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10 Mar 2011 21:10

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Politics: Even folks getting questioned don’t get Peter King’s hearings

  • I was overwhelmed by the number of Muslims who, while under threat from misinformed sources, were ready and willing to connect with law enforcement to help keep the peace.
  • Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca • Speaking at Rep. Peter King’s totally effed-up hearings on radical Islam about the level of outreach he received from the Muslim community after Sept. 11, 2001. Baca, one of the four witnesses who spoke the hearing, called out the hearing’s entire premise as screwed up. You and everybody else, Lee. “This hearing is playing into Al Qaeda right now,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat who is exactly right. Basically, go back to what Keith Ellison said. It really nails it all. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 20:45

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Tech: iOS 4.3: Now unsuspecting Smurfs can’t drain your bank account

  • If you’ve ever prowled the iPad App Store, you may have noticed a game called “Smurfs’ Village.” It’s one of the top-grossing apps in the entire iPad ecosystem, but there’s a reason behind that – it’s very expensive to play. The app, which is free, encourages you to buy random Smurf crap while playing – something you can do without a password for fifteen minutes after you download. The combination of popular brand, cute format and expensive in-app purchases is straight up deadly for kids unknowingly draining their parents’ credit cards. It even led to congressmen complaining and sending letters to Apple. Which is where iOS version 4.3 comes in. Now you need a password to buy in-app. Why wasn’t this a feature before, Apple? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 20:17

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Politics, U.S.: Congress continues working the budget layaway circuit

  • two number of weeks the government gave itself to figure out a budget plan by putting one on layaway
  • zero number of spending resolutions that passed both chambers of Congress in that two-week period
  • three number of weeks the government will likely put a new budget on layaway to prevent a shutdown source
  • » Oh yeah: The next temporary deal could include restrictions that limit how and when the budget can be used – such as, for example, no money spent on the new health care law. Hrm.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 15:50

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U.S.: Chaotic protests, dischord in Madison, Wisconsin reaching fever pitch

  • Chaos at the capitol: As a means to reduce the amount of protests and (legitimately worrisome) rage in Madison, the state GOP’s sudden vote last night hasn’t been too helpful. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 15:26

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U.S.: The wholly expected response to last night’s drama

  • legal complaint filed against Wisconsin GOP: This was an expected and obvious counter-move by Wisconsin’s Democratic Party, on the heels of the union stripping fracas that boiled over last night. Greg Sargent’s The Plum Line blog has a link to the full complaint, and as we don’t have any legal background we can’t speak to its strength. That said, as protests continue to rage and recent polls forecast a grim political price for the state’s Republicans, any protracted, public fight over this figures to benefit pro-union advocates. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 14:39

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U.S.: Ohio Gov. John Kasich would like you to know he can crush unions too

  • Wisconsin As anybody with an even mild interest in politics now knows, Gov. Scott Walker’s “budget” bill is not about the budget, so much as it’s a duplicitous effort to crush public unions at seemingly any political price. Police and firefighters, being somewhat harder to scapegoat than teachers, are exempt.
  • Ohio Don’t look now, but Gov. John Kasich is the mega-Walker. The newly elected Republican (and former Bill O’Reilly fill-in host) has an even more draconian hope for unions, stripping broad bargaining rights (like health care), and even disallowing strikes. Oh, and no free pass for police or firefighters. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 14:15

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Politics: Ted Gundy, 85-year-old former sniper, flashes skills with modern rifle

  • He’s still got it: Ted Gundy, 85, was an Army sniper who served in the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most notoriously violent, hellish fronts in America’s campaign against Nazi Germany. He was offered a chance to test his skills with a modern rifle, which allows soldiers to hit targets up to 1000 yards away, 700 yards further than his old gun. Despite expressing doubt he could possibly hit something that far away, the octagenarian sniper landed three bulls-eyes within five inches of one another. He called the experience “one of the nicest things to ever happen in my life.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

10 Mar 2011 13:53

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World: Libyan opposition continues to gain international legitimacy

  • YES Hillary Clinton will meet with Libya’s opposition source
  • » On France’s heels, the U.S. bolsters legitimacy: The Secretary of State plans on meeting with the head of the opposition council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, a former justice minister who resigned when Muammar Gaddafi’s violent reaction began tearing throughout Libya in February.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 13:27

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Politics: Johnnie Baston, 37, executed in Ohio with animal drug

  • old Lethal injections in the state of Ohio, a controversial issue from the get-go, used to be made from sodium thiopental. The company that makes the drug relocated to Italy, however, and the country refused to allow production if it was to be used for the death penalty.
  • new The first execution since took place today, as inmate Johnnie Baston was injected with pentobarbital, typically used to kill horses. As the drug was administered on its own with no customary blend of tested drugs, this has raised the ire of prisoner rights advocates. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 12:47

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U.S.: The Wire’s Snoop arrested in massive drug arrest

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson
Remember Snoop (aka Felicia Pearson) from The Wire? She and 30 others got arrested in a massive Baltimore drug sting. She’s still totally one of the best parts of Season 4. (thanks Margaret Leist) source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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