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09 Aug 2011 22:45

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World: London mayor faces tough crowd amid protests

  • 9,000 pound tuition fee!
  • An annoyed bystander • Interrupting London Mayor Boris Johnson’s press conference on his efforts to clean up the city. The crowd wasn’t really listening. “It’s all your fault!” someone else shouted. Around 16,000 members of the police force have been deployed in the city until Wednesday morning. One woman asked where they were when a looter threw a brick through her shop’s window. Have the riots in the city become a vehicle for misunderstood youth or an exploitative device? source

09 Aug 2011 20:46

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Music, Tech: Spotify slowly wins over America, one invite at a time

  • 1,400,000 number of Americans on Spotify, the all-you-can-eat music service that came to the U.S. last month
  • 175,000 of them pay for subscription; that’s 12.5% of the invite-only U.S. users, which is impressive source

09 Aug 2011 20:16

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Politics: Surprise: People find Newsweek’s Bachmann photo unflattering

  • No kidding: Newsweek’s cover on Rep. Michele Bachmann, the 2012 presidential candidate, has caused quite a stir on the interwebs over the past couple of days. It’s even inspired a couple of memes, though it’s mostly inspired anger over the magazine’s approach. Example: Terry O’Brien, the president of the National Organization for Women, said that “‘Queen of Rage’ is something you apply to wrestlers or somebody who is crazy.” Was this photo the best choice for the magazine’s cover? Take a look at the magazine’s own outtakes and judge for yourself. source

03 Aug 2011 22:23

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Politics: Happy birthday, Obama. Here’s Romney’s gift. Aww, he shouldn’t have.

  • We’d like to see the gift receipt, please: Centering around a critique of the unemployment rate in Chicago, this ad (“Obama Isn’t Working”) was released the day before President Obama visited his hometown on Wednesday. As Obama will be celebrating his 50th birthday on Thursday, could this be a “present” from Team Romney? source

03 Aug 2011 21:36

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U.S., World: Tropical Storm Emily edges closer to land — including Haiti

  • Tropical Storm Emily update: Meteorologists predict that Haiti will receive anywhere between 6 to 12 inches of rain, while some mountain regions could receive up to 20 inches. The current path puts the storm closer to the eastern coast of Florida, but after hitting Haiti/Cuba, the track may change. Worth keeping an eye on, guys. source

03 Aug 2011 20:28

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Tech: Hoaxsters say IE users are dumb, prove smarter than everyone else

  • yeah, We were surprised, too. Canadian firm ApTiquant recently reported that Internet Explorer users had lower IQ scores than users of other browsers — a study which, by the way, got picked up by a ton of news outlets. Turns out their entire study was completely fabricated (and the firm didn’t even exist until recently). When the BBC asked Professor David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University’s Statistical Laboratory for his opinion, he said “these figures are implausibly low — and an insult to IE users.” Some people are willing to do anything to get IE users to upgrade — and we don’t blame ’em. source

03 Aug 2011 00:49

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U.S., World: Jon Stewart’s words of inspiration from a soldier in Khandahar

  • We cooperate and we fight as hard as we can, because there will perhaps be disappointment but there will be no shame.
  • A specialist in the 655th TC, writing to Jon Stewart • In a letter Stewart mentioned on Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show.” Stewart used the episode to pay tribute to the soldiers fighting overseas after he paid a visit to Khandahar this past weekend. After displaying several t-shirts that he had promised to wear, he read some of his observations and thank yous. Stewart then read this quote from a letter from a young specialist, from one of the nicest letters he’s ever received. source
 

02 Aug 2011 23:23

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Culture: Ellen Page’s sexual orientation called into question (again).

  • accusation A blogger with a bone to pick has supposedly “outed” actress Ellen Page out of what they claim is hypocrisy. A post on the obscure site V-Generations makes the accusation as such: “The truth is: Ellen Page is bisexual.”
  • evidence The writer gave diddly for evidence besides a bunch of hearsay and a photo which appears to be of Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore, but could be anybody. For years, Page has chosen to keep quiet about her private life. source

02 Aug 2011 20:47

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About: New staff writer said hello, then waved

  • I promise to keep this short. It’s tradition to do so around here, since it’s our name. I’m Sami Main, a spunky writer that is way too excited to be joining the SFB team. I’m a journalism junior at the University of Florida; when I’m not having an opinion about the Oxford comma, I can be found on Tumblr and Twitter. I’d rather be raising the roof than the debt ceiling.