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23 Jan 2012 23:31

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Politics: Gabrielle Giffords gives her thanks, and gratitude, to fellow survivors

  • It was very touching. I thanked her for her service, wished her well, and she just looked beautiful.
  • Gabrielle Giffords shooting survivor Pat Maisch • Describing her impression of the resigning Congresswoman at her “Congress On Your Corner” event, which Giffords resumed on Monday, over a year after the shooting that nearly killed her. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords thanked the survivors and heroes from that day. Maisch was the one who wrestled the gun away from the shooter. Although Giffords has made incredible strides in her recovery, the Congresswoman has decided to leave office this week — but not before watching Obama’s State of the Union address tomorrow; she’ll be there in person.  source

23 Jan 2012 20:57

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Politics: Debate preview: What you should expect in tonight’s #FLDebate

  • OHMIGOD OHMIGOD BRIWI IS MODERATING!!!!! Seriously guys, after the Gawker thing, this man can do no wrong. But the people on the other side of the stage? They’ve got a ton of issues ahead of the Florida debate, which we’ll be tagging with #FLDebate tonight. (It’ll be live over here.) So, with that said — last week’s debates, especially Thurdsay’s, were nasty — will tonight’s debate have similar fireworks? Here’s what we’re watching for:

22 Jan 2012 12:05

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Politics: Finally: Mitt Romney will release tax returns later this week

  • Speaker Gingrich had a good week. It was not a great week for me. We spent a lot of time talking about tax returns and the changing result in Iowa.
  • Mitt Romney • Discussing his loss in South Carolina and revealing that he would finally release his tax forms after much goading. His dad, George, famously released his own tax returns when he ran for president in 1968. “I’m not going back to my dad’s year,” Mitt said, but he would (on Tuesday) release his 2010 return and an estimate of his 2011 taxes. We will not be happy until he tells us where his money pit issource

19 Jan 2012 21:53

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Politics: DebateSC FanFic: Newt Kills The King

  • As John King is in the middle of a question about Gingrich’s ex wife, the former House Speaker’s rage slowly builds, until suddenly, a crazed look strikes his face. He leaps into action, barreling forward through podium and charging across the stage. The former Representative from Georgia leaps off the podium, pulls a switchblade from his sock in whilst mid-air, and plunges the knife into John King’s chest. As the audience sits in stunned silence, he picks up the fallen moderator’s mic, wipes the sweat off his brow, and says, “The King is dead.” The crowd goes wild, and Gingrich goes on to win South Carolina by 30 points.

19 Jan 2012 15:32

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Politics: Wikipedia’s blackout funnels huge number to look up congresspeople

  • 8 million users looked up their House Rep. by Wikipedia yesterday source
  • » Well, that sure worked: During the “great blackout” yesterday, one of the only things you actually could do with Wikipedia was get the information about your local congressperson, so to lodge a complaint against the SOPA and PIPA legislations that were the order of the day. This stripping down to such a basic, singular function proved to have just the effect Wikipedia had hoped for, as evidenced by the figure above; this surge in popular outcry clearly rattled quite a few on Capitol Hill, as numerous former supporters have changed their tunes.

19 Jan 2012 09:50

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Politics: Rick Santorum: Maybe possibly could be the sorta-winner in Iowa

  • yeah … An early count showed Mitt Romney leading the Iowa Caucus, but a mere eight votes ahead of Rick Santorum, who peaked just before the caucus.
  • … but … Now the vote has been certified, and it seems that Santorum has the lead in votes — Rick is now 34 votes ahead of Mitt in the state.
  • … um But don’t call it a victory just yet; irregularities in some precincts prevent Santorum from declaring victory; Romney’s camp calls it a virtual tie. source

18 Jan 2012 22:41

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Politics: Three reasons understanding SOPA is important

  • one It could empower action against foreign websites which, let alone actively engaging in copyright infringement, merely “facilitate” it. This could place an enormous burden on proprietors for the deeds of their random readers and commenters.
  • two The definition of “facilitate?” Broadly used, “to make easier.” This is very vague, and could have serious unintended effects. For instance, does Youtube make it easier for piracy to occur? Undoubtedly. Should the site itself be liable for that?
  • three Upload a copyrighted song to Youtube that nets big viewership, and you could be in deeper trouble. Each view adds to the amount a plaintiff can accuse you of costing them, racking up heavy charges (this could result in Youtube-based felony convictions). source
  • » A great breakdown: Mashable’s dissection of the entire SOPA bill, in case you haven’t read it, does wonders in terms of clearing up what on its face is a confusing piece of legislation. It’s a solid breakdown that cuts through the legalese.
 

18 Jan 2012 20:33

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Politics: Mitt Romney spokeswoman denies tax haven claims

  • ABC is flat wrong. The Romneys’ investments in funds established in the Cayman Islands are taxed in the very same way they would be if those funds were established in the United States. These are not tax havens and it is false to say so.
  • Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul • Trying to quell the swirls of criticism that have emerged over Mitt Romney’s tax information. This all came to a head, in a way, during Monday night’s presidential debate in South Carolina, when Mitt Romney gave an extremely uncomfortable, unprepared seeming answer on whether or not he’d release his tax information, which all but forced them start letting some information out. The fact that Romney only pays (legal though it is) 15% in taxes has caused a stir, but not as much as subsequent reports by ABC News might; they report that Romney maintains millions in investments held in the Cayman Islands, notorious as an offshore tax haven, allowing him to pay an even lower rate. source

18 Jan 2012 15:35

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Politics: Obama administration reportedly turns down current Keystone pipeline plan

  • then Last November, the Obama administration announced they were delaying a decision on the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline project. This elicited outrage from many Republican lawmakers, and temporary relief for many environmentalists.
  • now The administration has decided to reject the pipeline as currently proposed, but this isn’t the end; TransCanada can still apply a plan to re-route the pipeline around an environmentally sensitive part of Nebraska. Which means now we all get to wait for round two. source

18 Jan 2012 14:51

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Politics: SOPA loses support among congressional sponsors

  • 3 SOPA/PIPA sponsors withdraw support on day of blackout source
  • » Feeling some heat? Of these three co-sponsors of the SOPA or PIPA legislation, Florida Senator Marco Rubio is by far the biggest name. Rubio cited concerns about “a potentially unreasonable expansion of the federal government’s power to impact the Internet.” The other two co-sponsors were Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska, and Rep. Ben Quayle of Arizona. A Quayle spokesman, Zach Howell, made it clear the Arizona congressman could vote for a reworked bill: “The bill could have some unintended consequences that need to be addressed. Basically it needs more work before he can support it.”