The Media Equation: In Omaha Manhole Fire Photo, Logging Off in Search of Some Clues

Stephanie SandsThis image, which was taken after an underground fire cut power in half of downtown Omaha, captivated the Web last month. When photographs of spontaneous events miraculously appear on the Web, it generally prompts two responses: wonder and skepticism. Matt Miller/Omaha World-HeraldMatthew Hansen, a columnist at The Omaha World-Herald, showed how to follow a trail. ...

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Protests at Egypt Port Close Offices, but Not Suez Canal

CAIRO — Thousands of demonstrators shut down the administrative buildings of the Suez Canal terminal in the city of Port Said on Sunday, as part of a general strike protesting the death sentences handed down three weeks ago to 21 local soccer fans for their roles in a deadly riot last year. The protests marked the closest that the chaos in Egypt over the last two years has come to threatening...

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Cuomo Bucks Tide With Bill to Lift Abortion Limits

ALBANY — Bucking a trend in which states have been seeking to restrict abortion, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is putting the finishing touches on legislation that would guarantee women in New York the right to late-term abortions when their health is in danger or the fetus is not viable. Mr. Cuomo, seeking to deliver on a promise he made in his recent State of the State address, would rewrite a law...

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Treasury Auctions Set for This Week

The stock and bond markets will be closed on Monday in observance of Washington’s Birthday. The Treasury’s schedule of financing this week includes the regular weekly auction on Tuesday of new three- and six-month bills and an auction of four-week bills on Wednesday. At the close of the New York cash market on Friday, the rate on the outstanding three-month bill was 0.10 percent. The...

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IHT Rendezvous: Should Common Plastics Be Labeled Toxic?

THE HAGUE — Hoping to reduce one of the most ubiquitous forms of waste, a global group of scientists is proposing that certain types of plastic be labeled hazardous.The group, lead by two California scientists, wrote in this week’s issue of the scientific journal Nature:We believe that if countries classified the most harmful plastics as hazardous, their environmental agencies would have the power...

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Pistorius' family strongly denies murder charge

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius is "numb with shock as well as grief" after the shooting death of his model girlfriend at his home in South Africa, the runner's uncle said Saturday, as his family strongly denied prosecutors' claims that he murdered her.Arnold Pistorius spoke with The Associated Press and two other South African journalists about his nephew's arrest in the killing of...

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Livestrong Tattoos as Reminder of Personal Connections, Not Tarnished Brand

As Jax Mariash went under the tattoo needle to have “Livestrong” emblazoned on her wrist in bold black letters, she did not think about Lance Armstrong or doping allegations, but rather the 10 people affected by cancer she wanted to commemorate in ink. It was Jan. 22, 2010, exactly a year since the disease had taken the life of her stepfather. After years of wearing yellow Livestrong wristbands, she...

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The Boss: Bert Quintana of Sitel, on Making Career Choices

I WAS born in Cuba, and I was 2 when my parents brought me to the United States in 1962 with my baby brother, Jorge. Bert Quintana is the president and C.E.O. of Sitel, a call center and telemarketing company based in Nashville. AGE 52 NAME OF HIS BOAT Sea GemFAVORITE SPORT Golf SPORTS HERO Don Shula, former Miami Dolphins coach We passed through the...

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The Lede: Spectacular Videos of Meteor Over Siberia

Video posted on YouTube on Friday appeared to catch an explosion caused by a meteor streaking over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.Last Updated, 5:40 p.m. As our colleagues Ellen Barry and Andrew Kramer report, Russians recorded video of bright objects, apparently debris from a meteor, “streaking through the sky in western Siberia early on Friday, accompanied by a boom that damaged buildings across...

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Bosh gives Heat 3 starters in NBA All-Star game

HOUSTON (AP) — Chris Bosh will start in the All-Star game, giving the NBA champion Miami Heat three starters for the Eastern Conference.Bosh says he was told Friday by Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who will lead the East, he had been chosen to replace injured Boston guard Rajon Rondo in the lineup.Bosh will join teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as starters Sunday. The three played together here...

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