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12 Apr 2010 08:53

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U.S.: Doctors seem more willing to let you turn on, tune in, drop out

  • All of a sudden, everything familiar started evaporating. Imagine you fall off a boat out in the open ocean, and you turn around, and the boat is gone. And then the water’s gone. And then you’re gone.
  • Retired psychologist Dr. Clark Martin • Regarding the psychedelic experience he had which he says cured his long-lasting depression. Now that doctors have had a good 40 years of distance from the hippies (but not the bizarro hippies), it appears that doctors are willing to give the drugs another try in a controlled setting. The studies have been on a small scale so far, but the results appear promising. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2010 22:57

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U.S.: A Catholic sex-abuse conflict that DOESN’T involve the Pope

  • The church didn’t recognize that this bill makes improvements. The victims  – their lives have been changed and some will never recover from years of sexual abuse. For me, it’s about giving them access to the courts.
  • Connecticut Rep. Beth Bye • Regarding a sex-abuse limitations bill running through the state legislature. The bill would allow those with concrete abuse claims access to the courts. Much like everything else Catholic-Church-sex-abuse related nowadays, the Church is in strong defensive mode and telling parishioners to fight against the bill. Bye says the bill makes improvements – for example, someone older than 48 making a claim has to join a case led by someone younger than 48, and show substantial proof of abuse. Oh, and the bill isn’t focused on the Catholic Church at all – it just affects them most because they’re in the news. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2010 09:09

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U.S.: Do mining regulators need more muscle to boost safety?

  • Every place I’ve ever worked, safety has been a distant second to production. If you take 30 minutes out of the day doing it right, that takes a lot out of the tonnage of the mine.
  • Kentucky-based miner Billy Brannon • Regarding safety standards for miners. In the wake of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster last week, which killed 29, many are questioning whether the government’s regulatory administration, The Mine Safety and Health Administration, has enough teeth to properly take on organizations like Massey Energy. Unlike the EPA and FDA, the MSHA doesn’t make its investigators law enforcement officers, and the fines the group offers are mere pittances – $168,393 for Massey, for example. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2010 16:40

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U.S.: Obama’s gonna have fun filling John Paul Stevens’ shoes

  • 35 number of years John Paul Stevens served on the Supreme Court; Obama says “he leaves at the top of his game”
  • ten the number of names on
    Obama’s replacement list (we hope one is John Paul Jones, just for spits and giggles) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2010 15:30

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Biz, U.S.: In Oklahoma City, the mall is technically a federal building

  • You gotta love toxic assets. After the government took on $70 billion in bad assets from AIG and Bear Stearns in the wake of their collective crap-outs, there’s been a lot of confusion as to what those assets were. Well, the feds own loans for hotels worldwide, the Miami airport and Chicago’s Civic Opera House. But after the owners of this mall couldn’t make their payments, the government took over the mall. Which is kinda hilarious. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2010 12:10

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U.S.: Unemployed people’s benefits being held up by Congress again

  • 200,000 could lose benefits source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2010 10:55

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U.S.: Twitter debates John Paul Stevens’ and Bart Stupak’s retirements



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Apr 2010 10:51

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U.S.: Bart Stupak, John Paul Stevens: Today’s a good day for liberals to retire

  • Stupak Apparently worn out from the health care debate, where he played a front-and-center role, he plans to retire at the end of this term.
  • Stevens The liberal justice, almost 90, had been considering this decision for months. Now he’s firmly decided – he retires this Summer.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Apr 2010 21:22

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U.S.: New thing for germophobes to be scared of: Antibacterial soap

Antibacterial soap’s main germ-killing element is triclosan, which the FDA is reviewing the safety of. One congressman, Edward Markey, wants to ban it altogether. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Apr 2010 11:16

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U.S.: Good news: A college is offering grads a refund if you don’t get a job

  • Bad news: It’s a community college. Lansing Community College, in Michigan’s state capital (and within stone’s throw of our alma mater, Michigan State University) will offer the deal on some of the area’s most in-demand technical jobs, including call-center specialists, pharmacy technicians, quality inspectors and computer machinists. None of these jobs pay on average more than $15 an hour in pay, and we’re not exactly talking two-year degrees, even, but you have to remember this is Michigan and Michigan is in dire straits right now. This is good for them. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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