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Ecuador detains 40 police suspects following revolt

More than 40 Ecuadorean police officers have been detained in connection with last week’s police revolt against President…

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Appearing as a guest on Monday’s Charlie Rose show on PBS, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin seemed to misunderstand the concept of judicial activism as he suggested that any court action that strikes down legislative action could be described as part of judicial activism, as he charged that the Supreme Court of the United States has engaged in “conservative judicial activism” in its enforcement of the First and Second Amendments. Missing the point that “judicial activism” often involves a distortion of the Constitution to find legal precedent that does not exist there, Toobin characterized recent decisions by a “very aggressive conservative wing” of the court as activism: “But what we have seen in recent years is conservative judicial activism, telling Congress you can’t ban, you can’t regulate campaign finance the way you thought, you can’t – state legislatures, city councils – you can’t impose gun control. So you have a very aggressive conservative wing of the party telling the democratically elected branches what to do.” Minutes earlier, he had described Chief Justice John Roberts as “very, very conservative.” Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Monday, October 4, Charlie Rose on PBS: 11:50 p.m. JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I would differ a little with Adam [Liptak] on, you know, on Roberts. I mean, I think Roberts is very, very conservative, and I think he’s trying to push the court in a conservative direction across the board. This is a guy on a mission, and I think he’s doing it in an honorable way, he’s doing it, you know, within the rules, but I don’t think there’s any mistaking what he’s doing there. So, I mean, you know, and that suggests no disrespect for the institution, it just tells us what he’s up to. … 11:56 p.m. CHARLIE ROSE: It was my impression that the conservative wing of the court always basically said if it’s not in the Constitution, then it may be unconstitutional, you know, some piece of legislation, but my understanding was, their argument was frequently that the legislature went too far, point one. Point two, Justice Breyer at this table and others have shown a certain deference for what the Congress does, and respect. Are those two ideas in conflict? TOOBIN: Well, I think the words that- ROSE: Or am I wrong about my assumption? TOOBIN: No, no, but the words that get to what you’re talking about are “judicial activism” because that was a traditional epithet flung at liberals – with some justification. ROSE: And at the Warren court. TOOBIN: And at the Warren court. You know, telling police what to do, telling states they can’t abort, they can’t ban abortion, telling states they have to integrate their schools. But what we have seen in recent years is conservative judicial activism, telling Congress you can’t ban, you can’t regulate campaign finance the way you thought, you can’t – state legislatures, city councils – you can’t impose gun control. So you have a very aggressive conservative wing of the party telling the democratically elected branches what to do.

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Microsoft sends out Lego Windows Phone 7 mockup to executives

A helpful tipster hit us up with this little photo today: a Windows Phone 7 mockup styled of Lego bricks. The fake phone is apparently being sent out in real invites to real executives for Microsoft’s upcoming sure-to-be-swanky Executive Event for Windows Phone 7 in November (not to be confused with the sure-to-be-pretty-great launch in October ). Our question: where’s the Duplo version for Windows Mobile 6.5? Alternate groan-worthy end zingers: “We suppose that puts a whole new spin on ‘bricked,’ huh?” “Where’s the Technic version for Windows Mobile 6.5?” “Micro$oft? More like Blacktron!” Continue reading Microsoft sends out Lego Windows Phone 7 mockup to executives Microsoft sends out Lego Windows Phone 7 mockup to executives originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Rogers, Ericsson turn Ottawa into an LTE trial playground

Rogers is breaking LTE out of the confines of its labs for the first time with the announcement today that it’s flipping the switch on a trial network in Ottawa — a place where infrastructure partner Ericsson conveniently just happens to have some facilities. The 4G network won’t be open to customers yet, but it seems like that’ll be a relatively small step — in the Ottawa area, anyway — once all the technical issues have been ironed out. Step one will be a deployment in Rogers’ AWS spectrum portfolio, but they’ve already filed a request with the gub’mint to roll out on 700MHz as well — a critical step if these guys want any semblance of interoperability with the first LTE deployments in the US. So, Canadians, tell us: excited? Follow the break for the full press release. Continue reading Rogers, Ericsson turn Ottawa into an LTE trial playground Rogers, Ericsson turn Ottawa into an LTE trial playground originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Gulf oil spill commission criticises White House

A commission investigating the response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has strongly criticised the White House in a number…

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Bill Press: Hillary Clinton One of the Best Secretaries of State Ever

How much in the tank for Democrats would you have to be as a mainstream media member to say on national television that Hillary Clinton is one of the best Secretaries of State this nation has ever had? Or that Joe Biden is one of the best Vice Presidents? Well that’s what liberal radio host Bill Press told Ed Schultz Wednesday on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show.” Not surprisingly, the host didn’t bat an eye (video follows with transcript and commentary):  BILL PRESS: I think Bob Woodward is an outstanding reporter, but he ought to stick to reporting, Ed. He ought to stick to reporting on wars and leave the inside the beltway political gossip to somebody else. There is zero evidence to support this. I also think it’s a dumb idea. I mean, look, Hillary’s an outstanding Secretary of State, I think one of the best we have ever had. Joe Biden’s a phenomenal vice president, one of the best we have ever had. There is no way that Barack Obama is going to throw Joe Biden overboard and, and make Hillary Vice President. So Clinton is one of the best Secretaries of State? And exactly what  are her accomplishments? To give readers an idea of what past Secretaries have done, the following is an assessment by American Heritage magazine published in December 1981. At the time, David L. Porter, an associate professor at William Penn College in Iowa, had sent a questionnaire to fifty of the country’s top historians for their view on who the best Secretaries were and why. As you read Porter’s findings in descending order, compare the accomplishments of these Secretaries to Clinton’s: 1. John Quincy Adams, who served (1817-25) under President James Monroe, was the first choice of over 80 per cent of the respondents. Stern, cerebral, conscientious, and articulate, he negotiated the acquisition of Florida from Spain in 1819 and collaborated with the President in formulating the Monroe Doctrine. 2. William H. Seward served (1861-69) Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He helped keep France and Britain from recognizing the Confederacy during the Civil War, persuaded France to withdraw her troops from Mexico after that war ended, and successfully engineered the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. 3. Hamilton Fish served (1869-77) President Ulysses S. Grant. Calm, judicious, and untainted by the corruption that permeated the Grant administration, he helped settle the thorny Alabama Claims controversy with Britain in 1871, directed negotiations that settled American claims against Spain, and signed a commercial reciprocity treaty with Hawaii in 1875, helping to pave the way for later annexation. 4. Charles Evans Hughes served (1921-25) Presidents Hording and Coolidge. He presided over the Washington Conference for Limitation of Armament (1921-22) that froze for a decade naval armament among the United States, Britain, and France, and he brought about the 1922 Nine Power Treaty, which called upon its signatories to maintain an Open Door policy toward China and respect her independence. 5. George C. Marshall served (1947-49) President Harry Truman. The first professional soldier ever to become Secretary-and the man who held the post for the shortest time among the top ten-he helped establish the postwar policy of containment. He promulgated the Truman Doctrine that provided military aid for Greece and Turkey, developed the Marshall Plan for rebuilding postwar Europe, and helped foster the Organization of American States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 6. Dean Acheson, Marshall’s successor, also served (194953) President Truman. He helped create NATO, brought West Germany into the European defense system, and implemented a policy of armed intervention in Korea. 7. Henry Kissinger, our only foreign-born Secretary of State, served (1973-77) under Presidents Nixon and Ford. After four enormously influential years as Nixon’s special adviser on national security affairs, he sought, as Secretary, to relax tensions and promote trade with China and the Soviet Union and pioneered the art of “shuttle diplomacy,” traveling 560,000 miles in search of peace. 8. Daniel Webster, one of only two Secretaries of State to hold nonconsecutive terms, served under three Presidents: William Henry Harrison and John Tyler (1841-43) and Millard Fillmore (1850-52). He negotiated the WebsterAshburton Treaty of 1842, averting war with Britain over Maine’s boundary, and asserted America’s right to recognize republican Hungary and other popular governments in Europe. 9. Thomas Jefferson served (1790-93) President George Washington. As our first Secretary of State he established a host of diplomatic and administrative precedents and, when war broke out between France and Britain in 1793, subsumed his own sympathy for the French Revolution to successfully administer a policy of strict neutrality. 10. John Hay served (1898-1905) Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt. An expansionist, he urged annexation of the Philippines, called for an Open Door policy toward China, helped prevent partition of that country after the Boxer Rebellion, and negotiated the 1903 treaty with Panama granting the Canal Zone to the United States. Pretty impressive, would you say? By comparison, exactly what has Clinton accomplished to even put her on this top ten list? Not surprisingly, Schultz didn’t ask Press this seemingly obvious question, for that might have conflicted with MSNBC’s pro-Democrat agenda. 

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Rat controls vehicle with its brain, Pinky and The Brain apply for ‘one last run’

So, let’s paint the picture, shall we? There’s a rat, a bundle of electrodes, more wiring than an electrician would know what to do with and some sort of wheeled apparatus. In the background stands a team of crazed Japanese scientists, intent on never sleeping again until said rat controls said vehicle entirely with his mind. Nah, it’s not a re-run of a WB classic — it’s real life, and it’s happening now in a dark, shadowy corner at the University of Tokyo. The RatCar is a newly developed rat-vehicle experiment that researchers hope will open new doors for those with mobility issues; we’ve seen brain-machine interfaces change the lives of the disabled before, but giving them the ability to control their wheelchair with their mind (for instance) would be taking things to an entirely new level. As of now, the team still has to figure out how to accurately determine how much movement is coming from the rat’s feet and how much is coming from its mind, but there’s no question that the research shows promise — just don’t let the humanoids learn of our findings , okay folks? Rat controls vehicle with its brain, Pinky and The Brain apply for ‘one last run’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Fascinating New Species Found in Papua New Guinea

Photo: Piotr Naskrecki, Conservation International When it comes to finding fascinating species previously unknown to science, it turns out that forests of Papua New Guinea are a darn good place to look. Researchers have recently disclosed their discoveries from a two-month long expedition to the country last year, in which they happened upon over two hundred species no one ever knew existed — like the tube-nosed fruit bat seen … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Sirius XM Sound Dock unites a fractured past, accepts tuners from both Sirius and XM

The North versus the South in America. East and West Germany. Quebec revolting against English-speaking Canada. Sirius and XM . History’s chock full of broken spirits, hurt feelings and splintered memories, but the latter of these mentioned touches our heart the most. We mean, just look at this new boombox — the Sirius XM Sound Dock has somehow managed to put differences and demographics aside in a mighty effort of reuniting two satellite radio companies that once wished death and destruction upon one another. Expected to ship later in 2010 for $129, it’s the first docking speaker station that’s compatible with both XM and Sirius ‘ Dock and Play ‘ tuners released over the past three years. If you’re nowhere near an AC outlet, it’ll also operate with an eight-pack of ‘C’ cell batteries, and there’s an auxiliary input and headphone output for added flexibility. Frankly, the release of this fellow reinstates our hope that world peace can indeed be achieved… so long as we take it one radio at a time. Sirius XM Sound Dock unites a fractured past, accepts tuners from both Sirius and XM originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Uncertainty over US plans as war enters 10th year

KABUL, Afghanistan – It’s make-or-break time in Afghanistan. The war enters its 10th year Thursday, and this is no ordinary anniversary. With extra American troops now in place, this is the critical juncture to determine if President Barack Obama’s revised war stategy will work and reverse Taliban momentum. Key players are hedging their bets, uncertain whether the Obama administration is prepared to stay for the long haul, move quickly to exit an increasingly unpopular conflict, or something in between. Fearing that his Western allies may in the end abandon him, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has started to prepare his nation for a withdrawal of international forces by shoring up relations…

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