Trump ordered that the term Homo sapiens be changed to Hetero sapiens. In history books and on websites, the airplane from which the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima will no longer be identified as the Enola Gay, but rather the Enola Straight. Trump also ordered billionaire Mark Cuban, who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, to change his name to Mark American. If he does not do so, he will be charged with terrorism.   read more

Next time you grumble about the high price of gasoline, consider this surprising fact: The U.S. is awash in a glut of crude oil, with inventories at their highest level since the government began keeping monthly data in 1931. Although the price of crude oil is down, consumers should not expect much of a price cut at the gas pump, thanks to continued, although slowing, demand worldwide and the effects of speculation.   read more

The largest increases occurred in the Baby Boom generation. For men in this cohort, the suicide rate jumped 50% among those in their 50s. Among women age 60-64, the rate soared even higher, by 60%. Easy access to prescription painkillers may have played a role as well. However, suicides by hanging saw the highest increase (81%), and most suicides are still committed using firearms.   read more

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that as of 2011, 62% of women age 20-24 who gave birth in the previous 12 months were unmarried. This rate was considerably higher than that for women 35-39, who came in at 17%. More than half (57%) of women with less than a high school diploma in 2011 who had had a child in the past year were unmarried. In contrast, only 9% of recent mothers with a bachelor’s degree or higher were unmarried.   read more

The rock was stored in an apparently abandoned office building in San Jose, kept under armed guard at an attorney’s office in Santa Barbara, and then transferred once again to a private vault in South El Monte. The emerald was then driven to Las Vegas, where it played a supporting role in the fall of fraudster Bernard Madoff and a shady deal between some Colombians that nearly ended in bloodshed in the desert.   read more

Chesimard was eventually captured, tried and convicted in 1977 of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other crimes. She was sentenced to life in prison, but escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey on November 2, 1979, with the help of armed visitors, and made her way to Cuba, where she resides today, according to the FBI. The FBI declared her a terrorist in 2005. She was the godmother of rapper Tupac Shakur.   read more

Rows of booths stuffed with produce like Pineapple Thai, Super Mango and Blue Dream belie the fact that growers and sellers risk arrest, incarceration and heavy fines for their activities. Just last month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office took action against 63 pot shops in Santa Ana. The authorities executed search warrants at two locations, filed asset forfeiture complaints against three properties where seven stores are located and sent threatening letters to 56 other parties.   read more

The pitch, a derivative of tar once used for waterproofing boats, is so slow that a grand total of only eight drops have been produced since the stem of the funnel was cut in 1930. The drops fell in 1938, 1947, 1954, 1962, 1970, 1979, 1988 and 2000. Unfortunately, no one involved with the study has seen a drop in action, including Professor John Mainstone, who has run what is thought to be the world's oldest laboratory experiment since 1961.   read more

In 2012, conservative elements in Paraguay's government engineered what Paraguay's neighbors Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and others, termed a coup, by impeaching Lugo and giving him only two hours to prepare a defense. Franco became president in June, naming Pfannl interim head of the Ministry of Information and Communication, an important post in the days after the coup. Franco later named Pfannl Minister of Planning and Economic and Social Development.   read more

West Chemical and Fertilizer had enough anhydrous ammonia, a highly volatile gas that attacks the eyes, skin and respiratory system, to require it to follow this OSHA standard. However, the standard contains what is known as the “retail exemption.” According to OSHA, a fertilizer facility can avoid these extra requirements as long as more than half of the company’s sales are to end users (i.e. farmers).   read more

The U.S. Department of Labor investigated Henry’s Turkey Service in both 1997 and 2003 and concluded that the workers were being paid substandard wages. However, the federal government took no action. After a 2009 tip about the conditions at Henry’s, both the state and the federal government imposed million-dollar fines, but Henry’s simply didn’t pay them.   read more

While attending the Halloween festivities, Gonzalez was accused by the event’s bouncer of being too drunk. The student insisted he was not intoxicated, and that the security guard mistook him for one of the other eight people dressed as Waldo. Nevertheless, Gonzalez was told to leave the party, which he did. He claims the bouncer then approached him outside the event and punched him without provocation. The blow knocked Gonzalez out and resulted in a fractured jaw, he says.   read more

The plaintiffs added that “the circumstances surrounding his death are bizarre” and “they have been unable to fully and finally determine how Chuck died,” which made it “impossible to collect on life insurance because of the mutilation of the body and the missing heart.” To add insult to injury, the companies offered no apology for sending Doherty’s heart home separately, while also trying to charge the family for shipping costs.   read more

A Boy and His Atom is so small that a thousand frames of the film laid side by side would be no bigger than a single human hair. IBM says the film demonstrates the growing ability of scientists to manipulate matter on the atomic level, a development which they hope will help create new, smaller, data storage solutions.   read more

In the Time/CNN survey, 61% said they are more concerned about the government enacting new anti-terrorism policies that restrict civil liberties as opposed to 31% who are more concerned about the government failing to enact strong new anti-terrorism policies. A majority supported law enforcement monitoring of Internet discussions in chat rooms and other forums, but opposed expanded government monitoring of cell phones and email.   read more

Supporters argued that the change in law will provide municipalities with new revenues through gun reselling. In 2010, Arizona passed a law requiring that firearms seized by police be given to gun dealers for resale. Opponents of the new law claimed that weapons obtained through buy-back programs were exempt from this requirement and said the new bill sent the wrong message.   read more

During 2011 and 2012, 25 billion-dollar floods, storms, droughts, heat waves and wildfires were unleashed in the U.S., killing 1,107 individuals and causing $188 billion in economic damages. Superstorm Sandy alone killed 72 and wreaked nearly $50 billion in destruction. The federal government pitched in more than $60 billion in disaster relief and recovery funds.   read more