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30 Apr 2011 17:06

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Biz: Warren Buffett: Don’t not raise the debt ceiling, Congress

  • Protip: Trust a guy with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. During Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha, the investor icon suggested that if Congress failed to raise the federal debt ceiling in the middle of May (as some completely uninformed RedState blogger suggested and Timothy Geithner pleaded against), it would be the “most asinine act” in the chamber’s history. And Congress has done a lot of stupid crap in their day. Perhaps we should listen to this highly-regarded rich guy! (photo by Medill DC‘s Flickr photostream) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Apr 2011 16:44

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World: Did Yemen’s Saleh actually sign that agreement to step down?

  • NO guess who’s suddenly having reservations? source
  • » Protesters aren’t really into it, either: For whatever reason, the Yemeni leader has started to waver on his agreement last week to leave office in exchange for his immunity, and has refused to sign it. Yemeni protesters want Ali Abdullah Saleh to be tried for both corruption and the deaths of protesters, which currently number around 142. If Saleh doesn’t agree to step down, it could be a huge setback for negotiations (obviously).
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Apr 2011 15:38

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Politics: Obama, GOP appear to agree: Big oil needs no tax subsidies

  • Obama Today, the president used his weekly radio address to suggest, in the wake of high gas prices and huge oil company profits, to remove the oil subsidies big oil companies enjoy. This might just be the time to pull it off.
  • GOP In this case … it appears that top GOP figures agree. John Boehner recently suggested removing corporate tax breaks for oil companies (which his staffers have tried to walk back), and Paul Ryan recently made a similar pitch. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Apr 2011 11:47

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Politics: Birther drama: People who Donald Trump has pissed off lately

  • Letterman’s lashing out On a Thursday night episode of “The Late Show with David Letterman,” the host ripped into one of Trump’s friends, Dr. Phil, over Trump’s behavior in recent weeks. “It’s all fun, it’s all a circus, it’s all a rodeo, until it starts to smack of racism. And then it’s no longer fun,” he said. Letterman also noted that they may not bring Trump back on the show as a guest in the future over the birther stuff.
  • Seinfeld’s Charity drop-out The incident mirrors a recent decision by Jerry Seinfeld to not take part in a Trump-sponsored charity event. Rather than handle the real issue at hand, Trump went after Seinfeld’s admittedly terrible “The Marriage Ref.” “What I do feel badly about is that I agreed to do, and did, your failed show, ‘The Marriage Ref,'” he wrote, “even though I thought it was absolutely terrible.” Damn brah. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Apr 2011 10:59

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World: Libya: Gaddafi wants a ceasefire … aww how cute. But no!

  • Gaddafi’s regime has lost all credibility. The people of Libya cannot possibly envisage or accept a future Libya in which Gaddafi’s regime plays any role.
  • Libyan Transitional National Council vice president Abdul Hafidh Ghoga • In a statement rejecting a conditional ceasefire and a spot at the negotiating table with that Gaddafi guy. While Gaddafi will not leave Libya, he seems ready to bargain: “We were the first to welcome a ceasefire and we were the first to accept a ceasefire … but the crusader NATO attack has not stopped,” Gaddafi said. Essentially, he really wants NATO to leave. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Apr 2011 18:50

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Culture: Mike Tyson’s tattoo artist sues to stop “The Hangover 2”

  • Today in the greatest story ever of the day: Mike Tyson tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill, who calls the former boxer’s facial mark “one of the most distinctive tattoos in the nation,” wants to ensure that Ed Helms’ similarly questionable facial tattoo doesn’t make it to theaters. Here’s what the suit says: “Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. — without attempting to contact Mr. Whitmill, obtain his permission, or credit his creation — has copied Mr. Whitmill’s Original Tattoo and placed it on the face of another actor … This unauthorized exploitation of the Original Tattoo constitutes copyright infringement.” Protip: Don’t give a guy a stupid-looking tattoo if you don’t want it to be parodied by a popular film franchise. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Apr 2011 15:45

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U.S.:

  • I have never seen devastation like this. It is heartbreaking. This is something I don’t think anyone has seen before.
  • President Barack Obama • Discussing his reaction to the damage in Tuscaloosa. The president, flanked by Michelle Obama and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley. The storms have killed at least 310 — 210 in Alabama alone — and left hundreds injured, along with tearing up a huge chunk of a number of towns across the South, especially in Tuscaloosa. “We can’t bring those who’ve been lost back,” he said. “They’re alongside God at this point … but the property damage, which is obviously extensive, that’s something we can do something about.” For their sake, let’s hope so. source
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29 Apr 2011 12:18

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Politics: Is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner out of control?

  • The correspondents’ association dinner was a minor annoyance for years, when it was a ‘nerd prom’ for journalists and a few minor celebrities. But, as with so much else in this town, the event has spun out of control. Now, awash in lobbyist and corporate money, it is another display of Washington’s excesses.
  • The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank • Arguing that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — an event once noted for its low-key approach and minor celebrity host — now has dozens of parties around the event, is flooded with money from lobbyist types, and has numerous celebrities looking to hob-nob with both politicians and the media. While Milbank doesn’t criticize its peers for the individual parties or any small aspect of the whole, he says that “the cumulative effect is icky. With the proliferation of A-list parties and the infusion of corporate and lobbyist cash, Washington journalists give Americans the impression we have shed our professional detachment and are aspiring to be like the celebrities and power players we cover.” And he’s right. That’s dangerous. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Apr 2011 11:45

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U.S.: Will & Kate’s Excellent Adventure: Big online, but not the biggest

  • 5.3M number of pageviews the Royal Wedding got per minute this morning — impressive, but not one of the best ever
  • 10.3M number of pageviews per minute the World Cup (and the longest Wimbledon match ever) got back in June
  • 4.3M number of pageviews the 2008 election, where Obama coasted to victory on hope and change, earned source
  • » As a video event, usage was high: At its peak, the event was larger than Egypt but these comparisons are a little difficult — all of the top online events except for the 2008 election happened since June of last year. That said, what’s notable is that lots of people watched the event live on the Internet. Around 300,000 people watched the wedding on Livestream at its peak.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Apr 2011 01:24

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Tech: Security experts: Hackers tried to sell credit card database to Sony

  • 2.2 million the number of stolen credit card numbers security researchers say the PlayStation Network hackers made off with — based on conversations in underground forums
  • $100,000 the amount they’re looking to make off their bounty — which they even attempted to SELL BACK to Sony, though they reportedly ignored this naked attempt at ransom source
  • » Sony denies the claim: “To my knowledge there is no truth to the report that Sony was offered an opportunity to purchase the list,” said top Sony communications guy Patrick Seybold. Consultants for Trend Micro and iSEC Partners, along with other researchers who keep a close eye on these forums, suggest otherwise. So, who’s right? Hopefully it’s Sony.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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