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Beware the Water Cowboys as Scarcity Rises

An interesting piece from Grist came on the radar, focused on privatization of water supplies , and it’s worth a read: As communities struggle to balance their ever-shrinking budgets, investment firms and large, predominantly foreign companies are seizing the moment. Across the country, communities are being aggressively courted to sell or lease their drinking water and wastewater utilities to private companies. Since 1991, water utilities interested in profit have seduced at least 144 cities and towns into privatizing their domestic water systems. It’s an issue we’ll be… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Jesse James Engaged

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There’s nothing quite so heartwarming as the story of a man who cheats on his universally beloved wife with a tattooed stripper , but turns it all around and gets engaged to yet another tattoo enthusiast. Yes, those crazy kids Jesse James and Kat Von D are betrothed. Despite the aforementioned…

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A sad footnote to a tragic story: The mother of Isabelle Caro, the anorexic model who died last month , has committed suicide. Marie Caro’s husband told a Swiss paper that she felt “enormous guilt” about her daughter’s eating disorder and death and was beside herself over the press coverage that…

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Portman and Kutcher’s Saucy Scenes

Actors Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher talk about working together and giggling through the ‘intimate’ scenes in their new romantic comedy ‘No Strings Attached’. (Jan. 20)

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How to keep your unlocked HTC WP7 device from re-locking after every sync

Okay, so the WP7 hacking community may not be quite as active as that working tirelessly to keep every facet of Android devices splayed to the breeze, but that’s not to say there isn’t a skilled group of tinkerers doing their best on Microsoft’s best. ChevronWP7 is a clear example of that, and though it’s been officially pulled it is still quite certainly being used. Now its functionality has been extended with a second hack that enables you to use Zune to sync your HTC handset without it getting all locked up tight again. You can find all the details on the other end of the source link below, but we’ll go ahead and warn you that as soon as the next WP7 version drops this particular unlock will be disabled. Then it’ll be on to the next one. How to keep your unlocked HTC WP7 device from re-locking after every sync originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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For the second year in a row , the mysterious visitor who marked Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday each year by leaving three red roses and a bottle of cognac on the author’s Baltimore grave has failed to appear. The tradition, which began on Jan. 19, 1949, was last carried out on…

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Missing Teen Case Baffles Baltimore Police

If anyone knows how Phylicia Barnes spent her 17th birthday, they aren’t saying. Three weeks after the visiting honor student vanished in Baltimore, police are pessimistic, but her parents are holding onto hope. (Jan. 20)

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Bacteria: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Slideshow)

Photo: Ingram Publishing/Getty Images With so many products — from hand soap to dish detergent — boasting about their antibacterial properties, it’s easy to think that all bacteria are bad for you. But the world of bacteria isn’t so black and white: some bacteria help , some hurt, and some make vinegar. The 10 bacteria here are a few of the most famous — in bright, bold color.

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Sarah Palin operatives have begun putting out presidential feelers in Iowa, asking potential allies and activists whether they’d support a campaign, sources tell RealClearPolitics . Iowa’s politicos had until now assumed Palin wasn’t running, because most hadn’t heard from her, even as other would-be 2012 nominees jockeyed for their support. But…

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After Linking Conservatives to Hateful Rhetoric, NBC Skips Dem Who Compared the GOP to Nazis

After spending close to two weeks bemoaning the state of political dialogue in America and wondering about its connection to the shooting of a Congresswoman, NBC has, thus far, completely ignored a Democratic Representative comparing the Republicans to Nazis and the Holocaust. On Wednesday, Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen smeared, “They say it's a government takeover of health care. A big lie, like Goebbels…The Germans said enough about the Jews, and the people believed it and you had the Holocaust.” Both ABC and CBS reported the story, but NBC skipped it on Wednesday's Nightly News and on Thursday's Today show. Yet, on January 10, 2011 , NBC's Andrea Mitchell warned, “While there is no evidence [Sarah Palin's] Web site featuring a target on Giffords' district had anything to do with this attack, some are asking if today's political rhetoric is inspiring the lunatic fringe?” On Wednesday's Today , Today co-host Meredith Vieira hectored Glenn Beck: “I mean there are people who've criticized you and said…you're part of the problem in terms of anger…you've added to this dialogue of hatred.” In his speech, given on the floor of the House of Representatives, Representative Cohen compared the GOP position on health care to that of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Considering the NBC's focus on the subject of hateful words, wouldn't this have been an important story to mention? Over on ABC, Jon Karl discussed the remarks on the Wednesday World News and the Thursday Good Morning America. Co-host Robin Roberts chided, “It's never a sign of civility to compare your opponent's tactics to those of the Nazis. But that is exactly what one Democratic congressman did.” Karl then explained, “Last night, the Anti-Defamation League condemned Congressman Cohen's words. Saying, quote, that 'invoking the holocaust and the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish people is offensive and has no place in civil political discourse.'” A CBS reporter referenced the comments on the Wednesday Evening News, but not Thursday's Early Show. Nancy Cordes observed, “A tentative agreement to tone down the rhetoric was shattered when one Democratic likened Republican claims about the law to Nazi propaganda.” A transcript of the January 20 GMA segment, which aired at 7:10am EST, follows: ROBIN ROBERTS: Politics, as you know, was put on hold in Washington, in the aftermath of the Tucson shootings. But the new civility seems to be at an end. In the House, voting Wednesday to repeal the health care law and the debate, at times, was, really, not so civil. Jonathan Karl has more. He joins us from the Capitol this morning. Good morning, Jon. JON KARL: Good morning, Robin. It's never a sign of civility to compare your opponent's tactics to those of the Nazis. But that is exactly what one Democratic congressman did. The Republicans hailed the vote, as a promise kept. REP. MIKE PENCE (R-IN): Today, House Republicans are going to stand with the American people and vote to repeal their government takeover of health care, lock, stock and barrel. KARL: Repeal will hit a brick wall in the Senate. But Republicans made it clear, they won't stop there. REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN): We will not stop until we repeal a President and put a President in the position of the White House, who will repeal this bill. Until we repeal the current senate, and put in a Senate that will listen to the American people. And repeal this bill. KARL: Their next plan of attack, starve health care reform of funding. For example, no money for IRS agents needed to implement the law's tax provisions. The debate was, for the most part, civil. But one Democratic Congressman accused Republicans of using Nazi-like tactics to make their case. REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): They say it's a government takeover of health care. A big lie, like Goebbels. You say it enough. You repeat the lie. You repeat the lie. You repeat the lie. And eventually, people believe it. Like blood libel. That's the same kind of thing. The Germans said enough about the Jews, and the people believed it and you had the Holocaust. KARL: Last night, the Anti-Defamation League condemned Congressman Cohen's words. Saying, quote, that “Invoking the holocaust and the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish people is offensive and has no place in civil political discourse.” Robin? ROBERTS: Jon, has the Congressman apologized at all? KARL: Absolutely not. In fact, he is standing by his words. And says that he has no intentions of apologizing. — Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter .

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