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10 Nov 2010 01:12

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Politics: Fresh off (non-)victory, Alvin Greene wants Obama’s job in 2012

On the plus side, it’ll probably be cheaper for him to run. The filing fee for senate in South Carolina was $10,000; the fee for president in 2008 was $2,500. (Thanks Larry Crider) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2010 00:53

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Politics: Ray LaHood to states: Keep building high-speed rail or lose money

  • no Newly elected governors in multiple Midwest states want to cancel in-progress high-speed rail projects they say their states can’t afford.
  • but … However, these newly minted Republican leaders want to keep the money already set aside for these projects to help fix the roads.
  • no Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the states either have to keep the projects going or forfeit the money entirely. It’s war, guys. source
  • » Our take: Why is it that the first thing GOP leaders look to cut are public-works projects with potential long-term implications? The two projects in question here – a high-speed link between Milwaukee and Chicago and another between four of Ohio’s largest cities – would have a long-term positive effect on the state economies. Yet canceling them halfway through is a great idea. Have these guys even looked at the rising popularity of the Acela trains in the Northeast Corridor? Or how much these would help commuters? Milwaukee to Chicago, for example, is a very common Amtrak trip, and faster trains would make it easier for people who want to skip the traffic to make the trek. It’s not always about slimming down now, but planning for tomorrow.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 22:36

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Biz: Rip your employer on Facebook all you want: It’s protected speech

  • This is a fairly straightforward case under the National Labor Relations Act — whether it takes place on Facebook or at the water cooler, it was employees talking jointly about working conditions, in this case about their supervisor, and they have a right to do that.
  • National Labor Relations Board acting general counsel Lafe Solomon • Explaining why they stepped in after an employee at American Medical Response of Connecticut, an ambulance service, was fired for criticizing her employer on Facebook. (She was upset that she wasn’t allowed counsel with her union, the Teamsters, and ended up ripping on her supervisor.) It’s the first time that a worker has been defended by the board specifically for Facebook-related reasons. While American Medical Response denies the allegations and claims they’re without merit, at least one powerful law firm sent an alert out to its corporate clients informing them that this could be a big problem for them – especially if their workers have unions. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 22:07

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U.S.: Protip to teenagers: Text a lot and you’ll get high, drunk and laid

  • cause Teenagers like to text each other a lot, and some of them send over 120 a day (five an hour). Us old people won’t understand the reasoning behind this.
  • effect Those teens are more likely to take drugs, drink alcohol and have sex. Translation: They get invited to all the good parties because they text so much. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 21:51

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Politics: Keith Olbermann’s “Countdown” return, complete with funny open

  • The audible buzzing at the beginning of this clip we imagine was a side effect of the guy taping the video, but it makes the effect of Keith coming back even funnier. It wasn’t a PR stunt, kids, but it sure worked like one, didn’t it? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 21:34

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Culture: Spiffy: Reddit users build their own political action committee

  • So, to anyone who thinks Reddit is just a bunch of silly videos and a meme machine, here’s probably the most interesting use of the site so far. A Reddit political action committee. Their issues? Net neutrality, campaign finance reform, and a general emphasis on progress before profit. This is why Reddit is different. We don’t see anyone making a DiggPAC. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 21:08

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World: Israel PM to Obama: You don’t own me! I do what I want!

  • Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is the capital of the state of Israel. Israel sees no connection between the diplomatic process and the planning and building policy in Jerusalem.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • Explaining why Israel will continue to build settlements in disputed areas of Jerusalem and the West Bank despite rebukes from the U.S. for its latest settlement-building schemes. Just hours before, Obama criticized Israel for its actions like so: “This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations, and I’m concerned that we’re not seeing each side make that extra effort involved to get a breakthrough. Each of these incremental steps end up breaking trust.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Nov 2010 13:46

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Culture: Washington Post: Bob Woodward and Ben Bradlee talk iPad apps

  • You know Ben Bradlee? He knows the score on the iPad. Bob Woodward goes to him for advice on how to use it. To newspapers: This is how you advertise your iPad app. That’s right. Turn your most grizzled journalists into pitchmen.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 10:51

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Culture: (Most) other late-night hosts commend Conan’s return

  • I want to congratulate Conan O’Brien and his crew. They’re back on television tonight. I don’t know when… son of a bitch! They’re on the same time as me. Now I’ll never be able to watch me.
  • Jon Stewart • Making a hilarious but well-placed commendation of Conan O’Brien’s return to late night on last night’s “The Daily Show.” Letterman, George Lopez and Craig Ferguson also made some pretty good send-offs to the returning late-night host. Note that none of those guys are on NBC. Just saying. (On a side note, Leno’s getting fellow pariah Christine O’Donnell later this week. Fitting?) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 10:38

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Culture: Conan’s late-night return means another amazing cold open

  • Must hand it to Conan. Dude knows how to make a cold open to start a series. There were many good parts of his debut, but the intro is perhaps our favorite (though the “comma Brett Favre’s penis” joke was definitely a winner, too). Will he be the new king of late night? Newsweek seems to think so. Go read the article and see if they’re full of crap or not. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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