memeorandum: Horror in Samaria: Terrorist murders family of 5 (Yair Altman/Ynetnews)

9:05 PM ET, March 12, 2011

Top Items:

Red Alert: Nuclear Meltdown at Quake-Damaged Japanese Plant — A March 12 explosion at the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan, appears to have caused a reactor meltdown. — The key piece of technology in a nuclear reactor is the control rods.

Discussion: Associated Press, Fox News, Pajamas Media, neo-neocon, The BRAD BLOG, Booman Tribune, Taylor Marsh, Left Coast Rebel, Crooks and Liars, The Moderate Voice, Right Wing News, The Impolitic and msnbc.com

New York Times:

Japan Floods Nuclear Reactor Crippled by Quake in Effort to Avert Meltdown — TOKYO — Japanese officials took the extraordinary step on Saturday of flooding a nuclear reactor with seawater in a last-ditch effort to avoid a nuclear meltdown, after an explosion there escalated the emergency caused …

World Nuclear News:

Battle to stabilise earthquake reactors — Attention is focused on the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants as Japan struggles to cope in the aftermath of its worst earthquake in recorded history. An explosion on site did not damage containment. Sea water injection continues after a tsunami warning.

Discussion: Guardian, Boing Boing, Atomic Insights Blog and The Agonist

Guardian:

Japan's fears of nuclear mayhem recede as nuclear reactor starts to cool — Physicists feared second explosion would create radioactive cloud as residents panicked, jamming city's exit roads — For a few unnerving hours, Japan faced a bleak and unsettling prospect.

Discussion: Hot Air, NPR Topics, Patterico's Pontifications, protein wisdom, The Moderate Voice and CNN

Kyodo News:
Damage from mega quake increasing, death toll feared to top 1,800

Discussion: Reuters, newsfeed.time.com, NPR Topics and The Jawa Report

Martin Fackler / New York Times:
Japan Pushes to Rescue Survivors as Quake Toll Rises

Discussion: This Just In, New York Magazine and Gothamist

Wall Street Journal:
Japan Tries Using Seawater to Cool Damaged Reactor

Discussion: FrumForum

BBC:
Japan warns of small radiation leak at nuclear plant

Discussion: Aljazeera, The Other McCain, Guardian, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Pharyngula, Scared Monkeys, Outside the Beltway, New York Magazine, Verum Serum, Michelle Malkin, FrumForum and Patterico's Pontifications

Guardian:
Fukushima nuclear plant blast puts Japan on high alert

Discussion: Harry's Place

David Batty / Guardian:
Fresh nuclear fears as cooling system fails

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Scared Monkeys, msnbc.com and Obsidian Wings

CNN:
3,000 rescued; many more missing — Shirakawa, Japan (CNN) …

Discussion: Kyodo News and AOL News

Kyodo News:
Damage from mega quake increasing, death toll feared to top 1,700

Discussion: Guardian

Reuters:
Radiation leaking from Japan's quake-hit nuclear

Discussion: Daily Kos

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:

Bachmann Mangles Revolutionary History In N.H. — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's visit to the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire got off to a rocky start on Saturday morning when she misstated a key fact about the American Revolution in a speech to a group …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, ThinkProgress, TPMDC, Mediaite, unbossed.com, Outside the Beltway, Gawker, FrumForum and Talk Radio Sucks

Alexander Bolton / Ballot Box:

Bachmann makes gaffe in New Hampshire — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a possible presidential contender in 2012, made an embarrassing gaffe Saturday morning in a speech to a group of conservatives in New Hampshire. — Bachmann erroneously touted New Hampshire as the site of the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Boston Globe, Weasel Zippers, Cubachi and The Impolitic

Derek Wallbank / MinnPost:
Bachmann ‘disappointed’ with House GOP leaders over continuing resolution that doesn't defund ‘Obamacare’

Discussion: Reuters, The Hill and appropriations.house.gov

Jaime Lalinde / Vanity Fair:

Larry Kudlow Devalues Human Life With Japan Earthquake Freudian Slip — In these tough economic times, isn't it nice to know that calamitous natural disasters needn't have an adverse affect on your investment portfolio? After the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan failed to induce a market nosedive …

Discussion: The Political Carnival, The Moderate Voice and Booman Tribune

Ynetnews:

Gaza celebrates; Fayyad condemns terror attack — Rafah residents hand out candy following murder of parents, three children in West Bank settlement of Itamar. Palestinian PM denounces act, says “we categorically oppose violence and terror, regardless of victims', perpetrators' identity”

Discussion: The Jawa Report, American Power, Weasel Zippers, Sister Toldjah and Atlas Shrugs

Yair Altman / Ynetnews:

Horror in Samaria: Terrorist murders family of 5 — Terrorist stabs five family members to death in settlement of Itamar early Saturday; three children, including baby girl, among victims. Paramedic describes horrific sight, toys next to pools of blood — Latest Update:

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Glenn Davis / Mediaite:

Bill Maher To Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison: The Qur'an Is A ‘Hate Filled Holy Book’ — The emotion shown by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) at Rep. Peter King's (R-NY) Muslim radicalization hearings garnered much attention, and we have a feeling Ellison's appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher tonight will get its share of play as well.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Salon

Wall Street Journal:

Why We Prize That Magical Mystery Pad — When Apple introduced the iPad last year, it added a new buzzword to technology marketing. The device, it declared, was not just “revolutionary,” a tech-hype cliché, but “magical.” Skeptics rolled their eyes, and one Apple fan even started …

Gail Collins / New York Times:

Eye of the Newt — The presidential race is barely under way, but already we have had our first Big Thought. I am speaking, of course, of Newt Gingrich's suggestion that he was driven into serial adultery by hard work and patriotism. — “There's no question that at times in my life …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

POLITICIANS CAUGHT ACCIDENTALLY TELLING THE TRUTH.... Incidents surrounding live mics are some of my favorites — unexpected candor can be revealing. — Take this gem out of Iowa, for example. (thanks to Blue Girl for the tip) … The conversation was between some of the top leaders of the Iowa State House.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and They gave us a republic

Jason Clayworth / Des Moines Register:
House Republican, caught on tape, jokes of ‘give a handgun to a schizophrenic bill’

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Booman Tribune

FOX 11 Online:

Lawmakers skipping parade after threat — Hopper, Thiesfeldt, talked to Fond du Lac police — FOND DU LAC - A parade with more than 50 entries will now be down two participants. — Fond du Lac police say the tension in Madison has spawned threats, they and lawmakers are acting on.

Discussion: protein wisdom and The Gateway Pundit

Cubachi:

Daniel Hannan to America: “You deserve better, cousins.” — Daniel Hannan, Member of the European Parliament, and the most popular Englishman in conservative and libertarian circles, wrote a marvelous opinion piece extolling the virtues of America, and the dangers of Europeanization.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah and Liberty Pundits Blog