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19 Sep 2010 11:17

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Offbeat: Manhattan sandwich shop makes best of “B” rating

If you can’t “B” the best, you might as well fake it. Which is what Manhattan sandwich shop Cer Té did. They added the letters “EST” to their safety inspection grade. source

18 Sep 2010 12:03

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World: Iran hostages: Ahmadinejad wants the U.S. to scratch his back

  • From a moral viewpoint, there is an expectation that the US takes a step … There is an expectation in public opinion to release some of them.
  • Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad • Suggesting that he might let the other two hikers go if the U.S. lets go some of the Iranian hostages they’re holding. At last count, Iran said that 11 hostages were in U.S. custody. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a pretty good response to Ahmadinejad’s request, regarding the other two hikers still being held: “It would be a very significant humanitarian gesture for the Iranians to release them as well,” she said. Oh, come on! Nobody expects it to be that easy! source

17 Sep 2010 11:00

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World: Natalee Holloway’s mom uses a van der Sloot level of judgment

  • She’s still looking for answers about her daughter. She wants to bring her daughter home.
  • Beth Holloway-Twitty’s lawyer John Kelly • Explaining why Holloway-Twitty went to the prison Joran van der Sloot is being held (as a suspect in the murder of Stephany Flores earlier this year) to directly confront the guy most commonly suspected in her daughter’s disappearance. Beyond handling this like an immature adult, it felt like it had the makings of a stunt. See, she did it with a Peruvian TV station for the purpose of creating “a TV special which would include her, the Flores family, and an interview with Joran van der Sloot.” How does this case keep getting weirder? source

17 Sep 2010 10:46

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Tech: Greenpeace makes a really douchey attack on Mark Zuckerberg

  • Uh, what? Look Greenpeace, we know you guys are the environmental version of PETA and stuff, but come on. The broadsided attack on Zuckerberg was kinda douchey and other companies are doing way worse than the Zuck. At least “The Social Network” will have a Trent Reznor soundtrack. This just seems like an organization attempting to stay relevant. source

16 Sep 2010 21:09

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U.S.: Acid attack hoax: Joaquin Phoenix not the only one coming clean

  • It has had an impact on our community. It has brought negative attention on our community that is undeserved.
  • Vancouver, Washington Police Chief Clifford Cook • Regarding the acid attack that his police department spent hundreds of manhours on, only to find out that the attack was self-inflicted. Bethany Storro, 28, spent days in the hospital because of the caustic liquid thrown in her face (which fortunately didn’t hit her eyes because she had just bought new sunglasses). She claimed the attack took place at a Starbucks, but over time discrepancies started to show in her story. No word on if she’ll be charged. source

16 Sep 2010 11:02

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Politics: Should fired Koran-burner have lost his New Jersey state transit job?

Turns out that this dude, who burned pages of the Koran at Ground Zero for some reason, was a New Jersey state employee. And he was fired for his free-speech act. source

16 Sep 2010 10:46

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Politics: Poll: Sarah Palin and Tea Party not all that well-liked

  • 46% of Americans don’t really like Sarah Palin all that much
  • 33%don’t know what to think about the ultra-influential Palin
  • 21% of Americans have a favorable view of Sarah Palin source
  • » The Tea Party’s in a similar boat: In fact, the Modern Tea Party has an even smaller favorability rating, with just 19 percent of people giving them a thumbs-up. But as proven this week, they have the power to win primaries. And it’s not like Congress has spectacularly high approval ratings, either, guys.
 

16 Sep 2010 10:34

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Politics: Christine O’Donnell, circa 1997: Let’s stop paying for AIDS research!

  • All bets are off on whether these 1997 comments will have any effect on her election. (See: Rand Paul’s still being in the race despite his gaffes) In fact, if anything, she’s probably going to lose anyway, so this may not have an effect at all. In other news, Talking Points Memo is hardcore on the Christine O’Donnell beat. Jesus Christ, guys. source

14 Sep 2010 11:06

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Tech: Microsoft does the right thing in Russian software license case

  • To prevent non-government organizations from falling victim to nefarious actions taken in the guise of anti-piracy enforcement, Microsoft will create a new unilateral software license for NGOs that will ensure they have free, legal copies of our products.
  • Microsoft Senior Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith • On the company’s response to a New York Times article alleging that Russian authorities were raiding political organizations under the guise of protecting Microsoft’s copyrights. “Ultimately, our goals are straightforward,” he writes. “We aim to reduce the piracy and counterfeiting of software, and we aim to do this in a manner that respects fundamental human rights.” While the nature of them dong piracy hunts is questionable in the first place, the response to this particular problem is one of the better ones we’ve seen. PR people, take note. This is how you handle a crisis. source

09 Sep 2010 10:05

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Politics: “Ground Zero Mosque” Imam: Moving it could be much worse

  • Who this guy isThis is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who recently pissed off a lot of people with his Park51 community center project, which some have lovingly called the “Ground Zero” mosque.

    His take on thingsMuch like Obama with the Koran-burning, he ties intolerance to fostering extremism. He says that blocking the center could fuel even more extremist violence. Is he right? Is he wrong? Good question. source