Unusual News

Senate Republicans are the Most Prolific Twitter and Facebook Users in U.S. Congress

In terms of lawmakers’ social media topics, the study came up with seven categories. The most frequent is “position taking” (41% of Tweets and 39% of Facebook posts). The fifth category is “media,” in which the congressional Tweeter may hype himself (“I’m quoted in a Portsmouth Daily Times news report…,” said one Tweet cited in the report). The sixth category is “personal” (“Great meeting with the pres. of my alma mater. Go Cardinal!” said another). read more

Los Angeles Is World’s First Major City to Sync up All of Its Traffic Signals

After 30 years of synching traffic lights, at a cost of $400 million, the Los Angeles Transportation Department claims that the average speed on its streets has increased 16%, while delays at major intersections are down 12%. So now, instead of crawling along at 15 mph, a driver can crawl along at 17.3 mph. Less idling in traffic should also cause a reduction in carbon emissions. read more

Here’s a Real Budget Cut: Senate Barbers

First established in 1859, the Senate barbershop has been open to the public since the 1970s, but senators get priority. Up until 1979, haircuts were free to senators. Then a charge of $3.50 was imposed, and today a basic trim costs about $20 (plus tip). Senators can also have their eyebrows trimmed for $15. read more

Washington Can Gridlock from the Comfort of Home if “Virtual Congress” is Approved

Pearce says his proposal would mean more time for lawmakers to meet with their constituents, and it would save money on travel costs to and from Washington, DC. He also pointed out the idea’s counter-terrorism benefit: any attempted terrorist attack on Congress would be rendered futile, given that its membership would be scattered across the country rather than in one location like a sitting duck. read more

Golden Gate Becomes First Major Toll Bridge in U.S. to Replace Human Toll Collectors with Machines

Officials say the use of the tag-based FasTrak electronic toll system will save money, with estimates varying from $8 million to more than $19 million over the next eight years. Drivers, including visitors, will have the option of having their license plates photographed and then pay online or by mail. “I think what it is, sometimes we are the first, if not the only smile they get in the morning,” toll collector Jackie Dean told The New York Times. read more

Georgia’s Solution to Drought…Annex Part of Tennessee

The Georgia senators claim the border was wrongly set up, based on a flawed survey conducted in 1818 that placed the 35th parallel, the border between the two states, one mile south of its actual location. Fixing the snafu, they maintain, would only put things as they should have been all along. The resolution offers Tennessee 66.5 miles of land that legally belongs to Georgia in exchange for the return of the 1.5-mile waterway. read more

Dallas Solution to Too Many Shoplifting Cases…Make them Harder to Report

Last year, a new policy went into effect that requires retailers to report thefts under $50 by mail instead of by telephone or in person. The result of this change is that many business owners just stopped telling law enforcement about shoplifters. Not surprisingly, police statistics for 2012 showed petty shoplifting had plummeted by 75%, from ten reports a day to less than three. read more

“Smart Bra” Is Years Faster than Mammograms in Detecting Breast Cancer

The bra measures heat patterns and breast shapes, and its built-in computer can compare the data to stored information about cancerous tissues, according to the company, which claims a 90% accuracy rate for the product. Clinical trials have been performed on the bra, and First Warning Systems hopes the FDA will approve it in time for the bra to go on sale within a year. read more

Neiman-Marcus Admits to Selling Fake Fake Fur (a.k.a. Real Fur)

Federal regulators have busted Neiman-Marcus and two other retailers for selling products marketed as containing fake fur, when in reality the fur was real. Why would businesses sell the real deal, which presumably is worth more, as something fake and less valuable? Because demand for real fur has declined, while stores have had trouble keeping fake fur in stock, leading at least these three companies to do what would have been unthinkable years ago. read more

More Public Employees Forced to Bring Own Toilet Paper to Work

City administrator Sandra Underwood was accused of instructing male public works employees to bring their own TP, claiming the workers were using far more paper than female employees. Underwood denied the charge. The town’s mayor and aldermen only learned of the decision after a local citizen raised the subject at a council meeting, and suggested starting a fundraiser so the male workers wouldn’t have to pay for their own toilet paper. read more

Sen. Joe Manchin: The Only Member of Congress Preferred by the Party to which he does not Belong

Manchin was recently dubbed the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, according to National Journal. OpenSecrets.org went even further in assessing Manchin’s political standing, claiming the first-term senator is the only member of Congress who enjoys higher ratings from Republicans than from those in his own party. read more

8 American Humans and Animals who were Preserved after Death

Many people might find it weird that Venezuelans embalmed Hugo Chávez and put him on public display. However Americans have not been immune from preserving the bodies of the deceased. Here are eight examples: two criminals, a hobo, a baseball player, two horses, an elephant and a gorilla. read more

Internet Search Analysis Finds Drug Side Effects Faster than FDA

The researchers discovered that people searching both drugs were more likely to also search for symptoms that indicated the presence of hyperglycemia, such as “high blood sugar” and “blurry vision.” The Food and Drug Administration, which relies on doctors to tell them about drug side effects they notice in patients, has not issued any warnings about taking paroxetine and pravastatin together. read more

Man Arrested for Shooting Robot

Local police sent two surveillance robots inside the home to find Blevins. Upon seeing the larger of the two robots, Blevins opened fire and damaged the roving technology. He now faces two felony counts of unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance and vandalism of government property, among other charges. read more

62% of Americans Believe the Republican Party is Out of Touch, and 36% of Republicans Agree

A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that 62% of respondents believe the Republican Party is out of touch with the rest of the country. Furthermore, 36% of Republicans feel the same way about their party. The survey also revealed that a majority of Americans (56%) think the GOP is not open to change, and 52% say the party is too extreme. read more

Wash. State Legislator Apologizes after Claiming Bike Riders Pollute by Breathing Harder

Orcutt wrote: “If I am not mistaken, a cyclists [sic] has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride.” read more