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30 Jul 2009 14:52

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U.S.: The HuffPo’s survey tactics might not be legit, but their findings are

  • I just hope the American people won’t be dumb enough to continue falling for the line that socialized health care means a loss of personal freedom. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
  • Canadian Lori Covington • On her country’s public healthcare system. The Huffington Post did a very unscientific email survey and found that it rocks. A lot. And that some Canadians think Americans are being pretty stupid about it.  • source

30 Jul 2009 14:29

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World: One of Guantanamo’s youngest prisoners likely to return to Afghanistan

  • 2002 the year Mohammed Jawad allegedly threw a grenade that injured two American soldiers in Kabul. He has been held illegally in Guantanamo ever since
  • 12-17 his age at the time of the attack varies depending on who you talk to, but everyone agrees his is one of the youngest detainees at the prison. A judge just ordered his release source

30 Jul 2009 11:28

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Offbeat: Police report: Pimpin’ ain’t easy, but some journos gotta do it

They guy in this complaint? Kevin Provencher, a well-known sportswriter in New Hampshire. Charged with pimping. Seriously. source

30 Jul 2009 11:23

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Politics: Wired editor Chris Anderson: Total prick in interviews.

  • Sorry, I don’t use the word media. I don’t use the word news. I don’t think that those words mean anything anymore. They defined publishing in the 20th century. Today, they are a barrier. They are standing in our way, like ‘horseless carriage.’
  • Chris Anderson • Talking to a German Magazine, Spiegel, about his new book, “Free,” which makes this broad argument that information isn’t of value anymore and that everything should be free. Anderson claims not to read traditional media sources anymore and starts out the interview with this gem of a quote: “This is going to be a very annoying interview. I don’t use the word journalism.” Then he goes further, suggesting journalism – and media in general – will be a hobby. Dude, just because you’re a genius and came up with that Long Tail theory doesn’t mean you should act like a child. • source

30 Jul 2009 11:12

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Offbeat: Bring back naptime: A good chunk of people get midday rest

  • 1/3 of people take naps on a daily basis, sez this study source

30 Jul 2009 11:08

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Tech: Mad haxors are meeting in Las Vegas to hack your machine

  • The goal? Finding security flaws. Las Vegas’ Black Hat security conference is the place to be if you want to present some major hacks that companies like Microsoft and Apple should know about. Currently on the table? An exploit which allows users to hack Macs and steal scrambled data. Now, we know what you’re thinking. How could this possibly help you? Well, it forces tech companies to make better products. source

30 Jul 2009 10:55

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Offbeat: The world’s stupidest woman tries to solve California’s problems

  • Stupid things this woman says in this video:
    1. “I think we should make a perfect pesticide for the crops.”
    2. “We need the food because it’s food and stuff.”
    3. “And the businesses downtown really need to lower their rent, because of the rent was lower, those people would really have their own businesses.”
    4. “They’re very good at making things … they’re like experts.”
    5. “We can make things … the machine can make it for us.”
    6. “On the East Coast, they have slaves and believe in Made in China … on the new West Coast, we don’t believe in that, we believe in the union, and that’s what we are.”
    7. “The Bush administration, which is really good …”
    8. “You can grow every kind of fruit and vegetable you want. They have fruit trees and vegetable trees; that’s where fruits and vegetables come from.”
    9. “Growing food is so good … for the people.”
    10.“The food is free … so we should just sell it at the farmer’s market.” source
 

30 Jul 2009 10:40

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Sports: Better late than never: Boxer Jack Johnson may get pardoned

  • 96 years ago, Johnson was jailed for dating a white woman source

30 Jul 2009 10:34

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Politics: Missing from the White House beer thing: The 911 caller

  • Maybe it’s a guy thing. … She doesn’t like beer anyway.
  • Wendy Murphy • Attorney for Lucia Whalen, the woman who made the phone call that started a chain reaction that started with the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. and will (hopefully) end today at the White House over (crappy domestic) beer. Murphy notes that her client, the only person who didn’t “overreact” in the situation, will be at work. Whalen, who isn’t white but a first-generation Portuguese-American, didn’t get an invite. • source

30 Jul 2009 10:23

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Biz: A big web-only news experiment, AnnArbor.com, missed its launch date

  • Old launch date: Monday. New launch date: Tomorrow. Today, the Ann Arbor News, a 174-year-old Michigan institution, prints its last issue. On Monday, their parent company, Newhouse, was supposed to launch a Web product to replace the newspaper, giving some overlap time for users to get used to the product. But AnnArbor.com, which will include a twice-a-week print component, wasn’t ready so they didn’t launch it. Which means that tomorrow’s launch date leaves zero room for error and the possibility that the town will be without a primary news source if it gets delayed again. Talk about tightropes. source