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14 Apr 2010 10:11

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World: Rescuers in full search mode after major Chinese earthquake

  • 6.9 the magnitude
    of the quake, as reported by the USGS
  • 400+ people have been
    killed in the wake of the major quake
  • 10k+ people reported injured
    in China’s Qinghai province source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2010 22:10

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Music: A Big Star without health insurance: The sad end of Alex Chilton

  • At least twice in the week before his fatal heart attack, Chilton experienced shortness of breath and chills while cutting grass. But he did not seek medical attention, [wife Laura] Kersting said, in part because he had no health insurance.
  • New Orleans Times-Picayune reporter Keith Spera • Regarding the last week of Box Tops and Big Star lead singer Alex Chilton, who lacked the health insurance to keep him alive, sadly. That’s despite the fact that he wrote hit songs (including a popular TV show theme song) and had a reputation up there with the greatest in pop music history. Chilton, who lived in New Orleans for most of the last three decades, wasn’t overly sentimental about death, but this ties into the health insurance problems many musicians face. He was only 59. He still had plenty of life left to live; there’s no reason it had to end like this. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2010 10:24

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World: Kyrgyzstan may arrest the old president for role in protester deaths

  • Because, hey, that seems reasonable. If you just took over a former Soviet Bloc country in a coup, would you let the old guy get away? That’s what interim leader Roza Otunbayeva is considering. She may charge ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in the deaths of 81 people by soldiers loyal to him. She makes it clear, however, that her country does not want to do it by force. But others, however, may not be so gracious. “There are people who want revenge,” she says. “It’s a very sensitive situation. You must understand that we won’t be able guarantee his security ourselves.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2010 10:26

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World: RIP Lech Kaczynski: Three fast facts about the Polish president

  • one He had a twin brother, Jaroslaw, who was also involved in Polish politics. They founded a party together.
  • two Both brothers were
    child actors who initially shot to fame in the 1962 film “Two Boys Who Stole the Moon.”
  • three After the fall of Soviet Russia, the right-winger was a political outsider who later returned to prominence. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Apr 2010 20:30

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Music: RIP Malcolm McLaren: The guy who sold us on punk

  • He managed the Sex Pistols, among others. One of the greatest music impresarios of the last 40 years, McLaren first ran an image-obsessed London boutique called “Sex,” and later parlayed it into pre-fabbing the Sex Pistols, an anarchic bunch about whom he says this: “I never thought the Sex Pistols would be any good. But it didn’t matter if they were bad.” The British rock stars were his greatest achievement, but he had many others, too: Adam & the Ants, Bow Wow Wow, and his own music. Dude died of mesothelioma, a form of cancer. He was 64. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2010 11:33

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World: Baghdad’s post-election attacks start to pick up, big time

  • 30+ people have been killed in the three in-tandem car bombings
  • 200+ were wounded; the attacks were near embassies source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

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
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

30 Mar 2010 21:42

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Culture: Stand and remember: Teaching legend Jaime Escalante dies

  • The subject of iconic ’80s flick “Stand and Deliver,” Escalante took his innovative teaching techniques to a rough-and-tumble East L.A. school, and got 14 students to pass a super-tough AP Calculus exam – a feat so incredible the students were accused of cheating. In reality, dude built a math program so amazing that, even though he didn’t get along with the administration, teachers across the country studied his techniques. The Edward James Olmos portrayal was just icing. He died of cancer today at 79. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Mar 2010 10:55

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World: Amnesty International says China executed a lot of people last year

  • 1000’snumber of people executed in China last year, according to Amnesty International – note the lack of firm number here
  • 714 number of people executed in 17 other nations last year, including Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United States source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Mar 2010 20:42

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U.S.: Here’s what bullying can lead to, guys (it’s very sad, trust us)

  • three good, solid months of bullying some girl from another country you don’t like
  • one teenager’s suicide; Phoebe Prince killed herself due to the constant bullying
  • nine Massachusetts teens charged in the wake of her death – two with statutory rape source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 
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