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Family's Drive to Deliver Baby No. 3 Ends in Tragedy | (Jan 17, 2016 6:34 AM) One Colorado family's car ride to the hospital to deliver their third son ended in terrible tragedy: As 9News reports, 37-year-old Tony Schmucker of Larimer County was at the wheel in the early hours of Wednesday when he suffered some sort of medical episode, lost control of the family SUV, and went down an embankment, hit a boulder and a tree, and rolled. With both Schmucker and his wife, Jill, unconscious after the crash, their son Ryder—in the backseat with his brother—called 911; emergency crews extricated both parents. Tony Schmucker was rushed to a local hospital, but died; Jill Schmucker suffered a broken back in the accident, and underwent a successful emergency C-section to deliver a baby boy, notes the Coloradoan. She's expected to fully recover. The two boys in the backseat suffered minor injuries. A GoFundMe page for the family has thus far raised more than $36,000. |
Actor James Rebhorn Dead at 65 | (Mar 23, 2014 2:34 PM CDT) James Rebhorn, a character actor known for playing Claire Danes' troubled father on Homeland, died at home in New Jersey on Friday at age 65, TMZ reports. The Philadelphia native had been battling skin cancer since his melanoma diagnosis in 1992. Rebhorn's prolific, five-decade career included a memorable role as the district attorney who sent Jerry and his pals to jail in the 1998 Seinfeld finale, says the Hollywood Reporter. He also took turns as an FBI witness in My Cousin Vinny and attorneys on The Practice and Boston Legal. His lengthy film resumé included Silkwood, Basic Instinct, Scent of a Woman, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Meet the Parents. He was also a fixture at the Roundabout Theatre Company, where he recently played a father with Alzheimer's in Too Much, Too Much, Too Many at the Black Box Theatre in New York, and acted in revivals of Our Town and 12 Angry Men. James Rebhorn, RIP, tweeted actor Patton Oswalt. On behalf of all film buffs, we took for granted you'd always be there & be great, 'cause you always were. |
Obama's April Fundraising Falls by $10M | (May 16, 2012 6:41 AM CDT) Barack Obama's fundraising took a major hit in April, with his campaign and affiliated Democratic groups raising just $43.6 million—down from $53 million last month, according to Reuters. But in a video announcing the results, campaign manager Jim Messina put a brave face on things, noting that the campaign had 169,500 first-time donors, and that 98% of donations were $250 or less, with the average donation at $50.23. That makes our campaign different, he said. Messina went on to outline the money Obama's opponents are throwing around, saying Romney and company have spent $57 million on ads attacking Obama so far—including $10 million in the past two weeks from a pair of super PACs. Messina also mentioned in passing Obama's historic statement on marriage equality, something that's expected to give him a fundraising boost. If it does, it'll show up when May's numbers (which will also include this haul) are released next month. |
Zuckerberg's Mortgage a 1% Special | (Jul 17, 2012 12:50 PM CDT) The mortgage on Mark Zuckerberg's new $5.95 million abode brings whole new meaning to the term, 1%. For starters, that's roughly the rate Zuckerberg is paying—it's adjustable rate, but it's starting at just 1.05%. It's also the kind of loan that only the wealthiest 1% of Americans could get, Bloomberg observes. While rates are near record lows for everyone, the average 30-year fixed rate is more than three times that, at 3.56%. When you can borrow at a rate below inflation, you’re borrowing for free, explains one financial analyst. This is the concept of using other people's money. That's why so many billionaires borrow—they can get exceedingly favorable terms. Even if someone would be able to pay off that mortgage with cash … they don't want to tie up their holdings, one banker explains. Zuckerberg's wealth also lets him roll the dice with an adjustable-rate—something reserved for people who are millionaires, at least, another analyst tells the Christian Science Monitor. |
Jan Berenstain Dead at 88 | (Feb 27, 2012 1:43 PM) Sad news for the millions of former kids who learned about messy rooms and those awful gimmes from the Berenstain Bears: Co-creator Jan Berenstain died on Friday in Solebury, Pa., at the age of 88. Her son told the AP that she suffered a severe stroke the day prior. Jan, along with husband Stan, wrote and illustrated the series, which now numbers some 300 titles in 23 languages. The first book, The Big Honey Hunt, came out in 1962. What followed were books that zero in on children's concerns and offer gentle guidance. They say jokes don't travel well, but family humor does, Jan told the AP in 2011. Family values is what we're all about. Jan's own life had a sweet start: She met fellow Philadelphia native Stan at age 18, on their first day at art school in 1941. The two created books together until Stan's death in 2005 at the age of 82; some 260 million have been sold to date. It's wonderful to do something you love for so many years, reflected Jan. Not everyone has that. Son Mike, a collaborator in recent years, will carry on the series. Every day she was very productive, he said. She was working on two books and had been doing illustrations until the day before she passed away. |
Bowie Turns 66, Releases 1st Song in 10 Years | (Jan 8, 2013 12:44 AM) After years out of the spotlight, rock legend David Bowie has marked his 66th birthday with the release of his first new song in a decade. The ballad Where Are We Now? will be followed by a new album, The Next Day, in March, the BBC reports. Bowie, whose last album was 2003's Reality, has not performed live since 2006 and the new single has prompted a flurry of speculation about a possible 2013 tour. |
Texas Gov. Rejects $556M Stimulus for Jobless | (Mar 13, 2009 6:26 AM CDT) The governor of Texas has rejected $556 million in federal stimulus money for the state's unemployed, saying yesterday it had too many strings attached, reports the Dallas Morning News. Rick Perry, a Republican, said that the federal rules would burden Texas businesses with new commitments; instead they should be able to use the money to create jobs. While conservative groups applauded the decision, Democrats said the governor was abandoning the state's jobless for political gain. The federal stimulus money would update unemployment benefits to include more women, older Americans, and students who don't qualify for coverage under current Texas rules. We can take care of ourselves, Perry told Fox News, adding, This was pretty simple for us. But Ed Rendell, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, called Perry's decision a terrible call. It is based on politics. Adds an analyst: Texas covers the smallest percentage of unemployed workers of any state, leaving four out of five jobless without benefits. |
Boston Suspects First Planned Attack for July 4 | (May 2, 2013 8:27 PM CDT) Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators that he and his brother originally planned their attack for July 4th—but they built their bombs so quickly that they moved the mission up to the day of the Boston Marathon, reports outlets including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and CBS News. All of the accounts are based on anonymous law-enforcement officials. Dzhokhar reportedly said the brothers first wanted to attack Boston's July 4th celebration on the Charles River. But when the bomb-making went so smoothly in Tamerlan's Cambridge apartment, they drove around the city casing police departments to attack, says the Globe. Eventually they settled on the marathon—Patriots' Day in the state. The brothers kicked around the idea of being suicide bombers but opted for pressure cookers instead, according to the Times. Dzhokhar also revealed that the brothers watched sermons by Anwar al-Awlaki over the Internet, but there is no evidence that they communicated directly with the radical US-born cleric before his death in 2011. Meanwhile, the Tsarnaev family has claimed Tamerlan's body. |
UAW to Own 55% of Chrysler | (Apr 28, 2009 8:07 AM CDT) The United Auto Workers are about to own Chrysler. In exchange for a variety of concessions, the union will eventually get a 55% majority share in the automaker, according to a summary of the restructuring deal, which was sent to union leaders late last night and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Fiat will eventually own 35% of the stock, with taxpayers and creditors divvying up the remaining 10%. Chrysler will also issue a $4.59 billion note to the union’s health-care trust for retired workers, to be paid off between now and 2023. The fund will own enough Chrysler stock to appoint a representative to the automaker’s board. In a separate deal, Daimler will give up the 19.9% of Chrysler it still owns, ending its relationship with the company. |
US Housing Construction Hits 4-Year High | (Oct 17, 2012 8:43 AM CDT) US builders started construction on single-family homes and apartments in September at the fastest pace since July 2008, a further indication that the housing recovery is strengthening. The Commerce Department says builders broke ground at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000 in September. That's an increase of 15% from the August level. Applications for building permits, a good sign of future construction, jumped nearly 12% to an annual rate of 894,000, also the highest since July 2008. The strength in September came from both single-family construction, which rose 11%, and apartments, which increased 25.1%. Construction activity is now 82.5% higher than the recession low hit in April 2009, although activity is still below healthy levels. |
Dow Rockets Nearly 500 Points | (Mar 23, 2009 3:18 PM CDT) Stocks locked in big gains today with the rally sparked by the rollout of the Treasury’s financial rescue plan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Financials led advances, with Citigroup and Bank of America up 24% and 19%, respectively. The Dow jumped 497.48 to 7,775.86. The Nasdaq rose 98.50 to 1,555.77, and the S&P 500 gained 54.38, settling at 822.92. |
Google: Chrome Laptops Yours, for Just $20 a Month | (May 11, 2011 10:44 AM CDT) Google will reportedly announce plans today to lease laptops sporting its Chrome OS to college students for just $20 a month. This student package will include both the laptop and a suite of online software services, a senior executive tells Forbes—and he indicates that the program is really just a precursor for an eventual enterprise offering: Small- and medium-sized businesses are banging on our doors to get something like this. Many businesses already pay $50 a month for Google’s Microsoft Office-esque suite of online productivity apps. |
Oops: First Text to 911 May Have Come From a Driver | (May 16, 2014 4:56 PM CDT) A 911 dispatcher in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County received a milestone message yesterday—the county's first-ever text to 911. One problem: It appears to have been sent by someone who was driving at the time, which is not only unwise but illegal in the state. This is one that probably should have been better served by a phone call, a county spokesperson tells TribLive. The text came from someone who was reporting a suspected drunken driver in Pittsburgh. The spokesperson didn't have its exact language, but the texter seemed to indicate that they themselves were driving, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It's possible, however, that the driver was stopped at the time or using a voice-to-text function. The county unveiled its system mainly to serve the hearing-impaired, and officials emphasize that others should text 911 only when a regular call is impossible or dangerous. The capability is slowly being rolled out across the nation. |
Groom Suffers 2nd-Degree Burns in Margarita Mishap | (Jun 3, 2015 9:59 AM CDT) A week before his wedding, Aaron Peers doesn't have cold feet, but rather burnt hands. While making margaritas outside with bride-to-be Alyse Golden over Memorial Day weekend, a little lime juice dripped down his fingers and hands and onto his arm as he was squeezing the limes. A day later, the man from Jacksonville, Fla., noticed red burns developing on his skin, and within 48 hours, a huge blister also appeared, First Coast News reports. ER doctors told Peers he had fallen victim to a little-known reaction caused when citric acid mixes with the sun's rays, dubbed margarita dermatitis, or lime disease. Essentially, the acid makes skin hypersensitive to sunlight, and exposure can cause nasty burns, blisters, or brown spots, the Daily Express and Women's Health report. It isn't just limes you need to watch out for: Lemons, carrots, celery, bergamot oranges, parsnips, and dill can also inflame the skin. Dr. Douglas Robins says he sees about a dozen patients each year affected by what is officially known as phytophotodermatitis and that it can take years to bleach skin back to normal. While some people react differently, everyone is susceptible. Left with second-degree burns, Peers says Photoshop will be a big help for wedding photos. The blistering is gone and now I'm left with really bright pink skin, he says, adding his wedding ring might not make it on his finger. Tried it on the other day. It barely fit. Peers and his fiancee have also postponed their dream honeymoon in Hawaii as Peers will have to stay out of the sun for a while. To avoid a similar fate, Robins recommends making summer cocktails indoors before enjoying them in the sunshine. (How McDonald's allegedly treats burns: with mustard.) |
4-Year-Old Shot Dead in Road Rage Attack | (Oct 21, 2015 3:14 AM CDT) The chief of police in Albuquerque, NM, sounded completely outraged at a press conference Tuesday evening—with good reason. Chief Gordon Eden pleaded for the public's help in finding a suspect who shot a 4-year-old girl dead in an apparent road-rage attack, KOB reports. This should have never happened. This is a complete disrespect of human life, the chief said. It's 100% preventable. It did not have to happen, and we need to rise up as a community and say enough is enough. The chief said the girl was in a car with her parents when she was shot at around 3pm on Tuesday, and Interstate 40 was closed for hours during the search for evidence, the Albuquerque Journal reports. A police spokesman tells the Journal that the girl's father has described the incident as road rage. The cars were both moving westbound when one car pulled up against the other and started firing, the spokesman says. Chief Eden says the suspect is still at large, and since witnesses so far have given conflicting information, police are in desperate need of more information from the public, reports KOB. It's a terrible, tragic loss, and it shouldn't have ever happened, he says. This is one of those crimes [that] is unexplainable. There is no way to explain your way out of this. (This less deadly road-rage attack became a viral video.) |
Insult This Man, Spend 15 Years in the Pokey | (Oct 16, 2008 10:37 AM CDT) The crime of insulting a king sounds like a medieval holdover—but in Thailand, an unkind word about King Bhumibol Adulyadej can land you in prison for 15 years. The country's recent political upheaval has coincided with a spike in accusations of maligning the monarch, the Wall Street Journal reports—and everyone from opposition politicians to foreign journalists to unwitting moviegoers has been targeted. The deeply revered monarch says he finds the law outdated and unnecessary, but pro- and anti-government forces routinely use the statute to attack each other. Slights can be trifling: a BBC correspondent faced investigation after the king's picture appeared below another politician's on a BBC website. One official facing jail for the crime called it the ultimate weapon in Thai society. |
Obama Holds 5-Point Lead Over Hillary | (Apr 5, 2008 5:56 PM CDT) Barack Obama held a 5-point lead over Hillary Clinton in the latest Gallup poll and grabbed a rare 45%-45% tie with John McCain. McCain usually polls higher than either Democrat, and currently edges Clinton 47% to 45%. The numbers are a sign that Obama has overcome his January/February swoon, largely attributed to the Jeremiah Wright scandal, the Swamp blog reports. Obama fell below Clinton in January, but pulled back ahead in mid-February; he has generally led since, though often by a slim margin. The results, collected nationally between April 2 and 4, do not take into account the release of the Clinton’s tax papers yesterday. |
Nestle Permit to Bottle Water in California Expired in 1988 | (Apr 14, 2015 5:33 PM CDT) The water shortage in California has people cutting down on shower times and keeping usage to a minimum—which has led activists to rail against Nestle Waters, accused of profiting off its water-bottling operations at the expense of the environment, Newsweek reports. Backing up these claims is an investigation by the Desert Sun that unearthed a lack of oversight on Nestle's practices, including the revelation that there's been little to no assessment on how bottling water in the state affects water supplies and ecosystems. Also: Nestle's permit to suck up this water expired in 1988. The US Forest Service says it will do an environmental analysis, but only this year, after a group of critics raised concerns in letters and after the Desert Sun inquired about the expired permit, notes the newspaper. Of the 108 water-bottling plants in California, five are operated by Nestle, the leading bottled-water supplier worldwide. No state agency monitors how much water is extracted by these plants, notes the Sun. Nestle released a statement that said its 2014 water usage in California was 705 million gallons—which it calls a relatively modest amount, about what it would take to irrigate two golf courses. But critics tell the paper that in the mid-2000s the Forest Service scrutinized permits for forest cabin owners, not saying boo about Nestle. We made the little people do the right thing, and we're not making the big people do the right thing, a retired biologist with the service tells the paper. (Read the Desert Sun's full take.) |
Cops: 2 Teens Plotted School Shooting Spree | (Aug 19, 2014 5:15 PM CDT) Investigators acting on a tip unraveled a plot to carry out a mass shooting at a suburban Los Angeles high school, arresting a pair of students who planned to target three school staffers and kill as many people as possible, police said today. School officials learned of the plot on Thursday and notified detectives, who began watching the 16- and 17-year-old boys and monitoring their online activity, said South Pasadena Police Chief Arthur Miller. The pair didn't have a date for an attack or weapons, but their online messaging included the names of three staffers to target and threats to randomly kill students, Miller said. They were also researching automatic firearms, handguns, knives, explosives, and tactical techniques, he said. Three or four days' worth of surveillance on the Internet indicated that they had a very real threat, he said. They had a plan in mind that they were going to execute. The names of the teens have not been released because of their ages. Classes start again Thursday in the quaint San Gabriel Valley suburb known for its quality schools and community involvement in education. Police plan to have a larger presence than usual on campus for the first day of school. |
555 Facebookers Per Second Vie for New URLs | (Jun 13, 2009 4:10 PM CDT) Facebook’s offer of personalized URLs drew 500,000 members in 15 minutes after midnight today, Bloomberg reports. We saw higher than usual traffic, said a spokesman. Planning allowed us to handle that traffic well. The feature, designed to make Google searches easier, allows the site’s 200 million users to name the URL attached to their profiles—but analysts say it could backfire. Squatting —users grabbing names to prevent others from having them—may ensue, and companies could feud over vanity URLs. Facebook is going to spend a lot of time mediating these disputes, said one attorney. But one eager user in Singapore had no complaints: It was a really funny experience, she said. Sadly, this is the most fun I have had all week. |
Dow Plunges Nearly 300 | (Feb 17, 2009 3:14 PM) Stocks plunged today as President Obama signed the economic stimulus package into law, MarketWatch reports. With a negative tone set by losses in the overseas stock markets, financials led declines, with Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, and American Express all down at least 9%. The Dow lost 297.81 points to close at 7,552.60, less than a point off the five-year low on Nov. 20, notes the Wall Street Journal. The Nasdaq fell 63.70 points, settling at 1,471, and the S&P 500 dropped 37.66 points to close at 789. |
Dead Girl, 16, Found in Army Barracks | (Feb 17, 2009 7:49 AM) A 16-year-old girl was found dead and another girl the same age was found unconscious in an Army barracks at Fort Lewis, Wash., early Sunday, the Tacoma News-Tribune reports. The girls were found by emergency personnel responding to a 911 call. A soldier who allegedly knew at least one of the girls has been questioned but not detained. The girls, both civilians, were found with no external signs of trauma, said a base official. The surviving girl is in stable condition at a local hospital. An autopsy is being performed on the deceased girl but toxicology results may not be known for weeks. The base is reviewing its access policies and investigating how the girls came to be in the barracks so late at night. |
Missouri Passes 72-Hour Abortion Waiting Period | (May 15, 2014 6:03 AM CDT) Missouri women who want an abortion may soon have to wait three full days before getting one. The state House voted 111-39 last night to approve legislation that will require a 72-hour waiting period. The state Senate had passed it earlier this week, and now it heads to Gov. Jay Nixon's desk. It's not clear whether he'll sign the bill, the News-Leader reports; he's signed other abortion-related bills, but has also vetoed bills limiting access to contraception. Hundreds of protesters took to the steps of the Missouri Capitol on Monday to stage a 72-hour women's filibuster of the bill, a protest scheduled to end this afternoon, the Huffington Post reports. Opponents say the bill will make it more difficult for poor women, in particular, to get an abortion: The state has just one abortion clinic, in St. Louis, and the bill would require women to get an appointment with the physician, then wait 72 hours before having the procedure—meaning women would need to travel to St. Louis twice or spend three days in the city. The bill seems designed to demean and shame a woman in an effort to change her mind, says one Democratic state rep, who argues that women don't make the decision lightly in the first place. Only South Dakota and Utah currently have similar waiting periods. |
1 in 3 Voters Still Undecided | (Oct 25, 2010 1:12 PM CDT) A third of voters still haven’t settled on their choices for Election Day, an AP-GfK poll finds. Sounds like good news for the Dems—but in fact, 45% of persuadable undecideds are leaning Republican, while only 38% are leaning Democrat, giving the GOP the same 7-point margin it has with decided voters. And the persuadable—who consider themselves Republican by modest margins—have a lower opinion of congressional Dems than those who have made up their minds. They’re also more tempted to dump their current representative, and more pessimistic about the economy, the AP notes. Those who haven’t picked their candidate are going to decide who controls the House, and by how many seats, says a Republican pollster—so both parties are fighting for them tooth and nail. |
China Makes $3B Deal to Develop Iraqi Oil | (Aug 28, 2008 7:45 AM CDT) China and Iraq have dusted off an oil deal that was in the works before the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, giving China the rights to develop the Ahdab field, reports the AP. The agreement—which has grown from an estimated $1.2 billion to $3 billion—was originally struck by the Saddam Hussein government in 1997, to take effect once UN sanctions on Iraq's oil industry were lifted. The old contract gave a subsidiary of China's state-owned oil company concessions to develop the field on a production-sharing basis for 22 years. The new agreement, which has to be approved by the two governments, will be a service contract, under which China won't be a partner in profits and instead will be paid for its work. |
After 445M Years, an 'Unprecedented' Shift in Our Oceans | (Sep 15, 2016 7:33 AM CDT) Bigger is no longer better, at least when it comes to the extinction threat facing the animals who call our planet's oceans home. In a study published in Science on Wednesday, Stanford researchers reveal what a press release calls an unprecedented pattern of extinction : large-bodied marine animals, not smaller, are the ones now more vulnerable to extinction, and we're likely to blame for throwing the system into reverse. For every factor of 10 increase in body mass, the odds of being threatened by extinction go up by a factor of 13 or so, says co-author Jonathan Payne. The researchers looked at the interplay between extinction rates and four traits for 2,497 mollusks and marine vertebrates genera: its body size, sea floor vs. open water living, predator vs. not, and swimmer vs. stationary. The Los Angeles Times explains those relationships were examined over five mass extinction events over the past 445 million years; in essentially all of that time, size either wasn't a factor or smaller animals were a bit more likely to go extinct. But in the last 500 years comes the unprecedented shift: size is the now the leading factor, and significantly so. (Gizmodo reports that previously, the biggest factor was habitat, with those in open waters facing the greater threat.) As for what's behind the reversal, the researchers have a hunch: After looking at the fossil record and then looking at fisheries studies, we can't think of anything but human hunting that might be the cause, says coauthor Noel Heim. The effects could be profound: A larger clam will mix more sediments than a smaller one, says Heim, who recommends humans intervene to reverse the trend. |
Inaugural to Cost Record $160M | (Jan 14, 2009 3:12 AM) By the time Barack and Michelle Obama dance the last waltz at the inaugural balls in the wee hours next Wednesday morning, the total tab for the inauguration will be close to a record $160 million, reports the New York Daily News. The president-elect is raising $45 million in private funds to help pay for the extravaganza, but most costs will be borne by taxpayers. The federal government has budgeted more than three times what it spent on President Bush's first inauguration in 2001. Extra costs include opening the entire length of the National Mall and providing Jumbo Tron coverage of the swearing-in ceremony. The inauguration is an economic bonanza for local businesses. This is our Super Bowl multiplied significantly, said the president of a business promotion organization. It's a chance for us to take advantage of a downtime in the economy. |
Meet Brazil's 8-Year-Old, Sexy-Dancing Lady Gaga | (Mar 3, 2010 9:50 AM) Someone hook this 8-year-old up with Noah Cyrus. Teensy Laura Montana performed Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and Paparazzi on Brazilian show Qual e o Seu Talento, wearing—what else?—no pants and dancing provocatively all around the stage (even, at one point, crawling on her hands and knees) to the crowd’s cheers and the judges’ enthusiastic clapping. The disturbing—or impressive, depending on your POV—video is in the gallery. |
Woman Places $615K Bet on Hillary Clinton | (Oct 7, 2016 4:04 PM CDT) Well, someone out there is very confident of a Hillary Clinton victory this November. Time reports a 46-year-old woman just placed a $615,862 bet on Clinton to win the election. British bookmaker William Hill says it's the biggest bet ever placed on a US presidential election. William Hill is currently giving 4/11 odds on a Clinton victory, meaning the unidentified bettor stands to make a $224,000. But Elite Daily worries the history-making bet may have majorly jinxed Clinton. And then there's this: As a result of taking this bet, a win for Donald Trump has now become the favored outcome for us in terms of our liabilities, Time quotes a William Hill spokesperson as saying. |
40 Shot, 4 Killed This Weekend in Chicago | (Jul 21, 2014 6:21 AM CDT) On Friday night, 11-year-old Shamiya Adams was prepping s'mores at a sleepover party at her friend's apartment in Chicago when, as the girls were about to put the s'mores in the microwave, a stray bullet flew across a vacant lot, through an open window, then through a wall, and finally struck her in the head, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. She became the first of four people killed (and dozens more shot) over the weekend in Chicago, and the 33rd child victim of homicide in the city so far this year. When you go in [a] personal home and you are killed in [a] house, how damnable can that be? a reverend said at service for Shamiya yesterday. That’s a bad indictment … There’s something wrong. It’s something systemic. The other dead, according to NBC Chicago, include a 24-year-old man shot in the chest in a bar early yesterday, a 21-year-old man shot in a drive-by near a block party Saturday night, and a 30-year-old man found shot dead in a car Saturday. At least 18 people were shot in just over 12 hours overnight yesterday. (More than twice as many people were shot, and four times as many killed, in Chicago over the July 4 weekend.) |
Oscar Voters 94% White | (Feb 19, 2012 2:40 PM) Who votes for Oscars? The list is kept secret, but an LA Times investigation shows 94% of them are white and 77% are male. Blacks and Latinos each make up only 2%. We need to do a better job of diversifying, says a governor at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But he insists the problem starts in the film business itself: If the industry as a whole is not doing a great job in opening up its ranks, it's very hard for us to diversify our membership. Another shocker: the academy's median age is 62, and only 14% of 5,765 voting members are younger than 50. Critics say that explains why The Social Network didn't win last year (too Internet-ey), why Shame is ignored this year (too sexy), and why Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is up for a Best Picture (its middle-aged theme: fathers and sons). But academy President Tom Sherak seems to blame the excluded for not joining: If you are sitting waiting for us to find your name in our make-believe book and we are going to call you, we are not going to do that, he says. Come to us, we'll get you in. |
Conjoined Girls With Single Body, 2 Heads Born in China | (May 10, 2011 9:14 AM CDT) Two heads, two spines, one body. Conjoined twin girls were born at a hospital in southwestern China on Thursday. The AP reports that the girls, born to farmers, weighed 9 pounds, measured 20 inches, and share many organs, though they each have their own spine and esophagus. Local media quoted doctors as saying it would be nearly impossible to separate them, though the girls have been transferred to a hospital in a nearby city to be examined by experts. |
House Narrowly OKs $174B Job-Focused Stimulus Bill | (Dec 16, 2009 6:39 PM) President Obama's Democratic allies in the House have muscled through a year-end measure—with a price tag of $174 billion—aimed at creating jobs through a second round of stimulus spending. The 217-212 vote reflected considerable uneasiness among Democrats over the prospect of voting for more debt-financed spending as the government runs mammoth budget deficits. Republicans were united in their opposition to the bill. The Jobs for Main Street Act includes more than $50 billion for public-works projects and about an equal amount for cash-strapped state and local governments. The measure blends a familiar mix of money for highway, transit and water projects and aid to help communities retain teachers and firefighters. There's also $41 billion for a six-month extension of more generous unemployment benefits and $12 billion to renew health -nsurance subsidies. |
Driver Stuck in Car Going 125mph—for an Hour | (Feb 14, 2013 8:28 AM) An amazing tale of survival out of France—and Belgium. Frank Lecerf's attempt to drive to the supermarket took a crazy turn on Saturday after his car's brakes failed while he was traveling 60mph. His attempts to use them only caused the car to accelerate, until it eventually hit 125mph, and stuck there, for an hour. Lecerf managed to call police to alert them to his plight; they decided to escort his Renault Laguna (which the Week notes was customized in light of Lecerf's epilepsy, with the gas and brake controls moved to the steering wheel) until it ran out of gas, which it did 125 miles later, allowing him to swerve into a ditch and come to a halt, in Belgium. And he managed to do it all in spite of two epileptic seizures he suffered during the hour-long ride, the Guardian reports. Police were on the line with a Renault tech throughout the chase, but were unable to come up with a fix; they also gave warning to three toll stations, which allowed Lecerf to tear through. Lecerf says he had taken his car to Renault before over concerns about a jammed speed dial, but was told the car was fine; he plans to file a legal complaint. But the Independent notes that some aren't so sure Lecerf's story is totally accurate, with Renault insiders noting the Frenchman may have just panicked after working the controls incorrectly. Adding to the too-crazy-to-be-real feel: He crashed near the Belgian town of La Panne—French for breakdown. |
Casey Kasem Dead at 82 | (Jun 15, 2014 9:54 AM CDT) Radio icon Casey Kasem died this morning at age 82, his daughter Kerri announced on Facebook. Early this Father’s Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends, she wrote. Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. The world will miss Casey Kasem, an incredible talent and humanitarian; we will miss our Dad. Kasem, who was suffering from advanced Parkinson's and dementia, as TMZ reports, died after a long and messy battle between his wife and his children; his children recently decided to take him off life support. |
Cop Who Nabbed 4K Drunk Drivers May Have Lost Daughter to One | (Sep 11, 2015 7:28 AM CDT) Dan Shragal of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has made almost 4,000 DUI arrests during his career, but one suspected drunk driver he couldn't stop will probably haunt him for the rest of his life. Shragal, 48, was working a DUI checkpoint on Aug. 22 when his phone rang: It was the mother of his daughter, Kirstin Burton, 22. Through the sobbing and the screaming she got out that Kirstin was dead, Shragal tells WXIN. While driving in Dayton, Ohio, Burton's car was hit by a pickup truck driven by a possible drunk driver and crashed into a tree, reports People. Burton's 14-month-old son, Orion, also in the car, was critically injured with a cracked skull and broken arm. When we got to the hospital, they still could not tell us if he was going to live because the amount of blood that he lost, Shragal says. Orion is now recovering in the company of his dad, Burton's husband Andrew, according to a GoFundMe page. No arrests have been made in the case; police only say the truck driver is being investigated as a possible drunk driver. Though Shragal worries how he'll keep his emotions in check, he says he wants to get back to his DUI work as soon as possible. I don't want to have another father bury his daughter or his son or children to lose a mom or a dad, he says. Still, he manages to take comfort in the last words he spoke to Burton— I love you, sunshine, to which she replied, I love you too, Daddy —and the last words she shared with the world. Try to impact people's lives, she said in a Periscope video posted hours before her death. Because you never know when and if someone might need it. (Police say this man was killed by a drunk driver while heading to an AA meeting.) |
Dow Rises 270 on Late Rally | (Dec 2, 2008 3:24 PM) Stocks rallied late in the session today, buoyed by rounds of bargain hunting following yesterday’s deep sell-off, the Wall Street Journal reports. GE rose 14%, despite lowering its forecast, on news that it will still pay a $1.24-per-share dividend next year. The Dow rose 270 points to close at 8,419. The Nasdaq gained 51.73 points, closing at 1,450, and the S&P 500 rose 32.60 points to settle at 849. Ford and GM announced grisly drops in monthly sales but managed to gain 6.6% and 4.3%, respectively, as the chief executives of the firms submitted new bailout proposals to Congress. Sears led retailers higher, gaining 12% after reporting a 9% third-quarter sales loss but $500 million stock buyback. |
3 Dead, 300 Missing in S. Korea Ferry Sinking | (Apr 16, 2014 2:14 AM CDT) At least four people are confirmed dead and nearly 300 are missing after a passenger ferry carrying 476 people—including more than 300 high school students and their teachers—sank off South Korea's coast this morning, reports Yonhap. Divers, helicopters, and dozens of boats scrambled to pluck people from the water after the boat sent a distress call and sank while on its way to the island of Jeju, reports the AP, in what it calls a frantic, hours-long rescue by dozens of ships and helicopters. Yonhap reports that fears are now mounting that many of the missing are trapped inside; it took divers hours to get into the ship, but the first three areas they searched were free of bodies. The water temp is reportedly about 54 degrees Fahrenheit, cold enough for hypothermia to start to set in within about 90 minutes. Survivors described terrifying scenes inside the ferry after it apparently hit something and began to tilt severely, trapping people inside as water rushed in. One surviving passenger tells CNN that he tried to save others but there were some he couldn't get to in time. I stayed till the last to rescue people at the hall, he says. But the water was coming in so fast (that) some didn't make it out. Rescue teams were able to pull some survivors through windows before it submerged. Saying she was truly devastated, President Park Geun-hye spurred rescuers on. There is not much time left before sunset, she said. Please make the best efforts to rescue even one more person. |
13 Dead in Latest Iraq Bombings | (May 30, 2013 1:35 AM CDT) A series of morning bomb explosions in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today killed at least 13 people and wounded dozens in the latest eruption of violence rattling the country, officials said. Iraq is facing its most relentless wave of violence since the 2011 US military withdrawal, deepening fears that the country is heading back toward the widespread sectarian fighting that pushed it to the brink of civil war in the years after the invasion. More than 500 people have been killed in May. April was Iraq's deadliest month since June 2008, according to a UN tally that put last month's death toll at more than 700. Most of today's blasts went off in Baghdad. Car bombs killed four in the northeastern Shiite neighborhood of Binouq, and three died in a bombing at a market selling spare car parts in central Baghdad, according to police. Officials also said a roadside bomb exploded on a police patrol in the largely Shiite central commercial district of Karradah, killing three. In Mosul, officers said a suicide bomber killed three when he blew himself up at a federal police checkpoint. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but blame is likely to fall on al-Qaeda's Iraq arm. |
144 Killed in Syria Massacre | (Feb 28, 2012 2:24 AM) At least 144 people were killed yesterday in the latest Syrian violence, including some 64 slaughtered in a horrifying massacre at a single checkpoint in Homs province, according to witnesses. But the government has no plans to end its attacks on citizens. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem vowed to defend his country. We are not happy to see brothers killing each other, he said. This is our country. But we will defend our sovereignty and independence, he told reporters. The scores killed at the checkpoint were attempting to flee shelling in the city of Homs. Security forces and thugs kidnapped the women among them, and killed the men, sources told CNN. They were either shot or stabbed to death. The killings occurred as Syrian officials announced that the nation's new draft constitution was overwhelmingly approved by voters, and the European Union imposed new sanctions. US officials dismiss the constitution vote as absolutely cynical, said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. What Basahr al-Assad has done is put a piece of paper that he controls to a vote that he controls so that he can try and maintain control. In other Syrian news, the BBC earlier reported that French reporter Edith Bouvier refused to board a Red Cross vehicle that managed to enter besieged Baba Amr, and UK photographer Paul Conroy stayed behind in solidarity. But the BBC now reports that Conroy has indeed been smuggled out of the country; Bouvier's whereabouts are unknown. |
First Lois Lane Dead at 95 | (Jul 5, 2016 10:06 AM CDT) The actress who was the first to play Superman's onscreen love interest, Lois Lane, has died, the AP reports. Noel Neill was 95. Neill's biographer Larry Ward confirms she died Sunday at her home in Tucson, Arizona, following a long illness. Neill first took on the role as the Daily Planet reporter in the 1948 Columbia movie serial, Superman. She would reprise the part alongside George Reeves as the Man of Steel in the 1950's TV series, The Adventures of Superman. Neill's involvement with the series continued through the years. She played Lois Lane's mother in 1978's Superman and had a bit part in Superman Returns in 2006. In 2010, the city of Metropolis, Illinois, unveiled a statue of Lois Lane modeled after Neill. |
30 Years Later, Case of 1st Boy on Milk Carton Still a Mystery | (May 13, 2009 3:36 PM CDT) Almost 30 years after he walked himself the few blocks to the bus stop for the very first time, the case of Etan Patz is unresolved. The boy, then 6, became the first missing child to grace a milk carton, and the New York case sparked a nationwide missing-children's movement, CNN reports. A convicted child molester serving time in Pennsylvania remains the prime suspect, but prosecutors say there isn't enough evidence without a body. There were few leads in the case until photos of young, blond boys who looked like Patz were found at the apartment of Jose Antonio Ramos, the boyfriend of Patz's former babysitter. Ramos later told investigators that he took a boy resembling Patz to his apartment the day the child went missing. He claims to have released the boy at a subway station. |
With 41 Sick, US Moves 'As If' Flu Is 'Full Pandemic' | (Apr 27, 2009 4:29 PM CDT) With up to 41 people sickened by swine flu in five states and 149 dead in Mexico, the Obama administration is treating the outbreak like a full pandemic, the AP reports. Officials warned Americans against traveling to Mexico—where more than 1,600 have been infected—and sent flu-fighting medications to US states. We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic, said Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert level from three to four, indicating human-to-human infections in one country or more. Level six would indicate a full pandemic, an epidemic across a wider area. In New York, where 45 high school students were recently infected with swine flu, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said more than 100 cases will likely be confirmed after testing, Reuters reports. |
Birther Book Hits #6 on NYT Best Seller List | (May 31, 2011 12:54 PM CDT) We’ve seen the long form certificate, but the birther issue just won’t die. Author Jerome Corsi’s new book Where’s the Birth Certificate? debuts at number six on the New York Times’ Best Sellers list out Sunday, according to CNN. The book argues that President Obama’s citizenship has never been verified by a legal authority. Despite the White House release of the president's Certificate of Live Birth, 17% of Americans think he was definitely or probably not born in the US, according to a recent poll taken after Obama's birth certificate announcement. |
Tortoise Loverboy, 146, Dies in Paris | (Dec 7, 2009 2:09 AM) All of France is mourning today after 146-year-old giant tortoise lothario Kiki finally kicked the bucket. He succumbed last week to an infection at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. We are rather upset to have lost Kiki. He had been here for such a long time that we kind of thought of him as eternal, said a spokesman. He had a kind of charisma. Kiki's demonstrative lovemaking made him a particular favorite of the French public. He was so driven in his pursuit of females that his grunts could be heard from the other end of the park. From time to time I even saw him go after a wheelbarrow, said the zoo vet. You see what we were dealing with. That was one of his characteristics. We all loved him. Kiki's body will be preserved in France's Natural History Museum. Giant tortoises have been know to live as long as 188 years. |
Florida Will Go With June 3 Mail-In Primary | (Mar 13, 2008 8:53 AM CDT) Florida Democrats will announce plans for a new June 3 mail-in primary, despite opposition from the state's congressional delegation and concern from both candidates, USA Today reports. Opponents are concerned ballots may fail to reach low-income voters who tend to change addresses frequently. Hillary Clinton wants the results of the original primary, which she won, to stand. We have to do something that seats our delegates, a state senator told USA Today, predicting an announcement today or tomorrow. Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates for holding early primaries in defiance of national officials. Now those delegates could be decisive for either candidate. |
Toyota Recalls 270K Priuses | (Feb 4, 2010 1:22 PM) Toyota's troubles deepened today as it plans to recall 270,000 Priuses in the US and Japan over a potential brake defect, says a report in the Nikkei news service. The development comes just hours after the Transportation Department announced its own investigation into the glitch affecting 2010 models. The recall would cover the third-generation Priuses that came out in May. Drivers reported a pause in braking, especially on bumpy or slippery roads, reports MSNBC. A company spokesman says the glitch apparently arises during the changeover from traditional hydraulic brakes to the electronic system. The recall is separate from those on other Toyota models involving out-of-control acceleration. |
Medic: Travolta Offered $15M to Hush | (Oct 15, 2009 9:32 AM CDT) Jett Travolta was dead, d-e-a-d, dead before the ambulance arrived, Bahamian paramedic Tarino Lightbourne testified yesterday—adding that it was the Travoltas’ lawyer who offered him $15 million to destroy a Refusal of Transport/Treatment document signed by the actor. The paramedic is charged along with a former Bahamas senator with attempting to extort $25 million from Travolta over claims that he and wife Kelly Preston intentionally killed their son. [Travolta's lawyer Michael McDermott] said, 'We're going to give you $15 million,' and my eyes popped, Lightbourne testified. I said, 'I can't even count to $1 million.' I still don't know what extortion is. |
The Situation Will Earn $5M This Year | (Aug 23, 2010 10:58 AM CDT) Today’s true WTF moment: Mike The Situation Sorrentino is on track to earn $5 million this year. That’s more than Michael Cera earned for Scott Pilgrim or Don Cheadle earned for Iron Man 2, for those of you keeping track. How in the world did this happen? A source tells the Hollywood Reporter the Jersey Shore star earns $60,000 per episode, and will rake in $1 million in appearance fees (you can have the GTL champ appear at your party for $15,000 to $50,000). Then there’s his fitness video, supplement line, autobiography, vodka endorsement, rap song, clothing line, and, yes, potential movie roles. We are really excited about all the opportunities coming Mike's way, says his manager. Our goal has always been to try to build a brand if the situation presented itself. (No pun intended?) People told him to enjoy his 15 minutes of fame and that he wouldn't last. I think we can agree he's extended it to at least 17. (Speaking of his rap song, you can listen to it here. You're welcome.) |
61% of Puerto Ricans: Make Us 51st State | (Nov 7, 2012 9:43 AM) Could Puerto Rico become the 51st state? A nonbinding referendum held there yesterday suggests a majority of its people would choose that option, reports the AP. As CNN explains, citizens were first asked whether they'd like the territory to maintain its current relationship with the US; 54% voted in favor of change. And when it came to question No. 2, which gave voters three options for change, 61% opted for statehood. The results now go to President Obama and Congress for consideration, but it's unclear whether they will result in a formal congressional vote down the road. For one thing, critics say the two-part referendum was confusing, which muddied the results. In another twist, Puerto Ricans elected Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who opposes statehood, as their new governor. |
2 Utah Bars See $5K, $1K Tips | (Aug 22, 2013 1:44 PM CDT) If you thought $500 tips sounded pretty incredible, check this out: Last weekend, someone left a $5,000 tip at a bar in Ogden, Utah; another nearby bar saw a $1,000 tip. It's assumed, but not confirmed, that the same person left both tips, and there may have been a third: The owner of one of the bars says he was told that a $1,000 tip was handed out on a golf course the day prior to the Ogden tips. One of the bars had to run part of the tip as a purchase, because its cash registers only allow for tips of up to 100% and this customer, says the owner, was wanting to tip, like, 2,000%. The $5,000 tip was left on a $214.75 bar tab, and the Standard-Examiner has a photo of the receipt. (It says the money caused some contention among staff members.) The $1,000 tip was left on a $49 bill, and was paid with an elite credit card; three bartenders and one server ended up splitting it. One of the employees double checked several times with the customer, the owner says, and another member of his party thanked the employee for that. A lot of places, they’d just take the tip, no questions asked, the patron reportedly said, even if it was taking advantage of someone who was drunk. |
Up to 15 Dead in LA Train Smashup | (Sep 12, 2008 7:21 PM CDT) Ten to 15 people are dead and 70 injured after two trains collided in Los Angeles during rush hour today, the Los Angeles Times reports. At least 10 are critically hurt and dozens are likely trapped after a freight train slammed a Metrolink commuter train and derailed several cars. Firefighters initially battled a blaze sparked by the crash, which was so fierce that the commuter train's front passenger car was bent around its locomotive. It is a very, very sad situation, a Metrolink spokeswoman said. We honestly don't know what happened. Obviously two trains are not supposed to be at the same place at the same time. |
GOP Sen. Shelby Blocks 70 Obama Nominations | (Feb 5, 2010 7:13 AM) Richard Shelby, the GOP senator from Alabama, is holding all of President Obama's pending nominations—at least 70—hostage until a couple of programs benefiting his home state get favorable treatment, Talking Points Memo reports. Shelby has put an extraordinary blanket hold on all the nominations the White House has sent to the Senate, meaning none can move unless Senate Dems can muster the 60 votes for cloture. What Shelby wants is for the Air Force to change the specs on the contract for its air-to-air refueling tankers, so that a Mobile, Alabama, firm can compete, and White House approval for a $45 billion explosive device testing lab for the FBI, earmarked in 2008, which the Obama administration doesn't want to build. |
11 of 12 Patriots' Game Balls Were Deflated: Report | (Jan 21, 2015 6:50 AM) Allegations that the New England Patriots used deflated footballs in Sunday's game appear to be true: Unnamed NFL sources have confirmed as much to ESPN, though league officials tell the AP that we're still awaiting findings. The ESPN report holds that 11 of 12 game balls were under-inflated by some two pounds per square inch compared to league requirements. A letter shown to the Boston Globe says the Patriots have been told of the findings, which came after a halftime ball inspection, that paper reports. Officials are still looking into how the under-inflation occurred, ESPN reports. A Patriots rep says the team is cooperating; coach Bill Belichick said yesterday he'd also cooperate fully, noting that he hadn't known about the issue until Monday night. It's still unclear what the consequences would be for the Patriots if the reported findings are accurate. But players are responding—some with humor. I don't know anything about that, said defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. I don't touch footballs. I tackle people. Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee wondered on Twitter: If New England was to be DQ'd … We'd be their replacements right??... I should probably lay off these strawberry margs. |
No Benefits for 9/11 Responders With Cancer | (Jul 27, 2011 6:17 AM CDT) There isn't enough evidence linking working at Ground Zero to cancer to justify compensating 9/11 responders for cancer treatments, a federal review has concluded. The benefits-providing Zadroga Act that was signed into law earlier this year requires periodic reviews of any evidence of cancer, the New York Times reports. But the report, released yesterday, noted that drawing causal inferences about exposures resulting from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the observation of cancer cases in responders and survivors is especially challenging since cancer is not a rare disease. The Times notes that one in two men and one in three women will develop cancer during their lives; such a high probability makes it tougher to prove the 9/11 link. But so many people have gotten such rare cancers—and at such young ages—that it seems obvious there must be a link, Sen. Charles Schumer said. We believe this report is premature and that the framework established by the Zadroga bill will demonstrate that those who were exposed to the witches' brew of toxins at Ground Zero have developed serious illnesses, including cancer, and deserve justice. The second review of cancer evidence will occur in the early part of next year. |
Cops Fish With Rockets, Kill 6 Swimming Kids | (Sep 2, 2013 2:59 AM CDT) A group of Afghan policemen with more weapons than sense went fishing with rocket-propelled grenades and ended up hauling in a catch of six dead children, officials tell the New York Times. The boys, aged from 9 to 14, were killed when the cops fishing on the other side of a river fired a RPG that went astray and landed in a group of swimmers, officials say. The person who fired the rocket did not mean to shoot at the children, the lawmaker representing the area says. He was fishing, but unfortunately his shot did not hit the target. Six policemen were arrested, including the alleged shooter—their commander, who happens to be the son of a local warlord. The warlord says the children were killed by detonating a piece of unexploded ordinance, but his claim is rejected by the local mayor, whose 14-year-son was among those killed. We don’t know why they fired the rocket—maybe they were just insane, the mayor says. Everyone has a different story, but we know that it wasn’t an unexploded mortar that the kids exploded. Our children have been killed like birds. |
Woman Locked in Bathroom 10 Years by Dad | (Jan 24, 2012 1:48 AM) A 20-year-old Palestinian woman has been freed after spending 10 years locked in bathrooms and other small rooms by her father, reports AP. There, she was beaten, fed little, and let out only at night. Her father threatened to rape, impregnate, and kill her if she tried to escape. The woman, Baraa Melhem, says she survived by listening to the radio, especially current events and programs about mental health, and dreaming of the sunshine. Fear, fear, fear—that was the basis of my life, she said. Melhem's father, an Arab man of Israeli citizenship, locked her in a bathroom after she ran away at the age of 10. He beat her regularly and let her out only at night so she could clean the house. I don't hate my father. But I hate what he did to me. Why did he do it? I don't understand, she said. Melhem's father and stepmother have been arrested and were not available for comment. I have joy now. My life has begun, said Melhem. |
Kathy Griffin Lands $2M Memoir Deal | (Feb 24, 2009 1:28 PM) Kathy Griffin’s upcoming memoir may propel her up from life on the D-list, after the work-in-progress fetched more than $2 million at auction, the New York Observer reports. The comic has earned devoted fans for her turns on Suddenly Susan and My Life on the D-List. Her literary agent, Dutton’s former editor-in-chief, sold the tome to Random House imprint Ballantine. All involved declined comment. |
This Tiny Dish Just Sold for $26.7M | (Apr 4, 2012 11:59 AM CDT) Handle with care: A 900-year-old ceramic dish dating back to China's Song dynasty has sold for $26.7 million at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong, reports the AP. It was probably used to clean brushes by a Song scholar back in the day, notes Bloomberg. Only about 70 Ru pieces exist from this particular kiln, making the dish the most fabled Chinese ceramic ever to come at auction, says a Sotheby's official. This is the fantasy of all collectors. Also driving demand: a growing number of newly rich Chinese collectors. |
Patients Paying $1B in Medical Bills They Don't Owe | (Aug 29, 2008 3:37 PM CDT) Millions of patients throughout the country are footing the bill for medical payments they don’t owe, BusinessWeek reports. In a practice known as balance billing, health-care providers stick weary patients with the cost of their treatment not covered by insurers. The practice is often illegal, but, according to estimates, consumers shell out at least $1 billion a year for bills they’re not responsible for. I didn’t have any choice, said one patient. They threatened me with bad credit. A California state official added, Patients are having their credit destroyed at a time when they are already sick and vulnerable. Health care providers, who are supposed to haggle with insurers to cover the balance, are lobbying Congress to reduce restrictions on balance billing. |
Palin Coverage Negative by 18-1: Study | (Oct 30, 2008 5:30 PM CDT) A study from a right-wing media watchdog says coverage of Sarah Palin on the big three TV networks has been overwhelmingly negative, Politico reports. NBC, CBS, and ABC broadcast 69 stories on Palin between September 29 and October 12, of which the Culture and Media Institute considered 37 negative, 30 neutral, and two positive. That adds up to a negative-positive ratio of 18-1. If the polls are accurate, the networks have successfully created a caricature of Sarah Palin that ignores her all-American appeal, intelligence, and accomplishments, a CMI spokesman says. |
Kuwait Man Gets 2 Years for Tweet Insulting Emir | (Jan 7, 2013 2:02 AM) A Kuwaiti man will spend the next two years of his life in prison over a tweet, as the Gulf nation continues its crackdown on dissent in social media. The man, who has 5,700 Twitter followers, received a 2-year sentence for a tweet deemed to have stabbed the rights and powers of the country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Saba, Reuters reports. Small-scale demonstrations on local issues are tolerated in Kuwait, but the country has so far avoided Arab-Spring style mass unrest. |
2 US Embassy Workers Shot in Caracas Strip Club | (May 29, 2013 12:03 AM CDT) Two US embassy officials in Venezuela have received non-life-threatening injuries—but possibly some damage to their careers—after being shot at a strip club in Caracas early yesterday. The men were shot during a brawl that broke out at the club in an upscale part of the capital around 4:25am, police sources tell Reuters. One embassy worker was shot in the leg; the other was shot in the stomach but didn't notice the injury until he arrived home, according to the police report. The two men are members of the support staff in the office of the defense attaché, but there does not appear to have been a political motive behind the shootings, a State Department official tells the New York Times. A soaring murder rate has made the Venezuelan capital one of the most dangerous cities in the world, although the part of town where the men were shot was not off-limits to embassy personnel. The incident isn't the only one recently involving US embassy personnel. |
1M Americans Attempt Suicide a Year: CDC | (Oct 21, 2011 1:00 PM CDT) An estimated 8 million adults in the United States contemplated suicide over the course of one year, while 2 million formed plans to take their own lives and 1 million actually made the attempt, according to a new federal study. The most likely groups to consider suicide were women, Caucasians, and people under 30. The survey was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention using data from 2008-2009. One in 15 adults in Utah reported suicidal thoughts, the highest in the nation, while one in 50 reported suicidal thoughts in Georgia, the lowest. We are trying to find out where the most vulnerable populations are, explains a CDC epidemiologist. Every year, around 35,000 Americans kill themselves, according to Reuters, meaning the vast majority of attempts are unsuccessful. |
Old Reel on eBay Yields 2 New Nirvana Recordings | (Jun 24, 2016 9:12 AM CDT) A Nirvana fan has unearthed a previously unreleased seven-track recording on eBay from 1993, just before the band recorded its third and final studio album, In Utero. The label on the reel includes the date and Pachyderm Studios, where it was recorded, reports Alternative Nation, which notes that the set features multiple demo versions of the songs Dumb and Marigold. But the real jewels, it adds, are two never-before-heard instrumental tracks—one featuring Dave Grohl on all instruments, including a frantic drum solo, and the dissonant Lullaby, which may have featured Cobain on drums and includes a cosmic keyboard effect. The Daily Dot points out that both tracks are incomplete and that Grohl's drum solo sounds a bit like a precursor to the Foo Fighters. The best news for Nirvana fans: The lucky eBay purchaser has posted both Grohl's solo and Lullaby on YouTube. You can hear the entire session here. (One woman found photos of her dad and Cobain from Nirvana's first concert.) |
How We Keep Track of Those Who Make It to Age 110 | (Jul 9, 2014 8:20 AM CDT) Making it to 100 is a huge feat—only 1 in 5,000 Americans do. But making it to 110 (and gaining the title supercentenarian) is thousands of times harder—only 1 in 5 million do, according to Time. The volunteer-based Gerontology Research Group has been tracking these elderly elite, of which there are currently a confirmed 72, since 1990, and has published the list online for about 15 years. They call it Table E, and 97.2% of the people on it are women. And while the oldest living person is Misao Okawa of Osaka, Japan, the second oldest is American Gertrude Weaver, an Arkansan who celebrated her 116th birthday on, of all days, the 4th of July. (Okawa has her beat by 121 days. The researchers tell Smithsonian that it's a challenge to maintain the list because so many try to get on it who don't have the documents to confirm their age, or who are making false claims, like the Turkish man who tried to assume his dead—and 10 years older—brother's identity. The group has 40 volunteers around the globe who work to suss out and confirm the supercentenarians. As part of the vetting process, the alleged supercentenarian must present two to three age-proving documents, like a birth or baptismal certificate, and a current photo ID granted by an unbiased government agency. These requirements pose a problem in places like Africa, China, and India, whose governments didn't keep birth records in the 1800s; Table E currently contains no one from those locations, though the group expects that to change. (Check out why the man Bolivia claims to be 123 likely isn't.) |
Woman Switches Seats on Plane, Spends 3 Days in Jail | (Dec 26, 2014 8:33 AM) A 68-year-old woman is suing United Airlines for $5 million because, she says, she spent three days in jail simply because she switched seats on a plane. Jean Mamakos of New York had changed planes in Seattle en route to Alaska, and after the doors closed for takeoff, she attempted to move to an empty row. Flight attendants told her that if she wanted to sit in the emergency exit row seat, she would need to pay for an upgrade. At that point, I decided no, I'm not paying $109 and went back to my seat, Mamakos tells CBS New York. But once there, she says, I heard the captain say there is a lady who wants to get off the plane on this flight. So we have to wait. I didn't know that was me. She says flight attendants surrounded her and demanded she exit the plane; she refused. Police were eventually called, and they arrested her for trespassing when she still refused to budge, since she had paid thousands in airfare costs for what was supposed to be a ski trip. They did handcuff me. There were three policemen who dragged me off the plane, ripping her jeans in the process, she says. After her booking, fingerprinting, and mug-shot-taking, she spent three days in county jail as her bags—and her ski club friends—continued on. The incident took place in March 2013, the New York Post reports. (This week, a flier who was grumpy over being wished Merry Christmas got thrown off a plane.) |
Mexico Arrests Alleged Hit Man—Age 14 | (Dec 3, 2010 5:49 PM) A notorious hit man in Mexico known for beheading his victims and displaying them in public is a US-born kid all of 14 years old, reports AP. Mexican authorities arrested the youth identified only as Edgar—who they say goes by El Ponchis, or the cloaked one—as he tried to leave the country by plane. He said he's worked for a cartel since he was 11, after being kidnapped. I participated in four executions, he said, but I did it drugged and under threat that if I didn't, they would kill me. He carried two cell phones with photos of tortured victims, say police, who also arrested an older sister accused of helping him dispose of corpses. Mexican authorities say the youth is a native of San Diego, though his US citizenship remains unconfirmed. Rumors of the young hit man emerged about a month ago with a YouTube video that showed teens mugging for the camera next to corpses. One of them named El Ponchis as an accomplice. Click here for more. |
New Priciest-Ever Starbucks Drink Made With 60 Shots | (May 28, 2014 6:32 AM CDT) Today in the annals of First-World feats: America has a new priciest-ever Starbucks drink. The customer behind the beverage, identified as Andrew, used his loyalty card to get a free Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappuccino, a concoction made with 60 shots of espresso that happens to be worth $54.75. Consumerist calls it a new record; Andrew calls it delicious. And that, he tells Consumerist via email, was the intention. He says he was aiming to beat the record set last year: a $47.30 frap with a mere 40 shots and a long list of additives (from mocha drizzle to caramel brulee topping to strawberries) that raised the price while seriously lowering the taste. How Andrew managed the feat: He says he got the baristas at the unidentified Starbucks to agree to help him break the record, and he brought a mammoth glass to help him in that quest, a 128-ouncer. Seattle Weekly talked to a Starbucks rep who was unaware of the feat but points out that pictures from Andrew’s Twitter feed reveal his location as Dallas. This type of beverage order is totally excessive and not something we encourage people to do, she says. Nor is it safe. To wit, Consumerist estimates that Andrew’s drink contained 4.5 grams of caffeine, and points to a 2012 Popular Science article that suggested 10 grams of caffeine could kill an adult. Andrew says he drank about a third of his drink on site before taking the rest with him. |
Purse Snatcher Foiled by Boy, 8 | (Oct 19, 2013 2:24 PM CDT) A would-be purse snatcher in Houston didn't know who he was dealing with. When 8-year-old Jose Alonso's mom left him and his sister in their SUV while she went inside a gas station Thursday, another SUV pulled up and a man opened the Alonsos' door and grabbed Jose's mom's purse. The 8-year-old jumped into action, managing to grab his mom's wallet out of the purse and then running after the fleeing suspect after he drove off, even though he was only wearing one shoe. Why did he do it? My sister's party was coming up and I wanted her to have her party and I wanted my mom to get all of her stuff back, Jose tells KPRC. He tells Click2Houston, I told my sister just stay here, don’t do anything. I was scared a little bit, but I told myself just go with it. I ran as fast as I can, so I reached in and grabbed my mom’s black wallet with her credit cards. (In Maryland last month, another 8-year-old used karate to fend off a female attacker.) |
1K Sign Petition to Stop Phil Collins From Un-Retiring | (Nov 4, 2015 10:02 AM) It's hard to believe the world could be anything other than thrilled at the news that Phil Collins is un-retiring, but apparently there are more than 1,000 people who are not, in fact, happy about it. That's per a Change.org petition started by New York's Brian Pee, title: Phil Collins must be stopped. The petition, which Pee wants to send to the UN, notes, There is far too much suffering in the world as it is. This must be stopped. The comments are pretty golden: Save us all. The world will implode if he has a duet with Taylor Swift, reads one. And then there's this: If we can send people to space, then we can stop Phil Collins. Or send Phil Collins to space. As Mashable notes, however, a dueling petition titled Welcome Back Phil Collins! has been started by San Diego's Michael O'Neal, who plans to send a welcome back letter to Collins if enough people sign. However, as of this writing, only 23 people have. Not surprisingly, the comments on O'Neal's petition aren't quite so hilarious, although Ben Thompson of Dublin, Ireland, would like the world to know that Phil is a legend and was once my neighbour! (While we're on the subject, what do you think In the Air Tonight is about? Yeah, you're probably wrong.) |
Porn Company Owns Big Share of All 1-800 Numbers | (Apr 19, 2011 4:00 PM CDT) Think twice before dialing 1-800-Chicago, 1-800-Cadillac, 1-800-Worship: all are now linked to phone sex services. For the past 13 years, a firm with ties to sex lines has grabbed 1-800 numbers as soon as other companies gave them up, the AP reports. Now, PrimeTel has control of some 1.7 million such numbers, almost a quarter of those that exist in the US and Canada—and the most of any company, Verizon and AT&T included. That means calls that once went to hotlines for fire safety, AIDS resources, and auto repair now ask unsuspecting callers to pay for phone sex. The Philadelphia company that collects the numbers shares ownership and an office with National A-1 Advertising, which runs erotic chat lines. Catching customers by mistake is a big new industry, says the head of another toll-free number service. I guess enough people go for it that it makes business sense —though PrimeTel says it's not trying to trick anyone. |
Newt Leads Mitt in Fla., 34%-26% | (Jan 23, 2012 9:28 AM) Newt Gingrich might just be on his way to another primary win. The latest InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research poll has Gingrich leading Romney 34.4% to 25.6% in Florida, followed by Ron Paul (13.1%) and Rick Santorum (10.7%). The poll has Gingrich leading Romney among every age and race category, but his lead is most pronounced among young people—Romney got an astonishing 0.0% of 18- to 29-year-olds. The poll could, of course, be an outlier, the Weekly Standard points out, noting that RealClearPolitics' average for the race, which incorporates the InsiderAdvantage figures, has Romney on top 36.7% to 26%. Public Policy Polling tweeted last night that the race was neck and neck, later elaborating: 2 more people picked Mitt than Newt out of about 600 people we polled tonight...that's how close we're talking. |
McCain Leads in 2 SC Polls | (Jan 17, 2008 10:10 AM) John McCain leads the pack in the GOP race for South Carolina, two new polls show, with Mike Huckabee in second place, the State reports. A Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll updated today gives McCain 29% of voters to Huckabee's 22%; Fred Thompson follows with 14% and Mitt Romney 12%. Clemson University also finds 29% preferring McCain, while Huckabee pulls 22%. Fred Thompson ties Romney for third place at 13%. With a portion of the Zogby polling done after Mitt Romney's Michigan win Tuesday, Romney slid 1 point, to 12%. I was looking for a sign of a Romney bounce after Michigan and didn't get it, said John Zogby. Still, the economy—the issue Romney made his own in Michigan—is the top issue for potential GOP voters in South Carolina, with 30% saying it was their highest priority. |
Opposition Scores 2% in Kazakhstan Election | (Apr 27, 2015 12:30 AM CDT) Election officials in Kazakhstan say preliminary results of yesterday's nationwide polls show the long-ruling president confirming his incumbency with 97.7% of the vote. A crushing victory for 74-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev was widely expected from the moment Sunday's snap elections were announced. Nazarbayev faced only two nominal rivals, and state media have for years nurtured an increasingly extravagant cult of personality devoted to him. Authorities in the oil-rich Central Asian nation, which is facing a slowdown in economic growth amid falling oil prices and recession in neighboring Russia, say they hope the election will serve as a confirmation of legitimacy in uncertain times. The Central Election Commission says turnout was a record 95%. The high turnout came despite what international observers described as a hardly visible campaign. Voter turnout is typically high in authoritarian states in Central Asia—the result of habit carried over from Soviet times and massive marshaling exercises by state officials. Nazarbayev's victory over his two rivals, a trade union official and a Communist politician who ran on a platform that included supporting Nazarbayev, was seen as all but a formality. Nazarbayev hails the scale of the turnout. Without such mass public confidence, it would be difficult to work on completing the difficult tasks at hand, he says. The record turnout showed the unity of the people of Kazakhstan and their desire to live in a stable state. |
College Football Great 'Doc' Blanchard Dies at 84 | (Apr 20, 2009 12:07 PM CDT) Felix Doc Blanchard, who won the 1945 Heisman Trophy as part of Army’s famed Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside backfield tandem, died yesterday of pneumonia, ESPN reports. The legendary fullback, linebacker, placekicker, and punter was 84. In 1944-46, Blanchard— Mr. Inside to fellow Heisman winner Glenn Davis’ Mr. Outside —led Army to a 27-0-1 record, scoring 38 touchdowns. Blanchard was the first college junior to win the Heisman. Though a promising professional career beckoned—he was the Pittsburgh Steelers' third pick in the 1946 NFL draft—Blanchard was required to stay in the military. After West Point, he joined the Air Force, and piloted jets in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living Heisman winner. |
Japan to Shut Nuke Plants at 40 Years | (Jan 8, 2012 6:13 AM) Nuclear reactors in Japan will be retired after 40 years of use, as part of the government's efforts to step up nuclear safety in the aftermath of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant disaster last March, reports the AP. There are 54 reactors in Japan, 18 of which will be 40 years old by 2020, and 18 more that will hit that mark by 2030. Japan will introduce legislation to close them, though there could be exemptions for plants that pass safety inspections. Although it is unclear whether age was a factor in the Fukushima disaster, some critics have pointed to the 1967 reactors' age-related factors, such as cracks in pipes and walls, as contributing causes. Before the disaster, nuclear power accounted for about 30% of Japan's electricity, but today just six reactors are in operation. Japanese media warn that enforcing the 40-year rule could mean power shortages. |
7 Kids Among Montana Crash Dead | (Mar 23, 2009 3:42 PM CDT) Three California families headed to a retreat for the ultrarich were among the 14 victims of a plane crash in Montana. The three families, with seven children all 9 or younger, made up the 13 passengers; also dead in the crash was the pilot. The families were traveling to the Yellowstone Club near Yellowstone National Park for a skiing vacation. Bud Feldkamp, who leased the airplane, says Amy Jacobson and Vanessa Pullen, two of the wives, were his daughters, and that Brent Ching, the husband of the other family, was the son of club member Bob Ching. |
Runners Pause Mid-Race to Thank 95-Year-Old Vet | (Mar 5, 2014 1:01 PM) Runners in a San Jose race Sunday willingly added a few seconds to their time in order to thank a veteran, in a spontaneous and touching display that's garnered more than a little attention. The 408K Race is an 8-kilometer race benefiting the Pat Tillman Foundation, which helps military vets. WWII veteran Joe Bell stood on the sidelines, in full military uniform, cheering on the runners ... and then one of them diverted from the course so he could shake the 95-year-old's hand. Others followed, and a stream of people thanked Bell for his service, Mashable reports. How the now-viral video came about was a lucky accident: San Jose Mercury News reporter Julia Prodis Sulek lives two houses down from Bell, and shot the 45-second video on her iPhone after noticing runners initially waving to and even saluting Bell. They began to pile up, she writes. For a moment, I worried Joe might get knocked over. Bell later told her, I never got recognition in my life. The first runner to shake Bell's hand has since been identified as Erik Wittreich, himself a vet: a former Green Beret who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
16 Celeb Marriages That Lasted Less Than a Year | (Jul 7, 2013 11:59 AM CDT) Even by Hollywood standards, these marriages rounded up by the Huffington Post were spectacularly short-lived. Lasting anywhere from 55 hours to 10 months, all 16 of the unions were up before a year was out. Check out a sampling in the gallery, or click for the complete list. |
2011: Whitest Oscars in a Decade? | (Sep 30, 2010 10:58 AM CDT) Next year’s Oscars are shaping up to be the whitest Academy Awards in a decade, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Among the early lists of possible nominees, there are no blacks in the acting categories and almost no minorities at all in the major categories. Why? Partly because right now in the filmmaking industry, it’s hard to make serious movies— let alone an ethnic-themed one, says John Singleton, nominated twice for 1991’s Boyz N the Hood. It’s possible a movie that hasn’t yet gotten a lot of buzz will come to the forefront. But which one? Awards consultants don’t see many possibilities beyond Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls—but even that is an ensemble drama, making it difficult for an individual performance to stand out. The lack of diversity among the nominees comes even as the Academy itself looks for a more diverse membership: My hope is that we get more ethnicity in the Academy, says the president. |
More Than 200 Dead Litter Everest | (Nov 30, 2012 12:28 PM) There are regular reminders in the news just how dangerous climbing Mt. Everest can be, but Smithsonian drives that point home with a look at some of the mountain's more tragic stories. More than 200 people have died on its frozen slopes, and many have ended up preserved in the ice where they fell. And, in a somewhat macabre revelation, the magazine notes that some are even used by climbers as landmarks. It specifically references Green Boots, an Indian climber who froze to death near a mountain cave in 1996. His body is used as a marker for climbers to determine how far along they are. Green Boots was joined by David Sharp a decade later. The English climber stopped at the cave where he actually froze in place, immobile but still alive. Some 40 climbers passed him, many possibly assuming he was Green Boots. When someone finally heard his faint moans, it was too late to save him. There's a full (and gruesome) gallery of many bodies on Everest at the website Altered Dimensions. |
100K Got ObamaCare on Day 1: White House | (Nov 16, 2014 10:40 AM) After last year's dismal debut HealthCare.gov is feeling much better now, and is busily connecting Americans with health care plans as the second sign-up period opened yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said today. The site took in 100,000 new applications in its first 24 hours, reports Politico, saw 500,000 log in to their accounts, and 1 million more went window-shopping for plans. Call centers took 100,000 calls. Burwell said she expects strong and healthy growth this year—about another 2 million people to add to the 7 million already signed up, per the AP. A White House spokesman said today there was no indication of problems. HealthCare.gov works really well now, said President Obama. |
2 Much Kittehs on teh Interwebs; 1-Day Ban Planned | (Sep 3, 2009 3:42 PM CDT) Let’s face it: Cats own the Internet. But it’s getting a little much, and that’s why the Urlesque blog is organizing 9.9.09—A Day Without Cats on the Internet. The master plan calls for cats not to be mentioned, emailed, viewed, nor blogged about. Urlesque is even polling readers about their other furry friend fetishes so it can run exclusive coverage of another animal. Why only one day? Well let's be honest, that's probably only as long as we'll last... …before a hilarious video comes crashing into our inbox. But for one day, we will abstain... for you... for the cats. Linda Holmes, writing on NPR’s Monkey See blog, agrees. We love a LOLcat, we love a keyboard cat, but on Sept. 9 the blog will not discuss cats, cat videos, adorable cats, or talented cats of any kind. But that’s days away, so Holmes has ample time to watch (and rewatch) her favorite vid, at left. |
Woman Eats 13 Pounds of Steak, Sets Record | (Apr 20, 2015 4:10 PM CDT) How long would it take you to wolf down three 72-ounce steaks, each with a shrimp cocktail, roll, side salad, and baked potato? If you said more than 20 minutes, you'd lose a face-stuffing contest in Amarillo, Texas—to a 124-pound woman, CNN reports. Yep, Molly Schuyler, 35-year-old mother of four, again won the steak-eating contest at Big Texan Steak Ranch yesterday, ingesting over 13 pounds of steak (plus the sides) in 20 minutes. We've been doing this contest since 1960, and in all that time we've never had anybody come in to actually eat that many steaks at one time, Big Texan co-owner Bobby Lee tells Connect Amarillo. So this is a first for us, and after 55 years of it, it's a big deal. A professional competitive eater, Schuyler also won last year's contest, setting a record by downing two steaks in under 15 minutes, Amarillo Globe-News reports. So this time, the restaurant brought in four two-person teams to compete against her—including two professional wrestlers and two former Texas A&M football players—giving each team two mouths (and stomachs) to Schuyler's one. But in her black hoodie and shades, Schuyler won again, setting a new record and taking home the $5,000 prize. She started a fourth steak, too, but stopped when she got sick of the flavor, she says; now she wants to come back and try eating a fourth next time. Four is totally doable, says Schuyler, but five is almost unattainable. |
California Dad Throws Son, 7, Off Tour Boat | (Aug 30, 2011 4:17 AM CDT) A California father told his crying 7-year-old son he needed to toughen up and then threw him off a tour boat into a busy harbor as shocked passengers looked on, police say. Former Marine sergeant Sloane Briles, 35, was arrested for child endangerment and resisting arrest, AP reports. The father hit him several times and then threatened to throw him overboard if he didn't stop crying, a police spokesman says. The crowd on the boat became very angry at the father for hitting the kid and extremely angry when he threw him overboard. Briles eventually jumped in after the boy—who was not an expert swimmer—but he had already been rescued by then, the police spokesman says, adding that the father become so combative during arrest that deputies had to tackle him to the ground. The boy was released unharmed into the care of his mother, who divorced Briles in 2007. Briles was only roughhousing with the boy, his girlfriend says. He was a little intoxicated, and he just had really stupid judgment, she tells the New York Daily News. |
Parachutist Jumps From 18 Miles Up | (Jul 25, 2012 11:33 AM CDT) Skydiver Fearless Felix Baumgartner is working his way up to a record-breaking jump from 23 miles up, and today he jumped from a height of more than 18 miles. His altitude was an estimated 96,640 feet—almost three times more than the cruising altitude for planes, the AP notes. The 43-year-old Austrian daredevil landed safely near Roswell, New Mexico, while being monitored by Joe Kittinger, who holds the current jump record: 19.5 miles. It’s Baumgartner’s second test jump and a personal record; he jumped from more than 13 miles up in March. The third and final leap, from 125,000 feet, is planned in late August or early September; if successful, Baumgartner hopes to hit supersonic speeds and break the sound barrier with his body. This time around, like last time, he was lifted in an enclosed capsule attached to a large helium balloon and wore a full-pressure suit complete with an oxygen supply. He was in freefall for 3 minutes, 48 seconds. |
Trump Hasn't Voted in Last 6 Elections | (Jun 29, 2015 11:30 AM CDT) When it comes to voting for Donald Trump, the man himself would rather you not follow his track record. Records seen by the National Review show Trump hasn't voted in the past six presidential-primary elections, including in 2000, 2004, and 2012 when he considered a run for president. He also failed to vote for various candidates, including those running for US representative and governor, in 2002 when was donating to candidates in those races. In some cases, Trump couldn't vote as he flipped between parties, but he was able in others, leading the National Review (which is decidedly not a Trump fan) to speculate that perhaps Trump prefers check-writing to ballot-casting. Another interesting tidbit: Trump has donated $476,000 to Democratic campaigns over the years, including Hillary Clinton's in 2002, compared to $452,000 to Republicans. And perhaps Trump doesn't care if you vote for him, says the author of a 1992 biography: He’s become the celebrity blowhard of America, a Kardashian without the cleavage. And that’s what he is: He sells his name. This race will enlarge his name. That’s why he’s running. |
New Home Sales Drop 12.4% in July | (Aug 25, 2010 9:22 AM CDT) Sales of new US homes dropped sharply last month to the slowest pace on record, the latest sign that the economic recovery is fading. The Commerce Department says new home sales fell 12.4% in July from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 276,600. That was the slowest pace on records dating back to 1963. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a pace of 330,000. June's sales figures were revised downward to an annual pace of 315,000. May's figures were revised upward and are now the second-slowest pace on record. The median sales price in July was $204,000. That was down 4.8% from a year earlier and down 6% from June. |
Iraq Market Bombs Kill 5, Wound 70: Official | (Mar 1, 2013 1:00 AM) A pair of car bombs has exploded at a livestock market in the south of Iraq, killing five and wounding dozens, an official says. The head of the provincial council says 70 people were wounded in the attack in Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad. He blamed the blasts on al-Qaeda, though there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Violence in Iraq has fallen since the height of sectarian fighting in 2006 and 2007, but deadly attacks are still frequent. Friday's attacks come a day after bombings in Baghdad and towns south of the Iraqi capital killed at least 22 people. |
Jet to Zoom From Paris to NYC in 90 Minutes | (Jun 21, 2011 5:05 PM CDT) A jet in the works would travel four times the speed of sound—meaning a 90-minute flight from Paris to New York City or a 2-and-a-half-hour trip from Paris to Tokyo. ZEHRA is planned by the makers of the Concorde and would travel 3,125 mph, or twice as fast as the earlier jet, reports the Telegraph. On top of that, it’s being called Zero Emission Hypersonic Transportation, as it would run on biofuel, hydrogen, and water. And since it flies outside the atmosphere, its pollution would largely stay in space. European maker EADS expects ZEHRA’s first commercial flight in 2050. CNN has details of a similarly speedy plane also unveiled at the Paris Air Show. Or click to read about a different futuristic jet, this one with see-through walls. |
Right-Wing Super PACs Outspending Liberals 4-1 | (May 19, 2012 8:04 AM CDT) Super PACs aren't just reshaping the presidential race, they are also transforming congressional campaigns. And in those races, conservative interest groups are outspending their liberal rivals by a four-to-one margin, reports the Washington Post. So far, conservative groups have plowed $20 million into House and Senate races, and with spending more than double what it was at this point in 2008, observers say money will be more vital than ever in determining who controls the Congress next year. Democrats are feeling growing panic, says the Post, but increasingly, moderate Republicans are as well. Tea Party favorite Deb Fischer won the Republican nomination to be the Nebraska Senate candidate last week, thanks in part to a last-minute $250,000 media buy by a super PAC. And Dick Lugar lost the GOP Senate primary in Indiana after the conservative Club for Growth spent $2 million on his right-wing competitor. We’re just getting started, says a Club for Growth spokesman. That’s our whole goal is to have an impact, to improve the gene pool in Congress. |
CNN, Tea Party Express to Host 2012 Debate | (Dec 17, 2010 6:00 PM) America's most prominent Tea Party political action committee will join forces with CNN to host a debate for Republican presidential hopefuls, Politico reports. The Tea Party Express—notable for helping many 2010 candidates achieve victory over establishment Republican candidates, only to suffer defeat against Democrats—will co-host the debate, to be held Labor Day week in Tampa, Florida. While eyebrows have been raised over the partnership of a steadfastly neutral media organization with a Tea Party group, CNN officials say it's all in the interest of providing a stimulating discourse for viewers. It's folly to ignore the TPE, says CNN political director Sam Feist, as it is a fascinating, diverse, grass-roots force that already has drastically changed the country’s political landscape. |
Burger King Aims to Burn McD's With $1 Cheeseburger | (Jul 9, 2009 2:15 AM CDT) Burger King is spoiling for a cheeseburger price war, the Chicago Tribune reports. The chain is trying to persuade franchisees to halve the price of double cheeseburgers to just $1 for several months. McDonald's recently hiked the price of its double cheeseburgers to $1.19, under pressure from their franchisees, whose profit margins were suffering because of the rising cost of ingredients, although it also introduced a $1 version with less cheese. Burger Kings franchisees are expected to vote on the proposal soon. |
Virginia Tech Victim a Vet, Dad of 5 | (Dec 9, 2011 7:21 AM) Deriek W. Crouse, the police officer killed yesterday during a traffic stop on the Virginia Tech campus, was a 39-year-old Army veteran and father of five. He and the suspected shooter, who was apparently found dead nearby, were shot with the same handgun, police confirmed today. The suspect is believed to have committed suicide as police closed in, the Washington Post reports. We have recovered clothing items that would lead us to believe that the second body found is that of the shooter, an investigator tells the New York Times. Both the motive and the shooter's relationship with either Crouse or the driver involved in the traffic stop are still unknown. Though the shooting invoked haunting memories of Virginia Tech's 2007 tragedy, it was different this time around: Within minutes, the school had deployed a high-tech alert system, overhauled after the 2007 shootings, to tell people to stay inside, and the campus was quickly locked down. Public officials, students, and staff members alike praised the response. Final exams, which were due to start today, will be postponed, the AP adds. |
Man Drove 6 Miles With Wife on SUV's Roof: Cops | (Mar 30, 2016 7:33 AM CDT) Take my wife, please—off the roof of my car. Cops say a Florida man drove 6 miles with his spouse clinging to the top of his SUV, the Smoking Gun reports. Per a police report, Officer Christopher Ruediger was pulling up to an intersection in Stuart shortly after midnight on March 22 when he saw 50-year-old Elizabeth Addy on the roof of a 2011 Toyota Sequoia driven by her husband, 69-year-old Richard Addy. Elizabeth Addy was yelling for help and waving her hands at me, Ruediger notes, so he pulled the car over and helped her down. The story in the police report: Per Richard Addy, he and his wife had been drinking together at a bar in the resort where they were staying and gotten into a tiff, so he decided to leave the scene. He claims he didn't realize initially she had leaped on top of his car and that the only reason he didn't stop when he finally did hear her banging on the roof was because he didn't have a cellphone with which to call the cops. Instead, he cruised by a courthouse, hoping to find police presence, and when he didn't, he just continued on his way—rooftop passenger and all. Richard Addy reeked of booze, per the officer, but charges against him include only reckless driving and the probably-not-often-used permitting a passenger to ride on the exterior of the vehicle. I've been doing this job for over 20 years and I've never seen anything like that before, another Stuart cop tells WPBF. (The opposite of that story: a woman who found a car parked on her roof.) |
Swiss Inaugurate $12B Rail Tunnel, World's Longest | (Jun 1, 2016 5:30 PM CDT) Just like Hannibal in ancient times, Swiss engineers have conquered the Alps, the AP reports. European dignitaries on Wednesday inaugurated the 35.4-mile Gotthard Railway Tunnel, the world's longest railway tunnel and a major engineering achievement deep under the Alps' snow-capped peaks. It took 17 years to build at a cost of $12 billion, but workers kept to a key Swiss tradition and brought the massive project in on time and on budget. Many tunnels crisscross the Swiss Alps. The Gotthard Pass itself already has two. But the Gotthard base tunnel is a record-setter, eclipsing Japan's 33.4-mile Seikan Tunnel as the world's longest, and it also bores deeper than any other tunnel, running about 1.4 miles underground at its maximum depth. The Gotthard Railway Tunnel is part of a broader, multi-tunnel project to shift the haulage of goods from roads to rails amid concerns that heavy trucks are destroying Switzerland's pristine Alpine landscape. The tunnel's impact will be felt across Europe for decades. The thoroughfare aims to cut travel times, ease roadway traffic, and reduce the air pollution spewed from trucks traveling between Europe's north and south. Set to open for commercial service in December, the two-way tunnel can handle up to 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains per day. Switzerland pulled out all the stops for Wednesday's inauguration. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Francois Hollande of France, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi all came to southern Switzerland for an upbeat, glitzy celebration featuring musical bands, dancers, and even a theme song for the tunnel. |
3B Years Ago, Venus Might've Been Livable | (Aug 8, 2016 12:19 PM CDT) Venus is perhaps best known as that torrid acid bath next door, as Gizmodo puts it, with toxic thunderclouds and atmospheric pressure capable of crushing bones, per Science Alert—but it might have looked very different 700 million years ago. After plugging topographic data and the hydrogen isotope ratio in Venus' atmosphere into climate models, NASA researchers say Earth's closest planet neighbor may have had an average surface temperature of 52 degrees, with a maximum temperature of 95 degrees, and liquid water oceans up to 1,700 feet deep before volcanic activity gave it a facelift 700 million years ago, reports Engadget. In other words, it may have had the requirements for the origin of life as far back as 3 billion years ago, a researcher tells New Scientist. Of course this scenario depends on certain factors. If the planet spun significantly faster than it does today—spinning once on its axis every 16 Earth days, as opposed to 243—or had topography similar to Earth, it would have been much hotter, reaching a max temperature of 183 degrees, researchers write in Geophysical Research Letters. We really need more data before we can say much more … but if you have a Venus-like world around a solar-type star with a slow rotation, it could be quite a reasonable place for life to exist, especially in the oceans, says study author Michael Way. You get temperatures almost like Earth. That's remarkable. Researchers hope a probe might eventually find signs of water erosion near Venus' equator, which would back up the model. (This planet's surface reaches 1,000 degrees.) |
Toyota Workers Warned of Safety Lapses in 2006 | (Mar 8, 2010 6:46 AM) The heads of a major Japanese Toyota union sent the company a memo in 2006 warning company executives that they were taking dangerous safety and quality shortcuts in their rush to meet the growing US demand for small, fuel-efficient vehicles. The letter noted that the company had recalled 5 million cars since 2000, or 36% of all cars sold. It warned that ignoring the problem could become a great problem that involves the company’s survival. They completely ignored us, the union’s founder tells the LA Times. That’s the Toyota way. He notes that Toyota now only safety tests about 60% of its vehicles; previously it checked them all. Toyota ignored other warnings too, including persistent pressure from Fumio Matsuda, the so-called Japanese Ralph Nader. Matsuda claims the company has engaged in secret recalls and believes its executives knew about the acceleration defect. There will eventually be criminal charges, he predicts. |
Kentucky Beats Baylor, Nabs Final 4 Spot | (Mar 25, 2012 4:12 PM CDT) Kentucky is taking its highlight show back to the Big Easy. With an NBA-like display from a young team filled with future pros, the top-seeded Wildcats advanced to the Final Four for the second year in a row with an 82-70 blitzing of Baylor in the South Regional final today. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points, Anthony Davis added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Terrence Jones dazzled in all the overlooked areas, leading the Wildcats (36-2) to a Bluegrass showdown with rival Louisville in the national semifinals next Saturday at New Orleans. At one point, Kidd-Gilchrist had as many points as Baylor's entire team: 17 apiece. Kentucky led 42-22 at the break and Baylor never got any closer than 10 points the rest of the way. John Calipari, in his third season at Kentucky, just keeps recruiting the best high school players in the land, molds them into a top team, then sends most of 'em on to the NBA before they've barely had time to find their way to class. But for all the talk about Calipari's one-and-done tactics, he's getting plenty of contributions from those who hung around beyond their freshmen year. Take Jones, a sophomore forward who passed up the draft. He scored just one point in the opening half, but his fingerprints were all over Kentucky's dominating performance: nine rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals. |