Digby on Alan Simpson being willfully ignorant

Hullabaloo: "'It was never intended as a retirement program. It was set up in ‘37 and ‘38 to take care of people who were in distress -- ditch diggers, wage earners -- it was to give them 43 percent of the replacement rate of their wages. The [life expectancy] was 63. That’s why they set retirement age at 65” for Social Security, Alan Simpson"

Krugman on Ryan's "plan"

Balloon Juice » Calling out word strings of stupidity…: "Here’s an analogy: think of Medicare as a footbridge that is deteriorating and will eventually become unsafe. You could propose structural repairs to fix its faults; Ryan doesn’t do that. Instead, he proposes knocking the bridge down and replacing it with trampolines, in the hope that pedestrians can bounce across the stream. And the Post declares that he deserves credit for pointing out that the bridge is falling down, and proposing a solution. Um, we knew that the bridge was in bad shape — and his solution is a fraud."

A Creationist Brings The Stupid

That's a new one : Pharyngula: "If people die when hearts, kidneys and livers fail, then how did anyone live while those organs 'evolved?' The obvious answer is that they didn't. Man began as he is today."

Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt killed in Giro d'Italia crash

Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt killed in Giro d'Italia crash | Sport | guardian.co.uk:

"Wouter Weylandt, a rider for Team Leopard Trek, has died after crashing during the Giro d'Italia."

via First Draft

Chuck Schumer pees his pants

Schumer Calls For 'No-Ride' List For Amtrak Trains | TPMMuckraker:

"Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) called on Sunday for a 'no-ride' list for Amtrak trains, as a way of preventing potential terrorists from riding the rails."

This is quite possibly the dumbest idea from a politician this year.

I like Filets-o-fish and I don't know why

Fish shticks: A tour of fast food fish « Climate Progress: "Sustainability rating: Surprisingly, something to sing about. McDonald’s is widely considered the leader in sustainable seafood sourcing for fast food chains. They operate in conjunction with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, and one of their executives was recognized with a Champion award from the Seafood Choices Alliance in 2009."

Over $500 a pound for a bluefin tuna

$400K Bluefin Tuna Breaks Sales Record | Field & Stream: "Hey, have you heard this one? Guy walks into a Japanese fish market and says, 'I got a 754-pound bluefin tuna out here. What's it worth?' The fish market proprietor says, 'Gee, there are hardly any wild bluefin that big left in the world. How about $400,000?' This is precisely what happened yesterday at Japan's Tsukiji Fish Market."