America's Yo-Yo Diet

This economy is rebounding like a champ.

Half of last month's new jobs came from a single employer:

McDonald's.

pen·al·ty • noun /ˈpenltē/

President Obama's Solicitor General finally spoke truth this week about the administration's healthcare reform law when he suggested that people who wanted to avoid the mandate could do so by choosing to earn less money.

Let that sink in for a moment.

"It’s a penalty on earning a certain amount of income and self insuring."

Solicitor General Neal Kumar Katyal defending the healthcare mandate

Just so we're clear, the government's STATED aim here is to discourage people from helping themselves as they would by seeking higher education and well-paying jobs, and choosing insurance plans that fit their needs and the needs of their families.

Are you pissed off yet?

Who doesn't love a good Montana joke?

The guys at PandaSmashTV put out some great stuff, and this time they put together 50 State Stereotypes in 2 minutes. Though, I wonder which uncorrupt Illinois politician they're referring to.

Led Zeppelin meets Trent Reznor

I cannot get over how awesome this cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" is! Produced by Oscar-winners [!!!] Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and sung by Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it accompanies the equally amazing red-band trailer for the English-language adaptation of Steig Larsson's "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara).

Like most things, I highly recommend you check out the originals: song, book, and Swedish-language movie -- Noomi Rapace has big piercings to fill. But, I'm not hating these updates.

And, to the DOJ: I didn't shoot the video, so don't come after me.

Topsy Turvy World

Dear Westboro Baptist "Church":

What does it say about your organization when the KKK has the moral high ground?

"It's the soldier that fought and died and gave them that right to free speech," said Dennis LaBonte, the self-described "Imperial Wizard" of the KKK group that he said he formed several years ago.

Who needs a drink?

It's science!

Science just wouldn't be complete without a study

on Jell-O wrestling in the South Pole.

I wonder which members of the appropriations committees

volunteered themselves or their interns as test subjects.

Also granted National Science Foundation dollars (i.e., your taxes):

YouTube rap video

Robot hoedown and rodeo

Shrimp. On. Treadmills.

*Bonus points to the reader who can send me a link to the YouTube rap video.

Do you feel me?

The Texas legislature caved under federal pressure and pulled their anti-groping bill.

The bill, HB1937 would have made it a crime for security personnel to touch a person's private areas without probable cause, effectively putting a stop to the invasive -- and offensive -- TSA pat downs in Texas airports.

The Department of Justice responded by threatening

to shut down flights to and from the state.

The epitaph on the Fourth Amendment will read:

All I wanted was a little probable cause.