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04 Mar 2010 19:06

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24 Jan 2010 11:09

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Politics: Tea Party conflict: How debate over candidates can help the left

  • The fact of the matter is that Robert Hurt is the establishment candidate, and it appears that the GOP is doing everything it can to make sure he is the nominee. That’s causing a whole lot of bad blood right now between some of the Tea Party people.
  • Charlottesville, Va.-based Jefferson Area Tea Party leader Bill Hay • Regarding a House race in his Virginia district which is something of a bellwether to larger problems facing the Republican party. Despite the unpopularity of Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello in his district, tea partiers are pushing for a more conservative candidate than the Republican Party, and it’s leading to difficulty in staying on message. Yo, tea partiers: Your push for conservative candidates is noble, but unrealistic. You’re going to hurt yourselves in November if you push away moderates. For every Scott Brown, there will be a Bill Owens. source

23 Dec 2009 21:39

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Politics: “Barry from D.C.” gives Tim Kaine a cutesy Christmas wish

  • Aww, it’s a love-in! Departing Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s closest confidante in D.C., Barack Obama, gave Kaine a call yesterday, referring to himself as “Barry from D.C.” It’s a too-cute-for-words moment that the right is going to try to find a reason to jump all over.

10 Nov 2009 21:26

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U.S.: BREAKING: John Allen Muhammad, the D.C. Sniper, has been executed

  • 9:11 p.m. the time of the execution that killed the main figure in the 2002 attacks
  • ten were killed, and three injured, in the collective-fear-gripping attacks source

03 Nov 2009 20:14

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U.S.: ELECTION RESULTS! Bob McDonnell clobbers Creigh Deeds in Virginia

  • Just look at these poll numbers! Creigh Deeds never had a chance. And he did so poorly that the race could be called almost immediately after the polls close. Is this a bad sign for Obama? Who knows. All we know is that that whole Regent University paper controversy never once nicked McDonnell. Congrats, new Virginia governor. Let us know if you want to hang with the ShortFormBlog staff in Adams Morgan at some point. We imagine that place is totally your scene on Saturday night at about 2:30 a.m. source

03 Nov 2009 08:34

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U.S.: It’s election day 2009. Here’s a roundup of the various races.

  • N.Y. Thanks to Sarah Palin, New York’s 23rd district is on everyone’s mind. The GOP candidate dropped out over the weekend.
  • N.J. Jersey’s Jon Corzine is a fairly unpopular governor, but is still doing well in the race to keep his seat. It’s close, though.
  • Maine Maine voters get the chance to decide whether gay marriage should be legal in the state. It could be a huge precedent.
  • Va. Democrat Creigh Deeds is lagging behind Republican Bob McDonnell in Virginia; is this a dry run for elections in 2010? source

15 Aug 2009 09:30

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U.S., World: Aung San Suu Kyi’s stupid visitor, John Yettaw, is getting released

  • Credit Sen. Jim Webb for the diplomatic work. John Yettaw, the out-of-shape American who swam across a moat to save Burmese human rights leader Aung San Suu Kyi but just made things worse, will be getting out of seven years of hard labor. It’s thanks to Webb, a Virginia senator who comes off as a miniature Bill Clinton in this context. While Yettaw gets out, there’s no word on Suu Kyi, who was sentenced by Myanmar to more house arrest in a decision that angered many. source
 

28 Jul 2009 22:01

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Music: ShortFormBand: You should know ukulele-strumming Skye Zentz

Skye Zentz
  • Whoa, what is this?

    In our continuing effort to try new things, here’s our latest: Band coverage! This time, a good friend of ours, Skye Zentz puts down her ukulele and throws us some love! Want to see your band here? E-mail us or bug us on Twitter!

    Listen to her

    Q1: In 15 words or less, describe your sound: Tropical entree smothered in bluesy overtones on picnic blanket next to Joni Mitchell’s dulcimer.

    Q2: Name three influences that inspire you, with three words each on why they’re awesome:
    Chris Merritt: Brilliant Melodic Bodywash
    Ani DiFranco: Feminine Guts Galore
    Rufus Wainwright Second generation folky

    Q3: What’s a recent song you’ve been digging? Write ten words explaining why:
    Beyonce – “Ego”: It plays with your head. Love those early Motown nods.

    Q4: In 140 characters or less, how do you use social networking to get the word out: I do what I can with what little digital prowess I have. In short, I connect.
    Tweet tweet, ya’al.
    From myspace to your face.

    Q5: In 15 words or less, what’s next for you? Bowling Alley Tour (Praying!), Nursing home and library gigs (Seriously.), Jello Slip-n-slide? source

17 Jul 2009 15:23

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Culture: Meet one of our favorite people ever, Hollywood Car Racer

  • Linder Lue Lawrence, a.k.a. Hollywood, is the queen of Norfolk, Virginia. She’s an icon of the city and the Ghent neighborhood. Despite living a life of hard knocks as a developmentally disabled adult, thanks to the Hope House Foundation, she has not only survived, she’s thrived. She regularly shows up on billboards, in newspapers, and other unexpected places. When we launched, we gave her a shout-out. Here’s another one. ‘Cause the world needs to know how awesome she is.

04 Jul 2009 17:28

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Tech: Viral investigation: Can YouTube catch the Apple Store shooter?

  • The man in this video (who you might notice is holding a gun) shot the Apple Store employee shown in this video. Police in Arlington, Va. are looking for your help in the shooting, which happened yesterday. And if this video isn’t good enough to give you a view of the suspect, try this one. source