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28 Nov 2010 23:43

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World: Haitian elections: They needed a good day. They got a bad one.

  • 12 of the 19 presidential candidates say the election is a sham source
  • » The end effect: For a country constantly overwhelmed by chaos, it’s just another thing. Nearly all of the major candidates protested the results, claiming that they were skewed in favor of current president Rene Preval’s government. They said as much in a statement: “We are asking the men and women of Haiti to organize peacefully against the Preval government. We are asking everyone to mobilize.” Haiti needed a good day today. Instead, they got another bad one. If the election results are a sham, may the people who slanted them feel the wrath of the international community. Surely Wyclef Jean, of all people, would’ve done better than this.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 23:28

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Culture: Leslie Nielsen: surely dead too soon (and don’t call me Shirley)

  • If Mel Brooks is the king of parody, Leslie Nielsen was the clown prince, playing it straight even as he was saying the most absurd things and found himself in the most absurd of situations. But Neilsen, who died today at 84, didn’t start out that way – a TV actor at the very dawn of the medium, he was known for his leading man roles until 1980, when a role in the low-budget farce “Airplane!” turned him into a major star and made him a funnyman du jour, something only reinforced by the multiple “Naked Gun” movies (and, oh yeah, the latter part of the “Scary Movie” series, the fifth of which will be his last role). We grew up with this guy. A lot of people did. Protip: If you haven’t seen the short-lived “Police Squad” TV series, you’re missing out.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 13:39

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World: Well, Wikileaks’ Cablegate pretty much sucks for the U.S.

  • At the start of a series of daily extracts from the US embassy cables – many of which are designated ‘secret’ – the Guardian can disclose that Arab leaders are privately urging an air strike on Iran and that US officials have been instructed to spy on the UN’s leadership.
  • A sentence at the start of the Guardian’s package on Wikileaks’ “Cablegate” • Which kind of says it all. The U.S. is going to have a lot of fun cleaning up this mess. Also worth reading: The New York Times’ package. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 12:56

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World: Is someone trying to silence Wikileaks before their newest leak?

  • YES they’re currently getting nailed by a DOS attack source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 11:56

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World: Haiti’s elections are today; think good thoughts for them

Between the earthquake, the cholera, and basically the past 300 years, they need effective leaders to recover and improve. Let’s hope the vote helps them. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 11:49

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Biz: Stop everything you’re doing and read this cyber scammer article

  • I’ve exploited this opportunity because it works. No matter where they post their negative comments, it helps my return on investment. So I decided, why not use that negativity to my advantage?
  • DecorMyEyes.com owner Vitaly Borker • Explaining how he’s used the negative feedback on his eyeglass-selling site to his advantage. Borker basically has learned that by not caring about what people are saying about his business, good or bad, he can ensure that he gets prime SEO-friendly real-estate on Google. Clarabelle Rodriguez, one of his buyers who was harassed by Borker’s people for weeks after complaining about her purchase and canceling the payment on her credit card, fought back. And now the New York Times has a lengthy article about DoctorMyEyes, which should ensure that you never shop with them, ever. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 11:22

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World: China wants to get North, South Korea back to negotiating table

  • 2008 China, North and South Korea, Japan, Russia and the U.S., had six-party disarmament talks about North Korea’s nuclear program. The North walked out when it became clear it was an intervention.
  • 2010 China, looking to help ease things between on-the-brink-of-war North and South Korea, is pushing for another round of talks. China says it won’t be like last time; South Korea is thinking about it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

28 Nov 2010 11:07

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Politics: On “It Gets Better” and general, non-anti-gay bullying

  • Clip of the day: We mentioned on Tumblr that we were saddened by the story of a 29-year-old Gloucester, Massachusetts man so broken down by high school bullying that he never went to college and lives in fear of conflict. We made the suggestion that there needs to be a more general “It Gets Better” campaign for guys like him, but it appears Washington Post super-blogging policy wonk Ezra Klein beat us to the punch with this well-thought-out piece on how growing older gives you control over your own destiny. Some good debate has come from Klein’s video, too. Good thing he did it, because we don’t have an animation budget to create a clip of Julius talking about how he got bullied when he was in the factory. (Hat tip fuckyeahcoolquotes) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 10:52

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World: Rio de Janeiro police, soldiers raid lawless drug haven

The Olympics may not be headed to Brazil until 2016, but they’re getting ready now by fighting against powerful drug gangs (who have been fighting back). With tanks! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 10:39

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Politics: U.S. government anger over Wikileaks gets much louder

  • I would hope that those who are responsible for this would, at some point in time, think about the responsibility that they have for lives that they’re exposing and the potential that’s there and stop leaking this information.
  • Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen • Saying WITH EMPHASIS that if Wikileaks releases the diplomatic cables it has, it could endanger lives. Other government officials, including ambassadors, are complaining loudly too. The question, of course, is whether these cables, which are expected to be released today, will be nearly as damaging as they suggest. It’s pretty likely they will be – some of the stuff revealed in the Iraq and Afghan War leaks was a bit retready. This could be new ground. Or not. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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