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04 Oct 2010 10:17

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World: Test tube victory: In vitro fertilization pioneer nabs Nobel Prize

  • 32 years the amount of time it’s been since the first successful in vitro fertilization (Louise Brown) was born
  • 4 million the number of couples (and kids) that have benefited from the procedure since then source
  • » Why Robert Edwards won the prize: It wasn’t just for his pioneering spirit, though that helped. It was for the way that he followed his technique through and was able to allay moral concerns. “In retrospect, it is amazing that Edwards not only was able to respond to the continued criticism of in vitro fertilization, but that he also remained so persistent and unperturbed in fulfilling his scientific vision,” wrote Nobel Prize committee member Christer Höög.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Oct 2010 10:03

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World: Vague threats: More SCARY TERROR FEAR STUFF in Europe

  • yesterday The U.S. issued a travel advisory suggesting (essentially) that tourists in Europe not hang out near public landmarks, due to a vague al-Qaeda threat.
  • today Japan followed suit, something that country rarely does. Also, the United Kingdom raised their terror alert level to high. There might be something to this. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2010 11:18

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World: Private security firms (i.e. Blackwater) blocked from Afghanistan

  • 8 firms were banned, including the infamous Blackwater, er Xe source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2010 01:59

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World: The U.S. thinking of advising tourists in Europe of al-Qaeda threat

  • Sure, you might think doing cool touristy crap in London or elsewhere in Europe is cool and all, but the U.S. thinks you should stay away from the guards at Buckingham Palace. Or pretty much anywhere else one might consider a public place. Reports suggest that U.S. plans to offer a travel advisory tomorrow saying that you basically should be vigilant about where you go in Europe. Why? Blame the vagueness that is an al-Qaeda threat. (Photo by Gabriel Villena) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Oct 2010 13:53

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World: U.S. infected Guatemalans with syphilis in ’40s; now they’re sorry

  • 696 people were infected during the disturbing 1940s study
  • 1946 The U.S. begins a scary sounding syphilis experiment in Guatemala, infecting prison inmates, women and mental patients with the STD. Because that’s ethical.
  • 2010 An author researching a similar test at Tuskegee discovers the study and informs the U.S. government, who’s very sorry for doing that. Really sorry. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Oct 2010 09:45

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World: Ecuadorian President nearly killed over budget cuts. Really

  • If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough.
  • Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa • In the midst of a lengthy standoff, which started with hundreds of police officers assaulting him with water, tear gas and other not-very nice things. Looking for help in the police hospital, he was surrounded again. He eventually had to be rescued. Why did this happen? Well, the police officers are upset about a new law that cuts their benefits and bonuses for budgetary reasons. Really? Jesus. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Oct 2010 09:22

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World: Osama bin Laden’s latest possible message: Help with relief

  • Talk about striking a different tone. The al-Qaeda leader is asking his fellow Muslims to help with relief efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan. “The catastrophe (in Pakistan) is very big and it is difficult to describe it,” he said. “What we are facing … calls for generous souls and brave men to take serious and prompt action to provide relief for their Muslim brothers in Pakistan.” This feels like a new side of an old foe. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 

01 Oct 2010 00:20

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World: First photos of Kim Jong-un surprisingly not very cute

That North Korean heir apparent certainly stands out in a crowd, doesn’t he? He needs some personality quirks like his dad. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Sep 2010 15:55

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Tech, World: Fun facts about Gliese 581g, aka “The New Earth”

  • everyone, meet gliese 581g! Despite the ugly name, it’s actually a friendly, Earth-like planet in the Libra constellation. “Glee-G,” as we like to call it, is 20 light years away, so we won’t be visiting any time soon; however, the “conditions on the ground” (heh, military humor) are perfect for sustaining water. Here are a few more tidbits about our newest planetary sibling. source
  • No night and day One side of the planet is always facing it’s “sun,” while the other is permanently looking into the abyss of space. So, if it’s freezing and you can’t wait for summer, just cross on over to the other side!
  • 3X bigger than earth So you probably won’t be able to cross on over to the other side. However, despite its size, it has similar gravitational and atmospheric conditions to our beloved blue orb.
  • aliens exist!“The chances for life on this planet are 100 percent,” says Steven Vogt, an astronomer at the University of California. You’d think this sort of thing would have made the news rounds a bit more heavily, no? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Sep 2010 01:01

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World: Earthlike planet around nearby star? We’re posting from there now

  • Hey, that’s not Earth! In fact, you’re right. It’s what scientists refer to as a “possible Earthlike planet” in the “goldilocks zone” of a nearby star. Which means that when we inevitably destroy this planet by overloading landfills with discarded toxic Hot Pockets sleeves, we’ll have somewhere to go to next. And we’ll screw up that place, too. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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