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13 Nov 2010 19:40

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Offbeat: Based on location, Michigan lottery winners frequent sex toy shop

Why does this guy have such a weird look on his face? Well, he, along with a group who chipped in, just won the lottery. Off a ticket he bought at a sex toy shop. Heh. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Nov 2010 19:26

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Politics: Democrats could invent leadership post for James Clyburn

  • Because, hey, that’s one way to solve the problem. Out of all of the people in the Nancy Pelosi-still-wants-to-lead drama circling Democrats in the House, nobody’s getting screwed more than James Clyburn. Not that he’s showing it. In a letter today, Clyburn announced that he’ll pushing for House Democrats to create an “assistant leader” position. Why the downgrade/job change? “To me,” he said “the best way to resolve this issue, maintain diversity in the leadership and cohesion in our caucus is to pull up another chair to the leadership table with a substantive, well-defined portfolio that will contribute in a meaningful way to our important work and to regaining the majority.” Is that something like “Assistant to the Regional Manager”? Just saying. source
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13 Nov 2010 14:37

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Biz: Newsweek/Daily Beast merger: “like a bad Nora Ephron movie” if it fails

  • Married people disagree all the time. One of them walks out of the room and says, ‘Never talk to me again.’ Then they sleep it off and one sends the other flowers. We realized that there was much more that connected us than separated us.
  • Newsweek owner Sidney Harman  • Explaining the dynamic between the ownership of his Newsweek and that of the Barry Diller-owned Daily Beast. One anonymous source described the potential failure of the collaboration being “like a bad Nora Ephron movie.” Will the collaboration turn out like “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail,” or “Bewitched”? All we know is that we’ll have what they’re having.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Nov 2010 14:14

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World: Finally set free, the first thing Aung San Suu Kyi has to say

“People must work in unison. Only then can we achieve our goal. … When the time comes to talk, do not be quiet.” source
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13 Nov 2010 12:42

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World: Haitian microloan firms struggle, but committed to helping poor

  • Haiti has not had a good year. Many people are struggling to get by and need help to survive. For this reason, microloans have become very popular among small-scale entrepreneurs looking to get by, but even they are having trouble in the wake of absolute destruction of much of the country:
  • 30% the lowest interest rate one will likely find on a microloan from Haiti, which is very reliant on them in the wake of the earthquake
  • 53% the percentage of one lender’s microloans in Haiti that were late after the qake – a staggeringly high number that makes it hard for lenders
  • 18% of microloans have defaulted or risk doing so in Haiti this year; in most third-world countries, it’s more like 2-3 percent source
  • » However, they’re still fighting: These firms seen to understand how important their services are to Hatians, so they’ve used various methods to raise funds to offer the high-risk loans. While they’re a ways off from, say, India’s broad microlending program, they are expanding their work so that they can offer a wider variety of services to the people that need it most.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Nov 2010 12:04

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Tech: Uh-oh: Is Facebook prepping to attack Gmail head-on?

  • issue Over the last week or so, Google and Facebook have been entwined in an argument over Facebook’s importing of Gmail contacts; Google wants them to open up, but Facebook instead has worked around Google’s roadblocks.
  • reason? So why has Facebook been so resistant to Google’s open-up-your-datastream advances? Well, it seems Facebook is about to launch some sort of messaging thing on Monday. Is it e-mail? Because if it is, that would explain a lot. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Nov 2010 11:53

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Politics: Texas gets its first gay marriage, with the help of Skype

  • This is how you get around gay-marriage laws. Mark Reed and Dante Walkup have long been in a committed relationship, and decided that they wanted to get married. Problem is, they live in Texas. So, here’s what they did: They had their ceremony in Dallas, but back in marriage-legal DC, they had marriage-equality activist Sheila Alexander-Reid officiate the wedding over Skype. (They got their marriage license ahead of time.) So they got married among friends, while still obeying local laws. Clever. Hopefully their union isn’t challenged. source
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13 Nov 2010 11:42

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Politics: Heath Shuler: Terrible quarterback, but Pelosi’s worst nightmare?

  • At this point, no one has come forward, no one in leadership for a long time. It will be very tough. It is probably a race we can’t win. But we need a moderate voice in the Democratic Party.
  • Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Heath Shuler • Suggesting he might challenge Nancy Pelosi for the House leadership. Shuler, known as much for being conservative on social issues as he is for his mediocre NFL career, has been one of Pelosi’s strongest critics in the wake of her planned run for House Minority Leader. Shuler would be an interesting wrench in the whole House Leadership mess, and we bet he’d get a bunch of support simply because he offers a clear alternative to Pelosi, who’s not exactly popular right now. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Nov 2010 11:23

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World: Aung San Suu Kyi freed, but she’s really the tip of the iceberg

  • one Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist (Aung San Suu Kyi) freed after 15 straight years under house arrest
  • 2,000 other political activists imprisoned in Myanmar without quite the same pedigree source
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