Eleanor Clint doesn't exactly say that President Barack Obama is completely clueless about politics but she comes pretty close to it in her latest Newsweek column . The lack of a basic ability to control the political agenda in Washington is a prospect that makes a committed liberal like Clift somewhat less than happy: Obama’s storied political career took him from the relative obscurity of the Illinois State Legislature to the presidency in such a short time that he didn’t get much of a feel for the nitty-gritty politicking that consumes so much of today’s partisan bickering. He didn’t have the benefit of getting beaten badly at the state level, like Clinton was in Arkansas, and having to learn how to reinvent himself. read more
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Police are spending a third day searching for a gunman suspected of critically wounding a Utah state park ranger. The search is going on in a rugged canyon along the Colorado River about 20 miles west of Moab. (Nov. 22)
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Major-General Aviv Kochavi replaces Major-General Amos Yadlin as head of IDF intelligence, says will ‘do everything to provide quality intelligence to IDF forces, so they succeed’
Continue reading …Verizon bringing 150/35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs
November 22, 2010 No Comment
You know, we’re pretty stoked for the folks who just so happen to reside within Verizon’s relatively minuscule FiOS service footprint, but rather than hooking up those who’ve already been adequately hooked, why not spread that fiber cheer over to a few extra states? Alas, it looks as if the FiOS rollout is on an indefinite hold , but those lucky enough to have access will soon have the ability to upgrade their existing internet service to this: a 150/35Mbps option. That’s 150Mbps down and 35Mbps up, and as far as consumer-grade services in America go, it’s pretty much as good as it gets. Verizon is claiming that it’ll be available to order by consumers at the end of this year, with small businesses seeing the option shortly thereafter. ‘Course, no pricing details are mentioned, but it’s not like it matters — you’ll cash in whatever Yuletide gifts you have to in order to get this, right? Continue reading Verizon bringing 150/35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs Verizon bringing 150/35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Discussing an Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll on the sex lives of baby boomers, Dr. Ruth Westheimer says men and women between the ages of 45 and 65 need to talk to each other to best understand their needs. (Nov. 22)
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Following raid on yeshivot offices which revealed that three haredi organizations embezzled millions from government through ID fraud, police reveal that 40 other foundations were in on deal for years
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Image Credit Lloyd Alter There are some things that the Internet is very good at, including helping put people and people or things and things together. Nathan Benjamin runs a dating service for materials, putting people together with the used materials they need. ” PlanetReuse makes using reclaimed building materials effortless, expertly matching materials with designers, builders and owners to save projects money, serve LEED efforts and sustain the planet.”… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …A Very New York Times Thanksgiving: An Interfaith Service ‘Transcending’ Christianity for Woody Guthrie
November 22, 2010 No CommentThanksgiving may have begun in America as a Christian event, but The New York Times is much fonder of an event that “transcends” that persnickety Jesus-is-the-way-and-the-truth Christianity and celebrates the vaguely Unitarian left. Longtime Times reporter Peter Applebome championed an event in Pleasantville, New York in his “Our Towns” column on Monday : Maybe it took a country-and-western rabbi to put together the interfaith Thanksgiving service that ended Sunday with Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists singing “This Land Is Your Land” along with Woody Guthrie's daughter, Nora Guthrie. Rabbi Mark Sameth of the local synagogue (who told Applebome that “George Jones is God”) and Rev. Stephen Phillips, the local Methodist minister, put together the interfaith hootenanny, but don’t call it liberal. Just call it… “off-center.” read more
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Photo: Steve Evans , Wikimedia, CC As if Mondays weren’t depressing enough, there’s this bit of news to start off your day: Tigers could be entirely extinct in the wild just over a decade. There are only 3,200 tigers left, outside of captivity. At least 1,000 were killed over the last decade by poaching alone. Many more are threatened by habitat loss caused by human development. If this trajectory continues, one of the most recognizable and universally-beloved species on the plane… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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enlarge Hey, Steve Jobs! It would be excellent for you to absolutely deny this rumor now before any unsuspecting consumers buy iPads for their relatives for Christmas. Granted, it’s still being reported as rumor, but the idea of any kind of native iPad app running News Corp content 24/7 makes me want to go out and buy a dozen Android devices just to punish you. Right. now. Rumors are circling that News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch is teaming up with Apple CEO Steve Jobs to launch a new digital-only newspaper. Dubbed, “The Daily,” the iPad project will allegedly stream right a user’s device seven days a week for the fairly low price of $0.99 per week, or roughly $4.25 monthly. “Several sources said Apple chief Steve Jobs and Murdoch have been in conversations about the project for a while,” writes Women’s Wear Daily’s John Koblin. “When the project is announced, don’t be surprised if you see Steve Jobs onstage with Rupert Murdoch, welcoming The Daily to the app world.” The day that happens, John Lennon will rise from the dead and haunt Steve Jobs for his remaining days on this earth. And every Apple device in this house and in the possession of relatives will be sent to exile, forever. In typical techie journalism style, Mashable says “we’ve gotta give Murdoch credit.” Yeah, he gets a ton of credit from me for promoting fools like Sarah Palin and turning lies into commodities that trade on Twitter and Facebook exchanges for friend requests and high-dollar donations to right-wing lunatics. While I may not like some of Murdoch’s ideas, (see Murdoch: Take Your Google Ball and Go Home ), I give credit where it’s due. Murdoch’s commitment to a digital future for journalism is commendable and forward-thinking. He realizes more than his competitors that the future of news isn’t in propping up print publications, but creating truly immersive digital experiences. He may very be creating the template that brings other newspapers into a profitable digital age. Mashable dude, wake up. Murdoch realizes more than his competitors that if he controls the flow and editorial content, no matter what the device, he wins. But wait, there’s a consolation prize: L et’s be clear, though: while The Daily could very well take off and become the must-have publication on the iPad, it will never be the only player on the block. People won’t stop reading blogs or newspaper websites in favor of the iPad. Instead, they’ll add The Daily to their many sources of news. Some days, they’ll make the $0.99 purchase, and on others they’ll be reading through the archives of Mashable or Perez Hilton. If you want to see what journalism will become, have a look at Facebook, particularly the discussions on Sarah Palin’s facebook page. Rupert Murdoch has destroyed news and most particularly political reporting. If Steve Jobs thinks dancing with the devil is profitable, he can contend with the demons that haunt him as a result.
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