The US prison system costs America’s federal government over $55 billion per year for just over two million prisoners. It doesn’t seem like very good value for money so why isn’t there a reevaluation of what lands people in prison? Well, that’s thanks in part to the US’s privately run prisons which requires minimum occupancy.
For this and more info about the US prison system, we have this handy infographic for your perusal.
I haven’t been paying that much attention the EU Membership Referendum over in Britain. I thought this would be similar to the Scottish independence referendum in that it was a pretty cut and dry case that the economic benefits of free access to the European economy would make “remain” the overwhelming choice. Polling before today’s vote suggest that it’s too close to call and will come down to undecided voters.
Since we occasionally talk about cars, let’s take a look at what the motor industry thinks about the potential exit from EU in this handy infographic.
Yesterday’s column about viral fundraisers omitted one important argument about why these massive viral fundraisers are a problem. While it’s great that some $80 million has been raised over the last month thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge, ALS affects only a very small portion of the population but is now eating up a massive part of the charitable donations people might have made during the year. After all, money doesn’t grow on trees.
The other problem with viral fundraisers is that it disproportionately overfundraises for diseases compared to how they affect society. Sure, there are people who would be quite justified to advocate for their causes. For example, the ALSA has, in the last one month, pulled in about half of what the American Heart Association has raised over the last 12 months. The number of ALS diagnoses over the next year will be less than 10% of the deaths from heart disease over the next year. It’s just not proportionate to what affects the health of the population.
To give you a little food for thought, here’s a handy little infographic for your perusal.
A new crowdfunded project by a Canadian inventor is bringing affordable 3D printers to the masses. Saskatchewan native Rylan Grayston has created a 3D printer and scanner that will sell for only $100.
It’s time for another edition of the weirdest and wackiest stories from around the world. It’s time for the not news of the week.
Most men have a little trouble getting going when they’re drunk but a man from Blackburn must now wish that he had that problem. The Weekly World News says that a man was so drunk that he had sex with a snowman and ended up getting a frostbitten penis for his troubles. He got lucky, though, because he still has his penis. If he returns to the scene of the crime, neighbourhood residents say they will exact revenge on behalf of the violated snowman. That would be adding injury to… well, injury. Continue reading
Now that President Obama has been sworn in for a second term as the President of the United States, gear up for another fight between the President and Congress over the debt ceiling.
It’s not, as the Republicans or Fox News would have you believe, a means to limit future spending. The debt ceiling caps the total debt that the US Government can have in order to pay bills already incurred. It’s not like the limit on your credit card but the extent of money on the line of credit you use solely to pay your credit card.
To help you learn what the debt ceiling is actually about and to explain Congress’ role in the budget and debt ceiling fights, we found this handy video for you to watch. Continue reading
If it’s not worth talking about, then it must be the Not News of the Week.
While America could definitely use gun control, sometimes people learn about the importance of it themselves. For example, take an 18-year-old Florida man who learned the hard way about cleaning guns. He accidentally shot himself while cleaning the gun. The bullet passed through his penis and left testicle before ending up in his thigh. Suffice to say that he’ll only be shooting blanks from now on. Continue reading
It’s time for all the news that’s not fit for print. It’s time for the Not News of the Week.
By now, you’ve probably heard about the monkey who made an appearance at a north Toronto IKEA store. However, you may not know the whole story. The seven-month-old monkey escaped from its crate in a car in the IKEA parking lot before wandering into the store. Like a scene out of a Curious George book, the monkey was wearing a fur coat. Okay, George wore a big yellow hat but you get what I’m talking about. The monkey’s owner has been charged with possessing a prohibited animal. You know, I wonder if that monkey would have an easier time putting together IKEA’s furniture than I do. Continue reading
It’s time for another edition of the weirdest and wackiest stories from around the world. It’s time for the not news of the week.
If you thought Snakes on a Plane was a fictional movie, you’d be wrong. A Jordanian pet shop owner inadvertently recreated the movie on a flight from Cairo to Kuwait. The man snuck an Egyptian cobra (also called an Asp) on the plane in his carry-on bag. The problem was that he couldn’t control the snake. It bit him and slithered away through the plane under the seats. The plane had to make an emergency landing to get rid of the snake. It was a bit safer than Samuel L. Jackson’s preferred snake extraction method of opening some fucking windows.
Since I’m obligated to say it: Enough is enough! I have had it with these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday to Friday plane! What? Were you expecting something else? Continue reading
If it’s not worth talking about, then it must be the Not News of the Week.
I didn’t realize it but the Canadian government’s economic stimulus program, the Economic Action Plan, still exists. It turns out that they’re advertising it in unusual spaces. Someone found an ad for the EAP on infamous torrent sharing The Pirate bay alongside ads for gambling and dating websites. The government says they didn’t ask for an ad on The Pirate Bay but one of their online ad networks bought one there on their behalf. I actually think advertising on TPB is a good idea. After all, if you’re pirating stuff online, you could use a couple extra bucks. Continue reading
The Lowdown 