W est Africa’s Ebola outbreak prompts changes in I.Coast cuisine
by Staff Writers
Bouake, Ivory Coast (AFP) April 20, 2014

West Africa’s first outbreak of Ebola fever is bad news for gourmets in Ivory Coast, but brings respite from the hunter to species sought out for tasty meat but feared to carry the disease.

Late in March, Health Minister Raymonde Goudou Coffie called for her compatriots to stop eating porcupines and agoutis, which look like large river-rats, “until we can be sure there are no risks”.

Bushmeat is known to be a vector of Ebola, the alarming haemorrhagic fever that has claimed at least 122 lives in Guinea, according to a UN World Health Organisation toll on April 17. Liberia, meanwhile, reports 13 deaths.

Hunters and restaurant owners in the central Ivorian town of Bouake are upset that clients have begun to steer clear of the strong taste of…

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Ted Kennedy and Health Care

Image 04/19/2014 Nativegrl77

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Your Cell Bill

04/18/2014 Nativegrl77

Wireless Carriers: #AbolishOverages @ATT, @VerizonWireless and @Sprint!

By John Legere

Bellevue, Washington

In 2013, more than 20 million Americans were hit with punitive overage charges by U.S. wireless companies, and all Americans have known the fear of wireless bill shock. Overage penalties from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint take more than an incredible $1 billion out of consumers’ pockets every year. It’s time to show these companies that we’re not going to take these outrageous fees lying down anymore.

Sign John’s Petition

Traditional wireless plans start with a low monthly fee for a fixed amount of domestic minutes, texts or data. Once consumers go over those limits – even by a little – they’re hit with dramatically higher rates and extreme penalties. These plans seem purpose-built to drive customers over that invisible line into massive overage charges.

This is just plain wrong, and it must end. I’m laying down the challenge to AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to follow T-Mobile’s lead and abolish these overages once and for all.

Sign this petition to #AbolishOverages and send a message to the old guard wireless companies that bill shock and overage fees are no longer acceptable and no longer welcomed in this industry.

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They’re Defending Lawlessness Now?

04/18/2014 Nativegrl77

Some other things I’ve read this week: Grace Wyler’s reporting on how right-wing militias are mobilizing, an examination of David Foster Wallace’s warnings about irony, Sarah Kliff’s explanation of the recent Census changes, and Simon Maloy’s advice for reporters covering Paul Ryan.

John Whitehouse
Twitter: @existentialfish

Pure Hypocrisy

Conservative media have spent years accusing the Obama administration of lawlessness. But now they’re lining up to defend a rancher who refuses to even acknowledge the existence of the federal government: http://mm4a.org/Q6GzVK Related: Media Matters Investigative Reporter Joe Strupp spoke to Nevada journalists, who told him that the rancher is clearly breaking the law: http://mm4a.org/1kye9Py

From The Fringe To The Mainstream

ABC News announced that it has hired right-wing radio host Laura Ingraham as a contributor. She regularly uses inflammatory rhetoric to be a voice for the fringe: http://mm4a.org/1m0k2aq Related: Laura Ingraham is one of the right-wing radio hosts whose shows have deep financial ties to the tea party: http://politi.co/Qr0ApD

FEATURED VIDEO

Eric Boehlert and Chris Hayes discussed why the conservative outrage machine embraced the lawless rancher in Nevada: http://mm4a.org/Rk87I5

SPEAKING OUT

Media Matters Radio spoke with Lilly Ledbetter about conservatives like Fox News who pretend the gender pay gap does not exist: http://mm4a.org/1khQPW7

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Five White People On Fox News Discuss “Race In America”

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The cost of inaction

04/18/2014 Nativegrl77

One year ago today, the Senate introduced S.744, a bipartisan bill that would fix our broken immigration system, grow our economy, and shrink the deficit. Last June, they passed that bill. The House has still failed to act.

Take a look at how inaction has hurt our economy — and pass it on: