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Worst Week Ever for Wall Street

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:07:21 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy

Wall Street capped its worst week ever with a wild session Friday that saw the Dow Jones industrials rocket within a 1,000 point range before closing with a relatively mild loss

The Dow lost 128 points, giving the blue chips an eight-day loss of just under 2,400. The average had its worst week on record in both point and percentage terms, as did the Standard & Poor's 500 index, the indicator most watched by market professionals.

he Russell 2000 index, which tracks the movements of smaller company stocks, had a 4.66 percent gain Friday

The Dow fell 128.00, or 1.49 percent, to 8,451.49. At its low point Friday, the Dow was down 696 at 7,882.51, just 60 points above its low in Wall Street's last bear market, 7,286.27, reached Oct. 9, 2002.

The Dow has lost 1,874.19 points, or 18.2 percent, over the past week. Its dismal performance outdid the week that ended July 22, 1933, which saw a 17 percent drop — and back then, during the Great Depression, there were six trading days in a week.

Tags: wall street, dow, economy, russell 2000, great depression

Same Sex Marriage? Yes in Connecticut

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:36:07 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: That pesky constitution and its equal protection provisions -- next you will be telling us we have to send our kids to integrated schools.

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions through the courts.

Connecticut's court ruled 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry under the state constitution.

for a state that was the first to voluntarily pass laws affirming and protecting civil unions.

"Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice," Justice Richard N. Palmer wrote in the majority opinion

"To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others,"

Tags: same sex marriage, connecticut, civil unions, equal protection

Uncommitted Voters -- Obama Won Debate

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:40:20 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: I'll take capturing 15% of the uncommitted vote compared to 12% for McCain. The pool of uncommitteds continues to decline and McCain has fewer and fewer opportunities to turn this election around.

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

nationally representative poll of uncommitted voters to get their immediate reaction to tonight's presidential debate.

Forty percent of the 516 uncommitted voters surveyed identified Barack Obama as tonight's winner; 26 percent said John McCain won, while 34 percent saw the debate as a draw.

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

About one in three watchers said they learned nothing from the debate.

Forty-two percent of those uncommitted voters who watched the debate said that their image of Obama changed for the better as a result.

McCain's image also improved - 32 percent said their image of him improved

Ultimately, few uncommitted voters' minds were made up as a result of this debate, according to the poll. Immediately after the debate, 15 percent of them said they are now committed to Obama, and 12 percent are now committed to McCain. But most - 72 percent - remain uncommitted.

Tags: election 2008, presidential debate, obama, mccain

California Prop. 8 gains momentum

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:08:39 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: There is much work yet to be done in securing the right to marry for same sex couples. Please think about contributing to the No on Prop 8 campaign here -- http://www.noonprop8.com/home

Clip Source: cbs5.com

A new CBS 5 poll finds that California's Proposition 8 has picked up support in the wake of a television ad campaign that features footage of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaiming same-sex marriage is here to stay "whether you like it or not."

According to the poll, likely California voters overall now favor passage of Proposition 8 by a five-point margin, 47 percent to 42 percent. Ironically, a CBS 5 poll eleven days prior found a five-point margin in favor of the measure's opponents.

The only demographic group to significantly change their views during this period were younger voters — considered the hardest to poll and the most unpredictable voters — who now support the measure after previously opposing it.

the pollster continued to label the race too close to call

Those in the Inland Empire and the Central Valley continue to back Proposition 8, while those in the Bay Area remain opposed. Those in the greater Los Angeles area also remained largely split.

Tags: california, gay marriage, same sex marriage, marriage equality, prop. 8

Virginia - Obama

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:13:35 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: This could be a rout.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

Two new polls show Barack Obama with a double-digit lead over John McCain in Virginia.

Tags: obama, election 2008, virginia, mccain

Troopergate - Alaska Supreme Court takes up case

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:41:58 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy

Clip Source: www.adn.com

Alaska's high court considers Troopergate appeal

The state Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments on their appeal for 3 p.m. Wednesday and agreed to rule no later than the close of business Thursday.

The appeal is a last-minute attempt to stop Steve Branchflower, the investigator hired by the Legislative Council, from releasing his report as scheduled on Friday.

plaintiffs

allege bias among the legislators who are leading the investigation and argue the Legislative Council lacks the authority to order the probe.

The attorney general's office has not joined the appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Nine state officials, including Palin chief of staff Mike Nizich, defied the Legislature's subpoenas and refused to show up for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. So did the governor's husband, Todd. Legislators said they could be found in contempt when the full Legislature convenes in January, a finding that carries potential jail time.

Tags: troopergate, palin, alaska

Plants have Inherent Dignity -- Swiss

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:23:43 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: I'm all for respecting life and to not destroy it arbitrarily, but this may go too far.

Clip Source: www.practicalethicsnews.com

The Swiss federal Gene Technology Law stipulates that any scientific research should respect the "dignity of creation". All plant biotechnology grant applications must now state how they take plant dignity into consideration

The guidelines give a fine overview of ethical considerations related to the value of plants in themselves (rather than to humans or in relation to anything else)

The main problem is the lack of clear examples of plants being handled in undignified ways.

One of the few examples given is "terminator technology", modifying plants so that their offspring are sterile. Does this imply that seedless grapes or any of the other commonly used agricultural plants that do not reproduce sexually are an affront to the dignity of creation? Should researchers try to help naturally asexually reproducing species to reproduce in a more dignified manner?

Tags: switzerland, plant dignity, research, ethics

Coke is a spermicide -- Ig Noble winners 2008

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:13:34 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: The Swiss believe that plants have dignity -- what does that mean for the future of farming?

Clip Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com

For discovering that Coke is a spermicide, Anderson and her team are among this year's winners of the Ig Nobel Prize, the annual award given by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine to oddball but often surprisingly practical scientific achievements.

also honored a British psychologist who found foods that sound better taste better; researchers who discovered exotic dancers make more money when they are at peak fertility

Coca-Cola is a spermicide and that Diet Coke works best. Their study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1985.

other award winners:

Peace: The Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology and the citizens of Switzerland for adopting the legal principle that plants have dignity.

Medicine: Dan Ariely for demonstrating that expensive fake medicine is more effective than cheap fake medicine.

Tags: ig noble, coke, exotic dancers, fertility, diet coke, new england journal of medicine, switzerland, dignity, placebo effect

Washington State Republicans sued by Republican AG

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:54:42 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: McKenna just polished off his reelection with this move.

Clip Source: blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

AG McKenna files lawsuit against state Republicans

Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican, today filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court against the Washington State Republican Party for illegally spending $212,967 to advocate for Dino Rossi, the GOP candidate for governor.

Following up on the Public Disclosure Commission's findings, McKenna's lawsuit says the state party used unlimited "soft money" contributions for three mailings that criticized Gov. Christine Gregoire and urged people to "Vote for Dino Rossi." Soft money can only be used for administrative and party-building activities.

McKenna notes that his Democratic predecessor, Gregoire, won lawsuits and hefty settlements against the Democratic Party ($250,000) and the state teachers' union ($430,000), which had supported her campaign for AG.

Tags: attorney general, mckenna, washigton state, washington state republicans, republicans, gregoire, public disclosure commission

Convicts and Voting -

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:47:41 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: Here in Washington State there is a complected process to restore your voting rights. Hard to believe that North Carolina has a more progressive system.

Clip Source: www.wfae.org

The voting rights of convicted felons depends on where they're incarcerated.

Maine and Vermont are the only states that allow felons to vote while in prison.

Eleven states restrict voting rights of felons even after they've completed their sentences.

Not so in North Carolina. Voting rights are restored once felons have done their time.

Plus, people convicted of misdemeanors have the right to vote in jail.

There are more than 2,500 inmates in the Mecklenburg County Jail.

About 67 percent of these inmates are African-American.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chip Bailey

says he can recall only one or two inmates who have voted by absentee ballots.

Tags: voting, maine, vermont, north carolina, mecklenburg county, felons, convicts

Palin the Socialist

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:40:14 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: Government ownership of the pipeline is socialism, not that there is anything wrong with that. Along with nationalizing AIG and the financial sector the Republicans are sounding more like socialists all the time.

Clip Source: www.npr.org

Palin

has pushed to get new companies — in addition to the big three already in her state — involved in the construction of a proposed new gas pipeline. Under her plan, the state provides hundreds of millions of dollars in "seed money" for the pipeline, in hopes of getting a bigger share of the profits for the public.

Tags: palin, socialism, oil, pipeline

More Dismal News for Newspapers

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:26:13 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: I don't want to see the end of my newspaper and the cuts that are occurring make me fearful about the ability to report the news.

Clip Source: www.newwest.net

It’s gotten ridiculous, tracking the number of editorial job cuts at newspapers across the country. Erica Smith, who writes the blog Paper Cuts, has the closest thing to a definitive list. She counts more than 11,000 newsroom jobs eliminated so far in 2008.

It’s not that profits aren’t there. Lee Enteprises, which owns all of Montana’s major newspapers except the Gannett Co.-owned Great Falls Tribune, has consistently made money, even this year, and continues to pay dividends to stockholders.

even in the most ruthlessly profitable corporations like Lee, profits are sinking like never before, because ad revenues keep going to the Web and key costs, including newsprint and fuel, have relentlessly risen.

Tags: newspapers, layoffs, economy, montana, lee enterprises

Battle for Wachovia

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:11:48 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: Finance is in turmoil and the ride is anything but over.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Wachovia says it agreed to be acquired by San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. in a $15.1 billion all-stock deal. But Citigroup now demands that Wachovia abide by the terms of its earlier deal to buy Wachovia's banking operations.

The Citigroup deal would have been done with the help of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., but the Wells deal would be done without it. The head of the FDIC said the agency is standing behind the agreement it made with Citigroup.

Tags: banking, wachovia, wells fargo, citigroup, finance, fdic

For some people of the Andes - the past lies before them

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:00:01 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: Interesting take the meaning of time

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

For the Aymara people living in the Andes, the past lies ahead and the future lies behind.

the researcher asks a woman to explain the origins of her culture. She starts by describing her parents' generation, then her grandparents', and so on, extending her arm further and further in front of her as she does so. Then she switches to talk about how the values of those earlier generations have been handed back to her (her hand gradually returns to her body from out front), and how she will in turn pass them on to her children (she thumbs over her shoulder).

Núñez now believes that he has definitive evidence that the Aymara have a sense of the passage of time that is the mirror image of his own: the past is in front of them, the future behind.

Núñez and Sweetser's work highlights the illusory nature of time.

all languages resort to metaphor to express it. In fact, with staggering monotony, they all resort to the same metaphor: space.

Tags: time, aymara, andes

US House Website Fails under weight of E-Mail Deluge

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:16:22 GMT

clipped by: iulawboy
clipper's remarks: I for one got blocked when attempting to e-mail my congressman

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

U.S. House Website Crumbles Under $700 Billion Bailout E-Mail Deluge

The site's button -- "Write Your Representative" -- was bombarded by millions of constituents wanting to speak their mind about the stalled $700 billion Wall Street bailout.

A government official, Jeff Ventura, who runs the House.gov site, said millions of clicks on the feature might bring down the entire site.

Here's what the "Write Your Representative" button said when we clicked on it several times Tuesday and again Wednesday:

Tags: congress, technology, internet, e-mail