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26 Jun 2011 21:28

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World: Afghan war: Insurgents using young children as suicide bombs

  • 8 the age of an Afghan girl tricked into carrying a suicide bomb source
  • » Why would they do such a thing? This attack, one of the more disturbing we’ve heard in a while, is shocking, but not an unheard-of tactic by insurgents looking to covering their tracks — and possibly because they’re desperate. Only the girl died, by the way.

26 Jun 2011 20:16

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Politics: Michele Bachmann on hot seat trying to explain off subsidies

  • $30,000 the amount the counseling clinic Bachmann’s husband reportedly received in subsidies (some of them federal) over the past five years
  • $260,000 the amount a Wisconsin family farm, reportedly part-owned by Bachmann, reportedly received in federal subsidies source
  • » Oh no! That means … Bachmann, who’s suddenly become a GOP frontrunner, found herself on the defending end of tough questioning from Chris Wallace this morning over the allegations, uncovered by the Los Angeles Times. Bachmann’s stance: The money for the clinic went for employee training and never actually went to the clinic itself. And Bachmann and her husband don’t have a financial hand in her father-in-law’s farm — which the Times says is inaccurate, according to financial records. Even if that’s not the case, let’s twist that last one for kicks: But that means a family member of hers takes government subsidies! Political liability!

26 Jun 2011 11:44

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World: Yemen: Saleh reportedly returning; protesters try to force sons out

  • He will appear within the next 48 hours despite our fear that the burns on his features and on different parts of his body will be an obstacle given that his appearance will not be as the media expects it.
  • Ali Abdullah Saleh’s media secretary, Ahmed al-Sufi • Suggesting that Saleh will return to Yemen soon after spending weeks recovering in Saudi Arabia after his palace suffered a raid earlier this month. He suffered severe burns, but they cover less than 40 percent of his body … you know, not that much. As you might guess, hundreds of thousands of protesters aren’t taking this news well at all — they’re pushing for members of Saleh’s inner circle, including his sons, to leave the country. source

26 Jun 2011 10:57

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World: Chinese dissident Hu Jia freed after three-year jail term

The Chinese dissident, shown with his wife Zeng Jinyan, has remained quiet since his release … much like fellow freed dissident Ai Weiwei, who refuses to answer questions. source

26 Jun 2011 10:37

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Culture: Happy birthday, Cheerios. Our breakfast would suffer without you

  • And the way they’re made is fascinating: Roughly 70 years ago, the country’s most popular brand of cereal (specifically its Honey Nut variation, introduced in 1979) started puffing out of guns at hundreds of miles an hour — so fast that it turns the tiny balls of dough into the tiny little inner tubes that float around in your soy milk every morning. Kix, a fellow healthy cereal, gets made in a similar way. The cereal, notable for its health claims, recently received scrutiny from the FDA, who felt General Mills marketed the oat lumps like a drug. That case is still pending. One case that isn’t pending is the case that Cheerios are awesome. Just sayin’. (photo via Flickr user riebart) source