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02 Jun 2009 22:39

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Tech, World: Just in time for Tiananmen’s 20th anniversary, China blocks stuff

  • Most noticeably, anyone who lives in China and uses Twitter can’t use it right now, as access to the site has been blocked. So is Flickr and Hotmail. Basically, China is closed to Web 2.0. source
  • On top of that, China is blocking foreign news reports about the pro-democracy massacre, which they’ve been very careful to block from the public. They want to stop activists. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 May 2009 20:57

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Politics, U.S.: Protip: Don’t get on NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg’s bad side

  • Reporter Azi Paybarah of the New York Observer dared to ask a question about the improving economy which seemed to undercut Bloomberg’s reasoning for running for a third term. It was an honest question. source
  • Bloomberg responded harshly, telling him, “When you have a serious question about the economy, I’d be happy to answer it.” He then ended the news conference by calling Paybarah a disgrace. LOL. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 May 2009 08:35

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Politics, U.S.: YAY POLITICS! Obama announces his SCOTUS pick today

  • That sound you hear is of D.C. politicians freaking izzout. It’s been hyped bigger than any summer blockbuster, and Obama’s ready to talk. He plans to announce it at 10:15 a.m., according to MSNBC. We hope it lives up to the hype. MSNBC says it’ll likely be Sonia Sotomayor, making for the court’s first Hispanic justice. Stay tuned for more blockbuster District of Columbia action! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 May 2009 11:10

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Offbeat, U.S.: Obama can’t get Robert Gates’ name right, by the way

  • He introduced Gates as “William” during yesterday’s speech. Obama sees Robert Gates just about every day, but despite this, he still got the defense secretary’s name wrong during yesterday’s speech, which in our opinion is hilarious. It’s possible that he just had Will on his mind too much, seeing as that was his most-used word. Or he might’ve been talking about Bill Gates. Whatever. Just don’t do it again, dude. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 May 2009 22:55

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Politics, U.S.: Michael Steele speaks like he’s grown a backbone. Has he?

  • If we have the courage of our convictions, and we do, then we will and we must stand up against disastrous policies, regardless of the president’s popularity.
  • GOP head Michael Steele • Who is trying to make a return to the public eye after looking like a freaking idiot ever since he was elected GOP chair. In his speech, he said that the party needs to sharply attack Obama’s policies head-on, rather than pussyfoot around them. Did he succeed at making a return to the public eye? Twitter largely sez no, and that he sucks at public speaking to boot. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2009 12:40

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Politics, U.S.: Al Gore gets in Dick Cheney’s dramarama

  • I waited for two years after I left office to make statements that were critical, and then of policy.
  • Former veep Al Gore • Slapping fellow former veep Dick Cheney on the hand for trashing on the Obama administration almost immediately after leaving office. Cheney didn’t seem to talk quite this much when he was actually in office. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2009 14:18

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Politics, U.S.: Key line from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

  • I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight. He needs a good waterboarding – that’s what he needs.
  • Wanda Sykes • Who managed to bring back some of the edge of Stephen Colbert’s routine a couple of years ago to the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. She took jabs at everyone, Obama included. No offense to Rush Limbaugh, but we’d rather hear rips on him than see awful Bush impersonators. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 May 2009 09:26

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World: Wanting to save an “infant democracy,” Nepal’s PM resigns

  • Prachanda fought against Nepal’s monarchy for a decade. The prime minister, also known as Pushpa Kamal Daha, resigned in the wake of heavy protests against the sacking of the country’s army chief, Gen. Rookmangud Katawal. The Maoist government sacked him, but the country’s president, Ram Baran Yadav, reinstated him. The “unconstitutional” measure, according to Prachanda, causes a base conflict in the government, so he’s stepping aside to help protect the democracy. Prachanda led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before they laid down their arms last year in democratic elections. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 May 2009 10:12

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U.S.: Five fast facts about Jack Kemp, 1935-2009

  • His football success was unlikely: He was a late-round pick by Detroit and a journeyman QB for years. source
  • The Buffalo Bills, the team with which he had MVP-level success, picked him up on a $100 waiver. source
  • Kemp got into the political game very soon after retiring from football in 1969, getting elected in 1970. source
  • The popular nine-term Republican congressman eventually had a failed presidential bid in 1988. source
  • He’s best-known, however, for being Bob Dole’s veep choice in his failed 1996 presidential run. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2009 11:31

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Music: M. Ward on making music that’s implicitly political

  • I’m not that interested in getting anything too heavy off my chest or complaining in some monumental way. I’m more interested in telling stories where people can make their own implicit connections.
  • M. Ward • The singer-songwriter whose profile has shot up in recent years in part due to his collaboration with Zooey Deschanel in She & Him. Since 2000, Ward has been making albums, but his most recent, “Hold Time,” is the first one he’s made outside of the era of George W. Bush. While his music doesn’t hint at his politics, he uses his songs to capture the political mood, he says. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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