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24 Jun 2011 18:02

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Culture: Not the boss, the CEO? James Spader could join “The Office”

  • Think bigger than the next Michael Scott: While the new boss at the Scranton branch of Dundler Mifflin isn’t quite clear yet, one of the candidates for the position, one James Spader, may be out of the running for reasons completely unrelated to his qualifications. See, Spader might join the show — as Dundler Mifflin’s CEO, replacing Kathy Bates. But unlike Bates, word is that he’d be a regular character on the show. Spader is something of an anti-Ted McGinley — when he joins a show late in its run, he makes it better. Example: “The Practice,” where the Spader-led reboot was so successful producers spun it off into “Boston Legal.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jun 2011 12:35

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Biz: Ralph Nader, activist investor? A consumer advocate’s Cisco grievance

  • If they can’t give shareholders value, then they have to give cash.
  • Ralph Nader • Playing activist investor in the wake of frustration with Cisco’s stock. Nader, an investor in the company (he has 18,000 shares), wrote a letter a while back complaining about the company’s low dividends, despite the fact that their stock performance has been week and they have tons of cash in the bank, and the “powerlessness of owner shareholders” that resulted from this. It’s pretty weird that the consumer advocate, of all people, is taking on this role, but hey, maybe he just thinks their shares are unsafe at any speed. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jun 2011 11:28

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Tech: The Winklevi plan to sue Mark Zuckerberg AGAIN. Seriously.

Dear Winklevi: You have $65 million. Why start up ANOTHER lawsuit, anyway? You guys are like 30. This happened like eight years ago. You won. Why do this to yourselves? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jun 2011 11:17

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World: Osama bin Laden seriously considered changing al-Qaeda’s name

  • what In the months before his death, the leader of the terrorist group considered giving al-Qaeda a different name, according to a letter retrieved by special forces officials after he was killed back in May. It was a sign of Bin Laden attempting to keep the group relevant.
  • why The  name “al-Qaeda” stands for “the base,” which Bin Laden thought didn’t strike a religious pose. He wanted a name that emphasized that they were going to holy war with the enemies of Islam. He had nothing to worry about; “al-Qaeda” did the trick. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 18:47

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U.S.: Rising flood waters force evacuations from Minot, ND

  • The waters are rising: The scene in Minot is looking pretty bad at this stage, and the forecast is not heartening — flooding unprecedented for the region is prompting the government to issue evacuation notices, as officials will deliberately release more waters from the Lake Darling Dam to mitigate the crisis (the dam is near Minot as well as other towns). The expected drainage will be three times what Minot could handle, all but assuring the damage and destruction of countless homes. Our thoughts are with these victims, and we hope people will prioritize their own safety. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 18:08

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Culture: Phyllis from The Office was once an NFL cheerleader. Seriously.

  • I was at the height of my glory, because I loved dancing and wearing the boots and the hot pants, the tied up shirts, looking really hot. And I was able to dance, I loved football. My dad used to have season tickets, so I was flirting with the guys on the sidelines as much as I could. The organizations make sure that the cheerleaders and the players have minimal contact, but that’s what you try to do. It was great, in the ’70s.
  • Actor Phyllis Smith • Speaking of her job dancing on an NFL sideline way back in the 70s. Smith, who plays the similarly named Phyllis Lapin-Vance on NBC’s The Office, dreamed from a young age of being a dancer, and had success as a cheerleader as well as doing tap dancing in a vaudeville-style burlesque show. She got out of the dancing biz after a leg injury in her 30s, and worked reception for a few years before starting the acting career that ultimately landed her on the mega-hit comedy. Just another helpful reminder — it’s never to late to set new career goals for oneself. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 17:47

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Politics: Ex-Scientology official releases possible church enemies list

  • departure Marty Rathbun was at one time a high-ranking official within the Church of Scientology. He departed from this position in 2004, which probably didn’t earn him many friends — critics often accuse the Church of cutting off apostates from their families.
  • exposure Rathbun has released a PDF file which he claims originated from Scientology’s creepily-named Office of Special Affairs. If genuine, it reads like an enemies list. Given the Church’s record, expect a blanket denial and some attacks on Rathbun’s character soon. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 17:13

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U.S.: Eric Cantor, Jon Kyl leave negotiations on debt limit vote

  • Each side came into these talks with certain orders, and as it stands the Democrats continue to insist that any deal must include tax increases. … Given this impasse, I will not be participating in today’s meeting and I believe it is time for the President to speak clearly and resolve the tax issue.
  • Rep. Eric Cantor • Speaking on negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on raising the U.S. debt limit. Cantor, as well as Senator Jon Kyl, have abandoned the negotiations over tax raises the Democrats insist on pairing with the spending cuts the GOP is thirsting for. Speaker Boehner says that talks could continue if tax raises are off the table, which is obvious — if the Democrats abandon what they want out of this deal, it could get done, but that’s more caving than compromise. Cantor says they did find areas of compromise, though: “I believe that we have identified trillions in spending cuts, and to date, we have established a blueprint that could institute the fiscal reforms needed to start getting our fiscal house in order,” he notes. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 16:25

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U.S.: Southwest fires slowly (but surely) getting contained

  • monument Officials told the last of the evacuees from this fire that they can return home today. That’s the good news. The bad news: Though firefighters hope to declare potential victory soon, the fire is only 59 percent contained and may keep burning until mid-July.
  • wallow That one is still burning. The largest active fire in the U.S. and the largest in Arizona’s history, it’s currently around half the size of Rhode Island. A highway around the area is open now, but homes are still being evacuated. This fire is about 60 percent contained. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 16:12

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U.S.: Arizona man’s death possibly due to German E.coli outbreak?

  • The man reportedly visited Germany recently. The rare and dangerous form of E.coli in Germany, first discovered in May has already killed dozens of people in Europe. Now, it’s possible the epidemic has killed an American. Tests are still pending to see if it is that extra-deadly strain of E coli has made it stateside. But he wouldn’t be the first person to bring the bug home with them to the U.S. — on top of sickening over 3,800 Europeans, the disease has hit recent travelers from Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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