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04 Dec 2010 22:18

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Politics: Hillary Clinton, Iranian foreign minister not feeling the love

  • I said ‘Hello, minister.’ He just turned away.
  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • On the icy reception she received from Iran’s foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, at a nuclear conference in Bahrain. He wouldn’t even look at her. Icy! Mottaki denies that he was rude to her and claims that he was trying to say hello to King Abdullah of Jordan. Next time they run into one another, they should give each other a big hug to emphasize the lack of hard feelings. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 21:30

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Politics: Sarah Palin would rather crank up tunes than answer questions

  • That’s one way to avoid talking to people. At a recent book-signing in Iowa, the presidential aspirant went out of her way to avoid CNN’s questions – with her handlers literally drowning them out with music. Which is kinda sad/hilarious. If Palin can’t handle being asked questions by the lamestream media, how will she ever be president, a job which requires more media scrutiny than any other in the free world? We may never know. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 20:59

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U.S.: Ronald Reagan once stopped an air traffic controller crisis – with pink slips

  • 2010 In Spain, air traffic controllers forced the country’s military to get involved to stop a strike. The workers are upset because their average wages are getting cut – from roughly $463,000 per year to $263,000 per year.
  • 1981 In a similar strike involving air traffic controllers in the U.S., Ronald Reagan called a union’s bluff and fired nearly 12,000 striking air traffic controllers, which led to smaller staffs that did work that was just as good. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 15:56

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Culture: Normal evening for the LAPD: Suge Knight arrested again, released

  • A person who’s been arrested multiple times, you see if he has any outstanding warrants. And he did.
  • LAPD Sgt. Shawn Ruda • On last night’s arrest of Marion “Suge” Knight, who was wanted on a minor traffic warrant, which is a lot less than what he’s been wanted for in the past. Knight, who hasn’t been relevant since his biggest star, Tupac Shakur, died back in 1996, has had a spotty police record ever since. For the current crime, he was released and will have to show up in court in a month or so. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 15:29

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Culture: Was that guy who shot himself in the Ronni Chasen case involved?

  • NO?that’s what the authorities are suggesting source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 15:10

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Culture: Here’s a photo of Ducktales because we wanted to post one

  • Last night we read about this utterly bizarre idea to have people change their Facebook profile pictures to those of cartoon characters … to help speak out against child abuse. Now, the connection there is tenuous at best, so we ignored it … until we realized we could post a picture of Scrooge McDuck on the site for no apparent reason other to amuse ourselves. So here it is. Ducktales! A whoo-hoo! Tomorrow, Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers. (OK, ok, because we know that there are hardcore types out there, we’ll note that this image predates Ducktales by a few years, and that the history of the Scrooge McDuck character is utterly fascinating.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 14:46

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U.S.: Good news, fat people: Lap-band surgery may become easier to get

  • 40 the BMI overweight people used to need to get the food-limiting lap-band surgery, which has become very popular
  • 35 the BMI an FDA panel now recommends for fat people to get the surgeries – if they don’t have health problems
  • 30 the BMI panel now recommends for lap-band surgery if you already have health problems source
  • » A good alternative: If you’re a fat person who can’t make sense of confusing traditional weight-loss programs, the FDA panel’s recommendation of looser standards for lap-band surgery could be a godsend for people would otherwise need to be chained to a wall to prevent them from eating in large quantities. Like us *chews laptop*.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Dec 2010 14:25

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Culture: Weight Watchers devotees collectively freak out about points

  • I don’t want to be forced to choose veggies. I do NOT like veggies or fruit. I feel like I am being forced to ‘diet,’ and that is what I DO NOT WANT.
  • Some whiny baby on a Weight Watchers forum • Complaining about the changes to the company’s well-known points system, which previously scored processed foods and unprocessed foods about the same way. Now, the new system encourages eaters to have fewer processed foods and as many fruits and vegetables as they’d like. Seeing a bunch of people on a weight-loss plan collectively freak out is kind of entertaining. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 13:42

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World: Cluster#(&! of the day: The Ivory Coast now has two presidents

  • One of these guys is the president of the Ivory Coast. Both of them took an oath today claiming they were the president. The guy on the left, Laurent Gbagbo, lost but doesn’t want to concede power, so the country’s Constitutional Council threw out hundreds of thousands of votes yesterday. Alassane Ouattara, the guy on the right, took a separate oath today. Don’t know about you guys, but we just love the smell of disenfranchisement in the morning. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 12:49

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World: “Air-traffic controller” now a form of slave labor in Spain

  • I cannot talk to you properly now. There are civil guards here, with pistols. If we don’t start work now, we will be arrested.
  • A Spanish air-traffic controller talking to the Daily Telegraph • Describing how he’s literally been forced to go to work by the Spanish military nearly a day after an air-traffic controller walkout sent Spanish airspace into chaos. Spain’s way of dealing with this crisis-inducing problem? They handed control of controlling the airspace to the military, who forced the striking workers to go back to their jobs, by force. So technically, this air traffic controller is working slave labor right now, eh? Classy. That’s one way to solve a crisis. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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