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06 Jul 2010 22:24

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Offbeat: George Lucas wants to corner the lightsaber market for himself

  • Is this a lightsaber? Good question. Gizmodo called it a “real life lightsaber.”  Daily Tech notes it’s a weapon that can set people on fire – which sounds pretty lightsabery to us. And now, George Lucas’ folks have sent a cease-and-desist to Wicked Lasers, saying the Spyder Pro Arctic Laser looks too much like a lightsaber. And now, our friends at Wicked Lasers are denying it. We just want to be able to set people on fire without having to worry about lawsuits. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 21:13

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U.S.: Obama immigration lawsuit against Arizona: It’s a constitutional thang

  • In our constitutional system, the federal government has pre-eminent authority to regulate immigration matters. … The nation’s immigration laws reflect a careful and considered balance of national law enforcement, foreign relations, and humanitarian interests.
  • A statement from the lawsuit the U.S. filed against Arizona • Regarding the authority they believe they have over immigration. They want an injunction to stop the Arizona law from happening. If the law leans Obama’s way, it’s a big victory for him; if it leans Arizona’s way, it’s a HUGE victory for states’ rights. Too early to call this one, but it’s going to set a huge precedent no matter who wins. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 20:42

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Culture: We admit, this Lindsay Lohan sentencing video broke us

  • We’re not completely made of stone. Heck, some might argue we’re made of softer substances, like flesh and bone. Those jerks would be wrong, but still, it’s worth emphasizing that seeing Lohan as a bucket of emotions is pretty powerful. Even constant tabloid subjects have souls.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 20:34

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Culture: Lindsay Lohan sentenced to jail, but who’s getting punished?

This just in: Jail has been sentenced to 90 days of Lindsay Lohan.Tue Jul 06 23:53:33 via Twitter for iPhoneJoel David Moore
joeldavidmoore

  • The tall, lanky guy from “Avatar” gets it right. This is not a punishment for Lindsay Lohan. She’s so trashed that she won’t even notice what’s going on. The prison population on the other hand? They get screwed because they have to deal with Lohan for 90 days. Who wins? Twitter users sick of listening to Justin Bieber’s screed. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 11:25

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U.S.: Will the U.S. press charges against Wikileaks source Bradley Manning?

  • YES about time; he has been detained since May source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 11:19

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World: Israeli soldiers are gonna face charges for their conduct in Gaza

  • How bad the 2008 conflict was is up for debate. Investigators for the Israeli government looked into 150 separate incidents of possible misconduct during late 2008’s Operation Cast Lead. Allegations include manslaughter and, in one case, using a Palestinian man as a “human shield.” How many people died in the incident, and how many of those were civilians? Depends on who you ask:
  • 1,400 estimated Palestinian deaths, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights; they say most were non-combatant
  • 1,166 estimated Palestinian deaths, according to the Israeli government, which says 60 percent of those were “terror operatives” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 11:11

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World: Caster Semenya can run again – as a woman, not a man

Fans of comeback stories will like this one. After nearly a year of often-mean-spirited gender second-guessing, Semenya will get back on the track. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Jul 2010 10:52

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World: The British government spends lots of money on iPhone apps

  • £10k
    to £40k     spent to build iPhone apps for the government
  • £94 million spent to design Web sites – anyone say “wasteful”? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 10:44

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Tech: Woot.com calls the AP out on their hypocritical quote-ganking

  • But when we found your little newsy thing you do, we couldn’t help but notice something important. And that something is this: you printed our web content in your article! The web content that came from our blog! Why, isn’t that the very thing you’ve previously told nu-media bloggers they’re not supposed to do?
  • A message from Woot.com • Regarding the Associated Press using quotes from their blog post on their sale to Amazon. Considering the AP has a stupid, stupid rule regarding the quoting of content by outside sources, we’ve mostly avoided their content except when absolutely necessary. Woot.com says that they’ll allow the AP to use their quotes, but it’ll cost them $17.50. Unless, they’re willing to make this deal with the site: “Instead of cutting us a check for the web content you liberated from our site, all you’ll need to do is show us your email receipt from today’s two pack of Sennheiser MX400 In-Ear Headphones, and we’ll call it even.” Well played, sirs. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2010 10:24

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World: Shocker of the day: Sumo apparently has a seedy underworld

  • bad Some of the sport’s athletes have been caught smoking marijuana and rigging matches.
  • worse A 17-year-old novice wrestler was fatally beaten, which doesn’t sound very friendly at all.
  • worser At least 19 wrestlers have been caught gambling on baseball with organized criminals. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
 
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