News Genius Quotes Of The Week, 06/28/2013

With DOMA and Prop 8 struck dead (reminding only of Judy Garland), civil liberty news flooded the media, highlighting some of the best, and worst, elements of society. At the same time, the sports world celebrated the NBA draft and reacted to the arrest of Aaron Hernandez for murder. In tech, Rap Genius founder Ilan Zechory broke down the company, while all three founders shared the pitch that led to investment. News Genius breaks down the five Quotes of the Week. News Genius - Knock knock! Who’s there? Good taste. - Gavin Matthews

5. “We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do.” - New England Patriots, Aaron Hernandez Release

cinemablend.com

After his arrest for the supposed murder of Odin Lloyd, Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is not having a good week. Soon after being arrested, it was discovered that Hernandez had a close, still undetermined, role in a double murder from previous years. Following the arrest, Hernandez lost his sponsorships and endorsements, a significant blow to his finances. The icing on the cake? The Patriots cut Hernandez from the roster as soon as possible. The press release translation: “We are not fond of keeping alleged murderers on salary.” Proof again that having it all does not mean knowing it all.

4. “In a small saucepan, heat the almond butter and honey just to get melty, not cooked. (This is your glue and if it boils or even comes close, it gets hard and yucky.” - Merrill Stubbs, Food52 Granola Bars

flickr.com

In this week’s Food52 breakdown, the venerable granola bar gets a fresh take, by means of almond butter. Never take granola lightly; the perfect crunch and flavor ratio can make a bar taste better than a fine dessert. While the granola bar itself is an old recipe, officially “made” in the 1900s, but part of a long tradition of grainworking, the new flavors and textures in Food52’s recipe add something new and unique to the mould. And yes - “yucky” and “melty” are official chef words!

3. “Here’s how it goes: Knock knock. Who’s there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? All right. Good. You’re on the jury.” - Don West, George Zimmerman Trial

rollingout.com

This one is pretty self-explanatory: if your client is on trial for murder and you are tasked with defending him, do not open your case with a joke. Especially a knock-knock joke! In what will go down as one of the worst attempts at an opening statement, West kept the vibe alive later on my berating a witness’ struggles in reading cursive. While West was trying to make the point that finding an impartial jury was exceedingly difficult, all he did was jeopardize an already shaky defense. There is a time and place for humor; a killing is hardly one.

2. “By seeking to injure the very class New York seeks to protect, DOMA violates basic due process and equal protection principles applicable to the Federal Government” - Justice Anthony Kennedy, United States v. Windsor

media.npr.org

After a tense, prolonged waiting period, the Supreme Court finally passed down its 5-4 ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, striking down the 1996 law. As a result, same-sex marriages from any state are entitled to full federal recognition, meaning benefits, tax breaks, and any standard marriage allotment. While the ruling dangerously toed Constitutional lines on the authority of the Court, the relief to millions of same-sex couples firmly established the newfound liberty that the majority opinion set out to acknowledge. Even the strictly constitutional dissenting opinions by Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia (argle-bargle and all!) sought not to infringe on liberty, but to work within the framework of the law. Even the ACLU got involved. Perhaps our children really will have a better, more just future.

1. "If there's a person you love, you want to be with them in an active way. Same thing with music, you want to be with it in an active way." - Ilan Zechory, Power Pitch

www4.pictures.zimbio.com

We might be a bit biased...

In the East Egg/West Egg clash of the week, one of Rap Genius’ founders, Ilan Zechory, ventured onto CNBC’s Power Pitch. A show designed to challenge new ventures to prove their worth in a short pitch and discussion, Power Pitch paired Zechory with Karmaloop CEO Greg Sekloe in a battle of passion versus capital. While the latter argued that “let’s make some money” should be the go-to motto for business, Zechory retorted with a refreshing take on the role of business in its intersection with culture. Rather than letting “monetization” drive spirit, Ilan argued for an “active” approach to music, taking a community and crowd to the bank before dollars alone. All while sporting the best “I got this” grin since the Playstation 4 reveal.