It’s a hassle to have to deal with two separate companies, meaning double ratings, double queues, and most begrudgingly, double bills. Why not make the grieving process easy by just blaming our northern neighbors? Canadians: they’re lovely people. Seriously. And we bet they’d offer a hearty and sincere “Sooorry.” But according to Netflix CEO Reed
Continue reading …Orlando Brown found dead in home Full Video Official Nfl plater Orlando Brown Dead at 40 Former Ravens tackle Orlando Brown dead at 40 – NFL
Continue reading …American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad began her second attempt in as many months to traverse the 103 miles of sea between Cuba and Florida, waving goodbye to well-wishers before jumping into the water at a Havana marina. (Sept. 23)
Continue reading …The father-in-law of a missing Utah woman pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of possessing child pornography and secretly videotaping her, other women and young girls without their knowledge. (Sept. 23)
Continue reading …A brutal week for the stock market ended on a quiet note Friday, but worries about the global economy again pounded copper, gold and other commodities. (Sept. 23)
Continue reading …President Mahmoud Abbas took his people’s quest for independence to the heart of world diplomacy on Friday, hoping to galvanize their flagging statehood campaign by seeking UN recognition of Palestine and sidestepping negotiations. (Sept. 23)
Continue reading …Wynton Marsalis comes from the worlds of jazz and classical music, and Eric Clapton is a famed rock star, but their recent collaboration wasn’t that unusual because they both have something that unifies them: love of the blues. (Sept. 23)
Continue reading …Click here to view this media Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was on CNN this morning, promoting the latest outrage: $16 muffins at Department of Justice conferences. CNN was only too happy to provide a forum for his nonsense. Kevin Drum at Mother Jones looked into this “scandal” and was unsurprisingly underwhelmed. So did DOJ really pay $16 for muffins? Of course not. In fact, it’s obvious that someone quite carefully calculated the amount they were allowed to spend and then gave the hotel a budget. The hotel agreed, but for some reason decided to divide up the charges into just a few categories instead of writing a detailed invoice for every single piece of food they provided. This is unremarkable. In fact, I’m here to tell you that this happens All. The. Time. I’ve been involved in what feels like a thousand conferences of this kind, and I’d be shocked if it happened any other way. –snip– None of this is to say that DOJ didn’t overspend on its conferences. In fact, it sounds like they did — though in some cases this was just an artifact of applying overhead costs to the food instead of accounting for it separately. But the $16 muffin? That’s a myth. It’ll never die now that it’s been delivered to posterity thanks to some enthusiast in the OIG who broke out a calculator and mistakenly assumed they could calculate actual costs this way, but it’s still a myth. And reading through the report (pgs 32-33) it takes about 5 seconds to realize where the money went. ($39,500 ÷ 5 days) ÷ 534 attendees, and not surmise that a whole more than 300 muffins were eaten that entire week. Chuck Grassley may be the biggest horse’s patoot in a senate replete with them. Or it could just be that he’s a wily old codger who just knows how to play the game with the media with this bit of foolishness, as even a cursory examination of the facts would have shown. Whatever the case, CNN and the rest get pwned yet again. (note: The entire segment lasted well over 6 minutes but I didn’t feel I could in good conscience subject you to that, Dear Readers, so I’ve cut in down to 3. Feel free to listen to the Frank Zappa song below if you need to get the bad taste out after the CNN video above.) UPDATE: WASHINGTON — The government did not pay $16 apiece for breakfast muffins at a Justice Department conference, no matter what the department’s inspector general thinks. So says Hilton Worldwide, which hosted the 2009 legal training conference in Washington. Even the IG’s own report issued this week acknowledges that for the price paid, they also got some free fruit and drinks. Hilton Worldwide, which manages and franchises hotels including the Capital Hilton where the conference took place, says the price included not only breakfast baked goods but also fresh fruit, coffee, tea, soft drinks, tax and tips. It says the report misinterpreted its invoices, which often use shorthand and don’t reflect the full menu and service provided.
Continue reading …Popular British reality singing competition “The X Factor” aired in the U.S. Sept. 21 to a TV audience of roughly 12 million , all tuning in to hear the raw pipes of undiscovered talent. But the studio audience, judges and Fox TV viewers got more than they bargained for, when an unassuming contestant let it all out on stage. Much in the vein of American Idol, “The X Factor” show is a reality singing competition in which a panel of judges (including Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul from the original “American Idol” panel) determines which singer or group has “The X Factor” and can continue each week based on their live singing performances. For comedic relief, producers allow a handful of not-so-talented contestants to get through the initial rounds in order to embarrass themselves in front of the audience and judges. In the spirit of American Idol, it makes for great TV. (Who doesn't remember “Pants on the Ground”?) But the judges and audience members were shocked and outraged when contestant Geo Godley performed an original song titled “I'm a Stud” with accompanying pants-less choreography. When Godley got to the chorus and sang “I'm a stud! Roll out the red carpet, I'm a stud!” he dropped his pants and wiggled around, his crotch exposed, on stage for approximately 50 seconds. No one attempted to stop him. The music continued for more than a minute. The camera showed audience members covering their mouths and eyes wide. Others were seen walking out. One of those who refused to watch was judge Paula Abdul. An appalled Abdul pushed back her chair, stood up, and left the theater during Godley's performance. At least the TV audience was spared actually having to see Godley's genitals; an “X Factor” logo blocked them on-screen. The original studio audience wasn't so lucky. If Godley had dropped his pants and exposed his private area to a random passerby on the street, he'd be arrested. But when he was on stage at FOX, he was celebrated as a crazy contestant. “Factor” producers knew children were present, (even hosting a 13-year-old competing against Godley!) and yet they allowed the behavior to continue, uninterrupted for close to a minute – long after any genuine “surprise” in the act. What's worse, producers not only allowed him to continue beyond a reasonable expectation of the performance being a genuine but they then aired the full performance to viewers during the season premiere. This “The X Factor” aired at 8 p.m., to more than 12 million viewers, and boasts contestants as young as 12 years old. After Abdul's protest 45 seconds into the routine, the first bit of verbal reprimand came from judge Antonio “L.A.” Reid, a full 56 seconds after Godley's performance ended. “Ok so listen,” Reid began. “That was offensive. Disgusting. Distasteful. Upsetting. Get him outta the building, please.” The audience cheered Reid's remarks, but Fox didn't find it “disgusting,” “distasteful” or “upsetting” enough not to air the pre-taped performance. The Parents Television Council filed a protest with the FCC . But, as of 24 hours later, the silence from the media was deafening. FOX aired the indecent exposure of a man's genitals to minors during a prime-time season premiere, during which viewership is high, and they have faced no scrutiny from the mainstream media. Is the liberal media that jaded?
Continue reading …An ‘invisibility cloak’ for tanks and ships made its debut at the world’s biggest arms fair in London. (Sept. 23)
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