Unusual News
After 77 Years, San Francisco Finally Approves Suicide Nets for Golden Gate Bridge
At least 1,600 people have killed themselves by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge since it opened in 1937, or about 21 a year.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District voted Friday to approve the expenditure of $76 million to install nets about 20 feet below each side of the bridge. The nets should discourage jumpers. Anyone who jumps anyway will likely be injured, but not killed, when they fall into the barrier.
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Gallup Poll Finds Confidence in Congress Lowest of Any Institution Ever
Gallup’s latest survey shows that only 7% of Americans have confidence in Congress. That’s not just the lowest number since Gallup began asking that question in 1973, but the lowest confidence figure for any institution about which it has polled. read more
Kevin McCarthy Sets Record for Becoming a House Party Leader with Least Time on the Job
According to an analysis by Eric Ostermeier of Smart Politics, McCarthy, 49, whose district is in California’s Central Valley, has been in the House only about 7½ years. That’s more than a year less than any other floor leader in the history of the House, and about 10 years less than average. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), whom McCarthy is replacing, was in the House 10 years, or five terms, before he was elected leader. read more
Dallas Hospital Uses Executive Bonus Fund to Give Employees a Raise
Raising the wages of low-paid workers normally doesn’t make headlines. But in an era of soaring corporate profits, executives of a Dallas hospital decided to spend money ticketed for their own benefit so employees at the lowest rung could receive a raise.
Parkland Health & Hospital System announced it would elevate its own minimum wage from $8.78 to $10.25 an hour.
Dr. Jim Dunn, the hospital’s executive vice president, said the decision was “the right thing to do.” read more
Texas Leads the U.S. in Compensating Wrongly Convicted; 21 States Say “Sue Us”
Texas, known for its tough-on-crime stance, leads the nation by paying those wrongly convicted $80,000 for each year they were incarcerated. Colorado is close behind at $70,000 a year.
Six states: Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina and Washington, plus the federal government, pay $50,000 per year incarcerated.
But 21 states have no statute on their books to address these situations, leaving them wide open for lawsuits. read more
More than 700,000 Non-Veterans Use VA Health Care System
It has been well documented how the demand for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) health system has soared following the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. But in recent years, it has been civilians who have flooded into the system at much higher rates. Non-veterans, such as spouses or dependent children of vets, may be eligible for VA care.
There were 356,333 non-vets using VA healthcare in 2001. Today, that total has nearly doubled to an estimated 708,921. read more
Socialism in the Heartland? Kentucky Town Opens City Gas Station to the Public
Gas prices in the area have averaged $3.74 a gallon, while the city’s fueling depot sells for $3.10. The city purchases its petroleum from a local refinery, which reduces transportation costs and allows it to undercut private sellers. Many in the town have complained that its gas prices are generally 20 to 30 cents higher than those in surrounding cities and across the state. read more
Having a Daughter Makes Judges more Sympathetic to Women’s Issues
After reviewing the cases of 224 judges and 2,500 of their votes, Sen and Glynn discovered having at least one daughter corresponded with “a 7 percent increase in the proportion of cases in which a judge will vote in a feminist direction,” the study says.
Having more than one daughter did not alter the results, they said. But instances in which judges had only one child, having a daughter produced a larger effect.
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Foreclosure Law Firm Faces Eviction
A Massachusetts law firm that specialized in helping kick people out of their homes is now facing homelessness itself.
Connolly, Geaney, Ablitt & Willard has fallen on hard times after years of working with banks to foreclose on properties. The firm has gone through a series of layoffs and has significantly reduced its 150-person staff.
And now it may be evicted from its headquarters in Woburn.
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For Good Health, Eat Your Watercress and Chinese Cabbage…and Forget Onions and Blueberries
It isn’t enough to eat fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You have to make sure they’re “powerhouse” fruits and veggies (or PFVs). The highest scoring PFV was watercress, at 100, followed by Chinese cabbage (92), chard (89.3), beet green (87.1), spinach (86.4), chicory (73.4) and leaf lettuce (70.7). read more
With the Defeat of Eric Cantor, Congress Loses its only Jewish Republican
Cantor was the only Republican member of Congress who was Jewish, and had been the only Republican Jewish member of the House of Representatives since the retirement of Ben Gilman of New York in 2003.
There are still 33 Jews in Congress; 12 in the Senate and 21 others in the House. However, they’re all Democrats or independents who caucus with them. read more
American Medical Association Considers Cheerleading Dangerous Enough to be Classified as a Sport
What started out as sideline entertainment has evolved into a competitive and physically punishing sport that now causes more catastrophic injuries in young women than any other sport in high school or college. And unlike sports such as football, many of those injuries are coming in practice. That cheerleading is not classified as a sport by many schools might account for that. read more
Violent Crime Down Since Colorado Legalized Marijuana
When Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, critics of the idea warned it would lead to more crime throughout the state. But the impact has been just the opposite so far in the state’s largest city, which has seen violent crime go down.
Crime data for Denver, the hub of legal pot sales in the state, shows murders, assaults, rapes, burglaries and other violent crimes declined during the first three months of the year, compared with the same period for 2013.
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One-Third of Winners of Indian Election Charged with Crimes including 10 with Murder
Among this year’s new crop of legislators, 112 (or 21%) face “serious” criminal allegations, such as murder, attempted murder, rape, kidnapping and “communal disharmony,” which can include members of one religion attacking those of another. Ten face charges of homicide, and 17 with attempted homicide. read more
Belarus Dictator Reintroduces Serfdom after 153 Years
“Let’s be frank,” the man who has ruled Belarus for 20 years was quoted as saying. “Serfdom” was exactly what he wanted, adding: “You can’t quit and you can’t get a different job.” Belarus is a signatory of the 1957 Abolition of Forced Labor. But this probably doesn’t mean much to Lukashenko, a former Communist Party member who ran collective farms in the Soviet Union. read more
Why has FDA Approved 26 Sex Improvement Drugs for Men, but None for Women?
Unlike Viagra, which treats male sexual dysfunction by addressing blood flow, Sprout’s drug alters chemicals in women’s brains to help them achieve sexual desire. Its rejection by the agency triggered a storm of protest from women’s advocacy organizations. “There’s absolutely some sexism at play,” said Streicher of the FDA roadblock. Some doctors disagree, saying the agency rejected the drug because it’s a cure for a non-existent disease. read more