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28 Feb 2012 21:59

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Politics: President Obama exempts US citizens from indefinite detainment

  • then On the last day of 2011, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act which, amongst other things, allowed for the indefinite detention of US citizens suspected of terrorism.
  • now Obama signed a policy directive today that exempts US citizens from that provision in the bill (Section 1022, if you’re keeping track). Here’s the fact sheet released by the White House. source
  • » Some nuance: Although the language in the bill as signed did permit for US citizens to be indefinitely detained, it did not mandate this. Obama actually said at the time that he wouldn’t implement the law such that US citizens would face this possibility, so his signing today of this directive is in line with what he’d pledged. Our take: While this development will surely please Obama’s base, we’re scratching our heads as to why the White House announced it on the day of what’s become the most important primary in the Republican nominating contest so far (Michigan). It’ll likely get completely lost in the news cycle amidst all the primary coverage, which would seem to blunt its political utility. Color us baffled.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 15:31

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World: UN’s estimate of Syrian death toll increases with recent surge in killing

  • 7,500 killed in Syria since last March, UN says source
  • » “Indiscriminant bombardment by tank and rocket fire”: Those were the words of the UN’s undersecretary general for political affairs, Lynn Pascoe. The killing in Syria has reached something of a fever pitch in past months, with the bombardment of Homs in particular leading to grim headlines, and truly ghastly footage. The UN currently estimates that over 100 people per day are being killed by Bashar al-Assad’s security forces. Said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on Assad as a war criminal: “I think that based on definitions of war criminal and crimes against humanity, there would be an argument to be made that he would fit into that category.”
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 15:08

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Tech: Newly discovered fossil sets record for largest known penguin

  • 130 lbs. the weight of a considerably colossal, ancient penguin, as extrapolated from a recently unearthed fossil
  • 5 feet the portly penguin’s height, making it both the tallest and heaviest penguin known to science source
  • » Move over, Emperor penguin. While you may be the largest penguin left in these modern times, 27 million years ago you would have been dwarfed by science’s latest fossil discovery, the Kairuku grebneffi, found in New Zealand. It’s believed that their longer, curved beaks allowed them to easily spear fish for food. As described by Otago University’s Ewan Fordyce: “…relatively longer bills and a more slender body than in living species. The wing was probably able to flex a little more.”
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 14:39

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Politics: Some remains of 9/11 victims ended up in landfill, Pentagon admits

  • review The Defense Department released a review of the mortuary practices at Dover Air Force Base today, where it had been exposed in November that remains of Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers had been incinerated and taken to a landfill.
  • reveal Dover did the same with some remains of 9/11 victims, from the attack on the Pentagon, and in the downed plane in Shanksville, PA. The landfill-bound remains were, the review notes, unidentified and in small portions. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 14:36

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Politics: Newt Gingrich explains what he means by “San Francisco values”

  • I’m here in 1983, and I’m part of a truth squad… for the convention. And we’re having a great time. It’s a great city, as you know, there’s a reason it’s one of the great tourist cities in the country. We’re down at Union Square, and CBS is interviewing me… literally, at that moment, a six-foot-two transvestite comes up to me and hands me an invitation to an exorcism of Jerry Falwell.
  • Newt Gingrich • Explaining, when pressed by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Joe Garofoli and Carla Marinucci, what precisely he means when he decries “San Francisco values.” His response, as you can see, is not one that will go over well with LGBT advocates, or people who believe a personal anecdote is shaky grounds for a broad-based political narrative. It does bear mentioning that Gingrich had some compliments for the city as, well, a city, and he also had some unexpected praise on California Democratic Governor Jerry Brown. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 10:42

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Politics: Gabrielle Giffords weighs strong on special election for her former seat

  • 671 signatures needed for the special election for Giffords’ old seat
  • 7,110 signatures received by Giffords’ former aide, Ron Barber source
  • » His closest GOP competitor got a fraction of that: Barber, who was encouraged by Giffords to run for the seat, has a major leg up in the April 17 primary for Arizona’s eighth Congressional district. The special election takes place in June. However, while Barber will run uncontested for the primary this time around, Democrats may take him on in the general election in November. A variety of Republicans are running for the seat, which is in a swing district.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 10:17

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U.S.: Ohio school shooting: Second person dies; gunman posted dark messages

  • story A second person, 17-year-old Russell King Jr., died late last night of injuries sustained during Monday’s shooting; he was pronounced brain dead. Another person is reportedly in critical condition from the shooting, and two others are hospitalized.
  • backgroundT.J. Lane, the gunman in the shooting, has been identified by the family’s lawyer. Lane posted a Facebook note back in December which ended: “Wriggle and writhe. Feel smaller beneath my might. Seizure in the Pestilence that is my scythe. Die, all of you.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 09:35

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World: Vladimir Putin will take your virginity. Vote for him!

  • Creepy Russian political ad of the day: Wherein a scared virgin is relieved to learn from a fortune teller that she’ll lose it, as they say, to former KGB agent and Russian Prime Minsiter Vladimir Putin, who’s running for president this year. Putin already served two terms as Russian president from 2000-2008; he couldn’t run again in 2008 due to term limit laws, so he chilled as Prime Minister for four years while Dmitry Medvedev warmed the seat, and now he’s seeking his old office again. If elected, he could conceivably serve until 2024. Anyway, it’s noteworthy that an ad like this flies in Russia; a similar commercial by, say, Mitt Romney’s campaign in the US probably wouldn’t cut it (imagine Rick Santorum’s response) It’s also noteworthy that there are two more ads with the same pro-“lose your virginity to Vlad Putin” message on the guy’s website. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2012 16:03

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Politics: Ron Paul hasn’t attacked Romney once during the debates

  • Ron and Mitt, bosom buddies: A lot has been made of the mysterious affinity between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. In addition Romney offering his private jet for Paul’s use, many note that, despite sharing almost none of the same policy positions, the two rarely go after each other during debates. ThinkProgress analyzed the forums, and its findings seem to confirm this: During the 20 Republican forums, Paul hasn’t attacked Romney once. We’d like to learn more about their methodology before drawing any hard conclusions from this (what counts as an “attack?”); we’re also curious as to why candidates like Jon Huntsman and Herman Cain weren’t included in the analysis [Edit: Herman Cain is actually represented on the chart; thanks to robajob for pointing that out]. Nevertheless, it is a rather odd phenomena, with explanations ranging from “they’re just friends” to “Romney promised Ron Paul’s son the VP slot” (which seems rather far-fetched, but not altogether impossible). It’s nice to have some numbers to back up the observation, and it’ll be interesting to see how the two handle Virginia’s primary, where they’re the only two candidates on the ballot. [many thanks to ThinkProgress, both for the analysis and the image] source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2012 15:20

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Politics: Reports: In boon to Democrats, Bob Kerrey will seek old Senate seat after all

  • Bob’s Back: After previously saying he’d sit 2012 out, it looks like former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey will run for his old Nebraska Senate seat after all (it’s currently held by Democrat Ben Nelson, who’s retiring). Kerrey’s decision to run is significant, as Republicans would almost certainly take the seat if he opted out, due to a rather weak Democratic bench in the Cornhusker State. However, Kerrey is generally regarded as a strong candidate, and his candidacy is perhaps Democrats’ best shot at retaining control of the seat . In an election year when Democrats have to defend 23 Senate seats, versus only 10 for Republicans, every little bit counts. [Author’s note: Apologies for using the word “seat” so many times in this article]. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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