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18 Jul 2011 23:23

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World: The US Treasury is running low on cash

  • 29 companies have more money than the United States Treasury
  • 7 of those companies are based in America source
  • » The American companies include: Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Freddie Mac. Two of the top three companies on the list are Chinese. On the upside, the Treasury has as much money as Google, so that’s kind of a nice consolation prize.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 23:02

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Politics: A quick-ish update on the Wisconsin situation

  • plan Democrats in Wisconsin are pushing hard to recall Governor Scott Walker for the draconian anti-union bill he pushed through the legislature this past Spring.
  • problem The recall election could fall on the same day as the GOP presidential primary, ensuring a large Republican turnout and possibly carrying Walker to safety. source
  • The Details: Stick with us here. In order to recall Walker, Democrats need to gather around 540,000 signatures (that number being 25% of the total votes cast for Governor last year); once this process starts, they’ll have sixty days to hit that target. If and when they do, state election officials will likely schedule the recall on the same day as the next major statewide election. The question is: When should Democratic operatives start gathering signatures?
  • on the one hand…This fall, recall elections against several state senators (of both parties) will have wrapped up. Some Democrats want to ride that momentum directly into the signature-gathering process, ensuring that they’re able to collect enough. The thing is, if they do it within that timeframe, the recall will most likely fall on the same day as the GOP presidential primary.
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  • on the other hand…Democrats could also wait longer to gather signatures, timing it so that the recall falls the same day Obama faces re-election. This would result in a much higher voter turnout for Democrats. However, Walker’s anti-union antics may have faded from the public consciousness by then, jeopardizing the Democrats’ ability to get enough signatures.
  • » The kicker: State Republicans, who would prefer the first scenario, are said to be considering launching a fake “Recall Walker” signature-gathering campaign in the fall, in order to force an early recall. Seriously, guys—who ever said politics was boring?
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 18:21

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Politics: Herman Cain continues to rail against Islam, endorses mosque ban

  • then GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain has made a habit out of intolerance towards Muslims (though not exclusively), having previously stated he wouldn’t appoint any Muslims to his cabinet. He’s since said he’d demand loyalty pledges from Muslim appointments.
  • nowCain has doubled down, stating his opposition to a mosque being built in Tennessee. His explanation seems scattered — last week he said the mosque infringed on religious freedom, and this Sunday said he’s suspicious of those who “might be terrorists.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 15:29

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Politics: James O’Keefe is back with more video, this time on Medicaid

  • The return of O’Keefe’s gotcha journalism: Conservative activist James O’Keefe, widely know for his undercover videos made at the expense of ACORN and NPR, unveiled his latest video today claiming to expose Medicaid fraud. Any discussion of O’Keefe’s work needs, we think, to be couched in an acknowledgement that he has virtually no credibility on these things; his ACORN videos were duplicitously edited (then-California Attorney General Jerry Brown found no evidence of criminal behavior on ACORN’s part) as was his tape of NPR fundraising exec Ron Schiller. Basically, he deserves even less than the benefit of the doubt (don’t forget this disgusting hoax attempt as well), and as such we urge everybody to wait a few days for the full context of his video to emerge. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 14:59

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Tech: Patent lawsuits: HTC feeling the heat after Apple wins ruling

  • 2 Apple patents infringed upon by HTC, a trade commission says source
  • » The judge favors Apple in a key case: This decision might mean that every single Android device violates this patent — and may possibly prevent Android devices from being imported to the U.S. HTC says they can find a way around it, but it will be difficult — it’s not looking good. And, let’s face it — if Apple could get Android phones off the market, they totally freaking would.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 14:33

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Politics: British Metro Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates, on his resignation

  • I have acted with complete integrity and my conscience is clear. I look forward to the future Judge-led inquiry where my role will be examined in a proper and calmer environment and where my actions will be judged on the evidence rather than on innuendo and speculation as they are at present.
  • Now-resigned Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates • In selected text from his resignation letter. Yates had become embroiled, as a staggering number of people have been, in the phone hacking scandals currently rocking the Murdoch news empire and British civil society. Yates was responsible for declining further investigation into a 2005 phone hacking case, back in 2009. Yates has called that choice a “pretty crap one,” but in his resignation, far less contrition is to be found. His final wish, though, will almost certainly be granted — we reckon the legal end of this scandal will be no less engrossing than the rest of it. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 14:19

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Tech: Smart idea: Amazon offers rental textbooks on the Kindle

  • before Amazon wanted the Kindle to be able to replace textbooks for college kids. They even made a model — the Kindle DX — to appeal to college kids more. But the problem was that the e-textbooks often cost about as much as a used copy of the book.
  • now Amazon has decided to fix this problem by allowing students to rent textbooks on their Kindle, and pay for how long they rent it. Not only is this really cool and a lot more practical, but it will save students money and seems like it could really take off. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Jul 2011 14:01

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World: News of the World whistleblower Sean Hoare found dead

  • Right now, police are saying that Sean Hoare’s death isn’t suspicious. And that’s understandable, because he did have problems with alcohol and drugs — so Hoare’s death could easily be related to substance abuse. However, this phone-hacking scandal has gone far and brought down a lot of people — it’s hard not to wonder “What if?” Hoare was one of the first people to implicate Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor and communications director for PM David Cameron, in the scandal, leading to the current chain of events that include NotW’s closure and Coulson’s arrest. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 11:25

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U.S.: Drug executive’s mansion home to two separate, bizarre deaths

  • weird A few weeks back, Rebecca Nalepa, the girlfriend of drug company executive Jonah Shacknai was found killed at the man’s 27-room mansion in strange circumstances that authorities suspect may be suicide.
  • weirder Now Shacknai’s son, six-year-old Max, has died from a fall suffered at the mansion two days before Nepala’s death. Officials have not tied the two incidents, but two strange deaths in one mansion is nonetheless bizarre. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 11:02

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Politics: Debt ceiling poll: Everyone looks bad, but Obama looks least bad

  • 71% disapprove of the way Republicans have handled the debt ceiling crisis — just 21 percent approve
  • 48% disapprove of the way Obama has handled the situation; by contrast, 43 percent approve source
  • » Obama’s the best in a bad bunch: According to a CBS News poll, while nobody’s doing particularly hot in the current debt crisis negotiations, Obama can at least say that he’s doing better than everyone else. Democrats in Congress have a meager 31 percent approval rating. But let’s face it — this has always been a fight between Republicans and Obama, with congressional Democrats off to the side. So the result is nothing but notable. Let’s raise the question: If the government defaults, is this 1995 all over again for the GOP?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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