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20 Sep 2011 10:49

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U.S.: Georgia denies clemency for controversial death row inmate Troy Davis

Davis, shown here in 1991, drew considerable support for his case, in which witnesses recanted testimony that led to his conviction in the murder of a police officer. But Georgia’s pardons board remained unconvinced. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Sep 2011 10:29

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Politics: “Don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal: Here’s one of the first people to test the policy

  • This is why I chose to come out on Day 1 after the policy changed. I chose to come out publicly for the thousands of gay military members who have been told they are a risk if they serve in the military openly and honestly. People may say what I’m doing is attention-seeking or not befitting a military officer, but that very mentality shows the prejudice we still harbor when it comes to sexual orientation.
  • Air Force First Lieutenant Josh Seefried • Discussing his choice to come out on the very first day of the official repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Seefried had planned for this moment. See, Seefried launched OutServe, an organization for gay service members, while working under the pseudonym “JD Smith.” So it only makes sense that he’d be one of the very first people to come out under the new policy — and in a bold way, as a guest columnist for The Daily Beast. More power to him. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Sep 2011 00:46

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Offbeat: Florida woman has twins from — SURPRISE — two separate uteri

  • whatTwo healthy babies. Two uteri. One mother. A Florida woman’s rare condition, called “uterus didelphys,” allowed her to have children in two separate uteri. So they’re twins, kinda sorta.
  • how? It’s incredibly rare for a mother to become pregnant in both uteri. There are only 100 known cases, and only one in five million uterus didelphys pregnancies succeed. This was one of them! source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Sep 2011 00:33

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U.S.: Good news: Gas prices are down, but not from a year ago

  • $3.60 the average price of gasoline in the U.S.
  • -35¢ the decrease in price from May’s peak
  • +87¢ the increase in price from a year ago source
  • » What caused the increase? To put it simply, many analysts point to the civil war in Libya for inflating the price of gas, as it took 1 million barrels of oil out of the supply chain each day, raising the price of oil by $20 per gallon at its high point. The recent successes the rebels have had since NATO started its air strikes exactly six months ago tonight have helped to bring the prices down to more manageable levels. Seasonal factors are also at play, and with Labor Day behind us, gas prices should continue to decline through Christmas.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 23:57

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Culture: “Two & a Half Men” not so bad without Charlie Sheen

  • Ashton Kutcher didn’t bomb during premiere? According to USA Today, the introduction of his new character to “Two and A Half Men” was nearly seamless. Sure, they had to start with a funeral for Charlie Sheen’s legacy, but the show picked up with the same tone as before. Whether or not that’s a good thing, we’re still not sure of. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 20:50

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U.S.: Appeals court: Give this Jose Padilla guy a harsher sentence, already!

The al-Qaeda supporter, center, received a 17-year sentence in 2008 from a Miami judge. Now a Georgia appeals court says that’s too lenient, and ordered Padilla to get re-sentenced more harshly. That doesn’t happen often. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 20:03

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Tech: Google Wallet opens, but the odds you can actually use it are slim

  • good Google has both Visa and MasterCard on board for its next-generation digital payments system, meaning they have a built-in infrastructure.
  • bad While that infrastructure — in the hundreds of thousands of retail outlets — is pretty big, Visa and MasterCard reach tens of millions of retail outlets.
  • worse In the short-term, only one network — Sprint — sells a device that’s actually compatible with Google Wallet. Own a Sprint Nexus S 4G? You’re in luck. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 17:57

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Biz: Netflix sees shares drop on heels of unpopular Qwikster gamble

  • I have a feeling the apologies are just beginning. They’re catching customers off-guard by making huge changes and not providing a lot of explanation for them. It’s been handled poorly.
  • Mike Gordon, chief executive of the corporate PR firm “Gordon Group” • Issuing his dire analysis of the Netflix/Qwikster fracas, which we spent a bit of time on last night. Basically, the big picture for Netflix of late has not been promising — their price-hikes announced during the summer sparked a non-negligible exodus from their service, with about 1 million of their 25 million U.S. customers said “no thanks.” When the company was then forced to revise their cancellation figures for the worse last week, their share prices tumbled by 25%. Then, already playing pretty fast and loose with the strength of their company, came last night’s unexpected announcement. The result? Another 4% drop in share prices. Whatever your feelings about Netflix’s corporate strategy in a vacuum, it’s clear that with real customers they’ve fouled this up to a striking extent. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 17:31

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World: News International negotiates settlement with family of Milly Dowler

  • $4.7 million to Dowler family from News International source
  • » The negotiations aren’t final just yet: A News International spokeswoman confirmed that the company is negotiating a multi-million dollar settlement (about three million pounds) with the family of slain child Milly Dowler, who’s voicemail was hacked by the Murdoch-owned media giant following her abduction in 2002. This is a good example of the disparity of financial power between normal people and giant companies, and the problems that can lie therein; this sum, though it would be the company’s biggest ever payout, is in no way a prohibitive cost for a media empire like Murdoch’s.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2011 16:58

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Biz, U.S.: Obama administration endorses cutting Saturday postal service

  • Say goodbye to Saturday mail? That’s the Obama administration’s plan, at least. Issued alongside their much more ballyhooed one on debt reduction, the White House has endorsed ending Saturday mail delivery nationwide. The U.S. Postal Service is in quite dire financial straits, owing to a more digital age of communication as well as issues with financial management. The Democratic position is to try to minimize layoffs, while Rep. Darrel Issa’s plan would allow the USPS to break contracts and cut jobs, but on one thing both sides agree — no more mail on Saturdays. Shares of eBay dropped nearly 6% on the news, as it could make life tougher on their smaller, independent sellers. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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