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The Onion (A.V. Club)
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Jun 22, 09 7:11 PM CDT
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One well-placed stinker can mar an otherwise sterling legacy in film. The Onion AV Club gathers some of the saddest swan songs: 1.-2. Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin, Cannonball Run II (1984). The Rat Pack starred in some mediocre movies, but nothing holds a candle to this spectacular bomb, which turned Sinatra off acting for good (Martin’s passing denied him another, more worthy conclusion).
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The Stimulist
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Jun 22, 09 12:26 PM CDT
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Barack Obama inspired a lot of art during his meteoric rise to the highest office of the land. Paintings, videos, and songs are still trickling in, and some of it is good. But much of it isn’t. Much of it is, to put it gently, utter bird poop. But some of that bird poop is really funny, and, the Stimulist points out, that’s where BadPaintingsofBarackObama.com comes in.
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Pepper
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Jun 21, 09 9:31 AM CDT
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With Rickey Henderson set to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame next month, the Pepper blog rehashes top Rickey-being-Rickey moments. Some highlights: “People are always saying, ‘Rickey says Rickey.’ But it’s been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I’m ticked off, saying, ‘Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?’ They say, ‘Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don’t you just say, 'I'?' But I never did. I always said, ‘Rickey,’ and it became something for people to joke about.”
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Travel Leisure
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Jun 20, 09 5:05 AM CDT
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Eliot Spitzer put Washington’s Renaissance Mayflower Hotel on the map with his Ashley Dupre tryst—and before Spitzer, televangelist Jim Bakker did a similar service for Florida’s Sheraton Sand Key Resort with Jessica Hahn. Travel + Leisure takes a look at a few other famous—or infamous—hotels: Al Capone ran a speakeasy out of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla., in the 1920s.
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LiveScience
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Jun 19, 09 3:10 PM CDT
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The post-election storm brewing in Iran prompted LiveScience to round up some of history's most significant protests: A piece of paper nailed to a church door in 1517 sparked the Protestant Revolution. Parisians moved more boldly, beheading the Bastille's governor to spark the French Revolution in 1789. The Boston Tea Party in 1773 helped pave the way for the American Revolution.
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AFP
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Jun 19, 09 3:48 AM CDT
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The world’s oldest man died today at the age of 113, AFP reports. Tomoji Tanabe, who suffered from a chronic heart problem, died of heart failure at his home in Miyakonojo City, Japan. Tanabe—who had eight children, 25 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren—said his secret to long life was avoiding booze, cigarettes, and snacks. The oldest known person is Los Angeles resident Gertrude Baines, 115.
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Time
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Jun 18, 09 6:02 PM CDT
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With the Obama administration stepping up its push for health-care reform, Mark Halperin, in Time , lists five reasons why it will, and won't, get done. The pros: The industry is "still on board." "Barack Obama doesn't fail too often." It's a must-win for the entire White House agenda. Congressional Democrats are "remarkably united" on the issue. There's enough big-name Republicans who want a deal.
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Time
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Jun 17, 09 2:30 PM CDT
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With The Hangover ’s bachelor party tale dominating the box office, you might be wondering: Just where did this ritual come from? Time offers a brief history: In the 5th century BC, the ancient Spartans celebrated the groom’s last night as a single man with dinner and toasts. In 1896, rumors circulated that a belly dancer would be performing nude at a stag party thrown by PT Barnum’s grandson. A police raid ensued.
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The Big Money
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Jun 16, 09 3:50 PM CDT
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It’s really no wonder Americans fouled up the financial system—fiscal irresponsibility was instilled in us at an early age by board games, observes Caitlin McDevitt for the Big Money. Among the poor lessons imparted by money games: In Monopoly , the game’s bank can never go bust—if the banker runs out of Monopoly money, they are instructed to “issue as much as needed by writing on any ordinary paper."
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Time
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Jun 16, 09 2:45 PM CDT
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Opponents are saying a lot of things about President Obama that just aren’t true. Mark Halperin clears up the record in Time . Obama ... has Israeli security interests at heart. is not blind to the costs of a revamped health care system. "is not captive to his party's liberal interest groups." "is not captive to liberals in Congress."
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Wired
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Jun 14, 09 12:59 PM CDT
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Wired has been keeping track of the most ridiculous acronyms the military-industrial complex comes up with. Here’s the latest list of the "Most Awesomely Bad Military Acronyms" (MAMAs, of course): Affordable Accurate Robot Guidance (AARG) Integrated Precision Ordnance Delivery System (IPODS) Multi-Sensor Aerospace-Ground Joint ISR Interoperability Coalition (MAJIIC)
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AskMen.com
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Jun 14, 09 8:01 AM CDT
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If your big summer vacation isn’t complete without raiding the hotel minibar, AskMen.com has a list of the best the industry has to offer. A sampling: The Delano, Miami: If you get lucky on South Beach, you’ll be glad for the condoms and other sex accessories alongside the tiny bottles of booze. W Spa and Retreat, Maldives: Comes with a bikini from high-end designer Heidi Klein in the hotel chain’s signature purple.
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The Atlantic
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Jun 10, 09 2:48 PM CDT
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There are a few in the conservative camp who the Obama administration respects. “By respect, I mean, quite simply, the degree to which the White House responds to their worries and needs and believes that the time spent responding is useful and necessary,” Marc Ambinder writes in the Atlantic . Here’s a list of six: The Maine senators: "On major issues where a 60-vote supermajority is needed for cloture," Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are "the only Republicans who matter."
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Economist
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Jun 9, 09 7:39 AM CDT
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Vancouver has once again topped the Economist's list of the most livable cities in the world. Canadian and Australian cities dominated the upper reaches of the list, which is ranked by factors including stability, health care, and environment. The highest-ranked US city was Pittsburgh, at 29th out of 140 while Harare, Zimbabwe came bottom. The rest of the top ten: Vienna, Austria Melbourne, Australia Toronto, Canada
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New York Times
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Jun 6, 09 9:00 PM CDT
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Neil Patrick Harris will host the Tony Awards tomorrow night, and the New York Times caught up with the actor to talk about him and the show: How involved is Harris? "I have a lot of say in what comes out of my mouth. There are writers on the show, obviously, but the last thing I want is to come across like I walked in the afternoon of, and stand there and read a teleprompter. ... I want the jokes to sound like they’re coming out of my mouth. I might sing. We’ll see."
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Los Angeles Times
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Jun 5, 09 4:38 PM CDT
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An annual survey of driver smarts is out, and the coasts fare poorly, the Los Angeles Times reports. Conducted by GMAC, the survey posed questions from US drivers license tests and found that 20% of current drivers would fail a written exam. New York ranked dead last and California 48th, sharing the lower rungs with New Jersey and Hawaii.
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ABC News
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Jun 4, 09 3:28 PM CDT
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A storm of bad publicity about Rendition: Guantanamo —a video game about falsely-accused Gitmo detainees trying to escape—forced the game makers to can it this week. It's far from the only game to test the boundaries, ABC reports: Atomic Games dumped development of Six Days in Fallujah amid protests from vets and others; it would have portrayed the real 2004 battle for the city. Faith Fighter had leaders of the world religion's duking it out until it was deemed too incendiary.
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Boston Globe
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Jun 4, 09 1:24 PM CDT
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The magnificent setting of Hawaii's Hanalei Bay helps make its beach this year's best in the US, according to Florida-based expert Steven "Dr. Beach" Leatherman. The runners-up, judged on 50 criteria including water quality and facilities: Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla. Coopers Beach in Southampton, NY Coronado Beach in San Diego
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Forbes
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Jun 3, 09 8:08 PM CDT
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Angelina Jolie has dethroned Oprah as the world's most powerful celebrity, says Forbes in its annual top 100 list. Oprah may make more money, but Jolie's constant media buzz and string of blockbusters give her the edge. Here's the top 10: Angelina Jolie Oprah Madonna Beyoncé Tiger Woods
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Discover
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Jun 3, 09 5:33 PM CDT
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Did you know film’s been around since 1887? Or that an IMAX projector is so bright, if aimed upward it could be seen from space? Discover lists 20 little-known movie facts: Thomas Edison’s firm made the first motion-picture camera in 1891—but didn’t invent a projector. The mechanical shark in Jaws was tough to use, so Steven Spielberg had to settle for scenes from its perspective.
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