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There has never been a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. This means the U.S., a combatant in the conflict, as leader of the U.N. Command, is free to use force against Pyongyang. On legal grounds, the U.S. Navy therefore has every right to seize the Kang Nam, treat the crew as prisoners of war and confiscate its cargo, even if the ship is carrying nothing more dangerous than melons. (via Korean War II - WSJ.com
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When the Sony Walkman was launched, 30 years ago this week, it started a revolution in portable music. But how does it compare with its digital successors? The Magazine invited 13-year-old Scott Campbell to swap his iPod for a Walkman for a week. (via BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Giving up my iPod for a Walkman
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In the weekend’s bizarrest news, a nearly finished, newly constructed building in Shanghai toppled over, killing one worker. As can be seen in the photo below, it collapsed with just enough room to escape what would have been a far more destructive domino effect involving other buildings in the 11-building complex. (via Shanghai Building Collapses, Nearly Intact - China Journal - WSJ
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—Schmidt (via Reuters, AdWeek): “Reasonable to be optimistic for 2010”; U.S. jobless claims indicate “the beginning of the bottom”; “If people are concerned Americans will stop spending, you do not understand the American psyche”; “It’s shocked me that Americans started to save. My guess is that’s a temporary phenomenon.”
—Ballmer (via Guardian, ClickZ): “I don’t think we are in a recession, I think we have reset”; “We have reset and won’t rebound and re-grow”; “I’m sort of prepared for us to trundle along for a while before we begin (to re-grow)”