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The Tragically Hip are the most Canadian rock band. They have a new album coming out next month. They're going on tour. And today they announced lead singer Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer.
comment posted at 3:26 PM on May-24-16

Ted Cruz ends his campaign, handing the nomination to Donald Trump
comment posted at 7:22 PM on May-3-16

The United Shades of America is a new show on CNN. It's hosted by standup comic W. Kamau Bell, and he says the show is about "a black guy who goes where he shouldn't go or where you wouldn't expect him to go." And if you think that's hype, well, in the very first episode Bell hangs out with Ku Klux Klan members in Kentucky and Arkansas (45 minute Youtube link).
comment posted at 3:03 PM on May-3-16

With less than 200 days before deciding who will be POTUS #45, five states hold primaries today: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Following the problems with voting in New York, hopefully there won't be so many this week, although location limitations do not bode well. Since the New York primaries, Ted has cut a deal with John but thinks the convention will be contested, people are eyeing Bernie's email address book, Donald buys a ticket to Seattle but gets his historical election facts wrong while encouraging an academic discipline, John corners the astronaut demographic, Hillary rejects a non-endorsement, Joe is focusing on the Senate, and the new first rule of Abe Club is that there is no more Abe Club.
comment posted at 7:14 PM on Apr-26-16

What would happen if we just gave people money?
comment posted at 6:34 PM on Apr-25-16

DOOM [Campaign Trailer] As the iconic DOOM Marine, you wake to learn that the Union Aerospace Corporation’s facility on Mars has been decimated and overrun by hordes of demons. Humanity’s survival rests in your hands – and your hands alone.
comment posted at 2:26 AM on Apr-15-16
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Istace is now holding Rage Yoga classes in the dimly lit basement of Dickens, a bar in Calgary, Canada. “You should expect there to be foul language, laughter, and shenanigans. If these offend you, Rage Yoga is not for you.” Istace promises that her special brand of yoga will leave you “zen as fuck.” By the way, when you sign up, you get tickets for two draft pints at the discounted price of $4.00 each. Classes have been held on Monday and Wednesday nights since January.
comment posted at 5:37 PM on Apr-12-16
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As we enter the last 30 weeks of the election campaign, delegate talk becomes more prevalent. On the Republican side, current Donald (future Donald) did not have a good Saturday in Colorado and South Carolina, with Cruz picking up delegates, and Kasich seeing a path despite lacking delegates. On the Democratic side, Bernie's recent good run has added to his count, although he remains behind Hillary. Voter suppression continues to be a strong issue, while Wikipedia has some interesting data on historical voter turnout. Meanwhile, Paul Ryan may or may not be running, while Kevin Spacey, who plays Frank Underwood in House of Cards series, says some real-life presidential candidates ‘appear to be fictional’.
comment posted at 6:18 PM on Apr-13-16

The most dangerous band in the world is back (almost). What could possibly go wrong? But there's a twist. And another.
comment posted at 1:44 AM on Apr-11-16

Ottessa Moshfegh writes about mayonnaise, and her mother, in an essay for Lucky Peach.
comment posted at 7:11 PM on Apr-7-16

And then there were five. On the Democratic party side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders remain. On the Republican party side, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Donald Trump remain. But there's also the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and lots of other parties. The dates for candidate debates are fluid; for example there may be a Democratic debate on April 14th. In other election news, the New York Times thinks that Candidate Trump would be "Wildly unpopular", while the Washington Post thinks that Republicans are gaming the voting system in their favor. Cruz and Sanders lead in Wisconsin polls, Kasich enjoys a beer, and the BBC describes five ways the Republican bloodbath could end.
comment posted at 7:06 PM on Apr-7-16

Liz Plank sits down to talk with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in NYC during his recent visit, and asks him (among many other things) what he thinks about 28% of 2000 Americans polled saying they'd try to move to Canada if Trump won the 2016 election, about multiculturalism and diversity, about gender equality, and about balancing fatherhood and politics.
comment posted at 8:55 PM on Mar-27-16

Microsoft deletes 'teen girl' AI after it became a Hitler-loving sex robot within 24 hours.
comment posted at 6:00 PM on Mar-24-16
comment posted at 5:34 PM on Apr-1-16

“A general malaise has now set in amongst the British public. People are feeling numb. And with numbness comes complacency. People don’t feel they have a voice anymore,” [Corré] says. “The most dangerous thing is that they have stopped fighting for what they believe in. They have given up the chase. We need to explode all the shit once more”. Related article, at bbc.com.
comment posted at 6:28 PM on Mar-23-16

Between 1975 and 1977, Paramount and Gene Roddenberry planned to make a Star Trek movie, but it turned out to be anything but easy. What would it be about? Plot ideas included time travel, snake people, God, black holes and the titans of ancient Greek mythology. Writer after writer took a turn at coming up with a story, leaving behind a string of rejected screenplays. In March 1978, Paramount president Michael Eisner announced a film spin-off. The race to make Star Trek: The Motion Picture was on. (Via)
comment posted at 7:35 PM on Mar-23-16

Toronto Councillor and former Mayor Rob Ford died today after battling cancer.
comment posted at 3:13 PM on Mar-22-16

One comet to swerve closer to Earth than any other comet in centuries An emerald-green comet will brush the Earth Monday, followed one day later by a kissing cousin that will swerve closer to the planet than any other comet in nearly 250 years. The first member of the pair, known as comet 252P/LINEAR, is a bright green color from the carbon gas it’s puffing out, says the University of Maryland’s Matthew Knight. 252P will slide past Earth at a distance of roughly 3 million miles. That’s well beyond the moon but near enough to put 252P in the top 10 of closest-approaching comets.
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All 29 episodes of That Mitchell and Webb Sound, the radio precursor to David Mitchell and Robert Webb's celebrated television sketch show.
comment posted at 5:04 PM on Mar-15-16

"March 12th marks the 25th anniversary of Out of Time’s release, which will be celebrated this fall in the form of a deluxe reissue from the band and Concord Music Group. Pitchfork decided to celebrate in our own way, speaking with R.E.M.’s Mike Mills — as well as friends and collaborators on the album and beyond — to recount Out of Time’s creation and the band’s central shift in the early ‘90s." An Oral History of R.E.M.’s Out of Time
comment posted at 2:21 AM on Mar-16-16

The 2016 Apocalypse Presidential Election continues: Five states vote in primaries on Tuesday, March 15th. Republican candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump will undoubtedly gain some delegates, while the other two will likely face their last stands: Marco Rubio in Florida, and John Kasich in Ohio. Candidates are taking desperate measures, like recommending each other, to stop Trump, while violence escalates at Trump events. Meanwhile, the Democratic race has tightened between frontrunner Hillary Clinton and her opponent Bernard Sanders as they prepare to split almost 800 delegates Tuesday...
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