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11 Feb 2010 10:13

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World: 20 years later: Nelson Mandela’s release from prison celebrated

The South African political prisoner, and later president, signaled the end of apartheid with his release. His iconic post-release march was re-enacted today. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Nov 2009 11:14

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Culture: Daily poll: The forthcoming release of “Twilight: New Moon”

  • As usual, ShortFormBlog has stuck behind its policy of only lightly covering pop culture phenomena that have become unstoppable juggernauts (unless it’s Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin – because the we can make fun). But today, a tinge of remorse hit our hearts over our utter lack of coverage of “New Moon,” which stands to make gobs and gobs of money tomorrow. Are you excited? Annoyed? Let us know. Vote above.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Nov 2009 21:37

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U.S., World: Which verboten images do you want to see more?

  • eight sex tapes of Carrie Prejean (link NSFW, maybe)
  • 44 Pentagon-blocked images of tortured detainees source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Nov 2009 11:39

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Music: We love The Weakerthans. And we hear the singer has a new solo EP.

John K. Samson
  • If we had to create an all-star team of indie rock singer-songwriters, John K. Samson would be playing shortstop. The Weakerthans singer, responsible for one of our favorite albums ever, has a new EP, “City Route 85,” coming out tomorrow. It’s the first in a series analyzing some of the Winnepeg-based singer’s hometown thoroughfares. Awesome. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Sep 2009 22:43

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Music: Don’t Forget to Be Awesome: There’s a YouTube record label

  • Alex Day, above, has an album coming out on Thursday on DFTBA Records, a label created by two YouTube-based musicians. (DFTBA, by the way, stands for “Don’t Forget To Be Awesome.”) These guys made a pitch about the label, and we admit, while we don’t get into the nuances of YouTube culture that brought the label to the forefront, this is a smart idea. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Sep 2009 01:24

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Culture: Mark your calendars! Sarah Palin has a memoir coming out

  • 11/14 the date that Palin’s “Going Rouge” comes out; fingers crossed that there’s an entire chapter on Levi Johnston
  • four the number of months between her leaving office and the publishing of her 400-page memoir; wow, that was fast source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

30 Aug 2009 09:54

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World: Was an oil deal behind the Lockerbie bomber’s release?

  • If so, expect a lot of angry people. The Sunday Times is reporting this morning that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was released to Libya “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom.” Apparently the Brits and Libya had some negotiations about oil that stalled, and a prisoner-transfer deal with Libya greased the wheels. Sounds sketchy to us. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 

28 Aug 2009 10:50

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Music: That Bob Dylan Christmas album now has a cover

Bacon in a can

This cover looks like the kind of cover Bob Dylan would use for a Christmas album – traditional, with the air of a tongue implanted firmly in cheek. May we just say that we're actually excited about the prospect of "Christmas of the Heart" (which hits in October)? It has that appeal that the Scarlett Johansson album of Tom Waits covers did for us. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Aug 2009 10:25

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Tech: Clear your calendar, Mac supernerds: Snow Leopard hits Friday

  • 10.6 only costs $29 for Leopard upgraders. Lucky jerks source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Aug 2009 11:47

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World: Scotland defends its release of the Lockerbie bomber

  • We understand that, we recognise that … But the process of compassionate release doesn’t depend on the guilt or innocence of the party. It’s an evaluation based essentially on the medical condition of the prisoner.
  • Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister • Responding to criticism by the U.S., most notably FBI Director Robert Mueller, for allowing Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi to go free for medical reasons. In case you’re wondering (we certainly were), Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom but it has its own legal system separate from the rest of the union. So, it wasn’t the U.K. that made this decision – it was Scotland. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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