Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on TwitterBe a Facebook FanTumble us!

27 Aug 2009 11:08

tags

Biz, U.S.: The national GDP is down, but not as bad as experts feared

  • -1% decline in Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter source

24 Aug 2009 22:00

tags

U.S.: This swine flu number should scare the bejesus out of you

  • 90,000 swine flu deaths predicted this fall source

23 Aug 2009 11:07

tags

Biz, U.S.: UBS says its Swiss bank account-holders “wanted to evade” taxes

  • The clients are not just harmless victims. They knew what they wanted to evade. But they trusted the bank that it would work. Now we have to correct that.
  • UBS chairman Kaspar Villiger • Describing the clients that they just had to rat out to the U.S. government for hiding their income in Swiss bank accounts to avoid taxes. While they transferred their information to the U.S., they claim no responsibility to actually make sure those clients actually pay taxes. • source

21 Aug 2009 09:30

tags

World: Britain: We shouldn’t have released the Lockerbie bomber

  • The sight of a mass murderer getting a hero’s welcome in Tripoli is deeply upsetting, deeply distressing, above all for the 270 families who grieve every day for the loss of their loved ones 21 years ago.
  • British Foreign Secretary David Miliband • Criticizing Scotland’s decision to let Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi go early. Many were critical of the U.S.’ why-didya-let-him-go feelings on the matter, until they saw that the Libyan government allowed for a rare public gathering outside of Meghrai’s plane to celebrate his release. • source

19 Aug 2009 21:34

tags

U.S., World: North Korea: We gave you back your women. Now talk to us.

  • They feel, the North Koreans, that by giving us the two American journalists, that they’ve made an important gesture. And now they’re saying the ball’s in our court.
  • New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson • Talking about the current diplomatic situation with North Korea. They want bilateral talks (a.k.a. just the U.S. and North Korea), but the U.S. remains committed to having those talks as part of a larger group of countries. It just confirms what we knew all along: Euna Lee and Laura Ling were pawns for North Korea. • source

19 Aug 2009 09:49

tags

World: Baghdad’s latest attack was pretty epic, in a bad way

  • 75+ people died in the blasts, which all happened near high-profile targets source

15 Aug 2009 10:09

tags

U.S.: Remember radical militia groups? They’re making a comeback

  • 50 new militia groups reported by one law-enforcement agency source
 

09 Aug 2009 12:05

tags

Politics: Granola-eating hippies ask: Could the U.S. go fascist?

  • Fascism only grows in the disturbed soil of a mature democracy in crisis.
  • Sara Robinson of the Campaign for America’s Future • In a column on Alternet discussing whether fascism could happen in the U.S. someday, particularly in the wake of harsh protests during the Obama administration in recent weeks. Robinson notes that “it’s always rooted in the promise of restoring lost national pride by resurrecting the culture’s traditional myths and values.” We personally think both sides of this debate need to take a chill pill, go to a bar and drink a cool PBR. • source

05 Aug 2009 11:00

tags

Biz, U.S.: The Treasury Department’s having a fire sale on debt

  • $75 billion in long-term debt is going up for sale; that’s a record source

05 Aug 2009 10:22

tags

U.S., World: The Smoking Gun lays the smack down on a prank-call network

  • What is Pranknet? The until-now anonymous network, led by Windsor, Ontario resident Tariq Malik, has been a loose collective of shut-ins, some with criminal records, using Skype and chat networks to commit a campaign of terror on chain businesses – largely restaurants and hotels – around the U.S. source
  • What is Pranknet? The until-now anonymous network, led by Windsor, Ontario resident Tariq Malik, has been a loose collective of shut-ins, some with criminal records, using Skype and chat networks to commit a campaign of terror on chain businesses – largely restaurants and hotels – around the U.S.
  • The crimes In one case, they caused hotel employees to destroy sprinkler systems, causing $50,000 in damages. In another, they convinced a hotel employee to drink a patron’s urine. Most infamously, they convinced KFC employees to go outside, strip naked and urinate on each other.
  • Take cues from TSG The mainstream media could learn a lot from The Smoking Gun – which is owned by Time Warner, by the way. Here’s an organization that posts funny mugshots, sure, but then posts these killer investigative pieces full of finished homework that lots of people read. Newspapers, take note. source