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19 Sep 2011 16:58

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Biz, U.S.: Obama administration endorses cutting Saturday postal service

  • Say goodbye to Saturday mail? That’s the Obama administration’s plan, at least. Issued alongside their much more ballyhooed one on debt reduction, the White House has endorsed ending Saturday mail delivery nationwide. The U.S. Postal Service is in quite dire financial straits, owing to a more digital age of communication as well as issues with financial management. The Democratic position is to try to minimize layoffs, while Rep. Darrel Issa’s plan would allow the USPS to break contracts and cut jobs, but on one thing both sides agree — no more mail on Saturdays. Shares of eBay dropped nearly 6% on the news, as it could make life tougher on their smaller, independent sellers. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 16:11

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U.S.: Study shows children may need a repeat vaccination

  • 3 year time-frame for whooping-cough vaccine; kids need to re-up source
  • » Or hope everybody covers their mouths? The study, presented by lead researched Dr. David Witt at an infectious diseases conference in Chicago, determined that the vaccine’s effectiveness drops off dramatically three years from when it was administered — compared to a recently vaccinated child, for example, the odds of infection are nearly twenty times higher. This has bolstered support for mandating a repeat of the vaccination for public schoolchildren, as California notably experienced a whooping-cough outbreak last year that killed ten babies. Of course, mandated vaccinations are oft-considered controversial, at times based on scurrilous reasoning.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 22:45

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U.S.: Video: Slow-motion sights and scenes from Occupy Wall Street

  • Sent to us via Twitter user Eric Brown, this five minute clip from last night does a good job capturing the mood of the still-budding protests near Wall Street in New York City. “This is a group of passionate, concerned, and intelligent people,” Brown writes. “Their behavior in the park suggested a great appreciation of democracy, and a desire to cut through the clogged media and political channels to communicate a message they feel is incredibly important.” Brown notes a large police presence was there when he shot this last night, but both sides were peaceful. Great clip. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 22:33

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U.S.: “Occupy Wall Street” protesters see first true test tomorrow

  • The method of protest that we’re using, the purpose is to interrupt the flow of Wall Street.
  • Occupy Wall Street protester Joe Sharkey • Revealing that the group’s purpose is to make it difficult for workers to get around the protesters — a method that will see its first real test tomorrow, when an actual work day hits. While the protest has remained largely peaceful, things could start to get thorny in the next day. Starkey says tomorrow is a “crucial period” for the group of roughly 1,500 to 2,000 protesters. “We are going to ride and coordinate and communicate,” he said. “The process takes a long time.” The protests, put together by anti-consumerism magazine AdBusters, have been planned for a number of months. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 20:30

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U.S.: Surprise: The plane in the Reno Air Races crash had a black box

  • I’m not aware of a lot of aircraft having it, this is the first one I came across.
  • NTSB lead investigator Howard Plagens • Discussing the “significant” finding of recording devices (commonly called a “black box”) on the vintage WWII fighter plane involved in Friday’s Reno Air Races crash. Due to the nature of the aircraft, it was a bit of a surprise to find it. On top of the data-recording device, there was a camera that pointed outside of the plane. This will be significant as the regulatory agency puts together the pieces of the deadly crash, which killed nine — seven on impact (including the pilot) and two at local hospitals. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Sep 2011 21:43

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U.S.: Reno Air Races press conference: Here’s the latest on the deadly crash

  • nine number of people killed during yesterday’s crash; it’s unknown if this total will rise
  • 69 number of people treated for injuries at local hospitals; 54 were brought there by medics
  • 31 number of people admitted for their injuries; eight patients in critical condition source
  • » Crater left by plane crash: A three-foot deep, eight-foot wide crater was left by the plane crash, according to Chief investigator Howard Plagens. Meanwhile, NTSB member Mark Rosekind says that the focus right now is gathering factual information, not analyzing it. He says that although the crash took seconds to happen, retracing its steps will take months. (information gathered via live press conference)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Sep 2011 20:44

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U.S.: Reno Air Races update: Death toll rises, NTSB press conference soon

  • reno The latest report is that nine people died in the accident yesterday, including the pilot, Jimmy Leeward. Many of those in the hospital — roughly three dozen — suffered head injuries. NTSB officials will have a press conference at 9:15 EDT to relay the latest updates.
  • martinsburg Another crash — a day after that at the Reno Air Races — spooked people at a race in Martinsburg, West Virginia today. The crash killed the pilot but did not affect anyone in the crowds. The pilot, much like Leeward, was flying a vintage World War plane. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

17 Sep 2011 10:06

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U.S.: What we know about last night’s Reno Air Races crash

  • one At least three people have died and more than 50 were injured after a plane crashed into the stands. Many of the injured — some critically — have lost limbs. There was no explosion.
  • two The air races have been cancelled for only the second time in their history — the first being in the wake of September 11, 2001. A memorial will be held today for pilot Jimmy Leeward.
  • three Leeward himself was a qualified pilot, and witnesses say it looked like he tried to salvage the landing. But officials have avoided offering a definitive description of events. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Sep 2011 18:06

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U.S.: FBI claims anti-Muslim training materials were work of one person

  • There may not be a ‘radical’ threat as much as it is simply a normal assertion of the orthodox ideology. The strategic themes animating these Islamic values are not fringe; they are main stream.
  • A FBI training presentation • Suggesting that mainstream — not just radicalized — Muslims are dangerous. The training materials, leaked to Wired by FBI whistleblowers, seem to suggest that normal religious behavior protected by the Constitution is a tell sign of terror ties. The training documents, some of which were produced solely by William Gawthrop, seem to support fairly controversial views he’s previously pushed forward on such sites as WorldNetDaily. The FBI responded to Wired’s article today, saying that the presentation was only given one time, was the work of one person (presumably Gawthorp), and doesn’t reflect FBI policy as a whole. “As of August 2011, the individual who delivered the presentation no longer provides training on behalf of the FBI,” their response states. “These corrective measures were made before recent media attention was given to this topic.” The real question: How did this guy get in a position where he could make such a presentation in the first place? This is a huge black eye for the FBI. (thanks kateoplis) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Sep 2011 15:48

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U.S.: Tucson Air Force base: No shooting, but unconfirmed gunman reports

  • first Reports of gunfire at Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force riled up Twitter users nine months after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting.
  • then Details were scarce from the beginning, with word of gunfire, ambulances on the scene — but ultimate news coming in drips rather than buckets.
  • now The reports now suggest suspicious activity, not a shooting. “No shots have been fired and no one has been hurt,” the Air Force base says. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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