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17 Jun 2011 21:44

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U.S.: AARP freaks out over Social Security, then backtracks

  • firm For decades, the AARP has pushed against any cuts to Social Security — a cornerstone issue for its base, seniors.
  • evolving Today, however, the group did a startling about-face, claiming that cuts might be needed to ensure its future.
  • receding However, after seniors complained, the group backtracked. As AARP members, we’re beside ourselves. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2011 17:20

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Biz: AOL Employee: My experience with them really freaking sucked

  • Errors didn’t matter. Grammatical errors — be they major or minor — didn’t matter. The brainless peons who read the website simply wouldn’t notice. What mattered was getting the ‘product’ published.
  • Former AOL TV writer Oliver Miller • Describing his experience with writing for the online megacorp in the pre-HuffPo days. Miller, who says that he was overworked and had to plow through dozens of stories each week, lost his job in an interesting way: He made a stupid aside about Alec Baldwin that the actor saw, then wrote a tirade about … on HuffPo. (Miller didn’t name the actor, but the story was well-circulated. We even wrote about it a long time ago.) After that point, he claims, editors intentionally put errors in his pieces. Miller lost his job five months ago, roughly around the time the AOL-HuffPo merger was announced. (Disclosure: I used to do freelance for AOL News pre-merger, and my experience wasn’t like this at all. It was stressful, but that’s only because I was writing a daily news blog and also working a full-time job at the time.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2011 14:36

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U.S.: Pentagon scare: Marine reservist claimed he had explosives

  • claim Someone left a car near the Pentagon early this morning, and authorities thought that it might have a bomb in it. When the owner, a lance corporal in the Marines, was found at the then-closed Arlington National Cemetery and questioned, he claimed that he had explosive material on him.
  • truth Yonathan Melaku, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ethiopia, carried an unknown quantity of ammonium nitrate, a non-explosive chemical fertilizer often used in explosives, in his possession. While nothing was in his car, he possessed a notebook with al-Qaeda-related notes in it — scary stuff. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2011 13:43

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World: Yemen: Allies suggest injured president Saleh will return soon

  • Rebels in Yemen do not welcome this news. A few weeks ago, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was badly injured and burned in an attack on his palace, forcing him to receive medical treatment in nearby Saudi Arabia — a situation which led to an interim leader and celebrations in the streets. But the celebrations might have been a little premature if there’s any truth to reports that Saleh will return to the country soon, having recovered significantly from his injuries. “He will return home after medical reports said he is getting better,” ruling party official Yasser al-Yamani explained. Protesters rallied in the wake of the news; as you might guess, they’re not ready to welcome him back. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2011 13:20

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Tech: The rise of the mysterious BitCoin: The nerdiest currency around

  • I spoke to one guy who thought aliens might have come to earth to bring us this technology, it’s so perfect.
  • BitCoin enthusiast Bruce Wagner • Discussing the origin of the mysterious open-source peer-to-peer currency project. The project was started by some guy who disappeared from online forums back in December — just as the currency was taking off. The currency is akin to BitTorrent if you could use it to send money — in good ways and bad. And without an easy way to trace the currency, it’s got some somewhat sketchy fans, like hackers and drug dealers. And the value of the currency itself (tied to no government, so no Federal Reserve) is leaping quickly — roughly 6,000 percent since the year started. So, would you buy some stuff with bitcoins? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2011 11:28

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Politics: Early New Hampshire poll: Romney flying high, Bachmann rising fast

  • The field has a pretty obvious split: Those who like Mitt Romney and those who don’t. But there are some interesting details to note about New Hampshire Republican primary voters. First, Bachmann’s debate performance now has her polling above Sarah Palin, which is kind of a big deal. Second, Newt Gingrich is totally sucking. Third, despite many reasons to love him right now, Jon Huntsman has low polling numbers and low likability, which makes no sense. Finally, Rick Santorum is bringing up the rear — as he should. Either way, with the first big debate now in the rearview, the polling nonetheless is fascinating. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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