Archive for April, 2009
MSNBC’s Shuster Launches Attack Campaign Against Miss California for Gay Marriage Stance
David Shuster, MSNBC anchor/journalist, now a part-time Biblical scholar? Continue Reading
‘American Morning’ Guest Predicts ‘Likely Scenario’ Like 1918 Flu, but Ignores Calmer Predictions
CNN amped up the alarmism about swine flu April 30 when co-host John Roberts interviewed Dr. Martin Blaser of NYU without rounding out the segment with other opinions. Continue Reading
Mexico shuts nonessential services amid swine flu
MEXICO CITY — Mexico is telling citizens to stay home, urging businesses to close for five days and suspending government services as the World Health Organization warns the swine flu outbreak is on the brink of becoming a global epidemic. In the United States, federal health officials said Thursday the number of confirmed cases had risen to 109. President Barack Obama told Americans the government was “taking the utmost precautions and preparations” to stop the virus. Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a televised address that only essential businesses such as supermarkets, hospitals and pharmacies should stay open, and only critical government workers such as police and soldiers… Continue Reading
They said it: ‘We all need big balls in this business’
4:00AM Friday May 01, 2009 “Other chairmen can come and have lunch with me at Harrods, where I can serve them stags’ testicles from my Scottish estate. We all need big balls in this business.” – Fulham’s Mohamed Al Fayed want to talk a load of bollocks with other football club owners. “I burned the top of my left buttock on an electrical box… Continue Reading
New female condom approved by FDA
Feed The FDA recently approved a new female condom, called FC2, made by the Female Health Company. Female condoms are the only woman-initiated prevention methods for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The first female condom, FC1, has been around since 1993. It is made of polyurethane and fairly expensive to manufacture; a 10-pack on Amazon.com costs $20.95. This next generation of condoms is made of a nitrile polymer and is easier to manufacturer so is expected to be less expensive. What are the advantages of a female condom? If both female and male condoms are distributed by STD prevention programs the incidence of new STDs (a marker for unsafe sex acts) drops… Continue Reading
Alleged kitten stomper to face animal cruelty charges
updated 12:31 p.m. ET April 30, 2009 Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Reported by: A man who Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies say stomped… Continue Reading
Kleybanova reaches semifinals
4/30/2009, 11:32 a.m. EDT> The Associated Press (AP) — FEZ, Morocco (AP) ? Second-seeded Alisa Kleybanova of Russia advanced to the semifinals of the Grand Prix SAR on Thursday by beating Polona Hercog of Slovenia 6-3, 6-4. Kleybanova broke Hercog once in each set and saved the only break point she faced in the second. She next faces sixth-seeded… Continue Reading
Comcast grows 1Q revenue 5%
By Bob Fernandez INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Cable giant Comcast Corp. navigated the deep recession with a 5 percent gain in revenue in the first quarter and 627,000 new phone or Internet customers. But Comcast executives warned of a 25 percent drop in cable advertising, which shows no sign of letting up, and a weakness in new-customer growth in March and April. Adding new cable-TV customers has been hampered by foreclosures and the prolonged slowdown in the new-housing market, the company said. Comcast lost 78,022 cable-TV customers in the first quarter, which ended March 31, compared with a loss of 56,847 in the year-ago period. Comcast also disclosed a $1 billion plan to upgrade its giant cable… Continue Reading
Safeway 1st-quarter profit falls 25 percent
SARAH SKIDMORE The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. – Grocery store operator Safeway Inc. said Thursday that weak consumer spending, the stronger dollar, lower fuel prices and the late Easter holiday caused its first-quarter profit to fall 25 percent. The Pleasanton, Calif.-based company also lowered its full-year outlook due to the weak environment but raised its dividend. Safeway’s profit fell to $144.2 million, or 34 cents per share for the quarter that ended March 28, from $193.4 million, or 44 cents per share last year. The results missed the company’s estimate and the 40 cents per share analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had predicted. Safeway shares fell $1.74, or 8.2 percent, to… Continue Reading
Earnings schedule for week of 05/04/09
The Associated Press The Associated Press Major companies tentatively scheduled to report quarterly earnings next week: Monday: CINCINNATI , The E.W. Scripps Co. releases first-quarter financial results. OVERLAND PARK, Kan. , Sprint Nextel Corp. releases first-quarter financial results. SPRINGDALE, Ark. , Tyson Foods Inc. releases second-quarter financial results. Tuesday: DECATUR, Ill. , Archer Daniels Midland Co. releases third-quarter financial results. NEW YORK , Avon Products Inc. releases first-quarter financial results. WOONSOCKET, R.I. , CVS Caremark Corp. releases first-quarter financial results. CHARLOTTE, N.C. , Duke Energy Corp. releases first-quarter financial results. REDWOOD… Continue Reading
FDA warns of botulism with unapproved use of Botox
MATTHEW PERRONE The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Health officials warned doctors and patients Thursday about potentially deadly risks of using the anti-wrinkle drug Botox and similar drugs for unapproved uses to treat certain types of muscle spasms. The Food and Drug Administration said Botox and two other injections carry risks of rare botulism symptoms, particularly when given to children to help relax uncontrollable muscle movements. While Botox is best known for clearing wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles, the botulin-based drug also is widely used for muscle-spasm conditions. In rare cases, the toxin can spread beyond the injection site to other parts of the body, paralyzing or… Continue Reading
Common breast cancer risk factor may be hereditary
A major risk factor for breast cancer in middle-aged women – dense breast tissue – appears to run in families, research suggests. A unique study of 400 mother-daughter pairs has found that mothers with dense breast tissue are more likely to have daughters with dense breast tissue. The finding underscores the significance of understanding breast density, which is now established as an inheritable characteristic. “The study provides further evidence of the importance of risk assessment and prevention of breast cancer early in life,” said Norman Boyd, a scientist at the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital…. Continue Reading
Aid workers back in Khartoum
Khartoum – Two kidnapped foreign aid workers freed after being held in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region for more than three weeks were back in the capital Khartoum on Thursday, a Sudanese official said. “They arrived in Khartoum last night,” the senior official said, requesting anonymity. He said that an adviser to French President Nicolas Sarkozy was expected to arrive in the capital on Thursday to meet the two women, from France and from Canada, whose release was announced by their kidnappers on Wednesday. A senior official in Sudan’s foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the… Continue Reading
Cops fire at Moz protesters
Maputo – Two construction workers on Maputo?s new $57m stadium were seriously injured when police fired at protesters, Mozambique police said on Thursday. A spokesperson for Maputo city police command Arnaldo Chefo said one of the workers was shot in the groin while the other was shot in the leg. The injured men were part of 700 construction workers on the stadium which is being built by the Shanghai-based Wanyuan Group, 12km out of the city centre. The workers were protesting against low wages and poor working conditions. “The two were seriously injured. Bullets in somebody’s body are… Continue Reading
Adani Power signs power transmission contract with Siemens
Text: MUMBAI: Adani Power, a part of the Adani Group, today awarded Siemens a Rs 1,380-crore contract for transmission of power from its Mundra power plant… Continue Reading
More Americans will lose jobs: Obama
30 Apr 2009, 1550 hrs IST, PTI Text: WASHINGTON: As the US clears the meltdown “wreckage”, more Americans will lose jobs and face tough times before the recession is out, US President Barack Obama said after completing 100 days in office. “Millions of Americans are still without jobs and homes, and more will be lost before this recession… Continue Reading
Despite Stumbles, WaPo’s Tom Shales Still Calls Obama ‘Smartest Kid in Class’
Even though President Obama clearly stammered and struggled in some answers last night, especially the odd New York Times four-parter, Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales loved "Obama’s Enchanting Quizfest" (as the headline announced), and stressed how much better he was than Bush: Continue Reading
ABC Debunked Matthew Shepard Murder as No Hate Crime, MSNBC Savages Republican for Repeating
On Wednesday’s Countdown show, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann viciously slammed Republican Congresswoman Virginia Foxx for claiming that murder victim Matthew Shepard – whom the current hate crimes bill is named after – was targeted out of a desire to commit robbery rather than because of anti-gay sentiment by his attacker, as has been the conventional wisdom. The MSNBC host was so outraged at the North Carolina congresswoman that he named her as the night’s "Worst Person in the World" and showed particular venom toward her, even suggesting she should resign. Olbermann: "She is at best callous, insensitive, criminally misinformed. At worst she is a bald-faced liar. And if there is a spark of a human being in there somewhere, she should either immediately retract and apologize for her stupid and hurtful words or she should resign her seat in the House." Continue Reading
Palin Derangement Syndrome Engulfs Baltimore Sun’s TV Guy
Baltimore Sun TV critic David Zurawik should check into a clinic somewhere to have his delicate mental balance checked. Maybe they might have some nice medication he can take to temper his Palin Derangement Syndrome? His is so bad he can’t even write about a little reality TV show without indulging unnecessary vitriol and hate. Continue Reading
KeyCorp on list of 6 banks with capital needs
At least six of the 19 largest U.S. banks require additional capital, according to preliminary results of government stress tests, people briefed on the matter said. While some of the lenders may need extra cash… Continue Reading
Top exec loses 1 title at Bank of America
CHARLOTTE – Ken Lewis was ousted as chairman of Bank of America Corp. yesterday after shareholders angry about the company’s… Continue Reading
Solar plant CEO denies Florida deal
Willard & Kelsey Solar Group LLC, which a month ago said it would build solar panels in Perrysburg beginning this year, yesterday denied a published report that it signed a deal to put its headquarters and a major manufacturing complex in the Orlando, Fla., area. The company, which would be the Toledo area’s fourth solar panel manufacturer, said its suburban project was proceeding, that it still planned to hire 400 workers by year’s end, and to begin producing two million panels a year. Bill Mitchell, company president and chief executive… Continue Reading
Spending up; economy shrinks
WASHINGTON – The economy shrank at a worse-than-expected 6.1 percent pace at the start of this year as sharp cutbacks by businesses and the biggest drop in U.S. exports in 40 years overwhelmed a rebound in consumer spending. The U.S. Commerce Department’s report, released yesterday, dashed hopes that the recession’s grip loosened in the first quarter…. Continue Reading
Shashi Tharoor: India’s amazing national vote process
BOMBAY ON APRIL 16, the largest exercise of the democratic franchise in history began taking place, as Indian voters headed to the polls to elect a new national Parliament. They have done this 14 times since India gained its independence, in 1947. Each time India has voted has been the world’s largest exercise in electoral democracy. India’s growing population is why the country keeps breaking its own voting record in numbers. This time, the electorate includes 714 million voters, up 43 million from the previous general election in 2004. Votes will be cast in 828,804 polling stations scattered across India for over 5,000 candidates from seven national political parties and… Continue Reading
BNP leader Nick Griffin 'could appear on Question Time again', says BBC chief- DOW JUMPS ABOVE 9,000
- Vote set to raise property tax
- Iran offers new package to break nuclear weapons deadlock
- Judge lets Delphi halt salaried retiree benefits
Sam Champion Uses Freezing Cold to Tout Global Warming
CNN Cites 'Conservative' David Brooks, Andrew Sullivan & Kathleen Parker