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Posted by Mary Chastain on August 11, 2016 20 Comments
Newspapers continue to drop paywalls as more people aren't willing to pay for a digital subscription, especially since so many others other free content. The AFP reports:
Newspapers in the English-speaking world ended paywalls some 69 times through May 2015, including 41 temporary and 28 permanent drops, according to a study by University of Southern California researchers.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 11, 2016 15 Comments
Italian Member of Parliament Elvira Savino wants the government to jail parents who feed their children a vegan diet. She claims she has nothing against the vegan diet, which requires absolutely NO animal products:
"I just find it absurd that some parents are allowed to impose their will on children in an almost fanatical, religious way, often without proper scientific knowledge or medical consultation," she said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 10, 2016 36 Comments
The American Bar Association (ABA) has amended their ethics code that bans lawyers from using sexist remarks towards women after female lawyers have complained of others calling them "honey" or "darling." The new rule says:
"It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination" on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and other factors, the new guidance reads. "Harassment includes sexual harassment and derogatory or demeaning verbal or physical conduct."

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 10, 2016 61 Comments
Ahmed Mohamed, the White House's favorite builder of clocks, has returned to the United States and he's suing his old Texas town of Irving over the bomb mix-up. NBC News reports:
'Clock Boy' Ahmed Mohamed Sues Texas City for Accusing Him of Making Bomb The young tinkerer from Texas who was arrested last year for bringing a homemade alarm clock to school — and was later invited to the White House and Google's world headquarters — has filed a federal lawsuit against his former hometown, accusing it of violating his civil rights as part of a wider pattern of discrimination against African-American students.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 07, 2016 19 Comments
Hillary Clinton's relationship with law enforcement, like her involvement with any issue, has evolved over time. Sometimes over night. There are reports that Hillary, as First Lady, had little respect for—and was even verbally abusive toward—the Secret Service agents assigned to protect her . . . with their lives if necessary.  Apparently, she also gave these men the impression that her dislike extended beyond the Secret Service to "law enforcement and the military." After receiving harsh criticism from the left when she made the "mistake" of declaring that "all lives matter,"  Hillary started courting the Black Lives Matter movement, attempting to ingratiate herself and secure their support for her campaign. Against this backdrop and when faced with the decision of whether or not to seek the endorsement of the National Fraternal Order of Police, she declined to submit to the process.  A move seen as a snub by the police union.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 07, 2016 17 Comments
Yesterday in Rio, 19-year-old Ginny Thrasher won the USA's first gold medal in the 2016 Olympics; she won the women’s 10-meter air rifle finals to the excitement and pride of every American.  Well, almost every American, the backlash from the left runs the gambit from droll to downright nasty and mean-spirited. Ginny is a college student from Virginia who first shot a rifle while hunting with her grandfather, joined her high school rifle team, and was subsequently inspired by the 2012 Olympic shooting events to go for the gold herself.  Ginny's performance on Saturday morning was nothing short of outstanding and is being called an "upset" in that she out-shot a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. The Washington Post reports:
Thrasher . . . was one of eight competitors to emerge from the 50-woman qualification round Saturday morning.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 06, 2016 15 Comments
Over the last year, colleges across the country have bent over backwards to accommodate student protests but they're now finding out there are consequences for that. Many alumni donors are making their disapproval known by withholding donations and that should be setting off alarm bells in the office of every college administrator. The New York Times reports:
College Students Protest, Alumni’s Fondness Fades and Checks Shrink Scott MacConnell cherishes the memory of his years at Amherst College, where he discovered his future métier as a theatrical designer. But protests on campus over cultural and racial sensitivities last year soured his feelings.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 06, 2016 24 Comments
Back in March, Alabama's governor, Robert Bentley, signed into law legislation that will legalize brewers' direct sale of beer to customers for home consumption. Alabama.com reported at the time:
The new law will:
  • Allow breweries that make less than 60,000 barrels per year to directly sell up to 288 ounces of its beer per customer per day for off-premise consumption.
  • Allow breweries to deliver up to two donated kegs of its beer to a licensed charity event.
  • No longer require brewpubs to open only in historic buildings, historic districts or economically distressed areas.
That "288 ounces . . . per customer per day" limitation has resulted in a proposal from Alabama's alcohol regulators that has raised more than a few eyebrows.  They want breweries to require customers provide personal information so that the breweries can provide that, along with individual sales information, to Alabama's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 04, 2016 20 Comments
PETA never misses an opportunity to spread their propaganda! They have chosen golfer Andrew Johnston as their latest target, whose nickname "Beef" has sent the animal rights group into a tizzy. They want him to change his nickname to Tofu. Yes....TOFU. They even asked him to become a vegan.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 03, 2016 7 Comments
Australian artist Lushsux has removed his mural of Hillary Clinton after the local council voted on it. He first put her in a very revealing swimsuit, but placed a burqa on it when the council first told him to paint over it. https://twitter.com/lushsux/status/760235998353559552

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 02, 2016 16 Comments
Yes, I know there are more pressing matters in the world, but every now and then it's worth pausing to reflect upon the fact that in many ways, Darwin was right. An inebriated Kentucky couple was in for quite the surprise when they happened upon a beehive just after crashing their car through a fence, to be stopped by a utility pole. From an eyewitness:

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 02, 2016 11 Comments
Jessica McClard in Fayetteville, AR, decided to open the Little Free Pantry in her neighborhood, which supplies food and hygiene items to those in need. She said:
“I check on it about once every day because it’s at the church,” McClard told ABC News of the small structure located in front of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville. “I know it turns over in about 30 minutes. That suggests to me that are more people on the demand side than the supply side.”

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 02, 2016 18 Comments
Sunday night I created the hashtag #DemocratWarMovies and before long, it actually started trending on the site. I figured I'd use this opportunity to explain how I got the idea. All weekend, I watched as the Democrats and the media saturated the airwaves with the Khan family who ranted against Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 01, 2016 17 Comments
I would say this is THE dumbest thing I've seen in a long time, but that's impossible to determine in 2016. Regardless, it's one of the dumbest things I've seen lately. Social Justice Warriors killed an emoji (the irony is not lost on me), because they're known for tackling the important things in life. Apple has replaced its pistol emoji with a less threatening water gun. Because using a water gun in a text message is less threatening? Equally as dumb is yet another emoji update that will show women doing jobs typically done by men. SO PROGRESSIVE.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 01, 2016 6 Comments
Wyatt Gillette, 8, passed away on Sunday a day after the Marines made him an Honorary Marie at Camp Pendleton in California. He always wanted to become a Marine like his father. https://twitter.com/GinaAHarkins/status/759910248148705280

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on July 31, 2016 18 Comments
Minimum wage hikes sound great on the surface, but as we've been reporting here at LI, such hikes tend to do the opposite of their proponents' stated intention.  From forcing businesses to fire employees, cut hours, and find technological replacements for workers, minimum wage hikes are counter-productive, even destructive to low-income workers. For example, a new study from Seattle shows that "there was almost no effect on workers' average total earnings" due to a combination of factors including fewer hours and a more difficult time finding a second job to make up those lost hours. The Washington Post reports:
[T]he actual benefits to workers might have been minimal, according to a group of economists whom the city commissioned to study the minimum wage and who presented their initial findings last week.
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