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01 Apr 2011 23:53

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U.S.: Cause for hope in cancer rate findings

  • 1% reduction in new cancers each year from 2003 to 2007 source
  • » That’s within the U.S. population: This continues a general trend that’s been observed since the 1990s. The suggested explanation is an increased success in screening and preventive measures, and less prevalence of cancer linked habits like tobacco. The news is not entirely rosy, though- cancer rates have increased in children, forms of leukemia being the most common, though the rate of cancer death in children is still down thanks to improvements in treatment.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 23:30

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Politics: Americans woefully misinformed on government funding of NPR

  • 5% share of the federal budget that Americans believe goes toward funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • .01% share of the federal budget that actually goes toward funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting source
  • » That 5% figure represents the median prediction Americans made when asked how much of the US government’s spending goes toward funding NPR’s parent organization. Very off-base, yes–but that’s just the median guess! Insanely, 5% of respondents believed that half of the country’s entire budget is given to the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. Relatedly, the average respondent thought foreign aid accounts for 10% of the budget, when it’s really more like 1%.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 23:12

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World: Libyan rebels issue ceasefire demands

  • The necessary concessions are laid out: Protests against Muammar Gaddafi must continue safely, as must a process to replace the longtime dictator be agreed upon, if the Libyan rebellion is to halt its fight. The offer has already been rejected by the Gaddafi government, but this does have interesting implications for the reported mounting defections. The more the rebellion strikes the pose of a unified front with organized leadership and goals, as they have here, it may turn up the pressure on officials mulling whether they can ride this out or not. Also, it’s heartening from a foreign relations standpoint to see a few American flags in that crowd at the end. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 22:45

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World: Ivory Coast rebels within inches of victory?

  • then Yesterday, opposition forces in Ivory Coast, led by Alassane Ouattar, seized the region’s administrative capital. Their next destination? Abidjan, the commercial capital and home of Laurent Gbagbo, the ex-president who refuses to step down.
  • now Ouattar’s troops reached Abidjan, and once there, attacked both Gbagbo’s home and the presidential palace. There’s reportedly been heavy fighting non-stop since they arrived; some are describing this as Gbagbo’s “last stand.” source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 20:51

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U.S.: Ordering fast food may become more harrowing

  • NEW proposed FDA rules for calorie disclosure source
  • » The implications: Restaurants and vending machines that have more than twenty locations or units, respectively, would be required to post the caloric content of their foods. Menu cards would also bear a generic message about 2,000 calories being the recommended daily intake. This was actually a mandate in the Affordable Care Act that passed last year; the FDA proposal would just be the beginning of that enforcement. So, basically, you’ll have to start closing your eyes when you get to the counter at Carl’s Jr. (or, for our southern brethren, Hardee’s).
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 18:26

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U.S.: Koran-burning Terry Jones linked to Afghanistan killings

  • Thoughts on placing blame: Eleven people, among them U.N. officials, were killed in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif today. ABC News reports the killings occurred after a crowd of people protesting Pastor Terry Jones were informed of his completed Koran burnings. To be clear, what Terry Jones did in burning the Koran was at best a crass publicity stunt and at worse bigoted antagonism, and before he did it U.S. military figures warned of possible violent outcomes. He bears a responsibility for his actions, actions which in the strictest literal sense seem to have caused horrific destruction. It should be said, though, that burning a book in almost any definition of civil society can’t be grounds for murder, no matter your affinity for the words printed inside. Keeping this in perspective is important in an honest, nuanced debate on these issues. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 15:26

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World: Earthquake in Greece sends tremors across the region

  • greece The earthquake in Crete today is much more severe than usual, but Greece is a seismic hot-bed; they have thousands of small quakes per year.
  • turkey Reports from Anatolia, a Turkish news outlet, indicate that the earthquake was felt all the way to the Turkish resort towns of Bodrom, Mamaris and Fethiye.
  • egyptThe earthquake also caused shakes all the way to Cairo, as its been reported that some buildings within the Egyptian capitol were rattled by tremors. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Apr 2011 14:24

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World: Recall push against Wisconsin GOPers heating up

  • impetus The Wisconsin Democratic Party has been running at high intensity since Gov. Walker’s anti-union bill passed (a court order has since halted it). Remember, this plan is demonstrably not about fiscal issues, it’s about crushing unions.
  • blowback GOP state Senator Dan Kapanke is feeling the heat, as the Democrats will file 15,588 signatures, enough to force a recall election against him. The biggest fish here is clearly Gov. Walker, but he’s immune from recall for his first year in office. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 13:48

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Politics: Scott Brown defends the poor

  • “A wholesale reduction in spending, without considering economic, cultural, and social impacts is simply irresponsible. We must also be mindful that many of the proposed spending reductions would disproportionately affect the neediest among us.
  • Sen. Scott Brown • In a letter to Senate Republicans. This is notable primarily due to how rare it is for a Republican legislator to speak so bluntly on behalf of the poor. He also voiced flat opposition to a government shutdown. Only time will tell what these words translate into policy-wise. Still, Brown is looking more and more like a true moderate Republican, a rare site in Congress these days. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2011 11:15

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U.S.: Unemployment falls, 261k new jobs added in March

  • 8.8% unemployment rate, lowest in two years source
  • » There’s more: In the last four months, unemployment has fallen a total of one percent. This may not seem significant, but it’s in fact the largest four-month drop since 1983. Even if the economy continued to grow at this rate, though, the US wouldn’t be back to pre-recession employment rates until–wait for it–2018. So while this is a good jobs report, it’s not quite good enough. Here’s to the future!
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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