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07 Apr 2010 20:17

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Biz: United we merge: U.S. Airways and United Airlines wanna shack up

  • Because, hey, who needs consumer choice, anyway? The two airlines are in the kind of talks that saw Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines merge recently, a move which confused the pilots. They’ve almost merged a few times already, most recently in 2008. But with the warm feeling of precedent slicking the runway, the skies could clear. It might just happen this time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 11:27

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Culture: “Dr. Horrible,” 8-bit style: A “Maniac Mansion” for modern nerds

  • Whoever the genius is that created this needs to be given like a million dollars by Joss Whedon or something so he can sell this game. This is a brilliant idea. And hilarious.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 11:19

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World: Landslides, floods lead to heavy death toll in Rio de Janeiro

  • 102+ people killed after a
    heavy rainfall source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 11:15

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Offbeat: Weekend at Bernie’s 3: Dead husband on flight to Germany

  • normal Two women (a wife and step-daughter) tried to to get their 91-year-old patriarch on a flight to Germany.
  • weird They neglected to mention, however, that old boy was dead, which was plainly clear from looking at him. Oops. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 11:05

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U.S.: Debt-ridden California owes a lot of money in pensions

  • $500
    billion     amount the state owes in
    pensions, according to a Stanford
    University study
  • 2,000%
    increase     the amount California’s
    pension burden increased between 1999 and 2009 source
  • » Why is this bad for California? David Crane of the L.A. Times notes that this pension burden is what’s really holding the state back. Because they have this huge albatross on their back, they’re forced to cut other, arguably more important things, like education.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 10:57

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U.S.: Random French tourist: I’m not a hero. I just wanted to help.

  • I don’t really think I’m a hero. Anyone would do the same thing. … I was just happy that I was able to help her, and I am just happy that the family has been reunited.
  • Julien Duret • Regarding a crazy rescue he played a part in over the weekend, where he jumped into NYC’s East River to save Bridget Sheridan, a toddler who had fallen in. And just as quickly as he rescued her (but fortunately not before the New York Daily News caught video of his rescue), he disappeared. Dude was on vacation and it was his last day in NYC. He didn’t realize he was a hero until he got back to France. But he seemed modest about his feat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 10:42

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Biz: GM lost a little pocket change in the second half of 2009

  • $4.3 billion in losses – and that was after bankruptcy source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

07 Apr 2010 10:39

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World: State of emergency No. 2: Red Shirts too much for Thailand

  • Dudes apparently stormed the Parliament today. The blood-spilling, angry-at-government protesters have held parts of the capital at their whim for days, and now Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government has called a state of emergency. Why? To give the military more control. (However, they can’t harm civilians.) Have fun with that, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 10:30

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World: State of emergency No. 1: Kyrgyzstan in dire straits today

At least 17 people were killed after riot police clashed with protesters. Protesters want President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to step down. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 10:17

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Biz: Alan Greenspan: The mortgage crisis not caused by the poor

  • The house price bubble, the most prominent global bubble in generations, was caused by lower interest rates but. … it was long-term mortgage rates that galvanized prices, not the overnight rates of central banks, as has become the seeming conventional wisdom.
  • Former Federal Reserve Chairman (and all-around smart guy) Alan Greenspan • Speaking in business-ese about something which we can put much more simply: Low interest rates that allowed low-income people to buy houses didn’t cause the housing crisis. Instead, the culprit was a couple levels up the food chain. Speak English, Alan. (Greenspan, by the way, is attempting to defend his legacy here.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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