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Bring Elliot Spitzer Back!

Now that it's evident that "self-regulation" and Wall Street is like oil and vinegar, some are suggesting bringing former New York governor Elliot Spitzer as possibly the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission to crack the whip.

Yes, he hired a call girl, but so did Sen. David Vitter (La.), and he's still a sitting Republican senator in good standing, who apparently plans to seek re-election. Yes, he committed adultery, but so did Newt Gingrich (thinking about running for president), Rudy Giuliani (thinking about running for governor), and John McCain (the most recent Republican presidential nominee).

Do we have to exclude Spitzer from addressing the issues on which he has considerable expertise? Issues that have nothing to do with an unrelated sex scandal?

Food for thought.

[Via]

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Metrocard Alibi Comes to Rescue of Murder Suspect

A murder suspect's New York City transit metrocard seemed to confirm his claim that he was nowhere near the shooting in the Bronx earlier this spring. New York Times reports:

Months after the arrests, a retired detective working for Mr. Jones’s lawyers drove to a city jail located on a barge moored in the East River in the South Bronx, where Mr. Jones had been held after his arrest, and retrieved his wallet. The MetroCard was still inside.

Mr. Jones’s lawyers then asked New York City Transit to use the card to trace his movements the night of the shooting. The results supported his account, showing that the card had been used on a bus, and later on a subway roughly five miles from the shooting, just as he had described.

He was released on bond. This is called making Big Brother work for YOU for once.

I thought this tidbit from this story was also neat.

In his ruling, Judge Marrero paraphrased a saying about change by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. The judge wrote: "The river now flowing by is not the same river that passed by yesterday."

Word.

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Malcolm Gladwell: Late Bloomers

Gladwell writing in the New Yorker examines the popular (mis)conception that genius "is inextricably tied up with precocity—doing something truly creative, we're inclined to think, requires the freshness and exuberance and energy of youth." In the case of those "late bloomers" or those who achieve their creative mastery later in life, Gladwell concludes that their success, such as Cezanne who hit his stride in his mid-60s, was "highly contingent on the efforts of others."

Late bloomers' stories are invariably love stories, and this may be why we have such difficulty with them. We'd like to think that mundane matters like loyalty, steadfastness, and the willingness to keep writing checks to support what looks like failure have nothing to do with something as rarefied as genius. But sometimes genius is anything but rarefied; sometimes it's just the thing that emerges after twenty years of working at your kitchen table.

"Sharie never once brought up money, not once—never," Fountain said. She was sitting next to him, and he looked at her in a way that made it plain that he understood how much of the credit for "Brief Encounters" belonged to his wife. His eyes welled up with tears. "I never felt any pressure from her," he said. "Not even covert, not even implied."

Heavy. That is supportive wifey. Respek.

Read full article here.

[Photo via]

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Conversation Between Putin and Sarkozy

This (great) alleged conversation is supposed to have taken place between Russian Prime Minister Putin and French President Sarkozy according to the latter's chief diplomatic adviser, Jean-David Levitte.

With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Putin that the world would not accept the overthrow of Georgia, Mr Levitte said.

"I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls," Mr Putin replied.

Mr Sarkozy responded: "Hang him?"

"Why not? The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein," said Mr Putin.

Mr Sarkozy replied, using the familiar "tu": "Yes but do you want to end up like (President) Bush?"

Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: "Ah, you have scored a point there."

Nice move, Sarkozy.

[Via]

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Dick Cheney Indicted by Texas Grand Jury; Ted Stevens Loses in Senate Race

Christmas is early this year! First item:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyekPLwIXHA]

Second item:

Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, convicted last month on federal ethics charges, lost his bid for a seventh term as final ballots were counted on Tuesday, giving Democrats at least 58 seats in the Senate for the first years of the Obama administration.

With an estimated 2,500 votes still outstanding and other election certification steps still to take place, Mark Begich, the Democratic mayor of Anchorage, had taken a lead of 3,724 votes out of more than 315,000 cast, and he declared victory.

Na na na na! Na na na na! Hey hey hey! GOODBYE!

[Thanks Paul!]

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The NFL Spies on Its Players

To protect the NFL's integrity and reputation the league has a new personal conduct policy for its players that makes it easier to suspend them based on off-field conduct. WSJ reports:

To guard against these unpredictable suspensions (there have been 10 so far), NFL teams are hiring former police officers and FBI agents as security chiefs, ordering up extensive background checks, installing video-surveillance systems in locker rooms, chasing down rumors and sometimes forbidding players from talking to the press.

During a recent road trip, the San Diego Chargers not only conducted bed checks, but placed guards in the hotel hallways to make sure players didn't sneak out. The Seattle Seahawks have declared an entire downtown entertainment district off-limits, and the Denver Broncos have begun sending a former cop to local nightclubs on weekends to make sure the players behave.

Damn, the NFL has become the Babysitters Club. No Fun League indeed.

[Via]

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FOB Mom Gives Daughter Advice about Men and Dancing.

As usual, hilarious e-mail from FOB mom.

hey, why you need some one to dance with??? you can dance by yourself. Remember, i told you men need SPACE. don’t push too much. If he did not call, the only way woman can do is “does not care” and when he called, just pretend very cold, until he asked you. haha, space, space. Also he might be very busy in the school. Don’t worry,he is just type of men, not too romatic, not too considerate, just like daddy.

i miss you too.

mom with heart

Just like daddy. Hahaha.

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