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27 Oct 2011 14:20

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Biz: Nintendo hurting over first projected annual loss in company history

  • ¥20 billion loss projection for Nintendo this fiscal year source
  • » That’s about $264 million: The iconic video game company has been struggling recently, suffering from a critical lack of technology advancement in their console market (those Wii graphics looked behind the times when it first came out, and now… yikes), as well as their Nintendo 3DS handheld underperforming against corporate estimates. It’ll be a while Nintendo will have to ride out before they actually launch a proper, new console system — the Wii U isn’t slated to launch until sometime next year (this fiscal year ends March 2012).
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Oct 2011 21:25

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World: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi may soon surrender to the ICC

  • Headed to the Hague? That may be the case for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan dictator. Saif is wanted for war crimes, and may soon face the International Criminal Court for just that reason — according to Libya’s National Transitional Council, he’s willing to turn himself in to the ICC, which would be a very positive thing for proponents of international justice. source
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26 Oct 2011 20:45

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Culture: The Madoffs (Bernie and Ruth) attempted suicide in 2008

  • “It was very, very impulsive”: According to the wife of disgraced, convicted former billionaire Bernie Madoff, the pair attempted to kill themselves about two weeks following Bernie’s confession that he’d been running a massive Ponzi scheme. They both took what they believed would be an overdose of pills before retiring to bed, only to both awake groggy but alive the next day. Ruth Madoff says the pair never again discussed suicide, adding “But I have no idea why he didn’t — I don’t know how he lives with it all.” source
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26 Oct 2011 20:12

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Politics: Scott Olsen, Iraq war vet and Oakland occupier, in critical condition

  • last night Scott Olsen, a 24-year-old Marine and Iraq war veteran, attended Occupy Oakland. The OPD battled that crowd with, among other things, rubber projectiles. One such projectile hit Olsen in the head, sending him to the hospital.
  • tonight Olsen is in critical condition, suffering from brain swelling as a result of the impact. This is a lesson in “non-lethal” weapons; things like tasers and rubber bullets can, in fact, end lives. Our thoughts are with Olsen tonight. source
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26 Oct 2011 15:08

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World: Tunisia’s Islamic “Al Nahda” party may form secular coalition

  • An islamic/secular coexistence in Tunisia? As the results come back from the first Democratic election in Tunisia’s history (and the first such election to arise from the Arab Spring), all signs are pointing to a coalition government. The most successful party in the election, the Islamist Al Nahda party, failed to win an outright majority (they’re projected around 30%), meaning they will likely seek to team up with two other secular parties, which it’s believed would represent about 60% of the vote. This is an intriguing study in partnered government despite very differing ideals, and we’re very hopeful for the people of Tunisia that it bears fruit. source
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26 Oct 2011 14:47

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Tech: Scientists discover huge single-cell organisms deep on the ocean floor

  • Meet the Xenophyophores: Scientists have announced the discovery of a hitherto unknown, large single-celled organism living about 6.6 miles beneath the ocean’s surface. The organisms, called xenophyophores, were discovered in the Mariana Trench, the deepest place known in the ocean floor. They aren’t kidding about the “large,” either — a single cell can exceed four inches, which kind of blows our minds, honestly. Research suggests the xenophyophores are resistant to heavy metal toxicity, as by trapping water particles they concentrate high levels of mercury, uranium and lead, with no apparent detriment to the their health. source
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26 Oct 2011 14:40

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Politics: Obama backs plan to alleviate crushing student loan debt

  • $24,000 average student debt in 2009 source
  • » Way down in the hole: The above figure represents the average student loan debt for a graduate of a four-year, non-profit university, as measured in 2009 by the Institute for College Access & Success. In an economy that’s stifling the job prospects of even accomplished college graduates, finding yourself in this level of debt can feel a bit like you’ve been scammed. President Obama is today promoting his plan to tweak the Income-Based Repayment Plan for student loans with changes that were meant to take effect in 2014 (Obama wants 2012). The percentage of one’s discretionary monthly income that must be paid would be lowered from 15% to 10%, and all debt would be forgiven after 20 years, as opposed to the program’s current 25.
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26 Oct 2011 14:27

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U.S.: Occupy Oakland, after a chaotic night, expected to return tonight

 

  • There were trash cans on fire. Some people got knocked unconscious from the flash-bangs and tear gas. I saw one girl being carried over a guy’s shoulder, and he was trying to find a paramedic, but there just weren’t any around.
  • Oakland resident Tony Santiago • Giving his first-hand account of the scene in downtown Oakland last night, as the Oakland Police Department (as you probably already know) raided and dispersed some 1,000 protesters in the Occupy movement. The police had denied using such things as flash-bang grenades and rubber munitions, but thanks to eyewitness accounts, amateur video, and work by professional journalists, such denials have been shown to be untrue. Occupy Oakland is expected to return for protests at 6:00 PM tonight, and with last night’s grisly scenes still fresh in their memory it’s anybody’s guess how they’ll react — especially if/when the OPD descends on them once again. (Editor’s note: The source story was written by Seth Millstein, a SFB writer who also writes for The Daily.) source
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25 Oct 2011 15:35

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Offbeat: TSA leaves special note for female blogger traveling with vibrator

  • Get your freak on girl.
  • A note from the TSA • Found scrawled on a post-inspection luggage insert, which was in a bag owned by Feministe blogger Jill Filipovic. She had packed her vibrator in the luggage, which no doubt spurred this rather personal request. Said Filipovic: “Total violation of privacy, wildly inappropriate and clearly not ok, but I also just died laughing in my hotel room.” source
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25 Oct 2011 15:12

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Culture: UNICEF + Threadless = good cause, good shirts (prices may vary)

  • Wearing your support: Pretty neat idea hatched between the folks at UNICEF and Threadless — you can now throw down for one of these rather charmingly minimalist t-shirts, and your money goes straight to African aid efforts. As you may have noticed, some of these shirts are hyper-expensive (not pictured, a $300,000 “cargo plane” shirt), which is because the amount you pay equals the cost of the sort of aid effort pictured. It’s a very cool and worthy example of humanitarian relief meeting up with design. source
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