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25 Jul 2011 22:58

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Politics: Nate sets us straight

  • A very good point. We tend to forget that, as crazy as it sounds, some people’s idea of fun doesn’t involve reading about the debt limit, America’s credit rating, or parliamentary procedure in the United States Senate. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2011 22:02

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Politics: Obama speech light on policy, heavy on politics

  • We were planning on live-blogging the President’s primetime speech on the debt ceiling, but there wasn’t much to live-blog about. He didn’t support or reject any new policies, or endorse a specific strategy for raising the debt limit. Rather, the President doubled-down on the importance of avoiding default, reinforced hard distinctions between him and House Republicans, and make slight adjustments to his political positioning. He warned, in his most explicit language yet, of the consequences default would have for average Americans. He came out hard for progressive taxation, hammering the Republicans for refusing to consider raising taxes on the rich, and explicitly asked constituents to call their representatives in Congress and voice support for the White House’s “balanced.” In general, as was the case in his press conference last Friday, the President ended up sounding a whole lot more partisan than normal, but didn’t deliver any game-changers. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2011 12:39

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World: DSK accuser Nafissatou Diallo grants interview, reveals her name

  • Weathering the public eye: This is a worthwhile little roundup on news (which we mentioned earlier) that the hotel maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of rape, who’s now revealed her name to be Nafissatou Diallo, is speaking publicly about her charges. Something this video also touches on that’s an overlooked (in the relative sense) aspect of Strauss-Kahn’s legal troubles — he’s not just facing down one accuser. French writer Tristane Banon has also accused him of attempted rape, during an interview she conducted with him back in 2002, and French prosecutors have started a preliminary inquiry into the matter. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2011 12:34

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U.S.: Jens Breivik, father of Norway terrorist, condemns his son

  • I don’t feel like his father. How could he just stand there and kill so many innocent people and just seem to think that what he did was OK? He should have taken his own life, too. That’s what he should have done.
  • Jens Breivik, father of Norway terrorist Anders Breivik • Opening up with some pretty evocative words on the subject of his son, who’s been transported to a court in Oslo today. What the elder Breivik must be feeling right now is probably beyond our ability to describe adequately; we think his words speak for themselves. Jens hadn’t had any contact with his son for nearly a decade, since Anders was sixteen years old, and gave this reply when asked what he’d say to his son if given the chance: “He must live in another world; I do not think he would understand.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2011 10:12

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World: Good news for long-stranded American student Amanda Knox

  • DNA on two key pieces of evidence no longer link her to the attack that turned her life upside down. DNA evidence on the suggested murder weapon and a bra strap was not a positive match with any of the suspects, according to independent DNA experts. Furthermore, the experts suggest that investigators broke numerous protocols when gathering the evidence — putting it in paper bags instead of plastic, and wiping down evidence as they gathered it, doing the opposite of the protocol the experts described. This is a major victory for Knox, who was jailed on that seemingly-faulty evidence. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2011 09:50

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World: Why the judge in the Norway shooting should keep the hearing closed

  • It is clear that there is concrete information that a public hearing with the suspect present could quickly lead to an extraordinary and very difficult situation in terms of the investigation and security.
  • Judge Kim Heer • Explaining why he chose not to allow the hearing for Norway suspect Anders Behring Breivik to be publicized. To put it simply, we’re 100% behind this idea. Breivik basically did what he did to promote his controversial views, and by closing off the hearing, you prevent those views from getting a voice that carries further. That’s why he wanted to speak in public. He wanted the world to hear what he had to say. A good move on the Norwegian judge’s part all around. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jul 2011 21:49

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Politics: Box office: Sarah Palin documentary not showing long-term staying power

  • 63% the 2nd week box-office dip for “The Undefeated” source
  • » Not showing staying power: While the Sarah Palin documentary didn’t suffer the steepest dip this weekend (that honor goes to the final “Harry Potter” film, which didn’t even score two consecutive weeks at the top of the box office), it didn’t show the growth that many slow-rollout films often do. For a small release like “The Undefeated,” though (which actually expanded its theater count slightly, but has only made roughly $100,000 during its two-week run), that’s not very good for its long-term prospects — nor was its $1,714 per-screen count. You know what would be? If Sarah Palin announces a presidential run. (h/t ohheybill)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

24 Jul 2011 10:59

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Politics: Troubled congressman David Wu now faces new world of trouble

Wu reportedly had what was described as an “unwanted sexual encounter” with an unnamed woman right around the period this super-weird photo of him was taken. Uh-oh. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jul 2011 10:42

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Politics: The long and short of it: Debt ceiling talks get complicated, stay complicated

  • long The Democrats are pushing for a longer-term debt ceiling increase in a deal that includes some revenue increases. House Speaker John Boehner has suggested that he favors a long-term plan that goes through 2012, but is having trouble selling it to his own party.
  • short Republicans, on the other hand, have suggested increasing the debt ceiling for a period less than a year in length, in part for political leverage so they can push for later long-term spending cuts during an election year. Obama suggests this is akin to playing with fire. source
  • » So, who’s the loser in all of this? The consumer and taxpayer. The uncertainty on this issue has affected the markets in some ways already (see the price of gold for example), and could endanger your ability to get a loan at a reasonable rate if the talks fail to straighten course. You may see some possible instability this week, as a deal perilously hangs in the balance.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jul 2011 12:21

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World: Large explosions in Oslo deadly, could’ve been much worse

  • We heard two loud bangs and then we saw this yellow smoke coming from the government buildings. There was construction around there, so we thought it was a building being torn down. Of course I’m scared, because Norway is such a neutral country.
  •  18-year-old ferry boat worker Jeppe Bucher • Describing what he felt after finding about large explosions in Norway that killed at least one person and injuring several others. The explosion happened near a number of government buildings. Fortunately the explosion occurred while many people were on vacation — meaning that the situation could’ve been much deadlier during a different part of the year. Still, though … source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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