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20 Oct 2010 22:31

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Tech: Macbook Air porn: Don’t look too hard kid, you might go blind

  • If nothing else, Apple’s updated MacBook Air models are easy on the eyes. So we’re just going to link you to Boing Boing, which has some very sexy photos of these new computers. It’s like reading an issue of Penthouse (RIP Bob Guccione), except with computers. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 22:20

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U.S.: Pilot to TSA: I’m not getting in a full body scanner – and you suck

  • I just kind of had to ask myself ‘Where do I stand?’ I’m just not comfortable being physically manhandled by a federal security agent every time I go to work.
  • Expressjet Airlines pilot Michael Roberts • Explaining why he chose not to get in the full-body-scan machine on his way into work one day last week. This is kind of a bold stand to take, and it plays into the whole spiel that Gizmodo pushed around the time of the Underwear Bomber, which is that the Transportation Safety Administration offers the wrong kind of resources in the wrong place, and that stronger intelligence is better than forcing everyone to take off their shoes. Glad to see a pilot agrees. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 21:44

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Politics: Obama’s record on gay rights pretty crappy so far, in our book

  • Obama, Obama, Obama … sigh. Look, we know you have the military in your ear. We know that the elections are coming up. We know that your party is probably going to lose a lot of seats come November. But the way you’ve handled this “don’t ask, don’t tell” mess – and gay rights in general – is pretty sad. It’s like you’re paying lip service to the idea of expanding gay rights while heading the opposite direction when the opportunity arises. Your administration’s quick appeal of a lower court’s decision repealing DADT was like dumping water all over many of your supporters. Sure, you can go on about them being unable to see the forest for the trees, but you don’t even seem to be interested in the forest at this point. And don’t even get us started on the fact that you don’t support gay marriage. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 21:24

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World: 20-year-old single mom new sheriff of drug-plagued Mexican town

Marisol Valles Garcia is the sheriff of Praxedis G. Guerrero, one of the most violent places in Mexico. A student, she was the only person to offer to take the job. She has balls. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 21:10

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U.S.: Chicagoland sheriff: We won’t process these mass foreclosures

  • This is not the lotto. This isn’t something where we roll the dice and say, ‘You know what? Possibly this has been done legally. Maybe it hasn’t, but in the meantime you and your children go find some place to live. There’s plenty of homeless shelters out there.’ We can’t do that.
  • Cook County, Illinois Sheriff Tom Dart • Informing mortgage companies that he WOULD NOT be evicting people due to foreclosure orders. Why? Well, his staff discovered that many of the foreclosure orders coming his way were from so-called “robo signers,” who have been ordering foreclosures en masse without even reading the documents. “This is so outrageous. These poor people are being put through this day in and day out, by people who don’t do their jobs,” he said. “It’s so hard for me to stomach these people. This isn’t just we are taking their bike away, or their car away. This is their house.” Dart, by the way, is noted for his attacks on Craigslist. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 12:48

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Politics: Irony: “Rent is Too Damn High” partier has pretty decent rent

  • $800 the amount in rent Jimmy McMillan pays each month
  • five the number of years since he’s had a rent increase source
  • » In his defense: Before you all jump on the new meme, keep in mind that he’s not talking about himself, but all the other people in NYC with really expensive rents. His campaign got a boost from Monday’s New York gubernatorial debate, by the way. “I got a flood of campaign contributions. PayPal, PayPal, PayPal,” he claimed.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 12:45

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Politics: What’s the difference between Meg Whitman and the Governator?

  • The video speaks for itself, so we’ll keep our commentary brief: this is one of the most effective campaign ads we’ve ever seen. Absolutely brutal. Keep in mind, Californians really, really don’t like Schwarzenegger (he’s got a 28% approval rating as of last month). source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 2 Comments • Permalink
 

20 Oct 2010 11:20

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U.S.: Oh yeah: Boy Scouts still legally allowed “Don’t Ask” policies

  • Don’t ask, don’t tell – Boy Scouts edition: Jon Langbert, the father of a 9-year-old Cub Scout and a leader within his local chapter, was removed from the position because he’s gay. Apparently, other members of the Dallas, Texas chapter complained, and the complaints eventually got really loud. The organization, by the way, does not allow gays or atheists to be in leadership positions, but says it would have let Langbert stay in his position if he chose not to publicize it. The Supreme Court, by the way, allowed this in a 2000 court decision. With all the attention that gay suicides are getting right now, we have a feeling that this will eventually become a tough position for the organization to hold onto culturally. (BTW, we were in scouting as kids.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 10:57

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Culture: Hillary Clinton jumps onto the “It Gets Better” bandwagon

  • Take heart, and have hope, and please remember that your life is valuable, and that you are not alone.  Many people are standing with you and sending you their thoughts, their prayers and their strength.  Count me among them.
  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Making her own “It Gets Better” video. She’s the most prominent person to make one of these videos, but by far not the only one. Dan Savage’s movement has gotten a lot of attention in recent weeks (especially in the wake of Joel Burns’ speech). But is it helping? Simon Owens of The Next Web recently asked some of the video creators whether they thought the videos would have helped them. “I think it would have been amazing,” said one video-maker, Khris Brown. “I think it would have made me feel less alone.” Owens’ suggestion at the end of the article is that the videos not only have their own outward benefits, but  work as “a method of confronting and addressing the video-makers’ own demons as well.” That’s exactly why this idea is so effective. It empowers the maker as well as the watcher. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 10:32

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Politics: A reminder to our friends in California: Prop. 23 is evil

  • Hey everyone in California, when you see an ad like this one, remember that it’s not some company looking out for your financial interests. Instead, two giant oil companies, Valero and Tesoro, are pushing the proposition as a scare tactic. (You’ll see their names in the first second or two of the ad.) As you’ll see above, the advertising for this campaign is very manipulative, so we want to point out again: This is big oil looking out for their own interests. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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