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06 Nov 2010 20:15

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World: Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma) having (possibly democratic) elections

  • 29
    million     number of people who will be able to vote in tomorrow’s elections in Burma (also known as Myanmar)
  • 1.5
    million     number of those people who won’t be able to because it’s too dangerous for voting to take place
  • 50 number of years that Burma has been under depressing military rule
  • 20 number of years since the country had any sort of election (sham or not)
  • 3,000 candidates are vying for a seat in Sunday’s election source
  • » Critics say it’s a sham: Well, let’s see. Foreign journalists won’t be allowed in the country during tomorrow’s elections. Nor will independent observers. And the leader of the opposition party, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, is currently under house arrest and largely has been since the last election. Wonder what makes them think that this election is a sham.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 19:47

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Tech: Proxy war: Facebook, Google fighting over your friends

  • cause Google, looking to build its own social networking product to compete with Facebook (Orkut doesn’t count apparently) wants Facebook to open up its data stream so they can use it.
  • reaction Facebook says no, so Google changes their policy so Facebook can’t simply grab contacts from Gmail accounts anymore. You joined Facebook five years ago, so it doesn’t matter. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 19:38

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Biz: Baby bundle: Amazon sees lots of opportunity with Diapers.com

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 15:18

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Culture: USA Today used Comic Sans on its front page Friday. NOOOOO

  • NO. NO. NO. NO. No. No. No. This is wrong. No. USA Today needs to stop doing this. Not even Conan can make this usage desirable. (Thanks to Danny Unruh, @kstateunruh for the image)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 14:13

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Politics: Defend Olbermann, go viral: How @ericfadden got 2,500 retweets

  • Before you know it my iPhone can’t turn it’s screen off because I’m getting near constant push notifications of retweets.
  • Twitter user (and SFB reader) Eric Fadden • Explaining how he became something of a Twitter celebrity yesterday after a key point that he made in the Keith Olbermann saga received 2,500 retweets. The tweet? “Gotta love the new campaign contribution rules. Keith Olbermann donates as a citizen and gets suspended. A corp can give & remain nameless.” Fadden says that around 90 percent of the tweeters agreed him, but the other ten percent were very critical. To that, he says: “Has the polarization gotten that bad where we would mock one of our own as their rights are trampled by their employer…nay, even worse, when that employer enjoys more protection than those it employs?” Good point, Eric. It’s good to point out that the game is a little different for journalists, but Olbermann is biased and should not be held to the standard of a reporter. Meanwhile, General Electric can anonymously influence the electoral process as they choose. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 13:44

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U.S.: Four Loko banned in Michigan: Get your blackouts somewhere else

  • “Blackout in a Can” is losing the PR battle. So, it appears that Four Loko is about to become persona non grata in convenience stores across Michigan, as the state has banned the drink altogether (along with 55 other alcohol-plus-energy-drink concoctions) in the wake of a sexual assault case involving Four Loko. “Until further research is done by the FDA, they should no longer be on Michigan shelves,” said Michigan Liquor Control Commission Chairwoman Nida Samona. The makers of Four Loko are protesting the decision. (photo via ghostdad) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 13:21

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World: Yemeni Judge orders terror suspect Anwar al-Awlaki’s arrest

If you happen to be this guy, Yemen’s police are on their way to arrest you for alleged terror ties to al-Qaeda. By. Any. Means. Possible. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Nov 2010 13:00

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Politics: George W. Bush on waterboarding: “Damn right.” Damn right.

  • I thought about my meeting with Danny Pearl’s widow, who was pregnant with his son when he was murdered. I thought about the 2,971 people stolen from their families by al Qaeda on 9/11. And I thought about my duty to protect my country from another act of terror. ‘Damn right,’ I said.
  • George W. Bush • Explaining in his coming memoir, “Decision Points,” why he allowed the CIA to waterboard suspects being interrogated, specifically Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. While it’s clear from the quote that he thought the decision through, the off-the-cuffness of his response strikes us as a little, you know, stark. We appreciate Bush caring so much about the lives of Americans that he’s willing to waterboard a 9/11 suspect, but waterboarding is about half a step away from torture. In fact, depending on who you ask, lots of people consider it torture. Also in the book, Bush (who claims to be through with politics) compliments Obama’s political skills while criticizing those of John McCain. He is also keeping his nose out of the whole 2012 race out of respect for Obama. This is impressive restraint that he at times didn’t show in office, by the way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 12:30

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Culture: Fark’s brilliant “Scott Pilgrim” ad: You need the Konami Code

  • Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A: Put this key combination into the Fark homepage and you’ll be dragged into a Scott Pilgrim mini-game that makes us all of a sudden want to forgive Drew Curtis for being so rash the other day. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Nov 2010 12:17

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World: Pope Benedict to Spain: Your secularism is bad news, guys

  • The clash between faith and modernity is happening again, and it is very strong today. … Spain saw in the 1930s the birth of a strong and aggressive anti-clericalism.
  • Pope Benedict XVI • Seeming to suggest that Spain’s growing secularism will bring rise to the kind of fascism that led to the Spanish Civil War. See, Spain (currently ruled by Socialists) has done a few things that the Catholic Church doesn’t like, including getting rid of religious education in schools and legalizing abortion. The pope suggests a “meeting between faith and secularism and not a confrontation.” Perhaps we’re cynical, but does anyone see this as the Pope’s attempt to scare people back towards religion in Spain? source
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