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24 May 2011 10:27

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U.S.: In perspective: The possible costs of 2011’s U.S. natural disasters

  • $3B the estimated peak cost of the Joplin tornado, which hit on Sunday
  • $5B the estimated costs of the storms that slammed the South in April
  • $2.2B the estimated costs of the deliberate flooding on the Mississippi source
  • » A particularly deadly year for natural disasters: Before April, the weather was relatively calm, but then strong storms in the South and Plains states — complete with tornadoes and flooding — started hitting fast and furious. And with 482 killed by this year’s storms already, it’s been a year filled with heartbreak already.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 22:28

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U.S.: Joplin tornado: Some good news within the death and destruction

  • positive As recovery efforts continue after last night’s devastating tornado, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says that 17 people have been pulled out of the rubble in Joplin — alive. The death toll is still the deadliest since accurate tornado records were kept starting in the 1950s.
  • negative Unfortunately, the death toll will likely continue to rise. “Clearly, it’s on its way up,” Nixon says. Worse, the National Weather Service says the odds are 45% of another tornado outbreak over a wide swath of the Plains states. Including Joplin. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 21:51

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U.S.: Silver lining: Financial meltdown saved marriages!

  • 5% of married couples were considering a divorce prior to the recession
  • 38% of those couples put their plans on hold once the recession hit source
  • » Follow our logic here: George W. Bush fancied himself a man of family values, right? And surely, there’s no greater family value than the institution of marriage. The economic policies put forth by Bush plunged our country into a recession, at which point couples that may have gotten divorced stayed together due to lack of funds. So in a weird way, Bush accomplished his goal. He saved marriage! Yay! This theory is perfect!
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 15:42

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U.S.: SCOTUS rules CA prisons unconstitutionally overcrowded

  • “Incompatible with the concept of human dignity”: So said Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the 5-4 Supreme Court majority that ruled California’s state prison system is so overcrowded that they say it violates constitutional rights (the level of health services available to inmates who sorely need them has been a relevant issue of late). As such, the ruling may force the state to release nearly 40,000 prisoners. “The release of prisoners in large numbers … is a matter of undoubted, grave concern, yet so too is the continuing injury and harm resulting from these serious constitutional violations,” said Kennedy. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 13:32

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U.S.: Dharun Ravi pleads not guilty in charges from Tyler Clementi’s suicide

  • then Rutgers student Tyler Clementi leapt off a bridge last year, killing himself at the realization that his roommate, Dharun Ravi, had secretly recorded him having sex with a man and uploaded it to the internet. His death originated much public attention to the issue of youths bullied for their sexual orientations.
  • now Dharun Ravi, 19, has pled not guilty to a court in Middlesex, New Jersey. He’s facing down 15 different charges, including invasion of privacy and evidence tampering, and if convicted could serve ten years in prison. The other student involved in the case, Molly Wei, will avoid jail time by testifying against Ravi. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 10:19

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U.S.: Joplin tornado: Warning sirens not enough with storm this huge

  • At the moment it’s surreal, our landmarks are gone — road signs, places where you know to turn — we’re doing search and rescue, going house to house on that six mile strip.
  • Joplin emergency management director Keith Stammer • Describing the situation in his town this morning. While he notes that all of the alarms went off and gave 20-minute notice of the quickly-approaching storm, it clearly wasn’t enough to protect people from a supremely devastating tornado. It was one of 47 that the storm system produced in the region yesterday — and by far the worst. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 09:59

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U.S.: By the numbers: The Joplin, Missouri tornado’s trail of destruction

  • 89+ people have been killed by the tornado that hit Joplin on Sunday
  • 200 the reported speed of the tornado, in miles per hour; it was a mile wide
  • 25%+ of the town of Joplin has been destroyed, authorities say source
  • » President Obama, reporting from Ireland: After the massive storm ravaged the Missouri town, the president, heading to Ireland to play diplomat, called Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and coordinated the FEMA response from Air Force One. Nixon declared a state of emergency and activated the Missouri National Guard in response the the storm, which devastated a town of 49,000.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 May 2011 00:33

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U.S.: Joplin, Missouri slammed by massive, devastating tornado

  • “I would say 75% of the town is virtually gone.” Those are the words of Kathy Dennis of the American Red Cross worker currently in Joplin, Missouri, a town slammed by a tornado this evening. Throughout the Midwest this evening, a number of large storms have left a huge trail of destruction, flattening buildings and leaving Twitter loaded with many scary scenes like the one above taken by Twitter user @CarmenSeda (thanks to @ProducerMatthew for that). Greatly-damaged buildings (including crushed Wal-Marts) are all around the area, and the death toll is reportedly high, but CNN won’t even list an actual number. Scary. We’re going to give you guys a few more updates as the night goes on. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 May 2011 11:46

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U.S.: Harold Camping: Still hasn’t shown his face since the “rapture”

  • It’s important to mock the prophets. It’s important to mock those that think they know what they are talking about.
  • Family Church of Laughs leader Ed Holmes • Regarding his satirical group’s protest outside of the Family Radio headquarters in Oakland, California last night, where they filled human-shaped balloons full of helium and sent them to heaven. Harold Camping still hasn’t shown his face since his prophecy failed to come true. We don’t think we can say it better than the Christian Post does with this headline: “Harold Camping Should Publicly Repent, Says Faith Leader.” He should publicly repent. Where is he? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 May 2011 02:14

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U.S.: GOP field narrows further: Mitch Daniels won’t run for president

Another high-profile contender in 2012 is out — because his family said no. “Simply put, I find myself caught between two duties,” the Indiana governor said. “I love my country; I love my family more.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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