Bo Derek conquers Capitol Hill

Event: A press conference in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act Venue: Russell Senate Office Building Bona


Fides: 1980s movie-star pinup (“10”), longtime equestrian activist. Author of “Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life, I Learned from Horses.” Backup: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), former “Bachelor” star Lorenzo Borghese, Willie Nelson’s daughter Amy and granddaughter Raelyn.


  What she wants: To stop the U.S. meat industry from slaughtering horses for human food (most of it shipped overseas). How she looked: Horse-lady casual in black jacket and riding pants; now letting her hair go a little gray.


How she sounded: Fed up! She’s been lobbying unsuccessfulyl for this same bill for years. “How often do 80% of Americans agree on anything? And this hasn’t passed?” she told our colleague, Aaron Leitko. “It’s been a real education in politics and corruption in politics for me.”



LINK: Bo Derek

'Hangover Heaven' bus helps hungover partiers in Vegas

"How are you doing now?" medical technician Debra Lund asked.

Dalia looked at Lund, swaying with the gentle rocking of a bus named Hangover Heaven as it rolled down Las Vegas Boulevard. Lund checked an intravenous fluid bag, hung from the ceiling, dripping a saline and vitamin solution into Dalia's left arm.

"Better," he replied. "My palms aren't sweating anymore. I don't have that, like, cold sweat feeling anymore."

Dalia, from Caldwell, N.J., was one of the first patients on the rollout day of a mobile treatment center for tourists who spent the night before drinking in all the nightlife Las Vegas has to offer. For a fee, they get a quick morning-after way to rehydrate, rejuvenate and resume their revelry.

"I'm starting to feel great," Dalia said. "This is really very cool."

Doctor and board-certified anesthesiologist Jason Burke calls his fledgling business a medical practice on wheels, analogous to a physician with an RV offering X-rays, MRIs or mammograms, a mobile dentist, or a blood bank bus set up in an office building parking lot.

LINK: hangover

The HuffPost electoral map.

Three electoral maps showing Obama crushing Romney.  Very disappointing.  Hopefully, more people will wake up from their politically-correct stupor before November and vote Obama out.~~Yossarian.

The electoral map as Karl Rove sees it now

Electoral map as MSNBC sees it now

Solid Dem (no chance at flip): DC, DE, HI, ME (3 EVs) MD, MA, NY, RI, VT (70 electoral votes)

Likely Dem (takes a landslide to flip): CA, CT, IL, WA (94) Lean Dem: ME (1 EV) MN, NH, NJ, NM, OR, MI, WI (67)

Toss-up: CO, FL, NV, NC, OH, PA, VA (110)

Lean GOP: AZ, IN, IA, MO, (38)

Likely GOP (takes a landslide to flip): AL, AR, GA, LA, MS, MT, NE (1 EV), ND, SC, SD, TX (102)

Solid GOP (no chance at flip): AK, ID, KS, KY, NE (4 EVs) OK, TN, UT, WV, WY (57)

LINK: I hope they're wrong

New employment has stalled

The four-week moving average for new claims, a closely followed measure of labor market trends, rose 6,250 to 381,750, its highest since the week that ended Jan. 7.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast new claims falling to 375,000 last week. The reading was the latest example of fizzling momentum in the labor market recovery.

New claims fell sharply during early winter but the improvement has largely stalled in recent weeks.

LINK: Hope and Change.