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16 May 2010 11:20

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Politics: What the GOP wants from Elena Kagan: A tight interpretation

  • I think we’ll be looking at her testimony because she has so little other record, it’s going to be a big deal. It’s so important how she testifies.
  • Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions • Discussing why Elena Kagan’s upcoming testimony will be key in building a lot of opinions of her. Regarding what he’s looking for, he says Republicans would like to know “whether her philosophy of law is so broad in her interpretation of the Constitution that you are not faithful to the Constitution and laws.” This isn’t something to be taken lightly. The last nominee who didn’t have judicial experience, Bush-selected Harriet Meiers, was withdrawn due in part to lack of experience. Kagan has a better record than Meiers did, but the lack of judicial experience could be a deal-breaker for some if she doesn’t answer questions to their liking. source

16 May 2010 11:10

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World: The current state of violence in the escalating Bangkok conflict

  • 29+ have been killed in the escalating violence between the Thai government and Red Shirts
  • 221+ have been wounded; the Red Shirts want a cease-fire; the Thai government won’t budge source

16 May 2010 11:04

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World: Still intensifying: The high-stakes conflict in Bangkok

Fans of motolov cocktails should be excited to know that the Thai government is planning on toughening its stance against the Red Shirts. source

16 May 2010 10:35

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Tech: A quick criticism of Twitter’s new trending topic formula

  • A few days ago, Twitter changed its trending topic formula. In one sense, it’s really good, because it means that Justin Bieber isn’t just hogging the top spot for a month for no reason (thank God), but in a lot of ways it’s also less useful as a result. Why? Because there’s no filter. Something tells us that simply replacing an American pop star with “Bonamana,” the name of a South Korean boy band’s new album, was really what they intended. Our solution? Filter by country, guys. Thanks. source

16 May 2010 10:27

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U.S.: The Deepwater Horizon spill causes huge plumes of oil to form

  • 10 miles the length of one of the oil plumes, which is also a mile wide
  • 30% the decrease in oxygen in some parts of the ocean due to the oil spill source