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14 Dec 2010 23:46

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Politics, U.S.: GOP donors not thrilled about Michael Steele’s reelection bid

  • The long and short of it is I have a hard time finding any major donor who would trust [Michael Steele] to straighten out the RNC and run a principled and ethical fundraising operation…My own slogan is now, Anybody But Steele.
  • Former RNC Finance Chair Al Hoffman • On Michael “Drill, Baby, Drill” Steele’s announcement that he will run for a second term as RNC chair. Lots of big-money GOP donors have pledged stop giving to the RNC if Steele wins his reelection bid. Some worry that, should Steele win, the RNC might not even be able to raise enough money to fund the 2012 GOP Convention in Florida. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 23:29

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Culture, U.S.: A year’s worth of movies in one six-minute YouTube video

  • This is really, really cool: Some very talented editor by the name of “Gen I” took all (or close to all) of the films released in 2010, and truncated them down to this six-minute montage. What’s impressive about this is a) the seamless blending of the clips, and b) the sheer variety of films represented. We spotted a clip from “Animal Kingdom,” a film we’re pretty sure was seen by about ten people total. The music is spot-on, as well, and it’s really fun to try and spot your favorite flicks as they pop up. Film buffs owe it to themselves to check this out.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 23:22

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U.S.: Worst gunman ever: Guy holds up meeting, opens fire, misses

  • Look. This was a scary incident. This guy, Clay Duke, could’ve hurt a lot of people. But … man. This video makes us wonder. He started firing, and managed to hit absolutely nobody. They initially thought he was firing blanks at the Panama City, Fla. school board members … but no. He’s just perhaps the worst gunman ever. (That giant, inexplicable “V” on the wall? Also Duke’s handiwork.) During the incident, a security guard shot at Duke, who later shot himself in the head and died. And we have the entire thing on video. Wanna know more? Well, a reporter on the scene wrote an entertaining, colorful eyewitness account. Worth the read. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 21:21

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Politics: Senate getting slower and slower at confirming judicial appointees

  • 39.8% confirmation rate of Barack Obama’s judicial nominees (lowest in history)
  • 76% George W. Bush’s judicial confirmation rate at this point in his presidency
  • 89% Bill Clinton’s judicial confirmation rate at the same point (more than twice Obama’s) source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 21:14

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Culture, World: 1931: By 2011, workers and CEOs will all earn the same

  • things have changed in the last eighty years. Of course, no one in 1931 could have predicted the exact nature of those changes, but that didn’t stop people from trying. Back when Herbert Hoover was being hailed as the next big thing, The New York Times asked several prominent thinkers to predict what life would look like in eighty years. The results are part dead-on, part way off, and all highly amusing.  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 21:11

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Music: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Mostly lame … wait, Tom Waits?!?

  • going in Neil Diamond (lame), Alice Cooper (cooler 40 years ago), Dr. John (ok, we guess), Darlene Love (who?) and Tom Waits (finally, a worthwhile pick!) will be headed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
  • shut out Bon Jovi (probably for the best) anything disco or hip-hop related, Donovan (mello yellow), Laura Nyro (sigh), and a couple of random R&B acts nobody knows because everyone’s too young. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 20:54

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U.S.: Air Force blocks newspapers that published Wikileaks materials

  • 25 news sites blocked by the Air Force over Wikileaks fears source
  • » What’s the point? Not allowing people to read The New York Times and The Guardian seems a little extreme, and the effect is futile, anyway. Why’s that? Well, see, all they have to do to read the cables is GO HOME AND FIRE UP THEIR LAPTOP. Wow, that’s some effective security there, guys. By the way, the Army, Navy and Marines aren’t doing this, and the Department of Defense is formally distancing itself from the Air Force on this issue.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

14 Dec 2010 20:40

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Politics: Marine commandant stands behind harsh words about “don’t ask”

  • I don’t want to lose any Marines to a distraction. I don’t want to have any Marines I’m visiting at Bethesda (Naval Hospital) with no legs as a result of any type of distraction. So that’s where I come down on this.
  • Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos • Expressing his staunch opinion about allowing gays in his service. He says he based his feelings on the recent report done on the matter, which suggested Marines were most uncomfortable with the change. “This is what I call the real deal,” he said, “and the forces that wear this uniform that are in the middle of what I call the real deal came back and told their commandant of the Marine Corps they have concerns. That’s all I needed.” Just think – if a court decision forces your hand, James, you’re not going to be able to do anything about the matter. Think about that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 20:37

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Politics: Let the fiddling begin: Democrats want to modify tax compromise

  • left While Democrats have come to grips with most portions of the Obama tax compromise, some are staunchly against a measure that significantly lowers the estate tax (which has been on pause this year) and raises the exemption rate to a rate much higher than it was.
  • right In case you’re wondering if the GOP likes the idea of any measures in the plan changing, Mitch McConnell puts it like this: “This agreement is not subject to being reopened. In other words, we have an understanding.” Our boy Mitch is still sort of a jerk. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Dec 2010 11:15

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Tech: FBI investigating Gawker hack. We hope they catch the jerks.

  • The kind of attention we got – which spiked Gawker.com traffic – is the kind we can do without.
  • Gawker founder Nick Denton • Noting that there’s actually a kind of traffic Gawker doesn’t like. You know, the kind that comes after an embarrassing hack to one’s Gibson. By the way, the FBI is (thank God) actually investigating the hack, which is good, because even though Gawker screwed up big time here, the level of evil that Gnosis showed was beyond the pale. Look, you don’t like Gawker, so what. Don’t punish their users. We hope the jerks that did this go to jail for a really long time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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