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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

July 13, 2009

About 92 percent of the coal used in the United States is used for generating electricity.
Source: Energy Information Administration

July 12, 2009

Glaucoma damages the eye’s optic nerve and is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.
Source: National Library of Medicine

July 11, 2009

On this date in 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled with pistols in Weehawken, N.J.
Source: PBS

Ads Energetically Thank Democrats

Recently, we have seen several ads from liberal advocacy groups thanking various Democratic representatives for voting in favor of the Waxman-Markey energy bill. Some, like those from the group Americans United for Change, benignly mix images of nature with kind words of thanks. Others pour on the superlatives, but could use some further explanation.
For instance, an ad from VoteVets says that because the bill was passed, "now America is poised to import less oil, 300,000 barrels less every day."

July 10, 2009

On this date in 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state.
Source: Wyoming Chambers of Commerce

England’s and Canada’s Health Care

Q: Is it true that persons older than 59 can’t get heart surgery in England?
A: There’s no such prohibition on heart operations in England, as a chain e-mail claims.

Boehner v. Ohio (Reprise)

House Minority Leader John Boehner has again attacked the way his home state is spending its stimulus funds. And again, he’s wrong.
At his weekly news conference, Boehner criticized the Ohio Department of Transportation for using millions of dollars in American Recovery and Reconstruction Act money for a project study, rather than for construction:

Boehner, July 9: As a matter of fact, [ODOT] took $20 million of stimulus funds to — to do a study of a proposed project in southwest Ohio that —

July 9, 2009

While a student at Yale University, George H.W. Bush played first base on a team that twice went to the College World Series.
Source: WhiteHouse.gov

Boehner Wrong on Stimulus Spending

John Boehner, phone home. Or at least check the Ohio Department of Transportation’s highly informative Web site before talking about state road projects on TV.
Last week, Rep. Boehner, the House Republican leader who hails from the Buckeye State, released a video featuring a bloodhound purporting to sniff out jobs created by the $787 billion stimulus package that took effect in February – and finding none. Boehner followed that up with a July 5 interview on “Fox News Sunday,”

July 8, 2009

When the clock hits 34 minutes and 56 seconds past noon today (7/8/09), the time and date together will be 123456789.

Source: Politico.com