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15 Mar 2011 14:00

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World: Terrible human suffering at hospital in Bahrain

  • Truly heartbreaking video: Al Jazeera English takes us to a hospital in Bahrain, where doctors and medical staff are treating people horribly abused, beaten and teargassed. Many, it seems, have taken to sleeping in the hospital, so fearful are they about being caught up in the violence if they venture outside or return home. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2011 13:33

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Politics: He will not be swayed: NRA’s LaPierre snubs President Obama

  • suggestion President Obama penned an op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star last Sunday, calling for a look at “common sense” gun control. What he specifically endorses is mild; mostly, he emphasized better enforcement of existing law, and more efficient background checks.
  • rejection NRA leader Wayne LaPierre has refused even to talk to Obama. “Why should I or the NRA go sit down with a group of people that have spent a lifetime trying to destroy the Second Amendment in the United States?” A little soft-sold extremism, anyone? source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2011 11:26

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World: Israel captures weapons-loaded ship with Liberian flag, blames Iran

  • Iran is the source of all evil in this region. It finances, supports, encourages and supplies all the terrorist organizations operating here.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • Pointing the finger after the Israeli military found a ship headed from Turkey to Egypt loaded with weapons, which the Israeli government believes was headed to Gaza. “The source of the weapons is Iran, which is trying to arm Gaza,” Netanyahu said in a text message (which is apparently how Bloomberg interviews all of its sources these days). The ship had a Liberian flag. So, let’s see … a ship heading from Turkey to Egypt, with a Liberian flag on it, has ties to Iran? Wait, what? Last month, an Iranian ship headed through the Suez Canal to Turkey – the first time that’s happened since 1979’s Islamic Revolution. Also worth noting – Israel says that Turkey is completely uninvolved in the current incident. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2011 10:56

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World: Tracking radiation levels in Tokyo: A minorly scary photo

  • Photo of the day: “A radiation detector marks 0.6 micro-sieverts, exceeding normal levels Tuesday, near Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Concern over possible radiation exposure has increased after a fourth reactor released radiation, Tuesday.” To compare – this level is higher than average, but only a tiny percentage of what’s happening at the plant. 1,000 micro-sieverts per hour equals one milli-sievert per hour. So this is high, but still minor. (Kyodo News/AP) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2011 10:28

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World: UPDATE: Fukushima’s radiation levels drop significantly

  • 11.9 the current peak radiation count, in milli-sieverts per hour
  • 400 the peak radiation count in milli-sieverts per hour – which was hit last night
  • 300k the peak mSv/hour count at Chernobyl – to keep things in check source
  • » It’s no longer at its peak, and that’s a good thing: The International Atomic Energy Agency says that the decrease happened over a six-hour period. And the IAEA makes a good point that you should keep in mind. “This is a high dose-level value, but it is a local value at a single location and at a certain point in time,” they say. In other words, even if you’re within the 20-mile radius where radiation is likely to hit, the level will most assuredly be far lower than these peak levels. It’s still high, though – one milli-sievert per hour is equal to the yearly legal limit of radiation you’re supposed to get. (see our earlier posts about this topic here and here)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2011 10:01

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World: Bahrain declares “state of national emergency” amid protests

  • Due to the ongoing circumstances in Bahrain … King Hamad has announced a state of national emergency as of Tuesday for three months.
  • An announcement on Bahraini state television • Announcing a “national state of emergency” in the country. The announcement comes a day after troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates entered the country to help quell the protests. The U.S. government has called for restraint in the wake of fresh military action. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2011 01:41

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Politics: Marco Rubio slams Congress for postponing budget debate again

  • I did not come to the U.S. Senate to be part of some absurd political theatre. I will no longer support short-term budget plans.
  • Sen. Marco Rubio • Letting off some steam about Congress’s refusal (or, perhaps more accurately, inability) to pass a long-term budget. The House and Senate will (likely, but not assuredly) pass another continuing resolution tomorrow in lieu of an actual budget. This one will fund the government for the next three weeks; after that, it’s either another continuing resolution, a budget for the full fiscal year, or a government shutdown. Let’s hope Congress can actually figure something out this time, and not just postpone the inevitable again. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

15 Mar 2011 00:59

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Politics: Evan Bayh: Former Democratic Senator joins Fox News

  • Democrat Evan Bayh, who was both Governor of and Senator from Indiana, has signed up to be a Fox News contributor. Bayh declined to run for re-election in 2010, and some thought he might become a lobbyist after his exit. They were wrong, though, and now he’s primed to become Fox’s new token Democrat. (Alan Colmes! What, what?) Now, some might say that any Democrat would be crazy to join (and, in doing so, help promote) a place like Fox News, given that it’s, well, Fox News. Others, however, argue that people like Bayh are doing an invaluable service to the Democratic cause in providing a liberal perspective to an audience that would not otherwise hear one. What do y’all think? Is Bayh a sell out, or will his stint at Fox help open some eyes? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Mar 2011 23:40

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World: UPDATE: What does “400 times annual legal limit” mean?

  • 400 the amount of radiation in the air, in milli-sieverts per hour, according to the given estimate
  • 40 the amount of radiation that is, in roentgen per hour – which, don’t get us wrong, is very high
  • 30k the amount of radiation in Chernnobyl had – which Fukushima doesn’t touch source
  • » This is an extremely large jump: One milli-sievert per hour is the legal annual limit for radiation in a year. Our earlier estimate showed a level of 8,217 micro-sieverts. 1,000 micro-sieverts equals 1 milli-sievert. So we went from 8,000 to 400,000 in a couple of hours. This is still no Chernobyl, but this is a huge jump. If it jumps to 1,000,000 micro-sieverts, it leads to radiation sickness – and then we’re in trouble.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Mar 2011 22:34

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Politics: Wisconsin Senator leaves wife for mistress; wife supports recalling him

  • plan Some protesters in Wisconsin marched to the house of GOP State Sen. Randy Hopper, a Walker ally who will likely face a recall, to confront him about his anti-union policies.
  • surprise! Upon arrival, Hopper’s wife informed them that the Senator had left her for and was now living with his 25 year-old mistress. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she also supports his recall. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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