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20 Jul 2010 11:02

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Biz: Crappy housing numbers remain pretty crappy, guys

  • 5% decline in housing starts in June, an 8-month low source
  • » Silver lining: On the plus side, there was a very modest 2.1 percent increase in new permits, an early indicator of how the housing market is going. After the rough month or two the housing market has faced, at least that’s something.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Jun 2010 21:12

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Culture: Tom Cruise’s star power losing its luster at the box office

  • 1992 the last time a Tom Cruise film opened this low
  • $59M the amount “Toy Story 3” made in its second weekend (a solid showing)
  • $41M the amount Adam Sandler’s “Grown Ups” opened with (OK, not great)
  • $27M the amount Tom Cruise’s “Knight & Day” made – over FIVE freaking days source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2010 10:31

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U.S.: Sobering number: People’s trust of the government way down

  • 22% of Americans actually trust the government source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 10:53

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World: Iraq’s 2009 civilian death toll way down, still really high

  • 9,226 civilians died due to violence in 2008 – the biggest year yet
  • 4,497 died in 2009 – the lowest since the war began in 2003 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2009 01:19

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U.S.: Vice President Joe Biden is a pauper compared to most of Congress

  • $27,000 the Veep’s total net worth source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Oct 2009 10:58

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Biz, U.S.: Daily poll: Are you feeling confident, fellow consumers?

  • The Conference Board research group says its consumer confidence index is currently sitting at a 26-year low. We guess we can see it, but want to know how you’re feeling, personally. And since we can’t come to every one of your homes to ask you, a poll is the best way. So vote.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Oct 2009 10:01

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U.S.: The California legislature even less-loved than Schwartzenegger

  • 13% approval rating for the clogged-up state legislature source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

08 Aug 2009 10:35

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Culture: “G.I. Joe” wasn’t screened. Now critics have seen it, say it sucks

  • 38% the action flick’s current Rotten Tomatoes rating source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2009 21:56

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: Rising indie stars and old indie pros

  • 1. It’s good to hear when a band you kinda like starts getting attention. Shoegaze + NES band The Depreciation Guild is kinda like that – after a killer free album in 2007, “In Her Gentle Jaws,” one of the members made a name for himself with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and the rest is history. “Dream About Me” is a solid starting points.
    2. Much like The Flaming Lips or The Apples in Stereo, Wheat is a band that works best in full technicolor. The longstanding band’s just-out “White Ink, Black Ink,” especially “Changes Is,” shows that they haven’t lost their spark with time.
    3. Wye Oak’s first album was awesome because it didn’t try to fit into trends. It was just solid. The just-out second album tries a little too hard, but “I Want for Nothing” proves that that isn’t always a bad thing.
    4. This band changes its name more often than any band should – Memory Tapes? Weird Tapes? They’ve been called both, along with Memory Cassette – but either way, “Asleep At a Party,” a fractured, time-worn tune, lives up to both the song’s – and the band’s – name.
    5. Slow-buiding has always been the best way to describe indie icons Low, and “Sunflower” is one of those songs that nails their appeal. A high point for a lengthy career.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 May 2009 03:00

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Music: Conor Oberst ain’t feeling the critics’ love from Pitchfork

  • 4.9 their rating of the Bright Eyes dude’s latest, “Outer South” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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