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18 Aug 2010 20:05

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World: Even with combat troops gone, it’s not like the U.S. is done in Iraq

  • 50,000 troops are staying behind source

23 Mar 2010 10:00

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Tech: The 3DS: Nintendo’s going third-dimensional with its next portable

  • No photos, just a press release. It’s secret. Nintendo has this way of pushing a new technology that’s never been tried in video games before and turning it into a smashing success. The latest? The 3DS, a backwards-compatible variant of the DS series which uses 3D screens. It could be super-interesting. source

18 Feb 2010 10:39

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Politics: Karl Rove to Tea Parties: Don’t merge with the GOP, guys

  • My advice to them is to keep their distance from any single party and instead influence both parties on debt, spending and an over-reaching federal government.
  • Former Bush strategist Karl Rove • On what he thinks the Tea Party movement should do to grow in influence. There had been talk of directly aligning with the Repulbican party, though some sects of the movement disagreed. But he points out that, to gain mainstream influence, “they must now begin the difficult task of disassociating themselves from cranks and conspiracy nuts.” That oughta be fun. source

21 Dec 2009 21:19

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U.S.: What’s next for the health care bill? Here’s a quick round-up

  • one It (likely) passes the Senate after a couple more super-tense votes later this week.
  • two The Senate and House take their bills and try to compromise on major details.
  • three The House and Senate vote again, possibly with everyone still on board.
  • four It hits Obama’s desk, and he asks, “What do you call your act?” “The Aristocrats!” source

21 Oct 2009 21:09

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About: Big site news: ShortFormBlog’s redesigning, and other changes

redesign1021

We have big plans, guys. As you might remember a couple weeks ago, we asked you guys what you wanted. In part, that's because we have some big plans for the site's future. To start with, we have a redesign ready to launch November 3. Here's a little about the redesign, and some other changes:
  • Why the redesign? ShortFormBlog has been in existence for ten months, and we’ve learned a lot. And in many ways, the site’s focus evolved in ways that the original site didn’t anticipate. Mainly, we wanted a cleaner format that made the bite-sized elements work as well throughout the site as they do on the front page. To emphasize these changes, we’re flipping the slogan from “writing a little, saying a lot” to “read a little, learn a lot.” Small, but notable.
  • Why the redesign? ShortFormBlog has been in existence for ten months, and we’ve learned a lot. And in many ways, the site’s focus evolved in ways that the original site didn’t anticipate. Mainly, we wanted a cleaner format that made the bite-sized elements work as well throughout the site as they do on the front page. To emphasize these changes, we’re flipping the slogan from “writing a little, saying a lot” to “read a little, learn a lot.” Small, but notable.
  • Sports: Outta here One of the things that we’ve wrestled with more than anything is a way of paring down the site’s elements in smart, clear ways. For that reason, we’ve chosen to take out a piece of the pie that’s fallen by the wayside. Sports will not be part of the redesign. By cutting off a finger, we hope to make the hand stronger or something. But in the future, we have other plans for sports. And we want to bring readers on board to help.
  • Why the redesign? ShortFormBlog has been in existence for ten months, and we’ve learned a lot. And in many ways, the site’s focus evolved in ways that the original site didn’t anticipate. Mainly, we wanted a cleaner format that made the bite-sized elements work as well throughout the site as they do on the front page. To emphasize these changes, we’re flipping the slogan from “writing a little, saying a lot” to “read a little, learn a lot.” Small, but notable.
  • Sports: Outta here One of the things that we’ve wrestled with more than anything is a way of paring down the site’s elements in smart, clear ways. For that reason, we’ve chosen to take out a piece of the pie that’s fallen by the wayside. Sports will not be part of the redesign. By cutting off a finger, we hope to make the hand stronger or something. But in the future, we have other plans for sports. And we want to bring readers on board to help.
  • New content, kids! One thing that we will be adding to the site is a weekly editorial comic by Shawn Vulliez. Vulliez, a fan of the site, created the animation for one of the most well-known and popular Flash clips of all time, “The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny.” The comics are just a start, we hope. Our long-term goal is to figure out ways, both big and small, to get more contributors on board. Bug us if you’re interested.

13 Oct 2009 20:03

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U.S.: So, what’s next on the health-care roadmap? More meetings

  • The Finance Committee’s bill will be combined with a bill passed in July by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. source
  • After that, the Congressional Budget Office and Senate Democrats will do vetting of the combined bill to make sure it passes muster. source
  • Finally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promises, the bill will be voted on by the full Senate by the end of the month. Then the House gets it. source

02 Feb 2009 10:02

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About: A bit more about Ernie’s future plans

  • He has a job! A few of you asked, so we’ll answer. Starting today, Ernie will be working at Express, a free daily newspaper published by The Washington Post. It’s his third free daily newspaper in a row, but it’s also the biggest. He’s excited about the opportunity and plans to use his info-breakdown roots as much as he can.
  • He has a job! A few of you asked, so we’ll answer. Starting today, Ernie will be working at Express, a free daily newspaper published by The Washington Post. It’s his third free daily newspaper in a row, but it’s also the biggest. He’s excited about the opportunity and plans to use his info-breakdown roots as much as he can.
  • What he left behind He does it with a heavy heart. He wasn’t exactly looking to leave his adopted hometown of Norfolk, Va., but he did it because the opportunity made a lot of sense. He’s done a lot of moving in the last few years, and the last place felt like home. He already misses his favorite coffee shop, Elliot’s Fair Grounds. Sigh.
  • He has a job! A few of you asked, so we’ll answer. Starting today, Ernie will be working at Express, a free daily newspaper published by The Washington Post. It’s his third free daily newspaper in a row, but it’s also the biggest. He’s excited about the opportunity and plans to use his info-breakdown roots as much as he can.
  • What he left behind He does it with a heavy heart. He wasn’t exactly looking to leave his adopted hometown of Norfolk, Va., but he did it because the opportunity made a lot of sense. He’s done a lot of moving in the last few years, and the last place felt like home. He already misses his favorite coffee shop, Elliot’s Fair Grounds. Sigh.
  • But don’t worry … ShortFormBlog is still a priority of his and he plans to keep it going as long as he can. The nature of it may change slightly – to focus on interest and intrigue over the immediacy of a news cycle – but it’s gonna stick around. He may even bring on more staffers. Stay tuned to this dial …
 

02 Feb 2009 10:00

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About: Ernie starts a new job today. The transition time? Kind of long.

  • 45 number of days Ernie was unemployed before today