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com
Salmon ‘chanted evening?
Deborah Zabarenko (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 2:17:28 PM
The one word that leaped out of
President Obama’s State of the
Union address to Congress wasn’t
“optimism,” “business,”
“teachers,” “economy” or
“budget.”
To those who listened to the
speech on National Public Radio,
the memorable term was
“salmon,” writ large in a word
cloud NPR compiled from its
listeners after Obama finished.
That kind of makes sense.
Without the Punch-and-Judy
theater of Republicans and
Democrats popping up from their
seats to cheer or boo, as they
customarily do when they’re
seated on opposing sides of the
room for a presidential address, it
was up to the Commander in
Chief to deliver some chuckle-
worthy lines.
Obama got his biggest laugh for
this rather understated poke at
overlapping federal bureaucracies:
“There are 12 different agencies
that deal with exports. There are
at least five different agencies that
deal with housing policy. Then
there’s my favorite example: the
Interior Department is in charge
of salmon while they’re in fresh
water, but the Commerce
Department handles them when
they’re in saltwater. (Laughter.) I
hear it gets even more
complicated once they’re smoked.
(Laughter and applause.)”
(No offense, Mr. President, but
this was kind of an easy room if
you got such a boffo response to
this joke. Plenty of Facebook and
Twitter posters wondered why
you didn’t mention cream cheese
and bagels.)
This being Washington, though,
it didn’t end there.
As my clever colleague Susan
Heavey notes, Obama’s joke
raised the ire of consumer
advocacy groups fighting what
could be the first genetically
modified animal for people to eat.
The Food and Drug
Administration is currently
considering whether to approve
sales of a faster growing salmon
- 27/01/11
made by Aqua Bounty
Technologies Inc. The agency
must evaluate the environmental
effects of the GMO fish, and
advocates say a decision could
come within weeks. Critics say
the company has not proven
eating its “frankenfish” is safe,
while the company has touted it as
a way to bring cheaper, healthier
food to more people.
The watchdog group Food &
Water Watch faults the FDA’s
approval process, and called on
Obama to stop genetically
http://www.LibertyNewspost.
engineered salmon from reaching
consumers.
“So President Obama, while your
joke was admittedly funny, it’s
also all too true. Instead of
making jokes, your administration
needs to intervene before yet
another convoluted ‘regulatory
structure’ is added to our already
overburdened food system and
these largely untested GE fish are
unleashed on an unsuspecting
public, paving the way for other
poorly regulated GE animals (pigs
and cows are already in the
works),” the group said in an open
e-mail.
You know what they say about
jokes — if you pick them apart,
somewhere along the line they
stop being funny.
Photo credits: REUTERS/
stringer (A salmon jumps for
food pellets at the Chilean Pacific
port of Chacabuco, south of
Santiago, September 16, 2003)
REUTERS/Phil McCarten
(Smoked salmon Oscars at a
preview of the 79th Academy
Awards Governors Ball
celebration in Los Angeles
February 1, 2007)
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2 Headline/
Washington Extra – Say cheese
Tabassum Zakaria (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 4:12:49 PM
Civility isn’t all it’s cracked up to
be and last night it meant
watching lawmakers smile with
their teeth but not their eyes.
The day after the State of the
Union it has become clear that the
forced Kumbaya moment is being
shrugged off for a return to the
comfort of political sniping. But
no one expected that rearranging
the deck chairs would lead to a
lasting group hug.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson
of Wisconsin — the state
President Barack Obama chose
for his day-after trip to the
heartland — said when Obama
mentions investment he means
“government spending and
government control. And that is
the definite wrong direction.”
Obama visited Manitowoc,
Wisconsin, to promote his agenda
of creating jobs and reining in
spending, as the Congressional
Budget Office painted a
worsening deficit picture.
Obama said he came to
Manitowoc “to glimpse the
future” and that he had not known
beforehand about the city’s own
Sputnik moment in 1962.
(Coincidence? Fade to Twilight
Zone music).
“It wasn’t until I was on my way
here that I found out that a chunk
of metal came crashing down to
the Earth right here,” Obama said.
“It turns out that it was part of a
satellite called Sputnik that landed
right here, and that set the Space
Race into motion.”
“So I want to say to you today
that it is here, more than 50 years
later, that the race for the 21st
century will be won.”
Here are our top stories from
Washington today…
Obama’s road to divided
Congress runs through Biden
As President Obama seeks
Congress’ backing for deficit
reduction and spending programs,
he will rely on Vice President
Biden, who has been playing a
growing role as the White
House’s emissary to Capitol Hill.
Biden’s role is expected to grow
as the White House jockeys with
Republicans over programs
Obama outlined in his State of the
Union address.
For more of this analysis by
Patricia Zengerle, read here.
Obama takes fiscal balancing act
to heartland
President Obama went to the
heartland to promote his agenda
of investing to create jobs while
reining in spending, a recipe
Republicans say is unworkable.
Underlining the enormity of the
task, the CBO said the deficit will
reach $1.48 trillion this year. The
rise is mostly due to the extension
of tax cuts put in place under
former President Bush.
For more of this story by Ross
Colvin, read here.
CBO sees 2011 deficit of $1.48
trillion
The budget deficit this year will
jump nearly 40 percent over prior
forecasts, mostly due to the
E-reader News Edition
commodity prices that has fueled would consider investigating
global inflation worries. mortgage servicers, which have
For more of this story by Mark been accused of shoddy home
Felsenthal, read here. foreclosure practices. If the House
U.S., in shift, bluntly urges Oversight Committee decides to
Mubarak to reform now take on this probe, it will add yet
The United States bluntly urged another layer of pressure on top
Egyptian President Hosni servicers such as Citigroup Inc,
Mubarak to make political Wells Fargo & Co and Bank of
reforms in the face of protesters America Corp.
demanding his ouster, marking a For more of this story by
pivot in its stance toward a key Rachelle Younglai, read here.
Arab ally. U.S. Secretary of State Panel chair challenges Obama’s
Hillary Clinton delivered the defense cuts
message at a news conference A Republican lawmaker
with the foreign minister of criticized the Obama
Jordan, another Arab country that administration’s plan to strip tens
m a m m o t h t a x - c u t p a c k a g e watched the ouster of Tunisia’s of billions of dollars from the
brokered by President Obama and president in a popular revolt two Pentagon’s budget and worried
lawmakers last month, the CBO weeks ago. that national security
said. The fiscal 2011 deficit will For more of this story by Arshad considerations were at risk.
hit $1.48 trillion, up from last Mohammed, read here. Howard “Buck” McKeon, the
August’s $1.07 trillion estimate, Sudan urges U.S. to look beyond new chairman of the House of
which was crafted before Bush- Darfur, restore ties Representatives Armed Services
era tax rates were extended. “The The United States should look Committee, questioned President
United States faces daunting beyond the Darfur issue and Obama’s plans to pare $78 billion
e c o n o m i c a n d b u d g e t a r y quickly normalize ties with Sudan from the Pentagon’s core, $550
challenges.” to build on progress from its billion-plus spending plan from
For more of this story by Richard successful secession referendum, 2012 through 2016.
Cowan and Kim Dixon, read here. Foreign Minister Ali Karti said. For more of this story by Jim
Fed cautious on recovery, “The Sudanese have fulfilled an Wolf, read here.
focused on joblessness essential obligation. As far as Lawmakers vow to pursue oil
The Federal Reserve gave the world expectations go, we have spill bill
economy a lukewarm assessment d e l i v e r e d a n d t h u s o u r A key lawmaker vowed to
despite recent signs the recovery commitment to peace should introduce bipartisan legislation
was strengthening, saying high never be in question,” Karti said. aimed at strengthening offshore
unemployment still justified its “Normalization of relations drilling regulations to prevent a
$ 6 0 0 b i l l i o n b o n d - b u y i n g should not be held hostage by repeat of last year’s massive BP
program. In a statement following Darfur.” oil spill. Senator Jeff Bingaman,
i t s t w o - d a y p o l i c y - s e t t i n g For more of this story by Andrew chairman of the Senate Energy
meeting, the central bank also said Quinn, read here. and Natural Resources committee,
measures of underlying inflation Top congressional cop may probe said he planned to tackle oil spill
were “somewhat low” although it mortgage servicers
a c k n o w l e d g e d a r i s e i n A top congressional cop said he WASHINGTON page 3
E-reader News Edition Business/ Food/ 3
WASHINGTON
continued from page 2

legislation during this Congress.
For more of this story by Ayesha
Rascoe, read here.
CFTC seeks more information
from funds, advisors
The CFTC unveiled two
proposals that would require
funds, commodity pools and
commodity trading advisors file
reports to regulators on their
operations, part of a sweeping
series of Wall Street reforms. The
proposals mirrored a plan
introduced on Tuesday by the
SEC, but they go further by
seeking to gather more data from
some players who had been
exempt from filing reports with
regulators.
For more of this story by Roberta
Rampton and Christopher
Doering, read here.
Breast implants may be linked to
rare cancer-FDA
Women with breast implants may
face an increased risk of a rare
immune-system cancer near their
Lighter Deep Dish Pizza
(Cooking Light: Editor's Picks)
[ fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve
implants, regulators said. Health
officials need more data to tell if
the implants are related to the
cancer and are asking doctors to
report any confirmed cases, the
FDA said in a statement. Overall
the agency still considers implants
safe.
For more of this story by Lisa
Richwine and Susan Heavey, read
here.
What we are blogging…
Salmon ‘chanted evening?
The one word that leaped out of
President Obama’s State of the
Union address to Congress wasn’t
“optimism,” “business,”
“teachers,” “economy” or
“budget.” To those who listened
to the speech on NPR, the
memorable term was “salmon,”
writ large in a word cloud NPR
compiled from its listeners after
Obama finished. That kind of
makes sense. Without the Punch-
and-Judy theater of Republicans
and Democrats popping up from
full-text content] We made over
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to
deliver full flavor while keeping
their seats to cheer or boo, as they
customarily do when they’re
seated on opposing sides of the
room for a presidential address, it
was up to the Commander in
Chief to deliver some chuckle-
worthy lines.
For Deborah Zabarenko’s full
post, click here.
Photo credit: Reuters/Larry
Downing (Obama receives
autographed Green Bay Packers
NFL football jersey in Wisconsin)
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Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
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saturated fat, sodium, and calories
in check.
Analyst Calls: NFLX,
CHS,TRW, CWTR,
VTAL, ESRX...
Eric Buscemi (BloggingStocks) Outperform from Sector Perform
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:00:00 PM at RBC Capital.
• Family Dollar ( FDO) upgraded
Filed under: Analyst Reports, to Outperform from Sector
A n a l y s t U p g r a d e s a n d Perform at RBC Capital.
D o w n g r a d e s , N e t f l i x , I n c . • Siliconware Precision ( SPIL)
(NFLX), Family Dollar Stores upgraded to Outperform from
(FDO), Research in Motion Neutral at Macquarie.
(RIMM), Abercrombie and Fitch • Amedisys ( AMED) upgraded
(ANF), RadioShack Corp (RSH), to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
Analyst Initiations, Goodyear Tire • TRW Automotive( TRW)
a n d R u b b e r ( G T ) A n a l y s t upgraded to Buy from Neutral at
upgrades: Goldman.
• Netflix ( NFLX) upgraded to • Magna ( MGA) upgraded to
Buy from Underperform at BofA/ Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
Merrill.
• Rockwell ( ROK) upgraded to Continue reading Analyst Calls:
Outperform from Market Perform N F L X , C H S , T R W , C W T R ,
at Wells Fargo. VTAL, ESRX...
• Chico's ( CHS) upgraded to Analyst Calls: NFLX,
Outperform from Market Perform C H S , T R W , C W T R , V T A L ,
at FBR Capital. ESRX... originally appeared on
• Ann Taylor ( ANN) upgraded to BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Jan
Buy from Hold at Citigroup. 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see
• Meredith ( MDP) upgraded to our terms for use of feeds.
Buy from Hold at Citigroup. Permalink| Email this| Comments
• CarMax ( KMX) upgraded to

Pioneer Floating Rate Trust (PHD): Rising Returns?

Steven Halpern
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:30:00 PM
Filed under: Newsletters, ETF
Investing, Stocks to Buy
"Floating rate securities are very
timely, given the current interest
rate environment; I'd like to
increase my weighting in these
securities now and Pioneer
Floating Rate Trust ( PHD) is the
best way to accomplish that now,"
says income expert Amy Calistri.
The editor of The Daily Paycheck
explains, "The closed-end fund is
trading at a reasonable premium
to its average. PHD is currently
trading at a premium of 0.31%
compared to its 52-week average
of 1.67%.
"All floating rate funds were
forced to trim their dividends as
interest rates fell. PHD's last
dividend cut was in May 2010,
which was a little later in the
interest cycle than the dividend
actions taken by other funds.
Continue reading Pioneer
Floating Rate Trust (PHD): Rising
Returns?
Pioneer Floating Rate Trust
(PHD): Rising Returns? originally
appeared on BloggingStocks on
Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST.
Please see our terms for use of
feeds. Permalink| Email this|
Comments
4 Business/
On the SOTU Address, the Rise of India, and the U.S.'s
Precarious Global Position
Jenara Nerenberg (Fast
Company)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:41:43 PM
In his new book, Professor
Kishore Mahbubani, a Dean at the
National University of Singapore,
compares the world's 192
countries to cabins on one boat,
without a single captain. That's
not good. He took a break at
Davos to speak with Fast
Company.
You may have heard that the
World Economic Forum is
underway in Davos. While there,
Professor Kishore Mahbubani,
Dean in the Practice of Public
Policy of the Lee Kuan Yew
School of Public Policy at the
National University of Singapore,
took time to chat by phone with
Fast Company about the rise of
India and China and the United
States' teetering world standing.
Mahubani has a book out later
this year that compares the
world's 192 countries to cabins on
one boat, without a single captain.
That concerns him, to say the
least, and what also concerns him
is that "many Asians don't believe
in the rise of Asia. Many don't
believe this is real." His own
country of Singapore is
"massively investing in R&D," he
says, and "so many of the world's
leading companies are now
E-reader News Edition
investing in Singapore." over 200 years. Last year
For his part, Mahbubani is Singapore's economy grew 15%.
primarily focused on Asia's That is miraculous.
ascent. "The world is small so we What does the future hold for
need greater global coordination Asia in terms of green technology
and global institutions. There's a and green innovations?
big difference between global Everyone thought green tech
government, which will not would be based in America and
happen, and global governance, Europe, but China is leading the
which will happen." way. And that's because the
The outspoken professor--he says Chinese government is supporting
that "traditionally most Asians are investment in this area. The U.S.
very polite and don't say what is not--they're leaving that to the
they really believe--Asian voices private sector.
should be more reflected at The number of Internet users
Davos"--talked with us about the worldwide has reached 2 billion.
grave state of the U.S. budget How is this transforming Asia's
deficit, the future of green role in the world?
technology, how the Internet is Most of the new Internet users
changing Asia and the world, and come from Asia, and Mandarin is
the miracle that is Singapore's now the most dominant language
economy. online. This is a very good trend.
What struck you from Obama's What about Central Asia? The
State of the Union speech? And OECD Central Asia
what is the mood like at the WEF Competitiveness Outlook is to be
right now? released today.
The big general comment is that The main drivers will remain
The rise of Asia began with sandwiched between the two.
those in the rest of the world are China and India, that's for sure.
Japan, then the next batch came There will be spillover effects. In
alarmed that Americans don't Related Story: Innovation Nation:
100 years later. The rise of South Southeast Asia, the number of
seem to understand the scale of Obama's State of the Union
Korea and Taiwan, for example, Chinese tourists is growing leaps
the problem and the sacrifices Speech and Dambisa Moyo's New
has inspired the rise of other small and bounds.
needed to fix the problem. This Book Call for American
countries such as Indonesia. The governments that are
budget deficit can't carry on Enterprise
If Nepal had a more stable dynamic and innovative will do
forever. There is a high level of Follow me, Jenara Nerenberg, on
government and sound economic well. The ones that are not will
concern over the future of the Twitter.
policies, it's in a perfect position not do well. This is the age of
U.S. economy.
to take advantage of the growth of opportunity in Asia. This is the
Within Asia, what role will the
C h i n a a n d I n d i a , b e i n g best period in Asian history in
smaller countries play?
E-reader News Edition Business/ 5

5 Of The Most Commonly Missed Tax Deductions

Deborah Sweeney (Business (based on number of employees qualifying newly acquired
Insider) and average annual wages) but equipment and computer software
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:57:16 PM aren’t paying for at least half of are easy enough but it’s important
your employees’ healthcare to know that you can take
J a n u a r y i s w i n d i n g d o w n coverage, now is the time to deductions for many fees charged
meaning that tax season is consider changing your practices. to your business account
officially upon us. Gone are the The maximum available credit including ATM fees, credit card
carefree days of the holiday will be raised to 50 % in 2014! fees, and bank charges. You can
season and now the inevitability 2. Health Insurance Deduction even deduct for the space you use
of taxes is looming ahead. for the Self-Employed. Maybe in your home and for the
Don’t lose heart though! Paying you’re self-employed and paying percentage of internet and phone
taxes is a requirement but paying for your own health insurance? In that you use for your business!
too much in taxes is not. 2011 past years, the money you spent While calculating these
presents new opportunities to on health insurance premiums has percentages may seem difficult in
excel at preparing your taxes by only been eligible as a deduction the beginning, it can be a great
using the allowable deductions to on your income tax, not your self- benefit to you in the end when it
your advantage. employment tax. This year, comes time to pay your tax bill.
Here are five of the most however, it’s available as a Many of these deductions may
commonly missed tax deductions. deduction on both taxes. Don’t seem easy enough to master now
Learn them. Love them. Use them forget to include it twice when but when combined with the other
for any transportation you do for and hotel rooms for the duration
on your tax return this year. you prepare your returns. myriad of deductions, credits, and
the business. Say you own a of your trip. It’s important to
1. Healthcare Tax Credit. If you 3. Depreciation on Your Business exemptions that must be
furniture store and have a truck keep the receipts from your
own a small business that pays for Car or Truck. If you bought a new remembered when filling out a tax
you use exclusively for delivering travels and also keep track of
at least half of its employees’ truck or car for your business last return, they frequently fall by the
furniture, 100% of gas and where you’ve been and what you
healthcare coverage, you’re y e a r , t h i s o n e ’ s f o r y o u . wayside. Don’t let this happen to
maintenance will be deductible, did while there. A cab here and
eligible for a tax credit of up to Depreciation amounts on new you! Stay tuned for five more
including any money you pay for there while out of town for
35% of what you spend on the passenger vehicles purchased to deductions next week!
parking and toll roads. business can add up quickly on
health insurance premiums. The use in a business are significantly Join the conversation about this
4. Out of Town Business Travel your tax return.
credit is maximized for businesses higher this year than last, building story »
Costs. Almost any travel you do 5. Home Office Deduction. Do
that have ten or fewer employees on top of the usual first-year
for business is deductible on your you work out of a home office? If
that average $25,000 or less in deduction that is allowed. Gas
taxes for at least some percentage. so, there are many deductions you
a n n u a l w a g e s s o s m a l l e r and maintenance on this vehicle
This includes business meals, may be missing on your tax
businesses are favored here. If (and others already purchased for
travel costs (think baggage fees!), returns. Deductions for
you have a qualifying business your business) are also deductible

Fluor Continues to Ascend

Joseph Lazzaro Fluor Corp. ( FLR), first can tolerate the risk can maintain originally appeared on
(BloggingStocks) discussed here on February 17, their full position, but keep in BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Jan
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:30:00 PM 2009, at a price of $39.21, has mind the journey to plus-$80 may 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see
ascended to the stratosphere, not be completed in 2011. our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Stocks to Buy taking out $70 resistance, and Continue reading Fluor Permalink| Email this| Comments
Leading international design, now may be a good time to Continues to Ascend
However, those investors who
engineering, and contracting firm consider taking some profits. Fluor Continues to Ascend
6 Business/
Ford Foundation Launches JustFilms, Partners With Nick
Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn
Jenara Nerenberg (Fast
Company)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:58:58 PM
The new JustFilms initiative will
"lay the groundwork for an
international public engagement
strategy," says director Orlando
Bagwell.
New York Times columnist Nick
Kristof and his wife, Sheryl
WuDunn (inset, above), authors
of the bestselling Half the Sky,
are the first recipients of the Ford
Foundation's newly minted
JustFilms, a $50 million initiative
supporting socially conscious
indie filmmakers.
The film will focus on women's
empowerment and women in
conflict, just like the book.
"One of the core reasons why we
started this fund is we really want
to help support filmmakers from
other parts of the world,"
JustFilms director, Orlando
Bagwell (above, main), tells Fast
Company. Bagwell and his
colleagues are already scouring
countries from China to Indonesia
to Egypt in search of new voices
Watch This Cab Explode During The Snow
Storm Right Next To A Group Of Fire Fighters
Gregory White (Business
Insider)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:52:20 PM
with urgent stories to tell.
"We think that a larger influence
of information is going to raise
the conversation of important
issues," Bagwell says.
The meeting with Kristof next
week is an invitation-only event
that is being sponsored in
partnership with the International
Televesion Service (ITVS) and
will convene a few select
filmmakers working on issues of
Early this morning, a cab
exploded on Second Avenue in
New York. At the time of the
explosion, fire fighters were near
gender and women's
empowerment and women in
conflict. Bagwell says he
ultimately wants to identify those
stories about women that urgently
demand an audience. "If we're
able to increase the conditions of
women in the world ... it's a clear
space where we can have impact.
We're looking at multi-year
efforts on women's issues."
Additionally, JustFilms is
the cab, trying to put out the
flames.
No word on whether or not there
were any injuries.
producing a series on Half the
Sky, and Kristof and his wife are
senior producers.
The goal is to "lay the
groundwork for an international
public engagement strategy,"
Bagwell says.
JustFilms is also working in
partnership with Sundance and
they have plans to take the
Sundance Laboratories--one or
two-week intensive gatherings--
( via New York Magazine)
Join the conversation about this
story »
E-reader News Edition
around the world, with parts of
the Arab world a likely first
destination.
The focus of JustFilms is thus to
increase the level of conversation
and interaction that ensues
between filmmakers and the
public after a film is finished--the
"afterlife" of a film as Bagwell
calls it. "It's like the next life of
films to think about how to have
impact on the ground."
"There's so many innovative ways
films are being made, filmed,
distributed. We want to nurture
those innovations," he adds. "We
want to be in touch with the world
of ideas that come from the
public. We want to be in the game
where we can see a film in
production and then support it
quickly," Bagwell says. "We're a
convener. We rally people around
ideas around narrative and
storytelling and around issues
people didn't know about before."
Follow me, Jenara Nerenberg, on
Twitter.
E-reader News Edition Business/ 7

Skyonic's Secret to Cleanest Coal Plants: Drano

Ariel Schwartz (Fast Company) is working on a new project that found in fertilizers, preservatives, down to a 400 megawatt $150 per kilowatt. The secret is
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:29:10 PM can remove up to 99% of all enamels, and more. After the equivalent. Ours works down to Skyonic's powerful reaction
pollutants from exhaust gases, baking soda, sodium nitrate, and the 10 megawatt level," explains mechanism--sodium hydroxide, a
To arrive at the cleanest version including remove sulfur oxides sodium sulfate have been CEO Joe Jones. Most of the coal common household drain cleaner
of coal technology, Skyonic (SOX), nitrogen oxides (NOX), collected, they can be safely and industrial plants covered by found inside products like Drano--
pioneered a process involving a mercury, and heavy metals. stored. CO2 is scrubbed afterward the new regulations are under a combined with the smaller
chemical you use to wipe out Dubbed SkyScraper, the using the company's SkyMine 400 megawatt energy capacity, reaction chamber used to scrub
tough hair clogs in your bathroom technology can be retrofitted to technology. which means SkyMine's pollutants.
sink. existing plants or attached to new Jones is confident that the technology may be their best bet. Skyonic is already on track to
Like it or not, the U.S. is ones. Once installed, SkyScraper technology will be a hit because Skyonic also claims that its begin construction of a
committed to clean coal, or works by adjusting the contact of new EPA regulations that will processes are cheaper than commercial carbon capture plant
technology that buries or scrubs time between toxic gases and the require one third of coal and competitors' offerings--EPA next to Capitol Aggregates
CO2 from coal-fired power caustic liquid used to scrub them industrial plants to scrub toxins compliance using other Cement Plant in San Antonio,
plants. So we're heartened to hear so that the mix produces only from their flue stacks. "Large technology could cost up to $650 Texas that will incorporate both
that Skyonic, a startup that turns sodium sulfate and sodium nitrate scale scrubbers such as wet per kilowatt, while Skyonic's SKYONIC'S page 8
CO2 emissions into baking soda, --relatively benign chemicals limestone are really only scalable technology costs approximately
8 Business/ Politics-Left/ E-reader News Edition

Plagiarizing Editor's Boss: 'Byline With Netflix Above

Doesn't Take Credit for the Work' $200 a Share, a Great
Maureen O'Connor (Business
Insider)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:53:22 PM
Time to Buy Puts
Jason Raznick
Rodale, publisher of Men's (BloggingStocks)
Health and employer of serial Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:00 PM

plagiarist David Zinczenko,

explains why ripping writers' Filed under: Earnings Reports,
bylines off their work, and Forecasts, Netflix, Inc. (NFLX),
slapping Zinczenko's on, is OK: Options
"The byline doesn't take credit for Netflix's ( NFLX) very strong
the work, but serves as an bottom line Q4 numbers were
overarching tag." accompanied by revenues that This compares to analysts' EPS
After reading our story earlier were a little light: $595.92, consensus of $0.87 to $675.7
about how Zinczenko routinely million compared to Street million.
takes Men's Health articles by estimates of $597.49 million. Continue reading With Netflix
other people, removes their But they were also accompanied Above $200 a Share, a Great
bylines, adds his, and then by better than expected subscriber Time to Buy Puts
publishes the resulting article in growth. In Q4 the company reeled With Netflix Above $200 a
his "Eat This, Not That" column in 3.1 million new subscribers and Share, a Great Time to Buy Puts
work, but serves as an carry the Men's Health byline are expects to end the first quarter of originally appeared on
for Yahoo! Health, a
overarching tag used in indeed stories by Dave that he 2011 with between 21.9 million BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Jan
spokesperson for Men's Health
conjunction with the logo to wrote for his books that were then and 22.8 million U.S. subscribers. 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see
parent company Rodale
indicate that the material has been adapted by Men's Health staffers The company sees EPS of $0.90 our terms for use of feeds.
explained:
written, assigned or edited by the to later appear in the magazine. to $1.13 on revenues of $684 Permalink| Email this| Comments
Rodale owns all rights to the
brand (i.e. Dave and his team) at Silly us, and our literal definition million to $704 million in Q1.
majority of the content that
some point. That is why the Men's of "by." Clearly we lack the
appears in Men's Health, SKYONIC'S
Health logo appears on this synergistic minds necessary to
Women's Health, Eat This, Not continued from page 7
particular blog. Much of Dave's understand this new model of 21st
That! and other branded products. SkyMine and SkyScraper roughly equivalent to the
work is original for this blog, but century journalism.
Our editors use that content to technology. The plant should be environment itself."
in addition to generating new Previously: Men's Health Editor
promote Rodale and its various finished before 2012. Ariel Schwartz can be reached on
content, Dave—and many editors Plagiarizes His Own Writers
properties across all media. As the "This is cleanest coal technology," Twitter or by email.
in general—also edit existing This is reposted from Gawker
editor for the Men's Health brand, says Jones. "When we return gas
content that the company owns to with permission.
it's Dave's job to promote the back to the flue, it contains only
connect with readers. A number Join the conversation about this
magazine and its extensions. The nitrogen, water vapor, and very
of the articles you cite that simply story »
byline doesn't take credit for the low ppms of anything else. It's

Robust and Wide-Open

Justin Driver (The New Justice Brennan: Liberal Wermiel
Republic - All Feed) Champion (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 674
By Seth Stern and Stephen pp., $35)
E-reader News Edition
This iPhone App Could Save Your Life
David Zax (Fast Company)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:23:25 PM
Cardiac arrest? There's an app for
that--this one, which alerts
citizens who know CPR if
someone in the vicinity needs
help.
The San Ramon Valley Fire
Protection District, not typically
known for its high-tech
innovations, has nevertheless
launched a brilliant iPhone app
that could help save lives.
In the words of the fire
department's Vimeo page, "The
new app empowers everyday
citizens to provide life-saving
assistance to victims of Sudden
The Giants Might Bring Plaxico Burress Back,
Are They Nuts?
Kevin Baumer (Business
Insider)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:45:23 PM
Super agent Drew Rosenhaus has
made it very clear that he expects
Plaxico Burress to be back in the
NFL next season, confirming
what many had already suggested.
Burress's jail term ends in June,
and he'll be on a similar path to
Michael Vick once he's a free
man. But Burress's crime, though
boneheaded, hasn't made him a
hated man. He very well could
get a chance next season, after all
6-5 wide receivers don't grow on
Cardiac Arrest." If you know CPR
(and live in the region served by
the app), you can sign up to be
notified if someone in the area is
having a cardiac emergency.
When you arrive on the scene, the
app will even direct you to the
location of the nearest public
access defibrillator. It's something
like having an EMT dispatcher in
your pocket at all times. And in
situations where one of these
good citizens is blocks or miles
closer than the nearest
professional, it could mean the
difference between life and death.
[vimeo 19163938]
O'Reilly Radar was one of the
first to report on the app, and in
trees.
However, if the New York Giants
are seriously thinking about
bringing Plax back, as GM Jerry
Reese has indicated, they're out of
their minds.
speaking with San Ramon's fire
chief, heard some eye-opening
stats:
"Nation-wide, we have over
300,000 people dying from
First of all, the Giants have a
very deep, young receiving corp
and certainly don't have a glaring
need at the position. But even
beyond that, Plaxico, though a
good player in New York, needs a
Business/ Top News/
cardiac arrest every year," said
Richard Price, fire chief at
SRVPD. "This app will help put
rescuers where they are and get
automatic electronic
fresh start. The team supported
him, but the Giants have moved
on and washed their hands of
Burress. Bringing him back to the
place where his accident occurred
will only draw unnecessary
negative attention to a team that
has enough issues already.
If the Giants are dumb enough to
offer a deal to Plaxico, hopefully
he's smart enough to realize he
needs a fresh start elsewhere.
Join the conversation about this
story »
9
defibrillators off the wall."
Currently, Price says that there's
less than an 8% chance of
survival if someone goes into
cardiac arrest on the street. "With
a cardiac arrest, you only get
about 10 minutes to help," he
said. "On average, it takes 7
minutes for first responders from
a 911 call to arrive. The reason
many people are dying is because
of that difference."
The software company WorkDay
has donated time to develop this
app, and reportedly will be
porting it to Android and
BlackBerry.
[vimeo 19139695]
Facebook Moves To
Block Hackers with
More Security
(NewsFactor)
(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:18:19 PM
NewsFactor - Facebook hacking
isn't a new phenomenon, but a day
after CEO Mark Zuckerberg's
Facebook page was hacked, the
social-networking giant is moving
to put stronger security in place.
The announcement opened the
floodgates to consumer
complaints about everything from
unwanted photo tagging to the
new profile pages.
10 Top News/ E-reader News Edition

North Africa in flames: Why Egypt is no Tunisia - CNN

International
(Top Stories - Google News) class elements. No surprise then So have the protesters in Egypt Brotherhood said it would not be activity and speculation, has
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:33:58 PM that the dissent in Tunisia has made use of the internet? officially participating in protests played a less active role in recent
inspired some demonstrators in Definitely, driving protests more but added it would not prevent its years.
ElBaradei: Egypt is not stable Egypt. so than in Tunisia. Two groups members from taking part. Historically Egypt has a larger
STORY HIGHLIGHTS But below the surface there are stand out. On Thursday the Brotherhood percentage of its population living
• Egypt is a much more dominant differences between these two The first is the Facebook group called for its followers to below the poverty line than
influence on the Arab world than North African nations. "We are All Khaled Said," its demonstrate after Friday's weekly Tunisia -- 20%, according to a
Tunisia Such as? name taken from an Alexandria prayers -- the first time in the 2005 estimate, compared to 3.8%.
• Protester in Egypt have been Tunisia, until the fall of Ben Ali, activist who was allegedly beaten current round of unrest that the But many of those poor have not
able to make much more effective had a strictly controlled media, to death by police last year. It largest opposition bloc has told been involved in this week's
use of the internet with severe restrictions on what wants limits on the presidential supporters to take to the streets. protests, their places taken by
• Egypt has seen lower rates of could be reported. term -- Egypt faces an election The economy is clearly a factor students, businessmen and even
unemployment in recent years The press in Egypt, in contrast is later this year -- and a raise in the in the unrest across North Africa. middle-aged couples. Poor
• Middle classes have played a lively and often highly critical of minimum wage among other How do Egypt and Tunisia Egyptians cannot take time off
major role in protests in Egypt the president and his government. demands. By early Tuesday it had compare? work to protest.
and Tunisia Certainly the media is afforded 90,000-plus users signed up. The Egyptian economy has been There have been clashes between
much more freedom than its The April 6 Movement, started in in better shape in recent years security forces and protesters in
Cairo, Egypt (CNN)-- Egypt has counterparts in Syria, Iraq under 2008 on Facebook to support than its Tunisian counterpart and Egypt. Is the army going to get
been rocked by protests in recent Saddam Hussein and Tunisia. striking workers, shares many of has key exports such as oil on involved?
days, only weeks after similar Anti-government rallies are not the same concerns and is similarly which it can rely. It also depends The army in Tunisia played a
disturbances sparked revolution in uncommon in Egypt -- but usually characterized by a strong heavily on tourism, and revenues crucial role: despite clashes
Tunisia and forced then-president p r o t e s t e r s a r e h e a v i l y following among the young of from the Suez Canal. between security forces and
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee outnumbered by the security Egypt. Tunisia's GDP grew by 3.4% in protesters, the military never gave
the country. forces. This week's protests have One political group that has been 2010 and 3% in 2009, compared its backing to the then-president.
What similarities are there b e e n u n u s u a l b e c a u s e largely, though not totally, absent to 5.3% and 4.6% during the same In Egypt, the military has
between the situation in Egypt demonstrators on the streets of from the protests is the banned periods in Egypt, according to the likewise rarely become involved
and that in Tunisia? Cairo have outnumbered police. Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest CIA Factbook. Meanwhile the in protests -- the last major
Both nations have seen dramatic Is there as much freedom on the organized opposition to the unemployment rate in Egypt stood incidents were bread riots in 1977
rises in the cost of living in recent internet in Egypt? government. at 9.7% last year, compared to and a police strike in 1985.
years as well as accusations of Yes. Egypt has a less restrictive It draws its support from the 14% in Tunisia for the same Even the assassination of Hosni
corruption among the ruling elite. a p p r o a c h t o s o c i a l m e d i a : poorer members of society, period. In both cases analysts Mubarak's predecessor Anwar El
E g y p t i a n P r e s i d e n t H o s n i Facebook is freely available and especially in the slums of Cairo believe the true unemployment Sadat in 1981 involved only a
Mubarak has now been in power often used as a means to organize and also Upper Egypt, but also rate is substantially higher. small hardcore group of officers
since 1981 -- six years before ex- protests. Twitter has also been among professionals, such as One of the complaints from many motivated by extremism.
Tunisian ruler Zine El Abidine used as an organizing tool. lawyers and doctors. The protesters in Egypt is that they This apolitical approach means
Ben Ali, who was forced from By contrast the previous Tunisian Egyptian government frequently have not been able to enjoy the that the army is held in high
office earlier this month, assumed government took a more hardline characterizes the Brotherhood as fruits of this economic success. regard by many ordinary
the presidency of his country. attitude toward the web, closing an extremist group and uses this -- There has also been unease that Egyptians.
The protest movements in both down sites and forcing protesters and the terror threat -- as a reason the Egyptian government, which Further afield, how is Egypt
n a t i o n s h a v e a l s o b e e n to rely more heavily on cellphone for clampdowns on opposition. used to involve itself in
characterized by strong middle SMS and word-of-mouth. Earlier in the week the crackdowns on black market NORTH page 12
E-reader News Edition Top News/ 11

Egypt democracy leader returns to lead protests (AP)

(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed) Twitter and Blackberry military. the streets. Demonstrators ran reporters.
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:42:05 PM Messenger services were Mubarak has seen to it that no through white clouds of tear gas "It's a critical time in the life of
interrupted, possibly a move by viable alternative to him has been and kicked the canisters back at Egypt, and I have to participate
CAIRO – Nobel Peace laureate authorities to hamper protesters allowed to emerge. Constitutional police. Some shielded themselves with the Egyptian people," he
Mohamed ElBaradei, Egypt's top from organizing. amendments adopted in 2005 by with overturned metal dumpsters said.
democracy advocate and a key Egypt's ruling party said it was the NDP-dominated parliament and hurled rocks from behind the A spokesman for ElBaradei,
challenger to President Hosni ready for a dialogue with the has made it virtually impossible makeshift barricades. Police said Abdul-Rahman Samir, said the
Mubarak, returned to the country public but offered no concessions for independents like ElBaradei to 30 people were injured in the former head of the U.N. nuclear
Thursday night after declaring he to address demands for a solution run for president. melee. watchdog was expected to join
was ready to lead the grass-roots to rampant poverty and political Mubarak's administration In the Suez Canal city of protests planned for after the
protest movement to a regime change heard in the country's suffered another serious blow Ismailia, east of Cairo, hundreds Friday prayers.
change. largest anti-government protests Thursday when the stock market of protesters clashed with police ElBaradei urged authorities to
Violence escalated outside the in years. Safwat El-Sherif, the crashed. The benchmark index who used tear gas and batons to exercise restraint with protesters
capital. In the flashpoint city of secretary general of the National fell more than 10 percent by disperse them. expressing their "legitimate need"
Suez, east of Cairo, rioters — Democratic Party and a longtime close, its biggest drop in more two Associated Press reporters saw for an Egypt that is democratic
some wearing surgical masks to confidant of Mubarak, was years on the back of a 6 percent scores of protesters outside the and based on social justice.
ward off tear gas — attacked the dismissive of the protesters at the fall a day earlier. downtown Cairo offices of ElBaradei returned to Egypt last
main fire station in downtown and first news conference by a senior The protesters have already Egypt's lawyers' union, which has year after living abroad for
looted it before torching it with ruling party figure since the achieved a major feat by been one of the flashpoints of this decades and has created a wave of
f i r e b o m b s , w i t n e s s e s s a i d . protests began. sustaining their demonstrations week's unrest. support from reformists. But he so
Firefighters jumped out windows "We are confident of our ability to for three days in the face of a There were two other small, far insisted he would not run in
to escape the flames, as heavy listen. The NDP is ready for a brutal police crackdown. Seven peaceful protests by lawyers in this year's presidential election
black smoke billowed from the dialogue with the public, youth people have been killed, hundreds the Mediterranean port city of unless restrictions on who is
building. The looters carried out and legal parties," he said. "But hurt and nearly 1,000 detained. Alexandria and the Nile Delta eligible to contest the vote are
weapons and live ammunition, democracy has its rules and The government has banned all town of Toukh, north of Cairo. lifted and far reaching political
which they then used against riot process. The minority does not gatherings and police have fired ElBaradei, who has emerged as a reforms are introduced.
police. They also broke an ATM force its will on the majority." rubber bullets, tear gas, and used prime challenger to Mubarak's His support base is primarily
and stole the cash. The 82-year-old Mubarak has not water cannons to disperse crowds. rule, told reporters at the Vienna made up of youths and he is seen
In the northern Sinai area of been seen in public or heard from They have also fired live airport on his way back to Egypt as untainted by corruption. But his
Sheik Zuweid, several hundred since the protests began Tuesday ammunition in the air at time to that he was seeking regime detractors say he may be lacking a
bedouins and police exchanged with tens of thousands marching warn people and there have been change and ready to lead the thorough understanding of life
live gunfire, killing a 17-year-old in Cairo and a string of other many scenes of riot police in opposition. here because of the decades he
man. cities. helmets and shields charging "The regime has not been has lived abroad, first as an
Social networking sites were Mubarak has not said yet whether crowds and beating people with listening," ElBaradei said. "If Egyptian diplomat and later with
abuzz with talk that Friday's he will stand for another six-year batons and plainclothes police people, in particular young the United Nations.
rallies could be some of the term as president in elections this beating demonstrators with long people, if they want me to lead the In another boost to the protest
biggest so far calling for the year. He has never appointed a sticks. transition, I will not let them movement, the country's largest
ouster of Mubarak after 30 years deputy and is thought to be Some of the worst unrest down. My priority right now ... is opposition group — the outlawed
in power. Millions gather at grooming his son Gamal to Thursday was in the hot spot of to see a new regime and to see a Muslim Brotherhood — also
mosques across the city for Friday succeed him despite popular Suez. The protesters also stoned new Egypt through peaceful threw its support behind the
prayers, providing organizers with opposition. According to leaked lines of helmeted riot police with transition." demonstrations. If the group's
a huge number of people already U . S . m e m o s , h e r e d i t a r y shields, who fired back with When ElBaradei touched down in backers join the protests on
out on the streets to tap into. succession also does not meet rubber bullets, water cannons and Egypt, he was greeted by a small
By Thursday evening, Facebook, with the approval of the powerful tear gas. Debris and rocks littered group of family and friends and EGYPT page 12
12 Top News/ Food/
NORTH
continued from page 10
regarded by the United States?
The United States closely
monitors all developments in
North Africa due to the war on
terror and the threat of extremism.
However, among Arab nations
Egypt enjoys a near-unparalleled
relationship with Washington.
On Tuesday Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said that while the
United States backed the "the
fundamental right of expression
and assembly for all people" it
believed that the "the Egyptian
government is stable and is
looking for ways to respond to the
legitimate needs and interests of
the Egyptian people."
But on Wednesday Clinton said,
"We believe strongly that the
Egyptian government has an
important opportunity at this
moment in time to implement
political, economic and social
reforms to respond to the
legitimate needs and interests of
the Egyptian people."
She also urged the government
not to prevent peaceful protests or
block social networking sites.
Also Wednesday White House
press secretary Robert Gibbs was
asked if the administration
Mystery solved: Teen put
piano on Miami sandbar (AP)
(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:29:40 PM
AP - The rumors can stop
swirling: The baby grand piano
that turned up on a Miami sandbar
was burned to tatters by New
supports Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak. He replied:
"Egypt is a strong ally."
Egypt has been a major player in
the Middle East peace process
over the decades -- most famously
the Camp David Accords signed
by Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin and U.S.
President Jimmy Carter in 1978.
After Israel, Egypt is now the
second biggest recipient of U.S.
aid.
Washington also regards Egypt
as a key ally in the war on terror.
It has also been alleged that Egypt
has sometimes been used by the
U.S. for rendition. Italian
prosecutors claimed in 2005 that
suspected CIA agents kidnapped
Osama Nasr Mostafa Hassan in
Milan and that he was taken to
Egypt for interrogation and
torture.
The U.S. maintains it does not
send suspects to countries that
condone torture.
Egypt has also played a key role
in issues including the
containment of Iran and relations
between Lebanon and Syria.
In comparison Tunisia has its
importance -- it was hit by
Year's revelers, then brought to its
new home by a television
designer's teenage son who said
Thursday he hoped the idea might
help him get into a prestigious art
school.
extremist attacks in the early to
mid-1980s -- but does not
compare strategically.
And what about the rest of the
Arab world?
Again, Egypt carries far more
clout than its North African
neighbor. Aside from its
economic and strategic weight, it
has a population of more than 80
million -- nearly eight times that
of Tunisia. The rest of the Arab
world is heavily influenced by
Egyptian culture including
literature, movies and TV.
Put simply, it's at the heart of the
region in a way that Tunisia is
not.
Nick Hunt and the CNN Wire
contributed to this report
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EGYPT
continued from page 11
Friday, it could swell the numbers
on the streets significantly. But
the group has stopped short of an
outright call for its backers to turn
out.
The Muslim Brotherhood called
on its website for protests to
remain peaceful. It also called for
new parliamentary elections under
judicial supervision, the
introduction of far-reaching
reforms and the lifting of
emergency laws in force since
1981.
The Brotherhood made a
surprisingly strong showing in
parliamentary elections in 2005,
when it won 20 percent of seats
and served as the main opposition
bloc in the legislature. In the latest
parliament elections held in
November, the Brotherhood failed
to win even a single seat. It
decried widespread fraud by the
ruling party and boycotted the
runoffs.
The vote gave the ruling party all
but a small fraction of the
chamber's 518 seats, an outcome
that analysts say chipped away
further at the regime's legitimacy
and likely contributed to the
discontent being vented on the
streets this week.
"The movement of the Egyptian
people that began January 25 and
has been peaceful, mature and
civilized must continue against
corruption, oppression and
injustice until its legitimate
demands for reform are met," said
the statement.
E-reader News Edition
"We are not pushing this
movement, but we are moving
with it. We don't wish to lead it
but we want to be part of it," said
Mohammed Mursi, a senior
Brotherhood leader.
The stock market crash, which
brought year-to-date losses to
almost 21 percent, hit at the core
of some of the regime's main
accomplishments. The president
has built his legacy continuing
and expanding the open market
policies launched by his
predecessor, Anwar Sadat, in the
1970s.
While Egyptian officials have
boasted about healthy economic
growth figures, critics have
argued that ambitious economic
reforms have done little more than
make the rich even richer while
poverty, unemployment and
prices rise unabated.
___
AP reporters Tarek el-Tablawy in
Cairo and Veronika Oleksyn in
Vienna contributed to this report.
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E-reader News Edition Top News/ 13

Poll: High marks for Obama's Facebook to let

speech, skepticism on spending advertisers republish
freeze - USA Today user posts (AP)
(Top Stories - Google News) speech, ending the typical sharp (Yahoo! News: Most Viewed) the Electronic Privacy
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:38:28 AM divide down the center aisle Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:59:02 AM Information Center, said in this
between the two sides. case the company is making
WASHINGTON — Americans By 50%-44%, Americans say NEW YORK – Facebook users money off a person's name or
give high ratings to President that's not a sign that the two who check in to a store or click likeness without their consent. He
Obama's State of the Union parties will be more willing to the "like" button for a brand may calls it "subtle and misleading"
Address in a USA TODAY/ work with each other this year. s o o n f i n d t h o s e a c t i o n s and says users should object.
Gallup Poll, but most weren't For more information about retransmitted on their friends' Twitter already offers advertisers
persuaded to back his proposed reprints & permissions, visit our pages as a "Sponsored Story" paid s o m e t h i n g s i m i l a r , c a l l e d
Among those groups, 65% say
five-year freeze on some domestic FAQ's. To report corrections and for by advertisers. "promoted tweets." These are
they had a positive reaction; 28%
spending. clarifications, contact Standards Currently there is no way for T w i t t e r p o s t s p a i d f o r b y
had a negative reaction.
• By H. Darr Beiser, USA Editor Brent Jones. For users to decline this feature. advertisers to show up in search
A third say they think the speech
TODAY President Obama publication consideration in the F a c e b o o k s a y s t h i s l e t s results and on top of popular topic
signaled a major change in the
delivers his State of the Union newspaper, send comments to advertisers promote word-of- lists on the site. But while
types of policies Obama will
address before a joint session of letters@usatoday.com. Include mouth recommendations that Twitter's ads are written by the
pursue.
Congress Tuesday night. name, phone number, city and people already made on the site. companies that pay for them,
When asked about the competing
state for verification. To view our They play up things people do on Facebook's sponsored stories are
budget plans, 39% favor Obama's
By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY corrections, go to the site that might get lost in the created by users.
plan to freeze discretionary
President Obama delivers his corrections.usatoday.com. We've mass of links, photos, status Both represent an effort to make
domestic spending for the next
State of the Union address before updated the Conversation updates and other content users advertisements more akin to what
five years, a step he said would
a joint session of Congress Guidelines. Changes include a share on the world's largest social people are already experiencing
impose fiscal discipline while
Tuesday night. brief review of the moderation network. on the site instead of putting up
allowing investments in research,
The plan by congressional process and an explanation on The new, promoted posts would virtual billboards that users might
education and infrastructure.
Republicans for more drastic how to use the "Report Abuse" keep the same privacy setting that ignore or find tacky.
Forty-one percent prefer the GOP
savings to cut federal spending to button. Read more. the original posting had. So if you ____
plan to cut spending to 2008
2008 levels gets a bit more This entry passed through the limit your check-ins to a specific Online:
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support. Full-Text RSS service — if this is group of friends, only these same Video from Facebook: http://
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The findings underscore the your content and you're reading it friends would see the "Sponsored w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / v i d e o /
nationwide, taken Wednesday,
power and the limits of the on someone else's site, please read Story" version later. video.php?v10100328087082670
has a margin of error of four
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of the opposite party during the
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Rotenberg, executive director of
14 Top News/ Technology/ E-reader News Edition

Adebayor - 'I'm not Benzema's rival' Yet Another Storm

(AFP) Buries the Northeast -
(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed) goal in last Sunday's win over Adebayor will be available to
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:55:47 AM New York Times
Real Mallorca he has rarely
convinced, leaving Real Madrid
play in the Champions League as
well as La Liga, the Spanish top
MADRID, Spain (AFP) – Real to look elsewhere to fill the gap. flight, and should his loan spell go (Top Stories - Google News) snow, closing airports and
Madrid's new striker Emmanuel Spanish media said Adebayor well at the Bernabeu, the player Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:49:38 AM schools, stranding commuters
A d e b a y o r , s i g n e d f r o m was coach Jose Mourinho's first could sign permanently for Real. and...
M a n c h e s t e r C i t y , T h u r s d a y choice as replacement for Higuain The 2008 African Player of the [ fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve Record snow again buries
rejected suggestions he has come after a bid to re-sign Ruud Van Year joined Manchester City from full-text content] Northeast Reuters
to the club to replace the out-of- N i s t e l r o o y f r o m H a m b u r g Arsenal before the start of the New York Times New Yorkers Told to Stay Home
favour Karim Benzema. collapsed. 2009/10 season, having been at Yet Another Storm Buries the as Snow, Sleet Close Schools,
"I'm not here to compete with him Adebayor said playing for Real the Gunners from 2006 when he Northeast Ground Flights Bloomberg
(Benzema) or with anyone else. was an "opportunity that I have signed from French side Monaco. New York Times Bloomberg Defeats Snow, Now
What I want is that all the Real always dreamed about. He scored 14 goals in his first A two-stage winter storm struck, Has Schools to Tackle WNYC
players give their best," he told a "This is going to be a huge season with the club and has five paused, gathered its breath and NY1- All About Top News-
news conference as he was challenge and I know fans here goals in 12 matches played during delivered a crippling blow to the AZFamily
officially unveiled as a Real expect a lot, so I am going to be the current campaign. N o r t h e a s t e a r l y T h u r s d a y , all 1,531 news articles »
player at the Santiago Bernabeu myself on the pitch and try to help Real, currently second in Spain's dumping more than a foot of
stadium. restore confidence to the club and top-flight Primera Liga, four Humorous Humanimal
"Karim is a great player, whom I the supporters. points behind rivals Barcelona,
Ugandan gay activist
know very well. We're friends and "I cannot ask for anything more. I face 17th-placed Osasuna on slain after photo Portraits - Martine Roch
I respect him. We are now at the want to win titles with Madrid at Sunday. Creates Human-Animal
same club and I have not come the end of the season, which is all This entry passed through the published (AP) Hybrid Illustrations
here to replace him," he said. that really matters to me. I spoke Full-Text RSS service — if this is (Yahoo! News: Most Viewed)
The 26-year-old Togo forward to Mourinho today during training your content and you're reading it (GALLERY)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:43 PM
has been brought in to add and I am very happy to belong to on someone else's site, please read (TREND HUNTER - The Latest
urgently needed firepower after Real Madrid. our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ AP - A prominent Ugandan gay Trends)
Argentinian striker Gonzalo "I am here to help. I had the content-only/faq.php rights activist whose picture was Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:01:02 PM
Higuain suffered a slipped disc chance of playing with Benzema Five Filters featured article: published by an anti-gay
that is expected to keep him out of in the past and he is a great player Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In newspaper next to the words ( TrendHunter.com) These human
action for the rest of the season. who is doing great things right The Crosshairs. "Hang Them" was bludgeoned to -animal hybrid illustrations by
France striker Benzema has filled now. I have a lot of respect for death. Police said Thursday his Martine Roch are fun and
in. But while he scored the only him." sexual orientation had nothing to humorous. Unlike other cross-
do with the killing and that one species artwork that you may
"robber" had been arrested. have come across, her work is
more whimsical, playful, freaky
and bizarre....
Egypt democracy leader returns to lead protests (AP)
(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed) Mohamed ElBaradei, Egypt's top Thursday night after declaring he
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:42:05 PM democracy advocate and a key was ready to lead the grass-roots
challenger to President Hosni protest movement to a regime
AP - Nobel Peace laureate Mubarak, returned to the country change.
E-reader News Edition
Egypt in Crisis — andIt's About to Get Uglier
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:19:03 PM
CAIRO -- Egypt's ruling party
said Thursday it was ready for a
dialogue with the public but
offered no concessions to address
demands for a solution to rampant
poverty and political change heard
in the country's largest anti-
government protests in years.
At the same time, the grass roots
protest movement was getting a
double boost likely energize the
largest anti-government
demonstrations Egypt has seen in
years. Mohamed ElBaradei, a
Nobel peace laureate and the
country's top pro-democracy
advocate, returned to the country
after nightfall after declaring he
was ready to lead the protests.
The country's largest opposition
group -- the fundamentalist
Muslim Brotherhood -- also threw
its support behind the
demonstrations.
Rioting and protests erupted for a
third straight day and social
networking sites were abuzz with
talk that Friday's rallies could be
some of the biggest so far calling
for the ouster of President Hosni
Mubarak after 30-years in power.
Millions gather at mosques across
the city for Friday prayers,
providing organizers with a huge
number of people already out on
the streets to tap into.
By Thursday evening, Facebook
and Twitter appeared to be
sporadically blocked, as they have
been in past days to hamper
protesters from organizing.
Safwat El-Sherif, the secretary
general of the National
Democratic Party and a longtime
confidant of Mubarak, was
dismissive of the protesters at the
first news conference by a senior
ruling party figure since the
protests began.
"We are confident of our ability to
listen. The NDP is ready for a
dialogue with the public, youth
and legal parties," he said. "But
democracy has its rules and
process. The minority does not
force its will on the majority."
The 82-year-old Mubarak has not
been seen in public or heard from
since the protests began Tuesday
with tens of thousands marching
in Cairo and a string of other
cities.
Mubarak has not said yet whether
he will stand for another six-year
term as president in elections this
year. He has never appointed a
deputy and is thought to be
grooming his son Gamal to
succeed him despite popular
opposition. According to leaked
U.S. memos, hereditary
succession also does not meet
with the approval of the powerful
military.
Mubarak has seen to it that no
viable alternative to him has been
allowed to emerge. Constitutional
amendments adopted in 2005 by
the NDP-dominated parliament
has made it virtually impossible
for independents like ElBaradei to
run for president.
Mubarak's administration
suffered another serious blow
Thursday when the stock market
crashed. The benchmark index
fell more than 10 percent by
close, its biggest drop in more two
years on the back of a 6 percent
fall a day earlier.
The protesters have already
achieved a major feat by
sustaining their demonstrations
for three days in the face of a
brutal police crackdown. Seven
people have been killed, hundreds
hurt and nearly 1,000 detained.
Some of the worst unrest
Thursday was in the city of Suez,
east of Cairo and a main
flashpoint of violence.
Rioters, some wearing surgical
masks or scarves over their faces
to ward off tear gas, attacked the
main fire station in downtown and
looted it before torching it with
firebombs. Firefighters jumped
out windows to escape the flames,
as heavy black smoke billowed
from the burning building.
The protesters also stoned lines
of helmeted riot police with
shields, who fired back with
rubber bullets, water cannons and
tear gas. Debris and rocks littered
the streets. Demonstrators ran
through white clouds of tear gas
and kicked the canisters back at
police. Some shielded themselves
with overturned metal dumpsters
and hurled rocks from behind the
makeshift barricades. Police said
30 people were injured in the
melee.
In the northern Sinai area of
Sheik Zuweid, clashes between
several hundred bedouins and
police left a 17-year-old man
dead.
The government has banned all
gatherings and police have fired
rubber bullets, tear gas, and used
water cannons to disperse crowds.
They have also fired live
ammunition in the air at time to
warn people and there have been
many scenes of riot police in
helmets and shields charging
crowds and beating people with
batons and plainclothes police
beating demonstrators with long
sticks.
Scores of protesters gathered in
Cairo and other cities Thursday.
In the Suez Canal city of Ismailia,
east of Cairo, hundreds of
protesters clashed with police who
used tear gas and batons to
disperse them.
Associated Press reporters saw
scores of protesters outside the
downtown Cairo offices of
Egypt's lawyers' union, which has
been one of the flashpoints of this
week's unrest.
There were two other small,
peaceful protests by lawyers in
the Mediterranean port city of
Alexandria and the Nile Delta
town of Toukh, north of Cairo.
ElBaradei, who has emerged as a
prime challenger to Mubarak's
rule, told reporters at the Vienna
airport on his way back to Egypt
that he was seeking regime
change and ready to lead the
opposition.
"The regime has not been
listening," ElBaradei said. "If
people, in particular young
people, if they want me to lead the
transition, I will not let them
down. My priority right now ... is
News Wire/ 15
to see a new regime and to see a
new Egypt through peaceful
transition."
When ElBaradei touched down in
Egypt, he was greeted by a small
group of family and friends and
reporters.
"It's a critical time in the life of
Egypt, and I have to participate
with the Egyptian people," he
said.
A spokesman for ElBaradei,
Abdul-Rahman Samir, said the
former head of the U.N. nuclear
watchdog was expected to join
protests planned for after the
Friday prayers.
ElBaradei urged authorities to
exercise restraint with protesters
expressing their "legitimate need"
for an Egypt that is democratic
and based on social justice.
ElBaradei returned to Egypt last
year after living abroad for
decades and has created a wave of
support from reformists. But he so
far insisted he would not run in
this year's presidential election
unless restrictions on who is
eligible to contest the vote are
lifted and far reaching political
reforms are introduced.
His support base is primarily
made up of youths and he is seen
as untainted by corruption. But his
detractors say he may be lacking a
thorough understanding of life
here because of the decades he
has lived abroad, first as an
Egyptian diplomat and later with
the United Nations.
The outlawed Muslim
EGYPT page 22
16 News Wire/
Artist Inspires at Florida Fair
(Epoch Times | All headlines)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:38:37 AM
WELCOME: South Florida Fair
welcomes 'Whaling Walls' painter
Wyland on Jan. 16 for a mural-
painting event. (Courtesy Of
Myriam Moran) Watching
Wyland, the world-renowned
marine artist, at work during the
South Florida Fair was to
understand that his work is not
only about painting. It is mainly
about inspiring young people to
take an interest in ocean
conservation.
The South Florida Fairgrounds
bustled with activity on Jan. 16.
Just wending one’s way past all
the diversions, happy kids, and
struggling parents who were
hoping to keep them from taking
every ride in sight and eating
every temptation was not an easy
task.
UP THE LADDER: Wyland,
formerly Robert Wyland, has
dropped his first name since
becoming a world-renowned
marine artist. Wyland is also a
diver and underwater
photographer. (Courtesy Of
Myriam Moran; copyrights 2011)
Amid all the fun, Wyland came
with a blank 50-foot canvas,
buckets of paint, cartons of
brushes, and a host of young
people ready to get to work.
Wyland’s clothes were paint-
stained, his baggy jeans covered
with bright yellow and blue, and
his shirt displayed a mix of color
stains. The Wyland baseball cap,
his signature, was somewhat awry
E-reader News Edition
as he climbed up and down the to the next generation. The young
ladder putting touches here and artists painted salt [water] and
there on the 50-foot mural. freshwater scenes. It was
Nothing slowed Wyland’s speed awesome. We began a Youth
or enthusiasm as he worked the Ambassador Program for the
large canvas into shape so that the planet,” Wyland continued.
kids, gathered for the occasion, Guy, a 15-year-old from Key
could begin painting. Largo, Florida, and sophomore at
SIGNATURE: Wyland wears his Coral Shores High School, was
whale-tail baseball cap while painting the outline of a marine
painting to raise awareness for turtle in one corner of the canvas.
Planet Ocean. (Courtesy Of Like Lilly, Guy is one of the
Myriam Moran)“The kids paint in Wyland Youth Ambassadors. He
five minutes—five Hawaiian too went to China to work on the
minutes. Your parents will tell 100th wall. When asked what he
painting. Hey, hook her up with a Ocean’!” The group and their
you what a Hawaiian minute is. wanted to do in the future, Guy
bigger brush!” Wyland jokes. gathered parents shouted and
…” Wyland was having fun. He replied: “I will continue to pursue
He is always in good humor. His clicked pictures.
was doing what he loves to do: my art. I’m going into the field of
enthusiasm is contagious. When Planet Ocean
inspiring young people to paint marine biology and
at work on a mural, he is always AWARENESS MEDAL: Lilly,
with a purpose. oceanography. I really have an
in motion. He uses a roller for the 9, her Wyland Ambassador Medal
Timothy, 6 years old, from West interest in the oceans not just art.”
larger relief and soppy around her neck, poses with
Palm Beach and a student at “Wyland never teaches me. He
paintbrushes, dripping vivid Wyland. (Courtesy Of Myriam
Western Academy Charter lets me find my own way, lets me
colors, for details. Moran) Millions have seen
School, was painting a fish. “I shape my own art. He is my
It wasn’t immediately evident Wyland’s “Whaling Walls.”
want to become a famous mentor. I look to him and learn,”
what Wyland was doing. Up and Around the planet, his art has
painter,“ Timothy said. Guy continued.
down the ladder he went, and touched the lives of people. “My
“That is a beautiful queen angel Wyland is engaging people
eventually his tiger shark began to goal was to paint a hundred
fish. Give Timothy a big hand,“ everywhere to become involved,
take shape. Whaling Walls,” Wyland says.
Wyland says while he passes to become aware, and to become
“Let’s get a group photo,“ “My dream was to paint the final
over, under, and often through the concerned about the fate of our
Wyland finally exclaimed. He is wall during the Olympics in
line of kids working away in planet, “Planet Ocean.” His
accompanied by a photographer, a Beijing. I wanted to paint it on the
smocks on the canvas. dynamic presence inspires,
video maker, and others who Great Wall of China, but they said
INSPIRING: Wyland encourages cajoles, persuades, and tickles the
work for him to document his no, it is sacred. So we painted on
young artists while passing the funny bone. He is a diver and
undertakings. He got the photo a mile of canvas,” Wyland said.
lines of kids who came to work on underwater photographer who
organized with the kids holding Paintbrush in hand, 9-year-old
the canvas. (Courtesy Of Myriam sought a larger canvas for his
up their brushes or paint-stained Lilly from the Imagine School in
Moran) The five long Hawaiian work—telling a whale of a tail.
thumbs and then got right in the Vero Beach tells why she went to
minutes passed, and the canvas John Christopher Fine, who has a
middle. China with Wyland to paint on his
became animated as young people doctorate in divinity, has
A PURPOSE: Wyland inspires last Whaling Wall, in 2008: “This
began their work. investigated toxic waste
young artists, here 6-year-old is important. This is for ocean
“We have smaller brushes for contamination of aquifers and
Timothy, to paint for ocean conservation. We want to spread
smaller kids. We have all kinds of water resources. He is the author
conservation. (Courtesy Of the word and save our planet.”
brushes. One kid got hold of my
Myriam Moran) “The last wall was about me ARTIST page 17
roller and rolled over the whole
“One, two, three—shout ‘Save the wanting to pass on my inspiration
E-reader News Edition
'Nazi Hunter' RecountsHis Most Daring Mission
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:19:03 PM
Holocaust survivors often refer to
the "banality of evil" when
describing how remarkably
ordinary even the highest-ranking
Nazis seemed after their capture
for aiding the mass murder of
more than 6 million Jews during
World War II.
At a gathering for International
Holocaust Remembrance Day,
which marks the liberation of the
Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps,
Rafi Eitan looks like any other
aging great-uncle: hearing aids,
thick glasses, and a gray sweater
under his blazer. His demeanor
and appearance is much more
fitting an aging insurance
salesman than James Bond. The
casual observer would give him
the highest compliment for an
intelligence field operative: There
is simply no way he could be a
spy.
"I knew we are doing something
(that) will be in Jewish history,
maybe world history, will be
written as one of the just
operations," he said, perhaps
giving away that behind his kind
and quiet smile is a man who
embodies the banality of
greatness.
The only thing that betrays his
past is the twinkle that comes to
his eyes when he tells the story of
a spy mission so daring, so
incredible, so brilliantly executed
that it’s still held as the gold
standard for intelligence services
worldwide.
Eitan led the Israeli Mossad team
that captured Adolf Eichmann, the
Nazi architect of the Holocaust,
on a street in Argentina and
brought him to Israel for trial in
1960.
Eichmann had been in charge of
organizing the Holocausts’ “Final
Solution" -- the Nazi plan to
exterminate Jewish people -- right
down to the schedules of Death
Trains to the camps.
Like many Nazi war criminals,
Eichmann escaped to Argentina in
the confusion following WWII.
He lived under the name Ricardo
Klement while working various
jobs and living with his family,
whom he had brought from
Germany. Rumors began leaking
out of Argentina in the mid-1950s
that Eichmann was there.
Famed Nazi hunter Simon
Wiesenthal received a postcard
from a friend who said he saw
Eichmann on the street, and
slowly Israel's intelligence
services began closing in on him.
For months, surveillance teams
trailed Eichmann, trying to match
pictures of him to those from his
days in the SS.
Finally, they sent word back to
Tel Aviv that they thought they
had their man.
Israel, as a country, was less than
two decades old. The Mossad was
very adept at operating in Israel
and the Arab world, but Argentina
was a very long way from home.
Mossad officers hatched a plan so
simple, yet so daring, that it
would stun the world. A Mossad
team would fly to Buenos Aires as
part of the Israeli delegation to
celebrate Argentina's 150th
birthday. The team would then
kidnap "Klement" as he came
home from work, verify that it
was indeed Eichmann, and
smuggle him out of the country.
What if Eichmann put up a fight?
What if someone saw them snatch
him? What if his family called the
Argentinean authorities when he
didn't come home? Everything
had to work perfectly: just one
wrong turn, one observant cop,
one contingency unplanned for
could land the Mossad team in jail
and allow Eichmann to escape.
On the night of May 11, 1960, as
Eichmann walked home from his
bus stop, two Mossad agents were
"fixing" their broken down car.
One of the agents asked for a
cigarette, and that’s when they
grabbed him.
They threw Klement into the car
and, driving into the night, one
agent told him, "if you value your
life...keep quiet."
Eitan ripped off the man's sleeve
to check for a scar on his left arm,
and pulled his shirt up to feel the
scar on Eichmann's belly.
"The moment I have Eichmann,
on my knees I am, saying to
myself the song of the Jewish
partisans which says at the end,
‘We are here and we shall
return,’" Eitan remembers.
The Mossad team began
questioning him and Klement
finally acknowledged what the
team already knew: He was Adolf
Eichmann.
Next came smuggling one of the
News Wire/ Technology/
world's most wanted men out of
Argentina.
They drugged Eichmann and
dressed him up as an El Al airline
mechanic. The Mossad team
donned similar disguises and they
set out for the airport talking their
way passed a guard shack under
the rouse that the "mechanics" in
the backseat were drunk.
Eventually they made it to the El
Al plane for a long flight home --
a flight where they almost ran out
of fuel before making it to Dakar,
in western Africa, for a scheduled
stop.
Eichmann stood trial in Israel for
his crimes. The proceedings were
broadcast live around the world
and it was one of the first times
Holocaust survivors told their
stories on television.
On December 15, 1961, the court
of three Israeli judges convicted
Eichmann and sentenced him to
death by hanging.
At a reunion of those involved in
Eichmann's capture and trial,
Eitan looks like the kindly great-
uncle with a twinkle in his eye.
“I was 51 years younger (then),"
he said. "But I am able and ready
to do the same thing again."
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17
ARTIST
continued from page 16
of 24 books and writes
extensively about his work in the
ocean environment.
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TUAW Live from
Macworld Expo 2011
- Thursday, January 27
Victor Agreda, Jr. (TUAW)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:05:00 PM
Thanks for joining us at
Macworld 2011! Stay tuned from
10am to 6pm PT as we feature
reviews and interviews
throughout the day. Check the
schedule for frequent updates.
For iOS users, the best way to
watch the stream is with either the
Ustream viewing app, or directly
on the Ustream site at ustream.tv/
tuaw.
TUAW Live from Macworld
Expo 2011 - Thursday, January 27
originally appeared on TUAW on
Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:05:00 EST.
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Permalink| Email this| Comments
18 News Wire/ Technology/ Obituaries
S&P cuts Japan sovereign rating
(Reuters: Top News)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:16:05 AM
Japanese 10,000 yen notes are
spread out at Interbank Inc.
money exchange in Tokyo, in this
September 9, 2010 file picture
illustration. Rating agency
Standard & Poor's cut Japan's
long-term sovereign debt rating
on January 27, 2011, for the first
since 2002, saying the country's
government lacked a coherent
plan to tackle its mounting debt.
Picture taken September 9, 2010
Credit: Reuters/Yuriko Nakao/
Files
By Tetsushi Kajimoto
TOKYO| Thu Jan 27, 2011
12:16pm EST
TOKYO(Reuters) - Standard &
Poor's cut Japan's credit rating on
Thursday for the first time since
2002, saying Tokyo had no plan
to deal with its mounting debt, a
warning that could rattle other
heavily indebted rich countries.
The agency cut Japan's long-term
sovereign debt rating by a notch
to AA-minus, its fourth highest
rating. It said an aging population,
persistent deflation and the
government's loss of its upper
house majority compounded the
fiscal challenge.
Politicians and ratings agencies
have warned for years that Japan
must cut its public debt, which is
double the size of its $5 trillion
economy -- by far the worst
among rich nations.
Other developed countries are
also struggling with high debt
burdens. Outstanding U.S. public
debt has ballooned to more than
60 percent of total output since
the financial crisis, and with a
record $1.5 trillion budget deficit
expected this year, is set to grow
further.
Emergency rescues for Ireland
and Greece, meanwhile, have left
some investors to reconsider
whether it's always a safe bet to
lend to rich governments.
If Japan fails to get its fiscal
house in order, "further
downgrades will surely follow,"
said Julian Jessop, chief
international economist at Capital
Economics in London.
"Given the size of Japan's
economy and the current
sensitivity of global financial
markets to sovereign debt
concerns, the impact would be felt
worldwide," he added. "It
supports our fear that 2011 could
be the year when Japan's dire
fiscal position finally impacts
markets both at home and
internationally."
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto
Kan has made tax and social
security reform top priorities and
the S&P downgrade adds pressure
on him to galvanize a divided
parliament.
The yen and Japanese
government bond prices fell and
the cost of insuring Japanese debt
against default rose after the
announcement.
S&P's rating for Japan is now one
notch below both Fitch's and
Moody's. It is on a par with S&P's
ratings for China and Saudi
Arabia and one notch below
Spain's.
Fitch on Thursday said its rating
was based on Japan's ability to
fund itself, although a failure to
reduce the country's fiscal burden
could put pressure on its rating.
Moody's Investors Service
reaffirmed its rating on Thursday.
Both agencies have a stable
outlook on Japan.
So far, fear of a Japanese default
has been muted. Unlike the
United States, which relies
primarily on foreigners to finance
its debt, Japan can draw on
domestic savings. At some 1,400
trillion yen, household assets
amount to three times the size of
total output, more than enough to
fund borrowing.
But Japanese society is aging
quickly, and social welfare costs
will take up an increasing
proportion of the budget in the
absence of reforms, a trend that
S&P said reduces Japan's already
weak fiscal flexibility.
"The downgrade reflects our
appraisal that Japan's government
debt ratios -- already among the
highest for rated sovereigns -- will
continue to rise further than we
envisaged before the global
economic recession hit the
country and will peak only in the
mid-2020s," S&P said in a
statement. TruthReveller wrote:
How can Japan have a worse
rating than Spain? Spain has 30%
unemployement, Japan has 5%. :p
wjrood wrote:
What utter foolishness. The first
paragraph of this article says that
Japan has long suffered from
“persistent deflation”. That’s an
indication it’s fiscal policies are
too tight, not too loose.
Government debt must equal all
private savings denominated in
that currency. In order for Japan
to reduce its total debt, the
government must soak up private
savings denominated in Yen.
Since most Yen savings are held
by the Japanese people
themselves, this will be a forced
reduction in the savings of the
Japanese people. It would weaken
aggregate demand, resulting in
further deflation, recession and
unemployment.
The situation in other countries is
different because the sovereign
debt is not held by the people of
the country, but by foreigners, and
the there is persistent domestic
inflation rather than deflation.
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E-reader News Edition
The Briefest Of
Introductions To
Modern Video Game
Emulators: Dolphin,
PCSX2 & More
Nicholas Deleon (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:35:51 PM
It’s probably a snow day for
many of you, so what better way
to kill a few hours than to fire up
an emulator? “But Nicholas,” you
interrupt, “there’s so many
emulators out there, and so much
conflicting information. I
wouldn’t know how to start if my
life depended on it!” Don’t throw
away your life—there’s so much
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Marvelettes co-
founder Gladys
Horton dies at 66 (AP)
(Yahoo! News: Obituaries)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 8:42:58 AM
AP - Gladys Horton, who co-
founded the 1960s Motown group
The Marvelettes and sang on hits
including "Please Mr. Postman,"
has died in Los Angeles at age 66.
E-reader News Edition News Wire/ Technology/ 19
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ElBaradei returns to Egypt on third day of clashes These Johnnie Walker
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(Reuters: Top News) rocks and petrol bombs at police Arabic satellite channel Al right wing rulers of the region. As
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:34:30 PM lines. Arabiya said later in a brief screen it says in the article, the U.S. and Distinctively Detailed
Hundreds of protesters clashed headline: "ElBaradei: ready to Israel do not want this democratic
E g y p t i a n a n t i - g o v e r n m e n t with police in Ismailia, who take up power for a transitional change in the region. Rico99
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at the port city in Suez, about 134 gas, while support spread for a His arrival could spur protesters That is called the “domino Trends)
km (83 miles) east of Cairo east planned wave of protests on who have no figurehead, although effect”. Dictatorships and fascists Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:33:01 PM
of Cairo, January 27, 2011. Friday initiated on Facebook. many activists resent his absences regimes are in trouble.
Credit: Reuters/Mohamed Abd El "I will participate," ElBaradei, in recent months. Communist governments are ( TrendHunter.com) These
-Ghany who has campaigned for reform in Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif learning from this and soon some Johnnie Walker advertisements
By Dina Zayed and Shaimaa Egypt, said on flying in from his urged citizens to exercise self of them are going to release a are super creative and detailed.
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CAIRO| Thu Jan 27, 2011 lead the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. spokesman told reporters. their people. anonym0us wrote: images created on their labels,
1:34pm EST "I wish we did not have to go out Egyptians torched a police post in @johnnyboone with one called 'Insistence of
CAIRO(Reuters) - Police fought on the streets to press the regime Suez early on Thursday in “The world is changing. It is a Perfection,' showing people on a...
protesters in two cities in eastern to act." response to the killing of three democracy that is building in the
Egypt on Thursday and Nobel A U.S. official said the protests demonstrators earlier in the week, M.E.”
Peace Prize winner Mohamed gave Mubarak's government a a Reuters witness said. ___________________________
Charitable Champagne
ElBaradei arrived back in the "great opportunity" to advance We welcome comments that _________ Galas - The Moet
c o u n t r y t o j o i n a m a j o r political reform. Deputy National advance the story directly or with What democracy? There are no Chandeliers Ball is a
demonstration on Friday to try to S e c u r i t y A d v i s e r D e n i s relevant tangential information. democracy-oriented forces in ME
oust President Hosni Mubarak. McDonough also urged both sides We try to block comments that that can take over from the current
Lavish Access Agency
Security forces shot dead a to refrain from violence in the use offensive language, all capital regimes. What’s building is a Production
Bedouin protester in the north of latest sign of U.S. concern. letters or appear to be spam, and power vacuum that will be in the (TREND HUNTER - The Latest
Egypt's Sinai region on Thursday, As in many other countries in the we review comments frequently end filled by islamic extremists. Trends)
bringing the death toll to five on region, protesters in Egypt, a key to ensure they meet our standards. Case in point – Iran. As bad as the
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:43:03 PM
the third day of protests inspired U.S. ally, complain about surging If you see a comment that you Shah was, the mullocracy that
by unrest which toppled Tunisia's prices, unemployment and the believe is irrelevant or replaced him is much worse and ( TrendHunter.com) The Access
president earlier this month. authorities' reliance on heavy- inappropriate, you can flag it to causes lots of troubles in the Agency proves again with their
In a sign open defiance against handed security to keep dissenting our editors by using the report region and worldwide. Moet Chandeliers Ball campaign
authoritarian rulers was spreading, voices quiet. abuse links. Views expressed in This entry passed through the that they are on the very cutting
police also clashed with protesters ElBaradei earlier told Reuters in the comments do not represent Full-Text RSS service — if this is edge of cool. Set in a lavish
in the Arabian Peninsula state of Vienna that it was time for those of Reuters. your content and you're reading it ballroom, the Moet Chandeliers
Yemen and Gabon in West Mubarak to step aside. Comments (7) johnnyboone on someone else's site, please read Ball is a gathering of hundreds...
Africa. "He has served the country for 30 wrote: our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Police in Suez fired rubber years and it is about time for him The world is changing. It is a content-only/faq.php
bullets, water cannon and tear gas to retire," said ElBaradei, who democracy that is building in the Five Filters featured article:
at hundreds of demonstrators won the peace prize for his work M.E. The U.S. foreign policy Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
calling for an end to Mubarak's 30 as head of the U.N. nuclear should be ready to adapt to this The Crosshairs.
-year-old rule. Protesters chucked agency. change rather than support the
20 News Wire/ Technology/ E-reader News Edition

Chinese Scholars Aren’t Buying Lang Lang’s Explanations

(Epoch Times | All headlines) “I don’t believe it was Lang Heroic-Daughters-Chinese-
Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:27:58 AM Lang’s decision. It must have English-Subtitle/dp/
been planned and instigated by B0015MS9FU).
Lang Lang, a Chinese pianist, the Chinese regime. After Lang The lyrics corresponding to the
plays the piano at the White Lang received criticism, the CCP section quoted from “Heroic Sons
House on Friday, Jan. 21. did not stand up to take and Daughters” are “Why is the
(Screenshot taken from Youtube) responsibility but continued to flag as beautiful as a painting?
While some in the U.S. media push Lang Lang to the front of the Because it is dyed by the blood of
h a v e b e e n s y m p a t h e t i c a l l y stage to explain himself in those heroes. Why is the spring eternal?
reporting Lang Lang’s claims of ridiculous, pathetic, and naïve Because the lives of the heroes are
ignorance, some Chinese scholars words.” blooming.”
are holding him together with the Zhang said: “Lang Lang has This section of the music from
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enjoyed many benefits from living the Heroic Sons and Daughters is
responsible for his performance at in a free society. However, he at 7’45” to 8’15” in this video
the White House state dinner for chose to stand on the side of the clip: http://www.youtube.com/
President Barack Obama and his CCP, a regime that persecutes its watch?v=kroEprEpvtA.
guest Chairman Hu Jintao. own people, and it happened in Zhang Kaichen said, “Playing
Chinese-born pianist Lang Lang the White House. It is a very these two anti-American songs at
r e s p o n d e d t o c r i t i c s i n a n shameful act.” the state dinner communicates an
interview with NPR on January Hu Ping, a well-known scholar once again played My confused about the difference angle, a feeling, and a mood that
24. He said he knew nothing and commentator, pointed out that Motherland, one of the most between China and the CCP. obviously carry a political
about the background of “My “Lang Lang himself said that he beautiful songs in the eyes of “As an artist, he has played the intention. Especially in China, art
M o t h e r l a n d , ” t h e C h i n e s e had played the song many times Chinese….as if I was telling them song many times before and the serves politics. Whatever the CCP
propaganda song he played at the before. As a world-class Chinese about a powerful China and a song was carefully selected. If does is done with a political
end of the state dinner. It is the artist, how could he not know the unified Chinese people. I feel Lang Lang knew nothing about agenda. The objective for having
t h e m e s o n g f o r “ B a t t l e o n background?” deeply honored and proud.” the background, how did he Lang Lang play the ‘red songs’
Shangganling Mountain,” a 1956 “ A c c o r d i n g t o d i p l o m a t i c Tang Baiqiao, a well-known express his ‘feelings’ through the cannot be more obvious.”
anti-American movie about the practice, the CCP must have human rights activist and song?” chinareports@epochtimes.com
Korean War. He said he had known the song in advance, international affairs expert, Lang Lang used what is a This entry passed through the
performed the piece many times especially during Hu’s visit. Both commented: “Lang Lang is self- standard arrangement of “My Full-Text RSS service — if this is
simply because he likes the countries were very cautious this contradictory in his responses. Motherland.” It includes a your content and you're reading it
melody. time and planned everything very ‘Powerful China and a unified quotation from another famous on someone else's site, please read
Zhang Kaichen is the former c a r e f u l l y . U n d e r t h e s e Chinese people,’‘has nothing to anti-American song—the theme our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
L i a i s o n D i r e c t o r o f t h e circumstances, both parties would do with anything else,’ ‘the strong song of “Heroic Sons and content-only/faq.php
Propaganda Department of the have communicated every detail,” feelings for the motherland,’ Daughters,” a propaganda movie Five Filters featured article:
Shenyang City Communist Party said Hu. ‘don’t add political themes to the that, like “Battle on Shangganling Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Committee and moved to the Lang Lang wrote in his blog on arts,’ all suggest that he is fully Mountain,” concerns the Korean The Crosshairs.
United States a year ago. He said: the night after the performance: “I aware of the background and is War ( http://www.amazon.com/

Untitled
noreply@blogger.com (Ad Socially responsible investments than $1 per day.
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global poverty. Microcredit helps the billion people who live on less
E-reader News Edition News Wire/ Technology/ Culture/ 21

GM drops U.S. loan application after turnaround

(Reuters: Top News) application for a low-interest loan put a cash pile that Morgan relevant tangential information.
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:47:32 AM under the program in October Stanley analyst Adam Jonas We try to block comments that
2009, near the depth of the sharp estimates could top $70 billion by use offensive language, all capital
Chevrolet Cruze vehicles are downturn in U.S. auto sales. 2015. letters or appear to be spam, and
displayed at Courtesy Chevrolet "This decision is based on our CONTRAST WITH we review comments frequently
dealership in Phoenix, Arizona, confidence in GM's overall CHRYSLER to ensure they meet our standards.
January 4, 2011. progress and strong, global Welburn said he hoped that If you see a comment that you
Credit: Reuters/Joshua Lott business performance," Ed American consumers would view believe is irrelevant or
By David Lawder Welburn, GM design chief, said GM's decision to drop the loan inappropriate, you can flag it to
WASHINGTON| Thu Jan 27, in a speech at the Washington application as positive. our editors by using the report
2011 11:47am EST auto show. GM rival Ford Motor Co has abuse links. Views expressed in
WASHINGTON(Reuters) - Shares of GM gained just over 1 been boosted by its decision to the comments do not represent
General Motors Co has withdrawn percent to $38.33 in morning forgo a bailout although it those of Reuters.
its application for $14 billion in trade on the New York Stock
subsidized loans from the U.S. Exchange. The stock has gained
borrowed almost $6 billion from
the Department of Energy in
Comments (1) Silkster wrote:
re:”400-pound, lithium-ion
Untitled
Department of Energy, saying it 16 percent since its November 2009. battery pack.” noreply@blogger.com (Ad
has the financial strength to fund initial public offering. ServeRSS) (AdServRSS Feed)
Chrysler, which is carrying high- Didn’t NASA develop a better
investment in more fuel-efficient Under Chief Financial Officer interest loans from the U.S. lithium-ion battery that was
and electric vehicles on its own. Chris Liddell, a 2009 hire from Treasury from its bailout, has smaller and lighter and lasted Your gift to provide seeds, tools,
The move could provide a public- Microsoft, GM has focused on a been seeking $3 billion in Energy longer? and training will be multiplied 4
relations boost to GM, which has p l a n t o k e e p i t s d e b t t o a Department financing to bring This entry passed through the times by grant funds, and can
struggled to distance itself from minimum in order to protect itself down its financing costs. Full-Text RSS service — if this is mean the difference between life
the controversy of a $50 billion from the next downturn. "We don't want those kinds of your content and you're reading it and death for hungry children.
bailout and the stigma of having After eliminating most of its debt debts to deal with," GM's on someone else's site, please read
become "Government Motors" in a bankruptcy funded and
after being restructured in d i r e c t e d b y t h e O b a m a
Welburn said." I think it says a lot
about the financial health of the
our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
content-only/faq.php Beauty
bankruptcy. administration, GM had about $25 company." Five Filters featured article:
GM had initially seen the billion of net cash at the end of
Department of Energy loan September.
Separately, GM also said it
would begin to sell its plug-in
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
The Crosshairs.
Myths Quiz
program as a potential source of Some analysts have said earnings hybrid Chevrolet Volt in all U.S. (HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
financing that could stave off projections for the new GM over states by the end of 2011. Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:56 PM
bankruptcy in 2008. the next several years present it We welcome comments that
The automaker submitted its with a different problem: where to advance the story directly or with [ fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve
full-text content] How well do

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22 News Wire/ E-reader News Edition
EGYPT
Mystery on the Border as 'Bomber' continued from page 15

Brotherhood also expressed civilized must continue against

Book Found support for the demonstrations,

raising the prospect that members
of Egypt's largest and best-
corruption, oppression and
injustice until its legitimate
demands for reform are met," said
(FOXNews.com) the time the book was found, and Just last year, the Department of
organized opposition group could the statement.
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:19:03 PM no arrests have been made in Homeland Security had in custody
join Friday's demonstrations in "We are not pushing this
connection with it. thousands of detainees from
E X C L U S I V E : A b o o k "At this time, DHS does not have mass. If they do, it could swell the movement, but we are moving
Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran,
celebrating suicide bombers has any credible information on numbers on the streets with it. We don't wish to lead it
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and
been found in the Arizona desert terrorist groups operating along significantly. But the group has but we want to be part of it," said
Yemen. U.S. Border Patrol
just north of the U.S.- Mexican t h e S o u t h w e s t b o r d e r , " a stopped short of an outright call Mohammed Mursi, a senior
statistics indicate that there were
border, authorities tell Fox News. Department of Homeland Security for its backers to turn out. Brotherhood leader.
108,025 OTMs detained in 2006,
The book, "In Memory of Our official said in a statement. "We The Muslim Brotherhood called The stock market crash, which
compared to 165,178 in 2005 and
Martyrs," was spotted Tuesday by work closely with our partners in on its website for protests to brought year-to-date losses to
44,614 in 2004.
a U.S. Border Patrol agent out of t h e l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a n d remain peaceful. It also called for almost 21 percent, hit at the core
Authorities would not release a
the Casa Grande substation who intelligence communities and as a new parliamentary elections under of some of the regime's main
picture of the book to Fox News,
was patrolling a route known for matter of due diligence and law judicial supervision, the accomplishments. The president
or reveal how long they believe it
smuggling illegal immigrants and enforcement best practice, report introduction of far-reaching has built his legacy continuing
was lying in the desert.
drugs. reforms and the lifting of and expanding the open market
anything found, no matter how Immigration officials have
Published in Iran, it consists of significant or insignificant it may emergency laws in force since policies launched by his
previously discovered items along
short biographies of Islamic seem." 1981. predecessor, Anwar Sadat, in the
the U.S.-Mexico border from
suicide bombers and other Islamic Statements from U.S. officials, The Brotherhood made a 1970s.
Middle Eastern origin, including
militants who died carrying out including FBI director Robert surprisingly strong showing in While Egyptian officials have
Iranian currency in Zapata, Texas,
attacks. parliamentary elections in 2005, boasted about healthy economic
Mueller, have raised serious and a jacket found in Jim Hogg
According to internal U.S. concerns in recent years over when it won 20 percent of seats growth figures, critics have
County, Texas, that was covered
Customs and Border Protection "OTMs" -- or illegal immigrants and served as the main opposition argued that ambitious economic
in patches including an Arabic
documents, "The book also other than Mexicans -- who have bloc in the legislature. In the latest reforms have done little more than
military badge that illustrates an
includes letters from suicide crossed the southwest border at parliament elections held in make the rich even richer while
airplane flying into a tower.
attackers to their families, as well alarming rates. November, the Brotherhood failed poverty, unemployment and
This entry passed through the
as some of their last wills and to win even a single seat. It prices rise unabated.
Mueller testified before the Full-Text RSS service — if this is
testaments." Each biographical House Appropriations Committee decried widespread fraud by the This entry passed through the
your content and you're reading it
page contains "the terrorist's in March 2005 that "there are ruling party and boycotted the Full-Text RSS service — if this is
on someone else's site, please read
name, date of death, and how they individuals from countries with runoffs. your content and you're reading it
our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
died." The vote gave the ruling party all on someone else's site, please read
known Al Qaeda connections who content-only/faq.php
Agents also say that the book a r e c h a n g i n g t h e i r I s l a m i c but a small fraction of the our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Five Filters featured article:
appears to have been exposed to surnames to Hispanic-sounding chamber's 518 seats, an outcome content-only/faq.php
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
weather in the desert "for at least n a m e s a n d o b t a i n i n g f a l s e that analysts say chipped away Five Filters featured article:
The Crosshairs.
several days or weeks." further at the regime's legitimacy Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Hispanic identities, learning to
Authorities told Fox News that speak Spanish and pretending to and likely contributed to the The Crosshairs.
there were no people in the area at be Hispanic." discontent being vented on the
streets this week.
"The movement of the Egyptian
people that began January 25 and
has been peaceful, mature and
E-reader News Edition
Utah Lockdown: Utah Army Base
Lockdown Ends
(Epoch Times | All headlines)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:21:21 AM
By Robin Kemker
Epoch Times Staff Created: Jan
27, 2011 Last Updated: Jan 27,
2011
Utah Lockdown: The lockdown
at the US Army's Dugway
Proving Ground in Utah ended
Thursday morning, according to
reports. In this 2001 photo, a a
truck approaches the main gate of
the base. (George Frey/AFP/Getty
Images) The lockdown ended
Thursday morning at a biological
and chemical weapons testing
facility in Utah. Local talk radio
station KSRO reported that there
were no injuries, and the base
opened its gates to let personnel
come and go. The cause has still
not been revealed. The US Army
Dugway Proving Ground was put
into a lockdown at 5:24pm on
Wednesday, Jan. 24. The day shift
was not allowed to exit the base,
nor was the following shift
allowed to enter the gate.
Apparently, according to several
local reports, 1,200 to 1,400
personnel remained on base for
‘an ongoing security operation.”
According to the Deseret News,
Dugway Proving Ground
Commander Col. William E.
King, IV, said food and beverages
were delivered to the people
inside. "As you know measures
like these (lock down of our
gates) are not taken lightly," he
News Wire/ Technology/ 23
RealD to equip 1,500
more Regal theaters
with 3D
(CNET News.com) better the quality of the
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:14:22 PM experience.
RealD's technology is able to
Regal Entertainment Group and project a display out to 80 feet
RealD have inked a deal that will wide, he said. In addition, the
see the motion picture exhibitor s i n g l e - p r o j e c t o r s y s t e m i s
bring 3D to 1,500 more screens designed to switch between 2D
throughout the United States. and 3D, allowing theaters to offer
The latest deal between the any content in a respective
companies is an amendment to an auditorium.
earlier agreement signed in May RealD announced back in
2008 that delivered RealD's 3D- September that its 3D technology
enabled technology to 1,500 was running in about 9,300
Regal auditoriums. With this new auditoriums worldwide. It said at
said. "No one is in immediate The base was the repository for deal, Regal will have a total of the time that it expected to add
d a n g e r b u t t h e s e s t e p s a r e m a n y c h e m i c a l / b i o l o g i c a l 3,000 3D-enabled screens with 2,000 screens in the fourth quarter
required." King said he would warheads over the years and RealD technology, comprising 40 of 2010.
open the gates "as soon as I can." leakages occurred from time to percent of all Regal screens. But the company doesn't just
The base’s vision statement is time in storage bunkers or during Regal movie theaters are located compete in the theater business.
“ R e n d e r i n g D a n g e r f r o m the decommissioning of the in 37 states and in Washington, Last year, Samsung said that it
Chemical/Biological Agents m u n i t i o n s . M o s t o f t h e s e D.C. would use RealD's 3D display
Irrelevant.” Testing remains a munitions have been disabled and Regal's decision to invest in 3D is technology in its line of 3DTVs.
main focus of the base according the contents rendered inert or due mainly to the growing Earlier this month, the two
to the base’s website, “The disposed. demand for that kind of content, companies partnered up again at
present day Dugway Proving Dugway Proving Ground is 90 the company's CEO Amy Miles C E S t o t a l k a b o u t t h e
Ground now covers 798,214 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, said in a statement. RealD's CEO development of a new technology
acres. In addition to chemical and s e p a r a t e d b y t h e O q u i r r h Michael Lewis said that 22 3D called RDZ. That offering, the
biological defensive testing, M o u n t a i n r a n g e . films were released in 2010. This companies said, will deliver
environmental characterization, This entry passed through the year, studios expect to release 35 brighter visuals than existing
and remediation technology Full-Text RSS service — if this is movies in 3D. technologies.
testing Dugway is the Defense your content and you're reading it R e a l D t e c h n o l o g y i s a This entry passed through the
Department’s leader in testing on someone else's site, please read combination of both hardware and Full-Text RSS service — if this is
battlefield smokes and obscurants. our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ software to help project 3D your content and you're reading it
Testing now includes further content-only/faq.php content. A company spokesman on someone else's site, please read
determining the reliability and Five Filters featured article: t o l d C N E T i n a p h o n e our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
survivability of all types of Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In conversation today that RealD content-only/faq.php
military equipment in a chemical The Crosshairs. produces "twice the light to the Five Filters featured article:
or biological environment.” s c r e e n " o f c o m p e t i n g 3 D Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
technologies. The more light, the The Crosshairs.
24 World News/ E-reader News Edition

World Citizen: What 'Palestine Papers' Reveal About the

Peace Process
(World Politics Review: Articles) baseline of a peace deal whose Israelis have reached a consensus have told a group of Palestinian documents as forgeries, declaring,
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:23:00 AM rough outlines have been known in favor of the two-state solution negotiators, "It is illogical to ask "No one in the world can make us
since President Bill Clinton first by vigorously discussing the Israel to take 5 million, or even 1 give up on a centimeter of our
The cache of documents known presented a formula for peace. In details of exactly what million. That would mean the end land, the issue of the refugees or
as the " Palestine Papers" have fact, most of the "shocking" compromises they should make of Israel." the issue of Jerusalem."
created much turmoil among concessions had already been for peace. But while Israelis have President Clinton proposed a The issue of Jerusalem and the
Palestinians and subjected some signed on to by Palestinian been arguing, debating and formula that would allow a few matter of settlements paint a
of the best-known officials of the negotiators as far back as 2000. protesting vociferously, thousand Palestinians to return as similar picture. Abbas publicly
P a l e s t i n i a n A u t h o r i t y t o a Why, then, the sense of betrayal? Palestinian leaders have publicly a symbolic gesture, while offering says he would not give up on a
withering wind of criticism. The The answer to that question goes a trumpeted maximalist positions to financial compensation to the rest, centimeter. But in private talks, he
p a p e r s , 1 , 7 0 0 f i l e s o f long way to explaining why talks their own people, making it taboo creating the outlines of a solution and his aides have agreed to many
correspondence about the Israeli- have come so tantalizingly close to accept compromise on the most to what seemed an unsolvable of the principal points that, for
Palestinian peace process, were in the past, only to fail at the last difficult points. In private, problem. The Geneva Accords-- a many years, observers have
reportedly leaked to the Arab- minute. It is for the same reason Palestinian negotiators and other track-two peace agreement known will be parts of any viable
language Al Jazeera television that Palestinians are now so angry Arab leaders long ago accepted reached by unofficial Israeli and final agreement: Most Jewish
network by unknown individuals. at what they read in the leaked that compromises will have to be Palestinian negotiators in 2003, neighborhoods of Jerusalem will
They have appeared in the papers: Palestinian leaders, made. But so long as the majority whose draft permanent-status remain part of Israel, and some of
Guardian and on Al Jazeera's worried about their own political of Palestinians remain unaware of agreement Abbas himself the largest settlement blocs will
English-language Web site, where survival, have failed to prepare this reality, no leader, much less a endorsed -- detailed precisely also stay inside Israel, to be
they were portrayed as evidence their people for compromise. weak one like PA President such a model for refugees. swapped for equal amounts of
that Palestinian leaders betrayed The way that Al Jazeera and the Mahmoud Abbas, will have the Unfortunately, instead of sharing land.
their people by making huge Guardian have been highlighting strength or the courage to sign a this view with their people, One of the interesting aspects of
concessions to Israel. But what excerpts of the documents, some peace deal. Palestinians leaders time and the documents is that they show
the documents and the reaction to claim, betrays an agenda -- one A good example of this concerns again vow to accept nothing short Palestinians agreeing to much of
them really show is something that aims to portray Palestinian the right of return. Palestinians of a right of return for everyone. the same terms that former Prime
quite different. negotiators as deceitful and would like to see an agreement In the aftermath of the Al Jazeera Minister Ehud Olmert offered to
To begin with, not everyone Israelis as not genuinely interested that allows all the original documents cache, Hamas accused Abbas near the end of his
believes the documents are in peace. Palestinian refugees -- along with Abbas of betrayal and called for government. Olmert was eager to
authentic. Palestinian officials In fact, the chief Palestinian their children, grandchildren and Palestinians to put an end to his leave behind a historic legacy, and
have called them"fakes," and negotiator himself, Saab Erakat, now great-grandchildren -- to government. Abbas wasted no he worked feverishly to secure a
some in Israel have said they are notes that not only do Israelis settle not just in a Palestinian time in walking back from the deal with Abbas. He proposed a
filled with inaccuracies. Others truly wish to see a Palestinian state, but also in Israel proper. position he reportedly took with Palestinian state with its capital in
point to the selective nature of the state, they sometimes seem even Israelis across the country's the Israelis and among other top Jerusalem, on 94 percent of the
releases, arguing the papers paint more committed to the two-state political spectrum argue that Palestinians, once again refusing West Bank according to the 1967
a deliberately distorted picture. solution than Palestinians are. In a bringing millions of Palestinian to tell Palestinians the unpleasant borders and land swaps for the
But as anyone who has followed conversation with U.S. envoy Arabs to Israel would amount to fact that a peace deal will never other 6 percent, as well as a
the peace process closely knows, David Hale, Erakat says, "Israelis demographic suicide, the end of include the right for millions of symbolic return of refugees with
there is little that is really new in want the two-state solution, but the Jewish State. Palestinians to return from exile compensation for the rest.
the files. Practically every detail they don't trust. They want it more Arab leaders understand that as to live in Israel. If the two sides were so close,
painted as a shocking concession than you think, sometimes more well. In one of the leaked Abbas was cheered by jubilant
has been part of the agreed than Palestinians." documents, Abbas is reported to supporters as he rejected the WORLD page 27
E-reader News Edition World News/ 25

The ICC in Kenya: Tackling Impunity or Sowing Ethnic

Polarization?
(World Politics Review: Articles) in a poll widely thought to have circles. Ocampo, quick to conduct its own investigation, development to those who hoped
Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:01:00 AM been rigged against challenger distinguish between criminal and relying instead on local reports on the ICC process would mark a
Raila Odinga, a Luo. Much of the political responsibility, insists he the violence that were move away from such tribalized
BOMET COUNTY, Kenya -- ensuing violence, which left more lacks sufficient evidence to manipulated to target Ruto, and politics. Still, while the chief
Last month, when Luis Moreno- than 1,100 dead and up to 600,000 summon Kibaki or Odinga. Yet also that Odinga somehow prosecutor may have stirred the
Ocampo, chief prosecutor for the forcibly displaced, unfolded when given that Kosgey, an Odinga colluded with Ocampo to keep ethnic cauldron, the country's
International Criminal Court Kalenjin youth in support of loyalist, and Francis Muthaura, a himself off the list and the three most-promising road to peace lies
(ICC), requested summonses for Odinga's Orange Democratic close Kibaki aide accused of Kalenjin on it. with the ICC.
six individuals on charges related Movement (ODM) attacked cultivating retaliatory attacks "This is clearly not the case," said According to Ken Wafula,
to Kenya's 2007-2008 post- Kikuyu loyal to Kibaki's Party of against ODM supporters, were Mue. "The ICC is a competent director of Kenya's Center for
election violence, a majority of National Unity (PNU). Mobilized both named, many believe that court of law. This is Ruto just Human Rights and Democracy, a
Kenyans applauded. Kikuyu gangs and security forces evidence against the two showing his bravado." failure to deliver a conviction at
In a country with a deep-rooted then retaliated in a fight as much principals will emerge as the With much to lose from a Hague the ICC may open the door to
culture of impunity, many citizens about land rights and perceived proceedings move forward. Some indictment, and clinging to fading 2012 violence. "If the
had given up on domestic justice historical injustices as the election have suggested the two were left hopes for a 2012 run at the international justice system fails,
to deal with those responsible for outcome. According to the ICC, off the list to placate other African presidency, Ruto's resistance is a the perpetrators will say 'There is
the violence. On the eve of violence was organized by high- heads of state or out of fear of matter of political survival. Yet no where else you can take us
Ocampo's announcement, one poll level officials on both sides, with destabilizing Kenya's coalition his anti-Ocampo hyperbole, and now,'" he said. "Impunity will
found that 85 percent of Kenyans the so-called Ocampo Six most government -- formed through its easy digestion by most have won."
supported the ICC process, culpable. negotiations after the disputed Kalenjin, risks aggravating This weekend in Addis Ababa,
launched after Kenya's In advance of Ocampo's poll -- in which Kibaki remains Kenya's volatile web of ethnic and Kenya is expected to drum up
government failed to establish a announcement, nearly all assumed president and Odinga serves as political alliances. Already, support at a two-day African
local tribunal for key perpetrators that William Ruto, the most- prime minister. tensions are mounting between Union summit for a deferral of the
of the violence. prominent Kalenjin leader, would Whatever the case, Kalenjin Kalenjin and Luo -- brothers in ICC case through a petition to the
Yet here in Kenya's Rift Valley be among the list of those resistance owes much to the arms during the last election -- U.N. Security Council. While
province, public opinion is summoned. Yet the surprise scheming of Ruto, long a master over a personal falling-out experts say a deferral is unlikely,
decidedly more sour. inclusion of two additional of Kenya's tribalized patronage between Ruto and Odinga. With this is only one of many efforts by
In the homeland of the Kalenjin - K a l e n j i n , I n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n politics. Though implicated by the political posturing in full swing individuals within Kenya's
- a 4-million strong community Minister Henry Kosgey and radio ICC and currently suspended from ahead of the 2012 poll, which government to thwart the process
known for its world-class runners personality Joshua Arap Sang, the cabinet over corruption Kibaki will not contest, a new of justice, a sign that Kenya's
and fiercely tribal politics -- many sent shock waves across the Rift charges, Ruto has long exploited alliance has emerged between masters of impunity will not go
feel they have been unfairly Valley. Many Kalenjin question the messiah-like status he holds Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta, a leading down without a fight.
targeted. In the context of Kenya's why Ocampo's list includes no among most Kalenjin. As Kenya's Kikuyu also on Ocampo's list, and Though far from a perfect
ethnically charged politics, this Luo and fails to implicate Kibaki leading anti-ICC crusader, says Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, solution, the ICC is the only
s e n t i m e n t c o u l d h a v e or Odinga. Njonjo Mue, a lawyer at the a Kamba thought to be currying mechanism that can force
destabilizing consequences. "This isn't about justice," David International Center for favor among the other two men's accountability upon Kenya's long-
The post-election "clashes," as Lelei, a local official, told World Transnational Justice, Ruto has communities if they are forced to defiant political class. And ethnic
most Kenyans call them, erupted Politics Review. "Ocampo is just sold his people a host of lies and stand down because of the ICC. divisions notwithstanding, most in
a f t e r t h e t h e n - i n c u m b e n t playing politics." disingenuous half-truths about the This so-called KKK Alliance has Kenya realize this.
p r e s i d e n t , M w a i K i b a k i , a It is an argument that's been ICC process. Among them are been reinforced by Ocampo's
Kikuyu, was declared the winner floated in more than just Kalenjin rumors that the court failed to announcement and is a worrying ICC page 27
26 World News/
Italy-Russia Energy Partnership Deeper Than Berlusconi
(World Politics Review: Articles)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:13:00 AM
In December, Italy's bilateral
trade agreements with Russia
drew media scrutiny. First, a
Wikileaks cable release indicated
anxiety on the part of various U.S.
diplomats over Italian Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi's close
friendship with Russia's leaders,
particularly Russian President
Vladimir Putin. Then Italy's
largest energy company, Eni,
renewed its extensive 2006
contract with Russia's Gazprom,
including plans to jointly build the
South Stream pipeline across the
Black Sea, as well as cooperation
in drilling, transportation and
personnel training.
Critics in Italy and abroad believe
the energy partnership between
the two nations results as much
from Berlusconi's personal
politics as from economic
exigencies, and suspect it may
weaken if the scandal-ridden
prime minister leaves office. But
this view ignores the extensive
history of energy and trade
cooperation between Russia and
Italy, as well as Italy's political
ambitions in Southeastern Europe.
It may be the case that, if
Berlusconi's People of Freedom
party loses power, Italy may stop
trying to broker deals between
Russia and the European Union.
But Berlusconi's alleged
Russophilia was not the cause of
the Italian energy industry's close
partnerships with companies like
Gazprom and Itera, a
conglomerate with Russian gas
holdings, and is unlikely to alter
their future collaboration.
In a December meeting,
Gazprom's president, Alexey
Miller, and Eni's CEO, Paolo
Scaroni, reaffirmed the goals they
set at a 2009 forum where
Berlusconi and Russian President
Dmitri Medvedev spoke of
cooperating well into the next
decade. Plans for the South
Stream pipeline continue, with the
first phase projected to be
operational by 2015, running from
Russia under the Black Sea
through the Balkans into Italy.
Additionally, the Italian-Russian
jointly held SeverEnergia
continues to operate facilities in
Western Siberia, the source of
most of Russia's gas production.
In 2009, Gazprom acquired a 51
percent stake in that company.
Energy and natural-resource trade
with Russia has been a major
factor in Italy's domestic energy
market since the 1960s, and has
persisted despite political
upheavals in both countries. Eni
has assisted Soviet and, later,
Russian petrochemical and
mining endeavors, working with
the USSR to supply gas to Italy
through the TAG pipeline that
passed through Austria and the
Alps. Its first deal with Gazprom
was signed in 1969.
Further, Italy has a large
population of immigrants from
many of the Balkan nations,
particularly the former Yugoslav
states, in which Gazprom operates
-- countries that are essential to
the success of South Stream. By
modernizing power sources in the
Balkans and helping communities
reap a share of pipeline profits,
Italy offers a powerful gesture of
friendship to its eastern neighbors,
potentially cementing a new
leadership role in the region.
Berlusconi's center-right coalition
also needs to garner political
support from immigrant groups
who may otherwise feel alienated
by the coalition's domestic
policies. And whoever governs
after Berlusconi will need to
negotiate with Southeastern
Europe and account for the
interests of its emigrants in Italy.
Similarly, Eni has an opportunity
to increase its consumer base in
countries like Spain. As a major
supplier of natural gas to Spain,
Eni must consider the growth of
that market, too, when working
with Gazprom and Itera to gain
the additional natural-gas supplies
it will need to meet Spanish
consumption demands.
While the Italian left worries
about Russia's tight control of its
domestic resources and press,
Italians seem unaffected by their
country's natural-gas and oil
partnerships. Implicit in Eni's
official comments over the past
year is the question of what, if
any, benefits the EU's alternative
plans offer Italian consumers. Eni
has tried to alleviate American
anxiety over the South Stream
project, even suggesting that the
EU's primary alternative -- the
Nabucco pipeline project -- might
be better off if it were combined
with Gazprom's Black Sea
pipeline. But the suggestion has
not been taken seriously, since the
EU's goal with Nabucco and other
Southern Corridor pipeline
projects is to reduce Western
European energy dependence on
Russia.
For the Russians, beyond their
financial stake in South Stream,
the partnership with Eni is driven
by the need for greater Balkan
economic ties, which can best be
achieved through the politically
useful collaboration with Italy.
Many of the negotiations with the
Balkan nations along the
pipeline's path were conducted by
Gazprom representatives
alongside Italian public-relations
firms. The Russian government
even stepped in officially in
October 2010, when Putin called
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko
Borissov to ensure his willingness
to cooperate fully with Gazprom's
South Stream planning needs and
to complete the building of
Bulgaria's Belene nuclear power
plant.
South Stream also represents an
important political statement to
Ukraine, yet another reason why
Russia needs to complete the
pipeline. Its path stays south of
the Ukrainian coastal shelf,
literally bypassing Kiev's interests
-- not surprising given the
disputes over natural-gas prices
between Naftogaz and Gazprom.
E-reader News Edition
The European Union will likely
intensify its efforts to develop
alternatives to Russian petroleum
and natural-gas supplies, and its
leaders will probably continue to
worry that Russia will use
European energy needs as
political leverage. Italy, though,
has few incentives to put EU or
U.S. worries ahead of the
economic-leadership
opportunities that projects like
South Stream offer. That, more
than Berlusconi's personal
predilections, explains why
Gazprom and Eni will be
transporting energy supplies from
the Black Sea to the Iberian
peninsula well into the future.
Greg Caramenico is a journalist
and translator whose professional
interests include energy and
science policy, Italy, Iran, and the
Levant. He has a master's degree
in history from Vanderbilt
University.
Photo: Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi (Presidenza
della Repubblica photo).
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E-reader News Edition
WORLD
continued from page 24
why did Abbas refuse to accept
Olmert's offer after months of
detailed negotiations? Look at the
reaction among Palestinians to
today's Al Jazeera reports and the
answer leaps out: Abbas was
afraid to be the one to tell
Palestinians that peace would
require giving up some of their
cherished dreams.
The papers also confirm the
absurdity of the current impasse.
Today, Palestinians say they will
not negotiate with Israel until it
stops all settlement construction.
And yet, both Israelis and
Palestinian negotiators already
have a pretty good idea of which
settlements and Jerusalem
neighborhoods will remain inside
Israel. Allowing settlement
construction in those locations
would have little if any effect on a
future Palestinian state. Clearly,
introducing the issue of settlement
construction as a prerequisite to
talks was a counterproductive
move initiated, and later
Netbook shipments expected 18% decline
Rue Liu (SlashGear)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:41:58 AM
Tablet PCs are elbowing out
netbooks according to a report put
forth by DRAMeXchange in
Taiwan. The forecast predicts that
netbook shipments in 2011 will
decline 18% to about 27 to 28
million units with primary growth
only to remain in emerging
markets.
withdrawn, by an inexperienced
President Barack Obama in the
early days of his administration.
For Israelis, who have already
heard what successive Israeli
governments have offered, the
leaked documents, even if they
turn out to be inaccurate, provide
little new information. And yet,
the black-and-white evidence of
serious negotiations reminds
many of how tantalizingly close
peace was at one time. For the
minority of Israelis who oppose
territorial concessions, the
transcripts will provoke anxiety.
For the majority, they could very
well rekindle their wish to see a
peace deal.
On the Palestinian side, this is an
opportunity to bring the difficult
issues out in the open. For now,
however, all efforts seem centered
on sweeping them back out of
view. In the long run, the
Palestine Papers controversy will
serve the useful purpose of letting
Palestinians know about the
While the netbook still has a cost/
performance advantage, the shift
in media exposure since
telecommunication carriers are
now redirecting their attention
from netbooks to tablet PCs keeps
the spotlight on the latter.
However, it is believed sales in
emerging markets should see
growth since the $550 to $650 Although many Chinese white
price point for tablet PCs is less brand netbook vendors are now
affordable.
compromises required for peace.
In the short term, the reaction
from their leaders will only serve
to trigger a retrenchment and
place one more obstacle in the
way of a stalled peace process.
Frida Ghitis is an independent
commentator on world affairs and
a World Politics Review
contributing editor. Her weekly
column, World Citizen, appears
every Thursday.
Photo: Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas (State
Dept. photo by Matty Stern).
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ICC
continued from page 25
Jon Rosen is a freelance your content and you're reading it
journalist writing on East Africa on someone else's site, please read
and Africa's Great Lakes Region. our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Photo: Kenya's President Mwai content-only/faq.php
Kibaki (Fredrick Onyango, Five Filters featured article:
licensed under the Creative Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Commons Attribution 2.0 The Crosshairs.
License) and Prime Minister Raila
Odinga (U.S. Peace Corps photo).
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shifting towards manufacturing estimates, points finger at iPad
tablet PCs, some still believe that • MSI Wind sales up to 700k by
Netbooks will retain their own end of year, still trail ASUS
niche market. Asus just launched • GPU shipment numbers for Q3
the Eee PC 1015PW and expects 2009 show robust growth
to introduce 3 to 4 more new • LCD TV Shipments Expected
netbook models. to Slow in 2011, Rise Only 13
[ Via ConceivablyTech] Percent
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
• IDC releases CPU shipment
numbers for Q3 2009
• Asus lowers netbook shipment
28 Technology/
Android 3.0 Honeycomb: SDK Details, Photos and New
Easter Eggs!
Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:16:22 PM
Google has released its Android
3.0 (code-name Honeycomb)
software development kit (SDK)
preview, allowing mobile
developers to get an early hands-
on with what the first tablet-only
version of the Android operating
system has to offer. With
Honeycomb, built from the
ground up for devices with larger
screen sizes, there's a new
"holographic" user interface, as
Google describes it, plus
improvements to multitasking,
notifications, widgets and more.
Now that the SDK is public, we
can get a look at what
Honeycomb includes, how it will
look and yes, in typical Google
fashion, we can even check out
the new Android Easter eggs
tucked away in the SDK, too.
Sponsor
For Testing Only
The SDK offers non-final APIs
(application programming
interfaces) and is for testing
purposes only. Google says its
release - a few weeks ahead of the
final version - is intended to allow
developers time to familiarize
themselves with the new UI
patterns, APIs and capabilities.
But a word of warning - Engadget
went hands on with the kit
yesterday and said it was
"extremely slow - nearly to the
point of uselessness." Yikes.
If you're just curious about its
insides and don't need to test
anything yourself, it may be better
to just stick with the news and
forum postings for now, from the
sounds of it.
New Features
Some of the notable new features
in Honeycomb include the
following, according to Google:
• UI framework for creating great
apps for larger screen devices:
Developers can use a new UI
components, new themes, richer
widgets and notifications, drag
and drop, and other new features
to create rich and engaging apps
for users on larger screen devices.
• High-performance 2D and 3D
graphics: A new property-based
animation framework lets
developers add great visual effects
to their apps. A built-in GL
renderer lets developers request
hardware-acceleration of common
2D rendering operations in their
apps, across the entire app or only
in specific activities or views. For
adding rich 3D scenes, developers
take advantage of a new 3D
graphics engine called
Renderscript.
• Support for multicore processor
architectures: Android 3.0 is
optimized to run on either single-
or dual-core processors, so that
applications run with the best
possible performance.
• Rich multimedia: New
multimedia features such as
HTTP Live streaming support, a
E-reader News Edition
like the one you see on Android access to all the applications and
phones today. From Google's own search box for apps, contacts,
Developer site, there are number media files, Web content and
of new screenshots and details more.
about the UI changes. • Recent Apps: Visual
These include: multitasking is enabled through
• System Bar: The notifications the Recent Apps button, as
bar from the Android phone has described above. Now its own
been transformed into a "System button on the System Bar, the
Bar," which now lives at the most recently accessed apps will
bottom of the screen. From here, display with a snapshot of its
you can access notifications, actual state when you last viewed
system status and the soft it.
pluggable DRM framework, and navigation buttons (Back, Home • New Keyboard: Honeycomb's
easy media file transfer through and Recent Apps). On some soft keyboard offers reshaped
MTP/PTP, give developers new Android phones, recent apps keys which have been
ways to bring rich content to didn't have its own dedicated repositioned for better targeting.
users. button, but was invoked by a long New keys, including Tab for
• New types of connectivity: New press on the Home button - that's example, have been added, too.
APIs for Bluetooth A2DP and how it works on the Nexus S, for Also, can us juvenile if you wish,
HSP let applications offer audio example. but a dedicated emoticon button is
streaming and headset control. • Action Bar: The Menu area lots of fun. (Well, on phones it is.)
Support for Bluetooth insecure from Android phones has become • Better Copy-and-Paste: The
s o c k e t c o n n e c t i o n l e t s the Action Bar on Honeycomb. copy/paste functionality has been
applications connect to simple Now at the top of the screen, this given an upgrade too. Now, a
devices that may not have a user b a r p r o v i d e s a c c e s s t o t h e press-hold activates the "select"
interface. contextual options, navigation, function, then you can drag the
• Enhancements for enterprise: widgets and other content, as arrows to adjust the size of the
New administrative policies, such dictated by the application selected area. From the Action
as for encrypted storage and currently running. If anything, the Bar, you can copy, share, paste,
p a s s w o r d e x p i r a t i o n , h e l p Action Bar calls to mind the way Web search or find.
enterprise administrators manage the Mac OS works, where the • Connectivity Options:
devices more effectively. application you're in dictates the Honeycomb offers built-in
menu choices seen at the top of support for the Media/Photo
More details on the developer your screen. Transfer Protocol, which lets you
features are here. For End Users, a • Customizable Homescreens: sync with a USB-connected
New UI Honeycomb comes with five camera. You can also attach USB
One of the most dramatic customizable homescreens which or Bluetooth keyboards. Bluetooth
changes in Honeycomb, from an users can add widgets, app tethering is supported and Wi-Fi
end user's perspective at least, is shortcuts and wallpapers to. Each
the completely revamped user homescreens offers a launcher for ANDROID page 31
interface (UI) that looks nothing
E-reader News Edition
Edmunds CEO: Impose a $2-per-
gallon gas tax
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:30:11 PM
Congress should pass a federal
gas tax on consumers instead of
continuing to impose CAFE
regulations on automakers, says
the CEO of Edmunds.
Jeremy Anwyl, who heads the
iconic source of auto information,
again raised the idea he has long
advocated via his blog Tuesday
and in conjunction with his
attendance at the 2011
Government/Industry Meeting of
the Society of Automotive
Engineers taking place this week
in Washington, D.C.
CAFE, or Corporate Average
Fuel Economy, regulations are
designed to promote fuel
efficiency and require an
automaker's fleet to meet a
specific average gas mileage.
Anwyl said that spurring a desire
in consumers for better gas
mileage would have a greater
impact on reducing gas use,
regardless of what kind of
technology is used to get there.
"Raise the price of gas and the
playing field tilts. Consumers will
start making free choices that also
help save fuel and improve the
environment," Anwyl said in his
blog post.
The idea is something Anwyl has
backed for years. Last month, he
began reiterating the idea,
agreeing with a recommendation
from the National Commission on
Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
that suggested incrementally
raising a tax on gasoline about 15
cents at a time. But Anwyl argued
that the commission was not
proposing a strong enough
measure and should be suggesting
a $2 per gallon tax on gasoline,
with exceptions for low-income
individuals.
Anwyl pointed out that in
addition to electric vehicles and
hybrids, there are many
breakthroughs in gas and diesel
engines that have already resulted
in better gas mileage. He noted in
particular the Mercedes-Benz
BlueTEC diesel and the
Volkswagen TDI clean diesel
engines.
Anwyl's mention of Volkswagen
is significant. The German
automaker's successful unit sales
of small-engine diesel cars in
Europe--where many countries
have heavily taxed gasoline and
heavily taxed cars based on
engine size--are often attributed to
high gas mileage and serve as an
example of how a U.S. gas tax
might influence consumers.
In his blog, Anwyl cited past
CAFE regulations as one of the
reasons U.S. automakers found
themselves forced to make cars
they could not sell and,
ultimately, in need of a bailout.
"Yes, vehicles have become more
efficient. Was this because of
CAFE? For the sake of
discussion, let's say yes. On that 2
dimensional scale, CAFE worked.
But it also forced automakers to
build vehicles that the market did
not want. These must then be sold
at a loss, creating a dynamic in
which small cars are subsidized in
order to earn the CAFE credits
needed to sell large vehicles at a
profit," Anwyl said.
Anwyl added that while current
gas prices reflect the inherent cost
of drilling, refining, and
transporting oil, nowhere is there
a built-in tax for the cost of
cleaning up the environment as a
result of its use.
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Is Apple preparing to
release new MacBook
Pros?
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:28:24 PM
Apple may be preparing to
update its high-end line of laptop
computers as supplies of its
MacBook Pros continue to tighten
at retail locations.
Citing unnamed sources,
MacRumors on Wednesday said
retailers are running low on stock
of Apple's MacBook Pro
computers. The report specifically
notes shortages in the 15-inch and
17-inch models.
"At least one major retail chain
has reportedly notified its
branches that it has been unable to
fulfill replenishment orders,"
writes Eric Slivka for
MacRumors.
While a shortage in supply in
itself isn't necessarily an
indication of new products, Apple
history shows when supplies
become constrained, the company
is preparing for new products.
Apple has become masterful in its
management of the supply chain,
so retailers not being able to get
more product raises flags.
Currently Apple's online store
shows all of its MacBook Pro
laptops will ship within 24 hours,
which means the company does
have stock for itself.
Apple's new MacBook Pro line is
expected to use Intel's Sandy
Technology/ 29
Bridge processor. Intel claims that
with this new generation of CPUs,
content creation is up to 42
percent faster and gaming up to
50 percent faster than with
previous generations.
The CNET Labs team did some
benchmarking of the new chips
earlier this month.
If you have a question or
comment for Jim Dalrymple, you
can submit it here. However,
because our editors and writers
receive hundreds of requests, we
cannot tell you when you may
receive a response.
Jim Dalrymple has followed
Apple and the Mac industry for
the last 15 years, first as part of
MacCentral and then in various
positions at Macworld. Jim also
writes about the professional
audio market, examining the best
ways to record music using a
Macintosh. He is a member of the
CNET Blog Network and is not
an employee of CNET. He
currently runs The Loop.
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30 Technology/ Economy/ E-reader News Edition

More Action And Fewer Cutscenes In Video Games, Please

Don Reisinger (SlashGear) to play a video game ticks and
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:30:21 PM tocks away.
If Dragon Age 2 had about 30 to
Video games are more like 40 minutes of scenes, I’d be
movies than ever before. Studios happy. But once a title hits over
are spending boatloads of cash to an hour and goes to nearly two
get epic games on store shelves, hours, I’m annoyed.
and along the way, they’re Believe it or not, I’m not
making stories more engaging and impatient. I simply feel that nearly
dramatic. A key component in a two hours of cinematic content
developer’s ability to create a over the course of the several
more cinematic experience is the hours the game lasts will take me
use of cutscenes. Just about every out of the experience of playing
game nowadays starts out with a the title. Worst of all, so much
cutscene to break gamers into the cutscene content could make the
title and ends with a cutscene to game feel choppy.
close out the story. Most titles So, let’s hope Dragon Age 2
also have scenes sprinkled offers the ability to skip scenes. If
throughout to add a bit more not, I doubt I’ll complete it.
color. Relevant Entries on SlashGear
I ’ v e a l w a y s b e e n f o n d o f franchise make you sit for an rather than sit through the When I play a game, I’ve made • Activision Wants to Sell You
cutscenes. I enjoy the opportunity inordinate chunk of time listening typically boring cutscene. the conscious decision to not Video Game Cutscenes
to learn more about characters to characters interact on topics Realizing that, I wasn’t too happy watch a movie or television show. • Lego Indiana Jones demo now
than I otherwise would without you just don’t care about in most to hear that Dragon Age 2 might I ’ v e d e c i d e d I w a n t t o d o available
cutscenes, and I typically find cases. be overrun with cutscenes. In fact, something active while I sit on the • Study shows fewer teens are
them useful for relaxing my hands I’m fine with the few seconds, the BBFC in the UK revealed this couch rather than shovel popcorn able to buy M-rated games than R
or running to the kitchen to get a and can even live with a cutscene week that the title will have 103 into my mouth. I don’t want to -rated movies
drink between the action. that lasts a few minutes. But once minutes of cutscenes when it think that I’ll have the opportunity • iControlPad makes playing
But there is a limit to what I’m a g a m e h i t s t h e 1 0 - m i n u t e launches. to actually play Dragon Age 2 and games on your iPhone easier
comfortable sitting through. threshold, I’ve checked out. And Maybe it’s just me, but having then get stuck sitting through • Pastor holds rally to burn video
As anyone who has played Metal I’m left wondering why I didn’t 103 minutes of cutscenes in a several cutscenes as the finite games, music
Gear Solid titles knows, cutscenes just watch the shows I had DVR’d video game sounds excessive. amount of time I have each night
can be a nightmare. Games in that

It Actually Totally Makes Sense That Japanese Yields Ended Lower Today
Joe Weisenthal (Money Game) ended lower today, despite the run out of its own currency. The deflationary vortex shall
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:36:02 PM downgrade from S&P. But if you look into what S&P continue. So: keep buying JGBs.
It actually makes total sense. The said, they're saying that the Join the conversation about this
Perhaps some will be surprised market recognizes that the notion economy is going to keep sucking story »
by the fact that Japanese yields of Japan defaulting is nonsense on stilts. The country isn't going to wind for a long time.
E-reader News Edition Technology/ Obituaries 31
ANDROID
First Details About Delicious continued from page 28

connectivity has been improved. • Email: The email app also uses

Founder's New Startup Emerge New Standard Apps

a two-pane UI for organizing
messages. You can select multiple
Also new in Honeycomb are messages at a time and then
Marshall Kirkpatrick Schachter told Hardy that the
(ReadWriteWeb) major updates to the standard perform an action with the Action
group hopes to launch something
Android applications, the Bar. There's a new Email
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:46:13 AM within the next few months. "I
Browser, Camera and Gallery, homescreen widget for keeping an
may take it across several
Social bookmarking service Contacts apps and Email. eye on email at a glance.
companies," he said, "the way
Delicious is regarded by many as • Browser: The updated browser
Facebook rolled out across
one of the foundational web now offers tabbed browsing, Easter Eggs!
universities." He said that Tasty
applications of the current era. "incognito" mode for private And of course, no Android SDK
Labs may roll out any number of
Acquired by Yahoo five years ago browsing and the bookmarks and would be complete without an
different applications, which
and now nearly squandered to history are in a single unified Easter egg of some kind. This
could be used in any number of
death, Delicious showed the view. Automatic sign-in for time around, it's an image of a
different ways.
world how personal utility in the Google sites is supported, as is blue and black Honeybee, found
This initial idea may not seem
cloud (bookmarking online bookmark sync with Chrome, i n t h e f u n c t i o n
stunningly original, but the
instead of in your browser) could multitouch gestures for JavaScript fyiWillBeAdvancedByHostKThx(
backgrounds and demonstrated
create a network effect of value - a n d p l u g i n s a n d t h e r e ' s a n ) at android-sdk/docs/reference/
thinking of the founders imply
most visibly, in the form of the improved zoom and viewport a n d r o i d / w i d g e t /
that it's likely to be executed in
Delicious Popular page. Now the mode. AdapterViewAnimator.html#fyi
some very potent ways.
founder of Delicious and a • Camera and Gallery: The WillBeAdvancedByHostKThx().
The product as described sounds
powerful team is working on a camera app takes advantage of the The photo of the bee is also
a little like BagCheck, a quiet new
new project they say is "putting morning. large screen with easy access to available in a set of Honeycomb
startup founded by former Yahoo
the useful back into social Sponsor exposure, focus, flash, zoom and wallpapers, now available as zip
leaders Luke Wroblewski, Sam
software. " Hardy reports that Tasty Labs is Pullara, and Bryan Lamkin, and the front-facing camera, the latter file download from the Android
Delicious was created by Joshua building a service that will match Adam Rifkin of KnowNow. That which is designed for video Central Forums.
Schachter, a data nerd with a dry the needs of some people with the service is live now and lets people conferencing. Photos in the Photo credits: Google, Android
sense of humor. After the abilities or assets of others, create lists of things. gallery can now be viewed Police Discuss
acquisition, Schachter left Yahoo possibly within corporations and Schachter's Tasty Labs has raised fullscreen, too.
for Google, then left Google to with an emphasis on commenting $3 million in funding from Union • Contacts: The updated contacts
create a new startup called Tasty a n d r e v i e w i n g p e o p l e s ' Square Ventures and Andreessen app has a two-pane UI and Fast
Labs. Schachter is working there r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s . Scroll. Contact info is presented
Horowitz. In my discussions with
with Nick Nguyen, formerly of Hardy:"Tasty Labs wants to him over the years, about the in a card-like UI, too.
Yahoo! Answers and Mozilla's create a marketplace or forum in ways I've gotten a lot of value out
a d d - o n p l a t f o r m , a n d P a u l which people can state their needs of Delicious, he always indicated
Rademacher, the man who set the a n d a v a i l a b l e t a l e n t s . B y that he'd have enabled more of the
Country singer Charlie Louvin
web world on fire in 2005 with employing relationship and same type of power use if Yahoo
the first big mashup online, ratings algorithms, the idea runs, had supported it. That makes me
dies at 83 (AP)
(Yahoo! News: Obituaries) their first recordings in the late
HousingMaps.com (Craigslist + Tasty Labs can enable people to all the more excited to see Tasty
Google Maps). What is this team satisfy needs from 'a good place start releasing product, whatever Submitted at 1/26/2011 5:42:23 PM 1940s, they released a sound wave
doing at Tasty Labs? They've for a business dinner' to 'a great it might be. Discuss that still ripples through music
been absolutely silent about it, Perl programmer' or 'figure out AP - When Charlie Louvin paired nearly six decades later.
until letting Quentin Hardy at schools selection' by getting tips his voice with his brother Ira's on
F o r b e s d o a w r i t e - u p t h i s from trusted sources.
32 Technology/ E-reader News Edition

How to Avert a Data Center Staffing AT&T activates 4.1

Crisis million iPhones in Q4
Klint Finley (ReadWriteWeb) don't have broad cross-domain
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:20:00 AM 2010 experience. These are the sort of
workers you need to have cross-
Earlier this month we covered training each other. Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW)
Gartner analyst David J. According to Zandi, certifications Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:00 PM

Cappuccio's concerns that a data are going to play a greater role in

center crisis is looming. This data center staffing decisions. He AT&T announced its quarterly
week we're seeing increased data suggests that workers that want to earnings and confirmed that it
center hiring. We talked to stay viable focus on getting cloud- activated 4.1 million iPhones in
SunGard's Managing Principal of related certifications. He says the final quarter of 2010. This
Consulting Services Dr. Mickey certifications from Cisco, EMC number is down 1.1 million from
Zandi, who says that although and VMWare are most important the 5.2 million activated in Q3
data center hiring isn't in crisis and notes that Cisco's Nexus 2010. The wireless carrier posted
yet, it's already difficult to find c o m p u t i n g a r e b e c o m i n g platform is particularly hot. its best-ever quarterly growth with
qualified people. He shares some integrated, which saves data The most important thing for the addition of 2.8 million net
advice for data center managers centers money but makes staffing workers to do now, he says, is subscribers. Yearly, the company
and workers on how to prepare to more difficult. Training for these research and learn other domains. added 8.9 million net subscribers .
for the future. skills is extensive and expensive. He suggests getting your hands The wireless carrier overtook
Sponsor Companies should continue the dirty with technologies you Verizon Wireless as the nation's
Data Center Knowledge reports a p a t h o f v i r t u a l i z a t i o n a n d wouldn't ordinarily work with, largest wireless carrier last year,
boom in data center hiring in the consolidation but not forget and to take advantage of any with 95.5 million subscribers continued subscriber gains and
first three weeks of 2011. It also training, Zandi says. "Start having online training you can. versus Verizon's 94.1 million. In strong smartphone sales. AT&T
notes a steady rise in data center your existing staff cross-train in He also recommends that both its last pre-iPhone quarter, admits that reliable projections
related job postings over the past o t h e r d o m a i n s . " H e a l s o managers and workers follow the Verizon added only 955,000 may be difficult to make due to
few years on Indeed.com. recommends that companies relevant discussions - both in- subscribers, almost one third less volatility from the Verizon
"There is a trend I've been invest in certifications and person events and on the Web - than its rival AT&T. With the iPhone. While iPhone activations
observing for the past year or year trainings for employees. He regarding technology and keep iPhone 4 slated to land on Verizon may decline, the carrier expects
a n d a h a l f - m a n a g e r s a r e s u g g e s t s b u i l d i n g l a b - abreast of trends. in February, the two carriers may Android, BlackBerry and
challenged to find operational environments where employees We've emphasized the jockey for this #1 position over Windows Phone handsets as well
staffing for data centers," says can test new technologies and do importance of investing in IT staff the next few months. as tablet devices like the iPad to
Zandi. "Many data center workers hands-on training. in the past, particularly in our " Tablets were also a strong pick up the slack.
are retiring, but have never been Zandi also says that managers are How to Improve IT Worker performer for AT&T in Q4 2010. Continue reading AT&T
involved in knowledge transfer to going to have to lower the barrier Morale." Even in this jobless The carrier activated 442,000 activates 4.1 million iPhones in
the younger generation." of entry in terms of the experience recovery, certain types of workers tablets in Q4 2010 which include Q4 2010
Zandi also says that consolidation in cross-domains. Workers with are particularly hard to find. both the Apple iPad and Android AT&T activates 4.1 million
is resulting in more complex deep knowledge in one area Photo by The Planet Discuss tablets such as the Dell Streak and iPhones in Q4 2010 originally
resources. Storage, network and should be valued even if they the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Both appeared on TUAW on Thu, 27
the iPhone and iPad contributed to Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please
AT&T's 27.4% growth in wireless see our terms for use of feeds.
data revenues, up $1.1 billion Source| Permalink| Email this|
from the year-earlier quarter. Comments
Looking ahead, AT&T expects
E-reader News Edition Technology/ 33

Exclusive: Lockerz Acquires Social

Photo Sharing App Plixi (Formerly
TweetPhoto)
Leena Rao (TechCrunch) the social commerce network will
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:31:33 AM use Plixi’s platform to add a photo
sharing experience to the
Boinx Software's early
Social commerce network
Lockerz has acquired photo
sharing app Plixi(which was
platform. Lockerz members will
be able to upload, share with
friends, comment on, and rate
push on the Mac App
formerly known as TweetPhoto), b e c o m e b r a n d a n d c o n t e n t their photos on Lockerz.com.
we’ve learned exclusively. Terms advocates and affect the behavior Over time, Lockerz and Plixi
of the deal were not disclosed but of their friends. plan to developing new media
Store
Mike Schramm (TUAW) App Store revenue "looks as if it's
we hear that the acquisition prices Lockerz, which has nearly 18 s h a r i n g f e a t u r e s t o e n g a g e on top of existing channels." That
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:00:00 PM
was between $10 million and $15 million members worldwide, is customers, such as the ability for is, customers on the Mac App
million. primarily targeted towards men Lockerz members to share their Here at Macworld in San Store aren't the same customers
Plixi is an enormously popular and women ages 13 to 30, activities, photos and videos Francisco, CA, we had a chance buying Boinx Software through
social photo sharing application attempting to build a community on other social networks. The yesterday to sit down with Boinx the company's website or other
that serves more than 1 billion of trendsetters and tastemakers newly combined company will S o f t w a r e C E O O l i v e r partners, which means that Mac
photos monthly. The startup who love to shop, play and also focus on increasing and Breidenbach, both to hear about App Store sales, right now, are
rebranded from “Tweetphoto” last connect on the Web. Users can enhancing celebrity content. the new BoinxTV Home, and also brand new income.
year, as the photo sharing network earn points and discounts on For Plixi, being acquired by a to chat about how the company is "But," Breidenbach continues, "I
expanded beyond Twitter to other brands by sharing content on the growing social network makes doing two weeks into the Mac don't think it's going to stay that
platforms like Facebook and site. Founded by Kathy Savitt, a sense. It has been difficult to App Store. The company has been way."
MySpace and added location- former Amazon and American c o m p e t e w i t h F a c e b o o k , quite aggressive with Mac App Continue reading Boinx
based check-in features. While Eagle Outfitters exec; Lockerz Foursquare and Twitter, which all Store releases, with everything Software's early push on the Mac
Plixi offers a standalone web and eventually wants to be the go-to offer photo sharing within their from the $17 utility Mousepose, App Store
iPhone app, more than 300 commerce homepage for teens networks. And while it’s still going all the way up to the $500 Boinx Software's early push on
developers have integrated Plixi’s and young adults. unclear if there’s room in the full version of iStopMotion Pro. the Mac App Store originally
p h o t o s h a r i n g t e c h n o l o g y , Savitt tells the experience will be social network space for a Breidenbach says that App Store appeared on TUAW on Thu, 27
including Seesmic, TweetDeck t h e s a m e f o r a n y o n e w h o contender like Lockerz, the sales are going "great" -- while Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please
and others and the startup handles previously used Plixi, except that company’s targeted demographic Apple's review process is taking see our terms for use of feeds.
more than 67 million API requests the services’s name will be and social commerce focus could significantly longer than the iOS Source| Permalink| Email this|
daily. changed. Lockerz will be prove to be a solid bet. store (though he suspects that's Comments
Lockerz, which has raised$30 changing Plixi’s name to Lockerz CrunchBase Information Lockerz simply because it's so much
million from Kleiner Perkins Photos. While developers will still Plixi Information provided by newer), what he's seeing is that
newly launched sFund, revolves be able to use Lockerz Photos in CrunchBase
around the idea that influencers the same way they did with Plixi,
within a social network can
34 Technology/ Travel/
Google Starts To Censor Torrent-
Related Search Queries
Audrey Watters
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:00:33 AM
Searching for file-sharing
information via Google is going
to take a little bit more effort now,
thanks to new steps taken by the
search engine to remove all sorts
of references to torrents from its
instant search and autocomplete
features.
In December, Google said it was
taking steps towards "making
copyright work better online."
Among other things, it promised
that "terms that are closely
associated with piracy" would no
longer appear in autocompletes.
Sponsor
Although it may be seen as an
effort to crack down on illegal file
-sharing, the move is a troubling
one, particularly for those who
provide BitTorrent services. No
surprise, these companies are
quick to point out that there are
many legitimate uses for torrents.
Forbidden from Autocomplete
Arbitrarily?
Part of the problem with this new
10 Fitness Vacations for the Adventurer in
You
(CONCIERGE.COM: LATEST
TRAVEL FEATURES)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 3:26:15 PM
Burn some calories paddle-
implementation, as TorrentFreak
noted when it broke the story, the
list of banned terms is "seemingly
arbitrary." No version of the
word "torrent" will work for
instant search - neither the
software "uTorrent," nor
"BitTorrent," the name of a
protocol and a San Francisco-
based company. But while the
cyberlockers RapidShare and
Megaupload are now forbidden,
other sites like HotFile and
MediaFire are not. Furthermore,
you can still find the names of
other popular torrent sites,
including The Pirate Bay.
TorrentFreak cites a response
surfing in Oahu or skiing in
E-reader News Edition
from RapidShare, who say that
"We knew about Google's plans
for quite a few weeks now. We
embrace that certain search
suggestions will not put a wrong
complexion on RapidShare
anymore, but we are concerned
that at the same time the
legitimate interests of our users
will also be affected."
The company adds that
"RapidShare is one of the most
popular websites worldwide.
Every day hundreds of thousands
of users rely on our services to Double USB – It goes
pursue their perfectly legitimate
interests. That is why Google has
obviously gone too far with
both ways
censoring the results of its suggest Rue Liu (SlashGear) hence would fit in either direction.
algorithm. A search engine's Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:10:32 PM When inserted, regardless which
results should reflect the users' orientation, one of the contact
interests and not Google's or Inserting a USB connector is layers will be pushed in allowing
anybody else's." generally a fairly simple task. But the right one to make contact.
For now, you can still search for there’s always that little pesky [ Via Yanko Designs]
torrent information. While your split second you spend checking Relevant Entries on SlashGear
search queries won't which side is on top. Now • Double Dragon Coming to
autocomplete, the results aren't considering how many devices XBLA
censored. Yet. these days rely on us plugging and • ChillyChilly Seeing Double
Image credits: TorrentFreak unplugging their USB connectors, wall clock with secret time
Discuss we are possibly wasting loads of decoders
time each day. This problem may • Samsung Announces First Truly
now be solved should the Double Double-sided LCD
USB design from Yanko be • Double Range Guitar is a must-
adopted as a standard. have for PS3 rockers
Yanko Designs has offered up • Omega Double Eagle Co-Axial
a n o t h e r b e a u t i f u l l y s i m p l e Chronograph
solution. The Double USB
Quebec. These 10 activity-
features two contact layers that
inspired vacation ideas are sure to
expand and contract freely and
increase your heart rate and cure
your midwinter blues.
E-reader News Edition Technology/ Economy/ 35

Avego Debuts go520 Mobile App In Re-Use Your Keurig K-

Seattle To Encourage Carpooling, Cups!
noreply@blogger.com (Ad
Ease Traffic ServeRSS) (AdServRSS Feed)

Lora Kolodny (TechCrunch) approaches including: the Do you love the Keurig coffee
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:33:24 PM installation of ramp meters, new system?
tolling, bus services and web- Are you tired of paying 50¢ per
A company that provides based carpool services. cup? Do you want to start saving
software and services to the 750 riders along Seattle’s SR 520 According to an Avego press money today? Turn your used K-
transportation industry, Avego, highway. Drivers require an statement: Cups into reusable K-Cups!
introduced a pilot program called iPhone; passengers can use any In 2009, the Washington State The Keurig standard approach $14 and up. If you want 10 of
go520 in Seattle today, to match m o b i l e p h o n e w i t h t e x t i n g Legislature required the state’s involves the purchase of K-Cups them, that is $140 just for the
drivers who have empty seats in capabilities to access the service. transportation department to with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, reusable cups. Second, the cup
their vehicles to carpoolers on T h e c o m p a n y w i l l m a k e a conduct a carpool pilot project on etc. The K-Cups make excellent does not produce as good of a cup
their route, using an app for W i n d o w s P h o n e 7 v e r s i o n the SR 520 corridor in King coffee. But they each cost of coffee as the K-Cup itself. The
iPhone and other GPS-enabled a v a i l a b l e i n A p r i l 2 0 1 1 . County. The pilot project includes anywhere from $.25 to $.50 per designs are different and the water
smartphones. To encourage participation in the a detailed evaluation of real-time cup depending on the quantity and flows out the sides of the filter
T h e p r o j e c t c o u l d d o f o r project, Avego will give go520 [carpooling] to help policy makers where you purchase them. If you rather than down through the
commuters what Cabulous and drivers who use their program 20 determine how it compares to like to drink coffee like me, this coffee (take a look at it closely).
Uber have begun to do for taxi or more times each month a $30 o t h e r d e m a n d m a n a g e m e n t can add up to quite a bill really Third, the design is big, bulky,
d r i v e r s a n d t h e i r p o t e n t i a l gas card, and some other travel programs and whether it should quickly. and hard to store. If you already
customers — make it easy to find reimbursements. Riders will be used elsewhere in Washington. So you say, why not get a have a turnstile for K-Cups, you
one another, while hopefully receive up to $30 per month in WSDOT considered a variety of reusable K-Cup. Good idea. But can not store these there. With
curbing pollution and traffic Avego credits to use towards proposals and selected Avego to there are a few problems with the this product you can.
congestion when there are too t r a v e l b e y o n d t h e p r o g r a m receive a $400,000 grant. system Keurig wants you to use.
many single-car drivers on the covered by the go520 initiative. In December, Avego attained First the reusable K-Cups cost
road. Washington state has sought to $5.6 million in series A funding in
A Washington state -funded decrease emissions and reduce a round led by SOSventures.
project, the go520 app and service traffic around Seattle’s highways CrunchBase Information AveGo
allows up to 250 drivers to offer w i t h a n u m b e r o f o t h e r S O S v e n t u r e s I n f o r m a t i o n
empty seats in their vehicles to provided by CrunchBase

Consumer Discretionary Stocks Making A Ridiculous Move Today

Joe Weisenthal (Money Game) discretionaries vs. consumer eagerness, and margin pressure at story »
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:10:00 PM staples (a ratio that's a decent some big names like Proctor and
proxy of risk hunger) is making a Gamble is helping things out.
Quick update on this... Consumer huge move today. A combo of Amazon earnings Join the conversation about this
36 Technology/ Policy/
Apple Sending New Leaders On
Stage: Eddy Cue Will Help Launch
The Daily In NYC
MG Siegler (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:06:28 PM
There has been talk for months
now that Apple and News Corp.
would hold a joint event in the
Bay Area to announce the launch
of The Daily, the iPad-only
publication. Then a few wrenches
were thrown into the mix.
First of all, Apple supposedly
needed a little more time to get
their subscription service working
in a new version of iTunes. And
then, of course, Apple CEO Steve
Jobs announced he was taking an
indefinite leave of absence. Given
that The Daily has been a project
watched closely by News Corp.
CEO Rupert Murdoch, you can be
sure that he wanted Jobs up on
stage with him to present it to the
world. That’s clearly not going to
happen now. So News Corp.
likely had to switch things around.
And today they have.
An invite has just gone out to the
press, notifying us of an event to
launch The Daily. Rupert
Murdoch is clearly taking control
of this event — his name is in the
large font on the top of the invite.
Apple is obviously still sending
someone, but it will be Eddy Cue,
vice president of Internet
Services, rather than Jobs —
Cue’s name appears smaller
below The Daily’s app logo.
Further, the event has now been
moved to News Corp.’s homebase
of New York City (it will be at the
Guggenheim). And it’s set for
next week, February 2.
Cue is an interesting choice for
Apple to send if, for no other
reason, than he normally doesn’t
take the stage. When Jobs isn’t on
stage, it’s usually SVP of
Marketing Phil Schiller, COO
Tim Cook, or sometimes SVP of
iOS Scott Forstall, or SVP of
Design Jonathan Ive that gets the
spotlight. Cue isn’t even
technically an executive (just VP).
But Fast Company did last year
highlight the longtime Apple
employee as the number two most
creative person in business
(behind only Lady Gaga). And
iTunes and the App Store are his
babies. If anyone is going to be
able to explain why the iTunes
subscription model will work
where others have failed, it’s Cue.
CrunchBase Information News
Corporation Apple Information
provided by CrunchBase
E-reader News Edition
What Caused the
Financial Crisis?
(AEI.Org: Articles) knowingly manipulated the
Submitted at 1/26/2011 5:00:00 PM financial system and politicians in
Washington to take advantage of
Today, six members of the h o m e o w n e r s a n d m o r t g a g e
F i n a n c i a l C r i s i s I n q u i r y investors alike, intentionally
Commission--created by the last jeopardizing the financial system
Congress to investigate the causes while enjoying huge personal
o f t h e f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s - - a r e gains. That's the view of the six
releasing their final report. majority commissioners.
Although the three of us served on This article is available in full by
the commission, we were unable subscription to the Wall Street
t o s u p p o r t t h e m a j o r i t y ' s Journal. The full text will be
conclusions and have issued a posted to AEI.org on Monday,
dissenting statement. January 31, 2011.
In a November 2009 article, Bill Thomas is an adjunct scholar
Brookings Institution economists at AEI. Keith Hennessey served
Martin Baily and Douglas Elliott as director of the White House
describe the three common National Economic Council in
narratives about the financial 2008. Douglas Holtz-Eakin is a
crisis. The first argues that the f o r m e r d i r e c t o r o f t h e
primary cause was government Congressional Budget Office.
intervention in the housing Photo Credit: Flick user brian
m a r k e t . T h i s i n t e r v e n t i o n , glanz/Creative Commons
principally through Fannie Mae This entry passed through the
and Freddie Mac, inflated a Full-Text RSS service — if this is
housing bubble that triggered the your content and you're reading it
crisis. This is the view expressed on someone else's site, please read
by one of our co-commissioners our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
in a separate dissent. content-only/faq.php
The second narrative blames Five Filters featured article:
Wall Street and its influence in Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Washington. According to this The Crosshairs.
narrative, greedy bankers
E-reader News Edition
Apple investigates hover gestures
Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:00:00 AM
Apple was awarded a patent on
Tuesday for a hover sensitive
device that accepts input from
finger movements above the
device's display. The patent
describes the usage of "real-
world" gestures to control a
device equipped with a touch or
hover-sensitive display. Hand and
finger movements include knock
to inquire gestures, circle to select
gestures, X to delete gestures and
more. Besides performing
operations, these gestures could
identify users and restrict access
to sensitive files, directories and
applications.
Filed in 2007, The patent
presents this idea as a way to
expand the functionality of a
touchscreen display by
incorporating an advanced set of
gestures that are easy for users to
perform. This technology would
be incorporated into a computer
system with a touch sensor panel
that includes hover detecting
capability and a proximity sensor.
Details within the patent do not
reveal whether this computing
system is a traditional desktop
computer, a touchscreen-enabled
MacBook or a computer-powered
kiosk.
A similar patent for using a hover
-enabled surface on a portable
device such as the iPhone was
also filed in early 2007 and
uncovered in 2008. As with many
patents, the ideas contained within
the document may never come to
fruition. They may be simply
added to Apple's arsenal of
patents and set aside as a defense
to be used in future litigation.
[Via AppleInsider]
Apple investigates hover gestures
originally appeared on TUAW on
Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST.
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Comments
Technology/ Culture/
10 Tips for Pricing
Your Home
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:56 PM
Pricing your home for sale can be
tricky. When looking at numbers
in the hundreds of thousands, it's
easy to be blasé about 10k here or
there. But take a second to sit with
the idea of what that money really
means. If you throw a price at the
market willy-nilly, you could
easily miss out on a new car, a
year of college tuition, a couple of
luxury vacations, a down payment
on another home or even a year's
salary.
On the flip side, it wouldn't be
hard to be whitewashed by
optimism and price your home out
of the market entirely. No one
wants to be "that house" that's
been sitting on the market for 18
Spacewalkers Videos
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:56 PM
You're Watching: Playlist |
Spacewalkers Videos Playlist |
Spacewalkers Videos Satisfy your
curiosity with the 15 spacewalkers
videos below. There are 15 videos
tagged "Spacewalkers" most
recommended videos
• How It's Made Videos
• 10 Ways The World Will End
Videos
37
months like a teenager without a
prom date.
Instead, it's time for realism. A
little up-front research and
legwork to define the all-
important price of your home can
help grease the wheels for an easy
selling experience, while
maximizing your dollars at the
end of the day. Here, we'll look at
some of the things to consider
when pricing your home.
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38 Technology/ Economy/ Culture/
Lenovo and NEC team up for PCs and
smartphones
Rue Liu (SlashGear)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:58:02 PM
During a news conference earlier
today, Lenovo CEO announced
that they are forming a joint
venture with NEC to focus on
increasing sales of personal
computers in Japan. With the
market focused on mobile
products, the joint venture has
expressed interest in pursuing
developments in that arena as
well.
The joint venture will be in the
form of a new company called
NEC Lenovo Japan Group, with
Lenovo owning 51 percent of the
company and NEC the rest. The
deal is considered a win-win.
Lenovo is the world’s no. 4
computer maker and NEC is
Japan’s most popular PC brand.
Together, they can outpace global
market growth, breakthrough the
Japanese market that is usually
resistant to foreign brands, keep
pace with Taiwanese rival Acer,
and also scale up or diversify into
other services.
Beyond PCs, it is likely that the
new team effort will venture into
developing, producing, and
selling other devices especially in
the mobile arena such as tablets
and smartphones. Lenovo CEO
was quoted by Reuters to suggest
that smartphone development was
definitely in their near future.
[ Via ZDNet]
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
• Lenovo establishes Mobile
Internet & Digital Home team for
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after all: Android resurrection
tipped
• First glimpse of Olympic laptop
from Lenovo
• Lenovo LePad Android tablet
due for Q4 Chinese release
• Lenovo set to auction off
Olympic-themed laptops for
charity
E-reader News Edition
Gwyneth Paltrow
Tackles the Snowstorm
With Style and French
Beauty Products
Allie Merriam (PopSugar)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:25:43 AM
Gwyneth Paltrow didn't let the
crazy amount of snow currently
blanketing NYC get in her way
this morning as she left her Big
Apple apartment and hopped into
an SUV. The actress is in the US
trying to stay warm, though her
musician husband, Chris Martin,
was spotted earlier this week out
in London with their kids, Apple
and Moses. Gwyneth's not the
only US-born lady who's fallen
for a guy in an English band -
PopSugar UK just compiled a list
of 10 American ladies who've
fallen for British rockers.
Gwyneth herself spent a few
recent days in Britain, where she
saw her family and also had a

The 10 Jobs Where Hiring Will Surge In 2011 night out with her girlfriends. She
certainly didn't seem to mind the
cold temperatures today
Leah Goldman (Money Game) $39,000
considering her unbuttoned coat,
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:38:52 PM Why it's hot: industry wide shift
and she wrote in this week's
to electronic medical records
Even with unemployment GOOP about the French drugstore
#8 Financial Analyst
lingering at 9%, there are items that keep her in top form
Projected hiring growth: 20%
industries that are rapidly during Winter. View Slideshow ›
Projected openings: 49,600
increasing their hiring rates. Average starting salary:$39,000-
Mindflash.com compiled data $50,000
from the Bureau of Labor Why it's hot: growth in the
Statistics, and other sources, to overall amount of assets under
compile a list of industries hiring these industries in 2011.#10 g r e a t e r p u b l i c i n t e r e s t i n management
in 2011. Elementary School Teacher education View more at Business Insider
And not surprisingly, almost all Projected hiring growth: 15.8% #9 Medical Records Technician
of them relate to technology. Projected openings: 244,200 Projected hiring growth: 20%
So if you're unemployed, or need Average starting salary:$30,917 Projected openings: 35,100
a career change, look to one of Why it's hot: teacher shortages, Average starting salary:$24,000-
E-reader News Edition
Buried One Mile Deep In Economic News: Rand Paul
Proposes Elimination of HUD; Churches "Walk Away"; China
Hard Landing; Repeal of Davis-Bacon
noreply@blogger.com (Michael
Shedlock) (Mish's Global
Economic Trend Analysis)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:45:00 AM
Many stories of significance have
come my way on housing issues,
state debt issues, federal debt
issues, pension issues, and other
economic items of note. I feel as
if I am buried a mile deep news.
Here are a few stories that caught
my eye.
Senator Rand Paul Proposes
Elimination of HUD
I am pleased to report a
tremendous deficit cutting idea by
senator Rand Paul: Eliminate
Energy, HUD and most of
Education department In his first
major legislative proposal, U.S.
Sen. Rand Paul has proposed
cutting government spending by
$500 billion in a year, including
eliminating the Departments of
Energy and Housing and Urban
Development and most of the
Department of Education. That is
the single best piece of fiscal
legislation proposed in years.
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval
Addresses Underfunded Public
Pension Plans
While Illinois has jumped off the
deep end with tax hikes, Nevada's
Governor says Tax increases last
thing Nevada businesses need Tax
increases are the last thing
Nevada businesses need now,
Gov. Brian Sandoval told a
receptive audience Wednesday
during a speech to the Las Vegas
Chamber of Commerce. "My
understanding is that PERS is an
$8 (billion) or $9 billion unfunded
liability that Nevada can't afford,"
he said. Sandoval said benefits
reforms must starts with the new
employees hired by the state. I
commend Governor Brian
Sandoval's ideas and his starting
point. States need to scrap defined
benefit pension plans for new
hires immediately.
100,000 People in Oakland
Expected to Apply for 650
Subsidized Housing Openings
The San Francisco Chronicle
reports Oakland opens waiting list
for Section 8 vouchers Oakland's
housing authority opened up its
waiting list Tuesday for Section 8
housing vouchers, drawing
thousands for a coveted spot in
line.
The only way to sign up was over
a computer, so across the city,
hundreds jammed into city
libraries to fill out the forms in the
hope that they might eventually
get a chance to live in subsidized
housing.
In the first three hours, 6,000
people filled out applications.
Over the five-day application
period, the housing authority
expects 100,000 people to apply
for only 10,000 spots on the
waiting list.
The housing authority uses a
lottery to determine who gets on
the list. And even then it's no
more than a foot in the door. It
has taken nearly five years to
clear the waiting list that was
opened in 2006. Vouchers, for the
most part, only become available
when people living on assistance
obtain higher-paying jobs or die.
Even now, only 650 vouchers are
available, said Eric Johnson, the
housing authority's executive
director. With those odds, I have a
simple question: Does this
program make any sense
whatsoever? Here is a bonus
question: Does this feel like a
recovery?
New York State Seizes Finances
of Nassau County
The New York Times reports
New York State Seizes Finances
of Nassau County
A state oversight board on
Wednesday seized control of
Nassau County’s finances, saying
the county, one of the nation’s
wealthiest and most heavily taxed,
had nonetheless failed to balance
its $2.7 billion budget.
Nassau’s tax receipts are the envy
of many worse-off municipalities:
its malls and busy retail districts,
a short drive from New York
City, help generate about $1
billion in sales taxes a year, and
its aging bedroom communities
add about $800 million in county
property taxes.
But the county has resisted cuts
in services, and its current leaders
have been just as adamant about
not raising taxes. The problem
should not be hard to guess -
public unions wages and benefits.
It will be interesting to see what
the imposed solution is. It could
be higher taxes or wage and
benefit cuts.
Churches Walk Away
You have no doubt heard about
homeowners and businesses
"walking away". Churches are
now doing the same thing. Please
consider Churches Find End Is
Nigh
Residential and commercial real-
estate owners aren't the only ones
losing their properties to
foreclosure. The past few years
have seen a rapid acceleration in
the number of churches losing
their sanctuaries because they
can't pay the mortgage.
Just as homeowners borrowed
too much or built too big during
boom times, many churches did
the same and now are struggling
as their congregations shrink and
collections fall owing to rising
unemployment and a weak
economy.
"Religious organizations may be
subject to the laws of God but
they are also subject to the laws of
economics," said Chris Macke,
senior real-estate strategist at
Economy/ 39
CoStar. Many troubled churches,
he said, are in states such as
California, Florida, Georgia and
Michigan, which also have some
of the highest home-foreclosures
rates in the country.
In many cases, churches ran into
trouble after borrowing to build
bigger houses of worship needed
to accommodate growing
congregations in once-booming
housing markets.
Pastors Rich and Lindy Oliver
decided their Family Christian
Center needed more space after
their congregation rose from a
few hundred in the early 1990s to
650 by 2002. The church
borrowed $4.2 million and began
building a new 1,000-person
sanctuary on 11 acres in
Orangevale, Calif., including
classrooms and a space for adult
learning.
But when housing prices across
California began tumbling in
2006, followed by a surge in
unemployment and foreclosures,
many congregants moved away,
and those who were left reduced
their tithing sharply. Meanwhile,
the property, valued at $8.5
million in 2002 was appraised at
just $2.5 million in 2008.
Stretched to the limit, the pastors
stopped making payments. "I just
told the bank to take it," Mr.
BURIED page 40
40
BURIED
continued from page 39
Oliver said. "If you're a church
with a piece of property upside
down and no one will refinance
the loan or lend you more money,
there's not really another choice
but to walk away." E-mails
Suggest Bear Stearns Cheated
Clients Out of Billions
The Atlantic reports E-mails
Suggest Bear Stearns Cheated
Clients Out of Billions
Former Bear Stearns mortgage
executives who now run mortgage
divisions of Goldman Sachs,
Bank of America, and Ally
Financial have been accused of
cheating and defrauding investors
through the mortgage securities
they created and sold while at
Bear. According to e-mails and
internal audits, JPMorgan had
known about this fraud since the
spring of 2008, but hid it from the
public eye through legal
maneuvering. Last week a lawsuit
filed in 2008 by mortgage insurer
Ambac Assurance Corp against
Bear Stearns and JPMorgan was
unsealed. The lawsuit's supporting
e-mails, going back as far as
2005, highlight Bear traders
telling their superiors they were
selling investors like Ambac a
"sack of sh*t."
Mike Nierenberg, who ran the
adjustable-rate mortgage trading
desk at Bear and is now the head
of mortgages and securitization
for Bank of America, was a key
player ensuring the defaulting
loans Bear was buying would
move off their books right after
they bought them, with little
concern for the firm's due
diligence standards. He was
joined in this scheme by Jeff
Verschleiser, his peer and Senior
Managing Director on the
mortgage and asset-backed
securities trading desk and head
of whole loan trading. He is now
an executive in Goldman Sachs'
mortgage division.
According to the lawsuit, the
Bear traders would sell toxic
mortgage securities to investors
and then sell back the bad loans
with early payment defaults to the
banks that originated them at a
discount. The traders would
pocket the refund, and would not
pass it on to the mortgage trust,
which was where it should have
gone to be distributed to the
investors who owned the bonds.
The Marano-led traders also cut
the time allowed for early
payment defaults, without telling
the bond investors. That way,
Bear could quickly securitize
defective loans, without leaving
enough time for investors to do
their own due diligence after the
bonds were sold and put-back any
bad loans to Bear.
Bear deal manager Nicolas Smith
wrote an e-mail on August 11th,
2006 to Keith Lind, a Managing
Director on the trading desk,
referring to a particular bond,
SACO 2006-8, as "SACK OF
SH*T [2006-]8" and said, "I hope
your [sic] making a lot of money
off this trade."
It's this blatant internal awareness
inside the Bear mortgage trading
division that the Ambac suits says
led Bear to implement an across-
the-board strategy to disregard its
contractual promises and conceal
the defective loans. By JPMorgan
taking over Bear, it became the
successor of interest in Bear
Stearns. As the lawsuit lays out,
JPMorgan is responsible for the
flagrant accounting fraud started
by Bear designed to avoid, and
has continued to avoid,
recognition of vast off-balance
sheet exposure relating to its
contractual repurchase
agreements. This allowed
executives to reap tens of millions
of dollars in compensation from a
bank that wouldn't have been able
to buy Bear without tax payer
assistance. Barney Frank Chides
GOP for ‘Waiting’ on Fannie,
Freddie
The Wall Street Journal reports
Barney Frank Chides GOP for
‘Waiting’ on Fannie, Freddie Rep.
Barney Frank, (D., Mass.), the top
Democrat on the House Financial
Services Committee, told
reporters that he was “puzzled” by
what he characterized as a lack of
action by Republicans, who
criticized the Dodd-Frank
financial-overhaul law enacted
last summer as incomplete
without dealing with the mortgage
giants.
“Last year the Republicans were
very insistent that this was an
emergency,” Frank told reporters.
“I’m waiting for their plan. I am
surprised that they’re not moving
as quickly…They knew exactly
what they wanted to do when they
were in the minority, so I don’t
know why they aren’t moving
forward.” This is easy to address.
The Republicans ought to take
Barney Frank up on his excellent
suggestion and introduce
legislation tomorrow to phase out
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a
two-year timeframe.
Then we can watch the biggest
Fannie hypocrite the world has
ever seen protest the move.
Postal Service Eyes Closing
Thousands of Post Offices
The Wall Street Journal reports
Postal Service Eyes Closing
Thousands of Post Offices
The U.S. Postal Service plays
two roles in America: an agency
that keeps rural areas linked to the
rest of the nation, and one that
loses a lot of money.
Now, with the red ink showing
no sign of stopping, the postal
service is hoping to ramp up a
cost-cutting program that is
already eliciting yelps of pain
around the country. Beginning in
March, the agency will start the
process of closing as many as
2,000 post offices, on top of the
491 it said it would close starting
at the end of last year. In addition,
it is reviewing another
16,000—half of the nation's
existing post offices—that are
operating at a deficit, and
lobbying Congress to allow it to
change the law so it can close the
most unprofitable among them.
The law currently allows the
postal service to close post offices
only for maintenance problems,
lease expirations or other reasons
that don't include profitability.
Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine)
says the agency should instead cut
waste in its ranks. Although the
postal service has cut its work
force through attrition in recent
E-reader News Edition
years, it is still weighed down by
overly generous employee
benefits, she says.
"One of my frustrations is that the
first approach the post office
seems to take is to reduce
service…when instead it needs to
tackle a benefit structure that is
too expensive, and it needs to
look for ways to stay in business
and deal with the digital age,"
says Sen. Collins. Senator Collins
hits the nail on the head. The
problem is excessive public union
benefits.
Arbitrator Rules Against
Firefighters' Union
In a victory for common sense, a
Nevada Arbitrator chooses Clark
County offer over firefighters
union Clark County won a months
-long labor dispute with its
firefighters union Wednesday
when an arbitrator chose the
county's final contract offer, a
decision that will save an
estimated $7.4 million.
The 741 firefighters covered in
the contract will get a 2 percent
pay cut, no wage increases, a
reduction in long-term disability
benefits and a tougher sick leave
policy. Clark County
Commissioner Steve Sisolak Not
Yet Done With Firefighters
Best wishes to Clark County
Commissioner Steve Sisolak who
is still justifiably after firefighters
over fraudulent sick leave.
Please consider Sisolak calls for
investigation of firefighter sick
leave
In 2009, Clark County
BURIED page 41
E-reader News Edition
BURIED
continued from page 40
Commissioner Steve Sisolak
began looking hard at Fire
Department costs. He had
received a deluge of angry calls
and e-mails from constituents
wondering why the unionized
firefighters weren’t accepting
salary or benefits reductions as
the county dealt with budget cuts
and the local economy continued
its slide.
“Everybody was losing their jobs,
their homes,” Sisolak said.
For much of that year, he was the
only commissioner willing to
criticize their salaries, benefits
and retirement packages that
averaged about $180,000 in 2009.
In retaliation, members of the
union showed up at Sisolak’s
public meetings to glare at him.
He said he received death threats,
which prompted county
administrators to post park police
at commission meetings. A city
firefighter posted on Facebook
that she’d like to shoot him.
This week brought a measure of
vindication for Sisolak in his fight
with the union after an arbitrator
broke a stalemate in negotiations
by deciding the county’s contract
offer was better than the
firefighter union’s offer.
Sisolak said he was happy. “I’m
not done, though,” he added.
Late Thursday, he sent letters to
the FBI, Metro Police, Clark
County district attorney and
others seeking an investigation
into potentially criminal acts of
racketeering and fraud by
firefighters. Sisolak has long
alleged that firefighters are
abusing the sick-leave system to
rack up overtime pay.
After reading the arbitrator’s 26-
page decision, he is more
determined than ever to have his
suspicion investigated. He pointed
specifically to one part of the
decision:
“Some employees use sick leave
as vacation, scheduling
themselves to be ‘sick’ months in
advance. This improper use of
sick leave is evident from e-mails
the (Fire) Department recovered,”
arbitrator Norman Brand wrote.
“Second, it appears some
firefighters may deliberately call
in late to turn the overtime
opportunity into a callback/
overtime opportunity.”
Callback pay is more valuable
than overtime because it pays
overtime plus a contribution to a
firefighter’s pension.
In his letter, Sisolak said if more
than one firefighter has been
involved in sick-leave scamming,
it might represent a violation of
the federal RICO (Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations) Act. Pension
Fraud in San Francisco
The New York Times reports
Bonus Payments to City Retirees
Are Drawing Ire
As San Francisco struggles under
ballooning pension and health
care costs, the city’s retirees will
receive unexpected cost-of-living
bonuses totaling $170 million.
The city’s anticipated budget
deficit for the coming year is $360
million.
A political battle has raged over
the city’s growing retirement
obligations. In November,
Proposition B, which would have
required city workers to
contribute more toward their
pensions and benefits, was
soundly defeated. The measure’s
opponents — every major elected
official and energetic public-
employee unions — said fears
about the pension fund were
overblown.
Meanwhile, the fund’s
fundamentals deteriorated as it
gradually accounted for its huge
losses in the stock market crash. It
took in $414 million in
contributions in 2010 but paid out
$819 million.
On Jan. 4, an actuarial firm
reported that the $13.1 billion San
Francisco Employees’ Retirement
System now had an unfunded
liability of $1.6 billion — triple
its shortfall a year earlier. Gary A.
Amelio, the system’s chief since
January 2010, did not respond to
questions.
In spite of the shortfall, Mr.
Amelio and the system’s board
quietly decreed in mid-December
that “excess” earnings on
investments in 2010 entitled
retirees to an unexpected cost-of-
living increase of as much as 3.5
percent this year. The special
$170 million bonus is in excess of
regular cost-of-living adjustments,
or COLAs.
“The irony of issuing bonus
payments to retirees at a time the
pension fund is a billion dollars
down is insane. It really is,” said
Jeff Adachi, San Francisco’s
public defender and the chief
proponent of Proposition B,
which he says would have saved
the city $120 million this year.
“It’s like a bankrupt corporation
paying dividends to its
shareholders.” The actions of
Gary Amelio who authorized
bonuses on the basis of fund
"excesses" are every bit as
fraudulent as bankrupt
corporations paying dividends.
I hope Jeff Adachi resubmits
Proposition B in the next election,
tripling or quadrupling the last
amount he requested union
members contribute.
In the meantime, someone should
seek civil if not criminal charges
against Amelio right now.
Groundbreaking California
Ruling OKs Teacher Layoffs Not
Based on Seniority
In yet another victory for
common sense over public union
greed, a Judge OKs settlement
that limits use of seniority in L.A.
teacher layoffs
In a case that pits the
constitutional rights of students
against the job protections of
teachers, a Los Angeles County
Superior Court judge approved a
groundbreaking settlement Friday
that limits the effect of layoffs on
the district's most vulnerable
students.
Up to 45 Los Angeles Unified
School District campuses will be
shielded from teacher layoffs
altogether, Judge William F.
Highberger ordered Friday, and
layoffs in the district's other 750
schools must be spread more
equitably.
The decision comes amid deep
education cuts and a debate over
teacher tenure rules, which are
41
being challenged across the
country. New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie recently called for the
end of tenure, as have leaders in
Florida, Idaho, Wyoming and
elsewhere.
Lawyers representing district
students hailed the judge's ruling
as a "landmark victory" that put
the interests of children ahead of
their instructors.
Representatives of United
Teachers Los Angeles, which
vigorously opposed the settlement
in court, said the teachers union
will probably appeal the order,
which "eviscerates seniority" and
will damage the morale of district
teachers.
The settlement is an attempt to
address a problem all parties
recognize: the devastating effect
that layoffs have had on district
campuses in recent years. Some
schools have lost as much as 50%
of their teaching staffs to
cutbacks, unraveling some reform
efforts and causing turmoil at
already struggling campuses.
A Times investigation last year
found that seniority-based layoffs
in the district had led to the
dismissal of hundreds of highly
effective teachers and fell hardest
on schools in the city's poorest
neighborhoods. Far fewer layoffs
would be necessary if the
decisions were based on
performance rather than seniority,
a Times analysis found. If
teachers wanted what was best for
the kids, they would not object to
this ruling.
BURIED page 43
42 Economy/ E-reader News Edition

Market Participants "Learn the Wrong Lesson" from

Bernanke; Conflicts of Interest in "Stay the Course" Advice
noreply@blogger.com (Michael sentiment, consumer spending, Differences in opinion of overall historically low interest rates from Wachovia Securities called
Shedlock) (Mish's Global and ultimately bank balance valuation can exist because of remain held in their place. Implied me up and stated "Mish, I am
Economic Trend Analysis) sheets. most analysts’ over-focus on one volatility, which is the key driver sitting on millions because I see
Submitted at 1/26/2011 6:00:00 PM Other concerns are more year of earnings, instead of what of option pricing, recently closed nothing I like".
The risk trade marches on. It's exogenous, but no less real, and is likely to occur on average. To at low levels not seen but prior to I told the person I did not like
another day and another high in include European sovereign make sense of this discrepancy, it the onset of the financial crisis. much either and that Sitka Pacific
the DOW. What have investors f u n d i n g t r o u b l e s , r i s i n g might help to think about Elevated valuations, limited yield was heavily in cash and or
learned from this? commodity prices, and tightening investing in the stock market as if opportunities, tight credit spreads, hedged. His response was "Well, I
Alan Hartley writing for requirements in emerging you were buying one large and complacency are a potent do not get paid anything if my
M o r n i n g s t a r e x p l o r e s t h a t economies to tame inflation. All company. The first thing to brew for a tall glass of regret. clients are sitting in cash".
question in A Potent Brew for a these risks could be contentedly remember is that this “company” It seems that market participants I called up a rep at Merrill
Tall Glass of Regret While it is borne at the right price, but is quite cyclical. Its earnings vary have learned the wrong lesson: Lynch and he said the same
c l e a r e c o n o m i c d a t a h a s unfortunately for investors, over the business cycle, from that the Fed can have an thing, that reps for Merrill Lynch
improved, we must be conscious valuations offer no solace. having profit margins of less than enormous effect on the market, do not get paid if their clients are
of the risks that remain. The cyclically adjusted price- 4% in tough times and greater “keeping asset prices higher than sitting in cash.
For starters, our recent economic earnings ratio, developed by Yale than 8% at the peak of the cycle. they otherwise would be”, and not Massive Conflict of Interest
g r o w t h h a s r e q u i r e d professor Robert Shiller, stands at On average, the company delivers that the Fed’s largesse always Notice the massive conflict of
unconventional a n d 23, a level 40% above its mean. 6% profit margins during the ends in tears. Why Wildly interest possibilities. Reps for
unprecedented monetary policy. The ratio of the total market course of a full cycle, which Differing Conclusions? various broker dealers have a
The purchase of trillions of capitalization to gross national includes great, terrible, and Hartley hits the mark with his vested interest in keeping clients
dollars of securities by the Fed in product, a measure used by average years (think 2001-10). analysis and even more with his 100% invested 100% of the
the hopes that “higher stock prices Warren Buffett, is almost 50% Analysts expect 2011 S&P 500 conclusion "the Fed’s largesse time, even if they know it is
will boost consumer wealth and above its long-term average. Total sales to breach $1,000 per share always ends in tears." However, wrong. And so during every
help increase confidence” has thus market capitalization to corporate with earnings of $87.50, or an he misses one key point: recession and every boom alike,
far worked wonders in bolstering profits, which can function as an 8.5% profit margin--a margin Most analysts, money managers, bad advice permeates the
e q u i t y m a r k e t s . B u t s u c h economy-wide P/E ratio, is 10% level eclipsed by only the year and broker-dealers are perpetually airwaves and internet "Stay The
involvement with a seemingly above its long-term average, 2006. Put a long-term average bullish because they have a vested Course".
tepid growth response should despite current near-peak profit multiple of 15 on those earnings, interest to be perpetually bullish. By the way, that person at
c a u s e o n e t o p o n d e r t h e margins. In fact, take any and you get a price target of Just as real estate salesman do Wachovia mentioned above did
economy’s stand-alone strength valuation method that doesn’t rely $1,313, or 2.3% above Friday's not sell houses if they tell the right thing. He did not see
and growth sustainability. on next-year earnings estimates close. But assume the average potential clients houses are too investment opportunities he liked,
As Bill McBride of Calculated that imply ever-expanding profit occurrence of 6% profit margins, expensive, broker-dealers don't so he kept client funds in cash.
Risk noted, the December figure margins, and you’ll find elevated and you'll find $60 per share in make commissions if people are Such action is not the norm.
was “the largest year-over-year valuations and the lack of a earnings and a current P/E over not buying. Moreover, most Bullishness Sells
increase in [housing] inventory margin of safety in broad equity 21. money managers earn no fees at The fact that managers do not get
since January 2008 and … is markets. Yet, analysts’ target Such disregard for average all if their clients sit in cash. paid if clients sit in cash accounts
something to watch closely over prices for the S&P 500 still point occurrences is also evident in Conflicts of Interest in "Stay the for a great deal of the long-term-
the next few months.” to significant market upside. other corners of asset markets. Course" Advice buy-and-hold mentality you see.
Rising inventories would likely Why do analysts come to such Fixed-income securities have seen In January of 2009 before the The rest of it comes from analysts
lead to additional price declines d i f f e r e n t c o n c l u s i o n s w h e n spreads compress to pre-crisis, final 20% plunge in the stock
that would affect consumer a n a l y z i n g t h e s a m e d a t a ? below-average levels while market, an investment advisor MARKET page 46
E-reader News Edition
BURIED
continued from page 41
Unfortunately, it has been proven
countless times teachers want
only what is best for teachers.
Add this item to the list.
Société Générale crafts strategy
for China hard-landing
The Telegraph reports Société
Générale crafts strategy for China
hard-landing
In a report entitled The Dragon
which played with fire, the bank's
global team said China had
carried out its own version of
"quantitative easing", cranking up
credit by 20 trillion (£1.9 trillion)
or 50pc of GDP over the past two
years. It has waited too long to
drain excess stimulus.
"Policy makers are already behind
the curve. According to our
Taylor Rule analysis, the
tightening needed is about 250
basis points," said the report, by
Alain Bokobza, Glenn Maguire
and Wei Yao.
The Politiburo may be tempted to
put off hard decisions until the
leadership transition in 2012 is
safe. "The skew of risks is very
much for an extended period of
overheating, and therefore
uncontained inflation," it said.
Under the bank's "risk scenario" -
a 30pc probability - inflation will
hit 10pc by the summer. "This
would cause tremendous pain and
fuel widespread social
discontent," and risks a
"pernicious wage-price spiral"
The bank said overheating may
reach "peak frenzy" in mid-2011.
Markets will then start to
anticipate a hard-landing, which
would see non-performing loans
rise to 20pc (as in early 1990s)
and a fall in bank shares of 50pc
to 75pc over the following 12
months.
"We think growth could slow to
5pc by early 2012, which would
be a drama for China. It would be
the first hard-landing since 1994
and would destabilise the global
economy. It is not our central
scenario, but if it happens:
commodities won't like it; Asian
equities won't like it; and
emerging markets won't like it,"
said Mr Bokobza, head of global
asset allocation. Credit expansion
in China is indeed rampant, and
although the timeframe is
uncertain, a hard landing now
seems baked in the cake.
SEC Backs Fiduciary Standard
Investment News reports Battle
lines drawn after SEC backs
fiduciary standard Anyone
providing personalized investment
advice to retail customers would
have to adhere to a fiduciary
standard of care under a
recommendation contained in a
Securities and Exchange
Commission staff report. The
SEC study, which was mandated
by the Dodd-Frank financial
reform law, was submitted to
Congress late Friday night.
The report encourages SEC
commissioners to write a
regulation that would impose a
universal fiduciary duty that is
“no less stringent” than the one
that currently applies to
investment advisers. Dodd-Frank
allows the SEC to move ahead
and write such a rule.
Currently, broker-dealers must
only meet a suitability standard
when providing personalized
advice about securities to retail
investors. But the SEC staff calls
for raising the bar by requiring
brokers to act as fiduciaries, and
thus put their clients' best interests
ahead of their own. New Haven
Connecticut Seeks To Change
Binding Arbitration Rules
The Independent reports City To
State: Time To Change Binding
Arb Rules
New Haven’s mayor sent
Hartford a message: Yes, we need
money. Just as important, we need
to revolutionize the way we settle
labor disputes. Mayor John
DeStefano issued that call
Tuesday at a press conference to
highlight the city’s agenda for the
upcoming state legislative session.
The call comes as New Haven is
negotiating with 13 unions whose
contracts have expired, and two
more (police and fire) that expire
on June 30. With the city facing a
projected $52 million budget gap
in the next fiscal year, and
therefore seeking dramatic
pension and health insurance
givebacks, the atmosphere has
turned contentious.
Right now, if the two sides can’t
agree on terms, the matter may
ultimately go to binding
arbitration: The city picks an
arbitrator. The union picks an
arbitrator. They agree together on
a third arbitrator.
That system’s broken, DeStefano
argued. As a result cities are
saddled with expensive pension
and health-care plans that risk
bankrupting them.
“You inevitably get a system that
splits the baby and lowers the
expectation of any meaningful
change,” DeStefano argued.
Any third arbitrator who wants to
continue getting hired has to make
sure not to offend either side,
even if he or she concludes that
one side is right, the mayor
argued. If an arbitrator were to
decide that the city can’t afford to
maintain the current pension plan,
for instance, unions probably
wouldn’t agree to hire him or her
the next time around.
To remedy that, DeStefano
proposed that the governor
appoint an independent panel to
choose the neutral third
arbitrators—similar to the way the
state chooses superior court
judges—and give those arbitrators
terms rather than select them for
one case at a time. If you are
going to ask for changes, why put
forth a wimpy proposal. The goal
should be complete elimination of
collective bargaining. The
compromise, and a wimpy one at
that, is what DeStefano asked for.
House GOP Lists $250 Billion in
Spending Cuts, Repeal of Davis-
Bacon
Here is a headline distorted by a
factor of 10: House GOP Lists
$2.5 Trillion in Spending Cuts
Moving aggressively to make
good on election promises to slash
the federal budget, the House
GOP today unveiled an eye-
popping plan to eliminate $2.5
trillion in spending over the next
10 years. Gone would be Amtrak
subsidies, fat checks to the Legal
Services Corporation and
National Endowment for the Arts,
43
and some $900 million to run
President Obama's healthcare
reform program.
What's more, the "Spending
Reduction Act of 2011" proposed
by members of the conservative
Republican Study Committee,
chaired by Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan,
would reduce current spending for
non-defense, non-homeland
security and non-veterans
programs to 2008 levels,
eliminate federal control of
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, cut
the federal workforce by 15
percent through attrition, and cut
some $80 billion by blocking
implementation of Obamacare. I
am in favor of those cuts and
more. The best thing in the bill
however, is a line to repeal the
Davis-Bacon prevailing wage law.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
h t t p : / /
globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.
com
Click Here To Scroll Thru
My Recent Post List Mike "Mish"
Shedlock is a registered
investment advisor representative
for SitkaPacific Capital
Management. Sitka Pacific is an
asset management firm whose
goal is strong performance and
low volatility, regardless of
market direction. Visit http://
www.sitkapacific.com/
account_management.html to
learn more about wealth
management and capital
preservation strategies of Sitka
Pacific.
BURIED page 44
44 Economy/ Culture/ E-reader News Edition
BURIED
Missing the Big Picture Part II continued from page 43

noreply@blogger.com (Michael be a problem because it has been and FRL is. to ponder with his 2% inflation
Shedlock) (Mish's Global around for a long time is I have certainly said that public target, and the World Economic
Economic Trend Analysis) preposterous. So why do we have unions have destroyed cities and Forum with its 4% GDP target
Submitted at 1/26/2011 2:03:00 PM it? states, and they have. and 6% credit growth target.
In FCIC Investigation Misses the FRL has suited the interests of Indeed, public unions are the #1 After playing the video, think
"Big Picture" I made the case that bankers and politicians. That is problem cities and states face. about China's 10% target with its Mandy Moore's
the cause of this crisis is why it has been around for Pensions are $3 trillion in the hole economy overheating already. Tangled Has an Oscar
centuries. Indeed, inflation and at the state level alone. I do not Most importantly, think about
• Loose monetary policies by credit expansion benefit those have an accounting of how much public union pension plans with Nomination in the Bank
central banks worldwide with first access to money: banks, bigger the problem is at the city expected annualized rates of Katie Henry (PopSugar)
• Fractional Reserve Lending the wealthy, and governments (via level but it is gigantic. return at 8% per year! Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:20:57 AM
• Governments' willingness to i n c r e a s e d t a x e s , e s p e c i a l l y Might I point out that with a Please play that video to the end.
spend more money than they property taxes and sales taxes). stroke of a pen, President It gets better as it progresses. Mandy Moore made a quick stop
takes in Those at the bottom of the Kennedy authorized collective In FRL credit-based fiat systems, at an ATM in LA yesterday. The
economic totem pole get bargaining of public unions. The credit expands until the system week started off pretty rocky for
Barry Ritholtz responded with an h a m m e r e d . result has been an increasing blows up. History proves it, and the Tangled actress, who battled a
email "We agree about ultra-low In regards to deficit spending, the power grab by unions getting in no regulation has ever stopped it. case of food poisoning from fish
rates, but I have seen no credible fact remains that it cheapens the bed with corrupt politicians Mike "Mish" Shedlock while in England for a
evidence that “Fractional lending” currency and fosters a flight to demanding untenable salaries and h t t p : / / promotional stop. She received a
was a causal factor; Nor have I assets like stocks or housing. This benefits over the years. globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. bit of good news on Tuesday,
found any evidence that the adds to the problems of FRL. Most see the crisis now. Very com when she found out her Disney
deficit as a cause of the credit Cheap money eventually makes few have traced it back to a Click Here To Scroll Thru film is in the running for an Oscar
crisis" its way into the economy and a regulatory move by Kennedy, a My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" in the category of best original
He also commented on my post flight to asset mentality takes move designed to buy politicians Shedlock is a registered song. She was slightly
in The Crisis Was Caused by over. votes, and it did. It has bought investment advisor representative disappointed, however, that it
[Insert Pet Peeve Here]. We saw that in spades with corrupt politician votes ever for SitkaPacific Capital didn't get a best animated feature
Let' focus on Barry's main housing. sense. Management. Sitka Pacific is an nod. Mandy's no stranger to award
rebuttal: Instead of looking at the root Now states are in a crisis level, asset management firm whose shows, as she dazzled in a blue
Never mind that this form of problem, people expect regulation and people ignore the problem goal is strong performance and floor length gown at the Golden
credit creation has been around to stop the effects of cheap and the cause as if bankers created low volatility, regardless of Globes. We'll have to wait until
for centuries, he is a vociferous money. The idea is silly if a few that mess. Well bankers did not market direction. Visit http:// Feb. 27 to see if she'll choose
critic of it. minutes of logical thought create that mess. Unions using www.sitkapacific.com/ another princess worthy frock for
Yep, Fractional Reserve Lending processes are spent analyzing the tactics of coercion, bribery, and account_management.html to her grand entrance at the
is centuries old. However, what situation. fear-mongering got us to this learn more about wealth Academy Awards- which
kind of logical rebuttal is that? Public-Union Time Bomb sorry state. management and capital nominee are you most excited to
The fact is FRL has caused Secondly, and this does not Such actions are just what one preservation strategies of Sitka see on the red carpet? View
problems for centuries. The best pertain to Barry but others should expect as a function of Pacific. Slideshow ›
e x a m p l e i s t h e J o h n L a w commenting on his post, I never exponential systems. People do
Mississippi Bubble. However, said public unions are the cause of not see the problem until it is too
FRL has arguably made every a l l p r o b l e m s . I n f a c t i t i s late.
bubble in history worse. ridiculous to see such allegations Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
The idea that something cannot given I just clearly stated the Fed Here is a video Bernanke needs
E-reader News Edition Economy/ Culture/ 45

Japan's Credit Rating Cut First Time in 9 Years; S&P Cites

"Lack of Coherent Strategy to Address Debt
noreply@blogger.com (Michael up the cost of borrowing for reserves.” decade as well. Monetarist stimulus to defeat
Shedlock) (Mish's Global Japan, where public debt is about Finance Minister Yoshihiko The key to understanding the deflation. Neither worked. Now
Economic Trend Analysis) twice the size of gross domestic Noda said Jan. 24 the debt burden urgency now is the warning from Japan is left with an enormous
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:45:00 PM product. Vice Finance Minister has risen to a point where Japan Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda debt problem and no way to solve
Japan has the largest debt Fumihiko Igarashi this week said can’t rely on bond sales to cover that Japan's debt burden has risen it.
problem in the G20 by measure of the government must fix its revenue shortfalls. Economy to a point where Japan can’t rely The Yen is flying high right now,
debt-to-GDP ratio near 200%. finances to avoid a debt crisis that Minister Yosano warned the same on bond sales to cover revenue the crucial question is for how
Moreover, Japan's aging could trigger a “global day that such a reliance on such shortfalls. long?
demographics and lack of growth d e p r e s s i o n . ” sales could lead to a jump in Japan has reached the point Mike "Mish" Shedlock
give Japan little ability to pay that “I hope this serves as a warning borrowing costs. where its savers need to draw h t t p : / /
debt back. for the government, they have “If we continue relying on bond down their savings in retirement, globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.
Citing those debt concerns, absolutely no sense of crisis,” said sales to make up for spending that and thus need to sell Japanese com
Japan’s Credit Rating Cut to AA- Azusa Kato, an economist at BNP exceeds revenue, we could see government bonds, not buy them. Click Here To Scroll Thru
by S&P Japan’s credit rating was Paribas in Tokyo. “Once bond long-term interest rates increase However, the Japanese My Recent Post List Mike "Mish"
cut for the first time in nine years yields spike and the fire is lit, the or a deterioration in our debt ratio, government has squandered those Shedlock is a registered
b y S t a n d a r d & P o o r ’ s a s amount needed to finance Japan’s causing Japan to lose credibility savings (and 100% more of GDP investment advisor representative
persistent deflation and political borrowing needs is going to jump globally,” Yosano told as well) building bridges to for SitkaPacific Capital
gridlock undermine efforts to and it’s going to be too late.” parliament. nowhere fighting deflation. Management. Sitka Pacific is an
reduce a 943 trillion yen ($11 It is possible for companies to Japan’s borrowing costs are Nations often default on foreign asset management firm whose
trillion) debt burden. have higher ratings than the local among the lowest in the debt, but this is debt the goal is strong performance and
The world’s most indebted nation or foreign currency ratings of industrialized world, helping it government owes the Japanese low volatility, regardless of
is now ranked at AA-, the fourth- their home country, S&P said in a fund its debt load. The yield on people. market direction. Visit http://
highest level, putting the country May 2009 report. The best the benchmark 10-year bond Will Japan embark on a huge www.sitkapacific.com/
on a par with China, which likely candidates have a robust export slipped 1 basis point to 1.23 austerity program in the midst of account_management.html to
passed Japan last year to become base, little reliance on the public percent as of 10:47 p.m. in Tokyo. deflation? Will Japan simply print learn more about wealth
the second-largest economy. The sector and sell products with It touched 1.26 percent in Jan. 19, the money? If so, what happens to management and capital
government lacks a “coherent “relatively inelastic” demand. The the highest since Dec. 16. interest rates? preservation strategies of Sitka
strategy” to address the nation’s S&P report said businesses with Japanese Debt Time Bomb Should those interest rates rise to Pacific.
debt, the rating company said in a sales mainly in local currency, It's only a matter of time before a mere 3% or so, interest on
statement. The outlook for the subject to regulation and heavily Japan's debt problem matters in a Japan's national debt will
rating is stable, S&P said. dependent on imports probably serious way. However, it's consume most of its revenue.
The yen and bond futures fell on won’t pass stress tests without important to note that it's only This mess shows the foolishness
concern the downgrade will push “heavy overcollateralization or been a matter of time for the last of using Keynesian and

Blond Kate Beckinsale Travels in Shearling Style

Lauren Turner (PopSugar)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:25:13 AM
Kate Beckinsale arrived at the
airport in Vancouver to catch a
flight out of town yesterday. She
wore a cozy shearling jacket for
the trip, after showing plenty of
skin in a ruffled bikini on vacation
in Mexico earlier this month.
Kate's travels may be put on hold
for a while since she's getting
back to work in front of the
camera soon. She has multiple
projects lined up, including
Contraband with Mark Wahlberg
and her return as Selene in
Underworld 4: New Dawn. View
Slideshow ›
46 Culture/
MARKET
continued from page 42
who have a vested interest via
relationships to broker-dealers to
be optimistic.
Moreover, clients never want to
hear that stocks are going down,
that valuations are stretched, or
that risk is high. The industry
capitalizes on that by seldom
saying such things.
History shows that no matter how
stretched valuations get, analysts
invent new metrics to justify stock
prices. Remember the concept of
tracking "click counts" instead of
revenues for dot-com companies?
How about the "Gorilla Game"
and Pro-Forma earnings?
Now its "stocks are cheap relative
to bonds".
For further discussion, please
consider The Question "Are
Stocks a Screaming Buy Relative
to Bonds?" Creates False
Premises
We also see the old-standby
regarding "forward PE's".
Smart Skis Calculate Your Every Move
John Bradley (Wired Top
Stories)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:00:00 AM
Fetish
Photo: Nick Veasey
Like most ski instructors, Wagner
Custom Skis are both strikingly
attractive and performance-
oriented. But instead of giving
you gentle words of
Analysts do not care how
ridiculous those PE's are or that
earnings are a function of
$trillions in stimulus. Nor do
analysts care that bank earnings
are blatantly fraudulent and based
on mark-to-model fantasies not
marked-to-market reality; nor do
analysts care about the
sustainability of those earnings.
Note that rating agencies
fraudulently marked pure garbage
"AAA" because the more garbage
they rated AAA, the more
business they got.
This all boils down to a simple
statement of fact: Analysts do not
care about sustainability of
earnings, about valuations, about
mark-to-fantasy, about currency
risks, about risk in general, or
about anything at all because they
make more money by not
knowing and by not caring if they
do happen to know.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
encouragement like Janica would,
Wagner loans you a pair of test
skis outfitted with two data-
crunching sensors called vLinks
(pictured), which analyze every
nuance of your form—from speed
and turn radius to slippage and
imbalances. The vLinks are
essentially souped-up optical
mouses that grab data 6,500 times spatially along X, Y, and Z axes
per second to track movement and rotationally, capturing pitch,
h t t p : / /
globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.
com
Click Here To Scroll Thru
My Recent Post List Mike "Mish"
Shedlock is a registered
investment advisor representative
for SitkaPacific Capital
Management. Sitka Pacific is an
asset management firm whose
goal is strong performance and
low volatility, regardless of
market direction. Visit http://
www.sitkapacific.com/
account_management.html to
learn more about wealth
management and capital
preservation strategies of Sitka
Pacific.
E-reader News Edition
SAG Awards Highlights
Throughout the Years!
PopSugar (PopSugar)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:51:37 AM
The Screen Actors Guild Awards
are just days away, so before
Sunday's star-studded red carpet
we're taking a look back at some
of the show's biggest highlights!
The SAGs started in 1995 and
since then have become one of the
most prestigious ceremonies of
red carpet so make sure to follow
award season. We'll have to wait us on Twitter for the latest news -
and see if current favorites Glee,
now, click through to see all the
True Grit and The King's Speech memorable photos from the past!
continue their winning streak.
View Slideshow ›
We'll be updating live from the
roll, and yaw. After your day on home.
the slopes, Wagner runs the This entry passed through the
numbers through proprietary Full-Text RSS service — if this is
software and combines them with your content and you're reading it
the results of an in-depth on someone else's site, please read
questionnaire to craft truly custom our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
equipment. The skis’ materials, content-only/faq.php
stiffness, and shape will match Five Filters featured article:
your strengths and compensate for Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
your weaknesses. And unlike The Crosshairs.
Janica, you get to take them
E-reader News Edition
Morgan Stanley On The SHIBOR
Explosion, And What It Means For
China's Banks
Gregory White (Money Game)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:40:00 PM
The sharp spike in SHIBOR that's
been grabbing headlines is a key
indicator that the liquidity
situation is deteriorating in China.
And while that's expected with
the People's Bank of China's
strategy of raising reserve
requirements, it has been a little
overboard.
From Morgan Stanley:
Compounded with the surge in
liquidity demand before the week-
long Lunar New Year holiday
(February 3-9), market liquidity
became very tight last week, as
reflected by the surge in SHIBOR
rates, led by the 478bp increase in
the 7-day rate.
Analysts Steven Zhang and Qing
Wang say that the nature of
China's re-launch of its reverse
repo program to help with the
liquidity problem shows that some
banks are definitely having
problems.
From Morgan Stanley (emphasis
ours):
In our view, the re-launch of
reverse repos last Thursday after
their suspension for two years
indicates that the severity of
liquidity tightness might be higher
than expected. In addition, what’s
different this time is that the
PBoC conducted the reserve repos
with chosen banks instead of
through open market operations.
This suggests to us that besides
the systematic liquidity tightness,
some banks may be more
vulnerable to continued escalation
of tightening measures from the
PBoC to control inflation.
What's worrying is this is only
the beginning of the tightening
cycle for China, and already some
of its banks seem in ill shape to
handle it. That hard landing
theory may have a little more
ground to stand on if this is true.
Don't Miss: SocGen on the 9
ways to survive Chinese runaway Adam Dachis (Lifehacker)
inflation >
Join the conversation about this
story »
Briss Trims PDFs so
They Fit Better, Are
Easier to Read on Your
E-reader [Downloads]
Tim Carmody (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:00:00 AM
Windows/Mac/Linux: Virtually
every current e-reader offers
native support for the PDF format,
but no PDF was designed for your
e-reader's 5-7" screen. Briss, a
cross-platform open-source tool,
gives you several ways to trim
PDFs to look better on your e-
reader. More »
What Tools and Tricks Do You
Employ to Reduce Power
Consumption? [Ask The Readers]
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:00:00 AM
We love technology, but we don't
necessarily love the effects it has
on our power bills. Sure, some
regular unplugging can help, but
aren't there better options? What
Economy/ Culture/ 47
Sync Your Desktop
Between Computers
Using Dropbox
[Syncing]
Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:30:00 AM
We've detailed how to use
Dropbox to sync your home
folder across platforms, but for
people whose entire workflow
revolves around their desktop,
that's not necessarily enough. The
Mac blogger at Not Very Correct
describes how he syncs his
desktop, as well. More »
do you do to cut down on power
consumption? More »
48 Culture/ E-reader News Edition

Princess Leia Debuts Kinect-Powered 3-D Video

Streaming
Marissa Cevallos (Wired Top to get to 15 frames per second, rewrites quickly. The Arizona
Stories) which is almost real time,” says hologram is already high-
Submitted at 1/27/2011 8:45:00 AM physicist Nasser Peyghambarian, definition and the size of a 17-
MIT’s holograms are fast, says
who led the Arizona research. inch TV, but speeding it up will
Peyghambarian, but they have to
T h e F o r c e i s s t r o n g w i t h “The quality is not as high, but require switching to a new laser
holographic scientists these days. hopefully it will get better in the
trade quality for speed.
system, says Peyghambarian. Qwiki Is Like a Mini,
Bove’s device uses one camera
Researchers from MIT unveiled future.”
that estimates the depth of the
“There’s a variety of Visually-Rich Wikipedia
the fastest 3-D holographic video The key to speed was technologies,” says Bove. “The That Reads to You
object it is filming. The
to date at a conference in San computational power. The MIT fact is, the barrier to entry has
Francisco January 23, filming a team used a Kinect camera from
disadvantage of one camera,
been unbelievably high for the [Webapp]
which is more consumer-friendly,
graduate student dressed as an Xbox 360 gaming console to past 20 years. Now, many Adam Dachis (Lifehacker)
is that you can’t see behind
Princess Leia and projecting her capture light from a moving technologies are maturing at the
objects, says Bove. Also, even Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:30:00 AM
as a postcard-sized hologram in object. Then they relayed the data same time. I think we’ll see some
though graphics cards can
real time. over the Internet to a PC with fun things in the next few years.” Qwiki is a new webapp that helps
compute high-resolution
The holographic device plays a 3- three graphics processing units, or Bove looks to the near future for you learn about virtually
holograms, the effective display
inch projection at 15 frames per GPUs, tiny processors found in consumer teleconferencing that anything, but aims to inform you
size is limited by a chip in the
second, just shy of movie refresh computers, cell phones, and video connects people far, far away quickly by reading the articles to
physical display to 150
rates of 24 to 30 frames per games that render video quickly. from each other, just like Darth you while showing you a
millimeters by 75 millimeters,
second, the MIT researchers The processors compute how light Vader and the Emperor in their slideshow of pictures while you
which Bove says is the biggest
demonstrated at the Society of waves interfere with each other to imperial chats. Star Wars purists listen. More »
challenge to creating better
Photo-Optical Instrumentation form patterns of light and dark will remember that Princess
holograms.
E n g i n e e r s ’ c o n f e r e n c e o n fringes. Light bouncing off these Leia’s plea was actually
The Arizona device had a very
practical holography. fringe patterns reconstructs the prerecorded.
different setup: Researchers
The red hologram is jerkier and original image. The MIT team Video: YouTube/
grabbed video from 16 cameras
has much lower resolution than used a display to illuminate the MITNewsOffice
angled around the object, so that
the one in Star Wars that sparked computer-generated fringes and See Also:
one could walk around a
the public fascination with 3-D create a hologram. This entry passed through the
holographic person and see not
holograms in the 1970s. In fact, it “The students were able to figure Full-Text RSS service — if this is
just the front side, but side
kind of looks like a red blob on a out how to generate holograms by your content and you're reading it
profiles and back views. The team
staticky TV. But it’s 30 times using what GPU chips are good on someone else's site, please read
used an old-fashioned method that
faster than a telepresence device at,” says Michael Bove, an MIT our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
hologram artists have employed
created in 2010 by University of engineer who led the research. content-only/faq.php
for decades, employing two lasers
Arizona researchers ( SN Online: “And they get faster every year. Five Filters featured article:
to create fringe patterns. Their key
12/4/10). There’s room for a lot more Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
insight was engineering a special
“ I t h i n k i t ’ s a n i m p o r t a n t understanding of how to compute The Crosshairs.
type of plastic that erases and
milestone because they were able holograms on them.”
E-reader News Edition Culture/ TV/ 49

Land-Speed Record Attempt Gains Steam

Keith Barry (Wired Top Stories) off. final measurements to complete
Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:00:00 AM Currently, the team is motivated installation of the engine and
by the desire to beat the British gearbox and to fit a fiberglass
An American team attempting a Steam Car Team’s run in August, body to the frame. If all goes well,
land speed record for steam- 2009. The Brits dusted off a they’ll be racing at Speed Week
powered vehicles has its most record that had languished since on the Bonneville Salt Flats in
important component: a steam 1906, when famed steam racer August of this year.
engine. Fred Marriott set a record of Photos: Cyclone Power
The vehicle, being built under the 127.659 mph in a Stanley Steamer Technologies
supervision of team leader Chuk Rocket. This entry passed through the
Williams(shown in the car, “We need to bring this historic Full-Text RSS service — if this is
above), will be powered by a record back to the United States, your content and you're reading it
turnkey external combustion and we want to do it with a steam on someone else's site, please read
engine from Cyclone Power engine that can eventually be our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Technologies. Their 100 hp Mark placed into everyday passenger that fast. The British team broke the land speed racer. “Our content-only/faq.php
V engine is designed for and commercial vehicles – the record with a 148.308 mph calculations show we can break Five Filters featured article:
automobiles, has a maximum something that hasn’t been done run that’s well within the this record with our stock Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
starting torque of 850 ft-lbs and in over 100 years,” said Williams. capability of cars available at automotive engine,” said Cyclone The Crosshairs.
can run on nearly any fuel. Compared to what speeds local dealerships. It’s fitting, then, founder Harry Schoell.
Putting it in a land speed racer is a modern production supercars can that a crate engine will be used for The team is currently making the
great way for Cyclone to show it reach, the team won’t have to go

Lifetime Preps William & Kate Movie

Michael Schneider
(TVGuide.com: Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:17:00 AM
Prince William and his future
princess, Kate Middleton, are
about to get the Lifetime movie
treatment.
Lifetime has fast-tracked the TV
movie William & Kate, which
will star Nico Evers-Swindell (
NCIS: Los Angeles) as Prince
William, now second in line to the
British throne. The role of Kate
has not yet been cast.
William & Kate will chronicle
the love affair between the
mismatched couple (he's royalty,
she's the daughter of upper middle
-class commoners), including
their recent engagement and this
spring's highly anticipated Royal
Wedding. The two-hour project
will also star Ben Cross( Chariots
of Fire) as Prince Charles.
According to Lifetime, the film
will begin with the moment that
William and Kate met at
Scotland's University of St.
Andrews, "through the ups and
downs of their nine-year courtship
complicated by social and Royal
Family pressures, and intense
global media attention
surrounding their storybook
nuptials." Nancey Silvers( Girl,
Positive) wrote the screenplay,
while Mark Rosman( Greek) will
direct and Frank
Konigsberg(Lifetime's Sex and
Lies in Sin City) is executive
producer. The movie is scheduled
to start shooting in early February.
Lifetime has gone to the Royal
Family well several times in
recent years, including 2007's
controversial The Murder of
Princess Diana, a fictional
account of her death. Prince
William is also no stranger to TV
movies: The 2002 film Prince
William, which starred Jordan
Frieda in the title role, aired on
ABC (and later repeated on
Lifetime, which ABC partly
owns).
Meanwhile, Lifetime has been a
big fan of ripped-from-the-
headlines movies in recent years.
The cable network is turning the
story of accused killer Amanda
Knox into a film starring Hayden
Panettiere (set to air Feb. 21),
while the channel earlier this
month ran an original move based
on the story of the so-called
"Craigslist Killer."
William & Kate will surely be a
bit more upbeat that those two
films. The real-life William and
Kate are scheduled to get married
on April 29 — keep that day free.
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine
now!
This entry passed through the
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content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article:
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
The Crosshairs.
50 Politics-Left/
Back to Basics
James Kirchick (The New
Republic - All Feed)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 11:00:00 PM
When an angry mob overthrew
Kyrgyzstan’s autocratic president
Kurmanbeck Bakiyev last April,
one of the complaints heard most
often on the streets of Bishkek,
the country’s capital, was that the
U.S. government had been
complicit in propping up his
regime. A former Soviet republic
once known as the “Switzerland
of Central Asia” because of its
relatively strong civil society,
Kyrgyzstan had suffered in recent
years under Bakiyev from
grinding poverty, widespread
corruption, and government
marred by cronyism and contempt
for political opposition and
independent media. And yet the
United States remained a reliable
supporter of the regime.
Though perhaps not the only
reason Washington supported
Bakiyev, certainly the biggest was
the base that the U.S. military has
maintained at Bishkek’s airport
since 2001. It is critical to the war
in Afghanistan; all U.S. troops
journeying to the theater pass
through the Transit Center at
Manas, as the base is known.
Rumors have long persisted that
Bakiyev profited from the base
through financial interests in Mina
Corporation and Red Star
Enterprises, the sister companies
that supply jet fuel to Manas, and
that officials in Washington might
have known about these activities.
After the president’s ouster, the
controversy became so
problematic, with the new Kyrgyz
government repeatedly bringing it
up in meetings with American
officials, that the majority staff of
the House National Security
Subcommittee commissioned an
investigation into the fuel
companies’ contracts. But the
final report, which came out just
before the winter holidays,
offered a surprising conclusion:
There is “no credible evidence to
support the allegation that
President Bakiyev, his family, or
affiliates were financially linked
to Mina and Red Star.”
Still, many in Kyrgyzstan don’t
buy the report’s findings. They
continue to insist that Bakiyev
exploited the base for personal
gain, and that the U.S government
either facilitated or ignored his
activities. Even before the report’s
release, the new Kyrgyz
government called for the creation
of a state-controlled fuel supplier
and launched its own
investigation into contracts at
Manas. Then, in an interview with
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
six days after the report was
published, new President Roza
Otunbayeva accused Mina
of“wrongdoing.” Three days later,
she intimated that Mina was
trying to bribe her to keep its
Manas contract (a company
representative, she said, met with
her son last July). And Prime
Minister Almazbek Atambayev
has said that the Bakiyevs are
“behind Mina Corp.” Whether
these claims of wrongdoing are
accurate or not, what’s clear is
that the United States has found
itself in the middle of an
embarrassing, international p.r.
crisis—and one that it could have
avoided.
Since its creation, Manas has
played an outsized, and negative,
role in Kyrgyz politics. The
arrival of a major American
military installation offered an
easy opportunity for the political
graft all too common in Central
Asia. Not long after the base was
established, the two operators
supplying fuel to the airport were
taken over by the son and son-in-
law of Askar Akayev, Bakiyev’s
predecessor, quickly raising
allegations of corruption. After
Akayev was ousted in the “Tulip
Revolution” of 2005, the FBI,
according to NBC, found that he
and his family had operated a
“vast international criminal
network that stretched all the way
to a series of shell companies in
the United States.”
Bakiyev, who entered office
promising an end to sleaze, also
saw a chance to benefit from
Manas. On a large scale, he used
the base as international leverage.
In 2009, in what was largely seen
as a quid pro quo with Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin,
Bakiyev abruptly announced
plans to evict the Americans from
Manas after being offered a $2
billion aid package from Moscow.
In response, the United States
offered to triple its rent payments
to the Kyrgyz government—and
Bakiyev allowed the base to stay.
Thereafter followed widespread
speculation in Kyrgyzstan that
Bakiyev and his son, Maksim, had
found ways to make money
personally by involving
themselves with Mina and Red
Star. The Russian news agency
Itar-Tass reported that Mina has
contracts with fuel service
companies controlled by Maksim
Bakiyev, and, according to the
International Business Times,
officials in the new Kyrgyz
government claim the former
president’s son “skimmed as
much as $8 million a month from
daily jet fuel sales to the base.”
To investigate these allegations,
the House National Security
subcommitteespent over 8 months
surveying more than 250,000
pages of documents and
conducted numerous interviews in
the United States, Kyrgyzstan,
and the United Kingdom. The
resulting report, “Mystery at
Manas,” credits Mina and Red
Star with assisting “one of the
most complex and challenging
logistical operations in U.S.
military history.” But it also
points to many problems with the
companies. For one, their
corporate structures are “buried
deep under layers of shell
companies formed in countries
whose corporate laws are
designed to facilitate secrecy and
tax avoidance.” While the
companies, which are legally
registered in Gibraltar, insist that
secrecy is fundamental to
operating in Central Asia, where
governments routinely ignore the
E-reader News Edition
rule of law, the report concludes
that such obscurity has given
credence to rumors of corruption.
What’s more, the investigation
found that the companies did
collude with some Kyrgyz
officials to falsify custom forms,
in order to claim that the fuel,
which was shipped from Russia,
was being used for commercial
and not military purposes. (This
was to get around a vaguely
worded Russian ban on exports
used for certain types of weapons.
)
And yet, the report found no
evidence of what so many in
Kyrgyzstan are convinced is true:
that Bakiyev personally profited
from the base. Some people I
spoke to pointed out that
Congress might not be the right
outfit to expose the rough-and-
tumble of Central Asia’s criminal
networks and endemic corruption.
“They are not detectives or
special services,” says Edil
Baisalov, a former spokesman for
the interim government who
recently formed his own political
party. “They would never of
course be able to pinpoint the
exchange of suitcases full of
millions of dollars that changed
hands.”
It is impossible to know whether
there is any truth to Baisalov’s
claim. There certainly isn’t
evidence to back it up. What is
undeniable, however, is that the
United States did a terrible job of
handling widespread rumors
BACK page 53
E-reader News Edition
No Love Gained
Bradford Plumer (The New
Republic - All Feed)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 11:00:00 PM
Cliff Stearns wanted answers.
Just not, mind you, complicated
answers. Stearns, the Florida
Republican who now chairs the
House energy and commerce
oversight subcommittee, decided
to hold a hearing Wednesday on
Barack Obama’s promise to snip
away outdated federal regulations.
In theory, Stearns had the ideal
witness: Cass Sunstein, the White
House’s "regulatory czar," who,
in his past life as a law professor (
and frequent TNR contributor),
seemed like he published a new
book on subjects like cost-benefit
analysis every few months. Surely
this was the guy you wanted
explaining Obama's plans to
streamline government. Yet
Stearns didn't seem terribly
interested in Sunstein's nuanced
views on the subject.
“To make this as productive as
possible, when you're answering
questions, if you could just
answer yes or no,” Stearns began.
He went on to question why
Obama’s new approach to
regulation would allow federal
agencies to consider factors like
“human dignity” and “fairness
and distributive impacts” in
crafting their rules. (As Eric
Posner has suggested, this criteria
may give the Obama
administration some wiggle room,
so that it can keep regulations
with hard-to-quantify benefits for,
say, human health or the
environment.) Isn’t the latter,
Stearns wondered, just a code
word for income redistribution?
Sunstein looked all set to deliver
a lecture on the topic: “That
wasn’t our…”
“OK, OK, you’re saying no, OK,”
Stearns interrupted. He moved on
to another question. “But won’t
these standards make it difficult to
have any rational cost-benefit
analysis?” It was a fair
question—after all, this is part of
what distinguishes Obama's
approach to regulation from
Reagan's—and plenty of
onlookers would've loved to hear
Sunstein's response.
“That would be a no…” Sunstein
began.
“OK, OK,” Stearns cut him off
again. The chairman then noted
that, at this point in 2003, the
Bush administration had rejected
19 regulations by federal
agencies, while the Obama
administration has rejected none.
Sunstein tried to explain: “I’d say
yes, I’m aware of that. But would
you like an elaboration?” Stearns
didn't “I think when the
Democrats have a chance [to ask
questions], then you can have an
elaboration.” A clearly
exasperated Sunstein could barely
get a word in, and, at the end of
the interrogation, his only quip
was, “Thank you for enabling me
to be brief.”
And so began the House
Republicans’ war on federal
regulations. If Obama thought his
Wall Street Journal op-ed—the
one where he promised to subject
government to greater scrutiny
and “remove outdated regulations
that stifle job creation”—would
garner any Republican love, he
was wrong. On the energy and
commerce subcommittee, at least,
few of the GOP members were
interested in understanding the
finer points of the new review.
Mostly, they just wanted to beat
up on regulations they didn't
like—never mind what the nerdy
law professor sitting before them
had to say about it.
When Joe Barton, a Texas
Republican, got his chance to ask
questions, Sunstein tried to
explain that the Obama
administration hasn’t issued that
many more new regulations in its
first two years than the previous
Bush administration did in its last
two. Barton mused that the new
health care law must have created
"thousands" of new regulations.
When Sunstein tried to suggest
that "I don't think the data
supports that claim," Barton cut
him off. Instead, he wanted to
know if Sunstein agreed that the
EPA’s “endangerment finding”—
the one declaring that global
warming poses a threat to human
health and welfare—will cost
millions of jobs and billions of
dollars. Sunstein patiently
explained that the endangerment
finding isn’t, in itself, a regulation
(it’s only a scientific
determination), and that the EPA
is trying to “minimize the
burdens” of any carbon
regulations they issue. Barton
wasn't impressed.
Later on in the hearing, Sunstein
actually did get a chance to delve
into the details of Obama’s
approach to regulation. Oklahoma
Republican John Sullivan asked
him to explain the whole bit about
how agencies must consider
equity and human dignity: “Say,
for example, your cost-benefit
tests impose $100 billion in costs
to the economy but supposedly
result in $1 trillion in human
dignity. What does this mean?”
Sunstein offered up, as an
example, rules mandating
wheelchair access, which may not
always pass a strict economic cost
-benefit test, but do have other
virtues. Sullivan was unmoved: “I
understand, but someone keeping
their job is dignity, too.”
A similar exchange later on got
to the core disagreement between
the White House and the
Republicans over regulations.
Cory Gardner, a conservative
freshman from Colorado, asked if,
amid the current recession,
Sunstein would oppose any
regulations that hurt job growth.
“A yes answer would be
preposterous,” Sunstein replied.
"If there's a regulation that's
saving 10,000 lives and costing
one job, it's worth it." That's not a
pure hypothetical: There are
plenty of new pollution rules
coming down the pipe that,
according to the EPA, would cost
companies billions of dollars, but
save the public even more money
by reducing lung diseases and
asthma attacks.
When Sunstein was first
Politics-Left/ 51
nominated to head up the Office
of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, a number of liberals
fretted over the appointment.
OIRA, after all, was the agency
that, during the Reagan and Bush
eras, chopped away at all sorts of
regulations in the guise of "cost-
benefit analysis." And Sunstein
had long written in favor of this
type of analysis, albeit a slightly
more humane version. (Many
liberals and environmentalists, by
contrast, would prefer a
"precautionary principle"
a p p r o a c h t o
regulation—something Sunstein
has explicitly argued against.) But
it's clear that Sunstein is never
going to find backers on the right
(even if we exempt, say, the
Glenn Beck followers who are
convinced that Sunstein has plans
to harvest our organs by force). At
Wednesday's hearing, his
similarities with, say, George W.
Bush's first regulatory czar were
of less interest than the fact that
he's never run a business (as
California Republican Brian
Bilbray scornfully noted). On
regulation, at least, Obama's going
to have a hard time finding a
middle ground that will mollify
conservatives.
Bradford Plumer is an associate
editor for The New Republic.
For more TNR, become a fan on
Facebook and follow us on
Twitter.
52 Politics-Left/ E-reader News Edition

Paradox Now
E.J. Dionne Jr. (The New amusing to watch Republicans making regulation less intrusive, the world. those "investment" initiatives as
Republic - All Feed) defend the oil companies' tax he actually defended rules Let's also honor the Whigs who mere "spending."
Submitted at 1/26/2011 11:00:00 PM loopholes that Obama would like protecting our food, water, and championed Clay's "American Even if he wanted to, Obama
to scrap. air. His overarching case was also System." Its aim was to promote couldn't beat a unified business
Washington—Be ready for the Paradox No. 4: It may never be nuanced. "Our free enterprise and protect our manufacturing community. His bet is that
paradoxical phase of Barack clear if American business is co- system is what drives innovation," entrepreneurs and use tariff business people tend to be
Obama's presidency. Many things opting Obama, or if Obama is co- he said. "But because it's not money to finance "internal conservative but not ideological.
will not be exactly as they appear. opting business. always profitable for companies improvements," a better term for By bringing some CEOs to his
Paradox No. 1: Because over the The greatest shortcoming of to invest in basic research, roads and canals than our side, he can isolate the GOP as a
next two years he can't get Obama's first two years in office throughout our history, our unsightly talk of "infrastructure." doctrinaire party uninterested in
sweeping, progressive legislation was his failure to take Americans government has provided cutting- Welcome to Obama's New practical things. It will be the
through the Republican-led back to first principles and tell a edge scientists and inventors with American System. trickiest alliance of his
House, Obama will be doing far credible story about how his the support that they need." As for coming battles, watch how presidency, but perhaps also the
more to make the core progressive approach to governing would In other words, without smart and Republicans deal with the shrewdest.
case that energetic government is move the country forward. The active government, China will president's call "to eliminate the An Obama who roared straight
essential to prosperity, growth, administration's alibi was that it leave us in the dust. billions in taxpayer dollars we ahead hit a political wall. This
and equity. had too much to do to waste time This speaks to the paradox of Mr. currently give to oil companies" next Obama is using finesse and
Paradox No. 2: His talk about the on what the president dismissed Innovation operating in a very old to pay for his innovation program. subtlety to get to the same place.
new, the bold, and the innovative as "politicking." tradition. When they want to look Defending big oil does not play E.J. Dionne, Jr. is the author of
is in the oldest of political The era of no politicking is over. modern and moderate, progressive well outside of Texas, Oklahoma, the recently published Souled
traditions. The Obama of Tuesday This speech laid out a rationale political parties always talk about and Louisiana. Here is an Obama Out: Reclaiming Faith and
n i g h t r e p r e s e n t e d n o t t h e for the Obama presidency that technology. Seeking to become effort to split the business Politics After the Religious Right.
rambunctious liberalism of the stands a chance of enduring Britain's first Labour Party prime community and isolate a very He is a Washington Post
late 1960s but the unifying, John through Election Day 2012. The minister after years of Republican constituency. columnist, a senior fellow at the
Kennedy-style liberalism of the choice is between backward- Conservative rule, Harold Wilson Business people emerged as Brookings Institution, and a
decade's beginning—with a dash looking Republicans who talk spoke in 1963 of the "white heat" heroes in Obama's America of professor at Georgetown
o f D w i g h t E i s e n h o w e r grumpily about government of a technological "revolution." "inventors and entrepreneurs." University.
moderation. Obama also sounded spending and "Obamacare," and Kennedy pledged to "get the But the glory went to those who (c) 2011, Washington Post
like a Whig, the insufficiently f o r w a r d - l o o k i n g O b a m a country moving again," and sent devise, make, and sell things, not Writers Group
appreciated nineteenth-century D e m o c r a t s w h o w o u l d u s e us to the moon. to the finance jockeys of Wall For more TNR, become a fan on
American political party that g o v e r n m e n t — c a r e f u l l y a n d And it was Eisenhower, president Street. Business leaders like the Facebook and follow us on
proudly included Henry Clay and efficiently, of course—to restore during the original "Sputnik useful endeavors Obama wants Twitter.
Abraham Lincoln. American leadership and a moment," who pushed through the government to undertake. The
Paradox No. 3: Obama used a humming, innovative economy. interstate highway system and president, in turn, hopes to enlist
conciliatory speech to pick some This Obama is all about balance. federal student loans, early efforts them to battle congressional
carefully chosen fights. It will be Notice that when he spoke of to "out-build" and "out-educate" Republicans who are mocking
E-reader News Edition
BACK
continued from page 50
about Bakiyev and Manas. It was
only in November 2010, seven
months after Bakiyev was
overthrown and eight years into
the U.S. contracts with Mina and
Red Star, that DLA-Energy (the
branch of the Defense Department
that handles fuel contracts for
global military operations ),
prompted by House oversight,
inquired into the ownership of the
two companies. “Before the
investigation, we had no idea that
they weren’t an Iranian front
company,” a source on Capitol
Hill with knowledge of the
investigation told me. Moreover,
there is an allegation in the report
that, far from examining the
companies, U.S. officials engaged
with their leadership on matters
outside fuel contract negotiations.
In the report, Erkin Bekbolotov, a
Kyrgyz national and partner in
Mina, claims he was an
“unofficial intermediary” between
Maksim Bakiyev and DLA-
Energy when Maksim’s father
was considering closing Manas.
Bekbolotov says U.S. defense
officials told him to maintain
“back-door channels.” (The report
ultimately concludes, however,
that “it is unknown what
motivated [Maksim] to work with
Mr. Bekbolotov. ”)
This was allowed to happen
because U.S. Federal Acquisition
Regulations do not require the
government to scrutinize the
ownership structures of
companies bidding for contracts ;
the only proviso is that they be
“cross-checked against a federally
maintained list of suspended or
debarred contractors,” which
Mina and Red Star weren’t on.
What’s more, despite persistent
complaints from Kyrgyz
politicians about the secrecy of
the fuel contracts at Manas, the
House report says, “Senior DLA-
Energy officials stated that the
American Embassy never
communicated any concerns to
them regarding potential
corruption.”
To be sure, Kyrgyzstan is a
country in which rumors fly freely
and often. Last summer’s riots
targeting ethnic Uzbeks in the
south were initially spurred by
reports—later proven false—that
Uzbeks had raided a dormitory
and raped a dozen Kyrgyz
women. Last April, a man in a
Bishkek bar told me that the real
purpose of the Manas base is to
facilitate the U.S. military’s
smuggling of weapons to various
criminal elements in Central
Asia. Moreover, the new
government has much to gain
from trying to prove Bakiyev’s
TV/ 53
wrongdoing; after all, it is still in
a struggle to win support and
maintain peace across the country.
Which is all to say that it’s quite
possible the congressional report
is accurate—that Bakiyev wasn’t
profiting from Manas. Even if that
is the case, however, there remain
the intertwined issues of oversight
and public perception. On these
fronts, when it comes to
Kyrgyzstan and Manas, the
United States has most certainly
failed. “You came to us to help us
build democracy,” Roza
What Will the Logjam at
Otunbayeva, a former opposition
leader who now serves as 8PM on Thursday Mean
Kyrgyzstan’s president, told The
Washington Post last year. “And
then just one day, you put your
for Your Favorite Show?
hands over your mouth just to Joel Keller (TV Squad) problem for some time, with 'How
have a base.” Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:00:00 AM I Met Your Mother,' 'House,'
James Kirchick is a contributing 'Chuck' and 'Dancing With the
editor for The New Republic and Filed under: American Idol, Stars' making life difficult for the
writer at large with Radio Free Reality-Free, TV News average TV viewer. Now,
Europe/Radio Liberty based in At least once or twice every year, Thursdays at 8PM are becoming
Prague. there's a time slot with such a just as difficult: 'American Idol'
For more TNR, become a fan on logjam of good shows that has been thrown into the fray,
Facebook and follow us on bloggers and fans wail and rend competing with 'The Big Bang
Twitter. their garments, tortured by the Theory,' 'Community' and (don't
prospect of picking two shows to laugh) 'Wipeout.'
watch and record out of three or But even with the presence of the
m o r e t h a t a i r d u r i n g fading but still dominant 'Idol' in
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y . " W h y d o the mix, it seems like this battle
networks put all the good shows won't be as bloody as the one on
against each other?" we cry. Mondays, and for a very good
With online options -- legal and reason: People aren't going to tune
otherwise -- readily available, this out their favorite Thursday show
isn't as big a problem as it used to in favor of something else.
be. Still, it's annoying to have to Permalink| Email this| Linking
plan out your watching to such a Blogs| Comments
degree.
Mondays at 8PM have been a
54 TV/ E-reader News Edition

The NHL Chooses Sides For a New It's Fashion Time! TV

Twist to the All-Star Game
TV Guide Magazine News
(TVGuide.com: Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:16:00 AM
Sidney Crosby
Guide Brings You Up Close
Capitals and the Chicago
Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews,
on the SAGs Red Carpet
Gina DiNunno (TVGuide.com:
MVP of last year's Stanley Cup Breaking News)
finals. (They'll also be featured in
Saturday's NHL Super Skills Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:52:00 AM

The NHL didn't go old school competition at 7/6c on Versus.)

when it shook up its All-Star With all that offensive firepower, Christina Hendricks
Game. It went elementary school. expect the goalies to get plenty of Dying to see what Natalie
Remember picking kick ball work. "It should be a high-scoring Portman and the ladies of Mad
teams at recess? That's basically game," Versus analyst Eddie Men will be wearing at this
what the two captains — Eric Olczyk says. "I would put the Sunday's Screen Actors Guild
Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes number of goals in the 14 to 16 Awards? Check out TV
and Nicklas Lidstrom of the range." Guide.com's streaming Fashion
Detroit Red Wings — will do The 2011 NHL All-Star Game Cam(starting at 6 ET/3 PT),
Friday (8/7c, Versus), selecting airs Sunday at 4/3c on Versus. which will capture all the biggest
teams in a fantasy draft from a Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine stars as they arrive on the red
pool of players voted in by the now!— Tom Worgo carpet. Then weigh in on our
league and fans. It's a radical This entry passed through the fashion hits and misses via on someone else's site, please read
departure from the usual Eastern Sidney Crosby— the NHL's Full-Text RSS service — if this is Twitter and Facebook. our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Conference versus Western current wonder boy — is sitting your content and you're reading it TV Guide Network's red carpet content-only/faq.php
Conference format. "Picking sides the game out while recovering on someone else's site, please read coverage begins Sunday at 6 ET/3 Five Filters featured article:
is fascinating," says play-by-play from a concussion, many other our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ PT with Screen Actors Guild Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
announcer Mike Emrick, who will top stars are expected to play, content-only/faq.php Awards with Chris Harrison. The Crosshairs.
call Sunday's game for Versus. including leading the league's top Five Filters featured article: This entry passed through the
"Do you pick your friends? Do scorer, Steven Stamkos of the Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In Full-Text RSS service — if this is
you pick the best players? This T a m p a B a y L i g h t i n g , A l e x The Crosshairs. your content and you're reading it
makes it a lot more entertaining." Ovechkin of the Washington
Though the Pittsburgh Penguin's

Chris Medina Leaves 'American Idol' Fans in Tears...But Can

He Sing?
Hilary Rothing (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:30:00 AM
Filed under: American Idol, TV
Replay Chicagoan Chris Medina's
heartbreaking lovestory reads like
a Nicholas Sparks novel. The
twenty six year-old Barista was
on the verge of marrying his
fiancee, Juliana Ramos, after a
two-year engagement when she
was involved in an automobile
accident that resulted in serious
brain trauma and left her confined
However, Medina's love and
devotion to Ramos did not waiver.
Where another man might have
fled, Medina dedicated himself to
his fiance, becoming her
caretaker, along with Ramos'
to a wheel chair. mother. Indeed, Medina's story
could break even the hardest of
hearts. But does it have a place in
what's supposed to be a talent
competition?
Permalink| Email this| Linking
Blogs| Comments
E-reader News Edition
What's On Tonight: 'The
Vampire Diaries,' 'Nikita,' 'Fairly
Legal,' 'Archer,' 'Rehab Addict'
Rich Keller (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:35:00 AM
Filed under: TV Previews Here' s
tonight's lineup of new shows and
events (all times Eastern). Check
your local TV listings for
additional information.
* = Series/Season Premiere
** = Series/Season Finale
# = New Day/Time
8:00 to 9:00
ABC:'Wipeout'
CBS:'$--! My Dad Says'
CW:'The Vampire Diaries'
FOX:'American Idol'
NBC:'Community' and'Perfect
Couples'
Cooking Channel:'The Three
Thieves'
HGTV:'My First Place'
NatGeo:'Naked Science'
The rest of the schedule and the
late night talk shows after the
jump.
Permalink| Email this| Linking
Blogs| Comments
Lifetime Plans 'William
& Kate' Movie
Jean Bentley (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:30:00 AM
Filed under: TV News Lifetime's
latest ripped-from-the-headlines
movie will be a tad less salacious
than its usual fare. The channel is
tackling the upcoming royal
wedding between Prince William
and Kate Middleton in a film
scheduled to air the week before
the couple's April 29 nuptials.
'William & Kate' will chronicle
the pair's "courtship and
romance," according to E! Online.
New Zealander Nico Evers
Allergy drug Allegra goes OTC
rss@consumerreports.org
(Consumer Reports)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 8:28:28 AM
Allergy drug Allegra goes OTC
The Food and Drug
Administration this week
approved the over-the-counter
sale of Allegra (fexofenadine), an
antihistamine often used for hay
fever. It will likely hit the shelves
in March, just in time for spring
allergy season. Allegra isn’t safer
or more effective than other so-
called “second-generation”
antihistamines already on the
market, and its manufacturer
hasn’t yet announced the price for
the OTC product. So for now, our
Best Buy Drug pick for allergy
TV/ Products/ 55
Swindell will play the prince, but
his lady love has yet to be cast.
Ben Cross will play Charles.
Permalink| Email this| Linking
Blogs| Comments
cetirizine(Zyrtec and generic),
another related—but more
expensive—antihistamine
available without a prescription.
We will continue to monitor
Allegra's price when it lands on
pharmacy shelves and will
provide an update if warranted.
— Steve Mitchell, associate
relief remains loratadine, sold editor, Consumer Reports Health
either as a generic or under the Best Buy Drugs
name Alavert. Both are cheaper Subscribe now!
than other OTC options, and are S u b s c r i b e t o
l e s s l i k e l y t h a n o l d e r ConsumerReports.org for expert
antihistamines, such as Benadryl, Ratings, buying advice and
to cause drowsiness. Still, if r e l i a b i l i t y o n h u n d r e d s o f
loratadine doesn't relieve your products. Update your feed
allergy s y m p t o m s , preferences
nonprescription Allegra could be
an option to consider, along with
56 Products/ Sports/
Queen Size Memory Foam Mattress with
Ventilation System
(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:12 AM
Hey, could this fit in the back of
a van?
No reason. Just askin’.
You keep tossin’ and turnin’
In your PJs up all night
“Just let me sleep!” you say
You give your spouse a fright
A built-in remedy
For sleepers like you and me
At night time a foam mattress
You can’t decline
A soft place to lie your head
Needs box springs or platform
bed
Extraordinarily nice
It’s a mattress – Queen
Made from a memory
Foam of high density
Guaranteed to fit your spine
Any time
Recommended at the price
Resistant to most dust mites
Wanna try?
To avoid complications
Enter your shipping address
Your salutation
If you want can be “Baroness”
If this deal’s a bull prize
Get yourself a full size
Over there on that site Moofi
Chris Tanev Making Good First Impression With Canucks
Monte Stewart (FanHouse
Main)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:00:00 AM
Filed under: Canucks, Western, As he embarked on his first pro
FanHouse E x c l u s i v e season, the 21-year-old
If you’re that way inclined
Antimicrobial to protect
Bad germs they won’t infect
The ventilation is nice
It’s a mattress – Queen
Made from a memory
Foam of high density
Guaranteed to fit your spine
Any time
Once it’s unpacked it’ll expand
as
It takes shape like a stretching cat
Then momentarily, it will pass
That smell will fade it’s not a gas
It possibly could drive you wild
Wild
Then you can lie down
It’s a mattress – Queen
Made from a memory
Foam of high density
Guaranteed to fit your spine
Any time
Recommended at the price
Resistant to most dust mites
Wanna try?
Warranty: 90 Day Woot Limited
Warranty
Condition: New
Features:
• Patented ventilation system
with unparalleled breathability
• Queen-size mattress has open
memory foam cell structure that
VANCOUVER -- As the old
saying goes, good timing is
everything -- and Chris Tanev is
reaping its rewards.
allows cool air to displace warm
air
• Memory Foam has 2.5-inch 4-
pound top layer with air flow
ducts that allow cool air to
displace warm air
• Foam support structure features
3-inch core with air flow channels
directing cool air throughout the
mattress
• High-density supportive base
foam is 4.5 inches thick
• Molds to your body and
eliminates the uncomfortable
pressure points and motion
transfer common in most
innerspring mattresses
• 10-inch mattress can be used
with existing box springs or
platform bed
• Meets all flammability
standards
• Memory Foam is resistant to
dust mites and is naturally
antimicrobial
• Queen-size mattress measures
80 inches long x 60 inches wide x
10 inches high
Additional Photos:
• Removable Cover
• Diagram of Ventilation System
• Cut-away Diagram of Mattress
Vancouver Canucks rookie was
Layers
Care Instructions:
• To maximize memory foam
expansion; remove from
packaging within 72 hours of
receipt
• Shipped vacuum sealed and
compacted; once received, allow
for expansion in a well ventilated
area to remove chemical smell
associated with compression
• Allow mattress to expand in an
open space for full recovery
• Expands to original shape in up
to 72 hours
• Due to the nature of Memory
Foam, the firmness level of every
item is unique. Please be advised
that even similar products may
produce different firmness results
• Mattress is spot clean only
In the box:
• Queen Size Memory Foam
Mattress
Discuss this product
Price: $299.99 I want one!
not expected to be called up from
the minors, but he was. Now, two
injuries to veteran defensemen
have extended his stay.
"It's been really good," said
Tanev. "I've really learned a lot.
E-reader News Edition
Meet The World's
Tallest Michael
Jackson Impersonator
(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 1:00:00 PM
Today I'm proud to break the
next Internet star right here on the
Woot blog, and even prouder that
he's from my old neighborhood in
St. Louis.
I knew this guy as the security
guard at our local supermarket -
as you'll soon see, he's got the
kind of look you notice. All the
while, a whole different group of
St. Louisans knew him as a
karaoke star. This video features
almost no singing, but once you
get a load of him in action, you'll
understand his burgeoning fame.
Ladies and gentleman, give it up
for John G.
"Beyond the limits of
imaginability" indeed! John G's
towering presence may remind
you of Lurch, but there's no
lurching in his slick MJ moves. If
I were a Hollywood producer, I'd
figure out a way - any way - to get
this guy dancing in my next
picture. Welcome to the big time,
John G! Don't forget the little
people at the Loughborough
Schnuck's!
(Thanks for the link, Andy S.!)
All these guys are really good
guys and they're teaching me new
stuff every day on how to be a pro
and stuff like that."
E-reader News Edition
Stroke rates climb for people with
HIV—but why?
rss@consumerreports.org
(Consumer Reports)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:27:56 AM
Stroke rates climb for people
with HIV—but why?
A good friend of mine was
diagnosed with HIV eight years
ago. This was upsetting news for
him and those close to him, but
not nearly as devastating as it
would have been a decade earlier.
Back then, the outlook for people
with HIV was pretty bleak, with
most people becoming ill within
10 years of being infected, as the
virus eroded their immune
system's ability to fight off
infection. With the development
of combination antiretroviral
drugs in the mid-1990s, however,
people with HIV began staying
healthy for much longer. Some
experts now believe that people
who have good treatment and take
care of themselves may be able to
live a normal lifespan.
Offsetting such optimism,
however, is a lack of knowledge
about how living with HIV long-
term, and taking HIV drugs for
many years, might affect people.
A new study suggests one area for
concern: a raised risk of stroke.
Using a large U.S. database,
researchers gathered information
on how many HIV-positive
people were hospitalized for
strokes from 1997 to 2006,
following the introduction of
combination antiretroviral drugs.
During this 10-year period, the
overall number of Americans
hospitalized for strokes decreased
by 7 percent. However, the
number of HIV-positive people
with strokes increased by 60
percent. The researchers
acknowledge that some of this
increase was due to rising HIV
rates. But after adjusting for this,
they still found that the rate of
strokes among HIV-positive
people had increased by 43
percent.
On the plus side, however, the
overall risk of stroke remained
quite low, accounting for only 129
hospitalizations per 100,000
people with HIV.
These findings suggest that living
long-term with HIV or HIV
treatments may raise a person's
risk of stroke, say the researchers.
However, we need more research
to be certain, as other factors
could be involved. For example,
how much of the raised risk could
simply be because people with
HIV are now living longer, and
the risk of stroke increases as we
age? However, it is notable that
many HIV-positive people who
had a stroke were in their 50s,
which is much younger than the
average age for stroke among
people without HIV.
What you need to know. If you
have HIV, this study suggests you
may have a raised risk of stroke.
But bear in mind that your overall
risk may still be quite low. Also,
other risk factors—such as
whether you smoke, are very
overweight, or don't eat a healthy
diet—are likely to play a larger
role in your chances of having a
stroke.
If you are concerned about your
stroke risk, talk to your doctor. He
or she can assess your overall risk
and give you advice about how
you might lower it.
— Sophie Ramsey, patient editor,
BMJ Group
ConsumerReportsHealth.org has
partnered with The BMJ Group to
monitor the latest medical
research and assess the evidence
to help you decide which news
you should use.
Read more on how to reduce
your stroke risk. Subscribe now!
S u b s c r i b e t o
ConsumerReports.org for expert
Ratings, buying advice and
reliability on hundreds of
products. Update your feed
preferences
Daily Electronics Deals
Carol Mangis (Consumer
Reports)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:00:47 AM
Daily Electronics Deals
Today's electronics deals,
courtesy of The Consumerist:
• iTunes Music Store: iPhone
App Freebies: 700 Solitaire
Games, Secure Album, Tactician,
more
• Other World Computing:
OWC's Garage Sale: Adapters,
RAM, accessories, computers,
more
• Sephora: Free Sephora Case for
Apple iPhone in-store or online
• Toshiba Direct: 17.3" Toshiba
L670D-ST2N04 Laptop, 4GB
RAM $549, free ship (prev. low
$649)
• Amazon: 12" ASUS 1215T-
MU17-BK Netbook $399.99, free
ship (prev. low $425)
Entertainment
• Amazon: Gears of War Xbox
360 Game + $20 Video Game
Credit (Pre-Order) for $59.99 w/
Free Shipping
• Gamestop: Underworld Trilogy
Blu-ray $27 (55%off)Sony
PlayStation 3 160GB + $50 Gift
Card for $299.99 w/ Free
Shipping
• Buy.com: Rock Band
PlayStation 3 Wireless Guitar + 3
Rock Band Games for $29.99 w/
Products/ 57
Free Shipping
• Gamestop: Extra $10 off
Gamestop Refurbished Gaming
Console Deals (Xbox 360 $109,
PS3 $229, Wii $109)
Neither Consumer Reports nor
The Consumerist receive anything
in exchange for featuring these
deals; the posts are intended to be
purely informational. These deals
are often fleeting, with prices
changing or products becoming
unavailable as the day progresses.
These posts are not an
endorsement of the featured
products or the Web sites that sell
them—though some of the sites
may be included, and
recommended, in our Ratings of
retailers for computers and other
major electronics(both available
to subscribers). Price shouldn't be
your only criterion. Be wary of
lower-priced deals that seem too
good to be true, and check return
policies for restocking fees and
other gotchas.
For general buying advice for
many of the products on sale
above, check out our free Buying
Guides. Subscribe now!
S u b s c r i b e t o
ConsumerReports.org for expert
Ratings, buying advice and
reliability on hundreds of
products. Update your feed
preferences
58 Products/
Volkswagen reveals 261-mpg Formula XL1 concept car
Consumer Reports Shopping
Blog (Consumer Reports)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 5:57:59 AM
Volkswagen reveals 261-mpg
Formula XL1 concept car
Volkswagen has been on a quest
this decade to develop a car
capable of going 100 kilometers
(62.5 miles) on less than 1 liter (a
hair over a quart) of fuel. The
XL1, revealed at the Quatar auto
show this week, is the third proof-
of-concept car in that effort.
Volkswagen says it plans to
produce and sell a car based on
the XL1 in about two years.
Despite its name, the XL1 is
anything but extra large. It is a
tiny two-seater that is a little
shorter than a Honda CR-Z and a
lot lower. Unlike the previous two
concepts (the 1-liter and the L1),
the XL1 at least moves to
traditional side-by-side seating,
rather than a tandem (fore and aft)
configuration. Nevertheless, it has
a drag coefficient of just 0.18.
Layers Within Layers
(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:32:00 AM
So yesterday we made fun of
your taste is music, and now
here's your chance to make fun of
us. We've been turned on to
Studio Multitracks, a website all
about disassembling the songs
you love and exposing what else
is happening inside them, stuff
(For comparison, the slipperiest
mainstream production car, the
2011 Toyota Prius has a Cd of
0.25, and a Chevrolet Corvette
Z06 cuts the air with a 0.34 Cd.)
The two-seat concept car is built
out of carbon fiber and uses a
plug-in hybrid/diesel powertrain.
The carbon-fiber body structure
weighs just 507 pounds, giving
that you might not always have
noticed. It's the best of today and
yesterday, boasting bands as
diverse as Elton John, Motorhead
and MGMT. Our favorite so far?
The second guitar track from
Gimmie Shelter.
Isn't that wonderful? It says
something that this forty year old
isolated backing track is better
than some modern day hits. Check
the XL1 a total weight of 1,750
pounds. "Wing doors" that swing
up diagonally from the windshield
pillars like a fly's wings promise
relatively easy access to the cabin.
Plug-in hybrid technology and a
diesel engine give the XL1 fuel
consumption of just 0.9 liters per
100 km, or the equivalent of 261
mpg, VW says. The electric part
out the site, and feel free to tell us
if we missed a real gem, or if you
can't believe what horrible taste in
music we have. Go on, we dish it
out, we can take it too.
Credit to agingdragqueen for
bringing this to our attention. She
gets mean if we don't give her
credit
of the drivetrain can carry the
XL1 up to 35 miles using lithium-
ion batteries and a 20 kw electric
motor. After that, a 48-hp, 800-cc
two-cylinder turbodiesel engine
(basically half of a smaller
version of VW's TDI) comes on to
give the car a 341-mile range. The
engine and motor are connected
ahead of a seven-speed dual-
E-reader News Edition
clutch transmission driving the
rear wheels. (See our VW Golf
TDI road test.)
Since VW is not stating battery
capacity, the mpg number
presumably doesn't count the
electric power consumed.
The XL1 demonstrates how far
relatively conventional
technology take fuel economy. It
will be interesting to see if
Volkswagen is able to bring this
car to market overseas and how
successfully they can bring down
the cost of producing the carbon-
fiber body.
— Eric Evarts
See our guide to fuel economy
for advice on saving gasoline.
Learn about future technologies in
our guide to alternative fuels.
Subscribe now!
S u b s c r i b e t o
ConsumerReports.org for expert
Ratings, buying advice and
reliability on hundreds of
products. Update your feed
preferences
E-reader News Edition Sports/ 59

2011 Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beats

Roger Federer
Associated Press (ESPN.com) Rafa was struggling obviously third set to win in an even three
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:24:59 AM with injuries.[+] Enlarge hours. Australian Open results
AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill Need the scores from Down Roger Federer's
Updated: January 27, 2011, 11:24 Roger Federer was disappointed Under? Get complete results and
AM ET with the loss. "But that's coverage from the Australian Fall in Aussie Open
MELBOURNE, Australia -- First sometimes how it goes," he said.
Rafael Nadal, now Roger Federer. "They are in top shape. Andy has
Open.
The Pulse: Scoreboard
Won't Define Him
Change On The Horizon? been in top shape on this court. It was the 20th meeting of the Greg Couch (FanHouse Main)
For the first time since 2008, a It's a Grand Slam final, anything pair. Federer still holds a 13-7 Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:45:00 AM
Grand Slam final will feature can happen. I believe in myself." edge.
neither Roger Federer nor Rafael It will be the first time since 2003 "It's not the end in any way," he Filed under: Australian Open,
Nadal. Ravi Ubha wonders if that Federer will not hold any of said. "Sure, it's disappointing and ATP
that's an omen of change in the the four major titles, and the first it hurts in the moment itself. I MELBOURNE, Australia - This
men's tennis universe. Story time that neither Nadal nor wish I could have won here again is not a defining moment for
Federer, the 16-time Grand Slam Federer will not feature in a for the fifth time. Roger Federer. It looks like one,
winner, was knocked out of the Grand Slam final since the "But that's sometimes how it goes. but it isn't. It is a failed moment.
Australian Open 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-4 Australian Open in 2008, when Doesn't mean the guy that doesn't The new Federer had been
on Thursday by 2008 champion D j o k o v i c b e a t J o - W i l f r i e d win the tournament can't play reconfigured for aggressiveness
Novak Djokovic. Tsonga. tennis. That's sometimes how and attack. No more sitting back,
Before the tournament Nadal was The scenario could open the door I've played in a while," Djokovic things are portrayed. I had a great floating backhands and getting
going for his fourth straight Grand for Murray to become the first said. season last year, and I think I'll pushed around by the big, modern
Slam win and Federer was aiming British Grand Slam singles The last time Federer was beaten have another one this year." players.
for his fifth Australian title. champion since Fred Perry in in straight sets in a Grand Slam Copyright 2011 by The It had been working, too, in all
Instead, Nadal was eliminated by 1936 when the final is played tournament was here in 2008 -- Associated Press the tournaments since the U.S.
fellow Spaniard David Ferrer and Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena. against Djokovic. This entry passed through the Open.
F e d e r e r i s h e a d i n g h o m e . It is the second straight Grand Federer won 11 of 14 points to Full-Text RSS service — if this is But the majors are the real test, of
Djokovic will face Andy Murray Slam in which Djokovic has come back from a service break your content and you're reading it course. And Federer didn't just
or Ferrer in the final -- they play knocked Federer out in the semis. down to take the lead in the on someone else's site, please read lose to Novak Djokovic Thursday
Friday. At last year's U.S. Open, the second set after the two traded tit- our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ in the Australian Open semifinals.
"I'm looking forward to watching Serbian player saved match points for-tat booming forehands and content-only/faq.php He was steamrolled, 7-6 (7-3), 7-
that match tomorrow from my bed before beating Federer in five sets chip backhands during the Five Filters featured article: 5, 6-4.
with some popcorn," Djokovic to advance to the final against opening set. But Djokovic broke Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In The problem was that after that
said. "David played a fantastic Nadal. back later in the second set and The Crosshairs. first set, after 57 minutes of tennis
match against Rafa even though "It's really one of the best matches took his power strokes into the as intense as you will see,
something happened.
60 Sports/ E-reader News Edition

Super Bowl: Mike McCarthy: Photo Source: Julius Peppers

complaints 'poor decision' fined $10K for hit on
Associated Press (ESPN.com) their Twitter accounts that they "We'll be as organized as we
Aaron Rodgers
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:48:20 PM weren't going to be in the team
photo. The photo typically would
possibly can," McCarthy said.
"Something is going to be
Updated: January 27, 2011, 1:48 be taken at media day next screwed up. I've been told that by ESPN.com news services another significant head injury.
PM ET (ESPN.com) Rodgers switched helmets after
Tuesday, and injured players are a number of coaches. So you have
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay not scheduled to join the team in to be able to let it roll off your Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:18:56 AM sustaining two concussions earlier
Packers coach Mike McCarthy t h e D a l l a s a r e a u n t i l n e x t back, and somebody else is going this season, although he has been
isn't thrilled with the way a couple T h u r s d a y . to get their feelings hurt. We're Updated: January 27, 2011, 12:18 hesitant to share details about how
of his injured players chose to McCarthy says cornerback going to continue to make sure PM ET the new helmet might be safer.
express their disappointment Charles Woodson and quarterback that we do everything that's in the Chicago Bears defensive end "Not too much to talk about,"
about potentially being left out of Aaron Rodgers brought the issue best interests of getting our Julius Peppers was fined $10,000 Rodgers said. "I didn't have a
the Super Bowl team photo, to his attention. McCarthy then football team ready to win this for his helmet-to-helmet hit on concussion. I want to dispel that
s a y i n g t h e y m a d e a " p o o r decided to schedule the photo for game." Green Bay Packers quarterback rumor. No concussion. I was fine.
decision" when they complained next Friday instead. Copyright 2011 by The Aaron Rodgers in Sunday's NFC Yeah. Helmets are designed to
about it in public. The Packers list 16 players on Associated Press Championship Game, a league prevent concussions, I think."
Still, the coach says it's no big injured reserve. This entry passed through the source told ESPN NFL Insider Information from The Associated
deal for the team to take the photo "It's not that they are not part of Full-Text RSS service — if this is Adam Schefter. More From Press was used in this report.
late next week so those players the team," McCarthy said. "They your content and you're reading it ESPNChicago.com This entry passed through the
can be included. are in the photo. You want them on someone else's site, please read Can't get enough Bears Full-Text RSS service — if this is
"If that's the biggest issue that we in the photo and that's important." our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ information? ESPNChicago.com your content and you're reading it
have in our preparation, we are McCarthy called the attention content-only/faq.php has all the latest on the Monsters on someone else's site, please read
going to have a hell of a week," paid to the issue this week a "total Five Filters featured article: of the Midway. Blog our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
McCarthy said Thursday. "So it's overreaction," but says other Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In On Wednesday, Rodgers shot content-only/faq.php
not that big of a deal." coaches have advised him to The Crosshairs. down speculation that he Five Filters featured article:
Earlier this week, linebacker expect such distractions when a sustained another concussion on Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Nick Barnett and tight end team is preparing to play in the the Peppers hit and credited his The Crosshairs.
Jermichael Finley complained on Super Bowl. helmet for potentially preventing

Novak Djokovic Knocks Out Roger Federer

FanHouse Newswire Open 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-4 on eliminated by fellow Spaniard said. "David played a fantastic
(FanHouse Main) Thursday by 2008 champion David Ferrer in an injury-induced match against Rafa even though
Submitted at 1/27/2011 5:15:00 AM Novak Djokovic. straight-set loss Wednesday, and Rafa was struggling obviously
The talk before the tournament now Federer heading home, it will with injuries.
Filed under: Australian Open, w a s o f a b l o c k b u s t e r f i n a l be Djokovic in the final against "They are in top shape. Andy has
ATP MELBOURNE, Australia between Nadal, going for his either Andy Murray or Ferrer-they been in top shape on this court.
(AP) -- First Rafael Nadal, now fourth straight Grand Slam win, play their semifinal on Friday. It's a Grand Slam final, anything
Roger Federer. Federer, the 16- and Federer, who was aiming for "I'm looking forward to watching can happen. I believe in myself."
time Grand Slam winner, was his fifth Australian title and stop him. that match tomorrow from my bed
knocked out of the Australian perhaps the only player who could Instead, after Nadal was with some popcorn," Djokovic
E-reader News Edition Sports/ Gaming/ 61

Memories, Guilt Live on 10 Years After Oklahoma State

Plane Crash
Brett McMurphy (FanHouse basketball program left Jefferson engineer for the Cowboy
Main) County Airport near Boulder, Network. Bjorn Fahlstrom, 30, sat
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:00:00 AM Colo., on a snowy Saturday night in the co-pilot's seat. Nate
bound for Stillwater. Fleming, 20, was a freshman
Filed under: Oklahoma State, One of the planes, a twin-engine guard. Will Hancock, 31, was the
Campus Beech King Air 200, crashed on a media relations coordinator.
STILLWATER, Okla. - The hurt snowy hillside near Denver. There Daniel Lawson, 21, was a junior
never really goes away. It's were no survivors. A later guard. Brian Luinstra, 29, was a
always there, reappearing at an investigation determined the trainer. Denver Mills, 55, was the
instant's notice. cause of the crash was due to a pilot. Pat Noyes, 27, was the
The nightmares come flooding mechanical failure. director of basketball operations.
back as well. The guilt lessens What happened that cold Bill Teegins, 48, was the play-by-
somewhat, but deep down it still Colorado night resulted in the ever happened," former Oklahoma changed our lives. And it really play voice of the Cowboys. Jared
remains. darkest day in Oklahoma State State coach Eddie Sutton said changed my life. Those 10 guys Weiberg, 22, was a student
On Jan. 27, 2001, three airplanes history. Wednesday night during a were special -- not a bad guy in manager.
carrying nearly three dozen "That accident affected Oklahoma ceremony at halftime during the whole lot."
members of Oklahoma State's State like nothing else that had OSU's game with Texas. "It Kendall Durfey, 38, was a radio

Resistance NGP being developed by Nihilistic, isn't a port

James Ransom-Wiley (Joystiq)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:20:00 PM
Insomniac Games, creator of the
alternate-history FPS Resistance
for PS3, tweeted its
congratulations to Nihilistic
Software, the apparent developer
of the series' NGP incarnation
(which was revealed in a promo
reel of in-development games for
the handheld during PlayStation
Meeting 2011). Insomniac
confirmed in a followup tweet
that the title would be a "brand
new Resistance game. Not a port."
While Insomniac has handled all
of the Resistance console
iterations, including this
September's Resistance 3, the well
-recieved 2009 PSP spinoff,
Resistance: Retribution, was
developed by Sony Bend. With
Bend currently linked to the
Uncharted NGP game, however, it
seems Nihilistic got the call to
carry on the Resistance for the
PSP successor.
Little else is known about the
title, aside from what can be
inferred from the brief
clip(pictured) in the promo reel --
which does seem to indicate that,
unlike Retribution(a third-person
shooter), Resistance NGP will be
a first-person shooter. Nihilistic is
perhaps most (infamously) known
for being the original developer of
the failed StarCraft: Ghost
project, before going on to
complete Marvel Nemesis: Rise
of the Imperfects(EA),
Conan(THQ) and the
downloadable Zombie
Apocalypse(Konami). The studio
is currently finishing up
PlayStation Move Heroes,
published by Sony.
[Thanks, Brian]
Resistance NGP being developed
by Nihilistic, isn't a port originally
appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27
Jan 2011 13:20:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Comments
62 Gaming/
Sony wants NGP hardware to be profitable and
affordable
Griffin McElroy (Joystiq)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:00:00 PM
The more responsible gaming
hardware enthusiasts among you
have probably reserved your
excitement over the recently
announced NGP until you learn
the device's ever-important launch
price. Given the impressive specs
of the handheld -- as well as
Sony's infamous tendency to
overcharge for its new gaming
hardware at launch -- we wouldn't
blame you for worrying. Sony
Computer Entertainment Europe
boss Andrew House recently
provided Eurogamer with the first
potential hints about the console's
MSRP, saying, "I can't put a
ballpark on it in terms of figures,
but what I would say is that we
will shoot for an affordable price
that's appropriate for the handheld
gaming space."
However, Sony's not going to be
giving the things away; House
also shot down a Eurogamer
source who claimed Sony would
be selling the device at a loss.
id's Carmack comments on NGP's theoretical performance
Andrew Yoon (Joystiq)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:50:00 PM
John Carmack, id Software's
technical director, reminds us of
our technical incompetence daily
on Twitter. Yet, one tweet
managed to catch our attention
House explained, "we would want
to have our hardware be
profitable, in addition to our
software," later adding, "We've
experienced both sides and we
know which one we like to be
on!" That seems like a tricky
balancing act: How exactly is
Sony planning on introducing new
(assumedly high-investment)
technology at an affordable
consumer price point and still
hope for the NGP to remain
and make some semblance of
sense to our puny brains. Carmack
expects "the Sony NGP to
perform about a generation
beyond smart phones with
comparable specs." That should
theoretically give Sony's handheld
a competitive edge over the next
profitable? Wizardry? Alchemy?
Both?
As far as a firm number, Game
Informer was the only outlet able
to get anything out of Sony's
biggest wigs -- when GI brought
up the enormous launch price of
the PS3, Sony Computer
Entertainment president of
worldwide studios Shu Yoshida
laughed, and replied, "It's not
going to be $599." We're glad
events unfolded in that order --
slate of Android and iOS devices.
E-reader News Edition
Hsien-Ko and Sentinel
confirmed for Marvel vs.
Capcom 3, first videos
Griffin McElroy (Joystiq)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:40:00 PM
You might have heard that the
Sentinel -- mango or otherwise --
would not be making a return
appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom
3. You may also have heard that
no more members of the
Darkstalkers cast would be
had he said "It's not going to be joining the roster. You might be
$599," then laughed maniacally, i n c l i n e d t o b e l i e v e t h e s e
we would have started to get statements because they came
really nervous. from the mouth of Capcom's
Sony wants NGP hardware to be Ryota Niitsuma himself.
p r o f i t a b l e a n d a f f o r d a b l e Either Niitsuma was misinformed
originally appeared on Joystiq on o r s o m e o n e w a s f i b b i n g .
Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Regardless, here are some videos
Please see our terms for use of of Hsien-Ko and Sentinel in
feeds. Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Hsien-Ko,
Permalink| Email this| Comments incidentally, was among the
HSIEN-KO page 63
" Low level APIs" may enable this list of NGP developers.
developers to get the most out of id's Carmack comments on
the NGP. Essentially, low-level NGP's theoretical performance
APIs give the developer more originally appeared on Joystiq on
direct control. However, it's Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:50:00 EST.
unclear if Carmack is speaking Please see our terms for use of
out of first-hand experience -- we feeds.
don't see id Software/Bethesda on Permalink| Email this| Comments
E-reader News Edition Politics/ 63
HSIEN-KO
continued from page 62

characters mentioned on a for Marvel vs. Capcom 3, first

purportedly leaked list we posted videos originally appeared on
last year. Sentinel was not, though Joystiq on Thu, 27 Jan 2011
the this isn't the first time we've 13:40:00 EST. Please see our
seen an unlisted character pop up. terms for use of feeds.
[Thanks, Catalyst] Permalink| Email this| Comments
Continue reading Hsien-Ko and
Sentinel confirmed for Marvel vs.
Capcom 3, first videos
Hsien-Ko and Sentinel confirmed

Rabbis Want Glenn Beck, Roger Ailes to Stop Fox News'

Holocaust Comparisons
David Gibson (Politics Daily) month the group organized a letter Beck has made "literally hundreds Christian family to escape the Reconstructionist movements as
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:30:00 PM -writing campaign asking of on-air references to the Nazis, and that he was present well as prominent Orthodox
Murdoch to remove Beck from Holocaust and Nazis when when his so-called godfather rabbis.
A coalition of some 400 rabbis the air. Soros has in the past characterizing people with whom inventoried property confiscated "In the charged political climate
has published an open letter to donated to Jewish Funds for he disagrees"; he compares from Jews who had been in the current civic debate, much
Fox News Channel owner Rupert Justice. American leaders he does not like deported.) is tolerated, and much is ignored
Murdoch, calling on the media In a comment to Reuters, a Fox to Nazis; and has said putting the Also last November, after or dismissed," their letter says.
mogul to discipline Roger Ailes, News executive dismissed the "common good" first leads to National Public Radio fired Juan "But you diminish the memory
president of Fox News, and Glenn coalition of rabbis as "a George "death camps." Williams (who is also a Fox and meaning of the Holocaust
B e c k , t h e c a b l e c h a n n e l ' s Soros-backed left-wing political But the rabbis said that the letter commentator) for his admission of when you use it to discredit any
incendiary and popular host, for organization that has been trying was sparked by Beck's three-part bias against Muslims, Ailes individual or organization you
exploiting the Holocaust in their to engage Glenn Beck primarily program in November about reacted by telling The Daily Beast disagree with. That is what Fox
comments. for publicity purposes." billionaire philanthropist Soros, that NPR executives "are, of News has done in recent weeks,
In particular they were upset over Using the Holocaust and the Nazi who is Jewish and grew up in course, Nazis. They have a kind and it is not only 'left-wing rabbis'
Beck's attacks on liberal magnate label against one's opponents Nazi-occupied Hungary and is a of Nazi attitude. They are the left who think so."
George Soros and Jewish leaders. seems to have become a staple of favorite target of conservative wing of Nazism." Thursday is International
"We share a belief that the political discourse in recent years, pundits. He later apologized to the Anti- Holocaust Remembrance Day, an
Holocaust, of course, can and and that has discomfited many "And George Soros used to go Defamation League but not to observance established by the
should be discussed appropriately J e w s - - w h o n o t e t h a t t h e around with this anti-Semite and NPR. Ailes had also defended United Nations in 2005.
in the media," the rabbis write in analogies are wildly out of deliver papers to the Jews and Beck's frequent use of Nazi This entry passed through the
the letter, which appears Thursday proportion to the historical facts, confiscate their property and then references to describe his political Full-Text RSS service — if this is
as an advertisement in The Wall and that they dishonor the 6 ship them off," Beck said on one opponents and chalked up any your content and you're reading it
Street Journal -- also owned by million Jews exterminated by the of the programs. "And George opposition to "left-wing rabbis on someone else's site, please read
Murdoch. "But that is not what we Nazi campaign of genocide. Soros was part of it. He would who basically don't think that our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
have seen at Fox News." But Fox, and Glenn Beck in help confiscate the stuff. It was anybody can ever use the word content-only/faq.php
A spokesman for the group that particular, have made Holocaust- frightening. Here's a Jewish boy 'Holocaust' on the air." Five Filters featured article:
organized the letter initiative, era language a touchstone in helping send Jews to the death The rabbis signing the letter Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Jewish Funds for Justice, said the programming. camps." include the heads of the Reform, The Crosshairs.
ad cost $100,000. Earlier this In their letter, the rabbis note that (Soros has said that he hid with a Conservative and
64 Politics/ Science/ E-reader News Edition
11 Ways Science and
Toppling Egyptian President Mubarak: Careful Technology Are
Waging War on Winter
What You Wish For Dan Nosowitz (Popular Science
- New Technology, Science
Matt Lewis (Politics Daily) Kissinger-esque "realpolitik" News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:38:00 AM position here for the sake of
preserving the status quo -- my Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:08:10 AM

Columnist Anti-government argument is that the Egyptian Fighting snow with sugar beet
protests in Egypt, coming on the people may also be much worse juice, snow-pooping robots,
heels of those in Tunisia, have off if Mubarak goes. geoengineering and more
given rise to the question: Can Even toppling regimes that were Here in New York City, we've
President Hosni Mubarak be clearly anti-American -- from the just been hit with yet another
toppled? Soviet Union to Saddam Hussein's round of snow, and it got us
I would ask a different question: Iraq -- resulted in power vacuums thinking: There must be
Should he be toppled? and instability, giving rise to new somebody working on a way to
From our comfortable distance problems that had been obscured get rid of this fluffy white
here the United States, it is easy to by the heavy-handedness of the menace. As it turns out, there are
criticize his regime. Mubarak is ousted regimes. The benefits of lots of people working on it! Here
far from a democrat -- toppling an anti-American are some of our favorites.
conservatives can look no further government may outweigh the Some of these methods are in
than Egypt's discrimination following the assassination. primarily because the terrain
costs, and so one naturally wide use, some are DIY projects
against Coptic Christians for Zawahiri's ideological godfather allows secular leaders like w o n d e r s a b o u t t h e c o s t o f you can create yourself, and some
evidence. was another Egyptian, Sayyid Mubarak to fend off Islamist are insane weather-controlling
toppling an ostensibly pro-
But this may be a case where the Qutb, who in many ways shaped i n s u r g e n t s - - u n l i k e i n American one. Were Mubarak's projects worthy of Bond villains.
devil you know is better than the the ideas that led to 9/11. Qutb Afghanistan or Pakistan. But regime an obvious American But they all come from the same
devil you don't know, or, as the and the Muslim Brotherhood make no mistake, Egypt was enemy, such as Iran's, rooting for place, a shared distrust of frozen
saying goes, "He may be a supported the unsuccessful coup always the most desired goal for a revolution would be a no- precipitation and a desire to
bastard, but he's our bastard." attempt against Sadat's secular conquest. brainer. But in Egypt, things are a reduce its vice-like control over
While there are hopes that a more predecessor, Gamal Abdel Nasser. Still, because of our noble desire bit more complicated. our everyday lives. Keep warm,
egalitarian leader would emerge The point here is that radical to support international moves This entry passed through the everyone!
to replace him, that seems Islamist ideology began in Egypt, toward freedom, many Americans Full-Text RSS service — if this is Click to launch a tour of our
quixotic. and this has informed Mubarak's seem to be hoping for Mubarak's favorite winter-fighting science
your content and you're reading it
A look to the past is in order. policies. As Zawahiri wrote in his ouster. Were I guaranteed a better and tech projects around.
on someone else's site, please read
Mubarak became president only memoir (according to Lawrence replacement, I would be among our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
after the assassination of his Wright's " The Looming Tower"): them. But I'm not so optimistic. content-only/faq.php
predecessor, Anwar El Sadat "The River Nile runs in its narrow It's also interesting to note that Five Filters featured article:
(Sadat was hated for making valley between two deserts that some of the folks who decried Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
peace with Israel). Osama bin have no vegetation or water. Such President Bush's "Wilsonian" The Crosshairs.
Laden's lieutenant, Ayman al- a terrain made guerrilla warfare in foreign policy in Iraq would like
Z a w a h i r i , h a d w o r k e d t o Egypt impossible." Egypt has to see Mubarak's ouster. Keep in
overthrow Sadat, and was arrested resisted Sharia law -- so far -- mind, I'm not advocating a
E-reader News Edition Politics/ Food/ 65

Cavuto: Slow Politicians Wasting $4 Mitt Romney to Fox News:

Billion a Day No Time Frame for
(Newsmax - Inside Cover)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:17:35 AM
“So no, we don't have any time.
And we don't have any money.
have lost my patience. With
politicians who are either slow to
Presidential Announcement
And we don't do something soon, act or just slow.” Matt Lewis (Politics Daily) [Obama] is misguided, almost
Fox News commentator Neil you know what else? You know The $4 billion daily toll comes to Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:23:00 AM everything he's done has been the
Cavuto is mad as heck about the what else we don't have? A $28 billion a week, $112 billion a opposite of what he hoped to
government’s debt burden, and country.” month, more than $1.4 trillion a Columnist accomplish. . . . What he needed
he’s just not taking it anymore. Fox News commentator Neil year, Cavuto notes. T h e s l o w - f o r m i n g G O P to do is to speak to two very big
He’s ranting about the $4 billion a Cavuto is mad as heck about the “So no, we don't have any time. presidential field isn't making concerns that are on the minds of
day the U.S. government must government’s debt burden, and And we don't have any money. much headway. a lot of Americans. One is, is he
pay merely on the interest charges he’s just not taking it anymore. And we don't do something soon, During an interview on Fox going to get more jobs in this
for the debt.“Four billion dollars a He’s ranting about the $4 billion a you know what else? You know N e w s C h a n n e l ' s " H a n n i t y " country? Is he going to find a way
day. That's why I rant, and I’m day the U.S. government must what else we don't have? A W e d n e s d a y n i g h t , f o r m e r to have paychecks in people's
usually not a ranter,” Cavuto said pay merely on the interest charges country.” Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney hands at the end of the week? And
on his Fox program. “That's why I for the debt. © Newsmax. All rights reserved. -- considered a frontrunner for the the second is, can he cut back on
whine, and I’m usually not a “Four billion dollars a day. That's This entry passed through the GOP nomination in 2012 -- was the extraordinary over-spending
whiner. And that's why I’m so why I rant, and I’m usually not a Full-Text RSS service — if this is coy about when he might enter the and deficits associated with
damn impatient, and I’m usually ranter,” Cavuto said on his Fox your content and you're reading it race. government? And frankly, he
quite patient. I have lost my program. www.foxnews.com/on- on someone else's site, please read "I don't have a specific time frame didn't address those issues in a
patience. With politicians who are air/your-world-cavuto/transcript/ our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ at this point," said Romney, who way that convinced people.
either slow to act or just slow.” cavuto-4-billion-reasons-cut- content-only/faq.php sought his party's nomination in As I noted yesterday, a slow-
The $4 billion daily toll comes to debt?page=1 “That's why I whine, Five Filters featured article: 2008. "No announcement to forming presidential field may
$28 billion a week, $112 billion a and I’m usually not a whiner. And Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In make. We'll give that some have negative consequences for
month, more than $1.4 trillion a that's why I’m so damn impatient, The Crosshairs. thought, obviously. . . . But we d a r k - h o r s e c a n d i d a t e s . B u t
year, Cavuto notes. and I’m usually quite patient. I haven't made a decision at this Romney isn't contributing to the
point, and my guess is the other confusion. Everyone knows he's

12 Ways to Eat More Veggies folks you mention haven't either. in -- it's just a matter of when.
And yet, we are all doing the This entry passed through the
things we need to do to keep the Full-Text RSS service — if this is
(Cooking Light: Editor's Picks) seven out of every ten Americans veggies and fruits today. Next Tip option open." your content and you're reading it
– are failing to meet the 1: Boost Your Breakfast Romney also commented on on someone else's site, please read
You’ve heard it before… recommended 5 A Day. This entry passed through the President Obama's State of the our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Americans just aren’t getting Enter in The 12 Healthy Habits. Full-Text RSS service — if this is Union address, saying that Obama content-only/faq.php
enough fruits and vegetables. And We’re not asking for a revolution. your content and you're reading it "s trying awfully hard. The Five Filters featured article:
as the foundation of a healthy Just a few small and very simple on someone else's site, please read problem is he just doesn't know Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
d i e t , c o n s i d e r f r u i t s a n d changes to make you eat better, our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ what to do." The Crosshairs.
vegetables your fountain of youth. feel better, and create an overall content-only/faq.php He added,
Rich in vitamins, nutrients, new sense of well-being. Step Five Filters featured article:
antioxidants, fiber, and water, it’s one: Eat more Fruits & Veggies. Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
hard to understand how so many Yes, we are actually asking you to The Crosshairs.
can resist that gorgeous nutritional eat more of something. How often
profile. But the hard facts tell us do you get to hear that? Here are
that less than 30% of us – that’s 12 simple ways to get you eating
66 Politics/ Science/ E-reader News Edition

Obama Has Gun Restrictions in His Jeb Bush, Gingrich: Let

Sights States Go Bankrupt,
(Newsmax - Inside Cover) hedged on when and if Obama told The Hill.
Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:41:07 AM Deal With Itwould move on any type of gun
restrictions. When pressed in a
The meeting will flesh out
whether current federal
Thursday, 27 Jan 2011 12:41 PM “Face the Nation” interview in background checks are effectively (Newsmax - Inside Cover) Angeles Times opinion
By David Alliot 2009, Axelrod was noncommittal preventing gun sales to the Submitted at 1/27/2011 6:52:51 AM piece.“Federal bailouts must come
D e s p i t e P r e s i d e n t B a r a c k as to whether Obama might mentally ill and others barred to an end,” they write. “Federal
Obama’s bypass of gun control consider jumping into the assault from owning firearms. The FBI Thursday, 27 Jan 2011 12:52 PM taxpayers in states that balance
measures in his State of the Union weapons ban fray. and the Justice Department are By Dan Weil their budgets should not have to
address, White House adviser RealClearPolitics.com reported slated to attend the meeting as Financial implosion looms for b a i l o u t t h e i r r e s p o n s i b l e ,
David Axelrod says in light of the that when asked by CBS’ Harry well, the aide said. many states, such as California, pandering politicians who cannot
Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Smith, “Is there a timetable to go © Newsmax. All rights reserved. New York, and Illinois, to name a balance their budgets.
Tucson, Obama soon will take up after assault weapons?” Axelrod This entry passed through the few. Some officials and financiers "Congress must allow a safe,
the issue. replied, “Well, you know, we’ll Full-Text RSS service — if this is say the solution is to let states go o r d e r l y w a y u n d e r f e d e r a l
Axelrod made the announcement monitor the issue. And if there’s a your content and you're reading it bankrupt and force them and the bankruptcy law for states to
t o r e p o r t e r s W e d n e s d a y , consensus, we’ll move on it.” on someone else's site, please read federal government deal with the reorganize their finances,” Bush
a c c o r d i n g t o Meanwhile, members of the our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ consequences. Agreeing with that and Gingrich recommend.
T a l k i n g P o i n t s M e m o . c o m . House Judiciary Committee are content-only/faq.php proposed fix are former Florida © Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Axelrod said Obama wasn’t m e e t i n g w i t h W h i t e H o u s e Five Filters featured article: Gov. Jeb Bush and former House This entry passed through the
avoiding the issue, but rather officials Thursday to analyze the Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In Speaker Newt Gingrich, a likely Full-Text RSS service — if this is
wanted to keep his speech from effectiveness of federal laws The Crosshairs. Republican presidential candidate your content and you're reading it
getting too long-winded. designed to keep guns out of the in 2012. on someone else's site, please read
The announcement is a surprise hands of the mentally ill, a Allowing states to declare for our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
given that Axelrod in the past Republican aide with the panel bankruptcy would create a “fair, content-only/faq.php
orderly, predictable and lawful Five Filters featured article:
approach,” to aiding beleaguered Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
state governments around the The Crosshairs.
country, the two contend in a Los

Next-Generation Snowshoes Pack In Your Pocket, Then Inflate For

Convenient Trudging
Julie Beck (Popular Science - When others are snowed in, you collapsed, they fit into two small sports expo ISPO BrandNew from
New Technology, Science can simply whip out your pocket-sized bags along with a February 6-9 in Munich.
News, The Future Now) inflatable snow shoes and pump for on-the-go inflating.
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:55:25 AM continue your commute as nimbly According to the website, the
Small Foot Inflatable Snow as Legolas on the snow-laden pockets are meant to be attached
Shoes AnyExit mountains of Middle Earth. to your coat or snowpants, for
If you're feeling a little bogged The Small Foot inflatable snow nothing so much as water wings easy access. The snowshoes will
down by winter's wrath, fear not. shoes by AnyExit resemble for your winter boots. When be presented at the international
E-reader News Edition
FYI: How Much Can A Human Body Sweat
Before It Runs Out?
Julie Beck (Popular Science -
New Technology, Science
News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 9:12:10 AM
Never Stop Sweating Jetportal is
Jeffrey Montes on Flickr
It all depends on the size,
physical fitness and hydration of
the person in question, but it's
possible to sweat buckets before
heatstroke sets in and we pass out.
After all, there are about three
million sweat glands on the
human body (the highest
concentration is on our palms),
and the average person
aggressively working out
perspires about 0.7 to 1.5 liters
per hour. Theoretically, if we
were attached to a treadmill and
pumped full of liquids, it's
possible to keep sweating forever.
Particularly active people sweat
about 1.5-1.8 liters an hour, while
Rupert Murdoch’s “The Daily” Officially Launching Feb 2
Lauren Indvik (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:42:41 AM
An official launch date has been
set for Rupert Murdoch’s much-
anticipated (and recently delayed)
tablet newspaper, The Daily.
We’ve just received a press invite
for the launch event, which will
be held on the morning of
Wednesday, February 2 at the
Guggenheim Museum in New
a triathlete can produce nearly
four liters of sweat in the same
time. During the Ironman Hawaii,
competitors perspire some 15
liters (about four gallons)
throughout the combined
marathon run, 2.4-mile swim and
112-mile bike ride. Lawrence
Spriet, an exercise physiologist at
the University of Guelph in
Ontario, says that after losing 3 to
5 percent of our body weight, the
sweating process begins to slow
down.
Lawrence Armstrong, an
environmental and exercise
physiologist, has proved that the
human body continues sweating
no matter how dehydrated it is. As
long as the hypothalamus sends
nerve impulses to the sweat
glands, we'll perspire. If sweating
stops, then something is terribly
wrong.
York City. Murdoch will be
joined by Apple’s Eddy Cue, vice
president of Internet Services.
The launch was originally
rumored to take place on January
19 at the San Francisco Museum
of Modern Art, where Murdoch
was expected to be joined by
Apple CEO Steve Jobs. (Jobs has
since taken an indefinite leave of
absence from the company, citing
health issues.) A person familiar
If our core temperature goes
above 104º, the body begins to
overheat to the point where its
proteins denature. When this
happens, "membranes of the
with the matter told AllThingsD
that the launch was delayed by
Science/ Social Media/
tissues lose their integrity, and
things leak out," Spriet says. The
intestines can discharge bacteria
into the bloodstream, and the
body goes into shock. But by then
we would probably be
unconscious, maybe even in a
coma. The whole point of sweat,
of course, is to prevent this from
happening by keeping us cool.
But even while our innards ooze,
we may still perspire. As
Armstrong points out, it's
impossible to sweat out all the
water in our bodies: "People don't
shrivel up until they are dead."
Have a science question you've
always wondered about? Send a
tweet to@PopSciFYIGuy or email
to fyi@popsci.com
Apple, who needed some more
time to fine tune its new
subscription service for
publications sold through iTunes.
The Daily will be available in the
App Store for a rumored$0.99 per
week, or $4.25 per month. News
Corp. has reportedly hired a staff
of 100 people solely for this
project, which has worked closely
alongside Apple to make The
Daily a great multimedia (as well
67
Mexican Authorities
Seize Homemade
Marijuana-Hurling
Catapult At The Border
Clay Dillow (Popular Science -
New Technology, Science
News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:58:39 AM
Smuggling drugs into the U.S.
has become such a complicated
and high-tech affair, with cartels
building sophisticated tunnel
networks and stealthy submarines
to get their goods around the
watchful eye of customs and
MEXICAN page 68
as social) experience on the iPad.
More About: apple, eddy cue,
ipad, rupert murdoch, The Daily
For more Media coverage:
• Follow Mashable Media on
Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Media channel
• Download our free apps for
Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
68 Health/ Daily Word/ E-reader News Edition
MEXICAN
continued from page 67

border patrol agents. But a group looks like a legit piece of

8 Easy Diet Boosters
of Mexican drug runners recently elementary medieval siege (Mensfitness.com)
applied an 8th-century approach weaponry. Submitted at 1/27/2011 2:00:00 AM

to their profession, using a Most puzzling is how to classify

homemade, trailer-mounted the lobbing of bulk marijuana | Print Article| Email to Friend
catapult to hurl bales of marijuana across an international border Find a new go-to snack
over the border fence. using a machine of not-so-modern Instead of ice cream or leftovers,
Mexican soldiers, tipped off by warfare. While it doubtless runs try a whole grain, higher-fiber
U.S. National Guard troops afoul of U.S. drug laws, from a cereal with low-fat milk or baked
monitoring the area with diplomatic standpoint is this chips with super-spicy salsa," says
surveillance cameras, seized a few considered an act of war or a Kristin McGee, a NYC-based
dozen pounds of marijuana, a foreign aid package? trainer, Pilates instructor, and
sport-utility vehicle, and the Wind and Release: The medieval creator of MTV Yoga.
catapult it was towing near the marijuana slinger is capable of Drink more water
small town of Naco near the hurling 4.4 pound bales of pot Being dehydrated can fool your
Mexico-Arizona border on Friday. over the U.S.-Mexico border body into feeling hungry.
The smugglers had already fled fence. Drinking water (especially before
the scene. [ Reuters] a meal) fills up your stomach, so
The catapult was found about 20 you're likely to eat less. Need dessert aren't quite so tasty. Create a designated eating area
yards from the fence, standing some flavor in that H2O? Switch Try a Fast or Cleanse Not where you're most prone to
roughly ten feet tall and prepped to unsweetened green tea, which Yes, they're varied, and there's a snacking—so in front of the
to launch several 4.4-pound bales contains EGCG, an antioxidant lot of debate about their television and computer are out.
of pot into the United States. And that helps the body burn fat faster. effectiveness—but Fred DeVito Eat at the dining room table or in
from what we can gather from the Do pushups every morning of Exhale Spa is a fan. "I like to the kitchen only, says McGee, and
few grainy photos available, it "It'll help you start the day with a do one of these at least once a you're much less likely to overeat
feeling of success, and it gets in year," he says. "It can jump-start or grab seconds. Related articles:
2 Corinthians 4:7 (01-27-11) some additional upper-body
training," says McGee. try to
your weight loss and helps the
body process nutrients more
Lose Weight at Work
Boost Your Metabolism
(Verse of the Day) the integrity of the messenger no increase the number you do each efficiently. It also 'resets' your Three Easy Tricks to Tame Your
Submitted at 1/27/2011 2:00:00 AM matter the situation, so that the and every day. When you hit as taste buds so you are better able to Appetite
message can be seen without plateau, switch to a harder style of appreciate real, nonprocessed [on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and
But we have this treasure in jars distraction. God's power, not our pushup. foods." more]
of clay to show that this all- own, is what sustains us; we are Rediscover hot sauce Take Up Yoga This entry passed through the
surpassing power is from God and simply a vessel, a tool, in the Use it, and you'll eat slower and Or any activity that lowers stress. Full-Text RSS service — if this is
not from us. hands of the Lord. My Prayer... less. Some studies say you might "The lower your stress, the lower your content and you're reading it
— 2 C o r i n t h i a n s 4 : 7 ( N I V ) Almighty and all-powerful God, even speed up your metabolism your cortisol levels," says DeVito. on someone else's site, please read
Thoughts on Today's Verse... thank you for using me to minister thanks to compounds in the That means your body will store our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
While there are many talented and to others as your partner in the chilies. fewer calories as fat. You can content-only/faq.php
successful Christians in the world work of grace. May my service Follow meals with mint generally burn 250-500 calories in Five Filters featured article:
today, they are merely vessels for help them more perfectly see the Sugar-free mint gum, or even a typical yoga class. Acupuncture Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
God's message of grace, hope, and glory of your truth and grace you mint-flavored toothpaste is fine: and massages also lower levels of The Crosshairs.
power. Our focus should never be gave us in your Son. In Jesus' The mint flavors send signals to inflammation in the
on the container for the message. name I pray. Amen. your brain that it's time to stop body—another known contributor
Instead, what is most important is eating. They also tweak your taste to weight gain.
buds so second helpings and
E-reader News Edition
Nnamdi Asomugha
(Mensfitness.com)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 4:00:00 AM
by Brandon Guarneri| Print
Article| Email to Friend
Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback
Nnamdi Asomugha showed up at
MF's New York office looking
nothing like a superstar NFL
athlete, which makes sense for a
guy that's still a mystery to most
casual fans. Wearing jeans,
sneakers and a hoodie, without
being flanked by a publicist, he
was practically anonymous.
Maybe he's just used to it. He's
widely considered to be the best
defensive backs in the game, yet
some can't pronounce his last
name (HINT: try Ahh-Sum-Wah.)
After earning nearly $30 million
in the first two years of the three-
year deal, the Raiders recently
voided his contract, surprisingly
making the star cornerback a free
agent right in his prime. And
while Asomugha can't negotiate
with teams until the NFL's owners
and players union reach a new
collective bargaining agreement,
just about every team in the
league will be interested when
that times comes. So we jumped
on the chance to find out how
Asomugha plans to stay on top of
his game this off-season.
Did you have a sense when you
signed that contract, that you
might end up leaving Oakland?
There was a huge salary number
due for you this year.
I knew that something could
happen, but you know, you're
never sure of it or planning for it.
Health/ 69
I knew that once it came to that party and go out and do all that
point, a decision was going to stuff like that anymore. I felt like I
have to be made. had a responsibility to everyone to
On the field, lots of opposing show up.
QB's are so intimidated by you Did you learn anything from
that they won't even throw to your Charles Woodson when he was on
side of the field. How do you stay the team? He's enjoyed a career
focused mentally when teams are resurgence in Green Bay, and he's
going the other direction no a big reason the Packers are in the
matter where you line up? Super Bowl.
You always stay focused in the When he was in Oakland, the
game, because at any point they stuff that I learned from him
can come at you. And it's wasn't really "X's and O's"
happened to me before. That one football type stuff. The stuff that I
moment where you've gotten into learned from him was just about
a routine, that's when they try to the swag that you have to have
catch you off guard. I don't think when you're on the field, that
you can ever get bored or lose confidence in the way you move.
focus as a competitor. I sat back as a young guy and just
You've been considered one of watched that, and it helps having
guys go out and the plan is to the NFL and realized I wasn't as
the best CB's in the league for the that type of internal confidence
work out with another 30 guys. prepared for it as I thought I was.
last five seasons. Year in and year when you go out there that you're
And some guys feed off that, In high school, you can just go out
out, how do you stay on top? the best. It was like nothing ever
whereas I feed off a smaller there and play. In the NFL it was
I think it's just the amount of fazed him on the field.
g r o u p , m o s t l y j u s t f r i e n d s , so much more mental. It was
hours that you put into whatever it You did say you're interested in
because I'm a little more focused probably about my second or third
is that you do. I'm one of the guys returning back to the Raiders if
when I do it that way. And I'm a year in the NFL when it clicked
that thinks you have to spend a lot that's something that develops, is
big time basketball fan, so I'll and it was like, you have a chance
of time at whatever your craft is that right? Certainly the door isn't
always shoot hoops during the to be great, you have to hone your
in order to sustain it, and in order closed there.
period between now and March. skills.
to get better at it. If you have Right, the door is not closed at
You've been dominant for so What did you do differently?
those goals, you have to continue all, and obviously when we go
long. Do you remember back My focus changed. The first
to focus your attention on them. into free agency anything can
when you first realized you were couple of years in the league it
You can't just think things are happen and all doors are open,
on a different level than those was just go out and play and have
going to happen. pretty much, for me. So yeah, that
around you? fun. It was just making a lot of
How are you approaching this off door will never be closed for me.
In high school, my dream was to young decisions as opposed to
-season in terms of training? Related articles:
g o t o t h e N B A . B u t w h e n being focused in my profession.
I'll be in Los Angeles. That's my MF Interview: Michael Strahan
recruiting came around, the letters At the time I wasn't playing much
home—that's where I'm from, MF Interview: LaMarr Woodley
f o r f o o t b a l l c o m p a r e d t o because we had two cornerbacks,
where I was raised. I always go MF Interview: Ndamukong Suh
basketball were like 25 to one, Charles Woodson and Philip
back to L.A. and train. It's all [on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and
and my one wasn't from Duke. I Buchanon. I was the guy that
about feel for me, it's all about more]
just loved being a part of the comes off the bench and runs
how my body feels, what I feel I This entry passed through the
sport, and it wasn't something that down on special teams. And once
need to work on as far as speed,
I really took that seriously. It I was thrown into the starting NNAMDI page 70
agility or strength. A lot of times
became a business when I got to lineup, it kind of hit me. I can't
70 Health/ Politics-Right/ E-reader News Edition
NNAMDI
2011 Jeep Wrangler continued from page 69

Full-Text RSS service — if this is

(Mensfitness.com) your content and you're reading it
Submitted at 1/27/2011 3:00:00 AM on someone else's site, please read
our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
by Tony Quiroga| Print Article| content-only/faq.php
Email to Friend Five Filters featured article:
Everyone recognizes the Jeep Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Wrangler. But despite its classic The Crosshairs.
status, that doesn't mean there
wasn't still room for a few
improvements. With 2011's new
design, the Wrangler has become
less like a tractor and more like
something you'd want to show
off.
The biggest change for both the
False Imprisonment
two-door and four-door models is Submitted at 1/27/2011 3:00:19 AM
which had been dismissed by a
the inside. The steering wheel lower court. The court decision is
now has radio controls and New Jersey’s gun laws aren’t debatable, but what’s certain is
suspension system is unchanged both should be a tempting—and merely restrictive, they are that what happened to Revell
automatic climate switches.
and capable as ever, as is the 202- far cooler—alternative to compact gratuitously punitive. under New Jersey law was
There's also substantially more
horsepower 3.8-liter V-6 under SUVs and even some midsize U p until the point that they unconscionable.
soundproofing, which quiets the
the hood, so you can still fling family sedans. Best of all, the i n f r i n g e o n t h e S e c o n d His lawsuit stemmed from his
cab significantly—something
mud and climb rocks with the best Wrangler offers something few A m e n d m e n t , N e w J e r s e y ’ s arrest in New Jersey in early
your lady will appreciate during
of them. other vehicles will ever get: lawmakers have every right to 2005. Revell had booked a flight
long drives.
The 237 pound-feet of torque is respect. Related articles: pass restrictive gun laws. To the from Salt Lake City to Allentown,
Outside, a new optional body-
respectable, but for those looking Cadillac CTS Coupe extent that these laws have the Pa., which included a transfer in
colored hardtop is sure to get you
for even more guts, hang on for Best New Off-Road Vehicles support of the state’s population, Newark. He was picking up a car
noticed. It makes the Wrangler
t h e 2 0 1 2 m o d e l w h e n t h e Six Gas-Saving Tips legislators should pass them. he had bought online and driving
look more finished and a lot more
Wrangler moves to a new 3.6-liter [on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and T h a t ’ s h o w c o n s t i t u t i o n a l it back to Utah, so he wanted his
expensive—comparable, in fact,
V-6 that will likely deliver better more] democracy works. handgun with him for protection.
to the $105,000 Mercedes-Benz
fuel economy (the 2011 gets 15 This entry passed through the What no legislator should ever As the law requires, he declared
G550. The top remains
mpg in the city and 19 on the Full-Text RSS service — if this is do, however, is allow the police to the gun when he checked his bag.
removable, which makes the
h i g h w a y ) a n d a r o u n d 2 8 0 your content and you're reading it throw innocent, well-meaning Unfortunately, his flight was late,
Wrangler Unlimited the only four-
horsepower. on someone else's site, please read people in jail. And that’s what and the airline decided to send
door convertible SUV on the
Prices for the '11 model start at our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ New Jersey’s state government passengers to Allentown via bus.
market. For purists, the doors still
$20,045 for the two-door and content-only/faq.php has been doing for the past several He checked to see whether his
come off, too, and the windshield
$ 2 5 , 5 4 5 f o r t h e f o u r - d o o r Five Filters featured article: years. luggage was on board -- and it
can still be folded forward.
Unlimited. With that kind of Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In #ad# Utah’s Gregg Revell is a wasn’t. The airline had tagged it
Longtime Wrangler fans will also
minimal damage to your wallet, The Crosshairs. victim of this trend, but his is only to stop at Newark. He left the
appreciate that the off-road ready
the most recent story to make the secure area to get his bag, the bus
news. Just last week, the Supreme left without him, and the airline
Court declined to consider his decided to put him in a hotel for
lawsuit against the Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey, FALSE page 71
E-reader News Edition
FALSE
continued from page 70
the night.
The next morning, though he was
(once again) boarding a bus to
Allentown, he needed to go
through flight security -- and
that’s when problems started. He
declared his firearm at the ticket
counter, and again to the TSA.
“They went in back, then came up
and asked for the keys,” he
recalls. “They opened them and
decided they would call the
police.”
Revell was arrested. In New
Jersey, residents are forbidden to
have their guns with them outside
their homes, unless they have a
New Jersey carry permit or
qualify for an exemption to the
law. Federal law protects people
who are simply passing through a
state with guns, but it does not
specifically say that it applies
when guns are being carried by
hand, as opposed to being stored,
unloaded, in a vehicle.
Police handcuffed Revell and
brought him out of the airport.
“All the mothers were pulling
their children close to them
because of this dangerous
criminal coming through,” Revell
remembers. He spent a total of ten
days in jail. He was held first in a
Port Authority holding cell, next
in an Essex County cell with
about 20 other inmates and a toilet
that didn’t flush. He was in
quarantine, about to be transferred
into the general population -- no
place for a 57-year-old white man,
other inmates warned him -- when
his $15,000 bail came through.
It took two months for the
charges to be dropped via an
“administrative dismissal.” “I
thought I would lose my real-
estate license, because you can’t
have one if you’re a felon -- and
go back and be killed in jail,” he
says. “Not a fun two months.”
Later, the NRA and the
Association of New Jersey Rifle
and Pistol Clubs helped him sue
the Port Authority. The courts,
however, decided that the federal
law protecting the transportation
of handguns did not apply to his
situation.
Revell isn’t the only person
who’s been tortured by New
Jersey’s gun laws. Especially
problematic is the Graves Act,
which was a perfectly fine policy
when it was enacted in 1981: It
stated that when someone uses a
gun to commit a crime, that
person shall serve a minimum
sentence of three years. In early
2008, however, then-governor Jon
Corzine signed an amendment to
the law, aiming to combat gang
violence. Now, with a few
exceptions, anyone caught with an
illegal gun -- no matter how
obscure the technicality or how
innocent the mistake that made it
illegal -- gets a three-year
sentence.
#page#
It became clear what a mistake
this was almost immediately. A
young man named Ryan Narciso
was caught speeding with a BB
gun in his car and faced a possible
three to five years in prison.
Narciso avoided jail time on an
exception to the law, and the
attorney general released a
directive that allowed dismissals
and downgrades in certain cases
(including those involving BB
guns). But the directive also
stressed that outside of those
cases, when a prosecutor can
charge someone under the Graves
Act, the prosecutor must.
#ad# In January 2009, Brian
Aitken was in the process of
selling a house in Colorado and
moving to Hoboken, N.J.; in the
meantime, he kept some of his
things with his mother in Mount
Laurel, N.J. Before moving his
guns between the states, he looked
up New Jersey’s gun laws, and
even called the New Jersey State
Police for guidance.
On one trip to pick things up in
Mount Laurel, Aitken vented to
his mother about some problems
he was having with his ex-wife.
When he left, his mother was
sufficiently worried about his
mental health that she called 911,
but she hung up without saying
anything. The police showed up
anyway, talked to Aitken’s
mother, and called his cell phone.
“They said I’d be taken into
custody, not arrested. What’s the
difference?” Aitken remembers.
“I said, ‘Whatever, I’ll come
back.’”
After questioning him, the police
asked to search his car. They
found -- amongst his other
possessions -- three handguns.
Aitken says that initially, the
police offered to let him keep the
guns in his father’s safe, but they
wouldn’t fit. Then Aitken, like
Revell, was arrested for carrying a
gun without a permit. Never mind
an exemption to New Jersey law
that applies when an individual
moves guns from one residence to
another.
At trial, there was a debate over
whether Aitken had in fact been
moving. But when it came time to
give the jury instructions, the
judge refused to let them consider
the question; the only issue, he
said, was whether Aitken had the
guns in the car. The jury resisted,
sending the judge several requests
for information about the issue.
When he refused to answer the
first two, they made sure the third
expressed their frustration:
Why did you make us aware at
the start of the trial that the law
allows a person to carry a weapon
if the person is moving or going
to a shooting range, and during
the trial both the defense and
prosecution presented testimony
as to whether or not the defendant
was in the process of moving, and
then in your charge for us to
deliberate we are not permitted to
take into consideration whether or
not we believe the defendant was
moving?
The judge later claimed it
“wasn’t relevant” whether he was
moving, and that there was “no
evidence” anyway -- when in fact
it was relevant, and the strength of
the evidence is a question of fact,
which juries decide.
With its hands tied, the jury
found Aitken guilty in August
2010. His prison term: seven
years. He stayed there until Gov.
Chris Christie commuted his
sentence in December. Now, he’s
trying to have the conviction
expunged from his record.
71
Clearly, not all of Aitken’s
problems stem from the Graves
Act; the jury should have been
able to consider the moving
exemption. But even if he wasn’t
moving, should the government
have thrown him in prison for
seven years -- for transporting
unloaded, legally owned guns in
the trunk of his car? It costs about
$20,000 to keep someone in
prison for a year, and that’s not
even counting the tax revenue
that’s lost from his being out of
the workforce (and then, as a
felon, making less thereafter).
Wouldn’t a small fine send the
message that this behavior is
illegal?
Obviously, these cases
demonstrate that the law isn’t
working. It’s taken longer than it
should have, but some members
of the New Jersey state
government are trying to fix the
problem.
#page#
There’s Assemblyman Jon
Bramnick, for example, a
Republican who co-sponsored the
2008 change to the law. “I’ve got
serious problems about how the
penalties have been interpreted,”
he says. He notes that someone
who legally owns a gun in another
state, and inadvertently brings it
into New Jersey, can face serious
prison time. “I’ve spoken to a
number of defense attorneys, and
the bottom line is that it’s so
difficult to keep someone out of
jail, even someone with a clean
record,” he says.
FALSE page 83
72 Politics-Right/
The Disastrous SOTU
Submitted at 1/27/2011 3:00:14 AM
A groaning farrago of clichés and
unlikely undertakings.
P resident Obama’s State of the
Union address and the Republican
and Tea Party responses to it were
a dismal occasion. From the
terminal platitude that all are “part
of the American family,” to the
likelihood that a girl in Tucson
may “have dreams like the rest of
us,” which “is what sets us apart
as a nation,” it was a groaning
farrago of clichés and unlikely
undertakings, followed by replies
that had been written before the
contents of the president’s address
were known and had almost
nothing to do with what he said. I
do not believe that Mr. Obama
thinks the United States is the
only nation on earth where young
people in one region of the
country are likely to have similar
ambitions to those in other
sections of the country. “We
measure our progress by the
success of our people.” And that
progress is partly “thanks to tax
cuts we passed,” referring to the
Bush tax cuts whose continuation
Mr. Obama fought to the last
ditch. The president fantasized
that “throughout history, our
government has provided cutting-
edge scientists with the support
that they need.” It has done
nothing of the kind, apart from
some World War II military
activities. Thomas Edison and the
Wright Brothers, the only
inventors the president actually
named, did not receive one cent
from any government, any more
than NASA “created millions of
new jobs.”
#ad#Claiming the need to “raise
expectations for every child,” like
promises to “get rid of loopholes”
in the tax system, and the promise
to “find a bipartisan solution to
strengthening Social Security,”
while we “make sure we aren’t
buried under a mountain of debt,”
should be an impeachable offense,
as a high misdemeanor, both
substantively and stylistically.
The speech was largely a tired
porridge of the president’s old,
time-warped pastiche of leftist
postures from his university years.
Millionaires had to “give up their
tax break.” (They don’t have one.)
Millions of clean jobs were out
there somewhere. (They aren’t.)
And although the president’s
imperishable green delusion was
down to a commendation of two
men who founded a solar-shingle
business in vacant government
storage space, there was not a
word about increasing domestic
oil production or transferring
much oil use to plentiful natural
gas.
The president’s listless delivery
and oppressive vagueness robbed
of any credibility his jaunty
promises of “rebuilding
America.” “Countries in Europe
and Russia invest more in roads
and railways . . . [so] we will put
more Americans to work repairing
crumbling roads and bridges.”
(The last time there were
intimations of “shovel-ready
projects,” all that was shovelable
was the horse manure of roseate
predictions that accompanied a
trillion dollars of borrowed and
ineffective stimulus.) The
president promised that in 25
years, 80 percent of Americans
will have access to high-speed
rail; and that he would “in five
years make it possible to deploy
the next generation of high-speed
wireless to 98 percent of
Americans.” The tepid response
of even his own followers did not
stoke up much credulity.
Exports, Obama said, will double
by 2014. But the only
manufactured exports that the
country has retained after
outsourcing almost everything
else to the countries from which it
has borrowed trillions of dollars
to buy them are aircraft and
advanced-technology equipment.
There is not the faintest hint of
how the exported quantities of
these products will double, and
certainly nothing to inspire hope
that anything that has been
outsourced will be repatriated, to
be made by the huge numbers of
unskilled laborers who will be
affected by Mr. Obama’s promise
to “take on illegal immigration.”
The promised “review of
government regulations” is a
commendable recognition that the
commerce of the country is being
strangled; given the president’s
status as the most zealous and
righteous regulator in American
history, the offhand promise
carried something less than the
fervor of the grace of conversion.
#page#
His response to the recent House
of Representatives vote to repeal
his health-care act was: “If you
can make health care better or
more affordable, I’m eager to
work with you.” The president
knows perfectly well that to
reduce the cost of health care
from the $7,000 per capita it is in
the U.S. to closer to the $3,000 it
is in other advanced countries
with good medical care that is
generally accessible, he will have
to go far beyond the malpractice
award caps he envisioned, and
also muscle the drug companies
as other countries have done, as
well as the private hospital
companies and unions, and adopt
the Republican 2008 campaign-
platform proposal of giving a
health-care credit to everyone,
offering complete competition in
acquisition of health-care options,
and taxing deluxe health-benefit
packages that constitute de facto
income (for those who can afford
the tax). Half-measures such as
his bill, which may be the most ill
-considered statute in this
jurisdiction since Townshend’s
tax on tea in 1767, make things
worse and not better.
#ad#The warning about the
dangers of debt was a bit rich
coming from the president who
has increased debt by over $2.5
trillion in two years. There
remains in the U.S., as in Europe
and Japan, no indication that there
is any disposition to pay down the
horrifying debts that have piled
up, rather than, in a silent
conspiracy of utter cowardice,
E-reader News Edition
simply to devalue the currencies
in which the debt is denominated,
in the hope that doing so together
and gradually will disguise the
rape of the thrifty and the prudent
and the financially defenseless
that that implies. A five-year
freeze on 12 percent of budget
expenses is a small step forward,
but far short of the radical
measures required.
The president of earmarks, who
declined to disown them when
running for election and winked at
their colossal profusion in his first
two years, also had a credibility
gap when he declared war on the
earmarks (individual scraps of
patronage pasted by congressmen
and senators onto unrelated bills
in exchange for their votes, i.e.,
pork barrel, log-rolling, and back-
scratching). He deserves an
oratorical Razzie, if not an
Academy Award, for perorating:
“There isn’t a person here who
would trade places with any other
nation on earth.” Perhaps not, in
the U.S. Congress, but that is
scarcely comforting.
In foreign affairs, he said, “we
must defeat determined enemies
wherever they are”; and “our
civilians will forge a lasting
partnership with the Iraqi people”
(this is the hallucinatory vision of
the commander-in-chief who
opposed the entire mission); while
“the Iranian government faces
tougher and tighter sanctions”
(though no sane person expects
them to accomplish anything);
DISASTROUS page 84
E-reader News Edition
The New Immigration Debate
Submitted at 1/27/2011 3:00:13 AM
Does the Constitution really say
that children of illegal immigrants
are automatic citizens?
W hile 2010’s immigration
debate centered on the
controversial Arizona law, 2011’s
promises to be focused on a
different -- and even more
explosive -- topic: birthright
citizenship.
Kris Kobach, the recently elected
Kansas secretary of state, is a
lawyer and professor of law who
specializes in immigration issues.
The architect of Arizona’s SB-
1070, he is the legal mind behind
two new proposals to challenge
the automatic granting of
citizenship to any child born in
the United States, regardless of
the legal status of his parents. The
first proposal is state-level
legislation that would not affect
the federal citizenship of an illegal
immigrant’s child, but would
deny him citizenship of that state.
The second is a state compact,
which has to be adopted by at
least two states and approved by
Congress to be enacted, that
would deny the children of illegal
immigrants citizenship at both the
state and the federal level.
#ad#“They’re two routes to the
same destination,” says Kobach.
“They attempt to restore the
original meaning of the
Fourteenth Amendment.”
Not everyone on the right is
lauding these initiatives, although
there are different grounds for
opposition. Mark Krikorian,
executive director of the Center
for Immigration Studies, is
concerned that redefining
birthright citizenship before
securing the border could lead to
“a large, multi-generational
population of illegal aliens.”
Linda Chavez, chairman of the
Center for Equal Opportunity,
calls the efforts “a direct assault
on the meaning of what it means
to be an American.” Alfonso
Aguilar, executive director of the
Latino Partnership for
Conservative Values, says the
backers of the legislation are
embracing a “constitutional-
activist position.”
On the left, there is no interest in
-- and some horror at --- the
prospect. In August, Homeland
Security Secretary Janet
Napolitano called efforts to
change the Fourteenth
Amendment “just wrong,” a
position that reflected President
Obama’s, according to White
House press secretary Robert
Gibbs. In Tuesday’s State of the
Union address, Obama urged
lawmakers to “take on, once and
for all, the issue of illegal
immigration.” But the solutions
he offered -- secure borders, law
enforcement, and some version of
the DREAM Act -- indicate that
he continues to think that
changing birthright citizenship is
an inappropriate solution.
Joining Kobach in the effort is
Pennsylvania state representative
Daryl Metcalfe, who founded
State Legislators for Legal
Immigration. Metcalfe reports that
lawmakers from 32 states have
expressed interest in at least one
of the initiatives, although he
concedes he has “no idea” how
many states will ultimately pass
the legislation. Kobach estimates
that ten or more states will pass at
least one of the initiatives.
If even one state passes the law
that denies state citizenship to the
children of illegal immigrants,
there is likely to be a lawsuit.
“Hopefully, it would eventually
present the issue to the Supreme
Court,” says Kobach, “so that we
would have an authoritative
statement from the court on
whether ‘subject to the
jurisdiction thereof’ -- whether
those words have any meaning or
not.”
To Kobach, it is “nonsensical” to
understand “subject to the
jurisdiction thereof” as meaning
anything other than that at least
one of the parents must be a
citizen of, or at least legally
residing in, the United States.
Talking about United States v.
Wong Kim Ark, the Supreme
Court decision in 1898 that many
view as having settled that all
babies born in the U.S., regardless
of parenthood, are citizens,
Kobach points out that Wong Kim
Ark was the son of Chinese
immigrants legally living in this
country at the time of his birth.
“There are two very powerful
reasons why I think the majority
of the Supreme Court would agree
with us. And one is that every
ounce of evidence of original
intent says that our understanding
is correct,” says Kobach,
remarking that the framers of the
Fourteenth Amendment intended
that birthright citizenship be given
only to children whose parents
had no allegiance to a different
country.
“The other factor,” he adds, “is
that there is a long-standing rule
of interpreting the Constitution
that says there are no surplus
words in the Constitution. And the
way the liberals want to read the
Fourteenth Amendment, they treat
‘subject to the jurisdiction
thereof’ as if they are surplus
words meaning nothing.”
#page#Chavez argues that the
position that “subject to the
jurisdiction thereof” excludes the
children of illegal immigrants “is
clearly ahistorical and clearly
conflicts with not just the
historical debate, but consequent
Supreme Court decisions.”
Chavez compares today’s illegal
immigrants to the gypsies present
in this country when the
Fourteenth Amendment was
debated. Gypsies didn’t pay taxes,
yet their children were considered
citizens by the legislators.
While the state-citizenship
legislation is likely to punt the
question of birthright citizenship
to the courts, Kobach says the
state compact “tees up the issue
for Congress.” State compacts
must be approved by a majority of
congressional lawmakers,
although presidential approval is
not necessary.
#ad#The futures of the initiatives
are uncertain, but supporters see
Politics-Right/ 73
tackling the issue as crucial. For
Metcalfe, ending birthright
citizenship for illegal immigrants’
children is as necessary as
securing the border. “The fact
remains that we still have people
within our borders who are here
illegally,” he says. “We as a state
have to deal with those
individuals as far as jobs they’re
taking away from our citizens,
and the benefits they’re illegally
tapping into.”
Roy Beck, executive director of
the immigration-restriction group
NumbersUSA, also stresses the
importance of changing birthright
citizenship in the effort to halt or
slow illegal immigration. “It is an
incentive,” he says. “It’s a
moderate incentive for people to
come here illegally, and it’s a
major incentive for illegal aliens
not to go home.”
Advocates also argue that those
who view the issue as too
controversial are ignoring the
global perspective. Almost no
advanced countries, with the
exception of Canada, treat
children born to non-citizen
parents within their borders as
automatic citizens.
Krikorian thinks that any push to
change eligibility for birthright
citizenship must be paired with
“pro-immigrant elements,” such
as increased English-language
education and better bureaucratic
processing for immigrants. “I
think it’s important for
immigration skeptics to make
NEW page 77
74 Politics-Right/ E-reader News Edition

Ground Zero Mosque's New Imam has Radical Ties

(The Front Page) Park51, but the developers assassination of Egyptian Some reports have said that wounded,” McCarthy writes.
Submitted at 1/27/2011 2:01:00 AM appointed Imam Abdullah president Anwar Sadat. He was Wahhaj was listed as an Moreover…the project would be
Adhami to serve as Senior also known to have ties to the unindicted co-conspirator in the taken as a victory monument by
After dominating the headlines in Advisor to the project to help terrorist groups Egyptian Islamic World Trade Center bombing. America's enemies, only
the run up to the November create, “a robust and dynamic Jihad and Al-Gama'a al- But in an e-mail to HUMAN encouraging more terrorism. This
elections, the controversy over a r e l i g i o u s a n d i n t e r f a i t h Islamiyya, serving as the leader of EVENTS, former Assistant is not an issue of tolerance -- there
proposed thirteen-story Islamic c o m p o n e n t . ” the second group. Abdel-Rahman United States Attorney and Senior are thousands of mosques in the
cultural center and mosque to be “ T h i s i s a n e x t r a o r d i n a r y appeared on a State Department Fellow at the National Review U.S., and hundreds in the New
located two blocks from Ground opportunity to be a key advisor on terrorist watch list before gaining Institute Andrew C. McCarthy, York area. If Mr. Adhami favors
Zero in lower Manhattan has a project going forward that has entry to the United States in 1990. who led the prosecution of Abdel- this project, it would not surprise
largely abated. Last week, enormous creative and healing Despite his history of Rahman and his co-conspirators, me to learn that he is affiliated
however, the developers of Park potential for the collective good in involvement in terrorism and says Wahhaj was not labeled a co- with people who want to turn the
51, as the project is known, New York City and in our terrorist causes, Wahhaj conspirator during the trial. U.S. into a sharia society,” he
suddenly announced that the nation,” Adhami said in the sponsored lectures by Abdel- McCarthy did say that Wahhaj’s said.
controversial imam who had been statement. Rahman in mosques in New York radical views made him an Published reports have speculated
the chief public proponent of the But critics of the mosque do not and New Jersey. Those lectures “Islamist” although not that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s
mosque was leaving the project to share Adhami’s belief in the helped gather a core of supporters necessarily a terrorist. abrupt departure from the Park 51
focus on other initiatives. healing potential of the mosque for the blind sheikh in Jersey City, “Mr. Wahhaj's views have been project was the result of internal
In a statement released last project, much less in his ability to from where the World Trade well known for many years, disagreements between the
Monday, Park 51 said that Imam help bring it to fruition. They Center bombing was planned and including his assertion that he developers and the controversial
Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife point to Adhami’s connection to executed. Abdel-Rahman and would like to see the U.S. imam. If those disagreements
Daisy Khan would be focusing Imam Siraj Wahhaj of Brooklyn. nine co-conspirators were Constitution replaced by an were in any way related to last
their attention on nationwide Adhami, who holds a degree in convicted on charges of seditious Islamic caliphate -- i.e., replaced fall’s controversy over the
speaking tour in support of Rauf’s architecture, volunteered to help conspiracy in 1995 for their role by a sharia system. Obviously, he mosque, however, Park 51
Cordoba Initiative. design Wahhaj’s Masjid At- in the bombing and sentenced to is an Islamist…My personal appears not to have done the
“Due to the fact that Imam Feisal Taqwa mosque, and fetes him on life imprisonment. opinion is that it is radical to want project any favors with the
is focusing most of his energies his personal website as a “pioneer Wahhaj himself is not without a to see the U.S. political system selection of Adhami as his
and passion on launching this new i n t h e A m e r i c a n M u s l i m controversial past. Jihad Watch replaced by the Islamic system, replacement. With no election
and separate initiative, it is experience.” “Since the 1970s, director and HUMAN EVENTS but I want to be clear that not all looming, Adhami’s selection may
important that the needs of Imam Siraj has tirelessly laid the contributor Robert Spencer such radicals are terrorists (in fact, not generate the level of
Park51, the Islamic Community foundations for many scholars and reported in 2008 that Wahhaj has most are not),” McCarthy said. controversy that was witnessed
Center in Lower Manhattan, take leaders that would follow him,” advocated for an Islamization of Although McCarthy stated that prior to November, but it will
precedence…Our focus is and Adhami writes. America, calling for a kind of he knew nothing of Adhami’s almost surely refocus public
must remain the residents of One of the “scholars” for whom Muslim overthrow of the United views, and did not recall his name attention on the project, which
Lower Manhattan and the Muslim Wahhaj laid foundations in the States. coming up during Abdel- had largely dropped out of the
American community in the U.S. was Shiekh Omar Abdel- “[H]e has also warned that the Rahman’s trial, he was not public consciousness for most of
Greater New York area,” the Rahman, the infamous “blind United States will fall unless it heartened by Adhami’s support the past three months.
statement read. “It is important to sheikh” and mastermind of the “accepts the Islamic agenda.” He for the mosque project. This entry passed through the
note though that while on tour and first World Trade Center bombing has lamented that “if only “The Ground Zero Mosque is a Full-Text RSS service — if this is
afterward Imam Feisal and Daisy in 1993. Abdel-Rahman spent Muslims were clever politically, terrible idea…the concept is your content and you're reading it
Khan will not be speaking on time in prison in Egypt in the they could take over the United galactically insensitive to the on someone else's site, please read
behalf of Park51, nor will they be early 1980s on charges that he had States and replace its American people who were our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
raising funds for the project.” issued a “fatwa,” or religious constitutional government with a attacked on 9/11 and especially to
Rauf will remain on the board of d e c r e e , c a l l i n g f o r t h e caliphate,” Spencer wrote. the families of those killed and GROUND page 77
E-reader News Edition
A Show of Iranian Unity
Helle Dale (The Foundry:
Conservative Policy News.)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:00:41 AM
Iranian political dissidents are
notorious for their bitter factions
and for not being able to work
together—probably the single
biggest cultural asset the Islamic
Republic regime has. However,
the Iran Democratic Transition
Conference showed Iranians
finding unity on a common
purpose, bringing democracy to
their home country where the
longing for it runs deep.
Taking place over the weekend at
George Washington University
and sponsored by the Institute for
World Politics, the conference
concluded on Capitol Hill
Monday with the announcement
of the creation of the Iran
Freedom Caucus in the House of
Representatives, co-sponsored by
Representatives Trent Franks
(R–AZ) and Ted Deutch (D–FL).
The purpose of the conference
was education, debate, and
networking, and there was plenty
of all three going on.
The gathering was organized by
leaders of the student movement
in Iran who are exiled in the U.S.,
Canada, Europe, and Malaysia.
For perhaps the first time, it
brought together bitter opponents
of the regime and of one another
who finally sat down together in a
public setting and agreed to bury
the hatchet and work together.
This included people who had
refused to even speak to one
another for as long as 40 years.
The conference also provided a
physical network among young
Iranian activists who had
previously been connected only
by Facebook, e-mail, and Skype.
They came from Germany,
Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada,
the U.K., and other countries
already knowing one another from
their online communications, so
they already had the camaraderie
built in; it was like a reunion that
energized all of them. Iranians
still inside Iran participated in the
conference via Skype.
The conference also bridged a
huge generation gap among
Iranians. With about 75 percent of
the Iranian population younger
than 35 and most of the
established expatriate “leaders” in
their 60s or older, there has been a
significant disconnect between
Iran’s youthful population and the
expatriate leaders who claim to
represent Iranian democrats back
home. The conference literally
introduced them to one another.
For years they talked past one
another and even badly about one
another. At the conference we saw
something new: what for many
was a meaningful, first-ever direct
communication and dialogue
between the established elder
expats and the newly arrived
younger Iranians. One of the elder
expats, who runs a U.S.-based
Persian-language TV station, sat
down with about 10 of the
younger people for a videotaped
roundtable discussion. Then he sat
up all night with them and ate
pizza.
Additionally, the conference
brought together politically active
Iranians who actually believe that
a democratic revolution is
possible in their country. To a
person, even though they have
different political views, they
believe that reform is not
possible; only a popular
democratic revolution (the kind
that swept away communism in
Europe) is the solution for Iran.
They firmly believe that it is
possible and that all the pieces are
in place.
Political prisoner Arjang Davoodi
sent a message of strong support
for the conference and for its
coordinator, Confederation of
Iranian Students Chairman Amir
Abbas Fakhravar. He made an
audio statement for the conference
that the confederation smuggled
out of the Rajee-Shahr prison.
Unfortunately, the obstacle to a
democratic revolution is in large
part the continued lack of
multilateral international oil
sanctions against the regime,
which ensures the regime’s
Politics-Right/ 75
survival, giving it the lifeblood it
needs. A conspicuous lack of
significant U.S. support for
democracy in Iran is a sore point
with political activists, as are the
shortcomings of Voice of
America’s (VOA) Persian service.
Senator Jeff Sessions in his
remarks Monday commented on
the attempts to fix VOA Persian-
language broadcasting and asked
the Iranian activists if VOA was
helpful or still needed fixing. He
received a resounding response
that VOA still has a long way to
go.
It is telling that the U.S. State
Department was invited to send
observers and chose not to. In
fact, the State Department
dragged its feet on issuing visas to
some of the international
participants, denying visas to
several and delaying visas to
others, which made their
participation impossible. Among
those denied a visa was Caspian
Makan, the fiancé of Neda Agha-
Soltan, the girl who was murdered
in the streets during the June 2009
protests. Caspian is living in
Canada, where he received
political asylum, but State did not
make it possible for him to attend
the conference. There was a
powerful symbolism in the fact
that the conference took place on
Neda’s birthday, January 23.
The conference also had the
participation of one of the leaders
of the “Green Diplomats,” a
movement of Iranian diplomats
SHOW page 81
76 Politics-Right/
Sarah in 2012?
David Solway (FrontPage
Magazine » FrontPage)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 10:40:42 PM
Among the most astonishing
phenomena of the current political
scene in the U.S. is the relentless
percussion of hatred,
animadversion, revilement and
outright dissimulation hurled
against Sarah Palin—the mirror
image of the orgy of adulation
which Barack Obama enjoyed
prior to his election and in the
auroral days of his administration.
One is put in mind of the vicious
and slanderous campaign waged
by the liberal-left against George
Bush. But this is something
different from Bush redux. The
difference is that Bush was a
sitting president whose policies
many felt, rightly or wrongly,
were steering the nation in a
perilous direction, whereas Palin
is without public office and
executive power. The media have
clearly gone beyond the limits of
reason or propriety.
The question is why. What is it
about Sarah Palin that has
generated so intense a degree of
tractarian misprision, that has
turned almost the entire
mainstream media against her,
and has even led many reflective
people to doubt her competence
and her intelligence? What
explains the abuse she has had to
absorb, from being dismissed as a
rabble-rousing populist
lightweight to being accused as a
murderer by proxy in the Tucson
shooting?
In an article for FrontPage
Magazine, Evan Sayet has
essayed an answer to this
provocative enigma. “What is it
about her that they hate?” he asks,
and replies, “It has to be her life
story” which, pace her critics,
“could not be more laudable.”
And that, of course, is the
problem. Everything she
represents violates the Democratic
left’s agenda and narrative: she is
a self-made woman, enjoys a
stable marriage with her high
school sweetheart, has raised a
together family, refused to abort
her Down Syndrome child, is
equally at home in the wilderness
and in the halls of State, was a
successful mayor and an effective
governor, upholds the
Constitution, is a doer and not
only a talker, and exemplifies the
traditional American virtue of self
-reliance. Thus, as Sayet writes,
“at every turn, Ms. Palin’s story
debunks the myths of
victimization and self-
centeredness that is at the heart of
the Modern Liberal ideology.”
In other words, Palin is neither a
liar nor a parasite, but a truth-
teller and an industrious
worker—two attributes that have
cost her dearly in a liberal
environment dominated by special
interest groups, entitlement
seekers, political predators, fiscal
sycophants, tax evaders, people
addicted to welfare, single-parent
families living off the dole, labor
union apparatchiks, official and
E-reader News Edition
of the menace Palin represents to
the liberal-left constituency. The
veritable tornado of hatred and
defamation to which she has been
subjected argues something far
more immediate in its
implications. What the Democrats
and their supporters earnestly fear
is not only that Palin may be
around for the indefinite future,
but that she is indeed potentially
electable in 2012 and must be
stopped at all costs. This is
perhaps the principal motive for
so libelous a spectacle as the left’s
all-out debauch of vilification.
But will the strategy work?
We need to remember that the
liberal-left ideology which seems
so potent and widespread in
contemporary America is to a
media appeasers in the “war after millennia on the exercise large extent the creature of a
against terror”—in short, the machine and gallons of Botox are, progressivist elite and its media
swarm of barnacles that have well, ‘interesting looking’?” This organs, busy collimating their
battened onto the ship of state. l a t t e r p h r a s e i s t h e m o s t quarry. It does not speak for the
Historian and commentator tactful—and tactical—of satirical vast majority of Americans but, as
Victor Davis Hanson concurs. In a put-downs, and says volumes Arthur Brooks clearly sets out in
summarizing article for Pajamas about unconfessed resentment. The Battle, accounts for at most
Media, he concludes that Palin’s Palin’s undeniable beauty works 30% of the nation. What he calls
being “a mom of five children against her, especially among the the 30% coalition, grounded in
f l i e s i n t h e f a c e o f t h e feminist sorority, no less than her “ E u r o p e a n - s t y l e
d e m o g r a p h y o f y u p p i e candidness, moral rectitude and statism…expanded bureaucracies,
careerism.” In the “binary world” integrity of character feature as increasing income redistribution,
of network columnists, late-night liabilities in the eyes of her a n d g o v e r n m e n t - c o n t r o l l e d
TV hosts and the culture of the detractors. corporations,” advances an
left, “Sarah Palin is apparently all Hanson believes that Palin is agenda that is not shared by the
that they are not.” Moreover, “scary not so much in 2012” as an remaining 70% of the population.
H a n s o n p o i n t s o u t w h a t i s antidote to Barack Obama, but And it is precisely here, in the
palpably obvious but often that “she could be around—and p r e p o n d e r a n t s e c t o r o f t h e
unadmitted. “And how can it be around in an evolving way—for a electorate, that Palin’s real
fair that Sarah Palin seems long time to come.” Here I would strength lies.
stunning after five children when be inclined to vary, however
so many in the DC-NY corridor modestly, from Hanson’s analysis
E-reader News Edition
Old Rules Won't Determine GOP Presidential
Candidate
(The Front Page)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 2:01:00 AM
The weakest part of our political
system, by a considerable margin,
is the presidential nominating
process. It tends to exclude from
consideration those with the
greatest experience in what is
uniquely the president's
responsibility, foreign policy and
military strategy.
It tends less strongly to exclude
members of Congress, particularly
House members but also senators,
whose extensive voting records
inevitably contain material that is
politically damaging at some
point in the process. The process
has become so lengthy that
candidates often come up with
strategies and programs that are
rendered obsolete by the time of
the next presidential inauguration.
All that said, we are stuck with it
-- or stuck with the version of the
schedule that the national
Democratic and Republican
parties, acting for once in concert,
and the various state parties and
state legislatures can agree on.
So it may be worthwhile, before
trying to assess the chances of
likely, putative and possible
Republican candidates in the 2012
cycle, to dismiss some of the rules
of thumb that have arisen over the
years.
The first is the notion that
Republican nomination always
Politics-Right/ 77
NEW
continued from page 73
clear that they’re not immigrant
skeptics,” he says.
Kobach brushes off concerns that
the initiatives aren’t politically
goes to the candidate next in line Hampshire, and John McCain's who number in the hundreds of
viable. “There are a lot of
in seniority. strategy eight years later -- wait thousands, tend to be cultural
politicians and political advisers
Yes, Republican primary voters for all the other candidates' conservatives, but they moved
who think they know what is
and caucus-goers are probably strategies to fail -- is one that into politics to oppose the
politically advantageous to say
more inclined than Democrats to usually guarantees defeat rather stimulus package and Obamacare,
and what is not,” he
defer to seniority. But when you than victory. not abortion and same-sex
acknowledges, but he points out
look back at the Republican As for 2012, the next-in-line m a r r i a g e .
that many supposedly
nominating contests in the post- candidate is said to be Mitt The third rule that may not be
knowledgeable political strategists
1968 era, and there are not many Romney, on the basis of a applicable this time is that you
advocated amnesty in 2004 -- and
of them, you find that most of the successful business career and a have to start early to win. Tell that
then backed off the proposal when
nominations were close-run single term as governor of to Bill Clinton, who announced
it was clear the public didn’t favor
things. Massachusetts. his candidacy in October 1991,
it.
Ronald Reagan came within a The next rule that needs to be just four months before the Iowa
But Aguilar is adamant that the
few convention votes of upsetting debunked is that Republican caucuses. Many potential and
initiatives will “antagonize Latino
incumbent President Gerald Ford candidates must pass a litmus test putative Republican candidates
voters.” And that could have a
in 1976 and would probably have on cultural issues, especially this time seem to be biding their
long-term impact. “It’s pretty
won if he had gotten 2,000 more abortion. This was true in 1988, time. You may be able to ramp up
clear that if we don’t win 30 to 40
v o t e s i n N e w H a m p s h i r e . 1996 and 2000, when religious a campaign pretty quickly in the
percent of the Latino vote in the
Reagan's victory in 1980 was conservatives were a newly Facebook era.
next election,” he says, “we’re not
contingent on a number of close energized political force and one The presidential nominating
going to win back the White
calls, as readers of Craig Shirley's stirred to action by Bill Clinton's process is a zero-sum game in
House.”
"Rendezvous with Destiny" know. misconduct. which all but one of the
--- Katrina Trinko is an NRO staff
The first George Bush's victory in But Sept. 11 changed a lot of competitors must lose. In looking
reporter. Katrina Trinko
1988 depended on a big win in the things, including this old rule. A o v e r t h e p o s s i b l e f i e l d o f
S o u t h C a r o l i n a p r i m a r y pro-choice stand on abortion candidates, it's not hard to come
rescheduled by his campaign didn't prevent Rudy Giuliani from up with a reason why each of
manager Lee Atwater, which leading Republican polls until them cannot possibly win. But it GROUND
would probably not have occurred N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7 , w h e n h i s is also a feature of zero-sum continued from page 74
if Atwater's premature death had appointee as police commissioner games that one player must win. content-only/faq.php
come a few years earlier. In 1996, Bernard Kerik was indicted. And But it's too early to say who yet. Five Filters featured article:
8 , 0 0 0 m o r e v o t e s i n N e w going to all 99 counties swearing This entry passed through the Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Hampshire would have made he was a right-to-lifer didn't save Full-Text RSS service — if this is The Crosshairs.
Lamar Alexander rather than Bob Mitt Romney in the majority- your content and you're reading it
Dole the chief challenger of Pat religious conservative Iowa on someone else's site, please read
Buchanan and hence the party's caucuses in January 2008. our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
nominee. T h e f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s a n d content-only/faq.php
The next-in-line candidates did protracted recession have once Five Filters featured article:
win in 2000 and 2008. But again changed the focus of Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
George W. Bush only narrowly Republican voters. Polls have The Crosshairs.
s u r v i v e d a r o u t i n N e w showed that tea party activists,
78 Politics-Right/
Losing Egypt?
Stephen Brown (FrontPage
Magazine » FrontPage)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 10:45:14 PM
“An earthquake has shaken the
region.”
The above headline from an
Israeli newspaper describes with
unfailing accuracy the pivotal
events now taking place in the
Middle East. In Egypt, the Arab
world’s largest and most populous
country of more than 80 million,
massive demonstrations involving
tens of thousands of people began
on Tuesday in what was billed as
a “Day of Anger” and are
continuing despite a ban by a very
rattled government. Smaller
protests are likewise occurring in
Jordan, Libya, Morocco and
Algeria. The domino effect so
feared by Middle Eastern
strongmen after Tunisian
protesters chased their president
from power earlier this month
after a 24-year rule may soon
become reality in Egypt.
Inspired by events in Tunisia,
demonstrators took to the streets
in Cairo on Tuesday to protest
against President Hosni
Mubarak’s corrupt, authoritarian
regime, demanding political
freedoms and higher wages.
During those demonstrations,
which saw water cannon and tear
gas employed, three people died
in encounters with security forces.
A policeman was also killed.
“With us, there has been a
cautious reawakening of belief in
our own strength,” an Egyptian
journalist told the German
newspaper, Die Welt.
According to the Egyptian
newspaper, The Daily News, the
demonstrations were organized by
the National Association for
Change, which contains various
opposition groups, and the
Popular Parliament. January 25
was chosen as the day to launch
mass movement because it
coincided with a national holiday
that commemorates another
famous protest in Egyptian
history. On this date in 1952,
Egyptian police rose up against
the British occupation.
Mubarak has ruled Egypt for the
past 30 years under a state of
emergency, imposed in 1981, that
has allowed him to deal harshly
with dissent. Under this law,
large anti-government
demonstrations, like the ones
currently underway in Egypt,
were quickly ended. Like most
other Arab countries, Egypt has
also been badly ruled during
Mubarak’s time.
Corruption, unemployment, a
stagnant economy and a
dishonest, inefficient bureaucracy
were the time bombs that caused
E-reader News Edition
the economy by the rulers’
friends and families have led to
economic stagnation and high
unemployment. But Arab leaders
have refused to introduce liberal
reforms to address the problems,
fearing an Arab “perestroika”
would see them swept away like
the communist regimes in Eastern
Europe.
Traditional methods of
maintaining civil control also do
not appear to be working. Large
security forces and handouts to
the population, the traditional
methods of quelling popular
unrest in Arab countries, were
ineffective in Tunisia and are
proving similarly ineffective in
Egypt. The police appear to have
have lost their power to intimidate
the Egyptian population and
prevent the demonstrations from
growing into a destabilizing
threat. In the past, anti-
government demonstrators feared
to appear on Egypt’s streets. Now,
the current explosion in Egypt, as worse, the small, well-off ruling in contrast, protesters are tearing
they did in Tunisia. But unlike class appears not to care and has up posters with Mubarak’s image,
Tunisia, which has a 78 percent done little to remedy this yelling: “Mubarak, you’re plane
literacy rate and a developed, appalling situation. awaits you.” One Arab
although frustrated, middle class, “We undoubtedly have enough p u b l i c a t i o n r e p o r t e d t h a t
the majority of Egyptians are problems in order to justify a Mubarak’s son and heir, Gamal
illiterate and live in grinding revolution,” the journalist said. Mubarak, took the protesters’
poverty. Egyptian cities are Arab governments like Egypt’s advice and left on Wednesday
c r o w d e d w i t h t h e p o o r . are not unaware of the grievances with his family for England.
Exploitation of workers and child that caused the Arab street to
labor are also common. What is explode. Nepotism and control of
E-reader News Edition Politics-Right/ 79

What Obama (and Republicans) Didn’t Say

Rick Moran (FrontPage exactly two paragraphs in the Rep. Ryan, whose“Roadmap” at
Magazine » FrontPage) president’s speech that dealt with least offered an alternative to
Submitted at 1/26/2011 10:44:24 PM this nation-threatening crisis – as business as usual, was strangely
if it should be treated as an quiescent about the entitlement
Our unfunded-entitlement train is afterthought rather than as the 3- mess. Not once in his response to
careening down the tracks about alarm fire it is. What’s worse, the the president’s speech did he
to tip over, but the conductor is president made it seem as if fixing mention Social Security or
lecturing us about staying in our our entitlement problems will be a Medicare. Ryan at least had the
seats until we come to a full stop. lot easier than it is surely going to courage to point out that we were
That, among other things, was be. in a major crisis headed for fiscal
one of the important problems He claimed that Obamacare disaster, but the man who has
with the president’s State of the would “slow these rising costs” offered a politically poisonous but
Union speech. It was also what for Medicare – an extremely realistic alternative stopped far
w a s w r o n g w i t h t h e G O P dubious claim unproven by the short of endorsing what he so
response delivered by Rep. Paul facts – while assuring seniors that bravely put forth just a few
Ryan. Neither party is telling the we must “strengthen” Social months ago.
American people the truth about Security without “putting at risk Cosmetic gambits like “spending
the coming entitlement crunch c u r r e n t r e t i r e e s , t h e m o s t freezes” and “doc fixes” can’t
which threatens not only our v u l n e r a b l e , o r p e o p l e w i t h even begin to address the danger.
fiscal solvency, but our national disabilities; without slashing This is political gamesmanship
security, our economic vitality, benefits for future generations; and it should anger us that the
and ultimately, our way of life. a n d w i t h o u t s u b j e c t i n g politicians know it but do it
Every year we delay the bitter Americans’ guaranteed retirement our entitlement nightmare have and there’s nowhere to run. anyway. It’s not that the crisis is
medicine we must take to get our income to the whims of the stock already been tried several times. Meanwhile, the GOP is riding hidden, or has come upon us
fiscal house in order adds trillions market.” We’ve raised the retirement age, high at the moment and doesn’t suddenly. We’ve known for
i n u n f u n d e d d e b t t o t h e In other words, some day in the raised the eligibility age for want to sour the mood of the decades where we were headed,
entitlement burden we already future, a president is going to Medicare, raised Social Security voters with blood curdling tales of but Washington chose the easy
carry. wave a magic wand and the and Medicare taxes – doubling $100 trillion plus in unfunded way: the politicians ignored the
We expected President Obama to trillions of dollars of Social them over the last 30 years. liabilities for Social Security and problem, kicking the can down
downplay the problem. He’s got a Security unfunded liability is We’ve fiddled, we’ve tweaked, Medicare. But that’s the reality of the road, assuming they would be
re-election campaign to win and going to disappear. No one we’ve performed all the dishonest our situation and someone, well into retirement — living off
the hugely unpopular entitlement s u f f e r s . N o o n e g e t s h u r t . accounting possible, hiding the somewhere, somehow is going to their extravagant congressional
cuts and tax increases that are Presumably, the “rich” will take a truth from the American people have to take the bit in their mouth pensions — before history forced
going to be necessary to address hit, but then no one really cares for as long as we could, and yet – and lead us out of this house of our hand.
the problem would be his doom if about them. here we are at the gates of fiscal horrors we’ve constructed for
he proposed them. There were Newsflash: All the easy fixes for hell, the devil is opening the door ourselves.
80 Politics-Right/ Finance/
U.S. Demonstrates India a Partner (not a Target)
in Curbing Global Proliferation
Lisa Curtis (The Foundry:
Conservative Policy News.)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:00:46 AM
Posted January 27th, 2011 at
11:00am in Protect America Print
This Post
The U.S. on Monday officially
removed export controls on
several Indian space and defense-
related organizations, signaling a
new era in U.S.–India
nonproliferation cooperation.
By removing several subsidiaries
of India’s Defense Research and
Development Organization and
the Indian Space Research
Organization from the
Department of Commerce’s so-
called “Entities List” barring
export of certain dual-use
technologies, Washington
followed through on a key pledge
that President Barack Obama
made during his historic visit to
India last November.
The U.S. took the additional step
of removing India from several
other export control lists that had
referred to India as a “country of
concern” and instead placed it
into a preferential category that
consists mainly of members of the
Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR). The upgrading
of India into this special category
may be seen as a step toward
officially including India into the
MTCR.
The MTCR was established in
1987 to restrict proliferation of
weapons-of-mass-destruction-
capable ballistic missiles, cruise
missiles, and unmanned aerial
vehicles and associated
technology to non-missile states.
As of March 2010, there were 34
members of MTCR and four
“unilateral adherents” (Israel,
Romania, Slovakia, and
Macedonia).
India was under tremendous
pressure from the United States in
the early 1990s to modify its
nuclear and missile posture.
Official U.S. policy during these
years was “to cap, roll back, and
eventually eliminate” Indian
nuclear and missile capabilities.
The United States opposed the
deployment of India’s short-range
Prithvi missile and development
of the medium-range Agni
E-reader News Edition
instead is trying to find new ways
to cooperate with New Delhi in
stemming global nonproliferation.
Obama’s decision to support
India’s membership in the
nonproliferation groupings was 6 Prices You
attributed in part to a Track II
effort led by the Center for Should ALWAYS
Strategic and International Studies
and the Nuclear Threat Negotiate
Initiative—an initiative in which nospam@example.com (CBS
The Heritage Foundation also MoneyWatch.com)
took part. (Financiallyfit on Shine)
Continuing to improve its export Submitted at 1/27/2011 5:44:12 PM
control processes and by Jodi Helmer for CBS
demonstrating a degree of MoneyWatch.com
transparency with its strategic Most consumers think haggling is
weapons programs would help only appropriate when buying
bolster the case for India’s full tchotkes at a street fair or facing
missile. The U.S. imposed
membership in the multilateral off against a used-car dealer. But
sanctions on India’s civilian space
nonproliferation groupings. With why not negotiate the cost of
programs in 1992 because of the
regard to the U.S. and other medical procedures? Or a new
potential for cryogenic rocket
international partners, they will Sub-Zero refrigerator? If you’re
technology to contribute to India’s
need to develop fresh ways of not paying less than sticker price
ballistic missile capability.
thinking about India’s relationship for these and other goods and
The U.S. moves this week lifting
to the Nuclear Nonproliferation services, you’re leaving money —
the export controls on the Indian
Treaty and nonproliferation and often lots of it — on the table.
defense and space organizations
system that take into account the “Everything is negotiable,” says
indicate how far the U.S. has
reality that India is unlikely to Stuart Diamond, adjunct professor
come with regard to its view of
join the treaty as a non-weapons of law at the University of
India and its strategic weapons
state any time in the near future. Pennsylvania’s Wharton School
capabilities. President Obama’s
This entry passed through the of Business and author of Getting
nod to India’s membership in the
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four major international
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nonproliferation groupings
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(Nuclear Suppliers Group,
our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ ask.”
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longer seeks to isolate or punish
The Crosshairs.
India over its nuclear status but
E-reader News Edition
Obama's 2011 SOTU: The Bigger Picture
(The Front Page)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 8:42:00 PM
I had a blast watching the State of
the Union address, but that’s only
because I spent most of it dancing
around my apartment to the tune
of “Tell me lies, tell me sweet
little lies.”
The speech was no different from
nearly every other oratorical
endeavor by our Campaigner-in-
Chief. It was a bundle of
contradictions – contradictions
between his rhetoric and his
policies, between his far-left
vision for America and his desire
to toss a centrist bone to
moderates here and there.
He talked job creation after
signing a job-crippling health care
bill into law and twiddling his
thumbs while the EPA revoked a
coal mining permit in West
Virginia. He talked education
after choosing not to protect The
D.C. Opportunity Scholarship
Program. He talked deficit
reduction while advocating for
more “investment” that would
further bankrupt our nation. He
SHOW
continued from page 75
who have quit working for the
Islamic Republic and have
defected to the West. Three
diplomats who defected in
Finland, Norway, and Japan were
invited, but the State Department
would issue a visa to only one of
them, Abolfazl Eslami, a former
minister counselor at the Iranian
Embassy in Tokyo.
praised the American dream while
asserting that “we should ask
millionaires to give up their tax
break.” He stressed a commitment
to border security and enforcing
our laws while the Justice
Department sues Arizona for
enforcing federal immigration
laws. He touted his review of
regulations after signing a health
care bill that would create nearly
160 boards and bureaucracies.
He stated that “nonpartisan
economists have said that
repealing the health care law
would add a quarter of a trillion
dollars to our deficit,” but wasn’t
honest about the flaws in the
CBO’s initial cost calculations of
Obamacare that were based on the
Democrats’ crafty accounting,
which double-counted Medicare
savings and didn’t include
necessary government spending to
implement the law. Not to
mention the fact that the law
requires ten years of tax hikes and
Medicare cuts to afford six years
of spending. Obama even
promised to refuse to sign any bill
with earmarks.
In addition to the Iranian
speakers, the conference included
Serbian student activist Ivan
Marovic, who was part of the
movement to bring down
Slobodan Milosevic. Marovic
gave a superb nuts-and-bolts
presentation about organizing
people power against a dictatorial
regime.
He made similar 2008 campaign
pledges to slash earmarks, then
signed legislation in 2009
saturated with around 8,000
earmarks.
It may appear as though President
Obama is confused. He is not.
And we can’t afford to be, either.
Barack Obama is not a centrist by
any stretch of the imagination.
However, he is about to do his
best – as he did during the 2008
campaign – to convince us that he
is on a centrist path. All the while,
his big-government, class-warfare
undertones will be perfectly
placed to let his far-left base know
that they can count on him. As we
approach 2012, it is the job of
conservatives to remind
Americans to judge our President
by his policies, not his words. His
record – not his rhetoric – must be
front and center. To those on the
Right who consistently praise his
oratorical skills, I remind them
that that’s how we got into this
mess in the first place. P.S. –
Good speeches don’t include a
web of inconsistencies, at least
not in my book.
Official participants in the
conference included
representatives of the National
Democratic Institute and the
International Republican Institute.
The Iran Democracy Transition
Conference provided gave hope
that political forces beyond the
Tehran regime’s control are
getting ready for the day when it
President Obama shouldn’t be a
difficult man to beat in 2012. But
that doesn’t mean he won’t be.
With the vast majority of the
mainstream media willing to
contort, ignore, and elevate
whatever they can to suit a pro-
Obama message, and some in the
GOP quick to pat him on the back
for his every centrist remark – be
it wrapped in a far-left policy
contradiction or not –
conservatives will need to stand
strong.
Ronald Reagan once reminded us
that “Freedom is never more than
one generation away from
extinction.” So let’s get to work.
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The Crosshairs.
will crack from internal and
external pressure. When that day
comes, the political opposition
has to be ready to lead.
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Politics-Right/ 81
Mubarak
Should Go --
But Not Yet
Submitted at 1/27/2011 3:00:51 AM
P res. Hosni Mubarak has the
stink of political death about him.
He’s an aging dictator trying to
hold on to power long enough to
pass the presidency on to his son,
even as the tectonic plates of the
region shift beneath him.
#ad#If he’s scared right now, with
protesters inspired by the Tunisian
revolution out in the streets, he
should be -- he has much to
answer for. He has rendered his
country a hollowed-out wreck. He
has immiserated its people, stifled
its growth, and flouted its
democracy. He has done more
than his share to make sclerotic
one-man rule the dominant form
of Arab government.
We don’t know where the
protests of the last few days will
lead. They may fizzle, or
MUBARAK page 83
Five Filters featured article:
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
The Crosshairs.
82 Politics-Right/ Technology/
Fighting the “Soft War” on Israel
Giulio Meotti (FrontPage
Magazine » FrontPage)
Submitted at 1/26/2011 10:43:54 PM
More and more, non-
governmental organizations
(NGOs) have become one of the
most powerful — and
controversial — pressure blocs in
the global arena. In recent weeks,
Israel’s parliament established a
commission of inquiry into NGO
funding from Arab regimes such
as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar
and Algeria. Well-heeled NGO
advocates have criticized the
investigation for being heavy-
handed, but in fact, an accurate
understanding of the finances
behind NGOs is desperately
needed. Not only are these groups
bankrolled by Israel’s enemies,
but the funds are used for the
express purpose of conducting
“soft” warfare against the country
from within. This nexus must be
exposed.
According to Natan Sharansky, a
former Soviet dissident who was
pivotal in the creation of the
famous NGO Human Rights
Watch, many of these
organizations are currently being
used by dictatorships to fight
democracies. NGOs have become
crucial in biased reports against
Israel submitted at the United
Nations, like the Goldstone
Report on the Gaza War. Their
“humanitarian” lamentations are
often generously funded by the
European Union, which supports
many anti-Israel enterprises.
NGOs fueled the legal battle to
shut down Guantanamo Bay,
which the former president of
Amnesty International, Irene
Khan, has shamefully called “the
Gulag of our time.” The power of
NGOs was discussed also in
recently released WikiLeaks
cables, with the revelation that
Muslim “charities” are still
playing a decisive role in
financing terrorism.
Last year, a Turkish NGO called
Insane Yardim Vakfi (IHH)
sparked an unprecedented crisis in
relations between Israel and
Turkey. These organizations are
also playing a role in the ongoing
legal indictments against Israeli
politicians and the country’s
military. Israel has canceled
“strategic dialogue” with London
to protest a British law that allows
judges to arrest members of the
Israeli government for alleged
“war crimes” if they set foot in
the UK. Many Israelis cancelled
UK trips out of fear of being
arrested.
NGOs are promoting campaigns
for boycotts, divestment and
sanctions against the Jewish State.
Some openly advocate “the
abolition of Israel through the
creation of a single state” in
Palestine. The “soft war” against
the Jews was born at the Durban
UN Conference in 2001, at which
3,000 NGOs convinced the UN to
condemn Israeli “racism.” Well-
known NGOs such as Amnesty
International and Save the
Children attached their names to
the conference. Israel was
declared an “apartheid” and
“criminal” state, and the Jews,
inveterate racists.
NGOs at the conference
supported the request of the
Tanzanian minister of foreign
affairs, Jakaya Kikwete, for
immediate cash compensation to
Africa for Western slavery. This
fabricated colonial sense of guilt
has become jet fuel for the
humanitarian agenda. Encouraged
by these NGOs, the genocidal
Zimbabwean dictator Robert
Mugabe proclaimed that the Jews
were responsible for all the ills of
Africa. Some NGOs distributed
leaflets with a portrait of Hitler
and the inscription: “What if
Hitler had won? There would be
no Israel, and no Palestinian
bloodshed.”
E-reader News Edition
Sonos adds RDIO
to its streaming
music repertoire
Thomas Ricker (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:30:00 PM
If you live in the US or Canada
then you can add the RDIO social
music service to the long list of
streaming music options available
to your Sonos whole-home
wireless audio system. We're
talking eight million tracks that
you can search, browse, and play
on-demand with an RDIO bonus
that lets you follow the musical
tastes of your friends and idols for
$9.99 per month. Get back to us
in 46 years and let us know if
your $5,514.48 was well spent,
ok?
Continue reading Sonos adds
RDIO to its streaming music
repertoire
Sonos adds RDIO to its
streaming music repertoire
originally appeared on Engadget
on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:30:00
EDT. Please see our terms for use
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Comments
E-reader News Edition
MUBARAK
continued from page 81
Egyptian security forces -- not
known for their squeamishness --
may succeed in stomping them
out. We also shouldn’t fool
ourselves about our ability to
influence events on the ground.
To the extent we can, though, we
should support Mubarak so long
as he agrees to open Egypt’s
political system; it is best that
change come gradually through
the democratic process rather than
all at once in the streets.
By all appearances, the protesters
in Egypt are secular democracy
activists who, for their troubles,
are getting beaten with bamboo
sticks and having rocks thrown at
them by the police. The Muslim
Brotherhood has, so far, been
sitting out the demonstrations as
an entity. But if the protesters
were to succeed in toppling
Mubarak -- sending him packing
to Saudi Arabia, as some of their
signs suggest -- it could open the
way for an even less appealing
regime. In a revolutionary
situation, often he who is best
organized, and most willful and
bloody-minded, prevails.
Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice famously said we had traded
freedom for stability in the
Middle East and gotten neither.
True enough. The only thing
worse than that unsavory bargain
is chaos, or governments actively
hostile to us, or both.
One reason that we have to
regard the prospect of an Egyptian
upheaval with trepidation is that
Mubarak has systematically
neutered his organized democratic
opposition, leaving the Islamists
as the most obvious alternative to
him -- the better to spook us
whenever we push him to
liberalize. With our efforts in Iraq
faltering, the Bush administration
all but abandoned its democracy
initiative in the Middle East. The
Obama administration never took
it up, believing it could use
Mubarak to push the Israeli-
Palestinian peace process that has
collapsed.
The administration’s initial
reaction to the outbreak of
protests was shamefully tepid.
Yesterday, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton got sterner, calling
the protests “an important
opportunity” for the government
“to implement political,
economic, and social reforms.” It
should be made clear to Mubarak
-- 82 years old and up for election
in the fall -- that he’s now a
transitional figure, and that the
days of our easy tolerance for his
dictatorial rule are over. We
expect him to lift the emergency
decree he’s imposed since 1981,
liberalize the election laws, and
restore the judicial oversight of
elections. If he’s not amenable,
well, there’s no reason we need to
keep shoveling vast amounts of
aid his way.
Mubarak is supposed to be “our
SOB,” but in distorting Egypt’s
political landscape to make the
choice him or the Islamists, he’s
just been an SOB. We should
want him to exit the scene -- but
not quite yet. The Editors
FALSE
continued from page 71
Bramnick says it’s difficult to
draft a law that will give leniency
in sympathetic cases, while still
being tough on people who keep
guns with them for illegal
purposes. However, he says that if
it’s drafted properly, such a law
will win the support of his mostly
Democratic peers.
#ad# State senator Jeff Van Drew,
a Democrat who’s working on
several pieces of legislation
related to guns, is also optimistic.
He points out that the law’s fuzzy
language can ensnare even New
Jersey residents with gun-
purchase permits -- if they stop
for lunch, or to visit a family
member, on the way to the
shooting range, it’s not clear that
they fall under the current
exemptions. “Someone who
doesn’t have any evil intention
and is not involved in anything
inappropriate should not be at the
mercy of an onerous law like
this,” he says. He concedes,
however, that “any issue dealing
with guns, and especially pistols,
in New Jersey is a challenge.”
Assemblyman Michael Patrick
Carroll is working on a bill that
would punish minor gun crimes
with civil penalties (essentially a
83
light fine), but he’s not holding
his breath. “I’ve been here 16
years, and we’ve never done
anything right,” he says. His
biggest hopes are for the federal
courts to find that New Jersey’s
gun laws run afoul of the Second
Amendment, or for Republicans
to take over the state government.
There is also talk of expanding
the federal law that protects the
transportation of guns between
states, the Firearm Owners
Protection Act, so that it would
unambiguously cover cases such
as Revell’s. NRA spokeswoman
Rachel Parsons says the
organization is pursuing the
matter, but was unable to provide
specifics.
It shouldn’t take federal
oversight, however, to prevent
states from locking up innocent
people. The ball is in the state
government’s court. Let’s hope
they do the right thing with it.
--- Robert VerBruggen, a National
Review associate editor, runs the
Phi Beta Cons blog. Robert
VerBruggen
84 Politics-Right/
Obamacare Forces More Layoffs at
Daley’s Old Firm
Brandon Stewart (The Foundry:
Conservative Policy News.)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:00:07 PM
Posted January 27th, 2011 at
1:00pm in Health Care Print This
Post
Major Chicago pharmaceutical
company Abbott Laboratories will
be forced to cut 1,900 jobs(more
than 2% of their entire workforce)
it announced late yesterday
afternoon. As Bloomberg notes,
these cuts follow almost 9,000
jobs the company cut just last
September.
In a statement announcing the
cuts, a spokesman explained that
Obamacare had already cost the
company $200 million in the past
year and that the layoffs were “in
response to changes in the health-
care industry, including U.S.
health-care reform and the
challenging regulatory
environment”. Maybe this time
the White House will listen. Up
until just two weeks ago, Bill
Daley, President Obama’s new
Chief of Staff, served as a
member of Abbott’s board of
directors.
While the President continues to
oppose repeal, despite public
disapproval, it is increasingly
clear that the facts are not on his
side. As Heritage reinforced
recently in our Case Against
Obamacare series, it is hard to
study this massive new law and
not come away with the
realization that it’s a raw deal for
the American people. So as
Obamacare repeal efforts begin to
take shape in the Senate, we can
only hope that Obama’s Chief of
staff will use his firsthand
experience to point this out to his
new boss the devastating impact
that this law has already had.
This entry passed through the
Full-Text RSS service — if this is
your content and you're reading it
on someone else's site, please read
our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article:
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
The Crosshairs.
DISASTROUS
continued from page 72
and, just when I thought it
couldn’t become more
implausible, “With our European
allies, we have revitalized
NATO” (it has become a
bedraggled group of countries
happy enough to accept a U.S.
military guaranty but unwilling to
pay for it).
The president, to his credit, does
recognize that the American
corporation is grossly overtaxed,
and he has overcome the long
swoon of the AFL-CIO and
Nancy Pelosi with the Colombian
Communist guerrillas and now
favors the long-stalled free-trade
agreement with that country. The
spaniel-eyed Paul Ryan for the
Republicans and the peppy
Michele Bachmann for the Tea
Partiers gave their usual
competent recitations of the
economic facts, but did not reply
to the president, as was billed.
They read pre-written statements
off teleprompters, when an
effective reply could easily have
E-reader News Edition
been prepared by any experienced
debater in the two or more hours
that the text of the president’s
message was available.
Mr. Obama said, “We do big
things.” The country has, but
there was no sign of it on Tuesday
night, and the spirit of declinism
was heavy, in the flaccid
speaking, the sophomoric
enthusiasms of the legislators, the
very scattered applause, the
partial boycott of the Supreme
Court, and the distracting giggling
of Joe Biden. These occasions
were once celebrations,
sometimes unjustifiably and
tastelessly so. They have become
an agony.
--- Conrad Black is the author of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
Champion of Freedom and
Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full.
He can be reached at
cbletters@gmail.com. Conrad
Black
E-reader News Edition Social Media/ 85

Crowdsourced Contest Yields Green New York Apartment

Zachary Sniderman that is better,” Hill says. “We 6303.jpg" />
(Mashable!) have this consumerist culture and "The most visually appealing of
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:30:45 AM it’s not making us happier. We’ve all the schemes, we fell in love
created a huge environmental with the aesthetics of this project.
If you want to live like New York footprint. We’re living beyond The designer is clearly very
royalty in just 420 square feet, our means… We have a bunch of talented and created a bright,
look no further than the winner of ideas around this tiny little open, flexible space that felt clean
LifeEdited’s apartment design apartment but it can be applied and modern. We loved the lights,
contest. across a bunch of fields.” the couches, the table, the screens,
The crowdsourced contest tasked What’s next? Hill imagines the lights etc..all great choices."
the public with designing a fully holding a similar contest but for 4. Clarity
functioning living space in a 420 different living spaces. It isn’t Clarity" src="http://
square-foot New York apartment. practical for a family of four to 6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery
It needed to include room for a sit share 420 square feet, but what /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square-
-down dinner for 12, comfortable would an ecologically friendly feet-of-new-york-real-estate/
lounging for eight people, space design look like for those kinds of 6304.jpg" />
for two guests, a home office, a needs? What would a design look the sense that it would be a lovely real-estate/6301111.jpg" /> 5. REfresh
work area, hideable kitchen and like for an entire apartment place to live. We like the 2. Living in the Future REfresh" src="http://
necessities like a bed, shower and building where contestants would luxurious L couch in the corner Living in the Future" src="http:// 6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery
bike storage. need to think about basic systems where you could sit and see the 8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square-
The idea behind LifeEdited was like plumbing or how inhabitants church across the street and the /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square- feet-of-new-york-real-estate/
to motivate architects and the could share kitchen or gym space? way that it can remain open and feet-of-new-york-real-estate/ 6305.jpg" />
g e n e r a l p u b l i c t o t h i n k The quality and creativity of the available for lounging even when 6302.jpg" /> 6. NYC S, M, L, XL
environmentally by reducing their submissions has spurred Hill to the table for 12 is set up." "The glass wall approach was NYC S, M, L, XL" src="http://
eco-footprint. The project was start thinking bigger. In the 1b. One Size Fits All Dining very interesting to us, it allowed 4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery
dreamt up by Graham Hill who meantime, Hill plans to work with One Size Fits All Dining" for the separation of the space /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square-
will actually pay for and live in the winner to fine-tune the layout src="http://8.mshcdn.com/wp- p h y s i c a l l y a n d s o m e t i m e s feet-of-new-york-real-estate/
the winning design. Hill is the and then actually start making it a content/gallery/the-best-way-to- auditorily and visually (pulling 6306.jpg" />
founder of Treehugger.com and reality. fill-420-square-feet-of-new-york- curtain closed or closing off end 7. Joinery Cube
VP of Interactive Media at Take a look below for some real-estate/630111.jpg" /> with moving wall). We liked the Joinery Cube" src="http://
Discovery’s Planet Green. pictures of the 10 finalists and the "We like the layout, size and tight, sleek kitchen and bathroom. 4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery
The contest, which began in winning design, “One Size Fits location of the kitchen and the We liked the stand-up desk, the /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square-
O c t o b e r , r e c e i v e d 3 0 4 All,” along with some comments bathroom and the always plethora of storage and the very feet-of-new-york-real-estate/
submissions, 600,000 entry views from Hill on the top three. available small eating nook in the civil guest bedroom arrangement. 6307.jpg" />
and a slew of comments. Hill says 1a. One Size Fits All kitchen. We also think that the This project was very thorough, 8. Simply Real
that while the jury ultimately had One Size Fits All" src="http:// moving wall facilitates some great down to its suggestions of Simply Real" src="http://
final say, the selections were 6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery options for home office housewares and materials. We are 7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery
made with deference to the user /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square- (efficient), sleep-overs (civil) and certain it would be a lovely place /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square-
ratings and comments. feet-of-new-york-real-estate/ large dinners (fun!)." to live." feet-of-new-york-real-estate/
Hill came up with the idea both 6301.jpg" /> 1c. One Size Fits All Layout 3. Surfaces 6308.jpg" />
as a reaction to consumerist "Overall, we fell in love with its One Size Fits All Layout" S u r f a c e s " s r c = " h t t p : / / 9. 24/6
culture and a way to rethink how plan. The aesthetics are solid but src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp- 4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery 24/6" src="http://7.mshcdn.com/
much space we need in our day-to we really loved the plan. It fulfills content/gallery/the-best-way-to- /the-best-way-to-fill-420-square-
-day lives. “We can create a world the brief beautifully and we get CROWDSOURCED page 87
fill-420-square-feet-of-new-york- feet-of-new-york-real-estate/
86 Social Media/ E-reader News Edition

INSIDE DAVOS: The World’s Elites Just Invaded This Tiny

Town [PICS]
Pete Cashmore (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:31:25 AM

Every year about 2,200 of the

world’s top businesspeople,
political leaders and selected
journalists gather in Davos,
Switzerland to discuss the biggest
issues affecting the world and
how to solve them. The annual
meeting of the World Economic
Forum, referred to simply as
“Davos” by attendees, turns the
sleepy Swiss skiing town into a
mecca for the world’s elite.
This year the World Economic
Forum is embracing tech and
social media like never before,
with Twitter lists, live streaming
on Facebook, YouTube Q&A and
more. What’s more, they’ve
invited selected tech publications
— including Mashable— to see
what goes on at the annual
meeting. We’ll be reporting on
the web’s impact on the world in
2011 and asking top
technologists, politicians and
businesspeople for their take on
how social media is reshaping
industries, organizations and even
entire countries. The Town of Davos Promenade 23 Davos is preferable to traveling in available in the Davos town
It’s a strange combination: Suited Here's where it all happens: The Promenade 23 is the main street from nearby Klosters. center.
business leaders, politicians and snow-covered Swiss town of through Davos -- the Congress Houses in Davos Cooking in the Town Center
journalists trudging through snow Davos. Centre is at the end, with buses The streets are steep, and In the center of Davos, visiting
-covered streets and squeezing Davos Town Center running back and forth to the snowplows with chains on their elites can enjoy freshly cooked
into the town’s limited number of Stop at the Davos town center to hotels dotted along it. wheels must clear them all day to sausages for a mere 6 Francs.
hotel rooms. Here’s a guide to the browse the local shops or catch a Hotel Davoserhof keep traffic flowing. Coffee Shop
town that’s playing host to the bus to the Congress Center, where One of the hotels en route to the Local Foods Notice the policeman on the front
world’s elites this week. the World Economic Forum takes Congress Center -- space is tight For those seeking a taste of local
Images courtesy@mostlylisa. place. here, and having a hotel room in culture, cheese and sausages are INSIDE page 87
E-reader News Edition Technology/ 87
INSIDE CROWDSOURCED
continued from page 86 continued from page 85

of the shot: There are thousands
here, as security is extremely
tight.
Walking around Davos
When a bus or shuttle van isn't
available, delegates must walk
around snowy Davos to get to
meetings and meals. Hence,
comfortable shoes tend to
accompany the smart suits worn
here.
India Inclusive at Davos
India has a huge presence here --
billboards and buses promote the
"India Inclusive" campaign.
Hotel Belvedere
Here's the best hotel to stay at
during Davos: The five-star Hotel
Belvedere is right next to the
Congress Centre.
Hotel Belvedere and CNBC
Lounge
CNBC has a big presence here --
the black extension to the hotel is
home to the CNBC lounge, from
where the TV news network
reports.
Outside the Belvedere
Access to the Belevedere requires
going through metal detectors.
Helicopter Above the Belvedere
Helicopters often fly over the
Belvedere -- dignitaries or news
crews? It's sometimes hard to tell.
Security at Davos
Security is high here -- police in
their orange uniforms stand on
almost every corner.
Davos Registration
Registration happens at a
building near the Congress
Centre. After providing a
passport and securing a badge,
delegates must pass through
airport-style security before
gaining access to the Congress
Centre.
Electric Cars to the Congress
Center
Electric cars transport delegates
from registration to the Congress
Centre.
...although some prefer to walk
...and this driver seems more
relaxed than most of the deadly
serious security guards that
surround the Congress Centre --
he provided a peace sign for the
camera.
Congress Centre Tunnel
This inflatable tunnel provides a
route from the street to the
Congress Center.
End of the Tunnel
...and once you reach the end,
you're inside the 2011 meeting of
the World Economic Forum.
More About: davos, WEF, world
economic forum
For more Media coverage:
• Follow Mashable Media on
Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Media channel
• Download our free apps for
Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
wp-content/gallery/the-best-way- • Follow Mashable Social Good
to-fill-420-square-feet-of-new- on Twitter
york-real-estate/6309.jpg" /> • Become a Fan on Facebook
10. 4 for 40 • Subscribe to the Social Good
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7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery • Download our free apps for
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More About: apartment,
architecture, Crowdsource,
crowdsourcing, design, graham
hill, lifeedited, social media
For more Social Good coverage:

Skype 5.0 hits Mac with group video calling, streamlined

interface
Donald Melanson (Engadget) the application sports a whole Skype 5.0 hits Mac with group
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:44:00 PM new interface that Skype says has video calling, streamlined
been "slimmed down" (compared interface originally appeared on
Mac users have already been able to the previous beta versions, at Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011
to do some group video calling least) and allows you to see 30 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our
with recent beta versions of percent more contacts at once. As terms for use of feeds. Permalink|
Skype, but the company has now w i t h t h e W i n d o w s v e r s i o n , Skype| Email this| Comments
finally brought things fully up to however, that group video calling
s p e e d w i t h i t s W i n d o w s feature has now been relegated to month for a subscription (though video overview.
counterpart and released the final the premium package which, after you can get 33 percent off if you Continue reading Skype 5.0 hits
version of Skype 5.0 for OS X. In a free seven-day trial, will run you sign up before February 28th). Mac with group video calling,
addition to group video calling, $4.99 for a day pass or $8.99 a Head on past the break for quick streamlined interface
88 Social Media/ Finance/
Plixi Acquired by E-Commerce Site 6 Prices You Should
Lockerz ALWAYS Negotiate
Jolie O'Dell (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 12:36:15 PM
Social photo-sharing service
Plixi, once known as TweetPhoto,
has been acquired by Lockerz, a
members-only e-commerce site.
The terms of the deal aren’t
known, but what we do know is
that pairing a photo service with a
shopping site seems like a bit of a
head-scratcher at first glance.
However, Lockerz has a social
incentive — PTZ, or points, can
be earned by watching videos,
listening to music and inviting
friends. And the points can be
used to lower the price of onsite
merchandise; in effect, social
activity acts like coupons for
Lockerz’s users.
With the Plixi deal, we can
imagine that “sharing photos” will
soon be added to that list of points
-earning activity, as well.
“The acquisition enables Lockerz
to offer its millions of members
the most social and easy-to-use
photo sharing experience, as well
as introduce millions of Plixi
customers to Lockerz’ interactive,
engaging and rewarding site
features, including e-commerce,
music and videos,” said Lockerz
CEO Kathy Savitt in a release this
morning.
Or, as Plixi CEO Sean Callahan
said to us in an e-mail: “Lockerz
members are already sharing
photos across the web, and
Thousands of Lockerz members
have been requesting the ability to
share photos with their friends on
the social network. We want to
create a one stop shop for Lockerz
members and reward them for all
the things they love to do on the
web — which includes sharing
photos!”
Plixi will get its third name
change to become Lockerz
Photos, and new Lockerz features
will be developed around Plixi’s
existing feature set.
Between Lockerz members and
E-reader News Edition
(Financiallyfit on Shine) “Use the competition to your
Submitted at 1/27/2011 5:44:12 PM advantage,” says Ira Rheingold,
executive director for the National
Thursday, January 27, 2011 Association of Consumer
partner by Jodi Helmer for CBS Advocates. “Don’t jump at the
MoneyWatch.com first offer. You should argue for
Most consumers think haggling is the best rate.”
only appropriate when buying • Who to talk to: Call the 800
tchotkes at a street fair or facing number associated with a new
off against a used-car dealer. But card offer (or the number on the
why not negotiate the cost of back of a current card) and talk to
medical procedures? Or a new the customer service rep. If the
Sub-Zero refrigerator? If you’re rep can’t — or won’t — adjust the
not paying less than sticker price rate, ask to speak with a manager.
for these and other goods and • What to say:“I’ve gotten several
services, you’re leaving money — credit card offers with lower rates.
Plixi’s users (some of whom are and often lots of it — on the table. Tell me what you can do to beat
h i g h - p r o f i l e c e l e b s ) , t h e “Everything is negotiable,” says those offers.”
companies say their monthly Stuart Diamond, adjunct professor • Possible savings: How much
unique users should be around 31 of law at the University of you’re able to lower your interest
million. Pennsylvania’s Wharton School rate will depend on your credit
More About: acquisition, lockerz, of Business and author of Getting and payment history, as well as
plixi, tweetphoto More: How to Negotiate to your credit score. In a study
For more Business & Marketing Achieve Your Goals in the Real conducted by the U.S. Public
coverage: World. “All you have to do is Interest Research Group several
• Follow Mashable Business & ask.” years ago, more than half of
Marketing on Twitter With that philosophy in mind, consumers who asked for lower
• Become a Fan on Facebook follow these tips to negotiate the rates got them, with their average
• Subscribe to the Business & best possible deal on 6 common APR dropping from 16 percent to
Marketing channel fees and expenses: 10.47 percent.
• Download our free apps for 1. Credit Card Rates
Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad • Why they are negotiable: Now 2. Mortgage and Refinancing
that most of the dust has settled Rates and Fees
following the big credit card • Why they are negotiable:
reform act, card companies are “Mortgage lending has gotten
competing fiercely again for new difficult, which means that a
customers. Issuers sent out 1.2 lender will work hard to make a
billion credit card offers in the deal,” says Rheingold. And that’s
third quarter of 2010 — more than particularly true for consumers
three times the number sent
during the same period in 2009. PRICES page 89
E-reader News Edition 89
PRICES
continued from page 88

with credit scores of at least 750. reviews of service businesses. Of free delivery and installation. cost for various medical necessary in this country. When
• Who to talk to: Mortgage the home improvement Consumer Reports found that procedures and tests are set in you're sick and vulnerable or
brokers or lenders at banks and contractors who were surveyed in three-quarters of shoppers were stone, but often they’re not. And caring for someone sick, it is the
credit unions 2010, 80 percent were willing to able to negotiate a better deal on with health care companies last thing you have the energy or
• What to say: Get several drop their prices to get a job major appliances, with an average shifting more out-of-pocket costs time to do. I know it is necessary
estimates in writing and ask, (compared with 43 percent in savings of $100 per appliance. onto consumers, asking for and I have done it with success
“Here’s the best deal I can get. 2008). And more than half of the potential discounts is essential, but I think it is a sad fact that we
Can you beat it?” contractors surveyed said they 5. Cars particularly since there’s often a Americans have to deal with this
• Possible savings: In addition to were willing to lower prices by 10 • Why it’s negotiable: Car huge variance in costs among matter at all. I have many
offering better rates, lenders percent, with nearly 25 percent dealerships are one of the few providers, says Angie’s List European friends who are really
might reduce certain fees or even willing to drop their fees up to 20 places where price negotiations spokeswoman Cheryl Reed. In puzzled by our resistance to
waive them altogether. To percent. (See “3 Rules for Hiring are not only acceptable, they’re Washington D.C., for example, universal healthcare because they
negotiate the lowest out-of-pocket Home Contractors” for more tips expected, notes Philip Reed, the price for an MRI of the right see the stress we go through when
costs, ask for discounts on all on negotiating with builders.) senior consumer advice editor for knee ranges from $400 to $1,501, there is a real medical crisis.
upfront fees, including application car-buying site Edmunds.com. according to a recent report. You Dealing with bills, negotiating
and origination fees. According to 4 . H o m e A p p l i a n c e s a n d But instead of trying to negotiate can look up average prices in your with doctors, and fighting insurers
the Federal Trade Commission’s Electronics your purchase price down from area for various procedures at to get bills paid ,etc.. during a
website, comparing and • Why they are negotiable: Store the MSRP (the sticker price), as Healthcare Blue Book. very difficult time is insane.
negotiating mortgage fees can managers understand that a you might for other items, ask to • Who to talk to: The billing Report Abuse
result in thousands of dollars of discounted deal done today is see the invoice price (the price the administrator • Posted by Lucky 1 hour 3
savings. often better than a potential deal dealer paid for the car) and work • What to say: “This is a minutes ago And another biggie:
in the future (and definitely better your way up from there. You can significant expense for me. Is Dental bills. I got 5% off just for
3. Home Improvements than no deal at all). One trick is to look up dealer invoice prices for there a discount for paying asking and another 5% for paying
• Why they are negotiable: go first thing in the morning or f r e e o n W e b s i t e s l i k e upfront or in cash? What other with cash. It really adds up!
“Business is slow and that means just before the store closes when IntelliChoice.com, Edmunds.com, kinds of discounts might be Report Abuse
contractors are willing to haggle there are fewer customers. “A and KBB.com. available?”
over their prices,” says Greg manager will hesitate to offer a • Who to talk to: Sales staff • Possible savings: Fifty percent Comments 1-2 of 2
Daugherty, executive editor of discount if he thinks he’ll have to • W h a t t o s a y : “ A n o t h e r or more. An Angie’s List poll This entry passed through the
Consumer Reports. Plus, the make the same deal with all of the dealership has given me a better f o u n d t h a t 7 4 p e r c e n t o f Full-Text RSS service — if this is
prices of many common home customers who overhear the price on the same model. Tell me respondents who negotiated their your content and you're reading it
building materials are down as negotiation,” says Consumer how you can beat their offer.” medical bills were successful, on someone else's site, please read
much as 35 percent from their Reports’s Daugherty. • Possible savings: It’s possible often paying less than half of the our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
peak in the mid-2000s. • Who to talk to: A store’s to save more than $1,000 on a original cost. content-only/faq.php
• Who to talk to: The contractor manager or assistant manager new car by negotiating smartly, Five Filters featured article:
• What to say: “What are the • What to say: “I like this model. according to Reed. And you’ll net More on MoneyWatch: Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
o p t i o n s f o r l e s s e x p e n s i v e If you can give me a discount and even higher savings by also Related: negotiate, mortgage, The Crosshairs.
materials? And what discounts free delivery, I’ll buy it today.” negotiating the value of your trade money, medical bills, jodi helmer,
can you offer me on labor?” • Possible savings: Profit margins -in, as well as financing terms and f i n a n c e s , c r e d i t c a r d s , c b s
• Possible savings: Up to 20 are generally fairly thin on the cost of extended warranties. moneywatch, car
percent of the cost of the project, appliances and electronics, so Comments 1-2 of 2
according to a new survey by getting 10 percent off is a 6. Medical Bills • Posted by WJ 1 hour 51
Angie’s List, a website that reasonable goal, particularly if • Why they’re negotiable: minutes ago I find it sad that
publishes surveys and consumer you can also get them to throw in Patients usually assume that the negotiating medical bills is even
90 Technology/
O2 plans free and open WiFi network across the
UK, Sky picks up The Cloud
Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:57:00 PM
Only a handful of Muni-Fi
projects ended in anything greater
than eternal tears here in the
States, but hopefully O2's up for
the challenge across the pond. The
UK carrier just announced its
intentions to "refine the WiFi
landscape" in its home nation by
launching O2 WiFi, with a raft of
"premium hotspots" to be rolled
out and managed by key venue
owners. As of now, it's hard to
pinpoint who exactly will begin
hosting O2's routers, but the key
part is this: they'll be open for all
customers to access for free, no
matter which mobile or broadband
provider they are with. Making no
bones about who it's coming after,
the operator has affirmed its
intentions to "at least double the
number of premium hotspots
currently offered by BT Openzone
and The Cloud combined by
2013," with the rollout to begin as
early as today and continue for as
long as it takes. 'Course, doubling
up The Cloud may take a little
more work given that Sky just
picked it up for an undisclosed
sum, but hey, we're sure every
Briton in existence would just
love to see these two duke it out
for WiFi supremacy.
Continue reading O2 plans free
and open WiFi network across the
E-reader News Edition
T-Mobile Sidekick
4G in the wild,
made by Samsung?
Chris Ziegler (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 1:20:00 PM
If these first in-the-wild shots of
T-Mobile's upcoming Android-
powered Sidekick 4G turn out to
be legit -- and we've no reason to
doubt them, especially
considering TmoNews' track
record -- then we'd say the carrier
has done a reasonably good job
porting the classic Sidekick
design and pulling it into the
modern age off the strength of a
big display... and, of course, a
modern operating system.
Interestingly, word on the street is
that the new model is made by
Samsung, not Sharp; historically,
UK, Sky picks up The Cloud Sharp has made all of the
O2 plans free and open WiFi Sidekicks with the exception of
network across the UK, Sky picks the forgettable Slide, which was a
up The Cloud originally appeared Motorola one-off. Looks like the
on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 swivel display has been replaced
13:57:00 EDT. Please see our b y a t i l t - s l i d e , b u t m o s t
terms for use of feeds. Permalink| importantly, the device looks the
The Wall Street Journal (1),(2), same when open and closed,
B B C , O 2 U K | E m a i l t h i s | which should put a warm, fuzzy
Comments feeling in the hearts of old-school
T-MOBILE page 91
E-reader News Edition 91
T-MOBILE
continued from page 90

Sidekick users. Who's excited?

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G in the
wild, made by Samsung?
originally appeared on Engadget
on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:20:00
EDT. Please see our terms for use
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