• We’ve noticed shows like Glee and Idol trend while the show is on, but fans often use different hashtags. We thought if we provided the official hashtags, then more posts would aggregate.
• Fox marketing president Joe Earley • Describing the network’s decision to put Twitter hashtags for its shows next to the network’s bug. Genius idea. And on top of that, Twitter wins because it encourages more people to post on Twitter instead of going to some forum instead. But is this giving Twitter too much credit? While a lot of people use it, not EVERYONE does. Some food for thought. source

• Twitter’s new home: Today, Twitter crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s on the lease for this, the San Francisco Mart building in the city’s Central Market district. The deal came after Twitter made a deal with the city to avoid a 1.5 percent city payroll tax for the next six years. Which means Twitter can bulk up without having to pay any extra taxes. Sweet — for them. source

• Japan has some pretty hefty rebuilding plans: With a month and a half of distance between the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged a large chunk of the country, and a need to ensure a next step for the recovering nation, Japan’s government, led by Prime Minister Naoto Kan (left), has a large-scale recovery plan in its sights, which includes the building of 100,000 temporary homes. A huge catalyst for the move, according to the prime minister, was a recent meeting he had with people stuck in shelters. “I felt with renewed determination that we must do our best to get them back as soon as possible,” he said. More details:

The cost & the overall need

• $48.5 billion in emergency spending earmarked

• 14k people confirmed dead after last month’s quake
• 13k people missing in the quake or tsunami
• 130k people still live in evacuation centers source

• » Japan has recovered before: Back in 1923, Japan suffered a far more substancial economic and physical disaster from Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed as many as 140,000 and caused the country to lose 40 percent of GDP. The current earthquake, likely the most expensive in the country’s history at $300 billion, is a mere fraction of that in comparative scale.

The situation around Fukushima

• 12 miles the radius of the evacuation zone around Fukushima — residents could face fines or jail if they enter
• 19 miles the radius around Fukushima where the government recommends residents leave source

• » Letting residents come back: While authorities let some residents return to their homes for a brief period yesterday (a mere two-hour window, by the way), they may not have another chance. MSNBC has photos from the pretty freaky scene. “I’m sorry there’s nothing I can do for you,” said dairy farmer Hiroaki Hiruta, who had to leave his 130 cows to fend for themselves within the radiation zone. He had visited to feed them every single day, but no longer can due to the newly-enforced regulations. It’s unclear if there will be a next time for Hiruta to visit his cows, or if that “next time” will come anytime in the near-future. (photo by DVIDS on Flickr)

• negative Departing Nevada Sen. John Ensign has the stink of scandal on him, after he had an affair with his staffer’s wife, and then tried to bribe the staffer with another job in an effort to cover the mess up.
• positive This is a good thing for the Republican Party, however, because it means they can appoint someone new to Ensign’s job — making it easier for that person to stay put in 2012. source

• » A suggestion: Not Sharron Angle. Anybody but her, Nevada. Not Sharron Angle.

• There was no provocation. There were forces being deployed since last night. When people went out in Homs, the security forces stepped out . . . and immediately started shooting.
• INSAN director Wissam Tarif • Describing the scene in the central Syrian city of Homs, where protesters were met by security forces who opened fire. At least seven were killed throughout Syria. In other towns, like Damascus, police took cell phones away from protesters, so the couldn’t shoot video or take photos of the protests. Fridays have been the traditional day of protest in Syria; they also double as a day of prayer. source