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15 Feb 2012 21:56

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Politics: Ex-Countrywide head Angelo Mozilo summoned by Rep. Darrell Issa

  • F.O.A. The above stands for “Friend of Angelo,” the internal designation formerly used by Countrywide Financial to specify people who, some of them public figures, were to be given deluxe mortgage rates, so named for then-Countrywide top-dog Angelo Mozilo.
  • Rep. Issa The head of House Oversight, Rep. Darrell Issa has requested an interview with Mozilo, on such loans given to public officials (current Reps. McKeon, Session, Towns, and Gallegly) — Congress isn’t allowed to accept publicly unavailable financial perks. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Feb 2012 21:12

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Politics: Lisa Chan, actress in racist Hoekstra ad, apologizes for her role

  • I am deeply sorry for any pain that the character I portrayed brought to my communities. As a recent college grad who has spent time working to improve communities and empower those without a voice, this role is not in any way representative of who I am. It was absolutely a mistake on my part and one that, over time, I hope can be forgiven. I feel horrible about my participation and I am determined to resolve my actions.
  • Lisa Chan • Apologizing for her starring role in Pete Hoekstra’s racist campaign ad, which aired in Michigan during the Super Bowl. Chan took a lot of heat following the airing of the ad, as has Hoekstra, obviously — what was launched clearly as an attention grab for his campaign, likely to try to spur fundraising, has now backfired into a full-on disaster, with his incumbent opponent opening up a 14-point lead over him. We imagine it can’t make things any easier for the star of the ad to now be issuing such a public mea culpa about her involvement; it would be interesting to hear more from Chan about how this ad was produced and how she got involved with it, but there’s no way to know yet whether such details will be coming. source
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15 Feb 2012 20:39

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World: Syria’s Assad sets date for constitutional referendum

  • A plan for reform, or a play to credulity? Considering the Arab League deal Syria accepted then ignored, the complete lack of efficacy of the peace monitors they allowed the AL to send in, and the recent surge of violence (even in relative terms), it’s hard not to assume the latter. Bashar al-Assad has, nonetheless, set a date for a constitutional referendum, ostensibly for Syrians to approve a democratic system, and presidential term limits (of two, seven-year terms). The vote is scheduled for February 26th, but it begs the question; who would vote in an election if the integrity of it relies on Assad’s word alone? It would also force dissenters to publicly congregate at a place of the government’s choosing; not a welcome idea, we suspect. source
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15 Feb 2012 20:00

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World: Prison fire in Honduras leads to terrible death toll

  • 359 inmates killed during a huge fire at a prison in Honduras source
  • » Crowded chaos: The fire started yesterday night at the prison in Comayagua, with authorities believing, by another prisoner’s report, that an inmate started the blaze by igniting their mattress. Honduras is a state plagued by high rates of crime (the United Nations says it has the world’s highest murder rate), which has caused its prisons to be absurdly overstuffed, and many are old and dilapidated. Angry relatives of the inmates gathered outside the prison this morning, protesting and at times trying to force their way in; police responded by firing tear gas. President Porfirio Lobo pledged to “take urgent measures to deal with this tragedy, which has plunged all Hondurans into mourning.”
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15 Feb 2012 15:23

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Tech: Apple affirms that Path violated their terms, issues iOS update fix

  • Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines. We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release.
  • Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr • In a statement about Apple’s privacy policies, as pertaining to the iPhone. This statement came hot on the heels of the revelation that two Democratic congressman (G.K. Butterfield and Henry A. Waxman) had sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, requesting information about privacy permissions. The inciting incident here was the iPhone app Path, which was revealed to be uploading users’ address books to their company servers without asking permission, or offering any notification. Path tried to curb the controversy by apologizing and offering an opt-out, but  the damage to their credibility (and, by association, Apple’s) had already hit. And amidst word that a number of widely-used apps — most notably Twitter — did the same thing, Apple has affirmed that what Path did was a violation of their privacy practices, and has released an update for iOS that allows users to delete the database by switching off location services. source
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15 Feb 2012 14:38

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Politics: PolitiFact chief Bill Adair responds to Rachel Maddow’s criticism

  • Our goal at PolitiFact is to use the Truth-O-Meter to show the relative accuracy of a political claim. In this case, we rated it Mostly True because we felt that while the number was short of a majority, it was still a plurality. 40 percent of Americans consider themselves conservative, 35 percent moderate and 21 percent liberal. It wasn’t quite a majority, but was close.
  • PolitiFact chief Bill Adair • Responding to some aggressive criticism from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, over PolititFact’s rating of Marco Rubio’s claim that “a majority of Americans are conservatives.” The polling used by PolitiFact to score the claim proved that, in fact, only 40% of Americans self-identify as conservative — not a majority. However, they rated his claim “mostly true,” the stated justification being “conservatives are the largest ideological group, but they don’t cross the 50 percent threshold.” PolitiFact has been the subject of some derision lately, with the spotlight turned on them after their controversial 2011 “Lie Of The Year” selection, about which Bill Adair authored a rather prickly, underwhelming defense. Earlier this week, they got some criticism over debunking a claim from an episode of “Glee.” Frankly, PolitiFact’s ratings have always brought with them a measure of subjectivity, as you might find with any media arbiter; it’s their own lofty title that makes this an issue. Majorities aren’t pluralities. For a fact-checker, that’s just a dictionary search away. source
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14 Feb 2012 15:42

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Tech: Lancet report shows stem cells can heal scar tissue from heart attack

  • the problemWhen a person suffers a heart attack, their heart is deprived of oxygen, which causes a portion of the muscle to die. In recovery this becomes scar tissue, which can’t beat and help blood flow like a healthy heart muscle, making repeat issues much more likely.
  • a solution? Though the British Health Foundation qualifies that we’re still in “early days,” trials have taken place showing new, healthy heart muscle being created from a victim’s own stem cells. This is today’s exhibit A on why ongoing stem cell research matters. source
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14 Feb 2012 15:24

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Politics: Herman Cain says no to Dancing With The Stars

  • Can Herman dance? That was the question the producers of “Dancing With The Stars” were fixing to answer, but Cain has reportedly turned the offer down, with his executive assistant, Lisa Reichert, explaining thusly: “He can’t dance in an eight-count. He can only dance in a nine-count.” As if we didn’t know already – few know how to hammer a theme home like Cain and his people. (h/t imwithkanye, Photo by John Trainor) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2012 15:21

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Politics: “Dogs Against Romney” protests at Westminster dog show

  • He clearly doesn’t understand his own dog. I just don’t see how any dog could enjoy being on top of a car for that long. Dogs enjoy sticking their head out for a little air, not being on top of a car.
  • Protester with “Dogs Against Romney” • Explaining why he joined a small group of demonstrators outside the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, protesting the treatment, by Mitt Romney, of his old dog Seamus. For the uninitiated: the Boston Globe reported that during a 1983 Romney family 12-hour road trip, the dog was put in a kennel (with a windshield) which was then tied to the roof of the car. That in and of itself has drawn the ire of animal rights proponents. Further, the dog began to relieve himself during the trip, but no new accommodation was made to the dog, then in a clear state of distress — Romney simply stopped at a gas station, cleaned up Seamus and hosed down the kennel, and kept on going. The journalist who broke the story reflects on and clarifies it here (there has been some misinformation about the incident since the story broke in 2007). source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2012 14:10

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World: Japanese activists want referendum on nuclear power in Osaka

  • then Last year, following the violent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor was thrown into a state of emergency. System failure prevented adequate cooling of enriched uranium rods, causing a meltdown while hydrogen explosions rocked the plant.
  • nowJust under a year removed from the disaster, a group of Japanese activists have submitted a petition in Osaka (within Kansai Prefecture), calling for a referendum on nuclear power. Osaka is Japan’s second largest city behind Tokyo, and draws power from 11 nuclear reactors near the city. source
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