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16 May 2011 23:50

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Politics: California’s financial situation gets slightly less awful

  • $6.6 billion in unexpected money for California source
  • » Where’d it come from? Rising wages. The average Californian worker will see a $4,000 uptick in pay over the next two years, resulting in more tax revenue for the fledgling state than was originally projected. If Governor Jerry Brown gets his way, this unexpected surprise will net schools an additional $3 billion in funding and take a significant bite into the state’s $15 billion deficit.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 23:20

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U.S.: Influential conservative says failing to raise debt limit bad

  • The full consequences of a default — or even the serious prospect of default — by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. […] The Nation can ill afford to allow such a result. The risks, the costs, the disruptions, and the incalculable damage lead me to but one conclusion: the Senate must pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns.
  • Ronald Reagan, circa 1983 • Regarding legislation to raise the debt limit. This guy seems like a flaming liberal, doesn’t he? Oh wait, maybe not. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 23:09

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Tech: New bill would make it a felony to upload copyrighted content to YouTube

  • Wait, wait! Before you upload that episode of “Lil’ Bush” to YouTube, stop and ask yourself: Would I like to be a felon? Because if a new bill sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX) passes, you could be. Under current law, streaming copyrighted content is considered an unauthorized public performance, which isn’t a felony. The new law would change this classification, meaning that the seemingly-benevolent act of sharing “Freddie Got Fingered” with the world could land you in prison for five years. The law wouldn’t apply to viewers of illegal streaming, only providers, but still. Five years? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 22:24

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Music: Odd Future’s Earl Sweatshirt: There’s no need to “free” me, internet

  • … in the blink of an eye my worry changes from ‘will there still be this hype when I get back’ to ‘Oh shit I just inspired a widespread movement of people who are dedicated to the downfall of my mom.’
  • Odd Future rapper Thebe “Earl Sweatshirt” Kgositsile • Indirectly asking the world to lay off his mom, who has been blamed for the rapper’s diminished role in the group just as they’ve become the year’s biggest musical hype monster. The New Yorker’s Kelefa Sanneh wrote a huge piece on the 16-year-old rapper which isn’t available online (unless you have an iPad with a New Yorker app). But suffice it to say from the sample given here shows that things aren’t what they seem in Internetville. His departure wasn’t involuntary, and there is no need to “Free Earl.” “The only thing I need as of right now is space,” he writes. “I’ve still got work to do and don’t need the additional stress of fearing for my family’s physical well-being.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 21:46

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Politics: Three ways Satoshi Kanazawa is the worst scientist — ever

  • As evolutionary psychologists go, he’s pretty much the worst of the bunch. And while his prior studies have been derided as “crap,” the latest one — now pulled by Psychology Today and replicated here — takes it to a whole new level. And with Kanazawa arguing that black women are less attractive than other races, of course it seems that someone has a huge PR problem. “It is very interesting to note that, even though black women are objectively less physically attractive than other women,” he writes (unbelievably), “black women (and men) subjectively consider themselves to be far more physically attractive than others.” While you’re trying to take that racist nugget in, here’s a sample of his broader work:
  • EDIT: The Noob Yorker recommends a follow-up piece by biology professor PZ Myers, where he rips apart Kanazawa further and breaks apart his bad science piece-by-piece. “It seems to have been purged from Psychology Today,” he writes in his most biting remark, “but I suspect this article will soon find a happy home on the pages of Stormfront and other such aryan racist tripe.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 17:06

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World: No bail for accused IMF chief Strauss-Kahn

  • IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn denied bail: Strauss-Kahn, 62, accused of attempting to rape a hotel maid and forcing her to perform oral sex on him, will continue to sit in a jail cell in New York. Prosecutors said that they are investigating reports that this was not the first such incident involving Strauss-Kahn, who many once considered a major challenger to Nicolas Sarkozy in France’s next Presidential election. Yeah, that’s pretty much over. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 16:43

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Culture: Too realistic? Thor promotional merch causes bomb scare

  • When overwrought commercialism goes wrong: So, we saw the movie Thor last week (didn’t terribly enjoy it), and amidst all the mythological melees and scowling Frost Giants, there was something that the good people at Acura wanted us to notice — that they are the official car brand of S.H.I.E.L.D., a monolithic government agency at play in the film. We didn’t notice this, as it happens, and perhaps to gin up some extra buzz, Acura produced these promotional “S.H.I.E.L.D. test kits,” a black box containing a bunch of toggle switches, nondescript liquids, and prominent use of the word “detonation.” You probably can see where this is headed. The FBI and ATF were called in to handle one such “kit” in a recent bomb scare in Ann Arbor, Michigan. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 May 2011 16:00

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Politics: Gabrielle Giffords watches husband’s launch, sees staffers

  • It was emotional to see the congresswoman for the first time in four months but it was also very inspirational. To actually see her and talk with her, it was a very moving experience.
  • Mark Kimble, communications staffer for Gabrielle Giffords • Speaking about seeing Giffords for the first time since the January shooting that nearly killed her. Giffords was staying at a hotel in Florida so she could watch her husband, Mark Kelly, launch in the shuttle Endeavor at the Kennedy Space Center. While there, she was able to meet with some of her staff that she hadn’t seen since the fateful day, likely an intensely emotional reunion for all involved. That she made the trip is testimony both to the amazing care and rehabilitation she’s received, as well as the incredible and improbable success she’s had in recovery. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 15:48

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Politics: Newt Gingrich, whatever you want him to be

  • “I oppose the Obamacare mandate”: That quote is very telling, because the truth is, Newt does oppose the Obamacare mandate — because it’s Obama’s. Hearing him musing about the merits of a health insurance mandate just a day before, on Meet The Press, may make you think there’s some sort of hypocrisy, or flip-flop here, but there isn’t. You see, this mandate we’ve got now… it’s Obama’s! Seriously, though — this is nothing new for Newt. You may remember his utter reversal on whether he would intervene in Libya, a clear instance of him espousing policy beliefs simply to appear opposite Obama, rather than having any conviction or integrity behind them. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 15:11

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Politics: Bin Laden conspiracy theories predictably rampant in U.S.

  • 19% of Americans think Osama might be alive, poll says source
  • » Distrusting against all odds: The penchant for some of the population to prefer any explanation, even a bad one, that makes a chaotic world make sense to them is nothing new. That said, there’s one very salient reality behind this story that makes the doubts notably, patently absurd. Let’s imagine, for a moment, that Osama bin Laden is alive. Why then has al-Qaeda conceded that he’s dead? All they’d need to do to deal a complete and utter deathblow to America’s credibility, domestically and internationally, would be to produce a live bin Laden. It would be catastrophic, and would cast Barack Obama as a liar and fraud of the highest order, a win which they’d never in a million years pass up. But they won’t, and can’t — the guy is dead as dirt.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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