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11 May 2009 08:56

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World: Jailed journalist Roxana Saberi to be set free by Iran today

  • As I understood it, she is free to leave Iran. They explained me that the two years were conditional and would not be carried out if she would not commit any crimes in the coming five years.
  • Attorney Abdolfattah Khorramshai • Regarding news that Roxana Saberi’s sentence was reduced from eight years to a two-year suspended sentence. Saberi’s plight – a young journalist who was arrested for espionage – had garnered significant international attention. She remains banned from working as a reporter in Iran for five years, but there is no word if she’ll return to the U.S. with her parents, who have remained in Iran to bring attention to her case. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2009 08:40

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World: People are fleeing Taliban-stricken NW Pakistan en masse

  • 350,000 civilians have left the war zone in the last 12 days alone, 900,000 overall source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2009 08:31

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World: A designated safe zone in Sri Lanka didn’t prevent civilian deaths

  • 1,000+ civilians got caught in the middle source
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11 May 2009 08:25

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Sports, U.S.: Detroit’s mayor a former Piston: Dave Bing to be sworn in

  • The NBA legend is the city’s third mayor in eight months. Bing, pretty much the Pistons’ biggest star before the Chuck Daly era, will be sworn in today after winning a special runoff election over incumbent Ken Cockrel Jr. Both men were vying to finish out the waning months of the second term of Kwame Kilpatrick, who was brought down in a very public scandal. Bing hopes to run for a full term next year. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2009 03:31

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Culture, Music: Bad Seed Nick Cave once wrote a crazy “Gladiator” sequel

  • Storytelling, [it] works brilliantly. I think [Cave] enjoyed doing it, and I think it was one of those things that he thought, ‘Well, maybe there’s a sequel where we can adjust the fantasy and bring [Maximus] back from the dead.’
  • Director Ridley Scott • Discussing Nick Cave’s rejected “Gladiator 2” script, commissioned by “Gladiator” star Russell Crowe. Cave, better known for songs such as “The Mercy Seat” and “Where the Wild Roses Grow,” had a major challenge – create a sequel for a film whose main character died at the end of the movie. He solved it by going in crazy directions – making Maximus live forever through reincarnation, playing a part in World War II and showing up in the Pentagon. This sounds amazing. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2009 03:11

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U.S., World: A former U.S. soldier pays for his crimes in Iraq in civilian court

  • The crime In 2006, U.S. soldier Steven Green and two fellow soldiers allegedly went into an Iraqi family’s home. Prosecutors say two soldiers raped a 14-year-old girl, while Green herded other family members into another room and killed them, then later joined his fellow soldiers. The girl was also killed. source
  • The crime In 2006, U.S. soldier Steven Green and two fellow soldiers allegedly went into an Iraqi family’s home. Prosecutors say two soldiers raped a 14-year-old girl, while Green herded other family members into another room and killed them, then later joined his fellow soldiers. The girl was also killed.
  • The controversy After the crimes became public, the Iraqi public became enraged at the brutality of the crimes. The U.S. promised that they would find those soldiers responsible and bring them to justice. Green, who was discharged by then, was arrested after visiting his grandmother in North Carolina. He expected it. source
  • The crime In 2006, U.S. soldier Steven Green and two fellow soldiers allegedly went into an Iraqi family’s home. Prosecutors say two soldiers raped a 14-year-old girl, while Green herded other family members into another room and killed them, then later joined his fellow soldiers. The girl was also killed.
  • The controversy After the crimes became public, the Iraqi public became enraged at the brutality of the crimes. The U.S. promised that they would find those soldiers responsible and bring them to justice. Green, who was discharged by then, was arrested after visiting his grandmother in North Carolina. He expected it.
  • The conviction Steven Green was found guilty on all charges on Thursday. He could face the death penalty. Green’s case is different from many in that he was arrested as a civilian, meaning he could be the first ex-U.S. soldier to face the death penalty in a civilian court for war crimes committed during combat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2009 00:51

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Tech: To Google Android users: Today’s a big day for an upgrade

  • Google’s Android mobile operating system is up to Version 1.5, a version Geek.com claims really should have been called 2.0 considering the hefty feature upgrades. source
  • The upgrade, released last month, finally comes to T-Mobile’s G1 phone today. The upgrade brings virtual keyboards, video recording (and sharing!) and voice search. Spiffy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 

10 May 2009 23:36

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Sports: “Big Baby” Glen Davis saves the day for the Celtics

In terms of sheer quality of play and excitement, it’s becoming very hard to top the first two rounds of the Celtics’ playoff run. Go Glen! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2009 23:01

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Offbeat: A Mother’s Day public service announcement from Mr. T

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10 May 2009 22:39

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Biz, U.S.: The Wall Street Journal plans to charge using micropayments

  • It’s a payments system – once we have your details we will be able to charge you according to what you read, in particular, a high price for specialist material.
  • Wall Street Journal Managing Editor Robert Thomson • On his company’s eventual move to a micropayments system online. It’s a system that’s been heavily fought against by readers but makes sense for the WSJ, as they have a history of charging for their content. And since they have Rupert Murdoch as owner, they have a better reason to do it than most. • source
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