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13 Sep 2009 12:20

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Biz: Let’s not pretend that newspapers aren’t dying. Let’s talk about it.

  • It’s a bold approach to take. Newspapers across the U.S. have felt the devastating effects of the economy on their business, and the San Jose Mercury News is a microcosm for the whole mess. Caught in the center of more than one major storm – the merging of Knight Ridder with McClatchy (which destabilized the entire industry), its purchase by MediaNews, and the ensuing cuts – the paper went from crown jewel to shell of its former self in a few short years. Mercury News columnist Mike Cassidy asks for help from readers in today’s paper – it’s frank, it’s honest and it hides nothing. Good for them. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2009 09:50

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U.S., World: NASA: We need more money to visit the moon and Mars

  • $18 billion amount the space program gets in its budget each year; its 10-year budget plan was cut significantly – by $30 billion – recently
  • $3
    billion     the extra amount NASA says it needs to be able to get to the moon (and later, Mars) by 2020, as is their intended goal source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jul 2009 22:42

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U.S.: California’s budget agreement: Everyone comes out on the short end

  • Politicians Facing the kind of political deadlock only captured in movies, it’s surprising they even pulled it off. “There isn’t a whole lot of good news in this budget,” said Democratic Senate leader Darrell Steinberg.
  • The poor Welfare checks get cut – or go away entirely – for many families. Health care gets cut for thousands of children, along with their grandparents. To cut the budget by $26.3 billion, social welfare goes the way of the dodo.
  • CutbacksState workers will continue to get their days cut. Prisoners (unless you’re a Manson) will get out early, making the streets “safer.” But despite all of this, politicians managed to largely avoid raising taxes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jul 2009 14:15

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Biz: Among the victims of the GM restructuring: Plants, workers, execs

  • ten plants will be closed by the end of next year, bringing them down to 37
  • 35% of executives will be cut, along with 27,000 other employees source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2009 22:01

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U.S.: California likes making crazy budget decisions on tight deadlines

  • $24.3 billion needs to be cut by midnight. No, really source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jun 2009 11:00

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U.S.: Orange County, California, takes a machete to its budget

  • $1.2 billion just disappeared like that. Bye-bye programs source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2009 18:12

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Biz, Tech: MySpace’s layoff misery is like a money pit of bad puns for us

  • 30% Percentage of employees who will no longer be friends with Tom
  • 400+ Victims of the FaceTwit juggernaut, as well as irrelevance source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

13 Jun 2009 12:51

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U.S.: Obama needs more $$$ to get his health care plans off the ground

  • $313 billion amount Obama wants to cut from bloated federal health-care programs for the elderly and the poor over the next decade
  • $950 billion amount Obama needs for his sweeping plans for health-care reform; the cuts would help get him there source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jun 2009 16:16

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Sports: Latest byproduct of GM’s bankruptcy: Cuts to NASCAR racing

  • They’re not going away completely, but they are cutting back. One of the most obvious public exponents of General Motors may be its role in the hugely popular NASCAR. GM, largely represented by Chevy, will take a step back, cutting funds from some big stars’ teams (Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick) and overall doing less. NASCAR’s already been hit hard by the global crisis, with many job losses in the last year. This is just another chink in the Armor-All. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jun 2009 20:28

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Biz, Politics: This Boston Globe editorial toon is 23% off, just like their wages

Boston Globe editorial cartoonist Dan Wasserman, per usual, found an entertaining way to express his opinion. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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