Obama Administration Says Health Care Website Is Vastly Improved

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/us/politics/obama-administration-says-health-care-web-site-is-vastly-improved.html?hp&_r=0

In effect, the administration gave itself a passing grade. Because of hundreds of software fixes and hardware upgrades in the past month, it said, the website — the main channel for people seeking to buy insurance under President Obama’s health care law — is now working more than 90 percent of the time, up from 40 percent during some weeks in October.

The right’s most loathsome Obamacare lie yet

The right’s most loathsome Obamacare lie yet

McDonald's Tells Worker She Should Sign Up For Food Stamps

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/mcdonalds-food-stamps_n_4151647.html?ir=Business

McDonald's workers struggling to get by on poverty wages should apply for food stamps and Medicaid.

Inequality is real, it's personal, it's expensive and it was created

Pentagon Is Ordered to Expand Potential Targets in Syria With a Focus on Forces

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/world/middleeast/pentagon-is-ordered-to-expand-potential-targets-in-syria-with-a-focus-on-forces.html?hp&_r=0

While congress is still debating weather or not to send troops to Syria while President Bashar al-Assad has been moving troops and equipment to employ chemical weapons.

How to clean up that old mac.

http://lifehacker.com/5252183/clean-up-and-revive-your-bloated-sluggish-mac

Element of the week: californium | video

http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2013/aug/09/chemistry

China tries £20m hi-tech raindance as country roasts in heatwave

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/china-rain-heatwave-tech

NSA loophole allows warrantless search for US citizens' emails and phone calls

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/nsa-loophole-warrantless-searches-email-calls

U.S. Says It Gathers Online Data Abroad

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/nsa-verizon-calls.html?hp&_r=0

The federal government has been secretly collecting information on foreigners overseas for nearly six years from the nation’s largest Internet companies like Google, Facebook and, most recently, Apple, in search of national security threats, the director of national intelligence confirmed Thursday night.

How to clean a boat

http://anglingadvice.com/boat-cleaning-tips/

How to clean your boat

http://blog.fethastyx.com/2011/04/spring-cleaning-how-to-clean-your-boat-for-spring/

Management Flaws at I.R.S. Cited in Tea Party Scrutiny

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/us/politics/report-on-irs-audits-cites-ineffective-management.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0


An inspector general’s report issued Tuesday blamed ineffective Internal Revenue service management in the failure to stop employees from singling out conservative groups for added scrutiny. Congressional aides, meanwhile, sought to determine whether the Obama administration’s knowledge of the effort extended beyond the I.R.S.

Israel Hints at New Strikes, Warning Syria Not to Hit Back

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/world/middleeast/israeli-official-signals-possibility-of-more-syria-strikes.html?from=homepage

  A senior Israeli official signaled on Wednesday that Israel was considering further military strikes on Syria to stop the transfer of advanced weapons to Islamic militants, and he warned the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, that his government would face crippling consequences if it retaliated against Israel.

747 crashes, explodes in shocking dashboard cam video

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/01/bagram-plane-crash-explosion-dashboard-cam/2126447/

Seven Americans were killed when a cargo airplane crashed after takeoff from Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on Monday.

Boston bombing manhunt

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57580518/boston-bombing-manhunt-latest-developments/

Gunfire erupted Friday night amid the manhunt for the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing, and police in armored vehicles and tactical gear rushed into Watertown, Mass. Police are focusing on a house, where there is a covered boat in the back yard.

Former UK Prime Minister Dies Of Stroke

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/margaret-thatcher-dead_n_3036208.html

The Associated Press reports that former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has died of a stroke.

Warning signs on the "Batman Killer"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22035335

Newly released court documents show Dr Lynne Fenton told police of threatening text messages James Holmes sent after he stopped attending counseling.

There's a New Pope in the Hosue

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/world/europe/cardinals-elect-new-pope.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

With a puff of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and to the cheers of thousands of rain-soaked faithful, a gathering of Catholic cardinals picked a new pope from among their midst on Wednesday — choosing the cardinal from Argentina, the first South American to lead the church.

Alabama Says "Trust Us," I Say "No": Why the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Is More Necessary Than Ever: via HuffPost http://huff.to/13nieP3

Frenzy over Russian meteor sparks memory of an explosion that shook Melrose

http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/02/20/frenzy-over-russian-meteor-sparks-memory-explosion-that-shook-melrose/CChsDITY1IsUiBXQYBsp0I/story.html

It is a moment that John S. Lewis remembers well, nearly 60 years ago, when a “powerful blast wave” rocked his Melrose neighborhood.

Gas prices are on a mysterious climb

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/gas-prices-are-on-a-mysterious-climb/2013/02/19/26298f84-7ade-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html

Gasoline prices have risen to within a nickel of $4 a gallon in the District as pump prices nationwide have been marching higher — the result of refinery closures and maintenance, lower oil production by Saudi Arabia, market anxiety about tensions in Iran and Iraq, and guarded optimism about the prospects for economic recovery in the United States, Europe and China.

Supreme Court Takes Case on Overall Limit to Political Gifts

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/us/politics/supreme-court-to-hear-campaign-finance-case.html?hp&_r=0

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a challenge to federal campaign contribution limits, setting the stage for what may turn out to be the most important federal campaign finance case since the court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United, which struck down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions.

A Trillion-Dollar Coin Brings a Jackpot of Jests

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/business/a-trillion-dollar-coin-brings-a-jackpot-of-jests.html

A bizarre but seemingly legal idea to get around the country’s debt ceiling using a trillion-dollar coin is having its day in Washington.

F.A.A. Orders Grounding of U.S.-Operated Boeing 787s

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/17/business/faa-orders-grounding-of-us-operated-boeing-787s.html?hp&_r=0

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was temporarily grounding all Boeing 787s operated by United States carriers after several incidents in recent weeks, including a battery fire, and after an All Nippon Airways flight in Japan was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday.

Obama Unveils Proposals for Toughening Laws on Guns

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/17/us/politics/obama-to-ask-congress-to-toughen-gun-laws.html?hp

President Obama called upon Congress on Wednesday to toughen America’s gun laws to confront mass shootings and everyday gun violence, betting that public opinion has shifted enough to support the broadest push for gun control in a generation.