Palm Beach Post Columnist Slams Parents of Rep. Giffords Doctor for Supporting Tea Party Candidates
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Michael Lemole is a neurosurgeon who has been treating Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. However, that noble work wasn't enough to keep Palm Beach Post Page 2 Live columnist Jose Lambiet (photo) from dragging his parents through the mud for the “high crime” of supporting Tea Party candidates. Somehow Lambiet thinks it ironic that while the son has worked to save the life of Giffords, his parents are associated with a group that Lambiet absurdly claims provided “fertile ground” for the likes of Jared Loughner. Lambiet kicks off his odious column by snarking about how wealthy Lemole's parents appear to be:
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A person of interest has been arrested in a series of rapes that have terrorized Detroit’s east side since Jan. 1, police said Wednesday. (Jan. 19)
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Click here to view this media ( Sargent Shriver and Peace Corps Volunteers – an abundance of optimism ) Editors Note: As way of tribute on the passing of Sargent Shriver today at the age of 95, I am reposting this entry, originally from August of 2009 – Gordon The Peace Corps came about as the result of The New Frontier – the brainchild of the Kennedy administration. In 1961 a program was set up to get Americas youth involved in the world by going overseas to help set up schools, libraries, infrastructure – anything to be of service where it was needed. A nice idea, and one which captured the imaginations of thousands of young adults wanting to be part of the optimistic change that was so prevalent in the 1960s. R. Sargent Shriver was given the task of setting the agency up. He was its first architect. He was also given the task of having to explain just what it was he planned on doing. And so he went on the talk show circuit to lay out in plain terms, just what the Peace was and what it wasn’t.One of those talk shows was CBS News’ Capitol Cloakroom from October 1961. Nancy Hanschman (CBS News) : “Are your Peace Corps men expected to proselytize to Democracy in any way at all? What is the briefing you give them on this? Sargent Shriver: “ Well we give them a lot of instruction in American history and government and theory in government and political life and we expect that when they’re asked questions by the people in their foreign country they’ll be able to give them intelligent, informed answers. We don’t go out there and tell them ‘now here is Course Number 101 in American Government – sell this, if you can to the people in the Philippines.’ They’re not out there as traveling salesman, they’re not out there to get up on a soapbox and give a speech. But they are supposed to be out there as well informed, intelligent Americans, able to respond to questions, and even to tough questions from people in foreign countries.” The Peace Corps became a great success and did a lot to improve our somewhat sagging reputation throughout the world. And considering the number of “yanqui go home” placards from demonstrations around the world that graced most newspaper front pages and nightly newscasts through the 1950s, that was a good thing.
Continue reading …Sure, everybody who is somebody got an invite to tonight’s state dinner. But who gets seated at the head table with President Obama and guest of honor Hu Jintao? Gawker has the list, which includes: Law and Order star BD Wong Bill and Hillary, along with Jimmy and Roslyn, and…
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It’s 100 days to go before Britain’s royal wedding – and tourists outside Buckingham Palace received a special pre-wedding treat Wednesday. No fewer than thirteen “Kate Middletons” turned up to mingle with tourists. (Jan. 19)
Continue reading …Kongregate app pulled from Android Marketplace, CEO hopes it’s just a misunderstanding
January 20, 2011 No Comment
We’ve heard of apps getting 187′d from the iTunes App Store ad nauseum, but Google’s Android Marketplace ? That’s pretty novel. In what is probably the most high profile bait-and-switch since the mobile platform’s launch, Kongregate found its eponymous software pulled on the very same day it came out. As CEO Jim Greer tells Joystiq , the app was pulled due to the “claim you can’t use their app store to distribute another app store.” Which is all well and good until you realize that what Kongregate the app does is simply serve as a portal for Kongregrate the mobile site — Greer says it’s the same experience as visiting m.kongregate.com to play its free Flash games — with the option for offline mode. “It’s all essentially cached content delivered in a browser,” he said, “which to me is just bizarre that that would be considered an ‘app store.’” In fact, as Greer notes, Android’s rule of thumb here for disallowing Kongregate could also apply to popular apps like Amazon’s Kindle. The Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement says, “you may not use the Market to distribute or make available any Product whose primary purpose is to facilitate the distribution of Products outside of the Market,” with Product defined broadly as “Software, content and digital materials created for Devices in accordance with the Android SDK and distributed via the Market.” Greer also says a number of people in Google had seen it previously and liked the app (not the ones who ultimately pulled it, mind you), and he hopes this is all some grand misunderstanding. We hope so, too — that, or Google presents its own compelling version of events and we’re left deliberating to ourselves. In the meantime, the app is still available for side loading care of Kongregate’s website. Nothing like a backup plan, eh? Kongregate app pulled from Android Marketplace, CEO hopes it’s just a misunderstanding originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Some careful digging in the iOS 4.3 beta has revealed an intriguing new string intended for the iPad’s Settings menu. As you can see above, users will be able to toggle a new auto-unlocking feature on their iPad, which would respond to closing and opening of the slate’s cover (or case , or sleeve , or whatever ). Though the iPad already has an ambient light sensor, the one true way to make this functionality work is by employing a good old proximity sensor, so we can probably pencil that into our ever-expanding list of iPad 2 attributes . Who’d have thought there were so many ways to improve on a magical revolution , eh? [Thanks, Mike] Next-gen iPad may come with proximity sensor, iOS 4.3 beta reveals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Click here to view this media I had heard that Glenn Beck had been quite muted after the president’s speech last week. But today the dam broke. He just couldn’t hold it back any longer, and let fly with a segment worthy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest . Jack Nicholson couldn’t do it any better. He aims at CNN’s John King, who discusses a conversation he had about the Chicago mayoral race, where a colleague used the term “in the crosshairs”. King says they’re trying to get away from that language, but sometimes falter, and for viewers to “hold us accountable when we don’t meet your standards.” This is all it takes to push Beck over the edge. For the next 5 minutes, 49 seconds, he completely loses whatever tenuous hold on sanity he may appear to have. Citing old Bugs Bunny cartoons, he goes on and on about how we’ve raised an entire generation who understand the difference between make-believe and reality. Well, no. What Beck intentionally misses here is the obvious, which is that most people are attuned to what is rhetoric and what is real, and are smart enough to separate them. It’s that group who live on the unraveling edges because of their own mental health state who may not be able to. But of course, that would sort of intrude on Beck’s own stroll down the river of illogic and venom. I do have one observation of my own on his casual dismissal of violent rhetoric. There is a desensitizing effect on sane people. Crosshairs the first time can become a shrug the sixth or seventh time. That doesn’t mean it’s not deleterious. It just means people become that much less sensitive to expressions of harm and violence toward others. I don’t view that as a good thing, even if they don’t act upon the idea. I don’t take Glenn Beck seriously. I know most people here don’t, either. I also don’t believe we have to sugar-coat everything we say, but surely there’s a place for reasonable, respectful verbal exchanges that don’t involve wishing some form of death upon those with opposite viewpoints? (h/t C&L community member PissedOffPatricia )
Continue reading …Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are promoted as revolutionary power-saving devices—able to produce more light with less juice and last for nearly 10 years. But a review of conservation measures undertaken by California, a state that adopted CFLs more enthusiastically than any other—shows the bulbs to be a little disappointing,…
Continue reading …Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number (update: option disappears)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
We’d be lying if we said we hadn’t been waiting on this feature since the service’s debut. As one reader just notified us (and verified by a number of staffers), Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number into its system — as in, that 10-digit hometown relic you’ve been holding onto as long as you’ve carried a handset can now live in the cloud and grant you freedom to start afresh / forward to your many on-hand devices. Check under phone setting to see if “change / port” is now an option. The cost of porting is $20 and, as you may guess, it’ll terminate your current service plan and probably prompt the carrier in question to charge applicable early termination fees, but that’s pittance for saving your old line for the indefinite future. You know, just in case your seventh grade crush gets the nerve to call and say, “sorry.” Of course he / she will, just give it time. Update: Google just pinged us to note this feature is still being tested and may not be available to everyone. “We’re continually testing new features to enhance the user experience. For a limited amount of time, we’re making the Google Voice number porting process available to users. We don’t have any additional details to share at this time, but plan to offer this feature to all users in the near future.” Update 2: Ninja vanish! Looks like the option to port is gone — for now, at least. Just keep an eye on your settings pane, it’s bound to resurface sooner or later. Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number (update: option disappears) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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