‘This Town’ rattles D.C. social scene

D.C. is in full spasm over Mark Leibovich’s cutting take down of the city’s cozy culture.

via POLITICO – TOP Stories http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/this-town-washington-dc-reaction-94391.html

THR’s Kim Masters on the New Movie Detailing Her Mother’s Escape From the Nazis


“Nicky’s Family,” out July 19, shows how the “British Schindler” saved hundreds of children from Hitler’s forces, including Masters’ own mom.

read more

via Hollywood Reporter http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nickys-family-thrs-kim-masters-586227

In Brooklyn Park, a Fierce New Pecking Order

Pedestrians around Transmitter Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, have reported being attacked by aggressive mockingbirds

via NYT > Most Recent Headlines http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/in-brooklyn-park-a-fierce-new-pecking-order/

Four Jurors Slowly Inch Away From Juror B37’s Racist Fameball Horseshit

Four Jurors Slowly Inch Away From Juror B37's Racist Fameball Horseshit

Four jurors in the Zimmerman trial released a statement today responding to the comments Juror B37 made in her interview with Anderson Cooper. Basically they were all, “We’d like to distance ourselves from that lady by about ten gajabillion miles KTHXBAI.” (Paraphrasing.)

Read more…

via Jezebel http://jezebel.com/four-jurors-slowly-inch-away-from-juror-b37s-racist-fa-809109185

Tom Cruise pops up as surprise speaker at acting school graduation

Tom Cruise delighted a group of acting students when he unexpectedly appeared as commencement speaker at their school with words of wisdom and anecdotes from…

via NY Post: Page Six http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/tom_cruises_to_graduation_mahpmDb4TYS6tWuWMfqqEN?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Page

OMG! Survey, like, says digital-savvy students are good at writing!

Despite popular perceptions that digital technologies are ruining writing skills, a Pew survey of teachers finds some advantages.

Can kidz rite 2day?

    

via L.A. Times – California | Local News http://latimes.com.feedsportal.com/c/34336/f/625246/s/2eb76123/l/0L0Slatimes0N0Cnews0Clocal0Cla0Eme0Ewriting0Estudy0E20A130A7160H0A0H13912380Bstory0Dtrack0Frss/story01.htm

The Case for Abolishing the Department of Homeland Security

Charles Kenny in Bloomberg Businessweek: On Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano resigned to take up a post running California’s university system. With her departure, there are now 15 vacant positions at the top of the department. That suggests…

via 3quarksdaily http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2013/07/the-case-for-abolishing-the-department-of-homeland-security.html

‘Pacific Rim’ writer Travis Beacham: Hollywood needs original stories

Beacham discusses the evolution of “Pacific Rim” and the need in Hollywood for more original stories in the genre.

Beacham discusses the evolution of “Pacific Rim” and the need in Hollywood for more original stories in the genre.

    

via L.A. Times – Entertainment News http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-hc-pacific-rim-writer-travis-beacham-hollywood-sl,0,4459928.storylink?track=rss

India’s telegram service goes dark after 163 years

In this Friday, June 14, 2013 photo, a staff member of the central telegraph office shows an old telegraphic equipment which is no longer in use, in Mumbai, India. Just three decades ago - before reliable landlines were laid and well before the age of cheap cellphones arrived - the telegram was king across the vast Indian nation. On Monday, July 15, 2013, the state-run telecommunications company will send its final telegram, closing down a service that fast became a relic in an age of email, reliable land lines and ubiquitous cellphones. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)NEW DELHI (AP) — For 163 years, lives across the vast Indian nation have been upended by the knock of the khaki-clad postal worker armed with a telegram.

via Yahoo! News – Latest News & Headlines http://news.yahoo.com/indias-telegram-goes-dark-163-years-065614283.html

How Snowden can get out of town: Fly commercial

Airport staff walk under Aeroflot's Moscow-Havana flight aircraft at Havana's Jose Marti International AirportBy Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) – When an Aeroflot plane from Moscow took an unusually southerly course to Havana on Thursday, it quickly triggered speculation that American fugitive Edward Snowden could be on board. But the plane was probably just avoiding turbulence, like other aircraft that crossed the Atlantic yesterday. There was no sign of Snowden on arrival – he remained at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, where he was to meet human rights groups on Friday. Still, aviation experts said such speculation is not without merit. …

via Yahoo! News – Latest News & Headlines http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-experts-advise-snowden-fly-commercial-095836407.html