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03 Feb 2010 10:59

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Politics: Henry Kissinger still alive, still pushing for strong Iraq policy

  • Yet while Iraq is being exorcised from our debate, its reality is bound to obtrude on our consciousness. The U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq will not alter the geostrategic importance of the country even as it alters that context.
  • Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger • Regarding the need to continue focusing on Iraq policy even while we’re withdrawing. He notes that Obama barely touched on it in his State of the Union address. Due to its strategic significance and its everlasting ties to terrorism, Kissinger claims “It cannot be in the American interest to leave the region as a vacuum.” He’s like the dude claiming we should spend the day after the party doing a deep clean of the apartment, despite the fact that it’s someone else’s job. source

03 Feb 2010 10:46

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World: Afghan allies optimistic that many Taliban members not hardcore

  • 80% of the Taliban may have joined for the money source

03 Feb 2010 10:38

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Biz: Toyota’s myriad car problems extend to another pedal

  • accelerator The car company just recalled a ton of vehicles due to a faulty accelerator which would get stuck. They’re in deep doo-doo.
  • brakes Now, Toyota’s getting reports of malfunctioning brakes on its Prius hybrid cars in Japan. Tokyo has pressured them to investigate. source

03 Feb 2010 10:31

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Biz: AOL’s first post-Time Warner quarter shows a (tiny) profit

  • $1.4
    million
    the amount AOL made in profits this quarter, their first since being spun out of Time Warner’s lair
  • $1.96
    billion
    the amount AOL lost in the same quarter a year ago; their subscriber rates are still dropping source

03 Feb 2010 10:20

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Politics: New Yorker writer trashes Twitter even though he’s never used it

  • The truth is, I feel like yelling Stop quite a bit these days. Every time I hear about Twitter I want to yell Stop. The notion of sending and getting brief updates to and from dozens or thousands of people every few minutes is an image from information hell.
  • New Yorker staff writer George Packer • Complaining about the popularity of Twitter. He won’t use it because he’s scared of becoming addicted. He calls it “crack for media addicts.” He seems to not understand the appeal of the service at all. He’s a journalist – with sources who understand the need to be constantly connected – and he himself doesn’t even own a BlackBerry. Mr. Packer, stop complaining and catch up. If you want to be a journalist in this new environment, you have to catch up. source

03 Feb 2010 10:01

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World: Iran’s space program has officially caught up to 1957

  • They launched a rocket with live animals into space. Not content to be 70 years behind the U.S. when it comes to nuclear technology, the Middle Eastern country has gladly chosen to be 50 years behind the U.S. (and Russia!) when it comes to space exploration. Rats, turtles and worms were the lucky guinea pigs for the Kavoshgar-3 endeavor, which could lead to a newfound bolstering of its ballistic missile program. source

03 Feb 2010 09:49

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Politics: Left-leaning Daily Kos’ new poll makes the right look craaaaazy

  • 39% of Republicans think that Obama should be impeached for some reason
  • 36% think that Obama wasn’t born in the U.S. (thanks for that misinformation, Orly Taitz)
  • 53% think that Sarah Palin is somehow more qualified to be president than Obama source