Latest News and Politics from the U.S. - Huffington Post (April 2011 Diet)

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If you are in the mood to be scared and current gas prices and foreclosure reports aren't doing it for you, might I suggest the movie Insidious?  Simply put, it's terrifying.  Without gore, it manages to be invasive and haunting, giving you a scare that lingers for days.  I won't give away anything that isn't already in the movie trailer.  Let's just say it involves the perfect formula of a family with small children, a really creepy house,  some really, really terrifying entities from the other side and incredible camera angles.  What's missing however, are the on- camera angels.That's the only issue I have with it, like I've had with movies in the past in a similar genre.  Where are the good guys?  Where are the energies of white light or beings with wings?  You know... where are the angels?  Going back to the 1982 movie Poltergeist, the only good guys in the these types of haunted house or haunted people movies are the psychics.  Even in the case of the movie Ghost, Whoopi Goldberg's character only turns into an authentic psychic half way through the movie.  Now, Sam, he was a good dead guy.  But it didn't look like he got a lot of help from the other side when he was most in his time of need.  Even Constantine got just about zero help from the other side.  Even God's angel turned on him and then eventually on all of mankind.  The only time Constantine catches a break, is when he makes it through his own personal judgement day and God helps at the very end of the movie.  As he says himself, there's always a catch.  In the movies, people have to make deals to get angelic help, but the dark comes for you no matter what.  And there are plenty of freaky visuals to go with those demons on the big screen.More...

Source: Scary Ghost Movies: Where Are the Good Ghouls?

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According to an April 13th Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is getting a huge raise.As CEO (before stepping down from the role in January), Schmidt was only bringing in $1 annually, and Google's Board of Directors recently approved a new $1.25 million salary with a possible bonus of up to 400-percent.More...

Source: Google's Eric Schmidt Gets A $1.25 Million Raise

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15 elegant dishes for a delicious Passover Seder, from the spirited community over at food52.com. Fair warning: some of these recipes aren't strictly kosher (especially not in combination) -- but you'll know where to substitute olive oil for butter, right?More...

Source: Passover Inspiration: 15 Elegant Dishes For A Delicious Seder

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Pakistan is going to great lengths in tackling tax evasion this season, and now, Karachi officials are employing a team of transgender collectors to visit businesses as well as private homes to force debtors to pay up.As CNN is reporting, authorities believe the tactic to be quite effective in the very conservative Muslim society, where the vast majority of citizens avoid paying income tax. "Their appearance causes great embarrassment amongst the people," said tax superintendent Sajid Hussein Bhatti.More...

Source: Pakistan's Transgender Tax Collectors Help Combat Debtors In Karachi (VIDEO)

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Utah's attorney general says he has decided to file suit against college football's Bowl Championship Series, claiming it's "an illegal monopoly" that violates antitrust regulations.More...

Source: Mark Shurtleff, Utah Attorney General, To Sue BCS

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Michael Mandel, the chief economist for BusinessWeek, was recently doing some research for a textbook he's revising when he stumbled upon a surprising entry in the Federal Registry. On March 21, the U.S. Air Force waived the "Buy American" provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for a construction project at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. As workers tried to build a few stimulus-backed housing units, it became apparent that a number of simple domestic items couldn't be procured from American manufacturers – namely, ceiling fans, shower rods, towel racks, toilet-paper holders, and all manner of screws and fixtures.According to the registry entry, a contracting official

has determined that the above items of manufactured goods are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality. The domestic nonavailability determination for these products is based on extensive market research and thorough investigation of the domestic manufacturing landscape. This research identified that these products are manufactured almost exclusively in China.

More...

Source: Air Force Looks to China When American Manufacturing Falls Short

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New York could become the next state to legalize gay marriage if a media and lobbying push launched Wednesday and spearheaded by Gov. Andrew Cuomo can succeed where previous efforts have not.After weeks of closed-door meetings in Albany, the Democratic governor and his staff have assembled a roster of A-list political strategists and wrangled sometimes-warring gay rights groups into a single coalition, called New Yorkers United for Marriage, that aims to pass gay marriage legislation this year.More...

Source: Popular Gov. Andrew Cuomo Launches Campaign To Legalize Gay Marriage In New York

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Guys quote movies -- we know this. In my opinion, one of the most quotable is the movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray's venerable comedic talents have never been on more conspicuous display. There are so many great lines: "This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather." Or how about, "This is pitiful; a thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat -- what a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you!" Murray plays weatherman Phil Conners who has become trapped in the same day, over and over -- Groundhog Day. No matter what he does he wakes up the next morning and its still Groundhog Day. A friend promises him he'll feel better tomorrow to which he replies, "What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today!" What if there is no tomorrow? Actually that sounds familiar.We live in a "what if there is no tomorrow" kind of world. Cynicism is the flavor of the week, every week, every year. As a response to the "what if there is no tomorrow" mentality I gave up cable news (along with beer and chocolate), for lent. I unplugged from the hatefulness and dissension which is our national discourse and it was transcendent. It actually began as a reaction to the furor surrounding Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins. However, after a few trips around that merry go round I realized, "this isn't going anywhere new, just around and around," like Groundhog Day. I don't want to be a member of the church of "we're right and you're wrong." I needed to unplug from the religious squabbling, so I decided to turn the page.More...

Source: Groundhog Day and Easter

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As Syria gears up for what activists claim will be the largest protests so far, it's worth taking a look back at National Geographic writer Don Belt's inside look at Syria.While Syria recently lifted 48 years of emergency rule, two years ago, when Belt explored the often misunderstood nation, no one could have imagined that protests would eventually shake the foundations of power.More...

Source: Syria's Pivotal Role: An Inside Look At The Middle Eastern Nation's Struggles From 'National Geographic' (PHOTOS)

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Our men and women in uniform stationed abroad continue to make the most of their downtime by doing awesome lipdubs of famous pop songs.This time Marines in Afghanistan took on Britney Spears' new track, "Hold It Against Me." While the remake isn't quite as inspired as the now legendary video their compatriots made of Lady GaGa's "Telephone", it's still an excellent effort. We applaud it wholeheartedly.More...

Source: Marines Lip Dub 'Hold It Against Me', Britney Spears' New Song, In Afghanistan