Earthquake devastates island nation

As many of you know, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake tragically struck the nation of Japan on Friday, which was followed by a tsunami that has left an estimated 700 people dead, 600 missing and 1,500 injured. The quake was the largest recorded in Japan's history.

In the time since the initial quake occurred, more than 140 aftershock mini-quakes have been reported, some as powerful as a 6.2-magnitude quake. As a result, an estimated 2.5 million are reported to still be without electricity.

And with late-breaking news coming in that small traces of radiation have leaked into the atmosphere from overheated nuclear reactors (in addition to an explosion Saturday afternoon), it remains uncertain how events will unfold in the coming days.

Politically Pussified would like to encourage all able readers to give back in Japan's time of need. While most readers may be an ocean or more away and cultural opposites in some regards, we all live, breathe, and share this world together.

You are encouraged to donate to The American Red Cross by texting "redcross" to 90999 for a minimum of a $10 donation. All donations are welcomed and highly appreciated.

... She died of what?

"Buttocks injections gone wrong" is the headline of this tragic story of a British woman who died Tuesday morning after having a makeshift injection procedure in a Philadelphia Hampton Inn.

Philly.com reports that Claudia Adusei, who along with her surviving friend received injections from two unknown (and likely unlicensed) young women, dialed 9-1-1 around 1:30 this morning. Adusei was soon after taken to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital and pronounced dead. A toxicology report is pending, and investigators are still searching for the two women believed to be responsbile for Adusei's death.

This isn't the first time someone has popped-up in the news for such an outlandish reason (and surely won't be the last time), and more notably, this isn't the only oddball news story to arise from the City of Philadelphia lately.

I love living in the so-called "sixth borough of New York" as much as the next weave-loving, hipster-hugging, cheesesteak-chomping Philadelphian, but this is getting to be a bit much. The heart of the American Revolution is quickly solidifying its status as the capital of the crazies.

At least Vegas is business-savvy enough to cover up its crime and immorality with a catchy slogan. Instead, Philadelphians just get headlines about people dying from ass injections and "Guardian Angels" that think they can fight crime by walking around town wearing a red beret and giving a "thumbs up."

Benjamin Franklin's silicone-less ass cheeks would certainly frown at the sight of today's Filthadelphia.

Sex - the key ingredient to a healthy diet

Toss aside your heart-healthy Cheerios and hormone injections; the real secret to living a longer, healthier life lies not inside a cereal box or doctor's office, but right inside your pants.

Self-proclaimed anti-ageing expert Dr. Eric Braverman claims in his new book "Younger (Sexier) You" that the answer to maintaining a solid immune system and happy heart is staying sexually active - no matter what age you are. This is in addition to building stronger muscles and bones (due to increased levels of vitamin D and "load-bearing," as you biology experts might refer to it) and, of course, keeping that southward second brain content.

Braverman also puts special emphasis in his book on the ability of an active sex life and a coffee-intensive diet to boost hormone levels in both men and women painfully enduring the awkward stages of menopause (yes, men go through menopause too), as well as those just looking to more consistently "get in the mood." Perhaps this could be the answer to President Obama's mid-life crisis prayers?

And for those of you fearful of infections and the common cold during the chilling months of flu season - never fear, Braverman says a simple orgasm can clear away your germaphobic fears and anxieties.

With the most personally political and sex-heavy day of the year just around the corner, you may want to further look into some of these tips on keeping up a healthy libido. And if not, do what three million other Americans and Jake Gyllenhaal would advise: take a Viagra and call it a day.

The 'Wicked Witch of the Wilderness' strikes again

As if taking heat for a crosshairs chart of Democratic challengers wasn't enough, Sarah Palin decided to fan the flames today by calling for "strength and sound mind" in the White House regarding the handling of the Egyptian crisis.

"Who's going to fill the void? (President Hosni) Mubarak, he's gone, one way or the other you know, he is not going to be the leader of Egypt, that that's a given, so now the information needs to be gathered and understood as to who it will be that fills now the void in the government," said Palin in an interview with The Christian Broadcast Network.

Palin continued on to further discuss her "concerns" with the direction of the Egyptian government going forward.

"Is it going to be the Muslim Brotherhood? We should not stand for that, or with that or by that. Any radical Islamists, no that is not who we should be supporting and standing by," Palin said.

My guess is that she's really not aiming for the muslim vote in the upcoming election. Or at least not with her politics.

Palin also saw it fit to comment on the state of today's media, and the direction it should be headed in. You know, because she has a journalism degree that she acquired after attending five different colleges and has virtually no experience in the industry. Girl knows her stuff.

"...much of the mainstream media is already becoming irrelevant," she said, stressing her willingness to "help journalists out."

It's my impression that the "liberal 'gotcha' media" is just becoming too much for the queen of glittering generalities to handle. But she could at least use her journalism expertise to clarify for the CBC that she has in fact never run for President, and therefore cannot run "again," as stated in paragraph five of the network's interview with the politician-turned-celebutante.

Yes, Sarah, contrary to what those adoring fans with the "Sarah!" campaign signs say, you were not the presidential candidate in 2008's election and - God-willing - won't be in 2012 either.

California dreamin'

A state never left out of controversy, California is about to play host to the most marketable marijuana product yet to hit pharmacy shelves: marijuana soda.

"Canna Cola," the new marijuana product courtesy of a company that finds its THC roots in Soquel, Calif., is not the first of its kind to see the light of day. It is, however, the first low-dose version of the product with a marketing strategy comparable more to that of actual soda companies (more along the lines of Sams Cola, not soda juggernauts Pepsi or Coca-Cola) than the generic "mooch off of the elderly" strategy of most drug companies.

Said to be the light beer of marijuana drinks, Canna Cola is a 12 ounce drink containing 35 to 65 milligrams of THC - significantly less than its competitors. The drink will launch in Colorado next month, with eventual plans for a California release.

With marijuana legal for medical use in 15 states, and constantly being challenged and debated in public forums (see: Proposition 19), is this just one more step forward for making marijuana use socially acceptable? After all, the labels of the product don't scream "heal me" so much as "deal me." One becomes especially skeptical, after hearing reports of how easily obtained medical marijuana is in the states that have legalized its usage.

I won't speak for or against the legalization of marijuana on a national level, but I will say that in a time of economic downturn and in a nation that, in all actuality, already abuses the drug in mass quantitities anyway; it wouldn't be the end of the world if one day the momentum turned in the direction of legalization.

And for those of you currently stuck in states where medical marijuana is still illicit, don't fret - you've still got your Mountain Dew.

Lady Gaga hints at pseudo-political album

Lady Gaga has an ironclad reputation of being music's latest weirdo-in-chief, and it looks as if the meat dress monster that is "Gaga" aims to maintain that title in 2011.

Gaga at last lifted her shades and "leaked" the full lyrics to her upcoming single and title track of her new album "Born This Way," set to premiere on February 13. The track, which takes an unsurprisingly political tone following her well-known advocation of "don't ask, don't tell" policy repeal, has already garnered enough online buzz to see the track name trending on Twitter.

"No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life / I'm on the right track baby / I was born to survive," belts the pop singer in the bridge of the song.

This is a notably stark contrast to the direction the artist's previous singles have taken - that is, it's noticeably less ambiguous, and strangely to-the-point for a pop culture icon that loves to keep people guessing.

While the lyrics of the song are more all-inclusive than the blurb above suggests, it is one of the first pop songs of the age to tackle the tolerance of homosexuality in a direct manner. Furthermore, not since Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" has the issue really been tackled at all in pop music. And, if the celebutante's comments on her new album being the "anthem of our generation" are any indication, this will be one of several politically-inspired tracks we'll see on the album when it releases in May.

But is it Lady Gaga's place to stand as a champion for gay rights, or any political movement, for that matter? Is her image and undeniably "sketch" reputation too polarizing to win over new allies in a largely conservative, "baby steps" type of nation?

Voice your thoughts below.

"Jed Clampett, meet Josiah Bartlet"

President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, his first address to the nation since Republicans won a landslide election and regained control of the House of Representatives. Yet despite all of the important food for thought President Obama fed the American citizenry, one headline seemed to top them all.

Since the custom of an evening broadcast of the annual State of the Union began in 1947, audiences have looked forward to the rather amusing divisiveness of their elected officials. You know, in lieu of the usual scripted drama that would normally be airing at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday evening.

But this year, "Jed Clampett" and "Josiah Bartlett" - that is, congressional Republicans and Democrats - decided to shake hands and halt the gunfire by agreeing to sit next to one another during the speech, rather than clustered together in the usual juvenile fashion.

In fact, this was such big news, that CNN found it relevant enough to take a poll on the "issue." And what did they find, you might ask? Seventy-two percent of Americans believe this is a good idea, while 22 percent are opposed to the concept.

Now, I realize that CNN loves to put out polls for the sake of doing so, and I'm further aware of the fact that Americans love to tease a good shit-show (watching the wave of partisan ovations is always fun), but 22 percent of people really don't believe two people with differing party affiliations and political views should sit next to each other? Is courtesy and respect really such a foreign concept to the general American public?

When it comes down to it, it seems silly that CNN (and every other news organization that reported on this so heavily) should put so much emphasis on such a high school type of topic. Any partisan feelings within Congress are as much perpetuated by the mass media as they are by the people within these chambers. No one needs to glorify the simple act of sitting down next to your colleague during a speech as being the "turn of the tide" for American politics. Get a grip.

And sure enough, when the time came for President Obama's speech, the partisan applause continued nonetheless. Only instead of a neat and organized display of partisanship, it was scattered throughout the sea of egotism. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) popped out a forced smile-turned-angry-grin as she watched John Boehner (R-OH) sit in the chair that she once called her own, and John McCain grimaced at President Obama's declaration that "...no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love." And do I even need to mention Michelle Bachman's (...T-MN?) out-of-the-blue, gasp-worthy response on behalf of the Tea Party caucus?

It's politics as usual, folks. Move along.