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25 Apr 2011 23:19

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U.S.: CIA: We only burn and shred documents because it’s the green thing to do

  • The Central Intelligence Agency’s practice of shredding and burning classified papers—often referred to in movies and books as “burn after reading”—is one of several ways the CIA conserves energy, reduces its impact on the environment, and lowers costs through its sustainability efforts.
  • The CIA • In an Earth Day posting to their website. The fact that the CIA actually said this is much funnier than any joke we could hope to make, so we’ll just let it stand. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 22:56

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U.S.: Republicans in Mississippi ambivalent about outcome of Civil War

  • 38% of Mississippi GOPers wish the South had won source
  • » There’s more: If you include the 41% that’s undecided, you get a whopping 79% of Mississippi Republicans who aren’t quite ready to throw their support behind Abraham Lincoln circa 1861. Also, 9% of African Americans in the state aren’t sure whether they like the NAACP more than the KKK; surely, this is the result of a typo, or some sort of methodological error, or perhaps a psychoactive pollutant in the drinking water. Oh well; at least 54% of the state agrees that interracial marriage shouldn’t be illegal. That’s right, a whole 54%!
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 22:28

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Politics: Feingold would have a shot at toppling Walker, new poll says

  • Heads up, Scott: A new poll shows progressive hero Russ Feingold neck-and-neck with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in a hypothetical recall election. This is less than a year after Feingold lost re-election to the Senate by five points to a political novice. Yeah, yeah, we know: this doesn’t mean much, as Feingold hasn’t expressed any interest in running and Walker is nine months away from even being eligible for a recall. But we can dream, right? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 21:55

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Politics: Ron Paul to run for President again

  • one Establishment favorite and GOP company man Haley Barbour surprised everyone today by announcing that he won’t be running for president in 2012 (probably a good idea, given his poll numbers).
  • two Hours later, Dave Weigel at Slate confirmed that everyone’s favorite scrappy libertarian, Ron Paul, will announce tomorrow an exploratory committee to run for president. Let the ReLOVEution begin again — for the first time. source
  • » What this means: One thing to keep in mind about presidential primaries is that every time a potential candidate announces their intent to run (or that they won’t be running), the calculus for every undecided candidate changes. For example, Haley Barbour is good friends with Mitch Daniels, who is half-heartedly considering a run of his own. With Barbour out, Mitch Daniels has one less excuse not to run. Meanwhile, Ron Paul’s entrance into the race effectively puts an end to his son’s quixotic flirtations with a bid, as Rand Paul already ruled out running against his father. Next question: Will the presence of another libertarian on the ballot put a dent in Paul’s loyal following?
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 21:18

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Politics: Donald Trump infers Robert De Niro is an idiot. On what grounds?

  • I won’t mention names, but certain people in the news the last couple weeks, just, what are they doing? It’s crazy. They’re making statements about people that they don’t even back up. Go get the facts before you start saying things about people.
  • Robert De Niro • Saying the kind of “no shit, sherlock” thing that somebody somewhere needed to say about the political sphere in recent weeks. Unfortunately … Donald Trump inferred it was about him. On Fox and Friends today, Trump had this to say: “When I watch him doing interviews and various other things, we are not dealing with Albert Einstein. He can say what he wants but the fact is this guy (Obama) has not revealed his birth certificate.” WAIT. STOP A SECOND. Robert De Niro (rightly) wants people to back up what they say in the press, and Donald Trump says he’s an idiot?!? Screw it. We give up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 20:51

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Offbeat: Super Mario Bros. 3 sounds better with acoustic instruments

  • Because we have a predilection towards anything Mario: Here’s a clip of someone playing through Super Mario Bros. 3 — with a soundtrack provided by live musicians. Holy crap guys. We’re nerding out, and so are the creators of this — a couple of video game/jazz nerds called “Eight Bits of Jam.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 20:28

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Tech: Note to aliens: We’re out of money, not really looking anymore

  • SETI’s broke, guys: The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence will take a breather for a little while. The SETI Institute, which owns these sweet-looking satellites, ran out of money for its Allen Telescope Array, and the program will take a breather. Paul Allen (who recently became a patent troll) provided a big chunk of the original funding, and the State of California and the National Science Foundation provided the rest. The government sources, however, had to cut their funding recently. There is good news, however: Apparently the Air Force may want to use the technology to study space debris. So they could be functioning again soon. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

25 Apr 2011 20:14

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Politics: Rachel Maddow clarifies comments on “coming out”

  • In that interview, I wasn’t asked about Anderson Cooper, I didn’t say anything about him, he literally was never discussed during the interview at all — even implicitly.
  • Rachel Maddow • Clarifying the comments we posted about earlier to emphasize that it wasn’t about Anderson Cooper, despite what it seemed from the phrasing. (Good.) In her blog post, Maddow lays out the three ethical rules she stands by, the key one being this: “Gay people — generally speaking — have a responsibility to our own community and to future generations of gay people to come out, if and when we feel that we can.” She notes, however, if you’re using your status as a gay person to harm others, you should “reasonably expect” others in the community to out you. We’re glad for the clarification, and want to make clear that we love Anderson just the way he is, no matter what he does when he’s not covering the news. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 16:30

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Politics: Pentagon Press Sec. Morrell mad at working through Easter

  • A little perspective, maybe? Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell has come under some fire over a tweet he posted (and we noted) earlier today: “Thx to Wikileaks we spent Easter weekend dealing w/NYT & other news orgs publishing leaked classified GTMO docs.” The reason this feels wrong and icky, we think, is the extent to which Morrell (and the Defense Department writ large) never earnestly acknowledge the shocking facts that it’s now known they were keeping secret. Even as it’s probably the tact any government we’ve had in modern American history would take, it projects institutional coldness, and further secrecy. Morrell’s tweet also begs the counter: “Thx to Casio I spent last year dealing w/detention and interrogation in GTMO prison.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 16:07

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Politics: Rachel Maddow talks about responsibility, coming out

  • I’m sure other people in the business have considered reasons why they’re doing what they’re doing, but I do think that if you’re gay you have a responsibility to come out.
  • Rachel Maddow • Talking about closeted people working in the TV news business, in a profile and interview with British newspaper The Guardian. The paper asked Maddow whether she felt frustration towards an “equally well-known news presenter who is widely assumed to be gay but has never come out,” which prompted the above response. (Are they referring to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, a common is-he-or-isn’t-he target of celebrity gossip sites?) While the right to not divulge one’s sexual identity is (we would argue) an absolute one, Maddow’s argument is a classic advocate’s stance — that the importance (solidarity, mainstream appeal, and inspiration) of an uber-successful media professional coming out of the closet ought to trump that person’s reluctance to admit it. What do you all think? (EDIT: Maddow clarified her comments; she didn’t mean Anderson Cooper.) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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