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15 May 2010 13:19

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World: Why the Red Shirt crackdown? They’re trying to force the protesters out

  • Previously at its peak, there were about 10,000 or at least 9,000 protesters a day but since last night when we set up checkpoints around the protest area, you can see number of protesters have dropped to 5,000.
  • Thai Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd • Explaining what the army is trying to do to the Red Shirt protesters, who have occupied part of Bangkok. They claim that they’re trying to clear out the fighters, which sounds like it’s effective based on Kaewkamnerd’s estimation, but has had the side effect of fostering violence. The Red Shirts say they won’t give in easily. One thing we should note – the emergency situation is only in about a third of the city; many other parts are getting along somewhat normally. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 13:08

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World: How bad is the fighting in Bangkok right now, anyway?

  • 25 have been killed since the
    Thai government ordered a
    crackdown on Red Shirt protesters
    in Bangkok a few days ago
  • 150 have been wounded in the
    crackdown; Prime Minister Abhisit
    Vejjajiva suggests the Red Shirts are
    trying to cause a civil war source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2010 23:43

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Politics: Max Headroom: Newser’s Michael Wolff misses the point of short

  • We’ve been following the Newser/the wrap tiff with great interest. Because we find the whole thing silly. Today, the conflict took a turn for the insane, with poor Howard Kurtz right in the middle. As fellow ShortFormers, we agree with Michael Wolff’s ideals, but the problem lies with his execution. There’s no respect for the content. (Although we feel Sharon Waxman’s rules of the road are a bit extreme.)

  • the conflict First off, we want to encourage everyone to go to Mediaite for more context. (Their clips are great. Their embeds, not so much. Please fix this, guys. We love you!) Anyway, it’s clear what’s happening here. Waxman asks for something reasonable (fair attribution that encourages further reading on her site). Wolff bites her head off. Ouch!

  • Newser‘s Goals Recently, Wolff was trying to make his arguments about the shortening of content on GRITtv, and on their face, we totally agree with them. Problem is, it seems like he’s done this in a self-serving way. Look, Michael, we like short, too, but respect the sites you’re pulling from. In the long term, this lack of respect only hurts you.

  • The Wrap‘s goals This promotional video made near the time of The Wrap’s launch shows similarly lofty goals for Waxman’s brand of entertainment journalism. Seems to us there’s room for both Waxman’s ideas and Wolff’s. The problem, it seems to us, is that Newser seems to lack respect for Waxman’s work. Yo, Michael – make deals, not enemies.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2010 22:57

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U.S.: A Catholic sex-abuse conflict that DOESN’T involve the Pope

  • The church didn’t recognize that this bill makes improvements. The victims  – their lives have been changed and some will never recover from years of sexual abuse. For me, it’s about giving them access to the courts.
  • Connecticut Rep. Beth Bye • Regarding a sex-abuse limitations bill running through the state legislature. The bill would allow those with concrete abuse claims access to the courts. Much like everything else Catholic-Church-sex-abuse related nowadays, the Church is in strong defensive mode and telling parishioners to fight against the bill. Bye says the bill makes improvements – for example, someone older than 48 making a claim has to join a case led by someone younger than 48, and show substantial proof of abuse. Oh, and the bill isn’t focused on the Catholic Church at all – it just affects them most because they’re in the news. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2010 13:56

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World: Now it’s deadly: The Thai protests turn a dark, dark corner

  • 12+ number of people killed
    in the conflict between Thai
    protesters and security
  • 500+ number of people injured,
    which is way more than we
    reported earlier     source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Apr 2010 10:39

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World: State of emergency No. 2: Red Shirts too much for Thailand

  • Dudes apparently stormed the Parliament today. The blood-spilling, angry-at-government protesters have held parts of the capital at their whim for days, and now Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government has called a state of emergency. Why? To give the military more control. (However, they can’t harm civilians.) Have fun with that, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2010 23:14

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World: Elian Gonzalez (remember him?) on the Che Guevara path to fame

In the movie bound to be made about this hard-fought-for Cuban kid’s life, Shia LaBeouf needs to play the lead. Gotta love communism! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 Mar 2010 11:06

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World: Israeli West Bank settlement drama partly an economic thang

  • Real estate prices on the west side of the fence are the lowest, security arrangements are better than on the east side and (offer) better access to the major cities allows settlers to work in Israel.
  • A analysis piece by the Tel Aviv Macro Centre for Political Economics • Regarding why settlement-building in the West Bank is still an ongoing thing, with 6,657 new structures since 2004 alone. While the U.S. and EU say that the buildings get in the way of peace talks (and have caused the country’s latest blow-up), it’s notable that the structures often have significant economic benefits (that have nothing to do with a land debate), too. “Israelis do not want to live beyond the separation barrier” splitting the east and west sides of the West Bank, the report also notes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2009 11:11

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U.S., World: Veterans Day is today; don’t forget to honor the fallen

Today’s Veterans Day. 11/11. Obama celebrated at a ceremony at Arlingtion National Cemetery. How did you celebrate? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jun 2009 22:23

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U.S., World: Obama’s quoting MLK in support of Iran protests

  • Martin Luther King once said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian people’s belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.
  • President Barack Obama • Speaking on the Iranian protests. Taking a different turn from the guarded language he had previously been using to describe the conflict, he’s now actively encouraging the protests by Iranians. Which, of course, should make Iranian leadership happy. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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