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28 Aug 2011 20:25

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U.S.: Hurricane Irene’s costs — both in human and monetary form

  • 19 deaths reported so far from Hurricane Irene source
  • » And damages in “the tens of billions”: With the storm largely past U.S. shores, now begins the tallying of damages. You’ve seen some examples of this already. But while it’s too soon to predict exactly what the final tally will be, in New Jersey, Chris Christie is already throwing a price tag on things. “I’ve got to imagine that the damage estimates are going to be in the billions of dollars, if not in the tens of billions of dollars,” he told “Meet the Press” this morning. These costs will largely be eaten by the federal government. The loss of human life, however, won’t be. Click the source link above. It’s a blow by blow of saddening proportions.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Aug 2011 10:51

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U.S.: Hurricane Irene: It’s not all good news, but things are looking up

  • good Hurricane Irene is no longer a hurricane, but a tropical storm. It’s also passed by most of NYC, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and DC. It’s mostly on land at this point and is moving much quicker than it was yesterday, so it will lose strength quickly. Whew, guys.
  • bad However, it left some bad stuff in its wake — flooding, millions without power, 11 deaths in four different states, and lots of small inconveniences that built up into one pretty big one. In the end, though, it’s less bad than it could’ve been. Fortunately. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Aug 2011 13:50

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U.S.: Update: Hurricane Irene, by the numbers (so far)

  • » The eye of the storm first hit land at 7:30 a.m. EST: With the storm still maintaining speed as it stays just of fthe coast, Irene could cause severe damage up and down the coast. Though a Category 1, it’s expected to remain a hurricane as it passes through the mid-Atlantic states and up to New England between now and Sunday.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Aug 2011 12:38

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U.S.: Obama: Take precautions now, don’t wait for Hurricane Irene to show up

  • I cannot stress this highly enough. If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now. Don’t wait. Don’t delay.
  • President Barack Obama • Warning people about the danger of Hurricane Irene, which is likely to be the strongest hurricane the Northeast has seen in a few years. For what it’s worth, the storm — currently a Category 2 — will likely be a Category 1 when it hits the Northeast, so it won’t be a super-strong hurricane. Just a really big, slow-moving one that will remain strong hundreds of miles from the center. Amongst major metropolitan areas, it looks like the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area is about to face a strong hit from the storm. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Aug 2011 11:03

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U.S.: Hurricane Irene possibly about to ruin your weekend, East Coasters

  • Yeah, that’s possibly heading for DC, too: Days after the U.S. capitol felt an earthquake for probably the first time ever, they may just have to deal with a Category 2 hurricane. Hurricane Irene, which has been picking up steam for a few weeks days, looks most certain to hit North Carolina as a Category 3, and will likely go up the coast, possibly hitting such hurricane-prone locales as DC, NYC and Boston along the way. Hoping it’s just a brush, kids. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 10:20

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U.S.: Another powerful guy in same boat as Dominique Strauss-Kahn

  • Stop us if you think that you’ve heard this one before: A prominent banking official staying at a high-class hotel in New York City. A maid comes into his hotel room. He’s inside. And he reportedly tries doing some pretty sketchy stuff to said maid. She tells authorities, and now the prominent official is in custody, waiting to be charged. If this sounds just like the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case, you’re right. If you think we’re talking about Dominique Strauss-Kahn, not so much. This, instead, is the story of Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar, the former head of Egypt’s Bank of Alexandria, who is accused of doing essentially the same thing two weeks later at Manhattan’s Hotel Pierre. Ugh. We didn’t expect a possible copycat crime here. (photo of said hotel via edenpictures’ Flickr page) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2011 11:14

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U.S.: A few reasons why Cathie Black is out as NYC’s schools chancellor

  • >100 number of days media exec Cathie Black worked as chancellor of NYC public schools
  • 17% her approval rating according to a NY1-Marist poll taken on Monday (really bad)
  • 23% of those polled didn’t even know who she was or had never heard of her (even worse) source
  • » Her experience? Nonexistent. While Black has had a wide and varied career in the media industry, having been chairman of Hearst Magazines and a former president and publisher of USA Today, none of that stuff suggests she knows all that much about running the country’s biggest school district. Which might’ve been her undoing. Actually, let’s just say it was.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

07 Apr 2011 10:01

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U.S.: NYC juror’s racist, anti-cop attitude backfires on her

  • cause A woman who apparently really didn’t want to do jury duty told the court that she thought cops were lazy, and also said racist things about blacks and Latinos. Whew.
  • reaction The judge in the death penalty trial of alleged mob boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, forced her to come to court every day  indefinitely in retaliation.
  • relent After a day, though, the judge had a change of heart and let her go — but not before forcing her to sit in a room by herself and think about what she did. Timeout! source
  • » Worst questionnaire answer, ever: The woman, reportedly Asian and in her mid-20s, was asked on a questionnaire about the three types of people she least admires. She wrote in her response, “African-Americans, Hispanics and Haitians.” Look, nobody likes jury duty, but you don’t have to be an evil human being in the process of getting out of it.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2011 01:12

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U.S.: Alleged 9/11 mastermind will face military tribunal, not civilian trial

  • NO Khalid Sheikh Mohammed won’t be tried in NYC court source
  • » Why the change? In November of 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder angered a lot of people (mostly Republicans) by announcing that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others implicated in masterminding the 9/11 attacks would be tried in civilian court, as opposed to military tribunals. Now, Holder has changed course. He blames the change of plans on Congress, which passed legislation barring federal funds from being used to transfer GITMO detainees to the US. However, President Obama signed that legislation, so the White House can’t cry foul too loudly here without being just a tad hypocritical.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2011 12:24

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U.S.: Detective who helped catch serial-stabbing suspect: “Just doing my job”

  • I was just doing my job. … It was a crazy day, but I’m thankful that I made it home safe.
  • NYC Detective Marcelo Razzo • Humbly taking credit for his role in stopping serial stabbing suspect Maksim Gelman yesterday morning. Razzo was one of three cops who helped subdue the man suspected in a series of murders, carjackings and assorted other violent acts. Razzo was off-duty – and just happened to be on the train – when he helped stop the suspect, who was dramatically caught on a subway train underneath Times Square. Razzo ran from the third car to the first to help subdue him. Good work. Better response. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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