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14 Sep 2009 09:56

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Music: Contradiction: Pearl Jam “sells out” with a song about integrity

  • After years under the Sony corporate umbrella, doing things like avoiding Ticketmaster and birthing Nickelback’s sound, Pearl Jam decided to release its newest album, “Backspacer,” exclusively via Target. source
  • Despite this seeming sell-out by a band notorious for integrity, Eddie Vedder’s singing about idealism on “The Fixer”: “When something’s gone, I wanna fight to get it back again!” It actually kinda makes sense. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Sep 2009 22:18

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World: Hugo Chavez has more guns than you do. A. LOT. MORE.

  • $2 billion deal to get lots of weapons for Venezuela. SIGNED. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

03 Sep 2009 22:27

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Offbeat: Breast implants “buy one get one free,” but you probably need both

  • This is effective marketing, friends. Take notes.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

31 Aug 2009 09:52

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Biz, Culture: Disney to buy Marvel: Cute heroes meet dark antiheroes

  • $4 billion Marvel’s going rate – a price raised, we’re sure, by the company’s recent box-office success source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Aug 2009 17:25

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Biz, U.S.: Clunker owners descend upon auto dealers in a last-minute rush

  • Because waiting until the last second always works out. After the announcement of the end of the Cash for Clunkers program on Monday, this weekend was destined to be a busy weekend for dealers, both from a purchasing and paperwork angle. While the program doesn’t end until Monday, many dealers were ending the program today to deal with the continued paperwork bottleneck the program itself is facing. “It’s the paperwork that’s the biggest pain in the neck,” said Neil Krieger, a Jim Ellis auto salesman based in the Atlanta area. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jul 2009 21:02

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U.S.: Wheelin’ + Dealin’: Concessions made to push through health care

  • If your business makes less than $500,000, you don’t have to provide insurance for workers. Before, the barrier was $250,000. source
  • If you’re poor and paying premiums, you can now get subsidies after paying 12% of your income for premiums. Before, it was just 11%. source
  • Medical providers (like doctors) will work with the Secretary of Health and Human Services on rates, instead of rates being tied to Medicare. source
  • The public health plan won’t be the only option states can offer – a co-op medical plan is in the works. Details are currently being hashed out. source
  • Medicaid isn’t completely on the federal government’s back anymore – in the updated deal, states will help pay for it, too. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jul 2009 09:12

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Biz, Tech: The stock market really doesn’t like the MS-Yahoo deal

  • 7% tumble in Yahoo’s stock following the deal’s announcement source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

27 Jul 2009 13:07

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Culture, U.S.: Oh dear, Octomom’s reality TV deal is almost a done deal

  • 14 the number of Octomom Nadya Suleman’s kids that will star in the reality show with her source
Posted by Nathalie Heiberg • 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. source
  • 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. source
  • 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.
  • Cutbacks State 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

19 Jul 2009 15:34

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Biz: Why Exxon is an evil, unbelievably greedy company

  • Over the years, Exxon Mobil has been making major profits at levels larger than most of the countries in the world. They’re No. 2 on Fortune’s Global 500. source
  • Over the last 17 years, after a deal that went sour, they’ve actively sabotaged oil fields in Texas, filling them with junk and plugging up wells with explosives. source
  • In response to all of this, the company could have to pay some $1 billion in fines to the state – which, considering, seems a bit like a slap on the wrist. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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