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23 Jun 2009 21:14

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Biz, U.S.: Ah, housing numbers. Per usual, they don’t make anyone happy.

  • +2.4% increase in sales of previously-owned homes in May, a number the National Association of Realtors say might be deceptive source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2009 11:08

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U.S.: Feds: We told the D.C. Metro to upgrade trains; they didn’t yet

  • The trains involved were getting old and outdated. In response to a 2004 crash that injured 20, the National Transportation Safety Board says that it told the city of Washington in 2006 that it needed to upgrade some of its trains or phase them out. It didn’t happen. “They have not been able to do that and our recommendation was not addressed,” NTSB spokeswoman Debbie Hersman said. For Metro riders: this is not good. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2009 10:58

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Tech, U.S.: Buzz Aldrin thinks we should go to Mars. Well, he did go to the moon.

  • By refocusing our space program on Mars for America’s future, we can restore the sense of wonder and adventure in space exploration that we knew in the summer of 1969. We won the moon race; now it’s time for us to live and work on Mars, first on its moons and then on its surface.
  • Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin (i.e. the second man to set foot on the moon) • On the possibility that the next step for the space program is heading to Mars. He thinks it would be a shot in the arm for NASA. Why the heck not? We’re sure Marvin would be a gracious host! • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 8 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2009 10:45

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U.S.: S.C. Governor Mark Sanford’s whereabouts take a weird turn

  • After the end of the most recent session (which was especially brutal), the South Carolina governor disappeared and didn’t tell anyone where he was going. According to his wife, he does this all the time, but people in the media noticed this time. source
  • Turns out he went to take a hike. Mark Sanford went to the Appalachian Mountains and went hiking alone. Interestingly, as the Christian Science Monitor reports, he went right around Naked Hiking Day. We’re not saying. We’re just saying. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2009 08:59

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U.S.: The tally from the D.C. Metro crash has risen, but not hugely

  • 7 people died in the accident, which tore out an entire Metro car in dramatic fashion, sez mayor Adrian Fenty source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2009 21:34

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U.S.: Survivors note how scary the D.C. Metro incident was

  • It happened so quick. The floor smushed up. It was lifted up. I saw the debris flying toward me. I was choking on the smoke.
  • Brianna Milstead • A 17-year-old high school student who was in the colliding train’s front car when it crashed into a train held up by traffic. The train crashed spectacularly, raising the car Milstead was in on top of the other one and tearing out its floor. Another survivor in the center of the storm, Marcie Bacchus, 30, put it succinctly: “The front of the train just opened up.” • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2009 21:20

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U.S.: Post-crash, why being a commuter in D.C. will suck tomorrow

  • As opposed to the automated computer controls the trains usually use, all trains will be operating in manual mode tomorrow. source
  • The crash happened on the Red Line, by far the busiest line and the main downtown line, ensuring that commutes will be a pain. source
  • Those who use Maryland’s MARC commuter rail lines will also be in trouble, as the Brunswick Line is suspended indefinitely. source
  • Sure, buses will be running to replace the trains, but Red Line trains hold up to 1,000 people. Your average Metro bus holds 50-60. source
  • And finally, the intangible. Anytime a major crash like this happens, fear sets in. Tensions flare. Careful tomorrow, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Jun 2009 19:36

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U.S.: DC Metro General Manager John Catoe explains what happened

  • At 5:02 p.m., one train was stopped waiting to get the order to pass, because the train stopped at a platform. The next train came up behind it, and for reasons we do not know, plodded into the back of that train – the operator of that train was the one who lost her life.
  • Jim Catoe • Explaining the official version of events. It’s still too early to figure out why that train crashed into the other. But as information unfolds, we’ll keep you posted. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2009 19:22

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U.S.: The death toll in the DC Metro crash: The worst ever

  • 6+ confirmed dead, but people are still trapped in the wreckage source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2009 18:30

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U.S.: Holy God, this DC Metro crash is bad. Very bad.

At least two people have been confirmed dead thus far. And lots of people are injured. This is the scariest thing we’ve ever seen. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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