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18 May 2011 21:34

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Politics: Dark horse alert: Rick Perry may run for president

  • Late registration: The reporting is a bit muddled and inconclusive, but it looks like Texas Governor Rick Perry may be testing the waters for a presidential run. Jumping into the race this late in the game would require a lot of catch up, and Perry’s past flirtations with secession could pose a problem for him as a presidential candidate. Nevertheless, if he did enter the race, he would have a very solid chance of getting the nomination–and, in our opinion, a reasonable shot at defeating Obama in 2012. source

11 May 2011 23:54

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U.S.: Liberal county attempts secession from Arizona

  • Pima County wants to become the 51st state. It’s a left-leaning county in conservative Arizona, and a group of residents have initiated the process of secession. The new state, dubbed “Baja Arizona,” would be larger than four existing states and more populous than five others. The movement gained steam after some controversial moves by Republican Governor Jan Brewer, but it has a long road ahead. First, petitioners must collect 48,000 signatures. Then, voters need to approve a measure to send the proposal to the state legislature. Then, the legislature has to pass it. Then, voters have to approve it again. “All the stars would have to align for this to happen,” a lawyer backing the Baha effort said, “but it could conceivably happen by the fall of 2013.” As residents of California, count us skepticalsource

08 Feb 2011 09:53

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World: Dividing Sudan: Forgive us of our foreign debt. Please?

  • $38B the amount Sudan owes in foreign debt – $30 billion in debt arrears
  • 1993 the last time the country could get a loan from the World Bank
  • 75% the amount the country hopes to get forgiven before it splits source
  • » The spit has something to do with it: The size of Sudan’s debt could effectively limit the region’s ability to get a fresh start as it splits into two. Southern Sudanese official Gabriel Changson Chang is making a hard push for the changes before the countries divide. “We want both the north and south to be economically viable,” he says. Current president Omar al-Bashir has made similar claims as well, and with good reason: Half of the country’s population currently lives on less than $1 a day and need some sort of food aid.

07 Feb 2011 10:19

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World: Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir: We’re OK with the secession vote

  • We will announce today in front of the world our acceptance and respect for the choice of the people of the south.
  • Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir • Revealing that his country would accept the results of a country-splitting referendum between the north and south. The south chose, by a wide margin, to secede, a result that cuts back Bashir’s clout but could help stabilize the entire region. source

31 Jan 2011 12:23

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World: Secession of South Sudan has overwhelming mandate

  • 99% of South Sudanese voted for secession source