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05 Apr 2010 22:49

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U.S., World: Iraq coverup: Wikileaks scores a major free-information win

  • Wikileaks went through a lot of hell to get this video up. The clip, which shows a Reuters photographer and another staffer (along with ten others) getting killed by the U.S. government during the Iraq war because they mistook his camera for a weapon. He was shot at from a distance, and he survived, only to be killed during a rescue attempt. The government has been covering up this clip for years, including from Reuters. Now, from this video, it’s clear what happened: An unprovoked attack. This video is a harrowing watch. source

05 Apr 2010 21:46

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U.S.: Get out your tinfoil hats: Census wants to count gay couples, too

  • George Takei’s husband has great taste in headwear. The former “Star Trek” star used his Starfleet uniform to get attention for this ad, which encourages same-sex couples to fill out the Census’ marital status section how they feel it should be filled out. It’s an encouraging step for the Census that they’re choosing to count gay couples this way. source

05 Apr 2010 21:24

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U.S.: Meg Whitman is a money-spending force of nature

  • $46M the amount the former eBay chairwoman has spent on her California gubernatorial campaign
  • 40% the size of the lead she has over her GOP primary challenger Steve “Steamrolled” Poizner
  • seven the number of months she has before the election; she leads Jerry Brown, too source

05 Apr 2010 10:06

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U.S.: XMRV: It’s not HIV, but does it transmit the same way?

  • bad XMRV, first discovered in 2006, is infectious and linked to two diseases – prostrate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome. But evidence is still inconclusive.
  • worse Preliminary evidence suggests the disease is transmitted through blood just like HIV. Unlike HIV, it’s not currently checked for in the nation’s blood supply. Great. source

04 Apr 2010 20:43

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U.S., World: SoCal quake: Wannabe viral video becomes actual viral video

  • Could the framing of this clip be any less postmodern? Girl with guitar is about to record song for her throngs of YouTube fans, but just happens to catch an insane earthquake instead. Glad it wasn’t worse. HuffPost has a bunch more clips like this. source

04 Apr 2010 20:36

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04 Apr 2010 20:31

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U.S., World: First 6.9, now 7.2: The Baja California quake gives SoCal the shakes


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  • “Strong earthquake in the Los Angeles area”: Talk about a phrase we could go without hearing. While the quake was powerful, it definitely wasn’t an end-of-the-world situation by any stretch. Mediaite has the initial reports from CNN, which they totally got the jump on over MSNBC and Fox News, including the use of Twitter. source
 

03 Apr 2010 20:31

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U.S.: Atheists get crazy idea to meet in New Jersey hotel on Easter

  • 300 atheists in a hotel gather
    to … just hang out source

03 Apr 2010 20:24

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U.S.: Justice John Paul Stevens: I may retire, but I’ll let you guys know

  • I do have to fish or cut bait, just for my own personal peace of mind and also in fairness to the process. The president and the Senate need plenty of time to fill a vacancy.
  • Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens • Regarding his pending decision on whether or not to stay a justice. Dude’s not only the most liberal justice (despite getting the nod from president Gerald Ford), but at 89 (90 on April 20) he’s also the second-oldest and fourth-longest-serving in the court’s history. Obama likely wants to replace him soon because he represents one of the four liberal-leaning votes on the court, and he doesn’t have many years left in him. source

03 Apr 2010 16:27

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U.S.: Easter Bunny leaves unfortunate surprise for Des Moines kids

  • cute Kids across the country are hunting for wonderfully-colored Easter Eggs. It’s a fun alternative to iPad unboxing for non-nerds.
  • not cute Some of those kids, in Des Moines, Iowa, happened to find a body during their hunt. We’ll save the dark humor for later. source