All posts by Headly Westerfield

About Headly Westerfield

Calling himself “A liberally progressive, sarcastically cynical, iconoclastic polymath,” Headly Westerfield has been a professional writer all his adult life.

Headlines Du Jour ► Friday, January 31, 2014

It’s the last day of the first month of the new year. Among those not celebrating their birthday today because they’re dead is Zane Grey, Isham Jones, Alan Lomax, Jackie Robinson, and Eddie Cantor. So, let’s get right to today’s Headlines Du Jour:

ANOTHER DISPATCH FROM DETROIT, ‘MERKA’S FIRST THROWAWAY CITY:

Detroit deadliest city for children due to prematurity, violence

TODAY IN INCOME INEQUALITY:

Why the rich are freaking out

FREE THE WEED!!!

Dueling Pot Billboards At
The Stoner Bowl: Marijuana
Is Safer Vs. Marijuana
Will Ruin Your Life

Deadly marijuana? Doctors weigh in on British woman
who supposedly overdosed
on cannabis


TODAY IN FLOR-I-DUH:

Poll: Crist Leads Scott in Fla. Governor’s Race


THE EARTH IS COMPLICATED:

Yellowstone Geyser Erupts For First Time in Years

EVOLUTION IS COMPLICATED:

Your skin and hair are probably crawling with Neanderthal genes, say scientists

OUTER SPACE IS COMPLICATED:

New map of the solar system’s asteroids reveals more diversity than previously thought
The map documents the size, composition, and celestial location of over 100,000 known asteroids within our solar system.

Jupiter May Have Once Been as Close as Mars, Discovery of ‘Rouge’ Asteroids Changes
Ideas About Solar System

CLIMATE CHANGE IS COMPLICATED:

Magellanic penguin chicks dying from climate change, study says

VIDEO DU JOUR:


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Headlines Du Jour ► Thursday, January 30, 2014

While the Right Wing clutches its collective pearls over King Obama vowing to go around the obstreperous House of Representatives, Not Now Silly continues to bring you the best in news. Let’s get right to today’s Headlines Du Jour.

LGBT NEWS:

New Study: Anti-Homophobic School Policy
Reduces Suicide Risk—For All Students

FREE THE WEED!!!

Florida Will Be the Next
Medical Marijuana State

ANOTHER EXCITING EPISODE OF COPS GONE WILD:

Cop Arrested For Demanding
Sex At A Traffic Stop

THE “O” IN GOP STANDS FOR OLD:

Lindsey Graham: World
‘Literally About to Blow Up’

Senator Floats Idea To
Penalize Low-Income
Women Who Have Children

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

Rare photo of slave children found in North Carolina attic


CRACK MAYOR CORNER:

Brother-in-law beaten in jail to keep quiet about Rob Ford’s drug use, lawsuit alleges

Rob Ford hit with lawsuit alleging link to jailhouse assault


MR. CHRISTIE? YOU MAKE GOOD COOKIES:

Chris Christie update: Questions arise over
Christie brother’s real estate dealings


GLENN BECK IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Beck: Obama Became ‘America’s First Dictator’ During State of the Union


From the Not Now Silly Archives

The Day I Shook Hands
With Glenn Beck

MARTHA MACCALLUM IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Fox News host: Women don’t want equal pay,
they already get ‘exactly what they’re worth’

Cyber-bully Mark Koldys

BULLY CORNER:

Texas Parents Sue Six Bullies And
Their Parents For Cyberbullying Page

From the Not Now Silly Archives
The Mark Koldys-Johnny Dollar
Cyber-Bully Comments of the Day

BOYCOTT THE OLYMPICS, COCA-COLA, & MCDONALD’S

Olympic Sponsors Were Warned
About Sochi; Now McDonald’s and
Coca-Cola Are Having a PR Nightmare

AND THAT INCLUDES SANTA CLAUS:

Early Europeans had dark skin and blue eyes

ORANGE ALERT:

John Boehner Threatens President Obama With Impeachment Over Use
Of Executive Orders

TODAY IN RELIGION:

Virginia pastor: Women are
sinners if clothes ‘outline’
body ‘to make it noticed’

Arizona pastor offering tax-deductible exorcisms over Skype for $295 each

AMNESIA ON THE BRAIN:

Amnesiac Henry Molaison’s brain undergoes digital post-mortem

BEATLES CORNER:

Ringo Starr Talks Paul, Meditation
and Why He Loves L.A.

VIDEO DU JOUR:


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Headlines Du Jour ► Wednesday, January 29, 2014

STATE OF THE UNION


President Obama delivers his
fifth State of the Union address



State of the Union: Obama
tinkers around the edges



Analysis: A narrow path
for Obama’s ambitions



State of the Union: What Obama
didn’t say about energy, environment



Six things we learned from the State of the Union


5 takeaways from President
Obama’s State of the Union address



Obama hits the road to push
State of the Union message



Americans react to Obama’s address to nation

Collecting today’s headlines, Not Now Silly couldn’t help but find hundreds of headlines concerning President Obama’s State of the Union address. Some of the highlights are collected at left, with today’s Headlines Du Jour running down the rest of the page.

BEST HEADLINE DU JOUR:

KKK Member Indicted
For Trying To Build Anti-Muslim X-Ray Cannon


TODAY IN RELIGION:

Map: Publicly Funded
Schools That Are Allowed
to Teach Creationism

Thousands of schools in states across the country can use taxpayer money to cast doubt on basic science.


FREE THE WEED!!!

Poll: Majority of Americans support efforts to legalize marijuana

Marijuana contests to join county fair in Colorado


THE “O” IN GOP STANDS FOR OLD:

Every GOP Member of Congress Wants a SOTU Photo with Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson


FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Fox Bends Over For Pepsi and Coca-Cola And Forces SodaStream To Edit Super Bowl Ad


SNOW IN MIAMI BEACH:

$37 Million Worth of Seized Cocaine Offloaded in Miami Beach by Coast Guard (Video)


THINGS GO BETTER WITH KOCH:

Rachel Maddow fends off Koch brothers’ complaints with new proof of their meddling


WHAT’S FOR DINNER?

Celebrity chef Mario Batali ordered to pay $5.25 million for skimming tips from his restaurant help

VIDEO DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
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Headlines Du Jour ► Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Today is the day President Obama will be delivering his State of the Union address. But, before he does: He will be checking today’s Headlines Du Jour to see if there was anything he missed.

TODAY IN RELIGION:

LIBERTARIANISM:

Confessions of a former Libertarian: My
personal, psychological and intellectual epiphany

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

50 Signs You Watch
Too Much Fox News

Fox v. Fox:
Greta Van Susteren Slams “Disrespectful” “Jerk” Erick Erickson’s Wendy Davis Attacks

TODD STARNES IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Epic Twitter Meltdown
Fox News: Grammys Wedding Of Gay And Straight
Couples Was ‘Intolerance, Bigotry And Hatred’

HOWARD KURTZ IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Fox’s Kurtz Breaks Promise To Cover Critical Ailes Biography

ABLOW JOB IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Fox’s Ablow Dimisses Role Of Guns In Columbia Mall Shooting

FOLLOW THE MONEY:

Koch Bros. are engineering
a “merger & acquisition”
of the Republican party

FREE THE WEED!!!

Fla. Supreme Court approves medical marijuana initiative
for November ballot

Scott says he’ll vote against
proposed constitutional amendment

Ten Photos Of When Marijuana Grew All Over Brooklyn, And The Men Who Destroyed It All

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

The Effects of Ignoring Systemic Racism

You’ll Never Guess Which State Ranks #2 For Having The Most Hate Groups

VIDEO DU JOUR:


Where does hate come from? It’s learned:


Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Monday, January 27, 2014

As Not Now Silly continues to collect its own headlines, the concentration continues to be on Income Inequality.

WHY RADIO SUCKS:

Radio’s Answer to
Spotify? Less Variety

Stations Create More Repetition, Fearing Listeners Will Tune Out Unfamiliar Tunes

TODAY IN WTF? NEWS:

Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants To Ban All Marriages

ANOTHER DISPATCH FROM DETROIT, ‘MERKA’S FIRST THROWAWAY CITY:

Downtown Detroit apartment rents spiking higher, even pricing out middle class

TODAY IN FLOR-I-DUH NEWS:

Slaying casts spotlight on Miami’s world of pigeon racing

MORE ON INCOME INEQUALITY:

John Cassidy on Income
Mobility and Inequality

Education can resuscitate
the American dream

As US wages stagnate, food stamp use growing fastest among workers with some college training

The Super Bowl and what it teaches
about income inequality: Stephen Kimatian

From Income Inequality To Economic Imbalance

Republicans Need To Start Acting Like
Adults, And Embrace Income Inequality

Gap between rich and poor means unstable world for everyone
The global elite is quite rightly afraid of becoming a victim of its own success, says Stephen Donnelly

Editorial: Wide gap gets wider

Income Inequality and Raising the Minimum Wage

‘The Boss’ rocks against rising global income gap


VIDEO DU JOUR

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Sunday, January 26, 2014

TODAY IN INCOME INEQUALITY:

The Human Cost of Income
Inequality in America



What you need to know about
income inequality before
Tuesday’s State of the Union address



Low pay hurts the economy


How do we deal with income inequality?


Income Inequality:
The Defining Issue of Our Time



Economic Costs of Income Inequality


Wealth and Income Inequality: Result
of “political capture”, Not the
Invisible Hand of the Market



Muckraking Journalists Needed Now More
Than Ever As Inequality Gap Grows



Venture Capitalist Compares Anger Over
Income Inequality to Nazi Germany



Poll: Most Americans believe
income gap has grown



Krugman: Income Inequality and
Unemployment Are Linked



Researchers: Income inequality
hurts economic growth



Editorial: Income inequality poses
global risk of riots and revolution



Millionaire TV Host Calls Growing
Income Inequality ‘Fantastic’



Making progress on inequality


Larry Di Rita On ‘The Ultimate
Antidote To Income Inequality’



How your income compares
to others in US



Davos finds inequality a major concern

In anticipation of President Obama’s State of the Union address, Now Now Silly will be highlighting articles on income inequality this week, along with all the other Headlines Du Jour you’ve come to know and love. Let’s get right to it:

THE “O” IN GOP STANDS FOR OLD:

Iowa GOP posts
flowchart to ID racism

John McCain Censured by Arizona GOP for Being Too ‘Liberal’

Five Important Sex Ed Lessons
For Republican Lawmakers


FREE THE WEED!!!

Medical Marijuana Bill
Introduced In West Virginia


TODAY IN SOILGATE:

Price for Miami parks cleanup
may end up in the millions

From the Not Now Silly Archives
A Century of Coconut Grove Racism ► Soilgate Is
Trolleygate Writ Large


FOLLOW THE MONEY:

We May Finally Find Out Who Is Funding One Of The Nation’s Shadiest Dark Money Groups


RELIGION CORNER:

Buddhist Student Told to Change his Religion if he Doesn’t Want to be Taught Creationism in School

Noah’s Ark revealed to be
filled with cannibal rats,
drifting toward British coast


CRACK MAYOR CORNER:

‘Jeopardy,’ comedians make hay out of continued Rob Ford scandal


A SPAWN OF PALIN IN THE NEWS AGAIN:


BOYCOTT THE BERLIN OLYMPICS:

Himmler’s love letters reveal him to be insecure romantic
fantasist who kept the Holocaust secret from his wife


BOYCOTT THE SOCHI OLYMPICS:

Broadway Responds to Russia’s Anti-LGBT Persecution

VIDEO DU JOUR:

HOMOPHOBIA!!!
IT’S THE REAL THING!!!
BOYCOTT COCA-COLA & THE SOCHI OLYMPICS!!!

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Saturday, January 25, 2014

As the work week ends, the weekend begins. Saturday’s Headlines Du Jour is the culmination of 24 hours of headline-collecting and Not Now Silly’s keen eye for news.

HEADLINE DU JOUR:

John Boehner: Sometimes I’m ‘Gestapo’

YOUNG AT HEART:

Debunked: The Top 10 Stupid Arguments in Neil Young Debate

INCOME INEQUALITY:

The obscene lifestyles of
the new global super-rich

On eve of the State of the
Union address, a look
at income inequality

EDITORIAL DU JOUR:

There’s no shame in politics, and that’s the problem

IN LGBT NEWS:

The Truth About Outing
And why it’s the best thing that
ever happened to Aaron Schock

THEY GET THE COALMINE AND THE PEOPLE OF WEST VIRGINIA GET THE SHAFT:

How the Coal Industry Impoverishes West Virginia
The recent chemical spill is the latest chapter in a very old story: total capitulation to industry by state officials.

THE “O” IN GOP STANDS FOR OLD:

Karl Rove’s “behemoth” targeted: How
his plan to skirt the law could backfire

SCIENCE FICTION OR SCIENCE FACT? OR MOVIE OF THE WEEK?

Abandoned Cruise Ship Full of Starving Rats Headed For Land

I’D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING IN PERFECT HARMONY:

Coke defends arrest of gay Russian human rights advocate

ANOTHER DISPATCH FROM DETROIT, ‘MERK’S FIRST THROWAWAY CITY:

$700M rescue bid
fuels fallout fears

Many fret saving DIA, city pensions
by private foundations, state may
hurt other nonprofits, set precedents

MEGYN KELLY IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Megyn Kelly Bursts Out Laughing While Talking About Bursting Toilets

ABLOW JOB IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Colbert Mocks Fox News’ Keith
Ablow Over Ridiculous Theory

HUCKLEBERRY HOUND IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Huckabee: Hey, Fox News Viewers
Didn’t Mind My Libido Talk

VIDEO DU JOUR:


Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Friday, January 24, 2014

Welcome to another exciting chapter of Headlines Du Jour. Virginia and West Virginia figure prominently today. Each headline was picked at the moment of perfection, for your reading pleasure.

VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS!!!

IN OTHER LGBT NEWS:

McDonald’s #CheersToSochi Campaign Meets With
LGBT Backlash

Cecil Chao, Hong Kong Billionaire, Doubles Reward
For Any Man Who Can Make
Lesbian Daughter Straight

DEREGULATION?!?!? YOU’RE DRINKING IT!!!

NOT AS YOUNG AS HE USED TO BE:

Neil Young Awarded
President’s Merit Award,
Delivers Astounding Speech

ANOTHER DISPATCH FROM DETROIT, ‘MERKA’S FIRST THROWAWAY CITY:

10 reasons every American
should visit Detroit

SEPARATING THE REDS FROM THE BLUES:

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

Just Being Black Was Enough
to Get Yourself Spied on by
J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI

Jews Are Too Smart
For Manual Labor

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RELIGIOUS SOCIETY:

Louisiana School Accused Of Religious Harassment By ACLU

MEGYN KELLY IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Fox’s Kelly: Wendy Davis’ Defense Of Personal Struggle Is Out Of “The Nixonian Handbook”

BULLY BOY BOLLING IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Roland Martin Goes Off on ‘Stuck on Stupid’
Eric Bolling for Claiming There’s No Racism

RELIGION CORNER:

Chicago Catholic archdiocese
releases documents detailing
cover-up of abuse

Settlement between archdiocese and
victims reveals decades of evasion and
bungled action by church officials

Priest sex abuse victims
respond to documents

CRACK-SMOKING MAYOR CORNER:

Doug Ford: I didn’t know mayor was drinking, he says

‘I’m 100% done with booze’ and 16 other Rob Ford lies, broken promises and statements at odds with facts

IN OUTER SPACE:

KABOOM! Nearby Galaxy
M82 Hosts a New Supernova!

VIDEO DU JOUR

Happy Birthday,
Klaus Nomi!!!

From the WikiWackyWoo:

Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona.

Nomi was known for his bizarrely visionary theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical music opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” and Lou Christie’s “Lightnin’ Strikes”. He is remembered in the US as one of David Bowie’s backup singers for a 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live.

Nomi died in 1983 at the age of 39 as a result of complications from AIDS.

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Thursday, January 23, 2014

It’s been a very long night of headline-collecting, now that I am back to doing the job myself. I fired all my interns when they asked for a raise. Then the headline-collecting robot drones I outfitted, left my employ when they became self-aware. 

I’m going back to interns, as soon as I can find some naive enough to believe my promises. Meanwhile, here’s today’s Headlines Du Jour.

SCIENCE IS COMPLICATED:

Physicist says he’s solved the big mystery — how
life came from matter — and he may be right

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

The Word “Thug” Was Uttered 625 Times On TV On Monday. That’s A Lot.

GUNS, GUNS, GUNS:

Florida Man Claims
Self-Defense After Hopping
A Fence To Shoot, Kill
21-Year-Old In A Hoodie

ANOTHER EXCITING EPISODE OF COPS GONE WILD:

Cop Escapes Criminal Charges For Masturbating With Pre-Teen And Calling It Sex Ed

ANOTHER DISPATCH FROM DETROIT, ‘MERKA’S FIRST THROWAWAY CITY:

Garden Theater revival in Midtown helps bring back neighborhood

Exclusive: Baker’s
Keyboard Lounge to
Open in Downtown Detroit


FREE THE WEED!!!

Is marijuana as safe as — or safer than — alcohol?

High-ranked DEA agent
quits job to work for legal
marijuana industry

OH! OH!! CANADA!!!

LGBT NEWS:

Nun leaves Catholic school
after dismissing gay teacher

GLENN BECK WATCH:

Fox’s Bob Beckel Trashes
Glenn Beck: ‘No Wonder the
Son-of-a-Bitch Is Off the TV!’

Glenn Beck Thinks Demonic Forces Are Keeping His TV Network Off Cable

Glenn Beck Gets Introspective: ‘I Played a
Role in Helping Tear the Country Apart’

◄ ◄ ◄ From the NOT NOW SILLY Archives ► ► ►
The Day I Shook Hands With Glenn Beck

VIDEO DU JOUR:


Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Wednesday, January 22, 2014

It’s another day, which means another series of interviews to hire some brand new headline-collecting interns. It’s hard doing all this headline-collecting all by myself. Meanwhile, here’s today’s Headlines Du Jour.


THE “O” IN GOP STANDS FOR OLD:

Republican House Candidate Calls
For President Obama To Be
Executed for War Crimes


WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE:


TODAY’S EXCITING EPISODE OF COPS GONE WILD:

BREAKING: Homeland Security Agents Rip Prescription Google Glasses Off Moviegoer’s Face


NEWS YOU CAN USE:

The 10 strangest musical instruments

DRUNKEN STUPOUR CORNER:

Rob Ford admits to drinking as
rambling video appears on YouTube

23 things to know from 5,005
pages of Rob Ford aides’ emails


SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

North Carolina school rewards Black student with a confederate hat

Arizona State Frat Suspended For Throwing ‘MLK Black Party’

Don Lemon, Marc Lamont
Hill Clash with GOP
Strategist over Whether
Obama ‘Played the Race Card’

King Ended the Reign of Terror So Now It’s Time For the Truth About White Privilege

WaPo Columnist Rips Racist Reaction to Richard
Sherman: ‘Plantation Politics’ ‘Permeates’ Society

County GOP Explains MLK Gun Raffle: We’re All ‘Slaves,’ Really


FREE THE WEED!!!

Bill To Legalize Marijuana Introduced In Oklahoma

Reefer Madness: Chris Matthews Joins Chorus of Beltway Blowhards Scared of Weed


FREE THE BRIDGE WEED!!!

NJ Governor Christie: We Will End the Failed War on Drugs


BATS NO LONGER IN THE BELFREY:

Why 100,000 Dead Bats Fell From The Sky In Australia


GUNS, GUNS, GUNS:

South Carolina Senate Candidate
Suggests Teachers Should Be Able
To Carry Machine Guns In School


MEGYN KELLY IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

Megyn Kelly Confronts Weiner: How
Could You ‘Be That Cocky’ on TV
When You Were… You Know…

VIDEO DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.