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18 Sep 2011 22:45

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U.S.: Video: Slow-motion sights and scenes from Occupy Wall Street

  • Sent to us via Twitter user Eric Brown, this five minute clip from last night does a good job capturing the mood of the still-budding protests near Wall Street in New York City. “This is a group of passionate, concerned, and intelligent people,” Brown writes. “Their behavior in the park suggested a great appreciation of democracy, and a desire to cut through the clogged media and political channels to communicate a message they feel is incredibly important.” Brown notes a large police presence was there when he shot this last night, but both sides were peaceful. Great clip. source
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18 Sep 2011 22:33

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U.S.: “Occupy Wall Street” protesters see first true test tomorrow

  • The method of protest that we’re using, the purpose is to interrupt the flow of Wall Street.
  • Occupy Wall Street protester Joe Sharkey • Revealing that the group’s purpose is to make it difficult for workers to get around the protesters — a method that will see its first real test tomorrow, when an actual work day hits. While the protest has remained largely peaceful, things could start to get thorny in the next day. Starkey says tomorrow is a “crucial period” for the group of roughly 1,500 to 2,000 protesters. “We are going to ride and coordinate and communicate,” he said. “The process takes a long time.” The protests, put together by anti-consumerism magazine AdBusters, have been planned for a number of months. source
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18 Sep 2011 22:07

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Culture: Circle of cash: “The Lion King” re-release roars back to life — in 3D

  • 45% of viewers went to see the second “Kung Fu Panda” movie in 3D
  • 58% of viewers saw “Rio” in 3D — a format which has been on the wane of late
  • 92% of viewers saw “The Lion King” re-release in 3D — which is like whoa source
  • » Waaaaaaaaaay above expectations: Disney expected “The Lion King” to make $15 million during its first weekend of a two-week re-release, 17 years after Simba walked his way into our hearts. Instead, the movie made $29.3 million this weekend, which tells us one thing — Disney needs to get on re-releasing movies in 3D format, stat, because it’s a money machine.
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18 Sep 2011 20:50

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World: Dominique Strauss-Kahn admits “moral failing,” denies everything else

  • yeah … Dominique Strauss-Kahn admitted to a “moral failing” in his sexual encounter with a NYC hotel maid, in an interview with a French television station. It was his first public interview since the former IMF leader was arrested in May.
  • … but He claimed the sex was consensual, and that he did nothing that constituted an arrest. He also said an accusation that he attempted to rape French journalist Tristane Banon was “imaginary and slanderous.” source
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18 Sep 2011 20:30

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U.S.: Surprise: The plane in the Reno Air Races crash had a black box

  • I’m not aware of a lot of aircraft having it, this is the first one I came across.
  • NTSB lead investigator Howard Plagens • Discussing the “significant” finding of recording devices (commonly called a “black box”) on the vintage WWII fighter plane involved in Friday’s Reno Air Races crash. Due to the nature of the aircraft, it was a bit of a surprise to find it. On top of the data-recording device, there was a camera that pointed outside of the plane. This will be significant as the regulatory agency puts together the pieces of the deadly crash, which killed nine — seven on impact (including the pilot) and two at local hospitals. source
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18 Sep 2011 11:54

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Politics: Ron Paul wins California straw poll, proving his base is still strong

We’re absolutely positive that the drunk guy in this video put him over the edge. Clearly, it was exactly what Ron needed to ensure his electoral future. source
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18 Sep 2011 11:09

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Politics: Mitch Daniels, after the fact: Family concerns trump presidential onces

  • I think our family was really concerned about the lack of privacy. And that it’s not just for four years or eight years, but for the rest of your life. Mitch has given 12 years to public service. And, you know, now it was our turn to get him back.
  • Mitch Daniels’ wife, Cheri • Discussing why the Indiana governor’s family vetoed their father’s potential run for president in 2012. When Daniels made the decision back in May, the key tell sign for us was his open dismissal of questions related to foreign policy, a perceived weak point for the governor. But that point isn’t nearly as weak as his love of his family. “I’m not complaining about a thing. I’m the luckiest guy I know of,” he told CBS Sunday Morning. “And, you know, you can’t have everything in life. And sometimes you have to choose.” source
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18 Sep 2011 10:51

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Biz: UBS: Losses from rogue trader much higher than originally reported

  • $2.3 billion estimated trading loss, up by $300 million source
  • » And the CEO won’t resign: Despite the black mark on his company’s record, Oswald Gruebel says he won’t resign due to the actions of rogue trader Kweku Adoboli. “I’m responsible for everything that happens at the bank,” Gruebel said. “if you ask me whether I feel guilty, then I would say no.” So how did Adoboli manage to hide his unauthorized trades? Well, before he became a trader, he worked in the back office, giving him knowledge of both sides of the coin. Authorities charged Adoboli in a London court on Friday.
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18 Sep 2011 10:37

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World: Iran: Jailed American hikers hit another snag in attempt to post bail

  • what Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American hikers stuck in Iran, won’t get out on a combined $1 million in bail until Tuesday … due to the process getting held up.
  • why One of the Iranian judges that needs to sign off on the hikers’ bail just so happens to be on vacation. Wait … they couldn’t find someone else to sign? source
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18 Sep 2011 10:29

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Politics: Paul Ryan: Obama’s “Buffett Rule” equivalent to “class warfare”

  • Class warfare … may make for really good politics, but it makes for rotten economics.
  • Rep. Paul Ryan • Coming out, guns blazing, against Obama’s plan to raise the tax rate for the super-rich. Ryan, speaking on “Fox News Sunday,”also claimed that the tax would be in effect a “double tax” on investments, and would discourage investors from putting their money into the economy. “If you tax something more, you get less of it,” Ryan said. “If you tax job creators more, you get less job creation. If you tax their investment more, you get less investment.” Mitch McConnell, speaking on “Meet the Press,” had similar concerns about the “Buffett Rule,” which we found out about last night. source
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