Jackson, Miss. mayor Frank Melton dies in dramatic fashion

Background: Melton moved to the city in the early 1980s to run a local TV station, where he became known for his fiery op-ed pieces. in 2005, he was elected mayor. source

Conflict: His odd way of running the city led to charges that he and a bodyguard attempted to attack a duplex he considered a crack house with sledgehammers. source

Crisis: The charges, which were about to be retried in federal court, took a toll on his political career, and he ended up losing a heated primary for re-election. source

Resolution: Melton, in ill health for years, went to the hospital just after the primary results were announced and then died. He leaves behind a killer biopic. source

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Apparently, it’s the big thing for investors right now. Despite the lack of name recognition, there’s a heavy amount of interest in companies who are involved in cloud computing – i.e. using a huge cluster of servers to run powerful applications, rather than forcing those apps to run on home computers. Anonymous companies like Engine Yard and Elastra – who run services to keep those cloud computing apps afloat – are able to get tens of millions in investments in a down economy. Did someone hear the sound of a gold rush? source

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The quote When he died at the end of March, Maurice Jarre was quoted on his Wikipedia entry as saying: “One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear.” source

The quote When he died at the end of March, Maurice Jarre was quoted on his Wikipedia entry as saying: “One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear.”
The reason Jarre is an Oscar-winning composer who has the perfect combination of obscurity, cultural impact and newsworthiness to allow for a quote like this to be completely fabricated, a fact 22-year-old Irish student Shane Fitzgerald took advantage of to see how journalists will tend to use the Web as a primary source. Prick. source

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The effect of this capital assessment will be to help replace uncertainty with transparency. It will provide greater clarity about the resources major banks have to absorb future losses.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner • Making an argument in the New York Times as to why the banking industry stress tests were necessary, even though they made Bank of America look like the worst company on the planet to hold your money. Jeez, if only he did this a few months ago when everyone hated him for sucking at his job. • source

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Maine became the fifth state to legalize gay marriage yesterday, doing so with legislation rather than court decision or ballot initiative.

Nearby New Hampshire is right behind with legislation, but faces a tougher battle in the form of an undecided governor who has yet to sign the bill.

All this momentum is looking good for pro-gay-marriage activists in California, who will likely try to get Prop. 8 overturned in 2010.

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07 May 2009 09:53