Link-Off

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Wednesday Link-Off: Downfall

alejandra-alonso-womenssecret13-01It’s one week until Christmas and I still have Christmas shopping to do. Okay, the shopping is actually done but five business day shipping has turned into 10+ now. What a ripoff. Fortunately for me, Amazon has overnight shipping just in case and I’m confident they won’t screw it up.

Anyway, it’s time for the links. Let’s kick things off with Alejandra Alonso.

The Boston Globe examines the lives of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombers. (Boston Globe)

A former Boston assistant district attorney got himself arrested so he could see what the American justice system was actually like. The results may surprise you but probably shouldn’t. (The Atlantic)

No, Kanye, you’re nothing like a police officer or military personnel. An Ohio police chief sets the rapper straight. (Clash Daily)

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Saturday Link-Off: Lights, Camera, Legal Action

alyssah-ali-anthropologie13-04Since we’re a week and a half before Christmas, I think that it’s safe to say that we’re in the home stretch. A quick FYI before we start: Jackie and I recorded a podcast this week. I don’t think it’ll be ready for this week so I think a December 24th release date is probable.

Alright, now it’s time for the links. Here’s Canadian model Alyssah Ali.

Time Magazine named the Pope their Person of the Year. They’re completely wrong. The real person of the year is Edward Snowden. (The New Yorker)

Well, I mentioned earlier this week that people were crying slander over what Rob Ford said in an interview with Conrad Black. Daniel Dale wasn’t impressed with what was said about him. (Toronto Star)

And then proceeded to serve Rob Ford with a libel notice with the full backing of the Toronto Star. Given how much Star personalities are tweeting about this, it almost seems like they’re trying to make this a story rather than let it happen naturally. (Toronto Star)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Rise and Fall

amy-adams-vanityfair14-05It’s the middle of the week and I’m likely in the middle of a mountain of snow as you read this. The forecast is calling for a tonne of snow at Lowdown HQ so I’m expecting to be digging out for a whole. So much fun. Anyway, it’s time for the links. Here’s Amy Adams.

At one point in time, BlackBerry was the unquestioned king of the mobile sector. Now, they’re an afterthought. Here’s the rise and fall of BlackBerry. (Businessweek)

David Simon, the man behind The Wire, explains how capitalism has divided America into two nations. (The Guardian)

Rob Ford said some things that had people crying slander after an interview with Conrad Black. (Toronto Star)

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Saturday Link-Off: A Tale of Two Leaders

deborah-mace-anthropologie13-01Happy weekend denizens of the interweb! It’s Saturday which means that it’s time for the links. As you might expect given the news this week, we’re talking about two very different types of people in the news this week. Anyhow, let’s start with Deborah Mace.

Nelson Mandela died this week so we’re going to start with a few Mandela links. First, here’s a timeline look at his life. (New York Times)

And here’s a look at Mandela’s life in pictures rather than words. (National Geographic)

While Nelson Mandela is now thought of as a hero for the freedom of South African, for a long time, he was thought of as a terrorist and vilified by the same folks who are now praising him. (The Daily Beast)

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Wednesday Link-Off: ‘Tis The Season

xenia-deli-lulifama13-03It’s the first linkdump of December. WordPress turned on the Christmas decorations so the falling snow isn’t a problem with the site or your monitor but our little piece of Christmas spirit… Unless we manage to do a Christmas podcast. Then that’s our contribution to Christmas.

Anyway, let’s get started with Xenia Deli.

You would think that Justin Trudeau might be a radical for wanting to legalize marijuana but he’s only following the recommendation of a forty-year-old study that said there was no scientific basis for the ban. In fact, Canada’s drug bans are all rooted in racism. (Toronto Star)

Without ad revenue from Hockey Night In Canada, the CBC’s current business model is broken but no one is rushing to fix it. (National Post)

Could Russell Brand be the smartest man occasionally in Hollywood? His op-ed about Rupert Murdoch and NewsCorp is epic. (The Guardian)

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Saturday Link-Off: Tryptophan Hangover

miesha-tate-fitnessgurls13-02It’s the final day of November and WordPress hasn’t let us turn on the Christmas lights yet. I thought they’d turn on the Christmas decorations for the blog come Thanksgiving but they seemed to miss that. Oh well. I guess that means that we just carry on with the links. Since there was an Ultimate Fighter episode on last night, let’s start with Miesha Tate.

There really isn’t anyone or anywhere the NSA won’t spy. They even conspired with the Canadian government to spy on the 2012 G20 summit in Toronto. We can’t trust any government now, can we? (The Globe & Mail)

Edward Snowden also let us in on the fact that the NSA spies on porn watching to discredit targeted persons. (Huffington Post)

Ever wonder if Black Friday acts as any sort of economic indicator about consumer spending? There’s a chart to answer that. (Washington Post)

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Wednesday Link-Off: More than Just Toronto

rachelle-goulding-macys13-03Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends… Well, it does when I run through all the links but I don’t think the WLO series is going anywhere. Anyway, it’s time for the middle of the week links. Since there are a lot of Canadian links in this post, let’s start it off with Canadian model Rachelle Goulding.

Everyone talks about Rob Ford but there’s a lot more wrong in Canadian government than just the Mayor of Toronto. (The Blot)

Speaking of Rob Ford, Vivid wants Rob Ford to star in one of their videos in order to compete with other Rob Ford parody videos. On both counts, please no! (TMZ)

The Pope and I have something in common. We don’t believe that trickle-down economics actually works. (Washington Post)

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Saturday Link-Off: Ford-ing Ahead

shanina-shaik-victoriassecret13-02We’re doing the sandwich method intro. Good news! The week is finally over. I haven’t had a particularly fun one but this weekend is looking fun. Chances are that you’ve already seen the Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode and there’s an F1 race tomorrow. I should have write-ups of both this week.

Bad news: Jackie’s been a bit all over the place this week and weekend so I’ve drawn in today. He’ll be popping in next week with more news and reviews from the Brisbane International Film Festival.

And good news: We’re starting off today’s post with Shanina Shaik who’s making her first appearance on the blog.

Is no one associated with Rob Ford a reputable character? Even his fitness consultant seems to be a disreputable character. (National Post)

Only… Nope. There’s no possible intro for this news. Rob Ford has a higher approval rating than Barack Obama. What the hell? (Daily Telegraph)

Norm MacDonald’s brother, respected Canadian journalist Neil, explains why America is more obsessed with the Rob Ford story than their own politics. (CBC News)

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Scandal that Never Ends

genevieve-morton-barenecessities13-04You know, I thought that we might finally be done covering the Rob Ford crack scandal but the story just never seems to end or get old. It’s just too interesting to avoid. That and I don’t think that the media are covering any other story.

Anyway, it’s time for the links. Let’s start with blog favourite Genevieve Morton.

So that Rob Ford crack tape is from February. So was he in a drunken stupor then? (Toronto Star)

Is Rob Ford beyond help and does he just need to get out of office? (National Post)

And the Ford Brothers’ new TV show was cancelled after one episode. Sun News Network says it’s because it cost too much but I don’t think anyone is sold on that. (Globe & Mail)

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Sunday Link-Off: Plenty to Eat at Home

hannah-davis-aerie13-02The week is over. The PlayStation 4 is out and I haven’t been left behind because I don’t own it. Similarly, I won’t be left behind because I’m not getting an Xbox One. Newsflash: Neither will you for the next six months while we wait for a  sufficient game library to roll out.

Apart from the console launch, this week brought us even more Rob Ford news. And here you were thinking that the fun was over. So let’s not delay any longer and get to the links. Here’s Hannah Davis.

Just when you thought that it was over in Toronto, the Rob Ford story got a lot more interesting over the last few days thanks to some new allegations from court documents. (Toronto Sun)

In addressing those allegations, Mayor Ford said some things that we wish he hadn’t. (Deadspin)

If you’re looking for the encyclopedia of Rob Ford buffoonery, check out this website. (MayorFord.info)

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