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11 Feb 2011 21:20

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Biz: Consumers, Rep. Jackie Speier has your back on “do not track”

  • These two bills send a clear message — privacy over profit. Consumers have a right to determine what if any of their information is shared with big corporations, and the federal government must have the authority and tools to enforce reasonable protections.
  • Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier • In a statement explaining two consumer-privacy bills she just submitted to the House – one a proposal for “Do Not Track,” similar to “Do Not Call” except for advertising information on the interwebs, and the other that would give consumers more control over financial information. The key part of that bill? Making the process of allowing companies to view your financial information opt-in rather than opt-out. Both of these sound like really great ideas, so kudos to Speier for bringing these issues to the forefront. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Feb 2011 22:22

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U.S.: UC-Irvine’s Muslim Student Union caught in free-speech battle

  • People are afraid to be seen as with us. It’s like they went after them, how do we know they aren’t going to come after us next? Everyone is afraid and looking over their shoulder.
  • UC-Irvine Muslim Student Union leader Hamza Siddiqui • Discussing the charges against him and ten other members of his group. See, the Muslim Student Union (which had been criticized by Jewish and Israeli groups in the past for its overly-in-your-face approach to the issues) repeatedly disrupted a speech by Michael B. Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, last year. After the speech, the group was suspended for a quarter. It seemed like the scandal died, until the students involved in said protests (three of which went to UC-Riverside) were charged with disturbing a public meeting and conspiring to do so. While the Muslim Student Union perhaps overplayed its hand by trying to drown Oren out for the entire speech in an organized manner, charging them with a misdemeanor seems perhaps a tad anti-free-speech. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Feb 2011 11:00

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Politics: California Rep. Jane Harman ditches Congress for pure wonkery

  • what California Democrat Jane Harman will likely reveal plans tomorrow to vacate her seat in Congress.
  • why She’ll be the new President and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Center in DC. Ah, think tanks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 21:54

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Politics: Koch Brothers hold party in Palm Springs, people get arrested

  • 25 protesters jailed at a retreat loaded with righty donors source
  • » Anyone have a tinfoil hat we can borrow? The multi-day conference, put on by billionaire Tea Party-backing brothers David and Charles Koch, is loaded with people with lots of money and lots of influence. We bet Hank Scorpio was there, personally throwing cans of tear gas at the lefty protesters, who were mostly peaceful, but found themselves in trouble after a couple got a tiny bit too close to the shindig and ran into riot police. Supervillans need backup.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

27 Jan 2011 13:21

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Politics: Jerry Brown’s tax pitch to Californians may pay off

  • 54% of California likely voters are okay with raising taxes source
  • » New polling from the California Public Policy Institute: A surprising and heartening result, in light of Governor Brown’s rhetoric about tough choices and shared sacrifice. Staring down a state in dire fiscal crisis, Brown has proposed broad, painful spending cuts, as well as a special election to seek voter approval on a package of new taxes and fees. Say what you will about the strategy, but Brown’s candor and honesty about his cuts have been impressive, and it seems voters may reward him with that rarest of the rare: a voter approved tax increase.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Jan 2011 19:51

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U.S.: Mosque drama: California town allows one … after much NIMBY rage

These folks here? Muslim. They want a mosque in Temecula, Calif. But the crazies came out and filed an appeal. The City Council eventually denied the appeal after a LOOONG meeting. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jan 2011 15:53

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Politics: Arnold Schwarzenegger: I lost $200 million being governor

  • In all it is probably more than $200 million. But I’m not sorry. It was more than worth it.
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger • Explaining the overall cost for him to be the California governor. We’re not exactly sure how that cost breaks down, but we’re guessing it has something to do with the number of movies he had to turn down while playing politician. That said, though, he notes that the bigger cost was what it did to his family. “There is a lot there that needs to be repaired,” he said. He noted that he was better about it in his second term than his first, but during that first term, he would leave home for weeks at a time. At least you weren’t recalled. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

10 Jan 2011 21:27

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Politics: California to Texas: Come, join the Comically Huge Deficit Club!

  • $11billion initial estimate of Texas’s budget deficit for fiscal year 2012-13, as of September
  • $27billion revised estimate of Texas’s deficit for that year, according to the state’s Comptroller source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2011 20:41

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U.S.: Jerry Brown gives California a bitter budgetary pill to swallow

  • $12.5B the size of the spending cuts that Jerry Brown’s trying to sell to California residents
  • five the number of years of tax increases that would also be part of the fairly risky deal
  • no Republicans are on board with Brown on this yet – he used the phrase TAX INCREASE! source
  • » About those tax increases: They would extend a series of temporary tax increase implemented in 2009, which are set to expire in July. Californians are set to vote on the increases in June. And other changes are recommended too – certain services could be transferred from state local governments (such as prisons), and services for the poor are among the ones getting cut the most. However, K-12 schools will be protected from cuts (and just about nothing else).
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2011 23:17

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U.S.: If you’re arrested, can police search your phone without warrants?

  • NO … as long as you don’t live in California (sigh … great) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
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