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30 Apr 2009 21:32

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Politics: “Do you feel safer?” Rep. John Boehner tweaks our fear of stuff

  • Are you scared yet? We’re totally scared. We totally feel unsafe. Run for the hills! We’re all gonna die! PANIC!!!! AHH!!!!!! Thanks, Rep. John Boehner! source

30 Apr 2009 21:23

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Offbeat: Now dead, he’s no longer the world’s oldest Benedictine monk

  • 108 age of Father Theodore Heck, who died Wednesday
  • 80 number of years the dude served the church source

30 Apr 2009 21:13

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Biz, U.S.: OK, so someone doesn’t like the name “swine flu.”

  • The real issue is that anything is bad now because producers for the past 19 months have already lost money. On average they’ve lost about $20 a pig. So even if they lose $2 more, it’s hard on them.
  • Dave Warner • Communications director for the National Pork Producers Council, on how the “inaccurate” name for the flu strain, swine flu, has already hurt their industry. Swine flu, they say, is a combination of swine and human flu strains that you can’t get through eating pork. WHO has heard their criticism and changed the name to H1N1, but it’s terrible. So whatever. • source

30 Apr 2009 20:42

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U.S., World: The new name for swine flu sucks worse than Vanilla Ice

  • H1N1 whatever WHO dudes, it’s still swine flu source

30 Apr 2009 20:36

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Biz, U.S.: How much power did renegade hedge funds hold over Chrysler?

  • 70% Of Chrysler’s loan-holders agreed to the corporation’s terms – $2.25 billion in cash, or based on what we learned via YouTube earlier today, six-and-a quarter pennies.
  • 20 Number of anonymous investors, under the group name “Committee of Chrysler Non-Tarp Lenders,” involved in releasing a statement criticizing the company’s approach source

30 Apr 2009 20:24

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Biz, U.S.: Obama holds no love for Chrysler-bankrupting hedge funds

  • A group of investment firms and hedge funds decided to hold out for the prospect of an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout.
  • Barack Obama • In comments about today’s epic Chrysler chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Further sticking the knife into the hedge funds and investors, who dispute Obama’s claims, “They were hoping that everybody else would make sacrifices and they would have to make none.” • source

30 Apr 2009 10:26

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Offbeat, U.S.: Obama’s $100 million budget cuts, explained via pennies. Sweet.

  • Clever, duder: The guy in this video must have had a fun time acquiring all the pennies he needed to explain the federal budget on YouTube. source
 

30 Apr 2009 10:20

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Tech: Want to try Windows 7 for a year? You can, cheap skate.

  • The release candidate, out May 5, won’t expire until June 2010. Microsoft, on the brink of releasing a make-or-break version of Windows, is making the pre-retail release candidate free to use for over a year. “It’s available to as many people who see fit to use it, although we wouldn’t recommend it to just your average user,” said John Curran, director of the Windows Client Group. Does it work on a 386, John? source

30 Apr 2009 10:14

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Biz, U.S.: Consumer spending takes another small tumble in March

  • -0.2% the bigger-than-expected decline in spending source

30 Apr 2009 09:36

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Offbeat, World: This is the best worst quote in the history of ever

  • I’m not saying Susan Boyle caused swine flu. I’m just saying that nobody had swine flu, she sang on TV, people got swine flu.
  • British parliament member Sion Simon • Who said this quote on Twitter, by the way. It’s like three of the biggest news trends came together in a single moment to elicit a laugh from some and horror from others. May we venture to say he regrets saying this? • source