Click here to view this media Way to go, MSNBC! After this story broke earlier in the day — BREAKING: Gov. Scott Walker Punked By Blogger Posing As David Koch — does anyone think their audience might have wanted to hear what he had to say about it? Apparently MSNBC didn’t think so because they cut away from his press conference just before he started taking questions from reporters. Neither did CNN or Fox, who also cut away just as questions from the press were coming. You have to expect it of Fox, considering how much they’ve invested in demonizing the protesters, but CNN too? I didn’t include the entire press conference MSNBC aired, just the last couple of minutes before Thomas Roberts broke in. Walker was explaining how wonderful it was going to be for their workers not to be forced to pay their union dues. In other words, how he’s planning to break their unions financially by turning the workers into free-riders. And he claims this is not about busting unions. Every time he opens his mouth he proves this is all it is about. Digby writes : I really have to wonder why the national political press is so unwilling to engage on this Walker/Koch story. Both MSNBC and CNN allowed Walker to give his prepared statement (which included an absurd statement that his budget will save workers’ money because they won’t have to pay union dues!) — and then cut away from the Q and A when the Wisconsin press tried to ask him about his statements in that prank call today. Have they been scared away from this story by Republicans calling it a “Breitbart” hoax? Or is it that the evocation of the Big Money Koch brothers makes them squeamish. (After all, going after ACORN and Planned Parenthood only affect a bunch of low income women, so who cares?) I don’t know about that but the Wisconsin press is very, very interested.[..] The bigger question Walker has to answer now is why he’s taking calls from millionaire out-of-state donors and coordinating strategy with him. Even if it’s not illegal, his constituents might not find it quite as benign as the jaded cable news networks. And then there’s the fact that he admitted that his goal wasn’t to balance the budget but to break the unions. You’d think that would be newsworthy.
Continue reading …A Saudi Arabian man attending college in Texas has been arrested for the “attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction,” the Justice Department announced today. Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, allegedly bought several chemicals needed to build an improvised explosive device, and “was actively researching potential targets,” according to a…
Continue reading …photo: Wikipedia Researchers in Thailand have announced that they have developed the world’s first live attenuated vaccine for dengue fever . Endemic in over 100 nations, and spreading due to climate change as the mosquitos which carry it expand their range, dengue infects somewhere between 50-100… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …**Posted by Phineas Via Power Line, a nicely-done video from Minnesota Majority that clearly draws out the battle lines in the fight to rein in public union benefits and collective bargaining privileges. It’s a goodie: (Crossposted at Public Secrets) Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Sister Toldjah Discovery Date : 24/02/2011 17:52 Number of articles : 5
Continue reading …Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has said in a speech on state television that al-Qaeda is responsible for the uprising in his country. This is the first 7 minutes of his speech. Speaking on the phone from an undisclosed location, Gaddafi said the protesters were young people who were being manipulated by al-Qaeda, and that many were under the influence of drugs.
Continue reading …iFixit’s teardown of the Samsung Galaxy S 4G doesn’t exactly contain a ton of surprises — until the very end, that is. Apparently, there’s been some talk that Samsung used magnesium instead of aluminum for some of the components, and the best way iFixit could find to test that was to file some dust off the frame and set it ablaze (magnesium’s reaction is noticeably different than aluminum). Spoiler alert: it’s magnesium. Hit up the link below for the full blow-by-blow account. iFixit tears down Galaxy S 4G, lights a fire for science originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …A dog is dead and a police officer is in the hospital after a drug raid went wrong last night in Philadelphia. The officer entered the wrong house—the actual target was next door—and a dog charged him and bit him on the ankle. Four shots were fired, with…
Continue reading …Type: Music Title: Brutalist Bricks [Vinyl] See all customer reviews Product Description: New Jersey’s TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS are back after a two year break with their fourth album and Matador debut, The Brutalist Bricks.This extraordinarily assured, wide ranging album explores new ground for Ted, showcasing his singer-song writer side while remaining emotionally and energetically true to his punk roots. From the thrilling opener and video track “The Mighty Sparrow” to the apocalyptic “Last Days,” startling influences reveal themselves. Features: 2010 Matador Records See the details
Continue reading …Images credit ZedFactory With the real estate development business in the tank in the UK, it was surprising to see a big article in the Guardian about Bill Dunster’s PortZED project. Back in ’07 it was called “an example of how a good architectural concept and zero carbon solutions can come together successfully.” Now, according to developer Bohogreen , it is awaiting planning approval and fina… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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