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22 Mar 2011 13:23

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World: Power lines connected at Fukushima Daiichi, not turned on yet

  • Power lines up in all six Fukushima Daiichi reactors: Which is great sounding news, but they’re not out of the woods yet. There are a number of implications to this, mainly that cooling systems can be turned back on, thus pumping water back into the reactors and preventing a meltdown of the fuel rods. However, the power hasn’t yet been switched on, as engineers fear that the pumps, damaged as they are, could cause an explosion if activated abruptly. That aside, this news is a credit to the bravery of the workers who stayed at the plant. We hope the government gives them truly first-class care once this is over, it’s the only moral thing to do. source

22 Mar 2011 13:03

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U.S.: Blago runs up against no-nonsense judge in retrial

  • NO Rod Blagojevich won’t get his corruption retrial canceled source
  • » “…intended for an audience other than the court.” When Rod Blagojevich and his legal team requested that his retrial be canceled and that the judge proceed to sentencing on the lone conviction from his first trial, lying to the FBI, that was the response Judge James Zagel gave in shooting the idea down. First of all, we didn’t realize you could try to pitch such a self-serving idea to a judge, although in this case it failed pretty epically, so maybe you really can’t. But moreover, this doesn’t bode well for Blagojevich — despite escaping the fullest punishment last time, and the media tour he’s gone on since to be thought of as “that funny corruption guy” instead of an unprintable expletive, if he’s staring down a stern judge and a new jury, anything could happen (remember, Blagojevich’s last trial was deadlocked by just one of the twelve jurors insisting his innocence).

22 Mar 2011 12:41

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Culture: Upcoming HBO slogan: It’s not TV. It’s Dick Cheney!

  • And now, ladies and gentlemen: Dick Cheney will soon be returning to the American limelight in the form of an HBO miniseries. The polarizing (and I think even the most hardened pro-Cheney partisan would admit, oft-glowering) former Veep’s entire career is said to be the focus of the series, from his rise in the Nixon administration, to the House of Representatives, to his roles in both Bush administrations. The series will be based on a Frontline documentary called “The Dark Side,” as well as a book called “Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency” by Barton Gellman. source

22 Mar 2011 11:23

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Politics: New York Times writes puff piece about their paywall model

  • Some of them even send us checks unsolicited. I have this woman in Canada who’s sent me two $50 checks because she doesn’t understand why she can get our journalism for free. Each time I have to tell her I can’t accept the check.
  • New York Times Corp. Chief Advertising Officer Denise Warren • Discussing the NYT’s paywall plan, which hits around the end of the month. Hey, Denise, if you guys won’t take the money, we’ll put it straight in our pockets! In all seriousness, though, read the piece — it does a great job explaining the mindset of the NYT as they decided to try the paywall model once again. Key thing? Ad money in print is falling, and online isn’t keeping up. source

22 Mar 2011 11:09

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World: Ex-Israeli president Moshe Katsav sentenced in rape case

Katsav, center, will spend seven years in prison on two rape counts predating his presidency, along with indecency and sexual harassment charges while president. source

22 Mar 2011 10:58

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World: Robert Gates: Gaddafi’s civilian death toll claims “outright lies”

  • We have been careful about this. It’s almost as though some people here are taking at face value Gaddafi’s claims about the number of civilian casualties, which, as far as I’m concerned, are just outright lies.
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates • Complaining loudly about reports of civilian casualties caused by Operation Odyssey Dawn. Gates denies the claims. “It’s perfectly evident that the vast majority — if not nearly all civilian casualties —have been inflicted by Gaddafi,” he says. Now, this isn’t to say that he’s wrong … but we have to imagine it’s kind of hard to be careful with anything like a Tomahawk missile. It’s a rough road. source

22 Mar 2011 10:43

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U.S.: First National Spelling Bee winner dies, word recitation skills intact

Frank Neuhauser spelled the word “gladiolus” correctly way back in 1925 to ensure his place in history as the winner of the first National Spelling Bee. He died March 11 at 97. source
 

22 Mar 2011 10:33

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Tech: China responds to Google’s Gmail accusations with just four words

  • This is an unacceptable accusation.
  • China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu • Regarding Google’s claim that China has been infiltrating users’ Gmail accounts lately. We bet you’re wondering if she had any elaboration on this quote, considering its brevity. But, no, she didn’t. That’s all she said. Kinda awkward, isn’t it? source

22 Mar 2011 10:19

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World: Libya: F-15 fighter jet’s crash not the cheapest thing in the world

  • There goes $30 million: When this F-15 hit the ground and crashed last night (sans crew, who were smart/lucky enough to get out), it added another very large line item onto what’s already been a pretty costly endeavor, based simply on its nature as a wartime endeavor — Operation Odyssey Dawn. And that’s before even counting what’s been destroyed in Libya or the sheer human costs. Mechanical woes were to blame for the crash. source

22 Mar 2011 02:46

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World: Yemen: Senior military members quit, join opposition

  • 3 military commanders in Yemen have resigned source