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21 Jul 2009 10:37

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Offbeat: Guy covered with gasoline, tased: Pardon me while I burst into flames

  • He was carrying a lighter and pouring himself with petrol. We don’t know if the lighter set it off or something from the Taser.
  • Inspector Bill Munnee of the West Australian Police • Describing the events that led to a man being set on fire. After covering himself with gasoline, the Australian man was charging at a police officer, who set off his taser and set the man on fire. Which sounds like an insane sight to watch – if you make horror movies, steal this scene for your next one. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 10:27

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World: WHO sez the death toll from swine flu has gone way up

  • 429 the WHO’s official swine flu death toll two weeks ago source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 10:20

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U.S., World: Obama’s plan to close Guantanamo in one year? Not so easy

Having extended a deadline for his Guantanamo task force to make a final report, Obama’s plan to close the prison camp in a year looks more unlikely. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 10:07

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U.S.: The Bush twins are keeping the secret service busy still

  • Despite their dad being out of office, the service is still on their backs. Having given the Secret Service “fits” during their dad’s presidency – Jenna, for example, running through red lights trying to lose the agents following her – you think they’d be glad to be rid of her. However, just before W. left office, he signed an executive order giving them coverage for an unspecified period of time. It’s not uncommon – Bill did it for Chelsea – but considering all the trouble Jenna and Barbara took to get rid of them, you’d think they’d want to be rid of the service. Guess not. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 09:47

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Biz, U.S.: Small businesses feel a little shafted by Obama’s bailout plans

  • Most of the help has been in the form of supporting loans, but we’re not looking for loans right now. We’re not looking to heavily invest in equipment. We’re just trying to keep our doors open.
  • Kelli Glasser, president of Dayton, Oh.-based Exhibit Concepts • On the struggles she’s faced in trying to keep her small business alive during the recession. CIT Group’s near-collapse after the government chose not to bail them out left many small businesses in danger of being unable to leave their doors open. And while large companies get all the headlines, small companies still make up 99.7 of ALL employers in the U.S. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 09:28

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Offbeat: Want to have a home funeral? Have this guy make your coffin.

Obviously, you won’t need Chuck Lakin’s coffin until your loved one dies. Fortunately, it doubles as a bookshelf. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 09:14

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World: If you live in Asia, expect to be eclipsed today

  • 6+ minutes of total solar eclipse awesomeness today source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 

20 Jul 2009 23:08

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U.S.: Note to Cambridge cops: Don’t arrest black Harvard professors

  • My colleagues and I have asked the question of whether this kind of egregious act would have happened had Professor Gates been a white professor. We think that it has to be investigated, and we are deeply saddened by what happened.
  • Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. S. Allen Counter • Regarding the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard’s top African-American scholar. Gates was arrested after attempting to get inside his home, only to find the door jammed. A neighbor spotted him and his cab driver, thinking it was a break-in, and called the police. Gates, who had gotten inside by the time police came, was harassed by an officer and ultimately put in custody for a number of hours. So let this be a lesson to you: If you’re a cop in Cambridge, ten to one, a black guy trying to get into a house in a nice neighborhood is probably doing nothing wrong and someone notable enough that the New York Times will report on it. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jul 2009 22:42

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U.S.: California’s budget agreement: Everyone comes out on the short end

  • Politicians Facing the kind of political deadlock only captured in movies, it’s surprising they even pulled it off. “There isn’t a whole lot of good news in this budget,” said Democratic Senate leader Darrell Steinberg. source
  • Politicians Facing the kind of political deadlock only captured in movies, it’s surprising they even pulled it off. “There isn’t a whole lot of good news in this budget,” said Democratic Senate leader Darrell Steinberg.
  • The poor Welfare checks get cut – or go away entirely – for many families. Health care gets cut for thousands of children, along with their grandparents. To cut the budget by $26.3 billion, social welfare goes the way of the dodo. source
  • Politicians Facing the kind of political deadlock only captured in movies, it’s surprising they even pulled it off. “There isn’t a whole lot of good news in this budget,” said Democratic Senate leader Darrell Steinberg.
  • The poor Welfare checks get cut – or go away entirely – for many families. Health care gets cut for thousands of children, along with their grandparents. To cut the budget by $26.3 billion, social welfare goes the way of the dodo.
  • Cutbacks State workers will continue to get their days cut. Prisoners (unless you’re a Manson) will get out early, making the streets “safer.” But despite all of this, politicians managed to largely avoid raising taxes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jul 2009 17:01

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Tech, U.S.: A balanced diet: fruit, veggies, social media, grains, micro-blogging

To simplify your life, Wired has released suggested serving sizes of media. According to them, you should be reading us for up to an hour a day. We concur. source
Posted by Nathalie Heiberg • 5 Comments • Permalink
 
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