Mitch McConnell is the latest convert to the idea of banning earmarks in spending bills : Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) announced Monday that he would join a GOP effort to ban congressional earmarks, a stunning turnaround that reflects a huge victory for the Tea Party movement. A senior member of the Appropriations Committee, McConnell has been one of the Senate’s strongest proponents of local pork, but watched the practice fall into disfavor amid growing public anger over Washington spending that fueled GOP victories in this month’s midterm election. “There is simply no doubt that the abuse of this practice has caused Americans to view it as a symbol of the waste and out-of-control spending that every Republican in Washington is determined to fight,” McConnell said Monday in a speech on the Senate floor. “And unless people like me show the American people that we’re willing to follow through on small or even symbolic things, we risk losing them on our broader efforts to cut spending and rein in government,” he said. Banning earmarks will not necessarily reduce the budget because the funds will still be appropriated in large blocks. What the banning of earmarks does is prevent lawmakers from directing funds to their favorite political cronies and contributors, or to unnecessary projects that benefit their district. Half of West Virginia is named after Robert Byrd because of earmarks. The Airport to Nowhere in Pennsylvania, which has state-of-the-art facilities but only a couple of flights a day to Washington D.C., got there because of earmarks from John Murtha. The voters said to knock it off, and McConnell is wise to listen.
Continue reading …
Photo: Kelly Rossiter There were a couple of reasons I chose to add a tagine to my menu for my Thanksgiving dinner party . It cooked for a couple of hours on top of the stove so we got it started early and then ignored it. I had other things going into the oven, and the tagine didn’t take up any valuable oven time. There are lots of vegetables involved, so every mouthful is a little different from the last and I thought it would be a good companion to the other things on the plate. But really, I love my
Continue reading …Evigroup Paddle tablet goes Pro, gets cursor-controlling, head-tracking webcam
November 16, 2010 No Comment
Some day, in the distant future, we’ll be activating windows, clicking buttons, and playing Farmville with our minds. Our minds . There have been attempts to get us there, none fully comprehensive, though the Evigroup Paddle Pro tablet is taking an interesting alternative approach: using head tracking to control the cursor. Apparently its front-facing webcam detects your front-facing mug and as you look about the screen it moves the cursor appropriately. Staring rudely at any button or control for a half-second equates to a click and, while we don’t yet know how you’ll double-click, we’d like to think a spasmodic twitch will be required. Evigroup is also launching a curvy keyboard to go with the Paddle Pro and is promising the ability to play video and audio wirelessly courtesy of a “small station” that connects to your TV. The internals, meanwhile, are perfectly predictable: a netbook spec Atom N450 struggling with Windows 7 Home Premium. No word on price or availability. Evigroup Paddle tablet goes Pro, gets cursor-controlling, head-tracking webcam originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Journalists arrested interviewing son of woman condemned to death by stoning charged with espionage. State-run television shows blurred footage of two men ‘confessing’ that they had been ‘tricked’ into travelling to Iran
Continue reading …
Cabinet yet to vote on 90-day settlement construction moratorium, but fingers already being pointed. Jerusalem source says final agreement version being stalled due to Palestinian fear that US incentives take pressure off Israel
Continue reading …
It’s hard to believe we’re already writing a review of the Nook Color , considering Barnes & Noble’s first foray into the e-reader world was revealed just over a year ago. In that time, the company has gone from no presence in e-books to owning 20 percent of the marketshare, and now has moved from a somewhat sluggish hybrid E-Ink / LCD device to a full color, tablet-like product. The Nook Color is definitely a major step forward, boasting a completely revamped, Android-based OS, and a big push into the children’s book and periodical market (particularly full color magazines). Both of these spaces have yet to be mined successfully by players like Apple and Amazon — and it’s clear Barnes & Noble is aware of the stakes. Beyond book reading, the Nook Color potentially offers a tablet alternative that can (or will be able to) do much of what is possible on an iPad or Galaxy Tab. In fact, the company plans to launch its own Android tablet app store in the first quarter of 2011, providing a consistent, compatible application experience that could get the jump on other Android tablet-makers’ plans (hello Samsung). Of course, this is a fierce market, and with a $249 price tag, Barnes & Noble has to play to win on every front. So, is the Nook Color the next logical step in e-readers? Is it a healthy alternative to more expensive tablets? And can it cement the prominent bookseller’s place in a hotly contested new space? Read on for all those answers in the full Engadget review! Gallery: Nook Color review Continue reading Nook Color review Nook Color review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Talk about maintaining a pace. Nearly a year to the day after the introduction of the original Drobo S comes this: the Drobo S. Er, the second generation Drobo S. As you could probably surmise from the title above, the only notable difference in Data Robotics’ newest storage robot is the addition of USB 3.0, but the triple interface ensures that eSATA and FireWire 800 users are also taken care of. Of course, USB 2.0 backwards compatibility is inbuilt, and while no theoretical speed figures are given, we’re sure it’s far quicker than the (now) prior version. It’ll be sold starting today directly from the company, but beginning on November 18th, it’ll also be featured on HP Small Business Direct. The (empty) base model will go for $799, while $1,299 buys you a five pack of 1TB HDDs, $1,549 gets you five 1.5TB HDDs and $1,799 lands you with five 2TB HDDs. In related news, Drobo Sync is now shipping in order to provide offsite backup to Drobo FS units, and Billy Corgan still enjoys playing with Bluetooth speaker balls while on vacation. Crazy, right? Data Robotics’s Drobo S storage robot goes USB 3.0, starts at $800 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
The $249 Nook Color has decided its November 19th shipping date wasn’t soon enough so it’s jumped ahead of it with pre-order deliveries starting today. Barnes and Noble’s Nook-with-a-hook will be cheering those who reserved or pre-ordered it as shipping ramps up through this week, and there’ll even be some “very limited” quantities that you’ll be able to buy at retail locations like B&N, Best Buy, Walmart, and Books-A-Million stores. All of them should be getting live units for the curious to try out the Nook Color as well. As to the older, less chromatically able Nooks, B&N is promising a firmware update next week. Skip past the break for the full PR. Continue reading Nook Color now shipping to early birds, limited retail Nook Color now shipping to early birds, limited retail originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
TreeHugger founder Graham Hill is trying to radically reduce his footprint and live happily with less space, less stuff and less waste on less money, but with more design. He calls it “LifeEdited.” You can help: Enter the design competition and win up to $70,000 in prizes and possibly design the apartment! The Chool might fit in a LifeEdited; James Lucas of Slam designed it so that it sits like a stool, not taking up much room, until you sit on it. This action causes the mechanism ins… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …
Photo: World of Sport Australia has a feral camel problem. The Australian Feral Camel Management Project estimates that 1 million of rogue dromedaries roam outback Australia, annually causing over $14 million AUD worth of damage to infrastructure and livelihoods across more than 3 million km2 (1.1 million m2). As well as immeasurable damage to the natural environment and aboriginal cultural values.
Continue reading …