TARGETS in Iran & Pakistan (4#) -

Armed with their Korans as amulets, Iranian protesters have been shot by paintball guns to mark them for arrest. The injured are being treated in foreign embassies in Tehran.

# In light of recent events, Google has released
an Alpha version of Persian/English Translate.

# The mysterious 34-year-old
Baitullah Mehsud is Pakistan's most wanted man.

# Baitullah Mehsud, chief of Taliban militants, has rejected the request of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar Akhund to halt terrorist activities inside Pakistan which are harming the "image" of the Taliban.

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Mez: DISRUPTED ENCHANTMENT (5#) -

Meredith Kercher Murder Case -

They were having a beautiful love story when it
was inconveniently disrupted by a depraved homicide . . .

The Magic, The Mystery & The Phone Calls . . .

Edda Mellas testified in the Perugia courtroom today. Jon Meyersohn contributes a well written piece with some context and an overview of the case.

# According to Amanda's mother, Knox and Kercher got along great. And Mellas described the three phone calls she received from her daughter on that November 2nd when Meredith's body was found. [Owen] [Pisa]

# In her first phone call, Marta Falconi reports, Knox told her mother she thought an intruder was in the house!

# Nick Pisa on the first phone call -

Edda Mellas: ''The first call she said that she had spent the night at Raffaele's house and then gone home to take a shower. She had found the door open.

She said that she and Raffele had gone back to the house and were pounding on Meredith's bedroom door. They had tried to break in and I told her to call the police.''

# Nina Burleigh does a brief wrap:

"Still, Knox's words may yet work against her... When asked if she ever thought about the victim, Knox was less than sympathetic."

* * * * * * *
+ I'm still not clear exactly what
Edda testified about that first phone call.

That whole episode just doesn't jell right for me: front door open, blood-smeared bathroom, thought there was an intruder in the house, takes a shower.

Sorry, but it just doesn't work for me.

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WHERE'S MY ELEPHANT? (2#) -

For many years we were told that in the 21st Century we'd be getting around in Flying Cars - ever since cartoon character George Jetson commuted to work in an aerocar, people have wanted one. Thus, a lot of folks have been asking lately: Where's My Flying Car?

Well, don't lose hope yet, because it was recently announced that such a vehicle called The Transition from the Terrafugia company is expected to be on the market by the end of 2011.

And it was announced today on the Charlie Rose Show that an extensive study has just been posted online. But there are ways of dealing with it.

Ain't Modern Technology wonderful?!

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IRAN JAM (6#) -

Bloggers must remove
any materials that create tension !

:: The dust speaks: Letter from Iran ::

"The Iranian authorities are continuing a crackdown on journalists and information. Journalists are still being arrested and more censorship measures have been adopted."

:: Guardian :: - - - :: Wired ::

:: SF techie Austin Heap bypassing Iranian censorship.

:: Hashtag: #IranElection on Twitter

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Mez: A HARD ECHO (3#) -

Meredith Kercher Murder Case -

Between A Rock & A Hard Place . . .

I couldn't help but notice that Prosecution created a minor sensation across the Blogosphere and Intertubes with its attempt to establish a Knox "signature" over the weekend.

When Italian police entered the cottage on Pergola St, they observed property damage apparently caused by a rock thrown through the window in Filomena's room. And, it turns out, Amanda Knox has a prior police record associated with rock throwing.

# Another book on the case planned:
This one by John Grisham, Nick Pisa reports.

Grisham has been following every step of the trial.

# Elsewhere, Pisa reports that legal costs for Amanda Knox in the Meredith Kercher murder trial are spiraling towards $1million.

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Mez: MORE PERSPECTIVES (3#) -

Meredith Kercher Murder Case -

Those who were away for the weekend got a chance to catch up on the case with segments on NBC and ABC TV this morning. Did anything catch your attention in Amanda Knox's testimony?

Here's something that poked me:

Knox told the court that when she last saw Kercher leaving their apartment, Kercher was still wearing traces of vampire makeup from her Halloween costume of the previous night.

+ Is this for real? Or was Amanda Knox hallucinating? Did Meredith's friends see the vampire makeup, too? Maybe Knox hallucinated that Meredith was a real vampire after getting stoned.

# Another book to be published about the case:

Darkness Descending by Paul Russell and Graham Johnson with Luciano Garofano sold to Simon and Schuster.

# Edda Mellas will testify in Friday's court session.

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