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November 24, 2009
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Harvard Yard
nymag.com

Now Men Everywhere Can Dress Like Harvard Elitists

Now, everyone knows that even the toniest of Ivy League institutions recently suffered substantial blows to their massive endowment funds, but Harvard University’s idea to launch a menswear line called Harvard Yard just seems like school branding gone horribly awry.

Posted on Aug 6, 2009 18 COMMENTS


Met
newyorkstatesearch.com

New York Arts Institutions in Jeopardy

The economic downturn has been rough on countless industries, and arts organizations in New York City that rely on endowment money to survive have been hit hard—not just, as City Journal’s James Panero points out, by the immediate effects of the meltdown felt round the world, but also by the “indirect effects” of how some of their funds have been managed.

Posted on Aug 4, 2009 4 COMMENTS


1984
sprword.com

Teen Sues Amazon Over Orwell Recall

Amazon’s Kindle reader might still be a great device in the estimation of some literary aficionados, but the honeymoon is over for Michigan high school student (and potential member of Future Lawyers of America) Justin D. Gawronski, who’s getting litigious with the online superseller after his copy of George Orwell’s “1984” was yanked from his Kindle in July.

Posted on Aug 3, 2009 7 COMMENTS


Keith Olbermann
nerve.com

Corporate Parents Agreed to Censor Olbermann and O’Reilly

It’s no secret that Keith Olbermann and Bill O’Reilly don’t get along, but the two TV personalities have drastically scaled back their attacks on one another ever since a private meeting between GE and News Corp. CEOs determined the feud was bad for the bottom line.

Posted on Aug 2, 2009 16 COMMENTS


texting
phonedog.com

Texting and Driving Spell Trouble on the Road

Despite any illusions some of us may still harbor about our manual dexterity and multitasking prowess behind the wheel, a study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has found that text messaging and driving really don’t mix. Surprise.

Posted on Jul 27, 2009 17 COMMENTS


abaya show
theinsider.com

The Abaya Gets the High-End Treatment

In late June, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made it clear that he’s no fan of the burqa, calling the concealing garment worn by some Muslim women a symbol of “subservience.” But right around that same time, a fashion show consisting of only abayas, the requisite attire of Saudi women, hit the runway in Paris.

Posted on Jul 23, 2009 13 COMMENTS


brain
dailymail.co.uk

Google and Adderall to the Rescue?

It’s not news that the planet is in trouble, that global food and energy supplies won’t last long at the current rate of consumption, and that we’ve basically got a big mess on our hands as the species most responsible for all of the above and more. What’s the human race to do? Why, the answer may lie in intelligence augmentation, according to The Atlantic’s Jamais Cascio.

Posted on Jul 21, 2009 7 COMMENTS


Harry Potter
Warner Brothers Pictures

Conservative Christians Give Harry Potter Their Blessing

Although the pope and other prominent Christians have registered their disapproval of the Harry Potter franchise in the past, the newest film in the series, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” is getting glowing reviews from fellow members of their fold. It’s not quite on the level of WWHPD? but some are noting the teenage wand-wielder’s similarities to a certain other powerful young man from a very popular book.

Posted on Jul 17, 2009 20 COMMENTS


Cronkite
AP / File

Walter Cronkite, TV’s First Anchor, Dies at 92

One of the news industry’s longest-living legends, Walter Cronkite, died of cerebrovascular disease Friday at the age of 92. Over the course of his storied career as the anchor of CBS News, Cronkite covered some of the biggest events of the 20th century. He himself coined his famous and often-quoted sign-off line: “And that’s the way it is. ... ”

Posted on Jul 17, 2009 8 COMMENTS


Bruno
aceshowbiz.com

What’s With the Pinkface, Fellas?

Vanity Fair’s Brett Berk has detected a mini-pattern playing out in the film world, starring (but certainly not limited to) “Brüno,” Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest attempt at biting social satire. It’s “Pinkface”—or the cinematic phenomenon in which straight guys play gay by way of trying to “lay claim to homosexuality as a ‘topic’” with less-than-stellar results, judging by Berk’s sum-up of the situation.

Posted on Jul 13, 2009 25 COMMENTS


Twitter theater
Composite image: Kleininstruments.com, twitter.com

‘Twitter Effect’ Hits Hollywood

The time frame for projecting the success or failure of a newly released film has already been compressed to the point of asphyxiation, thanks to the Internet, but with the popularity of social networking services like Twitter, the window of box office opportunity has become even shorter, according to The Wrap’s Sharon Waxman.

Posted on Jul 10, 2009 3 COMMENTS


MJ star
Flickr/wyteone

L.A. Taxpayers Hit With MJ Memorial Bill

When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship in June, the team and private donors paid the $2 million tab for the victory celebration. The same can’t be said for Michael Jackson’s July 7 public memorial at Staples Center, unfortunately.

Posted on Jul 9, 2009 6 COMMENTS



USAF / Staff Sgt. Samuel Bendet

Netherlands to Return Artifacts to Iraq

Dutch art dealers have surrendered 69 artifacts that were stolen from Iraq following the U.S. invasion. The ancient objects will remain in the Netherlands until they can be returned to Iraq. In addition to losing 15,000 treasures stolen from Iraq’s national museum, the country has had to contend with rampant looting since the 2003 invasion.

Posted on Jul 9, 2009 6 COMMENTS


Baldwin
hollywoodgrind.com

Alec Baldwin Considering Congressional Bid

After the likes of Ronald Reagan, Sonny Bono and Al Franken, Alec Baldwin’s (still tentative) musings about taking up the celebrity-politician mantle carry a certain sense of dramatic inevitability. The “30 Rock” star may play a Republican on TV but leans to the left in his offscreen life.

Posted on Jul 7, 2009 17 COMMENTS


Economist ad
adsoftheworld.com

Newsweeklies on the Brink

So, Time and Newsweek have had to reinvent themselves in the face of flagging circulation numbers and built-in relevance issues (i.e., they were created at a time when there were too many newspapers, crazy as that sounds now), but as The Atlantic’s Michael Hirschorn notes, there’s one weekly news digest that’s going strong while others falter.

Posted on Jul 2, 2009 36 COMMENTS


ENTER_ALT_TEXT
Flickr / ho visto nina volare's

Pina Bausch, 1940-2009

The renowned German choreographer Pina Bausch has died. The death of the artist, a revolutionary figure in dance, comes as a great loss to both the world of dance and the international arts community. “Pina Bausch continually pushed the boundaries of what we call dance,” said John Neumeier, director of the Hamburg Ballet. “I simply cannot imagine a successor. ... ”

Posted on Jun 30, 2009 3 COMMENTS


ENTER_ALT_TEXT
afsc.noaa.gov

The Seal as Role Model for Obese Kids

A program at the New England Aquarium is aimed at inspiring obese children to get up and exercise by watching seals stretch, jump and swim. It’s hoped that the seals’ athleticism will move kids to get up and “you know ... run,” as one official put it.

Posted on Jun 29, 2009 11 COMMENTS


Michael Jackson
AP photo / Joel Ryan

The King of Pop Is Dead

Michael Jackson was rushed to an L.A. hospital Thursday, where he was pronounced dead. He was 50 years old. His astonishing musical career, perhaps unparalleled among solo artists, unraveled into a tabloid mess of child molestation, doctor-sanctioned self-mutilation, bizarre parenting and, ultimately, debt. He was about to launch a comeback tour.

Posted on Jun 25, 2009 56 COMMENTS


Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson
AP photo / Douglas C. Pizac

Ed McMahon Was an Everyman Till the End

Despite his fame, money and extraordinary résumé—he had been a Marine, pitchman, newsboy, ditch digger, talent show host and, of course, the most famous sidekick in the history of television—Ed McMahon came off as a likable everyday guy. Before his death Tuesday at the age of 86, McMahon even experienced the wrong end of the mortgage crisis, albeit with a Beverly Hills mansion.

Posted on Jun 23, 2009 7 COMMENTS


ENTER_ALT_TEXT
Flickr / michal_hadassah

Women Push Boycott of Berlusconi

Three Italian women academics have called upon the wives of world leaders attending the G-8 summit in Italy next month to boycott the gathering in a stance against Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi’s “sexist” and “offensive” attitude toward women. Could they be referring to his harem of call girls, his rumored affair with an 18-year-old, or his nominations of ex-showgirls to the European Parliament?

Posted on Jun 23, 2009 1 COMMENT


ENTER_ALT_TEXT
honkifyoureaknob.blogspot.com

Sarkozy Dresses Down the Burqa

French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that burqas worn by Muslim women are no longer welcome in France. The full-body veil, symbol of women’s “enslavement,” he said, is a threat to gender equality and to France’s long-standing secular democracy. Only a minority of women among the roughly 6 million Muslims in France wear such attire, but Sarkoz’s new hard line is sure to fan the debate.

Posted on Jun 22, 2009 35 COMMENTS



Flickr / phauly

Google Caves to Porn-Weary China

Is China experiencing a pornography epidemic? Beijing’s obsession with porn blocking now rivals its attempts to stifle political dissent. On top of censorship software soon to be packaged with every computer sold in the country, China has told Google to limit its search functionality for fear of accidentally helping Chinese users find the good stuff.

Posted on Jun 21, 2009 5 COMMENTS


ENTER_ALT_TEXT
Flickr/Murky1

U.S. Senate Is Sorry About Slavery

On Thursday, the Senate adopted a resolution that apologizes for the evils of slavery on behalf of the people of the United States, and “acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery, and Jim Crow laws.” The resolution does not, however, offer any form of reparation for the descendants of slaves.

Posted on Jun 18, 2009 75 COMMENTS



Flickr / igKnition

Sean Penn Bails on 2 Movies

Sean Penn has pulled out of two upcoming film roles and may be taking a year off from acting. No word yet on his politicking schedule. The star had been set to appear in “Cartel” and “The Three Stooges.” Yes, those Three Stooges.

Posted on Jun 17, 2009 11 COMMENTS



AP photo / David J. Phillip

A Strapped L.A. Won’t Pay for Laker Parade

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers brought the NBA championship trophy back to Los Angeles and with it cause for celebration, but how can a city struggling to make ends meet justify the traditional $2 million victory parade? By making the team and private donors pay for it.

Posted on Jun 16, 2009 10 COMMENTS


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