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23 Jan 2012 10:10

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Biz: Associated Press leader Tom Curley to retire, leaves controversial legacy

  • The guy who guided AP into the aggregation era: You probably don’t know this guy very well, but all the organizations that give you your news know him quite well. Tom Curley, who has led the Associated Press since 2003, plans to retire later this year, after his successor is found. Curley, a former USA Today publisher, faced a not-very-enviable task as AP’s leader: As many of his member publications found it difficult to stay afloat (in some cases, trying to drop AP entirely as a cost-saving measure), Curley took a very hard stance against copyright issues, and once played a role in a protracted fight with Google over access to AP articles. (For years, the Curley-led Associated Press considered Google merely running headlines in search results to be lawsuit-worthy, before eventually backing off.) The AP’s leader will leave a somewhat-difficult legacy in its handling of the blogosphere, too: After previous stunted attempts to show control over its content, the site is moving forward with a new content-licensing initiative called NewsRight. Journalism is a difficult business to keep financially stable, and the AP has had a lot to fight against. But at times, you sometimes wonder if folks like Curley simply didn’t understand the environment. Their issues are certainly not as bad as the music industry’s. But they’re certainly not shining examples of new-media transition. (Photo by Richard Drew/AP) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2012 21:17

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World: Arab League expands observer group, wants Assad to step aside

  • We all had hopes that after sending observers, the problem would be solved—that the presence of observers would halt the violence. But that didn’t happen. Saudi Arabia felt unmotivated and I’m telling you that everyone in the [deliberation] hall felt unmotivated.
  • Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Al Arabi • Describing the frustration the Arab League’s monitors faced in in Syria over recent weeks. The group wants Bashar al-Assad to step aside and hand power to his vice president. The monitors will stay in the country for a second month. The Arab League, which claimed many deaths came as a result of “mutual violence” (to the chagrin of Syrian activists), plans to increase the size of the observer group to 300 people, get better-qualified people, and improve their training. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2012 20:48

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U.S., World: Ali Abdullah Saleh exits Yemen as anger over immunity deal rages

  • the deal Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to give up his power in Yemen in exchange for immunity against prosecution in the country he led for more than three decades. Saleh, the fourth Arab Spring leader to lose power (and the third to relinquish it), apologized “for any failure that occurred” during his rule.
  • the exit Now, as protests flare up against the sweetheart deal he got, Saleh is heading to the U.S. to get medical treatment for the injuries he sustained in an assassination attempt last year. Bro plans to return in time for elections next month, however — but not as the country’s leader.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2012 12:05

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Politics: Finally: Mitt Romney will release tax returns later this week

  • Speaker Gingrich had a good week. It was not a great week for me. We spent a lot of time talking about tax returns and the changing result in Iowa.
  • Mitt Romney • Discussing his loss in South Carolina and revealing that he would finally release his tax forms after much goading. His dad, George, famously released his own tax returns when he ran for president in 1968. “I’m not going back to my dad’s year,” Mitt said, but he would (on Tuesday) release his 2010 return and an estimate of his 2011 taxes. We will not be happy until he tells us where his money pit is. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2012 17:48

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World: Madagascar’s former leader screwed out of trip back home

Marc Ravalomanana, exiled from his former country, was trying to get back in to Madagascar on a flight from Johannesburg. But his plane was forced to turn around mid-flight after the country shuttered a number of its airports before he could land. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2012 17:01

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Tech: On Apple, the U.S. economy, and China’s manufacturing prowess

  • The U.S. factories couldn’t get close enough to perfection for Steve Jobs. So Apple went to China. In perhaps the broadest profile you’ll read about the manufacturing process that creates most of the electronics you use today, The New York Times’ analysis of the structural reasons why the iPhone isn’t made in the U.S. manages to pull off a surprising trick: It turns a story which on the surface is about one of the world’s largest corporations into a story which shows weaknesses in the recession-laden U.S. economy. A quick roundup of what we learned from this article:
  • one Apple was a late-comer to the international manufacturing racket, and as recently as 2003 built their products in California. Before they went to Asia, they struggled to keep up with the rest of the tech industry, which used the kinds of contractors Apple uses now.
  • two In Asia, it’s much easier to get all their ducks in a row in terms of supply chain management. The lower labor cost helps, but it’s the ability to turn on a dime — such as when Apple changed its iPhone screen from plastic to glass — that really makes a difference in terms of cost.
  • three Despite the outsourcing, an important point to keep in mind is that Apple’s success does create jobs in the U.S., both directly — 8,000 in the past year alone — and indirectly, with companies like FedEx and UPS adding many jobs based solely on Apple’s needs. source
  • » What it means for the U.S. economy: With speed, flexibility and manufacturing prowess better in China, Apple’s move abroad has taken two types of jobs out of play: One, the low-paid but stable manufacturing job (which FoxConn offers both to Apple and numerous other manufacturers); and two, the mid-level engineer, which the article suggests is hard to find in the U.S., but easy to find in China. In fact, the story features a fascinating anecdote about a mid-level engineer who once worked a well-paying job at a U.S. Apple factory, only to get laid off and, years later, work another Apple job he was overqualified for — at a much lower salary. That’s the real story. Look past Apple. They’re the hook of the article, but the real story is how the U.S. economy is no longer the best spot for these kinds of jobs. How can the U.S. change that?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2012 15:35

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Tech: MegaUpload founder’s arrest: Electronic locking devices + sawed-off shotguns

  • Despite our staff clearly identifying themselves, Mr Dotcom retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic-locking mechanisms. … Once they gained entry into [Dotcom’s safe room], they found Mr Dotcom near a firearm which had the appearance of a shortened shotgun. It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door.
  • Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand Detective Inspector Grant Wormald • Describing the insane chain of events that led to the arrest of Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz), the founder of MegaUpload, on Friday. Among the things removed from the house included two cars, one of which is a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe — which has a retail price of $443,000. No matter how you feel about MegaUpload, Kim Dotcom certainly carries himself like a criminal mastermind, or more correctly, a James Bond villain. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2012 14:20

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World: Nigerian Islamic sect claims responsibility for coordinated attacks

  • 143 people killed in Nigerian sectarian violence Friday source
  • » Increasingly sophisticated attacks: The Nigerian terror group Boko Haram, whose name stands for “Western education is sacrilege” in the local Hausa language, has been responsible for at least 510 deaths last year and 219 killings this year alone. The latest attack, in the city of Kano, showed increasing sophistication as it targeted major governmental building in the city. While both Muslims and Christians were killed or injured in the attack, Boko Haram intends to target Christians living in the Muslim-leaning northern region of the country.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jan 2012 21:53

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Politics: DebateSC FanFic: Newt Kills The King

  • As John King is in the middle of a question about Gingrich’s ex wife, the former House Speaker’s rage slowly builds, until suddenly, a crazed look strikes his face. He leaps into action, barreling forward through podium and charging across the stage. The former Representative from Georgia leaps off the podium, pulls a switchblade from his sock in whilst mid-air, and plunges the knife into John King’s chest. As the audience sits in stunned silence, he picks up the fallen moderator’s mic, wipes the sweat off his brow, and says, “The King is dead.” The crowd goes wild, and Gingrich goes on to win South Carolina by 30 points.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jan 2012 15:32

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Politics: Wikipedia’s blackout funnels huge number to look up congresspeople

  • 8 million users looked up their House Rep. by Wikipedia yesterday source
  • » Well, that sure worked: During the “great blackout” yesterday, one of the only things you actually could do with Wikipedia was get the information about your local congressperson, so to lodge a complaint against the SOPA and PIPA legislations that were the order of the day. This stripping down to such a basic, singular function proved to have just the effect Wikipedia had hoped for, as evidenced by the figure above; this surge in popular outcry clearly rattled quite a few on Capitol Hill, as numerous former supporters have changed their tunes.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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