Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

24 Aug 2010 10:53

tags

Politics: Facebook won’t let pro-pot political group promote itself with pot

  • They said they decided to reclassify it as similar to tobacco, but we said we weren’t trying to encourage people to smoke marijuana, we were supporting a change in US drug policy.
  • “Just Say Now” spokesperson Jane Hamsher • Regarding Facebook’s decision to decline a series of ads by the group that promoted a change in drug policy. (The group, by the way, has a lot of left-leaning luminaries on its board, including Salon’s Glenn Greenwald.) Why? Because they used a marijuana leaf. And they block cigarettes. Yet they don’t block alcohol. Hmm. It’s kinda like the iPhone App Store, eh? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Aug 2010 10:04

tags

Tech: Apple decides to play Big Brother with new anti-jailbreak patent

  • good Apple has created and applied to patent a new technology to allow them to detect unauthorized iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad uses.
  • badThose unauthorized uses include jailbreaking, unlocking and removing a SIM card. Because Apple doesn’t like these (still legal) things.
  • worseThe methods of detecting an unauthorized user include creepy voice and heartbeat detection. It’s like 1984 all over again. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Aug 2010 20:34

tags

Politics: “Ground Zero Mosque” protests: More protesters against than for

  • 500+ people against Park51 showed up for the protests today
  • 200+ people for Park51 showed up; it was contentious (to say the least) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Aug 2010 14:35

tags

World: Blackwater (remember them?) nailed for export violations in Iraq

  • $42M the amount the former Blackwater (now Xe) had to pay for export violations
  • 288 the number of defense-related violations Blackwater was cited for between 2003 to 2009
  • 17 the number of Iraqis that died in a controversial Blackwater-caused incident in 2007 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Aug 2010 12:37

tags

World: Big day for Iran: They’ve opened their first nuclear power plant

  • It only took them 36 years, with the help of Russia. But don’t think the plant is entirely in Iran’s hands right now. In part to appease the rest of the world, Russian technicians will be joint-operating (and playing the role of safeguard) of the plant for the next two to three years. The U.S. is concerned about anything with the words “Iran” and “nuclear” in it, but they have no qualms with the plant itself, because it could bring them under compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Aug 2010 12:26

tags

World: In British Columbia, a mom can sue grown children for parental support

  • Why does the guy on the right look so pissed off? A number of reasons, but the big one is that his own mom is suing him for parental support. And he has good reason to be angry. See, his mom abandoned him when he was 15. But he’s been in a protracted legal battle with her for the last 11 years. She wants $750 (in Canadian dollars) a month from each of her four children. None claim to have had a particularly good childhood. We hope this guy wins. No mother should be able to do that to her kids. (Hat tip Something Awful Forums) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Aug 2010 11:43

tags

World: “Dirty Tricks” or the real thing?: Julian Assange’s sex-assault charges

  • We were warned to expect ‘dirty tricks’. Now we have the first one.
  • Julian Assange • Regarding the arrest warrant against him on rape and molestation charges in Sweden. Whether or not this is true, the timing of all this seems awful strange, right? In case you’re wondering whether or not Wikileaks will be able to go on without its fearless leader, this statement should warm your heart: “While Julian is focusing on his defenses and clearing his name, WikiLeaks will be continuing its regular operations,” according to a post on Wikileaks’ Web site. (Update: Actually, it appears to have been dirty tricks. The charges were totally dropped against Assange, making this a hyperspeed false rape accusation.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

20 Aug 2010 19:05

tags

Culture: Why not? New dollar de$igns! (Including a Obama $1 bill)

  • These gifts from the design world come to us from the Dowling Duncan design studio as part of a yearly Dollar ReDe$sign Project, whose goal is to update our currency into something a bit more with-the-times. We can’t imagine a more controversial $1 bill than that thang. (Hat tip and a link to our buddy Charles Apple for this one.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

17 Aug 2010 00:36

tags

Politics: Is the root of the “Ground Zero Mosque” story Pamela Gellar?

  • She was one of the first bloggers to tackle it. Who’s Pamela Gellar? She’s a conservative blogger (owner of “Atlas Shrugs“) who is strongly anti-Jihad (not anti-Islam) in her political stances, and just today called President Obama an “antisemite president.” (In the past, she once suggested Malcolm X was Obama’s dad. No, really.) Now, we’re not super-familiar with her work, but Salon is making this claim that the whole negative vibe against the Park51 center started with her, and eventually was picked up by the New York Post. It worked like a virus from there, eventually wending its way all the way to Barack Obama, who certainly stepped in it. Can we go back to fighting about health care yet? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

11 Aug 2010 21:31

tags

Politics: Dear Robert Gibbs: We love you, but you should zip it

  • Robbie, it’s been a love affair for us. You seem like a genuine fun-loving guy and have generally been a decent press secretary. But recently, you’ve just been opening up your mouth too much. While refreshing honesty is nice and refreshing, it’s not your job. Your job isn’t to fight the “professional left” for respect. Your job is to help Obama communicate with the press. And if you become the news, you aren’t doing your job anymore. We love you and your demeanor. It’s refreshing considering some of the guys Bush had in that spot (Scott McClellan, anyone?), but don’t it get in the way of your job. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>