April 16, 2010

2009 a mixed year for food-borne pathogens

USA Today-- 2009 was a bad year for illnesses related to shellfish and meats, but overall it wasn’t too bad for food borne illnesses. Rates of E.coli, one of the most feared food borne illnesses, were down while rates of vibrio, which contaminates raw shellfish, were up.

Obama Widens Medical Rights for Same-Sex Partners

The New York Times-- Hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid now face new rules aimed at granting hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners, thanks to a new memo released by President Obama. The rule changes will also make it easier for gay partners to make medical decisions on behalf of their partners.

April 15, 2010

Library of Congress to archive all public Twitter tweets

USA Today-- The Library of Congress has announced that it has acquired every public tweet since Twitter launched four years ago and will be placing them in its archives. With more than 50 million tweets each day, the Library of Congress will be archiving billions of tweets. Personal and direct messages will not be archived.

Poll: Most Americans say tax dollars are wasted

CNN-- Today is the IRS deadline for filing your taxes, and a new poll shows that nearly three-quarters of Americans say that their tax dollars are being wasted by the government. Around 49% of Americans believe that the country’s tax system is fair while 50% think it’s unfair.

April 14, 2010

Sarah Palin to speak at the Tea Party rally on Boston Common

Boston.com-- The “Tea Party Express” stops in Boston today and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is headlining the event. Organizers expect thousands of people at the rally in the Boston Common, while other activists plan counter-demonstrations.