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Chinese Investors Now Cautious in Auctions
Dec 20, 2011
Chinese wealthy are putting more money into cash and less into stock, real estate and other investments...
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Porsches Outnumber “Wealthy” Greeks
Dec 20, 2011
Despite Greece’s perpetual financial insolvency, there exists a peculiar fact about Greek car ownership.
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Wealthy Brits Want to Flee U.K.
Dec 20, 2011
During the past decade, Britain has established itself as a desirable home for the world’s wealthiest individuals who wish to take advantage of a tax code that essentially ignores off-shore income.
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Islamists Triumph in Egypt
Dec 20, 2011
Following the first week of elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s Islamists are claiming victory - as the Muslim Brotherhood captured roughly 40 percent of the vote and the ultraconservative Islamists finished a strong second.
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Europe Declares Balloons Unsafe
Dec 20, 2011
The European Union’s toy safety directive has deemed whistle blowers unsafe for children under 14...
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Iranian Actress Jailed for Role in Film
Dec 20, 2011
In October, Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to one year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in a film about limits imposed on artists by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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Christians Under Attack
Dec 20, 2011
Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the number of Christians killed in the Middle East nation has been sizeable.
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UN: Rapid World Population Growth Overwhelms Efforts to Eliminate Poverty
Dec 19, 2011
he world is in danger of missing a golden opportunity for development and economic growth, a “demographic dividend,” as the largest cohort of young people ever known see their most economically productive years wasted, a major UN population report warned on October 26.
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Four Million Dollar Car Crash
Dec 19, 2011
A recent 14-car pileup in Yamaguchi, Japan resulted in possibly the most expensive car crash in history.
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Jailed Chinese Dissident Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Nov 23, 2010
The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a writer and passionate advocate of democracy, who has been repeatedly jailed by the Chinese government for his activism.
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Al Qaeda Magazine Offers Tips for Killing Americans
Nov 23, 2010
Yemen’s Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has launched its own magazine, named Inspire, which offers tips on how to kill Americans.
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Toilets Can Be Easy Improvement For World Health
Nov 23, 2010
Believe it or not toilets can be a tough sell. At least that was the perception of Mitchell Koss, writing in the Los Angeles Times.
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Days are Numbered for Iraqi Christians
Nov 23, 2010
Unless conditions change in Iraq, the once thriving ancient Christian community in Iraq will be wiped out.
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Island of Blondes: Fantasy or Potential Lawsuit?
Nov 22, 2010
A Lithuanian company set to open a luxury resort in the Maldive Islands is under fire for growing what they call a “Blonde Business Empire.”
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Abundant Orbital Debris Threatens Space Operations
Oct 27, 2011
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about on earth, it seems that the amount of debris stuck in orbit around our planet now poses a threat to our way of living.
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German City Installs Prostitution Meters
Oct 27, 2011
While prostitution is almost entirely banned in the United States (except for Nevada), in Germany the practice is not only legal during certain hours, but now has been embraced by the government as a source of tax revenue.
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UCLA Student Visits Libyan Rebels for Summer Vacation
Oct 27, 2011
Summer vacation is a great time for students to see a different part of the world.
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Synthesized Sausage on the Menu
Oct 27, 2011
Recent developments by scientists at Maastricht University in the Netherlands have produced the possibility of growing artificial meat in laboratories without animal slaughter, according to a Herald Sun report.
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Somali Radio Station Gives Weapons as Prize
Oct 27, 2011
A radical Islamist-run radio station in Somalia is giving away guns, bombs and books to children as part of a Quran recital contest.
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Baker Serves Cocaine Cookies to Funeral Guests
Oct 27, 2011
A Bulgarian baker was arrested when he accidentally served cocaine-sprinkled cookies to guests at a Greek funeral.
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British Policeman Earns $107,000 in Overtime Pay
Oct 27, 2011
Metropolitan Police Officers in Great Britain earned a total of £109 million (approximately $170 million) in overtime pay for working extra hours in 2010-11.
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Electric Car Sales Sluggish in Spain
Oct 27, 2011
While efforts to expand electric car sales in the United States are slowly gaining traction, other countries have not been so successful.
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Murder In Venezuela is a Regular Occurrence
Oct 12, 2010
Although the number of murders in Venezuela far outnumber the civilian deaths in the Iraq war, there has been little publicity on the matter.
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Mullahs take a hard line on mullets in Iran
Oct 7, 2010
Haven’t had a haircut in a while? In Iran, it might not just be a bad hair day. It could be illegal.
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Indonesians Celebrate Ramadan With Mass Exodus
Oct 7, 2010
At the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims, millions of Indonesians leave the larger cities where they work to return to their home villages.
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Europe to Ban Short Selling
Sep 16, 2011
The European Securities and Markets Authority, the body that coordinates the European Union’s market policies, announced in mid-August that short sales—negative bets on stocks—would be temporarily banned in France, Belgium, Italy and Spain, in an effort to stop the market’s decline.
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Fake Apple Stores Found in China
Sep 16, 2011
China has a reputation for producing counterfeit gadgets, software and clothing but a recent discovery by an American living in China has uncovered a new milestone in piracy—fake Apple stores.
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Ai Weiwei Violates Terms of Release
Sep 16, 2011
Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most famous artists, is now violating the terms of his release from custody.
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Ferrari Posts Record Sales Worldwide
Sep 16, 2011
In late July, Ferrari announced that it has achieved its best half year in history, with revenues up nearly 20 percent over the same period last year.
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Annoying Americanisms Invade British English
Sep 16, 2011
While our language is still called English, it might be more appropriate to start referring to it as “American.”
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Bill Gates Turns Eye to Toilet Technology
Sep 16, 2011
He’s already conquered the world of computers. Now, Bill Gates is looking to revolutionize the toilet.
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No Brotherly Love
Sep 9, 2011
In early August, the western world watched as London was taken over for a week by violent mobs which tore down buildings, set cars on fire, looted storefronts and generally caused mayhem throughout the city.
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China’s Boom Makes Garbage a Growing Problem
Aug 26, 2010
Floating garbage washed into China’s Yangtze River and clogged Three Gorges Dam in early August. The waste threatened a key floodgate on the world’s biggest dam.
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Al Qaeda’s Lifestyle Magazine Surfaces on the Internet
Aug 26, 2010
What do you get for the young jihadist who has everything?
How about an online subscription to Inspire, a new online magazine that purports itself as al Qaeda’s lifestyle-oriented, English-language publication?
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Swedes Release Free Streaming Music Service
Aug 16, 2011
Sweden-based Spotify, which allows users to stream almost any widely released song online for free, made its U.S. debut July 14.
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“Pastafarian” Headgear Allowed on Austrian Driver’s License
Aug 16, 2011
A self-confessed Austrian atheist has won the right to be shown on his driving license wearing unusual “religious headgear”—a pasta strainer.
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Greek Riots Don’t Stop Austerity Measures
Aug 16, 2011
Despite a number of violent protests and riots in central Athens, Greek lawmakers have approved tax hikes and job cuts as part of a package of austerity measures demanded by international lenders.
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Fearsome Predator Unveiled
Aug 16, 2011
Roughly 185 million years ago, the pliosaur was king of the waters.
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Egyptian Muslims Threaten Christian Priest’s Life
Aug 16, 2011
In mid-June, hundreds of Muslim extremists surrounded a church in central Egypt and threatened to kill the local priest, the Assyrian International News Agency reported.
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Indian Grads Not as Smart as You Think
Aug 12, 2011
Much of the western world would not disagree that India has a reputation for producing math and science geniuses.
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Billions in Bullion and Other Bling
Aug 10, 2011
Imagine how we could solve the state of California’s budget woes if we suddenly found a buried treasure worth billions.
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British Government Seeks to Curb ‘Binge Flying’ of its Residents
Jul 29, 2010
Maybe San Diego’s airport isn’t so bad after all.
Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports and a major hub for Europe, the Middle East and Asia, but it is the only airport its size with only two runways.
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Spain’s $1 Million Air Traffic Controllers
Jul 20, 2011
In March, the union representing Spanish air traffic controllers signed a new contract that slashed overtime pay and streamlined staffing.
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France Bans Burkas in Public
Jul 20, 2011
Although seemingly paradoxical, France’s ban on the public burka is actually a victory for tolerance, writes William Langley in The Telegraph.
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Spanish Youth Protest Bad Economy
Jul 20, 2011
Thousands of young people protested at central squares in Madrid and other Spanish cities in late May, demanding jobs and change.
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Asia Has Elected Dynasties
Jul 20, 2011
In a recent article in The Australian, Rowan Callick suggested the process of Asian nations shedding dictators and embracing elections and democracy is stalled, as often the candidates are relatives.
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Turkey’s Elections Tainted by Sex Sting
Jul 20, 2011
A Turkish opposition party that values itself as a guardian of Islamic values recently suffered damaging national embarrassment after at least 10 prominent members were caught in a sex sting.
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Ai Weiwei Freed on Bail
Jul 20, 2011
After nearly three months of detainment, internationally renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been released on bail from his mysterious imprisonment.
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Iran’s Government-Run Internet
Jul 20, 2011
Iran’s government has announced a two-year plan to phase out access to the World Wide Web, and establish a national Internet completely disconnected from the outside world.
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China Crackdown on Time Travel
Jul 20, 2011
That pesky time-travel, always changing things.
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First Driver Suspension—Ever
Jul 20, 2011
Bus driver Ramón Parra holds an unfortunate distinction—he’s the first driver in Venezuelan history to have his license suspended.
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Driving While Female
Jul 11, 2011
In May, Saudi Arabian vice police arrested and jailed a woman who posted a video of herself driving a car. Saudi Arabia is the only nation in the world that prohibits women from driving. (Actually, women are also banned from riding a bicycle.)
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Russia’s Fledgling Tea Party Movement
Jun 30, 2010
Russia’s Tea Party Movement should be called the “Blue Bucket Brigade.”
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Dubai Chief of police accused of racial profiling
Jun 30, 2010
Dubai’s chief of police said the Persian Gulf country will not allow those who hold an Israeli passport or have the “physical features” of an Israeli into Dubai. Critics accused him of racial profiling.
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Armenian Genocide
May 28, 2010
After nearly 100 years, the U.S. Congress has still not recognized the Turkish violence against Christian Armenians in 1915 as genocide.
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Yemeni Child Bride Dies After Husband’s Rape
May 28, 2010
Elham Mahdi, a 12-year-old girl in Yemen, was forced to marry a man twice her age on March 29. Three days later she was dead from internal hemorrhaging resulting from forced sex according to The United Nations Children’s Fund.
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Cleric Blames Quakes on Immodest Women
May 28, 2010
In April, the acting prayer leader in Tehran said women who do not dress modestly increase earthquakes, according to the BBC.
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Taliban Orchestrates Prison Break
May 26, 2011
A prison break in Kandahar, Afghanistan on April 25 freed over 400 Taliban fighters and threatens to undermine the modest progress towards stability in one of the country’s most volatile regions.
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The Royal Wedding Inspires Strange Brew
May 26, 2011
Last month’s wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton was a boon for those trafficking in wacky memorabilia as the commemorative offerings featuring the royal couple’s likeness ranged from tea cups to lunch bags.
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Scarcity of Chinese Brides
May 26, 2011
For all you single young men in San Diego, be thankful you don’t live in China. According to a 2005 census, China’s under-20 population consists of 32 million more males than females.
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A Tradition Unlike Any Other
May 24, 2011
After an outpouring of worldwide adoration for last month’s royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, the question is not whether the monarchy matters, but why they matter, and why we continue to be so enamored of them.
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Famed Chinese Artist Joins List of Detainees
May 3, 2011
The Chinese government detained its nation’s best-known artist, Ai WeiWei, on April 3 at an airport prior to his departure for Hong Kong.
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Mexican Travel Warning Issued & Lifted
May 3, 2011
In a tumultuous week, the U.S. State Department both issued and then promptly lifted a travel warning to Mexico.
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Cell Phones but No Toilets
May 3, 2011
As of February, the number of telephone users in India totaled 826.25 million—nearly 70 percent of the population.
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No More U.S. Weapons for Lebanon
Apr 28, 2011
In 2006, the world had high hopes for Lebanon to adopt popular democracy.
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French President Sarkozy the New Bush?
Apr 27, 2011
After leading the charge in Libya and Ivory Coast, France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy is receiving a George W. Bush-like reputation as a foreign policy cowboy and is being praised for his actions to confront dictators.
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Billionaire Blocks Kids’ Inheritance
Apr 12, 2012
An Australian billionaire finds herself in the middle of a strange court case involving the inheritance of a billionaire.
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Ai Weiwei Denied Public Hearing
Apr 12, 2012
Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been denied an appeal for a public trial regarding his alleged tax evasion penalty...
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Cézanne Painting Sells for $250 Million
Apr 12, 2012
Paul Cézanne’s The Card Players surpassed Jackson Pollock’s No.5, 1948 as the most expensive painting ever sold.
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Tijuana Journalist Makes List of “Women Who Shake theWorld”
Apr 12, 2012
Adela Navarro Bello, the co-director of the Tijuana-based weekly, Zeta, was included on Newsweek’s list of 150 “Women Who Shake the World”...
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Iran Confiscates Barbie Dolls
Apr 12, 2012
Iranian authorities have begun a new wave of closing down toy shops that sell Barbie dolls as part of a ban that was initiated in the mid-1990s...
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Monaco Real Estate Most Expensive
Apr 12, 2012
Even the highest-priced United States real estate looks like a bargain when compared with the most expensive locales in the world.
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World’s Last WWI Vet Dies at 110
Apr 12, 2012
In February, the world’s last known World War I veteran died at age 110, just two weeks before her 111th birthday.
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Name-calling Feud Escalates
Apr 12, 2012
At first glance, the newspaper ad depicting an enormous locust looking over the Hong Kong skyline seems like a plug for a horror movie.
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Euro Collapse Could Strand Brits in Iberia
Apr 5, 2012
After a credit agency downgrade of ten Spanish banks in early December...
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Nigerian Muslims On Killing Spree
Apr 5, 2012
Boko Haram, a militant Islamic group in northern Nigeria whose name means “western education is sin,” has been chiefly responsible for escalating religious violence committed against Nigerian Christians in recent months...
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Chinese Hackers Attack Chamber of Commerce
Apr 5, 2012
A recent report detailing an investigation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reveals that hackers in China were responsible for a substantial and “sophisticated” attack in May 2010 on the Chamber computer system.
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Lattes Out of Reach?
Apr 5, 2012
Record-breaking rain in Central America threatens to drastically reduce the amount of coffee that can be harvested this year, with many predicting a sharp price increase to follow.
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Saudi Woman Executed for Sorcery
Apr 5, 2012
In yet another strict interpretation of Sharia Law, a Saudi Arabian woman has been beheaded for practicing sorcery.
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Czech Playwright Turned Freedom Fighter Dies
Apr 5, 2012
Vaclav Havel, the Czech playwright who led the Velvet Revolution which overthrew communism in Czechoslovakia and presided over the peaceful split of that country in the mid-1990s as president, has died at 75.
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Iranian Pastor to Be Executed
Apr 5, 2012
An Iranian pastor faces execution for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.
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Social Networking: Gone to the Dogs
Apr 2, 2010
Some people are so passionate about their pets that they’ve turned to social networking to show off their animals and connect with other pet lovers.
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Bill could group native Hawaiians into a separate tribe
Apr 2, 2010
A bill passed in February by the House of Representatives could change the U.S. policy of recognizing tribes with a long history of self-governance to instead creating new tribes based on ethnicity.
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Mohawk chiefs in Canada ask non-natives to leave reserve
Apr 2, 2010
Mohawk chiefs reportedly sent letters to non-native residents residing in Kahnawake, a Mohawk reserve southwest of Montreal in Quebec, Canada, asking them to leave, according to the National Post.
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Effects of Chilean earthquake still resonating
Apr 2, 2010
People who feel that their days are getting shorter and basic necessities like paper are more expensive have an unlikely whipping boy: the Chilean earthquake.
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In Europe, the ticket might cost more than your new Lamborghini
Apr 2, 2010
How much money does it take to get a speeding millionaire’s attention?
A Swiss court thinks it knows the answer: $290,000.
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Climate Change
Apr 2, 2010
We need to change the tone of the Climate Change discussion. The subject is too important to be handled as an emotional issue.
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Obama Announces Modest Assist to Homeowners in 5 States
Apr 2, 2010
In a town hall meeting in Henderson, Nevada President Obama announced a new program which will redirect TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) funds of $1.5 billion dollars to certain homeowners in five states
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First Lady’s childhood obesity campaign shapes up
Apr 1, 2010
In February, President Obama signed an executive order creating a national anti-obesity strategy. Michelle Obama is leading the Let’s Move campaign that seeks to end childhood obesity in a generation.
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Al Qaeda's Explosive Breast Implants
Mar 29, 2010
We’ve had the Shoe Bomber, the Underwear Bomber, and next up is expected to be a body-part bomber.
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Greece, the Cradle of the Euro Crisis
Mar 29, 2010
Greece, a small country within the European Union, is currently the focus of media and political attention due to its ballooning debt, its suspect creative accounting, and likely default unless the EU bails it out.
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McItaly Hamburger Spurs Applause & Outrage
Mar 29, 2010
McDonald’s has teamed up with the Italian government to promote a new burger in Italy.
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Charging $8 for Blankets on airlines
Mar 29, 2010
What are the airlines going to charge for next? “Beginning May 1, coach passengers on American’s domestic flights that last more than two hours, as well as those on flights to Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, will have to pay $8 for a blanket and inflatable neck pillow,” said Dan Reed in USA Today.
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Nonstop Flight to Toronto Hub
Mar 29, 2010
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority announced that starting this June San Diego’s Lindberg Field will have an Air Canada nonstop flight to Toronto, Canada.
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What Stays in Las Vegas?
Mar 29, 2010
The ravaged Las Vegas economy does not need the President using Las Vegas as an applause line.
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Is Haiti Media Coverage-Disaster Porn?
Mar 29, 2010
Journalist Marc Cooper in his blog pondered the question of whether CNN’s wall-to-wall coverage of the Haiti earthquake disaster is pornographic.
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New Technology Makes Money Transfers Easier Than Ever
Mar 29, 2010
Aside from the conventional means of making a payment; using a credit card, writing a check, or exchanging information and funds through a 3rd party service such as PayPal or Western Union;
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Tax Collectors Go on Strike
Mar 29, 2010
What if California’s tax collectors went on strike? One would guess that Californians would cheer them on.
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Obama’s Health Bill Strategy Gamble
Mar 29, 2010
President Obama appeared on a Super Bowl pre-game show to invite GOP Leaders and Congressional Democrats to a live televised health-care summit.
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In 2011, World Reaches Milestone with Population of 7 Billion Humans
Mar 1, 2011
In a span of roughly 50 years, the human population increased by 4 billion people—the result of high birth rates in developing countries and the momentum of the baby-boom period in America and Europe.
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Professor Paul Ehrlich’s Population Doom
Feb 21, 2012
Paul Ehrlich, a prophet of global population doom is gloomier than ever.
Population surge means there is only a 10% chance of avoiding a collapse of world civilization, says the professor.