Chili's To Fundraise With Customer Money For Anti-Vaccination Austim Group

Enjoying an Awesome Blossom at Chili's on Monday? Some of your money will be going toward anti-vaccination efforts.

On April 7, the restaurant chain will be donating 10 percent of customers' checks to the National Autism Association in honor of National Autism Awareness month. On its website, the NAA claims that vaccinations can expedite autism in "some, if not many, children."

Though the anti-vaccination movement has gained steam in recent years, more and more data shows that anti-vaccination efforts can result in outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles. The Center for Disease Control has repeatedly disputed the idea of a causal relationship between vaccinations and the development of autism in children.

On its website, the NAA doesn't make a definitive statement about vaccinations and autism, instead directing users to the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit organization. In his book Denialism, journalist Michael Specter writes that the "NVIC is the most powerful anti-vaccine organization in America, and its relationship with the U.S. government consists almost entirely of opposing federal efforts aimed at vaccinating children."

Chili's has already felt backlash from its decision to donate proceeds to the NAA, issuing a defensive statement to its nearly 4 million Facebook fans on Friday.

"The intent of our 4/7 National Give Back Event is not to express a view on this matter, but rather to support the families affected by autism," Chili's writes in the post. "Our choice to partner with the National Autism Association was based on the percentage of donations that would go directly to providing financial assistance to families and supporting programs that aid the development and safety of children with autism."

The majority of comments on the post are strongly critical of Chili's' choice to partner up with the NAA.

"I am incredibly disappointed with [Chili's] and their decision to host an event/contribute funds to an organization that will directly result in sick and dead children," one comment reads. "Hosting a fundraiser for an organization that encourages parents not to vaccinate their children is not only irresponsible, but also unforgivable. If your restaurant goes through with the fundraiser on april 7 [sic], I will never eat at one of your restaurants again."

Chili's did not return a request for comment Sunday.

Those looking to contact Chili's can do so through its website.

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Inside The Corrupt Reality Of Government

The only mild complaint against the critically acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad is that the premise is a stretch.

Read the whole story at Reason

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Why is Bacon Called Bacon? and Other Favorite Food Name Origins

It's a little odd to think of the fact that every single word that we say, in any language, has its origins somewhere. From bacon to bread, the name of every single food in existence also got its start somewhere. We rounded up 10 of the most essential foods around, did some digging, and tracked down where their names came from.

Click Here to see The Origins of More of Your Favorite Foods

Like most English words in general, the names of most foods are Latin in origin. But that doesn't mean that every word has ancient roots: certain foods, like sandwiches, are named after people. Many foods have roots with the cultures that first brought them to English-speaking countries; foods that were popular with Eastern European Jews, for example, continue to bear monikers similar to the ones bestowed on them centuries ago.

John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, is largely credited with being this food’s namesake. While eating meat in between two slices of bread was initially more the domain of the lower classes (as a drinking food), the English aristocracy had appropriated it as a late-night snack by the 1700s. While this type of food was originally just called “bread and meat” or “bread and cheese,” the Earl’s friends took a shine to his regular requests for one in order to play cards one-handed, and began to ask the butler for “the same as Sandwich!” And a legend was born. Click Here to see More of the Origins of Your Favorite Foods Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

By the late 1600s, bagels were one of the most popular foods in the Polish city of Krakow, where they were first invented. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the spelling at the time was bajgiel, from the Yiddish beygl, from the Middle High German böugel, from the Old High German bouc, which meant, not surprisingly, “ring.” Photo Credit: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock

The earliest word for butter was the Greek bouturon, meaning “cow cheese.” From there the Romans picked it up and started calling it butyrum, and it’s not too difficult to see how that word became butter. Photo Credit: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock Click Here to see More of the Origins of Your Favorite Foods

It’s common knowledge that the hamburger was named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. In the 1600s, Hamburg’s port was a main stop for ships coming from Russia, and Russians brought recipes for chopped steak tartare with them to the city. While the cooked patty version became fairly popular in Hamburg, the word hamburger was actually coined by restaurant owners in New York, in order to lure in recent German immigrants looking for a taste of home. Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

While it’s debated as to exactly when folks began taking large quantities of fat and deep-frying sticks of potatoes in it, there’s no debate that it began in Belgium. Belgian cuisine was assimilated into that of neighboring France, and soon enough “french fried potatoes” became popular in the U.S., first appearing in English in 1856. There’s a rumor that “French” actually refers to the way the potatoes are sliced, but the food item actually predated the technique known as ‘frenching.’ The U.S. is one of the only countries that calls them French fries; they’re chips in England, frites in France, and patatas fritas in Spain. Click Here to see More of the Origins of Your Favorite Foods Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

Current Slide

The culinary world is a living, breathing thing, and new foods are being invented all the time. The current rage is portmanteaux, or the fine art of taking two food names and combining them into a completely new word. Take the Cronut, for example, invented last summer by pastry chef Dominique Ansel. It's an amalgam of the words croissant (which is French for 'crescent') and doughnut, a word which was actually first written down by writer Washington Irving, who described them as "balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat" in his 1809 History of New York (they were most likely closer in resemblance to doughnut holes, which look more or less like "dough nuts").

So next time you're munching away on a bagel, take a second and remember that once upon a time, there was no word for that delicious orb of dough, and some baker thought long and hard before christening it accordingly. Maybe one day, when you're tinkering around in your kitchen at 1 a.m., you too can invent a food that nobody's ever eaten before, and you can invent a food name as well. In that case, we'd suggest brushing up on your Latin.

Read on to learn the origins of 10 of the world's most popular foods.

-Dan Myers, The Daily Meal

More Content from The Daily Meal:

America's Best Bagels

America's 25 Best Donuts

The 40 Best Burgers in America

101 Best Pizzas in America

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Gingrich: Remove All Donation Limits To 'Equalize The Middle Class And The Rich'

After last week's Supreme Court decision in McCutcheon v FEC striking down total limits on campaign donations, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that even more deregulation is necessary to "overnight, equalize the middle class and the rich."

Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Gingrich cited the 1976 decision Buckley v. Valeo, which first equated with money with speech and said that to limit certain contributions was tantamount to limiting freedom of expression. Gingrich said that "you've gone from that original decision to Citizens United, which said, in effect, that corporations could give and created super PACs. Now you've said they're unlimited."

The 2010 Citizens United ruling allowed corporations, unions and individuals to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections through super PACs. Last week's McCutcheon decision lets individuals give an unlimited total amount directly to parties and candidates, so long as they stay within limits for individual campaigns.

Gingrich added, "The next step is the one Justice Clarence Thomas cited -- candidates should be allowed to take unlimited amounts of money from anybody. And you would, overnight, equalize the middle class and the rich."

The former speaker wan't the only panel member offering a counterintuitive take on Wednesday's decision. Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, argued that not every wealthy donor will embrace the outcome of the McCutcheon case, because they may now be obliged to give more.

"All the donors I know hate this decision, of course," he said. "This used to be a very good excuse to say to a candidate, ooh, I'm maxing out, I just can't help your campaign."

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The Texas-Sized Video Screens At The Final Four Are Bigger Than The Basketball Court (PHOTOS)

Fans attending the Final Four aren't likely to argue against the saying that "everything is bigger in Texas" after getting a look at the enormous video screens at AT&T Stadium.

Even at 94 feet by 50 feet, the basketball court was dwarfed by the colossal screens hanging above it. With AT&T Stadium built in Arlington to be the home of Dallas Cowboys, they were sized for the NFL experience as envisioned by Jerry Jones. According to the Cowboys' official website, these two screens are 160 feet across and 72 feet tall. Those Texas-sized measurements make them about twice the size of the basketball court below during the Final Four.

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Is Your Nonprofit Forward Focused or A Prisoner of the Past?

Governance arguably suffers most ... when boards spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror and not enough scanning the road ahead. *

It has been my experience that nonprofits rarely address the possibilities and perils of "...the road ahead." An endless stream of current and pressing issues cause both Board and CEO to take a myopic view of their nonprofit responsibilities -- either totally ignoring strategic issues or procrastinating a discussion of the subject. The results can be damaging to the organization. Here are some "prompts" that might guide nonprofit board members and CEOs as they attempt to provide leadership in this important but neglected area:

Balanced Agendas - Include and highlight strategic issues on every board meeting agenda (not just when a committee report is presented) until they are resolved with action plans, policy development or thoroughly discussed and removed. This constant emphasis on planning can go a long way towards achieving concrete actions on topics of future concern. A discussion of immediate issues juxtaposed with ongoing strategic concerns will provide a balanced meeting format that may possibly discourage directors' attempts to micromanage, a very common tendency in nonprofit boards!

Short Term Focus - In a recent BoardSource report, 49% of nonprofit CEOs gave their boards academic grades of C, D, or F for their strategy efforts. ** The explanation for weak performance in this area is often attributed to the fact that the directors' terms of service on the board are usually 3-6 years during which time people's interest in the long-term future of the organization may be compromised. Some boards may be disproportionately represented by "millennials" whose participation comes with heavy time constraints. Problems of this type can be mitigated by seeking board members who are partially or fully retired. They are likely to be better equipped to focus on the important governance functions and the fundamentals in which the nonprofit operates. Boards need to look to look further out than anyone else in the organization... There are times when CEOs (those operationally concerned with strategy) are the last ones to see (environmental) changes coming.

Board Recruiting - Nonprofit recruiting can be a hit or miss process, often producing candidates who are readily available and familiar to the current board. Rarely will the committee seek out people who have strong track records as strategists and/or competent visionaries. This is a real challenge, but a forward focused board should make every effort to identify potential directors who have these types of experience and skills. The topic of recruitment is a challenging one and the process should have continual annual evaluation.

Can Nonprofit Boards Work Smarter Not Harder?
As noted earlier, nonprofit board people are often limited in the amount of time they can devote to board participation. Given these constraints, the board chair and CEO can choose from a range of options that will help orient directors to better understand the external landscape in which the organization operates. These initiatives can include visits to comparable facilities, opportunities to attend field related conferences or inviting experts in the same or similar organizations to interact with board members. The purpose is to infuse each member of the board with an informed view of the organization's long-term future and prepare them to take the appropriate action. The CEO and board chair must address this question with a viable plan: What actually helps... (to develop) a board environment that encourages participation and allows board members to derive meaning, inspiration and satisfaction from their (board) work?

Talent: The Key to Nonprofit Success - A nonprofit board has one hiring decision to make: the engagement of the CEO. But it also has a significant responsibility to overview long-term talent development in the staff and management. The board of a family service agency needs to assure that its counselors are up to date on current modalities of counseling. A recreational organization must be operating in the context of accepted fitness practices. Annual talent reviews need to be scheduled with CEOs and the appropriate staff. In addition, individual board members, with the concurrence of the CEO, may want to have occasional professional contact with key people below the senior management.

Make strategy part of the board's DNA - (Many nonprofit) ... CEOs present their strategic vision once a year, the directors discuss and tweak it at a single board meeting (or a short retreat), and the plan is then adopted. The board's input is minimal and there's not enough in-depth information to underpin proper consideration of the alternatives.

An educated nonprofit board will have the depth of understanding to be alert to the future needs and problems of its organization. Typically there is usually an unanticipated "fork" in the road ahead. Status quo, "minding the store," participation by rote are all too easy mindsets that will only hobble the progress of an organization. Board chairs and CEOs are key actors in turning an existing board environment into one that is focused on moving forward.

*Christian Casa and Christian Caspar (2014) "Building a forward-looking board," McKinsey Quarterly, February. Note: Quotations from this article are presented in italics.

** BoardSource (2012) CEO Survey of BoardSource Members, Data Report 1, Nonprofit Governance Index 2012.

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Jeb Bush To Decide On Presidential Run This Year

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeb Bush says he's all the speculation about whether he'll run for president in 2016 is actually getting him more attention than if he had already entered the race.

The former Republican governor of Florida says that's not by design, and that he'll make his decision before year's end.

He tells Fox News Channel that the state of politics is "crazy right now."

Bush says one factor in his decision will be whether he can deliver an optimistic message without getting drawn into a political "mud fight."

Bush has antagonized many Republicans by supporting an immigration overhaul and educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade known as Common Core.

He says the other main factor in his decision will be whether it's OK with his family if he ran.

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'Captain America' Sets April Box-Office Record Racking In $96.2 Million

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has set a record as the biggest domestic April release ever.

The Disney sequel debuted with $96.2 million topping the previous record holder, 2011's "Fast Five," which opened with $86.2 million. Last weekend "The Winter Soldier," which stars Chris Evans as the shield wielding superhero, commanded 32 international markets, gaining $75.2 million in its overseas bow.

Expanding to Russia, Australia and China in its second week, the Marvel comic adaptation has earned $207.1 million internationally.

Paramount's biblical saga "Noah," starring Russell Crowe, took a drastic dip in its second weekend, earning $17 million after debuting with $44 million. Still, it sailed into second place, pushing Lionsgate's young adult science-fiction thriller "Divergent," led by Shailene Woodley, to third with $13 million in its third week.

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States With The Highest (And Lowest) Taxes

During the 2011 tax season, Americans paid 9.8% of their income in state and local taxes — on top of taxes collected by the federal government. This number, according to a report by the Tax Foundation, was up from 9.3% in 2000, but was basically unchanged from 2009.

Read the whole story at 24/7 Wall St.

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'Palo Alto' Trailer Premiere Most Likely Explains James Franco's Recent Instagram Texts

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 19: James Franco makes his broadway debut in 'Of Mice And Men' on Broadway at The Longacre Theatre on March 19, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic) | Bruce Glikas via Getty Images

Just a few days after James Franco's questionable Instagram texts with a 17-year-old girl leaked onto Imgur, the first trailer for "Palo Alto" was released. The film is based on a short story collection of the same name written by Franco. It includes a coming-of-age tale, in which Emma Roberts plays a shy girl named April who becomes romantically entangled with her soccer coach, Mr. B (Franco), while dancing around her feelings for a stoner kid her age named Teddy (Jack Kilmer).

In other words, that whole Franco Instagram scandal was (almost definitely) just a promo stunt for the movie. Watch the trailer below. "Palo Alto" was directed by Gia Coppola and opens in select theaters May 9.

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Russia Supporters Storm Ukraine Government Buildings

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Crowds of pro-Russian demonstrators stormed government buildings Sunday in several major cities in eastern Ukraine, where secessionist sentiment has sparked frequent protests since Ukraine's Russia-friendly president was ousted in February.

In Donetsk, 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of the Russian border, a large group of people, including many in masks carrying sticks and stones, surged into the provincial government building and smashed windows.

A gathering of several hundred, many of them waving Russian flags, then listened to speeches delivered from a balcony emblazoned with a banner reading "Donetsk Republic." Activists in the building said they want to see a referendum for the Donetsk province to join Russia.

An AP photographer reported seeing people bringing car tires to be used as barricades against any presumed attempt by authorities to retake the building.

Eastern Ukraine was the heartland of support for Viktor Yanukovych, the president who fled to Russia in February after months of protests. About half of the region's residents are ethnic Russians, many of whom believe Ukraine's acting authorities are Ukrainian nationalists who will oppress Russians.

Ukraine's interim authorities deny they are infringing the rights of the ethnic Russian population and accuse Moscow of trying to sow instability. Russia has moved large contingents of troops to areas near the Ukrainian border, and speculation is strong that unrest in eastern Ukraine could be used as a pretext for a Russian incursion.

Since Crimea held a referendum to secede and then was annexed by Russia in March, calls for similar referenda in Ukraine's east have emerged.

President Oleksandr Turchinov's office said in a statement he had canceled a planned visit to Lithuania this week to take personal charge over the situation in eastern Ukraine.

In Luhansk, to the northeast from Donetsk, hundreds of people surrounded the local headquarters of the security service and later scaled the facade to plant a Russian flag on the roof. Ukrainian media reported that demonstrators pelted the building with eggs, and then stones, a smoke grenade and finally a firebomb. The flames were reportedly quickly extinguished.

A police officer and a demonstrator were injured in the disturbances.

Local media reported similar unrest in Kharkiv, less than an hour's drive from the Russian border.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov wrote on his Facebook account that Russia was to blame for the turbulence.

Russian President Vladimir "Putin and Yanukovych have ordered and financed another round of separatist unrest in the east," he said. "Not many people have gathered, but they are behaving aggressively. In Donetsk, the crowd brought many children and women for the storming. They are provoking a spillover into blood."

Avakov said no heavy-handed measures would be adopted to deal with the unrest.

"The situation will be brought back under control without blood," he said. "The Interior Ministry will not shoot at people, at this gang of paid-up provocateurs. Among the protesters, there are many that have been deceived, many that have been paid."

On Saturday, Ukraine's security service said it had detained a 15-strong armed gang planning to seize power in Luhansk province.

The Security Service of Ukraine said it seized 300 machine guns, an antitank grenade launcher, a large number of grenades, five handguns and firebombs.

It said the group intended to mount a grab for power. No names or additional details were provided.

Also Sunday, authorities in Ukraine said they found the body of a kidnapped journalist who played an active role in protests that led to Yanukovych's ouster. The body was found in a forest about 150 kilometers (60 miles) outside the capital, Kiev.

Cherkassk province prosecutors said Vasily Sergiyenko was abducted in his home city of Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi on Friday evening and later murdered. The nationalist Svoboda party, of which Sergiyenko was a member, said the reporter was found with stab wounds and signs of beatings to his head and knees.

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Jesse Jackson Jr. Transferred To Alabama Prison After Dispute, Stint In Solitary Confinement

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 14: Jesse L. Jackson Jr. was sentenced to 2 1 / 2 years in prison Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign money to fund an extravagant lifestyle over many years. His wife, Sandra, was sentenced to one year. Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images) | The Washington Post via Getty Images

Jesse Jackson Jr. has been moved to an federal prison facility in Alabama following a dispute at the North Carolina prison where he was serving a 30-month sentence for misusing campaign funds.

Family of the ex-Illinois congressman confirmed to ABC Chicago over the weekend that Jackson was transferred to a minimum-security federal prison in Montgomery following disputes at the North Carolina prison that led to Jackson being placed in solitary confinement.

The Bureau of Prisons declined to provide the Chicago Tribune specifics over Jackson's transfer, citing privacy and security reasons.

A source told the Chicago Sun-Times the 49-year-old Jackson was reportedly advising his fellow inmates about their rights in prison when a guard "took exception to that." Jackson was then placed in solitary confinement for five days more than a month ago.

After a subsequent hearing where Jackson was cleared of any wrongdoing, Jackson requested to be transferred to FPC Montgomery -- the facility he listed as his top choice during sentencing.

Additionally, the Montgomery facility has a residential drug and alcohol treatment program -- something the North Carolina facility lacked, CBS Chicago notes.

Jackson Jr. suffers from bipolar disorder and depression, and previously sought treatment at Mayo Clinic before his conviction.

“He’s been very disciplined in his health-recovery regimen,” Jackson's father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, told the Sun-Times. “He’s been doing a lot of reading and writing.”

Jackson said he and other members of the Jackson family -- including his ex-Chicago alderman wife Sandi -- have been visiting the ex-congressmen in jail. Jackson Jr. is scheduled to be released in December 2015.

Sandi Jackson, who was convicted of filing false tax returns, faces a 12-month sentence to be served upon her husband's release.

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Florida Weighs Easing Mandatory Minimums In Drug Cases

TALLAHASSEE -- Having seven hydrocodone painkillers on you without a valid prescription can land you in prison with a mandatory three-year sentence.

Tough state laws treat drug abusers the same as traffickers, so nonviolent addicts often end up behind bars rather than getting treatment. Lawmakers agree the "harsh" sentencing requirements need adjustment.

"Our trafficking laws don't distinguish between a person in possession and a person who is selling," said Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation. "We recognize that it doesn't make sense financially, or otherwise, to send someone to state prison for three years under a mandatory-minimum sentence for possession of seven hydrocodone pills."

Her proposal (HB 99) and its Senate counterpart (SB 360), would allow nonviolent, first-time offenders caught with small amounts to go to drug court rather than prison. It could save the state $47 million over five years by sending nearly 500 fewer people to prison, according to a state report.

Ideally, those savings would go toward drug courts, treatment and counseling, Edwards said.

The bills are aimed specifically at the highly addictive painkillers oxycodone and hydrocodone, the meds that fueled the pill-mill crackdown in 2009 and 2010. At that time, Florida led the nation and Broward County led the state in the number of pain clinics churning out prescriptions and selling pills on site for cash.

Broward dispensed more than 9 million oxycodone tablets in one six-month period in 2008, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The state did a "great job" cracking down on them but now it's time to deal with the addicts, Edwards said.

The number of inmates convicted of trafficking prescription drugs quadrupled from 262 to 1,200 over the five-year period from 2006 to 2011, records from the state Department of Corrections show.

A random sampling of nearly 200 of them showed of those locked up for hydrocodone trafficking, half had fewer than 30 pills and a quarter had fewer than 15 vs. 91 for the average oxycodone trafficker.

"The costs of prosecuting low-level offenses with harsh mandatory minimums has made legislators rethink these laws," said Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a state senator at the time the anti-pill-mill legislation was taking hold. "We support reviewing these laws when it comes to low-level, nonviolent drug offenses."

The new legislation distinguishes between "the drug abusers and the drug dealers," said Monica Hofeheinz, assistant state attorney and executive director of the Broward State Attorney's Office, which supports the bills.

The measure will likely go up for a vote on the House floor this week. Senators unanimously passed their version, sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, on March 26.

"This is encouraging alternative approaches to simply just warehousing drug addicts," Bradley said. "I think we need to be tougher when it comes to dealing with people we're afraid of and smarter when it comes to dealing with people we're just mad at."

Under current law, possession of four grams of either drug -- the equivalent of seven hydrocodone pills or 31 oxycodone pills -- without a valid prescription carries a mandatory state prison sentence of three years. Larger amounts carry 15- and 25-year sentences.

Trafficking charges depend on the amount of the drug. Reform advocates say that's a problem when it comes to prescription drugs because the entire pill is weighed, and that includes the controlled substance plus the coating, binders and nonprescription ingredients, such as acetominophen -- a primary ingredient in hydrocodone.

Under the proposal, it would take three times as many hydrocodone pills -- 22 rather than seven -- to trigger a three-year sentence. And what used to lead to a 25-year sentence would result in seven years.

The threshold for the more potent and smaller-sized oxycodone, which generally isn't combined with acetominophen, would be slightly steeper.

tealanez@tribune.com, 954-356-4542 or Twitter @talanez

What would change

Current drug-trafficking laws:

4 grams to under 14 grams (7 hydrocodone pills) (31 oxycodone pills) = 3 years in prison

14 grams to under 28 grams (22 hydrocodone pills) (108 oxycodone pills) = 15 years in prison

28 grams to under 30 kilograms (44 hydrocodone pills) (215 oxycodone pills) = 25 years in prison

30 kilograms or more = life in prison

Proposal for new hydrocodone-trafficking law:

14 grams to under 28 grams = 3 years in prison

28 grams to under 50 grams = 7 years in prison

50 grams to under 200 grams = 15 years in prison

200 grams to under 30 kilograms = 25 years in prison

30 kilograms or more = life in prison

Proposal for new oxycodone-trafficking law:

7 grams to under 14 grams = 3 years in prison

14 grams to under 25 grams = 7 years in prison

25 grams to under 100 grams = 15 years in prison

100 grams to 30 kilograms = 25 years in prison

30 kilograms or more = life in prison ___

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Here's How Morning TV Is Different Now, According To Former 'Today' Co-Host

The morning show landscape looks a bit different than it used to, former "Today" co-host Deborah Norville said Sunday.

Norville joined CNN's "Reliable Sources" to talk about the recent shakeup on "Good Morning America." Josh Elliott left the ABC show to join NBC Sports last week, prompting speculation that he has his sights set on a "Today" show role. His exit comes after Sam Champion's departure for the Weather Channel. "Live With Kelly and Michael" co-host Michael Strahan is expected to join "GMA" in a new part-time role.

On Sunday, Norville, who co-hosted "Today" in 1990 and 1991, compared Elliott's departure to Ann Curry's 2012 ouster from "Today," which she said involved more "tears" and "angst."

"Elliott left of his own accord," said Norville. "It's not a situation where people can say, 'This guy was being pushed out.' He made a business decision, NBC made a business decision in bringing him in."

Norville did not say whether she thought Elliott could be in line for a "Today" job, but noted that NBC News and ABC News now "have a large number" of co-hosts in the morning.

"When I was a part of morning television, there was the host, the co-host, the weather person and the news reader," she recalled. "That was it. Now you've got six, eight, depending how you want to tally up the various hours."

Another change in the wake of Elliott's departure, according to Norville, is that the majority of the casts on network TV in the morning are now female. That is certainly the case on "GMA," where women outnumber the show's sole male host, George Stephanopoulos, four to one.

Gayle King, Norah O'Donnell and Charlie Rose host "CBS This Morning," while the "Today" show cast consists of Carson Daly, Willie Geist, Kathie Lee Gifford, Savannah Guthrie, Tamron Hall, Hoda Kotb, Matt Lauer, Natalie Morales and Al Roker, for a five-to-four breakdown of women to men.

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A Tolerant Society Should Not Tolerate Militancy Against Tolerance. Period.

There's too much baloney flying around, large slices of baloney that often hit you in the face. Recently the baloney slices involve pronouncements about tolerance and diversity. Let me get to the point to make certain the point is understood. It's about the CEO of Firefox who recently resigned, shortly after his appointment, the resignation apparently due to the outrage of many people because of his opposition to gay marriage evidenced by a political contribution of money that he made in the past.

Gay conservative writer Andrew Sullivan opposes the outrage and the resignation, saying the outrage disgusts him "as it should disgust anyone interested in a tolerant and diverse society." And gay columnist Frank Bruni in a long piece in the New York Times tells us that "Sullivan is right to raise concerns about the public flogging."

Now that's a large slice of baloney thrown by Sullivan and Bruni at the face of reason. In the real world it makes no sense to tolerate people who work politically or with militancy to generate a society that is not tolerant. You cannot tolerate the actions of people who want to kill you and you cannot tolerate the actions of people who want to change your tolerant and diverse society into a society that is not tolerant and diverse.

The key word is "actions"--the actions of people. It's one thing for someone to hold intolerant views and not act upon those views in a political or militant manner. Those people can be tolerated because they are not dangerous to a tolerant society. But people who are politically active or militant with an agenda of intolerance are not to be tolerated. They are either to be persuaded to change their views or invited to join some other society.

Mr. Brendan Eich, the former CEO of Firefox, made a contribution of money to a political cause and at that moment he became politically active in a movement to promote intolerance. That action cannot be tolerated by a tolerated society. The tolerance of a tolerant society can never extend to those who wish to destroy that society. Any more than for the sake of "tolerance" you can tolerate the actions of someone who wants to kill you.

There's baloney and there's baloney. The trouble with media baloney is that it has no nutritive value.

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