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07 Jun 2011 21:04

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World: Homeowner of possible mass grave site explains the blood

  • He got drunk and cut his wrist. It took me all day to clean the inside of the house. I’m not sure I got it [the blood] all.
  • Joe Bankston, the owner of the house at the center of the possible mass grave in Texas • Offering a possible alibi for what happened. (No grave has been found as of yet, but blood has.) Bankston’s daughter lives in the home, and her boyfriend attempted suicide a couple of weeks ago, leaving a large amount of blood. The boyfriend, a soldier who went AWOL, is now in psychiatric care after the incident. Bankston’s son, admittedly a convicted sex offender, hasn’t lived in the region for at least a year. “He lived with us for a little while, but had to go to Michigan about a year ago for a court appearance and never came back,” he said. “Last I heard, he was in Ohio.” Thus far, this sounds like a dysfunctional family with a lot of wrinkles (and big ups to Bankston for being so honest about his family’s troubles), not a mass grave site. A weird case all around. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 20:06

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U.S.: On conflicting coverage of a possible mass murder near Houston

  • Today, Liberty, Texas law enforcement officials got a phone call from a psychic. She told them to go to a certain house, where she said there were dozens of dead bodies. They didn’t find any. But that wasn’t the end of it. “All we know is the sheriff department received a call about a mass grave, or something like that, with several bodies,” a law enforcement official said. “They went and checked it, and there was nothing there. The caller went back and said, ‘No, you went to the wrong house.'” They went back, and they found blood, but (after telling the media otherwise and causing a ruckus) no bodies — yet, at least. If this has all the makings of a B-level horror movie, you’re right. But it could also have all the makings of a great tragedy. But evidence is lacking, and the man whose house was raided, a long-haul trucker, denies the allegations. Let’s hope it’s a hoax. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 16:52

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World: Muammar Gaddafi would rather die than surrender

  • We will not kneel! We will not surrender: we only have one choice – to the end! Death, victory, it does not matter, we are not surrendering!
  • Muammar Gaddafi • More or less affirming the attitude he’s been exemplifying for months. His defiant remarks came during a phone call to Libyan state television, during which the sounds of low-flying aircraft were audible over the line, and he quickly hung up. NATO’s offensive strikes in Libya have intensified recently — perhaps the result of President Obama agreeing with British PM David Cameron that it was time to ‘turn up the heat‘ on Gaddafi and his forces? In any event, this much seems clear: Gaddafi would rather die than relinquish command, and NATO doesn’t intend to leave him in power. Gaddafi might get his wish on this one. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 16:13

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Politics: How would the Cain administration view legislating?

  • 3 pages maximum for any bill signed into law by President Cain source
  • » A true political outsider: It’s understandable that career politicians are constantly seeking to distance themselves from their own experience levels in government — the concept of the “outsider” marching into D.C. to clean house is very appealing, if not terribly realistic. Having a genuine outsider, though, with no governmental record to run away from, carries with it the risk that said person won’t really understand how government operates. Whether this is the case for Herman Cain, or he was just trying to win some easy appeal from a partisan crowd is unknown. That said, it’s a remark that if taken seriously does not make Cain seem like a terribly serious candidate, his other advantages (charisma chiefly among them) aside. Or, maybe he’s just trying to save paper by forcing the bills to hit his desk double-sided in 3-point type. That’s a possibility, too.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 14:31

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Tech: Nintendo’s new console steps up to compete, finally

  • The Wii U takes the controller a step further: The new Nintendo console will remind you a bit of their handheld DS. It has a touch screen in the controller, which will add a bit to gameplay. In addition, the Wii U will be the first Nintendo system to feature HD graphics. The controller can also be used to make voice calls and run old Nintendo games, which is pretty awesome. It’s going to come out next year, but there hasn’t been a price announced yet. Expect that controller to be pretty expensive, though. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 14:01

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U.S.: Women’s rights debate moves to a billboard controversy

  • This Would Have Been A Picture Of My 2-Month Old Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL Our Child!
  • A billboard purchased by Greg Fultz • Expressing his frustration with what he says was his ex-girlfriend’s choice to abort her pregnancy, denying him a chance to become a father. What’s problematic is that the woman’s friends say it wasn’t an abortion at all, but a miscarriage. A court has recommended these billboards be taken down, but Fultz’s lawyer says that violates his client’s free speech rights, citing the Supreme Court case dealing with Westboro Baptist Church earlier this year. Seems like one big mess to us. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 13:27

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U.S.: Arizona wildfire forces evacuations and shuts down airports

  • Arizona’s struggling with the third-largest wildfire in its history, which has already consumed over 230,000 acres of land. Low humidity and high winds aren’t making it easy for fire crews fighting the blaze, either (wind has carried burning embers up to three miles). The fires have forced people from their homes, the smoke has closed airports, and the Apache National Forest has shuttered in the wake of the blaze. On the bright side, the wildfires have only destroyed four summer rental cabins. Best wishes to those in Arizona affected by the fire, and hope for the safety of the firefighters out there. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

07 Jun 2011 12:53

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U.S.: Dancing at the Jefferson Memorial sparks new national holiday

  • banned Last Saturday, there was a flashmob at the Jefferson Memorial in DC to protest a dancing ban at the national icon. About 200 people showed up to party like it’s 1999 after a court said in May that the landmark isn’t a dancefloor. There was a similar happening closer to the court ruling, but people were roughed up and arrested.
  • rebellion Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes wants to declare July 30th “National Dancing Day” and move the dancing flashmob to the National mall in response to the court ruling. Norton said this whole thing was a wake up call, and DC should do more with the National Mall — like throw an awesome dance party on it. Good show. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 11:26

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Culture: Katie Couric’s openly gunning to be the new Oprah

  • It’ll be sort of a little bit of what Oprah did. Obviously, no one can ever fill Oprah’s shoes, but some of the things that she did on her show, some of the things we used to do on the Today show.
  • Katie Couric • Describing to Jay Leno her plans for her new show, which will hit the airwaves around September of next year. She signed a contract with ABC on this matter yesterday, and her right-hand man for the show is Jeff Zucker, a man who can get thrown out of NBC during a huge merger, but can’t make coffee. Her transition comes at the perfect time — her main competition is pretty much gone, her rep for news reporting faltered with her time on CBS, and with the ABC deal, she gets to keep her toes in the news side if she so desires. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 11:11

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World: In Zimbabwe, people go to jail for using Robert Mugabe’s bathroom

  • cause A Zimbabewan police officer working a trade fair in Harare had to use the restroom last month, so he used one specifically reserved for president Robert Mugabe. Not the best move, but come on!
  • reaction Rather than laughing it off as no big deal, officials arrested the police officer and imprisoned for a month. He hopes that an appeal to his boss might be enough to overturn a ten-day sentence. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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