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29 Jun 2011 23:49

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Politics: Republican voters apathetic about presidential field

  • What’s more surprising: The fact that they actually included John McCain in the poll? Or the fact that McCain did twice as well as Tim Pawlenty?  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jun 2011 22:23

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Politics: Thirteen US Senators make “It Gets Better” video

  • And the ball continues to roll: Earlier this year, a spat of polls showed, for the first time, majority support for same-sex marriage. Last weekend, New York state passed the Marriage Equality Act, granting equal marriage rights to all New Yorkers. Now, thirteen US Senators have filmed an “It Gets Better” video. When you think about the political prospects for gay rights even five years ago, this is kind of astounding — these thirteen individuals (all Democrats; Republicans apparently weren’t asked to participate) are amongst the most powerful people in the most powerful country in the world. Much respect to Senator Chris Coons for posting this; Coons, you’ll recall, was the 2010 candidate everybody wrote off until the Republicans nominated Christine O’Donnell to run against him. So, in a weird way, we have O’Donnell to thank for this video. Thanks, Christine! (via gaywrites, thegayrepublican) source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2011 21:48

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U.S.: Gingrich: My campaign staff just couldn’t handle my unconventional ways

  • Philosophically, I am very different from normal politicians, and normal consultants found that very hard to deal with.
  • Newt Gingrich • Explaining, with David Brent-esque logic, why his campaign staff keeps quitting on him. We agree that Gingrich is different from normal politicians, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2011 21:35

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World: Afghanistan troop withdrawal won’t bring us back to pre-Obama levels

  • 65k number of US troops in Afghanistan once the withdrawal is complete (September 2012)
  • 33k number of US troops in Afghanistan when Barack Obama took office (January 2009) source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2011 21:19

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Tech: 3Dcrease: New glasses take you back to two dimensions

  • If you think 3D movies are gimmicky, ubiquitous, and annoyingly underlit, you’re right. You’re also in luck, as these Rivers Cuomo-esque glasses will eliminate that third dimension from 3D films, making you feel as if you’re back in the pre-Avatar days of moviegoing. They don’t work on most home systems, but really, who would buy a 3DTV and then get glasses to make it a normal TV? For that matter, who would buy a 3DTV at all, for any reason? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jun 2011 22:38

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Offbeat: Scientists make beef substitute out of human feces

  • Every once in a while, we catch wind of a story so self-evidently absurd that it completely immunizes itself to satire. While we’d love to make a joke about the fact that scientists have now found a way to turn human feces into meat, there’s really no point. It’d be like doing an impression of Charlie Sheen and expecting it to be funnier than just watching an interview of Charlie Sheen. We will, however, note that the synthetic meat, which they tastefully refer to as a “turdburger,” is lower in fat than real beef. [hat-tip: io9] source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jun 2011 22:00

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U.S.: Why would you steal a buck from the bank?

  • On June 9th, 2011, a 59-year-old man with no criminal history robbed a bank of one dollar. The man, who was unarmed, made it clear that he only wanted a single dollar, and calmly waited for the police to arrive after collecting it from the teller. James Verone had been laid off from his delivery job three years earlier, and was subsequently forced to take a position as a convenience store clerk. But this job slowly ate away at his body, and resulted in serious health problems. He couldn’t afford health insurance, and was denied disability. So, Verone intentionally landed himself in prison in order to take advantage of the free health care. The most amazing part? He says now that he doesn’t regret it. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Jun 2011 00:09

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Politics: Sex scandals hurt Republicans more than Democrats

  • -7.7% effect of a sex scandal on the average Republican politician’s vote share
  • -4.9% effect of a sex scandal on the average Democratic politician’s vote share source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2011 23:35

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Politics: Guess who said this

  • You are not going to see a great philosophical difference between Rick Perry and George Bush.
  • Rick Perry • In a 2000 interview that could seriously hurt his chances at becoming president in 2012. Many people forget that, prior to becoming president, George W. Bush was a moderate Republican governor known for compromising with Democrats in his state. This could have been what Perry was referring to when he made the comparison; however, most people probably won’t make that distinction. If he runs, expect to see this quote repeated ad nauseam by Democrats. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2011 23:30

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World: It’s hard out there for a pro-American general in Pakistan

  • The most powerful man in Pakistan is on the verge of being deposed. The US and Pakistan have a very tenuous relationship; while Pakistan receives a lot of US aid, and the two countries are ostensibly on good terms, much of the Pakistani population holds anti-American sentiments, and some accuse government contingents of covertly undermining American efforts in the country. General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is the head of the country’s military, and is more pro-American than just about everybody in his ranks. Dissatisfaction among his underlings is brewing, and according to Pakistani sources, a coup is not entirely unlikely. If Kayani goes, expect US-Pakistan relations to get a lot icier. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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