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Twitter Expected To Open Australian Office Soon To test the waters in Australia, Twitter executives are traveling there to meet the country’s media organizations, sporting bodies, and top users of the social network, StartupSmart reported. This comes amid... Keep reading → Share the news on Twitter » More headlines: Nokia Unveils the 206, Asha 205 and New 'Slam' Content Sharing Service Samsung Audit Finds Local Labor Breaches but no Underage Workers Google Does Not Acquire Wireless Internet Network Provider ICOA Google Set To Launch 12.85-inch Chrome OS Touch Notebook in Q1 2013 Cambridge University to Study Risk of Robots Taking Over World More mobility: 15.5% of European smartphone users also own a tablet, comScore says More top stories on The Next Web » That's all for now. See you at Kings of Code Festival 2012 (December 1 - 4) in Amsterdam?    Best, TNW Team  Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Forward to a friend | Read this email on your browser Unsubscribe | Update subscription preferences Copyright © 2012 The Next Web

The Slatest PM: The GOP's Impure Thoughts edition.

Trouble viewing this email? View these recent stories in your browser.   Monday, November 26, 2012 Your daily PM briefing from The Slatest (@slatest), your trusty news companion. By Josh Voorhees (@JoshVoorhees) ***Reading on an iPhone? Click here for a mobile-optimized version of the PM.*** GET USED TO THIS STORY: With the David Petraeus affair now largely in the country's rear-view mirror and Israel and Hamas currently observing an uneasy cease-fire in Gaza, the nation's attention has returned to the topic that was originally expected to dominate the lame duck news cycle: the looming fiscal cliff. It's not as sensational as a sex scandal or life-and-death serious as an armed conflict, but the outcome of the negotiations could be felt both within the Beltway and out of it for months if not years to come. BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT: CNN: "Two-thirds of people questioned in a CNN/ORC International survey say that the U.S. would face a crisis or major problems if the country went off the 'fiscal cliff' at the end of the year, and if that happened, Republicans in Congress would probably receive the greater share of the blame. The poll also indicates that more than seven in ten Americans call for compromise on this issue, but they are pessimistic about that actually happening, with two-thirds predicting that Washington officials will act like 'spoiled children,' not 'responsible adults,' in the upcoming negotiations." WHERE THINGS STAND: Washington Post: "President Obama called House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) over the weekend to discuss the status of negotiations, but aides say that a wide gulf remains between the two sides on the critical question of how to raise taxes on the wealthy." SO THERE'S NO NEWS THEN? Yes and no. With 36 days to go and congressmen being congressmen, we're unlikely to see major movement anytime soon from either party. That said, we can expect plenty of trial balloons and shifting public postures from both sides as they position themselves for the final negotiations. SPEAKING OF THOSE TRIAL BALLOONS: A handful of GOP lawmakers appear to be floating one in the form of suggestions that they're willing to risk angering anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist by listening to proposals that include tax hikes. Those Republicans who have spoken out are mostly in the Senate, and not the GOP-controlled House, however, so their actual votes don't really matter. Still, every Republican lawmaker who casts aside the pledge now makes it that much easier for the next to do the same. Full story here. GROVER RESPONDS: The pledge-enforcing lobbyist joked Monday that "we've got some people discussing impure thoughts on national television." Still, he insisted that there's no mutiny going on. "They all said this two years ago, when we were arguing over the debt ceiling limit," Norquist said on CNN. "We cut spending. We didn’t raise taxes. So other Republicans did not listen." OBAMA'S NEW LINE OF ATTACK: Washington Post: "The White House warned Monday that the average family will pay $2,200 more in taxes next year if Congress does not freeze tax rates for the middle class, publishing a new report as part of President Obama’s campaign to extend tax cuts for most Americans while allowing taxes on the wealthiest to rise." Moneybox: The Worst Argument Against Going Over the Fiscal Cliff GOP'S LATEST LINE OF ATTACK: Eric Cantor: Obama "Ought to Be Putting Obamacare on the Table" HAPPY MONDAY and welcome to The Slatest PM. Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at @JoshVoorhees and the whole team at @slatest. OBAMACARE FIGHT, PART II?: The Supreme Court has opened the door ever-so-slightly for a new challenge to President Obama's landmark health care reform law. The justices today ordered the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to reopen arguments on the employer mandate and contraceptive coverage provisions in the law, a judicial move that—while unlikely—technically could put parts of the Affordable Care Act back before the high court sometime at the end of next year. Full details here. The Slatest: Fox News Calls Early End to Interview That Turned Critical WHAT NO ONE'S TALKING ABOUT: The latest round of U.N. climate talks, which kicked off in Qatar this morning. The international negotiations are likely to generate few headlines in the United States, something that is partly because the climate/energy conversation at home has been swallowed whole by the the current focus on the budget, and partly because, well, the talks themselves have never really come close to producing the type of breakthrough that would be needed to curb global greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are warming the planet. More here. NEW S.E.C. CHAIR: New York Times: "Mary L. Schapiro, who overhauled the Securities and Exchange Commission after the financial crisis, announced Monday that she was stepping down as chairwoman of the agency. In recent days, the S.E.C. informed the White House and Treasury Department that Ms. Schapiro planned to leave Dec. 14, becoming the first major departure from the Obama administration’s team of financial regulators. Ms. Schapiro will also relinquish her position as one of the five members of the agency’s commission, the group that oversees Wall Street and the broader financial markets. The White House announced on Monday that President Obama was naming Elisse B. Walter, a commissioner at the S.E.C., as the new chairwoman. In a somewhat surprising move, Ms. Walter will not step into an interim post, but will take over the top spot for the foreseeable future." Moneybox: Who Will Be the Next Treasury Secretary? This Guy! MEANWHILE, IN EGYPT: Wall Street Journal: "Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi tried to contain the fallout from his decision last week to expand his powers by meeting with the country's top judges Monday and issuing a statement that attempted to qualify the scope of his edict. Yasser Ali, Mr. Morsi's spokesman, said the president asked that only his sovereign decisions be immune from judicial review. Mr. Ali also said that Mr. Morsi assured judges that his decree is 'temporary' and limited only to 'sovereignty-related issues.'" AND IN SYRIA: Financial Times: "Syrian rebels stormed a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates on Monday in the latest in a series of rebel advances, one which highlights the role played by the Islamist Jabhat al-Nasra in the armed opposition. Activists said fighters from the extremist group played a key role in the battle to push the regime out of the dam, which supplies electricity to several areas, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group." WE HOPE YOU DIDN'T JUST GORGE ON LEFTOVERS: CNN: "A 32-year-old man who died after downing dozens of roaches and worms last month to win a python at a Florida reptile store choked to death, medical officials said Monday. Edward Archbold died 'as a result of asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents,' said the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office. It said his airway was obstructed by bug body parts, and ruled his death was an accident." MORE QUICK HITS FROM SLATE— Crime: Was the "Cannibal Cop" Really a Cannibal?    View From Chicago: Why Did Asian Americans Mostly Vote for President Obama? Spitzer: Buffett Says the Rich Should Pay a 30 Percent Minimum Tax Reader Takeover: Why Are Hotel Rooms So Expensive? Holidays: The Unmitigated Inanity of Cyber Monday XX Factor: The New York Times Discovers Lesbian Republicans TNC: Morgan Freeman Voices Gay Marriage Ad, but Why Now? Brow Beat: The Biggest Culture Stories From While You Were Out See you back here tomorrow. But, until then, tell your friends to subscribe, or simply forward the newsletter on and let them make up their own minds. BEST FEATURED STORIES Cyber Monday, the Most Pointless Marketing Holiday of the Year The New York Times Discovers Lesbian Republicans Why Did So Many Asian-Americans Vote for Obama? U.S. Automakers Have Got To Start Making Lighter Cars   Copyright 2012 The Slate Group | Privacy Policy The Slate Group | c/o E-mail Customer Care | 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 410 | Washington, D.C. 20036 Unsubscribe | Forward to a Friend

November 26th, 2012Top Story The Cheapskate's Guide to Getting Free Stuff By Adam Dachis Opportunity doesn't favor the wealthy, it favors the resourceful. You can get free travel, entertainment, gadgets, and even internet access by knowing about a few simple tricks and services. This guide will point you in the right direction. I like all kinds of things, but I don't like paying for them. Thanks to some personal experience, a few experiments, and online resources, I've found quite a few ways around forking over my hard-earned cash for what I want. Of course, free stuff only seems free. If you're not paying with money, you're paying with some other kind of work or sacrifice. That said, in most cases it only takes minimal effort to earn "free" goods and services. In this post, we'll take a look at the process. Get Free Gadgets Gadgets often garner high demand and so finding them for free can be difficult. In order to receive complimentary consumer electronics, you have to put in a little time to earn the privilege. Even if you're able, you need to set your expectations accurately. You're not going to get a brand new free iPad, for example, as those are hard enough to actually buy in a store. When you are able to acquire pricier items like a laptop or game console, you'll rarely find the option to choose a specific model. Getting free gadgets means sacrificing some choice, but that isn't always a downside. Sometimes you'll find great new products you didn't know existed that are actually better than what you wanted. It's also much easier to get device peripherals for free, which can offset the cost of an expensive television set, computer, game console, or whatever else you're able to acquire. You can't always get what you want, but you can always get something. Here's what you need to do. Become a Helpful Product Reviewer I started getting free gadgets years ago by writing helpful reviews. Amazon noted that I was helpful to many people on the site and invited me into a private program called Vine. Through the program, Amazon sends out a newsletter every couple of weeks with new products offered by various companies. Vine members—of which there are many—can claim any still available product and have it sent to them for free. In exchange for keeping the product, Vine members are required to write a review. While nobody knows the exact criteria for becoming a member of Vine (or any other reviewing program), it's vaguely understood that you just write good reviews that others find useful. In my case, I bought a point and shoot camera at Best Buy before Amazon received their stock. I liked it and wanted to share my thoughts, so I wrote a detailed review. Amazon received stock of the camera a few days later and so many shoppers were interested in a review. Mine was the first up, and so it was the one many people saw and voted up as useful. In the following weeks I was invited to participate in the Vine program. It's important to note, however, that my camera review wasn't my first. I'd written several other reviews in the past that received less attention. Nevertheless, I imagine you do not get invited to a review program if you don't have a few under your belt as well as a good reputation as helpful. If you can manage both, you may have a lot of free goodies coming your way. Advertise Referral Links on Google Various sites offer affiliate programs that provide you with credit towards products by referring people you know. You can get a good amount of credit if you know a lot of people, but most of us don't have a handful of friends who will always buy everything we suggest. Security expert Brandon Gregg came up with a clever trick to solve that problem. He wanted razors from Dollar Shave Club, so he advertised his affiliate links on Google AdWords: Dollar Shave Club has the free month of blade for each user signed up. I put my reference link on a Google Adwords post, got a years worth of free blades from sign ups for only $12. So I ended up paying $1 a month instead of $9. Obviously this trick doesn't mean you're getting anything entirely free, but the cost is so minimal it might as well be. If you can get credit for referrals and their program doesn't prohibit the posting of affiliate links, this is a clever way to get various items at a very low cost. It works with more than just gadgets and goods, too. You can also use this trick with services like Dropbox. Appreciate (and Acquire) the Gadgets of the Past The gadgets of today (and tomorrow) are the ones everybody wants, but they aren't the only good things out there. If you're willing to accept an older item for free, you can often find them on sites like Freecycle and Craigslist. Everything on Freecycle is free, but on Craigslist you just have to do a search for $0 items and the search terms "free" and "curb alert" (which refers to a bunch of free stuff being dumped by the side of the road) or go to the Craigslist main page and click on the "free" section. Also, if you sign up for the great web tool IFTTT (If This Then That), you can use it to provide alerts based on Craigslist searches so you're notified when certain free gadgets show up. (Here's an example for free TVs in Los Angeles.) That way you don't have to waste a bunch of time hunting for the perfect deal in a stream full of mediocre ones. Acquire Free Books, Movies, and Other Media Finding free gadgets may be tough, but finding free books, movies, and other media is not. It doesn't require a lot of work and you have a fair amount of choice. Here are your options. Keep on Reviewing Just like with gadgets, becoming a helpful online reviewer and gaining entrance to a reviewing program like Amazon Vine (described in detail in the previous section) will gain you access to a ton of free movies, music, and books—especially books. According to work-life blog Savvy Sugar, the popular book recommendation site Goodreads offers similar benefits. Try both and see what you can get. Find Free Books Online Plenty of books are available freely online. Google Books offers them as text and Books Should Be Free as audio. If you have a Kindle, or a free Kindle app, you can get public domain books for free from Amazon as well. All you have to do is search for and download what you want. Don't Neglect Your Local Library Nowadays people forget that they can acquire tons of free books, music, and movies through their local libraries. In fact, the library doesn't even have to be all that local. Popular media often comes with a nearly endless waiting list when you go to a library in a bigger city, but if you venture outside of that city you can often forego the wait. For example, my local library is technically in Los Angeles but the Pasadena and Glendale library system has greater availability in most cases. By only driving 5-15 extra miles, it's easier to find what I want. If you can't get what you want at nearby libraries, you might be able to get it if you're willing to make a small trip away from home. Stop Paying for Phone and Internet Service Internet access and phone service don't have to cost you anything as you can get them both for free with some limitations. For the most part, all it takes is signing up with the right services. Get Free Broadband Internet Access with FreedomPop Broadband internet access is generally expensive, but with FreedomPop it can cost you nothing more than a $100 deposit (that you get back when you cancel your service). All you do is order a mobile hotspot and turn it on when it arrives. From there you'll instantly have a Wi-Fi network that provides a reasonably fast data connection to up to five computers through Sprint's WiMax network. By default you only get 500MB per month for free, but if you complete offers (that mostly involve providing information) you can earn extra data. This takes a bit of work, and won't provide enough data access for heavy internet users, but it's fantastic for casual web browsing or getting an occasional on-the-go connection. Make Free Calls to the US and Canada with Gmail If you have internet access, you don't have to pay for phone calls. Gmail, via Google voice, offers free calling to landlines and cellphones between the United States and Canada. All you need is an account and an internet connection and you can talk for free. You can even use an app like Talkatone (iOS and Android) to make those free calls from your mobile. Other VOIP solutions work, too, but most will cost you something. Using Google won't. Travel for Free Traveling isn't cheap by default, but a few tricks and taking advantage of frequent flier programs can potentially knock out those costs entirely. You'll need to do a bit of work to travel free of charge, but anyone can earn discounts easily with minimal effort. Sign Up for Travel Rewards Cards and Programs at the Right Time We all know you can earn frequent flier miles for free by using a credit card that offers them as a bonus, but you're required to spend thousands of dollars before you can earn a round trip flight through that card alone. By picking the right card at the right time, however, you can get enough miles to earn a free trip by purchasing a pack of gum. Travel writer Matthew Kepnes explains: Whether you love Delta or fly United and the Star Alliance, all U.S. carriers have a branded travel credit card that gives you 25,000-30,000 points when you sign up and make one purchase. That's a free economy ticket right there. Airline credit cards are the best way to kick start your mileage balance. Often times they offer huge sign up bonuses. For awhile, American Airlines gave you 75,000 miles when you got their branded credit card. Virgin Atlantic has offered 50,000. United has done 40,000. The quickest and best way to gain a lot of free miles is to get one of these travel credit cards. Numerous special promotions can also net you more free miles. For more information, read Matthew's guide. Find a Free Place to Stay by Couch Surfing It doesn't matter if you have a friend or family member with a free couch to sleep on in the city you're visiting. By using Couchsurfing.org, you can find a friendly host who will offer their's up instead. You have to be the type of person who doesn't mind staying with a complete stranger, but if you're willing to rely on their hospitality and don't mind tight quarters you won't have to pay and could meet some new friends. Alternatively, you can check WorkAway.info for host families that will let you work in exchange for accommodations. Watch the Right Places for Even More Free Stuff If you want other various free items, you just need to know where to look. Aside from the options already discussed, About.com's Freebies page and the Frugal subreddit will alert you about places offering free (or sometimes just cheap) stuff. Those are just a couple of examples. Free stuff is everywhere, and you're likely to find even more if you just keep watch as you go about your day. Remember: Free Isn't Truly Free It's important to remember that free isn't really free. If you're not paying with money, you're paying with effort, information, or something else. Often times these sacrifices are worthwhile, but always know exactly what you're sacrificing. Free becomes a big problem when you give up too much without knowing it. So long as you watch out for the right kind of free deals, however, you'll get plenty of great stuff with hardly any cost at all. Images by Boule (Shutterstock), psdgraphics, vichie81 (Shutterstock), Jesse Kunerth, fkdkondmi (Shutterstock), Gerald Pereira, and Kelly Bailey.

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November 26th, 2012Top Story 11 Ways to Have the Most Liz and Dick Cyber Monday Ever By Caity Weaver Two facts are inescapable this Monday, November 26th, in the year of our Lord 2012. #1: Lindsay Lohan's Lifetime Movie Liz and Dick was the biggest televised shitshow America has seen in a while. #2: It is Cyber Monday, the day when bored people at work surreptitiously trade online foreplay in exchange for steep discounts on home goods. Why not combine the two and have the most Liz and Dick Cyber Monday ever? Put down those qualms and pick up that credit card and also an "alcohol bottle" full of non-descript clear liquid (for sponsorship reasons). Get me Aristotle Onassis! We're going shopping. Item 1: 8 Wedding Dresses There is probably no better time to buy wedding dresses in bulk than cyber Monday, and with your commitment and self-esteem issues, you're going to need a lot of them. Liz Taylor was married eight times to seven different dicks. With the Wedding Shoppe's online promotion, you can buy one wedding gown priced at $1000 and get $400 off your next purchase: another wedding gown. (There's a sliding scale of bargains if you are poor, but feel you deserve to get married anyway.) Savings: $400 Item 2: Endless Cigarettes Lindsay Lohan spent 99% of Liz and Dick smoking a cigarette on screen, and she only appeared in 90% of the scenes. Who has time to relight all those cigarettes? With the 40% off EVERYTHING discount at the Veppo electronic smoking alternative online store, you won't need time. Only a glass of vodka and some goddamn privacy. Savings:$40, if you decide to go H.A.M. Item 3: So Many Pills Nothing spells campy fun like a botched suicide attempt, and that's just what viewers got when Lindsay's Liz tried to off herself with a fistful of dolls. Want to stage your own fake-suicide but hate the hassle of waiting in line? Get free shipping on 5 bottles of Bayer Aspirin from Kmart. Taylor may have struggled with her weight later in life, but there's no reason your blood can't be thin. Savings: You being seen in a Kmart Item 4: Cinema Choice Movie Theater-Style Popcorn Popper Microwaves are low-class. Not fit for a picture star such as yourself. Buy this movie theatre-style popcorn popper onsale at CVS, and let your kids play with it after you pass out drunk on their birthdays, the *pop! pop! pop!* a jarring staccato to punctuate their wails. Savings: $11.11 Item 5: Applause and Fame What could be better than a rapt audience bursting into applause as you glide onstage to teach an "adorably good-natured orphan and her canine companion teach the world that perseverance and unwavering hope can change lives" (in a walk-on role on Broadway's Annie)? That PLUS a $500 Neiman Marcus giftcard. Both can be yours today for the low, low price of $30,000. Savings: $500 Item 6: Cute Dog Coat Richard Burton's elder brother Ifor became paralyzed after slipping and falling while at the actor's house in Switzerland. Burton blamed himself for the accident, and sought solace at the bottom of a bottle. This Pet Life Vintage Aspen Ski Dog Coat with Removable Hood is half price at Petsmart.com! Savings: $19.99 Item 7: Gloves to Hide your Ham Hands Lifetime legend has it that Elizabeth Taylor asked Richard Burton to buy her a giant diamond ring to make her pudgy hands look smaller (though this would, paradoxically, also draw attention to them). Hide your fat hands deep inside these luxurious J. Crew gloves, made from the leather of a frightful little pig. Use the code: MONDAY to score 25% off. Savings: $82 Item 8: Furry Hats and Puffy Nips One of the most noteworthy fashion decisions Liz and Dick's costumers made, apart from getting as much of Lindsay's boobs as possible into every scene, was to place Liz Lohan in a succession of giant furry hats. (You can see a couple clips of them in Rich's highlight reel.) Thanks to Urban Outfitters $15 off $75 Cyber Monday promotion, you can have as many furry hats as the stars playing the stars. Buy this one in blue and yellow. To bump your order up over $75, add this "Staring at Stars Clip Dot Blouse" and don't wear it with a bra. Haha, you go girl-watch yourself. Savings: $15, plus free shipping Item 9: A (Poster of a) Priceless Van Gogh Home Depot is offering Free standard shipping on all orders today only. Recreate Liz's hotel home improvement scene by buying silk wall paper, an expensive hammer, and a print of Van Gogh's "Wheatfields with Reaper." Break into your boyfriend's house and hammer the picture to your boyfriend's wall to let him know you love him and are not crazy. Savings: Millions Item 10: The Jewel of Denial Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton met on the set of a Lifetime production of Cleopatra operating on a shoestring budget so everything looked cheap and tacky. Recreate the costumes of Cleopatra with an opulent spin, by purchasing these Egyptian Lotus Earrings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's online store. (Save 25% with code BFIRDAY12) You can also give a nod to Burton's Mark Antony character by saving 20% on Kohl's Marc Anthony Collection with the code CYBER20. Savings: $22.50 for the earrings; untold savings on timeless style for the Marc Anthony Item 11: WHITE DIAMONDS WHITE DIAMONDS. WHITE. DIAMONDS. Savings: $44.00 (Unbelievable!) Please share your own Liz and Dick-flavored bargains below. [Image via Lifetime; Thanks to Robert Kessler for helping me shop]

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