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Zhang Xuping may be a cold-blooded murderer, but the people of his country are asking the court for leniency on his behalf. In September of 2008, Zhang killed a government official of the Communist Party, Li Shiming. Zhang was hired by a villager from Xiashuixi , a rural town in China, who was tired of being harassed by Li, and many other residents from Xiashuixi shared his sentiment. "I wanted to kill Li myself, but I was too weak," said Xin Xiaomei, a fellow villager, according to The Huffington Post. Li routinely harassed, beat up and stole from people who lived in Xiashuixi, and 20,669 residents signed a petition asking for leniency in his sentencing, despite the fact that Zhang had spent two years planning his murder and even studied anatomy so he could learn how to kill with one strike. ...

At 8 o’clock EST tonight, the polls will close in Massachusetts and votes will start being counted for one of the most closely watched mid-term elections in recent history. Voters will be choosing a candidate to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s seat, and whether they elect a Democrat or a Republican is so important that this has become a national issue, with Barack Obama himself visiting the state on Sunday to campaign for the Democratic candidate. Currently, the Democrats have a filibuster-proof majority, with 60% of the Senate voting Democrat. If, however, the Massachusetts seat went to a Republican candidate, they would lose that power which would, inevitably, change how the health care reform bill gets passed. According to The Plain Dealer, Republicans are hoping to send a message, by winning this election, that their party has rebounded from the great losses they suffered from the 2008 election. ...

This year’s Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais of the British ‘‘The Office’’, had the usual mix of unsurprising wins, heartfelt acceptance speeches and awkward introductions. James Cameron beat out his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow for best director for his film Avatar. According to The Gawker, he said ‘‘Frankly, I thought Kathryn was going to get this... and she richly deserves it’’. ‘‘Avatar’’, of the reportedly 500 million dollar budget, also won best drama picture. Hilarious ‘‘The Hangover ’’ won best musical or comedy, and Robert Downey Jr. (best actor in a musical or comedy), Sandra Bullock (best actress in a drama) and Alec Baldwin (best supporting actor in a musical or comedic series) all won awards. ...

Avid fans of American Idol were the first to hear what would quickly become a viral hit: Larry Platt singing his own song titled ‘‘Pants on the Ground’’ for the American Idol judges. Although Larry was rejected from show for age reasons (the 62 year old is a few years over the age cap of 28), he has become an overnight sensation. The video of his song has over 500,000 views and, according to Kens5 News, Larry has already received a phone call from Ryan Seacrest. ‘‘He said he liked the song and he told me to keep getting down’’ Larry said. Jimmy Fallon did a cover of the song on his late night show, and Platt is now reported to appear on the talk show ''The View'' on Monday. ...

Deuce McAllister, first-string quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, rejoined the team Friday, just a day before they play the Arizona Cardinals. McAllister has been out since February, 2009 with a knee injury. According to The Sun Herald, he will not dress for the game and will instead serve as an honorary team captain. Even so, his return has large symbolic significance for fans of the Saints, as Deuce is often considered the most popular in the team’s history. “Deuce McAllister has always embodied the spirit of the New Orleans Saints and the city of New Orleans” Coach Sean Payton was quoted as saying. ...

Residents of Florida, the Sunshine State, have experienced a very rare event; snow flurries and sleet have been detected in the central areas of the state according to The Miami Herald and numerous sources. Key West has seen its coldest temperature in 112 years according to News 24. (This Key West record cold was just 47° F. )

Florida Citrus growers become concerned about their crops when temperatures dip below freezing...

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Let me start off by admitting that I eat meat, fish or poultry almost every day. Having said that, I must also admit that I feel a certain sense of compassion for whales that are currently hunted by some nations despite a moratorium introduced in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission. Whale hunting recently made headlines as an anti-whaling boat collided with a Japanese whaling ship. ...

The season 9 schedule of American Idol 2010 was officially announced by Fox. The season 9 show is to debut on January, 12th at 8pm. The show will be telecasted on every Tuesday and Wednesday night. As usual each episode will be one hour long. This year, the show reaches our television with a lot of new changes. One such ‘big’ change is the elimination of the ‘Wild card round’ from the competition. Fox has also announced that DeGeneres will be the new fourth judge of ...

The 160 story building measures over 828 meters (2,717 feet); the height was just released by Emaar, the developer on the Grand Opening. The name has also been changed to Burj Khalifa an acknowledgment of UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed who has recently aided Dubai with recent economic woes. Emaar, the developer, is partially owned by ...

	source: WSJ
	source: WSJ
Estimated cost of Burj Khalifa: $1.5 Billion	Source: Wikipedia

The airport in Bakersfield, CA was closed down this morning due to an “ongoing security incident,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Closing down the Bakersfield airport means that no planes can land or depart until the airport is reopened, which should hopefully happen sometime later today. To help deal with the closure of the airport in any incoming flights are being diverted to other airports, mainly to Los Angeles International.