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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Feb 21, 2012
February 21, 2012
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I'm a Poll Man:
He's sputtering toward next week's Michigan primary, and things aren't looking too great for MITT ROMNEY in Arizona, either. The latest Real Clear Politics poll average gives Romney a 37.5-to-32-percent lead over RICK SANTORUM, with NEWT GINGRICH at 15.5-percent and RON PAUL at 8-percent.
But the story here is Romney's trend. He was up by over 20-points over his nearest competitor in early January and early February. (Pacelli)Small-town politics:
Having solved all other problems, the Illinois state legislature has passed a bill that would make it illegal to have sex with the dead. If the measure passes, anyone in violation could be looking at up to seven years in prison.
Editor's note: Well, there goes somebody's plans for Saturday night... (Maiman)Mardi Gras!:
Today is Fat Tuesday --the culmination of 11 days of partying and parades called Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Traditionally, Mardi Gras (and the companion holiday, Carnival in Brazil and other places) are supposed to be the last days of partying before the 40 days of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday (tomorrow).
Being Shrove Tuesday, today is also International Pancake Day. You know the drill; the contest between the folks in Liberal, KS, and Olney, England. This whole thing started when Christian Lenten rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products. So housewives would make pancakes to use up their supplies of eggs, milk, butter and other fats.
Editor's note: while International Pancake Day is today, as a PR stunt, National Pancake Day is next Tuesday, on Feb 28. On that day, visitors to the International House of Pancakes will be served up a "short stack" of free buttermilk pancakes, and in return, the company hopes they'll make a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network. Donations are strictly voluntary. Last year IHOP served more than 2.5 million free pancakes, and since 2006 when they began, they've raised nearly $8 million.Like you really care:
The very pink mansion owned by the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics is up for sale!
Make-up mogul MARY KAY ASH died over 10 years ago, but her mansion in Dallas is being sold now with an asking price of $3.3 million dollars. That’s a bargain –last time the house went up for sale, asking price was over $5 million bucks. The mansion is more than 12-thousand-square-feet, with six-bedrooms, a pink toilet and tub in the master bath. And it features all sorts of other pink-shaded amenities. Styleite.com says it was built in 1984 and recently re-painted inside and out. Take a guess what color they used. (Bartha)Stars and their movies:
Lotsa buzz about famed British actress, Dame JUDI DENCH, who at 77, is having to get people to read scripts to her because she's been diagnosed with macular degenration.
There are two kinds of the disease --the "dry" type, which occurs when light-sensitive cells in your eye's tissue break down, causing the vision to blur. It's the most common kind. There's also a "wet" kind, which causes people to go blind when new blood vessels spring up behind your macula, and leak blood and fluid.
Although the disease can cause blindness, Judi told Reuters she'd had injections into the eye which can block the growth of the blood vessels, at least temporarily forestalling the disease's progress.
But --she'll never get better than she is, which means she'll always have to have "a reader" to read her parts to her. -
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