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13 Jun 2011 15:52

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Politics: Herman Cain asserts his Americanism over President Obama’s

  • … I feel more of an affinity for America than I do for Africa. I’m a black man in America. Barack Obama is more of an international. … he was raised in Kenya, his mother was white from Kansas and her family had an influence on him, it’s true, but his dad was Kenyan, and when he was going to school he got a lot of fellowships, scholarships… He spent most of his career as an intellectual.
  • GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain • Speaking to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, in an interview he wrote for Bloomberg View. Goldberg, to his credit, corrected Cain that President Obama spent some years of his childhood in Indonesia, not Kenya, to which Cain replied, “Yeah, Indonesia.” Whether this was a sincere mistake or not is impossible to say, and frankly doesn’t entirely matter — Cain is trying to paint Obama as mysterious and foreign, as opposed to himself, an American black man who rejects the term “African-American.” He also throws in some anti-intellectualism for good measure, but really, the story here is his stoking of, if not birtherism, the core belief that allowed that rumor to spread — he ain’t one of us. In trying to seize momentum with his recent, strident remarks, Cain’s campaign slogan could easily share a title with a classic 80s film — “Say Anything.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 15:30

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World: Jakarta’s terrorism concerns rise with recent “book bombs”

  • 4 mail bombs sent in Jakarta, Indonesia in just three days source
  • » Thankfully, only one has actually gone off. That occurred as authorities were attempting to disarm it, and it injured four. The bombs are reportedly being sent through the mail within books, the last of which was “The Militant Jewish,” addressed to Ahmad Dhani, a recording artist and vocal supporter of religious freedom. The other people targeted were Gorries Mere, a high-ranking anti-terrorism officer, Ulil Abshar Abdalla, a senior member of Jakarta’s Democratic Party and a vocal critic of fundamentalist Islamic groups, and Yapto Soerjosoemarno, also an advocate for religious freedom. Jakarta has absorbed a lot of pain from terrorism over the last several years- here’s hoping they get this under control right away.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2011 14:23

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World: Nazril Irham, Indonesian pop star, jailed for sex tape

  • 3.5 years in prison for Nazril Irham over internet sex tape source
  • » Remind us not to bring the camcorder to Indonesia: Most everybody enjoys an amorous pleasure now and again, it’s only natural. What most of us don’t face, though, is having our private sexual pleasures made public, and then being thrown into prison for it. Such is the fate of Indonesian pop star Nazril “Ariel” Irham, who was jailed for three and a half years starting Monday, thanks to a sex-tape (made with his girlfriend) that found its way onto the internet. Irham denies he’s the man on the tape, while police say that his friend took the video off Irham’s computer and uploaded it without his knowledge. In any event, thanks to a 2008 anti-porn law, this dangerous deviant will be off the streets and pop charts of Indonesia. THANK. GOD.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Nov 2010 10:44

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World: Indonesia’s erupting Mount Merapi not calming down anytime soon

  • 156 people have been killed by Mount Merapi’s massive eruption since October 26
  • 12.4 number of miles the volcano’s danger zone extends; ash has killed some living miles away
  • 200k people have been displaced by the volcano’s 3.7-mile-high wrath source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Oct 2010 09:30

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World: Finally, some good (OK, better) news from the Indonesia quake

  • 135 missing people were found alive so far; whew source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Oct 2010 09:50

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World: An update on Indonesia’s deadly twin disasters

  • 34people killed by Tuesday’s eruption; it erupted again, too
  • 343 people confirmed dead in the massive tsunami in Indonesia
  • 338 people still missing; officials fear as many as 500 could be dead
  • 16k people displaced by the tsunami, which created 10-foot waves source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Oct 2010 10:46

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World: Was Indonesia’s tsunami-warning system working?

  • NO somebody vandalized it; good job, you freaking moron source
  • » This is really depressing because: Well, let’s see. The system was built in the wake of the ultra-deadly 2004 tsunami. And it’s going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix. So yeah, read into that what you will, guys. That said, since the quake was so close to the islands, it may have been tough to react in time, anyway.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

26 Oct 2010 10:12

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World: Indonesia needs your prayers after massive earthquake

  • 7.7 the magnitude of the quake, which hit the country Monday
  • 40+ number of people reported dead in the wake of the quake, which hit near the Sumatra region
  • 380+ number of people reported missing; an entire village was swept away after a massive wave hit it source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2010 11:08

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World: Sumatra volcano erupts in Indonesia, affecting thousands

  • 400number of years since the Mount Sinabung last erupted
  • 1,500number of meters ash flew into the air during the eruption
  • 12knumber of residents who were forced from their homes source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jul 2010 19:19

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Offbeat: Indonesian Muslims: You’re praying in the wrong direction

  • It has been decided that actually the mosques are facing Somalia or Kenya, so we are now suggesting people shift the direction slightly to the north-west. There’s no need to knock down mosques, just shift your direction slightly during prayer.
  • Indonesian Ulema Council head Cholil Ridwan • Informing Muslims in the country that they’ve been praying in the wrong direction. Because that’s not alarming or anything. The group, also known as the MUI, says that people’s prayers have not been wasted, and that Allah still heard them. It’s not often that iPhone users have something in common with Muslims, but both have apparently been doing it the wrong way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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