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28 Nov 2010 11:22

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World: China wants to get North, South Korea back to negotiating table

  • 2008 China, North and South Korea, Japan, Russia and the U.S., had six-party disarmament talks about North Korea’s nuclear program. The North walked out when it became clear it was an intervention.
  • 2010 China, looking to help ease things between on-the-brink-of-war North and South Korea, is pushing for another round of talks. China says it won’t be like last time; South Korea is thinking about it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 11:07

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Politics: On “It Gets Better” and general, non-anti-gay bullying

  • Clip of the day: We mentioned on Tumblr that we were saddened by the story of a 29-year-old Gloucester, Massachusetts man so broken down by high school bullying that he never went to college and lives in fear of conflict. We made the suggestion that there needs to be a more general “It Gets Better” campaign for guys like him, but it appears Washington Post super-blogging policy wonk Ezra Klein beat us to the punch with this well-thought-out piece on how growing older gives you control over your own destiny. Some good debate has come from Klein’s video, too. Good thing he did it, because we don’t have an animation budget to create a clip of Julius talking about how he got bullied when he was in the factory. (Hat tip fuckyeahcoolquotes) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 10:52

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World: Rio de Janeiro police, soldiers raid lawless drug haven

The Olympics may not be headed to Brazil until 2016, but they’re getting ready now by fighting against powerful drug gangs (who have been fighting back). With tanks! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 10:39

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Politics: U.S. government anger over Wikileaks gets much louder

  • I would hope that those who are responsible for this would, at some point in time, think about the responsibility that they have for lives that they’re exposing and the potential that’s there and stop leaking this information.
  • Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen • Saying WITH EMPHASIS that if Wikileaks releases the diplomatic cables it has, it could endanger lives. Other government officials, including ambassadors, are complaining loudly too. The question, of course, is whether these cables, which are expected to be released today, will be nearly as damaging as they suggest. It’s pretty likely they will be – some of the stuff revealed in the Iraq and Afghan War leaks was a bit retready. This could be new ground. Or not. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 00:11

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Politics: Obama’s own grandmother offers up “Obama’s a Muslim” ammo

  • birthers The president’s biggest doubters believe Obama is a Muslim for some reason, and that he wasn’t born in the U.S. despite the fact that he has a birth certificate. (La la la, they can’t hear you!)
  • grandma The president’s own grandmother, 88-year-old Sarah Omar of Kenya, wants him to convert to Islam: “I prayed for my grandson Barack to convert to Islam,” she said. That should freak birthers out. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2010 23:38

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Offbeat, World: Peruvian president blames low approval ratings on Peruvians

  • We are what we are: sad, distrustful … We have a natural lack of trust.
  • Peruvian President Alan Garcia • Suggesting he has a low approval rating (34 percent approve, 62 percent disapprove) because Peruvians are naturally unhappy. He suggests nearby countries, like Brazil, are happier. Way to flip the message. Are the people saying “BOO” or “BOO-urns”?  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2010 23:28

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Biz: Black Friday final tally: More hype, more people, slightly more sales

  • 2.2% the increase in Black Friday foot traffic
  • $10.7B the total sales tallied on Black Friday
  • 0.3% the increase in sales from last year source
  • » How it compares: It’s roughly the same increase in sales as last year, but then again, retail stores have been offering sales for weeks before Black Friday, which may have cannibalized the overall effect of the day. On the plus side, at least that collapsed Salvation Army building in Colorado didn’t fall on anyone.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

27 Nov 2010 19:06

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World: We’re very glad not to be in this fiery inferno in Pakistan

This insanely dramatic scene was caused by a cargo plane crashing into a residential neighborhood in Karachi, Pakistan. At least eight people on the plane died. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2010 13:37

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Tech: The Incredible Apple Monster in process of eating Cupertino

  • 57 number of buildings Apple will be taking over from HP, who’s moving their campus elsewhere
  • 98 number of acres Apple will gain in the sale; with the purchase, they’re now Cupertino’s biggest landowner source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2010 13:10

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Biz, World: Angry Irish people take to streets to protest tough austerity plan

  • We’ve seen this song and dance before. First in Greece, then Belgium, then France, then in Britain, but it’s still not any more frustrating to watch – especially in Ireland’s case. The Irish had a solid decade of economic growth, only to see the economy go into freefall and be forced to take upon tons of bailout money in the span of about two years. So that’s why these people are protesting in Dublin today. They’re angry because of the insane cuts they’ll be forced to swallow – the worst of any European nation so far. (Photo by Marcus Swan) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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