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03 Oct 2011 10:48

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World: Amanda Knox trial: Knox’s emotional final plea for freedom

  • I’ve lost a friend in the worst, most brutal, most inexplicable way possible. I’m paying with my life for things that I didn’t do.
  • Amanda Knox • Speaking during her murder trial on the death of Meredith Kercher, who she spoke of endearingly during her speech this morning. This was Knox’s last chance to prove her innocence before a decision is made at the retrial of the century. Knox’s words were compelling and even brought tears to the eyes of some of the journalists in the courtroom. Example: “She had her bedroom next to mine, she was killed in our own apartment. If I had been there that night, I would be dead,” she said. “But I was not there.” The trial has been a bit of a three-ring circus, but this final act could prove more high-flying than anything else. source
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03 Oct 2011 09:26

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U.S.: This year’s Nobel Prize for Medicine co-winner died three days ago

  • Friday Ralph Steinman, a senior physician at Rockefeller University noted for his research into dendritic cells, dies after suffering from pancreatic cancer for the past four years. A big loss for the world of medicine.
  • Monday The Nobel Prize Committee awards the Nobel Price for Medicine. Steinman won for his research into the immune system. They don’t give out prizes posthumously. The Nobel folks didn’t know. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Oct 2011 21:11

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Politics: Herman Cain: Rick Perry’s hunting camp had “very insensitive” name

  • My reaction is, that’s just very insensitive. [There] isn’t a more vile, negative word than the N-word, and for him to leave it there as long as he did, before I hear that they finally painted over it, is just plain insensitive to a lot of black people in this country.
  • Herman Cain • Complaining about the hunting camp Rick Perry once owned, which once had a name that included a racial slur (we’ll let you figure out which one). Perry’s camp already came out on the defensive against this, claiming it was painted over long ago, and the quickly-rising Cain (who just won another straw poll) has every reason in the world to combat this. Perry will have to work hard to come back from this mess. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Oct 2011 20:41

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Culture: Bluths, unite: Arrested Development gets new movie, episodes (!!!)

  • good The entire cast of Arrested Development got together for a reunion today at the New York Festival — the cast’s first full reunion since the show ended years ago. Steve Holt!
  • better The movie — long-awaited by many a Bluth fan — will be coming out for sure, most likely in 2013. No Maebys about it. We’ll be rockin’ “Franklin Comes Alive” until that point.
  • best A new season (!!!!) of the show will precede the movie, complete with backstories about each member of the cast in each episode. No frozen banana could top this moment. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Oct 2011 11:27

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Politics: Ghost from Rick Perry’s past: An unfortunately-named hunting camp

  • claim A Washington Post article, published Saturday, claimed that a hunting camp once owned by Rick Perry (and at other times, his family) was once named after a racial slur we won’t be saying here. Even after his family owned the property, the name was still visible, though painted over.
  • rebuttal Perry’s staff was quick to the punch on this controversy: “Governor Perry’s last visit to the Crooked River Ranch was December 2006. He stopped leasing the property in 2007.” (The article states this.) An associate of Perry says the article has a number of inaccuracies. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Oct 2011 10:59

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World: Reports: Occupy Manchester draws big crowds, peaceful protests

  • 30,000 people marching in Manchester source
  • » A peaceful protest emphasized: Before Sunday’s protests (timed with a Conservative Party conference) began, organizers went out of their way to emphasize to police that the protests would not be anything like the violent riots in August, which started in London and eventually made their way to Manchester. “Organizers of the demo have made it clear that they want a peaceful protest.” said Assistant Chief Constable Ian Hopkins. “We have given some very strong messages that the police, the courts and the public won’t tolerate the sort of behavior we saw in August and we’re here today to make sure that anyone who does think they can step out of line will very quickly learn that they can’t.” Thus far, things have remained peaceful, with only one protester hurt (she fell).
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Oct 2011 20:38

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U.S.: NYPD: 400 arrested on Brooklyn Bridge during protests

  • Some complied and took the walkway without being arrested. Other locked arms and proceeded on the Brooklyn-bound vehicular roadway. The latter were arrested.
  • A NYPD police spokesman • Discussing the arrests of 400 protesters (EDIT: This number jumped significantly from an earlier version of this story — from 50 to 400) on the Brooklyn Bridge earlier today, during the Occupy Wall Street protests, which are starting to pick up some steam (along with union support). Witnesses say that police used orange netting to surround and control the movements of protesters, and those arrested were taken away on three separate buses. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Oct 2011 20:08

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Politics: Human Rights Campaign: No surprises from Obama, but a victory lap

  • There was no open support of gay marriage in tonight’s speech, but Obama did speak out in favor of more equality for gays. The president, fresh off his success with the full repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” continued pushing for his view on the Defense of Marriage Act — “It should join ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ in the history books,” he said — and emphasized the hard work that he’s done for the gay rights movement over the past three years. (He also, when bringing up his jobs bill, dropped a couple of government-related lines that will anger those on the right, such as “I believe in a big America”.) While Obama has yet to come out in support for gay marriage (perhaps his most puzzling view), he has done more for gay rights than any president, ever. Still, his view on gay marriage is one that was likely on the minds of many listening to Obama. Here’s how his views have changed on the still-controversial issue over the years:
  • 2004 While he was still in the Illinois State Senate and running for U.S. Senate, a former aide claims that Obama he supported gay marriage at the time.
  • 2008 When he ran for president, however, Obama made it clear that while he supported civil unions, he did not support gay marriage.
  • 2010 Obama’s views on gay marriage began evolving; as of 2011, the Obama administration no longer enforces the Defense of Marriage Act. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Oct 2011 16:43

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U.S.: Labor unions slowly latching onto Occupy Wall Street

  • I think it’s a tactic and a valid tactic to call attention to a problem. Wall Street is out of control. We have three imbalances in this country—the imbalance between imports and exports, the imbalance between employer power and working power, and the imbalance between the real economy and the financial economy. We need to bring back balance to the financial economy, and calling attention to it and peacefully protesting is a very legitimate way of doing it.
  • AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka • Talking on C-SPAN Friday about mass protests in general and Occupy Wall Street in particular. Trumka’s endorsement of the protests shadows the growing support the movement is getting from such labor unions as the Transport Workers Union. If the movement grows among labor unions, that will help swell the growth of the movement significantly. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Oct 2011 16:16

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U.S.: Why the anti-Bank of America “Take Back Boston” protests worked so well

  • Much credit to these protesters: In some ways, these protests were arguably more effective in one quick burst than the Occupy Wall Street protests have been in one long, slow-moving one. With a specific target (Bank of America) and a specific reason (their overly harsh handling of foreclosures) the result is a protest that plays well for the cameras and effectively encapsulates the point of what’s going on. People got arrested, but they did peacefully. It took a while to draw some reaction from Occupy Wall Street; Bank of America was forced to dismiss the protests as a PR stunt right away. But the fact they had to say anything at all is a big deal. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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