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19 Jan 2012 13:56

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Biz: More on Eastman Kodak’s filing for bankruptcy protection

  • 131 years in the making: As we mentioned a couple weeks ago, the former film titan, whose  business put cameras in the hands of millions of people, now enters a new phase in its long history, bankruptcy proceedings. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called it “difficult and disappointing news,” which is understandable; their company was headquartered in Rochester, NY. Since 2003, Kodak has laid off about 47,000 employees, and now in bankruptcy protection their already weak stock price has plummeted to 34 cents per share. If you want to get really depressed about this story, read Alexis Madrigal’s great piece on the company’s history. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jan 2012 22:41

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Politics: Three reasons understanding SOPA is important

  • one It could empower action against foreign websites which, let alone actively engaging in copyright infringement, merely “facilitate” it. This could place an enormous burden on proprietors for the deeds of their random readers and commenters.
  • two The definition of “facilitate?” Broadly used, “to make easier.” This is very vague, and could have serious unintended effects. For instance, does Youtube make it easier for piracy to occur? Undoubtedly. Should the site itself be liable for that?
  • three Upload a copyrighted song to Youtube that nets big viewership, and you could be in deeper trouble. Each view adds to the amount a plaintiff can accuse you of costing them, racking up heavy charges (this could result in Youtube-based felony convictions). source
  • » A great breakdown: Mashable’s dissection of the entire SOPA bill, in case you haven’t read it, does wonders in terms of clearing up what on its face is a confusing piece of legislation. It’s a solid breakdown that cuts through the legalese.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jan 2012 21:42

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World: Captain of crashed Costa Condoria under heavy scrutiny

  • The burden of command: In the last few days, as more and more information has trickled out regarding the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, more and more public criticism has been leveled at the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino. Schettino was captured on audio hesitant to leave a lifeboat he’d escaped to and return to his sinking ship to coordinate passenger rescues, even as a coast guard officer ordered him to do so. Now, four days into the aftermath, and Schettino has offered up a new explanation; he “tripped” into the lifeboat in the midst of a mad dash by passengers towards the escape vessels. source
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18 Jan 2012 20:33

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Politics: Mitt Romney spokeswoman denies tax haven claims

  • ABC is flat wrong. The Romneys’ investments in funds established in the Cayman Islands are taxed in the very same way they would be if those funds were established in the United States. These are not tax havens and it is false to say so.
  • Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul • Trying to quell the swirls of criticism that have emerged over Mitt Romney’s tax information. This all came to a head, in a way, during Monday night’s presidential debate in South Carolina, when Mitt Romney gave an extremely uncomfortable, unprepared seeming answer on whether or not he’d release his tax information, which all but forced them start letting some information out. The fact that Romney only pays (legal though it is) 15% in taxes has caused a stir, but not as much as subsequent reports by ABC News might; they report that Romney maintains millions in investments held in the Cayman Islands, notorious as an offshore tax haven, allowing him to pay an even lower rate. source
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18 Jan 2012 15:35

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Politics: Obama administration reportedly turns down current Keystone pipeline plan

  • then Last November, the Obama administration announced they were delaying a decision on the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline project. This elicited outrage from many Republican lawmakers, and temporary relief for many environmentalists.
  • now The administration has decided to reject the pipeline as currently proposed, but this isn’t the end; TransCanada can still apply a plan to re-route the pipeline around an environmentally sensitive part of Nebraska. Which means now we all get to wait for round two. source
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18 Jan 2012 14:51

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Politics: SOPA loses support among congressional sponsors

  • 3 SOPA/PIPA sponsors withdraw support on day of blackout source
  • » Feeling some heat? Of these three co-sponsors of the SOPA or PIPA legislation, Florida Senator Marco Rubio is by far the biggest name. Rubio cited concerns about “a potentially unreasonable expansion of the federal government’s power to impact the Internet.” The other two co-sponsors were Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska, and Rep. Ben Quayle of Arizona. A Quayle spokesman, Zach Howell, made it clear the Arizona congressman could vote for a reworked bill: “The bill could have some unintended consequences that need to be addressed. Basically it needs more work before he can support it.”
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12 Jan 2012 15:41

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World: Kim Jong-Il’s oldest son doesn’t buy his brother’s new rule

  • I expect the existing ruling elite to follow in the footsteps of my father while keeping the young successor as a symbolic figure. It is difficult to accept a third-generation succession under a normal reasoning.
  • Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of Kim Jong-Il • Remarks made in an email to the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, on the subject of his young brother Kim Jong-Un’s ascendancy to power in North Korea. It’s worth noting a couple things in his analysis — for one, he was shirked in the Kim line of succession for, of all things, traveling to Japan on a fake passport in an effort to visit Disneyland. As a result, he no longer lives in North Korea, which means he probably can’t be as informed as he once was; North Korea is one of the most opaque nations on earth. However, when a family this bizarre, powerful, and hugely important gets to feuding, it merits attention. source
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12 Jan 2012 15:25

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U.S.: Army investigator recommends court martial for Bradley Manning

  • “Aiding the enemy”: That’s one of the crimes that Lieutenant Colonel Paul Almanza, who was tasked with an investigation of Manning’s case, says there is evidence he committed. Almanza has advised the Army to submit Manning to a court martial, relating to the massive, classified document dump to Wikileaks, with which he’s been accused. Manning’s defense attorney, David Coombs, has voiced complaint that Almanza works in the Justice department as a civilian. Justice is currently building a case against Wikileaks head Julian Assange, which opens up risk of conflict of interest. If Manning is convicted through a court martial, he could face life imprisonment. source
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12 Jan 2012 14:54

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World: Foxconn workers threaten mass suicide over severance pay

  • Taking “strike” to a whole new level: It’s been reported that workers at Foxconn’s factory in Wuhan, China (where they make those XBOX 360s we’re all so fond of) were so incensed over an alleged reneging by the company on severance pay, as well as a factory closure, that they issued a dire ultimatum: meet our demands, or face a mass suicide. The workers (estimates vary from 80 to 200) didn’t go through with the threat, mercifully, as Foxconn apparently placated their demands. Foxconn’s factories and dormitories have seen suicides before, infamously forcing the installation of safety nets around windows. source
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12 Jan 2012 14:17

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U.S.: Michigan billionaire ordered to jail over bridge construction battle

  • the crimeThe Detroit International Bridge Co., which signed with Michigan to build additions to the Ambassador Bridge, failed to do so according to the agreed upon design, instead building roads that took drivers past their own fuel station and duty-free shop while leaving trucks to use smaller surface streets.
  • the time A Michigan judge has ruled that Matty Mouron, the 84-year-old billionaire owner of the company, was in contempt of a 2010 court order to complete the project as agreed upon. Which means, Mouron is headed to jail until he complies with the order, and starts up the new bridge work. source
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