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19 Jun 2011 23:47

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Biz: Home foreclosure backlogs laughably long in some states

  • 62 year backlog for foreclosures in New York state (no really) source
  • » And they’re far from alone: Nearby New Jersey has a backlog stretching back a solid 49 years, and noted foreclosure mecca Florida has a decade-long backlog. A big reason? The courts are overworked on this issue and can only handle so many cases. But even in the 27 states where courts aren’t involved, the wait is often still significant — at least a year in many cases. Beyond the courts, the entire system is overworked — and lenders seem to be in no rush to add any more repossessed houses to their balance sheet.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 23:20

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Politics: John McCain blames Arizona wildfires on unsecured borders

  • There is substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally. The answer to that part of the problem is to get a secure border.
  • Arizona Sen. John McCain • Pointing the finger at an unlikely target for the wildfires currently causing significant problems in the state. Now, we’re not experts here, but this seems like a fairly questionable leap of judgment — and the claim met significant criticism from Latino groups — especially since the “substantial evidence” McCain claims hasn’t actually been substantiated. Whether or not the border needs securing, bringing xenophobia into the mix of an unrelated disaster seems like a terrible idea.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 22:56

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Biz, Tech: Skype’s rewarding executives for Microsoft merger by firing them

  • cause A little while back, Microsoft agreed to buy out Skype — an $8 billion agreement, the largest in the tech titan’s history by far. The deal, a surprising one by any stretch, just passed regulatory scrutiny.
  • effectBefore the company’s merger with Microsoft goes final, the comany is reportedly firing a bunch of top executives — timing it so that the workers don’t get full paydays for the merger. Lamesauce. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 22:24

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Tech: That guy who claims he owns Facebook passed a lie detector test

  • Paul Ceglia, 1. Lie detector, 0. Despite the fact that, you know, courts routinely ignore evidence from lie detectors and the Supreme Court doesn’t require the admission of polygraph evidence in court cases, the guy who claims that he owns most of Facebook says that he isn’t lying about his claims — and has the lie detector test results to prove it. “I respectfully suggest that Mark Zuckerberg undergo the same polygraph examination I have in order to expose who is really telling the truth,” says Paul Ceglia, who took the test June 11. Facebook’s lawyers want Ceglia to release the original copy of the contract immediately for testing — which Ceglia’s lawyers don’t want to do unless Zuckerberg’s boys come up with some evidence of their own. Do you guys think a lie detector test should be allowable evidence in this case? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 21:53

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World: Libyan government uses botched NATO strikes as propaganda

  • We have seen who is attacking civilians. They are targeting houses and flats. Tomorrow they will target schools and hospitals.
  • Libya Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim • Claiming that NATO’s accidental bombing of a civilian home in Tripoli was a sign that the group was actively going after Libyan civilians. Which is, of course, false. Instead, they’re actually going after Kaim’s boss, Muammar Gaddafi. Kaim is simply trying to misinform others about what happened in hopes that it’ll turn the tide against NATO. Unfortunately for NATO, the recent accidental strikes don’t look good, no matter how much Kaim is trying to misinform libyans. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 12:24

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U.S.: Massive Arizona wildfires could expand significantly today

  • 3.1M number of acres affected by wildfires this year as of May 31st, according to the National Interagency Fire Center
  • 3.2M number of acres affected through the entirety of 2010, the group’s annual report notes; see what we’re getting at?
  • seven number of states that could face the effects of two Arizona wildfires today; conditions are very bad source
  • » The first fire’s only 27 percent contained: Our friends in Arizona and neighboring states have a lot to deal with right now, and with a second, fast-growing blaze promising more danger, things aren’t looking to get any better soon. With high heat, low humidity and strong winds — the worst conditions possible for a wildfire — both blazes could expand significantly today. Let’s hope it doesn’t, guys.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 12:07

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World: Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed resigns

Mohamed, who had his supporters, stepped out of the way “as a sacrifice for the interest of the Somali public” after the president made an agreement to build a new government. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Jun 2011 11:51

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Politics: David Axelrod: None of these GOP candidates really scare us

  • I didn’t hear a lot of ideas. I heard a lot of … pat partisan platitudes. Ultimately, people are going to ask for answers.
  • Obama adviser David Axelrod • Offering his take on the Republican candidates out there at the moment. Pretty much the only one he really had anything nice to say about was Jon Huntsman, a former Obama staffer and current subject of blogosphere love. (Huntsman was an Obama appointee.) But even considering all this, Axelrod openly admits that the economy — particularly the progress made with the economy — remains the key issue. “You get tested in this process,” he says. “Ultimately, I’m very confident about the outcome.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 11:35

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World: Fukushima: Complications mar plant cleanup process

  • We’re at a point where merely opening a door can cause a radiation leak of some kind. That’s what plant operators had to deal with today, as they opened the doors to Fukushima’s No. 2 plant to cool things off and let some air inside. They hope to install a cooling system to prevent an explosion in the plant. Meanwhile, they hope to restart the cleanup process quickly, which was recently stalled. To give you an idea of what they need to clean up, let’s put it this way: 110,000 tons of highly-radioactive water, enough to fill 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools which absolutely nobody should swim in. Officials fear that things could get really bad — think water overflowing all over the place — if they don’t act soon to deal with the water. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 11:17

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World: Proof that tensions are perhaps a little too high in South Korea

  • cause On Friday, South Korean marines spotted a low-flying plane that they thought was a North Korean fighter jet.
  • reaction The soldiers started firing dozens of shots on the plane — but not a single one connected. This was probably for the best.
  • result See … the plane was not a North Korean fighter jet, but a passenger plane on its final approach. That would’ve been bad. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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