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02 Jul 2011 18:13

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U.S.: In this video, the NYPD blows up illegal fireworks by the thousands

  • This scene reminds us of a great line from the Simpsons. “Celebrate the independence of your nation by blowing up a small part of it!” Fortunately, the NYPD did that for us. You know, without blowing off our limbs or anything dangerous like that. (via Gawker) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jul 2011 17:49

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Politics: Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton bummed by state shutdown

  • I remember a family meeting 15 years ago, my uncle Ken Dayton looked at our collective family situation improving over the year before. Therefore, our total taxes paid went up. One of my cousins complained about our taxes going up. My uncle Ken looked him square in the eye and said, ‘We should want to pay more taxes. That means we’re making more money.’
  • Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton • Offering a defense of higher taxes amid a shutdown of the state government this weekend. As you might guess, most Republicans don’t think this way … to put it another way, this train of thought trickles down a bit differently for them. Dayton, a Democrat, is having a tough time getting any leverage with the GOP on budget talks. And it bums him out: “Yesterday was probably the worst day in my six months (as governor),” he said today. “Today isn’t much better. It’s quieter. You know, I take this very, very seriously — the effect on peoples’ lives, their livelihoods, the services that people need. People had their vacations planned and taken away from them. So I can’t say it’s fun right now.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jul 2011 12:50

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World: Another governor sacked in Syria after massive protests

  • Yesterday, large protests like this one took place in Hama province in Syria. Today, Bashar al-Assad’s reaction appears to involve sacking the region’s governor in an effort to retain a handle on the situation. No details were given on Ahmad Khaled Abdulaziz’s sacking, though you can probably guess that this large protest, at the same site where Assad’s father led a bloody crackdown 30 years ago, probably had something to do with it. (And it isn’t even the first sacking of its kind, either; two other governors have already lost their gigs.) This is just one sign of the grinding gears of change in Syria — things could get interesting this month. Assad plans meetings with opposition leaders on the 10th; and the opposition plans a large conference of their own on the 16th. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jul 2011 12:02

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World: Greece’s not-so-hot week ends with a blocked flotilla to Gaza

  • action Despite a ban blocking flotillas headed towards Gaza from leaving Greek ports, an American one attempted to do just that yesterday. It was turned away by the Greek coast guard, which reportedly pointed machine guns at flotilla passengers. This comes  on the heels of Greece’s austerity vote.
  • reaction As you might imagine, reaction to this news was emotional on both sides. “Greece sold its body to the banks and its soul to Israel and the United States,” said one activist on the flotilla. The ship was named “The Audacity of Hope,” meaning Obama was indirectly dragged into this situation, too. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jul 2011 09:59

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U.S.: Guineans in NYC worry how Strauss-Kahn twist affects them

  • It will be very hard to believe in the future what African people say. She has to repent if she’s lying.
  • Nigerian Imam Nurudeen Sulayman • Discussing the NYC African community’s feelings on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn accuser — especially among Guineans. To put it simply, they worry that it reflects badly on their community. The new developments around the accuser, who reportedly called a prison inmate and talked to him about extorting Strauss-Kahn in a rare dialect of Fulani, have put unwelcome attention on fellow Guineans in the city. “It’s about the two of them,” said Mamadou Diallo, president of the Futa Islamic Center, where the accuser reportedly attended services. “All we can do is stand still and watch.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jul 2011 22:37

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Tech: Domain registar GoDaddy sells itself for a freaking lot of money

  • $2.25 billion to a private equity firm; whoa daddy source
  • » Big business in cheap domains: Why so much? Well, GoDaddy’s role as the most popular registar online means the company drives huge revenues — they’re expected to top $1.1 billion this year.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jul 2011 17:25

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Tech: Google’s eyeing Hulu, or reasons they might be getting too big

  • then Back in 2006, Google purchased then-fledgling YouTube for $1.65 billion — its biggest purchase ever at the time. The service has grown massive over the years but has struggled bringing major content creators like Viacom on board — a huge bummer for fans of “The Daily Show” in particular. In fact, Viacom sued YouTube to get them to remove the clips.
  • now Hulu, a service started in part as a major studio reaction to YouTube’s viral growth, is now in talks with Google, who may buy the company out — and in the process, get the lucrative content deals that have eluded YouTube over the years. (Microsoft and Yahoo are also eyeing the service, by the way.) Will we finally see “The Daily Show” on YouTube again? source
  • » We don’t know how to feel about this: While we appreciate the fact that Google might make “The Daily Show” happen on YouTube with a buyout like this (though Viacom has pulled their shows from Hulu in the past), if it actually happens, it runs directly into a wall of regulatory scrutiny — as Google’s been feeling the heat lately. While YouTube and Hulu aren’t the only games in town (hi Netflix and Vimeo), together they’re big enough that it would deserve some regulatory scrutiny if it actually happens.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Jul 2011 16:08

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U.S.: Remember: The Dominique Strauss-Kahn case still isn’t closed

  • Our concern is that the Manhattan district attorney is too afraid to try this case. We believe he’s afraid he’s going to lose this high-profile case.
  • Lawyer Kenneth Thompson, who represents Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s accuser • Describing the issues currently clouding the Dominique Strauss-Kahn rape trial. If you read the document, it notes a few things which could damage the victim’s credibility in a court of law — meaning that, even if the French politician actually did assault her (Thompson claims that the physical evidence still supports her case), there are inconsistencies which could damage her case in the eyes of a jury. These inconsistencies show up both in her backstory and her story of the moments before and after the alleged assault, and have been documented in this letter the New York Times posted earlier. All of this is to say that this may be an issue of perception — an assault may still have taken place. But purely circumstantial reasons could hurt the prosecutor’s ability to get a conviction. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jul 2011 14:29

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Tech: What combines alligator skin, titanium and Android innards?

  • If you said this ungodly-expensive phone, you’re right! Watch-maker Tag Heuer, known for its high-style time-telling machines a little more than its ability to make a phone you’d actually use, decided to make a phone that only Gordon Gecko would use. This $6,750 monstrosity of Swiss engineering, called the Tag Heuer Link, doesn’t even have decent specs for a smartphone — an outdated version of Android, just 256 megabytes of internal storage (most smartphones start at 16 gigs), an average camera and a fairly-standard screen. But hey, it’s expensive and stylish! And there’s not an similar iPhone 4 case available for purchase online! If we were Bud Fox, though, we’d probably just stick with a white iPhone 4. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jul 2011 14:01

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World: Hugo Chavez’s cancer surgery puts Venezuela in tough situation

  • Well, that’s no laughing matter. The Venezuelan leader — adored in some corners, criticized in others — finally made a statement on his bizarre leave of absence in the country he leads. He hasn’t just been hanging with Fidel Castro for kicks, guys. There was some real stuff going on. Cancerous cells, surgery, the whole bit. His vice president, Elías Jaua, says that he could stay out of the country for as long as six months, but he won’t take over his job in the meantime. So what does that mean for the country he leads? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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