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How GOP Obstruction Will Ruin The Republican Party

2013-05-18T15:50:15Z

It’s obvious that the unprecedented Senate Republican obstruction of executive branch nominations is bad for the president; it’s bad for the smooth functioning of the government; and it’s bad for voters who elected a Democratic president and a solid, 55-seat Democratic majority in the Senate. I’ve argued, too, that it’s bad for the Senate.

Cowboys, Jets Among Teams Feeling The Pressure Heading Into 2013 Season (PHOTOS)

2013-05-18T15:47:00Z

By Joe Fortenbaugh, National Football Post

Pressure is felt is just about every walk of life. That’s not to say it’s always present, but at some point pressure will find you and it will weigh on you. Jobs, families, sweating out the final two minutes of Thursday night’s Kings-Sharks thriller—pressure is completely and utterly inescapable over the long haul.

The members of the NFL family know this fact all too well. Front office personnel, coaches, players, hell even the fans feel the pressure that accompanies the win-at-all-costs mentality of professional football.

Pimlico Race Course: Preakness Guide To Turns, Post Position And Orb's Triple Crown Bid

2013-05-18T15:34:45Z

BALTIMORE -- All eyes will be on Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The 3-year-old colt will take on eight challengers in the second leg of the Triple Crown. If he wins, Orb will attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978 at the Belmont Stakes on June 8. In the Preakness, Orb will be facing five horses he defeated in the Derby and three who did not run in the race.

Here's a guide to watching the race:

Ben Bernanke Optimistic About Future Innovation In Commencement Address

2013-05-18T15:33:24Z

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke painted an upbeat picture on Saturday for the potential of innovation to lift living standards, delivering a sweeping look at the last 100 years that included memories of his 1963 South Carolina home.

Bernanke made no reference to monetary policy or the immediate outlook for the U.S. economy in prepared remarks to graduates of Bard College at Simon's Rock, Massachusetts.

But the die-hard baseball fan did manage to work in a reference to one of the sport's greats.

"Is it true, then, as baseball player Yogi Berra said, that the future ain't what it used to be?," the chairman said, noting the existence of serious skepticism that leaps in computers and other information technology would yield the same dramatic boost to growth and living standards as previous episodes of industrial revolution.

"Nobody really knows; as Berra also astutely observed, it's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. But there are some good arguments on the other side of this debate."

Bernanke delivers testimony on the U.S. economy on Wednesday before the congressional Joint Economic Committee.

His words will be parsed for any hint that he favors tapering Fed bond purchases, currently running at an $85 billion monthly pace. But recent U.S. economic data has been mixed, and economists polled by Reuters continue to expect the bond buying to continue until later this year, if not into early 2014.

Bernanke did not tip his hand during his comments to graduates, but he did offer some rare insights into his childhood home in Dillon, South Carolina to illustrate how life has not changed all that much in the last 50 years.

"We had a dishwasher, a washing machine, and a dryer. My family owned a comfortable car with air conditioning and a radio, and the experience of commercial flight was much like today but without the long security lines," he recalled.

There was no internet, but there was a color television "although, I must acknowledge, the colors were garish and there were many fewer channels to choose from."

After pointing out that the so-called IT revolution had not been as transformative as all that, Bernanke then went on to outline several areas where technology may only have scratched the surface in exploiting the potential for change.

He argued that IT and biotechnology have tremendous scope to improve healthcare - which absorbs a considerable amount of U.S. household income and where costs are projected to rise - as well as the potential for the development of cleaner energy.

"As trade and globalization increase the size of the potential market for new products, the possible economic rewards for being first with an innovative product or process are growing rapidly," he said. "In short, both humanity's capacity to innovate and the incentives to innovate are greater today than at any other time in history." (Reporting by Alister Bull; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Bill Maher Spoofs IRS Tea Party Tax Forms (VIDEO)

2013-05-18T15:30:13Z

Bill Maher might not agree with Republicans when it comes to Benghazi, but he's on their side when it comes to the recent IRS scandal targeting Tea Party members.

On Friday night's episode of "Real Time," Maher admitted that he's quite convinced that the IRS was unfairly scrutinizing Tea Party members -- and he has the tax forms to prove it.

Watch Maher present the shocking, "real" tax forms that the tri-cornered hat-wearing activists filled out this year in the video above.

Sea Turtle Comeback: Giant Leatherback Numbers Rebound In Parts Of Caribbean

2013-05-18T15:28:20Z

GRANDE RIVIERE, Trinidad -- Giant leatherback turtles, some weighing half as much as a small car, drag themselves out of the ocean and up the sloping shore on the northeastern coast of Trinidad while villagers await wearing dimmed headlamps in the dark. Their black carapaces glistening, the turtles inch along the moonlit beach, using their powerful front flippers to move their bulky frames onto the sand.

In years past, poachers from Grande Riviere and nearby towns would ransack the turtles' buried eggs and hack the critically threatened reptiles to death with machetes to sell their meat in the market. Now, the turtles are the focus of a thriving tourist trade, with people so devoted to them that they shoo birds away when the turtles first start out as tiny hatchlings scurrying to sea.

America Ferrera Eyes TV Comeback On ABC

2013-05-18T15:27:16Z

America Ferrera may return to ABC.

The former "Ugly Betty" actress’ telenovela project "Pedro & Maria" is in development at the broadcast network as a potential limited series. Originally developed at MTV three years ago, "Pedro & Maria" is a modern day twist on "Romeo and Juliet." The project is from executive producer Ben Silverman ("The Office," "The Biggest Loser") through his Electus multimedia studio.

Gwist Recap: The Best Video Clips From The Gay YouTube Channel, May 12 -- 18

2013-05-18T15:23:18Z

This week from Gwist! Lesbians and Straights square off in "The Spousal Equivalent Game," Alec Mapa and gay comics share stories in "Gwissues with Howard Bragman," Miss Richfield 1981 talks body hair with the steam room guys on SRS Live, and Emily and Liz share some lesbian long-distance wisdom on "Dykeotomy."

(Warning: Some topics may be unsuitable for all audiences.)

1. Gwissues -- "Why Gay Comedians have S*** To Talk About"

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Virginia Unemployment Rate Lowest In More Than 4 Years

2013-05-18T15:22:37Z

Virginia's unemployment rate fell slightly in April to 5.2 percent -- the lowest it has been in 4 1/2 years.

The jobless rate dropped from the 5.3 percent rate in March and the 5.9 percent rate in April 2012, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Friday.

"It was a small drop, but still moving in the right direction," said Ann Lang, senior economist for the commission.

Hewlett-Packard Employees At Risk Of Geese Attacks?

2013-05-18T15:21:28Z

Hewlett-Packard has enough problems dealing with angry shareholders without having to deal with angry geese.

A visitor to the tech giant's Boise, Idaho, office recently had an altercation with a pissed-off goose that was serious enough that officials decided to address the problem with a memo titled "Boise Site Communication: Avoiding Geese Attacks."

Hewlett-Packard spokesman Michael Thatcher acknowledged the memo and told The Huffington Post it was sent out as a preventive measure after a visitor to the Boise office "had a run-in with a goose."

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2013 Preakness: Orb, Triple Crown Hopeful, Has Gone From Ordinary To Extraordinary

2013-05-18T15:21:08Z

BALTIMORE (AP) — Growing up, Kentucky Derby winner Orb was just another horse who fit in with the crowd.

Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., with his pals, or when he was learning how to be a racehorse at Niall Brennan's farm in Ocala, Fla. Did everything asked of him.

"A model citizen," says Claiborne Farm manager Bradley Purcell.

Jeremiah Bean Charged In Nevada Killing Spree

2013-05-18T15:20:32Z

The killings of an elderly couple shot dead in their northern Nevada home ahead of Mother's Day apparently went unnoticed until days later, after the 25-year-old suspect had also killed a newspaper deliveryman and another couple nearby, charging documents allege.

Jeremiah Bean was arraigned Thursday on 19 counts, including first-degree murder, arson and burglary. He was assigned a public defender and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Tuesday.

Bodies Found In Indonesia Mine Collapse

2013-05-18T15:20:02Z

TIMIKA, Indonesia — Rescuers searching for 23 trapped workers at a giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia spotted six bodies Saturday but weren't able to immediately retrieve them because of falling debris, a company official said.

The collapse at the Big Gossan underground training facility at the PT Freeport Indonesia mine happened last Tuesday when 38 workers were undergoing safety training.

Colfax Marathon In Denver To Have Tight Security Post-Boston Marathon Bombings

2013-05-18T15:11:25Z

DENVER — Security will be tight but “discreet” for Sunday’s Colfax Marathon in Denver, according to the race director. One month after the bombings at the Boston Marathon, Creigh Kelley said elaborate preparations have been made to ensure that runners and spectators stay safe along the race route.

Daisy, You're A Drip, Dear: Detestable Literary Characters Who Are Not Technically Villains | The Hairpin

2013-05-18T15:09:51Z

Baz Lurhmann's The Great Gatsby lindy-hopped away with over 50 million dollars this past weekend and inspired New York's Kathryn Schulz to put together a thought-provoking takedown of the source material: "Aesthetically overrated, psychologically vacant, and morally complacent," she declared last week.