The Awl http://www.theawl.com/ Be Less Stupid Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:30:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 Let's Just Stone NPR Liberal Lisa Simeone in the Town Square! http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/lets-just-stone-npr-liberal-lisa-simeone-in-the-town-square http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/lets-just-stone-npr-liberal-lisa-simeone-in-the-town-square#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:30:30 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/lets-just-stone-npr-liberal-lisa-simeone-in-the-town-square NPR's Internal Affairs Department—in conjunction with its Office of Indefinite Detention and its Central Authority for Eliminating Wrong-Thinking—is finally weeding out the last known menace of its member networks: freelance opera contributor Lisa Simeone. She was the host of "Soundprint" (now fired), which aired on (but was not produced by) public radio affiliate WAMU, and is currently the host of the WDAV show “The World of Opera," though not for long, as the officers at NPR are assisting in WDAV's investigation that will surely convict her. Simeone is a member of October 2011, a frightening terrorist organization that opposes the endless war in Afghanistan, now in just its 11th year. (May the next 11 years in Afghanistan be as fruitful, and a noble blessing upon our military industrial complex!)

Anyway, now that the opera-loving jihadist will be purged from NPR's member station rolls, we can all... safely... listen to... opera coverage on... public radio again.

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]]> NPR's Internal Affairs Department—in conjunction with its Office of Indefinite Detention and its Central Authority for Eliminating Wrong-Thinking—is finally weeding out the last known menace of its member networks: freelance opera contributor Lisa Simeone. She was the host of "Soundprint" (now fired), which aired on (but was not produced by) public radio affiliate WAMU, and is currently the host of the WDAV show “The World of Opera," though not for long, as the officers at NPR are assisting in WDAV's investigation that will surely convict her. Simeone is a member of October 2011, a frightening terrorist organization that opposes the endless war in Afghanistan, now in just its 11th year. (May the next 11 years in Afghanistan be as fruitful, and a noble blessing upon our military industrial complex!)

Anyway, now that the opera-loving jihadist will be purged from NPR's member station rolls, we can all... safely... listen to... opera coverage on... public radio again.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/lets-just-stone-npr-liberal-lisa-simeone-in-the-town-square/feed 10 A Useful Look at the Current Wall Street Mindset http://www.theawl.com/2011/04/a-useful-look-at-the-current-wall-street-mindset http://www.theawl.com/2011/04/a-useful-look-at-the-current-wall-street-mindset#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:06:05 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2011/04/a-useful-look-at-the-current-wall-street-mindset I can summarize the well-informed tripartite New York magazine cover story on Wall Street, while eliding all the details: pretty much no one learned anything, rich people really enjoying spending money, it's not unlikely there'll be a round two mortgage debacle, Wall Street is more consolidated than ever and poses a "greater systemic risk," we're off to enjoy/exploit the BRICs (and CIVETs and EAGLEs, et al), even though Goldman Sachs, among others, took a bath on them over the last few years, slightly fewer Harvard MBA graduates are going straight into Big Finance (they're all becoming consultants, which, same diff!), and lots of people on Wall Street are irritated at the negative attention and don't understand why they can't just keep on rollin'. Also you probably shouldn't trust them with your retirement money, still. Surprise!

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]]> I can summarize the well-informed tripartite New York magazine cover story on Wall Street, while eliding all the details: pretty much no one learned anything, rich people really enjoying spending money, it's not unlikely there'll be a round two mortgage debacle, Wall Street is more consolidated than ever and poses a "greater systemic risk," we're off to enjoy/exploit the BRICs (and CIVETs and EAGLEs, et al), even though Goldman Sachs, among others, took a bath on them over the last few years, slightly fewer Harvard MBA graduates are going straight into Big Finance (they're all becoming consultants, which, same diff!), and lots of people on Wall Street are irritated at the negative attention and don't understand why they can't just keep on rollin'. Also you probably shouldn't trust them with your retirement money, still. Surprise!

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/04/a-useful-look-at-the-current-wall-street-mindset/feed 9 240 Politicians Come Together In Support of Teens Having STDs http://www.theawl.com/2011/02/240-politicians-come-together-in-support-of-teens-having-stds http://www.theawl.com/2011/02/240-politicians-come-together-in-support-of-teens-having-stds#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:45:49 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2011/02/240-politicians-come-together-in-support-of-teens-having-stds 240 members of the House of Representatives voted to deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Because you know what we should all be against? Healthcare, unbiased information and STD prevention. Enjoy your uneducated and pregnant kiddos, Republican America! Should anyone have any money left after the politician-induced recession, perhaps they could give some to Planned Parenthood.

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]]> 240 members of the House of Representatives voted to deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Because you know what we should all be against? Healthcare, unbiased information and STD prevention. Enjoy your uneducated and pregnant kiddos, Republican America! Should anyone have any money left after the politician-induced recession, perhaps they could give some to Planned Parenthood.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/02/240-politicians-come-together-in-support-of-teens-having-stds/feed 11 People Sure Do Like To Complain About Their Cell Phones http://www.theawl.com/2010/05/people-sure-do-like-to-complain-about-their-cell-phone-bills http://www.theawl.com/2010/05/people-sure-do-like-to-complain-about-their-cell-phone-bills#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 16:10:50 +0000 Maura Johnston http://www.theawl.com/2010/05/people-sure-do-like-to-complain-about-their-cell-phone-bills bill in a boxAn FCC survey of cell phone users has found that one in six have experienced what they're calling "bill shock," huge leaps in price for what the Boston Globe terms "inexplicable" reasons. Why? Has AT&T instituted a "spillage surcharge" every time its crappy service drops a call made from someplace not at all off the beaten path like, I don't know, its customer's street-facing bedroom? Nope!

The "shock" comes from people being surprised that they didn't read the fine print on the documents they signed when they initially get their palm-sized electronic leashes. Because who knew that a contract that requires a signature would have important information within?

More than one-third of the survey's 3,000 respondents said their phone bills have inexplicably jumped by at least $50 in a month, and 23 percent said the increase topped $100, according to the agency, which released the results today.

Eighty-four percent said they were not contacted before they exceeded their allowed limits for text messages or data downloads....

The FCC unveiled its bill shock initiative earlier this month, citing a Boston Globe story on Dover resident Bob St. Germain, who received an $18,000 phone bill from Verizon in 2006 that covered just six weeks of usage. St. Germain's son, Bryan, now 26, racked up the charges by tethering his cellphone to a laptop computer after the expiration of a two-year promotional period that included free Internet access.

So "bill shock" should really be termed "people not paying attention to limits because they are true Americans"? Don't get me wrong — I am not a cell phone company apologist; I think AT&T's Death Star should be immolated ASAP, preferably sometime before the iPhone exclusivity window ends. But when I ran up $250 worth of extra charges in Ireland a few months back because I had to tell my friend about the terrible, drunk-filled Dublin club I was visiting in excruciating detail, I sucked it up and paid!

Anyway, I look forward to all the people who sent in thousands of text-message votes for the eternally in search of pitch Lee DeWyze after last night's American Idol finale wailing about their votes costing them even more than a ticket to this summer's Idol tour. If I had my way, they would get charged double for having terrible taste in lousy post-grunge wannabes who are not even that cute, but I don't run the world, so.

[Pic via]

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]]> bill in a boxAn FCC survey of cell phone users has found that one in six have experienced what they're calling "bill shock," huge leaps in price for what the Boston Globe terms "inexplicable" reasons. Why? Has AT&T instituted a "spillage surcharge" every time its crappy service drops a call made from someplace not at all off the beaten path like, I don't know, its customer's street-facing bedroom? Nope!

The "shock" comes from people being surprised that they didn't read the fine print on the documents they signed when they initially get their palm-sized electronic leashes. Because who knew that a contract that requires a signature would have important information within?

More than one-third of the survey's 3,000 respondents said their phone bills have inexplicably jumped by at least $50 in a month, and 23 percent said the increase topped $100, according to the agency, which released the results today.

Eighty-four percent said they were not contacted before they exceeded their allowed limits for text messages or data downloads....

The FCC unveiled its bill shock initiative earlier this month, citing a Boston Globe story on Dover resident Bob St. Germain, who received an $18,000 phone bill from Verizon in 2006 that covered just six weeks of usage. St. Germain's son, Bryan, now 26, racked up the charges by tethering his cellphone to a laptop computer after the expiration of a two-year promotional period that included free Internet access.

So "bill shock" should really be termed "people not paying attention to limits because they are true Americans"? Don't get me wrong — I am not a cell phone company apologist; I think AT&T's Death Star should be immolated ASAP, preferably sometime before the iPhone exclusivity window ends. But when I ran up $250 worth of extra charges in Ireland a few months back because I had to tell my friend about the terrible, drunk-filled Dublin club I was visiting in excruciating detail, I sucked it up and paid!

Anyway, I look forward to all the people who sent in thousands of text-message votes for the eternally in search of pitch Lee DeWyze after last night's American Idol finale wailing about their votes costing them even more than a ticket to this summer's Idol tour. If I had my way, they would get charged double for having terrible taste in lousy post-grunge wannabes who are not even that cute, but I don't run the world, so.

[Pic via]

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2010/05/people-sure-do-like-to-complain-about-their-cell-phone-bills/feed 6 Harold Ford's Merrill Lynch Vacation Impoverishes Him! http://www.theawl.com/2010/01/harold-fords-merrill-lynch-vacation-impoverishes-him http://www.theawl.com/2010/01/harold-fords-merrill-lynch-vacation-impoverishes-him#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:40:52 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2010/01/harold-fords-merrill-lynch-vacation-impoverishes-him "Now I've taken a 45-day unpaid leave of absence from my job at Merrill Lynch. It's not right to draw a salary when I'm out every day campaigning. Fortunately, I've still got a little NYU teaching job and some MSNBC, so for a while I think I can put food on the table."
-That's New York's would-be Senator Harold Ford, just stone cold being an ass.

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]]> "Now I've taken a 45-day unpaid leave of absence from my job at Merrill Lynch. It's not right to draw a salary when I'm out every day campaigning. Fortunately, I've still got a little NYU teaching job and some MSNBC, so for a while I think I can put food on the table."
-That's New York's would-be Senator Harold Ford, just stone cold being an ass.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2010/01/harold-fords-merrill-lynch-vacation-impoverishes-him/feed 11 Sotomayor Approved With Just One Republican Yea http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/sotomayor-approved-with-just-one-republican-yea http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/sotomayor-approved-with-just-one-republican-yea#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:36:14 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/sotomayor-approved-with-just-one-republican-yea The Beautiful Committee Room Is EmptySonia Sotomayor (the activist Latina judge who adjudicates through the lens of her personal experience, unlike Clarence Thomas or the Italian judges, what's his name and what's his name, they're all black to me, since I live in the year 1910) has made it through the sort of grueling, sort of totally ridiculous Judicial Committee hearings with approval for a Senate vote on her elevation to Lord Queen Justice of NAFTA. That will be another boring spectacle. "Among the seven Republicans on the committee, only Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted in favor," says the Times. It is sad that the Republican understanding of Sotomayor's deep-seated unfitness to serve, because she believes that judges interpret and therefore create law in the course of their work, law which actually circumscribes human and governmental behavior (instead of Baby God or the Giant Space Jesus Monkey doing so), will not be further heard because of things like democracy and voting and our attention span.

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]]> The Beautiful Committee Room Is EmptySonia Sotomayor (the activist Latina judge who adjudicates through the lens of her personal experience, unlike Clarence Thomas or the Italian judges, what's his name and what's his name, they're all black to me, since I live in the year 1910) has made it through the sort of grueling, sort of totally ridiculous Judicial Committee hearings with approval for a Senate vote on her elevation to Lord Queen Justice of NAFTA. That will be another boring spectacle. "Among the seven Republicans on the committee, only Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted in favor," says the Times. It is sad that the Republican understanding of Sotomayor's deep-seated unfitness to serve, because she believes that judges interpret and therefore create law in the course of their work, law which actually circumscribes human and governmental behavior (instead of Baby God or the Giant Space Jesus Monkey doing so), will not be further heard because of things like democracy and voting and our attention span.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/sotomayor-approved-with-just-one-republican-yea/feed 1 Why Can't Today's Filmmakers Appreciate The Brutal Dictators Of The Past? http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/why-cant-todays-filmmakers-appreciate-the-brutal-dictators-of-the-past http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/why-cant-todays-filmmakers-appreciate-the-brutal-dictators-of-the-past#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:44:52 +0000 Alex Balk http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/why-cant-todays-filmmakers-appreciate-the-brutal-dictators-of-the-past "Tony Manero"By way of discussing Tony Manero, the 2008 Chilean film just released here to some rapturous reviews, National Review's John Derbyshire offers historical perspective (the picture is set in 1978, four years after the coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power).
When the Castroite Salvador Allende was overthrown by a military coup in 1973, thus probably forestalling the usual catalog of nation-wrecking Leninist horrors – slave-labor camps, famines, etc. – the international Left was outraged. They still are. The subsequent government of Augusto Pinochet, while often brutal and corrupt in the way of military dictatorships, restored Chile's economic health and eventually stepped aside to let the nation return to democracy. That of course outrages the Left even more.
So true! They're probably also a little pissed about the 30,000 people who were tortured, murdered, or disappeared, but I bet the whole thing about not getting the slave-labor camps is really at the crux of their ire. Derbyshire seems doubtful about the quality of the flick, but it looks good to me; I'll let you know what I think if I manage to see it.

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]]> "Tony Manero"By way of discussing Tony Manero, the 2008 Chilean film just released here to some rapturous reviews, National Review's John Derbyshire offers historical perspective (the picture is set in 1978, four years after the coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power).
When the Castroite Salvador Allende was overthrown by a military coup in 1973, thus probably forestalling the usual catalog of nation-wrecking Leninist horrors – slave-labor camps, famines, etc. – the international Left was outraged. They still are. The subsequent government of Augusto Pinochet, while often brutal and corrupt in the way of military dictatorships, restored Chile's economic health and eventually stepped aside to let the nation return to democracy. That of course outrages the Left even more.
So true! They're probably also a little pissed about the 30,000 people who were tortured, murdered, or disappeared, but I bet the whole thing about not getting the slave-labor camps is really at the crux of their ire. Derbyshire seems doubtful about the quality of the flick, but it looks good to me; I'll let you know what I think if I manage to see it.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/why-cant-todays-filmmakers-appreciate-the-brutal-dictators-of-the-past/feed 11 Jake Tapper STATES FACT http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/jake-tapper-states-fact http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/jake-tapper-states-fact#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:31:53 +0000 Alex Balk http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/jake-tapper-states-fact Here is scientific proof that Twitter either makes you stupid or reveals existing stupidity.

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]]> Here is scientific proof that Twitter either makes you stupid or reveals existing stupidity.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/jake-tapper-states-fact/feed 7 Reality TV Kills, But So Does Everything Else http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/reality-tv-kills-but-so-does-everything-else http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/reality-tv-kills-but-so-does-everything-else#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:44:51 +0000 Alex Balk http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/reality-tv-kills-but-so-does-everything-else Newish Hollywood site The Wrap presents an "investigation" which reveals "that the reality of reality shows is not nearly so benign: at least 11 reality-show participants have taken their own lives — and two more who have tried to — in tragedies that appear to be linked to their experience on television shows." It's astoundingly tenuous-many of the unfortunate 11 had pre-exisitng mental health issues, and, really, only 11? Out of everyone who's been associated with a reality TV show? (The list includes production people as well as contestants.) It's like the Clinton Body Count list, except that at least topped out near 50 names. Sometimes I hate the Internet.

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]]> Newish Hollywood site The Wrap presents an "investigation" which reveals "that the reality of reality shows is not nearly so benign: at least 11 reality-show participants have taken their own lives — and two more who have tried to — in tragedies that appear to be linked to their experience on television shows." It's astoundingly tenuous-many of the unfortunate 11 had pre-exisitng mental health issues, and, really, only 11? Out of everyone who's been associated with a reality TV show? (The list includes production people as well as contestants.) It's like the Clinton Body Count list, except that at least topped out near 50 names. Sometimes I hate the Internet.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/reality-tv-kills-but-so-does-everything-else/feed 19 Low-IQ Terror Plot Foiled http://www.theawl.com/2009/05/low-iq-terror-plot-foiled http://www.theawl.com/2009/05/low-iq-terror-plot-foiled#comments Thu, 21 May 2009 09:45:23 +0000 Alex Balk http://www.theawl.com/2009/05/low-iq-terror-plot-foiled In re the latest latest foiled terror plot-four small-time criminals planned to blow up a couple of temples in the Bronx and shoot down military planes at an air base in Newburgh-a few questions: Are the authorities only breaking up conspiracies planned by demonstrable idiots, are or are those the only ones they're telling us about? And which scenario is scarier?

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]]> In re the latest latest foiled terror plot-four small-time criminals planned to blow up a couple of temples in the Bronx and shoot down military planes at an air base in Newburgh-a few questions: Are the authorities only breaking up conspiracies planned by demonstrable idiots, are or are those the only ones they're telling us about? And which scenario is scarier?

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