Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

28 Nov 2011 11:28

tags

Biz: Bloomberg: Banks scored sneaky profits on emergency loans

  • $13 billion earned by banks via roundabout loans source
  • » How they worked: These banks took advantage of a set of emergency loans from the Federal Reserve distributed between August 2007 and April 2010. Bloomberg Markets magazine did the math on the numbers and figured out that, by looking at the companies’ net interest margin, you could see how the companies took advantage of the below-market rates they got on the loans to earn a profit. The companies that scored the biggest paydays? Citigroup, which earned $1.8 billion, and Bank of America, which earned $1.5 billion.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2011 10:51

tags

U.S.: Guy watches child porn on plane, story ends as you’d expect

  • cause A University of Utah professor took a ride on a plane over the weekend; during said flight, he watched child porn on his laptop, in view of other passengers. Sickening. And a bad idea, because said passengers told officials about it.
  • reaction Now, Grant D. Smith is stuck in a Massachusetts jail after he was arrested after the plane landed. The school placed Smith on administrative leave. And many are confused as to why someone would do something like this. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2011 20:34

tags

Biz: How much did people spend over Black Friday weekend?

  • $52.4 billion spent on Black Friday weekend (whoa)
  • $45B the amount spent during Black Friday weekend last year; that’s a 16 percent jump, for those playing at home
  • 226M number of shoppers over Black Friday weekend; that’s also a huge leap from 2010, and a record number
  • $398 the amount spent per customer on Black Friday weekend — a jump of more than $40 from 2010 source
  • » A big win for retail, but for humanity … eh. The heavy spending this year came with a number of downsides, most notably in the form of a series of customers-acting-crazy moments. We covered a few of these over the weekend, including an overzealous pepper sprayer and a riot over $2 waffle irons. Sure, the economy needs a serious kick in the pants, but we hope we can get said kick in the pants while being nice to our fellow human beings. Fortunately, tomorrow is Cyber Monday, where the problems with physical shopping don’t exist. Unless you know a way to shut off your neighbor’s internet. In which case you’re evil and we don’t like you anymore.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2011 20:11

tags

Tech: Electronic gadgets on planes: Why can’t you use ’em during takeoff?

  • Surely if electronic gadgets could bring down an airplane, you can be sure that the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, which has a consuming fear of 3.5 ounces of hand lotion and gel shoe inserts, wouldn’t allow passengers to board a plane with an iPad or Kindle, for fear that they would be used by terrorists.
  • New York Times reporter Nick Bilton • Going in for the kill with his story regarding the use of electronic devices on planes — specifically, why can’t they be used as a plane’s taking off or landing? According to FAA spokesperson Les Dorr, the agency chooses to err on the side of caution, despite evidence that the usage of electronic devices have no effect on a plane. “There have never been any reported accidents from these kinds of devices on planes,” Dorr said, reluctantly. So, why the policy? Good question. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2011 11:28

tags

U.S.: Will convicted RFK shooter Sirhan Sirhan get another day in court?

  • His lawyers say there’s evidence of a second gunman. There are conspiracy theories around the other Kennedy shooting, too, and the man who went to jail for that one could get a second chance to defend himself thanks to fresh evidence discovered by his defense lawyers. “The state suppressed, destroyed and withheld a great deal of evidence,” claims lawyer William F. Pepper, who personally knew Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s. He worked with fellow lawyer Laurie D. Dusek on the case. Their take? A second gunman put Sirhan Sirhan up for the fall, believing he would be more likely to get convicted due to the fact he was Arab, and the second man used hypno-programming to keep Sirhan in check, essentially making him an unwilling participant in the assassination. Furthermore, they say that the convicted shooter’s gun never actually hit Kennedy. Sirhan’s attorneys say in court papers claim the state “refuses to acknowledge that hypno programming/mind control is not fiction but reality and has been used for years by the U.S. military, Central Intelligence Agency and other covert organizations.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2011 10:43

tags

World: Who fired first in Saturday’s deadly NATO airstrike on Pakistan?

  • claim Pakistani officials claim that Saturday’s early-morning NATO airstrike on two military posts along the border came after Afghan forces fired on them, unprovoked. The airstrike allegedly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
  • rebuttal However, Afghan military officials claim this wasn’t the case; they reacted to fire reportedly coming from a Pakistan military outpost, then called for NATO to come in. “It was a response to incoming fire,” one official said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2011 10:21

tags

World: Arab League approves tough sanctions for Syria amidst unrest

  • Changes that Could hit the government and its people financially: Weeks after the Arab League suspended Syria over its handling of anti-government protesters, the influential regional organization ratcheted up the sanctions — with member countries agreeing to stop transactions to and from the country’s central bank and cutting off funding for infrastructure projects. The Syrian government has called foul on the sanctions, claiming on state television that the moves are “unprecedented measures aimed at the Syrian people.” Meanwhile, the violence that led to the sanctions continued unabated on Sunday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Nov 2011 19:10

tags

U.S.: Phony Craigslist jobs ad proves deadly for unsuspecting victims

  • offer An ad looking for farmhands around northeast Ohio drew intrest from a handful of people. One described the ad as a “good offer but strange.”
  • problem The area listed in the sketchy ad did not actually have a farm; instead, the property is owned by a coal-mining company that often rents it out to hunters. Hmm …
  • reality Whoever put up the ad tried to rob and kill the unsuspecting victims. At least two people were found dead; another got away. Two suspects are in custody. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Nov 2011 20:19

tags

U.S.: National Day of Listening: An anecdote from SFB’s Chris Tognotti

  • While I’ve had many teachers with whom I’ve felt close, and many who helped my academic instincts thrive, none had the impact on my true life’s experience that Carla Zilbersmith did. A theater director and improv teacher at my community college, as well as an evocative vocalist, Carla helped me better understand not only who I am, but urged me to push against the boundaries of my own comforts and fears. In fact, she made me promise her I would. Carla died on May 17th, 2010, after being diagnosed with ALS two years prior — she was 47 years old. I miss her dearly. I still can’t hold back the tears when one of her songs play on my iPod, and I’m skeptical as to whether that will ever change. I loved her, and for the dedication she had to improving my life and those lives around her, I will never forget. (Just a reminder to all: We’re taking your submissions too. Read more here.)
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Nov 2011 16:12

tags

About: National Day of Listening: An anecdote from SFB’s Ernie Smith

  • I went through a lot between the ages of 15 and 21. Heck, my entire family did. By the time I reached age 21, I had lost two parents and a grandparent. With regards to school, I’ll remember two things: The high school teacher who left me out in the cold when my grandmother died and the professors who were there when my mom died. Without dwelling too much on the first one, let’s focus on the second. I was a J-School student at Michigan State University, learning about graphic design at the time — that thing that eventually became my career. As a coping mechanism, I was back in school less than 24 hours after my mom’s funeral. The professor in my publication design class, Darcy Greene, was aware that my focus would fade at times, but she kept me motivated. She (and another professor in the same department, Cheryl Pell) helped me build my skill set, noticed this whole talent thing I’m rumored to have, and helped me get my first job in journalism. And in the process, they got me through a tough year … on an upswing. I can never thank them enough for that. (Just a reminder to all: We’re taking your submissions too. Read more here.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>