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23 Apr 2009 21:44

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U.S.: Our two-second analysis of the latest Obama poll

  • think Obama is the greatest thing since bread was sliced and put into bags source
  • think Obama is a pretty awesome guy who knows what he’s doing in D.C. source
  • think Obama isn’t amazing, but they don’t think he sucks at job either source
  • think Obama is lame and wish he wasn’t president because he smells source
  • hate Obama with the raging fire of a thousand burning teabags source

23 Apr 2009 10:31

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U.S.: The apparent “Craigslist killer” has a history that goes back a bit

  • In a doorway, he pushed me up against the wall and tried kissing me. I was trying to push him away, saying, ‘No Phil, get off me.’
  • Morgan Houston • A classmate of Phillip Markoff at State Univeristy of New York-Albany, where she said Markoff attempted to attack her four years ago. It was a close call, and she was saved by a friend. She said it was the only time Markoff attacked her. It appears that Markoff’s motive behind the current attacks, by the way, was to pay off gambling debts. • source

23 Apr 2009 10:14

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Biz, U.S.: Our least favorite part of the week: Reporting on new jobless claims

  • 640,000 new claims this week. Sigh. source

23 Apr 2009 08:29

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Biz, U.S.: Next on the list: Obama takes on the credit card industry

  • The Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights brings more transparency to the contractual relationship and give consumers the tools they need to responsibly manage their own credit.
  • Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, D-NY • On her bill, which would level the playing field between consumers and the credit card industry, which often charges excessive fees that many consumers see as unfair. President Barack Obama will meet with leaders of the credit card industry today, during which he’ll likely attack some of their methods. • source

22 Apr 2009 23:08

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U.S.: OK guys, we have a theory on what killed those polo horses.

  • Three vials of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, a virus that makes horses very sick, recently disappeared from Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, a fort that houses hundreds of virus samples. The disease spreads to humans through mosquitoes and also makes humans sick. source

22 Apr 2009 22:22

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Biz, U.S.: GM: What’s a good way to clear car inventory? Stop making cars.

  • 15 car plants will shut down for nine weeks later this summer. Wow, that just sucks. o_O source

22 Apr 2009 16:34

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U.S., World: Cuba’s Fidel Castro is still kicking from the nursing home


  • When the president of Cuba said he was ready to discuss any topic with the U.S. president, he meant he was not afraid of addressing any issue. That shows his courage and confidence on the principles of the revolution.
  • Fidel Castro • On his brother Raul’s recent comments signaling an olive branch for talks between Cuba and the U.S. We’re assuming that Fidel is not actually speaking for his brother, but hallucinating about actually still having power in the communist nation. • source
 

22 Apr 2009 14:55

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Biz, U.S.: Speaking of layoffs, taking a bullet won’t even save your job

  • He got shot during a story last year. Todd Smith, a reporter for the St. Louis Suburban Journals, was at a Kirkwood, Mo. City Council meeting last year when Cookie Thornton, who had a lawsuit against the city, shot and killed five people, then himself. Smith was shot in the hand. The coverage of the shootings made the St. Louis Post Dispatch – the Suburban Journals’ parent paper – a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. Smith was laid off last Wednesday along with a bunch of other people. So no, taking a bullet won’t save your job. There goes our contingency plan. source

22 Apr 2009 10:28

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Politics, U.S.: The New York Times won a Pulitzer for a blacklisted story

  • The outright refusal of any of these ‘news organizations’ even to mention what Barstow uncovered about the Pentagon’s propaganda program and the way it infected their coverage is one of the most illuminating events revealing how they operate.
  • Glenn Greenwald • Discussing the media’s ignoring of a major investigative journalism piece by NYT reporter David Barstow on the television media’s use of talking heads to disseminate propaganda in favor of the military on cable news networks. • source

22 Apr 2009 10:18

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U.S., World: The U.S. doesn’t deal with pirate prosecutions very often

  • 1885 the time the last major case was tried source