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13.7: Cosmos And Culture
11:30 am
Tue December 6, 2011

Pepper-Spraying The Holidays: Time And The Ethic Of Consumption

Credit Matt Cardy / Getty Images
Buy more, or buy less, this holiday season; the choice is yours.

It has become a new and depressing holiday tradition. Every year on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, thousands of human beings stampede into big-box stores searching for "deals." And, every year, by days-end the horror stories emerge on the newsfeed: fights break out among frenzied shoppers or worse, someone gets trampled to death. This year's award goes to the woman who pepper sprayed a crowd of fellow shoppers who were scrambling to get cheap Xbox consoles.

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The Two-Way
11:27 am
Tue December 6, 2011

U.S. Unveils Virtual 'Embassy' To Iran

Days after angry Iranian students overran the British embassy in Tehran, The U.S. has opened its new "embassy" for Iranian citizens. Senior U.S. diplomats haven't returned to Tehran after more than 30 years - this department is web only.

The front page features a welcome video from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the seal of the State Department, with the banner "Virtual Embassy of the United States, Tehran - Iran" set at the very top.

But as the welcome message reads,

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The Two-Way
10:56 am
Tue December 6, 2011

Next Muslim Radicalization Congressional Hearing Will Focus On Military

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) listens during a hearing on Muslim radicalization before the House Homeland Security Committee in March.

Rep. Peter King is set to continue his series of controversial hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims with a fourth one tomorrow. King, a New York Republican along with Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, will explore how radicalization threatens the military.

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The Two-Way
10:35 am
Tue December 6, 2011

Egypt And Tigerblood Top Twitter's List Of Hashtags This Year

Credit Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Charlie Sheen turned #tigerblood into a hashtag of note.

Yet another sign of the very diverse interests of the world's webizens:

Twitter says the top two hashtags this year have been #egypt and #tigerblood.

Egypt went to the top of words to search and post thanks to the Arab Spring and the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. As for No. 2, its popularity is all due to actor Charlie Sheen and his famous claim to have "tiger blood."

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It's All Politics
10:10 am
Tue December 6, 2011

Give Immigration Reform A Chance, Say Nation's Most Conservative Voters

When new GOP presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich recently advocated a "humane" approach to addressing illegal immigrants in America, some conservatives questioned whether it would fatally damage the former House Speaker's campaign.

After all, Texas Gov. Rick Perry saw his bid for the GOP nomination falter in part because of his support for a program that allows children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

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