BOOKS: The Art Of Being An A**hole

BY REBECCA GOODACRE You know there’s that guy that always, always seems to get his way?  And no one even minds.  Or the guy that gets to sleep with women yet manages to avoid all the whiney crap that usually goes along with it?  Or the colleague who never really seems to do all that much work but always scores promotions?  Or the relative that somehow manages to avoid all those irritating family duties? How do they do it?Well, it’s because those people are assholes.  But don’t worry, you can be one too with a little help from Chris Illuminati […]

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HBGary CEO Resigns After Anonymous Smackdown

FORBES: “I need to focus on taking care of my family and rebuilding my reputation,” Barr told Threatpost. “It’s been a challenge to do that and run a company. And, given that I’ve been the focus of much of bad press, I hope that, by leaving, HBGary and HBGary Federal can get away from some of that. I’m confident they’ll be able to weather this storm.” Barr had found himself at the center of a scandal that began when he told the Financial Times he planned to reveal the names of some “leaders” of the hacker group Anonymous. Anonymous responded […]

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CBS/NY TIMES POLL: Majority Of Americans Oppose Stripping Collective Bargaining For Public Employees

[Photo by DAKGIRL1] NEW YORK TIMES: the nationwide poll found that embattled public employee unions have the support of most Americans — and most independents — as they fight the efforts of newly elected Republican governors in Wisconsin and Ohio to weaken their bargaining powers, and the attempts of governors from both parties to cut their pay or benefits. Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent. While a slim majority of Republicans favored taking away some bargaining rights, they were outnumbered by large majorities […]

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DEATH OF A BOMBSHELL: Jane Russell Dead At 89

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Jane Russell, the dark-haired siren whose sensational debut in the 1943 film “The Outlaw” inspired producer Howard Hughes to challenge the power and strict morality of Hollywood’s production code, died Monday at her home in Santa Maria, Calif. She was 89. Russell, who would later turn her sexy image to comic effect in films with Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe and other major stars, had respiratory problems and died after a short illness, her family said. Russell’s provocative performance in “The Outlaw” — and the studio publicity shots posing her in a low-cut blouse while reclined on a […]

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WTF: Your Daily Dose Of ‘I Can’t Believe It’s News’

PUNK AS F*CK FAKE RAHM EMANUEL TWITTERER OUTS HIMSELF The real Rahm Emanuel offered to donate $5,000 to the charity of the anonymous Tweeter’s choice if the creator of the account would out himself (Update: even now, the offer still stands). The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board begged the account not to stop, saying, “The fun is just beginning,” and comparing the mystery of the account’s author to the “intrigue surrounding the identity of “Anonymous,” the author of the 1996 novel “Primary Colors,” a devastating insider take on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. If that seems like a lot of fuss […]

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LADY GAGA: Born This Way

Let the buyer be weird. TIME: The video opens with a “Manifesto of Mother Monster”–as Gaga calls herself, with her fans being “monsters”–where a Gaga voiceover tells the tale of the birth of good and evil. Or something. Frankly, it’s hard to follow her story because at the same time that she’s narrating it, we’re witnessing what appears to be a gooey, kaleidoscopic alien birth, before we’re plunged into the depths of hell. MORE

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We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It

[Photo by JONATHAN VALANIA] DEAD MAN TALKING: Steve Earle, Johnny Brendas, last night. BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER Steve Earle would be the first to admit he’s no saint, but by my tally he’s been going to bat for the angels ever since he tamed his demons – a nasty drug habit that ended in a prison sentence – nearly 20 years ago. Earle is just old-fashioned enough to think that folk songs can make a difference and protest singers should put their money (and their downtime) where their mouth is. Case in point, Earle performed Sunday night at […]

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WORTH REPEATING: If Hedge Fund Managers Paid Their Fair Share Of Taxes, It Would Pay The Salaries And Benefits Of 5,000,000 Teachers

ROBERT REICH: Republicans would rather go after teachers and other public employees than have us look at the pay of Wall Street traders, private-equity managers, and heads of hedge funds – many of whom wouldn’t have their jobs today were it not for the giant taxpayer-supported bailout. Last year, America’s top thirteen hedge-fund managers earned an average of $1 billion each. One of them took home $5 billion. Much of their income is taxed as capital gains – at 15 percent – due to a tax loophole that Republican members of Congress have steadfastly guarded. If the earnings of those […]

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