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09 Jan 2012 12:36

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Politics: Rick Santorum and the culture wars: How he’s standing out

  • So why has he struck such a chord among GOP voters and progressives alike? Why have videos exposing his racial biases and anti-gay attitudes gone viral and inspired hashtags? It’s simple: Even in a recession, social issues like sex and race are extremely resonant. And Santorum is the only candidate talking about them.
  • Good Magazine Associate Editor Nona Willis Aronowitz • Opining on exactly why Rick Santorum made a comeback in an era where his brand of social conservatism was starting to look old-hat. Essentially, because he’s the only person seriously discussing these issues, he stands out. But it goes further, Aronowitz notes: “The Santorum hubbub is a reminder that the issues we hold dear — issues of sex and race and civil rights — are absolutely recession-proof.” (Related: This Patch video, in which a heckler asks Santorum if he would abort a gay baby. Ah, campaign trail politics. Thanks John Ness for that tip.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2012 11:18

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Biz: Auto industry recovery: Detroit Auto Show reflects a reversal of fortunes

  • 4-9% expected increase in U.S. auto sales in 2012 source
  • » Pulling out the big guns: This week’s Detroit Auto Show is a giant coming-out party for an auto industry that was struggling to keep the engine running just a couple of years ago. But, while those times are certainly not gone entirely, they’ve certainly improved in recent years, which reflects in the boldness of this year’s models. In fact Chrysler, the weakest of the the three auto companies, is actually looking like a bright spot for Fiat, whose Chief Executive, Sergio Marchionne, invested in the company at its weakest point. “He entered Chrysler at rock bottom and will now capitalize on a U.S. recovery — the timing was perfect,” said automotive analyst Philippe Barrier. But maybe you’re like us and you don’t care about the specifics of the recovery and just want to see cool new cars. Well, the Detroit Free Press has you covered.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2012 11:01

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Culture: Dear Beyonce, Jay-Z and new baby: You’re angering other parents

  • They just used the hospital like it was their own and nobody else mattered.
  • New father Neil Coulon • Speaking out against Beyonce and Jay-Z’s entourage, because it was preventing him from seeing his own prematurely-born twins. The famous couple, who welcomed Blue Ivy Carter into the family on Saturday night, asked for a strong amount of privacy from Lenox Hill Hospital, forcing the hospital to block off the neonatal intensive care unit and putting a number of other rooms on lockdown. This probably was not the best way for the hospital to handle this situation, to put it lightly. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2012 10:27

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World: American charged with “spying” sentenced to death in Iran

  • He has 20 days to appeal under Iranian law: Amir Hekmati, a 28-year-old former U.S. Marine who holds dual Iranian and American citizenship, was sentenced to death “for cooperating with the hostile country . . . and spying for the CIA,” according to Iran’s Fars news agency. His family disputes the claims, saying they believe the verdict wasn’t fair. “Amir is not a criminal,” they said in a statement. “His life is being exploited for political gain.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Jan 2012 23:02

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U.S.: Gabrielle Giffords, one year later: How an error defined real-time news

  • The sausage was being made in front of our eyes, with all of the messiness that analogy implies.
  • Poynter’s Craig Silverman • Discussing the Gabrielle Giffords shooting one year ago today, as well as the way the media covered it on Twitter. Very notably that day, NPR tweeted that Giffords had died of a gunshot wound to the head, and a number of media outlets reported it, when she in fact hadn’t. Silverman, who runs Regret the Error for Poynter, kept a Storify from that day. It was a key moment for the real-time news movement, and a decision that once might’ve played behind closed doors is now in plain sight. It reflects the new world we live in as both news producers and news consumers — one where the errors play out in the open. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Jan 2012 22:01

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Culture: Stephen Hawking turns 70, misses his own birthday speech

Hawking, one of many famous people (Elvis, David Bowie, Kim Jong-Un) to have a birthday today, was recovering from an infection, but pre-recorded the speech ahead of time. He’s turning 70, despite doctors predicting he wouldn’t pass 25. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Jan 2012 11:44

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Politics: “No Child Left Behind” turns 10, education experts want to leave it behind

  • It is time to acknowledge this failure and adopt a more effective course for the federal role in education. Policymakers must abandon their faith-based embrace of test-and-punish strategies and, instead, pursue proven alternatives to guide and support the nation’s neediest schools and students.
  • A policy assessment written by Lisa Guisbond, Monty Neill and Bob Schaeffer • Suggesting that No Child Left Behind, the Bush-era education law passed under bipartisan circumstances, should go the way of the dodo. The policy, now seen as an example of ineffective government overreach by many, celebrates its 10th birthday today, and politicians who once supported the law — including Rick Santorum, who voted for it and tried to push an intelligent design amendment into the bill — no longer do. Guisbond, Neill and Schaeffer’s report, which suggests revisiting the law based on the lessons learned from the past decade, is available to read over here. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

07 Jan 2012 17:15

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Politics: Rand Paul: I’ll support the GOP candidate, but my dad would be better

  • I will support the Republican nominee, because I think they will be better. But I think it will be marginally better and — I am little bit biased in this — I think Ron Paul would be dramatically better.
  • Sen. Rand Paul • Offering full support for the GOP candidate, whoever it is, even if he doesn’t follow the same fully-libertarian path as his dad Ron. He’s not big on the idea of his dad running as an independent: “I’ve always been in favor of the Tea Party being part of making the Republican Party more conservative rather than trying to do our own thing,” he claimed in New Hampshire today. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jan 2012 10:09

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World: Haitians, devastated by earthquake, moving to Brazil to find work

  • All I want is work, and Brazil, thank God, has jobs for us.
  • Haitian-born Wesley Saint-Fleur • Discussing how, in the wake of 2010’s Haitian earthquake, he and his family moved to Brazil, a quickly-growing part of the world where he’s found it easy to get a job. Not everyone has been so lucky, however: Nearly 4,000 people have moved from Haiti to Brazil since the devastating earthquake in 2010, and many of them have found things just as bad in Brazil. While Brazil’s economic growth has slowed recently, unemployment is still extremely low and the biggest beneficiaries have been those working low-income jobs, where salaries have grown sevenfold in recent years. Even Americans are heading down there for jobs. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jan 2012 20:13

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Politics: Ron Paul disavows offensive Jon Huntsman-bashing ad

  • “China Jon.” Need we say more? A warning to all that the message in this video is fairly offensive towards Asians, but it’s worth noting that, though the person who released it goes by the YouTube handle “NHLiberty4Paul,” Paul himself is against the ad. For those not watching, the ad makes reference to Huntsman’s adoptive daughters (from China) and shows the presidential candidate speaking in Mandarin Chinese. “I haven’t look at it, but I understand it’s an ugly ad, and I’ve disavowed it,” Paul said. “Obviously, it was way, way out order.” (EDIT: Apologies for the incorrect video at first — our wi-fi crapped out at the exact wrong time.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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