New State Rankings Are In: Best and Worst State in America Revealed

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A popular travel site rank ordered all 50 states in the U.S. and at least one Florida reporter is not happy with where the Sunshine State fell.

Thrillist, which has over 4.8 million followers on Facebook and nearly 400,000 on Instagram, ranked Florida dead last in its “The Definitive and Final Ranking of All 50 States.”

The criteria used by site editors Kevin Alexander and Matt Lynch to reach their findings included, “their contributions to America, so think inventions, food/drink, somewhat productive famous people, unique physical beauty, etc.”

The writers added they expect disagreements, but after the two of them hashed out the merits and demerits of each state, the chips fell as they did.

As for the continental U.S.’s most tropical state, Alexander and Lynch wrote, “When putting together a list such as this, there can be some temptation to defy popular expectations, and go against the grain. However, Florida’s awfulness resume is so staggeringly impressive that it couldn’t go any other way. You were born for this. Embrace it.”

Among the other bottom dwellers were Delaware, Ohio, Arizona, Utah, Mississippi, Connecticut, North Dakota, Missouri, and Nevada.

At the other end of the spectrum, Thrillist’s surprising pick for “best state” was Michigan, followed by Maine, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Hawaii, Minnesota, Washington, California and Colorado.

“Far too much of the Michigan narrative centers on Detroit and its many issues,” explained Alexander and Lynch. “The Motor City’s become a scrappily rising underdog you can’t help but root for, but Michigan’s greatest strengths lie in the state as a whole.”

“Did you know Michigan has more coastline than any state other than Alaska?” they added. “Did you know it has such an embarrassment of beer riches that you can easily hit Bell’s and Founders in the same afternoon?”

“Did you know the UP (Upper Peninsula) is so remote and uniquely beautiful that it almost feels like a secret 51st state where they inexplicably love British meat pies?”

However, Miami Herald reporter Howard Cohen took exception to Thrillist’s rankings.

“Florida ranks dead last when it comes to rating the best states in the nation,” Cohen wrote. “Michigan ranks No. 1, the very best state in the union.”

He continued, “Let that sink in for awhile. Michigan, the state that gave us the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent and Kid Rock (the poor man’s Ted Nugent), is 49 states better than Florida.”

Cohen noted that food and drink seemed to weigh heavily in the ordering.

Thrillist mentioned Alaska’s salmon, but Cohen counted, “We have Joe’s Stone Crab in South Beach.”

As to Michigan and Alaska’s (ranked 16) long coastlines, Cohen wrote, “So have you had the desire to go swimming in Michigan — or Alaska lately?” (For more from the author of “New State Rankings Are In: Best and Worst State in America Revealed” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Black Woman Sues Walmart, Claims Cosmetic Section Is ‘Racist’

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Fox News. A woman is suing Walmart over alleged instances of racial discrimination in its beauty aisles.

Essie Grundy, who was shopping at a Walmart in Southern California, was upset to find beauty products targeted toward African-Americans locked behind a glass case, while other, sometimes more expensive products were placed on open shelving.

“When I walked down the aisle and saw that Walmart had placed all of the African-American hair and skin products under lock and key, I had to pause,” Grundy said at a press conference on Friday.

Grundy also said that employees told her she needed to be brought to the register by an employee if she wanted to purchase anything, and was not allowed to touch the product prior to buying it.

“It perpetuates a racial stereotype that African-Americans are thieves,” Grundy’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, stated. (Read more from “Black Woman Sues Walmart, Claims Cosmetic Section Is ‘Racist'” HERE)

____________________________________________

Walmart Responds to Furious Customers’ Claims That It Only Locks up Beauty Products for African Americans

By Business Insider. Walmart has responded to allegations that it is racially discriminating against its customers.

On Friday news broke that the store is being sued by a customer who claims that it is segregating products by the race of the people who use them.

The plaintiff, Essie Grundy, was shopping for a comb in her local store when she found it was locked in a cabinet: “That’s when I noticed that all of the African-American products were locked up under lock and key,” Grundy told reporters at a news conference on Friday.

Walmart immediately stamped out these allegations.

“We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind at Walmart,” a spokesperson for the company told Business Insider. (Read more from “Walmart Responds to Furious Customers’ Claims That It Only Locks up Beauty Products for African Americans” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Shock: Mexican Drug Bust Had Enough Doses to Kill over 19 Million People

/0 Comments/in , /by

By The Daily Wire. Late last week, Mexican law enforcement officials seized 100 pounds of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, one of the most lethal drugs in existence, in a vehicle approximately 30 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mexican police say they intercepted the shipment — which also contained 14 pounds of meth, 88 pounds of cocaine and 18.5 pounds of heroin — close to the city of Ensenada in Baja California last Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Ensenada is just 30 miles south of the Mexican border city of Tijuana, the most likely destination for the drugs seized by Mexican authorities. (Read more from “Shock: Mexican Drug Bust Had Enough Doses to Kill over 19 Million People” HERE)

_________________________________________________

Mexican Police Find 100 Lbs of Fentanyl in Multi-Drug Stash

By Associated Press. Fentanyl can be fatal in doses of just a few milligrams. To put the size of the haul in perspective, a seizure last year of 4.5 pounds (2 kilograms) of fentanyl in Columbus, Ohio, was said by prosecutors to be enough to potentially kill the entire population of the city of 860,000 people.

Police in Mexico said the drug shipment seized near Ensenada also included 914 pounds (415 kilograms) of crystal meth, 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of cocaine and 18.5 pounds (8.4 kilograms) of heroin . . .

In November, Mexican authorities seized 31 pounds (14 kilograms) of fentanyl hidden in a car on a highway between the Gulf of California and San Luis Rio Colorado, which is home to a border crossing with Arizona. (Read more from “Mexican Police Find 100 Lbs of Fentanyl in Multi-Drug Stash” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Crisis: Top DNC Official Is out in Less Than a Year After Disastrous Fundraising Run

/0 Comments/in , /by

By The Daily Wires. A top official in the Democratic National Committee is out in less than a year on the job after the party continued to struggle financially, something that many top Democrats have warned will cause significant problems for them in the 2018 midterms.

Jess O’Connell, the former EMILY’s List Executive Director, took over the DNC as CEO in May 2017 after the party endured multiple special election losses to the Republicans and as Clinton-loyalist Tom Perez took over as the new chairman, NBC News reported . . .

O’Connell’s departure comes just two days after a report highlighting the deep concern felt by Democrats across the country over the party’s lack of funding and how that could stifle any momentum they think they might have heading into the 2018 midterms. (Read more from “Crisis: Top Dnc Official Is out in Less Than a Year After Disastrous Fundraising Run” HERE)

_____________________________________________

Local Democrats Warn Dnc: Cash Crunch Threatens November Gains

By Politico. Local Democratic Party leaders are convinced a wave is coming in November. But they’re increasingly worried they won’t be able to ride it.

At a time when many Democratic candidates and groups are reporting record-breaking fundraising, the top state party officials gathered here for the meeting of the Association of State Democratic Committees say their local parties are cash-starved, raising the prospect that they won’t be able to take full advantage of what could be a historic opportunity in the midterm elections.

Local committees are in desperate need of more money if they’re going to support the costly precinct-level organizing and political groundwork needed to win back the House of Representatives, compete for the Senate and governor’s mansions, and swing back state legislatures, they say.

“If we’re able to accomplish all we hope, the concept would be to take advantage of a wave year, and make it as big as possible,” said New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley, who has been vocal about the need for state parties to receive more funding, or to risk missing out on that wave altogether. (Read more from “Local Democrats Warn DNC: Cash Crunch Threatens November Gains” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

New Sponsor on Arizona Highway: the Satanic Temple

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Adopt-A-Highway idea, in which a group can submit a bid to the Department of Transportation to adopt a section of highway to clean up for the quid pro quo of having its name on a sign on the highway, has a new user whose name might give freeway drivers pause: the Satanic Temple Arizona. The group has adopted a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 10 near Casa Grande.

America Curl, a member of the Satanic Temple, contacted the Department of Transportation last summer. Curl recalled, “I just want to clean up a highway, please give me a highway to cleanup, and they said fine.” Curl filled out an online form and paid the necessary fee, adding, “Then, you put what you want on the signs. We wrote the Satanic Temple of Arizona. Then, you submit through DOT, and they get back to you really quickly.” . . .

Stu de Haan, one of the founding members of The Satanic Temple Arizona, stated, “People have this perception that one side does the good stuff and the other side does all the bad stuff. What we are really showing here is that Satanism is a legitimate religion, even though it’s non-theistic, we are showing the people do have a sense of community and they want to get involved.”

De Haan asserted that the members of his group do not worship the devil; they just don’t believe in God. The members of his group showed up to pick up trash by using pitchforks just to mock those who criticize them. De Haan said, “A lot of what we hear is from the ’80s and ’90s called the ‘Satanic Panic,’ wild and atrocious myths that were just never proven to be true.” (Read more from “New Sponsor on Arizona Highway: the Satanic Temple” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Mysterious Orange Crocodiles Mutating into New Species?

/0 Comments/in , /by

A group of mysterious orange cave crocodiles who live in complete darkness in Africa may be mutating into a new species.

Researchers discovered the 1.5-metre-long (5 ft) reptiles in 2008 in a remote cave in Gabon, western Africa, where they fed only on bats and crickets.

Experts first though they were a type of African dwarf crocodile, but new research shows they could be an entirely separate species.

Scientists led by the Institute of Research for Development in Marseille found about 30 specimens in the cave, including 10 orange crocodiles.

They suspect more crocodiles remain hidden in the depths of the cave’s system of rooms, which are filled with water. (Read more from “Mysterious Orange Crocodiles Mutating into New Species?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

U.S. ‘Peace Partner’ Honors Planner of Munich Massacre

/0 Comments/in , /by

The kidnapping and murder of 11 Israeli team members by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympics in Munich horrified the world.

But for the governing party of the Palestinian Authority, the massacre was a victory, and one of the attack’s planners, Ali Hassan Salameh, was a “heroic commander” of the Black September organization, worthy of honor on the anniversary of his death as a “martyr.”

In a post on Facebook Jan. 22, Fatah’s deputy chairman, Mahmoud Al-Aloul, mentioned the Munich attack as one Salameh’s life achievements.

Fatah said Salameh, “the Red Prince,” commanded “special operations against the Zionist intelligence throughout the world, and the sending of explosive packages from Amsterdam to many agents of the Mossad in European capitals.”

Palestinian Media Watch, which spotlighted the Facebook post, has documented numerous statements by PA and Fatah leaders honoring the terrorists from the Black September terror organization and praising the Munich murders as “an excellent operation.” (Read more from “U.S. ‘Peace Partner’ Honors Planner of Munich Massacre” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Man Killed After Being Sucked into MRI Machine

/0 Comments/in , /by

An Indian man died after being sucked into an MRI machine while visiting a relative at a hospital in Mumbai, police said Monday.

Rajesh Maru, 32, was yanked towards the machine by its magnetic force after he entered the room carrying an oxygen cylinder, the city’s police said in a statement.

“We have arrested a doctor and another junior staff member under section 304 of the Indian penal code for causing death due to negligence,” Mumbai police spokesman Deepak Deoraj told AFP.

The incident occurred on Saturday night at the Indian financial capital’s Nair Hospital.

Police said preliminary reports suggested that the man had died from inhaling liquid oxygen that leaked from the cylinder. (Read more from “Man Killed After Being Sucked into MRI Machine” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Disgusting Use of Household Bleach for Children

/0 Comments/in , /by

Desperate to “cure” them of autism, some parents in the United Kingdom have started force-feeding their children bleach and turpentine. The treatment, called the Miracle or Master Mineral Solution (MMS) by advocates, is being attempted on children as young as 2 years old. MMS is made by blending a potent mixture of harsh chemicals that, combined, cook up industrial-strength bleach.

The bleach, easily purchased online, is either fed or inserted into the child through an enema. One parent who attempted the treatment told the Mirror – whose reporters investigated a Facebook group promoting the practice – that her 2-year-old child “cried really hard” when he was given his first enemas, but that things are getting “better and better.” Other misguided parents claim that behaviors associated with autism, such as rocking and chewing, decrease after the treatment is administered.

However, these perceived improvements in the child’s psychology are likely reactions of fear after experiencing the brutal treatment, experts told the Mirror. Drinking bleach can cause an intense burning sensation, chemical corrosion of the skin, and many other graphic and painful symptoms. Repeated consumption of such a harsh chemical substance can result in death.

The Mirror reports that posters to the closed Facebook group believe autism is caused by pathogens and parasites; the bleach is rumored to kill the parasites and therefore “cure” the child. These claims, however, have no scientific backing. Autism is not a result of parasites or pathogens at all – and this grim misunderstanding of autism is risking children’s lives. (Read more from “Disgusting Use of Household Bleach for Children” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Boy in Girls-Only Dance Event Triggers Federal Probe

/0 Comments/in , /by

Federal investigators have launched an investigation into a complaint that a Wisconsin school student is barred by Minnesota state rules from competing in events there . . .

Kaiden Johnson, a 15-year-old sophomore at Superior High School in Superior, Wisconsin, has danced competitively for eight years. This year, on the school’s varsity dance team, he went across the state line to an event in Minnesota, where he was banned from the competition.

Working on his behalf is Pacific Legal Foundation, which threatened a lawsuit if the “discrimination” continues.

PLF said the Minnesota State High School League is violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and is under investigation by the OCR.

“This is the first vital and important step in ensuring that Minnesota boys have an equal opportunitiy to dance,” PLF said. “Minnesota, which relies on outmoded stereotypes about why boys should be prohibited from dancing, will now have to justify its discriminatory decision to the United States Department of Education.” (Read more from “Boy in Girls-Only Dance Event Triggers Federal Probe” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.