Groups that work in black neighborhoods around the country have contended that much of subprime lending is ‘predatory lending.’ – Bill Dedman
‘J’eet jet?’ is still the standard way for a Pittsburgher to ask if you’re ready for a meal, but the meal itself is no longer limited to chipped ham and an Iron City beer. – Bill Dedman
Each year, at the typical nuclear reactor in the U.S., there’s a 1 in 74,176 chance of an earthquake strong enough to cause damage to the reactor’s core, which could expose the public to radiation. No tsunami required. – Bill Dedman
About 100 firefighters a year die in the line of duty in the U.S. Heart attacks on the job and vehicle accidents on the way to the fires account for about half. The other half are traumatic deaths while fighting fires. – Bill Dedman
Though some student activists of the 1960s may have idolized Alinsky, he didn’t particularly idolize them. – Bill Dedman
In Minneapolis, the overhead sky walks protect pedestrians from the winter cold and snow. – Bill Dedman
In Illinois, where legislators are paid $45,000, plus as much as $10,000 for leadership work, about half are full-time politicians. – Bill Dedman
Cincinnati attracted its first permanent white settlers by flatboat in 1788. It took its name from the Society of Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary officers. That name came from Cincinnatus, the Roman farmer and general. – Bill Dedman
Federal regulations forbid delaying inspections for fracture-critical bridges like the fallen Minneapolis bridge – the kind with a lack of redundancy in design, so that a single failure in a load-bearing part can cause the entire bridge to collapse. – Bill Dedman
New York state ethics rules prohibit lawyers from soliciting gifts from clients ‘for the benefit of the lawyer or a person related to the lawyer.’ – Bill Dedman
Unlike the United States Congress, which mostly forbids outside employment, state legislatures are generally composed of people with other careers. – Bill Dedman
‘John Doe’ is typically used in a warrant when the accused is known by an alias or by a physical description. – Bill Dedman
New flood maps in many states have raised the estimation of flood risks along rivers, streams and oceans, adding many properties to flood zones for the first time. – Bill Dedman
The senior thesis of Hillary D. Rodham, Wellesley College class of 1969, has been speculated about, spun, analyzed, debated, criticized and defended. But rarely has it been read, because for the eight years of Bill Clinton’s presidency it was locked away. – Bill Dedman
If he is convicted, Dr. Kevorkian says he will die a martyr’s death by going on a hunger strike. – Bill Dedman
Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida attacks were continuing: the firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, a bomb outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi in June. – Bill Dedman
FEMA says that it does not factor in previous losses into its decisions on applications to redraw the flood zones. – Bill Dedman
Lie detectors sometimes work because people believe they work, deterring the wrong people from applying for jobs in the first place, or prompting admissions of guilt during interrogations. – Bill Dedman
The entire federal budget for landslide research is $3.5 million a year – far less than the property value lost on a single day when 17 mansions slid down a hill in 2005 in Laguna Beach, Calif. – Bill Dedman
Although some Clinton biographers have been quick to label Alinsky a communist, he maintained that he never joined the Communist Party. – Bill Dedman
Fans love McGwire for his powerful physique, for his on-field hugs of his son, the part-time bat boy. He is Big Mac, or Paul Bunyan in Cardinals red with a white-ash bat instead of an ax. – Bill Dedman
Ted Williams, an extraordinary hitter in his day, has said the swing starts in the hips, and Sosa arrived with one of the strongest lower bodies in the game. – Bill Dedman
Wellesley’s president, Nannerl Overholser Keohane, approved a broad rule with a specific application: The senior thesis of every Wellesley alumna is available in the college archives for anyone to read – except for those written by either a ‘president or first lady of the United States.’ – Bill Dedman
A ‘Globe’ examination found that Boston police officers exercise broad discretion when deciding whether to issue a ticket. – Bill Dedman
In Montana, where Sen. William Andrews Clark made his fortune and lost his reputation, people had assumed that all his children were long dead. After all, he was born in 1839 and was of age to serve in the Civil War. – Bill Dedman
If police officers routinely issue tickets for the most serious traffic offenses, they’ll be treating drivers of all races, sexes, and ages equally. – Bill Dedman