Cheat Sheet - The Making of Brand Putin

Today: Why Would Comcast Improve When It Could Buy Time Warner Cable Instead? , Storm Roughs Up Eastern U.S. , Facebook Offers New Gender Options February 13, 2014 A BOY LIKE THAT 1. The Making of Brand Putin The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics have put Vladimir Putin at the center of the global stage. All this exposure, even if it means ridicule, is part of Putin's master plan to maintain Russia as a superpower—and himself as its Superhero, even if it's far from the truth. Kristen Soltis Anderson reports. Read it at The Daily Beast TV DRAMA 2. We've Hit Peak Cable Cable companies can't sign up any more people. In fact, they're losing them to the Internet. So the only way to survive, Daniel Gross writes, is to monopolize more of the market and up-sell subscribers just as Comcast-Time Warner Cable will do. Read it at The Daily Beast YET AGAIN 3. Storm Roughs Up Eastern U.S. A major winter storm has left devastation in its wake, shutting schools, grounding flights, and closing the federal government in Washington, D.C. as some areas are slated to get as much as 18 inches of snow. Roughly 5,771 domestic and international flights were canceled, as possibly historic levels of snow and ice hit everywhere from North and South Carolina to the DC region. At least 15 weather-related deaths have been reported in the South so far, and more than half a million people in Georgia and the Carolinas remain without power. Read it at Reuters who are you? 4. Facebook Offers New Gender Options From two comes many. On Thursday, Facebook is rolling out 50 different terms users can chose to identify themselves as, along with three pronouns: him, her, or them. The options will include androgynous, intersex, bi-gender, transsexual, and gender fluid. The changes are coming to the 159 million American users. "There's going to be a lot of people for whom this is going to mean nothing, but for the few it does impact, it means the world," said Facebook software engineer Brielle Harrison, who is undergoing a gender transformation herself. Read it at Associated Press BACK TO THE TALIBAN 5. Legalized Spousal Abuse Is Coming to Afghanistan A proposed law would ban relatives of accused child abusers, rapists, and murderers from testifying against them in court. Nina Strochlic reports women's rights advocates are terrified that it spells a return to Taliban-era repression. Read it at The Daily Beast BIT LATE Germany Pursues Nazi-Looted Art After another hidden cache is disclosed. GRANDSTAND Cruz Writes Anti-Gay Marriage Bill Would help states vs. federal government. PRIORITIES Belgium to OK Child-Euthanasia Would be first in the world. BLIZZARD WARS Snow Fight: Roker vs. NYC Mayor He's unhappy about schools kept open. TINY VIOLIN Drake: 'The Press Is Evil' Mad over Kanye quotes as well as Hoffman cover. CNBC Why Hedge Funds Lack Women in Charge The Wrap Woody Allen May Not Be Talking, But His PR Offensive Is Heating Up Rolling Stone John Travolta Says He's Probably the Next Bond Villain GET The Cheat Sheet A speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from across the Web. You'll love the featured original stories on politics, entertainment, and more from The Daily Beast's diverse group of contributors. GET Culture Beast Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast. In Defense of First World Problems by Michael Moynihan Wendy Davis's Sensible Abortion Compromise by Sally Kohn Cyberextortion Hits L.A.'s Art Scene by Caitlin Dickson

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