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15 Aug 2009 14:18

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U.S.: Feel the deluge of health care political ads? There’s a reason why

  • $57 million on political ads, most of it in the last 45 days source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Aug 2009 11:59

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U.S.: Harlem shop owner on killing robbers: “I did the only thing I could do”

  • I did the only thing I could do at that time. Tried as long as I could not to, tried to get out of it; they wouldn’t let me get out of it.
  • New York City shop owner Charles Augusto Jr. • On having to shoot suspects in a robbery in Harlem. He didn’t want to, but they started pistol-whipping an employee and making the situation escalate. He killed two and injured two others in the act of self-defense. He will not be charged. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Aug 2009 10:09

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U.S.: Remember radical militia groups? They’re making a comeback

  • 50 new militia groups reported by one law-enforcement agency source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Aug 2009 09:30

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U.S., World: Aung San Suu Kyi’s stupid visitor, John Yettaw, is getting released

  • Credit Sen. Jim Webb for the diplomatic work. John Yettaw, the out-of-shape American who swam across a moat to save Burmese human rights leader Aung San Suu Kyi but just made things worse, will be getting out of seven years of hard labor. It’s thanks to Webb, a Virginia senator who comes off as a miniature Bill Clinton in this context. While Yettaw gets out, there’s no word on Suu Kyi, who was sentenced by Myanmar to more house arrest in a decision that angered many. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 23:17

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U.S.: Obama calls out Big Insurance, holds his own at a town hall

  • Now, I want to just be honest with you, and I think Max will testify. In some cases what we’ve seen is also funding in opposition by some other insurance companies to any kind of reform proposals.
  • President Barack Obama • Referring to Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, as well as the insurance companies, at an event on health care in Montana today. That’s right, Obama just said that some of the insurance companies (who he didn’t name) are spending money to try to kill the plan. Dangerous ground he’s treading, but he’s been treading a lot of it lately. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 22:53

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Biz, U.S.: It’s Friday. Guess it’s time for more banks to fail.

  • five number of banks that failed today, including the fairly huge Colonial Bank source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 12:11

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Culture, U.S.: Brad Pitt, from movie star to New Orleans mayor?

Brad Pitt for mayor
  • There’s t-shirts bearing this image already. There’s a history of Pitt doing good things for the city – convincing Frank Gehry to design houses for Hurricane Katrina victims. And there’s (tongue-in-cheek) grassroots support for the dude. He doesn’t seem interested, though. But he seems amused by the idea, though.source
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14 Aug 2009 11:20

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U.S.: “Squeaky” gets out: Wannabe Ford assassin released from prison

  • The former Manson family member was in 34 years. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme was convicted in 1975 of attempting to shoot Gerald Ford. She pointed a gun at him, but was stopped by the Secret Service. (There wasn’t a bullet in the chamber, by the way.) She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole but got off on good behavior and (we’re guessing) overcrowding. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 11:07

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Biz, U.S.: Need twenty bucks? Ask these super-rich guys for a loan

  • $702.4 million the amount Blackstone Group LP’s Stephen Schwarzman, made last year, largely from the vesting of equity grants source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 10:43

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Politics, U.S.: On death panels and bold-faced lies spread about health care

  • I guess what surprised me is the ferocity, it’s much stronger than I expected. It’s people who are ideologically opposed to Mr. Obama, and this is the opportunity to weaken the president.
  • AARP executive vice president John Rother • Which supports changing the health care plan, on attacks the plan has received, including suggestions of a “death panel” by Sarah Palin, a claim which is completely false but has much more traction than it should. The claims have much in common with the claims used to kill the health care movement in 1994. One conservative commentator from that era who flipped sides, David Brock, put it best: “In the 90s, every misrepresentation under the sun was made about the Clinton plan and there was no real capacity to push back. Now, there is that capacity.” • source
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