China is preparing a surveillance network with an area bigger than New York City—and Cisco is among the Western companies set to help. China says the system of up to 500,000 cameras is aimed at preventing crime, but human rights advocates fear it could be used to stamp…
Continue reading …Congressional Republicans have proven to be tough negotiators since entering office, and they’ve got Democrats poised to accept trillions in budget cuts in exchange for a few hundred million in closed tax loopholes, writes David Brooks in the New York Times . It’s “the mother of all-no brainers,” he writes, and…
Continue reading …Walter Mondale and Arne Carlson leapt into Minnesota’s budget fray today, announcing an independent commission bent on ending the state’s government shutdown . The former Democratic vice president and former Republican governor will head up the commission, which will include the current budget commissioner to Gov. Mark Dayton, USA Today reports….
Continue reading …A Florida jury has acquitted Casey Anthony of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. The jury also cleared her of child abuse and manslaughter charges. She was found guilty of lying to investigators, and Judge Belvin Perry will sentence her Thursday. Anthony, who was sobbing in court as the verdict was…
Continue reading …The Dominique Strauss-Kahn case in New York City may disappear soon , but the DSK headlines keep coming. The maid who accused him of rape is suing the New York Post for reporting that she was a prostitute , notes Reuters . The stories were “an apparent desperate attempt to bolster its rapidly…
Continue reading …Whether you call it a “zonkey” or a “donkra,” one thing is sure: The creature born Sunday at a zoo in Southeast China is certainly rare. So far the foal—a cross between a female zebra and a male donkey who freely occupied the same enclosure—looks like a tall…
Continue reading …Former Times columnist Frank Rich makes his debut in New York magazine today with a harsh assessment of President Obama’s handling of the aftermath of the economic meltdown. Obama has been way too soft on Wall Street, argues Rich, who complains of a “stunning lack of accountability for the greed…
Continue reading …Now that we’re more than halfway through 2011, the Salon staff compiled the best books, movies, music, and TV of the year so far. Among its recommendations: Film : Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life is quite good—but Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry , about a 66-year-old woman who may have Alzheimer’s, is…
Continue reading …The showstopper at this year’s Zhuhai air show in China doesn’t need a pilot. Visitors were shown a video of the WJ-600 drone finding and transmitting targeting info on something that looked suspiciously like a US aircraft carrier near an island that looked suspiciously like Taiwan, the Washington Post reports….
Continue reading …Mexican rescuers continued to scour the Gulf of California for seven US tourists whose fishing boat capsized two days ago, saying they were extending their search because the men could still be alive in the warm, calm waters. One American has been confirmed dead in the accident, which came after…
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