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31 Jul 2011 20:07

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Culture: Reasons to beat your girlfriend: None. Next trending topic, please.

  • The next time someone tries to convince you that feminism is no longer necessary because women are totally equal with men, roll your eyes as hard as you can. And then point out that, even in this day and age, ‘ReasonsToBeatYourGirlfriend’ is something that people think is funny. It’s a trending topic on Twitter. Hooray for the whole, entire world!
  • Jezebel writer Erin Gloria Ryan • Offering a spot-on take for the most tasteless trending topic Twitter’s had in a long time. Hey Twitter, do you pay someone to edit your trending topics for potentially offensive topics, and if so, did they take a day off? Your algorithm does not have a way to detect taste. You guys have a big staff and a lot of money — show some responsibility for your product. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jul 2011 20:31

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Tech: Too soon? Netflix prices DVDs out of the equation

  • Many Netflix users got a rude awakening today when they got an e-mail noting that prices were going way up on their combined DVD and streaming plans. It led to huge amounts of rage on the Interwebs after the report leaked. While we think this particular bout of rage is a little much, the real problem here is that Netflix has misjudged its customer base. The thing is, lots of customers would probably love to stream all their movies instead of waiting for DVDs in the mail, but the company’s seemingly jumping the gun. This is a change you make when your streaming service is at near-parity with your DVD service — which isn’t the case at all. The problem we see here is one of a thousand small cuts — changing the API so that third-party apps don’t work, redesigning the first-party apps to discourage DVD queues — that have created the overall effect that feels like a betrayal to many. For movie aficionados, the long-tail value is still there. But for more occasional movie fans who don’t veer too far off the beaten path of Hollywood fare, Redbox may have just gained a huge leg up. (photo by Flickr user Jamiesrabbits) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2011 16:33

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U.S.: U.S. is wasting money on unsuccessful dollar coin program

  • 2005 Congress passed a bill to establish coin currency as a bigger force in America’s day-to-day transactions. Their plan was to produce $1 coins featuring, progressively over time, the full run of American Presidents. Republican Rep. Mike Castle sponsored the legislation.
  • 2011 The bill’s language has meant that the coins are still in production despite broad unpopularity — so much so that the Federal Reserve is sitting on an ever-expanding billion dollars worth of unwanted currency. Wanna talk wasteful spending? Here’s exhibit A. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jun 2011 23:27

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Politics: Newt Gingrich needs to stop having Breakfast at Tiffany’s

  • funny A while back, Newt Gingrich took heat for having a huge line of credit at Tiffany and Co. — roughly in the $250,000 to $500,000 range. It was one of many things that week, so if you missed that wrinkle, it’s understandable. It’s been a disastrous campaign for Newt.
  • funnier Now, in the wake of two key fundraisers leaving the former House speaker’s campaign, The Washington Post found another credit line for Tiffany’s in his name — this one for roughly $500,000 to $1 million. If you need to sit down to crack up, we understand. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 10:49

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World: That “A Gay Girl in Damascus” hoax enrages Syrian activists

  • I say shame on you!!! There are bloggers in Syria who are trying as hard as they can to report news and stories from the country. We have to deal with more difficulties than you can imagine. What you have done has harmed many, put us all in danger, and made us fearful about (pursuing) our…activism. Your apology is not accepted, since I have myself started to investigate Amina’s arrest. I could have put myself in a grave danger inquiring about a fictitious figure.
  • GayMiddleEast Damascus blogger Sami Hamwi (who works under a pseudonym) • Expressing rage over the finding that the blogger behind “A Gay Girl in Damascus” was actually a middle-aged dude from the States. Tom MacMaster says that he used the pseudonym to focus the attention not on the person writing the blog, but on the information itself. Good to see that one worked out for you. Now you’ve instilled doubt into every true story that’s out there. Nobody would’ve been upset had you admitted you were just a middle-aged white guy who felt the political situation in Syria was worth keeping an eye on. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jun 2011 11:57

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Politics: Newt Gingrich: “A fundamental strategic difference” with staff

  • There is a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting community and the kind of campaign I want to run. Now we’ll find out over the next year who’s right.
  • Newt Gingrich • Explaining why his staff left him en masse yesterday. He says that despite the setback, he plans to stay in the race. One of the reasons his staffers left was due to what they claimed was the overpowering nature of Newt’s wife, Callista, to which he said, “We make decisions as a couple, I think most couples would find that refreshing, not a problem.” We’re not voting for your wife, Newt. We’re voting for you. Newt’s apparent campaign implosion means that some key staffers are now available for Rick Perry should he choose to run, which it sounds like he’s leaning towards. Newt’s loss? Perry’s gain. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jun 2011 18:56

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Offbeat: Protip: Ghosts don’t like it when you have sex in graveyards

  • weird A woman visiting a deceased relative in a New Jersey cemetery used the opportunity to engage in some “extracurricular activities” with a friend of hers. We’ll let you fill in the plot holes here.
  • weirder Unfortunately for her, a grave marker fell on her during this process, injuring her and ensuring a cheesy B-movie will probably use this unfortunate(ly hilarious) incident as a plot device. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

20 May 2011 16:28

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Offbeat: Today in things you should be more careful about

  • Here’s an idea: Don’t pocket dial 911 when you’re in the middle of a drug deal. That’s what a man in Gainesville, Georgia did. He was working the late shift at a Waffle House and made a drug deal on the clock — which ended up being overheard by the 911 operator. An officer was dispatched, found the phone in the guy’s pocket, and realized he pocket dialed 911. Know what else the officer found in the guy’s pocket? Prescription pills. Yeah, he got charged with drug possession. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 May 2011 00:25

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Politics: Trying too hard: Dan Adler’s unfortunate quest to go viral

  • Wannabe Rep. Dan Adler really wanted to go viral. The Democratic entertainment exec, who is gunning for Jane Harman’s vacated seat in an election whose primary took place Tuesday, has released dozens of clips on his official YouTube channel in an attempt to go viral. Clips featuring his son saying the word “shit.” Clips with Adler sitting on a donkey’s ass. Clips featuring celebrities like Sean Astin and Patty Duke (since this is an L.A.-based district). But the clip above, where he talks to a couple of Korean-Americans about he’s just like them and how they should “stick together” — an ill-advised racial approach which has brought hellfire and brimstone, along with a bizarre endorsement from Glenn Beck of all people — was the one that actually did. (Yeah, he’s probably gonna lose this primary … badly.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 22:01

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U.S.: Virginia teacher simulates slave-trade in unfortunate classroom exercise

  • The lesson could have been thought through more carefully.
  • Mary B. Wrushen, principal of Sewells Point Elementary School • Regarding a well-intentioned but nonetheless awful idea on the part of Jessica Boyle, a fourth grade teacher at the school. In a lesson meant to illustrate the tragedy of slavery, Boyle separated her students by race–white students on one side, everyone else on the other–and had the white students “bid” on the black kids, as if they were purchasing slaves. A letter was shortly sent to parents, apologizing for such stupidity. Here’s to hoping Haley Barbour weighs in on this. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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