Politics

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Wednesday Link-Off: Fight the Good Fight

lily-aldridge-victoriassecret13-05It’s Wednesday which means it’s time for links. It also means that we’re seven days from unveiling our SI Swimsuit Issue cover odds list. Maybe I should get started on that… Okay, while I do that, here are the links and here is the return of Lily Aldridge.

As he heads into his second four-year term as President of the United States, TNR interviews Barack Obama about his plans for the next four years. (New Republic)

In that TNR interview, the POTUS says that the Republicans won’t change their obstructionist ways until they are made to pay the price for being obstructionist. You know, he’s right. (Washington Post)

Now that he’s lost the fight against ObamaCare, Papa John wants to pretend that he never fought the fight against ObamaCare by getting any ObamaCare related comments he made scrubbed from the internet. (National Confidential)

After the jump, the history of Deadspin, a profile on one of BioWare’s exiled bosses and an epic trombone quartet. Continue reading →

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Learn About The Debt Ceiling in a Short Video

Now that President Obama has been sworn in for a second term as the President of the United States, gear up for another fight between the President and Congress over the debt ceiling.

It’s not, as the Republicans or Fox News would have you believe, a means to limit future spending. The debt ceiling caps the total debt that the US Government can have in order to pay bills already incurred. It’s not like the limit on your credit card but the extent of money on the line of credit you use solely to pay your credit card.

To help you learn what the debt ceiling is actually about and to explain Congress’ role in the budget and debt ceiling fights, we found this handy video for you to watch. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: Under Control

We’ve reached the end of another week. Shockingly, I didn’t freeze to death here in Canada. The week before last was above zero and most of the snow melted. From Thursday through to last night, I’d say I’ve seen about a foot-and-a-half of snow. Why the hell did anyone establish a permanent settlement somewhere so cold and snowy? Anyway, let’s heat things up with Jennifer Garner.

President Obama signed his executive orders on gun control that Congress will eventually veto because the NRA has intimidated what little common sense remains in the Republican Party. Anyhow, here’s a look at what Obama’s proposal includes. (Think Progress)

Shootings in America aren’t just a mass shooting problem. In the month after Newtown, 919 people were killed by guns. (National Post)

It’s only four years after Barack Obama made history by becoming the first black President in United States history. However, just by looking at him, you couldn’t tell that it’s been only four years. (Washington Post)

After the jump, a look at the inconclusive link between violence and video games, where does Livestrong’s money go and Luongo Unchained. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: Ending 2012

nina-agdal-aerie12-26As the year comes to an end, we’ve reached the last linkdump of 2012. I probably should have made this the year-in-review post but there were almost no other links to choose from for last Wednesday’s linkdump apart from the year-in-review links. Mind you, this linkdump isn’t looking too long either. Anyway, start the last linkdump of the year with Nina Agdal. You’ll be seeing her again when I do the annual SI Swimsuit cover odds post.

The courts may have bounced Toronto mayor Rob Ford out of office but it certainly hasn’t solved all of Toronto’s problems. (MacLean’s)

The most interesting story of the US Presidential election may have come two months after the vote. Tagg Romney says his father, Mitt, never really wanted to be President. (Daily Kos)

Wikipedia has finished up its annual fundraising drive. The problem is, though, how Wikipedia uses the money. They don’t seem to need all of it. (The Register)

After the jump, why it’s okay to not lower expectations, plenty of oral histories and some best of 2012 videos. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Power Brokers

laetitia-casta-hm12-04I’ve had a busy week this week. I’m working on a few interesting posts for the next couple of weeks that I think that you guys will like. But first, here’s French model Laetitia Casta who is making a brief return from an apparent semi-retirement.

A simple definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results. So looking for solutions to the fiscal cliff, some Politico writers asked some rich folks what they’d do. Surprisingly, they’d stay the course with tax cuts for the rich and corporations and the Politico boys bought it. (Esquire)

Did the press actually miss the single biggest story in the 2012 US Elections? (Huffington Post)

A fake study about Fox News viewers having below average intelligence fooled the folks at Yahoo News. However, that’s not to say the “results” of the “study” are untrue. (Daily Kos)

After the jump, don’t fuck with the internet’s power brokers, Valve/Steam’s game changer and Matt Bonner has a massive slam dunk. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: Toward the Cliff

anna-kendrick-trevorproject12-03It’s the end of the week which means it’s time for more links. There’s not too much planned for the week ahead. If the videos are ever uploaded to YouTube, we’ll have a VGA trailer roundup. We’ll also have our first indie game review later this week. For now, here’s Anna Kendrick. She might not be one of the blogosphere’s favourite women but she is one of ours.

With America ready to dive off the fiscal cliff, the question is starting rise as to whether the US and global economies would be better off with a Republican plan to cut social spending and “close tax loopholes” or letting the deal expire. (The New Republic)

The gun control debate is starting back up again. We’ve essentially reached the point where the battle lines are being drawn and people will have to pick sides. (The Shadow League)

On that note, given how much America spends on defence, isn’t it time that the defence budget is reduced? (Business Week)

After the jump, ESPN’s spin on plagiarism, some brief looks at the money of the video game business and a little bit of Metallica. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Bigger Picture

doutzen-kroes-victoriassecret12-07Today, we take a break from the long reads to bring you our usual set of Wednesday links.  Don’t worry, though, because there is still some worthwhile reads in today’s links. But first, here’s Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes. Her appearance has everything to do with cashing in on last night’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

John McAfee’s run from the law in Belize has been a long running story in the tech world. The story is exposing the possibility of corrupt government officials in Belize and the ineptitude of the police for being unable to arrest him. (New York Times)

By now you’ve likely heard about the murder-suicide committed by NFL player Jovan Belcher. Here’s a breakdown of the timeline of that fateful Saturday. (Kansas City Star)

The editor-in-chief of The New Yorker thinks that Hilary Clinton will run for President in 2016. (The New Yorker)

After the jump, a celebrity is planning a Senate bid, what does a Marine think of Spec Ops and a DMX Christmas carol. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: GC100

Today will be fun at Lowdown HQ. We’ll be watching the final race of the F1 season and the Grey Cup with some NFL in between. If you’re a sports fan, today will be a good day. Just to troll a certain singer who is part of the Grey Cup halftime show, here’s Selena Gomez.

Since the NHL’s collective bargaining negotiations went nowhere last week, people are talking about the possibility of decertifying the NHLPA to give the players leverage in negotiations. Elliotte Friedman sat down with @SportsLawGuy Gabe Feldman to discuss what decertification actually means. (CBC Sports)

Nate Silver is so big now that even President Obama cracks Nate Silver jokes. I think he’s made it. (Talking Points Memo)

Speaking of Nate Silver, the anti-Nate Silver, Unskewed Polls’ founder Dean Chambers, is back. Instead of unskewing accurate polling, he’s unskewing election results based on what he perceives to be voter fraud in the election. (Mother Jones) Some people just don’t know when to quit.

After the jump, coverage of the 100th Grey Cup, a head-to-head-to-head game console comparison and Clarkson’s take on the new Toyota/Subaru/Scion sports car. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Powerslam

This is definitely an eclectic collection of links we have today. There’s a bit of news, technology, pop culture, video games and even some hockey links that aren’t about lockout negotiations. Ha! “Negotiations.” There’s no hope to save the season the way they’re going. Anyway, here’s Maria Menounos.

David Simon, former journalist and the man behind many TV shows you might love like The Wire, Homicide: Life on the Streets and Treme, says the media’s handling of the Petraeus scandal shows it’s lost its way. (The Audacity of Dispair)

Papa John and other restaurant big wigs are going to pass the costs of Obamacare on to you because they say the cost of providing basic health insurance to their workers is going to break them financially. It’s just too bad they’re full of shit. (Slate)

The US Senate is looking at a bill to remove almost all of your internet privacy. A bill being introduced will allow a whole host of federal agencies warrantless access to your electronic correspondence. (CNET News) Hopefully this gets the attention from the internet that SOPA and PIPA did because this bill is a big deal.

After the jump, don’t troll Anderson Cooper, how people are coping without the NHL and Psy is 2 legit 2 quit. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: The Blame Game

Well, this will be interesting. Getting featured on Freshly Pressed brought in many new readers who are probably expecting something a bit more political and well thought out. They’ve probably figured out that we only do the long read thing as more of an occasional thing than daily thing. Anyway, if you’re new to the blog, when I do linkdumps, I try to feature Canadians. For example, today’s linkdump starts with Canadian model Michea Crawford.

Mitt Romney called his donors in a post-campaign debrief. Why does he think he lost the election? Obama handed out “gifts” to the youth and minorities. In other words, he blames 47% of Americans again. (Los Angeles Times)

While executives at the now closed Hostess Brands blamed the union for driving them out of business, they might need to look at the mirror. This year, the increased executive pay by 80% while tripling the CEOs pay. (Think Progress)

Fox News president Roger Ailes says that the media isn’t doing a good enough job of ensuring that President Obama is held accountable for his decisions. He says the press is supposed to watch the powerful. However, his track record doesn’t show that he held the Bush administration accountable. (Gawker)

After the jump, where the GOP have been losing votes, sports on South Park and the Princess Bride on ESPN. Continue reading →