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High fructose corn syrup might make you stupid

2012-05-16T22:45:00.000-04:00

Sugar is related to a lot of health issues and now scientists are saying it's bad for the brain as well. It's something that many of us enjoy so cutting back is not easy, but probably a good idea. As they say, moderation is generally the key. Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brainpower, according to US scientists who published a study Tuesday showing how a steady diet of...

Bush to publish a book on economic strategies for growth

2012-05-16T21:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, I think that's called "Do the complete opposite of what George W. Bush did from 2000-2008." For those who don't remember, the Bush administration averaged 20,000 new jobs per month during his term in office. According to mathematicians that would be 111,000 fewer jobs per month than during the Obama administration. Bush's ability to ignore his own failed economic policies ought to be...

The train to Versailles decorated like the palace of Versailles

2012-05-16T19:50:00.000-04:00

Very cool. The folks who run the French Chateau of Versailles, the former palace of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who were executed following the French Revolution, have redesigned a few of the regional trains that take passengers from Versailles to Paris. The design mimics various rooms at Versailles, including the king's library and the queen's bedroom. Totally cool. (H/t...

Obama has a $500K+ JPMorgan checking account

2012-05-16T18:21:00.000-04:00

When someone has a net worth of around $10 million, it's no surprise that they have an account with one of the largest banks in the country. In Obama's case, he has a small percentage of his overall assets with the troubled JPMorgan. There are countless reports out today about Obama having this account though it's not clear why it's a big deal. JPMorgan is not running a risk of failing from...

Catholic school would rather kill kids' insurance than comply with Obama rules

2012-05-16T16:55:00.000-04:00

This is par for the course with the Catholic church. Why choose Option A when you can choose Option B and hurt someone vulnerable at the same time. It's the way the Catholic church has mishandled the pedophilia scandal (putting children last), it's the way they're handling compliance with non-discrimination laws in DC, Illinois and Massachusetts (rather than simply not discriminate, the...

Thom Hartmann and Dr. Michael Mann on global warming and the climate wars

2012-05-16T15:30:00.000-04:00

It's climate week here at La Maison. We wrote earlier about the looming global warming deadline — yes folks, "game over" really does mean the game is over. This is just one about six national deadlines we're facing. In that context, you may find this short conversation interesting. Dr. Michael Mann is one of the originals in the field. He's interviewed here by Thom Hartmann. Mann is the...

Vintage photo: San Francisco in ruins, circa May 28th, 1906

2012-05-16T13:54:00.005-04:00

An amazing photo of San Francisco following the great earthquake of 1906. At first, it looks like simply a beautiful panorama of a great city. Then you zoom in on any part of the photo you want and realize that the resolution is so good you're starting to see buildings torn in half, and entire lots razed to the ground. It reminds me of images of Japan following the recent...

Virginia House of Delegates rejects judicial nominee because he's gay

2012-05-16T12:46:00.003-04:00

*Unless you're gay. (Or black.) The Virginia State Legislature is at it again. Just after 1:00 am Tuesday morning, the GOP-controlled Virginia House of Delegates voted to block the appointment of an openly gay Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney, Tracy Thorne-Begland, to the judgeship of the General District Court in Richmond. Thorne-Begland's nomination had received bipartisan support...

Poll shows strong swing state disapproval of Obama on housing

2012-05-16T11:12:00.001-04:00

Housing photo via Shutterstock Campaign for a Fair Settlement, a liberal housing group which formed to pressure state Attorneys General like California's Kamala Harris to not agree to a bad robosigning settlement deal, has released a poll that paints a brutal picture of how voters in swing states view President Obama's handling of the housing crisis. The poll also shows that voters think the...

What really happened in the Oklahoma City bombing and why the investigation "failed"

2012-05-16T09:15:00.000-04:00

This is a straight news piece, the fascinating story of what a really thorough investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in 1995 actually turned up. Unfortunately, that investigation was performed by the authors of a new book on the subject, not by the feds. Bottom line — what we think we know, we don't. The operation was far bigger than anyone realizes,...

Ron Paul's sneaky strategy

2012-05-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

Rich Koele / Shutterstock.com He's not exactly going away. If Ron Paul actively stayed in the race and didn’t win any delegates in Kentucky, he would damage his son’s political stock in a state where, despite being a U.S. senator, Rand Paul is still a political outsider. But if Ron Paul simply dropped out, his delegates would no longer be bound to him, foiling his strategy to gain control of the...

Merkel and Hollande hold first meeting

2012-05-16T06:29:00.003-04:00

Flags via Shutterstock The first meeting of Merde did not produce any fireworks - at least none were reported - though they did discuss alternative financial plans as well as Greece. Publicly they said they want Greece to stay in the eurozone though with the new elections being called, that sounds less likely. Hollande is departing for the US to meet President Obama and soon after will meet...

How did Harvard give us George W. Bush?

2012-05-15T23:45:00.001-04:00

"I once told a lie that was this big." Photo via Shutterstock. It's an interesting question now that yet another French trader is at the center of an ugly loss. That said, I believe the question needs to be opened up well beyond France, since the problem extends far beyond France. The Wall Street crash that required an industry saving bailout was mostly caused by rich, American men. The...

Video: Cute young NBC reporter talks to two old guys

2012-05-15T22:10:00.000-04:00

I'm kidding, kind of. It's really an adorable video. A young NBC reporter interviews two best friends in their 80s. It's very cute.

Dimon & JPMorgan execs ignored warnings of risk

2012-05-15T20:44:00.001-04:00

Wall Street via Shutterstock Of course they did. For starters, let's recognize that the insiders and experts who drooled over Dimon and thought he was a genius at risk were either drunk from his parties or complete idiots. His former chief investment officer who was supposed to be another risk expert was called a "trader at heart" which means she loved risk. Putting a "trader at heart" in...

JPMorgan "considering" taking back bonuses after unit loses $2bn

2012-05-15T17:55:00.000-04:00

Why are they only considering and not actually doing? The problem on Wall Street has repeatedly been the failure to suffer any consequences from gambles that lose. Nobody on Wall Street ever had to pay back a penny of the bonus money they received for gambles that failed during the initial round of the crisis so what lesson was learned? None. The banks lost and then gladly accepted...

Murdoch's former newspaper editor to be charged in UK

2012-05-15T16:30:00.001-04:00

Murdoch via Shutterstock Another week and yet another scandal for Rupert Murdoch's media empire. MSNBC.com: Rebekah Brooks, the flame-haired former chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper arm, will be charged with perverting the course of justice over a phone-hacking scandal at one of the media mogul's papers, British prosecutors said on Tuesday. If convicted, she could face a...

Chicago police purchase ear-damaging weapon

2012-05-15T15:04:00.001-04:00

Police via Shutterstock For a country that defeated the Evil Empire, we should know better than to accept this kind of evil. More on the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) that Chicago just purchased Salon: “This is simply a risk management tool, as the public will receive clear information regarding public safety messages and any orders provided by police,” Chicago Police spokeswoman Melissa...

Video: Doing the edge walk at Toronto's CN Tower

2012-05-15T13:10:00.000-04:00

I think I would do this. Chris says no way for himself. Would you?

TSA pats-down Henry Kissinger

2012-05-15T11:50:00.004-04:00

Kissinger via Shutterstock To be fair to the TSA, sometimes they get it right. Kissinger, who will be 89 this month, was spotted on Friday at LaGuardia airport in New York, getting routed to the pat-down line while going through security. Freelance reporter Matthew Cole recognized him — something the TSA agent checking identification did not. After asking Kissinger his name as he passed...

How gay marriage may just get Obama re-elected

2012-05-15T10:30:00.005-04:00

Wedding via Shutterstock From a piece I penned for the Daily Beast this morning. In this part of the piece I'm talking about liberal frustration with the President the first few years when it seemed he was almost afraid of change. The turning point for many progressives was the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in December 2010. While the repeal was obviously a big deal to...

Hugging the monster: Climate scientists and the C-word (Catastrophe)

2012-05-15T09:15:00.001-04:00

Global warming photo via Shutterstock This post asks two questions: ▪ How close are we to catastrophe with global warming? ▪ How close are climate scientists to actually saying so? It's not just about the planet; it's about straight talk about it as well. And it's not just about the facts, but how they make us act. Hug the monster — let it catalyze you, not paralyze...

Pat Robertson says Romney isn't Jesus

2012-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Always able to put a smile on my face, that Pat Robertson. From Luke Johnson at HuffPost: Pat Robertson offered faint praise for Mitt Romney on the "The 700 Club" Monday, while indicating that he is the best alternative to President Barack Obama. "It looks like the people who were worried about his Mormonism, at least that crowd is diminishing somewhat," said Robertson, 82, after the show...

Greek debt payment due today

2012-05-15T06:25:00.002-04:00

Greece via Shutterstock The timing of this payment is especially interesting, as Greece is still deadlocked and may have to call another election to settle the government. Add to that the increasing discussions among EU leaders that a Greek departure from the euro is on the table and it gets interesting. Greece has 30 days after today to make that payment but otherwise, it defaults. From the...

Resignations this week at JPMorgan

2012-05-14T22:34:00.000-04:00

As you might expect, none of the resignations this week are likely to include failed CEO Jamie Dimon. The biggest name in the resignations this week is Ina Drew, the "trader at heart" who was managing risk for JPMorgan. Whoever thought hiring a "trader" to manage a growing and now large risk team ought to be sent packing this week, but that's not likely to happen. CNBC:According to the report,...