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15 Jan 2010 08:44

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U.S., World: Cashing in on misery: Beware Haiti relief scams, guys

  • 250 people were victimized in a 2005 scam revolving around a Hurricane Katrina relief fund
  • $48,000 was bilked using PayPal by two Texas brothers; they were convicted in 2007
  • Some people have no soul, apparently. Consumer watchdog groups (as well as the Feds) are warning that scammers could try to take advantage of the Haitian earthquake tragedy, playing on emotion to try to bilk you of your money. Scammers like these showed up during both the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. So keep an eye out, kids. It could be bad. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jan 2010 10:39

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Biz, U.S.: Obama’s bank plan: Lots of money for the U.S., with perks!

  • $90 billion in bank taxes over the next ten years source
  • So what happens if the banks overpay the bailouts? Simple. The money goes back to the U.S. to help strengthen the financial position that was screwed up by the bailout crisis. Did someone say “win-win” situation, kids? The banks don’t think so, by the way, and angrily responded to the new charges like petulant children who didn’t get a Nintendo 64 for Christmas.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jan 2010 10:17

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U.S.: Bush, Clinton to team up on Haiti, give a bipartisan face to help

  • The former presidents will head the fundraising efforts. In an effort to emphasize the lack of politics at play in the face of a major tragedy, former presidents Bill Clinton (the U.S.’s special envoy to Haiti) and George W. Bush would lead the push for aid. This would be Bush’s first major public effort since leaving the White House in January, by the way. He’s pretty good at fundraising, by the way, helping to push $200 million into Southern Methodist University – home of his presidential library – since leaving office. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jan 2010 10:03

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U.S.: Twitter creates its own wishlist of what they want for the iPhone

Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

14 Jan 2010 09:36

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U.S., World: Today’s a critical day for recovery from the Haiti quake

  • Recovery crews hope to coordinate today and possibly save lives. With the lingering possibility of 100,000 people dead (according to Felix Augustin, the Haitian consul general to the United Nations), aid groups are trying their best to save whoever they can. “Once we can get communications up so we can tell people where to go, what kind of help they can expect, we’ll be able to better manage the crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who cut short a Pacific trip to help deal with the crisis. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jan 2010 22:10

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U.S.: Prop 8 trial: No cameras in the courtroom. Thanks, Supreme Court!

  • 5-4 the righties beat the lefties again at the High Court source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jan 2010 11:59

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U.S.: Twitter keeps abreast of the worst of the Haiti earthquake

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

13 Jan 2010 11:07

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Biz, U.S.: Obama has a plan to get back TARP funds: Tax the bastards

  • 20 of the biggest banks will now bail out the government source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jan 2010 10:22

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U.S., World: Haitian-Americans want to talk to their family members, but can’t

  • Everyone who walks in here is crazy, worried, depressed. They want to talk to their family members but they can’t get through.
  • Miami’s Little Haiti resident Myrlande Cherenfant • On the people that walk into her family’s market, unsure of the fate of many of their families. Cherefant can’t reach her own family members due to the destruction of communication lines in the area. “It’s a dead line,” she said. “There’s nothing.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2010 20:35

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U.S.: The Prop. 8 trial’s proposed cameras waiting on the Supreme Court

  • good The trial on the legality of Prop. 8 began today, and should have cameras in the courtroom, due to the intense attention the gay marriage trial has been getting, with clips posted on YouTube.
  • bad The Supreme Court decided 8-1 to temporarily block the measure for at least the next couple of days, while the court considers arguments against it made by those in favor of the California law. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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