ShortFormBlogMay 6, 2011

They were growing pot on his compound: A recent report by our boy Nic Robertson of CNN notes that the slain al-Qaeda leader may have had an interesting crop on his property. Next to the cabbage and potatoes were potent marijuana leaves, which is interesting for a number of reasons. Osama had longstanding kidney problems, which might partly explain it, but if he was smoking recreationally, that adds a new wrinkle to this story. LOOK AT US, SPECULATING! source

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[Khamenei] gave me a deadline to make up my mind. I would either accept [the reinstatement] or resign.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (as quoted by Iranian parliament member Morteza Agha-Tehrani) • Describing the choice that Iran’s president is reportedly up against. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, reportedly has to accept the reinstatement of intelligence minister Heydar Moslehi, who Ahmadinejad had forced to resign. If this is true, it’s a pretty good reminder to everyone that Ahmadinejad holds less power than his title suggests. (By the way, this story is from The Guardian, whom we trust a bit more than Examiner.com, and also largely matches ProducerMatthew’s report from last night.) source

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An accessory to Tyler Clementi’s bullying scores a deal: While not completely in the clear, Molly Wei avoided jail time in the webcam bullying incident that officials believe led to Clementi’s suicide. The incident, which we’ve mentioned numerous times in the past, involved Clementi’s Rutgers roommate, Dharun Rhavi, reportedly streaming from a webcam in their room while Clementi was making out with his boyfriend. Rhavi watched from Wei’s room. Not long after Clementi found out about the spying, he jumped off the George Washington Bridge, causing a huge outcry against bullying. As part of Wei’s plea deal, she’ll testify against Rhavi (who faces hate crime charges), serve 300 hours of community service, and take classes on cyberbullying and tolerance. Clementi’s family accepted the deal, saying that “Wei’s actions, although unlawful, were substantially different in their nature.” Wei’s lawyer, whole accepting the deal, says his client denies being a bully. Either way, we hope soon for the closure of this difficult case. source

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244k the number of jobs added in April, according to fresh jobs numbers released today
268k the number of jobs added specifically to the private sector, which drove the growth
9% the unemployment rate, which is up slightly from March’s number, 8.8 percent source

» Overall, decent news: Economists largely feel that the numbers are positive this time around. One negative of note is the decline of public sector jobs, which fell by 24,000 last month. However, some economists note that certain numbers, such as weak construction numbers and a lack of growth in average work hours, give them pause. Still though, a few negative-looking economic reports from earlier in the week made these numbers look much better than expected.

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Soon — with help from Allah — their happiness will turn into sorrow, and their blood will be mixed with their tears.
A message reportedly from al-Qaeda • Revealing that Osama bin Laden is dead (on their end), and that retaliation was likely in the cards. The statement was posted on notable jihadist forums this morning, and SITE Intelligence Group translated it. “We will not deviate from that or change until Allah judges between us and between our enemy with truth,” the note continues. “Indeed, He is the best of all judges. Nothing will harm us after that, until we see either victory and success and conquest and empowerment, or we die trying.” So, to those doubting Bin Laden’s death: So there’s this. source

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06 May 2011 16:37