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05 Feb 2009 10:38

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Culture: Etta James to Beyonce: Don’t mess with my signature song!

  • That woman he had singing for him … she’s gonna get her %*# whipped. The great Beyonce … I can’t stand Beyonce.
  • Etta James • at a concert last week in Seattle. James is upset that Beyonce sang her signature song, “At Last,” during Barack Obama’s first dance. Beyonce actually portrayed the legendary singer in last year’s “Cadillac Records,” and James had nothing but nice things to say about her back then. James also trashed the president, but we’re guessing she’s just upset at him for this dramabomb. • source

05 Feb 2009 10:32

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U.S.: How many jobs were lost in January? A lot.

  • 540,000 says the gov’t. Yikes. source

05 Feb 2009 10:29

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U.S.: Oof! Initial jobless claims hit a 26-year high

  • 626,000 number of initial jobless claims made in the week ending January 31
  • +35,000 increase in jobless claims from the prior week, making it the highest number since 1982 source

05 Feb 2009 10:23

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Tech: What you were waiting for: Pop-up ads are making a comeback!

New DTML-based technology has made new pop-ups that no blocker can currently kill. source

05 Feb 2009 10:12

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Music: Live Nation and Ticketmaster want to merge? The Boss isn’t a fan.

  • The proposal Ticketmaster, which handles ticket sales at venues across the country, and Live Nation, a spin-off of Clear Channel that promotes and produces live shows and has recently gotten into the artist management business, want to merge, sources say. As both businesses cover much of the live music industry, the merger would face antitrust scrutiny.
  • The concern Fans are not very happy about this idea, largely due to Ticketmaster’s history of shady practices and overcharging. Ticketmaster convenience fees can significantly increase the price of a concert ticket. If Live Nation, which has recently gotten into the ticket-distribution business itself, remained a competitor, they could help lower prices by increasing competition.
  • Bruce weighs inBruce Springsteen, who has a long history of railing against corporate greed, weighed in with a note on his Web site. In it, he stated that “the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system.” source

05 Feb 2009 08:01

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Offbeat, U.S.: Animal rights group: We’ll give you the 411 on Sarah Palin

  • Sarah Palin isn’t fading into the background, so neither are we. Given her known political aspirations, the American public deserves to know what she’s doing in Alaska, and about her extreme anti-conservation policies.
  • Rodger Schlickeisen • Defenders Action Fund President, regarding her support of a predator-control program in Alaska that allows for aerial hunting, which involves – we’re not making this up – shooting wolves from helicopters. Defenders recently launched a site attacking and giving updates on the former Veep candidate and current Alaska governor. Palin says their campaign “perverts” the issue. • source

05 Feb 2009 07:53

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U.S.: Got analog TV still? You have more time to convert.

  • Congress increased the time until June 12. That move, which President Obama supported, will give four extra months to the 6.5 million people who have yet to convert their analog TVs to digital. (The original date was Feb. 17, a.k.a. a week from Tuesday.) Many House Republicans did not support the passage of the bill, but it got enough votes for a two-thirds majority. source
 

05 Feb 2009 07:46

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Offbeat, U.S.: Caught in ice: This Kentucky horse survived a scary fate

40 firefighters worked their butts off to make sure this horse got out safe. source