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03 Feb 2010 23:25

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Politics: Murray Hill Incorporated: Finally, a candidate we can believe in

  • Yeah, this is pretty cheeky. But Murray Hill, Inc. is really running for Congress in the Maryland 8th District. They even have the kind of press release that should be studied by people who write press releases. “We want to get in on the ground floor of the democracy market before the whole store is bought by China,” they write. We hope they win so the Supreme Court is forced to reconsider its decision about giving corporations the same rights as people. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 22:26

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Tech, World: Italy’s trying to screw over YouTube for some stupid reason

  • The background In 2006, a video of a child with Down’s syndrome getting attacked showed up on YouTube. Italy has gone after Google for the video big time, suing major executives and arguing that they should screen their content. Google argues this is a bad idea because it’s impossible.
  • The changes Now, Italy is considering taking the policy a step further. They want to force user-generated content sites like YouTube to be liable for what it posts by screening all the content that goes through and getting licenses to distribute the content online. Gah. What a bad idea.
  • The motives? Who’s the Prime Minister? Oh yeah, Silvio Berlusconi. Anyway, some suggest the government’s putting the hammer down due to Berlusconi trying to protect the content of his total-conflict-of-interest media and entertainment companies. Tinfoil hat time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 10:59

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Politics: Henry Kissinger still alive, still pushing for strong Iraq policy

  • Yet while Iraq is being exorcised from our debate, its reality is bound to obtrude on our consciousness. The U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq will not alter the geostrategic importance of the country even as it alters that context.
  • Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger • Regarding the need to continue focusing on Iraq policy even while we’re withdrawing. He notes that Obama barely touched on it in his State of the Union address. Due to its strategic significance and its everlasting ties to terrorism, Kissinger claims “It cannot be in the American interest to leave the region as a vacuum.” He’s like the dude claiming we should spend the day after the party doing a deep clean of the apartment, despite the fact that it’s someone else’s job. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Feb 2010 09:59

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U.S.: In California’s governor race, the spending’s already HUUUGE

  • $39M the amount former eBay CEO Meg Whitman has spent out of her own personal fortune, which is just insane, BTW
  • $19M the amount her Republican primary competitor, Steve Poizner, has spent out of his personal fortune
  • $370k the amount presumptive Democratic candidate Jerry Brown – who hasn’t declared – has spent so far source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Feb 2010 08:48

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U.S.: “Don’t Ask” could be going away, but it may be a slow fade

  • good The military plans to no longer pursue the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for gays in the military.
  • better The military also plans on taking steps with Congress to get the act repealed completely.
  • meh Military officials note that it may take years to fully integrate gays in the military. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Feb 2010 21:12

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Politics: The James O’Keefe case getting covered two different ways

  • the left The conservative media is sticking behind the gonzo journalist despite the alleged breaking into Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office. Also, sources like Fox News barely covered the story, in comparison to the much-hyped ACORN videos. source
  • the right The U.S. Attorney who was spearheading the criminal case against O’Keefe just stepped down. Also, O’Keefe sat in jail for 28 hours without an lawyer. Andrew Breitbart says it was to spin the case as a “Watergate Junior.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2010 11:57

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Politics: John Edwards used a lot of tricks not to get caught, still did

  • When rumors of the affair started circulating, she continued to risk getting spotted in hotel lobbies and grocery stores. ‘I think she wanted to get caught,’ Young writes.
  • Slate writer Christopher Beam • Regarding the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter affair, which former Edwards associate Andrew Young wrote about in great detail. Young was on the losing side of most of the romantic facilitation, having to do pretty much everything possible to cover it up from Edwards’ wife Elizabeth, who was reading financial and phone records with a fine-toothed comb. It’s a nice guide about how not to get caught when having an affair. Final tip: Make sure you wear a condom. Edwards didn’t. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Jan 2010 11:23

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Politics: Hmm: Scott Brown, the Tea Party’s bastion, supports abortion rights

  • no He doesn’t support the health care bill, the key promise that got him voted into the Senate.
  • no He won’t simply be the GOP’s 41st vote, despite selling himself as that. Sneaky.
  • yes He’s mostly pro-choice, but doesn’t support federal funding for abortions.
  • yes He supports some of Obama’s plans, including tax credits and spending freezes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2010 11:13

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Politics: Focus on the Family dude: The Tim Tebow ad isn’t anti-anything

  • There’s nothing political about the ad. Nothing shocking or divisive. Nothing ‘anti’ anything. It’s just an inspiring story from the Tebows – as much as can be fit into 30 seconds, anyway – about celebrating family and celebrating life.
  • Focus on the Family President and CEO Jim Daly • Regarding the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad that’s driven a firestorm of controversy. He claims that it’s inspiring “cultural change,” not forcing anti-abortion down our throats. “That’s the motivation behind our commercial – to get the country talking about the choices we have to make when faced with all variety of life challenges,” he writes, “not just unplanned pregnancies.” If they can somehow get two dudes kissing in the commercial, then we’d watch. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2010 18:07

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Politics: Good news! John Edwards’ sex tape won’t see the light of day

  • “We were offered millions for that stupid tape.” In case you were hoping that video of Edwards, the former presidential candidate, and Rielle Hunter would see the light of day in some way, shape, or form, we have some bad news for you. Hunter’s fighting to get the tape back, and Andrew Young, the Edwards aide who found it, has it hidden away in a safe-deposit box. No sex tape for you! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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