... and now into 2009. Very smart business men and women are looking at the bottom line and asking lots of questions. One of the most common questions, and one not often answered by the news media is "Why aren't the Banks Getting Loans Instead of Handouts". Believe it or not, the logic behind the choice to give the money rather than loaning it is quite ... to mistake banks as falling into the same category, especially when they ding you for using outside ATM machines, monthly service fees, multiple fee fees, and etc. The list goes on. The truth of banking, however is that banks are not in b...

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... Panetta announced the official end to the United States' mission in Iraq on December 15th - nine years after US forces stepped foot on the foreign ground. US troops initially staged a war to rid Iraq of the weapons of mass destruction that they were thought to possess, but after almost a decade in the hostile country ... provided Muslims with a solid foundation for their hatred towards Americans. With American troops absent from the country, Iraq has a long and arduous road ahead of rebuilding (Shanker). "Let me be clear: Iraq will be tested in the days ahead - by terrorism, and by thos...

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... years ago a few desperate souls looked online to find love, much to their own chagrin and the concern of their family and friends, online dating has today become an enormous part of the dating scene, and indeed has spawned very successful industry in the dating market. The perks of online dating are enormous. Here are just a few: 1) Broader market- Christina H. of ... often separating the two parties can be dicey. People in real life generally meet in workplace situations, or in similar social settings, or because of mutual friends. It's hard to simply cut bait. On the internet, you can g...

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... continue to be proven wrong at calling him an "alarmist." The following evidence is likely just the "tip of the iceberg." The Associated Press reported on August 27 of this year that "sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about thirty years." Scientists characterize this fact as a "global warming tipping point" and speculate that by the end ... of the season, it could be a record-breaking year. With this trend, within 5-10 years, the Arctic could be free of ice in the summer. NASA ice scientist Jay Zwally said, "It also means ... a powerful greenhouse gas and is ...

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... . Conrad Murray, the personal physician of the late Michael Jackson, took a turn for the worse after the 911 call was played to jurors on September 29th. Murray chose not to call for an ambulance for nearly ... the room, he saw Jackson's lifeless body on the floor and Murray acting incompetent. Murray made a half-hearted attempt at CPR, according to Alvarez, who reported that Murray was using one hand, performing thrusts sporadically while Jackson was lying on his mattress, a soft surface. Murray then asked, "Does anybody know CPR?" although he was the doctor on hand. Murray then calmly...

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... the downtown scene. But not always in a positive way. Dancehall, like most music, is a form of self expression. It is an art form through which the entertainers explore and relate the events and issues of their lives. In dancehall's infancy, the message was predominantly light-hearted and even humorous, and it was ... spoke, and behaved. The result: A generation of young people who think that gangbanging, violence, the degradation of women and a life of crime is what the cool crowd does. The music is no longer about the music, the story, and the enjoyment of a good beat. Being a fan of d...

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... partner. New York City would be the second city in the nation to adopt such aggressive measures, following San Francisco who began early treatment of HIV in 2010. Like in San Francisco, doctors in New York City probably already begin treatment early, but there are no official guidelines ... that enforce it, said Dr. Moupali Das, director of research in the San Francisco health department's HIV prevention section (Hartocollis). While Dr. Farley is a firm believer that early treatment can help stop ... the disease from spreading and lead to longer lives for those already infected, others,...

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After 18 years of "an absolute living hell," Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin were released from prison, where they were currently serving out their sentences for the murder of three second-graders in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. Steven Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore ... had to indict the boys. Echols and Baldwin entered an Alford plea on three counts of first degree murder, while Misskelley entered his plea to one count of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder. This rarely used plea, which lets the boys still maintain their ... in...

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... Conrad Murray for his irresponsibility and unremorseful attitude after Michael Jackson's death, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor sentenced Murray to the maximum of 4 years in prison. However, under the new state law regarding conditions in state prisons, Murray will serve time in the LA County Jail rather than ... a letter on the family's behalf. "As Michael's parents, we never have imagined we would live to witness his passing. It is simply against the natural order of things," the letter read. "As his children, we will grow up without a father, our best friend, ou...

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... public racial battle when a five-member board confirmed that Troy Davis will indeed be executed by lethal injection on September 20th. Twenty-two years ago, Davis was tried and convicted of murdering a police officer who was attempting to break up a fight in a fast food parking lot. According to witnesses, Davis shot ... just an hour before the execution was scheduled, but refused to hear the case. His third execution date was cancelled when the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit requested more time to consider new testimony presented by Davis' lawyer (Severson). The case...

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... has gone cliquey rather than global, and more than ever before people, at least in western society use fashion to communicate the sort of person that they want you to believe they are. In fact, there seem to be "Uniforms" that tell people who you hang with. For example, ... if one were to say "Name part of the lesbian uniform", most in today's culture would say things like "Birkenstocks, flannel shirt, Khaki shorts, and short hair". (Feminists are assumed to ... computer programmers wear jeans and t-shirts, The Barbie uniform is the double layered camisole, skinny jeans, and stiletto h...

• Word Count: 394
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... budget on necessities. Even conservative spenders are growing weary. During a recent small group discussion, a mother of three held back tears as she described the effects of the dollar's weakening buying power. She and her husband both work and have been steadily employed for the last twenty years. Three years ago, they felt financially secure. They could afford to eat out occasionally or shop at ... -grade gasoline cost $3.69 in central Illinois. Hurricane Ike's approach before landfall boosted the price to $4 per gallon in a matter of hours. Critics say the surge in gasoline costs has...

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... select states for months. Wells Fargo quickly followed the lead also (Fitzpatrick). "We've listened to our clients' feedback and will provide the convenience and security of check cards at no additional charge as part of all of our checking accounts," said Brad Dinsmore, an executive at SunTrust. Additionally, SunTrust plans to reimburse the fees that have already been collected from consumers (Fitzpatrick ... fee. Major banks such as Citigroup Inc. and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. both announced that they would not impose these fees (Fitzpatrick). Although the fee may seem irreleva...

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... Army is being very brief and is hesitant to give them any details (Bailey). "They said that they found him in his room at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and there was one gunshot wound to his head. That was it. They didn't say anything about anything else," his mother recalls (FOX23news.com). She also reported, "We were told he was shot by ... one of those very long rifles and there's no way he could have done it himself. There's no way this was suicide" (Grondahl). Also pointing to the fact that Jones' death could ... time you get this, I will be gone" (Bailey). The Department of Def...

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... benefits typically given only to married couples. The argument that gay or lesbian partners are in fact a couple is the at the center of this debate from a philosophical and religious standpoint. As a result, Proposition 8 was the most hotly contested and divisive political issue on ... the California ballot in 2008, with each side spending nearly $74M to further promote their side of the argument and seek to win over cross-over voters who had not decided. The contention on those looking to ban same-sex ... Christian denomination and school districts fearing their curriculums would be ...

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... I saw him drowning." This idea of drowning under a green sea, is interesting, as it shows how an individual can be lost in a group, losing his individuality and ultimately his life. The idea of this dream as the opposite of what one might imagine or dream of when they think of war and patriotism is just as ... important to note, as is the idea of sleeping and losing oneself by retreating from rational, lucid thought. The narrator ... march. "Men marched asleep...all went lame, all blind." The sleep then is part of the transformation of a soldier, who blindly leaps into his battle not kn...

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... ways: locavorism, the 100-Mile Diet, or simply eating local. These terms all refer to the growing trend of purchasing food that has been grown and processed in one's own community. At first glance, this seems completely contrary to the pride we have taken in the past to be able to ... get foods from all over the world anytime we want. We can have Ecuadorian bananas in May, California strawberries in January, and Mexican avocados any time of the year. ... produce has to travel before it gets on your plate is 1,500 miles. That travel could be by container ship, by truck or by train. Regar...

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Compact fluorescent lights, or CFL's, are touted as an environmentally-responsible product that uses an average of one quarter the electricity gobbled up by a traditional incandescent light bulb. CFL's also last significantly longer than incandescents, an average of 6,000 to 15,000 hours versus the 750 to 1,000 hours of a traditional bulb. Although CFL's are generally more expensive than their older counterparts, they more than ... step in a CFL breakage cleanup is evacuating and airing out the room. Have everyone leave the area, then open all doors and windows to the outside of the room whil...

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... Center, beginning at 7:40 AM Hawaii time. Thousands will attend the ceremony, but the number of Pearl Harbor survivors gets smaller every year (Lynch). Unfortunately, because of the dwindling number of survivors, and the ill health and old age of the remaining ones, this ceremony will be the last one conducted by the survivors' association (Lovett). "We had no choice," said William H. Eckel, who previously ... and intensive care units" (Lovett). Harry Kerr, another survivor and director of the Southeast chapter, said, "We just ran out of gas, that's what it amounted to. We felt we ran a...

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... Obama? This isn't a complicated question, but there is a history to it. For one, his father was born Muslim, only to become an atheist as an adult. His mother rarely practiced while Obama was growing up, and until his post college years, Obama was in a similar boat. His mother had been part of a non-practicing family. Obama is a progressive Christian. Obama was a classic skeptic ... of faith early in life. He was raised in a secular household that had its roots within many different faiths. Instead ... to a recent article, "He realized something was missing in his life and he felt draw...

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The auto industry is huge, no one is denying that. The effect of even one major automaker closing down would be a big hit to the economy, not only from jobs lost in that company, but from all the jobs lost in the industries that supply them. If all of the big three shut down, nationwide, over 3,000,000 jobs would be lost. We have always ... unemployment rate, and surely send us into an economic spiral that would take decades to pull out of. Still reeling from the $700 million price tag of bailing out the banks, 61% of the American public does not want to bail out the auto industry, and no one...

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... , entire economies were built on the bed of sand that was the housing construction industry. Small town budgets collapsed with the housing boom. In some small towns, such as North Port, Florida, a bedroom community of Sarasota, the unemployment rate went up to 25% at one point. The only thing that brought it back down was that most of those who were unemployed moved out ... of the area to find work. Those people who were foolish enough to think it would last forever ... Lowe's, to mom and pop restaurants who fed the construction workers, no one escapes unscathed. Rental property owners ...

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... 21st, life went on as normal for troops in Iraq, or at least normal for the area. One thing that was a little different was a visit by Brig. General Peter J. Talleri to Camp Taji. Talleri is the commander of the Defense Distribution Center and is stationed in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. While in the area, he also visited the Iraqi Army's General Truck Regiment ... areas, as the General was meeting with military personnel, Coalition forces killed two enemy fighters during an operation near Mosul. It happened when a vehicle was approached by military personnel, and one of the occupants ...

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... tongue becomes 20 minutes of cross examination in a courtroom" (Trevelyan). Bradley Simon, a Manhattan criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor agreed that Diallo's breaking the silence is a risky move. "On the one hand, her lawyers felt they needed to up the ante because they feared ... said (IBN Live). Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, Ben Brafman and William Taylor, commented that Diallo's interviews were an "unseemly circus." They accused the maid of waging a media campaign "intended to force a prosecutor to pursue charges against an innocent person, an innocent person from whom...

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... U.S. Open coverage on NBC Sunday, the network aired a controversial, patriotic montage that showed children saying the Pledge of Allegiance. To the disgust of many of the viewers, NBC edited the words "under God" and "indivisible" in the first version and omitted "one nation" as well in the second version. Within hours, social media outlets were flooded with outraged viewers protesting against ... NBC's omission. NBC's announcer publicly apologized on-air just three hours after the montage aired, highlighting the large number of protests they received online. The announcer said the "feat...

• Word Count: 835
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