Gay Rights and Gun Rights Linked In Seattle Posters, Causing Control Freaks’ Heads To Explode
” Across Seattle, reports alt-weekly The Stranger, posters are appearing linking gay rights and gun rights in ways that are just freaking out the usual control-freaky suspects. Some of the posters suggest that disliking guns is just like disliking homosexuality: a personal foible that ought not be turned into legislation. Other posters suggest that armed gays “aren’t going to take shit from homophobes.” It’s clearly inconceivable that anybody could actually hold in his or her mind, simultaneously, a regard for the right of people to love who they want and respect for the right of self-defense, so it must be some horrible, trollish plot. At least, that’s what The Stranger‘s Cienna Madrid suspects.”
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Category: Choice
Most Expensive Home Hits The Market At $190 Million
” There’s Versace’s former home, priced at $100 million, Steven Cohen’s $115 million apartment and a Manhattan penthouse listed at $125 million. But none of them hold a candle to Copper Beech Farm and its 50 acres of waterfront in Greenwich, CT, which recently hit the market at $190 million, becoming the most expensive listing in the U.S. (Click here or on the photo to go to a slideshow.)”
” While the house is impressive — public records measure it at 13,519 square feet with 12 bedrooms and 9 baths — it’s the spectacular land that pushes the price tag up to nearly $200 million. The home sits on 4,000 feet of coveted waterfront property on Long Island Sound, which doesn’t includes the additional access to two private islands in the Sound. The two parcels, one at 30 acres and one at 20, contain a grass tennis court, formal gardens, carriage house, apple orchard, two greenhouses and a 75-foot-long heated pool. Considering that a 75-acre Greenwich property nowhere near the water is listed at $32.5 million, the $190 million ask is a little more understandable.”
” Thinking about financing a place like this? According to Zillow’s mortgage calculator and assuming a 20 percent down payment (which would be $38 million) on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, a monthly payment would be $687,734.”
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The AR-15 Is More Than A Gun. It’s A Gadget
” In the past two decades, the AR-15 has evolved into an open, modular gun platform that’s infinitely hackable and accessorizable. With only a few simple tools and no gunsmithing expertise, an AR-15 can be heavily modified, or even assembled from scratch, from widely available parts to suit the fancy and fantasy of each individual user. In this respect, the AR-15 is the world’s first “maker” gun, and this is why its appeal extends well beyond the military enthusiasts that many anti-gun types presume make up its core demographic.”
” This is the gun-as-gadget, a relatively new consumer phenomenon born from the unholy union of the post-9/11 national security state and America’s decades-old obsession with hackable, high-performance hardware. From muscle cars to motorbikes to ultra-high-wattage stereo systems, Americans love to take their toys way over the top, and for all its deadliness and terrifying power, the AR-15 is a terrifically fun toy. “‘
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From Nefertiti To Today
” While there’s no hard evidence that our prehistoric ancestors wore furry bikinis à lá Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C., we can pretty much assume that ladies have been looking for ways to support, suppress or accentuate the curves for a long time.
It all began with the bra, that versatile undergarment that helps keep everything where it’s supposed to be. And it turns out we have ancient Egyptians to thank for it (no surprise there, Nefertiti). Egyptians wore a band of linen under their diaphanous robes to flatten the bust line, while in China they were developing their own solutions — women wore single-pieced underpinnings that covered the breasts and belly but left the back, exposed. In fact, outerwear has always dictated the look and function of undergarments. Cretan women pretty much invented the corset to get a wasp-waisted look that predated Mae West’s hourglass figure by 3,000 years. But how did we get from there to Spanx and Maidenform?”
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SIP THE 10 BEST NEW BOURBONS
” In the past two years, bourbon has become the highest-selling whiskey in America. As its popularity has grown, producers big and small have been hustling to bring new products to market. To help you navigate the rising tide of these fine spirits, we sniffed and sipped our way through this vast ocean to present the best bourbons for your budget and taste. So pour yourself a glass, relax, and read on to discover a whole new world of America’s finest.”
Photographs by wtrstudios
Cocktails by Chris Wilkins, Proof on Main
Location: Rollin’ Greens, Queens NY
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South Carolina House Passes Bill Making ‘Obamacare’ Implementation A Crime
” The South Carolina state House passed a bill Wednesday that declares President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be “null and void,” and criminalizes its implementation.
The state’s Freedom of Health Care Protection Act intends to “prohibit certain individuals from enforcing or attempting to enforce such unconstitutional laws; and to establish criminal penalties and civil liability for violating this article.”
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Cannon Safe Releases Seven Tips For Purchasing A Safe
” Cannon Safe has created a step-by-step guide for finding the perfect safe for your home. The guide is aptly titled Seven Tips For Purchasing A Safe and can be downloaded for free at cannonsafe.com or a hardcopy can be received by mail upon request.
Like all consumer products, home safe technology has improved drastically in recent years and with so many new features and options, the process of selecting the right safe can be confusing. Luckily, the new safe-buying guide from Cannon Safe will make the choice easier.
“The great thing about this guide is that it’s a one-stop source for all of the factors that should go into buying a full-sized safe, including size, location, fire rating, optional features and much more,” said Aaron Baker, president of Cannon Safe. “Seven Tips for Purchasing a Safe helps you prioritize your needs and select the right safe for you and your family.” “
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More Women Buying, Learning To Shoot Guns
” A little mother-daughter time on a sunny Tuesday.
Maggie and Molly are meeting up with a group of gals — at the shooting range, for a firearms course run by Pittsburgh-based INPAX.
“There are four fundamentals of defensive handgun,” an instructor said to a group of women learining to shoot.
Training facilities across the region report an upsurge in the number of female students — among this group, moms, consultants, brokers, co-eds and others.”
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National Rifle Association Members At The NRA Convention In Houston, Texas
Fifty four year-old Mary Walker from McAllen, Texas has been a member of the NRA for ten years. She owns 1 gun, a 9mm Glock and works as a teacher.
” Photographer Justin Sullivan attended the National Rifle Association Convention in Houston, Texas and took this set of portraits of NRA members. Each photograph has beneath it a short caption saying where they are from, what they do and how many guns they own. “
Lots more here
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Rush Limbaugh: Don’t Blame Me For WABC’s Declining Ad Sales
“ Rush Limbaugh insists it’s not his fault that ad revenue has dropped at his flagship WABC radio station — and if his boss keeps saying it is, Rush just may pack up his megadittoes and leave.
In New York, that would very likely take him to WOR, which would create the biggest shakeup in city talk radio since WOR scooped up Bob Grant after WABC fired him in 1995.
Limbaugh’s contract with WABC expires at the end of the year.
Lew Dickey, the CEO of WABC parent company Cumulus, has said Limbaugh’s controversial comments have diminished ad revenue for the past year — and the slump remains a “residual hangover” for the station.”
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Grocery Home Delivery May Be Greener Than Schlepping To The Store
” “It’s like a bus for groceries,” says Anne Goodchild, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Washington and a co-author of the study. “Overwhelmingly, it’s more efficient to be sharing a vehicle, even if it’s a little larger.”
Goodchild studies logistics and freight transportation. She also gets her groceries delivered. “As a working mother, it’s another trip I don’t have to make while my kids are awake,” she says. But, she admits, “I felt sort of lazy and indulgent to be ordering my groceries this way.”
By combining her knowledge of freight transport and data on commuter habits, Goodchild and her colleagues were able to calculate just how efficient it is to put the groceries on the “bus,” using neighborhoods in Seattle and randomly choosing households as potential customers. Pretty darned efficient, it turns out.
Home food delivery trucks, they found, produce 20 to 75 percent less carbon dioxide than having the same households drive to the store. The variation is based on how close people live to the store, the number of people in the neighborhood getting food delivered and the efficiency of the truck’s route.”
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Iowa Man Bites Dog That Ripped His Wife’s Nose Off
“ Madrid - An Iowa woman was saved from a vicious attack by a dog which had ripped her nose off, when her husband leapt to her defence and bit the dog.The Independent reported Caren Henry was assaulted by a 50 pound Labrador as she walked her pet beagle.Caren described the attack which took place in rural Madrid to KDVR. She said:
“This dog came racing across this yard, a big dog. It got me here and I had my sunglasses on which I’m glad I did because I think it might have taken my eye as well as my nose, then it knocked me down and then it went after my dog.”
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Dick’s Sales, Stocks Drop Following Black Gun Ban
” Last Christmas many Dick’s customers were sent one mean lump of coal in the form of a gift certificate. All customers who pre-ordered a Troy Carbine from Dick’s for their Black Friday special had their orders cancelled and their money returned.
Following the Newtown shooting spree, Dick’s Sporting Goods changed their policy and stopped selling AR-pattern and other semi-automatic, magazine-fed rifles, even the guns they had already sold.
If there’s a silver lining for all the people who were eagerly waiting for that Troy Carbine and were vastly dissappointed, it’s that Dick’s isn’t doing so well in the financial department.
At a time where the only thing a company has to do to sell firearms, ammo and accessories is to unlock their doors, Dick’s sales have flat-lined. In fact, their sales dropped 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to 2011 and their shares 10 percent in the last quarter.
Dick’s denied that their sales were low because of the store’s gun policy, instead they pointed the finger at the ammunition shortage.”
As we noted previously Cabela’s is doing very well despite ammo shortages .
“But other sporting goods stores are not feeling the pinch despite the ammo drought. In fact, Cabela’s is doing better than ever and investors have been quick to point out that it’s because of their strong gun sales.
“Cabela’s Inc. stock closed up more than 16 percent, among leading gainers on the New York Stock Exchange, and hit a 52-week high Thursday after reporting strong financial results above the market’s and the company’s expectations.” “
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How To Protect Against Laptop Webcam Hacking
” Last week, a federal judge in Texas refused to authorize the government to hack a computer suspected of criminal use, including controlling the computer’s camera. The government had sought a warrant to “surreptitiously install[] software designed not only to extract certain stored electronic records but also to generate user photographs and location information over a 30 day period.” Noting the high standards for a warrant for wiretaps and video surveillance under the federal rules and the Fourth Amendment, Judge Smith determined that the government had not met its burden.
Judge Smith looked carefully at the legal issues, but you can’t be sure that every judge will be familiar enough with the law and technology to stand up to overly broad government requests. At the same time, you may be concerned that malicious hackers or rogue government entities will take control over your camera. But you can protect against the effects of webcam hacking with a few easy steps.”
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Pastors Rally Behind Reverend Disinvited From College After Criticizing Obama
“ Morehouse College alumni are outraged after a prominent pastor and fellow alum was disinvited from speaking at the college’s baccalaureate service just one day after he wrote an op-ed, criticizing President Obama, who will deliver the school’s commencement address.
Rev. Kevin Johnson, a Morehouse graduate and the senior pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia wrote an opinion column earlier this month in the Philadelphia Tribune accusing Obama of lacking diversity in his cabinet picks and neglecting the black community.”
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A Trippy Idea Or Fiscal Genius? Two Pols Idea To Smoke Away The Deficit
” What if the United States could shrink the federal deficit and get high at the same time? Two congressmen calling for the legalization of recreational marijuana say it’s not such a trippy idea.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) say marijuana legalization is a common sense fiscal policy that could save the government billions of dollars through a combination of tax revenues and savings from not pursuing costly enforcement and incarceration.
“We are trying to rationalize federal drug policy,” Blumenauer tells Top Line. “We’re spending too much money on enforcement for something most Americans think should be legal, and we’re losing revenue. And we’re going to create federal train wreck if we don’t fix it.”
They say the federal government is behind the curve of states like Washington and Colorado, where recreational marijuana is regulated and taxed.”
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Related articles
- Advocates eye legalizing marijuana in Alaska (juneauempire.com)
- The Issue: Discord between state, federal marijuana laws just crazy (upi.com)
- House bill would bar Feds from acting against legalized marijuana in states (q13fox.com)
- Recreational marijuana, a potential tax cash cow for Colorado (dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com)
- The Pot Industry’s Most Politically Important Dispensary (nationaljournal.com)
- Kick Back, Relax, and Legalize Marijuana (theinscribermag.com)
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