Real estate lender Colonial BancGroup Inc. has been shut down by federal officials in the biggest U.S. bank failure this year.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Extinct boobies return from the dead
A bird species thought to have died out 200 years ago has been rediscovered in Australia and New Zealand.
Extinct boobies return from the dead
Earliest fired knives improved stone age tool kit
People were using fire to make sharp blades out of poor stone 164,000 years ago – much earlier than we thought.Earliest fired knives improved stone age tool kit
The fat that makes you thin
Brown fat, a curious kind of body tissue that burns up calories, could be the key to easy weight control.The fat that makes you thin
Second backwards planet found, a day after the first
Just a day after the announcement of the first 'retrograde' exoplanet, two teams announce the discovery of another – though they disagree on the tilt of its orbit.Second backwards planet found, a day after the first
A dispute about bus ads to publicize atheist views has touched off a free speech debate
A dispute about bus advertisements seeking to publicize atheist views has touched off a free speech debate after the signs were torn down -- then posted again -- on the sides of Des Moines city buses.
Scientists Spot Massive Methane Rainstorm Over Saturn's Moon Titan
Worried about nasty tropical weather?
Be glad you're not on Saturn's moon Titan.
Astronomers have discovered a storm system on Titan the size of India. It popped up in April 2008 in the moon's tropics, a latitude belt not known for cloudiness. The storm, reported in the latest edition of the journal Nature, is another "a-ha" moment as scientists try to figure out how Titan's bizarre atmosphere works and the forces responsible for sculpting the moon's surface.
More Evidence of a Scandal
Karl Rove: Turning law enforcement into a tool of partisan politics
Documents released by Congress, including testimony from Karl Rove, offer powerful new evidence that the Bush administration fired top prosecutors who refused to use their offices to promote the electoral fortunes of Republicans.
Turning law enforcement into a tool of partisan politics is a serious offense, and a Justice Department investigation is under way.
Hamas says leader of al-Qaida-inspired group killed in Gaza shootout
The leader of an al-Qaida-inspired group in the Gaza Strip blew himself up during a shootout Saturday with security forces that killed 24 people.
Meteorite on Mars at least 3 billion years old
Opportunity, the tireless Mars rover now trekking across a Martian plain in search of small meteorite fragments called cobbles, has come upon a really big one - a curious blue-tinted rock larger than a watermelon.
Meteorite on Mars at least 3 billion years old
Meteorite on Mars at least 3 billion years old
Dog dubbed tallest in world has died
Gibson, the California dog dubbed the tallest in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records, has died after a battle with bone cancer.
Meat-Eating plant big enough to eat rats
A new species of giant carnivorous plant has been discovered in the highlands of the central Philippines.
The pitcher plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is so big that it can catch rats as well as insects in its leafy trap.
Consumer inflation falls as shoppers hold back
Consumer prices have fallen more in the past year than in any 12-month period in nearly six decades - a huge break for shoppers but also a reminder that prices are being restrained by weak spending that's likely to slow an economic recovery.
Repugicans Voted for "Death Panels" in 2003
This is now a non-issue because the end-of-life counseling provision in the health care reform bill which gave rise to the "death panel" mythology is now out of the bill, but while repugicans try to protect its health insurance backers by fighting against Universal Health Care , Time Magazine recalls that repugicans voted for a similar provision in 2003.
For "death panels" then, and now conveniently against them now when it suits there needs. Hypocritical.
Typical.
For "death panels" then, and now conveniently against them now when it suits there needs. Hypocritical.
Typical.
Most overrated tourist attractions
While not all tourist traps are a waste of time, these will leave you underwhelmed or exhausted.
Most overrated tourist attractions
Also:
Squirrel photo takes Web by storm
A Minnesota couple's photo sparks a flurry of searches and speculation.Squirrel photo takes Web by storm
Also:
Chocolate, bacon mix on a stick
Bob Dylan mistaken for hobo
New Jersey police detained 68-year old American music star Bob Dylan recently, after a young officer failed to recognize him. A disheveled Dylan was wearing a hoodie, wandering around in the rain looking at a house for sale. The 24-year-old female officer was responding to a phone call from the occupants of a home that had a "For Sale" sign on it. The residents were called in with a report of an "eccentric-looking old man" in their yard
"We got a call for a suspicious person,'' Buble said. "It was pouring rain outside, and I was right around the corner so I responded. By that time he was walking down the street. I asked him what he was doing in the neighborhood and he said he was looking at a house for sale.""I asked him what his name was and he said, 'Bob Dylan,' Buble said. "Now, I've seen pictures of Bob Dylan from a long time ago and he didn't look like Bob Dylan to me at all. He was wearing black sweatpants tucked into black rain boots, and two raincoats with the hood pulled down over his head.
"So I said, 'OK Bob, what are you doing in Long Branch?' He said he was touring the country with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. So now I'm really a little fishy about his story. I did not know what to believe or where he was coming from, or even who he was. We see a lot of people on our beat, and I wasn't sure if he came from one of our hospitals or something," Buble said.
Summer food shockers
Beware of burgers and shakes packing a day's worth of calories.Tea is the tipple to turn to in times of crisis
Feeling stressed out or and anxious?
Go put the kettle on and make a cup of tea.
Tea is the tipple to turn to in times of crisis
Go put the kettle on and make a cup of tea.
Tea is the tipple to turn to in times of crisis
What goes on inside babies' minds
A new book reveals that a lot more is going on inside a baby's mind than you might think.
What goes on inside babies' minds
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40 years later, what part of Woodstock lives on?
See how the three-day event changed rock, the generation gap, and our concept of "free."
40 years later, what part of Woodstock lives on?
Also:
Saturday Jam
Today's Saturday Jam includes:
I Don't Like Mondays
Melt With You
Video Killed The Radio Star
I Don't Like Mondays
Melt With You
Video Killed The Radio Star
President Obama's Weekly Address
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
This week, I’ve been traveling across our country to discuss health insurance reform and to hear directly from folks like you – your questions, your concerns, and your stories.
Now, I know there’s been a lot of attention paid to some of the town hall meetings that are going on around the country, especially those where tempers have flared. You know how TV loves a ruckus.
But what you haven’t seen – because it’s not as exciting – are the many constructive meetings going on all over the country where Americans are airing their hopes and concerns about this very important issue.
I’ve been holding some of my own, and the stories I’ve heard have really underscored why I believe so strongly that health insurance reform is a challenge we can't ignore.
They’re stories like Lori Hitchcock’s, who I met in New Hampshire this week. Lori’s got a pre-existing condition, so no insurance company will cover her. She’s self-employed, and in this economy, she can’t find a job that offers health care, so she’s been uninsured for two years.
Or they’re stories like Katie Gibson’s, who I met in Montana. When Katie tried to change insurance companies, she was sure to list her pre-existing conditions on the application and even called her new company to confirm she’d be covered. Two months later, she was dropped – after she’d already gone off her other insurance.
These are the stories that aren’t being told – stories of a health care system that works better for the insurance industry than it does for the American people. And that’s why we’re going to pass health insurance reform that finally holds the insurance companies accountable.
But now’s the hard part. Because the history is clear – every time we come close to passing health insurance reform, the special interests with a stake in the status quo use their influence and political allies to scare and mislead the American people.
As an example, let’s look at one of the scarier-sounding and more ridiculous rumors out there – that so-called "death panels" would decide whether senior citizens get to live or die. That rumor began with the distortion of one idea in a Congressional bill that would allow Medicare to cover voluntary visits with your doctor to discuss your end-of-life care – if and only if you decide to have those visits. It had nothing to do with putting government in control of your decisions; in fact, it would give you all the information you need – if you want it – to put you in control of your decisions. When a conservative Republican Senator who has long-fought for even more far-reaching proposals found out how folks were twisting the idea, he called their misrepresentation, and I quote, "nuts."
So when folks with a stake in the status quo keep inventing these boogeymen in an effort to scare people, it’s disappointing, but it’s not surprising. We’ve seen it before. When President Roosevelt was working to create Social Security, opponents warned it would open the door to "federal snooping" and force Americans to wear dog tags. When President Kennedy and President Johnson were working to create Medicare, opponents warned of "socialized medicine." Sound familiar? Not only were those fears never realized, but more importantly, those programs have saved the lives of tens of millions of seniors, the disabled, and the disadvantaged.
Those who would stand in the way of reform will say almost anything to scare you about the cost of action. But they won’t say much about the cost of inaction. If you’re worried about rationed care, higher costs, denied coverage, or bureaucrats getting between you and your doctor, then you should know that’s what’s happening right now. In the past three years, over 12 million Americans were discriminated against by insurance companies due to a preexisting condition, or saw their coverage denied or dropped just when they got sick and needed it most. Americans whose jobs and health care are secure today just don’t know if they’ll be next to join the 14,000 who lose their health insurance every single day. And if we don’t act, average family premiums will keep rising to more than $22,000 within a decade.
On the other hand, here’s what reform will mean for you.
First, no matter what you’ve heard, if you like your doctor or health care plan, you can keep it. If you don’t have insurance, you’ll finally be able to afford insurance. And everyone will have the security and stability that’s missing today.
Insurance companies will be prohibited from denying you coverage because of your medical history, dropping your coverage if you get sick, or watering down your coverage when it counts – because there’s no point in having health insurance if it’s not there when you need it.
Insurance companies will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or lifetime, and we will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses – because no one in America should go broke just because they get sick.
Finally, we’ll require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies – because there’s no reason we shouldn’t be saving lives and dollars by catching diseases like breast cancer and prostate cancer on the front end.
That’s what reform means. For all the chatter and the noise out there, what every American needs to know is this: If you don’t have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform. If you do have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. And we will deliver this in a fiscally responsible way.
I know there’s plenty of real concern and skepticism out there. I know that in a time of economic upheaval, the idea of change can be unsettling, and I know that there are folks who believe that government should have no role at all in solving our problems. These are legitimate differences worthy of the real discussion that America deserves – one where we lower our voices, listen to one another, and talk about differences that really exist. Because while there may be disagreements over how to go about it, there is widespread agreement on the urgent need to reform a broken system and finally hold insurance companies accountable.
Nearly fifty years ago, in the midst of the noisy early battles to create what would become Medicare, President Kennedy said, "I refuse to see us live on the accomplishments of another generation. I refuse to see this country, and all of us, shrink from these struggles which are our responsibility in our time." Now it falls to us to meet the challenges of our time. And if we can come together, and listen to one another; I believe, as I always have, that we will rise to this moment, we will build something better for our children, and we will secure America’s future in this new century.
Unusual Holidays and Celebrations
Today is
Best Friends Day,
Chavin Day (We have no idea, either),
Sandcastle and Sculpture Day,
National Homeless Animal Day
and
National Relaxation Day.
Best Friends Day,
Chavin Day (We have no idea, either),
Sandcastle and Sculpture Day,
National Homeless Animal Day
and
National Relaxation Day.
Daily Almanac
Today is Saturday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2009.
There are 138 days left in the year.
Today in History August 15, 2009
There are 138 days left in the year.
Today in History August 15, 2009
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Akko, Hazafon, Israel
Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Hull End, England, United Kingdom
as well as Brazil, and the United States
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Akko, Hazafon, Israel
Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Hull End, England, United Kingdom
as well as Brazil, and the United States
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Don't yak too long with any one person today -- you have to spread your charm around!
Tons of people will be up for conversation too.
Whether it's the chatty barista at the coffee shop, the talkative stranger sitting on the bus next to you, or the friend who's always got a story to tell, people you encounter today are up for sharing their lives.
Just be sure that none of the anecdotes take too long.
You have to keep moving and not get in too deep with anyone.
Hit and run ... got it.
Don't yak too long with any one person today -- you have to spread your charm around!
Tons of people will be up for conversation too.
Whether it's the chatty barista at the coffee shop, the talkative stranger sitting on the bus next to you, or the friend who's always got a story to tell, people you encounter today are up for sharing their lives.
Just be sure that none of the anecdotes take too long.
You have to keep moving and not get in too deep with anyone.
Hit and run ... got it.
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