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10 Sep 2010 20:15

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U.S.: San Bruno’s gas explosion: A shocking event, preventible?

  • harbinger A bunch of people smelled gas in a residential neighborhood for weeks. Investigators looked into it but found nothing.
  • result A natural gas pipeline exploded, leveling numerous homes and killing four. Now, people are wondering WTF happened. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Sep 2010 11:50

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U.S.: We’re ignoring the Koran-burning crisis from here on out

The media has been blowing this up – not him, the media. My buddy Charles Apple has suggested we completely ignore it. We’re game. No more coverage, Terry. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Sep 2010 00:07

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U.S.: California federal judge: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” unconstitutional

  • In order to justify the encroachment on these rights, defendants faced the burden at trial of showing the don’t ask, don’t tell act was necessary to significantly further the government’s important interests in military readiness and unit cohesion. Defendants failed to meet that burden.
  • Judge Virginia A. Phillips • In a decision by a California federal judge that does for “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” what Judge Vaughn Walker did for Prop 8 earlier this summer. The suit was brought by the gay conservative group the Log Cabin Republicans, who are thrilled about the decision. The Family Research Council, however, isn’t so thrilled. “It is hard to believe that a District Court-level judge in California knows more about what impacts military readiness than the service chiefs who are all on record saying the law on homosexuality in the military should not be changed,” said FRC president Tony Perkins. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Sep 2010 18:53

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U.S.: Crazy pastor calls off Koran burning; Imam calls his bluff

  • jones gets cold feet Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who planned to burn a stack of Korans in protest of the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque,” has announced that he’s canceled the burning.
  • imam cancels mosque Jones said that, in exchange for calling off the event, the man behind the proposed Islamic center, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, has agreed to move the center farther away from Ground Zero.
  • actually, nevermindFollowing Jones’ press conference, Rauf told CNN that he was “surprised” by the announcement, has never spoken with the pastor, and isn’t going to “barter.” Nice bluff, Jones!  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Sep 2010 15:16

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U.S.: Mayor of Newark slams Snooki for texting behind the wheel

Snooki! I’m the mayor where R U so I can give u a ticket 4 texting & driving we needs revenue! RT @Sn00ki Ugh stuck in Nwk traffic is no funless than a minute ago via webCory Booker
CoryBooker

  • NEWARK MAYOR CORY BOOKER knows how to promote himself. Last year, he engaged in a faux-feud with Conan O’Brien, resulting in a series of YouTube videos, an appearance on “The Tonight Show,” and a whole lot of exposure for the rising politician. Now, he’s calling out “Jersey Shore”‘s Snooki for texting whilst driving. Booker knows how to reach audiences most politicians can’t. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Sep 2010 11:07

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U.S.: Gulf oil spill: BP tries to shift some of the blame with report

  • The company just released a 193-page report on the spill. Claiming “a complex and interlinked series of mechanical failures, human judgments, engineering design, operational implementation and team interfaces,” BP’s new report tries to spread the blame in a number of places, noting some design flaws but also focusing more on the cement job on the well (done by Haliburton) and failings of the workers on the rig (who were Transocean employees) and trying not to shoulder all the blame themselves. Consider the report an attempt at shoring up PR and a preview of future court cases. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Sep 2010 09:18

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U.S.: LAPD still having image problems all these years later

Riot squads were out in full force last night, as L.A.’s police chief defended its actions in a case that led to the deadly shooting of Manuel Jamines. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 

06 Sep 2010 12:16

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U.S.: Tea is not a popular party, according to this new poll

  • 44% The Democratic Party’s approval rating
  • 45% The Republican Party’s approval rating
  • 36% The Tea Party’s approval rating source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 1 Comment • Permalink

06 Sep 2010 10:36

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U.S.: Al Gore’s luck: There’s always an inconvenient truth, isn’t there?

  • good Al Gore had his own L.A. school named after him – a first for a vice president. He shares the honor with Rachel Carson, another well-known environmentalist.
  • bad Too bad the school was built on toxic soil that a bunch of workers had to spend Labor Day weekend attempting to replace. That’s one way to honor his name. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Sep 2010 20:35

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U.S.: Craigslist’s “Adult Services” ads hiding in “Casual Encounters”

  • cause After years of pressure which recently hit a head, Craigslist finally got rid of its monitored, for-pay “Adult Services” section. They put a “censored” bar in its place.
  • reactionWith “Adult Services” out of service, users just moved over to the loosely-monitored “Casual Encounters” section. Great job, watchdogs. source
  • » To emphasize: Craigslist had to take down a service which provided tracking and monitoring of all purchases because regulators were concerned about what was on the site. Now, those users are going to go to other places, such as Backpage.com, which DO NOT provide the kind of tracking and paperwork that Craigslist did. Why is Craigslist getting crap here? Simple: Because they’re an easy target. This kind of stuff is going to happen anyway. Deal with the root problem, authorities.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
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