Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

15 May 2010 23:27

tags

Politics: Bill Maher makes an astute point about Obama and Apple

  • Barack Obama got all fuddie duddie, and Bill Maher put it into perspective. Simply put, Obama’s point from last week’s Hampton University commencement undercuts his status as the “cool” president, and Apple would probably run the country more efficiently than our current leadership (see the clogged drain that is the Senate). Great clip. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 21:03

tags

Culture: Shia LaBeouf: I hate being the guy that ruined Indiana Jones

  • I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished. If I was going to do it twice, my career was over. So this was fight-or-flight for me.
  • Shia LaBeouf • Making himself sound like the harbinger of bad reboots, after he described the “rampant problems” with “Indiana Jones 4,” which he starred in. He’s also the star of the “Wall Street” sequel, “Money Never Sleeps.” As for “Indy,” he claims the movie tried to make him out to be an action hero, “But the actor’s job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn’t do it. So that’s my fault.” Don’t be so hard on yourself, man. That movie is not the disaster you’re making it out to be. By the way, he’s only 23. The fact that he’s so honest about something like a major blockbuster film might make you forget that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 20:34

tags

Culture: After 36 years, Hello Kitty’s popularity finally waning

And thank God for that. That cat is absolutely terrifying. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 20:25

tags

Biz, U.S.: The Senate’s financial reform bill trying to limit nickel-and-diming

  • 50¢ limits to ATM fees could be coming, too, guys source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 13:50

tags

U.S.: Just to scare you, here’s a quote about a deadly staph infection

  • One of the problems with MRSA, one of the reasons why it’s become what I consider a true crisis, is that I really don’t think we’ve been taking it sufficiently seriously for a very long time.
  • “Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA” author Maryn McKenna • Regarding one of the deadliest, most-resistant diseases out there, and one that’s often been ignored by those with power to stop it. The drug, which kills 19,000 each year and sickens millions more, is infamous in hospitals, where it infected one Seattle hospital so badly in 1980 that they had to close the intensive-care and burn units and build new ones. Now it’s worse and more drug-resistant than it’s ever been. Scared? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 13:37

tags

Culture, Tech: Aaron Sorkin is about to ruin Mark Zuckerberg’s reputation

On October 1st, Aaron Sorkin’s new movie, “The Social Network,” promises to make Mark Zuckerberg look like the kind of jerk most techies think he is right now. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 13:27

tags

Culture: “Law and Order” was like NYC’s own little stimulus plan

  • 4,000 people per year got work thanks to the show
  • $79
    million     the amount the now-canceled
    crime drama brought in to the city’s economy every year
  • $1+
    billion     the amount the show brought in over its 20-year run, mostly because Jerry Orbach was so awesome source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

15 May 2010 13:19

tags

World: Why the Red Shirt crackdown? They’re trying to force the protesters out

  • Previously at its peak, there were about 10,000 or at least 9,000 protesters a day but since last night when we set up checkpoints around the protest area, you can see number of protesters have dropped to 5,000.
  • Thai Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd • Explaining what the army is trying to do to the Red Shirt protesters, who have occupied part of Bangkok. They claim that they’re trying to clear out the fighters, which sounds like it’s effective based on Kaewkamnerd’s estimation, but has had the side effect of fostering violence. The Red Shirts say they won’t give in easily. One thing we should note – the emergency situation is only in about a third of the city; many other parts are getting along somewhat normally. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 13:08

tags

World: How bad is the fighting in Bangkok right now, anyway?

  • 25 have been killed since the
    Thai government ordered a
    crackdown on Red Shirt protesters
    in Bangkok a few days ago
  • 150 have been wounded in the
    crackdown; Prime Minister Abhisit
    Vejjajiva suggests the Red Shirts are
    trying to cause a civil war source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2010 12:59

tags

World: Bangkok dangerous: Don’t go to Thailand capital, U.S. and UK say

  • Yes, the fighting has gotten that bad. About a month ago on Twitter, we noted the painful irony of Thailand promoting tourism on our site in the wake of the Red Shirts saga. Now it’s reached the point where two major Western nations have basically told its citizens not to go to the city. We hope the best for the country and its deteriorating political situation, but outsiders should heed this call. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
top tags