Click here to view this media In the middle of the discussion about faith in politics during the GOP Presidential Debate — the one where Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich both had facepalm moments — this little gem dropped out of Ron Paul’s mouth. KING: Congressman Paul, does faith have a role in these public issues, the public square, or is it a personal issue in your home and in your church? PAUL: I think faith has something to do with the character of the people who represent us and law should have a moral fiber too and our leaders should. We shouldn’t expect, uh, us to try to change morality. You can’t teach people how to be moral. But the Constitution addresses this by saying literally it says no theocracy but it doesn’t talk about church and state. The most important thing is the First Amendment — that Congress shall write no laws — which means Congress should never prohibit the expression of your Christian faith in a public place. Hmmm. The question wasn’t about “Christian faith”. The question was about “faith”. Period. John King didn’t limit it to Christian faith. But Ron Paul was very specific that Congress should not limit the expression of Christian faith. Did he mean that? Well, in Republicanland, any viable candidate is going to have to find a way to capture the Ralph Reed contingent, and Ron Paul isn’t really very popular with them, particularly after being endorsed by Muslim newspapers , and capturing some attention in the Muslim community with his anti-war stance. He stood up for the rights of Muslims to build a mosque where they wanted, but here he seems to be trying to reach out and capture some percentage of the Christian contingent. So yes, it appears to have been entirely intentional, and probably won’t play all that well with his base of strict libertarians.
Continue reading …New Hampshire Debate: News <![CDATA[&]]> Updates From GOP Presidential Forum
June 14, 2011 No Comment![New Hampshire Debate: News <![CDATA[&]]> Updates From GOP Presidential Forum](https://newsbreakingonline.com/wp-content/themes/transcript/timthumb.php?src=%3Cimg+src%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fnewsbreakingonline.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F06%2F9f667b09a8E-mini.jpg.jpg%22+%2F%3E&q=90&w=190&h=100&zc=1 "New Hampshire Debate: News <![CDATA[&]]> Updates From GOP Presidential Forum")
Seven Republican presidential hopefuls are facing off in New Hampshire’s first presidential debate of the 2012 election season Monday night. The list of names taking part in the forum includes: U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). All of the participants have officially launched campaigns for the White House in the next election cycle with the exception of Bachmann, who is expected to officially announce her candidacy for president later this month in Iowa. Two new polls out on the evolving primary match-up show Romney to be running ahead of the pack. The race for the Republican presidential nomination, however, remains far from settled. Granite State-based outlets WMUR and the Union Leader, along with CNN, are sponsoring the debate being held at St. Anselm College on Monday night. Click here for a rundown on five things to watch in the forum. Below, a live blog on the latest developments to unfold out of New Hampshire.
Continue reading …NBC’s Curry: ‘Disastrous’ to Not Raise Debt Ceiling, Asks Obama if GOP is Just ‘Bluffing’
June 14, 2011 No Comment
In an interview with President Obama on Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Ann Curry fretted over Republican calls for spending cuts before raising the nation's debt limit: “Do you think they're bluffing, given how financially disastrous it would be for the United States not to have the debt ceiling raised? And are you willing to make deep spending cuts?” Obama laughably claimed: “Well, keep in mind, we've already made deep spending cuts. I mean, I've proposed a freeze on federal spending, during the last threatened government shutdown we made some really tough cuts…” He then used the opportunity to bash the GOP: Republicans are very resistant to any kind of revenue and would rather see us make some sacrifices in programs that the vast majority of the American people think are really important. Making sure that seniors on Medicare have the kind of security and protection that they need, for example, or making sure that, you know, government functions like food safety or weather satellites are still up there, making sure that our veterans are properly cared for. You know, you can't pay for those things unless we have some additional revenue. Earlier in the interview, Curry questioned Obama about the stalled economy but seemed to place more of the blame on businesses rather than the President: “The New York Times just this past Friday reported that since the recovery began, businesses have spent just 2% more on hiring people, while at the same time spending 26% more on equipment. So why at a time when corporate America is enjoying record profits have you been unable to convince businesses to hire more people, Mr. President?” Curry failed to point out that the very North Carolina business Obama was visiting on Monday, Cree LED Light Company, has hired more employees in China than the United States. In the second part of her interview with Obama aired on Tuesday's Today, Curry worried about the toll the presidency may be taking on the First Family: “I've been wondering, in the non-stop intensity of being President of the United States, have you ever thought to yourself that maybe one term was enough?” Obama laughed and
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We all know that cabled cans are king when it comes to tonal accuracy. The convenience of cord cutting can’t be denied, however, and there are ways to free your headphones from their physical bonds. Astro’s Mixamp 5.8 is a system designed to make your wired ‘phones wireless, but does it sacrifice sound quality for the sake of convenience? And is it worth $130? Click on through to find out. Gallery: Astro MixAmp 5.8 Continue reading Astro MixAmp 5.8 review Astro MixAmp 5.8 review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …See Students Try to Explain Why They Support Affirmative Action…But Not in Sports
June 14, 2011 No Comment
Oliver Darcy and the team at ExposingLeftists.com has produced yet another gem of a video. You’ll remember that they’re the group that likes to go to college campuses and expose hypocrisy by asking students to sign various petitions. This time, they tackled affirmative action. And the results are both hilarious and disconcerting. From the video’s description: Many students support affirmative action,… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 14/06/2011 15:29 Number of articles : 4
Continue reading …See Students Try to Explain Why They Support Affirmative Action…But Not in Sports
June 14, 2011 No Comment
Oliver Darcy and the team at ExposingLeftists.com has produced yet another gem of a video. You’ll remember that they’re the group that likes to go to college campuses and expose hypocrisy by asking students to sign various petitions. This time, they tackled affirmative action. And the results are both hilarious and disconcerting. From the video’s description: Many students support affirmative action,… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 14/06/2011 15:29 Number of articles : 4
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Action for Kids says Lloyd Scott was given his notice due to losses incurred during latest marathon A charity director who spent 26 days crawling the London marathon dressed as a giant snail has been sacked from his job after failing to raise enough money. Lloyd Scott, a well-known fundraiser who worked as director of fundraising at Action for Kids , was given his notice 11 days after he completed the 26.2miles – when he “hadn’t physically recovered from the event”. The charity confirmed Scott had been dismissed “due to losses incurred in his latest marathon”. After the news was widely reported, however, a spokesman said on Tuesday that Action for Kids would now be “having discussions” with the fundraiser this week. Scott endured vomiting and cramps as he dragged his gastropod costume – he was specifically portraying Brian the Snail from the Magic Roundabout – around the course. He had hoped to raise at least £100,000, but managed only £20,000. The former footballer, who has raised over £5m for charity over the past 20 years, said the decision to sack him was “incredibly disappointing”. “We didn’t get enough funds whilst we were doing the event, however there was a number of opportunities that had arisen as a result of being on the course for that length of time … and other events we could have put on on the back of that,” Scott said. “It would have been really good to have had the opportunities to maximise on those openings for the benefit of the charity.” Scott said he had worked in “an orthodox role within the charity” as its director of fundraising. He said Action for Kids distancing themselves from his bid to crawl the London Marathon was particularly disappointing. Sally Bishop, the founder of Action for Kids, said in a statement that the board of trustees had asked Scott to leave. “He was given notice according to his contract with us, due to losses incurred in his latest marathon,” Bishop said. “Due to limited resources, like all charities, Action for Kids must make sure that we make the best possible use of our limited funds. “Our priority is always to our donors, and the children and families we support. So it is with regret we had to take this decision.” Scott said the event had been “approved and endorsed by the trustees of the charity” before he launched his bid. “It’s a bit amiss for them to say ‘It’s his event’,” he said. Scott, who played for Blackpool, Watford and Leyton Orient, began fundraising after he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1987. He has previously completed the London marathon dressed as St George and dragging a dragon, and as Indiana Jones, dragging a large stone. Action for Kids informed Scott that he would be dismissed two weeks after he had completed the marathon, at the end of May. However a spokesman for the charity told the Guardian on Tuesday that the two parties would be “having discussions” this week – with Scott also confirming his attendance. “The thing I want more than anything else is to raise the money we said we were going to,” Scott said, adding that people can still donate to Action for Kids on his fundraising page . The snail sacking saga may well have generated more income for the charity. Since the news of Scott’s dismissal broke there have been a flurry of donations to his Magic Marathon fundraising page. One anonymous donor pledged £5, adding: “Can they really sack a snail?!”. Steve Harvey gave £10, : and wrote: “I hope the disappointing news story of the sacked snail generates some positive interest and further donations from the British public. “Respect for all your hard work and massive charity achievements. I’m sure with some ‘air time’ money would roll in!” Charities London Marathon Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Action for Kids says Lloyd Scott was given his notice due to losses incurred during latest marathon A charity director who spent 26 days crawling the London marathon dressed as a giant snail has been sacked from his job after failing to raise enough money. Lloyd Scott, a well-known fundraiser who worked as director of fundraising at Action for Kids , was given his notice 11 days after he completed the 26.2miles – when he “hadn’t physically recovered from the event”. The charity confirmed Scott had been dismissed “due to losses incurred in his latest marathon”. After the news was widely reported, however, a spokesman said on Tuesday that Action for Kids would now be “having discussions” with the fundraiser this week. Scott endured vomiting and cramps as he dragged his gastropod costume – he was specifically portraying Brian the Snail from the Magic Roundabout – around the course. He had hoped to raise at least £100,000, but managed only £20,000. The former footballer, who has raised over £5m for charity over the past 20 years, said the decision to sack him was “incredibly disappointing”. “We didn’t get enough funds whilst we were doing the event, however there was a number of opportunities that had arisen as a result of being on the course for that length of time … and other events we could have put on on the back of that,” Scott said. “It would have been really good to have had the opportunities to maximise on those openings for the benefit of the charity.” Scott said he had worked in “an orthodox role within the charity” as its director of fundraising. He said Action for Kids distancing themselves from his bid to crawl the London Marathon was particularly disappointing. Sally Bishop, the founder of Action for Kids, said in a statement that the board of trustees had asked Scott to leave. “He was given notice according to his contract with us, due to losses incurred in his latest marathon,” Bishop said. “Due to limited resources, like all charities, Action for Kids must make sure that we make the best possible use of our limited funds. “Our priority is always to our donors, and the children and families we support. So it is with regret we had to take this decision.” Scott said the event had been “approved and endorsed by the trustees of the charity” before he launched his bid. “It’s a bit amiss for them to say ‘It’s his event’,” he said. Scott, who played for Blackpool, Watford and Leyton Orient, began fundraising after he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1987. He has previously completed the London marathon dressed as St George and dragging a dragon, and as Indiana Jones, dragging a large stone. Action for Kids informed Scott that he would be dismissed two weeks after he had completed the marathon, at the end of May. However a spokesman for the charity told the Guardian on Tuesday that the two parties would be “having discussions” this week – with Scott also confirming his attendance. “The thing I want more than anything else is to raise the money we said we were going to,” Scott said, adding that people can still donate to Action for Kids on his fundraising page . The snail sacking saga may well have generated more income for the charity. Since the news of Scott’s dismissal broke there have been a flurry of donations to his Magic Marathon fundraising page. One anonymous donor pledged £5, adding: “Can they really sack a snail?!”. Steve Harvey gave £10, : and wrote: “I hope the disappointing news story of the sacked snail generates some positive interest and further donations from the British public. “Respect for all your hard work and massive charity achievements. I’m sure with some ‘air time’ money would roll in!” Charities London Marathon Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
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Finnish phone-maker could pursue makers of Google Android phones after victory in long-running legal battle The Finnish phone-maker Nokia could receive a one-off payment of more than €800m (£700m) from Apple and receive further royalties of €8 per iPhone sold in future, after winning a long-running patents case. The company subsequently hinted that it may pursue makers of smartphones using Google’s Android mobile operating system, of which 36m were sold in the first quarter of 2011. The settlement signed on Tuesday related to patents for mobile technology that helped Apple to revolutionise the phone industry in 2007 when it launched the first iPhone. Although terms of the settlement were not disclosed, previous patent licensing deals in the phone industry have been worth up to 5% of the price of the device involved. At €8, or $11.50 (£7), they would represent about 4.5% of the estimated average $264 cost price of an iPhone, which Apple sells to retailers and phone networks for an average of $660. Apple has sold 108m iPhones since their launch. Nokia’s shares rose by 3% as it said that the one-off payment, whose size was not revealed, will have “a positive financial impact” on its upcoming quarterly results. At the end of May it forecast that its mobile phone division, which for years has been the biggest in the world, would see reduced revenues and might not make a profit for the first time in a decade. The one-off payment should push it back to its usual quarterly profit levels. Ongoing royalties from Apple of about 1% of the average sale price of a handset would be worth about $430m to Nokia this year, analysts estimated. Nokia may now also choose to sue makers of handsets running Google’s free Android mobile operating system if it decides that they have also infringed its patents. Nokia’s chief executive, Stephen Elop, said : “This settlement … enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.” A spokesman for Apple said: “Apple and Nokia have agreed to drop all of our current lawsuits and enter into a licence covering some of each other’s patents, but not the majority of the innovations that make the iPhone unique. We’re glad to put this behind us and get back to focusing on our respective businesses.” Florian Mueller, an independent specialist and blogger on patent battles, said that “the deal structure – a one-time payment as well as running royalties – suggests a fairly good outcome for Nokia”. He added: “Maybe Nokia could have continued to play hardball and got an even better deal if it didn’t face the challenges it undoubtedly has. But this looks like a fairly important victory.” He suggested that Apple would benefit if Nokia pursues Android handset-makers, because they have smaller margins and would be less easily able to afford royalties. Android dominates the smartphone market with a 36% share, ahead of Nokia’s Symbian with 27% and Apple’s 17%, according to the research company Gartner . Financial analysts had mixed views on the outcome. Mikael Rautanen, at Inderes in Helsinki, said: “This is the first positive news from Nokia for a long time. They can both focus on their businesses now, and the dispute was settled to Nokia’s advantage.” But others remained bearish on the group’s longer-term prospects. “This [the Apple deal] could cause the stock to have a bit of a relief rally, but does very little to address the stark reality that the company is facing,” Richard Windsor, analyst at Nomura, said. On Monday, Nomura forecast that Nokia will be passed by both Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market worldwide over the next four months, and that its phone business will shrink by about 20% over the next two years as it tries to shift from Symbian to Microsoft’s Windows Phone on smartphones . “We see no reason to remain anything other than negative on the stock,” said Windsor. Nokia’s shares are still down about 25% since 30 May, representing a €5.5bn fall in market capitalisation for one of Europe’s biggest technology companies. The case settled on Tuesday was filed in 2009 by Nokia, which said it had filed a patent 10 years ago that covered the use of touchscreen technology in phones. Ironically, announcing the iPhone in 2007, Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said of the multi-touch screen interface: “Boy, have we patented it!”, in a warning to would-be rivals. Elop said: “We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees. This settlement demonstrates Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.” Nokia Apple Mobile phones Computing Telecoms Telecommunications industry Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Finnish phone-maker could pursue makers of Google Android phones after victory in long-running legal battle The Finnish phone-maker Nokia could receive a one-off payment of more than €800m (£700m) from Apple and receive further royalties of €8 per iPhone sold in future, after winning a long-running patents case. The company subsequently hinted that it may pursue makers of smartphones using Google’s Android mobile operating system, of which 36m were sold in the first quarter of 2011. The settlement signed on Tuesday related to patents for mobile technology that helped Apple to revolutionise the phone industry in 2007 when it launched the first iPhone. Although terms of the settlement were not disclosed, previous patent licensing deals in the phone industry have been worth up to 5% of the price of the device involved. At €8, or $11.50 (£7), they would represent about 4.5% of the estimated average $264 cost price of an iPhone, which Apple sells to retailers and phone networks for an average of $660. Apple has sold 108m iPhones since their launch. Nokia’s shares rose by 3% as it said that the one-off payment, whose size was not revealed, will have “a positive financial impact” on its upcoming quarterly results. At the end of May it forecast that its mobile phone division, which for years has been the biggest in the world, would see reduced revenues and might not make a profit for the first time in a decade. The one-off payment should push it back to its usual quarterly profit levels. Ongoing royalties from Apple of about 1% of the average sale price of a handset would be worth about $430m to Nokia this year, analysts estimated. Nokia may now also choose to sue makers of handsets running Google’s free Android mobile operating system if it decides that they have also infringed its patents. Nokia’s chief executive, Stephen Elop, said : “This settlement … enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.” A spokesman for Apple said: “Apple and Nokia have agreed to drop all of our current lawsuits and enter into a licence covering some of each other’s patents, but not the majority of the innovations that make the iPhone unique. We’re glad to put this behind us and get back to focusing on our respective businesses.” Florian Mueller, an independent specialist and blogger on patent battles, said that “the deal structure – a one-time payment as well as running royalties – suggests a fairly good outcome for Nokia”. He added: “Maybe Nokia could have continued to play hardball and got an even better deal if it didn’t face the challenges it undoubtedly has. But this looks like a fairly important victory.” He suggested that Apple would benefit if Nokia pursues Android handset-makers, because they have smaller margins and would be less easily able to afford royalties. Android dominates the smartphone market with a 36% share, ahead of Nokia’s Symbian with 27% and Apple’s 17%, according to the research company Gartner . Financial analysts had mixed views on the outcome. Mikael Rautanen, at Inderes in Helsinki, said: “This is the first positive news from Nokia for a long time. They can both focus on their businesses now, and the dispute was settled to Nokia’s advantage.” But others remained bearish on the group’s longer-term prospects. “This [the Apple deal] could cause the stock to have a bit of a relief rally, but does very little to address the stark reality that the company is facing,” Richard Windsor, analyst at Nomura, said. On Monday, Nomura forecast that Nokia will be passed by both Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market worldwide over the next four months, and that its phone business will shrink by about 20% over the next two years as it tries to shift from Symbian to Microsoft’s Windows Phone on smartphones . “We see no reason to remain anything other than negative on the stock,” said Windsor. Nokia’s shares are still down about 25% since 30 May, representing a €5.5bn fall in market capitalisation for one of Europe’s biggest technology companies. The case settled on Tuesday was filed in 2009 by Nokia, which said it had filed a patent 10 years ago that covered the use of touchscreen technology in phones. Ironically, announcing the iPhone in 2007, Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said of the multi-touch screen interface: “Boy, have we patented it!”, in a warning to would-be rivals. Elop said: “We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees. This settlement demonstrates Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.” Nokia Apple Mobile phones Computing Telecoms Telecommunications industry Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk
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