NA-300-ShowNotes

  [VIDEO] Air France crash 'flight recorder' part found - CNN.com
    The orange-colored recorder 'chassis' was found on Wednesday during the second day of an operation which also hopes to retrieve bodies from the wreckage site.
  10:23AM: US Lifts Sanctions On Sudan's Largest Bank. (w.tromp news feed)
    US Lifts Sanctions On Sudan's Largest Bank.
    The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control posted notice on its website that Bank of Khartoum was removed from the blacklist, meaning it can seek the return of blocked assets and resume limited dealings with U.S. financial institutions.
  10:31AM: China expresses willingness to boost cooperation with southern Sudan, promises further aid. (w.tromp news feed)
    China expresses willingness to boost cooperation with southern Sudan, promises further aid.
    "China is ready to promote its friendly exchanges with southern Sudan on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence," said Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in a meeting with David Deng Athorbei, envoy of the president of the southern Sudan government, in...
  10:40AM: Great seed robbery. (pg.chrys news feed)
    Great seed robbery.
    Monsanto, which controls 95 per cent of the cottonseed market, has pushed the price of seed from `7 per kg to `3,600 per kg, with nearly half being royalty payments. It was extracting `1,000 crores per annum as royalty from Indian farmers before Andhra Pradesh sued it in the...
  10:57AM: New hand in line to join Obama Middle East team. (w.tromp news feed)
    New hand in line to join Obama Middle East team.
    Simon, formerly the Clinton NSC's senior director for transnational threats, and currently an adjunct senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations and a professor at Georgetown University of Middle East security studies, did not immediately respond to request for...
  11:31AM: Tajikistan President calls global terrorism a myth. (bertb news feed)
    Tajikistan President calls global terrorism a myth.
    The president of Tajikistan, which has been waging battle with a domestic insurgency for the past few years, says international terrorism is a myth invented by global superpowers.
  10:07PM: Superman threatens to renounce US citizenship. (bertb news feed)
    Superman threatens to renounce US citizenship.
    In the latest issue of Action Comics, which went on sale on Wednesday, the Man of Steel decides to take the step after he intervenes in a protest against the Iranian government.
  10:29PM: Bahrain 'torture service' official to attend royal wedding. (bertb news feed)
    Bahrain 'torture service' official to attend royal wedding.
    Khalifa was head of the agency from 2005 to 2008. The pressure group Human Rights Watch alleges that in 2007 detainees in Bahrain suffered torture including electric shocks and beatings.
  1:20AM: Ivory Coast Banks reopen after 10-week shutdown. (bertb news feed)
    Ivory Coast Banks reopen after 10-week shutdown.
    The reopening of the banking system is a step towards restarting the economy of the world's biggest cocoa producer. (The new president used to be the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund)
  2:13AM: Pope John Paul's blood to go on display at Vatican. (w.tromp news feed)
    Pope John Paul's blood to go on display at Vatican.
    The Vatican said the blood, which had been stored in a Rome hospital, had been kept in a liquid state by an anti-coagulant that was added when it was taken from him.
  2:25AM: Obama Administration punishes reporter for using multimedia (w.tromp news feed)
    Obama Administration punishes reporter for using multimedia
    White House officials have banished one of the best political reporters in the country from the approved pool of journalists covering presidential visits to the Bay Area for using now-standard multimedia tools to gather the news.
  2:52AM: Where is Ahmadinejad? (Grebulon reports from gitmonation falafel)
    Where is Ahmadinejad?
    Possible rift appearing in Iranian leadership 'The Guardian' reports Ahmadinejad hasn't been seen in public since Khamenei overruled his decision to fire a key minister.
  3:49AM: TJX chief gets $23m, or 33% more (robertleather news feed)
    TJX chief gets $23m, or 33% more
    TJX Cos. chief executive, Carol Meyrowitz, has received more than $23 million in compensation for fiscal year 2011, a 33 percent yearly increase.
  4:33AM: Angelina Jolie on way to Siem Reap (IsNoGood)
    Angelina Jolie on way to Siem Reap
    Angelina Jolie on way to Siem Reap. Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie is set to return to the Kingdom today to shoot an advertising campaign for fashion label Louis Vuitton in Siem Reap, but those connected with the visit have remained tight lipped about her agenda.
  4:38AM: Seth Rogen: Alzheimer's is 'brutal' (My New Feed)
    Seth Rogen: Alzheimer's is 'brutal'
    [Here's an actor raising awareness to Alzheimers] Larry King returns to CNN with a look at how people cope with Alzheimer's disease. Don't miss"Unthinkable: The Alzheimer's Epidemic," at 8 ET Sunday night on CNN. (CNN) -- Seth Rogen may be known for...
  5:00AM: Smartphone Users: 33% Would Give Up Chocolate Before Phones (DaDenMan news feed)
    Smartphone Users: 33% Would Give Up Chocolate Before Phones
    Smartphone users love their phones so much, a full one-third would give up chocolate in order to keep using their devices. That's according to a new survey commissioned by Google of 5,013 U.S. adult smartphone users.
  5:13AM: Playtech Poker Revenue Down 33 Percent - European Poker News - CardPlayerEurope.com. (DaDenMan news feed)
    Playtech Poker Revenue Down 33 Percent - European Poker News - CardPlayerEurope.com.
    Playtech, the publicly-quoted online gaming software provider which owns the iPoker network, today reported poker revenue down 33 percent in the first quarter of 2011 to 5.7 million compared to 8.5 million a year earlier.
  5:11AM: World Stock Markets Rally To 33-Month High. (DaDenMan news feed)
    World Stock Markets Rally To 33-Month High.
    The MSCI World Stock Market Index closed today at 1,371.4, reaching the highest level since July 30, 2008, almost 33 months ago. Compared to the cyclical low of 697.5 in early March 2009, the MSCI World Stock Index has almost doubled over the last two...
  5:09AM: 33 militants killed in northwest Pakistan. (DaDenMan news feed)
    33 militants killed in northwest Pakistan.
    slamabad, April 28 (IANS) At least 33 militants were killed Thursday by security forces and pro-government militia in the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan, media reports said. Six militants were killed in a clash with pro-government tribes in the Kurram agency, one of the...
  5:06AM: Dollar Hits 33-Month Low, Gold Sets New Record. (DaDenMan news feed)
    Dollar Hits 33-Month Low, Gold Sets New Record.
    The U.S. Dollar Index reached 73.05, its lowest level since July 2008, in overnight trading as investors used the Federal Reserve and Chairman Bernanke's continued dovish stance at its FOMC meeting yesterday as a catalyst to sell the greenback.
  5:18AM: The War on Money - Precious Metals - Resource Investor. (DaDenMan news feed)
    The War on Money - Precious Metals - Resource Investor.
    Some government apologists might say, "If you aren't doing anything wrong, why would you mind being x-rayed, sniffed, patted down, detained and questioned?" Besides the obvious absurdity of that question, the main reason this is of concern is because in every case...
  5:27AM: Belgium closer to banning burqa (My New Feed)
    Belgium closer to banning burqa
    [can they make laws, without a government?] BELGIUM has taken a major step toward banning burqa-type Islamic dress in public when its lower house of parliament overwhelmingly backed the measure. After today's approval, the senate still has several weeks to decide whether to...
  5:29AM: Scientist find a way to wipe out painful memories (My New Feed)
    Scientist find a way to wipe out painful memories
    [and theres Alzheimer again] IT sounds like something from a science fiction movie. But researchers reckon they have found a way to erase painful memories and post-traumatic stress. They discovered a link between a protein called PKM and recollections of disturbing incidents....
  6:57AM: Coca-Cola rejects growing calls for bisphenol A disclosure. (w.tromp news feed)
    Coca-Cola rejects growing calls for bisphenol A disclosure.
    Coca-Cola is facing mounting pressure on bisphenol A (BPA) after 26 per cent of its shareholders called on the company to reveal its plans over the continued use of the chemical in its packaging.
  7:02AM: Pakistan tests nuclear capable cruise missile. (w.tromp news feed)
    Pakistan tests nuclear capable cruise missile.
    Pakistan on Friday successfully conducted flight test of indigenously developed air launched cruise missile, which "can deliver nuclear and conventional warheads with great pin point accuracy," the army said.
  7:09AM: Bird flu vaccine sales to governments artificially boosted Sanofi-Aventis's numbers. (Southern Bread News Feed)
    Bird flu vaccine sales to governments artificially boosted Sanofi-Aventis's numbers.
    Last year's results were also doped up by sales of bird flu vaccine to governments. When these were stripped out, sales growth was 0.1 percent despite the 569 million euros in sales lost to generics, the company said.
  [VIDEO] Valerie Jarrett: Obama Not Releasing College Records. (audio) (w.tromp news feed)
    Valerie Jarrett: Obama Not Releasing College Records. (audio)
    "He's almost 50 years old and he's president of the United States and I don't think anybody would debate his intelligence and so now we need to get serious ... let's just get serious and get back to focusing on what's important," senior Obama...
  7:58AM: Feds sting Amish farmer selling raw milk locally. Cite interstate commerce violation (w.tromp news feed)
    Feds sting Amish farmer selling raw milk locally. Cite interstate commerce violation
    A yearlong sting operation, including aliases, a 5 a.m. surprise inspection and surreptitious purchases from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, culminated in the federal government announcing this week that it has gone to court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling its contraband...
  8:00AM: David Arkush: U.S. Supreme Court to Major Corporations: You Write the Rules. (Adam Curry's Gitmo Nation News Feed)
    David Arkush: U.S. Supreme Court to Major Corporations: You Write the Rules.
    In essence, AT&T asked the court to allow it to use the fine print of contracts to eliminate class actions, a practice that flouts the laws of 20 states. In a 5-4 decision, the court granted AT&T's request.
  8:06AM: Why Are Eva Longoria and Rosario Dawson at the White House? Closed-Door Meetings to Build Support for Immigration Reform (w.tromp news feed)
    Why Are Eva Longoria and Rosario Dawson at the White House? Closed-Door Meetings to Build Support for Immigration Reform
    President Obama is meeting with a number of Hispanic actors and journalists this afternoon in another behind-the-scenes effort to enlist support and build momentum for his vision of immigration reform.
  8:13AM: Students Forced to Answer Intimate, Sexually Suggestive Surveys. (w.tromp news feed)
    Students Forced to Answer Intimate, Sexually Suggestive Surveys.
    Both girls were required to complete the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) at school, a survey which asks questions such as "Have you ever tried to kill yourself?", "Have you ever sniffed glue, or breathed the contents of spray cans, or inhaled any paints?",...
  8:29AM: Facebook early investors want to offload $1billion of shares. (w.tromp news feed)
    Facebook early investors want to offload $1billion of shares.
    Early-stage investors and employees are worried the bubble might be about to burst. A group of shareholders want to offload $1billion of Facebook shares on the secondary market in a sale that would value the company at more than $70 billion.
  8:47AM: Europe rebuked for supplying false volcano ash info to air passengers (w.tromp news feed)
    Europe rebuked for supplying false volcano ash info to air passengers
    The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, has criticised the misleading information given to air passengers by the European Commission during the volcanic ash crisis in 2010.
  8:52AM: Immelt Quits New York Fed Board. (Adam Curry's Gitmo Nation News Feed)
    Immelt Quits New York Fed Board.
    Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric, has resigned as a class B director on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, citing increased demands on his time.
  9:05AM: Low-carbon business models key to sustainable growth - UN (w.tromp news feed)
    Low-carbon business models key to sustainable growth - UN
    The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today urged businesses to transform their enterprises into low-carbon operations that are environmentally sound and benefit communities in order to remain profitable and sustainable.
  [VIDEO] Hold the Phone! That Sure Sounds Like Saddam Hussein. (My New Feed)
    Hold the Phone! That Sure Sounds Like Saddam Hussein.
    [Dig up the old enemies] BAGHDAD — There haven't been any Saddam sightings, yet. But he is still in the house, some Iraqis believe, and was heard from just this week. Since the former dictator's execution in December 2006,...
  9:18AM: Germany: Memantine as possible Alzheimer's treatment. (w.tromp news feed)
    Germany: Memantine as possible Alzheimer's treatment.
    After the manufacturer of the Alzheimer's drug memantine submitted a supplementary analysis of study data, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) sees proof of a benefit of the drug for cognitive function, as well as indications of a benefit...
  9:21AM: Pill that costs just two pence could stop onset of Alzheimer's. (w.tromp news feed)
    Pill that costs just two pence could stop onset of Alzheimer's.
    Lithium helps slow the progression of memory loss - raising the possibility it could be used to prevent dementia. The naturally occurring element has long been prescribed to treat mood swings and bipolar disorder and research has also shown it can halt the progress of the...
  9:25AM: UN: Libya will suffer food crisis (bertb news feed)
    UN: Libya will suffer food crisis
    In about two months time.
  9:26AM: UN, Congo government try to formalize the mining industry. (w.tromp news feed)
    UN, Congo government try to formalize the mining industry.
    Several initiatives are underway to try to formalize Congo's mining sector, with various stakeholders involved in each. Coordination and harmonization of efforts will be a major challenge to declaring Congo's minerals conflict-free.
  9:38AM: Congo: Chronicle of death ignored. Five million people have died in Congo in a war that no one really understands (w.tromp news feed)
    Congo: Chronicle of death ignored. Five million people have died in Congo in a war that no one really understands
    The 1994 genocide in next-door Rwanda lit a fuse in Congo. In 1996 a rebel army from eastern Congo marched a thousand miles across the lush country to depose Mobutu Sese Seko, he of the leopard skin fez, whose regime had been badly weakened by the winding down of Western support...
  9:48AM: Rwanda bans export of Congo conflict area minerals. (w.tromp news feed)
    Rwanda bans export of Congo conflict area minerals.
    Rwanda has banned the sale of minerals from areas where there is fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in compliance with a U.S. law requiring minerals to be certified conflict-free, its mines minister said.
  9:55AM: Doomsday: Earth's core spinning out of control. (bertb news feed)
    Doomsday: Earth's core spinning out of control.
    The Earth is expanding, blowing up like a balloon, and will eventually explode many millions of years from now. The shifting, aberrant, unstable core is a symptom of this process and causes geomagnetic field instability.
  10:04AM: Ben Affleck's Congo-Billionaire Connections (w.tromp news feed)
    Ben Affleck's Congo-Billionaire Connections
    Affleck didn't dwell on it much, but he's attracted some pretty high-profile donors to his cause. They include billionaire and Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen; Cindy Hensley McCain, wife of Senator John McCain; Humanity United, a foundation led...
  10:05AM: Firms Seek Supply Route Around Conflict in Congo (w.tromp news feed)
    Firms Seek Supply Route Around Conflict in Congo
    While the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake is causing many companies to worry about the electronics supply chain, a different pall is hovering over a rare, blue-gray metal that is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The substance is tantalum, an ingredient in...
  [VIDEO] Is It Time To Give Up? (Obama, Banks and You) in [Market-Ticker]
    But after close examination of the alleged document - an examination you can repeat for yourself to satisfy yourself that this is not some sort of sick joke - it is clear that this "certificate" is not a photograph, a photocopy or a scan. It was assembled.
  Drones Spray, Track the Unwilling in Air Force Plan | Danger Room | Wired.com
    Here's how the U.S. Air Force wants to hunt the next generation of its enemies: A tiny drone sneaks up to a suspect, paints him with an unnoticed powder or goo that allows American forces to follow him everywhere he goes — until they train a missile on him.
  Sovereign Wealth Lines Up Major Stake in Glencore IPO - CNBC
Washington censors Libyan TV plus Arab TVs covering violent clampdown in Bahrain [Voltaire Network]
  Meanwhile, going by Saudi media reports, the U.S. Department of State asked Arabsat, the satellite management company, to suspend broadcasting by Libyan channels.
News from The Associated Press
  They say the campaign constitutes false advertising and are seeking compensation for lost profits and corrective advertising. The corn industry say the case has no merit.
Libya's Tropical Bank, Seized by Uganda, Says Annual Profit Almost Doubles - Bloomberg
  Uganda took control of Tropical on March 25 to protect the lender from sanctions imposed on Libya by the United Nations. The UN measures were aimed at halting attacks by Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's regime on protesters.
Tornado Warning Over New Jersey as Violent Weather Continues - Metropolis - WSJ
  On the fourth day of tornadoes the activity will shift from the South and Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, where severe weather is already underway. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted, either by local authorities or weather radar. The latest raft of warnings cover parts of northern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley in New York.
Sean Penn seen at State Dept. pre-Nerd Prom - Yahoo! News
  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton have a particular love of Haiti, and Clinton's counselor Cheryl Mills has been spearheading the department's work on post-quake relief there. Penn is also executive producer of a new documentary, "Love Hate Love," on three families whose lives were affected by terrorism, which premiered in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this week.
Obama Administration punishes reporter for using multimedia : Bronstein at Large
  The Chronicle's Carla Marinucci - who, like many contemporary reporters, has a phone with video capabilities on her at all times - pulled out a small video camera last week and shot some protesters interrupting an Obama fundraiser at the St. Regis Hotel. She was part of a "print pool" - a limited number of journalists at an event who represent their bigger hoard colleagues - which White House press officials still refer to quaintly as "pen and pad" reporting.