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12 Jan 2010 09:38

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World: Iran’s blaming a nuclear scientist’s death on the U.S. Whatevah!

  • The U.S. calls the allegation “absurd” or something. The death of Massoud Ali Mohammadi, who was killed when a bomb on a motorcycle blew up outside his home, has Iran using fighting words. Mohammadi was a particle physics professor at top-ranked Tehran University. The attack was portrayed by one Iranian government official as “signs of evilness by the triangle of the Zionist regime, America and their mercenaries in Iran.” Which sounds like a really complicated way to say, “We hate the U.S.!” source

12 Jan 2010 00:11

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Culture: Guy from MTV freaks out over Simon Cowell’s “Idol” departure

  • With Simon Cowell leaving “Idol” after this season wraps, Fox needs to face the music and grasp that a massive chunk of the audience is going to jump ship with Simon. Americans have abandoned TV shows for far less.
  • MTV News correspondent (and resident “American Idol” expert) Jim Cantiello • On the effect of Simon Cowell’s departure from “Idol” after this season. Cantiello goes further, saying, “I love ‘American Idol’ too f—ing much to see a ghost of its former self limp around on stage.” Dude, get a grip. It’s just a TV show. Albeit a high-rated, iconic and extremely influential one. source

11 Jan 2010 22:12

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Culture: Why is the Mark McGwire saga coming out right now, anyway?

  • failing The former home run king’s rep has been in tatters since his infamous congressional testimony in 2005, where his blatant non-answer may as well have been an admission.
  • job McGwire was recently hired by his old team, the St. Louis Cardinals, as the team’s hitting coach. The job could’ve left him open to harsh, probing questions from the press.
  • chance Bob Costas of the MLB Network offered McGwire the chance to air out whatever he wanted to air out. McGwire took the bait – a huge get for the young network.
  • plan Before he simply just admitted to it, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer spent a month coordinating a media blitz. It worked pretty darn well, Ari. source

11 Jan 2010 21:32

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Biz: Obama’s thinking of charging Wall Street service fees. Hm.

  • That’s one way to get our money back from the banks. A year after being handed one of the worst financial crises to ever hit the U.S., Obama’s considering his options for making something back on that $700 billion investment that George W. Bush made back in the day. The one that’s standing out? Charging fees to companies like AIG and Bank of America. The nature of that fee hasn’t been decided yet, but we bet taxpayers might enjoy the just desserts. source

11 Jan 2010 21:21

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Politics: This SNL Sarah Palin sketch is a lot funnier in retrospect, guys

  • This clip somehow got funnier a year and a couple months later, especially in the context of the line from Tina Fey’s version of Sarah Palin: “If I’m not going to the White House I’m either running in four years or I’m going to be a white Oprah.” In the context of the Palin/Fox News announcement today, it’s even more striking. source

11 Jan 2010 20:58

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11 Jan 2010 20:48

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Politics: The Prop. 8 trial, day one: Pullin’ out the Twinkie Offense

  • [It’s] like putting a Twinkie at the end of a treadmill and saying, ‘You can only have a bite.’ And you want the whole thing. … All I want is to be married.
  • Plaintiff Paul Katami • Using perhaps the strangest metaphor we’ve ever heard to explain the benefits of gay marriage over civil unions. Katami has been with his partner, Jeffrey Zarrillo, for nine years. This line of arguing is downright strange for a lot of reasons, the biggest being “The Twinkie Defense,” which was used by the lawyer for Dan White, who was charged with killing gay-rights icon (and recent biopic subject) Harvey Milk. Do you really want to draw parallels? Really? source
 

11 Jan 2010 20:35

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U.S.: The Prop. 8 trial’s proposed cameras waiting on the Supreme Court

  • good The trial on the legality of Prop. 8 began today, and should have cameras in the courtroom, due to the intense attention the gay marriage trial has been getting, with clips posted on YouTube.
  • bad The Supreme Court decided 8-1 to temporarily block the measure for at least the next couple of days, while the court considers arguments against it made by those in favor of the California law. source

11 Jan 2010 20:29

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Politics: Obama has Harry Reid’s back on the racist comments – again

  • I guarantee you that the average person, white or black, right now is less concerned about what Harry Reid said in a quote in a book a couple of years ago than how we are going to move the country forward.
  • President Barack Obama • Going up to bat, again, for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. It seems like this controversy has gotten a bit out of control this week, with everyone going all willy-nilly about what Reid said. Know why? Simple – lots of people think they can weaken the Democrats by attacking Reid for something he said a couple of years ago that was quoted in a book. Obama’s absolutely right. Let it die, echo chamber. It’s not worth the hours of arguing over on CNN and Fox News. source

11 Jan 2010 13:34

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