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12 Apr 2011 00:56

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Politics: Ron Paul trashes Paul Ryan’s budget proposal

  • We are dealing with a problem in Washington as a budgetary accounting problem and that’s not it. It’s a philosophy problem.
  • Ron Paul • Ripping into the terms in which the budget debate has been framed; his gripe is that the fundamental acceptance of America as a welfare state isn’t being challenged. He also trashed Paul Ryan’s budget plan, saying that it wouldn’t “come close” to “solv[ing] our problems.” This was all in a speech in Iowa; Paul is said to be leaning towards a third presidential bid. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2011 11:13

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U.S.: VIDEO: Mapleton, Iowa introduced to violent, barn-razing tornado

  • The tornado that destroyed half a town: While nobody was seriously injured in last night’s twister in Mapleton, Iowa, if buildings were considered people, it’d be a much different story. See, this tornado flattened a grain elevator. It also tore the roof off a high school and tipped a giant motor home in its side. And the hundreds-of-years-old trees that the town was named for? They were ripped out of the ground and forced into homes and cars, emphasizing the “ton” part of the name just as much as the “maple” part. “It was huge, just huge,” said local attorney Thomas Mohrhauser. “It just kept getting bigger and bigger.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Feb 2011 22:11

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Politics: Yikes: Cute babies + anti-violence commercials = Death threats

  • OK, this ad up here, which uses a cute baby (and we mean cuuuuuuute) to promote parenting that prevents violent offenders such as rapists, is anything but subtle, but the reaction to the ad is perhaps a little strong from some. The guy who created it, Josh Jasper of the Riverview Center in Dubuque, Iowa, is getting death threats because the ad was perceived as anti-male. “I appreciate and respect when people have differing viewpoints,” Jasper said. “But for individuals to take it to a personal level and threaten my life, that’s taking it too far.” The melding of visuals and messages in this ad make us a little uncomfortable, but honestly? It’s not really that bad considering what’s out there. And the message is good, even if the execution is a little overwrought. Disagree with someone. Don’t call their house. (thanks think4yourself & azspot) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Sep 2010 11:10

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Biz: That Iowa egg farm knew it had prior salmonella issues

  • 426 salmonella detections in less than two years source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Aug 2010 21:35

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U.S.: That Iowa egg company behind the salmonella outbreak is bad news

  • 380 million tainted eggs is a huge problem for Wright County Egg. But by no means is it the first huge problem the firm has faced. In fact, the DeCoster family, which owns Wright County Egg as part of their larger farming conglomerate, has had a number of legal problems in recent years, including these gems on their permanent record:
  • $2.1Mthe amount founder Austin Jackson DeCoster paid in penalties for immigration violations in 2003
  • $1.5M the amount the company was nicked for sexual harassment allegations (including rape!) by the EEOC back in 2002
  • yes the company has also had to pay fines for animal cruelty at another egg operation in Maine – just this year source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jul 2010 19:57

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U.S.: Snaps: Iowa’s broken Lake Delhi dam – a major flyover state story

  • After the Tennessee flooding in may, the mainstream media was criticized. Why? Because they underplayed a major tragedy that affected a lot of people – but people in a smaller state not on the East or West Coast. So, with that in mind, here’s a quick comparison of the coverage the dam breakage in Iowa has been getting so far. As of 8:29 p.m. EST, it’s not on the Reuters or BBC front pages at all. The New York Times only just put it up moments ago, and they’ve buried it. How about other sites?
  • MSNBC: Main imageMSNBC: Main imageIt’s the lead story at MSNBC, complete with a very dramatic photo to top it all off – pretty much the kind of play you’d expect.
  • CNN: Lead story (Breaking news)CNN appears to be pulling out all the stops for this story, asking for reader reaction to go with the photos on the site.

 

  • Washington Post: Lead imageIt seems like it might initially easy to miss, but the story, complete with dramatic photos, is on the front of the site.
  • Google News: Lead itemGoogle’s algorithms put it right up top, with the oil spill and the Afghanistan story. Earlier today, the German festival stampede was up top.

 

  • AOL News: Secondary leadThe site we occasionally freelance for chose to go with stampede at the German festival instead of the flooding as lead, though it’s up there.
  • Fox News: Secondary leadFox News had it on their front page, but it was below the captured NATO soldiers story and tied to other rain-related stories.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

24 Jul 2010 19:08

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U.S.: Lake Delhi dam in Iowa breaks, causing massive, catastrophic flooding

A huge amount of rain – 10 inches in a twelve-hour period – fell, creating this terrible disaster 45 miles north of Cedar Rapids. Yikes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Jul 2010 22:50

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U.S.: Yikes: A bunch of horses freak out, trample an Iowa crowd

  • 23 people were injured, and one killed, at an Iowa parade source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 10:32

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Offbeat: We think aliens just landed in Wisconsin for some reason

This giant fireball lit up the Midwestern skies for about fifteen minutes last night – just enough time for a strange creature to destroy humanity as we know it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Sep 2009 11:34

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U.S.: Bad, completely illegal idea: Strip searches in gym class

  • At an Atlantic, Iowa high school, a girl in a gym class noticed that $100 was missing from her purse. She freaked, then told her gym teacher. source
  • School administrators then conducted a search on five other girls. Their parents say it was a strip search. Their lawyers say that’s not legal. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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