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05 Mar 2012 14:44

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Culture: Writer Jason Gay tackles the Saints’ “bounties” problem

  • As much as we’d all love football featuring clean, hard contact without dirty plays, that sounds a little like the magical cheeseburger tree.
  • Writer Jason Gay • Questioning the NFL’s efforts to make football safer for players, while recognizing that it would be virtually impossible to institute a system that dropped the injury rate to zero. The author’s comments came as part of a larger discussion of the role that violence plays in football, the commonality of defensive “bounties”, and what might be in store for football in the future as the league continues its renewed focus on the health and safety of players. What do you think? source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2012 23:57

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Culture: Celebrate March 1 celebrity birthdays with these spirited quotes

  • one Heavy partier Ke$ha Sebert: “I’ll be the one in the corner with my laser gloves having a dance party.”
  • two Justin Bieber (he’s 18, everyone, and still dreamy): “dear cougars. i see the jokes. im legal. hahaha”
  • three“Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles: “You can’t eat too many because then you get Gummi tummy.”
  • four’90s star Mark-Paul Gosselaar: “I don’t want to be known as somebody that everybody knows about.” (Deep.)
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Feb 2012 19:54

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Culture: Steve Kordek, father of modern pinball, passes away at 100

Pinball Machine

  • He brought the flippers and the tilt: Kordek, who died last Sunday, revolutionized what were then called “pin games”, in which a user would drop a ball into a maze of pins, by creating the tilted game-board and dual-flipper system we’re all familiar with today. (Which, by the way, is a totally underrated form of entertainment.) When asked about his invention by the Chicago Tribune, in 2009, Kordek replied, “I was taught to be very conservative to hold down costs. There was no way I was going to put six flippers on a game when I could get away with two.” Kordek retired in 1999, and lost his wife in 2003. He’s survived by two sons, two daughters, two brothers, a sister, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. (image courtesy of flickr user jlstern)  source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2012 11:20

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Culture: Ryan Braun happy, officials aren’t over MLB suspension reversal

  • It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side. We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances.
  • Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers • On the reversal of his 50-game suspension. Braun, the most recent NL MVP, challenged a recent drug-related penalty and was successful in overturning it. Because his urine sample was not sent to the testing facility on the same day it was collected, the MLB Players Association announced the decision’s reversal. Not everyone agrees with this decision; Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, claimed this reversal to be “a real gut-kick to clean athletes.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2012 19:27

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Culture: Scifi author shares his series’ ending with terminally-ill fan

  • “You’re going to put him in a coma”: See what happens when one Reddit user surprises his terminally-ill friend with an item that he might not have otherwise lived to see. Prepare to have your faith in humanity restored….and to finish off a box of Kleenex. (h/t 14kgoldnyc) source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 00:41

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Culture: Comeback trail: Lindsay Lohan’s “Saturday Night Live” hosting gig

  • Set your DVRs now: Although she hasn’t been on the show since 2006 (when her personal problems started affecting her work), Lindsay Lohan will host “Saturday Night Live” for the fourth time on March 3. Could this be her first step back into acting? She hasn’t made a movie since 2010’s “Machete,” but based on their recent tweets, Lohan and her mother are both excited about this being a real corner-turning opportunity for the 25-year-old. Hopefully this won’t be as terrible as it could be. The musical guest will be Jack White, after all. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Feb 2012 20:43

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Culture: New Jersey residents, others upset about flying flags half-staff for Whitney

  • cause To honor one of the state’s greatest pop stars, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had state buildings fly flags at half-staff (usually reserved for military or politicians) ahead of Whitney Houston’s funeral this past Saturday.
  • reaction Reactions to the decision have been strong — one New Jersey town basically ignored the order and a Michigan man (whose son was killed in Iraq back 2005) burned a replica of the state’s flag on his outdoor grill.
  • response Christie defended his decision last week, prior to Houston’s funeral: “For those people who say, ‘I don’t think she deserves it,’ I say to them, ‘I understand that you don’t think that. I do, and it’s my executive order.’” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

17 Feb 2012 12:24

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Culture: Report: Family emergency led “Colbert Report” to stop production

  • what Earlier this week, with little warning, “The Colbert Report” stopped taping shows without offering a full explanation, leading to much speculation online. It was the first time that ever happened in the seven-year history of the show.
  • why It appears the issue is family-related in nature. Reports suggest Stephen Colbert’s 91-year-old mother, Lorna, recently had a life-threatening medical emergency. The show itself wouldn’t confirm this, though. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 19:11

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Culture: Study: Common sweetener in organic food tied to high arsenic levels

  • the research Extremely high levels of arsenic have been found in food products such as infant formulas, organic cereal bars and energy shot drinks. These are foods that use organic brown rice syrup (a common substitute for high fructose corn syrup) as a sweetener and main ingredient. The impact of such concentrated levels of arsenic might cause more damage to babies than scientists realize.
  • the damage Arsenic has been known to cause cancer, chronic diseases and developmental defects. According to the article, “one of the infant formulas tested contained twice the inorganic arsenic allowed in drinking water … one cereal bar contained 12 times the legal limit for drinking water.” Research has been done for arsenic levels in drinking water, but little is known about levels found in food. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Feb 2012 11:06

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Culture: “Linsanity”: People already trying to trademark Jeremy Lin’s success

  • Yenchin Chang is a fan of Jeremy Lin, above. Like Lin, he’s from California. Like Lin, he’s also Taiwanese. But unlike Lin, he filed a trademark application for the phrase “Linsanity” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Why? “I wanted to be a part of the excitement,” Chang said. “I’m very proud of Jeremy.” Chang was one of two people to file for the trademark in the past week. The other guy, Andrew W. Slayton, claims to have coached Lin in high school, though this fact hasn’t been confirmed; Chang doesn’t even know Lin, but just wanted to have fun with the trademark for a bit. *facepalm* (photo by nikk_la on Flickr) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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