Links for Wednesday, 2/1/2012 February 1, 2012

Mashable - Google Will Start Country-Specific Censorship for Blogs:

A Blogger support post, “Why does my blog redirect to a country-specific URL?,” last updated Jan. 9, explains that Google is using the method to limit the impact of censored content.

Readers will be redirected to sites with their own country’s domain name when they try to visit blogs recognized as foreign, as determined by their IP addresses.

“Over the coming weeks you might notice that the URL of a blog you’re reading has been redirected to a country-code top level domain, or “ccTLD.” For example, if you’re in Australia and viewing [blogname].blogspot.com, you might be redirected [blogname].blogspot.com.au. A ccTLD, when it appears, corresponds with the country of the reader’s current location.”

xoJane – I (And My Boobs) Stand With Planned Parenthood:

It's not surprising that Komen is pulling its funding, not when you consider the stated goals of the new Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Karen Handel. She's got a long history of being anti-choice, and has built her political platform, in part, on stripping funding from Planned Parenthood. But it's still shocking to me. Because this battle over abortion is hurting people -- the very same people Komen was created to help. Thousands of women turn to Planned Parenthood for mammogram referrals -- not to mention education and guidance regarding breast self-exams.

Komen says, on their website, that they're working to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all, and energize science to find the cures. But that "for all"... Apparently that doesn't apply to low-income, at-risk populations -- or any of the other people who use Planned Parenthood as their primary health care provider. Apparently, saving lives is secondary to injuring the safe abortion supply train.

FUCK YEAH MARIANNE. Ahem.

ABC News – Romney’s Campaign “Not Concerned About the Very Poor”:

"I'm in this race because I care about Americans," Romney told CNN's Soledad O'Brien this morning after his resounding victory in Florida on Tuesday. "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it."

The CNN anchor pressed Romney: "You just said I'm not concerned about the very poor because they have a safety net. And I think there are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say that sounds odd. Can you explain that?"

"Well, you had to finish the sentence, Soledad," said Romney. "I said I'm not concerned about the very poor that have the safety net, but if it has holes in it, I will repair them…The - the challenge right now - we will hear from the Democrat Party, the plight of the poor, and - and there's no question, it's not good being poor and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle income Americans. My campaign - you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That's not my focus. My focus is on middle income Americans, retirees living on social security, people who cannot find work, folks who have kids that are getting ready to go to college. That - these are the people who've been most badly hurt during the Obama years."

Comment: Good to know that there’s people Mitt doesn’t care about. Somehow, I just can’t imagine him having enough empathy with the plight of poor people to actually fix any holes in the safety net in a way that actually benefits them, as opposed to scoring political points. Expect this one to get soundbited to fucking death later on.

Alamo Drafthouse – Alamo Drafthouse Unveils Signature Wine Line “The Bottle of Wits”:

Alamo Drafthouse is delighted to announce the launch of a signature wine inspired by THE PRINCESS BRIDE in honor of the 25th anniversary of the film. The name of this signature wine program, “The Bottle Of Wits,” is derived from the iconic “battle of wits” scene when Westley first rescues Princess Buttercup from Vizzini and his henchmen. The “Bottle Of Wits” wine line will include two varietals: “Inconceivable Cab” and “As You Wish White”. The “Bottle Of Wits” will be available for purchase at all Alamo Drafthouse locations starting on Tuesday, February 14th and will be available for purchase online soon.

Ars Technica - My life as a cat: an hour with Terry Cavanagh's ChatChat MMO:

0:08 A dog named "KXDILKX" walks in and bites me, turning me into a dog. OH THE SHAME! I try to ask him/her/it how he/she/it could be so cruel, but my words come out as "woof woof woof" in the chat window. A new secondary goal... return to my natural state of cathood!

0:35 I try to simulate the experience of being a napping cat by simply staring at the screen and going into a fugue state, but I find I'm much too wired to simulate real napping. I'm constantly switching to Twitter, e-mail and my RSS feeds while my avatar slumbers peacefully. I'm horrible at being a cat.

0:40 As I write this, a server somewhere is working to create a tiny virtual world in which absolutely nothing is happening save for five cats sleeping. I just thought I'd point that out.

0:44 As I continue to sleep, two people have entered the game and promptly left within a minute. I can't believe our rich, detailed world of five sleeping cats didn't draw them in further.

WPIX - "Is He Not Dark Enough For You?": Taco Mayor Just Days After 1st Racial Comment:

It all revolves around the selection of Jose Velasquez, a Puerto Rican that he first met approximately two months ago, to an advisory board. In a Latino community dominated by Ecuadorians, the New Haven Register reporter essentially asked why a Latino of Puerto Rican descent was selected as opposed to one from the dominant group of Ecuadorians? Maturo's response, "I picked a Latino. Did it have to come from a certain section of the country?" He then added, "Is he not dark enough for you? Light enough for you?"