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17 Aug 2009 10:44

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Biz, U.S.: Obama’s pay czar will take back executive pay if he has to

  • Whether I have jurisdiction to decide his compensation or not, we will take a look and decide over the next few weeks.
  • Obama pay czar Kenneth Feinberg • On what he’s considering doing to companies that have been slow to pay back money from the TARP program. Those companies include some of the government’s favorite targets: Citi, AIG, Bank of America, Chrysler Financial, Chrysler, General Motors and GMAC. Basically, two of the country’s biggest banks and the two auto companies that we bailed out. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 22:39

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U.S.: BART decides not to strike; Lisa still holding out for more

  • Bay Area, your commutes are safe once again! After some last-minute wheeling and dealing between negotiators, one of the largest mass-transit systems in the country, BART, has a deal with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, meaning its 865 (or so) workers won’t strike and BART’s 300,000 riders can go another day without riding in a car if they so choose. If the agreement wasn’t made, they would have gone on strike tomorrow. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 20:41

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U.S.: Milwaukee proves that pipe beatings are making a comeback

  • That’s what made Milwaukee famous? The mayor of Milwaukee learned last night that doing nice things for people can end up in tears. After chilling at the Wisconsin State Fair, Mayor Tom Barrett heard a woman screaming, and went to help her. Instead, he got beat by a man with a lead pipe. What is this, River City Ransom? Barrett was in stable condition in the hospital, while the 20-year-old who did this to him was arrested. You know, we could use fewer pipe beatings, not more. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 20:25

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U.S., World: The quiet hurricane season finally burped this weekend

  • three storms number of tropical storms – Ana, Bill and Claudette – that formed this weekend source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 20:20

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U.S.: Snort, snort: Most of the country’s money is all coked up

  • 90% of dollars randomly tested had traces of cocaine on them source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 11:16

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U.S., World: Activists: Will Jim Webb’s visit to Myanmar actually bear fruit?

  • It’s too premature to say this is very positive. … It could break the ice.
  • Nyo Ohn Myint • A former aide of Aung San Suu Kyi, on whether Sen. Jim Webb’s meeting with the human rights activist will be of any use to Myanmar’s political climate, as well as personal tensions between Suu Kyi and Senior General Than Shwe. Webb, who supports easing sanctions on the country (also known as Burma), was the first major U.S. politician to meet Than Shwe. Activists say this could be a face-saving situation where the country doesn’t actually give anything up. Either way, at least he got John Yettaw home. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 09:50

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U.S., World: NASA: We need more money to visit the moon and Mars

  • $18 billion amount the space program gets in its budget each year; its 10-year budget plan was cut significantly – by $30 billion – recently source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Aug 2009 09:42

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U.S.: Obama: “Pulling the plug on grandma” = below the belt

  • I know what it’s like to watch somebody you love, who is aging, deteriorate and have to struggle with that. We’ve got enough stuff to deal with without having these kinds of arguments.
  • President Barack Obama • Discussing the health care plan in Colorado, specifically in regards to some of the attacks he’s seen regarding the elderly and so-called “death panels.” With these words Obama reminded those at yesterday’s town hall that his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died just last year on the eve of the election. Obama’s tried over the last few days to change the tone of the debate. We’ll see if it works. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 09:33

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U.S.: If you’ve felt contact buzz in SoCal lately, blame the wildfires

  • The root of the fires? A marijuana camp. Investigators say that a cooking fire at at Mexican drug trafficking compound is to blame for the La Brea fire, which has already charred more than 84,000 acres. So, both their supply and their hideout just went up in smoke. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 10 Comments • Permalink

15 Aug 2009 20:32

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U.S., World: Jim Webb in Myanmar: We knew we always liked that guy

Sen. Jim Webb (with home-jailed activist Aung San Suu Kyi) proves in Myanmar what Bill Clinton did in North Korea: Diplomacy works. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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