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    Twitter Jokester's Charges Dropped [VIDEO]

    An Irish man was found guilty of sending a "menacing electronic communication" after joking in a tweet that he would blow up a nearby airport. After the airport had been closed due to a snowstorm, Paul Chambers took to Twitter to vent his frustrations and said that he wanted to "blow it sky high." He was charged under the UK's Communication Act of 2003, which imprisons and fines people for such offenses.

    [More from Mashable: Shedding Light on Mitt Romney’s Unexplained Twitter Surge]

    However, because the context was not of a serious nature, the judge dropped the charges, stating, "If the person or persons who receive or read it, (the message) or may reasonably be expected to receive, or read it, would brush it aside as a silly joke, or a joke in bad taste, or empty bombastic or ridiculous banter, then it would be a contradiction in terms to describe it as a message of a menacing character."

    For today the Internet wins, and Twitter may continue on with its constant hyperbole.

    [More from Mashable: Romney Advisor Tweets ‘Follow Friday’ List of Potential VPs]

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

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    • US test-launches intercontinental missile

      VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from a California base, a month after the test flight was postponed because of tensions with North Korea.

    • The War on Christmas Is Losing in Texas: Teachers Can Now Say 'Merry Christmas'

      For those of you worried that government can't be proactive, good news out of Texas. On Monday, the state's legislature sent Governor Perry its "Merry Christmas" bill, which would authorize schools to refer to the holiday in non-generic terms. Perry is expected to sign it.

    • Sergio Garcia invites Tiger Woods over for fried chicken

      Well, the previously lame fight between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia just took one big “Anchorman”-sized step up a notch with a racially-charged remark from Garcia.

    • Judge: Hollister clothing unfriendly to disabled

      DENVER (AP) — A federal judge in Denver is contemplating an injunction against Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and J.M. Hollister LLC after ruling earlier that nearly 250 of their clothing stores that cater to a hip, young clientele are unfriendly to the disabled.

    • Why We Can't Forget That Oklahoma's Senators Voted Against Sandy Relief

      Nearly four months ago, Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and James Inhofe both voted against H.R.152, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act that eventually sent $50.5 billion in relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. And in the flurry of last night's devastation in Moore, Oklahoma. it was impossible not to forget that fact, knowing the federal government would soon rally to the cause.

    • BREAKING: Subway Just as Unhealthy as McDonald’s!

      If you watched the London Olympics last summer, you saw a parade of top athletes touting the nutritional qualities of their favorite eatery: Subway. Watching Apolo Ohno or Robert Griffin III bite into a veggie footlong with avocado or hearing that Subway is “the official training restaurant of athletes everywhere,” you might get the idea that the food served at the chain isn’t that bad for you—that it’s even healthy.

    • Dancing With The Stars: Kellie Pickler Talks Emotional Win

      Kellie Pickler might not have won her season of "American Idol," but the country singer was the best dancer to strut across the floor on Season 16 of "Dancing with the Stars" - something she was still in shock about when she chatted with Access Hollywood .

    • 18-year-old’s invention can recharge a cell phone in 30 seconds

      A teenager from Saratoga, California took home one of the top prizes at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair late last week after showing off her invention, which can fully charge a cell phone in 30 seconds or less. Eesha Khare was given the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award and a $50,000 prize for being runner-up in the competition, which was won by a 19-year-old who unveiled a new spin on self-driving car technology. Khare’s battery technology requires a new component to be installed inside the phone battery itself, and Intel notes that it also has potential applications for car batteries.

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