Crazy Guide to the Internet

Irregardless of where the market is going, these tips for selling your gold jewelry, coins, and fillings will come in handy after I visit my grandma tonight. [Bankrate]

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Earlier today NBC News confirmed that Barack has gained a pledged delegate from the March 11th Mississippi primary: 

NBC News has adjusted the delegate count in Mississippi, giving one more to Obama and one less to Clinton. The count was 19-14 and now stands at 20-13. The official results were certified in Mississippi and Obama finished with a slightly higher statewide vote result than originally indicated, 62.5% to 37.5%. That result broke a threshold and triggered the extra delegate.

Additionally, final tallies from Saturday’s Texas County Conventions confirmed that Barack won the total Texas delegate count 99-94, after the remaining nine caucus delegates were allocated 7-2 for Obama.

Thanks again to all our supporters made phone calls, canvassed, and organized in Mississippi and in Texas. Today’s news confirms just how hard you worked, and shows the impact you were able to make.

You can track the full results of the primaries and caucuses at our Results Center.

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On November 7th, 2006, at age 20, Matthew S. Delligatti was elected as the youngest council member in the city of Fairmont, West Virginia’s history. Recently, Delligatti announced his formal endorsement of Barack Obama:

It is a truly rare occurrence that a person can ignite the otherwise tamed resource of our nation’s youth. I remember in high school being drawn to President John Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. not just because of what they did or what they stood for, but because they asked that generation what they could do and inspired them to achieve it. This opportunity has come again.

… When I decided to run for the council, my critics said I was too young and that I did not have enough experience. I was discounted from the start. What they didn’t know was the citizens of Fairmont were tired of the political bickering and the standstills that prevented us from moving into the future. The great people of Fairmont were ready for change.

Today, the United States of America is ready for change. Some people will say Senator Obama is too young or that he doesn’t know the ins and outs of Washington, but what they are really saying is that they want to cling to the political standoffs that are preventing us from solving the pressing problems that we now face. In my case the criticism at least had some semblance, but Senator Obama’s unique life experiences put him in a place to restore America’s standing in the world and heal our nation from the political battles of past administrations.  

… One of the primary reasons I am endorsing Senator Barack Obama for president is what he calls the politics of hope. Like me, he believes in uniting our citizens to work together for the common good. I have witnessed, on a local level, the detriment derived from divisive politics. When I stepped into office, I inherited years and years of schismatic local politics brought on by personal conflicts. This type of politics gives us policy that is not created out of compromise for the common good, but policy that is made in spite of a political rival for the interests of a select few. He understands this because he has lived this from his time on the streets of Chicago to his times in the halls of the Senate.

Read the full endorsement . . . 

Visit WV.BarackObama.com for more news and info from West Virginia, and to find out how you can get involved.

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In a surprising turn-around Walmart has decided to drop its effort to collect $400,000 in money awarded to a brain damaged former employee, says the Associated Press.

The world’s largest retailer said Tuesday in a letter to the family of Deborah Shank it will not seek to collect money the Shanks won in an injury lawsuit against a trucking company for the accident.

Wal-Mart’s top executive for human resources, Pat Curran, wrote that Shank’s extraordinary situation had made the company re-examine its stance.

Deborah’s husband Jim Shank welcomed the news. Family lawyer Maurice Graham of St. Louis said Wal-Mart deserves credit for doing the right thing.

‘It’s a good day for the Shank family,’ Jim Shank said in a statement.

Wal-Mart has been roundly criticized in newspaper editorials, on cable news shows and by its union foes for its claim to the funds, which it made in a lawsuit upheld by a federal appeals court.

Walmart says its internal rules required it to seek reimbursement for medical costs, but it has now revised those rules so that it can make exceptions in individual cases. Some experts think that Walmart is concerned about the issue attracting pressure from lawmakers.

The case put a spotlight on the growing use of reimbursement claims by health plans, experts say.

Roger Baron, professor of law at the University of South Dakota and a specialist in health-plan law, said health plans have become ‘very aggressive’ about subrogation since the 2006 Supreme Court decision.

‘It’s free money. They want the free money,’ Baron said.

Lynn Dudley, vice president for policy at the American Benefits Council in Washington D.C., said the negative publicity around the case was beginning to draw the attention of lawmakers who might want legislation to stop or limit subrogation.

‘Capitol Hill is paying attention,’ Dudley said.

Wal-Mart drops injured worker claim [AP]
(Photo:CrawfishPie)

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