What Really Brought Down The Third Reich And Why Is Twitter Service Sporatic?

I have seen this clip used in other parodies but this one was a good one.
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Via Dvice

'Chef '-- Isaac Hayes has died at 65

Soul singer and arranger Isaac Hayes, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film "Shaft," has died, sheriff's officials in Memphis, Tennessee, say. Relatives found Hayes unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill. Hayes also voiced "Chef" for the animated series "South Park."

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CNN

Bernie Mac Dies At Age 50

CHICAGO —  DEVELOPING STORY:
Bernie Mac's publicist says the actor and comedian has died. He was 50 years old.
Mac was recovering from pneumonia at the time of his death.

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Fox News

Edwards Admits Affair -- Stabs Media And Wife In The Back -- Media Forced To Finally Cover Story!

Former Sen. John Edwards has admitted having an extramarital affair in 2006. In a written statement today, the former Democratic presidential candidate said he "made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs." 

National Enquirer was right and the media covered it up, until they couldn't any longer.   This was really a disgraceful display by the media.
CNN

Update:  Hot Air -- David Shuster: You know who else deserves an apology from Edwards? The media

After all they did to suppress the story for him, it’s really the least he can do. Tip via TV Newser, which neglects to mention the punchline here: Upon pronouncing the media a hapless victim whose blind trust was so cruelly exploited by Edwards’s aides, Shuster then turned around and pulled rank on the one press outfit that actually bothered to do some reporting. This one’s for you, Kaus.

If David Schuster knows politics more then all the people at MSNBC then they are really in trouble!
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He Hated Christians and Christianity -- Shotgun Wielding Man Kills 2 In Church!

A shotgun-wielding man opened fire at a Tennessee Unitarian church during a children's play Sunday, killing two adults and wounding seven more before worshippers tackled him, officials said. A suspect, Jim Adkisson, 58, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, a city official said.

CNN

The man accused of a mass church shooting this morning was described by his Powell neighbors as a helpful and kind man, but one who had issues with Christianity.

Knoxville News
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Put Him On The 'Dead List' -- That Is Where He Was Willing To Put You!

Shia LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Sunday after an early morning wreck in which the "Indiana Jones" star injured his hand and knee, authorities said.

CNN

It is time this came to an end.  Look, I don't care if he drinks or whores around or even falls so low that he is seen getting out Paris Hilton's car without his underwear!

I do, however, care when these idiot 'movie stars' get on the road and drive when they are so toasted that they risk killing and maiming innocent people.  People who just happened to be in the way of this jerk who is just earning his street cred that ends up enhancing his star power. 

That needs to stop!

It is time Americans shun these stars!  Over 40,000 people are killed on our highways every year and alcohol is implicated in 40% of those deaths!  Celebrities treat DUI's like a badge of honor and it is becoming more common and accepted then smoking is today.

I suggest starting a celebrity, 'Dead List,' where those foolish enough to drink and drive languish for a minimum of two years.  They get no movies, no interviews, and the paparazzi ignore them.    They are willing to put you and I on the permanent Dead List without thinking each and every time one of these false heroes get behind the wheel drunk! 

They need to know that there is a real penalty.  Not the slap on the wrist the courts give, but something serious enough to get their attention!  Something like two years in obscurity!

I would be more inclined to go see Transformers II if the studio announced that Shia was on the 'dead list' and they had to use someone else.
DKK

'Dead List' -- Celebrities who should be shunned for two years because they were willing to kill you and I without giving it a second thought!  

Shia LaBeouf -- Date Added -- July 28, 2008. Earliest date eligible for our attention July 28, 2010!;

Vice Chair Joint Chiefs Returns To Rockford -- Dedicates Memorial To Honor Fallen Korean Heroes!

On the drive through Rockford Sunday, Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright felt several emotions seeing the area where he grew up.

Cartwright, 58, graduated from the former West High School. Now, after 37 years in the Marines, he is vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the nation’s second-highest ranking military officer.

He returned to his hometown to speak at the dedication of the Tri-County Korean War Memorial.
...
“Should it be called the forgotten war?” he asked. “I think if you look around today, you know it is not the forgotten war.”

Several hundred people came in military uniforms, church clothes, T-shirts and jeans for Sunday afternoon’s dedication.

Hundreds from Northern Illinois gathered to honor those who fell in service to the Nation.

Photos of the General and the memorial at the link.
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Register Star

Redlasso Tool No Longer Available -- Networks Losers Long Term As They Fail To Adapt To New Media

For those who grew up in the Napster era, the music industry’s emphatic protection of its copyrights in music content is very familiar territory. However, the aggressive shutdown of music download websites has plagued the music industry as a bad public relations move for many years. Despite a shift to legalized digital downloading, the music industry continues to suffer lagging sales.

Today, one must wonder whether other media conglomerates have learned from the mistakes of the music industry—or is history simply poised to repeat itself? On May 19, 2008, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Allbritton Communications served a cease-and-desist letter to the blogger-friendly website, redlasso.com. 

JETLaw blog

Redlasso, the video site that allows bloggers to post clips of television content, has shut down its beta in response to a recently filed lawsuit by Hulu-backers Fox and NBC.
In May, Fox, CBS and NBC issued Cease and Desist notices to Redlasso for copyright violation, which the company largely ignored. In June the company established a “Media Advisory Board” headed by a number of ex-studio execs that they hoped would help smooth things over with the networks.

TechCrunch

So much for that experiment.  I hope they can get a compromised reached soon.  The sad thing is this is the same type of thing the music industry went through.  Instead of working to form a new business model that included supportive use on the net and expanding choices they would rather drive a business plan of limiting what is available in an attempt to force use of their old model.

I don't know of an alternative yet, but I will try to find one that has the flexibility to select specific content.
DKK

Update copied from later post:

You know, the more I have though about the whole Redlasso thing it really makes me wonder the logic.  Imagine I put up a snippet from say, Special Report and say it's a good one.  How many more possible viewers do they get for the two later airings of Special Report that day who go there just to see that snippet in context.  Free advertising driving ratings, now lost because of the inability to adjust to changing technologies.  Oh and the Hulu service supported by NBC and Newscorp is very limited and the videos are not breaking news.
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Scientists Discover What Everyone Knew About The Lottery -- More Importantly, There Is Something Called The 'Journal of Behavioral Decision Making'

A new Carnegie Mellon University study sheds light on the reasons why low-income lottery players eagerly invest in a product that provides poor returns.

In the study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, participants who were made to feel subjectively poor bought nearly twice as many lottery tickets as a comparison group that was made to feel subjectively more affluent. The Carnegie Mellon findings point to poverty's central role in people's decisions to buy lottery tickets.

"Some poor people see playing the lottery as their best opportunity for improving their financial situations, albeit wrongly so," said the study's lead author Emily Haisley,a doctoral student in the Department of Organizational Behavior and Theory at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business. "The hope of getting out of poverty encourages people to continue to buy tickets, even though their chances of stumbling upon a life-changing windfall are nearly impossibly slim and buying lottery tickets in fact exacerbates the very poverty that purchasers are hoping to escape."

 Okay, so now we know what we already knew -- but we also know that there really is a magazine for everything.  Be sure to pick up your copy of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making for the full results.
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Science Daily

Aliens Among Us -- The Really Alien Ones!

FORMER NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell - a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission - has stunningly claimed aliens exist.

And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions - but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades.

Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.'

He said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head. 

NASA denies any knowledge but Mitchell seemed serious:

Mr Margerrison said: "I thought I'd stumbled on some sort of astronaut humour but he was absolutely serious that aliens are definitely out there and there's no debating it."

Officials from NASA, however, were quick to play the comments down.

In a statement, a spokesman said: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe.

'Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue.' 

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News.com

MTV's First Political Advertisement -- 'Both Ways Barack' From Conservative Let Freedom Ring

Conservative group reaches out to younger voters with 'Both Ways Barack' ad.

There have been a lot of firsts in the 27-year history of MTV, but beginning Wednesday night (July 23), the channel will begin airing something it never has before: a political advertisement. "Both Ways Barack," the attack ad from conservative group Let Freedom Ring, takes aim at presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama for what it calls a history of trying to take opposing positions on the same issue.

MTV

Here is the script of the ad which can be seen at Both Ways Barack:

People are saying that Senator Obama’s recent changes of position have made him a flip-flopper.
He’s not!
Flip-floppers only hold one position at a time.
Senator Obama is different: he holds two positions at the same time.
Both ways on banning handguns.
Both ways on public campaign financing.
And now, both ways on withdrawing from Iraq.
He’s ‘Both Ways Barack.’ Worse than a flip-flopper!
People are saying that Senator Obama’s recent changes of position have made him a flip-flopper.
He’s not!
Flip-floppers only hold one position at a time.
Senator Obama is different: he holds two positions at the same time.
Both ways on banning handguns.
Both ways on public campaign financing.
Both ways on NAFTA.
And now, both ways on withdrawing from Iraq.
He wants to have them all, both ways.
He’s “Both Ways Barack.”
Worse than a flip-flopper.
LET FREEDOM RING is responsible for the content of this advertising.

Cell Phone's Still Suspect In Cancer Cause

The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science, and he believes that people should take action now, especially when it comes to children.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said.

Herberman strongly advises that children not use cell phones for anything but emergency calls and adults should use a wireless headset and keep the phone away from the head.

He believes the previous studies were flawed, but it still looks like this one is up in the air.
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CNN

"We're finally where we belong."

Via Wizbangcc

Rosenberg Grand Jury Testimony Released -- Are 'Scholars' Really Objective

After 58 years, historians and journalists will have a chance to examine the secret grand jury testimony of witnesses in the espionage case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

The couple was investigated in 1950, tried in 1951 for conspiracy to commit espionage and convicted and sentenced to death in 1953.

(...)

The National Security Archive, the American Historical Association, the Georgetown University Law Center and others have petitioned to have the transcripts of 46 witnesses released to the public.

In an unusual move, federal authorities have said that because of the historic significance of the case, they do not oppose releasing the transcripts of testimony from witnesses who have died or who do not object to their release.

Of the 46 grand jury witnesses, 36 are either deceased or do not object to releasing the transcripts. Three others are thought to have died; four have not been located.

Interestingly David Greenglass, Ethyl's brother refused, petitioned the court, and was granted the right to keep his transcript sealed -- his testimony was considered pivotal in convicting the Ethyl Rosenberg.

Another defendent convicted of obstruction petitioned to have her testimony withheld,  Miriam Moskowitz, "now 92, expressed relief that the transcripts would not make it into the hands of the Cold War historians, 'because I know they will not write the truth.'"

Despite the release of documents from the Soviet archives that confirmed the guilt of the Rosenbergs, many still believe they were persecuted for political reasons. 
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CNN

Estelle Getty Dies At 84

Diminutive actress Estelle Getty, who found fame late in life with her portrayal of a sharp-tongued Sicilian mother on "The Golden Girls," died Tuesday.

The 84-year-old passed away at her Los Angeles home following a long battle with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease.


Getty, who stood under 5 feet tall, won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Sophia Petrillo, a meddling mom spending her twilight years with her middle-aged daughter and two roommates on "The Golden Girls."

Nearly 45 minutes of makeup were needed to transform Getty - who was actually younger than her screen daughter, Bea Arthur - into the feisty octogenarian, whose wisecracks and Sicilian memories often stole the scene.

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NY Daily News

The Dark Knight -- Destroys Movie History -- Brings Hollywood Along For Ride

Batman has sent Spidey packing as king of Hollywood's box-office superheroes.

"The Dark Knight" took in a record $155.34 million in its first weekend, topping the previous best of $151.1 million for "Spider-Man 3" in May 2007 and pacing Hollywood to its biggest weekend ever, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"We knew it would be big, but we never expected to dominate the marketplace like we did," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight." The movie should shoot past the $200 million mark by the end of the week, he said.

Hollywood set an overall revenue record of $253 million for a three-day weekend, beating the $218.4 million haul over the weekend of July 7, 2006, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers. (AP)

The final numbers:

1. "The Dark Knight" $155.3 million 
2. "Mama Mia" $27.6 million
3. "Hancock" $14 million
4. "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" $11.9 million
5. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" $10 million

(credit Fox News Television)
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Dancing Toddler's Mom Takes On Suicidal Music Industry

Stephanie Lenz is an angry Pennsylvania mother who refuses to back down from the music industry.

Lenz's attorneys were in federal district court on Friday morning, trying to thwart a motion to dismiss her lawsuit against Universal Music Group. A year ago, the music label ordered YouTube to pull down a 30-second video she shot of her infant son dancing to Prince's song "Let's Go Crazy."

Lenz, who resides in a rural Pennsylvania area, claims that her video is protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Fair Use provision in copyright law. She fought the order, and eventually, Universal Music abandoned any claim that she violated Prince's copyright. YouTube has since reposted her clip.

Now Lenz is out to teach the music industry a lesson.

The music industry has managed to go from heroic representatives of changing culture and a recorder of the history of the times to the personification of evil in the modern online world.  They refused to do what their artists have done since recordings began, change to meet and challenge the world head on!

Confirmation that they lost the war came when people started saying, "you have to download that song."  That is one of those cultural pivot points.

Currently there is little they can do to save their old business model and moves like the overuse of take down orders hurts them each and every day!  Their only hope is to adapt, embrace their customers, and take a kinder more accepting tone on all matters!  Get ahead of everything and give some of it away.
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CNET -- Mom continues to chase Prince over 'fair use'

Full disclosure: I have never downloaded illegal music, ever.

Dark Knight Set To Break All Records

No, Not Obama In November, the new Batman Movie.

It's no joke! Warner Bros sources tell me that very early numbers show The Dark Knight made $48 million on Saturday, and its total North American weekend take looks to be $153M-$155M. If Sunday holds up, that FSS non-holiday figure will be enough to snag the record from Spider-Man 3's $151.1 million.

However Batman did NOT beat the one day record of $51.3 million held by Spider-man 3.

Tony Snow Dies At Age 53

Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary and conservative pundit who bedeviled the press corps and charmed millions as a FOX News television and radio host, has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 53.
A syndicated columnist, editor, TV anchor, radio show host and musician, Snow worked in nearly every medium in a career that spanned more than 30 years.
"Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Tony Snow," President Bush said in a statement. "The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character."

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Fox News

PC World Gone Wild -- Working, Holes Questioned!

Across Atlanta they stood, orange signs with black letters that read "Men At Work" or "Men Working Ahead."
Sometimes, the signs stood next to women working alongside the men.
Good demanded Atlanta officials remove the signs and last week, Atlanta Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista agreed.

AJC -- 'Men At Work' signs to disappear in Atlanta

A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.

County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

Mayfield shot back that it was a figure of speech and a science term.

 

SciGuy -- Is "black hole" a racially insensitive term?  

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