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17 Nov 2009 00:19

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Tech: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen goes through second cancer bout

  • He had Hodgkin’s disease in 1983. He made bank as a result. Paul Allen, who was just diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was able to find silver lining in having cancer last time he had it. He left Microsoft’s day-to-day operations as a result of his treatment, but still owned a ton of stock. When the stock blew up, so did his bank account. That’s not to say he’ll be so lucky this time, and he’s making his health his main focus. “This is tough news for Paul and the family,” said his sister, Jody, who he works with at Vulcan Capital, an investment firm. source

10 Nov 2009 09:46

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Culture: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has leukemia. And now he’s speaking out.

Even though the basketball legend is a pretty private guy, he’s decided to go public to let people know that it can be beat. We feel bad about making fun of him. source

03 Nov 2009 19:56

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Culture: News flash: One-third of Boyz II Men having swine flu isn’t news

Millions of people have had swine flu so far, and while it’s rough for Shawn Stockman, left, it’s not newsworthy. Get better, though, Shawn. source

31 Oct 2009 10:52

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U.S.: Did you know HIV-positive people couldn’t enter the U.S. for 22 years?

  • If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it.
  • Barack Obama • Describing his decision to turn over a 22-year-old ban on HIV-positive people entering the country. Just a dozen countries had the ban, which sounds like it was put in place at the height of misinformation and hysteria about the disease. While we’re glad it’s getting overturned, it’s a sad statement on our country that the ban existed in the first place. • source

29 Oct 2009 20:48

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U.S.: The U.S. was infected with swine flu on a wide scale this summer

  • 5.7 million likely H1N1 sufferers between May and July source

26 Oct 2009 08:40

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Biz, U.S.: Big health insurers succeeding at crafting a favorable reform bill

  • They knew they had a very big [public relations] problem, and they knew this day was coming. They knew they had to be perceived as coming to the table with solutions. It was a departure from their previous point of view. But they knew they would be slaughtered if it weren’t.
  • Former Cigna Corp. public relations executive Wendell Potter • Describing the change in tactics that the health care industry has tried to help shape the health care bill in such a way that keeps them in the mix. Many are surprised that the health care industry hasn’t gotten the snot beaten out of it by congress, but the reason is that they’ve been working extra hard to make universal health care something that keeps them in the mix. So yeah, greeeeaaaaaat. • source

26 Oct 2009 06:50

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Biz: Found: Dead guy in a pool. A Bernie Madoff associate. Rich.

  • Jeffry Picower was described as Bernie’s greatest beneficiary. Remember when Ken Lay of Enron died at a convenient time? Looks like he has a new golfing buddy. Picower, one of the 400 wealthiest Americans, was found dead in his multimillion-dollar mansion in Florida. While authorities aren’t suspecting foul play or suicide (he was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and had heart problems), it’s worth noting that he was in the midst of being sued for $7.2 billion regarding funds he supposedly controlled in the Madoff case. source
 

25 Oct 2009 10:00

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U.S.: A couple numbers to note about swine flu’s emergency state

  • 46
    states
    currently have widespread levels of swine flu running through their populations; 1,000 people have died so far source

24 Oct 2009 11:20

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24 Oct 2009 00:37

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Biz: The food industry says “Smart Choices” wasn’t a smart choice

  • Whaddya mean Peanut Butter Crunch isn’t healthy?! They probably meant well in creating it, but big food companies have Eggo on their face after admitting that their “Smart Choices” campaign was a bad idea and they were suspending it. Why’s that? Well, the levels the program set allowed for fairly unhealthy foods like sugary cereals to make the list. And the FDA, of course, didn’t like it. Good idea making your products seem less scary, guys. source