

Seriously, Folks: Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister says that a decent woman “will know what is haram and not haram. She will not laugh in public. She will not be inviting in her attitudes and will protect her chasteness.” Especially she will not laugh at him. Or else.

Porn O'Graph: Rich richer, poor... well surprise, surprise, poorer.