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Look At These Insane Internal Maps Outlining How Michael Bloomberg Could Become President

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Look At These Insane Internal Maps Outlining How Michael Bloomberg Could Become President

Michael Bloomberg is not running for president, he announced this afternoon. “Uh, o....kay?” you might say in response, but all reports indicated that Bloomberg was seriously considering running for president. He even commissioned a consulting firm to produce maps outlining his path to the White House, which have now been obtained by the New York Times. What the firm came up with has less of a basis in reality than even the most absurd thing that has ever occurred on House of Cards.

What you see above is the electoral map drawn up in such a scenario where Bloomberg enters a race between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. This projection—which accounts for nearly half of states—has Bloomberg CRUSHING the two upstart candidates by hundreds of delegates. Like, maybe in this model planes carrying Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump collided in midair and the country turned to the comforting embrace of the creepy, old billionaire left standing?

Because otherwise, how do you explain any argument—as this map makes—that Michael Bloomberg would win states such as Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia? Has Bloomberg ever even been to Tennessee? The implication here is that Bernie Sanders can’t win over black voters, leaving a sizable portion of the Democratic base unaccounted for. But black voters have not warmed to Bernie Sanders even despite him having at least some history fighting for civil rights. On the other hand, Bloomberg, at the expense of his black citizens, ramped up stop-and-frisk to the point where it became a brand name, and further publicly defended the practice against its many critics. Surely, this policy initiative would have gone over great in the disenfranchised South.

The map for a Trump versus Hillary Clinton race is somewhat saner, but not even really:

Look At These Insane Internal Maps Outlining How Michael Bloomberg Could Become President

This map at least acknowledges that Bloomberg would really have no shot of beating Clinton, even in a scenario where he somehow manages to fight the establishment Democrat to a draw in Florida. But still: Ohio? Michigan? Illinois? Arizona? Who in these states is voting for the ex-mayor of New York City? Polls show that Clinton is up by dozens of points in Ohio and even more in Michigan. Bloomberg would have provided what, exactly, to flip those numbers? An ability to connect with a factory worker in a broken-down town?

The answer, of course, is nothing, which is why Bloomberg isn’t running. In 1992, Ross Perot ran as a rich, bald third-party independent and managed to suck up 19 percent of the vote. But he won zero states, and the somewhat embattled yet otherwise popular enough Democrat named Clinton skated to victory. I hope Bloomberg saw these maps and burst out laughing.


Contact the author at jordan@gawker.com / images via New York Times


Canada Denies Entry to Blood-Drinking Libertarian Senate Candidate from Florida

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Canada Denies Entry to Blood-Drinking Libertarian Senate Candidate from Florida
Photo via InvictusForSenate.com

Blood-drinking pagan and Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate Augustus Sol Invictus was denied entry to Canada this weekend, FloridaPolitics.com reports. In a press release, Invictus, who is running to replace Marco Rubio, said that he was barred over ties to neo-Nazis.

http://gawker.com/yes-i-drank-th...

Invictus, who once described himself as being “of genius intellect,” is licensed to practice law in four states, as well as federal court, FloridaPolitics.com reports. In 2014, he began working on the criminal appeal of the former leader of a central Florida neo-Nazi group who had been convicted on domestic terrorism charges. From the press release:

The candidate’s intention was to attend a scheduled speech in downtown Vancouver at Liberty Square on Friday, but the border agent did not believe him.

“Canadian Border Service then spent 3.5 hours investigating me,” said Invictus. “I was interrogated about my affiliation with neo-Nazis, about the charges of Fascism, and about allegations of racism.” They went so far as to order him to remove his shirt to search for tattoos with neo-Nazi symbols, which they did not find, he said.

“I was a politician traveling to give a speech and yet they treated me like a gang member trying to run guns across the border,” said Invictus. “They said that no good could come of my entry into the country because violence would certainly ensue.” The communists, who had already commenced a vicious protest against Invictus in Portland, Oregon earlier in the week, were the ones threatening violence, he said. “There is no question my expulsion from Canada was due to political reasons.”

In 2013, the Associated Press reported, Invictus walked from central Florida to the Mojave Desert, sacrificing a goat and drinking its blood in thanks for his surviving the arduous journey.

“He is the absolute exact opposite of a Libertarian. He’s a self-proclaimed fascist. He’s promoting a second civil war,” former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Adrian Wyllie said last year. “It’s absolute insanity. We must explain to people this is the opposite of Libertarians. This guy has no place in the Libertarian Party.”


Trump Has Inspired Tens of Thousands of Immigrants to Apply for Citizenship—So They Can Vote Against Him

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Trump Has Inspired Tens of Thousands of Immigrants to Apply for Citizenship—So They Can Vote Against Him

Immigrants are applying to become naturalized U.S. citizens at unprecedented rates, the New York Times reports, largely in response to Donald Trump. The pace of applications is gathering speed weekly: There could be as many as a million by the end of 2016—about 200,000 more than the average.

http://gawker.com/donald-trump-o...

According to the Times, there is almost always an increase in naturalization during presidential election years, but Trump’s nativist policy proposals and racist rhetoric has inspired many more of the 8.8 million legal residents who are eligible to naturalize to take steps to do so than usual. As it happens, about 2.7 million of that 8.8 million are Mexicans.

Last week, following the most recent debate, SimpleCitizen (“TurboTax for immigration”) encouraged people on Facebook to apply for green cards using its service:

Trump Has Inspired Tens of Thousands of Immigrants to Apply for Citizenship—So They Can Vote Against Him

The White House is also encouraging legal residents to apply for naturalization, and recently announced $10 million in grants to nonprofit groups helping immigrants to navigate the labyrinthine system. From the Times:

Among the groups the White House is supporting are immigrant rights organizations and labor unions, which say their goal in holding dozens of citizenship workshops this spring is to build immigrant voting power. They want to boost support for legislation creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, which Mr. Obama has long promised but has never been able to push through Congress. Recently naturalized immigrants, after all the effort they must make, are more likely to vote than longtime citizens.

“People who are eligible are really feeling the urgency to get out there,” said Tara Raghuveer, deputy director of the National Partnership for New Americans, a coalition that helped put on the workshop in Denver. “They are worried by the prospect that someone who is running for president has said hateful things.”

Last month, the Guardian reported on a series of citizenship clinics (referred to as a “naturalization blitz”) being held across the country ahead of voting in places like Florida and Nevada. There is no deadline for immigrants to apply for citizenship, but given that the process can take several months the labor unions and activist groups organizing the effort want to get as many applications in as early as possible, to ensure that people are eligible to vote in the general election come November.

“This is a big deal,” Jocelyn Sida of Mi Familia Vota, a partner in a clinic in Nevada, told the Guardian. “We as Latinos are always being told that we’re taking jobs or we’re anchor babies, and all these things are very hurtful. It’s getting to the point where folks are frustrated with that type of rhetoric. They realize the only way they can stop this is by getting involved civically.”

“It’s not just the Donald Trump situation,” she continued. “Mostly, it’s just not wanting to be suppressed anymore. They want to elect people who are going to propose a good pathway to citizenship, a good pathway for education and healthcare, a good pathway for a better life here in America. They want to have that voice.”

Trump, no doubt, welcomes the wave of applications, as he says he expects Latinos to support him. “I’m just telling you that I will do really well with Hispanics,” he said in the February 26 Republican debate in Houston.

In 2012, Mitt Romney won 27 percent of the Hispanic vote, prompting RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to declare that the party “must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform.” According to a Washington Post/Univision poll last month, however, 8 in 10 Hispanic voters have an unfavorable view of Trump, including more than 7 in 10 who have a “very unfavorable” view of him.

Meanwhile, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto compared Trump’s language to that of Benito Mussolini—a particularly apt comparison—and Adolf Hitler “There have been episodes in the history of humanity, unfortunately, where these expressions, this strident rhetoric, has only really led to ominous scenarios in the history of humanity,” he told the daily newspaper, Excelsior.

“That’s how Mussolini and Hitler arrived. They took advantage of a context, maybe a problem, that humanity was experiencing at the time, after an economic crisis. And I think that what was proposed led to what we know from history, a global conflagration.”


As Sexual Assault Rumors Swirl, Yale Basketball Team Continues to Support Their Expelled Captain 

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As Sexual Assault Rumors Swirl, Yale Basketball Team Continues to Support Their Expelled Captain 
Yale guard Nick Victor (21) and teammates, celebrating their Saturday win against Columbia, raise 4 fingers in reference to recently expelled captain Jack Montague. (Image via Bryan R. Smith/AP)

The Yale men’s basketball team, facing controversy over various public displays of support for expelled team captain Jack Montague, has signaled a continuation of that support following their win against Columbia on Saturday.

http://jezebel.com/posters-on-yal...

In the moments following Yale’s win, which clinched the team’s N.C.A.A. bid, the Yale Daily News reports that members of the team raised four fingers to signal Montague’s jersey number. Guard Khaliq Ghani also reportedly had Montague’s nickname, “Gucci,” written on his wrist tape during the game. Members of the team have expressed their seemingly unwavering loyalty in response to the departure of their captain, whose expulsion—recently confirmed by his father—has not been and likely will not be explained by the university (Yale has cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).

Ghani told Sports Illustrated: “We’re not trying to offend anyone, it’s just coming from the heart. Jack is still the captain of our team.”

“He’s our leader, he’s our captain,” Senior Justin Sears told Newsweek. “We are always talking, always texting. He’s not here, but he is always with us.” Sears told Sports Illustrated that “tonight was not perfect for us. We miss Jack.”

Newsweek reports that Montague FaceTimed with the team prior to Saturday’s game. During that conversation, SI reports, Montague indicated that he would attend upcoming games. While teammates declined to comment, head coach James Jones waved off rumors that Montague was expelled for sexual assault, which caught the attention of the media when posters appeared around campus last week asking the men’s basketball team to “stop supporting a rapist.”

“That isn’t of any interest to me,” Jones told SI. “The only interesting thing to me right now is winning a basketball game.” The YDN reports that Jones said in an interview: “Jack knows how we feel about him—we love him. He’s a great young man and we love him.”

In an op-ed titled “Misplaced Solidarity,” published on Friday in The Yale Herald, student Lucy Carmelo outlined the critiques she and others at Yale have with the basketball team’s vocal (and visual) support for Montague, including their decision to wear shirts bearing Montague’s nickname, “Gucci”:

The shirts did, in fact, “make it as clear as possible that Jack is one of [their] brothers,” as senior forward Justin Sears told the YDN. It’s just that their expression of brotherhood is incompatible with a campus climate in which everyone can feel safe. The basketball team, or any varsity team for that matter, stands in a particularly privileged position; inherently, some voices will be heard louder than others. There is a power in the scope of their public reach that can also be a burden.

Carmelo wrote that this uneven power dynamic extends to media coverage of the team, writing, “From the YDN to ESPN, reporters are giving a voice to these players, enabling them to make comments that derail the conversation and perpetuate rape culture.”

Jezebel has so far been unable to independently verify the existence of any official sexual assault complaints against Jack Montague, and a New Haven police spokesman told SI on Friday that neither Yale nor the New Haven Police Department are investigating any sexual assault claims against Montague. Several students in correspondence with Jezebel have repeated the allegations originally seen on the posters without being able to confirm them. A source on campus who described himself as close to the team, speaking anonymously, told Jezebel that a sexual assault claim was made against Montague.

In various interviews with Jezebel, students have mentioned that in their experience, Yale rarely expels students, and underlined the significance that context lends to Montague’s expulsion. When reached for comment on Yale’s expulsion record, Yale press secretary Tom Conroy responded with a link to past UWC reports.

According to the YDN, Yale’s Undergraduate Regulations detail that an expulsion can either be imposed by the Yale College Executive Committee (ExComm) or recommended by the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC). According to Yale’s fall semester sexual misconduct report, released on February 15, none of the 34 sexual misconduct complaints against undergraduate students between July and December 2015 have thus far resulted in expulsion (many cases are still pending). In a chart labeled “Updates to Previous Complaints”—or complaints originally featured in a previous report—a single respondent was listed as expelled for sexual assault. In the previous report, covering events between January and June 2015, one student was expelled for sexual misconduct. The Executive Committee’s most recent biannual report, released in the spring of 2015, details that there were zero expulsions out of 69 cases.

According to sports blog SportzEdge and confirmed by the YDN, Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway sent an email to students on the morning of Saturday’s game urging students to “treat each other civilly,” a response that was reportedly criticized on Yale Facebook group “Overheard at Yale” for not directly tackling the campus sexual climate. According to SportzEdge:

Dean Holloway sent an email to the student body saying, in part:

“I know that many of you are upset and angry, and that you are sharing deeply conflicting views. As you engage with each other, I ask that you also treat each other civilly.”

[...]

Holloway’s email also said “I am committed to providing a safe campus for all of you, protecting your privacy, preventing harassment of all kinds, and ensuring that you can make your voices heard.”

“I know that I can count on you to join me in this effort by treating each other with respect — especially when you disagree.”

There have been no reports of protests from Yale students at Saturday’s game, but the YDN reports that a Columbia student declared strong views on the matter via red body paint.

A source close to Montague’s family told SI that they plan on releasing a statement within the next week. “The family is working with its lawyers,” the source said. “They want to put an end to the speculation.”


Chris Christie Loathes New Jersey and Wants It to Suffer

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Chris Christie Loathes New Jersey and Wants It to Suffer

With less than a week to go before a strike deadline, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has decided that he needs a break, and will be taking a vacation with his wife of 30 years, Mary Pat Christie. Their anniversary is Tuesday.

http://gawker.com/new-jersey-com...

“I’m never truly on vacation,” Christie told reporters on Monday. “I’m away and I’m hoping to have a little bit of time to relax, but as long as I’m carrying a phone with me, I’m governor of New Jersey, as I’ve been saying now for the last year.” Of course, the reason he has to keep reminding everyone that he is in fact the governor is because he has hardly been around to govern.

Meanwhile, New Jersey Transit and 11 of its rail unions are trying to negotiate a new contract ahead of the March 13 strike deadline, after which point the approximately 110,000 train passengers who commute to Manhattan from New Jersey each weekday would mostly be out of luck (to say nothing of everyone everywhere else in the state). From Politico New York:

The unions have been without a contract for five years, despite the intervention of two presidential emergency boards, both of which made proposals that NJ Transit rejected. The agency said last week it has made a new offer.

Both sides met Friday before the National Mediation Board in Washington and had a “very productive” discussion, according a spokesman for the unions. The talks resumed Monday in Newark.

Christie, who celebrates his 30th wedding anniversary this week, plans to leave Tuesday for a vacation with his wife and one of his daughters. He has not said where he is going, just that it will be warmer than New Jersey.

(In this climate, that could be anywhere!)

“What I’m concerned about are the results, not the optics,” Christie said. “I haven’t been in one negotiating session yet. And if I can avoid it, I don’t intend to be. It’s not the job of the governor to negotiate this closely. It’s the job of the governor to set down parameters for negotiation, which are executed by the professionals who the state has hired to negotiate these contracts.”

The New York Times, meanwhile, has an excruciating story on Christie’s relationship with Donald Trump before the latter usurped the former’s claim. They met for dinner at Judge Maryanne Trump Barry’s request. (Judge Barry is Trump’s sister; she sits sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in Newark. The request came shortly after President George W. Bush appointed Christie U.S. attorney general in New Jersey; three months after he was sworn in, Christie’s brother Todd wrote a $225,000 check to the Republican National Committee, after months of giving tens of thousands to New Jersey’s Republican county chairmen.)

From the Times:

Mr. Trump made a larger-than-usual donation, of $250,000, to the Republican Governors Association in 2014, when Mr. Christie led it. Mr. Kushner, too, has held at least one event for Mr. Trump at his home on the Jersey Shore.

“It started out professional, but I think it’s definitely evolved into a more personal relationship,” Dale Florio, a longtime Republican fund-raiser in New Jersey, said of the Trump-Christie connection.

Others who know the two men describe their alliance more as an acquaintanceship, as many of Mr. Trump’s relationships are. His true friendships are limited to the small number of people he plays golf with in Palm Beach or at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, which he created from the former estate of John DeLorean, the flamboyant auto industry executive, in the heart of New Jersey horse country. (Mr. Christie is not a golfer.)

But then!

As Mr. Trump surged in the polls, one New Jersey political leader, who like many people interviewed for this article did not want to be identified out of fear of reprisals from either man, said he had urged Mr. Christie to directly confront Mr. Trump, saying he was the only candidate who could do it. Mr. Christie did not disagree, this person said, but “he was afraid to do it — he’s never been afraid of anybody.”

“He thought Trump would do to him what he did to Megyn Kelly,” this person continued, referring to the Fox News anchor Mr. Trump relentlessly demeaned because he did not like her questions in an early debate.

Mr. Trump, however, did not hold back. He declared that Mr. Christie “totally knew” about the lane closings at the George Washington Bridge that were engineered to punish a perceived political enemy, and that the governor could never win the nomination given his dive in popularity and his record in New Jersey.

But after Mr. Christie dropped out following his fifth-place showing in the New Hampshire primary last month, he told allies he appreciated that Mr. Trump had called him that very night. The two men had a long talk.

Six days after he dropped out, Mr. Christie told about 40 guests gathered over coffee and cookies before his budget address that he did not see a path to the nomination for anyone but Mr. Trump.

As recently as last week, however, Christie continued to insist that he’d had a shot at the nomination. “If he had not been in the race,” he said, referring to Trump, “I would have been the nominee.”


Uber Retracts Rebuttal to Buzzfeed's Report On Car Service's Rape Claims

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Uber Retracts Rebuttal to Buzzfeed's Report On Car Service's Rape Claims

On March 6, Buzzfeed published a news report on Uber revealing that the car share service had received five rape claims and 170 claims of sexual assault between December 2012 and August 2015. Uber quickly, and vehemently, refuted this claim. But now they admit that the grounds for their rebuttal were false because, well, of course they are.

Buzzfeed’s report included telling screenshots from Uber’s Zendesk-powered customer support system. Claims with the subjects “Sexual Assault” and “Rape” follow one after the next. However, Uber contended that the “Zendesk screenshots...were ‘highly misleading’ and contained false matches.” Signed by three executives, the letter sent to Buzzfeed “offered three explanations for the prevalence of the word rape in its system. The second of these stated: ‘Any email address or rider/driver last name that contains the letters R, A, P, E consecutively (for example, Don Draper) are included.’” Hmm.

As it turns out, Uber’s explanation is fiction, something Buzzfeed learned and confirmed with Zendesk before the car service sent a corrective note. Nonetheless, on March 7, around 1:10 p.m., Buzzfeed received the following update from Uber:

“*An earlier version of this post stated that ‘Any email address or rider/driver last name that contains the letters R, A, P, E consecutively (for example, Don Draper) are included. After analyzing the data, we found more than 11,000 rider names and 17,500 rider emails with the letters ‘rape.’’

Zendesk, one of our customer support platforms, contacted us to say that their search tool would not return a name such a ‘Don Draper’ when searching for the word ‘rape.’ However, such a search would (and did) return names that start with the letters R, A, P, E — even if the ticket itself had nothing to do with a claim of rape. We apologize to Zendesk for using an imperfect (and fictitious) example that doesn’t accurately represent their search functionality. This does not impact our analysis of the overall numbers, which was based on a manual review of these tickets rather than a simple keyword search.”

According to Buzzfeed, Zendesk contacted Uber regarding the falsity of their explanation after Buzzfeed reached out to them to clarify the system’s functionality. And whatever elliptical logic the car share service provides, the fact remains that women have reported being raped and assaulted by their Uber drivers many, many times.


Image via Getty.

At Least 14 Injured in California Train Derailment

Why Is Donald Trump Using Such Shitty Sound Equipment?

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Yesterday, Donald Trump released a video attempting to refute the fraud charges levied against the scam formerly known as Trump University. But rather than offer any real answers, Trump’s video only raises more questions. Specifically, why can’t purported billionaire Donald Trump afford better sound equipment?

In the video, Trump pretends to “expose” the former students who had recently appeared in Koch-funded ads decrying the fake university, although those individuals had, in fact, already released their full names to The Washington Post. He also, according to Gawker Media Associate Video Producer Nicholas Stango and judging from the echo and tinny sound quality, is using a built-in mic (possibly an iPhone’s). Which is to say—Trump is using no real microphone at all.

Donald already let us know how he feels about poorly orchestrated sound systems, telling a crowd in Pensacola, “I believe in paying, but when somebody does a bad job—like this stupid mic—you shouldn’t pay the bastard. Terrible. Terrible!”

He’s right; when someone uses a bad mic, you should indeed not pay the bastard. Donald Trump also posed this question last year:

In light of which, we must ask: How is Donald Trump going to make our country great again if he can’t even do the same for his own microphone?

Very sad!



Jeb Bush's Top Backer Is Basically That Dude Who Gave All His Money to a Times Square Psychic

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Jeb Bush's Top Backer Is Basically That Dude Who Gave All His Money to a Times Square Psychic

Remember the rich guy who gave away a personal fortune to a 26-year-old Times Square psychic in hopes of reuniting with his dead ex-girlfriend? Mike Murphy, who drained the extremely moneyed conservative super PAC Right to Rise trying to get Jeb Bush to the White House, proudly played the role of that man in this year’s election.

Murphy, who lives in a $2.6 million home near Beverly Hills, was profiled today in the Los Angeles Times. According to the paper, Right to Rise “spent most of the $119 million it raised” on its entirely fruitless and quixotic effort to push Jeb on the American public, with the only result of that effort being the repeated national humiliation of the candidate himself. That said, there are a few key differences between Murphy and Niall Rice, the other man who was swindled chasing a ghost.

http://gawker.com/man-who-blew-7...

Murphy, obviously, did not spend hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money, whereas Rice personally lost $718,000. One point for Murphy. That said, Rice at least acknowledges the horrible folly of his ways. In speaking with the New York Times, Rice sounded very much like a man looking back on his life in shock: “I just got sucked in,” he said. “That’s what people don’t understand. ‘How can you fall for it?’”

Murphy, on the other hand, sounds very happy he fell for it—“it” being pissing away the equivalent of a small nation’s GDP on, generously, the fifth-most popular Republican candidate in a field comprised entirely of openly unlikable bottom-feeders. In the one quote Murphy gave for the story, he says:

“I believe in Jeb. I’m proud of him,” he said. “Jeb was never going to run a grievance or anger campaign, and I’m proud he didn’t.”

Other folks quoted in the piece might argue that Murphy himself played the role of psychic, attempting to connect rich donors with their dead ex-girlfriend Jeb Bush. Says one GOP consultant named Don Sipple:

“Mike, I believe, is the kind of guy who sort of flies by the seat of his pants and makes it up as he goes along,” Sipple said. “He’s charming … but a lot of it is snake oil.”

But Murphy, as the glowing profile elucidates, was a well-regarded Republican wheel-greaser who had a history of success running campaigns for Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, he’s just the guy who wasted $120 million on the candidate who had to beg his audience to clap for him. Notes the western Times solemnly:

Though the biggest political prize — helping win the White House — has eluded Murphy, there doesn’t seem to be a sequel in sight, for now.

Sucker.


Report: Lot Going on Here

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Report: Lot Going on Here

The Valley News, a newspaper serving the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire, brings us the story of Kenny Rogers, a man who flies a Confederate Flag outside his home, much to the chagrin of his neighbors. You might be asking first: Wait—Kenny Rogers? No, no, my friend—not that Kenny Rogers. You might be asking next: Wait—Vermont, New Hampshire, Confederate Flag? Yes, my friend—and that’s not all.

Rogers, who lives in Vermont’s White River Junction, flies the flag in the name of free speech. He’s opposed to censorship, and got fired up when some networks pulled Dukes of Hazzard from syndication after the Charleston shooting. But the politics of the Confederacy—hatred and subjugation of black people, fear of a powerful centralized government—don’t quite line up with Rogers’ own.

This is Vermont, man! He’s for Bernie!

The journalist Ruth Graham highlighted the important bit on Twitter.

America is a funny place.


TechCrunch's Newest Writer Will Also Keep His Job in Tech Advertising

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TechCrunch's Newest Writer Will Also Keep His Job in Tech Advertising

Since its founding, TechCrunch has maintained (and enjoyed) a close relationship with the industry it covers. They’re rarely bothered by how this “looks,” as could be seen today, with their proud announcement that one of their new contributors will also continue to work for one of the largest technology companies in the world.

http://valleywag.gawker.com/why-does-techc...

In a new post from today by TechCrunch boss Matthew Panzarino, the site lays out several new hires and writers with newly increased roles. One of them is Jay Donovan:

Jay Donovan covers emerging technologies and startups for TechCrunch. He’s been part of the TechCrunch family since way back in 2009 when he became a part-time writer for CrunchGear (the former gadget blog of TechCrunch). He just couldn’t leave and has been writing for us a bit ever since, but will now do it much more often.

Jay is also Associate Director of Strategy at creative agency Resource/Ammirati, An IBM Company, where he leads Innovation and Strategy projects for the company’s large list of clients. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter @getdonovan.

TechCrunch has operated a fast-turning revolving door between industry and journalism for many years now, though it’s typically been writers moving into venture capital. What’s less common is someone moving from the tech/advertising sector into writing. Even less common is to not move at all, but hold both jobs simultaneously. As mentioned above, Donovan is an “Associate Director of Strategy” at Resource/Ammirati, which is a division of IBM. TechCrunch has written about IBM ten times in the past month. Moreover, as an advertising company, Resource/Ammirati works with startups and platforms covered in TechCrunch, such as Snapchat and Birchbox.

http://valleywag.gawker.com/techcrunch-kis...

I asked Panzarino about the potential for conflicts of interest and other ethical implications of a technology writer working in advertising, and he responded thusly:

As someone whose passion was writing long before I could make it my full time career I always like to support giving people a platform, just like I was given one. From an editorial point of view I think that varied perspectives and backgrounds are more important than optics. The more of those that we include in the discussion the better as long as the appropriate context is given — and I believe our readers feel the same.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll admit that the use of the term “optics” was introduced by me when I posed my question—it’s a dumb term that I hate, and I apologize)

Donovan did not return a request for comment.


Baltimore Cop Who Slit Dog's Throat Will Be Awarded $45,000 in Back Pay

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Baltimore Cop Who Slit Dog's Throat Will Be Awarded $45,000 in Back Pay

A Baltimore police officer who slit the throat of a dog that was tethered at the time will receive $45,000 in back pay for the months he spent suspended after the incident, the Baltimore Sun reports. Previously, Officer Jeffrey G. Bolger was acquitted on charges of animal cruelty.

Bolger killed Nala, a seven-year-old Shar-Pei owned by Sarah Gossard, after Nala escaped from Gossard’s yard in June 2014. Nala bit a woman’s hand, leaving what the Sun calls a “superficial wound,” and that woman called the police.

Bolger responded to the scene along with another officer, and the pair tethered Nala to a “dog-control pole,” according to charging documents. Then, the other officer held the dog down, and Bolger cut its throat. Witnesses reported hearing Bolger saying “I’m going to [expletive] gut this thing,” as he got out of his police car.

Bolger was suspended without pay for 10 months and charged with mutilating an animal, animal cruelty, and misconduct in office. He was acquitted of the criminal charges in November. A judge also ruled in his favor on the issue of back pay, saying he was acting in the interest of safety. Bolger has since retired, a move his attorney claims the city forced him to make.

Of course, it isn’t only animals that get needlessly killed by ravenous Baltimore cops. This happens to people pretty frequently, too.


500 Days of Kristin, Day 409: Is Balancing in Heels a Children's Book? 

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500 Days of Kristin, Day 409: Is Balancing in Heels a Children's Book? 

Exactly one week—one week!—from today, Kristin Cavallari’s debut book Balancing in Heels hits shelves. Should you buy it for a baby?

This Instagram from Kristin suggests that the book is appropriate for beginner reading levels.


This has been 500 Days of Kristin.

[Photos via Getty]

Science Watch: Our Man In Space

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Science Watch: Our Man In Space

Animal legs! Weather extremes! Planet surfaces! Astronaut man! Dark things! Bee teams! Bio touch! And liquids that may or may not be of benefit to one and all! It’s your periodic Science Watch, where we watch science—without ever touching the ground!

  • The limbs of the earliest four-legged vertebrates were no more complex than the fins that they evolved out of, leading some headline writers to declare that this evolution was “simple.” I’ll tell you what’s simple: sitting in an easy chair, typing headlines on a computer, a big keyboard warrior. Do things, and don’t denigrate the doers.
  • Thanks to our old friend “the climate change,” we’re having more days of “extreme rain.” Call it “hard precipitation” or “staggering wetness” if you prefer, but the takeaway is the same—whether you call it “forceful waterfalling” or “extraordinary cloudbursts,” the fact is we’re having a greater number of days when we see it, no matter if it’s referred to as “notable deluges” or “big torrents.”
  • Some people are always looking down, mired in the day-to-day affairs of mankind; others gaze at the sky and wonder, “Why does Mercury’s surface appear so dark?” Those in the first group get into the good schools.
  • One Scott Kelly, U.S. astronaut, tells the news media that his legs “aren’t feeling good” after spending 340 days in the zero-gravity atmosphere of outer space. Readers may wonder what the kerfuffle is—after all, the real news would be if Mr. Kelly’s legs did feel good after extensive atrophying! Would it not? My intent here is simply to demonstrate the fact that a basic critical thinking exercise applied in the editing phase can prevent the publication of news stories that aren’t of any real use to anyone. We thank Mr. Kelly for being a good sport and playing along with our little teachable moment. His sacrifices for science won’t soon be forgotten, shriveled legs or otherwise.
  • A company has invented the darkest material on earth. It’s black.
  • In much the same way that Tamara and that bitch Jeanine team up to undermine your suggested theme for the spring office party (“Flowers in Bloom”—something all can appreciate), so too do parasitic mites team with the deformed wing virus to destroy the pupae of honeybees. Fuck you Jeanine!
  • Sophisticated new “bionic fingertips” can give the sense of touch to amputees. Hold your horses: do they really “give” the sense of touch? Or is it more proper to say that the hard work of many people created a situation in which amputees can again experience the sense of touch—at the expense of health insurance companies, themselves staffed by thousands of hardworking employees who rarely receive recognition? Wouldn’t that be a more accurate representation of what’s really going on here? And when will they make a bionic dick?
  • Drinking water is healthy. Does that mean not drinking water is not healthy? I’m not the one to ask; I’m no scientist. But I like to imagine that if a scientist was sitting here with me, I would turn to him with all deliberate speed and ask, “Is it true that if you take a space ship out into the far reaches of the galaxy you will find new planets with fantastical creatures?” I’m sorry, but your question was of secondary importance.

[Photo: AP]


Journalist Who Lives Far From D.C. Decides to Move Even Farther

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Journalist Who Lives Far From D.C. Decides to Move Even Farther

Oh, brother. In a post titled “Why I’m moving to the place I called “America’s worst place to live,” on the Washington Post WonkBlog, Christopher Ingraham writes about leaving the hellish Beltway area for a quiet, commute-less life in rural Minnesota. Good for him! Kind of.

Ingraham’s piece focuses heavily on his current 90-minute commute to the office. It leaves him without much time to spend with his kids every evening, and with almost no time to see friends or go out to restaurants or cultural institutions. Promoting the post on Twitter, he wrote “Why I’m leaving DC,” next to a chart comparing different commute times. The “90 minutes” entry was circled in red, with “ME” written next to it.

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with moving to Minnesota. Red Lake County, where Ingraham intends to go, sounds just fine. Ingraham first encountered it after writing that it had ranked worst in America on a list about “natural amenities”—things like sunlight and good weather—but was later charmed by the friendly local populace and spacious plots of land.

The problem here is that Ingraham doesn’t actually live in D.C. He lives in the suburbs. He lives in Baltimore County, to be precise, as he writes about halfway through the piece. Baltimore County isn’t even really a suburb of D.C. It’s a suburb of Baltimore, as its name implies, and most of it is situated on the north side of the city—the opposite side from the district. Even the very closest points in the county to D.C. are something like 30 miles from it, and the furthest reaches are close to 80 miles. A 30-mile commute might be shorter than 90 minutes somewhere outside the beltway, but it’s still going to be pretty long no matter where you are. A 90-minute drive isn’t a problem of living in cities; it’s a problem of living outside of them.

I don’t mean to begrudge Ingraham’s decision to move, I swear. There are few better reasons to change your lifestyle than to spend more time with the people you love, so more power to him. But he shouldn’t frame his choice as a noble rejection of the hustle and bustle of living in a metropolis.

Living in cities is good! More people should live in cities. They have environmentally (and economically and democratically) friendly public transportation; they have environmentally (and economically and democratically) friendly high population densities; they have jobs that pay well; they have cozy little cafes where they make you iced Americanos when they’re all out of regular iced coffee. Plus, when you live in a city, your job might be right around the corner. You might even be able to walk there. Or, if you’re like me, you might still commute an hour each way, but hey. You almost definitely will not spend 15 hours or more in the car each week, as Ingraham writes that he does.

If you find that you do, I suggest moving to a different city. New York is great.


Photo of D.C. tourists searching for something on the horizon—Christopher Ingraham’s home in Baltimore County?—via Getty. Contact the author at andy@gawker.com.


Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs

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Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs
Bill Clinton giving a thumbs up at his 1999 “internet town hall” (GIF by Andrew Liszewski)

Last week we looked at President Bill Clinton’s 1999 “internet town hall”—an event that was essentially the very first Presidential AMA. The Clinton Library has kindly released the full video of the event, and even though it’s filled with technical glitches and wonky talking points, it’s amazing, if only for the GIF potential alone.

Watching the entire 1 hour and 45 minutes is a bit of a bore. The first 3o minutes consists of the moderator throwing to different elected officials around the country. And we don’t get a view of them from our given camera angle.

There are technical glitches, which were certainly to be expected. The moderator even whispers to President Clinton at one point, “maybe the internet is actually jammed.” But again, the GIFs that one can make are quite versatile. Bill Clinton giving a thumbs up to a computer? That was made to be GIF’d.

Granted, there are plenty of interesting parts of the video for Presidential history nerds. Like around 20:50 when a Wisconsin State Rep from Milwaukee discusses “Homeboyz Interactive,” an initiative to get former gang members various jobs in the IT sector.

And it’s fascinating to see Clinton take questions about the future of healthcare and higher education from T-Love939, GBH1935, and SissyBill.

But again, it’s all about those GIFs.

Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs
Clinton rolls his eyes after hearing the online handle “Sissy Bill” (GIF by Andrew Liszewski)
Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs
Clinton laughing at an online glitch the audience can’t see (GIF by Andrew Liszewski)

Clinton’s response to a question about how people who aren’t computer literate will do in the new tech-centric economy is both a reminder of how far we’ve come since 1999 and how far we have to go:

I think we should also be trying to get people who aren’t computer literate to be computer literate and then to have access to the technology, because I believe if we have the same density of computer and Internet access that we have of telephone access, that would dramatically improve the economic prospects for a lot of Americans and, I might add, a lot of people around the world.

Those GIFs though...

Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs
President Clinton getting rather excited about his internet town hall (GIF by Andrew Liszewski)
Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs
Clinton pondering (GIF by Andrew Liszewski)
Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs
Clinton waving his hands (GIF by Andrew Liszewski)
Bill Clinton's AMA From 1999 is a Treasure Trove of Reaction GIFs
President Clinton barely containing his excitement (GIF by Andrew Liszewski)

[Correction: A previous version of this post referred to a Milwaukee-based at-risk youth program as “Homeboys Interactive” rather than “Homeboyz Interactive,” with a Z. Gizmodo regrets the error.]


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

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Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

A 24 hour Bluetooth speaker, All-Clad skillets, and Logitech computing peripherals lead off Tuesday’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter.

http://deals.kinja.com/todays-best-ap...

Top Deals

Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

The best selling piece of cookware we’ve ever posted is back down to within a few bucks of its all-time low price. If you enjoy spending time in the kitchen, you shouldn’t hesitate.

This All-Clad 12” skillet features a durable stainless steel cooking surface, an even and rapid-heating aluminum core, and a beautiful stainless exterior, all sandwiched together to create the ultimate pan. And, like all All-Clad items, it comes with a lifetime warranty, though you probably won’t need it as long as you treat it well.

We’ve seen this go as low as $90, but $96 is a very solid deal compared to its usual $120. [All-Clad 12” Tri-Ply Skillet, $96]

http://www.amazon.com/All-Clad-Stain...

If you’re only cooking for one or two, the 10” model is now down to $80 as well, matching an all-time low.

http://www.amazon.com/All-Clad-Stain...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Holy moly, this $70 stick of gum is actually a full-fledged Chrome OS computer that plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port. Needless to say, it’s not the most powerful computer out there, but it’ll get the job done for video playback and basic computing tasks. Today’s discount is the best we’ve ever seen by $10. [ASUS CHROMEBIT, $70]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Today only, Amazon’s discounting over a dozen popular Logitech peripherals as part of a Gold Box deal, including some of your all-time favorites.

Highlights include the Logitech MX Mouse for an all-time low $45, a Z313 speaker system with subwoofer for $28, and a G13 gameboard for $39. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though, so head over to Amazon for the full list. Just remember, these deals are only available today, or until sold out. [Logitech Gold Box]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Ultimate Ears’ MEGABOOM Bluetooth speaker is the XL, waterproof version of the best Bluetooth speaker on the market, and you can save $100 on yours today at Rakuten, which is the best deal we’ve ever seen. [UE MEGABOOM Wireless Bluetooth Speaker, $200]

http://gizmodo.com/ue-megaboom-th...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

You probably won’t need this smartphone-compatible lapel mic very often, but at $16, it might be a good tool to have handy for shooting videos or recording voice memos on your phone. [Donner Smartphone Lapel Microphone, $16]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Update: Sold out

This Anker Bluetooth speaker might cost a bit more than others that we list, but having owned it for a few months now, I can tell you the the sound quality absolutely blows away my trusty Jawbone Jambox, and Anker isn’t exaggerating when it boasts about 24 hour battery life. [Anker SoundCore Dual-Driver Portable Bluetooth Speaker, $30 with code ANKKINJA]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XTADG2/...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Nothing will ever make your cat love you, but if you buy her this heated cat bed, she might at least tolerate you. It only uses 4 watts of power, which means you can leave it on all day while you’re at work, and only pay a few extra pennies per month in electricity. We’ve seen this on sale a few times before, but it usually sells out fairly quickly. [K&H Thermo-Kitty Heated Cat Bed, $20]

http://jezebel.com/stupid-shit-iv...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Speaker systems are one of those rare categories of tech gear that haven’t improved substantially over time; there are plenty of folks out there with 30 year old sound systems that still sound fantastic. Where they get left behind though is in the realm of connectivity, but you can fix that today with this $11 Bluetooth receiver.

All you have to do is plug this into your system via a 3.5mm or RCA plug, pair your phone—it even has NFC for Android users—and stream away. We see similar items for around the same price pretty frequently, but not many include RCA adapters and NFC. Just note that this is a Gold Box deal, meaning it’s only available today, or until sold out. [HomeSpot NFC-Enabled Bluetooth Audio Receiver for Sound System, $11]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009OBCAW2/...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

It’s 2016, and your headphones shouldn’t need wires anymore. Luckily, Amazon’s taking $50 off the usual price of these 4.5 star-rated Sony over-ears today. They were $50 cheaper around Black Friday, but this is still a solid discount if you’re in the market. [Sony MDRXB950BT/B Extra Bass Bluetooth Headset, $148]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MCHE38O/...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Some days, you just need to make a mug of coffee and get going. Others, you need a full pot. Luckily, this $40 Hamilton Beach can do both. Today’s $40 deal is for Prime members only, but it’s the best price Amazon’s ever offered by $10. [Hamilton Beach 2-Way Coffee Maker, $40]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...



Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

$18 is a good price for any LED desk lamp, but this one adds in a color-changing base that you can use as a makeshift accent light when you aren’t hitting the books. [Etekcity Living Color LED Table Lamp with Color Changing Base, $18]

http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Livin...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

A meat thermometer is essential if you want to fully cook your meat without drying it out, and this wireless model will let you monitor the temperature from across the kitchen, or even across the house. We’ve seen similar products for around $30-$50 in the past, but never $16. [Wireless Meat Thermometer, $16]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013D7U5EW/...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

You’ve heard of Automatic, but if $80-$100 is too rich for your blood, this cheap OBD2 dongle connects to any iPhone or Android device over Wi-Fi, and can fulfill many of the same functions with various third party apps. [Etekcity WiFi OBD2 Smart Car Diagnostic Scanner/Code Reader, $17 with code F8F9GXBM]

http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Diagn...


These Modern Motif socks prove that men’s dress socks don’t need to be drab and colorless, and today on Amazon, you can save $5 on a box of five pairs. There are two collections to choose from, but personally, I’m a fan of the Haberdashery collection. [Five Colorful Dress Socks, $31 with code D4Y8IFTN]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Fun-Socks...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Big battery packs like the Anker PowerCore series have their place, but sometimes, you need something a little more pocket friendly. 5,000mAh batteries should give just about any phone a full charge, and you won’t see one cheaper than $5. [KMASHI 5000mAh External Battery Power Bank, $5 with code 8QFM2KU3]

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-km...

http://www.amazon.com/KMASHI-5000mAh...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

If your gas station of choice is operated by ExxonMobil, this discounted gift card essentially amounts to ten free dollars. These days, that’s like six or seven free gallons of gas! [$100 ExxonMobil Gift Card, $90]


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

If you just got your tax refund, and are looking to buy a new gaming console, Amazon will sell you an Xbox One along with a copy of Forza Horizon 2, another game of your choice, and a $50 Amazon gift card. We’ve seen a lot of Xbox One deals, but this is definitely among the best. [Xbox One 500GB Console w/ $50 Gift Card, Choice of Select Digital Game, Forza Horizon 2, $349]


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

The silly-but-fantastic Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 only came out a few weeks ago, but you can already save $20 on your PS4 or Xbox One copy from Amazon. [Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, $40]

http://kotaku.com/plants-vs-zomb...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGPJ30M/...

The same discount is also available on the Deluxe edition. [Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 (Deluxe Edition), $50]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGPISTO/...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

The next wave of discounted Nintendo Selects Wii U and 3DS titles come out later this week, but if you’re a Prime member and you preorder from Amazon, you can save an additional 20%. Discount shown at checkout.

Wii U

3DS

The same 20% discount applies to all preorder and newly released games on Amazon; check out our gaming release calendar for the full list.

http://deals.kinja.com/calendar-of-up...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

This deal would have been a lot more useful a few months ago, but then again, that’s probably why it’s on sale today. This $100 space heater has Belkin WeMo support built right in, meaning you can control and schedule it right from your smartphone, no matter where you are in the world. [Holmes Smart Wifi-Enabled WeMo X-Large Heater, 1500 watts, $100]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Anker just unleashed a torrent of new promo codes on their ridiculously popular charging gear, including some brand new Quick Charge 3.0 products.

Quick Charge 3.0

Quick Charge 2.0

Cables


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

It’s no secret that you guys love Dyson vacuums, and you can upgrade to a brand new DC39 for just $200 today, courtesy of Dyson’s eBay storefront. That’s about $130-$180 less than you’ll find it elsewhere, and right in line with what we’d expect refurbs to sell for. [Dyson DC39, $200]

http://co-op.kinja.com/five-best-vacu...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dyson-DC39...



Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

If you ever pay for iOS apps, movies, music, or iCloud storage with your credit card, you’re throwing money down the drain. Instead, stock up on iTunes gift cards at a 20% discount, and grab some to give as gifts while you’re at it. [$100 iTunes Gift Card, $80]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-iTunes...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Rubbermaid’s FastTrack garage storage system is Amazon’s top seller in the category, and the proud owner of a 4.4 star review average. If you have a garage or shed, this is a requisite purchase at $26, an all-time low. [Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage Storage System All-in-One Rail & Hook Kit, 5-Piece, $26]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VTZ700/...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Warm weather is on the horizon, which means it’s nearly iced coffee season. This $17 Takeya can brew four servings of the good stuff in your refrigerator overnight, and boasts a solid 4.4 star review average on Amazon. [Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker, 1-Quart, $17]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFLY64U/...


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Mpow’s excellent, minimalist, universal magnetic smartphone vent mount is back down to $5 today. [Mpow Grip Magic Air Vent One Step Mounting Magnetic Car Mount Holder, $5 code YNGL8BMN]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YE6D7I8

These ridiculously cheap mounts are among the most popular products we’ve ever listed, and carry both Lifehacker Editorial and Lifehacker Hive Five recommendations.

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/the-15-most-po...

http://lifehacker.com/the-aukey-magn...

http://lifehacker.com/five-best-car-...

Love yours? Tell us why and we’ll include your story in future posts about the product!


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

Range extenders can’t work miracles, but if a corner of your house just doesn’t quite get acceptable Wi-Fi reception, this little gadget can probably do enough to help. [TP-LINK AC750 Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender, $35]


Today's Best Deals: Logitech Gear, All-Clad Pans, 24 Hour Bluetooth Speaker, and More

It’s not from a brand you’ve probably heard of, but this is the best price we’ve ever seen on a 30+ ounce, vacuum insulated water bottle. I own something similar, and it’ll keep ice frozen for hours on end, even in the Texas heat. [Fnova 35 oz Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, $18 with code 4V4RMWPH]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015388COY

Tech

Storage

Power

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U26ONVE/...

Audio

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Home Theater

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Computers & Accessories

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PC Parts

Mobile Devices

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Photography

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Home

Apparel

Beauty & Grooming

Kitchen

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Camping & Outdoors

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Fitness

Tools & Auto

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Media

Movies & TV

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Books

Gaming

Peripherals

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PC

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PlayStation 4

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Xbox One

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PS3

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Xbox 360

Wii U

3DS

Toys

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Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. We want your feedback.

Send deal submissions to Deals@Gawker and all other inquiries to Shane@Gawker

Extremely Good Dog Hesitates to Take Loyalty Oath at Donald Trump Rally

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Extremely Good Dog Hesitates to Take Loyalty Oath at Donald Trump Rally

What we have here is some footage of a good boy such a good boy who’s my sweet little puppy boy yes you are who made his way into a Donald Trump rally in Florida over the weekend. The owner of this little pupperoo tried to make him raise his right paw and take the creepy Trump loyalty oath, but the pupperoo wasn’t having it.

http://gawker.com/thousands-of-s...

Politico captured the incredible moment in a Vine:

Good dog!

However, closer inspection of a YouTube video of the speech reveals that after this initial struggle, our proud pup basically acquiesced to his tyrant leader’s coercion. Sound familiar? That’s what it’s going to be like in America, too, folks.

Bad dog?

Contact the author at andy@gawker.com.

FBI Agents Still Subject to Inquiry as Investigators Find Fatal Police Shooting of Oregon Occupier Justified

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FBI Agents Still Subject to Inquiry as Investigators Find Fatal Police Shooting of Oregon Occupier Justified

On Tuesday, investigators concluded that Oregon State Police officers acted appropriately in the January 26 shooting death of armed Malheur wildlife refuge occupier LaVoy Finicum. According to the New York Times, however, FBI agents are being investigated for not disclosing the fact that they also fired upon Finicum.

http://gawker.com/fbi-releases-a...

Eight shots were fired, investigators said at a press conference, including six by Oregon state officers—all of which were justified. Neither of the shots fired by FBI agents struck Finicum, Sheriff Shane Nelson of Deschutes County said. Rather, he was struck by three rounds fired by Oregon police, all of which hit him in the back.

“Of particular concern to all of us,” Sheriff Nelson said, was that the FBI agents “did not disclose their shots to investigators.” Indeed, apparently the two agents present involved denied having fired any shots at all on two separate occasions.

In a statement, FBI special agent in charge Greg Bretzing said, “The question of who fired these shots has not been resolved. Upon learning this, and given the FBI presence on scene, I immediately contacted our Inspection Division which notified the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General which is currently investigating this matter.”

Also on Monday, investigators released a video of the shooting filmed by one of the occupiers, Shawna Cox, from inside the truck Finicum was driving. Apparently, he can be heard taunting the police and FBI, daring them to “shoot me.” From the Times:

In the recording, Mr. Finicum sits in the driver’s seat of a truck, wearing a cowboy hat. While stopped, he heckles authorities. “You do as you damn well please, we’re not going anywhere,” he yelled. “You can go ahead and shoot me, put the bullet through the head.”

Pop music plays in the background. Then Mr. Finicum is seen driving away from troopers, and the passengers attempt to crouch down and make phone calls. The camera shakes, and three shots are heard. The vehicle then stops after veering off the road and hitting a snowbank. Mr. Finicum gets out and the video captures his words: “Go ahead and shoot me. You’re going to have to shoot me.”

The fact that the FBI agents have been less than forthcoming regarding their involvement in the shooting will only add to the occupiers’ supporters’ speculation that Finicum’s death was unjust. “I know that under the Constitution the men who shot my husband to death, while he was surrendering, are entitled to due process of law——but they are not entitled to walk free and not have to face the same legal process that is a barrier to you or to me,” Jeanette Finicum, Finicum’s widow, said in a statement.

“They shot my husband, they left him lying in the snowbank—-no medical assistance, no charges, no arraignment, no preliminary hearing, no indictment, and no trial by a jury, —- and should they just walk free? It just is not right.”

So far, twenty-five people have been arrested and charged for their involvement in the Malheur occupation.


Contact the author at brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

NYPD Officer Shot in Brooklyn, 2 Suspects in Custody and 1 Still at Large

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Law enforcement sources confirmed to DNAinfo on Tuesday that a police officer had been shot in the left shoulder front of a bar at the intersection of Troutman Street and Wilson Avenue in Bushwick. The officer was taken to Elmhurst Hospital and is expected to survive.

According to DNAinfo, two people were in custody and one person was still at large. One of the suspects in custody was also wounded in the shooting, the New York Daily News reports. That person’s condition is unknown.

Per CBS New York, it’s not known whether the police officer was in uniform at the time of the shooting. He was short during an “antinarcotics operation,” the New York Times reports.

Update – 12:30 am

The shot officer was apparently hit by friendly fire. NBC New York reports:

A detective and a sergeant from Brooklyn North’s narcotics unit, both in plainclothes, approached the two suspects in a car at Troutman Street and Wilson Avenue in Bushwick at about 6:15 p.m., police officials said in a news briefing Tuesday evening.

The officers identified themselves as police, and that’s when the driver suddenly backed up, hitting a police car, before accelerating and fleeing a short distance. It then crashed into another car and stopped, officials said.

The detective was still hanging onto the passenger side of the vehicle as it fled, and both the sergeant and the detective fired their weapons for a total of four of shots.

The third suspect is still at large.


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