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Owning a cat won't make you mentally ill, study says Although you may hold suspicions about your neighbor who feeds the local stray cats, new research has found no link between owning a feline and exhibiting psychotic symptoms. The University College London findings cast doubt on previous research, which suggested that people who grew up with cats are at a higher risk of mental illness. “The message for cat owners is clear: there is no evidence that cats pose a risk to children’s mental health,” Dr. Francesca Solmi, the study’s lead author, said in a news release. “In our study,...

Blue Shield of California (BSC) will be shutting down for four days following Labor Day weekend as a way to stop the financial bleeding resulting from losses in “Covered California,” the state’s Obamacare exchange program. The change will “affect most of [BSC’s] 6,000 employees in California,” the San Francisco Business Times reports, although the “exact number of workers involved hasn’t yet been tabulated.” But BSC hopes that the move could save “an estimated $4 million.” According to the Times, BSC spokesman Steve Shivinsky said, “This is certainly not normal for us. We’re definitely seeing some income challenges as of mid-year.”

Auburn beats Oregon 22-19

Keeping track of the ever mutating bailout debate is becoming increasingly difficult. With the Federal money spigots now thrown wide open, and with no one of influence advising restraint, the only debate is where to direct the torrent. During the past week, the talk began with Detroit and Citigroup, but by Friday had shifted to a massive "stimulus package" to bail out consumers. The early buzz includes some very large figures. But first, a bit of a recap: On Monday, the $300 billion Citigroup bailout took center stage. Once again Henry Paulson decided to throw taxpayer funds into a bottomless...

If there ever was a time for lobbying, for indignation, for rage against the machine, this was it. Having put together a sterling closing argument at the expense of conference rival Fresno State for why they deserved a spot in the Bowl Championship Series cartel, Boise State's players and coaches reserved judgment. Forget fire and brimstone, the Broncos apparently believe the meek shall inherit the Earth. "If I thought it would do one bit of good, I'd probably say something," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. Instead, he said nothing. Boise State's 12-0 record, he insists, will have to speak...

One of the major Wall Street firms just sold itself for about 6% of its value as of Friday, and analysts somehow see this as a positive sign for the economy? Bear Stearns, which had a market capitalization of over $3.5 billion on Friday, will go for a mere $236 million today to JP Morgan, who can apparently absorb the crash of Bear Stearns’ credit business. The Fed and JP Morgan attempted a bailout last week, but it apparently wasn’t enough: Bear Stearns Cos. reached an agreement to sell itself to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., as worries grew that...

It's Official..... It's Oklahoma and Hawaii in the championship game!