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04 Jul 2011 16:53

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U.S.: California’s new district lines no longer in political hands

  • 14 California residents control the state’s political redistricting source
  • » Power to some people! It’s congressional redistricting time in California, which can play as big a role in the outcomes of elections as the candidates themselves. By way of a 2008 ballot initiative against gerrymandering, that power has put in the hands of fourteen citizens. Criticism has come quickly — Latino advocacy groups are saying that the influence of their voters will be diminished by the first drafts of the new map, and retiring congresswoman Lynn Woolsey complains that her once compact Marin County district would stretch more than 350 miles up the west coast. Principally, we object to gerrymandering; it’s an unpleasant underbelly of American politics. That said, subjective judgments that will tilt the balance of power are a necessity of the system, as there isn’t really such a thing as an objectively honest state district map. So, can you really avoid this problem just by bringing in ostensibly less political people? We’re not so sure.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 16:31

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U.S.: Follow the leader: Joe Biden has an official VP twitter account

  • A few days after President Obama started tweeting, our VP is too. Well, it’s not really him, but it still shows how hard the White House is trying to reach people through social media. Sure, it’s kinda lame, but it’s also pretty cool – after all, they wouldn’t be trying things like this if they didn’t care, right? It’s also pretty interesting to note that Joe Biden had a Twitter account back when he was a senator, but it hasn’t been updated since August of 2008. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 16:03

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World: French writer Tristane Banon accuses DSK of attempted rape

  • Another rape accusation against Strauss-Kahn: At the same time as news has been swirling about weaknesses in the New York rape case against former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a French woman has come forward with a similar accusation. Tristane Banon, a French author, claims Strauss-Kahn attempted to rape her during an interview for a book she published in 2003. Banon’s lawyers have said they intend to file a criminal complaint of attempted rape on Tuesday (the French statute of limitations for a rape charge is ten years), while Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers indicated they may file against Banon for slander. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 15:52

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World: Rebels invite Gaddafi to stay in Libya … after he resigns

  • If he desires to stay in Libya, we will be the ones to determine the place and there will be international supervision on all his movements and communications.
  • Mustafa Abdel Jalil, a rebel leader in Libya • He’s saying that Gaddafi can stay in Libya after he resigns, so long as he has supervision. It just shows that rebels are more eager to get to a peace deal. Rather than having him exiled, they’re willing to let him hang around after he’s out of power. This is all coming in response to a proposal from the African Union that rebels have interpreted as saying that Gaddafi shouldn’t have any sort of power anymore. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 15:36

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World: Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela

  • An unexpected homecoming: On the heels of revealing his medical plight to the Venezuelan public (he recently revealed he had cancer surgery), Hugo Chavez has returned to his homeland. “Here I am then, in my house and very happy!! Good day to my lovely Venezuela! Good day to the lovely people! Thanks to my God! This is the beginning of the return,” the leader wrote on Twitter. This comes as a surprise — he was expected to stay in Cuba for further treatment for some time, but it makes sense that he’d see a return as the only way to quell speculation he’s physically unable to remain President. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 10:35

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U.S.: Motorcycle helmet protester dies; friends won’t put theirs on

  • He’s a rebel. That’s what he felt like doing. He protested everything.
  • Richard Contos • Describing his brother, Philip, who died Saturday in a motorcycle accident that he probably would’ve survived had he worn a helmet. However — here’s the kicker — he wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time because he was protesting helmet laws. So is Philip’s death going to change things among his biking buddies? Nope. “It’s not going to stop us protesting our right to wear a helmet or not wear a helmet,” said Christinea Rathbun, the president of the Syracuse chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education, a group that Philip Contos took part in. “It’s your own risk.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 09:37

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Culture: “Transformers 3”: Did Michael Bay rip off his OWN movie?

  • Did Michael Bay steal footage from himself? The proof is in this clip, which shows that two action scenes in the movies — “Transformers 3” and the 2005 semi-unsuccessful flick “The Island” — look exactly the same. This is a big deal because Bay has been pushing the film as a great example of 3D filmmaking that doesn’t use any 3D conversion. The reality? The dude’s so terrible at filming action scenes that he has to take the good ones and reuse them. (Oh, and something about a girl getting injured on the set … using her as an excuse? What?) Lame. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jul 2011 20:31

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Politics: Two Senate Republicans budge on raising revenue. Well, kinda.

  • I think it’s clear that the Republicans are opposed to any tax hikes, particularly during a fragile economic recovery. Now, do we believe tax reform is necessary? I would say absolutely.
  • Sen. John Cornyn • Opening the door for the possibility of raising revenue … very slightly. See, Cornyn is OK with changing the tax code so as to fix loopholes in it. But he won’t willingly offer to raise taxes, no ifs, ands or buts. Sen. John McCain is in the same boat, willing to consider “revenue raisers” — without offering details. Now, this all seems like “whatever,” until you realize that this is the closest any members of the GOP have gotten to the idea of raising taxes — or any revenue at all, that is. How pathetic is it that this as far as the GOP has been willing to compromise on this issue? Why should Democrats have to do all the compromising? This isn’t even a step forward. This is like kicking your foot forward a quarter-inch by accident. This redefines movement. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jul 2011 16:39

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World: Making amends: Greece floats a completely different flotilla idea

  • blocked A couple days back, Greece blocked a flotilla headed towards Gaza from heading out of one of its ports. It understandably drew a lot of controversy from certain quarters of the political sphere — but briefly took attention off the country’s austerity crisis.
  • allowed Now, it seems that Greece is ready to offer up a mea culpa to Palestine — in coordination with the United Nations, they’ll send a ship loaded with aid over to Gaza, which they’ll offer up to the Palestinian Authority — but, as you’ll note, they aren’t working with Hamas. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jul 2011 12:42

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Politics: Looking back: Why Mark Halperin’s quip is really par for the course

  • It would be nice to think that the rapidity of the official reaction had to do with legitimate disapproval. Actually, it is a reflex quickened by practice because what cable news now calls political journalism is set up to produce just this kind of ‘television moment’ and its attendant swirl of attention-getting faux controversy.
  • L.A. Times columnist Tim Rutten • Offering a room-clearing take on the whole situation with Mark Halperin and “Morning Joe.” To put it simply, he doesn’t think it’s actually any sort of controversy of the real kind, but instead an opportunity to create a conversation-of-the-day moment. (Which Halperin’s quip successfully did, by the way.) It’s an idea that started with Fox News but has kinda expanded from there. There’s even a site dedicated to this idea. And well, you know, he’s right. But it makes good TV, and that’s all that matters, right? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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