Home » Posts tagged with » breaking news (Page 1582)

Barbara “Dumb-as-a-Box-of-Rocks” Boxer has been caught in a little scheme to benefit her son through federal legislation (from Big Government ): Ten years ago, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)– currently chair of the Senate Ethics Committee– personally moved legislation that has financially benefited her son, Capitol Confidential has learned. Boxer, then in her second term as a U.S. Senator, carried legislation restoring federal recognition to a Native American tribe, the Coastal Miwoks. At the time, the Miwoks claimed to be a “nongaming tribe.” However, Boxer’s legislation, as signed into law by President Bill Clinton, allowed for a casino to be constructed– a result that would specifically have been blocked under similar legislation introduced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). Now, with a major relevant condition having been met, local residents are bracing themselves for construction of a new casino, a project that has been pushed by none other than Boxer’s son, Doug Boxer. Questions are being raised about the younger Boxer’s involvement and his mother’s legislative actions that paved the way for what looks like a financially lucrative deal benefiting him personally. Less than a year after Boxer’s tribal bill was signed into law, Doug Boxer helped negotiate a casino partnership between the tribe and Station Casinos of Las Vegas. Doug Boxer’s firm also acquired options on 2,000 acres of land that was later transferred to Station Casinos for an undisclosed price, but which some reports indicate could have been as much as $24 million. In addition, Doug Boxer’s firm took a consulting fee for brokering the land deal. The amount of that fee has also remained undisclosed, but in May 2003, tribal chairman Gregory Sarris told the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat that the consulting fee was “too much, more than I would like.” If and when the casino does in fact open, Doug Boxer will profit then, too: According to Boxer campaign spokesman Matthew Kagen, Doug Boxer and the developer involved in the project are partners in a limited liability corporation that would financially benefit from such a move. There’s more at the link . Indian casinos are a pox on California, and Barbara “Dumb-as-a-Box-of-Rocks” Boxer is enabling them and directly benefiting her own family in the process.

Continue reading …
U.S. Asian Carp Czar Says Poison, Genetic Engineering Among Solutions

Photo via AsianCarp.org The Obama administration loves its czars almost as much as the media loves using the title. So here goes: The U.S. Asian Carp Czar, also known as John Goss, says he has a multi-pronged strategy to help keep Asian carp from colonizing the Great Lakes. The czar, officially Asian Carp Director , lists poison and genetic engineering among possible solutions. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

Continue reading …

Not much momentum favoring the Dems (from Political Wire ): The latest

Continue reading …
Murata’s fatigue sensor demoed, coming soon to mobiles and handhelds near you

Need further confirmation that an IV drip of 5-Hour Energy is what your body really needs? Look no further than Murata’s newfangled fatigue sensor. Demonstrated at CEATEC in front of thousands of jetlagged Americans, Europeans, Easter Islanders and Samoans, this compact device is built by “integrating a photoplethysmographic sensor, which measures a pulse and a blood oxygen saturation level, and electrodes that measure electrocardiogram (ECG).” We’re told that the unit measures a fatigue degree (reported on a 1 to 100 scale) based on the “pulse, blood oxygen saturation level and electrocardiogram measured by the sensing parts,” and while we’re guessing the prototype will have to shrink significantly before it happens, the company seems focused on cramming this thing into cellphones and portable game consoles of the future.You know — so Nintendo actually can know when you need to lay down the gaming and step outside for a bit. Murata’s fatigue sensor demoed, coming soon to mobiles and handhelds near you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Continue reading …
Raw Video: Disabled Pianist Plays With Toes

A 23-year-old musician who lost both arms in a childhood accident and plays the piano with his toes has won ‘China’s Got Talent, performing his version of James Blunt’s wistful love song ‘You’re Beautiful’ at the Shanghai Stadium. (Oct. 11)

Continue reading …
Nemoptic shows off OLED screen with dual-mode Binem display

We’ve already seen some of Nemoptic’s so-called Binem displays on their own, but the company’s just made things considerably more interesting by combing the low-power, black-and-white display with a full color OLED. That would function as a dual-mode display (a la Pixel Qi ), giving you the ability to use the reflective Binem component when you’re outdoors or just looking to save power, and switch to the OLED as needed. What’s more, the Binem display can actually retain an image even when the power is off, which could let you spruce up your e-reader with a favorite image as a persistent wallpaper, for instance. Unfortunately, there’s no word as to when the display might make make it into an actual product, but you can check it out in action in the video after the break. Continue reading Nemoptic shows off OLED screen with dual-mode Binem display Nemoptic shows off OLED screen with dual-mode Binem display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Continue reading …
New Online System Streamlines Easy e-Waste Collection

Photo via CP e-Waste is a difficult problem when it comes to keeping it out of waste streams. Unlike typical recycling with a blue bin offered in practically every city, e-waste can be much more of a hassle to make sure it ends up in the right place for proper recycling. But a new system in California could prove to be a great example for streamlining collection that other areas in the US can mimic. A quick and easy online database of drop-off locations shows you what you can recycle, where to recycle it, and soon there will be a drop-off… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Continue reading …
ASUS Eee PC 1015PN makes Amazon debut, brings along Ion 2 and Atom N550

It ain’t “on sale,” per se, but it’s there. And being there means a lot. ASUS’ Eee PC 1015PN — special due to its reliance on both a dual-core 1.5GHz Atom N550 and NVIDIA’s next generation Ion 2 GPU solution — is finally, almost ready to make its shipping debut in America. Priced at $429.99, it offers quite the wallop in terms of performance (for a 10.1-inch netbook, anyway), and if we had to guess, we’d say it’ll be headed out in plenty of time for Santa’s last-minute runs. Keep that source link bookmarked if you’re looking to buy one right away. ASUS Eee PC 1015PN makes Amazon debut, brings along Ion 2 and Atom N550 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Continue reading …

From George Soros, who heavily funded lefty political activists and candidates in 2004-2008, on why he’s not very involved in the 2010 election : “I don’t believe in standing in the way of an avalanche.” He may be a rich commie, but he’s not dumb enough to waste money on elections this year.

Continue reading …
Test of Rescue Capsule Goes Smoothly in Chile

Rescuers have finished reinforcing the hole drilled to bring 33 trapped miners to safety and sent a rescue capsule nearly all the way to where the men are trapped, proving the escape route works. (Oct. 11)

Continue reading …