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04 Jul 2009 23:29

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Music: Dear Sufjan Stevens: The world needs you. Where are you?

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04 Jul 2009 20:42

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Politics, U.S.: Sarah Palin: I’m leaving office to change the freaking world!

  • I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint.
  • Sarah Palin • On her Facebook page, in response to the criticism she’s gotten since deciding somewhat randomly to leave office yesterday. Without offering firm details, she makes it clear that her future plans involve trying to focus on improving things on a national scale. Regarding the sometimes hostile response to her resignation, she says that “for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make.” • source

04 Jul 2009 19:27

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: R.E.M. clear, Spoon noisy, Moby actually good

  • 1. Wow. Michael Stipe sounds so – clear. The remastered version of R.E.M.’s second album, “Reckoning,” needed it, and “So. Central Rain,” a song so muffled we could only make out the “I’m sorrrrrrry …” chorus before, now is as clean as a hybrid car.
    2. Hot Lava named a song after an imaginary Mac command, which sounds silly, but the song is so cheery that you won’t care. Best part? The intro. It shouldn’t work but does.
    3. Phil Ochs was a protest folkie who never gave up on his mission but never measured up to more famous peers like Joan Baez or Bob Dylan. Ochs committed suicide in 1976 – a real shame, as songs like “Links on the Chain” show he had a gift for insight.
    4. Where does a band like Spoon go after finally breaking big? By releasing an odd little EP. “Tweakers,” a noisy instrumental, is the strangest, but it’s great mood music.
    5. Behold, the resurrection of Moby. After years of being seen as a sellout (in a bad way) after “Play” sold out (in a good way), his latest, “Wait For Me,” is getting good reviews. Awesome video aside, “Shot in the Back of the Head” is our favorite. source

04 Jul 2009 18:53

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Offbeat: Joey Chestnut sure knows how to down lots of hot dogs

  • 68 wieners in one competitive sitting. That’s a record source

04 Jul 2009 18:24

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Sports: As a black quarterback, Steve McNair was a pioneer in the NFL

  • He paved a path many QBs have gone down since. Vince Young? Donovan McNabb? Michael Vick? All three of them owe much to their success of Steve McNair, a black quarterback in an era where most of them were white. The 13-year NFL star, who retired last year, was an icon to many. Former Baltimore Ravens teammate Derrick Mason had this to say about his thrower last year: “When he came out in ’95, not many people were taking a chance on a lot of quarterbacks that played at small schools, much less a black quarterback back when there were so many stereotypes about African-American quarterbacks.” source

04 Jul 2009 18:06

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Sports: The mommy blogger at Steve McNair’s local paper? Quick to the draw

The Tennessean, in Nashville, broke the news of the Steve McNair story through an unlikely source. Thanks to Rex Hammock for the tip. source

04 Jul 2009 17:58

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Sports: Titans owner Bud Adams, Jr. speaks out on Steve McNair’s death

  • He was one of the finest players to play for our organization and one of the most beloved players by our fans. He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to places that we had never reached, including our only Super Bowl.
  • Bud Adams, Jr. • On the death of one of his team’s most iconic players, Steve McNair. McNair, the third pick in the 1995 draft, was shot to death along with a woman in a Nashville residence earlier today. While the woman has been identified, she is not being named. • source
 

04 Jul 2009 17:28

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Tech: Viral investigation: Can YouTube catch the Apple Store shooter?

  • The man in this video (who you might notice is holding a gun) shot the Apple Store employee shown in this video. Police in Arlington, Va. are looking for your help in the shooting, which happened yesterday. And if this video isn’t good enough to give you a view of the suspect, try this one. source

04 Jul 2009 17:26

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Culture: Michael Jackson’s funeral isn’t a media circus without Fred Phelps

  • WBC will be there to remind you to stop worshiping the dead. We will be there to tell you to Thank God for the death of this filthy, adulterous, idolatrous, gender-confused, nationality-confused, unthankful brute beast.
  • A message from the Westboro Baptist Church • Informing the citizens of the world that, yes, they’ll be making Michael Jackson’s funeral on Tuesday. Great. Wonder when the bearded lady and the trapeze artists are showing up. The WBC, of course, is famous for hating gay people and protesting soldiers funerals, because clearly, those are Christian things to do. • source

04 Jul 2009 16:59

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Sports: Former NFL star Steve McNair dead in apparent double-homicide

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  • Very sad story out of Nashville. Steve McNair, the former Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens star quarterback, was found shot and killed with another woman. McNair went to the Super Bowl with the Titans and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection before retiring in 2008. He was 38. source