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27 Apr 2009 21:06

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U.S.: White House: Whoops, our bad on that low-flying jet thing

  • Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it’s clear that the mission created confusion and disruption.
  • Louis Caldera • Director of the White House Military Office, on allowing a plane to fly close to the ground for a photo op that freaked out tons of people in downtown NYC, which was understandably jumpy, you know, with that whole 9/11 thing. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Apr 2009 20:41

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Culture: Miss California defends her anti-gay-marriage comments

  • I knew at that moment after I’d answered the question, I knew that I was not going to win because of my answer. Because I had spoken from my heart, for my beliefs and for my God.
  • Miss California Carrie Prejean • On answering a question from Perez Hilton on gay marriage during the Miss USA contest honestly. She knew, after answering the question the way she did, she wasn’t going to win. But she’s fine with it. And honestly, you’re going to remember who Carrie Prejean is long after the what’s-her-name that won on Sunday night. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2009 10:39

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Politics, U.S.: Bush makes an overseas trip, sidesteps Obama criticism

  • He was not my first choice, but now that this election was made, it speaks volumes about the United States of America.
  • Former president George W. Bush • Who also made dog poop jokes while speaking in China for the Boao Forum. If nothing else, we appreciate how he’d rather tell funny anecdotes than give his ideologically-opposed successor trouble. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2009 20:04

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Politics, U.S.: The latest talking points against Obama skew diplomatic

  • “NOOO!!! Now that Obama has let those torture memos out of the bag, the terrorists will WIN! The CIA will have a harder time defeating those evil terrorists and PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN!!”
  • shake
  • torture
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2009 10:39

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Politics, Tech: A Slate columnist chooses piracy over legal movie downloads

  • Pirates aren’t popular these days, but let’s give them this—they know how to put together a killer on-demand entertainment system.
  • Farhad Manjoo • On the sad state of affairs for legal movie downloading. All Manjoo wants is the digital equivalent of Netflix, but the restrictions on movie download services are so high – either not enough of a selection or too many limitations – that he ends up just using Bittorrent instead. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Apr 2009 20:28

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U.S.: Obama administration: The CIA was bad, but we won’t punish them

  • The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind. source
  • The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind.
  • The gory details The tactics used – and more importantly, signed off on – during the Bush administration include slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding (which is not as fun as the name suggests) and leaving suspects naked in cold rooms for long periods. source
  • The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind.
  • The gory details The tactics used – and more importantly, signed off on – during the Bush administration include slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding (which is not as fun as the name suggests) and leaving suspects naked in cold rooms for long periods.
  • Critics rebuffed Obama, while understanding the concerns of human rights organizations and critical of the interrogation methods, nevertheless defended the decision. “Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past,” he said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Apr 2009 18:56

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Politics: Because he can’t get enough, Jim Cramer blasts Jon Stewart again

  • It was a complete and utter ambush. He told my staff that it was going to be fun, convivial, no clips, but [it] doesn’t matter, he’s a comedian, he can do whatever he wants.
  • Jim Cramer • Crying spilled milk over his harsh, pants-adjusting verbal beatdown by Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” last month. You know man, nobody really cares anymore. That happened like a month ago. We’ve moved on Jim. Can’t you? • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

13 Apr 2009 02:07

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Biz, Tech: Amazon: A glitch caused gay book-blocking. Twitter: #glitchmyass

  • There was a glitch with our sales rank feature that is in the process of being fixed. We’re working to correct the problem as quickly as possible.
  • Patty Smith • Amazon Director of Corporate Communications, on the reason books were being marked “adult” in the search results. She would not go further into why gay-themed books appeared to be getting pulled more than other books. Currently trending on Twitter are the hashtags #AmazonFail and #glitchmyass, which might hint as to how users may feel about the company’s honesty right now. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2009 11:04

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Politics, U.S.: Obama adviser: Bush a “statesman,” Cheney a jerk

  • [President Bush] has behaved like a statesman. And as I’ve said before, here and elsewhere, I just don’t think the memo got passed down to the vice president.
  • Top Obama adviser David Axelrod • On former President Bush’s relative silence on the Obama administration (Bush said last month that Obama “deserves my silence”), which contrasts with Dick Cheney’s increased public profile. It was like the dude just showed up after not being around for eight years to complain about Obama! • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Mar 2009 09:59

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Music, Politics: We’re going to use this post to rail against Billy Corgan

  • Smashing suckage Hi, guys. We’re ShortFormBlog. You may know us from such posts as this one and that one. Anyway, we’re here to talk about a serious problem we’ve noticed lately – Billy Corgan’s ruining the legacy of his band, The Smashing Pumpkins. It started slowly. Then it became more obvious. Now, it’s just too much and we think Billy should stop ruining our positive memories of watching his band on MTV. source
  • Smashing suckage Hi, guys. We’re ShortFormBlog. You may know us from such posts as this one and that one. Anyway, we’re here to talk about a serious problem we’ve noticed lately – Billy Corgan’s ruining the legacy of his band, The Smashing Pumpkins. It started slowly. Then it became more obvious. Now, it’s just too much and we think Billy should stop ruining our positive memories of watching his band on MTV.
  • Lame things he did Earlier this month, Billy Corgan made his opinions known on two fronts that have the potential to hurt fans. Know the RIAA-supported Performance Rights Act, which would give Corgan money every time “Landslide” plays? He testified to Congress about it. Know that heavily-criticized Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger that’s on the table? He wrote a letter to Congress supporting it. source
  • Smashing suckage Hi, guys. We’re ShortFormBlog. You may know us from such posts as this one and that one. Anyway, we’re here to talk about a serious problem we’ve noticed lately – Billy Corgan’s ruining the legacy of his band, The Smashing Pumpkins. It started slowly. Then it became more obvious. Now, it’s just too much and we think Billy should stop ruining our positive memories of watching his band on MTV.
  • Lame things he did Earlier this month, Billy Corgan made his opinions known on two fronts that have the potential to hurt fans. Know the RIAA-supported Performance Rights Act, which would give Corgan money every time “Landslide” plays? He testified to Congress about it. Know that heavily-criticized Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger that’s on the table? He wrote a letter to Congress supporting it.
  • The final final straw Recently, Jimmy Chamberlain – the only other member of the band still left from the legacy era, Tinted Windows notwithstanding – left Smashing Pumpkins due to a desire not to “cash the check,” as he put it. (Is he uncomfortable with selling out his band’s legacy?) Now, the band is going to have an open call for drummers. Limp Bizkit did something like this, and we know they suck. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 8 Comments • Permalink
 
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