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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Feb 25, 2015
February 25, 2015
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Posturing, Posing and Press Releases:
Is America ready for DONALD TRUMP to be president? MICHAEL COHEN from the Trump Organization tells the National Enquirer that there's a "groundswell of support" for the billionaire to run in 2016 and he beat other GOP hopefuls like the Governor of Florida, JEB BUSH, New Jersey Governor CHRIS CHRISTIE, MIKE HUCKABEE, SARAH PALIN and MARCO RUBIO in a new survey.
Insiders claim there's lots of secret meetings going on and "The Donald" is "clearly interested" but hasn't made a final decision. (Lee)Culture Shock:
If you're starting to think that rising addiction to mobile phones is altering real-life relationships, that people around you seem to be increasingly unable to detach from their devices... you may be right!
The digital acceleration firm Apigee calls it "appdiction," and its survey of a thousand people with smartphones finds that rising numbers of them are becoming more dependent on their devices: 11 percent of smartphone owners reported they're "unable to be happy" without their electronic companions, and more than one in 10 said they are incapable of maintaining a relationship with their significant other without their phone.
A majority of the top app users admit to using their phones nearly all the time, including while at dinner with others. Fifty-five percent check at least one app hourly or more frequently. (Kaye)Sucks to be you:
Poor MICHAEL KEATON was all psyched up to win a little golden man. Video has surfaced on social media showing the "Birdman" star slyly slipping a piece of paper into his pocket after EDDIE REDMAYNE was named Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance in "The Theory of Everything." Speculation is the popular actor had already written his acceptance speech. (Lee)
TV Briefs:
"My Cousin Vinny" star MARISA TOMEI will be playing feminist icon GLORIA STEINEM in HBO's upcoming miniseries, "Ms."
Deadline reports the miniseries will cover the development of her signature magazine, and also feature KATHY NAJIMY (from "Veep") as the magazine's co-founder, BELLA ABZUG.Grace notes from Vinny Marino:
CHRIS BROWN's concert last night in Montreal and tonight in Toronto have been canceled. The Toronto Star says the singer was denied entry into Canada (quote), "due to immigration issues." Brown's probation was revoked last month in California going back to his 2009 assault of his then girlfriend, RIHANNA. Chris Tweeted (quote), "The good people of the Canadian government wouldn't allow me entry." He has a court date on March 20th and could wind up in jail. (Marino)
Animal Stories:
The historic Black Death of the 14th century was caused by gerbils --and not rats, as was long believed. So, mystery solved. (Either way, it was rodents. So, you know, ew, gross.)
After examining climate conditions during that period, researchers in Norway determined that climate conditions in Europe couldn't have supported a rat-driven outbreak. But conditions were optimal in Asia for gerbils and the fleas that love them.
Mashable.com added that the trading routes of the Silk Road were the likely conduits for the Plague. The Black Death wiped out the lives of up to 200 million people during the Middle Ages. (Bartha) -
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