By Joe Conason In their ideological zeal, the new Republicans on Capitol Hill seem eager to gamble everything—even the chance of a worldwide depression—on a showdown over the national debt ceiling. Related Entries January 6, 2011 How America Exiles Unwanted Teenagers January 5, 2011 The House of Professors
Continue reading …By Ruth Marcus If you programmed a computer to generate a speech laden with cliches; solemnly vowing to achieve the unobjectionable; and all but devoid of substance, it would have come up with something approximating John Boehner’s remarks. Related Entries January 6, 2011 How America Exiles Unwanted Teenagers January 5, 2011 The House of Professors
Continue reading …After Four Years of Kid Gloves for Dems, AP Can’t Even Wait a Day to Take Ill-Informed Shots at the GOP House
January 7, 2011 No CommentWell, that didn't take long. AP reporters Calvin Woodward and Andrew Taylor answered the bell and came out swinging at the Republican House within hours after John Boehner was sworn in as Speaker, accusing the GOP of supposedly breaking a number of core promises. As usual when the wire service covers Republicans, there's no shortage of inconsistency bordering on hypocrisy coming from AP's alleged journalists. Here are selected paragraphs from this morning's report (“PROMISES, PROMISES: GOP drops some out of the gate”): read more
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Thirty-year-old Matthew Hoffman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday for killing a woman, her 11-year-old son and a neighbor then stuffing their remains in a hollow tree. (Jan. 6)
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Two packages sent to state government buildings 20 miles apart released smoke and the smell of sulfur when they were opened Thursday, officials said. A mailroom employee was hurt, but not seriously. (Jan. 6)
Continue reading …Griffin’s Beacon Universal Remote Control System brings dongle-free control to your smartphone
January 7, 2011 No Comment
Ditch those dongles and throw out those cases , the next level of smartphone-as-universal-remote technology is here. Beacon Universal Remote Control System from Griffin Technology and Dijits turns your iPhone and other iOS devices into omnipotent remote controls, by converting Bluetooth signals into infrared commands that your stereo, TV, and other devices can recognize. Paired with Dijit’s Universal Remote App, Beacon, which looks something akin to a game show buzzer, converts your touchscreen to a remote, making all the added cases, dongles, and even cords unnecessary — it can run up to two months on four AA batteries. Beacon hits the market in May 2011 for $79.99, but if you’re lucky enough to be at CES this week, you can check out a demo at Griffin’s booth. Griffin’s Beacon Universal Remote Control System brings dongle-free control to your smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Abidjan: A top advisor to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo says the British and Canadian ambassadors have been asked to leave the country in retaliation for expulsion of the Ivorian ambassadors in London and Ottawa. Pascal Affi N’Guessan, a confidante of Gbagbo and the President of his political party , said yesterday the two ambassadors will be made to leave just as were their Ivorian counterparts. Gbagbo has refused to cede power following the presidential election in November, which observers say he lost to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara. Ouattara has sent letters to more than 20 countries asking them not to recognize any longer the diplomats accredited under Gbagbo’s regime. PTI 1…
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Australia’s flood-stricken coal industry may face months of disruptions as reports emerge of key rail and road links being washed away, while some infrastructure may take years to repair, authorities said on Friday. There are some aspects of the rebuilding…
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JUBA, SUDAN – Separation or unity. A solitary hand or two clasped together. Those are the choices — and the printed images on the ballot — for close to 4 million registered voters in southern Sudan beginning Sunday, when a seven-day referendum on separation from Africa’s biggest country begins. The vote, which is likely to lead to the world’s newest nation, is the culmination of a 2005 peace deal that ended a north-south civil war that lasted two decades and killed 2 million people. Organizing the vote in the impoverished land, where many are herders and nomadic at least part of the year and where only 15 percent of people can read and write, was an enormous challenge. Only 2 percent of…
Continue reading …Orb BR software comes to PS3 and other Blu-ray players, 1080p streaming for $20
January 7, 2011 No Comment
The tiny, coaster-like design of the Orb TV is hard not to like, but the lack of HD output is mighty tough to stomach these days. Plus, who wants another doo-dad cluttering up their entertainment center? Thankfully, the next product from Orb is much smaller: a disc. You pop the software into your internet-connected PS3 or Blu-ray player and magically it turns into a top-shelf media streamer. You’ll have connectivity with Netflix, Hulu Plus, Comedy Central, Amazon VoD, and naturally YouTube. The discs are set to ship in February for $19.99, which puts even the $99 Orb TV to shame, but we’re curious to see how the performance is. You can be sure we’ll be finding out for you soon. Continue reading Orb BR software comes to PS3 and other Blu-ray players, 1080p streaming for $20 Orb BR software comes to PS3 and other Blu-ray players, 1080p streaming for $20 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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