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13 Apr 2011 15:33

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U.S.: Sleeping air traffic controller sparks FAA response

  • 2 air traffic controllers for night shifts is important for safety, the FAA says source
  • » It’s unclear how sweeping a change this really is, reason being the FAA issued this requirement for 27 airports nationwide, and it’s rather hard to find information like how many air traffic controllers work which night shifts at which airports, internet notwithstanding. That said, this seems like the prototypical, blindingly obvious safety issue which looks shocking that people hadn’t considered it already. The fact that the U.S. faces a shortage of trained air traffic controllers is quite known, though, and you can’t exactly manifest them out of thin air. How will the FAA solve this problem long-term with an ever-dwindling supply of people?
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 15:23

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U.S.: Obama has harsh words for the Paul Ryan budget

  • The fact is [Paul Ryan’s budget] is less about reducing the deficit than it is about changing the basic social compact in America.
  • President Barack Obama • Speaking about Rep. Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity,” which liberals have bemoaned for placing too much additional burden on the financially poor. Whatever you may think about Ryan’s proposal, the claim the President is making seems astute. The ideological battle between Democrats and Republicans in modern America is much more about public vs. private function than it ever truly ends up being about spending; both parties spend a ton without a second thought (the Republican’s ability to whitewash this fact must rank as a political marvel of the highest order). Rather, the Republican consistency has usually been to cut government’s role in social equity whenever they can, shredding elements of the social compact being only a political issue, not a moral one. As Paul Ryan said, his proposal isn’t just a budget, it’s a “cause.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 14:28

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World: Telecom executive gives big help to Libyan rebels

  • YES the Libyan rebels have a  mobile phone network source
  • » Welcome to Free Libyana: With international support, in particular the help of a telecom executive in Abu Dhabi named Ousama Abushagur, the Libyan rebel forces now have a hijacked mobile phone network operating within the eastern part of the country. The network, called Free Libyana, was built on the equipment foundations of a Gaddafi controlled network called simply Libyana. Mr. Abushagur, a Libyan who was raised in Alabama, led a crew of engineers and some bodyguards into Benghazi in order to secure the network for the rebel forces located there.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 11:26

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U.S.: Two losers try to save face by introducing online privacy bill

  • “GUYS! Guys. Come on, you know us.” “I’m the guy who lost the presidential election in 2004. Flanking me on my left is the guy who lost in 2008. Despite the fact that we’re both losers, we still have some winning moments, and this is one of them. We’re introducing this online privacy bill to ensure that consumers still have rights on the Internet and that their info isn’t being shared by anyone like those jerks at Rapleaf. I know my boy didn’t even discover Twitter until like a year ago, but we’re totally on top of this thing. Give us some credit, guys!” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 11:02

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U.S.: Yale science student dies in freak chemistry lab accident

  • By all reports, Michele was an exceptional young woman, an outstanding student and young scientist, a dear friend and a vibrant member of this community. We will find ways in the next day to gather to celebrate her life and grieve this loss.
  • Yale University Secretary Linda Lorimer • Reacting to the death of Michelle Dufault, a Yale astronomy and physics major who was working in the machine shop at the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory machine shop, where a piece of equipment, used to help “construct or modify research instrumentation” caused the accident. Yikes. Our best wishes to Dufault’s family and friends. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 10:34

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Biz: General Electric’s tax refund story: A complete, total hoax

  • NOthis story isn’t true … the AP fell victim to a hoax source
  • » Moral of the story: The AP really annoys the crap out of us sometimes.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 22:20

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Politics: Polling suggests drop in support for House GOP

  • That pendulum always swings: Count us amongst those who were skeptical about the emphasis put on the Republican wave that rolled into Congress last year, at least from a big picture, long-term standpoint — these two parties have been losing and gaining back ground for decades. Just as Barack Obama’s election caused media personalities to jump the gun in declaring the Republican Party dead in the water, so too have they rushed to heap dirt on the Democrats since the 2010 elections. Rest assured, if somebody strenuously tells you either liberalism or conservatism is dead, they may be taking an overly simplistic view of chaotic, real world political events. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

12 Apr 2011 21:18

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U.S.: Clogged-up Texas education funding unclogged in budget deal

  • $830 million in education funds will finally go to Texas source
  • » A federal vs. state fight: Last year, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett (a Democrat) pushed through a provision effectively barring the state from receiving any federal education money unless it promised to spend all of it on education — something that didn’t happen when Obama pushed through his stimulus in 2009. The intention of the amendment was to get Texas to spend the money on education — which they’ve cut in recent years to help close a large deficit. The result of the amendment was that the money was stalled entirely, putting a stranglehold on Texas schools for nine months. Now Doggett’s amendment will go away — and the money will go to schools.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 20:52

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World: Experts: Forget the scale. Fukushima isn’t as bad as Chernobyl.

  • Fukushima was not as bad as Chernobyl. If Fukushima is a level 7 accident, maybe we need to go back and recalibrate the scale and add a level 8 or 9.
  • University of Southern California Prof. Najmedin Meshkati • Expressing frustration that Fukushima was rated on the same level as Chernobyl, a 7 on the nuclear accident scale. Japan’s own Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says it’s only 10 percent as bad as Chernobyl. On top of that, nobody has died from the post-quakeaccident and 21 workers have gotten minor illnesses from radiation. At Chernobyl, a number of people died — dozens immediately and many more from cancer years later. If we’re somehow putting Chernobyl on the same level as Fukushima, something’s wrong about the levels.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 17:06

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Politics: A win for breast cancer awareness in schools

  • NO school can’t ban anti-cancer “I (heart) boobies” bracelets source
  • » And for the ACLU, there was much rejoicing: The American Civil Liberties Union had taken on the case of two middle school girls suspended from school for wearing breast cancer awareness bracelets with “I (heart) boobies” written on them. In a preliminary ruling, federal judge Mary McLaughlin said they “can reasonably be viewed as speech designed to raise awareness of breast cancer and to reduce stigma associated with openly discussing breast health.”
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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