Korean Heat: South Korea says the North has moved a mid-range missile to the east coast in the direction of Japan and the US. Meanwhile the Pentagon is moving a portable missile defense system to Guam as a precautionary response to increased verbal threats by North Korea. The latest official statement from North Korea says its government has “ratified” a nuclear strike against the US. Quote: “The ever-escalating US hostile policy towards the DPRK and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means of the DPRK and that the merciless operation of its revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified.” Well then.

World: Fifty people are dead and 90 injured after a Taliban attack on an Afghan courthouse. It started with a suicide bomb and turned into a gun battle as militants tried to free fellow Taliban being held prisoner.

National: Film critic Roger Ebert announced he’s had a relapse of cancer and will be reviewing fewer films. Ebert already lost his lower jaw to cancer surgery. He’s unable to eat or speak but he’s kept his good cheer, except when he sees a bad movie.

Slam Dunked: Rutgers University fired basketball coach Jim Rice after ESPN showed a video compilation of him in practices berating, shoving, and kicking his players. He even hurled basketballs at their heads. Rutgers officials suspended and fined Rice after seeing the tape earlier this year, but fired him when it went public. Rice said, “At some time maybe I’ll try to explain it but right now there’s no explanation for what’s on those films.”

Cyber Money: The virtual currency known as the “bitcoin” is trading on at a high of $49 on the Internet. The bitcoin was created four years ago by an anonymous computer wizard to serve as a monetary system outside government regulation and the international banks. No fees and it’s entirely digital, making it attractive to drug dealers and money launderers.  You could be a bitcoin billionaire and never have two bits in your pocket.

Passing: Barbara Piasecka Johnson, the Polish maid known as Basia who married an heir to the Johnson & Johnson family, died at age 76. At age 34 she became the third wife of J. Seward Johnson Sr., then 76. When he died 12 years later he left all but one of his children out of his will, the bulk of his $500 million fortune going to Basia. In one of the biggest probate battles of all time the kids sued and won about $40 million. One of the wagging tongues in the family said, “Basia was hired to clean house, and she did.”

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