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03 Mar 2012 20:46

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Politics: Rush Limbaugh apologizes for language, sticks by Fluke argument

  • good! A couple hours ago, Rush Limbaugh apologized to Sandra Fluke for calling her a “slut” and a “prostitute” for speaking about contraception funding to Congress: “My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.”
  • however The apology didn’t avoid tough words, though including a series of lines attacking the thrust of what Fluke said in front of Congress: “I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress.” Is his apology good enough? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2012 15:20

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World: Protests, arson lead to sacking of Azerbaijan governor

Governor's Mansion in Quba, Azerbaijan set ablaze

  • One day of protests, and an act of arson, were all it took to take down an unpopular Azerbaijan governor. What began with an appointed governor’s taunts of his own people, ended with the same governor’s resignation according to the Azerbaijan government. In a statement released on Friday, President Ilham Aliyev’s office confirmed that Quban Governor Rauf Gabibov had been removed from his post, after civil unrest on Thursday ended with Gabibov’s mansion in flames and protesters clashing with police. (photo via CNN iReport) source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2012 13:30

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World: Sarkozy says he’s not fit to lead European Commission or Council

  • I don’t think I have the qualities to be a good European Commission or European Council President.
  • French President Nicolas Sarkozy • Responding to a reporter’s question about his political future at an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium. The French president’s future came into question because, with elections next month and polls showing him in second, it’s possible this could be his last appearance at an EU summit. Sarkozy also voiced his support for recently re-elected European Council president Herman Van Rompuy, saying “I am sure I would do it less well than him.” source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2012 12:53

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U.S.: Tornado outbreak tears across the Midwest and South

  • Tornado outbreak leaves towns leveled, at least 33 dead. A series of tornadoes left 16 dead in Kentucky, 14 dead in Indiana,  2 in Ohio, and 1 Alabama. Officials have warned that additional fatalities could be reported, and early reports suggest that the Indiana town of Marysville has been almost completely destroyed. In an interview with CNN, Governor Mitch Daniels said, “we’re not unfamiliar with Mother Nature’s wrath out here in Indiana, but this is about as serious as we’ve seen in the years since I’ve been in this job.” (photo by C.E. Branham/The News and Tribune via Associated Press) source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2012 11:15

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U.S.: BP reaches massive settlement with Gulf of Mexico investors

  • $7.8B will be paid by BP to thousands affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that occurred in April 2010; the settlement doesn’t bring an end to the oil company’s legal troubles
  • $2.3B of the total settlement will go to the Gulf seafood industry alone; the company also faces separate spill-related legal actions from the governments of Louisiana and Alabama
  • $17B in additional fines could come as the result of a settlement with the US government over civilian fines resulting from the wide-reaching spill, if BP is found guilty of gross negligence source
  • » But are the fines enough to teach BP a lesson? Some say no, including shrimp producer Dean Blanchard, who told The Guardian, “I want my day in court. If they can get off with just paying the money — well, they’ve got plenty of money, they are not really going to learn a lesson.” In addition to the settlement, BP announced that it would use the remainder of the $20 billion compensation fund it raised during the summer of 2010 to settle additional complaints from residents and businesses in the region. In a statement released late Friday night, BP chief executive Bob Dudley said, “the proposed settlement represents significant progress toward resolving issues from the Deepwater Horizon accident and contributing further to economic and environmental restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast.”
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2012 10:20

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Politics: Sandra Fluke ‘outraged’ by Rush’s attempts to silence her

  • I’m certainly not going to be silenced.
  • Georgetown student Sandra Fluke • Responding to the controversy that began Wednesday, when conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh began a series of attacks on her character and asked that she upload videos of her sexual encounters for his viewing pleasure. Fluke became the target of Limbaugh’s rage after testifying before Congress on Georgetown’s contraceptive policy; however, Limbaugh’s comments cost him four sponsors, and condemnation from pundits across the country. Friday afternoon, President Obama called Sandra to offer words of encouragement and support, and Georgetown president John J. DeGioia defended the student in a statement calling Limbaugh’s attacks “misogynistic” and “vitriolic”.  source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2012 20:16

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Tech: NASA skimps on cyber security, China hacks us regularly as a result

  • 3.9% of NASA’s IT budget is allocated to cyber security
  • 13 successful hacking attempts were carried out against NASA last year source
  • » You get what you pay for: Really, guys? Thirteen times in a year? This means NASA gets hacked more often than I pay my phone bill. But maybe that’s to be expected when you spend so little on cyber security. This is all based on testimony from the agency’s inspector general, Paul Martin, and the rest of his testimony is quite terrifying. For example, Martin says that hackers working through Chinese IP addresses were able to gain full system access to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, steal user credentials from over 150 NASA employees, and modify system logs to cover up their tracks. Let’s hope it was just a couple of bored middle schoolers.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Mar 2012 17:45

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Politics: Sandra Fluke vs. Rush Limbaugh: What you need to know, in a nutshell

  • cause Last week, a Georgetown law student, Sandra Fluke, testified in front of Congress on the Jesuit school’s policy on contraception, an issue which has drawn many emotions of late.
  • reaction Many on the right attacked Fluke for her testimony, but none as harshly as talker Rush Limbaugh, who called her a “slut” and a “prostitute” on his radio show. Yeah, that’s not cool.
  • result Limbaugh’s comments drew strong reactions from the left especially. Republican House Speaker John Boehner criticized Limbaugh. The president even called her up today. Really. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2012 17:38

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Politics: Advertisers start pulling out of Rush Limbaugh’s show

  • 4 companies pulled their ads from Rush Limbaugh’s show today source
  • » Why? Because of this, of course. Really, we’re surprised that any advertisers offended by this weren’t offended by anything else Limbaugh’s said over the last twenty years. Regardless, advertisers aren’t the only ones reacting negatively to Limbaugh’s comments.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2012 17:34

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Politics: The Republican establishment isn’t pleased with Rush Limbaugh

  • Rush’s attempt to increase his ratings and get noticed again do hurt Republicans…beating up on a college student is not good optics.
  • A senior Republican strategist • In response to Rush Limbaugh’s calling a pro-contraception college student a “slut” and a “prostitute” earlier this week. What we find interesting is that the speaker in question is identified by the Washington Post as “a senior party strategist granted anonymity to speak candidly out of wariness of crossing Limbaugh publicly.” This speaks not only to the enormous power Limbaugh wields amongst the Republican base, but also the sense of legitimacy that the GOP establishment continues to bestow upon him by refusing to denounce his statements publicly. To his credit, Rick Santorum, who’s as anti-contraception as anybody, called Limbaugh’s comments “absurd.”  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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