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26 Aug 2010 10:52

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U.S.: Now cab drivers in NYC are getting stabbed ‘cuz they’re Muslim

  • crazy A New York cabbie was allegedly attacked by some film student the other night. He had been stabbed multiple times.
  • crazier Said student was a volunteer for a pro-unity group who had been to Afghanistan before. Which is screwed up. source
  • » Hey, over-the-top Mosque haters, read this. The cabbie, Ahmed Sharif, had this to say about the whole “Ground Zero Mosque” thing, which has been blown out of proportion at this point: “I feel very sad. I have been here more than 25 years. I have been driving a taxi more than 15 years. All my four kids were born here. I never [felt] this hopeless and insecure before.” He plans to also hold a news conference today and talk with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Can we just emphasize how insane it is that a cabbie reportedly got attacked for his religion?

26 Aug 2010 10:39

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Politics: Pastor Terry Jones: Crazy Koran-burning dude gets death threats

  • I have no experience with it whatsoever. I only know what the Bible says.
  • Pastor Terry Jones • Regarding his experience with the Koran, which he plans to burn next month, on September 11th. As you might imagine, such an action is extremely controversial, and many people do not like Jones’ plan, which he’s talked about with 150 different media outlets. He’s gotten death threats. “We have to be careful,” he says. “The overall response has been much greater than we expected.” Jones is based out of Florida, which has been a hotbed of anti-Islamic activity of late, most notably a pipe bomb attack at a mosque back in May. source

26 Aug 2010 10:35

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U.S.: Egg recall expands again: You jerks buying cage-free organic yet?

  • 2 new store brands have been added to the recall list source

26 Aug 2010 10:18

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Biz: New jobless claims not as awful as last week, still pretty awful

  • -31,000 the decrease in new jobless claims this week, which is minor, but positive, economic news
  • +3,250 the increase in jobless claims over a four-week period, which means we’re at a nine-month high source
  • » Protip on jobless claims numbers: They’re volatile and change from week to week, meaning the number that really matters is the more stable monthly figure.

26 Aug 2010 02:08

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World: Wikileaks has the CIA freaked out again over new leak

  • These sorts of analytic products – clearly identified as coming from the Agency’s ‘Red Cell’ – are designed simply to provoke thought and present different points of view.
  • CIA spokeswoman Marie Harf • Trying to play down the importance of Wikileaks’ latest leak, “What If Foreigners See the United States as an ‘Exporter of Terrorism’?,” a three-page 2001 classified document  from the CIA which sounds like a barnburner of a read.  It’s no Afghan War data dump or anything, but it does cover something about Baruch Goldstein, a U.S. citizen who moved to Israel and set off a bomb that started a trend of car bombings. That’s something, we guess. source

25 Aug 2010 22:42

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World: Reason we hate the drug war, No. 2,933: Human-smuggling

  • 72 people killed and dumped at a Mexican ranch source
  • » Why them? It’s another front of the drug war. Drug lords have turned to trafficking humans, extorting them, forcing them to smuggle drugs through the border and sometimes having them work as hitmen. While this dumpage of bodies at a ranch in Tamaulipas state is massive, it’s not the only one that’s taken place. In May, 55 were found in Guerro state and another 51 were found on the outskirts of Monterrey in July. Four words for the people who do this: Scum of the earth.

25 Aug 2010 22:14

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Politics: Could Lisa Murkowski make a third-party run in Alaska?

  • We are going to take a look at them and see whether the option is there or not, but it’s a decision she (Murkowski) has to make. There is an option I know of.
  • A staffer for Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski • On the possibility that Sarah Palin’s most hated enemy will take her campaign out of the Republican Party if she loses to Joe Miller. Murkowski was viciously attacked by Palin in the days prior to the election and still has a ton of money left in her coffers, so she can afford it. There’s a backstory to the Palin thing, too. Frank Murkowski, Lisa’s dad, snubbed Sarah when appointing Lisa to the seat. Later, Palin unseated the elder (and then-unpopular) Murkowski in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. source
 

25 Aug 2010 21:59

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Tech: Notewire: Because you need to take notes, and paper sucks

  • Need to take some notes? Check out this new tool by friend of the site Jeff Greco. A combination webapp and bookmarklet, it allows you to take notes anywhere and pull them right up on your mobile phone. A neat little trick that might save you some time. source

25 Aug 2010 20:09

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Offbeat: Synergy: Sumo wrestlers and iPads go fat-hand-in-fat-hand

  • It’s official. Sumo wrestlers have fat fingers. Their fingers are so fat, in fact, that they have to use iPads as phones, because they can’t quite tap on mobile phones OK. So, the Japan Sumo Association decided to give their wrestlers 60 iPads to use. This is funny, sure, but there’s a spying element to this story. See, the league has recently been nailed by scandal recently. Sumo wrestlers like gambling, and who can blame them? Gambling is awesome. source

25 Aug 2010 19:53

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