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17 Feb 2012 13:35

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World: German president resigns amid political favors scandal

Christian Wulff, shown with his wife Bettina, had to resign amid allegations of offering political favors while the premier of Lower Saxony. He faced calls for his resignation for weeks, and may not have legal immunity for any crimes committed. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Feb 2012 12:24

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Culture: Report: Family emergency led “Colbert Report” to stop production

  • what Earlier this week, with little warning, “The Colbert Report” stopped taping shows without offering a full explanation, leading to much speculation online. It was the first time that ever happened in the seven-year history of the show.
  • why It appears the issue is family-related in nature. Reports suggest Stephen Colbert’s 91-year-old mother, Lorna, recently had a life-threatening medical emergency. The show itself wouldn’t confirm this, though. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Feb 2012 10:56

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U.S.: Family matters: Son tries to evict 98-year-old mother from home

  • I didn’t think he would do it. My husband worked hard, difficult jobs to buy this house. He built the garage and did a lot of work on the house and he told me never to leave it.
  • 98-year-old Mary Kantorowski • Discussing her 71-year-old son, Peter, who attempted to evict her from her own Connecticut house a couple of months ago. She’s lived there since 1953. The son says he’s concerned for his mother’s well-being, claiming that she’s living in poor conditions and is disoriented. Peter, who owns the house, tried evicting her in an effort to get her to move in with him, or into a nursing home. Instead, she got a lawyer involved and is actively fighting her son’s efforts. Peter says that his intentions are noble, but his brother Jack claims otherwise, suggesting he’s simply trying to sell the home: “There are no other words to call him. He’s just a scumbag.” Does not sound like a good family situation. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 23:41

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Politics: Occupy Wall Street files paperwork to become a Super PAC

  • Occupying from within the system: Today, OWS created a super PAC called the “The Occupy Wall Street Political Action Committee.” John Paul Thornton is the treasurer of the committee. “It’s going to be fairly democratic. We’ll take opinions on how much candidates need and in what areas,” Thornton said. The point of this super PAC is to raise money … to stop politicians from raising too much money. “I am out to get the bloated amounts of money out of politics but to do that, we need to support candidates looking to do that,” Thornton said. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 19:11

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Culture: Study: Common sweetener in organic food tied to high arsenic levels

  • the research Extremely high levels of arsenic have been found in food products such as infant formulas, organic cereal bars and energy shot drinks. These are foods that use organic brown rice syrup (a common substitute for high fructose corn syrup) as a sweetener and main ingredient. The impact of such concentrated levels of arsenic might cause more damage to babies than scientists realize.
  • the damage Arsenic has been known to cause cancer, chronic diseases and developmental defects. According to the article, “one of the infant formulas tested contained twice the inorganic arsenic allowed in drinking water … one cereal bar contained 12 times the legal limit for drinking water.” Research has been done for arsenic levels in drinking water, but little is known about levels found in food. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 19:05

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Politics: Is Sarah Palin a master of girl-who-cried-wolfing presidential elections?

  • I cannot predict what will happen in the future, but I know that I have got the fire in my belly to try to help, to try to make a difference and if that involves running for public office at some point in the future, I’m game for that.
  • Fox News analyst Sarah Palin • Continuing her long-running game of chicken with the idea of a future run for public office. Palin did not fully deny that she would jump into the presidential race if necessary. Sarah Palin may not be running for president, but she’s not entirely opposed to the idea either. In an interview Wednesday, she noted that she would “do whatever I could to help” in case the Republican party does not have a clear frontrunner by this summer.  source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 18:39

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Biz: Still think Detroit’s going bankrupt? Check out GM’s killer numbers

  • $4.7 billion General Motors’ posted earnings for the 2010 fiscal year
  • $7.6 billion General Motors’ posted earnings for the 2011 fiscal year source
  • » What a record to break! One year removed from bankruptcy, American automaker General Motors posted record-setting earnings for the 2011 fiscal year. In recent weeks/months many investors worried that GM’s overseas operations would drag down the company’s year-end totals. GM lost a total of $747 million in European markets, with $562 million of the losses occurring in the fourth quarter alone. In South America, where the company reported $818 million in earnings for 2010, GM reported a net loss of $122 million. However, not only did the company defy global expectations, GM managed to break its former $6.7 billion earnings record, set in 1996.
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 14:42

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Politics: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder endorses Mitt Romney

  • One of the greatest things holding us back in Michigan is Washington. [Romney] understands our state. He’s one of us.
  • Michigan Governor Rick Snyder • Officially endorsing Mitt Romney for President. This was an endorsement that until recently seemed in question, as the Republican governor dragged his feet on the decision mightily. It’s understandable why he did, in a sense – Romney has always been and likely still is the “establishment” pick, but Rick Santorum emphasizes American manufacturing in his platform, which is an appealing line in a state like Michigan. As it stands, the Romney campaign couldn’t afford to have lost this endorsement, and they can’t afford to lose Michigan, following a string of defeats by Rick Santorum. The February 28th primary is expected to be hotly contested, not least of all because of Mitt Romney’s 2008 remarks against the auto-industry bailout, which bolstered Detroit’s then-failing auto companies. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 14:09

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World: Many Honduran prisoners caught in fire weren’t charged or convicted

  • New revelations on Honduran prison fire: As we mentioned yesterday, the most lethal prison fire in the last century took place Tuesday in Honduras, at a prison in Comayagua. Since then some startling and grisly facts have come out, which speak to the sad state of legal affairs in Honduras, as well as to the staggering overcrowding and understaffing of their facilities – of the 800 or so inmates at Comayagua, 57% were being held without charge or were awaiting trial, most on suspicion of gang membership. During the fire, only six guards were on duty, just one of whom held the keys for every prison cell. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 13:48

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Politics: Two state legislatures working on same-sex marriage today

  • New JerseyA bill legalizing same-sex marriage has already passed the state Senate, and is widely expected to pass the House as well. Republican Governor Chris Christie, however, has promised to veto – taking the political risk of being the lone man who thwarted tens of thousands of people’s personal happiness.
  • Maryland A less certain, but potentially rosier picture for marriage equality in Maryland; should a same-sex marriage bill pass the House, it will go to a Senate that passed such a bill last year, and is supported by Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley. Such a bill failed last year due to Democratic defections. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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