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16 Apr 2010 10:55

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Biz: Bank of America bounces back into the win column

  • $3.2
    billion     the company’s profit in the current quarter, helped by a good quarter for controversial acquisition Merrill Lynch
  • $2.2
    billion     the company’s loss throughout all of 2009 – the credit crisis and Merrill Lynch buyout were blamed source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 20:50

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U.S.: Obama orders added hospital visitation rights for gays, lesbians

  • He says they’re “uniquely affected” by relatives-only policies at hospitals. The Obama administration today asked the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a rule to make sure that gays and lesbian partners have the same rights of visitation as straight partners do. “There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital,” he said on the memo, “Yet every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 6 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 20:31

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Music: Scott Stapp of Creed relegated to singing about baseball

  • We’re pretty sure when he was singing the lyrics to “With Arms Wide Open,” this is exactly what he was thinking about when he said something about his life changing. We’re not sure what we love more about this – the clumsy baseball references, the fact that he sings about them the same way he does about Jesus, or the fact that this song probably paid his rent this month. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 20:20

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Biz, Tech: Google shows off, posts an insane jump in profits

  • 37% boost in earnings for the search engine du jour
  • 23% boost in revenues for Apple’s new rival
  • $7 amount the company earned per share source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 20:12

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Offbeat: Let’s face it: This guy’s beard is more impressive than yours

Slate has this killer gallery of beards up today, and as you might suspect, Julius is getting a little jealous. See, robots can’t grow facial hair. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 20:05

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World: Japan defines “whale research” as selling whale meat abroad

  • legal Despite a 1986 ban, Japan was allowed (controversially) to continue killing hundreds of whales yearly for research purposes.
  • illegal However, some of that whale
    blubber has found its way to Korean and American sushi restaruants. Hmm, whale-y. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 19:56

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U.S.: See, everyone, Obama really cares about space exploration!

  • The bottom line is, nobody is more committed to manned spaceflight, to human exploration of space than I am. But we’ve got to do it in a smart way and we can’t just keep on doing the same old things we’ve been doing and thinking that’s going to get us where we want to go.
  • President Barack Obama • Pointedly emphasizing that yes, he does have a space plan and yes, it is different from George W. Bush’s plan. It’s more long-term than the Bush’s reignited moon mission – one that sends us to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars by the mid-2030s. One major concession he made, however – the Orion crew capsule, which he planned to cancel, is coming back in a different form. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

15 Apr 2010 11:11

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Politics: Rep. Paul Ryan: Let’s talk intelligently about federal spending

  • Paul Ryan is an old-school Republican. He doesn’t seem like he hops on these shows to get into shouting matches with anyone, but instead discusses what he thinks are reasonable issues for cutting spending. He has opinions, but is willing to look at both sides of the aisle for criticism or praise. Plus, he looks like either Dick York or Dick Sergeant (we’re not sure which). Sure, he’s not flashy, but does he have a shot in 2012? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 10:52

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Politics: Obama better watch out for “Generic Republican” in 2012

  • However, it is a problem for Republicans that no actual Republican can approach the performance of the generic candidate, probably because the generic candidate is Rorschach blot that allows each respondent to create what amounts to their fantasy candidate.
  • FiveThirtyEight blogger Nate Silver • Making a very astute point based on early polling for the 2012 presidential election. Essentially, while a “generic” Republican candidate can handily beat Obama right now, according to a compilation of polls he put together, no flesh-and-blood candidate can actually get close to that mark right now. The closest is Mitt Romney, who is less than six points behind. Sarah Palin, however, would be a wash, as she trails Obama by 14.4 points. Granted, it’s still very early (as Silver notes), and a lot can change, but that’s a fairly interesting signifying point. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 10:40

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Biz: Fortune 500: Huge profits go hand-in-hand with record layoffs

  • $391
    billion     size of the collective profits the Fortune 500 had last year
  • 821,000
    positions     number of jobs they had to cut to ensure that huge profit source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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