omgitscookies

Good Magazine has a great series titled Transparency that looks into big social issues. Check out this great video about the U.S. justice system.



"There are currently more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States. What does that look like, exactly? That's equivalent to putting the combined populations of Miami, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis behind bars. Why is our penal system broken? How do we stack up against other countries? We take a closer look at prisons in our latest Transparency."

The shooting occurred in a crowded toy store on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, but authorities say it wasn't related to the bargain-hunting frenzy. Instead, two men pulled guns and killed each other after the women with them erupted into a bloody brawl, witnesses said.
Authorities released few details about the mayhem that broke out at the Toys "R'' Us store around 11:30 a.m. Friday, sending scared shoppers fleeing. Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said the fight was not over a toy and that handguns were found by the men's bodies. He refused to say whether the shooting was gang-related.

The victims were identified as Alejandro Moreno, 39, of Desert Hot Springs, and Juan Meza, 28, of Cathedral City. No one else was hurt.
Witnesses Scott and Joan Barrick said they were checking out of the store when the brawl began between two women, each with a man. The women were near the checkout area, but the Barricks did not think the women had purchases.
One woman suddenly started punching the other woman, who fought back as blood flowed from her nose, said Scott Barrick, 41. The man who was with the woman being punched pulled a gun halfway out of his pocket, then shoved it back in, he said. (Read more...)

From the telegraph.co.uk:

Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, John McCain, and Joe Biden have been made into cabbage patch dolls for a charity sale on eBay.

"These four folks in particular seemed like the perfect candidates, if you will, to become one-of-a-kind Cabbage Patch Kids," said a spokeswoman for Jakks Pacific, which manufactures the dolls. "We've had a great history with making celebrity look-alikes with these kids. We've done everyone from Elvis to Donald Trump to Ellen (DeGeneres) and Oprah (Winfrey)."

All proceeds from the auction, which takes place on November 4th, will go to the US Marine Corps' Toys for Tots foundation, which provides Christmas presents for needy children. The auction will also include 6 limited edition 25th anniversary dolls identical to those Cabbage Patch Kids first created in 1983.

I'm sure every American will remember the hanging chad outcries from the 2000 election. Now an even bigger turd is about to hit the fan. The National Democratic Party is banning all members from Florida to participate in the Democratic National Convention due to their super early primary election on Jan. 20 of this year.

Rules committee member Alice Germond of Washington, D.C., said the committee chose to eliminate all of Florida's delegates, not just some, "in order to not be forced to sanction any candidate who chooses to campaign there."

Amazing! On one hand, you have to respect politicians for actually following the rules. On the other hand, you'd expect the Democratic party to turn a blind eye towards a state in which is already majority Republican.

Allan Katz of Tallahassee, the only Floridian on the rules committee, said Saturday's action raises the danger that "only Republicans will show up."

He argued almost alone on the committee against the sanctions, and called it "a terrible situation for Florida and a very bad situation for the Democratic Party."

It also leaves the candidates uncertain.

"The question is, how much time will we spend there, given there are no delegates at stake," said Luis Navarro, spokesman for the Joe Biden campaign. "Ultimately, the way a candidate is nominated is by getting delegates."

Several states have pushed up their primary elections in order to garner as much goodwill towards the candidates as possible. As of 2004, almost all states have their elections in early Feb..  This year the race has begun to move the primaries earlier in the year now more than ever. If this keeps up, we'll be have a primary election almost 2 years before the real elections!