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18 May 2011 00:25

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Politics: Trying too hard: Dan Adler’s unfortunate quest to go viral

  • Wannabe Rep. Dan Adler really wanted to go viral. The Democratic entertainment exec, who is gunning for Jane Harman’s vacated seat in an election whose primary took place Tuesday, has released dozens of clips on his official YouTube channel in an attempt to go viral. Clips featuring his son saying the word “shit.” Clips with Adler sitting on a donkey’s ass. Clips featuring celebrities like Sean Astin and Patty Duke (since this is an L.A.-based district). But the clip above, where he talks to a couple of Korean-Americans about he’s just like them and how they should “stick together” — an ill-advised racial approach which has brought hellfire and brimstone, along with a bizarre endorsement from Glenn Beck of all people — was the one that actually did. (Yeah, he’s probably gonna lose this primary … badly.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 17:50

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Culture: Charles Barkley lauds gay equality in sports, marriage

  • Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin’ idiot. I would even say the same thing in college. Every college player, every pro player in any sport has probably played with a gay person. … I’ve been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long time, because as a black person, I can’t be in for any form of discrimination at all.
  • Charles Barkley • The Hall-Of-Fame power forward speaking out about homosexuality in sports, in the wake of Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts coming out in an New York Times story over the weekend. Barkley’s comments are earnest and worthy of notice, especially in recent weeks that have seen sexual orientation become a focal point in the NBA. The impetus of it all, to some extent, was the very public stance the league took when Kobe Bryant hurled a slur at an official. Bryant received a stiff fine, and to his credit to some extent, he later partnered with a gay rights group for public education. Then, Phoenix Suns players Grant Hill and Jared Dudley shot a PSA denouncing the use of “gay” as a playground insult (a move that invariably and depressingly got them called “gay” a lot via Twitter). It was on this recent foundation that Welts came out. Courage like this brings us ever closer to a more enlightened society, so simply, thank you. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 17:13

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Offbeat: “Go the F**k to Sleep”: A kid’s book parody with a killer title

  • Know how this book hit No. 1 on Amazon? A great title. Also, a pirated PDF. Really.  source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 16:41

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Politics: Gingrich flops cause potent conservative backlash

  • He’s done. He didn’t have a big chance from the beginning, but now it’s over. … Reagan had the 11th commandment. Thou shalt not attack fellow Republicans. This [calling the Ryan budget “social engineering”] is a capital offense against the 11th commandment. He won’t recover.
  • Charles Krauthammer • Speaking on Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign. It’s been a rough few days for Newt, whose fluctuations from one policy position to the next (some of which we highlighted yesterday) have led many conservatives to begin heaping the dirt on his fledgling candidacy. Krauthammer is a venerated voice in the sphere of conservative opinion, and this one hurts. In addition, it calls attention to one of the chief differences between the two major parties. The idea of a Democratic “11th commandment” is utterly non-existent, as Democratic jockeying and infighting has become a staple of Beltway politics, especially in recent years (this is always our favorite example). Maybe Newt could switch parties? “I never said I was a Republican” would be rather in line with his contradictions of late. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 16:18

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Tech: Washington Post disputes Pew’s findings on Drudge influence

  • Washington Post cries foul on pew study: You may recall this research report by Pew, which claimed that Drudge Report (which, content aside, looks a lot like a Geocities page we made for a middle school project in the mid-90s) drove 15% of the Washington Post’s online traffic. David Carr even wrote a piece on the thing which feted Drudge. The folks at WaPo have responded, calling the report inaccurate and citing their own numbers, which credit 2.5% of their total traffic to Drudge. Pew used Nielsen data from three months in 2010, but three different companies working for WaPo failed to measure a percentage that cracked double digits over the same three months. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 15:45

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World: Will the U.S. destroy its stockpile of the smallpox virus?

  • NO they’ll keep the smallpox, due to fear of bioterrorism source
  • » Smallpox keeps on kicking: Presently the U.S. has 451 samples of the smallpox virus, under the care of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), while Russia has just 120 in storage in a town somewhere in Siberia. Some would like to see these samples destroyed outright, in a bid to eradicate the virus from the world altogether. Dr. Donald Henderson, for one, who helped with in eradication efforts throughout the 70s, argues in favor of destroying the samples, but Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, disagrees, saying that destroying the samples would be a “symbolic” act that would make it harder to vaccinate a population in the event of a terrorist attack utilizing the highly lethal virus.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 14:01

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Biz: Hewlett-Packard blames Japanese earthquake for problems

  • $5 the earnings per share Hewlett-Packard, the PC maker, expects to make by the end of the fiscal year; their shares are up from May 2010
  • $5.24 the earnings per share Wall Street expected; their stocks fell because of the predicted hardships that lie ahead for the company source
  • » A leaked memo from the CEO is to blame: The memo by Leo Apotheker caused the company’s stocks to fall. He cited the Japanese earthquake and weak PC sales as reasons to reduce hiring and prepare for another rough quarter. Even though their stocks are up from last year, they aren’t meeting market predictions, causing people to sell their shares in the company. Apparently, it’s causing the stock market to slow down overall. Yikes.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

17 May 2011 12:55

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Politics: Maria Shriver asks for “respect and privacy” after revelations

  • Maria Shriver breaks her silence: With news of her split from Arnold in part due to his having a child out of wedlock, Maria Shriver has finally broken her silence (at least a little) on the couple’s recent separation. “This is a painful and heartbreaking time,” she said. “As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment.” source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 11:29

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World: Dominique Strauss-Kahn case creates trouble for French TV stations

  • The principle of freedom of expression and right to information shouldn’t ignore the fact that such images can harm a person’s dignity.
  • A statement from the French broadcasting authority • Reminding television networks in the country that they should be careful in showing images of IMF leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn wearing handcuffs. While it’s illegal to shoot photos or video inside French courtrooms (and photographers can’t shoot people in handcuffs unless the person has been convicted), it’s not in American courtrooms, creating a complicated situation — and a rare sight on French television. It’s not clear that the French government could fine television stations that show the images, but officials are looking into it. But either way, it appears that the stations may be violating the spirit of the 2000 law (designed to encourage a presumption of innocence), if not the letter of it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 10:54

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World: Queen Elizabeth finally visits Ireland, because really, why not?

It’s the first visit by a reigning British monarch since Ireland first went independent in 1922. There have been two bomb threats already. She’s 85 — might as well get this visit in now. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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