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12 Nov 2009 22:40

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Politics: L.A. Times: Maybe straight news is what CNN needs to stand out

  • I’d like to suggest that CNN, in parting ways this week with its most opinionated host, Lou Dobbs, may be planting the seeds of its resurrection and holding out the possibility that around-the-clock broadcasting doesn’t have to mean around-the-clock spin.
  • L.A. Times media columnist James Rainey • Discussing CNN’s move to objectivity thanks to the departure of Lou Dobbs and the subsequent scheduling of John King. Rainey suggests that the constant spin cycle on other networks is getting tiring for many who might just want good journalism – you know, the kind CNN used to do back in the day. “If CNN fortifies the information meal,” he suggests, “I think King could prove correct.” Considering the votes our poll got today, it seems a lot of ShortFormBlog’s readers agree with his assessment. • source

12 Nov 2009 22:29

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Culture: Glenn Beck an easy target, one hit by South Park this time

  • You know, parodies of Glenn Beck should be getting old by now, but they’re really not. Cartman uses Beck’s logic to suggest that Wendy kills smurfs. Is Glenn Beck just a schtick now, instead of a political pundit? I don’t know, I’m just asking questions. source

12 Nov 2009 22:11

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U.S.: Nidal Hasan formally charged in the Fort Hood massacre

  • 13 number of charges of murder Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan faces; he could face the death penalty
  • one of the victims was pregnant; it isn’t decided whether Hasan will be charged for the death of the unborn child source

12 Nov 2009 21:58

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Biz: Die in a fire, Cablevision: Newsday’s charging for stories

Dudes, if you’re going to completely block off your content like this, take your stuff off Google News. OK? Dead to us: Newsday. source

12 Nov 2009 21:49

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Biz: Disney had some pretty awesome profits (up 18%!) last quarter

  • $895 million in profits, thanks largely to ESPN source

12 Nov 2009 21:43

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Culture: Clicker.com wants to be the TV Guide of Internet television

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  • Can a TV Guide specifically for the Web work? Clicker.com seems to think so, even though it has a ton of competition already, including from TV Guide itself, and, uh, YouTube. This isn’t going to be one of those things we hear about and then completely forget, like Cuil, is it? source

12 Nov 2009 21:29

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U.S.: Dear Catholic Church: Stop playing politics with social services

  • This is absolute crap. And unfair to D.C. Taking care of its large gay community, the District of Columbia’s is about to vote on a law that will recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. But the Catholic Church is trying to leverage its power over the city – providing thousands with services such as adoption and feeding the homeless – to try to stop the law. If the law passes, they say, they’ll stop providing these services. This is crap. It’s also not Christian. Churches should not play politics like this, because they’ll burn people who don’t deserve to get caught in the flames. source
 

12 Nov 2009 21:18

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U.S., World: Whatever the “Alavi Foundation” is, Iran, the U.S. doesn’t like it

  • For two decades, the Alavi Foundation’s affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws.
  • U.S. attorney Preet Bharara • On the ownership of mosques, skyscrapers and other buildings by the Alavi Foundation. The U.S. siezed these buildings, claiming they were a front for the Iranian government. The tenets and occupants of the properties are safe, and they’re not getting kicked out; it’s the owner who is screwed. This ought to make that whole nuclear deal easier to pull off. • source

12 Nov 2009 11:19

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Culture: CollegeHumor nails Seth MacFarlane’s cookie-cutter animation niche

  • Is it us, or has CollegeHumor gotten funnier over time? On this particular clip, they hit really close to home for Seth MacFarlane’s empire of cookie-cutter Fox shows. We have to admit, though, if they got rid of the families and just had the talking snowmen and blenders, we’d probably watch it.

12 Nov 2009 11:09

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