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11 May 2010 11:12

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World: In Haiti, art conservators are trying to recover pieces of a culture

The Smithsonian Institution is trying to protect works, like this renowned mural right here, from being lost in the rubble. They hope to restore these works. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2010 11:13

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U.S.: California has a law limiting sex offenders that has no bite

These kids are near a school. This school is near a sex offender. Despite the passage of a law designed to prevent this, Jessica’s Law has no punishment. Oops. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Feb 2010 20:26

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U.S., World: Could the Baptists in Haiti get tried in the U.S. for child trafficking?

  • problem Haiti wants to try the ten Americans accused of trafficking children into the Dominican Republican. However, with a broken infrastructure, they don’t have a working court system right now.
  • solution The Haitian government may be willing to ship them off to the U.S. to get tried there. Were they acting in good faith when taking away these “orphans” (some of whom actually had parents)? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jan 2010 22:16

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U.S., World: Haitians illegally in the U.S. can stay here for a little while

  • 18 months of buffer room granted for Haitians by Obama source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jan 2010 08:44

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U.S., World: Cashing in on misery: Beware Haiti relief scams, guys

  • 250 people were victimized in a 2005 scam revolving around a Hurricane Katrina relief fund
  • $48,000 was bilked using PayPal by two Texas brothers; they were convicted in 2007
  • Some people have no soul, apparently. Consumer watchdog groups (as well as the Feds) are warning that scammers could try to take advantage of the Haitian earthquake tragedy, playing on emotion to try to bilk you of your money. Scammers like these showed up during both the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. So keep an eye out, kids. It could be bad. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2010 12:53

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Politics: Bono’s busy schedule: Stop file-sharing, defeat AIDS, save Africa

  • Perhaps movie moguls will succeed where musicians and their moguls have failed so far, and rally America to defend the most creative economy in the world, where music, film, TV and video games help to account for nearly 4 percent of gross domestic product.
  • U2 lead singer Bono • Regarding file-sharing’s danger to the content industries. As crazy as this quote is, it starts out even crazier: “But we know from America’s noble effort to stop child pornography, not to mention China’s ignoble effort to suppress online dissent, that it’s perfectly possible to track content.” This guy is just as arrogant and full of it as the glasses and haircut (and crappy recent music) suggest. He compared file sharing to child porn and free speech. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2009 09:36

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Biz, World: Investors looking for an out from the mirage of Dubai

  • The question right now is is it just a Dubai issue or is the whole UAE in trouble, does Abu Dhabi still have enough cash to help Dubai?
  • Merrill Lynch sales manager in emerging markets equity Amr Aboushaban • Describing shaken investor confidence in the Middle East after Dubai said it couldn’t repay billions in loans. There are other areas in the region – most notably Abu Dhabi – that might be able to help the Middle East’s largest sign of unparalleled wealth, but investors are scrambling to keep their money safe in other regional financial havens as a result of the news. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Oct 2009 10:45

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U.S.: Where did the stimulus save jobs, mostly? Education. Weird.

  • 325,000 of the jobs saved were in education – which is a nice, but unexpected windfall
  • 80,000 were in construction – despite the fact it was sold as a public-works program source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Oct 2009 21:24

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U.S.: Obama signs a hate-crimes bill eleven years in the making

  • Through this law, we will strengthen the protections against crimes based on the color of your skin, the faith in your heart, or the place of your birth. We will finally add federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.
  • President Barack Obama • On signing a hate-crimes bill that, for the first time, protects people based on their sexual orientation. The bill is something that’s been fought for since the dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. (who was black) and beating death of Matthew Shepard (who was gay) shined light on the issue in 1998. Critics of the bill say it just adds further regulations to a highly-regulated process. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Oct 2009 10:06

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World: Afghan attack: UN workers don’t feel safe right now

  • I’m in another guesthouse maybe 200 metres as the crow flies from the Bekhtar, and believe me right now I feel vulnerable. I would like the UN to consider our security very seriously indeed as the current operational standards are patently ineffective.
  • An anonymous United Nations worker • Describing their feelings on the attack on a UN guest house in Kabul, Afghanistan. As the UN is needed in the war-torn country right now, the organization should probably heed this concern. It’s one thing when civilians are getting attacked. It’s another thing entirely when impartial humanitarian workers are. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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