Gabe

Hidden fees and surprise interest rate hikes by credit card companies will cost Americans an increase of $20.5 billion this year; When banks already increased fees by $19 billion Last year. That amounts to about a 10 percent increase over two years. President Obama’s people are looking in to possible actions that can be taken against unforgiving bankers who continue to self award bonuses and seem to expect forgiveness by the American people.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/19/eveningnews/main4955273.shtml?tag=topStory;topStoryHeadline

Posted by knap0164 at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carbon dioxide and other green house gas emissions will soon be regulated, for the first time, by federal government. Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency officially declared CO2 a pollutant that endangers public health and welfare; the first step to legislation that will limit amounts.
What will this mean for us? Critics say it will increase energy cost and create job loss. Advocates say it will bring long-term economic and social stability. The European Union already has a system of vouchers that can be traded among corporations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/science/earth/18endanger.html?_r=1&hpw

It is possible for co2 to be isolated, removed and then stored from coal burning power plants.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/08/first-carbon-capture-power-plant-lacq

Posted by knap0164 at 5:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Attorneys for the woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee requested photos of the incident be sealed by a judge. Charla Nash, the victim, will be blind for life. She lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the attack and will have multiple surgeries in the coming years. Hash’s attorneys have filed a $50 million lawsuit against the owner of the chimp. Attorneys argue the photos are private medical data besides being gruesome.
Sources:
http://www.startribune.com/nation/42905172.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Posted by knap0164 at 5:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Obama plans to end federally subsidized student loans as part of a plan to save money. By eliminating private lenders, $94 million could be saved by the feds in the coming decade. And billions of dollars in bank profits would be redirected to fund scholarships under the plan.
Lenders are outraged, and many accuse Obama of trying to expand government and limit congressional control.
He intends to give the entire student financial aid program a sweeping overhaul. As noted in previous speeches and public addresses, the president wants to help college students financially in exchange for work and service to the community.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/us/politics/13student.html?_r=1&hp
Statements made by the president recalled from memory.

Posted by knap0164 at 5:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Forecasters say farmers will be planting less corn and wheat, but more soybeans in the coming growing season nationwide. Corn and wheat will be down one percent, but soy will be up from a number not mentioned to 76 million acres. Low grain prices and high fertilizer costs are likely the cause. In Minnesota, soy will be down along with wheat and corn this year. Food prices are estimated to rise 3-4 percent.

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_12036245?nclick_check=1
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123850608441073585.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Posted by knap0164 at 5:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thieves in Tennessee heisted a semi-trailer full of whiskey. They first stole the tractor from a nearby lot then hooked it to the trailer and made off with more than 1,200 cases Jack Daniels plus other assorted whiskey. Police have not found the truck or its content but suspect it may have headed toward Miami and could be linked to a smuggling ring.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/dpg_Thieves_Swipe_Truckload_of_Jack_Daniels_SAB_032820092341461

Posted by knap0164 at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mt. Redoubt, a volcano about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska erupted Sunday night; and then four more times early Monday morning. Scientists observing the volcano predicted its eruption was likely in the coming weeks. They had been observing numerous earth quakes each hour. The volcano has been dormant for past twenty years, but in the past, it has a history of having many eruptions over the course of many months. Falling ash from the volcano inflicts respiratory problems, eye irritation and other potentially serious health problems to nearby inhabitants. The particulate matter is jagged and abrasive, and can also cause machines to wear.
Source
Source

Posted by knap0164 at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An annual study of media suggests that even though many news papers and local television news stations are in financial trouble, public interest is not decreasing.
The New York Times, and other large papers, have seen an increase in readership when online viewing is taken into account.
Cable news has also experienced an increase in viewership.
"This is not an industry that is dying. This is an industry that is in disorientation,” Tom Rosenstiel, project director for Excellence in Journalism said.
News papers need to find a way to make online news profitable, he said.
source 1

Posted by knap0164 at 2:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Radio news commentator Paul Harvey died Saturday at age 90. His familiar voice has been heard across the nation since 1951 when he began working for ABC news. He is known for his staccato style of telling news, and has been a major influence and pioneer in broadcast news and commentary. Listen to an excerpt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYEFkYtANVg

source1 source2

Posted by knap0164 at 5:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The StarTribune reported that President Obama lifted a ban on government funding of embryonic stem cell research on Monday. Scientists are now allowed to apply for federal grants that were outlawed in 2001.
"We've got eight years of science to make up for," Dr. Curt Civin said.
The process of harvesting these types of stem cells kills the embryo.
Many will be gathered from fertility clinics that destroy left over embryos.
Embryos can be duplicated, apparently. Researchers were limited to use of a few stem cell lines previously.
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/40929702.html?elr=KArksUUUU

the portion of this entry dedicated to an article in the times has vanished.

Posted by knap0164 at 5:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Winston-Salem Journal reported Sunday that homeowners could be eligible for a 30 percent tax credit up to $1,500 when they install energy efficient windows, insulation or heating systems under the new stimulus package. And if you’re looking to install solar panels or a geothermal heat pump, incentives can be as high as 65 percent with no clear cap reported. The offer will be available through 2016.
The Sacramento Bee gives much the same information but uses the story of a person who is fixing up their house to tell the story

Posted by knap0164 at 3:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At least 12 tornadoes touched down in central Georgia late Wednesday and Thursday killing one and injuring 22.
Gov. Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in four counties.
Damage estimates are at $25 million, Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine said.
The strongest twister left a path of destruction 16 mile long and a half-mile wide with wind in excess of 165 miles-per-hour. Three others had wind in excess of a 100 of mph and covered a substantial distance; they varied in width with from a mile to 500 yards.
It is the worst outbreak in severe weather in Georgia since May of 2008, according to the National Weather Service.
information compiled from: AP and AJC

Posted by knap0164 at 5:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eighty computers are missing from a major US nuclear weapons laboratory.
What information was on them is not known.
Over the past year, they were taken from a Los Alamos facility that was created during World War II for the Manhattan Project.
The site currently conducts research on national security, outer space, renewable energy and other things.

The AP reported that none of the computers contained classified information.
The computers have gone missing on multiple occasions.
11 have been recovered.
Some of the computers were stolen from an employee’s home who did not have authorization to take them there.

Posted by knap0164 at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlUCqDbfvOMgcnOmIjSnqFNni6iQD96AF2F00
Police arrested a suspected arson Friday in connection to at least one of Australia’s wild fires.
Few details have been released.
More than a dozen fires are still burning.
Currently, 180 people have died and 7,000 are homeless.

The Age reported that the man was charged with arson Friday.
The courts ordered media not to disclose his identity.
Evidence shows at least two of the wildfires were intentionally set, police said.

Posted by knap0164 at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The BBC reported that Obama’s $787 billion stimulus bill has passed in the house and the senate with very little republican support. It will be signed into law.
Seven democrats voted against the bill, and three republicans voted for it in the senate.
All Republicans and seven Democrats voted against the bill in the house. The remaining 246 Democrat votes passed the bill.
The bill will create 3.5 million new jobs, President Obama said.
It also will cap salaries and bonuses of Wall Street executives.
In the New York Times report, many experts were cited telling the pitfalls of the bill.

Posted by knap0164 at 9:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNN reported Friday that a Florida couple had their golden lab cloned.
They already have nine other dogs in addition to cats and birds and sheep, but were not satisfied with a particular dog’s 11 year life, they said.
A biotechnology company in South Korea preformed the task.
The cost was $155 thousand.
The couple was chosen by the company, along with three other candidates, to have the procedure done.
Lancey the dog, the late identical twin of Lancelot, has a bazaar interest in bush planted in memory of the latter. He has been spending a lot of time around it; hanging around it and digging holes, the couple said.
The humane society euthanized around 4 million pets last year.
There was no mention of complications to the procedure.

Posted by knap0164 at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)