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21 Nov 2010 21:57

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U.S.: Thanks Candy Crowley: The no-waver TSA begins to waver

  • Ah boy … Here comes the backtrack. Just hours after their leader, John Pistole, embarrassed himself on CNN’s “State of the Union” by suggesting that feeling people up was OK (thanks to some very tough questioning by host Candy Crowley), the TSA released a statement suggesting that they may in fact bend their policies. “This has always been viewed as an evolving program that will be adapted as conditions warrant,” the statement said, “and we greatly appreciate the cooperation and understanding of the American people.” How far will they bend? How much will they adapt? We’ll find out in the next episode of “TSA Chief Goes on Television and Comes off Looking Like a Jackass.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 20:03

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Politics: Hillary Clinton’s endorsement of the TSA downright ringing

  • Not if I could avoid it. No. I mean, who would?
  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Offering a ringing endorsement of the TSA’s new enhanced pat-down procedures by saying that she would avoid getting them if she could, but the measures are necessary to deal with terrorists “getting more creative about what they do to hide explosives in, you know, crazy things like underwear.” You wouldn’t like the procedures, Hillary? Tell that to the cancer survivor covered in his own urine by TSA workers. Seems like he probably feels the same way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 19:55

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World: The Vatican shakes off Pope Benedict’s condom comments

  • yeah … Pope Benedict made some claims in a to-be-released book that make it sound like the Catholic Church’s stance on condoms is softening.
  • … but The Vatican almost immediately backtracked, saying that he had “not reformed or changed the church’s teaching.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 14:21

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Politics: Max Headroom: TSA’s John Pistole says they can touch your junk

  • We’re trying out a new format for Max Headroom this week. The old format was nice, but we think this mix, with larger videos, might be easier on your squinty eyes. Check it out, and let us know what you think. And also, let us know how much the video below pisses you off:

  • Twelve minutes of evasion: Could TSA Chief John Pistole be more useless? He spends the entirety of this interview trying to explain in the vaguest terms possible how his bureaucracy isn’t going to budge despite a huge public outcry. Have to say that this jerk is really ticking us off.
  • Meet the guy in question Airport security target John Tyner was recently on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show with noted libertarian free-liberty magician dude Penn Jillette. Personally, we’re amused by the fact that MSNBC’s tile cards refer to Tyner as the “Don’t touch my junk guy,” which is freaking hilarious. We gained more from watching this than we did the Pistole video.
  • … and they say TV news is useless Perhaps the biggest fail of the entire week was that of the WGN newscasters who waited to see a bridge collapse for ages, only to pan away just as it was happening. While claiming it’s a metaphor for their effervescent morning show, it’s really a metaphor for the Sam Zellified Tribune Company, which was asleep at the wheel for their recent bankruptcy.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 12:54

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World: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Girls should marry before they’re 18

  • 15 the age girls can get married in Iran (upgraded from nine in 2004)
  • 16-18 the age Ahmadinejad thinks that girls should get married
  • 19-21 the age Ahmadinejad thinks guys should get married source
  • » Why so young? Well, strangely, hardline Iranian leaders think that waiting to get married helps to encourage the “spread of immorality among youth.” Conversely (and strangely), they’re also worried about high rates of divorce, which logic dictates might be caused by people who get married too early. Ahmadinejad says that there’s no reason that women should wait until they’re 24 to get married. We have a pretty good one, actually – so you won’t get divorced before you’re 24.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 12:25

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Culture: Latest Harry Potter scores massive box-office opening

  • $125.1
    million     the amount that the not-in-3D-at-all “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” made in its first weekend
  • $102.7
    million     the amount that the next highest opener in the series, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” made in its first weekend in 2005 source
  • » One of the best openings of all-time: While it didn’t top 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” it did score the sixth-best opening of all-time and helped continue the series’ run as the most popular franchise in Hollywood history. What’s a Hogwart?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 12:08

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Politics: Sarah Palin’s new enemy: Barbara Bush suggests she stays in Alaska

  • I sat next to her once, thought she was beautiful and I think she’s very happy in Alaska — and I hope she’ll stay there.
  • Former First Lady Barbara Bush • Saying something basically designed to piss off Sarah Palin. Bush, most recently in the news for this strange number, was interviewed (along with her husband) by Larry King in an interview to air Monday. George the elder, for his part, likes some of the Tea Party’s ideas but is confused by what the party is and their plans “to get Republicans in Congress to do something.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

21 Nov 2010 11:55

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World: North Korea invents new way to piss off world leaders

So yeah, As if we didn’t have enough to worry about, apparently North Korea has a new, highly sophisticated nuclear facility. Are they using it for leverage? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 11:38

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Politics: Posted without comment: Kid strip-searched by the TSA (wow)

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 11:30

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Biz: In this post, we give the L.A. Times crap for having too many ads

  • We rip on the L.A. Times a lot for the massive amount of advertising it runs on its front page, on the front page of its Web site, and other places. One place we haven’t run them over the coals over is the article pages that often get linked on Google News. Above the ad is another 728×90 ad. So, in other words, you have FOUR ads above the fold. FOUR. And here’s a article about the dangers of buying precious metals from certain firms. And it’s surrounded by ads … that encourage you to buy precious metals. Whoever is on the staff of the ad side of the L.A. Times needs to do some serious thinking about the kind of precedent the heavy advertising creates for their paper. Because, we’ll tell you now – it’s not a good one. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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