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19 Feb 2012 15:09

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World: U.S. and British officials to Israel: Don’t get into a war with Iran

  • American General Martin Dempsey, who leads the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, regarding the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, that it’s “not prudent” at this time to attack in such a way, and “a strike at this time would be destabilizing.” Ya think?
  • British British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who recently warned of a renewed Cold War, agreed with Dempsey, saying Israel should  go along with the U.K.’s “very serious economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure, and the readiness to negotiate with Iran.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 20:12

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Politics: Gingrich claims fellow GOP candidates are too scared to debate him

  • Anybody who’s afraid of debating Newt Gingrich isn’t going to be in very good shape to debate Barack Obama.
  • Newt Gingrich • Campaigning in Peachtree City, the Atlanta suburb he represented in Congress for twenty years. The GOP presidential candidate mocked his rivals for pulling out of a CNN-hosted debate scheduled to occur just days before Super Tuesday. Both Mitt Romney’ and Rick Santorum’s campaigns announced that they would be skipping the debate, leading the network to drop their coverage. Ron Paul’s campaign announced that Dr. Paul would be withdrawing as well a short time later. Romney’s campaign cited a busy schedule as it’s reason for skipping the debate, but Gingrich challenged the assertion saying, “you can’t hide behind millions of dollars in negative ads and think you’re going to win the presidency.” Let’s be honest with ourselves, though, Newt — there have been so many debates that even the presidential candidates are getting sick of them. Make it stop! source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 17:23

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Politics: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoes same-sex marriage bill

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

  • Less than 24 hours after the state assembly sent a same-sex marriage bill to his desk New Jersey Governor Chris Christie followed through on his promise to veto the measure, and continued his call for a ballot question. In his veto, the governor cited a continued belief that citizens should decide whether or not to redefine the state’s legal definition of marriage, and included a proposal for the creation of an ombudsman to oversee compliance with the state’s existing civil union laws. Many say the existing laws are both flawed and discriminatory. State Senate President Steve Sweeney(D) condemned the move, saying that Governor Christie, “had a chance to do the right thing, and failed miserably.” (image courtesy of flickr user bobjagendorf) source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 13:59

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Politics: Rick Santorum points out another Mitt Romney flip-flop

  • He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake Olympic Games. In an earmark.
  • Rick Santorum • Blasting Mitt Romney for running campaign ads attacking Rick Santorum’s support of earmarking. Santorum accused his rival of being a hypocrite at a tea party gathering in Ohio this morning.  Romney’s campaign responded quickly, stating that the requests were due to a post-9/11 need for heightened security. Campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul also went on record saying, “Mitt Romney wants to ban earmarks, Senator Santorum wants more ‘Bridges to Nowhere’.” source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 13:08

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Biz, Tech: Mike D gets respect, opportunity to vote on AT&T’s net neutrality policy

  • They didn’t say anything about cash or jewelry, but the SEC did side with three AT&T investors — including the Beastie Boys’ Michael “Mike D” Diamond — who believed that shareholders should have a vote in the company’s net neutrality policy, because it has become part of the national debate. AT&T argued that the vote would “directly interfere with its network management practices”, but ultimately the SEC ruled that wireless providers must now allow for shareholder votes on net neutrality proposals. Should such proposals pass, providers would be required to “operate a neutral network with neutral routing along the company’s wireless infrastructure.” source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 12:46

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World: Amanda Knox’s jailhouse story scores major financial windfall

  • 4 years is how long Amanda Knox spent behind bars; the foreign-exchange student was released from an Italian jail after being acquitted of murdering her roommate late last year
  • $4 million how much publisher HarperCollins reportedly plans to pay for her story; Reports of the book deal, which includes world-wide publishing rights, point to an early 2013 release source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 12:07

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Tech, World: Audit proves the obvious: Foxconn not a fun place to work

  • Foxconn is cooperating fully with this audit and we will review and act on all findings and recommendations. This is a very professional and thorough review and any deficiencies the FLA might find in the implementation of customer or Foxconn policies will be addressed.
  • Electronic parts manufacturer Foxconn • In an emailed statement to Bloomberg, after reports surfaced that the Fair Labor Association auditors have found “tons of issues” during their investigation of Foxconn’s Shenzhen facility.  FLA Chief Executive Officer Auret van Heerden revealed the discovery during a phone interview, following a multi-day review of the facility, and reportedly while he headed to meet with Foxconn management and present the organization’s findings. A number of corporations, most notably Apple, outsource their manufacturing to Foxconn and a number of similar companies. source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 12:00

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Politics: U.S. Supreme Court paves way for Citizens United rematch

U.S. Supreme Court Chambers

  • Time for Citizens United: Round 2? Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the Montana Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the state’s longstanding campaign finance laws banning corporate political spending, American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock. The decision came after American Tradition Partnership and two Montana businesses filed an application asking the Court to strike down the Montana Supreme Court’s decision. ATP now has until the end of March to formally request that the Court review the Montana Supreme Court’s decision. If they don’t, the Montana’s decision would stand, but should they file the request, it would pave the way for a full review of the controversial Citizens United decision. (photo courtesy of flickr user kenudigit)  source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2012 11:10

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Tech: Growl creator thinks his notifications are cooler than yours

  • I’m sure that in the next 2-3 years we’ll see it all translated back to the desktop from the mobile devices. I’m sure it won’t be as cool as Growl, but it’ll be interesting.
  • Growl creator Christopher Forsythe • Discussing the nature of desktop notification systems with The Verge. He was a bit off — OSX Mountain Lion’s recently-announced desktop notification system basically does what he said, and it’ll be out by the summer. Forsythe (in reacting to the news) noted that, unlike Apple’s new system, Growl still gives users a multitude of customization options. Is Growl, which has basically had the OSX notification market to itself for years, a goner? Do you use it and dig it? Would you keep using it? Personally, nothing against him, but Growl’s notifications are starting to wear a little thin for us. source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Feb 2012 16:06

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U.S.: Three things you should know about the U.S. Capitol bombing suspect

  • one Amine el-Khalifi, a 29-year-old originally from Morocco, has lived in the U.S. since he was 16 and has long outstayed his visa, meaning he’s living in the U.S. illegally.
  • two Khalifi was captured in a year-long sting, thinking he was being assisted by al-Qaeda, when he was actually being helped by FBI. Sound familiar? It’s happened before.
  • three Though Khalifi was arrested near the U.S. Capitol, officials say that “at no time was the public or congressional community in any danger.” Whew. source
  • » A couple quick thoughts: We’ve seen a number of these “honeypot”-style terror schemes in the past year or two, and the end result always makes us wonder — were they actual threats, or were they simply tricked into looking threatening? If it’s the former, then perhaps this was a good idea. If it’s the latter … the tactics seem questionable. As journalists, we of course have to take them seriously whenever they crop up. But second-guessing is certainly fair. (Note: We’ll post updates on this topic here.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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