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13 Jul 2011 23:20

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Politics: GOP Senator sounds suspiciously socialistic

  • We give money away to a few people at the expense of the many.
  • GOP Senator Lindsay Graham • Pushing to close tax loopholes that benefit upper-income earners. While it seems obvious (to most) that we ought to close tax loopholes, Republicans in Congress have, for the most part, resolutely opposed any modification of the tax code that brings in additional revenue. To hear a prominent Republican say something like this is a faint glimmer of hope that maybe–and that’s a big maybe– Republicans will bend a bit on revenues; this could, in turn, translate into a deal to raise the debt-ceiling. Which would be nice. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 23:04

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Tech: New AIDS prevention drug shows promising results

  • Headway in the fight against HIV: A drug called Truvada is effective in preventing AIDS contraction up to 73% of the time, according to two new studies carried out in Africa. The drug has been tested before with less stellar results, but researchers now suspect the earlier study may have been flawed. The catch with preventative drugs, of course, is that you have to remember to take them before the risk presents itself, but still, this is great news. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 22:34

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Politics: Talk about drawing a line in the sand

  • I’ve reached my limit. This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this.
  • President Obama • Toward the end of a budget meeting with Republicans. It’s not clear what policy he won’t yield on, but from the texture of the debate thus far, we’re guessing it’s the inclusion of revenue increases in the deal to raise the debt-ceiling.source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 22:18

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World: How heavily does the Chinese government censor the Internet?

  • 1.3 million websites shut down by the Chinese gov’t last year source
  • » This means there were 41% fewer websites accessible to China’s residents at the end of last year, compared to a year earlier. And the statistic comes directly from the Chinese government itself (well, a government-run think tank, at least), so it’s probably not an overstatement.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 19:50

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Politics: Mitch McConnell talks motivation behind debt limit proposal

  • Look, he owns the economy. He’s been in office for three years. We refuse to let us entice us into co-ownership of a bad economy.
  • Senator Mitch McConnell • Basically validating our suspicions about his proposed debt limit fail-safe, where the job of raising the limit would be transferred from congress to President Obama. He also subtly acknowledges the core weakness the Republicans have had in the debt limit debate all along; they’ve pushed so hard to convince portions of their base that they’d be willing not to raise it, the public at large can see plainly which party even made such an economically horrifying idea possible. As such, the GOP is in a tough spot, knowing they have to raise the limit (because they’re not truly ignorant to what it would do to the economy, as shown by McConnell’s own words), but also knowing they’ve stoked elements of their base against the idea for months. We seriously doubt they can placate that base with the new plan. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 19:12

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Biz: Looking for a way to avoid the traffic snarl on LA’s 405?

  • $4 jetBlue Carmageddon flights from Long Beach to Burbank source
  • » This is a pretty genius marketing move, not the least of all because it provides some potential relief from what Los Angeles authorities clearly fear could be a gridlock of epic proportions this weekend — no local government idly urges its citizens not to go places on their freeways, as it’s bad for the economy for people not to be out and about. The $4 flights are the shortest distance tickets jetBlue has ever sold, and they’ll take about 20 minutes.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 18:49

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Culture: Steelers linebacker James Harrison trashes NFL commissioner

  • If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it. I hate him and will never respect him.
  • James Harrison, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers • As quoted in an article in Men’s Journal. This isn’t the only vitriol he directed at NFL Comissioner Roger Goodell — Harrison uses an anti-gay slur against him, calls him “the devil,” and accuses the NFL writ large of punishing Steelers players harshly because they are “predominantly black.” Nor do teammates escape criticism; he labels running back Rashard Mendenhall (who you may remember) a “fumble machine,” despite the fact that Mendenhall fumbled only twice last year. It’s clear that Harrison feels he’s been singled out for overly-strident league punishment, and whatever the league’s ultimate reaction to this is, it’s certainly going to validate those feelings. This is quite an implosion. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

13 Jul 2011 17:41

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World: How are the protests against the Egyptian military paying off?

  • 669Egyptian police officers linked to Mubarak regime fired source
  • » Showing off at cleaning house: Going thousands strong, it’s easy enough to see that the Egypt’s ruling military council would want a means of positive P.R. to quell a protest movement (as well as less activist sections of the public) that’s clamoring for purges of Mubarak-connected officials. What effect this decision will actually have in the day-to-day matters of policing within Egypt is too hard to say right now, but that the military is taking any sort of giving posture speaks to the strength and legitimacy of continuing protests in Tahrir Square.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 14:38

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U.S.: Presidential fundraising numbers out, Obama trumps competition

  • $47 million Obama raised in the second quarter of 2011 source
  • » That’s a new record – but kind of a specific one. Obama now holds the record for second-quarter financing in the year before an election. He made way more money than any of the GOP presidential hopefuls, getting donations from over 550,000 people. That’s a lot of people. Granted, this doesn’t mean that he’s automatically guaranteed victory, but it’s definitely a strong sign that much of his base is sticking by him in 2012.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 14:16

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World: Mumbai is on high alert, explosions may be terrorism

  • The entire city of Mumbai has been placed on high alert. I would appeal to the people of Mumbai to remain calm and maintain the peace.
  • Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram • Talking about the state of Mumbai after three explosions rocked the city. Chidambaram is saying this is an act of terrorism, but it’s unclear if that’s really the case – no organization has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack. It’s also unclear how many have been killed/wounded from the explosions — CNN is reporting over 20 dead and hundreds injured, while the LA Times says only 13 are dead and dozens more – we’ll continue to keep an eye on this for you. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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