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25 Mar 2009 22:30

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U.S.: Fingers crossed. They may have unjammed the North Dakota flood.

  • Ice was gumming up the works. They blew it up. Explosives took out 500 feet of ice in the Missouri River just south of the flooding point, which may lessen the level of the could-be-record-breaking North Dakota flood. They’re not out of the woods yet, though, and 1,700 people have already been evacuated from low-lying areas. Did it work? “We are cautiously optimistic,” said Bismarck Mayor John Warford. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Mar 2009 22:24

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U.S.: A lot of people are living in tents nowadays. That’s no good.

Like shanty towns in the 1930s, many Californians are living their lives in tents. That’s pretty depressing. :( source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Mar 2009 10:53

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U.S.: To those sandbagging in North Dakota: We support you

  • 10,000 baggers have been putting sand into bags since Sunday attempting to stem a major flood in North Dakota source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Mar 2009 10:40

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Biz, U.S.: Pre-existing conditions may cease to exist at health insurers

  • If you happened to have a pre-existing condition, you were charged higher premiums by your health-care provider. They sucked for millions of people. source
  • If Obama’s insurance plan goes through, insurance companies will drop the premiums like a bad habit. This is really good news for millions of people. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Mar 2009 10:22

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Politics, U.S.: It’s been a while since Bobby Jindal’s come up. Here’s an update.

  • My answer to the question is very simple: ‘Do you want the president to fail?’ It depends on what he is trying to do.
  • Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal • Talking to members of his party last night about whether Rush Limbaugh’s stance on Barack Obama is worthy of criticism. Jindal, post-response, is still dipping his feet into the possibility of a presidential run. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Mar 2009 10:08

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Politics, U.S.: Aww… Blagojevich says he was “hijacked” from office :o

  • Dude was hosting a radio show this morning. Maybe that’s a good second career for the former Illinois governor – drive-time radio host. Anyway, Blago tried diligently to defend himself, took a sympathetic caller (comic D.L. Hughley, who’s been dipping into politico waters lately) and talked about his unfinished new book. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Mar 2009 22:49

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U.S.: Oh yeah, we heard Obama was on TV tonight

  • It took many years and many failures to lead us here. And it will take many months and many different solutions to lead us out. There are no quick fixes, and there are no silver bullets.
  • President Barack Obama • In a rare prime-time news conference tonight, where he defended his budget, spoke honestly about the challenges the country faces, focused on the economy and those pesky AIG bonuses, discussed a couple of other things (because, remember, the economy is but one problem this country faces), and pre-empted “American Idol.” Sounds like he filled a lot into a single hour. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

24 Mar 2009 22:14

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U.S.: Keeping people in prison is really expensive, guys

  • 7.3 million people are currently in prison in the U.S.; no word on whether they’re wearing orange jumpsuits or striped black-and-white getups source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Mar 2009 21:20

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Politics, U.S.: Maryland senator wants to save the newspaper, legislatively

  • About the bill Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland introduced a bill today that would allow newspapers to be treated as nonprofit organizations and get tax breaks. They would not be able to make political endorsements (i.e. opinion sections), but they could report objectively on the news, including political campaigns. Cardin says the loss of journalism “is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.” source
  • About the bill Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland introduced a bill today that would allow newspapers to be treated as nonprofit organizations and get tax breaks. They would not be able to make political endorsements (i.e. opinion sections), but they could report objectively on the news, including political campaigns. Cardin says the loss of journalism “is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.”
  • Why it’s needed In case you haven’t read the tone of this blog when we’re not making fart jokes, this is about journalism and its long-term future. Newspapers are getting closed left and right. Recently, the Ann Arbor News announced that it would fold its print edition, which is a big deal because Ann Arbor, Mich. is a one-paper town. This trend is not good for the economy, it’s not good for local news and it’s not good for the public. source
  • About the bill Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland introduced a bill today that would allow newspapers to be treated as nonprofit organizations and get tax breaks. They would not be able to make political endorsements (i.e. opinion sections), but they could report objectively on the news, including political campaigns. Cardin says the loss of journalism “is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.”
  • Why it’s needed In case you haven’t read the tone of this blog when we’re not making fart jokes, this is about journalism and its long-term future. Newspapers are getting closed left and right. Recently, the Ann Arbor News announced that it would fold its print edition, which is a big deal because Ann Arbor, Mich. is a one-paper town. This trend is not good for the economy, it’s not good for local news and it’s not good for the public.
  • Reactions You can imagine some people like this a lot, while whiny cranks don’t. A sample: “Seriously, after all that the Media has done to this Country, to think that I would want them to survive is asinine. Stop the presses, shutter the doors, fire the editors and let’s all do this online or by word of mouth.” Here’s an editorial statement: People who say things like this are freaking idiots. Even when you say you don’t love them, you know you really do. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Mar 2009 10:34

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Biz, U.S.: Bankers falling off the wagon in high numbers, rehab clinics say

  • We absolutely do see more people coming in naming either a job loss or huge financial reversals or big investments with Bernie Madoff.
  • Sigurd Ackerman • The medical director at New Canaan, Connecticut’s Silver Hill Hospital rehabilitation facility, on the high number of former bankers coming in with alcoholism problems. Many (well, former) bankers live in New Canaan. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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