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28 Feb 2012 15:08

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Tech: Newly discovered fossil sets record for largest known penguin

  • 130 lbs. the weight of a considerably colossal, ancient penguin, as extrapolated from a recently unearthed fossil
  • 5 feet the portly penguin’s height, making it both the tallest and heaviest penguin known to science source
  • » Move over, Emperor penguin. While you may be the largest penguin left in these modern times, 27 million years ago you would have been dwarfed by science’s latest fossil discovery, the Kairuku grebneffi, found in New Zealand. It’s believed that their longer, curved beaks allowed them to easily spear fish for food. As described by Otago University’s Ewan Fordyce: “…relatively longer bills and a more slender body than in living species. The wing was probably able to flex a little more.”

21 Jan 2012 15:35

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Tech: MegaUpload founder’s arrest: Electronic locking devices + sawed-off shotguns

  • Despite our staff clearly identifying themselves, Mr Dotcom retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic-locking mechanisms. … Once they gained entry into [Dotcom’s safe room], they found Mr Dotcom near a firearm which had the appearance of a shortened shotgun. It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door.
  • Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand Detective Inspector Grant Wormald • Describing the insane chain of events that led to the arrest of Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz), the founder of MegaUpload, on Friday. Among the things removed from the house included two cars, one of which is a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe — which has a retail price of $443,000. No matter how you feel about MegaUpload, Kim Dotcom certainly carries himself like a criminal mastermind, or more correctly, a James Bond villain. source

30 May 2011 15:13

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Politics: Hackers attack PBS over WikiLeaks documentary

  • WikiSecrets The title of a PBS Frontline documentary, which examines the massive cache of classified materials exposed by WikiLeaks, as well as the detained Bradley Manning. It’s been viewed as unfavorable to the organization.
  • Tupac lives! The fraud story the folks at PBS found splashed on their website, after hackers sympathetic to WikiLeaks and Manning attacked the site. As it turns out, he’s been living with Biggie in a house in New Zealand all this time! source

28 Feb 2011 15:32

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World: Christchurch, New Zealand begins burying their dead


  • The sorrow in Christchurch: We won’t add anything to this, except to offer the deepest sympathies possible. source

26 Feb 2011 10:42

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World: Update: Christchurch earthquake death toll gets deadlier

  • 145 have been found dead in the rubble of the 6.3-magnitude quake
  • 200+ are still missing; most are feared dead from the quake source

24 Feb 2011 10:32

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World: Christchurch earthquake: Dozens could be inside single building

  • 120 bodies could be in one Christchurch building source
  • » The building in question: The Canterbury Television building, which beyond a television station, also housed an English-language school with many foreign students. The station says that many of its top executives could be in the rubble. None of this count, by the way, is included in the official death toll of 76. So that death toll could go up significantly; shudder.

22 Feb 2011 10:00

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World: By the numbers: New Zealand’s deadly Christchurch quake

  • 6.3 the magnitude of the quake that hit the city of Christchurch
  • 65+ reported killed in the region’s second quake quake in six months
  • 100+ feared hidden under the rubble of collapsed buildings source
  • » New Zealand’s worst disaster ever? While already the worst disaster the region has faced in 80 years, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key suggested it may be even worse than that. “We paid a very heavy price here,” he said. “We could be looking down the barrel at New Zealand’s darkest day.” Buildings with schools and television stations were reduced to rubble. Cathedrals lost their shape. All in all, he may be right.
 

26 Nov 2010 20:22

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World: Lost-at-sea New Zealand teenagers were trying to win over a girl

  • cute Three New Zealand teenagers who wanted to woo a girl they saw went on a trip to see her.
  • scary Instead of finding her, they got lost without food, water or any sort of long-term supplies.
  • crazy The teens were rescued 50 days later, which should make that girl not feel guilty at allsource

25 Nov 2010 09:21

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World: Three New Zealand teens, believed dead, miraculously found alive

  • 50 days missing, they were skinny – but still alive, fortunately source

23 Nov 2010 23:43

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World: New Zealand mine blast: “It is our belief that no one has survived”

  • bad In New Zealand, there was another blast in the mine where 29 people have been stuck since Friday; no contact has been made.
  • worse Here’s what authorities had to say about what happened: “It was extremely severe. We are now in recovery mode.” source