Frustrated at past failures, climate negotiators have begun a critical two-week conference with a call from Mexico’s president to think beyond their nations’ borders and consider all humanity as they bargain over an agreement to fight global warming. “The atmosphere is indifferent to the sovereignty of states,” Felipe Calderon, Mexico’s president, said in the keynote speech opening the conference on Monday. “It would be a tragedy if our inability to see beyond our personal interests, our group or national interests makes us fail,” Calderon said in a speech to 15,000 delegates, business leaders, activists and journalists. Three years of talks have been stymied by a sometimes acrimonious…
Continue reading …Having made its indelible mark on U.S. foreign relations of late, WikiLeaks is taking on another considerable force for its next act, targeting an as-yet-unnamed major U.S. bank with a big reveal planned for early next year. It doesn’t look good for said bank, as WikiLeaks’ honcho Julian Assange invoked the name Enron in an interview about the upcoming sting.
Continue reading …We already knew the Nook Color was capable of something a bit more than its initial offering, having seen Angry Birds run fairly smoothly on a dev unit. In fact, it’s exactly what we want in between chapters of Animal Farm , and the xda-developers community, right on schedule, are providing pictorial evidence of its rooting conquests. So far we’ve seen the aforementioned game / addiction, a few other additions to the extras menu, and even Launcher Pro (image after the break). NookDevs has a page going with instructions, but even it admits to being a work in progress, so we’re gonna emphasis a little stronger than usual: don’t try this at home unless you’re absolutely sure what you’re doing — or don’t mind a broken tablet or two. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …On Monday, after two Iranian nuclear scientists were targeted in apparently coordinated bombings, killing one scientist and wounding another, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pointed to the West and to Israel to place blame for the attacks.
Continue reading …Authorities in Santa Cruz, Calif. are searching for an inmate who used a stun gun on a female deputy then took her gun while he was being transported to a hospital. The manhunt has prompted lockdowns at area schools and evacuations of homes. (Nov. 29)
Continue reading …He just had to beat Rupert Murdoch, didn’t he? Project , Richard Branson’s iPad magazine , is now available in the iTunes store — at least in Italy and the United Kingdom, since it’s past midnight there. App is free, cost per issue is $2.99 for “a full month’s worth of updating content.” We suspect it’ll hit US, too, the next few hours, but for now, those across the pond can read up on Jeff Bridges (audio and video interview), Earth 2.0, and a “well-informed Godzilla.” Take that, yet-to-be-released The Daily . Richard Branson’s ‘Project’ iPad magazine now hitting European iTunes stores originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel has only marginally eased its three-year-old blockade of the Gaza Strip, leaving business and construction largely frozen in the impoverished and war-damaged Palestinian territory, a report by several aid groups said Tuesday. The groups accused Israel of ducking promises to ease the blockade’s effects on civilians, a pledge it made under pressure after a deadly Israeli commando raid in May on an international flotilla protesting the restrictions. The report said Israel is allowing in more food…
Continue reading …If anyone has any doubts about the fact that the Tea Party doesn’t include the religious right, just check out the new PEW poll on DADT. As the Pentagon prepares to release its highly anticipated survey of military personnel about the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, most Americans (58%) say they favor allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the armed forces. Fewer than half that number (27%) oppose allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. — Large majorities of Democrats (70%) and independents (62%) favor allowing gays to serve openly. Republicans are divided (40% favor, 44% oppose). Among conservative Republicans, far more oppose than favor allowing gays to serve openly (52% to 28%). Nearly half (48%) of white evangelical Protestants oppose letting gays serve openly in the military, while just 34% support this proposal. Majorities or pluralities across other religious groups favor allowing gays to serve openly. — Only about four-in-ten (38%) Republicans and Republican leaners who agree with the Tea Party favor allowing gays to serve openly; 48% are opposed. Among those who disagree with the Tea Party or have no opinion of the movement, 52% favor letting gays serve openly and just 30% are opposed. The religious right used the health care town halls meetings to act out their aggression at progressives and that’s why they were quite until the end of the health care debate when they became very vocal in their attempts to get rid of any type of abortion coverage. John McCain made his almost weekly appearance on the Sunday Talk shows yesterday and continues to destroy his once “mavericky” persona by reversing himself on the DADT issue and now says that there really is no problem at all. David@ Video Cafe writes: In mid-November, McCain said he rejected that study because it didn’t ask service members whether the policy should be repealed. “[T]his study was directed at how to implement the repeal, not whether the repeal should take place or not,” McCain said. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates disagrees that there should be a new survey that amounts to a “referendum.” “I do not believe that military policy decisions — on this or any other subject — should be made through a referendum of Servicemembers,” Gates wrote to McCain in October. “I think he certainly has a point,” McCain told CNN’s Candy Crowley Sunday. The Arizona senator believes that by repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the Obama administration is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. We all have been saying for years that McCain is a complete hack and I wonder how much more evidence do Villagers need to write him off as another fullofshit politician? He’s acting like a bitter old man who got his ass kicked in the 2008 election. His wife had no problem disagreeing with her hubby . The DADT report will be released on on 12/1/10 so it appears that McCain is doubling down now. He must know that this report will make his stance against DADT invalid. Joe Sudbay writes: McCain and Lindsey Graham begin renewed effort to prevent the end of DADT This week is a big week in the effort to finally end DADT on Tuesday. The Pentagon will release its DADT study and the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold hearings about the report on Thursday and Friday. Two members of that committee, John McCain and his BFF, Lindsey Graham, were on the talk shows this morning trashing the efforts to end DADT. McCain’s opposition to ending DADT is based on pure homophobia. Lindsey’s support of DADT is probably based on internalized homophobia.. .read on Steve Benen writes: THE STATE OF PLAY FOR DADT REPEAL
Continue reading …Robert Nolan, a top editor at the Foreign Policy Association says the biggest story in this weekend’s Wikileaks document release is the extent to which Arab regimes in the Mideast have been pushing the US to take a harder line with Iran. (Nov. 29)
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