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Jeez, Even They Can't Understand Each Other
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Aug. 29th, 2008 @ 12:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015970.html Conductor on PA: (unintelligible)
Driver on PA: Uh, could you say that again, partner? I didn't get that.
Conductor: I *said* (unintelligible)!
Driver: Never mind.
--D Train
Overheard by: Rose Fox
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The NYC Thought Police Arrested Her on an Anonymous Tip
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 10:00 pm
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015969.html Woman: Yeah, we just returned from a trip to Pennsylvania, and we were happily surprised to find that the people were normal.
Man: Normal like New Yorkers ?
Woman: Yeah, they didn't seem like they were from Harrisburg at all.
--Forest Ave & Bleecker St, Queens
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An Hour Earlier, It Was Prime Walk-of-Shame Time
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 08:00 pm
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015968.html Man #1: I always look for hot babes on the way to work, but never see much.
Man #2: That's because the hot ones work in fashion. Only ugly girls have to be at work this early.
--Columbus Circle
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Long Shadows Return
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 08:42 pm
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It's getting late in the summer season...this evening's bike ride, I realized that once again I'm casting a long shadow when I ride down the road near Tewksbury Hospital.
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I've Been Highlighting My Hair for Years in Preparation
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 06:00 pm
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015967.html Blond: She says UCLA Santa Cruz is, like, 7 hours from LA.
Brunette: Weird. Well, I want to apply to the UCLA that's in LA.
Blond: Oh my god, I've been telling my dad since I was like four that I wanted to go UCLA. You know, the one in LA.
Brunette: We should totally both go there together!
--Penn Station
Overheard by: really?
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All the news that's fit to print
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 05:34 pm
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Basic Accounts
As we noted in our last News post, as of today users will be able to downgrade their account to Basic through the Manage Account page. In addition, visitors who are not logged in to LiveJournal will now be seeing ads on Basic accounts and communities; the experience of logged-in users will not change.
Paid Account Sale
We are having a paid account sale starting today through September 30, 2008. During that period, you can purchase a 12 month block of paid time and receive a 20% discount – this paid time can be added to any account, or purchased as a gift for your favorite LJ-friend. For full details, see our Paid Account Sale page.
Announcing ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) lj_advisory
We are pleased to announce the creation of the lj_advisory community, set up so you can find news and information related to the activities of the Advisory Board. We recognize that it has taken us a while to get this community up and running, and that has caused some frustration. From now on, we will post topics which will be discussed by the Advisory Board prior to the date of the meeting and summaries of meetings after they occur. Throughout the year, the Advisory Board may also post requests for opinions on topics which may be discussed at future meetings. This is the official community for communication with the Advisory Board – comments will be read by Advisory Board members who will respond as they feel appropriate.
RTE + Opera and Safari = <3
RTE stands for Rich Text Editor, which is the default method of posting entries from the Post an Entry page. Our Rich Text Editor is based on the open-source FCKeditor code. It allows you to make links or LiveJournal user tags, insert photos or videos, and format your entries without needing to know HTML. That is, unless you use Opera or Safari as a browser, in which case you couldn't use the RTE.
That will be changing today. We are pleased to announce that the RTE has been upgraded to the latest version of the FCK code, which includes support for Opera and Safari! In addition, many of the bugs in the old version have been fixed. If you've been using RTE, you will most likely need to clear your browser's cache in order to use the new version.
<strike> vs. <b>
Last year we changed the visual display of deleted and suspended usernames from a line through the username to a bold font. This had the effect of making the name unclickable - which meant that no one could easily determine whether the username had been deleted or suspended. We've reversed this display, returning deleted and suspended usernames to a struck-through and clickable state.
Flash Fiction Contest Update
The deadline to submit your flash fiction entry to "Quick Tales," LiveJournal's partnership with Caferati in India is fast approaching. Users who wish to find out more about this exciting contest should take a look at our ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/sponcomm.gif) india_writing community. Be quick! Entries must be received by midnight, September 7th, 2008 and the contest is open to all who have a mailing address in India, regardless of where they currently reside or citizenship.Current Mood:  quixotic |
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On This Day in Ancient History - St. Augustine
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 04:20 pm
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http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/2008/08/28/on-this-day-in-ancient-history-st-augustine.htm On this day in A.D. 430, St. Augustine of Hippo died.
St. Augustine was an important figure in the history of Christianity. He wrote about topics like predestination and original... |
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Wasn't He Marlon Brando's Personal Cook?
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 04:00 pm
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015966.html Man: Who was that chef who said "Butter, butter, bring me more butter."?
Woman: Umm, I think you just made that up.
Man: No, he said it. And he meant it, and he was right! (butters roll)
--Brazil Grill, 8th Ave & 48th
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Fair enough
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 04:19 pm
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I have a pile of office work to do tonight to get stuff ready to give to another attorney at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, but I have a chance to get to the Fonda Fair tonight with Jess and I'm going to take it. This might be the last night of the fair that it doesn't rain. Even if I have to stay up late tonight, it should be worth it.
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Why England Attacked New England
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 02:00 pm
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015965.html Girl #1: I wonder where Austria is.
Girl #2: It must be by Australia, because they sound the same.
--Bus
Overheard by: David
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You Guys Are Becoming Chinks in My Armor
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015964.html Construction worker #1: This place is expensive.
Construction worker #2: Ca-ching.
Korean store owner: I'm not fucking Chinese.
Construction worker #2: It's the cash register sound.
Korean store owner: I don't care, I'm not fucking Chinese, get out of my store.
--Canal & West Broadway
Overheard by: also not chinese
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Unintended Consequence
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 11:05 am
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There's been a lot of talk recently about re-instating the old " Fairness Doctrine " to broadcast media (and perhaps the internet as well, although that would be a lot tougher...).
I'm against the idea, the government shouldn't be meddling in free speech. The theory of the Fairness Doctrine may have made some sense back in 1949 when broadcasting was limited, and maybe could have been justified through the era when the only way to get TV was over-the-air and most viewers were limited to three channels, tops. But now? I've lost track of the incoming channels on cable, there's an entire radio spectrum (FM) that was unused in 1949, and of course these words are being posted on a version of the media that was barely conceivable when the Fairness Doctrine was repealed.
But I digress.
The heart of the so-called Fairness Doctrine is this: both sides of an issue must be presented, in equal time. If you've got a controversial issue X and devote ten minutes to a discussion on why it's a wonderful thing, then you've also got to devote ten minutes to a discussion of why it sucks. The easiest way to do this is to have a representative for X opposite a representative against X both appear at the same time, and hammer it out.
And with that in mind...
Obama campaign confronts WGN radio
Quote:
DENVER -- Sen. Barack Obama's campaign organized its supporters Wednesday night to confront Tribune-owned WGN-AM in Chicago for having a critic of the Illinois Democrat on its air. "WGN radio is giving right-wing hatchet man Stanley Kurtz a forum to air his baseless, fear-mongering terrorist smears," Obama's campaign wrote in an e-mail to supporters. "He's currently scheduled to spend a solid two-hour block from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. pushing lies, distortions, and manipulations about Barack and University of Illinois professor William Ayers." Now I have no idea if this guy Kurtz is speaking truth to power or if he's just full of crap (although I would like to see some information detailing these Obama-Ayers links). But the part that worries me is this:
[WGN Executive Producer Zack] Christenson said the Obama campaign was asked to have someone appear on the show and declined the request.
If the Fairness Doctrine were in effect right now, it's possible that when the Obama campaign declined the request, the story would have been killed. With no representative of the other side, WGN would have been in a bind and airing one side of the story would have been a violation of the doctrine.
I'm not using this as an anti-Obama screed, he's just the poor guy who managed to illustrate the danger of the Fairness Doctrine:
Under that doctrine, all a politician might need do to squash a negative story is ensure no one shows up to tell his side of the events. With no "pro" side to tell, the "con" side can't be aired either.
And unfortunately, history shows that this is exactly what happens. From the "Fairness Doctrine" history linked above:
In order to avoid the requirement to go out and find contrasting viewpoints on every issue raised in a story, some journalists simply avoided any coverage of some controversial issues. This "chilling effect" was just the opposite of what the FCC intended.
Politicians from both sides will use this technique eagerly and often, I fear. I don't care who wins in November, re-instate the Fairness Doctrine and watch political criticism vanish from the broadcast airwaves.
Maybe that's why the politicians like the concept so much, which would mean the subject line of this post is wrong: stifling criticism might be exactly the intended consequence of the law. |
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Technically, Them Stars Be "Lion"
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 10:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015963.html Woman: The world revolves around me!
Man: Who says?
Woman: Astrology. I'm a Leo. The stars say the world revolved around me.
Man: Them stars be lyin'.
--Uptown 2 Train
Overheard by: Collegiate Cutie
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A report of a friend's visit to Lois
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 09:34 am
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Sweet or Salty?
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 08:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015962.html Queer #1: I sucked you off and swallowed your cum!
Queer #2: Shh, not now, someone will hear.
Queer #1: No! No one is listening!
Girl next to them: Actually, I'm listening.
--3 Train
Overheard by: Carly
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Thus Concludes Our Report on Japanese Cuisine
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 06:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015961.html Cuisine expert #1: That sake shit is clear.
Cuisine expert #2: Word.
--151 & Amsterdam
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Lucy and Linus Enter the 21st Century
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 06:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/016065.html Eight-year-old girl to little brother on bike: Hey, asshole!
Little brother: What? Are you talking to me?
Eight-year-old girl: Yeah, you're annoying me. You're pissin' me off!
--Central Park
Headline by: KateNonymous
Runners-Up:
· "And on That Day, Young Travis Bickle's Life Took a Turn" - jlp
· "From the Rarely Seen First Episode Of the Donnie and Marie Show." - Chris L
· "New Yorkers-in-Training" - Oren K
· "Sesame Street Has REALLY Changed" - Bob
· "When Cindy Mistook Her Dad's Protein Shake for a Milkshake..." - fox
Click here to see the new Headline Contest
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And You Habitually Overeat
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 04:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015960.html Girl walking down the street: Why do I feel so full?
Little kid: Cause you're drunk!
--Bleecker St, West Village
Overheard by: Diva
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I'll Give You Five Back If You Let Me Graze a Nip
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 02:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015959.html Aspiring rapper: Hey guys, 'sup? Would you care to help a struggling rapper by buying my CD for $20?
Guy: Uh... I don't really want your album for $20.
Aspiring rapper: Could you hug me for $10 then?
--Times Square
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Exactly How the Native Americans Felt
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Aug. 28th, 2008 @ 12:00 am
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http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/015958.html Nine-year-old to friend: Yo, how many white people we got here?
Friend: One, two, too many.
--Fort Greene Park
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