Twelve facts about guns and mass shootings in the United States

Indiana experience offers little hope for Michigan ‘right-to-work’ law Recently, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has pointed to Indiana’s economic success since passing “right to work” as a reason for Michigan to adopt similar legislation. Neither the governor nor Indiana officials, however, have been able to provide evidence that “right to work” (RTW) was the determinative factor in even a single company’s decision to locate in the state. It is too soon for the RTW law to have impacted corporate location decisions Indiana’s statute was signed on Feb. 1, 2012, and only applies to labor contracts signed after March 15, 2012. However, the reality of business investment decisions is that picking a location for a major new investment is a lengthy process. This is all the more true given the legal delays that have accompanied the law’s enactment. Claims of RTW success story refuted by employer cited On March 12, 2012, Gov. The MBC Group promptly denied that RTW was the reason for its location decision. Not a single company says it came to Indiana because of RTW

Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body A run of poor sleep can have a potentially profound effect on the internal workings of the human body, say UK researchers. The activity of hundreds of genes was altered when people's sleep was cut to less than six hours a day for a week. Writing in the journal PNAS, the researchers said the results helped explain how poor sleep damaged health. Heart disease, diabetes, obesity and poor brain function have all been linked to substandard sleep. What missing hours in bed actually does to alter health, however, is unknown. So researchers at the University of Surrey analysed the blood of 26 people after they had had plenty of sleep, up to 10 hours each night for a week, and compared the results with samples after a week of fewer than six hours a night. More than 700 genes were altered by the shift. Meanwhile the natural body clock was disturbed - some genes naturally wax and wane in activity through the day, but this effect was dulled by sleep deprivation.

Infographic: Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age to 67 Would Increase Costs and Harm Seniors Lindsay Rosenthal is the Special Assistant for Health Policy and Women’s Health and Rights at the Center for American Progress. Emily Oshima Lee is a Research Associate and Policy Analyst with the Health Policy team at the Center. To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact: Why Drag It Out? - Jen Doll An investigation into what inspires soooo many people to toss extra letters into their text messages Nishant Choksi "Hiiiii," he texted. Rest assured: I am an adult. My phone buzzed again. Evvvvverywherrrre, from instant messages to texts to tweets and even e‑mails, I see examples of what language watchers call “word lengthening.” For the past five years, Sali Tagliamonte, a linguist at the University of Toronto, has been gathering digital-communications data from students. But why is anyone adding extra letters in the first place? Ben Zimmer, a linguist and lexicographer, notes that elongations, like emoticons and initialisms (OMG! Tagliamonte suggested a test: try communicating with someone I was close to without using elongations, and see how quickly I’d get a response of “What’s wrong?” “I could kiiiinda tell,” he wrote.

A Dispatch From the 'National Review's Post-Election Cruise He recommended investing in real estate in another country, maybe in Central America somewhere. A woman to Kay’s right wrinkled her nose: How about a Western country? “Okay, if Europe is what you want, go to Poland,” he said optimistically. “Go to Krakow, buy a house for $50,000, and it’s going to be like Paris in a few years.” As we drained the Pinot Noir, Hassett gave his audience the insider’s view of the Romney campaign, describing how its election-monitoring software crashed on November 6 and Obama was probably behind it, “because those guys are so evil.” The table grumbled in assent. “The thing we have to understand is, these are people who don’t have any morals,” said Hassett. “Well, you’re safe on this ship!” Then Hassett pivoted to the liberal media. The audience seemed to listen raptly to this soliloquy—who aboard would argue? The audience murmured unhappily. “And that image is hurting among the youth,” he continued. Reed expanded on the theme.

Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit Though I treat a lot of adults for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, the presentation of this case was a violation of an important diagnostic criterion: symptoms must date back to childhood. It turned out he first started having these problems the month he began his most recent job, one that required him to rise at 5 a.m., despite the fact that he was a night owl. The patient didn’t have A.D.H.D., I realized, but a chronic sleep deficit. I suggested some techniques to help him fall asleep at night, like relaxing for 90 minutes before getting in bed at 10 p.m. Many theories are thrown around to explain the rise in the diagnosis and treatment of A.D.H.D. in children and adults. For some people — especially children — sleep deprivation does not necessarily cause lethargy; instead they become hyperactive and unfocused. We all get less sleep than we used to. One study, published in 2004 in the journal Sleep, looked at 34 children with A.D.H.D. But it’s also possible that A.D.H.D.

Corporate profits are highest-ever share of GDP, while wages are lowest-ever Corporations are doing well. Workers, not so much. That could be the opening of just about any discussion of the American economy at least over the past couple years since corporations recovered from the great recession while workers didn't. Profits accounted for 11.1% of the U.S. economy last quarter, compared with an average of 8% during the previous economic expansion. Once again, the 1970s are the tipping point where the balance of power shifts decisively toward business and away from working people. (Via Think Progress)

Fear of a Black President - Ta-Nehisi Coates As a candidate, Barack Obama said we needed to reckon with race and with America’s original sin, slavery. But as our first black president, he has avoided mention of race almost entirely. In having to be “twice as good” and “half as black,” Obama reveals the false promise and double standard of integration. The irony of President Barack Obama is best captured in his comments on the death of Trayvon Martin, and the ensuing fray. Part of that conservatism about race has been reflected in his reticence: for most of his term in office, Obama has declined to talk about the ways in which race complicates the American present and, in particular, his own presidency. The reaction to the tragedy was, at first, trans-partisan. By the time reporters began asking the White House for comment, the president likely had already given the matter considerable thought. VIDEO: Ta-Nehisi Coates talks with Atlantic magazine editor Scott Stossel about the anger behind this article. And yet Spud Webb lives.

- Chasing Glenn Beck - Fiscal Cliffs Notes List of Characters: President Barack Obama: Recently re-elected, President Obama is a stern but friendly character with wide popular appeal who has nonetheless established himself as a tough negotiator. Speaker of the House John Boehner: A leader with a reputation for weakness, John Boehner has spent the last two years herding a recalcitrant Tea Party Caucus, mostly unsuccessfully, and now finds himself in the difficult position of negotiating with very limited popular support. Grover Norquist: Self-appointed tax monitor, has threatened to hold Republicans accountable should they agree to any tax hikes. Was a major character in previous editions but has become less important as new revisions to the text have been released. The American Voter: Largely left waiting in the wings, this character (who functions mostly like the Greek Chorus in a Sophoclean tragedy), has seen its role increase in recent weeks, but it is unclear whether the main characters have yet taken notice. Brief Synopsis:

10 Fashion Hotspots You Should Know About | The Stylitics Report When we think of exploring fashion travel destinations, the same places usually come to mind: New York City, Paris, London, and Los Angeles. However, we think it’s about time to push your travel boundaries by exploring some hidden fashion destination gems. New fashion oases are popping up, so we’ve scouted the best ones to add to your travel itinerary this summer. Keep reading for the 10 fashion hotspots that you don’t want to miss! 1. This “Ocean State” may not seem like a fashion haven, but it is actually home of StyleWeek Northeast, a 20th Century Fashion exhibit, and RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). 2. This city is known for its history and diversity: over 100 dialects and languages are spoken here. If you love some good thrifty/vintage finds, head out to Oakland’s Rockridge District, located on College Avenue. 3. If you’re looking for some incredible vintage shops, head on over to Columbus! 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Written by Emily Malis, Marketing intern at Stylitics.

Climate skeptic group works to reverse renewable energy mandates The legislative council, or ALEC, is a conservative-leaning group of state legislators from all 50 states that has sought to roll back climate regulation in the past. It lost some corporate sponsors early this year because of its role promoting “stand your ground” laws that allow the use of force in self-defense without first retreating when faced with a serious threat. But the involvement of the Heartland Institute, which posted a billboard in May comparing those who believe in global warming to domestic terrorist Theodore J. Kaczynski, shows the breadth of conservatives’ efforts to undermine environmental initiatives on the state and federal level. The Heartland Institute received $736,500 from Exxon Mobil between 1998 and 2006, according to the group’s spokesman Jim Lakely, and $25,000 in 2011 from foundations affiliated with Charles G. “It is not that ALEC is opposed to renewable energy in any way,” Wynn said. David G.

15 TED Talks That Will Change Your Life Top Economists: Iceland Did It Right … And Everyone Else Is Doing It Wrong Iceland Shows the Way Nobel prize winning economist Joe Stiglitz notes: What Iceland did was right. Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman writes: What [Iceland’s recovery] demonstrated was the … case for letting creditors of private banks gone wild eat the losses. Krugman also says: A funny thing happened on the way to economic Armageddon: Iceland’s very desperation made conventional behavior impossible, freeing the nation to break the rules. Krugman is right. We’ve previously noted: Iceland told the banks to pound sand. Bloomberg reports: Iceland holds some key lessons for nations trying to survive bailouts after the island’s approach to its rescue led to a “surprisingly” strong recovery, the International Monetary Fund’s mission chief to the country said. The IMF’s point about bondholders is an important one: the failure to force a haircut on the bondholders is dooming the U.S. and Europe to economic doldrums. The IMF notes: In other words, as IMF put it: Icenews points out:

This Word Is Earth | Paper Tape By Harmony Button Begin with a definition: we know where to go. We become thoughtfully troubled that despite being called “The Dictionary,” there is not only one, but in fact, many, many different dictionaries. Like a child discovers that the authority of one parent does not always completely coincide with the authority of the other, so we find that The Dictionary offers a deceiving sense of unity. We compare our parents. Merriam’s spine is cracked and tired, and her pages drag. I introduce a source the students soon name “Ed” because the O is silent, like in Oedipus! No, says another, his name is Owen. I am secretly delighted. In my free time, I should drink less coffee, take more trail runs, sleep at least eight hours every night. Next level: I suggest that, like his Dino colleagues, a Thesaurus is, at most, an approximation of the truth. How much of our self-story is made up of memory-myth and reconstructed past? And my world was never quite the same. So why wasn’t I happy? That was me.