fascinate news, inc.

"There were no other competing bids, despite reports, to snap up the New York-based hipster blogging..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:02:19 -0400

“There were no other competing bids, despite reports, to snap up the New York-based hipster blogging service.”

- Kara Swisher needs to stop calling Tumblr a hipster blogging service. (Oh, and she says the deal was unanimously approved. On a side note, TechCrunch suggests that the reason why Tumblr accepted the lower deal is because many of their executives have departed in recent months.)

"To resign would be to flee. I don’t know if Kerry or anyone else has received the power of the..."

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:18:29 -0400

“To resign would be to flee. I don’t know if Kerry or anyone else has received the power of the Syrian people to talk in their name about who should go and who should stay. That will be determined by the Syrian people in the 2014 presidential elections.”

- Bashar al-Assad • Insisting, in an interview with Argentinian newspaper Clarin, that he will not relinquish power over Syria until the 2014 presidential election (that is, unless he wins the election). This spurs a number of questions, chiefest among them whether Syrian presidential elections are fair and open, and whether such an election is even truly possible in the midst of a brutal civil war. In the first case, the answer is almost certainly no, sad to say — not many fair and open elections feature an incumbent netting better than 97% of the vote, which Assad accomplished by referendum (itself a bad system for democratic outcomes) in 2007. He also denied, in a very roundabout way, his government’s alleged use of chemical weapons: “If they were used in a city or a suburb with only 10 or 20 victims, would that be credible? …[It] would mean the death of thousands or tens of thousands of people in a matter of minutes. Who could hide something like that?” source (via shortformblog)

CNN Blows Huge Hole In GOP Efforts To Prosecute Benghazi Scandal

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:31:54 -0400

CNN Blows Huge Hole In GOP Efforts To Prosecute Benghazi Scandal:

shortformblog:

CNN’s Jake Tapper has managed to get his hands on the critical White House email suggested as the proof that the White House was more interested in removing references to possible terrorist attacks in the now infamous Benghazi talking points then they were in telling the truth to the American public.

The actual email, written in the days following the Benghazi attack, reveals something else entirely. We now know that whoever leaked the contents of the email to various media outlets last week seriously misquoted the document, choosing to paraphrase the content in a way that made it appear that the White House was focused on protecting the State Department’s back and covering up information.

And the plot thickens…

The Minnesota Senate passed marriage equality today! By a...

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:45:51 -0400

The Minnesota Senate passed marriage equality today! By a margin of 37-30, the senate approved the measure, which was approved by the house on Friday. It will now go to Governor Dayton, who has pledged to sign it.

breakingnews: Woman, 13-year-old boy found dead at end of...

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:09:13 -0400

breakingnews:

Woman, 13-year-old boy found dead at end of Jersey standoff

AP:The bodies of a woman and a 13-year-old boy were found at the conclusion of a 37-hour-long hostage standoff in Trenton, New Jersey, on Sunday. Three other children who were being held captive were rescued safely.

Officers stormed the house when they learned the suspect, 38-year-old Gerald Tyrone Murphy, was threatening one of the children being held hostage. Police shot Murphy who later died of his injuries.

Photo: People react during a hostage situation on Saturday in Trenton, New Jersey. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

shortformblog: nbcnews: Trenton hostage situation passes 24...

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:58:16 -0400

shortformblog:

nbcnews:

Trenton hostage situation passes 24 hours

(Photo: Eduardo Munoz / Reuters)

A hostage situation in the New Jersey capital of Trenton passed its 24th hour on Saturday as police worked to coax out an unidentified armed man who has taken “multiple” hostages amid reports of fatalities.

Read the complete story.

The Trenton police have confirmed that at least one person inside the house is dead, amid unconfirmed reports of another fatality. They declined to disclose any names or ages of the people still inside.

shortformblog: If you haven’t been keeping a close eye on the...

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:04:51 -0400

shortformblog:

If you haven’t been keeping a close eye on the story in West, Texas, a lot has happened since the deadly explosion a few weeks ago. Bryce Reed (right), an early responder who was one of the first EMTs on the scene of the incident, was found in possession of components for an alleged pipe bomb. While he has not been charged with anything in connection with the explosion as of yet, authorities have opened up a criminal investigation into the incident since his arrest. As Talking Points Memo reports, he had a shaky personal situation in recent days.

EDIT: Quick clarification — he had pipe bomb components, not an actual pipe bomb. Sorry about that. That’s what I get for trying to write on an iPad.

adriofthedead: snoozlebee: allisonkilkenny: Chris Person...

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:38:52 -0400

adriofthedead:

snoozlebee:

allisonkilkenny:

Chris Person fixed TIME’s new magazine cover. Now it’s accurate. (TIME version #1, Person edit #2)

Update: And here’s another stellar contribution from @direlog

EXCELLENT

From @EARNEST_CYBORG9

the millennial problem:

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:32:00 -0400

gyzym:

two millennials are barreling towards adulthood at 95 miles per hour. one of them has been coated with the most extravagant paint money can buy, but their steering apparatus is locked up until that coat’s paid off; the other’s breaks have been ripped out mid-trip, the thief yelling, “what, did you think you were entitled to these?” over their shoulder. half the tracks have been torn away to build second, third, and fifth garages for trains that are no longer running. solve for x.

tell me again how the song goes — i’m so inadequate i might forget. if we’re not informed enough then we’re apathetic morons, but if we’re too informed we’re oversensitive reactionaries; if we think we deserve more then we’re narcissistic cutthroats, but if we’re happy where we are then we’re passionless layabouts. if we’re making money then we’re materialistic automatons who only care about stuff and don’t value the important things in life, but if we’re broke then we’re disgusting, spoiled children who expect everything in life to be a handout. if we spend too much time with technology then we’re antisocial, soulless zombies who spell the end for human interaction as we know it, but if we spend too much time together we’re a dangerous, unstable element who should get real jobs already. we’re a disgrace; we’re a embarrassment; we’re a mistake; we’re a disappointment; we’re not what you wanted, however you slice it, and all of it’s our fault, right? right? oh, god, am i getting the melody wrong?

here’s what i propose, everyone who wants to open their twenty-four-hour news cycles or their pork-barrel mouths, who wants to use their filthy fucking hands to tear this generation a new one: you try it. you come up with a picture of the generation you seem to want: one that’s neither apathetic nor engaged, one that’s neither ambitious nor content, one that’s neither rich nor poor, one that’s neither technologically connected nor interpersonally involved. don’t forget to factor in the variables — the years of economic instability; the globalization of everything from communication to art; the hugely stratified individual experiences we’ve had based on things like race, sexuality, gender, and socioeconomics, on things that come with whole histories of systemic bullshit; the overwhelming burden of student debt that so many of us face; the fact that hindsight is 20/20. you write the formula for the millennial that will shut you the fuck up about all the things we should be and aren’t, about all the ways we’ve failed you, and then you bring it to me. i promise you, i will try it. anything for a little peace and quiet, right? anything to stop hearing it everywhere i go: that voice saying that, at twenty-three, i might already have flunked out of life.

(both millennials crash, spectacularly and yelling for help, into the station that never built a platform for them to pull into. onlookers stand by and shake their heads, wondering about the deplorable state of trains today. that’s what happens when nobody does the fucking math.)

theatlantic: In Focus: On the Border The border between the...

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:08:03 -0400

theatlantic:

In Focus: On the Border

The border between the United States and Mexico stretches 3,169 kilometers (1,969 miles), crossing deserts, rivers, towns, and cities from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. Every year, an estimated 350 million people legally cross the border, with another 500,000 entering into the United States illegally. No single barrier stretches across the entire border, instead, it is lined with a patchwork of steel and concrete fences, infrared cameras, sensors, drones, and nearly 20,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents. As immigrants from Mexico and other Central and South American countries continue to try to find their way into the U.S., Congress is now considering an immigration reform bill called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. The bill proposes solutions to current border enforcement problems and paths to citizenship for the estimated 11 million existing illegal immigrants in the U.S. Gathered here are images of the US-Mexico border from the past few years.

See more. [Images: AP, Getty, Reuters]

breakingnews: Delaware to become 11th state to allow same-sex...

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:35:22 -0400

breakingnews:

Delaware to become 11th state to allow same-sex marriage

The News Journal: A gay marriage bill passed the Delaware state Senate today and had already passed the state House in April. Gov. Jack Markell is expected to sign the measure today.

Delaware will become the 11th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.

The bill will go into effect July 1.

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said in a statement this afternoon that the bill “ushers in a new era of equality in our state.”

Photo: Delaware state Senate debates gay marriage bill on Tuesday. (Gary Emeigh / The News Journal)

shortformblog: globalpost: BOSTON, Mass. — After a five-month...

Sat, 04 May 2013 15:41:27 -0400

shortformblog:

globalpost:

BOSTON, Mass. — After a five-month investigation inside Syria and the wider Middle East, GlobalPost and the family of missing American journalist James Foley now believe the Syrian government is holding him in a detention center near Damascus.

“With a very high degree of confidence, we now believe that Jim was most likely abducted by a pro-regime militia group and subsequently turned over to Syrian government forces,” GlobalPost CEO and President Philip Balboni said during a speech marking World Press Freedom Day.

American journalist likely held by Syrian government

Photo by AFP/Getty Images

Worthy of your attention, as today is World Press Freedom Day. Actually, it’s worthy of your attention all the other days, too. Throughout the course of the Syrian conflict, numerous journalists have been detained, killed, or silenced — all while covering a civil war with a UN estimated death toll of over 70,000 people.

cheatsheet: Not The Onion: The news that a 5-year-old had shot...

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:35:24 -0400

cheatsheet:

Not The Onion:

The news that a 5-year-old had shot and killed his 2-year-old sister sparked a storm of outrage Wednesday, and much of the ire was directed at the fact that he used a .22-caliber rifle manufactured by Crickett, an arm of Keystone Sporting Arms that designs weapons specifically for children. The 5-year-old’s gun—which had been given to him as a birthday present—was marketed with the tagline “My first rifle.” Crickett’s website featured not just a friendly, cartoonish green insect as the company logo, but photos of young children cradling their weapons.

Read more about the guns marketed to children. (Emphasis in above quote ours.)

futurejournalismproject: CISPA Is Not Dead Visit Fight For The...

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:19:58 -0400

futurejournalismproject:

CISPA Is Not Dead

Visit Fight For The Future and CISPA Is Back for an overview and actions you can take, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation for background on the bill since it passed the House and what happens next as it moves to the Senate.

Meantime, the White House responded to an anti-CISPA petition signed by over 100,000 people with — in part — the following:

The White House issued a veto threat for the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) on April 16, because the legislation did not fully address our core concerns (especially the protection of privacy). Even though a bill went on to pass the House of Representatives and includes some important improvements over previous versions, this legislation still doesn’t adequately address our fundamental concerns…

…There is broad consensus on the need for more threat-related information sharing — including among the leading privacy advocates we regularly engage on the issue. The essential question on which people across the spectrum disagree isn’t if we can share cybersecurity information and preserve the principles of privacy and liberty that make the United States a free and open society — but how.

Related: Here’s something to chew on, via Wired:

A secretive federal court last year approved all of the 1,856 requests to search or electronically surveil people within the United States “for foreign intelligence purposes,” the Justice Department reported this week.

The report, released Tuesday to Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader from Nevada, provides a brief glimpse into the caseload of what is known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. None of its decisions are public.

The 2012 figures represent a 5 percent bump from the prior year, when no requests were denied either.

Image: Via CISPA Is Back. Select to embiggen.

breakingnews: Spire lifted to roof of One World Trade...

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:38:08 -0400

breakingnews:

Spire lifted to roof of One World Trade Center

NBC New York: A spire adorned with an American flag has been lifted to the roof of One World Trade Center. It will eventually be raised and make the building soar to a symbolic 1,776 feet.

Construction workers and onlookers applauded as the spire, which will serve as a world-class broadcast antenna, was lifted by crane to a temporary platform on Thursday.

Photo: Construction crews watched Thursday morning as the final pieces of spire were prepared for hoisting to the top of One World Trade Center. (Grace Bello, NBC News contributor)

theatlantic: In Focus: The Netherlands Welcomes a New...

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:13:34 -0400

theatlantic:

In Focus: The Netherlands Welcomes a New King

Keeping with recent tradition, former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated the throne today in favor of her son, Willem-Alexander, who has now become the first Dutch king in more than a century. Though the position has little political power, the Royal Family enjoys broad popularity and symbolic significance. Tuesday, tens of thousands dressed in orange and gathered in Amsterdam’s Dam Square next to the Royal Palace to view the accession of King Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand of the Netherlands.

See more. [Images: AP, Getty, Reuters]

"Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:14:54 -0400

““Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?””

- The NBA’s Jason Collins has now become the first openly gay athlete playing in one of the four major sports in North America.

Read more behind the monumental ’Sports Illustrated’ cover story.

(via theatlantic)

"I admire their commitment to cover all sides of the story just in case one of them happens to be..."

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:11:53 -0400

““I admire their commitment to cover all sides of the story just in case one of them happens to be accurate.””

- That’s what Obama said about CNN at last night’s White House Correspondents Association dinner.

Let me explain why that is such a great line. CNN sees itself as “in the middle” between left and right, MSNBC and Fox. Just recently, in fact, CNN president Jeff Zucker praised the middle as the place to be. But CNN also sees itself as a great newsgathering organization that is all about truthtelling rather than ideology. “Keeping them honest,” as Anderson Cooper, face of the brand, likes to say.

Put them together and what do you have? Keep ‘em honest, but stay in the middle. Which doesn’t work. For what happens when one side is BS-ing us more than the other? What happens when independent and honest reporting shows that these people on this side are mostly right in what they’re saying, and those people on that side are distorting the case?

CNN wants to believe, tries to believe and I think does believe that this problem does not exist. Therefore we have to remind them about it, because it does exist. And that’s what Obama did: “cover all sides of the story just in case one of them happens to be accurate” is saying to CNN: Accuracy and truthtelling will be sacrificed to your ideology— the middle, no matter what it takes.

(via jayrosen)

The sad part is, they had all these problems before they hired Jeff Zucker. And then they hired Jeff Zucker, a man whose entire recent career has been built on tone-deaf failures to understand his network’s audience, whatever that network might have been.

(via shortformblog)

The Syrian regime is attempting to get the US to change sides in the conflict

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:49:14 -0400

The Syrian regime is attempting to get the US to change sides in the conflict:

shortformblog:

As Islamists increasingly fill the ranks of Syrian rebels, President Bashar al-Assad is waging an energized campaign to persuade the United States that it is on the wrong side of the war

“If the Syrian regime falls, al Qaeda wins.” That’s what Bashar al-Assad wants US officials to believe: By playing off US fears of Islamic terrorism, he’s hoping America will shift its support from the Syrian rebels to the incumbent regime, or at least withhold providing any more material support for the rebels. Because at least one rebel faction is allied with al Qaeda, it’s not an altogether crazy strategy. The regime is reportedly relying on Khaled Mahjoub, a Syrian-American businessman, to relay this message to US officials. “We are partners in fighting terrorism,” said Wael Nader al-Halqi, Syria’s prime minister.

theatlantic: In Focus: Sichuan Earthquake Recovery Last...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:57:55 -0400

theatlantic:

In Focus: Sichuan Earthquake Recovery

Last Saturday, a destructive earthquake struck China’s Sichuan province, near the epicenter of the devastating 2008 earthquake, damaging thousands of structures and triggering landslides in the mountainous region. As of yesterday, the death toll stood at more than 200, with nearly 12,000 injured, 23 still missing, and tens of thousands made homeless. The quake was measured at magnitude 7.0 by China’s earthquake administration and magnitude of 6.6 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Rescue teams and government aid personnel have struggled to reach the affected area, as many roads were damaged.

See more. [Images: AP, Reuters, Getty]