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11 Jun 2011 11:21

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Politics: Weinergate: Story somehow centers upon teenage Delaware girl

  • They were made aware of an alleged contact between Congressman Anthony Weiner and an area teen. The teen has been interviewed and disclosed no information regarding any criminal activity.
  • New Castle County Officer Tracey Duffy • Describing what happened when the New Castle police department interviewed a teenager who talked to Anthony Weiner via Twitter. While the consensus — from the teen, her family, the police department and  Weiner himself — seems to be that the conversation was innocuous, the fear is that he actually said something really creepy to a teen, in a Mark Foley sense. But, in case you needed proof that this is a media circus, we’d like to pull this sentence from the story: “A shirtless man approached reporters standing outside the family’s house and began threatening them with an ax. New Castle County police took the man into custody.” Good God, really? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 21:46

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Politics: Three ways Satoshi Kanazawa is the worst scientist — ever

  • As evolutionary psychologists go, he’s pretty much the worst of the bunch. And while his prior studies have been derided as “crap,” the latest one — now pulled by Psychology Today and replicated here — takes it to a whole new level. And with Kanazawa arguing that black women are less attractive than other races, of course it seems that someone has a huge PR problem. “It is very interesting to note that, even though black women are objectively less physically attractive than other women,” he writes (unbelievably), “black women (and men) subjectively consider themselves to be far more physically attractive than others.” While you’re trying to take that racist nugget in, here’s a sample of his broader work:
  • EDIT: The Noob Yorker recommends a follow-up piece by biology professor PZ Myers, where he rips apart Kanazawa further and breaks apart his bad science piece-by-piece. “It seems to have been purged from Psychology Today,” he writes in his most biting remark, “but I suspect this article will soon find a happy home on the pages of Stormfront and other such aryan racist tripe.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Mar 2011 10:05

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World: Protip to U.S. soldiers: Don’t kill civilians and take “kill photos”

  • The photos appear in stark contrast to the discipline, professionalism and respect that have characterized our soldiers’ performance during nearly 10 years of sustained operations (in Afghanistan).
  • A statement from the U.S. Army • Regarding a series of photos released by German magazine Der Spiegel which show U.S. soldiers taking photos with a man illegally killed in Afghanistan. The “kill photos” were reportedly part of a large series of thousands of photos the Army has tried to keep under wraps, fearing the result could be an even bigger black mark than Abu Ghraib. Some of the soldiers are already being prosecuted for their actions, which involved defenseless Afghan civilians whose deaths were reportedly staged to look like combat casualties. But things could get far worse from here. (Also: If you want to see the photos, look elsewhere.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Mar 2011 12:21

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World: Pro-Gaddafi official uses phrase “cleansed” to describe victory

  • Brega has been cleansed of armed gangs.
  • A pro-Gaddafi military source • Offering a pretty stark sentiment of the fighting in the Western Libyan seaport of Brega on state television. Al Jazeera says they could not confirm this information, but any time a military figure uses the phrase “cleansed” in any context, it makes us greatly uncomfortable. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 22:10

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Culture, World: More Wikileaks: Steven Spielberg scores the movie rights

  • And Wikileaks is very unhappy about this. The mega-director, known as much for his Hollywood films as his historical pieces, has secured the rights to a book about Wikileaks, “WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy.” (It’s written by two journalists for The Guardian, who have kind of been on the front lines of all this.) Now, Spielberg has done great work before, but he is not a man known for keeping his films 100 percent accurate. For example, “Catch Me if You Can” was based on a real guy who pretended to be a pilot, but Tom Hanks’ character didn’t exist in real life. (Frank Abagnale is OK with this.) It’s understandable, then, that Wikileaks would say, in response to this, that “this is how bull#(&@ ends up being history.” Your move, Spielberg. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2011 22:40

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Culture: Did Charlie Sheen’s sidelining expose a double-standard?

  • So the message from CBS and Warner Brothers seems clear: abuse yourself and the women around you to your heart’s content, but do not attack the golden goose.
  • New York Times columnist David Carr • Pointing out the elephant in the room with the Charlie Sheen/”Two and a Half Men” situation, which is that Sheen did a number of things arguably worse than any of his current drama – and to women, even – but insulting his boss ended up being the thing that got him fired. It’s a good point, and one that shouldn’t get overlooked as CBS attempts to figure out what happens next.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Feb 2011 13:37

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Culture: Charlie Sheen: Oh, I was just calling Chuck Lorre by his “real name”

  • I was referring to Chuck by his real name, because I wanted to address the man and not the @(!&%$(! persona.
  • Charlie Sheen • Explaining why he called his “Two and a Half Men” boss, Chuck Lorre, by his Jewish name, Chaim Levine. Not that this is going to appease Jewish groups. “By invoking television producer Chuck Lorre’s Jewish name in the context of an angry tirade against him,” says Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham H. Foxman, “Charlie Sheen left the impression that another reason for his dislike of Mr. Lorre is his Jewishness.” Hey Charlie, may we offer a word of advice for you? You know why you don’t really see Mel Gibson in many movies these days? It’s because he said things like this. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Feb 2011 11:12

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Politics: Nir Rosen loses NYU job, really sorry for Lara Logan comments

  • Mr. Rosen tells me that he misunderstood the severity of the attack on her in Cairo. He has apologized, withdrawn his remarks, and submitted his resignation as a fellow, which I have accepted. However, this in no way compensates for the harm his comments have inflicted.
  • NYU Center on Law and Security Executive Director Karen J. Greenberg • In accepting Nir Rosen’s resignation over his comments on Twitter criticizing Lara Logan in the wake of reports of her sexual assault in Egypt. “I am deeply distressed by what he wrote about Ms. Logan and strongly denounce his comments,” Greenberg wrote in a statement. “They were cruel and insensitive and completely unacceptable.” Rosen, a journalist who has been featured in a number of publications in the past and is noted for his Iraq War coverage, profusely apologized for what he said on Twitter: “There is no point following me, i am done tweeting. Too ashamed of how i have hurt others and the false impression i gave of who i am.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2011 11:33

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Politics: U2’s Bono steps into South African “Shoot the Boer” controversy

  • When I was a kid and I’d sing songs I remember my uncles singing… rebel songs about the early days of the Irish Republican Army. … We sang this and it’s fair to say it’s folk music.
  • U2’s Bono • Defending his support of a South African protest song called “Shoot the Boer,” seen as an attack on white people in South African (“boer” is considered a slur), by noting that the Irish Republican Army had violent protest songs, too! (He sang a couple bars of a violence-promoting Irish “folk song” while talking.) The song is the center of major controversy, with the leader of South Africa’s Youth League, Julius Malema, in a legal fight over whether the song is hate speech or not. Based on the criticism the human-rights figurehead has gotten, it may just be. if it weren’t for the Spider-Man musical, this would be the dumbest thing he’s done lately. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Feb 2011 21:32

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World: Egypt gets strong scolding from U.S. over emergency law

  • Hey Egypt, your strongest ally is yelling at you. Here’s why. See, Egypt has this emergency law in place that allows them to detain protesters and other folks they don’t like without charge. And the United States doesn’t like this. Especially in the wake of comments that vice president Omar Suleiman made about the country not being ready for democracy. It also doesn’t help that he suggested that the government might step in to quell the protests. What does the U.S. think? Well, a few things, which they released in a statement today. First – Stop screwing with protesters. Second – Rescind an emergency law that allows the government to detain anyone for any reason. Third – Broaden the dialogue to allow opposition voices. And finally – Invite the opposition to the bargaining table. This hard line was needed before Suleiman was around, guys. Why did this guy get the golden ring, anyway? He’s terrible. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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