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23 Aug 2010 10:51

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World: Anne Frank’s favorite tree falls down during depressing storm

Want to be a tree that hits the international news in its obituary? Just create a strong impression on Anne Frank, enough so that she writes about you again and again. source

23 Aug 2010 09:32

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World: Dramatic hostage situation in the Philippines ends dramatically

In case you’re wondering, this dramatic scene didn’t end well for the hostage-taker (who was killed) … or some of the hostages (at least two died). source

22 Aug 2010 21:18

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World: Wyclef decides that he’d rather be the obstacle than the roadbump

  • So, apparently, he isn’t going so quietly. And why the heck not? He put weeks of work into grabbing the zeitgeist’s attention, and he isn’t going to let a little thing like residency get in the way of that! “Tomorrow our lawyers are appealing the decision of the CEP,” Clef wrote on Twitter. “We have met all the requirements set by the laws. And the law must be respected.” Good luck, bro. source

22 Aug 2010 20:54

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World: Chilean miners: A feel-good (unless they don’t get out) story

  • 33 miners are stuck in a Chilean mine, which kinda sucks a lot
  • 17 the amount of time they’ve been stuck in the mine (yikes)
  • one the number of notes rescuers have saying that they’re OK source

22 Aug 2010 10:21

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World: Pakistan getting the flood help it needs, at least financially

  • $800 million in aid from the rest of the world so far source

22 Aug 2010 09:10

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World: Iran shows off military technology way behind the U.S. yet again

Iran must be so proud. They have their first phallic device, an unmanned drone. Here’s the thing, though: Doesn’t the U.S. have like 50 of these things? source

21 Aug 2010 21:55

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U.S., World: This dot on this map represents a guy in the middle of nowhere

Poor guy’s been isolated in the Brazilian Amazon for at least 15 years, possibly an uncontacted member of a decaying tribe. Which is kinda awesome. source
 

21 Aug 2010 21:03

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World: Somebody stole a Van Gogh painting in Egypt for some reason

  • $55 million value of some earless dead guy’s painting source

21 Aug 2010 14:35

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World: Blackwater (remember them?) nailed for export violations in Iraq

  • $42M the amount the former Blackwater (now Xe) had to pay for export violations
  • 288 the number of defense-related violations Blackwater was cited for between 2003 to 2009
  • 17 the number of Iraqis that died in a controversial Blackwater-caused incident in 2007 source

21 Aug 2010 12:37

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World: Big day for Iran: They’ve opened their first nuclear power plant

  • It only took them 36 years, with the help of Russia. But don’t think the plant is entirely in Iran’s hands right now. In part to appease the rest of the world, Russian technicians will be joint-operating (and playing the role of safeguard) of the plant for the next two to three years. The U.S. is concerned about anything with the words “Iran” and “nuclear” in it, but they have no qualms with the plant itself, because it could bring them under compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. source