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Attention

Ferocious sanctions continue: U.S. freezes Putin's Netflix account

Andy Borowitz
The New Yorker
Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:46 UTC
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In what was described as a major ramping up of sanctions, Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Tuesday that the United States had frozen Russian President Vladimir Putin's Netflix account, effective immediately.

"Unless and until Mr. Putin calls off the annexation of Crimea, no more 'House of Cards' or 'Orange Is the New Black' for him," Mr. Kerry said. "The United States will not stand by and reward the annexation of another sovereign nation with a policy of streaming as usual."

While all of the sanctions Mr. Kerry announced on Tuesday were Netflix-related, he warned Mr. Putin that "nothing is off the table."

"I'm sure I don't need to remind the Russian President that 'Game of Thrones' is about to come back for another season," he said. "As I have said, this thing could get very ugly, very fast."
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Smiley

CNN apologizes for briefly airing non-flight 370 story, i.e. something to do with Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia‏

Andy Borowitz
The New Yorker
Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:42 UTC
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© CNN
CNN apologized to its viewers today for briefly airing a story on Sunday that had nothing to do with the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.

The story, which caused thousands of viewers to contact the network in anger, had something to do with Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia.

In the official apology, CNN chief Jeff Zucker wrote, "On Sunday, we briefly cut away from our nonstop coverage of Flight 370 to talk about something else. We're not going to sugarcoat it: we messed up. CNN regrets the error and promises our viewers that it won't happen again."
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Hearts

Two elephants reunited after more than 20 years


Evolve Campaigns
Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:24 UTC
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Shirley and Jenny
Not a new story but worth watching again and again! So amazingly touching - the story of Shirley and Jenny, two crippled elephants reunited at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after a 22-year separation. The bonding was immediate, intense and unforgettable between the two former circus elephants. But long after the cameras were turned off, the wondrous moments would continue...

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Easter Egg

Extremely rare parrot's crushed egg repaired with glue and tape, hatches a few weeks later


The Independent
Mon, 10 Mar 2014 07:11 UTC
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© UnknownIt was jokingly called the "world's largest, fattest and least-able-to-fly parrot" by Douglas Adams, but make no mistake, the kakapo is truly remarkable
Conservationists in New Zealand are celebrating after an extremely rare kakapo chick hatched from a cracked egg held together by nothing more than tape and glue. The bird joins a global kakapo population of just 125 birds - but what makes these animals so unique and why are they worth saving?

To describe a kakapo as concisely as possible you'd say that they're a species of flightless parrot: one that is ground-dwelling, nocturnal and thoroughly rotund.

However, this barely even scrapes the surface of the kakapo's strangeness - a quality that is in no small way thanks to the fact they developed in the isolated environment of the islands of New Zealand.

This evolutionary upbringing accounts for some the bird's odder physical characteristics, with the abundance of food and an absence of ground-based predators encouraging the kakapo (the name translates as 'night owl') to sacrifice the power of flight in favour of becoming more "thermodynamically efficient" - that is to say, they piled on the pounds and at 2kg to 4kg are the heaviest parrot around.
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Camcorder

Hidden camera catches dog partying on the bed he's not allowed on

Jay Hathaway
Gawker
Mon, 17 Mar 2014 16:44 UTC
A dog owner left his pit bull alone and left a camera rolling in the bedroom. Also rolling in the bedroom: The dog. Cue "Yakety Sax."

The dog is apparently "not allowed" on the bed, but good luck with that. Judging from the cat's non-reaction, this happens all the time.

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Wine

Parody: The first ever 2014 Cadillac ELR

Joy Camp
You Tube
Sun, 09 Mar 2014 00:00 UTC
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Music

Famous Soviet-era pop song known as 'Goodbye America' played for Russian paralympic team at Paralympics opening ceremony

Olga Tanas
Bloomberg
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 07:28 UTC
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© Alexey Nikolsky/Ria Novosti/AFP via Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin puts his signature upon a board as he visits the mountain Paralympic village outside Sochi on March 6, 2014.
The melody Russians know as "Goodbye America" blared over loudspeakers as the host country's athletes arrived at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, where the Paralympic Games began 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the showdown in Crimea.

A raucous ovation greeted athletes at a ceremony last night at which Russian President Vladimir Putin officially opened the games. The 23-member team from Ukraine, whose government is trying to keep Crimea from breaking away and joining neighboring Russia, was represented by one athlete.

Crimea is the focus of the most tense standoff between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Pro-Russian forces seized control of the peninsula in the wake of Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovych's ouster as Ukrainian president.

All the Paralympic teams arrived to popular Soviet-era music, including the 1985 rock ballad "The Last Letter" by Nautilus Pompilius, which includes the words "Goodbye America, where I've never been." The opening ceremony included an icebreaker called "Peace" suspended on straps.

Comment:


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Smiley

Pancho, the dog who does yoga


Telecinco.es
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 03:54 UTC
Pancho has become a star, not only thanks to the clothes he wears, but also for his ability to practice yoga next to his Italian owner. Pancho repeats his master's postures and stretching exercises perfectly.

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MIB

Onion writers stymied by American Politics' Inherent Ridiculousness

Ignatious Reilly
From my bathroom laptop
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:23 UTC
the onion logo Good
© The OnionMore and more Onion writers feel they aren't comedians anymore, but are actually just alcoholic journalists with low self-esteem and too many cats.
Writers from the hit website The Onion are consistently finding themselves stymied by the inherent ridiculousness of American Politics in general.
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Quenelle

Twerkin' Leads to Alzheimer's and Katy Perry Didn't Like it

Ignatius Reilly
From my house just now
Wed, 05 Mar 2014 05:53 UTC
While the world is on fire, and war is about to break out, it's important for us Americans to remember what is really important. Pop Stars. That's right. If you're as tired as I am of news featuring people with unpronounceable names in far off places, then this Entertainment Round up is just what you need.
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