February 2012
6 posts
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When a Country Cracks Down on Contraception: Grim... →
The U.S. is once again at battle over birth control. It started with President Barack Obama’s “compromise” on mandatory coverage for contraceptives and has evolved into national shouting match about faith, family and fundamental rights. At the center of it all is Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, a conservative Catholic who is against abortion — yes, even in cases of rape and incest...
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Crisis in Syria Looks Very Different on Satellite... →
While restrictions imposed by the Syrian government on reporting inside the country do make it difficult to verify the authenticity of claims by activists, other television networks, like the BBC, have managed to send reporters to Homs and other besieged towns to gather information and report on the situation firsthand. The coverage of the conflict on Press TV and Russia Today, by contrast,...
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WatchNightline Clip Provides Glimpse of Apple Foxconn Factories
Nightline’s Bill Weir is seen on the floor of Foxconn’s Chengdu factory as workers clad in fingerless white gloves and uniforms pull and scan boxed iPads from the line.
“Tens of millions of people around the world have opened one of those sublime, white boxes to marvel at the brilliance of the iPad, but no one from the...
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“If Western countries continue to fully support Syria’s opposition, then in...”
– Foreign affairs “expert” Qu Xing for China’s Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily
Via Reuters
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January 2012
10 posts
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Super PACs: A new media weapon →
Super PACs are funded by American individuals, corporations and unions, who are legally allowed to donate as much money as they want to supposedly independent organisations but which are linked to a particular candidate. These Super PACs then unleash a slew of political TV ads that are not designed to support their candidate but rather take down the opposition. And so far they seem to be...
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Reagan was, 'in many ways, a moderate'
The man who became the most important American conservative icon in the 20th century was, in many ways, a moderate, says [Ronald Reagan biographer Craig] Shirley.
In 1978, Reagan campaigned against a referendum in California called Proposition 6 that would have banned gays and lesbians, and possibly anyone who supported gay rights, from working in the state’s public schools.
The bill...
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Watchshortformblog:
In case you missed it: Chris Hayes’ roundtable on SOPA is a must-watch, as it directly tackles the major issues around the legislation and explains them in a very effective way, including honestly dealing with the issues his employer, NBC Universal, has with the legislation. (Richard Cotton, one of the major figures representing NBC Universal in the SOPA fight, is part of the...
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AP opens full news bureau in North Korea →
John Daniszewksi, Associated Press:
The bureau expands the AP’s presence in North Korea, building on the breakthrough in 2006 when AP opened a video bureau in Pyongyang for the first time by an international news organization. Exclusive video from AP video staffers in Pyongyang was used by media outlets around the world following Kim’s death.
Now, AP writers and photojournalists will...
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“The basic issue was one of dignity, or the lack thereof, the feeling of worth or...”
– “The Struggle for Dignity” Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Policy
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“No orders were given to anyone to open fire on any citizen.”
– President Bashar al-Assad, live (via kateoplis)
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December 2011
29 posts
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NYT: Yemeni Leader May Be Allowed Into U.S. for... →
Though officials had been concerned that the decision would anger the many Yemenis eager to see Mr. Saleh prosecuted for the bloody clashes between security forces and protesters, they decided that giving Mr. Saleh a way out of Yemen, even temporarily, could help smooth the way to elections next year and perhaps end a political crisis that has brought the government of the impoverished nation to...
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AP: Bombing during Christmas mass near Nigeria... →
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“A military official told the wire service that more than 40 people were killed,...”
– Washington Post: Twin car bombs in Syria bring sign of worsening violence
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Politics, Religion and the Tea Party: What role... →
With a powerful Tea Party movement framing Republican policy in Washington and across the US, Fault Lines looks into the links between the Tea Party movement, the Christian conservative movement and Republican politics ahead of the GOP primaries.
As the race for the Republican presidential nomination for the 2012 elections heats up, Fault Lines follows the Iowa campaign trail to investigate the...
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At least 436 dead after storm pummels Philippines →
The vast majority of the bodies were found in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, according to military officials and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Five people were killed in a landslide, but all others died in flash flooding.
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Philippines storm triggers deadly flash floods →
Flash floods sparked by a tropical storm in the southern Philippines have killed at least 180 people and left scores missing, officials say.
Many of the victims were asleep when it struck Mindanao island, killing many in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro.
Tens of thousands of people have fled to higher ground, the authorities say.
Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster rescue agency, said...
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Philippines storm triggers deadly flash floods →
Flash floods sparked by a tropical storm in the southern Philippines have killed at least 180 people and left scores missing, officials say.
Many of the victims were asleep when it struck Mindanao island, killing many in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro.
Tens of thousands of people have fled to higher ground, the authorities say.
Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster rescue agency, said...
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“Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely...”
– Christopher Hitchens (via kateoplis)
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Oh my god.
Christopher Hitchens just died.
Christopher Hitchens just died.
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Study: Teen marijuana use increases, alcohol use... →
More teens are turning to pot and see it as less of a risk at the same time alcohol use among the same age group has dipped to historic lows, according to an annual national survey of drug use released Wednesday.
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Canada prospers as US suffers →
While the U.S. grants most of its green cards on the basis of family connections, Cala says Canada actively seeks out immigrants who can bring money, high-tech skills or new businesses to boost the economy.
As Europe works to solve its financial problems, closer to home - and with a little less fanfare - America’s biggest trading partner is thriving. Canada has built an impressive track...
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Romney: "I favor gay rights; I do not favor... →
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“Over supper in New York recently David Fincher, the director of the film, said...”
– From an article at The New York Times on David Fincher and his adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
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Saudi Arabia beheads woman for 'sorcery' →
Human rights group describes execution as “truly appalling” and notes steep rise in country’s use of capital punishment.
Al Jazeera English and agencies:
A Saudi woman has been beheaded after being convicted of practising sorcery, which is banned in the conservative Gulf kingdom, the country’s interior ministry said.
The ministry gave no further details of the...
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Philippine chief justice impeached →
Congress in the Philippines has voted to impeach the country’s Chief Justice Renato Corona for allegedly betraying public trust.
He will be put on trial before the Philippine Senate next year.
Mr Corona has been accused of showing bias towards the country’s former president, Gloria Arroyo, who originally appointed him and is now facing charges of electoral fraud.
The chief...
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The Syrian uprising by the numbers
Estimates from the UN’s top human rights official Navi Pillay:
5,000+ killed in Syrian uprising
14,000 arrested
12,400 fled to neighboring countries
Opposition activists say 20 died in clashes Monday.
BBC News
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Spell of the Albino: Investigating the sinister... →
Over the last five years in Tanzania, however, the situation has become much, much worse, with albinos increasingly subjected to murder and mutilation because of a completely spurious myth that albino body parts are effective in witchcraft rituals. … Since 2008, at least 62 albinos have been killed in Tanzania, 16 have been violently assaulted and had their limbs amputated and the bodies...
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Plan B still unavailable to teenagers without... →
The Obama administration has overruled an FDA approval to allow the emergency contraceptive Plan B to be sold to teenager without prescriptions.
[T]he Obama administration has overruled the Food and Drug Administration and will not allow teenage girls to buy the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step without a prescription.
The decision punctuates one of the longest-running public health...
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STUDY: Jon Stewart & NPR Viewers Most Informed,... →
November 2011
1 post
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Whoa.
October 2011
12 posts
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“This is to inform U.S. citizens residing in or visiting Kenya that the U.S....”
– U.S. Embassy in Kenya | CNN
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"The U.S. Embassy in Kenya warned American...
—CNN
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Photo of Gaddafi Wounded, via AFP/@RodrigoEBR. →
Is this for real?