Apr 09

U.S. Labor Department Accuses Google of 'Significant' Gender Pay Gap

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U.S. Labor Department officials said they have found “systemic compensation disparities against women” at Google.

Investigators said they discovered the pay disparity during a routine probe to make certain that Google complied with federal law carried out because the company is a government contractor, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Officials made the accusation Friday at a hearing before a federal administrative judge in San Francisco. The department is suing Google for more data on compensation to complete its probe.

Google immediately shot back in a statement to The Guardian, which first revealed the bombshell accusations at the hearing, that it “vehemently disagrees” with the conclusion, adding that the Labor Department failed to share its facts and methodology with the company so that’s it difficult to determine what the comments are based on.

The company just boasted days earlier on Twitter that it had closed the gender pay gap not only in the U.S. — but globally as well.

Janet Herold, regional solicitor for the Labor Department, told The Guardian that officials have gathered “compelling evidence of very significant discrimination against women in the most common positions at Google’s California headquarters in Mountain View. She called discrimination against women at Google “quite extreme, even in this industry,” the newspaper reported. 

The tech industry has a reputation of being a boys club. The Labor Department has moved against other tech corporations. It sued Oracle in January, claiming that it paid white men more than other employees for similar work, which Oracle denied. 

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Apr 09

Man-made global warming makes droughts and floods more likely

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We already know that man-made global warming is bound to affect our planet, but it’s hard to connect human activities to specific events. Now a team of Penn State scientists have published a study that says human-caused climate change makes extreme w…

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Apr 09

'Thank You Scott' Is 'SNL's' Anthem For Lazy Armchair Activists

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This week’s episode of “Saturday Night Live” shed light on an issue that everyone’s familiar with, but relatively few talk about: Armchair activism.

In a music video titled “Thank You Scott,” the cast of “SNL” dedicates a song to Scott, aka Louis C.K., a social justice Twitter warrior who is compelled to make a change in the world with the power of his laptop and the “share” button.

Whether it’s posting a news article to his Facebook while sitting on the toilet or changing his Twitter bio to read “Black Lives Matter,” Scott is indeed doing his very minimal part to somehow make the world a better place.

And, apparently, a lot of people were touched by the song’s message.

After the music video aired Saturday night, the people of Twitter (whom we can assume was the skit’s target audience) came to a disappointing realization: We are all Scott. 

Let’s celebrate the new anthem of slacktivism and pledge to do way more than sit on our couches and send out a tweet.

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Apr 09

Louis C.K. Goes All White Privilege in 'Saturday Night Live' Monologue

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Louis C.K. took on a chicken’s racism and white privilege in his return stint as host of “Saturday Night Live” and left Donald Trump completely out of it.

“Why did the chicken cross the road?” he asked right at the start of his monologue. “Because there was a black guy walking behind him.” The chicken was nervous, looking over his shoulder, and when nothing happened, he felt horrible, telling himself, “I’m such a racist,” the comedian explained.

“Don’t be upset, this is not a racist joke,” he added. “The chicken … was definitely racist, but that’s chickens. They’re very closed down, suspicious.” The bird, by the way, was later killed and eaten in the story.

On the other side of the road, he talked about the time he used his white privilege in a tony hotel, demanding to know what had happened to his laundry.

“You can hear in my voice that I’m white,” he told the concierge. “It’s wrong that white people get preferential treatment. But as long as they do, what’s going on at this hotel? I’m supposed to get the best! Because I’m white! Which is awful and wrong … but where is it right now?” 

A frantic manager asks “What white happened?” and launches an investigation into C.K.’s laundry, which, it turns out he never turned in.

C.K.’s last stint as “SNL” host in 2015 rattled fans because he joked about child molestation.  This time he joked about sex with a goat. “I don’t care if you’re upset,” he said. “I’m still getting the goat.”

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Apr 09

Alec Baldwin As Trump Tells His Supporters To 'Keep Eating That Finger Chili'

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If there’s one group of people Donald Trump knows he can count on, it’s his fiercely loyal supporters. 

Alec Baldwin returned to “Saturday Night Live” as POTUS to tout all his supposed wins this week and to ensure he still has his fans’ support. 

“I met with leaders from China, Egypt and Jordan. Gorsuch was confirmed,” Trump boasted to the crowd. “The media is saying nice things and no one’s talking about Russia. What a difference just 59 tomahawk missiles can make.”

But when a coal miner, played by cast member Kyle Mooney, asked Trump a question about a federal rehab program that’s preventing his wife from moving to a new town with him, Trump brought up how alike he and his supporter really are.

“That’s the exact problem I have. My wife doesn’t want to move either,” Trump explained. “She still lives 200 miles away, it’s costing the federal government millions of dollars. It’s nuts, am I right?”

When the coal miner pressed POTUS on the issue ― not without expressing his support first ― Trump, on a whim, decided to slash the federal rehab program altogether.

“Don’t worry about that because we’re going to get rid of it. Junking it. Junked,” Trump assured his weary supporter. “Don’t you feel better now?”

To which the supporter replied, “I’m not sure. But I voted for you and you’re my president.”

Trump continued to field questions from his uncertain fans and cut random programs. Then, he offered the perfect metaphor for his people’s boundless support.

“See that’s why I came here, you people stand by me no matter what,” Trump said. “It’s like you found a finger in your chili, but you still eat the chili because you told everyone how much you love chili. It’s tremendous.”

Before setting off in his helicopter, the president added: “Keep eating that finger chili and remember, I’m one of you!”

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Apr 09

'SNL' Skewers Poor Boob Who Thought Up Doomed Pepsi Ad

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”Saturday Night Live” took on Kendall Jenner’s yanked Pepsi commercial with a reimagined behind-the-scenes look at some golden boy director who’s convinced he’s got a killer diversity ad.

The director, played by Beck Bennet, gets a call from his sister, and he waxes rhapsodic about the ad as a “kind of a homage to the resistance.” Jenner hands a Pepsi to a cop at a Black Lives Matter protest when things start to go bad, he explains,  and “that Pepsi brings everybody together. Isn’t that like … the best ad ever?”

Bennet’s face falls as sis obviously bursts his bubble.

He finally begins to get a clue: “Sort of tone deaf? We’re just using them … to sell soda?” As he he’s surrounded by a joyless cast of characters on the set: an Asian cello player, black dancers and women in head scarves.

Out pops Jenner (Cecily Strong) from her trailer talking to someone on her cell: “Um, I stop the police from shooting people by handing them a Pepsi. I know. It’s cute, right?”

Nope.

The skit ends with “live and learn” superimposed on the screen.

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Apr 09

Bernie Sanders quietly launched his own podcast

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Just because Bernie Sanders is no longer a presidential candidate doesn’t mean that he’s out of the internet’s spotlight. In fact, it might be easier than ever to listen to his ideas: the Vermont Senator has released a podcast version of his Faceboo…

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Apr 09

'Jersey Shore's' Mike 'The Situation' Hit With Serious New Tax Charges

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Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from MTV’s hard-swilling “Jersey Shore” reality TV series has been hit with serious tax dodging charges — again.

Sorrentino, 34, and his brother Marc Sorrentino were indicted in Newark Friday on new charges of tax evasion and falsifying records, including filing a false return for the reality star’s fashion line Situation Nation, according to federal court documents.

The superceding indictment updates charges first filed in 2014 that accused Sorrentino of conspiring to defraud the U.S. by allegedly dodging taxes from 2010 to 2012 owed on $8.9 million in income from promotional events. He evaded payment by filing false returns and by claiming millions of dollars in business expenses including pricey cars and “personal grooming,” according to the first indictment.

The new charges now also accuse The Situation of structuring funds to evade currency transaction reports, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey. His brother is now also charged with falsifying records to obstruct a grand jury investigation.

If convicted of all of the charges the brothers could each face 20 years in prison.

The indictment accuses the two of creating businesses, including MPS Entertainment and Situation Nation to “exploit Michael’s celebrity status,” said Acting New Jersey U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick in a statement. They allegedly “filed or caused to be filed … false tax returns that understated gross receipts, claimed fraudulent business deductions, and disguised income payments made to the brothers and to others and underreported net business income.”

A section of the indictment alleges that Sorrentino failed to file a personal 2011 income tax return. At one point, Sorrentino made several cash deposits on the same day in several bank accounts in amounts of less than $10,000 allegedly to evade the banks’ IRS reporting requirements, according to the federal statement.

The brothers are scheduled to be arraigned April 17.

Sorrentino’s attorney issued a statement to People magazine saying: “Michael Sorrentino will enter a not guilty plea on April 17, and will vigorously contest the allegations in court.”

Sorrentino, Marc and their brother Frank are scheduled to star in the “Family Edition” season of the relationship-mending “Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars” beginning April 28.

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Apr 09

Mesmerizing Video Of Hawaii Beach Sand Reveals Unsettling Reality

Posted in: Today's Chili

It’s easy to appreciate the beauty of a beach in Hawaii, with its electric blue waters lapping over a coast of golden sand. But hidden in plain sight is a devastating reality, captured in a video by Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

During a recent beach clean up in Kailua on the island of Oahu, the nonprofit group used a sand sifter to rid the sand of trash and plastic pollution. They filmed the slow-motion video below of the sifter in action to show people just how much harmful debris sits within the sand.

Among leftover twigs and shells is a shocking amount of plastic debris particles.

“This example from Kailua Beach in Hawaii shows what it could look like if you were in a highly polluted region,” ocean advocacy group Take 3 For The Sea wrote on Facebook. “This beach sits on the windward side of Oahu meaning plastic debris from the #greatpacificgarbagepatch washes up regularly on the onshore trade winds.”

But it’s only a small glimpse into the ocean’s giant plastic pollution problem.

An estimated eight million metric tons of plastic makes its way to the sea every year, according to a 2015 study. And all that trash harms the environment and wildlife in a variety of ways.

Sea turtles have been found in the ocean with plastic forks and straws rammed deep into its nostrils. Whales often become entangled in fishing line, hindering their hunting, swimming and, sometimes, causing them to starve to death. In February, researchers found 30 plastic bags, candy wrappers and other garbage, inside the belly of a beached whale.

What’s more, when fish consume plastic or microplastic (plastic pieces that are smaller than five millimeters), they also absorb the toxic chemicals contained in the digested debris. Some of those toxic chemicals may end up in the seafood humans consume.

“Plastics — when they end up in the ocean — are a sponge for chemicals already out there,” Chelsea Rochman, researcher at the University of California, Davis, told NPR IN 2013. “We found that when the plastic interacts with the juices in the [fish’s] stomach, the chemicals come off of plastic and are transferred into the bloodstream or tissue.”

That’s why organizations like Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii hold monthly beach clean ups and share their collected debris online: to put a dent in the global plastic pollution problem and to let the world know what’s really hiding in the sand.

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Apr 09

Haley Says Removing Assad Is A Top U.S. Priority

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an interview that she sees regime change in Syria as one of the Trump administration’s priorities in the country wracked by civil war.

Defeating Islamic State, pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are priorities for Washington, Haley said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” which will air in full on Sunday.

“We don’t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there,” Haley said.

The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the United States hit a Syrian air base with 59 Tomahawk missiles on Thursday in retaliation for what it said was a chemical weapons attack by Assad’s forces on Syrian civilians.

President Donald Trump ordered the missile strike after watching television images of infants suffering from chemical weapons injuries.

“You pick and choose your battles and when we’re looking at this, it’s about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out,” Haley had told reporters on March 30, just days before dozens of Syrian civilians died from chemical weapons injuries.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to take a more patient stance in regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that Washington’s first priority is the defeat of Islamic State.

Once the threat from Islamic State has been reduced or eliminated, “I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria,” Tillerson said in excerpts from an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” that will air in full on Sunday.

Tillerson said the United States is hopeful it can help bring parties together to begin the process of hammering out a political solution.

“If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe – we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process,” Tillerson said.

Syrian forces launched further airstrikes on Saturday that killed 18 people including five children in rebel-controlled Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the civil defense rescue service reported.

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