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23 Feb 2011 10:30

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Politics: Anderson Cooper on getting bashed for calling Mubarak a “liar”

  • I’m not big on calling people names, or I try not to take political stands, but based on facts the guy’s lying.
  • Anderson Cooper • Talking on last night’s Daily Show about the bizarre controversy that followed him when he claimed, on-air, that Hosni Mubarak was “lying” about what was happening in Egypt. This was actually a thing for a little while, and other journalists went out of their way to criticize him. Cooper wondered aloud why journalists are “afraid to say that something that is demonstrably not true is not true…I’m not quite sure why so many people kind of shy away from that.” Our best reasoning? They went to the David Gregory school of journalism. source

23 Feb 2011 09:21

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World: Libyan death toll: Top Italian official gives fairly high estimate

  • 1,000+ likely dead, says an Italian official source
  • » A bit above prior estimates: Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini offered the estimate to a Catholic organization in Rome, saying that while numbers in cases like these are hard to nail down, “we believe that the estimates of about 1,000 are credible.” Later, when speaking to Parliament, he didn’t mention a number but said “the tragic number will be a bloodbath.” Italy and Libya have significant diplomatic and economic relations.

22 Feb 2011 23:47

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U.S.: New Jared Lee Loughner mugshots, courtesy of a legal battle

  • A bunch of news organizations fought hard for these photos. More than a dozen media outlets, in fact. And these pics of Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in last month’s Gabrielle Giffords shooting, only came to light after a court decision forced their release (which prosecutors and defense attorneys fought against, saying that they unfairly biased potential jurors against Loughner). But it wasn’t a total loss for the lawyers. They managed to prevent the release of the search warrant records in the case. That said, these photos don’t seem quite as bad as the iconic one released after he was arrested. source

22 Feb 2011 22:21

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World: European Union: Libya’s humanitarian aid network very limited

  • bad The violence in Libya has been extremely severe over the past few days, with hundreds dead and many more wounded. It’s a nation that seriously needs help.
  • worse Unfortunately, organizations like the European and the Libyan Red Crescent Society say that there’s a limited aid network to help the wounded. Sigh. source

22 Feb 2011 21:42

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Politics: Muslim Brotherhood: Keep working to take down Gaddafi, protesters

  • We ask that the Libyan people (should) continue in their revolution to expel this dictator and that (they) should sacrifice and they will have the victory and win. And also, we appeal to all free men in all places in the world to be on the side of, and support, the Libyan people.
  • Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Esam Alarian • Offering support to Libyan protesters in taking down Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. The spokesperson for the  Egypt-based organization also emphasized that their country needs to assist in ensuring Libyans get the help they need from their country. “We ask the Arab league and the Egyptian government and the army to give support and also give aid to the Libyan people,” Alarian continued. We like the idea of Egypt helping other countries deal with their protests. source

22 Feb 2011 21:25

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U.S.: The Rahminator is DA GUY in Chicago: Rahm wins Mayoral race

  • $12M shoved into the race by Rahm’s campaign – way more than anyone else
  • 86% of precincts counted in today’s vote so far (so, like almost all of them)
  • 55% Rahm’s share of the vote, which means he faces no runoff source

22 Feb 2011 16:09

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World: Libyan situation necessitates special session on response

  • YES the UN Security Council will meet on Gaddafi, Libya source
 

22 Feb 2011 15:48

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Politics: Voice Of America’s website hacked by “Iranian Cyber Army”

  • Mrs. Clinton Do you want to hear the voice of oppressed nations will from heart of USA? Islamic world doesn’t believe USA trickery. We call on you to stop interfering in Islamic countries.
  • The “Iranian Cyber Army” • A message posted on the front page of Voice of America, which fell victim to the self-proclaimed Iranian hackers. This became known to us while attempting to view an article VOA had posted regarding the UN Security Council’s special session on Gaddafi and Libya. The link directed to the site’s main page, which had been taken over by a logo bearing an Iranian flag and a rifle, as well as this message. This is not uncommon for this group- Twitter was notably struck in 2009. source

22 Feb 2011 15:13

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Culture: You’ll be hearing a lot more of Ted Williams’ dulcet tones

  • It has come to this: Ted Williams, he of the radio voice, will apparently be starring in a reality TV show, a development that seems retrospectively inevitable. Williams now has more employment and opportunity than he possibly could have expected as a homeless man, and that’s a very good thing. We just hope this doesn’t hurt his efforts in overcoming his addictions, which he recently entered and left rehab for, in the face of even more exposure, pressure, and money. Because, cliche though it is, that is what’s most important. source

22 Feb 2011 14:24

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Politics: Supreme Court Justice’s impressive streak of questionlessness

  • 5 years since Clarence Thomas’ last question of an arguing attorney source
  • » The question is, why? Thomas has offered some indication, saying that he feels the process is overdone and that the other justices ask any questions he might have, but it seems improbable at best that he legitimately hasn’t had a question worth asking in five years. It’s true, though, that this may have no real impact on how the Court conducts business, but it does beg the question: should inquisitiveness be held up as more of a virtue than it is in this day and age? Or do you prefer the strong, silent type?