In this troubled economy, many people are having a hard time getting a job. Though, most of those people probably aren't denied opportunities because of their marital status. Not so for Evangelical Christian clergy folk, some of whom are now speaking out about "singlism," job hiring discrimination against lonely single ministers.
It seems that "former" Cuban leader Fidel Castro pulled a funny on everyone! After having surgery in 2006 to stop intestinal bleeding, Fidel issued a statement saying his brother Raul would temporarily be taking charge of Cuba. But in a new column the old timer states that the people of Cuba "affectionately" called him the leader of the Communist Party even though he really wasn't (sort of) and didn't want to be (kind of). According to Fidel:
Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston completed a complete face transplant on Dallas Wiens, a construction worker who suffered severe burns to his face in 2008 when his head came into contact with an electric wire during an accident.
Operation Odyssey Dawn continues! Freedom bombs continue to rain down upon Libya today, while coalition nations try to stave off political divisions back home. A majority of Americans, however, support the creation of a no-fly zone. Rep. Dennis Kucinich would like to impeach Barack Obama. And what does "Odyssey Dawn" mean anyway? Here's your latest update of the news in and surrounding Libya.
The Western Hemisphere's biggest blowhard, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, stood behind his main man Muammar Qaddafi in the face of allied airstrikes today, calling the attacks "indiscriminate bombing." He added, "With Venezuela, don't even think about it, Mr. Obama." We're fairly sure no one gives a shit about you right now, Hugo. But keep trying!
Yesterday, forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi came under a blistering attack by U.S. and European naval and air forces. Meanwhile, anti-government protests continued today in Syria as U.S.-backed despots violently suppressed those who threaten the status quo. Here's a look at what's happening across the Middle East.
Gawker's favorite New Jersey humanitarian, Wyclef Jean, was shot in the hand at a political rally for Haitian presidential candidate, musician Michel Martelly last night. But he's okay! According to Wyclef's spokesperson, "He was shot in the hand last night. He was released from the hospital. He's fine now. It happened late yesterday night and he was released after a couple hours." She added that the bullet "just grazed his hand."
Holy shit, Prince William and Kate Middleton might have a honeymoon destination in mind! The dashing prince, on a tour of cyclone-ravaged Queensland, Australia said he enjoys scuba diving and complained about the "dreadful" weather back home. Then, according to the Telegraph, he dropped the big one on a crowd in the coastal city of Cairns: "I will have to come back, maybe we'll have a honeymoon in Cairns?" And the crowd went wild.
Former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson — whose identity was illegally publicized by right wing columnist Robert Novak via Scooter Libby and (most likely) Dick Cheney, among others — is starting a series of female spy novels. She spoke to the Times about what it's really like to be a woman in the world of espionage. Hint: Hollywood is full of shit!
Former Clinton administration Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles after battling bladder and kidney cancer, according to the AP. In many different roles, he was involved in diffusing some of the biggest foreign policy crises of the last half century. While many thought of him as a rather "dull" man, The Atlantic's James Fallows describes Christopher as "a good, modest, wryly humorous, public-spirited and public-minded man, who should be remembered."
In your lovely Friday media column: HuffPo dares its unpaid writers to do something, James O'Keefe is a hypocrite, a magazine investor has some magazines you can invest in, Bill O'Reilly is mad, and free NYTimes.com access, for you.
Judge Maryann Sumi of Dane County, Wisconsin has blocked the state's infamous bill eliminating most collective bargaining rights for public employees from taking effect, at least temporarily. The question is whether the Republican leaders violated the state's open meetings law when they sneakily passed an amended version of the bill in a matter of minutes last week.
The four New York Times staffers who went missing in Libya earlier this week—reporters Anthony Shadid and Stephen Farrell, and photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario—are reportedly going to be released today. Muammar Qaddafi's son Saif told Christiane Amanpour that the four were picked up by the Libyan Army:
The effort to cool Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant by dropping seawater from helicopters and repairing water pumps is not going well, and engineers suggested today that the entire site might need to be buried under sand and concrete, as was done at Chernobyl 25 years ago. A plant official told reporters today, "It is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete. But our priority right now is to try and cool them down first."
