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11 Jun 2009 20:48

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Biz, U.S.: Up in smoke: The tobacco industry is gonna get FDA-regulated

  • The vote In a historic Senate vote, with just 17 votes against it, Big Tobacco will see its cancer-causing product get treated just like a drug. The house already passed a bill We’re sure a bunch of cigarette industry lawyers are freaking out right now.
  • The details On top of the longtime TV and radio advertising ban, flavored cigarettes (besides menthol) will be banned entirely, along with print ads in youth-oriented publications and cigarette vending machines in non-adult-oriented places.
  • Public opinionIs this a good thing? Depends on who you ask. The tobacco companies of course hate it, and wellness groups love it. But some say the FDA isn’t up to the task, considering how nuts their last six months have been. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 May 2009 20:38

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Culture, Tech: Scientologists looking to game Wikipedia can no longer do so

  • Wikipedia banned the group after a hard-fought war of edits. Yesterday, the tribal council – a.k.a. the site’s arbitration council – decided to ban the religion and many members associated with it, due to a high number of self-serving edits. The money-laden religion, which claims that humans are reincarnations who lived on other planets, often gets criticized for supposedly bilking its members of their lifesavings. We personally think Tom Cruise should be making movies instead of editing his Wikipedia entry, personally. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 May 2009 20:52

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Culture: Police: “Hey, Ron White’s about to smoke a cigar! Wait for it …”

  • The comic got nailed for breaking anti-smoking laws. White, who (by the way) is the only remotely funny Blue Collar Comic, was performing at a show in Bismark, N.D., where smoking in public places is illegal. A plainclothes officer went there specifically to see if White would smoke, and took notes. He nailed the comic taking three puffs from a cigar. Count ’em! Three! White could be fined up to $500 for the far-too-anal incident. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Mar 2009 12:52

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Offbeat: OMG! OMG! This guy who hates Barbie is, like, so lame! OMG!

  • He can suck an egg, seriously. He’s probably butt-ugly and always wanted a girlfriend that looked like Barbie but could never get one. People like that really annoy me.
  • Khloe Kardashian • On West Virginia lawmaker Jeff Eldridge, who introduced a law attempting to ban Barbie (and other beauty-based dolls) from store shelves, claiming that they encourage a false belief that looks are everything. Kardashian is a really hot celebutante, by the way. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2009 21:57

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U.S.: More proof that Obama isn’t Bush: The war on science is over

  • Promoting science isn’t just about providing resources. It is about letting scientists … do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient; especially when it’s inconvenient.
  • Barack Obama • As he was lifting the ban on embryonic stem-cell research, which lasted for 8-and-a-half years during the Bush years. He claims this is part of a broader initiative to end the government’s limitations on what science can do. Understandably, he’s annoying a bunch of religious conservatives by doing this, but that’s why a Democrat was elected into office! • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2009 09:55

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U.S.: Michael J. Fox, for one, is happy the stem cell ban’s going away

  • Today is a new day. I’m thrilled to see President Obama has honored his commitment to get politics out of science. The last few years have been incredibly frustrating for patients and researchers who believe that embryonic stem cell research has the potential to bring better treatment.
  • Michael J. Fox • On President Obama’s impending reversal on the embryonic stem cell research ban. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, has long been an advocate for using stem cell research and has campaigned heavily in favor of it. Obama will likely reverse the ban today. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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