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01 Mar 2011 21:49

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U.S.: Fuel efficiency, gas prices on buyers’ minds as car sales go way up

  • 46.4% increase in February’s overall car sales source
  • » Give rising gas prices the credit: More people on the market for vehicles were looking for fuel-efficient models in part because gas is getting ever the more expensive. In case you’re looking for a reason to credit the unrest in the middle east on this, this person quoted in the L.A. Times does the job for you: “With everything happening in the world, gas is only going to go up,” said Cynthia Hibbard who recently bought a Ford Fiesta. “I have filled it up just once, on Monday, since the car was purchased. I put just nine gallons of gas in the car but that was still $35.” One other fun fact: Last month was the best-selling month ever for the Toyota Prius.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 21:31

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U.S.: Scott Walker’s deficit-cutting plan: Let’s cut everything, stat!

  • » The end result: Walker hopes to reduce the state’s structural deficit 90 percent to around $250 million – a deep, austerity-focused cut that may stop the deficit but could greatly hurt the state in the process, if you think that way. Walker, well, doesn’t. “I have often repeated references to our state’s constitutional lesson, that it is only through frugality and moderation in government that we will see freedom and prosperity for our people,” he said. Or, you could just raise taxes if you’re really that hard up about fixing this budget problem.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 20:54

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World: Tyler Clementi’s legacy? Rutgers offers gender-neutral housing

  • Maybe the outcome would have been different if he had been able to choose his own roommate. At least now there’s an option.
  • Rutgers University Student Assembly President Yousef Saleh • Discussing the university’s plan to offer gender-neutral housing to students in the wake of the suicide of Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after an incident in which his roommate taped him having sex with another man, then posted it online. Clementi’s tragic death may have pushed the decision over the edge, but Rutgers isn’t alone – schools all over the country have been creating options like this for students. And student body officials at Rutgers say they’ve been pushing for this option for students for a number of years. Well, here it is. Smart move, Rutgers. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 20:32

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U.S.: Quick hits: John Boehner’s temporary cutting plan passes the House

  • $4 billion to put the government on layway for a couple of weeks
  • 335-91 the vote to pass the temporary extension in the House
  • yes most Democrats went with John Boehner’s plan to buy more time
  • no Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn’t vote for or against the bill source
  • » Oh yeah, fun fact: During the shutdown crisis, Congress and Obama may not get paid, thanks to a bill that the Senate unanimously passed today. At least that has bipartisan support.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 16:29

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World: Abroad, military possibilities loom over Gaddafi’s chaos

  • Will international forces tighten on Gaddafi? Here’s a simple, neat little video by Al Jazeera on international military response to Libya. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 15:42

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U.S.: If there’s one thing the DEA hates, it’s loopholes

  • YES synthetic cannabis has been banned by the DEA source
  • » “Spice” and “K2” are off the shelves: The DEA has placed five chemicals onto Schedule 1 (the most restricted level of drug enforcement) that are integral to the production of the two fake-pot compounds, effectively putting the kibosh on the products. Once widely and legally sold in smoke shops (as the intensely hallucinogenic herb Salvia astonishingly still is), these products had become popular buys for people looking to get high without fear of legal action.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 15:03

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Culture: Rep. Rush Holt, D-NJ, beats back robotic dominion for another day

  • Holt wins the battle, Watson wins the war: A big humankind hats-off to Representative Rush Holt, who took on Jeopardy mecha-brain Watson in a faux-show in DC yesterday evening. While the contest pitted Watson against successive members of Congress, and those who went after Holt were trounced sufficiently to secure the win for Watson, Holt himself bested the computer by $2,400. Holt was a five-time Jeopardy winner nearly 35 years ago, and serves in the House as a Democrat from New Jersey. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Mar 2011 14:36

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U.S.: Backers of Ohio’s “heartbeat bill” will bring pregnant woman to legislature

  • legislation The “Heartbeat Bill” in Ohio, which would designate abortion as being illegal at such a time as the fetus has a recognizable heartbeat. While the amount of time this takes can vary, such heartbeats can exist just eighteen days after conception.
  • testimony Supporters of the bill will be bringing a pregnant woman before the legislature, and will project her ultrasound images to the assemblage in color, which causes the fetus’ heartbeat to be more prominently visible. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 13:50

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Politics: Republican response to Obama’s individual mandate deal tepid

  • It always seems these symbolic offerings, ostensibly designed to appease Republicans, end up with a catch. Here, it’s that to apply for a waiver, states must first set up systems that mimic the very federal law they are running away from. Gee, thanks.
  • Brendan Buck, spokesman for Speaker John Boehner • Commenting on President Obama’s proposal to allow states to opt-out of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, provided that the state demonstrates they have an alternate plan that will maintain similar coverage rates without raising the deficit. His chagrin is curious, because what he’s really complaining about seems to be the very nature of political compromise (and it’s a bit snarky for a spokesman). Considering the individual mandate was a keystone of the original legislation, this proposal seems at bare minimum like a compromise in which both sides get what they claim they want. The argument against the “federal system,” too, is generally that it’s federal, which many Republicans call unconstitutional. So why the hand-wringing over a state-run alternative? source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 13:20

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World: U.N. worried about conditions for mass of Libyan refugees

  • 150,000 people have fled from Libya source
  • » The concern: Too many people evacuating too fast, causing difficult food, water and health conditions for refugees. The agency said that it was “becoming critically important that onwards transport becomes quickly available to avoid a humanitarian crisis.”
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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