The Washington of conventional wisdom and the real Washington are two entirely different places. The Washington of conventional wisdom is overrun by well-paid insiders — lobbyists, lawyers, publicists — who systematically manipulate government policies to benefit corporations and the rich, defying the “will of the people.” The real Washington has government paid for by the rich and well-to-do. Benefits go mainly to the poor and middle class, while politicians of both parties live in fear that they might offend the “will of the people” — voters. Read full article > >

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Here’s what Washington really does

The caretakers who tend to some of New York’s most splendid manors insist they are far more motivated by the connection to an earlier era than the real estate deal of a lifetime.

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For Caretakers, a Rent-Free Life in New York’s Historic Homes

Facebook bought Instagram on Monday for one buh-buh-billion dollars, a tectonic lurch in the realm of social media, and what does this have to do with the real world — the chaotic world that surrounds us, not the orderly one that is contained in the tininess of our smartphone screens? Read full article > >

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Facebook and Instagram: Made for each other

A Kazakh shooting gold medallist is stunned as the comedy national anthem from the film Borat is played for her victory in Kuwait instead of the real one.

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Borat tune stuns Kazakh medallist

Last month, McDonald’s devised a plan to wedge itself into the dense flow of self-promotion and micro-conversations that constitute Twitter. The fast-food giant had hoped to introduce some of the real-life farmers and producers who supply McDonald’s with potatoes, beef and other products under the organizing hashtags of #MeetTheFarmers and #McDStories. Read full article > >

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Eating meat, with a side order of conflicting emotions

Too bad this primary isn’t the real deal.

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Missouri Could Be Santorum’s Big Break

College football’s second season culminates Wednesday. No games will be played, but there’s still high fan interest. National signing day is a day to dream big — for high school seniors, for college coaches, for fans — but the real winners and losers won’t be known for some time. Read full article > >

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National Signing Day: Recruiting is the beginning of coaches’ jobs, not the end

Thanks to Facebook, the concept of “defriending” has become part of the online culture. But in the real world, breaking up is a lot more difficult.

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It’s Not Me, It’s You: How to End a Friendship

Thanks to Facebook, the concept of “defriending” has become part of the online culture. But in the real world, breaking up is a lot more difficult.

Original post:
It’s Not Me, It’s You: How to End a Friendship

Jimmy Fallon has a talent for combining his dynamite impressions of famous musicians with hot topics and tunes. (See: His fake Neil Young singing Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair” with the real Bruce Springsteen.) Read full article > >

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Tim Tebow plus David Bowie equals Tebowie, thanks to Jimmy Fallon (Video)

MAHALLA EL-KUBRA, EGYPT — Much was made of Facebook, Twitter and the role social media played in lending a sense of youth and modernity to the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s rule. Then came the ascendancy of political Islam, which seems to be leading Egypt in a different direction entirely. But the real roots of the revolution may lie here in this crumbling cotton mill town in the Nile Delta, Egypt’s industrial heartland, and with an old-fashioned labor dispute over pay that began five years ago. Read full article > >

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An act of courage that launched a revolution

The underwater world on display in Disney’s “ Finding Nemo ” is teeming with a dizzying array of cheery creatures, from sea turtles to seahorses and mackerel sharks . So a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists decided to assess the mythical ecosystem inhabited by the small clownfish and his friends to see how their real-world counterparts were faring. Read full article > >

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The reality of ‘Finding Nemo’s’ marine life

Three US wealth managers who picked up a $254m lottery jackpot deny claims they only collected the cheque for the real winner, a client of theirs.

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Lottery ‘winners’ deny fourth man

If we would quit being half-ashamed of college sports and assign them some real value, we might just cure some of their corruptions. The NCAA should stop treating athletic departments as ticket offices attached to universities like tumors and instead treat them as legitimate academic branches. In fact, why shouldn’t we let kids major in sports? Aspiring athletes should be able to pursue their real interest, as a business and an art. Read full article > >

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NCAA colleges should consider offering sports as an academic major

A Tyrone man who was granted bail on terrorism charges is a member of the Real IRA’s army council and its leader in east Tyrone, police say.

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Alleged top Real IRA man in court