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Source: Los Angeles Times Posted on 07.02.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Deep in debt and short on cash, California on Thursday churned out its first batch of IOUs in nearly two decades amid grumbles from bankers, growing public outrage and scant progress in negotiations to resolve the state’s widening budget deficit. The state controller’s office fired up a pair of printing presses and began rolling out nearly 29,000 IOUs totaling more than $53 million, most of them destined for residents around the state still awaiting income tax refunds. Recipients also include some businesses, pensioners, health clinics, college students and many others who get checks from the state.” (07/03/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/m82u97 Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Dallas Morning News Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “North Korea fired a barrage of short-range missiles off its east coast in a possible prelude to the launch of a long-range missile toward Hawaii over the U.S. Independence Day holiday. Firing a ballistic missile on the July Fourth celebration would be a challenge to Washington, which has been rallying international support for enforcement of U.N. sanctions imposed against Pyongyang following a May 25 nuclear test. North Korea is banned from testing ballistic missiles under U.N. resolutions.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nq3s2c Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: AntiWar.Com Posted on 07.02.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “In Baghdad, a bomb planted at a bridge leading to the Green Zone from Karrada killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded 10 others. A bomb in Yusufiya killed two people and wounded 15 others. … In Mosul, gunmen killed a man in the Sabatash Tammuz neighborhood. … One person was killed and six others were wounded in a bomb blast in Fallujah. A bomb was planted on a vehicle carrying Captain Khaled al-Dulaimi. He survived, but his driver was killed. An army major was killed when gunmen opened fire on him in Kirkuk. A car bomb in Taza killed one person and wounded six others.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nxrwvt Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: ABC News Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “A U.S. soldier serving in Afghanistan has been captured and is believed to be in militant custody, according to U.S. officials in Kabul. The soldier was apparently captured by Taliban forces in eastern Afghanistan Tuesday, though none of the militant groups operating in the area have claimed responsibility for the capture. Officials also tell ABC News that all available assets are being used to find and locate the soldier, whose family has been notified of his situation.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kqcr2n Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Fox News Posted on 07.02.09 by Steve Trinward “Former U.S. lawmaker and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney and several other human rights activists remained in an Israeli prison Thursday after refusing to sign a deportation form that they claim is self-incriminating. In a press release from the Green Party, McKinney said the form states that the Spirit of Humanity, a Greek-flagged relief boat carrying 21 activists, medical supplies, cement, olive trees and children’s toys en route to Gaza, was violating the Israeli blockade and trespassing the country’s territorial waters.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nx7l3o Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Boston Globe Posted on 07.02.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth yesterday canceled plans for a series of policy dinners at her home after learning that marketing fliers offered lobbyists access to Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and Post journalists in exchange for payments as high as $250,000. … The fliers, circulated by the paper’s parent company, offering an ‘intimate and exclusive Washington Post Salon, an off-the-record dinner and discussion at the home of CEO and publisher Katharine Weymouth.’ The fliers, which said participants would be charged $25,000 to sponsor a single salon and $250,000 to underwrite an annual series of 11 sessions, were reported yesterday by Politico.” (07/03/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mo54pe Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: CNet News Posted on 07.02.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Lori Drew, the woman convicted of using a hoax MySpace profile to harass a teenage girl to the point of suicide, was acquitted by a Los Angeles judge on Thursday, Wired reported. Judge George Wu overturned Drew’s guilty verdict, which was issued in November, saying that if Drew had been convicted of a felony in the case, she would already have been sentenced. But because she was convicted of three misdemeanors — a significantly lighter offense than prosecutors originally sought — the constitutionality of the guilty verdict was less clear. … Drew’s lawyers had argued that the law being used against the defendant was vague and flawed, which the judge upheld Thursday when he threw out the guilty verdict. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is typically used against malicious hackers.” (07/02/09) Link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10278483-36.html Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Associated Press Posted on 07.02.09 by Steve Trinward “The Arizona Senate has given final approval to a bill that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry a gun into a business that serves alcohol. The 19-to-8 vote completes legislative action on the bill and sends it to Governor Jan Brewer, a Republican. She has not said whether she will sign it, but she has long been a supporter of gun rights. The measure has pitted powerful groups representing gun and bar owners against each other, sparking a debate about whether guns and alcohol can coexist without bloodshed. Critics of the measure say guns and alcohol are a dangerous combination. … Supporters say they should be able to protect themselves even if they happen to be inside a business serving alcohol.” [editor’s note: Tennessee just passed a similar measure; law-abiding citizens (who are required to refrain from drinking while carrying) protecting themselves (and others?) from aggressors - SAT] (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kqracv Filed under: 2AM News and CANDi News and RRND News | |
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Source: Boston Globe Posted on 07.02.09 by Steve Trinward “An array of government-created insurance agencies — which have long charged bargain-rate premiums to banks, credit unions, and brokerages — are seeking to make up for massive shortfalls in their insurance funds by raising fees and premiums, many of which are likely to be passed on to consumers. The billions of dollars in new fees are the result of decisions by Congress and the agencies to allow the insurance funds and premiums to be capped at levels that proved far too low, according to Jeffrey R. Brown, a finance professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who has studied the issue. ‘This is what happens when you put the government in charge of an insurance program,’ Brown said. ‘Politically, they don’t run them the way the need to be run.’” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/lu9u5v Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: The Guardian [UK] Posted on 07.02.09 by Steve Trinward “It sounds like the beginning of a joke: what do you get when you put a Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi, a Buddhist monk and 10 atheists in the same room? Viewers of Turkish television will soon get the punchline when a new gameshow begins that offers a prize arguably greater than that offered by Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Contestants will ponder whether to believe or not to believe … Those persuaded will be rewarded with a pilgrimage to the spiritual home of their newly chosen creed — Mecca for Muslims, Jerusalem for Christians and Jews, and Tibet for Buddhists.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ndk5nq Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 07.02.09 by Steve Trinward “This could become the third time in a row that Americans struggle out of recession only to find themselves in a so-called ‘jobless recovery.’ The phrase became popular back in the early 1990s, when a frigid post-recession job market paved the way for Bill Clinton to defeat incumbent George H. W. Bush in the 1992 presidential election. Then the pattern was repeated after the 2001 recession, in a more pronounced way. Despite a disappointing monthly jobs report Thursday, the good news is that economists generally expect the US economy to start growing again later this year. But the report, showing 9.5 percent unemployment in June, served as a reminder that the current environment for US workers is unusually tough.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/n4l5zn Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: Agence France-Presse Posted on 07.02.09 by Steve Trinward “Facebook is revising its privacy settings to give the more than 200 million users of the social network the ability to share as much or as little about themselves online as they want. Chris Kelly, chief privacy officer at the Palo Alto, California-based company, outlined the changes in a post on the Facebook blog. Kelly said Facebook would now offer a tiered level of privacy options for its users including ‘all of your friends, your friends and people in your school or work networks, and friends of friends.’ There is also an option to publicly share with everyone on the Web in what is being seen as an effort by Facebook to compete with the hot micro-blogging service Twitter.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mr6gz5 Filed under: CANDi News and LAND News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: Independent [UK] Posted on 07.02.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Amid signs that the bonus culture blamed for excessive risk-taking is creeping back in the City of London, the Chancellor declared in an interview with The Independent: ‘There are people who are too complacent in my view. They need to be brought back to earth.’ Mr Darling disclosed that he will try to end a damaging turf war between the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) by giving them both more powers in a White Paper on banking unveiled next week. He assured the Bank it will play a central role in preventing future booms turning into bubbles and in assessing risks to the entire system as well as individual banks.” (07/03/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/l52wr7 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: BBC News [UK] Posted on 07.02.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Strathclyde Police have warned that they will not tolerate ’sectarian behaviour’ at the annual Orange Order parade in Glasgow this weekend. About 8,000 marchers from 182 lodges across the city are expected to take part in Saturday’s parade. … Police said their warning over possible sectarian behaviour had the backing of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland. Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson said: ‘Whilst the parade will have a major impact on traffic in the city centre, the main issue for the force and members of the public is the excessive drinking and public nuisance caused by those who follow the parade.’” [editor’s note: Orange walks are a series of parades held annually by members of the Orange Order during the summer in Northern Ireland, to a lesser extent in Scotland, and occasionally in England, the Republic of Ireland, and throughout the Commonwealth. These typically build up to the 12th of July celebrations which mark Prince William of Orange’s victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 (Wikipedia) - MLS] (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/moy7x8 Filed under: LAND News and RRND News | |
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Source: United Press International Posted on 07.02.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “A British business consultant said he was able to improve a firm’s productivity by convincing office staff to work for one day in the nude. David Taylor, a self-proclaimed ‘business psychologist,’ said he was called in to help onebestway, a design and marketing company in Newcastle, England, after the company began losing money and had to fire six workers this spring, The Sun reported Thursday. ‘Inviting an organization to go naked is the most extreme technique I’ve used,’ Taylor said. ‘It may seem weird but it works. It’s the ultimate expression of trust in yourself and each other.’” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kl5ylq Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: USA Today Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “Education Secretary Arne Duncan is releasing $2.7 billion in stimulus dollars earlier than planned to help states confront increasingly tighter budgets. Duncan said Wednesday he is distributing $2.7 billion to states that he had planned to distribute in October or November. The money comes from a fund for state government priorities that has very few strings attached. It doesn’t have to be spent on education, although the administration hopes it will be.” [editor’s note: In other words, this is a California bailout - TLK] (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/msvn33 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: MSNBC Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “The Obama administration on Thursday authorized the seizure of assets belonging to an extremist organization in Iraq and an Iranian backer of insurgents, saying both are responsible for deadly attacks in Iraq. The Treasury Department is targeting Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the Iraq-based group Kata’ib Hizballah for committing, directing or supporting acts of violence in Iraq against U.S. and Iraqi forces.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ns5fcr Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: MSNBC Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “The Obama administration will proceed with a Bush-era plan to use National Security Agency assistance in screening government computer traffic on private-sector networks, with AT&T as the likely test site, according to three current and former government officials. President Obama said in May that government efforts to protect computer systems from attack would not involve ‘monitoring private-sector networks or Internet traffic,’ and Homeland Security Department officials say the new program will scrutinize only data going to or from government systems.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mn5zxa Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Las Vegas Sun Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “Vice President Dick Cheney talked with top White House officials about how to respond to reporters’ inquiries into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative, according to a court filing. Cheney told the FBI about his recollection of discussions with his former top aide, I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby, and other White House officials on the media’s questions. But the Obama administration is fighting in court to keep the substance of what Cheney revealed to the FBI from the public.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/myaezt Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Los Angeles Times Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “After a months-long deadlock and half a dozen inconclusive votes, the world’s atomic energy watchdog on Thursday elected as its leader a Japanese diplomat described as colorless by foes and competent by allies. Yukiya Amano, formerly Japan’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, will serve as director-general of the United Nations agency when Mohamed ElBaradei, an outspoken Egyptian diplomat, retires from the post this year.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/laxgey Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Connecticut Post Posted on 07.02.09 by R. Lee Wrights “The Florida Supreme Court says Gov. Charlie Crist can’t reject an all-white list of appeals court nominees, even though he wants to appoint someone who will make the judiciary more diverse. The justices unanimously ruled Thursday that the Florida Constitution leaves Crist no choice but to pick one of the six white candidates submitted by a judicial nominating commission.” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ldeer5 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Brattleboro Reformer Posted on 07.02.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “The jury began deliberations Tuesday in the second-degree murder trial of David Boglioli. After closing statements by Deputy State’s Attorney David Gartenstein and defense attorney Matthew Harnett, the jury must decide whether to find Boglioli guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of his neighbor, George Riccitelli, or if he was defending himself from being beaten with an ax handle. If convicted of second-degree murder, Boglioli will face a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.” (07/01/09) Link: http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_12729116 Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: Fox 11 News Posted on 07.02.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “A state appeals court on Tuesday ordered a new trial for a 62-year-old retired teacher convicted of murder in the shooting death of a hiker in northern Arizona five years ago. Harold Fish claimed he shot Grant Kuenzli in self-defense during their encounter in the Coconino National Forest, but a jury convicted him and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The case galvanized gun-rights supporters, who said Fish’s conviction represented a threat to their right to protect themselves, and prompted the Arizona Legislature to change the law to shift the burden of proof in self-defense claim cases from the defendant to the prosecutor.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/luep2z Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: WHAS News Posted on 07.02.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Police say a grandfather shot and killed his own grandson, after the 20-year-old broke into his grandparents’ house. … Metro Police say the grandson came in through a back window wearing a ski mask around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday. His grandfather woke up and saw the figure with a mask and opened fire. The shots killed his grandson, James Michael Keen, 20, who has a record of repeated drug charges. We’re also told had stolen from his grandfather in the past. Investigators say Keen also fired at his grandfather, but they’re not sure who shot first. We’re told the gun Keen had on him at the time was his grandfather’s gun, previously stolen from his grandfather’s car. … Keen’s grandfather first figured out it was his grandson just before police arrived, when he pulled the ski mask off Keen.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/llvo49 Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: KIAH News Posted on 07.02.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Residents are on alert tonight after a man tries to break into a Sugar Land home. The man was shot after trying to break into an apartment on Long Reach Drive near Lexington in Sugar Land. Going by his first name only, James, a computer technician, who works the graveyard shift was sleeping in his apartment when he was awaken by his barking dog around noon. ‘That alarmed me so I picked up my gun just to have it with me in case someone was there,’ said James. And there was; an unidentified intruder who apparently entered through a kitchen window. ‘I opened my bedroom door and saw the guy,’ said James. ‘It looked like he was running towards me with a weapon like a screwdriver and I was scared.’ The 33 year-old pulled the trigger striking the suspect in the upper body. James was dialing 911, when he says the suspect ran out through the front door.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/lbbv8s Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: Raw Story Posted on 07.01.09 by Steve Trinward “In a major break with most other large companies, Wal-Mart said Tuesday in a letter to President Barack Obama that it supports a move to mandate health insurance coverage by employers. ‘We are for an employer mandate which is fair and broad in its coverage,’ said the letter, signed by Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke. Also signing were two prominent liberals: Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, and with John Podesta, former Bill Clinton chief of staff and head of the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank. The move ‘flabbergasted’ the National Retailer’s Federation, according to the Wall Street Journal.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/l6vrur Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: MSNBC Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “The Obama administration said Wednesday it has suspended joint military operations with Honduras to protest a coup that forced President Manuel Zelaya into exile. The U.S. withheld stronger action in hopes of negotiating a peaceful return of the country’s elected leader. The Organization of American States, meeting in Washington, gave Honduran coup leaders three days to restore Zelaya to power — under threat of suspending Honduras’s OAS membership. Afterward, several officials said the administration is still reviewing the possibility of cutting off U.S. aid.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/n5bjkw Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Reuters Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “French legislators on Wednesday set up a panel to look into the spread of full burqas and niqabs among Muslim women in France and will hand in its report by the end of the year. President Nicolas Sarkozy said that burqas were not welcome in France because they are a symbol of the subjugation of women. Sarkozy’s remarks came after 60 legislators signed a proposal calling for the commission to be set up. Al Qaeda’s north African wing has threatened revenge against France for launching a ‘war’ against women wearing the garments.” (07/02/09) Link: http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-40745720090702 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: AntiWar.Com Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “A bomb near Baquba in Ibrahimiya killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded three more. A body bearing gunshot wounds was found in Makhmour. In Mosul, a gunman was killed as he was planting a bomb. A separate bomb wounded a policeman. Police in Fallujah killed a man who was seen planting a bomb.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mgv8yx Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: ABC News Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “Thousands of U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan troops moved into Taliban-infested villages with armor and helicopters Wednesday evening in the first major operation under President Barack Obama’s revamped strategy to stabilize Afghanistan. The offensive was launched shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday local time in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold in the southern part of the country. The goal is to clear insurgents from the hotly contested Helmand River Valley before the nation’s Aug. 20 presidential election.” (07/01/09) Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=7982024 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: San Francisco Chronicle Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor who played Lt. Mike Stone in the 1970s TV series ‘The Streets of San Francisco,’ died today at his Los Angeles home. He was 97. Mr. Malden’s acting career spanned more than six decades, during which he won an Oscar as Blanche DuBois’ milquetoast suitor in Elia Kazan’s ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kphmj7 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Independent [UK] Posted on 07.01.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Gordon Brown changed his tune on public spending last night, admitting Labour would have to cut Government programmes, as he tried to refocus his attack on the Conservatives. The Prime Minister insisted that Labour would secure economic growth, efficiency savings, asset sales and public-sector reforms to protect frontline services which would be at risk under a Tory Government. But he said it would be ‘fine’ for other programmes to be ‘cut’ and that Labour would face ‘hard choices.’” (07/02/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nyt4lx Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: BBC News [UK] Posted on 07.01.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “New guidelines are being published urging schools to identify signs of forced marriages ahead of the holidays. The guidance comes as an official report raises questions about how schools and some councils have responded to calls for help. The report calls on schools to play a greater preventative role, saying some are clearly reluctant to get involved. The government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) says it has received 770 calls for help this year — up 16% on 2008.” (07/01/09) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8129466.stm Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: United Press International Posted on 07.01.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “A Michigan college student was sentenced to 180 days for what the judge described as ‘the dumbest crime I’ve heard today’ — stealing a computer from a jail. William Bradley, 25, a student at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, was convicted of larceny after he took a computer that was delivered to the jail while he was serving a sentence for a separate case and concealed it behind some trash bins to be picked up later. … Bradley’s actions were recorded by Kalamazoo County Jail security cameras.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/lwnobv Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: USA Today Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “The housing crisis and economic downturn that have forced many Americans to stay put are boosting older cities where population had been shrinking or was stagnant, according to Census estimates out Wednesday. Last year, Los Angeles recorded its biggest annual increase since 2002 and New York its second largest this decade. Chicago, where population had declined for five years this decade, grew by 0.73%.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/llr3jj Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: MSNBC Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “California officials said Wednesday they are trying to avert the federal government’s threat to seize six parks that could be closed to help reduce the state’s ballooning budget deficit. National Park Service Regional Director Jonathan Jarvis warned in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that all six occupy former federal land that could revert to the U.S. government if the state fails to keep the parks open.” (07/01/09) Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31693419/ns/travel-news/ Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Culpeper Star-Exponent Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “An ex-aide to John Edwards who claimed he fathered a child born to the mistress of the two-time Democratic presidential candidate spent Wednesday in a federal courthouse, but declined to talk with a reporter about an investigation into his former boss. With his lawyer at his side, Andrew Young at about 8:30 a.m. walked into the building in Raleigh where a grand jury was meeting. The longtime Edwards loyalist simply smiled as he went by and declined to comment.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nmbrgb Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Denver Post Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “A man extradited from Romania in a plot to sell weapons to Colombian militants has been sentenced in New York City to 25 years in prison. Federal Judge Jed Rakoff sentenced Tareq Mousa al Ghazi on Wednesday. Al Ghazi was convicted in March of conspiracy to murder U.S. officers, conspiracy to acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles and conspiracy to support a terrorist group. He could have received a life sentence.” (07/01/09) Link: http://www.denverpost.com/rawnews/ci_12737010 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: CNN Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “President Obama on Wednesday signed a measure awarding the 300 surviving Women Airforce Service Pilots from World War II the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill passed by both chambers of Congress bestows one of the nation’s highest civilian honors on the group known as WASPs more than 60 years after they were the first women to fly U.S. military aircraft.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kl9ytu Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Quincy Patriot Ledger Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “Democrats on a key Senate Committee outlined a revised and far less costly health care plan Wednesday night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers. The plan carries a 10-year price tag of slightly over $600 billion, and would lead toward an estimated 97 percent of all Americans having coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and Chris Dodd said in a letter to other members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kk4pw9 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Appeal-Democrat Posted on 07.01.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Two new pieces of legislation related to guns are making their way through Sacramento — and making gun store owners in the Mid-Valley frustrated at what they call political myopia. … AB 962 would compel those who sell ammunition to be licensed the same as gun dealers, and mandate a face-to-face transaction when someone buys ammunition. … SB 697, would mandate safety measures be included in every gun sold in California. That technology would be used to tell how many unfired cartridges remain in a gun, to avoid accidental shootings when thought to be empty. Guns would also have to have biometric technology to prevent them from being fired if someone other than the registered owner tried to do so.” (06/27/09) Link: http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/stores-79105-making-arms.html Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: Yuma Sun Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians and destroyed thousands of Gaza Strip homes in attacks that amounted to war crimes, Amnesty International charged Thursday, in the first in-depth human rights group report on the recent war in Gaza. Amnesty called on Israel to publicly pledge not to use artillery, white phosphorus and other imprecise weapons in densely populated areas. And it urged Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers to stop rocket fire against Israeli civilians — attacks it also described as war crimes.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/m6958s Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Times and Democrat Posted on 07.01.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “A security alarm went off at a Holly Hill accountant’s residence in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, rousing the sleeping homeowner who grabbed his gunshot, confronted an intruder standing in his doorway and shot the burglar in the shoulder. L. Glenn Littlejohn, 71, of 1244 Peake St. interrupted the suspect, Roosevelt Elmore Jr., at around 4:55 a.m. as Elmore stood in the doorway of Littlejohn’s home, according to police. … Littlejohn, after being awakened by the alarm, ‘grabbed his shotgun, went out the back door and went around to the side of the house where the suspect made entrance and confronted the suspect in the doorway,’ Wunderlich said. He said Littlejohn shot Elmore in his right shoulder with a 12-gauge shotgun. The wounded Elmore fled the scene, and Littlejohn called 911 …” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ldncoh Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: Breitbart.com Posted on 07.01.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “For the last 40 years, dropping into a bar in Utah has been a complicated affair: Patrons have to fill out an application, pay a fee and become a member before they can go in for a drink. It is one of several restrictive rules governing alcohol consumption in Utah that made the heavily Mormon state one of the toughest places in the nation to get a drink. But some of that will change on Wednesday when a new state law kicks in eliminating the need for people to become members of bars to go inside.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mcbrlh Filed under: LAND News and RRND News | |
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Source: Tennessean Posted on 07.01.09 by Steve Trinward “Gov. Phil Bredesen just vetoed a bill that would have prevented local health boards from enacting menu-labeling requirements. The Metro Board of Health moved to put such requirements in place earlier this year, but a group of Metro Council members then filed legislation to repeal the board’s action. The council has been waiting for the state and Congress to act. The bill barely survived an initial council vote in March.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nomgyo Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 07.01.09 by Steve Trinward “Al Franken’s recount victory in Minnesota’s US Senate race gives the Democratic majority its 60th senator — but no guarantee that the new ’supermajority’ will hold on tough votes on energy, healthcare reform, and war. That 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster by the minority party has been Exhibit A in fundraising appeals on both sides of the aisle throughout the 239-day recount in Minnesota. What the red-flagged e-mail appeals didn’t say was this: It may not matter. Take Jimmy Carter — the last US president with a filibuster-proof majority, at least on paper. President Carter came into office in 1977 with a head count of 61 senators in the Democratic majority, but it didn’t ensure him the votes to jump-start a morose economy or move White House tax and welfare reforms.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/lbngsb Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: New York Times Posted on 07.01.09 by Steve Trinward “Federal drug regulators warned Wednesday that patients taking two popular stop-smoking drugs should be watched closely for signs of serious mental illness, as reported suicides among the drugs’ users mount. But officials emphasized that patients should not be scared away from taking the smoking-cessation medicines, Chantix, made by Pfizer, and Zyban, made by GlaxoSmithKline. … The F.D.A. required Pfizer and Glaxo to place so-called black box warnings — the agency’s most serious caution — on the prescribing information for both drugs. Both companies will be required to conduct clinical trials to assess the mental health risks associated with the drugs’ uses.” (07/01/09) Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/health/02drug.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: Fox News Posted on 07.01.09 by Steve Trinward “At 92, Frank Colacurcio Sr. shows little sign of slowing down in a life of crime that began back in the FDR administration with a statutory rape conviction. Colacurcio hit his first jackpot with pinball machines in the 1950s, muscled his way into the jukebox and cigarette vending machine business and built a topless and strip club empire extending to 10 Western states. In 1984 the FBI hosted a two-day conference on him that was attended by investigators from 12 states. … Prosecutors now hope to send Colacurcio away for good. They charged him and five of his associates with money laundering, mail fraud and prostitution conspiracy in a racketeering indictment announced Tuesday. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.” (07/01/09) Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529786,00.html Filed under: CANDi News and RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Associated Press Posted on 07.01.09 by Steve Trinward “Fossils recently discovered in Burma could prove that the common ancestors of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, rather than Africa, researchers contend in a study released Wednesday. However, other scientists said that the finding, while significant, won’t end the debate over the origin of anthropoids — the primate grouping that includes ancient species as well as modern humans. The pieces of 38 million-year-old jawbones and teeth found near Bagan in central Burma in 2005 show typical characteristics of primates, said Dr. Chris Beard, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and a member of the team that found the fossils.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nxwxk3 Filed under: CANDi News and RRND News | |
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Source: Boston Globe Posted on 07.01.09 by Steve Trinward “Dozens of wind turbines could sprout within sight of the Massachusetts shoreline under a first-of-its-kind state blueprint with the promise of generating both electricity and controversy. The draft plan, scheduled to be released today, would allow a series of small wind farms of up to 10 turbines each in coastal waters that stretch 3 miles from shore. Substantially larger farms — similar to what’s proposed in Nantucket Sound — could be built off Cape Cod near Cuttyhunk Island and adjacent to another tiny island several miles off Martha’s Vineyard.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mqa3sl Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp
Update, 07/01/09: Thanks to HW, who became final new subscribing contributor to sign on during this drive! HW’s $5/month commitment brings our total recurring revenues to $412.50 against our goal of $2000 (I’ve been accidentally misreporting our numbers $5 to the low side for several days, and just caught it on the wrap-up). This drive is now OVER, which means you’ll stop seeing daily updates, etc. Thanks to everyone who supports the freedom movement’s daily newspaper! Here’s what comes next: - Because we didn’t reach our goal of $2000 per month in recurring revenues, we’ll continue to run lower-impact monthly fundraisers in an attempt to make up the difference between what’s coming in and what we’re trying to bring in. Our July goal is $1587. You can see our progress (and click through to help) at rationalreview.chipin.com. - We’ll also be focusing on how increasing advertising revenues. This may mean that you see more ads, or that those ads are more prominently placed. Once we get those ad revenues up to $100 per month, we’ll start reducing our fundraising goals by the previous month’s ad revenues. Thanks again to all of you who continue to support RRND/FND! - TLK —– Dear readers, As promised, I’ve tried to keep RRND/FND’s fundraising activities “low visibility, low pressure” for the last few months. I was even hoping to push this particular fundraiser farther down the road, but recent events have forced my hand. If my smooth sales pitch has already sold you, click here to skip the dirty details and go directly to the part where you send us money. The dirty details Since late 2004, Rational Review News Digest has “re-branded” itself as Freedom News Daily for a separate audience, on behalf of the International Society for Individual Liberty. We intend to continue doing so. Since some time in 2005, ISIL has paid us — to the tune of $1,000 a month — to produce FND. Due to its own financial requirements and fundraising imperatives, ISIL has had to at least temporarily cease that support. Repeat after me three times: This is not a divorce. It’s not even a breakup. We remain on good terms with ISIL. We intend to continue serving up daily helpings of Freedom News Daily to ISIL’s web, email and Facebook readers. But, as you can see, this puts a big dent in our already very understated revenue model. Here’s how it breaks down: Our current revenue model calls for us to bring in $2,000 a month. Before transaction fees, web hosting, etc., that would come to $720 per month in pay for our one full-time staffer (me), $360 per month for our three part-time editors (R. Lee Wrights, Mary Lou Seymour and Steve Trinward), and $200 per month for our tech support guy (Brad Spangler). As you can see, we’re not in this to get rich. But, as I’ve mentioned before, we have to eat. Of course, we generally don’t bring in $2,000 a month. Until lately, we brought in $1,000 a month from ISIL, $237.50 per month (as of right now) in recurring payments from our beloved “subscribing donors,” an average of, oh, $25 per month in advertising commissions, and whatever else people send in “one-time” or “occasional” payments that aren’t tied to our “subscribing donor” system (another amount that fluctuates). On average, call it $1300-1500 per month — total. That amount just went down to $300-500 per month with the ISIL developments. Time to get it back up, and moreover on a reliable basis. That means increasing our number of “subscribing contributors” … those of you who are willing to commit to sending $2.50, $5.00, $10, or $20 every month. Goal: Get our “subscribing contributor” number from $237.50 per month to $2,000 per month by the end of June. Does that sound hard? It shouldn’t. Our total readership via email, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter comes to nearly 7,100 readers. That’s excluding web edition readers. RRND’s web statistics say we exceed 2,000 unique visitors per day; I don’t have stats for ISIL’s web edition of FND. I could make a good case for there being 10,000 daily consumers of this newsletter. Even excluding all duplicates, I think it’s a fair bet that we’re talking about more than 5,000 daily readers. If only 705 of you were to sign up at our $2.50 per month level, we’d be there. So, I’m going to drag out the dreaded “thermometer” graphic and start hectoring you on a daily basis to get us there. Sound familiar? Let’s not have another one of those six-month ordeals. The sweetener is this: If we can make this goal and stay within shouting distance of it (e.g. we don’t drop down below, say, $1,800 per month in “subscribing contributor” revenues), we’ll be content to do a short (probably one week long) “push it up a little” fundraiser once a year instead of coming back at you again and again with short-term goals that end up taking months to meet. [Note: I’ve moved the thermometer graphic “up top”] And here’s where you click to make things happen:
I’ll be back with daily updates and neat little factoids (”our lowest subscribing donor level costs less than a large iced white chocolate mocha latte at StarbucksTM” and such) … when you get tired of seeing them, you know where to click. Yours in liberty, Filed under: Feature Articles and RRND News | | |||||||
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Source: La Crosse Tribune Posted on 07.01.09 by R. Lee Wrights “Al Franken ascended Tuesday from the ranks of former ‘Saturday Night Live’ comedians to an even more exclusive club, outlasting Republican Norm Coleman in an eight-month recount and courtroom saga to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. Franken’s victory gives Democrats control of 60 seats in the Senate — the critical number needed to overcome Republican filibusters. When Franken is seated, which could come as early as next week, his party will have a majority not reached on either side of the aisle in some three decades.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nhljjb Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Jerusalem Post [Israel] Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “As the Iranian authorities warned the opposition on Tuesday that they would tolerate no further protests over the disputed June 12 presidential elections, a report emerged of the hangings of six supporters of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Speaking after Iran’s top legislative body upheld the election victory of incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sources in Iran told this reporter in a telephone interview that the hangings took place in the holy city of Mashhad on Monday. There was no independent confirmation of the report. On Monday, witnesses said thousands of policemen and Basij militiamen carrying batons were deployed in Teheran’s main squares to prevent any recurrence of the opposition protests. Drivers who so much as shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ or beeped their horns had their windows smashed by the Basiji and riot police.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ldfvn7 Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: AntiWar.Com Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Today is the deadline for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraqi cities. Across Iraq, at least 36 Iraqis were killed and 97 more were wounded. Four U.S. soldiers were killed in a combat incident shortly before pullout yesterday in Baghdad. … A car bomb targeting shoppers at a market in a Kurdish neighborhood in Kirkuk killed at least 33 Iraqis and wounded 93 more. … In Mosul, soldiers at a checkpoint killed a gunman. … Gunmen killed two people traveling in a civilian vehicle in Shurqat; one of the victims was an Iraqi serviceman.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nb53u6 Filed under: RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Agence France-Presse Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Air strikes and ground battles killed three dozen Taliban and two civilians while an insurgent suicide bombing on the border claimed two more lives in Afghanistan, authorities said Tuesday. … The Taliban-led insurgency has intensified this year as Afghan and international troops launch operations to clear them out of hotspots ahead of the August 20 presidential and provincial council elections.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mvpfju Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Agence France-Presse Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Approximately 229 detainees from ‘about two dozen countries’ are still held in Guantanamo, according to the latest Pentagon figures, provided to AFP. Of the remaining detainees, the largest group — about 100 men — is from Yemen. The next most represented nationals are Afghans and Algerians, with about 20 from each country, according to the US Department of Defense. In addition, the Pentagon said there are roughly 10 Saudi detainees and 13 Chinese Muslim ethnic Uighurs left at the detention facility in the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in southeastern Cuba. There are between five and 10 detainees each from Libya, Pakistan, Syria and Tunisia, according to the figures.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mupnph Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
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Source: Bloomberg Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Germany’s highest court temporarily delayed ratification of the planned European Union governing treaty, adding a new hitch on the obstacle-strewn road to strengthening the EU’s role on the world stage. While declaring the Lisbon Treaty in line with Germany’s constitution, the Federal Constitutional Courtordered lawmakers to modify the national legislation enacting it. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expects the law to be in place before German national elections are held on Sept. 27.” (06/30/09) Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=a4vodTGzOJiQ Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: ComputerWorld Posted on 07.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Mozilla’s Firefox 3.5 browser had been downloaded more than 2 million times by late afternoon, Pacific time, according to a company counter. The new browser, which was released earlier today, was being downloaded between 30 and 63 times per second worldwide at about 3:35 p.m. Pacific.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kowzmq Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: MSNBC Posted on 06.30.09 by R. Lee Wrights “A U.S. official says a North Korean ship has turned around and is headed back the way it came, after being tracked for days by American vessels on suspicion it was carrying illicit weapons. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, says it is unclear whether the Kang Nam is going back to its home port in North Korea or diverting elsewhere.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/n5stk5 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: MSNBC Posted on 06.30.09 by R. Lee Wrights “U.S. Marines patrol slowly along streets laced with land mines and lined with abandoned shops, clinics and homes. As night falls over this Afghan ghost town, the only sounds are the howling of coyotes and the creaking of tin roofs in the wind. Three years after its residents fled, the once bustling town of Now Zad is the scene of a stalemate between a company of newly arrived Marines and a band of Taliban fighters. The Americans have plenty of firepower. What they don’t have is enough men to hold seized ground.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/my9r7c Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Philadelphia Inquirer Posted on 06.30.09 by R. Lee Wrights “A federal judge wants a trial on California’s same-sex marriage ban to proceed quickly but says he likely won’t suspend the voter-approved ban in the meantime. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker said holding a speedy trial on the merits of a lawsuit challenging Proposition 8 would avoid novel issues that might be raised if he issued a temporary injunction.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/llcceu Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Posted on 06.30.09 by R. Lee Wrights “The Senate plans to hold a hearing next week looking into antitrust issues surrounding the Bowl Championship Series. It’s the second time this year that Congress is shining a light on the polarizing system college football uses to crown its national champion. The hearing will be held next Tuesday in the Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights, according to a posting on the committee’s Web site.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/l7hwna Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: CNN Posted on 06.30.09 by R. Lee Wrights “The U.S. military in recent weeks has resumed flying unmanned reconnaissance drones over Pakistan’s tribal regions to help provide critical intelligence to Pakistan’s security forces, two U.S. military officials confirmed to CNN Tuesday. The officials would not be identified because the operation is not being publicly announced due to security concerns and Pakistan’s sensitivity to any involvement with the U.S. military.” (06/30/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/nmv7p2 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: WBIR News Posted on 06.30.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “The handgun battle is heading from Capitol Hill to City Hall. Local governments and advocates for firearms owners are gearing up for a summer face-off over how far to take a new state law that lets people with carry permits bring handguns into parks. City councils across Tennessee … are moving to reaffirm their bans on handguns in parks following passage of a new state law. But people opposed to handgun restrictions are mobilizing to block their efforts. ‘I don’t think it’s necessarily reasonable to close all of them,’ John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, said of Metro’s plans to keep parks closed to handguns. ‘I don’t think it’s necessarily reasonable to close any of them.’” (06/29/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/mtg2ho Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: United Press International Posted on 06.30.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Most Americans would rather give up alcohol for a week than give up their cell phone for the same time period, a survey conducted for Best Buy indicated. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they’d rather abstain from drinking rather than put away their cell phones for a week, results released Tuesday of the survey by GFK Roper showed. Respondents also said they’d rather give up television for a week, 33.1 percent; survive on bread and water, 11.5 percent; even have their teeth drilled by a dentist, 14.5 percent, than do without their mobile phone.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/klabjt Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Independent [UK] Posted on 06.30.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Britons will no longer be required to register for identity cards, says Home Secretary. The Home Secretary Alan Johnson killed off the Government’s cherished compulsory identity cards scheme last night, promising that British citizens would never be forced to sign up for them. Critics urged the Government to retreat further and scrap its flagship £5bn policy outright.” (07/01/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/l3xrsv Filed under: LAND News and RRND News | |
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Source: BBC News [UK] Posted on 06.30.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “The UK is ill-prepared to exploit the emerging commercial spaceflight sector, says the president of Virgin Galactic. Will Whitehorn said Britain lacked the regulatory framework that would help the industry grow but which would also ensure the necessary safety standards. Speaking at a space tourism conference in London, he said current rules would prevent Virgin launches from the UK.” (07/01/09) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8126934.stm Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: ABC News Posted on 06.30.09 by R. Lee Wrights “On the flight home from a day trip to Europe to attend the EUCOM change of command ceremony, Defense Secretary Gates made some news about the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law. He told traveling press that Pentagon lawyers are exploring ways to make the law more flexible until it’s changed, a challenge given that Gates said the law ‘is a very prescriptive law, it doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination or a lot of flexibility.’ Gates told reporters that he talked with President Obama last week about ‘how to achieve his objective, which is changing the policy’ and making preparations for it while the administrations moves forward with asking Congress to change the law.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/kqap3q Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Inland Empire Posted on 06.30.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “Deputies found a deceased male adult in the street. … Investigators learned the victim of the homicide and a female companion had participated in a home invasion robbery. During the robbery, a struggle ensued between the suspects and the homeowners. The male suspect dropped his firearm during the struggle with the homeowner. The homeowner retrieved the firearm and fatally shot the suspect during the struggle for the weapon. The suspect attempted to flee the residence after he was shot, but collapsed in front of the residence.” (06/29/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/n3v768 Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: Burlington Times Posted on 06.30.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “A homeowner fired a shotgun after two people broke into his home on N.C. 54 early Monday and hit one of the suspects in the arm. …The home owner, John Davis, told authorities that sometime after midnight he and his girlfriend were awakened by the dog barking. They heard noises outside the door of the home. When Davis got out of bed to investigate, the two suspects allegedly shattered the door and entered the house. ‘The victim was then confronted by the suspects as they proceeded through the kitchen of the residence,’ the release states. ‘At that point, Mr. Davis had armed himself with a shotgun. As the suspects advanced toward him, he fired the weapon.’ Both suspects left the home.” (06/29/09) Link: http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/suspects-26262-home-davis.html Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: Arizona Republic Posted on 06.30.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “If Arizona shifted to a flat tax, there would be a seesaw effect on tax bills: Down for high-income earners but up for some in the middle, according to an analysis in response to a last-minute policy proposal. Its effect on the state budget is less clear: Proponents say it should come close to having a neutral effect, while opponents and even the state’s own tax-collecting agency calculate a hit to state coffers at $450 million to $1 billion. The flat tax emerged four days ago from the scrum over how to sell a compromise budget package to the Legislature. … The idea is that by permanently shifting to a single income-tax rate, reluctant conservatives could be wooed into sending a temporary sales-tax increase favored by Gov. Jan Brewer to the November ballot.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/lb8q93 Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Tennessean Posted on 06.30.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Nashville restaurateur Randy Rayburn announces that he’ll file suit in Davidson County Chancery Court in an attempt to block the newly passed state law that allows guns in restaurants that serve alcohol and in bars. … (from the press release: ‘Rayburn, owner of the Sunset Grill, Midtown Cafe and Cabana, along with 9 others is suing the State of Tennessee (Attorney General as defendant) … The suit is asking for a temporary restraining order and temporary and permanent injunction to stop the law from taking effect on July 14th.)’” [editor’s note: Let’s review now … This fool wants to prevent non-drinking patrons (who have BTW abided with the law by getting permits for their firearms, and then agreeing not to indulge while carrying) … from mingling with his customers, drinking and otherwise … for fear that THEY might cause trouble (rather than helping to stop it, should some NON-law-abiding scumbag decide to rob or otherwise harrass the place?) - SAT] [additional editor’s note: If he was suing only to exempt his own restaurants as a matter of property rights, that would be one thing; this guy wants to control his competitors, too! - TLK] (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/l6mtck Filed under: 2AM News and RRND News | |
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Source: Fox News Posted on 06.30.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Private for-profit clinics are a booming business in Canada — a country often touted as a successful example of a universal health system. Facing long waits and substandard care, private clinics are proving that Canadians are willing to pay for treatment. ‘Any wait time was an enormous frustration for me and also pain. I just couldn’t live my life the way I wanted to,’ says Canadian patient Christine Crossman, who was told she could wait up to a year for an MRI after injuring her hip during an exercise class. Warned she would have to wait for the scan, and then wait even longer for surgery, Crossman opted for a private clinic.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ks7qsy Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Associated Press Posted on 06.30.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Government experts say the maximum dose listed for Tylenol and dozens of other painkillers should be reduced to help curb deadly overdoses. In a series of votes Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration panel endorsed lowering the maximum dose of over-the-counter acetaminophen — the key ingredient in Tylenol, Excedrin and other medications. Acetaminophen is one of the most widely used drugs in the U.S. Many patients find it easier on the stomach than other painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin, which can cause ulcers. But despite years of educational campaigns and other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., sending 56,000 people to the emergency room annually, according to the FDA.” [editor’s note: Once more the FDA shows how wondrously competent it is in regulating our choices. Vioxx, Celebrex, Avandia, and so many others … and now Tylenol is dangerous? - SAT] (06/30/09) Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529578,00.html Filed under: RRND News | |
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Source: Raw Story Posted on 06.30.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Oregon’s House of Representatives voted Monday night to legalize the cultivation of hemp, becoming the sixth state to do so just this year. Oregon’s Senate voted 27 to 2 in favor of the new law last week. Monday’s 46 to 11 House vote means that the measure will become law, barring an unlikely veto by Governor Ted Kulongoski. The move is part of a rapidly growing nationwide trend to liberalize laws relating to marijuana. Hemp is a botanical cousin of marijuana, traditionally used to make clothing, rope and other durable fiber goods.” (06/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/l62rsq Filed under: PND News and RRND News and Twitter-Worthy | |
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