At the top of Wednesday's CBS Early Show, fill-in co-host Erica Hill fretted over Republicans pledging to focus solely on economic issues in the lame duck session of Congress: “Gridlock alert. Just one day after promising to work together while meeting with President Obama, GOP leaders may now put a halt on cooperating with Democrats on Capitol Hill. So will Washington find itself at a standstill?” Moments later, co-host Harry Smith lamented how “the spirit of cooperation between Republicans and Democrats after yesterday's White House summit seemed to fade quickly.” In the report that followed, senior White House correspondent Bill Plante solely blamed the GOP for the division: “There are new questions this morning about just how sincere the spirit of cooperation in Washington really is. CBS News has confirmed that Senate Republicans have collected signatures on a letter which pledges to block everything unrelated to tax cuts and spending during the lame duck congress.” read more
Continue reading …The push is on to help pass the DREAM Act, and a new ad was just put out with help from the usual good souls. America’s Voice: With both chambers of Congress planning to take up the DREAM Act this year, students who would benefit from the legislation are joining with labor and immigration reform advocates will unveil a six-figure ad buy in Spanish and English media. The ad campaign, co-sponsored by America’s Voice , SEIU , Reform Immigration for America , Center for Community Change , and AFL-CIO , targets senators whose votes will be crucial to passing the DREAM Act, and will run in Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Texas. The DREAM Act , a bipartisan bill that is supported by 66% of the American people , would enable young people who came to the country as children, but lack legal immigration status, to enlist in the U.S. military or attend college on their way to becoming full U.S. citizens. Seventy-five percent of Latino voters say passing the DREAM Act in short order is either extremely important or very important. Harry Reid spoke out and is moving a vote forward on the DREAM Act. It’s good to see him not forsake those that helped him the most. Huff Post: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on Tuesday that he is moving on a major piece of immigration legislation in the coming days, bringing the DREAM Act one step closer to becoming a reality. His comments followed a meeting with the Democratic caucus, in which several senators vocally urged their colleagues to make the legislation a priority. In the caucus meeting, Reid discussed DREAM Act, and according to a Democratic source, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) was “very very vocal” in telling the other lawmakers that they need to make the vote a priority. — According to a senior Democratic Senate aide, Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Kay Hagan (N.C.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.) are the three Democratic senators who have not yet stated a position on the DREAM Act and could be potential “yes” votes. There was some chatter amongst pro-DREAM Act supporters in recent days that Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) could also be on board, but his office confirmed to HuffPost that he is voting “no.” You can always count on Ben Nelson to do the wrong thing. It’s still going to be tough going. President Obama told me over a month ago that many members of Congress who once supported the legislation and even co-sponsored it from both sides of the aisle were now afraid to move forward, but things seem to be moving in a positive direction since the election. And WTF is wrong with McCaskill?
Continue reading …‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star Freida Pinto talks about her new film ‘Miral’ – a coming of age story set in the Middle East. (Dec. 1)
Continue reading …A northeastern Wisconsin high school reopened Wednesday with teachers and counselors prepared to offer reassurances of safety and support a day after a sophomore who held his classmates hostage for hours died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Dec. 1)
Continue reading …Will Ferrell talks about his superhero animated comedy ‘Megamind.’ The film also features the voice talents of Brad Pitt and Tina Fey. (Dec. 1)
Continue reading …We figured Cowon’s X7 wouldn’t bother passing through the FCC’s loose fingertips if it weren’t planning on making a stateside debut at some point, and sure enough, the aforesaid media player is gearing up to ship here just two months after its South Korean reveal. Over the years, Cowon has managed to maintain a fairly decent cover in the US of A, but audio purists recognize the brand for its commitment to sound quality over all else. The X7 is a capacious (160GB) player with a fairly large display (4.3-inches) and a world-beating battery good for ten hours of video and up to 103 hours of audio. Yeah, a full long weekend’s worth. As with anything in life, Cowon’s made some sacrifices here as well; you won’t find a WiFi module, but you will spot support for Bluetooth headsets. How’s it all shake out? Join us after the break for our full review. Gallery: Cowon X7 PMP unboxing and hands-on Continue reading Cowon X7 PMP review Cowon X7 PMP review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …A new DNA test is very accurate at predicting which children are least likely to have their scoliosis — an abnormal curvature of the spine — progress to a severe curvature, according to new research.
Continue reading …Images credit Johnathan Niemuth Today we call it repurposing; In 1973, Nathan Silver and Charles Jencks called it Adhocism: It can be applied to many human endeavours, denoting a principle of action having speed or economy and purpose or utility. Basically it involves using an available system or dealing with an existing situation in a new way to solve a problem quickly and effectively. It is a method of creation relying particularly on resources which are already at hand. Designer Jonathan Niemuth demonstrates… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …And here we go: Verizon just announced its 4G LTE pricing and full list of coverage areas. Some 38 markets will go live when the switch is flipped on December 5, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and LA, and pricing starts at $50/month for 5GB of data, with an $80/month plan for 10GB. Overages run $10 per GB, which isn’t insane, and there’s also supplemental coverage in around 60 airports. Check the full PR after the break. Continue reading Verizon LTE plans start at $50/month for 5GB of data Verizon LTE plans start at $50/month for 5GB of data originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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