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07 May 2010 11:24

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World: The British elections: Nobody really came out ahead this year

  • +88 number of seats the Tories gained (not enough to lead outright)
  • -94 number of seats
    Labour lost (enough to fall out of power)
  • -5 number of seats Lib Dems lost (so much for big gains) source
  • » So what’s next, anyway?: With the hung Parliament, nobody has enough votes to lead completely, so right now, the two major parties are trying to court the Liberal Democrats. Whoever can win them over will have proxy leadership over Parliament.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Apr 2010 09:56

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World: David Cameron has yolk on his face thanks to some hoodie dude

  • What the heck happened? David Cameron, the U.K. Conservative leader went to go visit a college somewhere, and during the visit, some kid draped in a hoodie egged him. People on Twitter have been taking joy in Cameron’s misery today. For his part, he’s having fun with the incident. “Now I know which came first, the chicken not the egg.” (The hoodie, by the way, is also funny: Critics have in the past attacked him for his stance on youth crime, which they derisively call the “hug a hoodie campaign.”) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Apr 2010 11:59

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World: Nick Clegg’s starting to sound a little like Obama circa mid-2008

  • I can’t predict what is going to happen in the election campaign, but I think something exciting is starting to happen. … If a growing number of people do that then the possibilities of doing things differently really are huge.
  • British Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg • Regarding the increase in support his party has seen in recent weeks. The center-left party is doing well in the polls of late, especially in the wake of Clegg’s solid performance during a TV debate earlier this week. He suggests it could be a break from “old politics.” Other British parties are finding ways to criticize this possibility, though: Labour representatives are down on the party’s stance on the Trident nuclear defense system, and Conservative leader David Cameron is quick to leap on the possibility of a hung parliament of the Lib Dems get any more power. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Mar 2010 09:15

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Culture: Professor: Facebook causes syphilis. Facebook: Crazy claims do.

  • Today’s reports exaggerate the comments made by the professor, and ignore the difference between correlation and causation.
  • A spokesperson for Facebook • Regarding the insane claims that a rise in the service’s popularity increased the spread of syphilis in a handful of British cities. “Social networking sites are making it easier for people to meet up for casual sex,” said Prof. Peter Kelly, who pushed forward the theory. Careful, or you might get it the STD from these guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2010 00:01

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World: The BBC’s budget cuts: 6music barely a blip in the financial picture

  • We cropped on the most important part. Information is Beautiful’s graphic really shows that the cuts that the BBC is making are somewhat unfair (especially considering that the money for the company comes out of licenses on owning TVs). The BBC’s Web presence, while significant, is fairly small in comparison to everything else. And 6music, which is getting many words of morning from British musicians, is by far the smallest piece of the broadcasting pie. Lily Allen’s argument for the station is really well-informed and sweet. She calls the move political, and an attempt to appease Conservative politicians. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2010 10:16

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Culture: Ray Gosling learns that admitting “mercy killing” on TV a bad idea

  • He was arrested today on suspicion of murder charges. BBC host Ray Gosling may regret his profound admission on “Inside Out” (here’s the video), now that he’s in the hands of authorities. Gosling, who admitted on the show to killing a former AIDS-stricken partner, was arrested for the act. “I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead,” he claimed. “The doctor came back and I said ‘He’s gone’. Nothing more was ever said.” Assisted suicide is illegal in the U.K., by the way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2010 16:22

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Culture: BBC host Ray Gosling turns his life inside out on “Inside Out”

  • Well, that was a bit unexpected. Ray Gosling, the host of BBC show “Inside Out,” claimed that he killed his very sick AIDS-stricken gay partner on last night’s show. And now police are investigating his claims, which he laid out in great detail. Assisted suicide is illegal in the U.K., by the way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Jan 2010 11:32

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World: Brits captured by Somalian pirates: We desperately need help

  • The pirates want $7 million. The British government won’t pay. Despite pleading from Paul and Rachel Chandler, they’re still not getting any help. Part of it is a longstanding British policy not to play nice with pirates. As a result, they’ve been captured since October. “Please help us, these people are not treating us well,” Rachel Chandler said in a video filmed by AFP. “I’m old, I’m 56 and my husband is 60 years old. We need to be together because we have not much time left.” Yikes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jan 2010 09:19

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U.S., World: For some reason, people feel persecuted in the U.S., want asylum

  • 45 Americans felt safer in the U.K., asked for asylum source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jan 2010 22:34

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World: Gordon Brown: Not a well-liked man in the U.K. right now

  • There was certainly some consideration by several of Brown’s ministers yesterday over whether or not to back him. In the end, none of them wanted to wield the knife. But yes, of course, this is further damaging to Gordon Brown.
  • University of Liverpool political department head Jonathan Tonge • Regarding the fate of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who barely survived a revolt by his own party this week. Some of his own staff barely even gave him any love. The ultra-unpopular Labor Party member fended off a couple of senior party members asking for a vote to get him out of office, and likely faces a worse fate from the British public in June elections. Remember how the last guy, Tony Blair, also left in a firestorm of controversy from his own Labor Party? Yeah. Just sayin’. Seems like a trend at this point. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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