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16 Sep 2011 11:12

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U.S.: What death row inmate Duane Edward Buck said after learning of his stay

  • He said, ‘God is worthy to be praised. God’s mercy triumphs over judgment, and I feel good.’
  • Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark • Discussing the reaction by Duane Edward Buck, the death row inmate whose sentence was stayed by the Supreme Court last night. He already had his last meal and was praying at the time. While the reprieve is only temporary pending the Supreme Court’s evaluation of the claims his equal protection rights have been violated, it nonetheless ensured that his last meal — a dish of fried chicken, fried fish, french fries, salad, jalapeno peppers and apples — might not be so final. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Sep 2011 22:33

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U.S.: US Supreme Court issues stay in execution of Texas inmate

  • NO Duane Buck won’t be executed tonight source
  • » What happened: In 1995, Buck was convicted of double-murder in Houston, Texas, and sentenced to death. Buck’s guilt is not being disputed; however, during the sentencing phase, a psychologist testified that black criminals are more likely than other races to pose a threat to the public if released. Buck’s lawyers contest that this testimony–which was denounced in 2000 by then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn–played a role in Buck’s sentence, and asked Governor Rick Perry and the district attorney to grant Buck a retrial. Perry and the DA refused the request, but the US Supreme Court intervened today, issuing a stay in his execution just four hours before his execution was set to take place. The court has yet to rule on a request for a resentencing.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Sep 2011 10:39

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U.S.: A win for transparency: Chicago throws its crime records online

  • OK, this isn’t nearly as sexy as, say, EveryBlock or the Sunlight Foundation. But throwing records of the past decade of crimes online represents a new era of transparency for a famously-guarded city. Or as Brett Goldstein, the city’s chief data officer and former police officer, puts it: “It’s a whole new era of openness and transparency. You determine your own analysis.” And on top of that, EveryBlock could totally plug into this database if they wanted to. Some have been a bit critical of what isn’t in the data — race, for example — but many analysts note that this is more than a lot of cities offer. You done good, Rahm! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Sep 2011 10:49

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U.S.: U.S. poverty rate: Nearly one in seven people live in poverty

  • 15.1% the poverty rate in the U.S. back in 1993 — the highest level in 20 years
  • 11.3% the poverty rate in 2000 — the lowest it’s been in the modern era
  • 15.1% the poverty rate in 2010 — MATCHING the 1993 high source
  • » What these numbers mean: The current poverty line in the U.S. is $22,314 a year for a family of four and $11,139 for an individual, so anyone making less than that falls into these numbers. To put this into hard numbers, that means 46.2 million people are living below the poverty line. As for the middle class, their median income is $49,445 — actually down just a little bit from the year before. (Editor’s note: We just clarified the poverty line numbers.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Sep 2011 10:31

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U.S.: More details on the explosion at a French nuclear plant

  • what On Monday, an explosion of a furnace at at French nuclear plant killed one and injured four others, one seriously. Officials are investigating.
  • where The Marcoule plant, located near the French city of Avignon, is one of the oldest nuclear plants in the country. It doesn’t have any reactors.
  • why The furnace, which handles radioactive waste, exploded. It was an industrial accident in nature, not a nuclear one, officials say. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Sep 2011 14:40

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U.S., World: Rwanda: Ex-presidential hopeful, “Hotel Rwanda” inspiration face scrutiny

  • She was aiming at inciting the people she calls the Hutus, to make them get conscious that there is something going against them.
  • A Rwandan prosecutor • Speaking during the trial of Victoire Ingabire, a Hutu woman who attempted to run for president in the country last year, only to get arrested on charges of attempting to incite terrorism and denying the infamous genocide (along ethnic lines) that destabilized the country nearly two decades ago. Ingabire’s trial began Friday, and prosecutors — surprisingly — have claimed that there is evidence that links her and Paul Rusesabagina, the man who was the inspiration for Don Cheadle’s character in “Hotel Rwanda,” to a terrorist group. And they’re considering bringing charges against Rusesabagina, now considered a international hero (albeit one who has feuded with the current Tutsi government), as well. Two decades after the fact, politics in Rwanda remain complicated and emotionally charged. (h/t @JohnNess) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Sep 2011 13:57

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U.S.: Joe Biden on terror threat: “We do have talk about using a car bomb”

  • There are specifics — in that sense it was credible — but there’s no certitude. There’s no smoking gun, but we do have talk about using a car bomb.
  • Vice President Joe Biden • Speaking on the credible terror threat this morning while on “Good Morning America.” He was slightly less vague than Michael Bloomberg was last night. NYC and DC have upped their security ahead of the 9/11 anniversary as a result of the threat, which up to this point has proven incredibly vague. Let’s hope that, whatever it is, authorities have their ducks in a row. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Sep 2011 12:57

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U.S.: Pennsylvania flooding: Floodwaters high but not at Agnes levels

  • 38.9′ the crest of the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. early Friday morning
  • 40.9′ the crest of waters in Wilkes-Barre caused by Hurricane Agnes in 1972, the all-time record
  • 41′ the level of flooding the levee in the region can stand; not all regions are levee-protected source
  • » Toxic waste dangers: The flooding has one particularly disturbing side effect — it reportedly washed out 10 sewage processing plants, leading Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett to warn of messing with the floodwaters. Flood warnings are currently in effect for Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, with other nearby regions, such as Virginia and DC, still in danger of flooding.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Sep 2011 11:56

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U.S.: Power service restored on West Coast; power grid “very fragile.”

  • Restoring power in the aftermath of the loss of the entire local grid serving San Diego and southern Orange counties was a monumental task. The restoration process, however, has left our local power grid very fragile and we are asking our customers to conserve electricity throughout the day Friday.
  • SDG&E vice president of electric operations David Geier • Discussing last night’s blackout, which affected nearly five million people in Mexico, Arizona and California. The blackout led to some great photos, but fortunately, it looks like it ended relatively painlessly. We’ll keep an eye on this today. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Sep 2011 17:24

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U.S.: Government files charges over millions in Medicare fraud

  • 91
    people     charged with Medicare fraud by the U.S. Justice Department, doctors and nurses among them
  • $255 million the value reaped from the alleged frauds — another crackdown in the hundreds of millions this year source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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