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15 Jun 2011 13:47

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U.S.: Living in the U.S. takes a toll on your life, apparently

  • 75.6 average life expectancy, in years, for a man in the United States
  • 80.8 average life expectancy, in years, for a woman in the U.S. source
  • » Not so bad, right? It doesn’t seem like it — until you start comparing us to other countries. Compared to an average of the countries with the 10 best life expectancies, American men live roughly 13 years less and women live 16 years less. Not only does living in the U.S. mean you may not live as long, but if you live in Appalachia, the deep South, or in northern Texas, you can expect a lower life expectancy than anywhere else in the country. People tend to live longest on the Pacific coast and the Northern Plains. What is ironic about all this is that the U.S. spends more money on health per person than any other country in the world — so what’s wrong?
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jun 2011 15:14

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U.S.: Only in America story of the day

  • I could best describe him as a bully. He’s one of those people you’re constantly dealing with — confrontations with law enforcement, confrontations with neighbors
  • Chuck Curry, the county sheriff in Flathead County, Montanna • He’s talking about a guy named David Burgert, someone formerly in charge of a militia that wants to go to war with the National Guard and overthrow the government. Apparently, Burgert got in a shootout with police and then ran into the woods. They’ve been looking for him since the shootout happened Sunday, and they’ve only found stashes of guns and food. Let’s hope this guy doesn’t end up overthrowing our government any time soon. We’re shaking in our boots. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jun 2011 14:50

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Tech, U.S.: Hackers break into senate.gov, nothing of value is lost

  • A certain hacker group that’s been making headlines lately hacked the Senate’s website. However, they stole nothing of value — they only obtained information about to go on the site itself. The firewall protecting the Senate’s important documents kept them away from the data that could have been potentially harmful if released. Investigators traced the weakness in the system back to one senator’s office, but the senator hasn’t been named. In a press release about the incident, the hackers made it sound like this wouldn’t be the last time they targeted a government site, either. One thing is for sure — the White House should really look into cyber security if some amateur hackers are breaking into government websites this regularly. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jun 2011 13:54

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U.S.: Girl beats the odds, becomes a rare rabies survivor

  • unfortunateRabies is a disease that usually can’t be cured unless you’re vaccinated right after you get it. That was a problem for an 8-year-old girl in California — she contracted rabies from a feral cat and didn’t realize it. By the time her symptoms — including paralysis — were showing, it was too late.
  • fortunateDoctors placed Precious Reynolds in a medical coma and gave her antiviral medications. They didn’t have much hope for her because only two other people have ever survived the disease without the vaccines. Somehow, Precious beat the odds and survived. Definitely a story to smile about. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 14:33

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U.S.: Rapture alert: Harold Camping suffers a mild stroke

  • He’s 89 years old, so it isn’t really a surprise. Apparently, the rapture preacher, who spent $100 million of his own money telling people the world would end May 21st, is recovering just fine. “He is presently recuperating in a local hospital and the doctors are pleased with his progress,” said Family Radio special projects coordinator Michael Garcia. But either way, it doesn’t really matter in the long run. According to his own calculations, he’s only got a few months left to live; he’s now saying that the world is going to end on October 21. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 14:13

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U.S.: The White House annoyed about this Weinergate thing

  • The president feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction, as Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate, dishonesty was inappropriate.
  • White House Press Secretary Jay Carney • responding to Weinergate. He didn’t go so far as to say Weiner should resign, though. It seems like the White House is pretty upset about this whole thing, which is understandable. Obama just made a speech about jobs today, and it’s easy to imagine him being fed up with Weiner getting all this press. Not only is Weiner’s situation bugging Democrats, but he’s taking press away from Obama. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jun 2011 11:53

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U.S.: Woman optimistic for better life after face transplant

  • Charla hated to have her picture taken. Any family gathering, she’d disappear. She doesn’t want to be the center of attention ever, you know. That’s why she wants this. She’s so happy about getting a face, so people won’t say, ‘Look at that lady with the veil.’
  • Charla Nash’s sister-in-law, Kate • Describing the hope that Charla has for her new face. The woman, 57, was mauled by a neighbor’s pet chimpanzee two years ago. She lost most of her face, including her eyes, along with her hands. She received a full face and hand transplant last month, and while the hands didn’t take, her face did, and she’s optimistic about being able to eat normal food again, as well as go out in public without concern over her appearance. “It will certainly help her tremendously to feel human again,” said Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, who led the surgical team behind the third face transplant in U.S. history. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

12 Jun 2011 11:33

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U.S.: In honor of this Gabrielle Giffords photo, today is good news day

  • Yeah, we know there are updates to the Anthony Weiner story. Also, the IMF got hacked pretty badly. Syrian rebels are still struggling for democracy. And Tracy Morgan is a homophobic idiot. But those stories will be here tomorrow. Just look into this woman’s eyes. She dealt with the worst non-natural-disaster news story of the year — a senseless tragedy that could have been prevented if Arizona had stricter mental health laws — and she’s able to smile that wide. She has a long way to go, but with a smile like that, you get a feeling it’s all going to be OK. So with that euphoric feeling in mind, we’re going to focus on covering optimistic stories today. If Bin Laden dies again, we’ll have to switch back, sadly, but there’s just something about not fighting this moment we need to grasp onto. We hope you understand, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jun 2011 15:31

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U.S.: Worse than Arizona? Alabama’s new anti-immigration law

  • Alabama is going to start checking students to see if they’re legal immigrants. It’s sort of reminiscent of that law in Arizona that’s being challenged in court, only this one is a little more invasive. Alabama’s law would require all businesses to check the status of their workers and register them in an online database, as well as checking all students to make sure they’re legal. Scott Beason, the GOP state senator who sponsored the law, says that it will help give jobs back to people in Alabama. But that leads us to the question, “are they jobs people would want in the first place?” This bill is definitely invasive, possibly racist and certainly unfair. It’d make life harder for a lot of people. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jun 2011 02:29

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U.S.: Woman grabs phone, records man burglarizing her home

  • Not long after the woman taped this video, she was sexually assaulted. A 28-year-old Oakland, Calif. resident recorded video of the man shown here brazenly breaking into her home, stealing her electronics, and then, after she was done recording, coming back to assault her. And now, in hopes of catching the perpetrator, the Oakland Police Department released a video of the man stealing her stuff. “She was very much behind the release of the video,” said Oakland Police Officer Holly Joshi. “She wants justice, she wants the public to be aware of this man so this doesn’t happen to another woman.” Here’s the video for you guys, in case you might know anything about this mess. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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