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28 Jun 2009 23:51

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Politics: Max Headroom: Iran’s still the talk-show talking point of choice

  • David Axelrod stammers “Meet the Press” had Obama’s main strategist trying to explain why HuffPo’s Nico Pitney asked a planned question at a press conference. Watch him sweat.

  • Fareed Zakaria comparesFareed Zakaria (one of our favorite CNN analysts, BTW), compares Iran to the fall of Communism in Europe, and says it’s unlikely Iran will fall the same way. He sides with Obama.

  • Fox News disagreesFox News brought on analyst Dr. Walid Phares for “Fox and Friends” to debate whether the U.S. should intervene in Iran. His answer? Yeah, Obama needs to stop being timid.

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 22:53

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Tech: Waaay behind the internet curve: BYU finally allows YouTube access

  • In an attempt to block unpure messages, they blocked a useful medium. Brigham Young University, that bastion of the Mormon life, blocked the video-sharing service because they felt that too much offensive material – like, you know, Keyboard Cat – showed up on the site. (Oh, and bandwidth issues, but whatever. Everyone says that.) BYU, which has incredibly strict moral standards, finally relented after professors complained about their ability to use the site’s heavy amount of educational material. Now, if we can only convince the Amish to drive cars … source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 22:31

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Culture: Joe Jackson: Where was the Michael love when he was alive?

  • I wish the world had recognized him when he were living. Right now he’s bigger than ever. But I wish he was here to see all this, to hear all this.
  • Joe Jackson • Michael Jackson’s dad, on the death of his son and the huge torrent of response the superstar has gotten posthumously, including at the BET awards, where Joe discussed his son’s life. It’s true – ultimately, the child abuse allegations took the swagger out of Michael’s step, and it seems like we forgot about what we had when he was still alive. We blame ourselves. Sorry, Joe. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 8 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 22:11

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Culture: Best way to celebrate the life of Michael Jackson: Choreography

  • New Edition had about three days to get together a choreographed Michael Jackson tribute for the BET Awards, which were tonight. And surprisingly, they pulled it off. Way to go, dudes. Host Jamie Foxx was also in full “Beat It” getup. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 21:57

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U.S.: A reporter on the Stonewall Riots’ front lines gives his account

  • … at approximately 2 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, the gay men decided they weren’t going to take it anymore. The clash outside the Stonewall went on for 48 more hours and become famous as the riots that started the gay-rights movement.
  • Lucian K. Truscott IV • A former Village Voice writer who had strange credentials for telling the story of the Stonewall Riots – he was a West Point graduate who was about to go back to the military – and honestly, stumbled upon a huge story. Truscott says that although the protest definitely kick-started the gay rights movement, it created a lot of myths around itself due to the lack of media coverage. The bar itself was not representative of gays in the city, comprising largely of younger gay males. But even older ones took notice of what happened at the bar that night. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 21:45

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U.S.: Here’s one of the only Stonewall Riot photos. It’s very iconic.

This photo ran in the New York Daily News on June 29, 1969. The photographer, Joseph Ambrosini, threw his other photos away, sadly. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 21:29

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U.S.: The influence of the Stonewall Riots has grown over time

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28 Jun 2009 21:17

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U.S.: Today’s the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Here’s a history.

  • What was it? The riots happened at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The fight, the result of a failed raid by police, escalated in a violent fashion, with hundreds of protesters outnumbering officers, throwing bricks and beer bottles, and setting the bar on fire. Four officers were hurt in the melee.
  • Why this was big Before this altercation, the gay rights movement had not fought back against the police officers who had gone out of their way to shut down bars they frequented and attacked gays and lesbians. The riot was spontaneous and a culmination of dealing with years of abuse. Simply put, they got sick of having to live in fear.
  • The end resultThe altercation, which created tensions for days afterward, led to organization that the LGBT movement didn’t have until that point. Every major moment of the gay rights movement – including protests, gay-themed publications, gay pride parades and the rise of Harvey Milk – can trace its roots to that night. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 13:50

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Culture: Billy Mays’ son, @youngbillymays, broke the news of his dad’s passing

  • My dad didn’t wake up this morning.. I’m sure you’ll all hear about it. It hasn’t yet hit me but it’s about to.
  • Billy Mays III • Who wrote about his dad’s death via Tweet. Mays, who says “All the support from you guys does help,” reported the news of his father’s passing hours before the mainstream media got to it. It’s the nature of the medium. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2009 12:15

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Culture: This is too much for us to take. Reports: Billy Mays is dead :(

  • Holy crap. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were bad enough, but word is that Billy Mays, that bearded icon of selling crap, died in his Tampa home this morning. NOOOOOOooooooooo! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 7 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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