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01 Mar 2011 10:04

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U.S.: Libya: Gaddafi’s forces unable to overtake opposition stronghold

  • plan In an attempt to regain ground lost during the recent protests, Muammar Gaddafi’s forces attempted to overtake the opposition-held Zawiyah, which is 30 miles from Tripoli.
  • failure Gaddafi’s forces were unable to do so, however – but the other side didn’t really gain any ground, either. The forces attacked from six directions, but didn’t succeed with any of them, really. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2011 14:21

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U.S.: Frank Buckles, last living American to serve in WWI, has died

  • Here’s to you, sir: America’s last living man to have served in World War I has died. Frank Buckles, born February 1st, 1901, not only served in the first World War (where he fervently wanted to be on the front lines, but never made it), but also survived three years of imprisonment in a Japanese camp, captured while working for a U.S. shipping company just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. What benefits did he receive for his service to his country? According to him, he received free membership at the YMCA. That’s all. Frank Buckles was 110 years old. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2011 13:20

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U.S.: President Obama hedges on health insurance mandate

  • old The Affordable Care Act became law, hinged on the concept of an individual mandate. Basically, everybody must buy health insurance, thus lowering the liability costs that the insured must cover for the uninsured. This prompted a slew of legal challenges from the states — mostly ones with Republican governors.
  • new President Obama has announced that he supports legislation allowing states to opt out of the individual mandate by 2014, if they can reasonably illustrate that they can keep the same coverage rates. Is a modest dose of health care reform — in truth, more health insurance reform than anything else — being watered down? source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2011 10:11

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Biz, U.S.: Bailouts: Remember TARP? It’s almost entirely recouped, kids.

  • $700B the amount the U.S. spent on the Troubled Asset Relief Program back in 2008
  • $341B the amount it looked like taxpayers were going to lose on the bailout deal back in mid-2009
  • $25B the amount it looks like we’ll lose on TARP; this is because we gave the money to banks source
  • » Not all is rosy in Bailoutville: One of the biggest issues we still face are the dual sinkholes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have reportedly cost taxpayers $150 billion and we like to think of as dual sinkholes. And some legislators feel that the effect has set us up for having to bail out unsuccessful companies in the future.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2011 09:14

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U.S.: Sirhan Sirhan doesn’t remember remember shooting RFK RFK

  • There is no doubt he does not remember the critical events. He is not feigning it. It’s not an act. He does not remember it.
  • SIrhan Sirhan’s attorney William F. Pepper • Explaining that his client, who is up for parole Wednesday, does not remember shooting Robert Kennedy back in the ’60s. Pepper claims Sirhan (not telling you if that’s his first or last name) was “hypno-programmed” when he fired at the presidential candidate. All of this actually hurts Sirhan’s chances at parole, which require him to be able to show remorse for the crime … uh, that’s kinda tough when he claims he can’t even remember what he did. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2011 22:15

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U.S.: Have you traveled lately? Bad news; there’s a measles threat, guys.

  • one New Mexico woman with a possible case of measles
  • three big-city airports she went through last week after leaving London
  • 1000’s of people could’ve gotten measles from her (yikes!) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Feb 2011 23:01

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U.S.: North Korea threatens South Korea. Sigh, this stuff is getting old.

  • South Korea’s traitor puppet regime must recognize the seriousness of the situation and immediately stop anti-(North Korea) psychological warfare.
  • A message from Korean Central News Agency • Which also happens to threaten gunfire at South Korea if they do that annual joint drill thing they tend to do with the United States. No, this story is not a repeat of every other time South Korea done this joint drill thing with the United States. It’s a new story. We even double-checked it and the timestamp says it was published like an hour ago. So we don’t know. In other news, we’re going to call our new pet gerbil “Traitor Puppet Regime.” It has a nice ring to it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

26 Feb 2011 22:36

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U.S.: Wisconsin: Pro-union protesters party hard today, but drama’s afoot

  • today Madison hosted its largest pro-union protest today since they started nearly two weeks ago – and the largest protest in Wisconsin since the Vietnam War.
  • tomorrow Scott Walker has had enough of this freedom and democracy stuff, apparently, as Capitol Police plan to kick protesters out of the building at 5 p.m. Sunday. source
  • » Oh, and Josh Lyman was there: Bradley Whitford, a graduate of Madison East High School best known for his time on “The West Wing,” had some pretty endearing words for the protesters as he spoke to the crowd. “You wouldn’t believe the impact this is having across the country. … Wisconsin is a stubborn constituency. We fish through ice!”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Feb 2011 23:47

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U.S.: Jeremy Bernard: The White House’s new gay Social Secretary

  • We don’t care how gay Jeremy Bernard is. It has nothing to do with his job. In fact, it’s awesome that Obama’s willing to appoint a gay man to be the Social Secretary position in the White House, a position which has traditionally been straight and female. This is a milestone that could only be topped if Obama made Barney Frank the next Treasury Secretary. Bernard, right, only has to do one thing to win our approval in the next Pew poll. Keep the Salahis out. That’s all you have to do, man. You can suck at every other aspect of your job. Just prevent that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2011 23:56

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U.S.: Every teacher in New England town at risk of being fired

  • ALL teachers in Providence, RI handed pink slips source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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