All images credit Franke James TreeHugger favourite Franke complains in one of her trademark photo essays that she is irked by unshovelled sidewalks. It is one of those contradictions, where the sidewalk is on city property. where we are not required to shovel the streets for cars, (the city has ploughs for that) but the sidewalks, for pedestrians, are the homeowners’ responsibility. Franke famously does not own a car and walks everywhere, so I am surprised by her complaint…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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A 911 caller witnessing the mass shooting outside a grocery store in Tucson describes a frantic scene and says, “I do believe Gabby Giffords was hit.” (Jan. 9)
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Well, along with all the other things that happened this year at CES , Bang & Olufsen announced a new cooperation agreement with Intel . What does that mean to you, the consumer? Not terribly much, on the outside — B&O products have carried Intel chips in the past, but this marks the first time the two companies have had an official relationship, and should mean we’ll be seeing refreshes of B&O products every time Intel brings forth new chips. And that’s always great news, isn’t it? Hit up the source link for full, flowery quotes from reps at both Intel and Bang & Olfusen. Full press release is after the break. Continue reading Bang & Olufsen announce chip co-op deal with Intel Bang & Olufsen announce chip co-op deal with Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and playoff-savvy Baltimore forced five turnovers to beat the youthful Kansas City Chiefs 30-7 in the NFL playoffs on Sunday. (Jan. 9)
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Click here to view this media Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) may only be an eye doctor but he didn’t hesitate in offering a medical diagnoses for the man that allegedly shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) Saturday. “I looked at some of the writings of this young man,” Paul told Fox News’ Bret Baier Sunday. “From a medical point of view, there is a lot to suggest paranoid schizophrenia, that this man was a really sick individual,” he said of Jared Loughner, the man suspected of shooting Giffords. “Absolutely we need to condemn the violence. And absolutely we need to have our prayers and our thoughts with those who suffered from this violence,” he added. Paul, a self-certified ophthalmologist , didn’t reveal which qualifications allowed him to make the diagnosis. As a darling of the tea party and a political ally of Fox News’ Sarah Palin, Paul may have reason to deemphasize any connections between Loughner and conservative ideology. Giffords was on Palin’s so-called hit list of Democratic districts being “targeted” for defeat. When Palin’s name was mentioned at a vigil for Giffords Saturday, Fox News quickly cut away . Paul also said Sunday that calls for more restrictive gun laws shouldn’t play a part in the tragedy. “I don’t think that plays into this at all. I think they’re unrelated,” he said. “This is probably about a very sick individual and what should be done for that person.” “But the weapons don’t kill people, it’s he individual that kills — that killed these people.”
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If there is one booth at CES this year that is going all out, it’s arguably LG’s. The massive, supermarket-sized chunk of show floor real estate showcases everything from the manufacturer’s latest phones — like the Revolution , Optimus Black and Optimus 2X — to SmartTV devices, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs . You’ll also find smart appliances linked with WiFi and smartphone apps using LG Thinq , and even a scanner mouse — not to mention a mesmerizing display wall. Sample the insanity in the gallery below, and in the video after the break. Gallery: LG’s CES 2011 booth tour Continue reading LG’s CES 2011 booth tour LG’s CES 2011 booth tour originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Shaken by the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, lawmakers from both parties say it’s time to tone down the rhetoric. The nation’s bitter political climate has become a suspect of sorts in the rampage that left 6 dead and Giffords injured. (Jan. 9)
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We spent a few minutes at the show this week ogling the prototype displays that Samsung’s Mobile Display unit has produced over the last few months, headlined by some particularly awesome 4.5-inch flexible and 19-inch transparent AMOLEDs. Let’s start with the flexible unit: Sammy seems to be particularly excited about this one, demonstrating on video that it’s shatter-proof by bashing it repeatedly with a sledgehammer — compare that to the inevitably disastrous consequences of dropping an iPhone onto concrete, and they’ve already won us over. Although the company still has some manufacturing challenges to overcome, commercial interest seems to be strong and they’ll eventually be on the market (though not in 2011, sadly). The picture for the transparent displays is a little murkier — both physically and from a business perspective. Though they’re not as clear as regular glass or as crisp and bright as a traditional AMOLED display, you’ve got to marvel at what they’re doing here: full see-through color at effectively small television sizes. Interestingly, Samsung tells us that they’re really close to being production-ready with these — possibly even close than the flexible screens — but they’re still looking for business cases that’d make mass-producing them a worthwhile venture. Follow the break for some video of these bad boys, along with a 7-inch Super AMOLED that’s looking Galaxy Tab -ready (and some other goodies)! Gallery: Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video) Continue reading Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video) Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Harry Reid: ‘The Arithmetic on Social Security Works’ — ‘It’s Not in Crisis’
January 9, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Thank you Harry Reid! It’s about time I heard a Democrat start to push back against the rhetoric we’ve been hearing on Social Security. David Gregory tried to get Reid to say that we need to go after Social Security to solve our “debt problem” (the one they only started caring about after a Democrat got elected as president) and Reid held firm that the program is not in crisis and is going to be solvent for years to come. Frankly I’d like to see them leave that percentage right where it is now and take the cap off of the terribly regressive tax, but I would imagine it will be a cold day in hell before we see the politicians allow that to happen. DAVID GREGORY: What about the role of government, however? Under President Obama the federal debt has expanded by 32 percent. Are people rightfully concerned about the role of government under this President, under Democratic leadership? HARRY REID: People are concerned about the debt, as they should be. But let’s just go back a little bit and look at history. It’s not as if we Democrats don’t know how to run government. Bill Clinton had a program called PAYGO. If you’re gonna have a new program, pay for it; either by increasing revenue or cutting other programs. We did that, and as a result of that we were paying down the debt. And during the eight years of Bush, the first thing they did is get rid of the PAYGO rules. And we have them now reestablished. And we– this last Congress, 111th Congress and President Obama, found ourselves in a hole so deep, you couldn’t see the top of it. And we’re working out way out of that hole. DAVID GREGORY: Social Security– how does it have to change? What they put on the agenda is raising the retirement age, maybe means testing benefits. Is it time for Social Security to fundamentally change if you’re gonna deal with the debt problem? HARRY REID: One of the things that always troubles me is when we start talking about the debt, the first thing people do is run to Social Security. Social Security is a program that works. And it’s going to be– it’s fully funded for the next forty years. Stop picking on Social Security. There’re a lotta places– DAVID GREGORY: Senator are you really saying — HARRY REID: –where you can go to save money. DAVID GREGORY:– the arithmetic on Social Security works? HARRY REID: I’m saying the arithmetic in Social Security works. I have no doubt it does. DAVID GREGORY: It’s not in crisis? HARRY REID: The ne– no, it’s not in crisis. This is– this is– this is something that’s perpetuated by people who don’t like government. Social Security is fine. Are there things we can do to improve Social Security? Of course. DAVID GREGORY: Means testing. Raising the — DAVID GREGORY:–retirement age– HARRY REID: –don’t– DAVID GREGORY: –do you– HARRY REID: –I’m– DAVID GREGORY: –agree with either of those? HARRY REID: –I’m not going to go to with any of those backdoor methods- you know, to whack Social Security recipients. I’m not going to do that. We have a lot of things we can do with– this debt. It’s a problem. But one of the places where I’m not going to be part of picking on is Social Security.
Continue reading …Leave it up to the Chicago Sun Times editorial page to take opportunistic privileges with the Arizona Shooting tragedy and post a shamefully rambling and incoherent smear against the right . With the claim that “we cannot walk away from this one” the newspaper rails against the tone of America’s political rhetoric, to end the fear-mongering and “ quit the demonizing ”. And then in an incredibly inane example of ideological laziness the editorial demonizes “the right” for the tragic shooting. read more
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