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11 Jan 2012 10:42

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Biz: Not the Twinkies! Hostess files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

  • Too many employees, too much debt: Hostess, the company that makes Twinkies, HoHos, Ding Dongs, Zingers and other amusingly-named foods (including Wonder bread), says that it has too many legacy payments. With 12 unions making up 83 percent of its 19,000 employees, the company says it “is not competitive, primarily due to legacy pension and medical benefit obligations and restrictive work rules.” The company, which is still negotiating with its unions, will stay in business thanks to $75 million in financing from lenders. (photo by Like_the_Grand_Canyon on Flickr) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2012 10:09

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Politics: Michelle Obama tired of being portrayed as “angry black woman”

  • I guess it’s more interesting to imagine this conflicted situation here and a strong woman and — you know? But that’s been an image that people have tried to paint of me since the day Barack announced, that I’m some angry black woman.
  • Michelle Obama • Defending herself from claims that she fostered tension with the president’s top deputies — Rahm Emanuel and Robert Gibbs — leading to the claims getting into New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor’s book “The Obamas.” We can certainly agree with the basic thrust of what she’s saying — even if Kantor’s book is accurate, just look at how much crap she gets over the stupidest things from the right. That is clearly the result of others trying to typecast her in a certain image. Let’s cut the image politics here. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2012 10:00

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World: “Italy’s biggest bank”: The Mafia’s massive profits amid Italian turmoil

  • €140 billion the amount of financial turnover the Mafia had in 2011, according to anti-crime group SOS Impresa
  • €100 billion the amount in profits the Italian crime group had; SOS Impresa says this makes them Italy’s biggest bank source
  • » Not your father’s Mafia: The anti-crime group says in an annual report that organized crime is becoming increasingly more organized, leading to as many as 200,000 business tied to extortionate lenders and leading to profits equivalent to 7 percent of the entire country’s national output. “The classic neighborhood or street loan shark is on the way out,” the group says in its report, “giving way to organized loan-sharking that is well connected with professional circles and operates with the connivance of high-level professionals.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 20:37

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Politics: Mitt Romney might hit right around the average for New Hampshire winners

  • 39% the average percentage the NH primary winner gets source
  • » That’s according to Nate Silver: Silver crunched the numbers and did the math, and the average non-incumbent winner of the New Hampshire primary wins roughly 39 percent of the vote. Silver has Romney getting right around 39 percent. “If Mitt Romney stays close to our forecast and gets about 39 percent of the vote in New Hampshire tonight, his performance will be highly typical for the winner of the primary,” Silver writes.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 19:42

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Politics: Rick Santorum could get a Newt endorsement if Gingrich drops out

  • whoa! According to Rick Santorum-associated officials in South Carolina, if Newt Gingrich drops out of the race anytime soon, he would likely endorse the former Pennsylvania senator’s (and longtime fan’s) campaign.
  • however … Even though Newt is totally looking like a dog in New Hampshire, don’t look for him to drop out anytime soon — he’s polling relatively decently in the Palmetto State, though he polled better about a month ago. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 11:22

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U.S.: Small Alaskan town gets all the snow the rest of the country isn’t getting

  • 18′ amount of snow, in feet, that has fallen in the town of Cordova, Alaska this winter
  • 6′ amount of snow, in feet, that has fallen in the past few days alone; it’s reaching a crisis level source
  • » How bad is it getting? To put it simply, the remote Alaskan town needs help. According to one resident, “there is getting to be more snow in Cordova than people and shovels to deal with it.” In some cases, buildings have collapsed. The city’s mayor has already declared a state of emergency and called the National Guard. And they’re not alone: In Nome, in the same state but 700 miles away, they’re waiting on an ice tanker with necessary fuel — and it’s moving very, very slowly.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 10:13

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World: Assad blames “foreign conspiracies” for Syrian crackdown

  • The external conspiracy is clear to everybody. Nobody can be fooled any more. The veil has fallen away.
  • Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad • Offering up tough words in his first public speech in months, in which he blamed “foreign conspiracies,” mixed with Arab-region meddling for the ten-month crackdown in his country. He says that the country’s enemies will be defeated soon. During the rambling 100-minute speech, he also noted that Syria will hold a referendum on its constitution and, later in the year, parliamentary elections. However … he didn’t say anything about relinquishing his own power. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Jan 2012 23:03

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World: Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi plans to run for parliamentary seat

  • Good for her! The longtime peace activist will run in April’s parliamentary elections, representing the Kawhmu Township area of Yangon. It’s likely she’d be able to win this seat, and if she does, she’d be in a position to lead her party in parliament, leading to some major committee assignments for the long-imprisoned political figure. Fingers crossed! (photo by edenpictures on Flickr) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2012 20:58

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U.S.: Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs can’t call his followers anymore

Bro just had his privileges taken away for three months after prison officials realized his phone calls were getting put on speakerphone — essentially allowing him to lead his flock from prison. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2012 16:11

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Culture: Tim Tebow’s stat line decides to mess with atheists, football fans

  • 3:16 Tim Tebow’s favorite Bible verse, from the book of John (it’s many peoples’ favorite)
  • 316 number of passing yards Tebow had in Sunday’s playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers
  • 31.6 number of yards per completion the noted evangelical had; your mind is blown source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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