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31 Jan 2012 19:46

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Politics: Florida exit polls show evangelicals rare bright spot for Gingrich

  • 36% Mitt Romney’s level of support from evangelical voters in today’s Florida GOP primary, exit polls show
  • 40% Newt Gingrich’s level of support — better a cheater than a Mormon for Florida’s evangelicals? source
  • » Pardon us if that seems reductive, but how evangelical voters relate to Mitt Romney’s faith, and Newt Gingrich’s lack of faithfulness, has been a critical question in the GOP nominating process. In a barrage of exit polling coming out of Florida tonight, this seems to be one of the few positives Gingrich can take away; while not a staggering advantage by any stretch, his personal baggage risks making him deeply unpalatable to a moralistic, Christian electorate. In the short-term, however, it seems he’s staying afloat with those voters, at least enough to keep Romney at his back.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 19:24

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Politics: Exit polling shows GOP debates played big role

  • 2 of 3Florida voters call debates a big factor source
  • » The early exit polling tells the tale, and it’s an especially concerning one for Newt Gingrich. The GOP debates held in Florida, particularly the most recent one, were widely thought have been won by Mitt Romney. Gingrich himself never had a worse debate than that, just prior to Florida voters having to make up their minds. That Gingrich is likely to lose tonight is no shocker — heading into today he was polling behind by double-digits. However, considering it was his sharp, aggressive debate demeanor that propelled him to victory in South Carolina, to now be losing that medium to Mitt Romney has to sting, and is an essential issue for his campaign going forward.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 15:39

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Biz: Petition demands humane work practices in production of Apple products

  • 35,000 sign petition for an “ethical” iPhone source
  • » And that’s just the first 24 hours: Apple’s production chain in China has gotten a ton of ink lately, exposing the dire workplace conditions and inhumane treatment that are present in the production of the iPhone (author’s note: in the interests of full disclosure, I’m an iPhone user, and am thus as guilty of neglecting these implications as anyone). In response, a petition has been circulating urging Apple to install hard and fast regulations for how their manufacturing workers are treated in advance of the release of the iPhone 5. Says the petition: “Can Apple do this? Absolutely. According to an anonymous Apple executive quoted in The New York Times, all Apple has to do is demand it, and it’ll happen.”
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 15:28

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Politics: Virginia AG investigating fraudulent Gingrich signatures

  • A costly “mistake?”: It’s been reported that the Attorney General of Virginia will hold an investigation into the Gingrich campaign’s ballot petition, which was submitted to the state containing nearly 1,500 fraudulent signatures. In admitting this fraud issue publicly, Gingrich dismissed it as a “mistake,” which drew criticism when compared to the harsh condemnation he voiced on nearly identical signature issues in ACORN’s voter registration drives. Adding insult to injury, the Gingrich petition fell short of the signature total needed to appear on the ballot, meaning the Virginia GOP presidential primary will feature only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. (Photo by Gage Skidmore) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 14:44

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World: Former head of Royal Bank of Scotland stripped of knighthood

  • Fred Goodwin was the dominant decision-maker at RBS at the time. In reaching this decision, it was recognised that widespread concern about Fred Goodwin’s decisions meant that the retention of a knighthood for ‘services to banking’ could not be sustained.
  • A British Cabinet Office spokesman • Remarking on the decision to strip Fred Goodwin, the former chief of the Royal Bank of Scotland, of the knighthood he received in 2004. Goodwin presided over RBS during its acquisition of the Dutch bank ABN Amro in 2007, during the height of the financial and banking sector crisis; a risky move that failed utterly. The British taxpayer was forced to fund a bailout of RBN thanks to Goodwin’s aggressive acquisition, to the tune of 45 billion pounds. Said Labour Party leader Ed Milliband: “…I think it is only the start of the change we need in our boardrooms. We need to change the bonus culture and we need real responsibility right across the board.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 14:13

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Politics: Gingrich robocall says Romney forced Holocaust survivors to eat non-kosher

  • A heavy slur, sloppily made: The Gingrich campaign has, in an effort to both court and inflame Florida’s large Jewish population, made a startling accusation. As you can hear above, a robocall claims Romney vetoed a bill to fund kosher food in Massachusetts nursing homes, which meant that Holocaust survivors were, “for the first time,” forced to eat non-kosher. In reality, Romney did veto a bill providing additional funds, but it never took effect (overruled by the state legislature), nor would it have forced anyone to eat non-kosher; it maintained present funding levels, and nursing homes without kosher kitchens would offset with other sources of kosher cuisine, saving nearly $600,000. Assuming the true context of this tactic is widely realized, we guess this won’t endear Newt to the Jewish community. Or anybody else. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 10:33

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World: Syria: Russia again favors Assad, bucks against United Nations resolution

  • The Western draft Security Council resolution on Syria does not lead to a search for compromise. Pushing this resolution is a path to civil war.
  • Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov • Criticizing a draft United Nations resolution which would ask Bashar al-Assad to step aside in Syria. Gatilov suggests the resolution would lead to military conflict in Syria — much like a similar resolution did in Libya. Russia, Syria’s largest ally in the current climate, has been the sticking point for the United Nations in handling the situation in Syria: Previously, they vetoed a UN Security Council attempt to condemn the crackdown in October, and they’ll likely veto the latest resolution. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 10:10

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World: With some still missing, authorities call off search in Costa Concordia wreck

  • 17 bodies recovered from the deadly Costa Concordia wreck near Italy earlier this month
  • 15 people are still missing; authorities have notified next-of-kin that they’ve called off the search source
  • » What’s the punishment? Costa Crociere, the Italian unit of Carnival Cruise Lines, will pay €11,000 ($14,500) for each person on the ship, and will still face civil suits from individual passengers affected by the January 13 incident. The lawyer who helped overturn the murder conviction of Raffaele Sollecito (Amanda Knox’s boyfriend), plans to file a criminal complaint on behalf of the people affected by the crash. Meanwhile, Francesco Schettino, the captain who allegedly caused the wreck and abandoned the ship, remains under house arrest.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 00:23

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Politics: Obama’s “Hangout” session: The president’s taking resumes (seriously)

  • I meant what I said: if you send me your husband’s resume, I’d be interested in finding out exactly what’s happening right there.
  • President Barack Obama • Speaking to a “caller” during his Google+ Hangout today. When Jennifer Wedel mentioned her husband’s lack of employment (he’s a semiconductor engineer), Obama took note. She said that, according to industry reports, her husband “should be able to find something right away.” Five people got to “Hangout” with Obama on Monday, and were offered the chance to ask the president questions about his recent State of the Union address, while other questions were pulled from YouTube videos selected by viewers and Google staff. This social experiment went well considering what new technology was being used. Did you watch? What did you think? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 00:12

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Culture: Ferris Bueller Sells Out: Matthew Broderick’s Super Bowl ad

  • Bueller … Bueller … So, question for you all — is it awesome that Matthew Broderick’s reliving his faux-childhood memories, or just sad? “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” came out a solid 25 and a half years ago, and is arguably his crowning achievement (though “The Producers” on Broadway comes close). This early Super Bowl ad, which openly references “Bueller,” albeit with some modern touches, should remind you of two things: Matthew Broderick is going to be 50 in a little over a month, and a Honda CR-V is not a Ferrari. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? (By the way, when you’re done with this, Jerry Seinfeld also has a past-referencing car ad.) source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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