E-reader News Edition 16/12/09 - 17/12/09 http://www.LibertyNewsprint.

com

Healthcare reform by Christmas may be a fading dream

By Donna Smith (Front Row support’s been going down details and official cost estimates
Washington) continuously as people learn of an amendment by Senate
Submitted at 12/16/2009 3:17:56 PM
more more about the bill,” Majority Leader Harry Reid that
McConnell said at a news will make the final compromises
Democrats’ hopes of passing a conference. and adjustments to the bill ahead
sweeping healthcare overhaul in The Senate slowdown began just of the final vote.
the Senate by Christmas may as Democratic leaders appeared Senator Max Baucus,
be fading as Republicans step up to be within reach of the 60 who helped write the healthcare
efforts to delay a vote while votes needed to pass the bill. bill, said the first procedural vote
public support for one of S e n a t o r J o s e p h could occur at about 1 a.m.
President Barack Obama’s top Lieberman appears ready to back Monday morning. If
domestic priority continues to the legislation after enraging Republicans, who remain united
erode. liberal Democrats by forcing in their opposition to the bill, do
Republicans forced the Senate them to jettison the public option not allow an earlier vote, the
to begin reading aloud a 667- and a proposed alternative that Senate may not get to passage
page amendment by independent would have allowed uninsured until late Christmas Eve. Bah
Bernie Sanders that would people between the ages of 55 Humbug!
replace much of the 2,074-page and 64 to buy into Medicare. For more Reuters political news,
bill with a single payer healthcare Democratic leaders are now click here.
system. It had no chance of focused on Democratic Senator Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young
passing, and Sanders withdrew B e n N e l s o n w h o r e m a i n s (Obama discusses healthcare
the measure after it became clear undecided as he reviews a Tuesday beneath a portrait of
it would take well into the night potential compromise on abortion “We may not be able to say we make that important decision.”
Republican President Theodore
have this all signed in blood as Time is running out. If Senate
to read it. language that would ensure no Roosevelt, an early advocate of
we call the matter for a final Democrats have any hope of
Senate Republican leader Mitch public money is used to finance national health insurance );
vote,” he told reporters. “When bringing the healthcare bill to a
McConnell has said other elective abortion services. Reuters/Jason Reed (Senator
members are confronted with the final vote before Christmas. They
parliamentary maneuvers may be Senator Dick Durbin, the second Max Baucus before a committee
u s e d t o s l o w t h e b i l l a s leading Democrat in the Senate, possibility of seeing an end to have to start the procedural
healthcare vote in October)
this healthcare debate and an end process on the final round of
Democratic leaders aim for said that in the end they may just
to the opportunity to expand votes by the end of the week. But
a final vote before Christmas. have to force any fence sitters to
healthcare, they may have to senators are still awaiting the
“The opposition’s been going up, make a decision.

Onion: Internet Archaeologists Find Ruins of 'Friendster'

(Little Green Footballs) [Video]
2 World/ E-reader News Edition

CIA working with Palestinian security agents

By Ian Cobain (World news agencies was so great they could held by the PA in the West Bank the CIA has been commissioning torture of Hamas sympathisers,
and comment from the be considered "an advanced arm are Amnesty International, such mistreatment, human rights but then conceded that links did
Guardian | guardian.co.uk) of the war on terror". Human Rights Watch, al-Haq activists say it would end exist. "There is a connection, but
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:16:49 AM While the CIA and the and the Israeli watchdog promptly if US pressure was there is no supervision by the
Palestinian Authority (PA) deny B'Tselem. Even the PA's human brought to bear on the Palestinian Americans," he said. "It is solely
US agency co-operating with the US agency controls its rights commission has expressed authorities. a Palestinian affair. But the
Palestinian counterparts who Palestinian counterparts, neither "deep concern" over the Shawan Jabarin, general director Americans help us."
a l l e g e d l y t o r t u r e H a m a s denies that they interact closely mistreatment of detainees. of al-Haq, said: "The Americans The CIA does not deny working
s u p p o r t e r s i n W e s t B a n k in the West Bank. Details of that The most common complaint is could stop it any time. All they with the PSO and GI in the West
Palestinian security agents who co-operation are emerging as that detainees are severely beaten would have to do is go to [prime Bank, although it will not say
h a v e b e e n d e t a i n i n g a n d some human rights organisations and subjected to a torture known minister] Salam Fayyad and tell what use it has made of
allegedly torturing supporters of a r e b e g i n n i n g t o q u e s t i o n as shabeh, during which they are him they were making it an intelligence extracted during the
the Islamist organisation Hamas whether US intelligence agencies shackled and forced to assume issue.. Then they could deal with interrogation of Hamas
in the West Bank have been may be turning a blind eye to painful positions for long the specifics: they could tell him supporters. But it denies turning
working closely with the CIA, abusive interrogations conducted periods. There have also been that detainees needed to be what one official described as "a
the Guardian has learned. by other countries' intelligence reports of sleep deprivation, and brought promptly before the Nelson's eye to abuse".
Less than a year after Barack agencies with whom they are of large numbers of detainees courts." The CIA's spokesman, Paul
Obama signed an executive order working. According to the being crammed into small cells to A diplomat in the region said "at Gimigliano, denied it played a
that prohibited torture and Palestinian watchdog al-Haq, prevent rest. Instead of being the very least" US intelligence supervisory role over the PSO or
p r o v i d e d f o r t h e l a w f u l human rights in the West Bank brought before civilian courts, officers were aware of the torture GI. "The notion that this agency
interrogation of detainees in US a n d G a z a h a v e " g r a v e l y almost all the detainees enter a and not doing enough to stop it. somehow runs other intelligence
custody, evidence is emerging deteriorated due to the spreading system of military justice under He added: "There are a number services … is simply wrong," he
the CIA is co-operating with v i o l a t i o n s c o m m i t t e d b y which they need not be brought of questions for the US said. "The CIA … only supports,
security agents whose continuing Palestinian actors" this year. before a court for six months. administration: what is their and is interested in, lawful
use of torture has been widely Most of those held without trial According to PA officials, objective, what are their rules of methods that produce sound
documented by human rights and allegedly tortured in the between 400 and 500 Hamas engagement? Do they train the intelligence."
groups. West Bank have been supporters sympathisers are held by the PSO GI and PSO according to the Concern about detainee abuse is
The relationship between the o f H a m a s , w h i c h w o n t h e and GI. manual which was established by growing in the West Bank
CIA and the two Palestinian Palestinian elections in 2006 but Some of the mistreatment has the previous administration, despite an effort by the
agencies involved – Preventive is denounced as a terrorist been so severe that at least three including water-boarding? Are international community to create
Security Organisation (PSO) and organisation by the PA – which detainees have died in custody they in control, or are they just Palestinian institutions that will
General Intelligence Service (GI) in turn is dominated by the rival this year. The most recent was witnessing?" guarantee greater security as a
– is said by some western Fatah political faction – and by Haitham Amr, a 33-year-old Sa'id Abu-Ali, the PA's interior first step towards creating a
diplomats and other officials in the US and EU. In the Gaza nurse and Hamas supporter from minister, accepted detainees had Palestinian state. More than half
the region to be so close that the Strip, where Hamas has been in Hebron who died four days after been tortured and some had died, of the PA's $2.8bn (£1.66bn)
American agency appears to be control for more than two years, he was detained by GI officials but said such abuses had not been budget came from international
supervising the Palestinians' there have been reports of its last June. Extensive bruising official policy and steps were donors last year; more than a
work. forces detaining and torturing around his kidneys suggested he being taken to prevent them. He quarter was swallowed up by the
One senior western official said: Fatah sympathisers in the same had been beaten to death. Among said such abuses "happen in ministry of the interior and
"The [Central Intelligence] way. those who died in GI custody last every country in the world". Abu national security. Human Rights
Agency consider them as their Among the human rights year was Majid al-Barghuti, 42, -Ali sought initially to deny the Watch and al-Haq have said that
property, those two Palestinian o r g a n i s a t i o n s t h a t h a v e an imam at a village near CIA was "deeply involved" with in raising the security capacity of
services." A diplomatic source documented or complained about Ramallah. the two Palestinian intelligence
CIA page 7
added that US influence over the the mistreatment of detainees While there is no evidence that agencies responsible for the
E-reader News Edition
Give teenagers a taste for moderation | Jessica Reed
By Jessica Reed (World news
and comment from the
Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:01:22 AM
If quality is emphasised over
quantity, there is no right or
wrong to allowing teenagers a
drink – adults must set a good
example
As commenter zounds pointed
out, there are precious few ways
to discuss chief medical adviser
Liam Donaldson's
recommendation that no young
person under the age of 15
should drink at all without giving
birth to an anecdotal
haemorrhage where cultural
stereotypes, generalisations about
class and personal experiences
blend together to produce a
perplexing read.
Take a comment from our
contributor, American-born Jean-
Hannah Eldelstein, who said she
never touched an alcoholic drink
before it was legally allowed, and
she doesn't regret it one bit.
Imogenblack started drinking at
16. Her sister started years
earlier, and both are now
responsible social drinkers.
Shemarch and her husband
allowed their children to have a
taste on special occasions; they
grew up to be typical moderate
drinkers. Others sadly turned out
to like drinks a little too much.
And so it goes on.
I spent the first 21 years of my
life in Touraine, one of France's
famous wine-producing regions.
The vast majority of my friends,
no matter their background, did
have a taste of rosé or desert
wine once in a while. They're
now not only moderate drinkers,
but quite a few of them also are
keen connoisseurs of wine with a
deep appreciation for the product
they like to consume.
I would venture that if a child is
introduced to wine as a beverage
to be savoured and respected,
with a focus on quality rather
than quantity (and it does require
some pedagogy from the
responsible adults), this attitude
is likely to be remembered and
adopted after the tumultuous
years of early adulthood and its
alcohol-fuelled rite of passage
have come and gone. After all, if
the emphasis is put on sensual
pleasure very early on, rather
than intoxication no matter the
taste, an affinity for sipping on a
good Riesling – rather than one
for dirt cheap tetra-packed wines
– will naturally develop. Kids
will be kids, and experiments
with alcohol aren't going to
disappear any time soon – to
deny the existence of a desire for
intoxication among European
adolescents is either foolish or
misguided. The trick, I think, is
to make it to the other side safely,
and reach responsible patterns of
adult consumption early on.
My university years were spent
in Rennes, in Brittany, which
holds the record of the most
intoxicated region of France.
Many of my Friday and Saturday
nights were spent among the
student crowds surrounding the
aptly named Rue de la soif(Thirst
street). Funny or embarrassing
anecdotes relating to intoxication
were worn like badges of honour,
told and retold to circles of
friends until they reach mythical
heights, while the tragic ones,
from the inebriated street fight to
serious car accidents, were
quickly swept under the carpet.
According to a report published
by the University of Rennes II,
nine students out of 10 had drunk
before, with beer the alcohol
most regularly consumed by
young people (I doubt students
are often looking for the best
organic ale). Only 12% of young
people admitted to drinking more
than 10 units in a month, and 17
was the age at which adolescents
started to consume drinks on a
monthly basis. Truth be told,
these numbers didn't strike me as
either alarmist or frightening. So
how does alcohol consumption
among young people look across
Europe?
Not surprisingly, European
countries seem to differ not on
the number of young people who
had tried alcohol (most 16-year-
olds in all European countries
had already had a go), but on
levels of intoxication and
regularity of alcohol
consumption.
In terms of intoxication, and
especially repeated intoxication,
according to the Institute of
Research on Alcoholic Drinks,
French teenagers and those from
Greece and Latin countries such
as Malta or Italy, have rather low
rates compared to young people
living in Anglo-Saxon and
Nordic countries. In 1999, only
3% of young Greeks admitted to
having been drunk three times or
more during the last 30 days
compared to 30% for Danish
youth. The report points out that
Anglo-Saxon countries are
always situated in the higher
bracket, both in terms of
consumption frequency and
repeated intoxication.
Nordic countries are
characterised by quite a low daily
consumption, but frequent
intoxication. Latin countries do
not seem to share this popular
youthful culture of "getting
drunk": the figures are relatively
low, even in the case of frequent
consumption. Frequent
consumption is therefore not
necessarily synonymous with a
lack of moderation: it all depends
on cultural behaviour.
French adults remain the highest
consumers of alcoholic beverages
in Europe. In other words, they
drink an awful lot, but never so
much that they lose control of
their own consumption. I'm not
sure either configuration is better,
but if looking at the number of
injuries, driving incidents or even
sexual abuse linked to excessive
alcohol consumption, the Latin
model seems to produce fewer
negative side-effects. Likewise,
on medical terms, binge drinking
is especially hard on the liver and
blood pressure, whereas true
moderation is less harmful (or as
my grandfather used to say, a
World/ 3
glass of wine a day never killed
anyone. That he knew of,
anyway).
Available data tells us that
Donaldson isn't right or wrong: if
born in England into a family that
does not abuse alcohol, a young
person is more likely to follow
the drinking patterns already
established by his country and
peers, regardless of whether or
not she or he was sipping beer
with parents aged 11. As
epidemiologist Marie Choquet
points out, we can put forward
the hypothesis that wilful
intoxication is a model that tends
to fade with age. It is therefore
down to us adults to show a good
example to our teenagers. I am
reminded of the words of food
activist Michael Pollan on eating
responsibly: "Eat food. Not too
much. Mostly plants." A similar
quote could be drafted when it
comes to alcohol: "Savour
quality, artisan drinks with
friends. Not too many. Do not
drive."
• Alcohol
• Wine
• Food & drink
• France
• Young people
Jessica Reed
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News
& Media Limited 2009 | Use of
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4 World/
Leaked UN report shows cuts offered at Copenhagen would
lead to 3C rise
By Jonathan Watts, Suzanne
Goldenberg, John Vidal
(World news and comment
from the Guardian |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:03:14 AM
UN secretariat initial draft shows
gap of up to 4.2 gigatonnes of
CO2 between present pledges
and cuts required to limit rise to
2C
Read the UN analysis document
here
A confidential UN analysis
obtained by the Guardian reveals
that the emissions cuts offered so
far at the Copenhagen climate
change summit will lead to
global temperatures rising by an
average of 3C.
The analysis seriously
undermines the statements by
governments that they are aiming
to limit emissions to a level
ensuring no more than a 2C
temperature rise over the next
century, and indicates that the
last 24 hours of negotiations will
be extremely challenging.
A rise of 3C would mean up to
170 million more people
suffering severe coastal floods
and 550 million more at risk of
hunger, according to the 2006
Stern economic review of climate
change for the UK government -
as well as leaving up to 50% of
species facing extinction. Even a
rise of 2C would lead to sharp
decline in tropical crop yields,
more flooding and droughts.
The paper was drafted by the
UN secretariat running the
Copenhagen summit and is dated
11pm on Tuesday evening. It is
marked "do not distribute" and
"initial draft". It shows a gap of
up to 4.2 gigatonnes of carbon
emissions between the present
pledges and the required level of
44Gt, which is required to
staying below a 2C rise. No
higher offers have since been
made.
"Unless the remaining gap of
around 1.9-4.2Gt is closed and
Annexe 1 parties [countries]
commit themselves to strong
action before and after 2020,
global emissions will remain on
an unsustainable pathway that
could lead to concentrations
equal or above 550 parts per
million, with the related
temperature rise around 3C," it
says.
The goal of keeping the increase
in global average temperatures
below 2C, relative to pre-
industrial levels, has become the
figure that all rich countries have
committed to trying to achieve in
Copenhagen.
However, 102 of the world's
poorest countries are holding out
for emission cuts that would
result in a temperature increase
of no more than 1.5C. Anything
below that, they say, would leave
billions of people in the world
homeless, unable to feed their
people and open to catastrophic
weather-related disasters.
"Further steps are possible and
necessary to fill the gap. This
could be done by increasing the
aggregated emission reductions
to at least 30% below the
baseline levels, further stronger
voluntary actions by developing
countries to reduce their
emissions by at least 20% below
business as usual and; reducing
further emissions from
deforestation and international
aviation and marine shipping,"
says the internal paper.
Greenpeace campaigner Joss
Garman said: "This is an
explosive document that shows
the numbers on the table at the
moment would lead to nothing
less than climate breakdown and
an extraordinarily dangerous
situation for humanity. The UN
is admitting in private that the
pledges made by world leaders
would lead to a 3C rise in
temperatures. The science shows
that could lead to the collapse of
the Amazon rainforest, crippling
water shortages across South
America and Australia and the
near-extinction of tropical coral
reefs, and that's just the start of
it."
The talks remained on a knife
edge on Thursday, with world
leaders meeting for the first time
this evening at a dinner hosted by
the Queen of Denmark. One great
obstacle - the fate of the Kyoto
treaty - was solved today with
China and the developing world
seeing off attempts to kill the
protocol. But the row caused
much time to be lost and whether
enough time remains to salvage a
strong deal is still in question.
The biggest remaining obstacles
that remain are who pays for the
fight against climate change and
how much, emissions cuts and
how promises of cuts are
verified. Earlier, US secretary of
state, Hillary Clinton, pushed the
negotiations forward by
committing the US to contribute
to a $100bn (£62bn) a year fund
from 2020. Indonesia today
followed China's lead in
softening its opposition to
international monitoring of
carbon cuts.
Earlier this week, Rajendra
Pachauri, who heads the UN's
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), told the
Guardian that even with 1.5C
rises, many communities would
suffer. "Some of the most
vulnerable regions in the world
will be worst affected. These will
be the largest countries in the
developing world. They have
E-reader News Edition
little infrastructure that might
protect them from climate
change. The tragedy of the
situation is that those countries
that have not at all contributed to
the problem of climate change
will be the ones that are most
affected," he said.
"Some parts of the world, which
even with a 1.5C rise, will suffer
great hardship and lose their
ability to lead a decent and stable
form of existence. If we are
going to be concerned about
these communities, then maybe
1.5C is what we should be
targeting. But if we can find
means by which those
communities can be helped to
withstand the impact of climate
change with substantial flow of
finances, then maybe one can go
to 2C."
• Copenhagen climate change
conference 2009
• Climate change
• Carbon emissions
• Flooding
• Drought
• Sea level
Jonathan Watts Suzanne
Goldenberg John Vidal
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News
& Media Limited 2009 | Use of
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E-reader News Edition
Silvio Berlusconi leaves hospital four days after
attack
By John Hooper (World news
and comment from the
Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:26:37 AM
Italian prime minister vows to go
on 'with more strength and
determination than before'
Silvio Berlusconi left hospital
today/yesterday[THURS] after
spending four nights under
medical supervision following an
attack with a souvenir model of
the Milan cathedral.
The 73-year-old Italian prime
minister waved weakly and
looked grim as he was slowly
driven away in a motorcade from
San Raffaele hospital in Milan
late this/yesterday[THURS]
morning, his face covered in
bandages.
Berlusconi later said in a
statement released by his office
that he would go on "with more
strength and determination than
before".
"I will remember two things
about these days: the hatred of a
few and the love of many, many
Italians," he said.
Initial news reports said the
motorcade was heading for
Browser makers hope WebGL will remake 3D
By Stephen Shankland
(Webware.com)
Arcore, Berlusconi's villa on the
outskirts of Milan, but journalists
stationed there reported that,
hours after he had left hospital,
he had not returned home.
A Swiss media report quoted the
mayor of Gravesano, in southern
Switzerland, as saying the prime
minister was expected to check
into a clinic in the town, amid
reports that he was to have
cosmetic surgery on injuries
caused by the attack.
The prime minister's staff
declined to comment on his
destination.
Last night Berlusconi's doctors
put off a decision on his
discharge from hospital for the
third time since he was admitted
on Sunday. His personal
physician, Alberto Zangrillo,
said: "His condition is reassuring,
and we are reassured." Zangrillo
said Berlusconi was in
considerable pain and unable to
eat normally.
The physician said earlier this
week that the prime minister,
while still bloodied, had told him
there was a "climate of hatred"
and that he had expected to be
attacked.
Don't believe WebGL is real? but plenty of development is
Here's how to try the 3D browser n e e d e d f o r t h i s g r a p h i c s
technology yourself. It works, f o u n d a t i o n t o m a t u r e .
Berlusconi lost half a litre of
blood after he was hit with an
angular souvenir replica of Milan
Cathedral. He was left with a
broken nose, two chipped teeth
and cuts inside and around his
mouth – unpleasant injuries, but
not necessarily such as to warrant
a four-day stay in hospital.
On Tuesday Zangrillo said the
blow to the prime minister's head
had inflamed a long-standing
neck complaint. A medical
bulletin issued last night by the
San Raffaele hospital said that
was one reason for keeping him
in and his general clinical
condition was "good and
satisfactory".
As Italy's interior minister,
Roberto Maroni, expressed
concern over the possibility of
copycat attacks, a man was
arrested trying to reach
Berlusconi's bedroom. Police
said he had entered the hospital
through the underground car park
and taken the lift – an
explanation that raised further
doubts about the prime minister's
security.
Police said the 26-year-old man
from Turin appeared to have
psychological problems. They
said he had not been carrying any
weapon, although ice hockey
sticks were found in his car.
A judge approved the jailing of
Berlusconi's assailant, Massimo
Tartaglia, who is being held in
the neuro-psychiatric observation
centre at San Vittore prison in
Milan. The judge ruled there was
a risk of the 42-year-old
committing other violent acts.
The cabinet will today discuss
proposals to black out
venomously anti-Berlusconi
websites and tighten security at
public gatherings. Maroni said
the internet crackdown would not
be put into effect at once but into
a bill that would be debated in
parliament.
• Silvio Berlusconi
• Italy
John Hooper
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News
& Media Limited 2009 | Use of
this content is subject to our
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Originally posted at Deep Tech
World/ Tech/ 5
Stepfather confesses
to sticking 42 needles
into boy's body
(World news and comment
from the Guardian |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:18:33 AM
Two-year-old Brazilian boy
found with metal sewing needles
inside his body, including some
in his lungs
The stepfather of a two-year-old
boy found with 42 needles in his
body has confessed to jabbing
them into him as part of a
religious ritual, Brazilian police
said today.
Roberto Carlos Magalhaes
claimed that a woman who went
into a trance commanded him to
stick the needles into the boy's
body, a police inspector, Helder
Fernandes Santana, said. He said
three people, including the
stepfather and the woman, had
been arrested.
Doctors found 42 needles in the
boy, who was in stable condition
in the city of Salvador after a 240
-mile flight to a hospital in
Barreiras with a special heart
unit.
• Brazil
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News
& Media Limited 2009 | Use of
this content is subject to our
Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
6 World/ Finance/ E-reader News Edition
Sprint Nextel's moves
Yemen 'kills 34 al-Qaida members in raids' Boost Mobile head to
oversee 4G development
By Ian Black (World news and targets, had been found in counterpart, Prince Saud al- Yemen has repeatedly accused
comment from the Guardian | Sana'a. Those captured in Abyan Faisal, focused on the Yemen its arch-rival Iran of backing the By Brian White
guardian.co.uk) included foreigners. situation. rebels. Iran and the Houthis in (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:26:58 AM Diplomats and analysts said It was also one of the main items turn claimed US planes had been
Submitted at 12/16/2009 6:00:00 PM
Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah at this week's summit of the Gulf involved in the recent air strikes,
Ministry of defence says 17 Salih, was anxious to promote his Cooperation Council in Kuwait. although the White House denies Filed under: Launches,
others involved in terrorist determination to defeat al-Qaida News of the action against al- military involvement in the Consumer experience, Sprint
organisation detained in military amidst concern that the terrorist Qaida coincided with reports that region. Nextel Corp (S) Sprint Nextel
operations organisation – generally on the Saudi infantry, supported by The Houthis have posted videos Corporation ( S) is taking the
Yemen today claimed to have back foot elsewhere – had been aircraft and artillery, had on the internet showing people executive that was in charge of
killed 34 members of al-Qaida consolidating its presence in mounted new operations to block trying to clear rubble covering its Boost Mobile prepaid brand
and captured 17 others in security Osama bin Laden's ancestral infilitration across the border human bodies. when subscriber growth exploded
operations in a country in which homeland. between the two countries by Yemen has also refuted almost a year ago and putting
a growing jihadi presence is Having been effectively defeated Yemeni Houthi rebels. allegations of US invovlement. him in charge of the company's
ringing alarm bells in the west. in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, al- The Al-Arabiyya TV channel "It is false rumour," a military 4G wireless expansion efforts.
Yemen's ministry of defence Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula reported that the rebels had fired source told the army's 26 Continue reading Sprint Nextel's
said troops, backed by aircraft, has shifted operations to Yemen, katyusha rockets into Saudi September website. moves Boost Mobile head to
had mounted "successful pre- taking advantage of a weak state territory. • Yemen oversee 4G development
emptive operations" against al- facing a fully-fledged rebellion in Yemeni forces mounted an • Al-Qaida Sprint Nextel's moves Boost
Qaida targets including a training the north and unrest in the south, offensive against the Houthis in • Iran Mobile head to oversee 4G
camp in the southern province of as well as endemic poverty, rapid August, with the Saudis joining • United States development originally appeared
Abyan and in the Arhab district population growth and other the operation in early November • Saudi Arabia on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16
north of the capital, Sana'a. chronic problems. after rebel forces crossed the Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please
An opposition source said scores US officials recently described border. Ian Black see our terms for use of feeds.
of civilians had been killed in one Yemen as a "reserve base" for al- Tens of thousands of people guardian.co.uk© Guardian News Read| Permalink| Email this|
air attack. Qaida activities in Pakistan and have been displaced by the & Media Limited 2009 | Use of Comments
Pro-government media reported Afghanistan, a concern shared by fighting, triggering concern this content is subject to our
that eight al-Qaida operatives, Britain. amongst relief agencies. The Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
with explosive belts prepared for Recent talks between the US Houthis claimed 70 civilians
suicide bombing attacks on s e c r e t a r y o f s t a t e , H i l l a r y were killed in a Saudi attack this
schools and Yemeni and foreign C l i n t o n , a n d h e r S a u d i week.

Oracle earnings preview: Holding its own as Sun deal closes

By Trey Thoelcke JAVA), is scheduled to discuss and detailed its plans for Sun. own as Sun deal closes
(BloggingStocks) its financial results for the second Analysts surveyed by Thomson Oracle earnings preview:
Submitted at 12/16/2009 6:30:00 PM
quarter of fiscal 2010 in a Reuters are looking for Oracle to Holding its own as Sun deal
conference call Thursday, report that earnings for the closes originally appeared on
Filed under: Earnings reports, December 17, at 5:00 PM (ET). quarter rose two cents per share BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec
Forecasts, Oracle Corp (ORCL) You can catch the live webcast of from a year ago to $0.36. 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see
Enterprise software giant Oracle t h e c a l l o n t h e c o m p a n y ' s Revenue is expected to the same our terms for use of feeds.
Corporation ( ORCL), which w e b s i t e . as a year ago, or $5.7 billion. Permalink| Email this| Comments
finally completed the deal to The three months that ended in its proposed acquisition of Sun Continue reading Oracle
acquire Sun Microsystems, Inc. ( November saw Oracle deny that Micro would reduce competition earnings preview: Holding its
E-reader News Edition World/ Finance/ Tech News/ 7
CIA
Spanish region set to ban bullfighting continued from page 2

By Giles Tremlett (World news
and comment from the
Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:57:17 AM
Catalan parliament prepares to
vote on law giving fighting bulls
the same level of protection from
cruelty as other animals
Bullfighting looks set to be
banned in part of Spain as the
Catalan parliament prepares to
vote tomorrow to prohibit one of
the country's most emblematic,
and bloodiest, traditions.
In a move that campaigners hope
will mark the beginning of the
end for bullfighting in the
country that invented it, a petition
with 127,000 signatures was
delivered to the region's
parliament earlier this week.
Under local laws, the parliament
must first vote on whether to
accept the petition and then draw
up a law, which would be subject
to a second, definitive vote in
several months' time.
The law is likely to be passed,
with minority separatist and far-
left parties in the region
committed to supporting the ban,
while the major parties allow
their deputies to vote freely.
Separatists claim bullfighting is
not a Catalan tradition.
Deputies have made it clear that,
while they may ban bullfights,
they will not prohibit Catalan
fiestas in which bulls are chased
through the streets and
tormented, sometimes with balls
of fire attached to their horns.
The petition calls for a change in
Catalonia's animal cruelty law
that would see fighting bulls,
which are currently excluded,
protected from any kind of
torture.
"If the deputies are going to
behave like proper
representatives of the people,
then they must accept the ban,"
said Manuel Cases, of the
Catalan Animals Rights
Association. "Seventy percent of
Catalans are against
bullfighting."
The move has sparked an
impassioned debate in a country
where matadors are big stars.
Bullfighting is referred to as "the
national fiesta" and reviews are
published in the arts, rather than
the sports, pages of newspapers.
Among those battling for
bullfighting to continue are a
group of local artists and writers,
including artist Miquel Barceló
and theatre director Calixto
Bieito.
"Banning the bullfight means
banning part of our liberty," they
said in a manifesto published
yesterday.
They are backed by a group of
left-wing Spanish intellectuals
who are unconditional supporters
of celebrity matador José Tomás.
Tomás has done much recently to
revive enthusiasm for
bullfighting in Barcelona and
other parts of Catalonia after
years of decline.
Campaigners hope, however,
that if the ban goes ahead other
Spanish regions will follow suit.
"Everywhere in Spain the
majority of people say they do
not like bullfights," said Cases.
"Over time, this will have to be
prohibited. Otherwise we will be
back in the stone age."
• Spain
• Animal welfare
Giles Tremlett
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News
& Media Limited 2009 | Use of
this content is subject to our
Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
the PA, donor countries have a
responsibility to ensure it
observes international human
rights standards.
At the heart of the international
effort is the creation of the
Palestinian national security
force, a 7,500-strong
gendarmerie trained by US,
British, Canadian and Turkish
army officers under the command
of a US general, Keith Dayton.
Many Palestinians blame Dayton
for the mistreatment of Hamas
sympathisers, although the
general's remit does not extend to
either of the intelligence agencies
responsible.
Some in Dayton's team are said
to have been warned by senior
CIA officers that they should not
attempt to interfere in the work of
the PSO or GI. Privately, some of
them are said to fear that the
mistreatment of detainees, and
the anger this is arousing among
the population, may undermine
Rebooting A Christmas Story
By Steven Leckart (Wired Top
Stories)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 5:00:00 PM
The classic movie's air rifle and
their mission. One source said: "I
know that Dayton and his crew
are very concerned about what is
happening in those detention
centres because they know it can
jeopardise their work."
• CIA
• Palestinian territories
• United States
• Hamas
• Gaza
• Torture
• Human rights
• Israel
• Middle East
Ian Cobain
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News
& Media Limited 2009 | Use of
this content is subject to our
Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
decoder ring were cool back in
1983, but they're quaint today.
Here's Wired's update.

Nike Earnings Preview: Another Upside Surprise for Q2?

By Trey Thoelcke stands by embattled Tiger website. BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Dec
(BloggingStocks) Woods, is scheduled to discuss Continue reading Nike Earnings 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:30:00 AM
its financial results for the second Preview: Another Upside our terms for use of feeds.
quarter of fiscal 2010 in a Surprise for Q2? Permalink| Email this| Comments
Filed under: Earnings reports, c o n f e r e n c e c a l l T h u r s d a y , Nike Earnings Preview: Another
Forecasts, NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE) December 17, at 5:00 PM (ET). t h e c a l l o n t h e c o m p a n y ' s Upside Surprise for Q2?
Nike Inc. ( NKE), which said it You can catch the live webcast of originally appeared on
8 Finance/ Tech/ E-reader News Edition

Options Update: Research Before the Bell: Futures

in Motion December Lower After Fed
Options Active into EPS Statement, Ahead of Data
By Paul Foster Track Data, suggesting traders By Melly Alazraki
(BloggingStocks) taking positions for near term (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:00:00 AM
price movement.
Continue reading Options
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:45:00 AM
Is Viacom a
Filed under: Research in Motion Update: Research in Motion
(RIMM), Options December Options Active into
Filed under: Before the bell,
International markets, Market
Viable Idea for
Research in Motion( RIMM) EPS
closed at $64.67. Research in Options Update: Research in
matters, Citigroup Inc. (C), Bank
of America (BAC), Economic
the New Year?
Motion is expected to report Q3 M o t i o n D e c e m b e r O p t i o n s data, Oil, Federal Reserve U.S. By Steven Mallas
EPS today. January option Active into EPS originally stock futures fell Thursday (BloggingStocks)
implied volatility is at 55, March appeared on BloggingStocks on morning after finishing relatively Bell: Futures Lower After Fed Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:00:00 AM
is at 52; versus its 26-week Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. flat and mixed the day before. Statement, Ahead of Data
average of 54. RIMM December Please see our terms for use of The Federal Reserve's statement Before the Bell: Futures Lower Filed under: Time Warner
60 straddle is priced at $5.30, feeds. Permalink| Email this| Wednesday afternoon added to After Fed Statement, Ahead of (TWX), Walt Disney (DIS),
January is at $8.45 according to Comments concerns about future tightening, Data originally appeared on Viacom (VIA), News Corp'B'
even as the central bank left key BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Dec (NWS), Media World
rates at a record low for now. 2009 07:45:00 EST. Please see Looking for an idea in the media
Several economic reports are due our terms for use of feeds. sector? Disney's ( DIS) stock has
this morning, including jobs data. Permalink| Email this| Comments been doing well. News Corp. (
Continue reading Before the NWS) is near a 52-week high.
Time Warner ( TWX) is on a roll,
Forgot your
Jobless Claims Further Sour Street's anniversary? Facebook's
too.
Continue reading Is Viacom a
Viable Idea for the New Year?
got it covered
Mood By Josh Lowensohn
(Webware.com)
Is Viacom a Viable Idea for the
New Year? originally appeared
By Mark Fightmaster crude oil and treasurys reacted on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17
(BloggingStocks) negatively to the news. Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:44:00 AM Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please
Continue reading Jobless Claims see our terms for use of feeds.
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:30:00 AM
Further Sour Street's Mood Forgetful significant others get a Read| Permalink| Email this|
Filed under: Before the bell, Bad Jobless Claims Further Sour reprieve from Facebook, which Comments
news, Economic data What Street's Mood originally appeared just introduced way to get
started as a rough morning have on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 reminded when it's your
become even rougher after the Dec 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please anniversary.
weekly release of jobless claims. in the past week to total 480,000, see our terms for use of feeds. Originally posted at Web
I n i t i a l j o b l e s s c l a i m s reversing the recent trend. While Permalink| Email this| Comments Crawler
unexpectedly increased by 7,000 the dollar remained higher, both
E-reader News Edition
It's OK. I Love My Old Gear, Too [Old Gadgets]
By Chris Jacob (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:40:03 AM
You'd think a guy who writes
about tech all day would have the
latest and greatest gear.
Confession time: I don't. In fact,
most of it's pretty old and I sort
of like it that way.
The winter months are the
hardest time to not want new
stuff. We're inundated with sales,
and in a few short weeks we'll be
ogling next year's tech at CES.
As the resident Gizmodo "no I
won't upgrade my PowerBook"
curmudgeon, I'm here for
support. Take a look at the gear I
use, and how despite its age, all
(well, most of) it has plenty of
life left. I Call Him FrankenPod
No, you're not seeing things. The
image above is indeed a picture
of my primary media player, and
yes, it is an iPod mini.
Go ahead, get the Borat jokes
out of your system.
Done? Okay, now hear me out.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
As far as I'm concerned, this little
guy can blow away nearly any
other MP3 player on the market.
Under the hood, I swapped the
6GB microdrive with a 16GB
Compact Flash card. I can easily
change it out for a 32 or a 64GB
card once prices come down. It's
also running what I consider to
be the most feature-rich firmware
around, Rockbox. What looks
like a beat-up iPod mini is
actually a robust, nearly
indestructible flash-based
portable audio player, all built for
a fraction of what a new one
costs.
The mini isn't the only old iPod
that's easily moddable.
Considering about 118% of the
United States' population has an
old iPod lying around somewhere
by now, chances are you've got
what you need for a fun weekend
project. Even if your heart's set
on the Zune HD's OLED display
or the Touch's app catalog, some
love and a little elbow grease can
breathe old life into that old iPod,
and give you a great secondary
PMP. The Little Computer that
Could
When I walked into Gizmodo
HQ on my first day, I was
nervous. Some of that anxiety
was the new job jitters, but I was
mostly afraid that my 12"
PowerBook wouldn't cut it.
Gizmodo moves fast, and my
aging machine certainly doesn't. I
was on the verge of upgrading,
but decided to see how my old
hardware fared before taking the
plunge.
Long story short: It did the job.
Barely. But through compromise,
I made it work. I love Firefox
and all of its extensions, but
Safari runs at half the resource
Gadgets/ 9
another that could feasibly last
for 4+. Whenever that computer
comes out, I'll probably bite, but
until then I'm happy squeezing a
little extra life out of my aging
hardware.
Look at how you use your
computer. If you're rendering all
day, never leave Photoshop, or
doing any other heavy computing
and you need the speed, then
upgrade. But the rest of us can
probably hold off a little longer,
even tech-obsessed gadget
bloggers. Nice Peeling Chrome
Paint, Dude
I'm fairly certain I'm the only
writer at Gizmodo without a
smartphone. Yes, dumbphones
must die, and someday I will
upgrade this one. But for now, it
makes calls, texts, and even has
an almost acceptable music
player built in that works in a
pinch. Google services run
surprisingly well in a WAP
browser, too, so I can get email
load. Photoshop Elements does and read my RSS feeds when
what I need without the huge necessary.
footprint of CS. With a little Would I love to have a
thought as to what applications I smartphone? Sure. (Hey Brian
was running, which ones I didn't Lam and Jason Chen, skip down
need, and where I was willing to a few sentences) But it's also
c o m p r o m i s e , m y p l u c k y really nice to be disconnected
P o w e r B o o k a n d I m a d e i t sometimes. My Gizmodo email
through the summer. account receives a very steady
As much as I love the little guy, stream of emails, to say the least.
it's not like I haven't thought I like being able to walk away
about replacing him. I almost from the computer and cut
pulled the trigger on a new myself off every once in a while,
MacBook last month. At the last without my phone constantly
minute I decided that instead of reminding me that there's work to
buying a computer that would
IT'S page 10
last me 2-3 years, I wanted
10 Gadgets/
IT'S
continued from page 9
be done (Okay overlords, you
can read on from here). Just
Because it's Old Doesn't Mean it
Sounds Worse
No, this stereo doesn't do DTS-
HD Master Audio. It has zero
HDMI ports. But it still does 2-
channel audio pretty well, more
than well enough for what I need
it to do.
Repurposing old stereo
equipment is one of the best
ways to build a great system on
the cheap. The turntable and
receiver are my dad's old gear,
coupled with a pair of speakers I
yanked off of a CD player I've
had since I was 14. The setup
won't win me any audiophile
cred, but it definitely does a
much-better-than-OK job at
playing music.
Not to mention that it's pretty
cool to listen on the same
equipment my dad once used.
When I was 17, I found his old
record collection in the basement
and immediately started spinning
it on his long-forgotten turntable.
Call me corny, but I think it's
pretty awesome to know that 30-
some years ago he was listening
to the same records on the same
deck.
If you aren't lucky enough to
have access to your parents' old
stereo equipment, it's not
uncommon to find some real
gems at your local thrift shop on
the cheap, tossed away by
someone who thought McIntosh
is a cheap Apple knock-off.
Okay, so Maybe I Want to
Upgrade Some of It
I do have one thing that I
desperately want, and will
upgrade to soon: an HDTV. I've
never owned anything besides
tube TVs under 20 inches. The
fact that flat-panel prices are
finally reasonable, combined
with the digital switchover makes
it prime time for me to jump the
CRT ship.
I want to say that it always
makes sense to hold onto your
old TV after you upgrade, but in
this case it might not. Television
sets were at their saturation point
well before HDTVs came along.
In 2009 there were more TVs per
household than people. By now
it's likely that you just don't have
room for a fourth or twelfth tube
anywhere.
If you find yourself needing to
dispose of an aging TV, please
do so properly. Donate it. Sell it
on Craigslist. Or look into
electronics recycling centers in
your area. An old TV may not
have a place in your house or
apartment, but it might find a
place in someone else's home. It
certainly doesn't belong in a
landfill. See? I'm Not a Total
Luddite
I might roll with old stuff, but
I'm not some sort of quasi-neo-
luddite. Plenty of other gadgets
in my arsenal are much more
recent than what you see here. I
have a PS3, my music gets fed to
my stereo through a Squeezebox,
and I do have another receiver
that handles multichannel audio,
albeit a relatively cheap and older
one (and in case you're
wondering, I did take these
pictures with a DSLR, but it's not
mine).
So yes, even I don't always live
by the "never upgrade" mentality.
Planned obsolescence and the
industry's fast pace make it
impossible to live by that creed.
But I also think that a lot of the
time we feel "forced" to upgrade
we're really being driven by
gadget lust, that powerful desire
which makes us overlook the
benefits of using old stuff.
Here's what I always think about
when that ol' familiar "gotta have
it" feeling hits. The biggest and
most obvious perk: buy new stuff
less often, save money. I don't
know about you, but if I walk
away from a big purchase, I feel
like I've won. It's like trapping
money that was trying to escape
from my bank account. And if
you've got a bit of the tree-
hugging hippy spirit in you,
you'll feel good about cutting
down on your e-waste output,
even if only by a little bit.
Not to mention the freedom old
gear provides. I imagine it's
similar to the feeling of operating
the Mars rovers. I know that my
gadgets have gone far beyond
their planned mission length, so I
throw them around without
caring if they get damaged. And
once that old gear inevitably goes
belly up, I'll feel no remorse
upgrading something that lasted
for so long.
But that doesn't mean I won't be
sad to lose my gadgets. I've heard
other tech junkies say that we
should never fall in love with
technology, because we'll just
end up heartbroken when it's time
to say goodbye. In my opinion,
that emotional connection is
exactly what we need nowadays.
If we all try to love our gadgets,
to start treating them more like
companions than disposable
tools, a lot more perfectly good
gear could be saved from an
untimely retirement.
I know more than a few of you
out there are eyeing some new
toys for the holidays. I am too.
But before we let upgraditis get
the best of us, let's consider what
we already have. Maybe it's still
good enough. Maybe there's a
new part that could make our
gadgets better, and provide a fun
modding project to boot. Take it
from me: There's almost always
some way to squeeze extra life
out of old gear.
Now, if you'll excuse me, there's
an old Dell tower around here
somewhere that's begging to
become a NAS.
E-reader News Edition
Second Fuse UI video
shows wild, dynamically
lit 3D interface
By Paul Miller (Engadget)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:23:00 PM
We only got the briefest of
glimpses at the new UI approach
in Synaptics' collaborative Fuse
concept handset, and now TAT
(The Astonishing Tribe, the folks
behind the original Android UI),
has posted a brief clip that gives
a better idea of the full UI. It's
pretty wild, with some sort of
rendering engine that really
emphasizes depth, lighting and
motion. We're not sure it's the
most usable UI on the planet, but
it's certainly one of the oddest
we've witnessed. Check it out in
motion after the break.
Continue reading Second Fuse
UI video shows wild,
dynamically lit 3D interface
Second Fuse UI video shows
wild, dynamically lit 3D interface
originally appeared on Engadget
on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:23:00
EST. Please see our terms for
use of feeds. Permalink Phone
Arena| TAT| Email this|
Comments
E-reader News Edition Gadgets/ 11

Product Photo Awards: Arcade Putting Pro

By Doug Aamoth MY GOD THAT MAN- started falling apart within 5
(CrunchGear) EATING TIGER THAT minutes. The plastic screws that
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:30:00 AM
ESCAPED FROM THE ZOO IS connect the main part of the
COMING RIGHT AT US!” game to the mat would not stay
Product photography is an art The kid, meanwhile, seems to be in. Used the 2 replacements sent;
form. It must appeal to the looking right at the director. same thing happened. The
senses, tickle one’s fancy, instill “Don’t look at the camera, Carl, folding plastic brace that lifts the
a sense of urgency – I NEED IT! look at me. Okay back straight, main part of the game fell off
Take this Arcade Putting Pro shoulders square aaaaand… putt. continuously. I used metal screws
game, available at JCPenney.com T h e r e y o u g o . M a n , t h a t to reinforce so that I can
on clearance for $30. turquoise shirt is showing up hopefully get some use from it..
The golf balls are MOVING! great on camera. Turquoise is Very poorly made- not worth the
You can tell because of the 2010’s color of the year, mind price.”
whooooosh lines. The father is you.” So there you have it. An
EXCITED! His son is about to “Okay guys, let’s break for otherwise poor-quality product
sink a putt! He may also be lunch,” announces the director. that’s been saved by exceptional
excited because he bears an “Dad, I’m going to need you to marketing photos.
uncanny resemblance to Adam stick around, Carl you’re all done look straight down. Beverly, I the city bus all morning. Perfect.” Clearance! Arcade Putting
Sandler’s friend Peter Dante. for the day. Nice work. Everyone need to you scream as you notice And that’s the story behind the Pro[JC Penney via dealnews]
But something strange is afoot. else, let’s get set up for the the tiger charging at you. Dad, Arcade Putting Pro product
Peter Dante looks excited, yet second product shot. This next you’re going to be wearing a non photos. As for the product itself,
apprehensive, as if something off one will be used for Amazon’s -identifying red baseball cap, a a JC Penny customer says:
camera is about to happen. product page and I’m gonna need ringer tee, and I want you to look “Purchased game to use at a fall
Something BAD!“My son is Randy and Beverly in here. directly at me as though you’ve festival. Set up at my house for a
about to sink this putt but OH Randy, same story as Carl but been huffing glue while riding trial by adults, no children. Game

FSJ's Anti-AT&T Manifesto Makes Me Raise My Fist in

Solidarity [At&t]
By Adam Frucci (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:00:00 AM
Fake Steve Jobs' new"chat" with
AT&T's Randall Stephenson
from a few days ago has him
hitting brilliant new heights. He
really nails why AT&T's network
failures are so infuriating. This is
essential reading, if you missed
it.
While I'm ranting, let me ask
you something, Randall. At the
risk of sounding like Glenn Beck best in the whole fucking world? idea, because even though it
Jr. - what the fuck has gone What can we do that would blow might be great for consumers it
wrong with our country? Used to people's fucking minds? They would mean you and your lazy
be, we were innovators. We were wouldn't have sat around pals would have to get off your
leaders. We were builders. We wondering about ways to fuck asses and start working again in
were engineers. We were the best over people who loved their order to keep up.
and brightest. We were the kind product. But then something Yes, this is in the arrogant,
of guys who, if they were happened. Guys like you took blustery Fake Steve voice, but
running the biggest mobile over the phone company and all make no mistake: there's nothing
network in the U.S., would say you cared about was milking sarcastic about the message or
it's not enough to be the biggest, profit and paying off assholes in the content here. [ Fake Steve
we also want to be the best, and they'd say, How can we get even Congress to fuck over anyone Jobs]
once they got to be the best, better? What can we do to be the who came along with a better
12 Gadgets/
TV Armor Review: Better Than a Broken TV, I
Guess [Review]
By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:20:00 AM
TV Armor is a clear, acrylic
shield for your LCD or plasma
set. You know, for if your little
Hellspawn thinks that pounding a
GI Joe against the television is
funny. The Price
$150 as tested, for a 40-42"
screen. The Verdict
If you had a very nice TV and a
very naughty child, I could see
the appeal of TV armor.
The hardest part of installation is
pulling the plastic film off the TV
armor itself. Once that's done,
you stick a few felt adhesive pads
on the back, then set the armor
directly over your television (it
hooks from the top).
Even without the straps, I found
the shield extremely well-
balanced. That is, before I
proceeded to bang the crap out of
it with my remote. I basically
tried to stab my Samsung to
death with a blunt DirecTV
remote. And I failed (which was
a good thing).
BlackBerry email down / delayed in North America
By Nilay Patel (Engadget)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 12:17:00 PM
Go nna be a long day for
BlackBerry users: RIM's
confirmed to multiple outlets that
its BIS servers are acting up and
While I'm not sure it could
withstand a brick coming straight
at it, TV Armor didn't flex
enough to contact my TV's real
glass screen at all during my
remote test. However, the armor
wasn't left completely unscathed.
Some of the remote's plastic left
little spots on the screen (and
items like keys are sure to scratch
the surface). But, I guess if you
were investing in the product,
you'd want it damaged rather
that email services are being
delayed -- and we're actually
hearing that they're just down,
period. BlackBerry Messenger
still works, though, so you can
still BBM your BFF or whatever
the kids do nowadays. No word on service restoration, but we'll
than your TV.
As for glare and general
watchability, it roughly doubles
reflections coming off the screen.
I found the sacrifice adequate,
though depending on your
precise lighting situation, results
may vary. (The glare off a fully
open window can get pretty
intense at certain angles.)
So it's your call. But if I may be
as bold as to suggest, for $130,
the money spent on TV Armor
could buy a lot of Ritalin and
child muzzles. [ TV Armor]
Solid construction
Minimal effects on overall
image quality
Once it scratches, does that
defeat the point or completely
justify the device?
Increases glare moderately
update you when we find out.
P.S.- That's two months in a row
with significant BIS problems--
what's up with that, RIM?
[Thanks to everyone who sent
this in]
BlackBerry email down /
E-reader News Edition
Blackberry email
down across
most carriers
By Matt Burns (CrunchGear)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:51:52 AM
Oh noes! BIS is down for nearly
everyone in the States and
Canada. It’s really just the email
service. Web browsing, SMS,
BlackBerry messenger, and
phone calls are seemingly fine.
We’ll keep you updated, but it
seems like a good time to give
your thumbs a rest. You’ll have
to get back to work soon enough.
[ CrackBerry via Gizmodo]
Update: RIM has confirmed the
outage, but didn’t state when the
service will be restored.
delayed in North America
originally appeared on Engadget
on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:17:00
EST. Please see our terms for
use of feeds. Permalink| Yahoo,
CrackBerry| Email this|
Comments
E-reader News Edition Gadgets/ Politics/ 13
Someone call the RIAA: Amazon accidentally
AT&T to offer 'incentives' to sends out Lil Wayne album despite the fact
that it’s been delayed till February
customers willing to limit data usage By Nicholas Deleon
By Donald Melanson AT&T exec #1: Now you're (CrunchGear)
(Engadget) talking! What sort of incentives Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:00:07 AM
Submitted at 12/17/2009 12:55:00 PM
could get them to do that?
AT&T exec #2: Hmm.... Oops! As I’m sure you all know,
AT&T exec #1: You know, our Well, readers, are there any famous rapper Lil Wayne has a
network's really getting slammed incentives that would get you to new album in the works. It was
with all these people using their use less data? Feel free to offer supposed to come out next week,
unlimited data plans to download your suggestions for AT&T in but was pushed back for
things and do stuff online all the the comments below. And don't whatever reason. No big deal,
time. Any ideas how we can fix worry about actually paying more albums get pushed back all the
it? for data (yet, anyway), as AT&T time. (See: Detox. We’ll have
AT&T exec #2: We could put 's Ralph de la Vega is now saying flying cars by the time that comes record label, Universal, to just
out more WiFi hotspots. People that "we have not made any out.) Anyhow, apparently release the album now. It’s all
seem to use those. Sometimes. decision to implement tiered Amazon didn’t get the memo over the Internet, so anyone who
AT&T exec #1: Sure, but that's pricing," which is a slight since it sent out copies of the wants to download it can—why
not going to make a dent in backtrack from previous hints to album to about 500 people who wait till February to buy it? And
places like New York City. I the contrary. pre-ordered it. And as if you had once it hits the Internet, it’ll hit
mean, have you used an iPhone AT&T to offer 'incentives' to to ask: yes, the album has already the streets (Canal Street, and your
there? customers willing to limit data been pirated. I guarantee you can local city’s equivalent) by the
good. But people like to use their
AT&T exec #2: We have these usage originally appeared on find it on Canal Street (to say end of the work day today. Best
cellphones outside their house
things called MicroCells that Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 nothing of “the Internet”) by the use this little snafu to your
too. What happens then?
people can use at home, if they 12:55:00 EST. Please see our end of the day today. advantage.
AT&T exec #2: Well, what if we
live in North Carolina. Maybe terms for use of feeds. Permalink| The album, Rebirth, has been Besides, it’s not like you need to
offered customers incentives to
more people could use those? Wall Street Journal| Email this| pushed back to February 1, market or advertise Lil Wayne.
use less data?
AT&T exec #1: Yeah, that's Comments primarily to give its first single, The guy is huge. I can’t speak to
“On Fire,” some more time to get the latest album, but the
Jon Stewart on the Final Tea Party of the Year heat. comments I’ve seen aren’t
(Little Green Footballs) The targets are almost too easy, i n ” is hilarious Amazon hasn’t said anything exactly glowing…
but Stewart’s take on Tuesday’s n o n e t h e l e s s . [ V i d e o ] about the accidental release yet.
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:15:02 AM
incredibly loony tea party “die- If you were to ask me, and
you’re not, I’d tell Lil Wayne’s

Zune HD Twitter App Won't Let You F#&$ing Swear

[ZuneHd]
By Brian Barrett (Gizmodo) unfortunate act of censorship show up in your timeline. Microsoft rolls, well, what a
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:35:03 AM
we've seen since the iTunes We've reached out to Zune to see b%tch move. [ Engadget]
Ninjawords debacle, the Zune if there's a way to adjust settings
In the most random and HD Twitter app automatically whitewashes any bad words that to switch it off, but if that's how
14 Gadgets/ Tech/ E-reader News Edition

Shock study: Wii Fit alone won’t get you into Hands-on:
shape (nor is it supposed to, by the way) Bing for
By Nicholas Deleon
(CrunchGear)
over six months, looked at eight
families in North America and
The game is supposed to help
train you into the habit of taking
iPhone
By Jessica Dolcourt
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:10:33 AM
gave them the game for three in less calories than you burn, (Webware.com)
months, then took away the game how to be conscious of that fact
Shocking study coming out of for three months. that a hamburger has more Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:34:00 AM

the University of Minnesota that
says Wii Fit won’t get you into
shape, despite what you may
think. Well, to be specific, the
study says the game won’t
produce “significant changes in
daily physical activity, muscular
fitness, flexibility, balance or
body composition.”
The study, which took place
It found that families used the
game an average of 22 minutes
per day.
You’ll recall that Americans
watched TV for an average of 18
hours per week, or 2.57 hours per
day. Yeah.
That’s the thing: Wii Fit isn’t
exactly heavy training, so using it
for only 22 minutes per day and
calories than a banana, etc.
The new Bing 1.0 for iPhone
So use Wii Fit to develop
offers a viable alternative to
healthy habits, which is what
Google's searching and mapping
Nintendo has always said the
dominance.
game was about, and not to look
Originally posted at iPhone
like Brock Lesnar or George St.
Atlas
Pierre.
changing nothing else about your
Hard work is hard.
lifestyle wouldn’t produce any
sort of noticeable fitness result.

Ericsson demos 42Mbps HSPA Video: Much progress has

Evolution for the laypeople been made on Dungeons and
By Darren Murph (Engadget) upgrades start rolling out. Dragons for Microsoft Surface
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:08:00 AM
Granted, we've seen mobile data By Nicholas Deleon This here video(it’s sorta long at
rates tickle the 42Mbps mark (CrunchGear) 7 minutes long) shows what the
Talk about making good on a before, but those showcases were team at Carnegie Mellon
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:30:44 AM
promise... and then some. Back hardly ready for public University have come up with so
in March, Ericsson proudly consumption. Meanwhile, Remember Dungeons & far.
proclaimed that it would be able Verizon and AT&T are spending Dungeons for the Microsoft Excerpt photo was Flickr’d
to make 21Mbps look like child's bundles arguing about their Surface? It looks to be coming via Kotaku
play by reaching 28Mbps before still, it's now available for mass c o m p a r a t i v e l y g l a c i a l " 3 G along nicely.
the dawn of 2010, and now the deployment. Unfortunately, networks." Way to go, America.
company is tooting its horn once details beyond that were few and Ericsson demos 42Mbps HSPA
m o r e a f t e r d e m o n s t r a t i n g far between -- we're guessing Evolution for the laypeople Russian firm DST on a roll,
42Mbps equipment to common Ericsson just needed an avenue to originally appeared on Engadget
folk over in Stockholm, Sweden. gloat -- but we suspect carriers on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:08:00
Reportedly, it's the planet's first like Telstra will be pushing out EST. Please see our terms for
upping stake in Facebook?
By Caroline McCarthy in Facebook is now over 5
42Mbps HSPA achievement on their own releases once the use of feeds. Permalink| Ericsson| (Webware.com) percent, a Russian newspaper
commercial products, and better Email this| Comments reports--and it also just powered
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:08:00 AM
Zynga's $180 million round.
The investment company's stake Originally posted at The Social
E-reader News Edition
Nexus One Google Phone Could Arrive on T-
Mobile January 5th [Googe]
By Sean Fallon (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:36:00 AM
According to Reuters, Google
will have two versions of the
Nexus One—one unlocked and
one on a service contract with T-
Mobile. The phone could be
available directly from Google as
early as January 5th.
"In the long term Google will
become a seller and get
commission from operators," the
source said, adding that other
operators are expected to follow
Starlight 64 stakes its claim for 'world's smallest' N64 mod
By Joseph L. Flatley
(Engadget)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:33:00 AM
Until that iPhone N64 emulator
guy makes with the goods, it
looks like folks wanting the full
Nintendo 64 experience "on the
go" are going to have to turn to
the generous talents of the
Vexia Econav GPS nags you about your driving
By Joseph L. Flatley
(Engadget)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:43:00 AM
If the folks at Vexia are to be
believed, green transportation is
not about fancy electric vehicles
or, heaven forbid, riding your
bike -- nope, it's about having a
GPS that offers advice on your
T-Mobile's lead eventually and
agree to Google's terms.
Reuters also quotes Baird
Research analyst Will Power on
how Google's choice to market
modding community. Claiming
to be "officially" the world's
smallest (we don't know who the
sanctioning body is for this title,
so we'll let him duke it out with
the N64Mini guy), YouTube
member spiritwalker47's portable
console is quite a number:
featuring a 5-inch display, n e c e s s a r y c o n t r o l s , a n d a
polycarbonate case with all the
driving. Both the Econav 480
(4.3-inch) and 380 (3.5-inch) can
be configured for your specific
automobile make and model,
after which your usual calm,
solitary driving experience is
replaced by the cold mechanical
voice of a satnav as it
admonishes you for excessive past the speed limit, and so forth.
acceleration, breaking, driving With other Econav models out in
their own phone shakes up the
smartphone market, but mostly
screws other Android makers:
"We expect the launch of a new
competitive device to be
directionally negative for most of
the existing smart phone markers,
including Apple, Research in
Motion, Nokia Oyg, HTC,
Motorola Inc, Palm Inc, Samsung
and others, while perhaps most
negative for the existing Android
partners."
If Google's choice to go the
traditional route with carriers is
true, it would, of course, dash
any possibility that they might be
giving this thing away for free.
Let's just hope the unlocked
version comes cheap. [ Reuters]
presumed battery life of three
hours or so, the Starlight 64 is
perfect for all your portable retro
gaming needs. In addition, this
guy has a docking station that
throws composite video, S-
Video, and up to four controllers
into the mix. Ready to see the
thing in action? Of course you
are. Video's after the break.
Spain for a while now, these guys
are finally available to
environmentally conscious
Britons at prices starting at £149
(depending on model and map
collection). And what about the
states? It looks like you'll be
stuck taking driving direction
from Homer Simpson for the
time being.
Gadgets/ Tech/ 15
Firefox 3.5.6
patches critical
security holes
By Stephen Shankland
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:31:00 AM
A memory corruption bug and
two issues with Ogg media
technology are among the 62
fixes in the latest version of
Mozilla's browser.
Originally posted at Deep Tech
Continue reading Starlight 64
stakes its claim for 'world's
smallest' N64 mod
Starlight 64 stakes its claim for
'world's smallest' N64 mod
originally appeared on Engadget
on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:33:00
EST. Please see our terms for
use of feeds. Permalink|
ModRetro| Email this| Comments
Vexia Econav GPS nags you
about your driving originally
appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17
Dec 2009 10:43:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Tech Digest| Vexia|
Email this| Comments
16 Gadgets/ Tech/ E-reader News Edition

BlackBerry Internet
Service Outage Kills
Email On Virtually
Every Carrier
Nationwide
[BlackBerry]
By John Herrman (Gizmodo)

Sony e-readers get Florida gets its own

Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:11:42 AM

BlackBerry's BIS email servers

exclusive Dow Jones, Tesla dealership
have apparently shit the bed, big
time: users across the country
(and in Canada too!) are
New York Post content By Matt Burns (CrunchGear) someone walks in with $100k in
available credit.
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:35:07 AM
reporting that while internet
services in general work, email
By Donald Melanson Wall Street Journal PLUS, a This will make Tesla’s tenth has been out all morning. Berry
(Engadget) digital edition of the morning I can see it now. Instead of dealership in the States and the havers: what say you? [
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:52:00 AM
paper that also features an update putzing around in electric golf only one in the South. It’s also CrackBerry]
of the day's events after the close carts, retirees will soon be the home of the region’s only
Hoping to read the New York of the markets. Owners of the cruising in Tesla Roadsters. The Tesla mobile service team that
car is essentially a gigantic actually goes to the Tesla
Google project
Post on an e-reader anytime Sony Reader Daily Edition will
soon? Then your choices just got also naturally be able to get the and dramatically more powerful owner’s home or business for shows when Web
quite a bit more limited, as the day's papers wirelessly delivered golf cart anyway. It’s not like maintenance calls.
newspaper has signed a deal that t o t h e i r r e a d e r s , w i t h they need to worry about the 244 Plus, should seniors need a place content is hiding
will see Sony offer the only subscriptions running between mile range. The bingo hall and to shelter funds, they should be By Stephen Shankland
version of the paper for digital $9.99 and $19.99 a month. golf course is probably right reminded that some cars have (Webware.com)
reading devices. Joining it are Sony e-readers get exclusive around the corner from their proven to be a more secure
Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:30:00 PM
various exclusive offerings from Dow Jones, New York Post retirement compound anyway. investment than Wall Street.
D o w J o n e s & C o m p a n y , content originally appeared on The South Florida Dania Beach Trust me, you would rather The Browser Size tool provides
including The Wall Street Journal Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 dealership opens today and will i n h e r i t a T e s l a R o a d s t e r an overlay to reveal how likely it
and MarketWatch, which won't 11:52:00 EST. Please see our be offering test drives through t h a n m u t u a l f u n d s a n y w a y . is people are reading the
be completely exclusive to Sony terms for use of feeds. Permalink| the weekend. And anytime extremities of a Web page.
readers, but will be available in P R N e w s w i r e | E m a i l t h i s | Originally posted at Deep Tech
special editions only available on C o m m e n t s
Sony readers -- that includes The
E-reader News Edition
SodiumOne: Sony’s
possibly legitimately
fun game in Home
By Nicholas Deleon
(CrunchGear)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:00:21 AM
Sony hasn’t given up on Home,
its virtual world filled with
avatars and overall weirdness. It
just launched Sodium One, which
is the latest Home world you and
your avatar can spend the day in.
There’s a game to go along with
it, one that looks an awful lot like
Wipeout, which isn’t bad at all.
The actual game, Salt Shooter,
does have a ludicrous premise,
but it’s hardly the only one with
that affliction: “This
entertainment event, set in a
future of advanced technology
where man and machine meet on
a vast salt plain to turn deadly
battle into extreme sport[lol
wut?], resides only in the ever-
growing world of PlayStation
Home.”
Like I said, ludicrous. My guess
is that once you play it you won’t
pay any attention to the story.
Sony’s giving away 1,500
vouchers for full Salt Shooter
unlocks, so best to login as soon
as possible for your chance to
win.
More Salt Shooter less random
stupidity:
Amateur Artist Wants To Ban All
Sales Of Old Baltimore Ravens
Game Films Over Logo Copyright
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 5:52:52 AM
LaCie 2Big: The
Copycense points us to an
First USB 3.0 RAID ongoing lawsuit by a guy seeking
Drive [Storage] to bar the Baltimore Ravens and
the NFL from making use
By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo) commercially of any game
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:16:39 AM involving the Ravens from 1996
to 1998. At issue was that this
You can't buy them until early guy claimed his logo design was
2010, but LaCie's next generation copied by the team. A few years
2Big drives will be the first USB back, William Patry detailed the
3.0 devices to support dual- ridiculousness behind the original
S A T A - d i s k R A I D 0 / 1 lawsuit and how it had resulted in
configurations, promising real many more ridiculous lawsuits:
time HD video editing and burst Bouchat, a security guard in
speeds up to 275MB/s. [ BW] Baltimore, believed that the
Baltimore Ravens had infringed a
Dear newspapers: design he claims to have created
I will pay for your for the team's logo. He sued the
team and the NFL's licensing
content, once arm. In my opinion, there was no
evidence of access and the thus
By Rafe Needleman
(Webware.com) the case should have been
summarily dismissed. In my
Submitted at 12/16/2009 5:24:00 PM opinion, the case was a
shakedown. But, applying the
Asking subscribers to pay for the
fatally flawed theory of striking
same content twice will not work.
similarity, the case went to a jury.
Originally posted at Rafe's Radar
The jury found liability, and the
Fourth Circuit affirmed in an
awful decision that drew an
excellent dissent by Judge King,
228 F.3d 489 (4th Cir. 2000),
amended by and pet. for reh'g en
banc denied. 241 F.3d 350. Judge
Gadgets/ Tech/ 17
King's dissent is the best thing
yet written on why striking
similarity is inherently
inconsistent with basic copyright
principles, and as to the facts in
Bouchat, devastating to the
plaintiff's claim and the majority
opinion. While Bouchat "won,"
he wasn't given any money,
because he had failed to register
his design before it was put into
use. But he's since sued various
other companies, and this latest
lawsuit is an attempt to say that
no one can show those old films
because they use "his" logo,
despite the lack of evidence of
actual copying (which, if
copyright were actually about
copyright would be necessary).
The lower court turned him
down, noting that the use of the
logo was incidental and fair use,
but Bouchat is (of course)
appealing. This is, again, in line
with Patry's analysis that this is
nothing more than a shakedown.
He's not really interested in
stopping the sale of these videos.
He wants the team to pay him a
big chunk of money so that it can
keep selling the videos. This is
not what copyright is intended to
do, but it's what happens when
copyright law gets out of control.
Permalink| Comments| Email
This Story
18 Tech/
Microsoft: Blood, Sweat and Bing [2009 in Review]
By Ben Parr (Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:19:17 AM
For decades, Microsoft has been
a technological giant that nobody
can ignore. This year has been a
unique one for the Redmond,
Washington-based company. It
announced layoffs and revenue
shortfalls, both rare occurrences
in the company’s 34+ year
history.
With Google breathing down its
neck and Apple posting record
profits, Microsoft decided to use
2009 to strike back and go on the
offensive.
From the launch of Windows 7
to the rise of Bing and the
Microsoft-Yahoo search deal,
here is a review of the key
events, trends, and products that
shaped Microsoft in 2009.
Microsoft’s Early 2009 Struggles
For the first five months of the
year, Microsoft wasn’t making a
lot of news, and when it did, it
wasn’t good. While Steve
Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO,
painted a rosy picture of the
company’s future with his
Consumer Electronics Show
keynote speech on January 7th,
2008, Microsoft was struggling
with negative sentiment against
Windows Vista, a European
Union investigation against
bundling Internet Explorer with
Windows, and the first major
layoffs in the company’s history.
There were a few small product
partnerships and events that
occurred during the first few
months of 2009, especially in
terms of social media. For
example, Microsoft partnered
with MySpace on Windows
Mobile and Silverlight and
announced Microsoft Recite, a
mobile notetaking application.
Microsoft also started cutting the
fat, and not just in terms of
layoffs. It closed some long-
standing but obsolete projects
such as Microsoft Encarta and
Flight Simulator. Internet
Explorer 8
The biggest release Microsoft
made during the first three
months of 2009 however was
Internet Explorer 8, the newest
edition of its popular web
browser. With the help of
random celebrity endorsements,
social media, vomiting ads, and
its reach with Microsoft
Windows, IE8 has reached nearly
20% market share.
Overall though, IE has been on
the decline while Chrome, Safari,
and Firefox have all been
growing. Couple this with the
backlash against IE6(still the
world’s most popular browser)
and Google’s release of Chrome
Frame for IE, and you get a
mixed picture of the future of IE.
Currently, Microsoft is working
on Internet Explorer 9, which is
focused on adhering to the
world’s web standards and
improving IE’s speed. 2009’s
Turning Point: Bing
While the release of IE8 was
important, it was nothing
compared to the search
bombshell that Microsoft had up
its sleeve.
E-reader News Edition
tremendous. They held a Microsoft not only renewed its
Bingathon, ran innovative TV competition with Google in
ads, and bet big on Twitter, search, but it opened up new
which all paid off — at least in battles with its major rivals on
the beginning. In its first month, multiple fronts. In July,
Bing became bigger than Digg, Microsoft decided to directly
Twitter, and CNN. From there, address the threat posed by
Bing kept growing. Microsoft’s Google Docs with Microsoft
success was so pronounced that Office 2010, which will include
For years, Microsoft has tried to G o o g l e e v e n a s s i g n e d t o p access to a web-based version of
take down Google at its own engineers to study Bing and its popular office suite.
game. However, MSN, Live reacted to its moves. Microsoft The tech giant also launched an
Search, and all of its other and Yahoo assault on its other major rival,
attempts failed to make a dent in Bing’s launch was only the first Apple, which has been steadily
Google’s market share. Instead part of Microsoft’s plan to take making inroads into the computer
of choosing to fade away into down Google. After Microsoft and OS markets. In July,
web search obscurity in 2009, failed to acquire Yahoo last year, Microsoft struck back against
Microsoft decided to double the tech giant explored other Apple’s “Mac vs. PC” ads with
down with one of the biggest bets options for beating Google on its its Laptop Hunters campaign,
in the company’s history. own turf, including ones which portrayed PCs are more
At the end of May, it was involving Yahoo. In April, versatile and cheaper than their
revealed that Microsoft was reports surfaced that Microsoft Apple-made counterparts.
launching a new rival to Google still wanted to partner with Not only that, but Microsoft
called Bing. Bing was not only a Yahoo. went after Apple’s stronghold on
rebranding of Microsoft search, As it turns out, those reports the portable MP3 player market
but Microsoft’s reinvention of were true. In July, Microsoft and with the September launch of the
the search engine. Bing Maps, Yahoo signed a pact that gave Zune HD. It’s also taking a pre-
Twitter integration, Visual Microsoft control of Yahoo emptive strike at the fabled
Search, and other innovations Search in return for a 10 year Apple Tablet with the foldable
were central to the Bing revenue share agreement Courier Tablet. It even opened
experience, and to Microsoft’s favoring Yahoo. While the deal Microsoft Stores to compete with
adoption strategy. won’t take effect until 2010, it Apple’s strong retail presence,
M i c r o s o f t ’ s p l a n t o s p u r has essentially given Microsoft going so far as to steal Apple
adoption for Bing (and take another 15-20% share of the Store employees.
people away from Google) was search market. Much like Bing, it will take a
simple: first, they’d create and Microsoft has set the stage for year or several years to know
change perceptions about both 2010 to be an epic battle between whether these campaigns and
Google and Bing by utilizing ad Bing and Google search. Still, new products will be successful
campaigns and community we have to wonder: can in defeating Microsoft’s sworn
outreach. Second, they’d drive Microsoft actually make inroads enemies. Nobody can say,
trial and bet that the Bing into Google’s domination of however, that Microsoft didn’t
experience would make people search, or will it be the same try everything to bury its
stick around. story as before? Competition on
T h e a d c a m p a i g n w a s Multiple Fronts MICROSOFT: page 27
E-reader News Edition Tech/ 19

Ask TUAW: Syncing photos, compressing and transferring

large files, virtual printers, and more
By Mat Lu (The Unofficial between different macs is with setup. Is there a Mac OS X pdf which is easier to everything beautifully, but the
Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Dropbox; I even found a handy engine that can be installed like a upload/download. In fact, if you native resolution display
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:00:00 AM
tutorial. This would cost print driver that appears in my also includes some PAR files, (1920x1200) makes everything
something ($9.99 per month for page setup dialog box that the you'll also get an automated too small.
F i l e d u n d e r : F e a t u r e s , 50 GB / $19.99 for 100 GB), but database will recognize? recovery method if something While there has been lots of talk
Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW w o u l d b e n e a r l y s e a m l e s s . What you need is CUPS-PDF. becomes corrupted along the about resolution independence in
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, Unfortunately, it doesn't meet You might want to grab a slightly ways. OS X, it has not yet appeared as
our weekly troubleshooting Q&A your requirement of running on older version for your OS X 10.4 There are several Mac RAR general feature. With TinkerTool
column. This week we've got your own server. But if you machine, but it will create a utilities like UnRarX and RAR you can adjust some of the
questions about syncing photo really want to do that I don't virtual printer that you should be Expander, but if you want to use default font settings in OS X.
l i b r a r i e s , c o m p r e s s i n g a n d think you'll really be able to able to select within the print PAR files you'll probably want Unfortunately, it will not affect
transferring large files, creating a continue using iPhoto. (In dialog. When you do that it MacPAR deLuxe. things like the menubar font.
virtual PDF printer, increasing principle you might do it with a dumps your "prints" as PDFs into Maxintech asks While it's not entirely practical
screen readability, and more. network disk, but I suspect you'd a folder on your Desktop. Is there a way to record the she could also use the zoom
As always, your suggestions and f i n d t h e p e r f o r m a n c e h i t Nirgal asks sound coming from iphone to feature when necessary. Once
questions are welcome. Leave u n a c c e p t a b l e . ) I recently was faced with the computer? I'm recording a turned on in the Universal Access
your questions for next week in If all you want to do is host a need to compress an tutorial for a game and in certain Preference Pane it allows you to
the comments section at the end bunch of photos on your own approximately 50 Gig file, so that parts of the game are played zoom in on the part of the screen
of this post. When asking a server you might check out I can send it by FTP in less than simultaneous sounds which under the mouse cursor if you
question, please include which Gallery which is a server-based 10,000 years. I know about the difficult to put the sound hold down the Control key and
machine you're using and what PHP application that offers built-in compress utility in manually when editing the video. scroll (with a mouse scroll wheel
version of Mac OS X is installed various photo organizing and Leopard/Snow Leopard, I recorded others tutorials and or even two-fingers on the
on it(we'll assume you're running sharing features. Naturally, you command-line options like tar, muted the original video and trackpad). Other than that, I'm
Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if could access that from any of gzip, and cpio, and StuffIt and synchronized the sound afraid you would actually have to
you don't specify). your Macs. other 3rd party apps. My manually, but in this case is change the screen resolution to
Ben asks Pat asks question is, are any of these impracticable. make everything appear bigger.
I have a large iPhoto library and I have a third party database options noticeably faster than the I think you could simply use a Josh asks
m u l t i p l e m a c s i n m u l t i p l e application running on 4D that others? And, in general, are there 1/8" audio patch cable from the I have a 27" iMac and a new
locations. What is the best online prints records to attached printers any advantages to using StuffIt iPhone. For the best results I'd Mac Mini both running 10.6.2. Is
solution to put my library online without going through the Mac instead of the built-in file use the output from an iPhone it possible to use Target Display
s o t h a t I c a n OS X print dialog window (it compression in OS X? dock (or similar) to the line in. If Mode and something like
v i e w / d o w n l o a d / u p l o a d m y brings up a software specific You certainly don't need to you don't have a line in on your Teleport or Synergy to control
pictures from any computer dialog that allows font and font bother with StuffIt, which is Mac, you may need a USB audio the Mini? Or is a second,
anywhere? I am looking for size selection as well as which more of an artifact of the Mac interface like the iMic from separate display - directly
something that I can host on my types of records to print). This is past than really relevant these Griffin. attached to the Mini - needed?
own site for security if possible running on a Mac Mini with OS days. Frankly, what I would iGO asks While, in principle, I think you
not a shutterfly type solution. I 10.4.11 installed. I would like to suggest is that you use RAR. In Is there a setting to make all the could do that I suspect you'd be
also do not have nor want a .mac print to a pdf file but my addition to good compression system Fonts, Menu's, Text, better off to run the Mac mini
account. application won't give me the performance, RAR also allows LARGER, globally? We don't headless and just use Screen
My initial thought is that the best built in print to pdf option. I can you to break up big files into wish to change the native
way to share an iPhoto library select different printers in page several smaller files, each of resolution, which displays ASK page 20
20 Tech/ E-reader News Edition
ASK
Songwriters Guild: Network Neutrality Means continued from page 19

Sharing to control it. If you turn

More Piracy on Screen Sharing in Sharing
Preference Pane on the mini (and
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) against it are so over-the-top internet industry. And then they smart businesses do that every the mini is on the same network
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:30:00 AM
ridiculous that it's actually go and team up with the SGA, day. The report advocates DRM, as the iMac) you should see it in
making me wonder why. There who's entire purpose is to and amusingly fails to mention the Finder sidebar on the iMac
There has been an effort made are reasonable arguments against encourage more government the massive failure of every and easily be able to connect to
by some to try to connect the mandating neutrality, but these meddling in the music business? DRM system to date, and the it. If necessary you could connect
totally unrelated issues of groups don't make them. Politics makes strange harm it has done to legitimate the mini to the iMac in Target
n e t w o r k n e u t r a l i t y a n d That it's the SGA making these bedfellows indeed... users. But, of course, it saves Display Mode in order to set it up
u n a u t h o r i z e d f i l e s h a r i n g arguments initially shouldn't Separately, it's probably worth most of its focus on supporting and from then on just use Screen
together. There is no connection come as a surprise. The group noting that ITIF, a "think tank" in "technical measures" from ISPs Sharing.
between the two, but that won't has a rather antiquated view of DC and which has been a huge to inspect your content and stop TUAW Ask TUAW: Syncing
stop busy lobbyists from doing business models and modern anti-net neutrality voice, has just you if they think you're doing p h o t o s , c o m p r e s s i n g a n d
their best to drum up such a technology, and its boss has come out with a poorly anything wrong. Welcome to the transferring large files, virtual
connection. Copycense points us d e c l a r e d i n t h e p a s t t h a t researched, poorly argued, joke big brother state. The report also printers, and more originally
t o t h e n e w s t h a t G r o v e r songwriting would not occur of a report on"reducing digital supports ACTA, even though it appeared on The Unofficial
Nordquit's group has decided to without copyright-- an obviously piracy." In it, they promote admits it doesn't know what's Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu,
push this line of nonsense by incorrect statement. The SGA kicking people off the internet i n c l u d e d . B a s i c a l l y , i t ' s 17 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST.
p a r r o t i n g c l a i m s b y t h e has become a caricature of itself (based on accusations, not "recommendations" straight from Please see our terms for use of
Songwriter's Guild of America in the last few years. Rather than convictions) under a three strikes the entertainment industry, with feeds.
( S G A ) t h a t a c c e p t i n g n e t admitting that the market is regime, and also that ISPs should no basis in reality. And, with a Read| Permalink| Email this|
neutrality is akin to encouraging changing and working with filter and monitor their networks nice "net neutrality" tie-in. Comments
piracy. How? That's not clear, songwriters to help them adapt, it to try to stop infringement. Those ties seem likely to get
b e c a u s e t h e r e ' s r e a l l y n o has basically decided the only Apparently, ITIF is not a big fan closer, which is unfortunate.
connection at all. The best they reasonable strategy is to go of your privacy... but it's own... Funny that those who keep
can say is that net neutrality crying to the government for well, just try to find out who claiming they want the
would prevent efforts to crack more protectionism, and greater funds ITIF? That's secret. Funny government to "stay out" of the
down on file sharing (except, mandatory licensing fees. This is how that works. Otherwise the internet, are so keen to have them
every plan for net neutrality has an odd group for the anti-net report repeats a bunch of very actively involved when it
explicitly had exceptions for such neutrality types to team up with, sweeping claims that have no comes to copyright.
things). I've said it before and I'll since most of them claim their support in reality, and does not Permalink| Comments| Email
say it again: I am not in favor of reasons for being against net back them up. It states, This Story
laws mandating neutrality, but neutrality is to get away from repeatedly, that you can't
the arguments made by those government meddling in the compete with free, even as many

RIM confirms BlackBerry e-mail outage

(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:07:35 AM
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fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition Tech/ Politics/ Tech News/ 21
Video: Are
Study: The road ahead for electric cars Climatologists
(CNET News.com) percent of drivers estimated to The group's paper, "Electric upgrade will be sufficient to Censoring Scientific
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:21:44 AM
commute 33 miles per day or Vehicles: 10 Predictions for handle the influx of plug-in Journals? (A: No)
less." 2010," was published in hybrids and all-electric cars
(Little Green Footballs)
While hybrid and all-electric Cost will be a key factor in the conjunction with overall, but neighborhoods with a
cars are about five years away evolution of the market. The Pike HybridCars.com, leaving the concentrated volume of EVs Submitted at 12/16/2009 9:16:55 PM

from becoming commonplace, report says it's debatable whether reader to question some of its could overwhelm a local utility.
2010 will be a crucial year in hybrid and all-electric cars will Here’s another excellent video
more subjective conclusions on • Most people will charge their
debunking the claim that
determining how an electric car prove cheaper to drive mile for hybrids vs. electric cars or cars at work or home, and use
climatologists are “censoring”
is designed, built, fueled, and mile, given fluctuating gas prices efficient gas-powered vehicles. public charging stations sparingly
scientific journals to stifle critics
used, according to a paper and the cost of lithium-ion But the report also includes and mostly when traveling.
and skeptical scientists.[Video]
released Thursday by Pike batteries. A survey cited in the many interesting statistical • The majority of people will
Research. report, meanwhile, found that predictions for anyone following charge their cars after work
The auto industry is already only 17 percent of drivers would the evolution of the green between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Star Trek Stops Women
headed toward official decisions pay a premium for a PHEV over transportation industry: putting a strain on local utilities, From Becoming
on technology and standards, and a gas-powered car. • By 2015 there will be 5.3 which will then in turn offer
still to come is a natural market Once the market of million places around the world incentives for charging after 10 Computer Scientists
evolution determining industry e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y c o n s c i o u s to plug in and recharge a car. p.m. By Lisa Grossman (Wired Top
leaders. drivers is saturated, automakers • Despite a U.S. push to revive Stories)
The most interesting part of the will have to come up with a plan its failed auto manufacturing The full paper is available for Submitted at 12/17/2009 3:00:00 AM
report is how Pike Research B, according to Pike Research. economy with green technology free download from Pike
analysts see driver habits and "If a significant consumer manufacturing, it will actually be Research. The male, geeky, Star Trek-
electric cars evolving. audience fails to embrace the Asia that becomes the "dominant fivefilters.org featured article: loving stereotype of computer
Currently, the report said, many initial class of PHEVs because of supplier and consumer of electric Normalising the crime of the scientists may be deterring
automakers, like General Motors t h e c o s t , i t i s l i k e l y t h a t vehicles and batteries." Pike century by John Pilger. Available women from joining their ranks,
w i t h i t s C h e v y V o l t , a r e automotive OEMs may shift to Research attributed this to the tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text according to a new study.
following a strategy in which the designing vehicles with shorter Chinese government's initiative RSS, Term Extraction.
plug-in hybrid electric vehicle all-electric range, and smaller, to produce 500,000 electric
(PHEV) being offered "seeks to less costly battery packs," said vehicles per year.
satisfy the approximate 80 the report. • The U.S. electrical grid

Russian Investment Firm DST Now Owns 5% of Facebook

By Stan Schroeder
(Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:36:32 AM
A couple of days ago, we wrote
that Russian venture capital firm
Digital Sky Technologies (DST)
had invested around 180 million
dollars in Zynga, the company
behind popular Facebook games
such as FarmVille and Mafia
Wars.
The same group already invested Comparing this to the first time 150 million users and it finally
$200 million in Facebook back in DST invested in Facebook, it started earning money. DST is
spring, which got them a 1.96 sounds like a pretty good deal. serious about Facebook, and if
percent stake in the company, Back at the time, many were the optimistic revenue
and now they’ve purchased speculating that Facebook’s 15 predictions for 2010 and beyond
another $200 million in common billion dollar valuation was come true, the price they paid for
shares from Facebook’s nothing but hot air and that the their stake might turn out to be
employees. social network was actually quite cheap. Reviews: Facebook
According to Russian newspaper worth two or three billion dollars. Tags: DST, facebook
Kommersant, DST bought the them another 3 percent stake, In the meantime, the economic
shares at $14.77 per share; which brings the total to around 5 situation has gotten better,
altogether, this investment got percent. Facebook has amassed another
22 Tech/ Tech News/ E-reader News Edition

First Look: Snagit for Mac Public Beta

By Steven Sande (The
Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW))
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:00:00 AM

Filed under: Software,

Switchers, First Look Switchers
were elated earlier this year when
TechSmith, developers of the
fabulous Camtasia screen
recorder application for
Windows, finally shipped their
flagship app for the Mac. Those
switchers were probably also
wishing that TechSmith would
create a Mac version of their
screen capture application,
Snagit. Well, their wishes have
been granted!
TechSmith has announced the
public beta version of Snagit for
capture and window capture. window causes that window to be hiding personal information in Pro X (which has no annotation
Mac, and a first look at the
Window capture mode displays selected for capture. There's one screen shots, lines, shapes, fills, tools).
application shows that it's a
all open windows Exposé-style, really cool feature of Snagit that and erasers. Each tool is highly No price or release date has been
worthy screenshot snapper for
and you click on one of the comes into play in either capture configurable, with choices of line set yet for Snagit, and there are
the platform. The company has
windows to select it for capture. mode. If the window you've widths, shapes, and foreground definitely some features that are
made the beta available for
Once captured, it appears in a selected to capture is a scrolling and background colors. still in the works, but it looks as
feedback on operation and
screen where you can annotate window, Snagit will grab the Each screenshot appears in a if Snagit for Mac could be a real
features, so this is a perfect time
the screenshot in a number of entire length and width of the scrolling pane at the bottom of winner in the screenshot capture
to download the program and
ways, or add effects. At this time, window, not just what's visible. the Snagit window, and the application genre.
give it a try.
there are no effects and the app After a window has been application also auto-saves your TUAW First Look: Snagit for
After installing the application
shows that the feature is coming captured, it appears in an captures for future reference and Mac Public Beta originally
and launching it, all that is visible
soon. application window. It's here that work. In my initial "play" with appeared on The Unofficial
is a small "tab" that pops out
In the all-in-one capture mode, you can apply a number of tools, the application, I found it to be Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu,
from the side of the Mac screen
clicking the red button brings up including labels (notepad or easy to use, full-featured, and a 17 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST.
when you hover over it. The tab
a set of gold crosshairs that you cartoon balloon), arrows, stamps serious competitor to Apple's free Please see our terms for use of
has a drop-down for choosing the
direct across the display using (including many accents and Preview app (which provides feeds.
capture mode and a red button for
your trackpad or mouse. Bringing cursors), markers and screenshot and annotation tools) Read| Permalink| Email this|
taking the screen shot. There are
the crosshairs to bear on a highlighters, a blur tool for and my personal favorite, Snapz Comments
two capture modes -- all-in-one

Video: Oceans in a World 2 Celsius Degrees Warmer

By Wired.com Video The Center for Ocean Solutions interview leading scientists on
Department (Wired Top and the International League of how climate change could affect
Stories) Conservation Photographers the world's oceans.
E-reader News Edition
Biden to unveil $2 billion in broadband grants
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:29:00 AM
Vice President Joe Biden(Credit:
WhiteHouse.gov)
Vice President Joe Biden on
Thursday is scheduled to
announce $2 billion in grants that
will be used to build broadband
networks in underserved
communities.
The funding, which is part of
the$7.2 billion that was set aside
for broadband in President
Obama's $787 billion economic
recovery deal earlier this year,
will start with an initial $182
million investment in 18
broadband projects in 17 states.
Biden is announcing the stimulus
grants in Dawsonville, Ga.
The money is specifically meant
to expand affordable broadband
access to underserved areas of
the U.S. Officials would not
name which companies will be
getting the grants that were
announced on Thursday.
From BlackBerry smartphones
to broadband Internet
connections, President Obama
understands that technology is an
important economic and
educational driver. High speed
Internet access is seen as the
cornerstone of the president's
technology agenda, and he has
emphasized the need for getting
affordable broadband access to
every American.
"The new broadband access will
help underserved and often hard-
hit communities overcome the
distance and technology barrier
by expanding connectivity
between educational institutions,
enabling remote medical
consultations, and attracting new
businesses as well as the jobs that
come with them," the White
House said in a statement.
The Federal Communications
Commission is currently working
on developing a national
broadband plan that will provide
a road map for achieving the goal
of getting every American
affordable access to high-speed
Internet. A full report on the plan
is due to Congress in mid-
February.
Blair Levin, who is heading up
the task force developing the
national broadband plan for the
FCC, has estimated that it could
take as much as $20 billion to
$350 billion to achieve the
ultimate goal of ubiquitous
broadband access. But he has
acknowledged publicly on
several occasions that the bulk of
the investment will come from
the private sector.
"The private sector is essential to
this effort," Levin said.
"Government spending will be
limited. And competition is the
best way to drive innovation. "
Still, at a meeting at the FCC on
Wednesday, he said government
funding will be necessary in
places where the private sector is
unable to find a viable business
case. And he has proposed
overhauling the $7 billion-a-year
Universal Service Fund, which
provides telephone access to rural
communities, as one way to help
fund such projects.
"Where funding is limited and
where it's difficult to make a
business case and where we don't
want to go through the process of
new legislation, there are ways to
better utilize existing assets," he
said.
But the USF alone will not be
enough. And given that it will
likely take years to expand the
program, grants and government
funding pumped into the system
now will at least get the ball
rolling on new deployments.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
Tech/ 23
UK Charities Find Out
They Need To Pay Yet
Another Music Royalty
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:23:00 PM
Just in time for the holiday
season, SteveD alerts us to the
news that PPL, Phonographic
Performance Limited -- a
separate UK licensing group,
which collects for performers and
producers (unlike PRS, which is
for songwriters/record
companies) -- is pushing forward
with demands for charity shops
to pay up for a license on top of
the license they already pay PRS.
In the past, the UK government
exempted charities from having
to pay the PPL license, but
they've now removed that
exemption, and like so many
music collections societies, PPL
didn't bother to consider how it
would look to shake down
charity shops, and apparently just
drove forward with plans. Nice
of them. This is what happens,
of course, when you create the
statutory ability to shake down
anyone who plays music. That
right just expands more and
more, and the musicians and
songwriters never have to
actually give people a reason to
buy: they just sit back and
collect.
Permalink| Comments| Email
This Story
24 Tech/ Tech News/ E-reader News Edition

Public Enemy Not Selling Well Enough On

Apple Celebrates the
Sellaband: What Went Wrong? “12 Apps of Christmas”
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) pricing seemed quite high for into that at all. Second, pricing mainly focused on pulling in Holiday Ad [VIDEO]
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:44:00 AM
what people were getting, and really does matter. In giving lessons from the success stories, By Christina Warren
there was little effort to actually people a "reason to buy" but the lessons from failures can (Mashable!)
There have been a bunch of "connect with fans." It was something, that doesn't mean you be just as valuable. And, in this
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:56:27 AM
companies popping up lately that really just a very high-priced way just slap a price on stuff. The case, it goes back to our standard
have allowed bands to help "pre- of getting people to fund the next price needs to be reasonable and formula of Connect with Fans Apple has a history of holiday-
finance" an album, by getting album. make sense to people. Public (CwF) and give them a Reason to themed ads. Who can forget
fans to commit to pay up in So it doesn't come as much of a Enemy's offerings just seemed Buy (RtB). Unfortunately, it those old Mac ads from the early
exchange for some sort of added surprise that Public Enemy is pricey all around, even to fans of doesn't look like Public Enemy 1990s, or the animated“I’m a
benefit. We've covered in great struggling to reach its goal. It the group. At $100 you got a CD really did much of either. They Mac” series? This year, Apple
d e t a i l h o w J i l l S o b u l e has raised over $70,000, which is and a chance to buy a second CD just expected the fans to come to has decided to take its “There’s
successfully used just such a nothing to complain about, but at 50%, along with your name in them, and they priced everything an App for That” campaign and
method (on her own, not with a that's well short of the $250,000 a booklet? Eh. What's so too high, without giving really dress it up for the holidays,
startup) to finance her last album. goal. exciting about that. At $250 they compelling lower end options. “Twelve Days of Christmas”
Earlier this year, though, the There are definitely some add in a t-shirt? That's $150 just Because of that, they certainly style.
concept got a lot of attention important lessons to be learned for a t-shirt? You had to go all got some people to pay up -- and, Like all of the “There’s an App
when the group Public Enemy from this. These sorts of models the way up to $500 before they again, raising $70,000 is nothing for That” ads, the spot highlights
signed up with the company require a lot more than just would even autograph the CD. to put down -- but it fell well some of the more unique and
S e l l A B a n d t o t r y t o r a i s e putting it out there and expecting Sure, $1,000 for a 3 year short of the goal. In some ways, convenient applications available
$250,000 by the end of the year fans to automatically support unlimited backstage pass could what they did is like a cargo cult: in Apple’s App Store.
to finance its latest album. While you, no matter how big an act be cool if you were going to see copying all the superficial aspects The most awe-inspiring app is,
we were impressed by such a you might be. Jill Sobule worked the band a lot, but that was the of what worked before, but not of course, featured at the end:
well-known act trying such a really hard to cultivate and first offering that really seemed the really important stuff. What apps are on your
system, we did note when it was connect with her committed potentially worth the money for a Permalink| Comments| Email Christmas list?
announced that the "benefit" fanbase, and that's what helped serious fan. This Story [via iLounge]
given by the group didn't really her hit her goal. Public Enemy So, I think there are some Tags: ad, app store, apple, video
seem that compelling. The didn't seem to put much effort important lessons here. We've

Insurgents Intercept Drone Video in King-Size Security Breach

By Noah Shachtman (Wired
Top Stories)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:15:00 AM
In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. insurgents are tapping into those serious military security breaches
military depends on an array of same drones' broadcasts, to see in years.
drones to snoop on and stalk what the flying robot spies see.
insurgents. Now it looks as if It's potentially one of the most
E-reader News Edition
Fashism Saves You From Fashion
Faux Pas in Real-Time
By Christina Warren
(Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:40:18 AM
This post is part of Mashable’s
Spark of Genius series, which
highlights a unique feature of
startups. If you would like to
have your startup considered for
inclusion, please see the details
here. The series is made possible
by Microsoft BizSpark.
Name: Fashism
Quick Pitch: Fashism is a place
to get advice on your style.
Anytime. Anywhere. Users
submit questions and the
community votes and gives
constructive feedback.
Crowdsourcing for your style
advice.
Genius Idea: Launched during
Fashion Week in September,
Fashism (love the name) is a way
for individuals to use the Internet
for style advice and feedback.
Does this top make me look fat?
Do these boots work with this
jacket? Should I get this hat or
this hat? By posting photos and
asking questions you can get
instant fashion feedback.
Fashism has a really simple
premise. After you sign up
(which is an easy, non-evasive
process), you can upload a photo
and ask a question. Visitors to the
site can answer “yes” or “no” (or
choice a or choice b), in a manner
this idea would really pop with a
Facebook connection. Even just
having the ability to share a link
directly on your wall could be
really handy.
Do you ever use the Internet to
get fashion advice? Let us know!
Sponsored by Microsoft
BizSpark
similar to “Hot or Not” and the BizSpark is a startup program
like. Based on how people vote, that gives you three-year access
you can instantly see the t o t h e l a t e s t M i c r o s o f t
percentage of yeas and nays. development tools, as well as
Users can also comment on your connecting you to a nationwide
photo if they want to add n e t w o r k o f i n v e s t o r s a n d
additional feedback. Users are incubators. There are no upfront
awarded points for offering costs, so if your business is
helpful feedback, and you can privately owned, less than three
view the hottest looks and the years old, and generates less than
most discussed pictures. U.S.$1 million in annual revenue,
Admittedly, Fashism is designed you can sign up today.
to appeal to the more fashion- Entrepreneurs can take
conscious user, but the look of advantage of the Azure Services
the site, its ease of use and the platform for their website hosting
irreverent sense of humor are all and storage needs. Microsoft
good things. The concept itself is recently announced the“new
actually pretty strong — not CloudApp()” contest– use the
everyone has a built-in network Azure Services Platform for
of Tim Gunn-types, and some of hosting your .NET or PHP app,
us prefer to get advice from and you could be the lucky
strangers or other fashion fans winner of a USD 5000* ( please
(who might be more truthful). see website for official rules and
Fashism also integrates with guidelines).” Reviews: Facebook,
T w i t t e r , a l l o w i n g u s e r s t o PHP, Twitter
connect their account to the Tags: crowdsourcing, fashion,
s e r v i c e u s i n g O A u t h a n d fashism, twitter
automatically tweet links to any
of their Fashism uploads. Twitter
integration is great but we think
Tech/ 25
PC shipments turn
positive in third quarter
(CNET News.com) year, up from 287.6 million in
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:24:43 AM
2008.
Much of the growth will come
PC shipments are the latest tech from emerging regions, which
sector showing signs of life. now account for half of the
For the third quarter, worldwide market. Portables should enjoy
computer shipments rose 2.3 an 18.1 percent gain in shipments
percent from the same quarter a in 2010, but desktop shipments
year ago, their first gain after are likely to be flat. Netbooks
three consecutive quarters of will grow, but at a slower pace,
declines, according to IDC's due to the appeal of new ultra-
latest Worldwide Quarterly PC thin portables. Overall, IDC
Tracker report released on forecasts double-digit gains in
Thursday. PC shipments each year to 2013,
Hot back-to-school demand when the number of units could
boosted overall shipments. reach as high as 444.4 million.
Portable PCs enjoyed a 33.5 "Once again, the PC market
increase from a year ago, but shows its resiliency," said Loren
desktops continued their descent Loverde, program director of
reflecting the consumer drive to IDC Worldwide Trackers, in a
mobile computers. statement. "The speed of market
The decline in commercial PCs stabilization and growth in key
also began to slow in the third segments reflect the essential role
quarter, indicating to IDC that IT of personal computing today.
spending should gradually revive Technology evolution and falling
over the next few quarters, with a prices remain a compelling
solid rebound expected in the combination. As commercial
second half of 2010. spending recovers in 2010, we
Thanks to the latest results, PC expect to see robust growth over
shipments are expected to show the next several years."
gains of 1.3 percent for 2009, fivefilters.org featured article:
rising to 10.3 percent next year. Normalising the crime of the
The total number of shipments is century by John Pilger. Available
likely to hit 291.4 million units tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
this year and 321.4 million next RSS, Term Extraction.
26 Tech/ Tech Tips/ Tech News/
Development of VLC for Mac 64-bit is on hold,
project needs developers
By Michael Grothaus (The
Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW))
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:00:00 PM
Filed under: Multimedia, Video,
Freeware, Developer
Development on the 64-bit
version of VLC Player for Mac
has hit the pause button. The
Videolan team is looking for Mac
development talent to help move
the project forward, and revamp
the program's interface to be
more Mac-like. While the team
says that reports of VLC Mac's
death are 'greatly exaggerated,'
they could definitely use some
help.
As we've mentioned before,
VLC is a free, open source media
player that supports various
audio and video formats (MPEG,
DivX/Xvid, Ogg, and many
more) as well as DVDs, VCDs,
and streaming protocols. While
the 32-bit version still works fine
on Snow Leopard, the 64- bit
version (which briefly appeared
as 1.0.3, only to disappear again
with 1.0.4) is intended to be
higher-performance; it also
would work more seamlessly
with the 64-bit version of
Handbrake.
The news of VLC for Mac's 64-
Darts for Geeks: Statistician Cracks the Game's Secrets
By Cameron Bird (Wired Top
Stories)
bit freezeout started today with
this post on videolan.org:
This is going to sound like a
PBS sponsorship drive, but it
needs to be said:
While VLC is an open source
project provided to you free of
charge, as with other open source
projects, its existence depends on
everyone who provides support
to the project. This support can
come in many forms, such as:
- joining the team and
contributing code
- spending time in the forum
helping out other VLC users
Ryan Tibshirani was tired of
losing at darts, so the Stanford
statistics student put his math
- making a donation
Every bit helps, since without it
the community dies and the
project with it.
As mentioned [earlier] we are in
desperate need of Mac
developers who can help
maintain the Mac side of VLC. If
you or someone you know is in
position to join the team then
please let us know. Until we have
more Mac developers then the 64
-bit version of VLC for MacOS
X will be on hold! Though the
new QuickTime X Player has
much room for improvement, I've
skills to use, calculating where he
should aim to maximize his
points. His app's online for pub
gotten quite used to it and watch
all my movie files in it save
WMV (which QuickTime plays
via the Flip4Mac plugin). From
some reason, QTX requires
WMV files to go through a
loading process before you can
skim through the video. On VLC
there is no loading process for
WMV files before you can skim.
This is only one of the many
benefits of using VLC, as I'm
sure many of our readers can
attest.
There are still some alternatives
to VLC, including 3ivX, FFmpeg
and Perian. There's also this little
preference pane to make QTX
more enjoyable. But these are all
alternatives, not replacements for
this great app. Here's hoping that
the holiday spirit will inspire a
few Mac devs to step up and
keep VLC moving forward.
TUAW Development of VLC
for Mac 64-bit is on hold, project
needs developers originally
appeared on The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu,
17 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST.
Please see our terms for use of
feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
athletes everywhere.
E-reader News Edition
Google Says It's Okay
with Ad-Blocking
Extensions [Google]
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:30:00 AM
You might think Google would
find the fast-growing number and
popularity of ad-blocking
extensions for Chrome
problematic, given that the search
firm rises and falls on advertising
revenue. But an engineering
director for Google said at a
conference last week that, while
the company thinks about ad
blocking "a lot," it's not
something that needs to be fought
against. "I think there will be a
nice equilibrium. If people get
too aggressive with ads, then ad
blockers will become more
popular and companies will get
less aggressive with ads. The
market will sort itself." The
always-barb-lined Register takes
a slightly different tack on the
remarks: " ... Most people won't
install ad blockers on Chrome
because people are
fundamentally lazy." [ The
Register via Slashdot]
E-reader News Edition Tech/ 27
MICROSOFT:
Going to Vermont for a White continued from page 18

competition in 2009. Windows 7 Bing, IE8, Windows 7, and

Christmas? Relax - you'll have 3G Throughout all of these events
however, Microsoft had a glaring
black eye that everybody could
Microsoft Office 2010 were just
a few of the many big projects it
launched this year. While we
service see. Windows Vista, whose many
problems and poor sales numbers
don’t expect to see as many big
game-changing products coming
By Steven Sande (The Army buddies together for a first quarter of 2010, Barre, t h r e a t e n e d M i c r o s o f t ’ s out of Redmond in 2010, we do
Unofficial Apple Weblog tribute to the lodge owner, who is Montpelier, and Northfield will stranglehold on the OS market believe that the battle between
(TUAW)) the General you served under in finally see the light of 3G and even its position as a kingpin Microsoft and its competitors
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:00:00 AM WW2? g o o d n e s s g l o w i n g i n t h e i r of technology. With Apple’s will heat up as these products
There will be no problems this i P h o n e s . Snow Leopard and Google’s mature and Microsoft pushes to
Filed under: Odds and ends, White Christmas, since AT&T is Wait a second... I didn't see Pine Chrome OS breathing down its make inroads into search and
iPhone So, you and your song- in the process of lighting up their Tree in that list. Maybe it's not neck, Microsoft couldn’t afford beyond.
and-dance partner have decided 3G network in Vermont starting going to be a Merry Christmas another OS failure. We want to know what you
that you're going to follow a few today. This week, service will after all! The company bet the farm on think, though. How did
classy dames that you met at a r o l l o u t i n B e n n i n g t o n , A tip of the TUAW Santa hat to Windows 7. They had extensive Microsoft do this year? What
nightclub in Florida up to Pine B r a t t l e b o r o , B r o w n s v i l l e , Vermont resident Bradley M. for ad campaigns and Windows 7 was its greatest success and its
Tree, Vermont, where they're Killington, Vernon, Warren, sending us the news. launch parties to build up the biggest flop? And most
g o i n g t o b e s p e n d i n g t h e West Dover, and White River TUAW Going to Vermont for a hype that this thing was fast, importantly, what do you think
Christmas holidays performing Junction. By New Year's Eve, White Christmas? Relax - you'll sleek, simple, and not Windows the technology titan will be doing
their sister act at a lodge. The service will be extended to have 3G service originally Vista. in 2010? Let everybody know
only problem is, you have AT&T Burlington, Colchester, Essex appeared on The Unofficial It paid off. Windows 7, released your thoughts in the comments
service and you've heard that 3G Junction, Fayston, Hartford, Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, on October 22nd, garnered below. Reviews: Bing, Chrome,
service is nonexistent anywhere J a m a i c a , J e f f e r s o n v i l l e , 17 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. positive reviews and in fact beat Firefox, Google, Google Docs,
in the Green Mountain State. Middlebury, Rutland, South Please see our terms for use of Vista’s initial sales by 234%. Internet Explorer, Microsoft
How are you going to be able to Burlington, St. Albans, Stowe, feeds. Microsoft needed a hit, and as of Office 2010, Safari, Windows 7,
stream a live video from your Waitsfield, West Rutland, West Read| Permalink| Email this| the end of 2009, Windows 7 has Windows Vista
iPhone 3GS to the Ed Harrison Townshend, West Wardsboro, Comments delivered. Its impact on the Tags: apple, bing, Google,
show so you can get your old Williston, and Winooski. In the bottom line is still unknown, but microsoft, zune
it’s likely that Microsoft will
have strong momentum heading
into 2010. What’s Next?
Microsoft was busy in 2009.

Twitter: Already on Holiday?

By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:01:13 AM
Twitter is once again “ frozen in
time” this morning as users’
timelines fail to display the most
recent tweets of those they
follow. Instead, users are seeing
tweets from about 10 minutes the people complaining about investigating the causes of
ago, and very few of them at that. their timelines). timeline delays and missing
We’ve been noticing the No update yet from Twitter on tweets.” Reviews: Twitter
problem for at least 30 minutes what’s happening and when it Tags: twitter
(as of 11 a.m. ET), both on might be resolved. We’ll keep
Twitter’s website and in third- you posted.
party applications. Twitter showing at least some tweets as Update (12:00pm ET): Twitter
search, however, seems to be they happen (and you can see all says “We are aware of and
28 Tech/ Tech News/
An app with everything but sales
By Mike Schramm (The
Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW))
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:00:00 AM
Filed under: Gaming, iPhone,
App Store TriplePoint PR's site
has a post on their blog about
Orbital [ iTunes Link], an iPhone
game released a while back that I
presume is one of their clients.
Obviously, they've done their
job: we're talking about the
game, which is $.99US or
available in a lite free version [
iTunes Link]. But they've also
provided us with a little insight
into just how things are going in
the app's release, and they picture
they paint says "not well." Oh,
sure, it's been reviewed well,
there's a little bit of buzz about it,
and the game itself, says the firm,
is good (trust them at your own
risk, but they sound like they
really do enjoy it). So what's the
problem? It's not selling.
To be fair, it is selling. They've
sold less than 100,000 units, they
say, and even half of that is a
nice chunk of sales. But
apparently that's not a success,
and they're wondering why.
Piracy is their first guess -- we've
heard before that piracy can be a
huge issue, even on cheap apps.
They say the game had an 80%
piracy rate in the first week,
which has since dropped down to
24%. I'm not convinced piracy
can be blamed completely --
there's no guaranteeing that all
pirates would have bought a real
copy anyway.
But certainly there's something
going on here -- you can have a
Newsagents In London
Are Paying To Offer Free
London Evening Standard
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 3:56:41 AM
Earlier this year, we noted that
while many newspaper execs
were complaining about "free,"
the owners of the London
Evening Standard had decided to
make their paper copy free and
that had resulted in much greater
circulation and(importantly)
lower distribution costs. Part of
the issue was that the paper
stopped distributing to certain
newsstands and newsagents as
terrific app that's well-reviewed just not being worth it. Yet, as
and buzzworthy, and if it doesn't reader mowgs points out, some
end up in the right place at the of those newsagents so badly
right time, it still won't be want the paper -- even if it's free
s u c c e s s f u l ( o r a t l e a s t a s -- that they're now paying the
s u c c e s s f u l a s y o u w a n t ) . newspaper to carry it, even while
Everyone is still working to giving it away for free: The
unlock success in the App Store, Evening Standard editor, Geordie
but with over 100,000 products Greig, said today that the paper
on the shelves, it has become had been besieged by inquiries
increasingly more difficult for the from newsagents wanting to
good apps to stand apart. stock the paper as a way to attract
TUAW An app with everything customers, even though they
but sales originally appeared on w e r e n o l o n g e r p a i d a
The Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW) on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 Seismic Convoy Explores What's
09:00:00 EST. Please see our
terms for use of feeds. Shaking America
Read| Permalink| Email this| By Alison Hawkes (Wired Top
Comments Stories)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 5:00:00 PM
Some 400 mobile seismic
stations inch eastward across
E-reader News Edition
commission.
"What has happened is that
entrepreneurial London has taken
over. Little companies have got
together and have decided to
distribute the Standard in little
places we decided we couldn't
afford to go to," Greig told the
BBC Radio 4 Media Show.
"We used to pay a large
commission to newsagents to sell
the Standard. We now have
dozens of newsagents paying us
2p a copy to have copies in their
shop ... which they then give
away," he said. Separately, he
noted that the rise in ad revenue
to the paper has been dramatic,
and that they're making two to
three times as much in ad
revenue on certain days. But,
you know, it's "impossible" to
support journalism while giving
away the content for "free."
Rupert Murdoch says so.
Permalink| Comments| Email
This Story
North America, as the
researchers behind the US Array
Project work to explain the slow
quakes rumbling across the
Pacific Northwest.
E-reader News Edition
Secretive Patent Holder Sues Lots Of
Companies For Remote Activation
Software
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:33:06 AM
Brian points us to the news of
yet another questionable patent
lawsuit filed by yet another shell
company, yet again in Eastern
Texas against a ton of software
companies. The patent in
question ( 5,222,134) is for a
"secure system for activating
personal computer software at
remote locations," and was
originally filed back in 1991 and
granted in 1993 -- meaning that
the patent is actually nearing end
of life. Odd, then, that it was
suddenly noticed that all these
companies were infringing. The
lawsuit is filed by a shell
company called BetaNet, and no
one seems willing to speak. The
lawyers representing BetaNet
won't say who is behind the
company, or how they even got
the patent. This is typical. Many
of these types of lawsuits are
filed by shell companies to hide
who is actually behind them. As
for the defendants, here's the list:
Adobe, Apple, Arial Software,
Autodesk, Carbonite, Corel,
Kodak, IBM, Intuit, Microsoft,
McAfee, Online Holdings,
Oracle, Rockwell, Rosetta Stone,
SAP, Siemens, and Sony.
Obviously, none of those
companies could have come up
Tech/ Tech News/ 29
Vancouver Olympics Unhappy With 'Cool
Sporting Event That Takes Place in British
Columbia Between 2009 and 2011 Edition' Slogan
By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) though the Vancouver Olympics
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:40:00 AM
can't officially do anything to
Lululemon, it has decided to try
We've been covering how the shaming the company instead,
Olympics has been able to get expressing disappointment that
various governments around the the company has "has broken the
world to grant it extra special spirit of Olympic trademark
intellectual property protection regulations." Of course, even so,
on certain words and phrases, the Olympic officials seem to
with the upcoming Vancouver misunderstand what's going on
Olympics being no exception. In here. They claim:"We expected
that case, you have to be careful better sportsmanship from a local
of the use of "Vancouver," Canadian company than to
"Olympics," and even "2010." produce a clothing line that
with ways to remotely activate So, clothing maker Lululemon attempts to profit from the
software without this patent (yes, decided to come up with a line Games but doesn't support the
that's sarcasm). As the Register that mocks these restrictions, Games or the success of the
notes in the link above, even with a brand new line of clothing Canadian Olympic team." But, of
some of the software products called:"Cool Sporting Event That course, that's not what's going on
listed as violating this patent Takes Place in British Columbia here at all. They're not trying to
don't seem to involve activation Between 2009 and 2011 Edition." profit off of the Olympic Games.
at all, raising serious questions Note how careful the company is They're trying to profit off of the
about how they could possibly to avoid any of the restricted ridiculous free speech restrictions
violate this patent. This sounds words. Nicely done. put in place by the Olympics for
like yet another case of someone Of course, guess who isn't no good reason.
h a v i n g r e a d t h e b o o k happy? Reader Joe McEnaney Permalink| Comments| Email
Rembrandt's in the Attic and alerts us to the news that, even This Story
deciding to go trolling for
companies to sue with a Dec. 17, 1903: Bicycle Brothers
meaningless patent.
Permalink| Comments| Email
Make Aeroplane Work Wright
This Story By Jason Paur (Wired Top pieces together: a heavier-than-
Stories) air machine flying under its own
Submitted at 12/16/2009 9:00:00 PM
power, and controlled by pilot.
This could go places.
The Wright brothers put all the
30 Tech/ TV/ E-reader News Edition

USA turning
The Freshman
Forgot your iPhone, iPod touch into a TV series
anniversary? Facebook's leading product search By Allison Waldman (TV
Squad)

got it covered for Christmas Submitted at 12/17/2009 12:35:00 PM

In 1990, there was a really funny

(CNET News.com) can see it, they can also see the By Mike Schramm (The searches in the UK were for movie that came out that
date. Although they will not be Unofficial Apple Weblog Apple's handhelds. involved transporting a Komodo
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:44:00 AM
alerted to it the same way they (TUAW)) Of course, just because one in 34 dragon, Marlon Brando re-
Lately Google seems to have put are for something like a birthday- Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:30:00 AM people are searching for an creating a Mafia-like big man in
forth most of the little niceties -something Facebook says could iPhone or iPod doesn't mean that the style of Don Vito Corleone,
that turn forgetful, or otherwise eventually change. Filed under: Hardware, Internet, they'll be huge gifts necessarily -- high stakes gourmet dining, ice-
inept people into functional Maybe this is the first step in iPhone, iPod nano, iPod touch maybe the searching just means skating, film school and romance.
m e m b e r s o f s o c i e t y . L a t e Facebook creating something This is an interesting little that they want one, not that It was called The Freshman, and
Wednesday Facebook rolled out similar to its now-removed statistic, but it could be very they'll be getting one. But there's USA Network is turning it into a
one of its own features that falls friends timeline feature, but for telling about what's going on in no question that as big as Apple's new series. If you've never seen
within that category. Now those relationships, so that users will be terms of sales this holiday 4th quarter has been so far, it's it, do yourself a favor and rent it.
who are lucky enough to be in a able to get a chronological view season. 9to5Mac says that over in going to get even bigger, in the Andrew Bergman wrote and
relationship can plug in when of every relationship other users the UK, the iPhone and the iPod UK and probably everywhere directed that 1990 film, and he
their love affair began. Facebook have had. Though in truth, this is touch are the current most else as well. was lucky enough to get Marlon
will then send both of those users likely just another way to make it searched-for products this TUAW iPhone, iPod touch Brando to play Carmine Sabatini.
a reminder (in the form of an easier to sell advertising for holiday. iPhone made up 1.75 leading product search for Even though Brando blasted the
event) when it's coming up. things like chocolates, flowers, percent of all product searches Christmas originally appeared on film before its release -- said it
Facebook users in a relationship jewelry and "sorry I missed our last week, and 14% of mobile The Unofficial Apple Weblog would be a turkey -- he
can now add in their anniversary anniversary" cards. p h o n e p r o d u c t s e a r c h e s . (TUAW) on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 eventually came to appreciate the
dates in order to get Facebook to fivefilters.org featured article: Meanwhile, the iPod touch was 07:30:00 EST. Please see our experience.
send yearly reminders.(Credit: Normalising the crime of the in second place at 1.29 percent, terms for use of feeds. Continue reading USA turning
CNET) century by John Pilger. Available and the iPod nano was actually Read| Permalink| Email this| The Freshman into a TV series
Right now the feature has the tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text third, at .5 percent. Over three Comments Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities,
s a m e p r i v a c y l e v e l a s a RSS, Term Extraction. percent, then, of all product Reality-Free
relationship, so if your friends Permalink| Email this| |
Comments
E-reader News Edition
The Most Influential
Twitter User in the
World Is…
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:15:34 AM
How do you measure influence
on Twitter? While follower
count is perhaps the most
obvious metric, other activities,
like the numbers of times you’re
retweeted, provide a bit more
insight.
Along those lines, INQ Mobile
has just released their 2009
Twitter influence study,
determining the most influential
Twitter users in both the UK and
the world. The winner? Not
Oprah, not Ashton and not
Diddy, but Mashable’s founder
and CEO Pete Cashmore!
Of course, news publishers
naturally have an advantage in
these types of studies – by
posting dozens of articles daily to
Twitter, they’re likely to get far
more retweets than a random
tweet about “that dirty money.”
And despite all of the hoopla
Pics: Madonna Turns
Domestic Diva
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:54:00 AM
Madonna turns domestic diva in
about her joining the service, the
incredibly influential Oprah is yet
to make much use of Twitter,
while other celebs post less
frequently with updates that are
more personal (or mundane) in
nature.
Nonetheless, we’ll take the
recognition where we can get it,
and congratulate Pete on another
cool achievement to close out the
year. You can read more in The
Telegraph and The Daily Mail.
Reviews: Mashable, Twitter
Tags: mashable, pete cashmore,
twitter
her new Dolce & Gabbana ads --
ET has the pics people are talking
about!
Tech/ TV/ Entertainment/ 31
“Nightline” Bests
“Tonight Show” For
25th Consecutive Week
In Total Viewers
By Bill Gorman
(TVbytheNumbers)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:20:33 AM
[ fivefilters.org: unable to
retrieve full-text content] via
press release: “NIGHTLINE”
BESTS “TONIGHT SHOW”
FOR 25th CONSECUTIVE
WEEK IN TOTAL VIEWERS
“NIGHTLINE” TIES
“LETTERMAN” IN A18-49
RATING “NIGHTLINE”
GROWS AMONG TOTAL
Apple Movie Trailers VIEWERS SEASON TO DATE
WHILE “TONIGHT SHOW”
website getting an iTunes DECLINES -49% ABC News
“Nightline” placed second among
Total Viewers and Adults 25-54
Store-style overhaul? for the week of December 7,
2009, according to Nielsen
By Michael Grothaus (The the trailer for Iron Man 2 looks Media Research. This marks the
Unofficial Apple Weblog amazing! twenty-fifth consecutive [...]
(TUAW)) We'll let you know if any other
Submitted at 12/17/2009 12:00:00 PM trailers get the iTunes Store
treatment.
Filed under: iTS, Multimedia, Thanks Space Taker!
iTunes TUAW Apple Movie Trailers
A reader has tipped us off that website getting an iTunes Store-
Apple's Movie Trailer site has s t y l e o v e r h a u l ? o r i g i n a l l y
gotten an iTunes Store-style look. appeared on The Unofficial
Shaolin,
W e l l , f o r t h e I r o n M a n 2 Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu,
Exclusive Trailer page anyway. 17 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST.
Inc. [Money
Right now the rest of the site Please see our terms for use of
seems to have retained its old feeds.
look. Is this a slow rollout, or is Read| Permalink| Email this|
Matters]
By Hamilton Nolan (Gawker)
Iron Man just that cool that he Comments
gets his own design? Either way, Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:41:07 AM
The Shaolin Temple, Buddhist
kung-fu mecca, may be part of an
IPO. Awesomest sellout ever?
32 Tech/ Politics/ Entertainment/ E-reader News Edition

BlackBerry E-mail Not Facts Not a Stumbling Block for

Working For Some Malkin
(Little Green Footballs)
Users Submitted at 12/16/2009 3:31:16 PM
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!) Michelle Malkin rants again:
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:16:10 AM Public school lunacy of the day:
A second-grader in Taunton,
I woke up this morning thinking MA was kicked out of school,
I’d either become a lot less suspended, and ordered to
popular overnight or that undergo a mental evaluation
something was once again wrong for…
with BlackBerry e-mail. As it …drawing a picture of Jesus
turns out, it’s the latter, as Christ on the cross.
Research In Motion confirms that (Hat tip: Michael Graham)
BlackBerry e-mail is not working One picture of Jesus gets a kid
for some of its customers across booted from the classroom.
North America. But Fort Hood killer Nidal
On my end, not a single e-mail Hasan’s years of jihadist threats
has arrived since around 2 a.m. got him…a promotion and access
ET, though Gmail tells a much microblogging service is having to open season on our troops.
different story. According to its own problems. And GLSEN founder Kevin
RIM, phone, e-mail, and texting No BlackBerry? No Twitter? Jennings’ not-safe-for-school
should still be working though. I Welcome to perhaps the most radical activism got him…a job
voiced my BlackBerry frustration productive Thursday of the year. as Safe Schools czar.
a little bit earlier this morning on Reviews: Gmail, Twitter Lunacy.
T w i t t e r , b u t , m o s t o f y o u Tags: Mobile 2.0 Of course, there are a few
probably didn’t see it as the problems with Malkin’s
description of the story. For
example, the fact that it’s not true
at all.
Taunton officials dispute reports
on Jesus sketch.
School officials say that the
account in yesterday’s Taunton
Daily Gazette was rife with
errors and that the father’s
description of what happened is
untrue.
“The report is totally
inaccurate,’’ Julie Hackett,
superintendent of the Taunton
public schools, said in an
interview in her office yesterday.
“The inaccuracies in the original
media story have resulted in a
great deal of criticism and
scrutiny of the system that is
unwarranted.’’
Dino F. Ciliberti, editor of the
Gazette, did not return calls
yesterday.
Hackett said the student, age 9,
was never suspended and that
neither he nor other students at
the Maxham Elementary School
were asked by the teacher to
sketch something that reminded
them of Christmas or any
religious holiday, as the Gazette
and other media reported and the
father suggested, although his
story changed as he explained it.
She said it was unclear whether
the boy, who put his name above
a stick figure portrait of Christ on
the cross, had drawn the picture
in school, which his teacher
discovered Dec. 2.
“ Religion had nothing to do with
this at all, 100 percent nothing to
do with it,’’ Hackett said, adding
that Taunton is known as “ The
Christmas City.’’
Another little detail that Malkin
failed to mention is that the child
drew a picture of himself on the
cross, not “Jesus Christ.” And he
even labeled it with his own
name.
But why let measly old facts get
in the way of a good “Christian
persecution” rant?
UPDATE at 12/16/09 3:44:04
pm:
A representative comment at
Malkin’s site, out of hundreds of
similar comments:
On December 15th, 2009 at
10:12 am, b-cat said:
Satan is running the school
system.
And they’re yelling for the
teacher to be hunted down and
exposed:
On December 15th, 2009 at
10:43 am, RedDog said: ordered
to undergo a mental evaluation
for&##x2026;
Ordered by whom? That person
should be publicly exposed
(along with the apparatchik
school teacher who informed on
the child) then reprimanded. The
reprimand should become part of
her &##x201C;permanent
record&##x201D;.

HTV: Shia Labeouf and Carey Mulligan's Daytime Date

(ETonline - Breaking News) HTV steps out with Shia The two are snapped walking crafts store. from his accident earlier this
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:54:00 AM
Labeouf and Carey Mulligan as hand in hand around the valley, The 'Transformers' star still year.
they enjoy a couple's day out! later taking a cab to an arts and wears a bandage over his hand
E-reader News Edition Politics/ Entertainment/ 33

A Solution for the 'Black Carbon' 'Nine,' 'Up in the Air,'

Problem? Rule SAG Nominations
(Little Green Footballs) produce one-quarter of all so- fully described only in the last (ETonline - Breaking News) a Cast in a Motion Picture, along
Submitted at 12/16/2009 1:45:21 PM
called “black carbon,” a sooty decade, but scientists now say with 'An Education,' 'The Hurt
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:09:00 AM
pollutant that’s adding to the their short-term impact Locker' and 'Inglourious
Here’s an interesting suggestion planetary heat burden. sometimes rivals that of carbon ET has the latest... Basterds.'
for one thing we could do right “We know how to cook without dioxide. As much as one-half of The nominations for the 16th Along with Clooney, nominees
away to slow down climate smoke,” said Veerabhadran the 3.4 degree Fahrenheit rise in Annual Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by
change for “only” $15 billion. Ramanathan, a University of Arctic temperatures since 1890 is Awards are in and the movie a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Weaning humanity from its C a l i f o r n i a , S a n D i e g o attributed to black carbon. By musical 'Nine' and the George are Jeff Bridges for 'Crazy Heart,'
f o s s i l f u e l h a b i t w i l l t a k e climatographer. “A clean stove disrupting weather patterns, it Clooney dramedy 'Up in the Air' Colin Firth for 'A Single Man,'
decades, and it will take decades costs $30. Multiply that by 500 may be responsible for received many of the top nods. Morgan Freeman for 'Invictus'
more for global warming to stop. million households, and it’s only weakening seasonal rains in Both movies were given nods and Jeremy Renner for 'The Hurt
But one simple measure could $15 billion. This is a solvable South Asia and West Africa. And for Outstanding Performance by Locker.'
slow warming in some of Earth’s problem.” black carbon is also a major
most sensitive regions, effective After floating to the atmosphere, reason why Himalayan glaciers,
immediately — and it would cost black carbon mixes with dust to which provide water to hundreds
just $15 billion. form a solar heat-absorbing of millions of people, are
That’s a rough price tag for particulate layer. Raindrops form vanishing.
providing clean stoves to the 500 around the particles, trapping UPDATE at 12/16/09 1:57:26
million households that use open even more heat. Soot deposited pm:
fires, fed by wood and animal by the rain heats up, too. Here’s a video showing how the
dung and coal, to heat their The climate dynamics of the “clean stoves” work:[Video]
homes and cook. Those fires black carbon process have been (From StoveTeam International.)

John Birch Society to Cosponsor CPAC 2010

(Little Green Footballs) plenty of other extreme right sadly all too believable. The right warning: the link goes to
Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:24:56 AM
wing groups on their cosponsor wing is completely off the rails, Google’s cache of a really ugly
list too, but the addition of the over the cliff, and plunging homophobic right wing site.)
If anyone is still wondering why Birchers puts the frosting on the toward the rocks. Disgusting. So they’re fine with racists and
I want absolutely nothing to do cake: Conservative Political UPDATE at 12/16/09 11:42:26 conspiracy mongers, but want to
w i t h w h a t t h e s o - c a l l e d Action Conference Cosponsors. am: purge the gay people.
“conservative” movement has There was a time when this And at the same time, the UPDATE at 12/16/09 1:21:27
become, please note that one of l u n a t i c h a t e g r o u p w a s “Liberty Council” (it’s in quotes pm:
t h e c o s p o n s o r s f o r t h e marginalized and shoved out to because this is a theocratic group Also note Sarah Palin’s apparent
Conservative Political Action the fringes, as they deserved, but that actually believes in the exact connection to the John Birch
Conference (CPAC) in 2010 will people like Glenn Beck and Ron opposite of liberty) is threatening Society: The magazine on her
be … the antisemitic, racist, Paul have been working hard at are at CPAC. to pull out of CPAC if desk in this photo is the official
conspiracy theory-promoting bringing them back to the I’d say “unbelievable,” but it’s homosexual group GOProud publication of the JBS.
John Birch Society. There are mainstream — and now here they remains as a cosponsor. (Content
34 Politics/ Tech Tips/ Entertainment/
Amazon Christmas
Deals - 2 Days Left
(Little Green Footballs)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 2:15:08 PM
There are two days left to order
from Amazon in time for
Christmas with free Super Saver
Shipping, and they have quite a
few exceptional deals going; here
are a few that may interest you:
Windows 7 Netbooks Starting
Under $350
Blu-ray Players Under $200
The cutting-edge HP Photosmart
Premium TouchSmart Web All-
in-One Printer
Movies & TV Gift and Boxed
Set Sale
Up to 40% Off Kitchen & Home
Gifts
Amazon Kindle Wireless
Reading Device
Top Holiday Deals & Frustration
-Free Packaging in Toys
Bestselling AT&T Phones from
Video Blog: Kevin
Frazier Gives the SAG
411
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:31:00 AM
ET has the latest...
Our Kevin Frazier was on the
scene as the Screen Actors Guild
Awards nominations were
announced very early Thursday
morning and in an all-new video
$.01
Extra Discounts on Magazine
Subscriptions
Over 30% off the Canon
PIXMA iP100 Mobile Photo
Printer
Diamond Stud Earrings- Best
Deals of the Season
Video Games- 18 Days, 18
Deals
Logitech Harmony One
Advanced Universal Remote
Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Automatic
Ice Cream Makers
(Note: if you click through to
Amazon from one of our links,
LGF gets a small percentage in
referral fees on all qualifying
merchandise, without raising the
cost to you, so you get terrific
deals and help support us at the
same time.)
blog just for ETonline, he gives bills.
the SAG 411 on all of the shows, But even those minor changes in
movies and actors that got that activity level counted a lot. While
coveted nod.
Click here for a full list of SAG viewing burned off an additional
nominees and also click here for
a look back at the past SAG
Awards fashions!
E-reader News Edition
Cutting Your TV Watching in Half
Burns Calories Equivalent to Walking
Eight Miles Per Week [Television]
By Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:15:00 AM
The New York Times reports on
a study examining how watching
less TV affects average (five
hours/day) TV-viewers. The
results: Cutting television in half
resulted in the equivalent of
walking roughly eight
miles/week in calories burned.
Photo by(A3R) angelrravelor
(A3R).
The results reported in The
Archives of Internal Medicine
were a bit different from what the
researches expected:
Although some participants did
report getting more exercise by
walking their dogs more often or 120 calories a day compared with impact one way or another.
signing up for a yoga class, most the previous three weeks, the It's easy to kick off your shoes
of the people didn't use their control group became even more after a long day at work and just
television-free time for scheduled sedentary, moving about 100 unwind and tune out to the TV,
physical exercise. One person
used the extra time to organize
calories less than before. The
additional activity that resulted
but you can also find other
activities short of go-go exercise
photo albums, others reported
reading more or playing board
games with their children. Many
from less television time is the
equivalent of walking about eight
miles a week.
that'll still make you a healthier
person in the long-run—and
organizing photo albums sounds
said they spent the time doing
more household chores or paying
The takeaway, while pretty
obvious (less TV is likely going
pretty relaxing in its own right.
How Less TV Changes Your
to be a healthy thing), is still Day[NYT]
interesting. We should also note
that the participants in the study
the group that reduced television were overweight, but it seems the
findings would still have some
E-reader News Edition
What's Your Screen Resolution? [Reader Poll]
By Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:45:00 AM
Google released a tool
today—called Browser
Size—designed to show web
developers what parts of a site
users can see without scrolling.
It's not exclusively tied to screen
resolution (you don't have to
maximize your browser), but it
got us wondering.
(Click the image above for a
closer look.)
We want a better idea of what
kind of screen resolution our
readers are rocking on their gear.
If you're not sure how to figure it
out, Windows users can just fire
up your Display Properties from
the Control Panel and find the
Get the Classic Network Activity Indicator Back in Windows 7
[Downloads]
By Jason Fitzpatrick
(Lifehacker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:30:00 AM
Windows 7: If you miss having a
network activity icon that
actually indicates if your network
is active or not, this handy little
hack will swap the static
Windows 7 icon for the classic
version.
When we shared an app that
turned your keyboard lights into
network indicators, many of you
wondered what the point
Settings tab; Mac users, launch
the Displays preference pane
from System Preferences. Then
let us know:
What's Your Screen
Resolution?( polls)
I did my best to come up with as
was—Windows has a network
indicator in the system tray. In
Windows 7 however the
indicator is static. The classic
little two-computer icon that
blinks to indicate network
activity is missing from
Windows 7, replaced by an icon
that simply indicates if the
computer is or is not connected to
a network.
The solution is a tiny application
called, appropriately enough,
Network Activity Indicator for
Windows 7. Download the
many common resolutions as
possible based on the results of a
screen resolution survey posted
on Wikipedia, so hopefully we
don't have too many of you in the
Other category. As we said, your
screen resolution doesn't
application and park your
standard Windows 7 network
indicator in the hidden portion of
your system tray, placing the icon
necessarily reflect your browser
window's resolution (unless
you're always browsing
maximized, and even then you
won't take up the whole height or
width of the screen unless you
put your browser in fullscreen
mode), but we're still curious. So
give it a look and give us more
details on your setup in the
comments.
In the meantime, web developers
may be interested in checking out
Browser Size for a better idea of
what segment of their userbase
may not be able to see important
parts of their sites. Browser
Size[Google Labs via Google
Code Blog]
for the Network Activity
Indicator in the appropriate place
in the system tray. If you'd like
step by step instructions with
Tech Tips/ Media/ 35
MediaDailyNews:
Belo Taps
Hendrickson As CFO
(MediaPost | Media News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:43:57 AM
Belo Corp. said Dennis A.
Williamson, executive vice
president and Chief Financial
Officer, will retire next March
and Carey P. Hendrickson, a 17-
year veteran of Belo's financial
organization, will become senior
vice president and Chief
Financial Officer. He becan his
Belo career in 1992.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
pictures on how to do this, check
out the via-link below to see the
tutorial at The How-To Geek.
Once you've performed the
swap, you'll have the old network
activity indicator back and its
familiar blinking screens.
Network Activity Indicator for
Windows 7 is freeware,
Windows only. Have a little app
that makes life easier? Let's hear
about it in the comments.
Network Activity Indicator for
Windows 7[via HowToGeek]
36 Tech Tips/ Entertainment/
DIY Big Mac Tastes Great, Causes
Less Guilt [Recipes]
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:00:00 AM
Got that craving for two beef
patties, one-and-a-half buns, and
some special sauce? Consider
skipping the drive for the
cardboard-boxed classic and
make your own Big Macs at
home, courtesy of the Local
Lemons blog's recipe and write-
up.
It's a fairly gourmet take on the
afternoon-slowing double burger,
but it aims for authenticity.
Here's writer Allison Arevalo's
description of what's going into
this homemade Mac:
To mimic the sauce, I made an
olive oil aioli and combined it
with homemade French dressing
and organic shallots from La
Tercera Farms. My thinly sliced
pickles were from Happy Girl
Farms, and the ground chuck was
Niman Ranch. The cheese was a
difficult match, but mild cheddar
proved to be a shoo-in for
Report: Tiger Woods' Wife 'Not
Rushing to Divorce'
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:12:00 AM
ET has the latest...
In yet another report stating that "She's not rushing to divorce,"
Tiger Woods' wife Elin is the source told ABCNews.com.
looking to divorce the pro golfer, "She's going to take her sweet
American, and Clover's organic
was a perfect match. I admit, I
did not make the buns, though
they were locally baked and I
painted on the sesame seeds with
an egg wash.
I almost feel bad posting a link
to a fairly great-looking burger
right before lunch. Tag or
bookmark the recipe for your
weekend, though, and consider
a source tells ABC News that the
29-year-old former model is
going to "take her sweet time" to
divorce him.
having a few friends over to
ensure you get good use out of
your homemade patties, sauce,
and McD-like buns. And for
more remarkable simulations of
commercial food favorites, check
out our top 10 homemade
versions of things we love. Big
Mac: Make Your Own[Local
Lemons]
time. She wants all the dirty
laundry to be out on the table
before she signs anything."
But the source assures that
despite Elin not putting a speedy
end to her marriage, the "divorce
is 100 percent on."
E-reader News Edition
Create Goo.gl
Shortlinks Without the
Google Toolbar [URLs]
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Chrome user, you can install the
goo.gl shortener extension and do
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:00:00 AM
your link shortening with a
Geez, Google really wants you toolbar button.
to install its toolbar, right? They The appeal of goo.gl-shortened
usually introduce new web l i n k s i s t h e i r t h e o r e t i c a l
features, like their goo.gl URL longevity, but, at the moment,
shortener, into it first, leaving they lack the statistics and
developers to figure out non- tracking that makes the de facto
toolbar executions. Luckily, a s t a n d a r d , b i t . l y , w i d e l y
webapp and Chrome extension a p p e a l i n g . W e ' l l s e e w h a t
are on it. improvements come along, but
Digital Inspiration points us for now, you can grab Google's
toward both a webapp that spits server re-direction benefits
out a goo.gl URL in one click, without having to keep their
after pasting in a full URL first toolbar installed. Shorten URL
(don't forget the http:// bit, or using goo.gl[ Alexandre Gaigalas
you'll get an empty result). If via Digital Inspiration]
that's a bit too much work for goo.gl shortener[Google Chrome
tossed-off links, and you're a Extensions]
E-reader News Edition Tech Tips/ Tech News/ Entertainment/ 37

The Heart of Dartness Determines Jessica Simpson Calls

Your Dartboard Sweet Spot [Games] Tiger Woods Story 'A
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:10:00 AMJoke' wrote an app that analyzes 50 of
your throws and figures out
where you should aim for your
Every so often, your best chances at a high score. (ETonline - Breaking News) "Tiger & Jessica The Shocking
uncoordinated hands get The webapp requires Java to run, Submitted at 12/17/2009 5:18:00 AM
Inside Story. Tiger's shameless
wrangled into a game of barroom and doesn't account specifically come-on, Jess makes HER move;
darts. If you'd like a better chance for specialty games like Jessica Simpson isn't pulling any what happened next!"
at victory instead of apologies, a cricket—although, in most punches when it comes to rumors Jessica is seemingly bemused by
few Stanford students' webapp games, a high score is never a that she got "touchy feely" with the story, taking to her Twitter to
can analyze your game and bad thing. If you've got your own Tiger Woods. make her thoughts known. "Can't
provide your personal best- strategies for faking it like a In a cover story on the latest Star believe that I'm on the cover of
chance target. billiards room hero, tell us about magazine, the singer is shown Star magazine with Tiger
As Wired's write-up explains, always aiming at the bullseye it in the comments. The Heart of taking a picture with the golf star Woods," she writes. "What a
darts is a game where the isn't a good long-term strategy. Dartness[stat.stanford.edu via with a caption that says "Touchy JOKE!"
difference between hitting a 20 or Facing down his own non-expert Wired] Feely." The headline reads:
a 1 is very, very small, and tossing skills, Ryan Tibshirani

Reader Poll: Top 10 Web Products of 2009 (Last Chance to

Vote!)
By Richard MacManus selected by the RWW Online) box.net Boxee Brightkite Raindrop New York Times APIs
(ReadWriteWeb) community, will be announced ChartBeat Cisco Collaboration OneForty Open Calais OrSiSo
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:00:00 AM
tomorrow. Here is the current top Citysense Clicker Cliqset Outside.in Pachube Posterous
10, in alphabetical order: Collecta Data.gov DBpedia Echo Postrank present.ly
We're down to the final day of Sponsor (JS-Kit) Evernote Evri Facebook PubSubHubbub Rackspace
voting for ReadWriteWeb's Adobe AIR Facebook iPhone app Fedex Cloud Drive Regator Ribbit
reader-selected Top 10 Web Facebook SenseAware Feedly Fever RSSCloud Salesforce.com
Products of 2009. You can vote Feedly Foursquare Freebase FreshBooks Seesmic Shazam SocialCast
for up to 10 products, from a list Google Apps Glue Google App Engine Google Socialtext Spotify StockTwits
o f 1 0 0 s e l e c t e d b y t h e Google Chrome Apps Google Chrome Google Superfeedr Tornado (FriendFeed
ReadWriteWeb authors over Google Maps Maps Google Search Options and framework) Tumblr TweetDeck
December. Hulu Rich Snippets Google Voice Tweetie Tweetmeme Twidroid
Make your picks in the poll iPhone platform Aardvark ActivityStreams Hootsuite HP CeNSE Hulu Twingly Twitter Vuze Wetoku
embedded below. You can cast Twitter Adobe AIR Amazon EC2 IBM's sensor solutions ioBridge WideNoise Wikitude Wolfram
up to 10 votes. If you don't see WordPress Android platform Appsfire iPhone platform Jimdo Jive Alpha Woopra WordPress Yahoo
one of your favorites in the list, What are your favorite products Apture Arduino Basecamp BBC's Software SBS 4.0 Jolicloud Query Language (YQL) Yelp
note it in the comments and we'll of 2009? (multiple choice)( Semantic Music Project Bing Layar Microsoft Windows Azure Zemanta Zoho CRM Discuss
count that as a vote too. polling) Top 100 Web Products Blip.fm BNO (Breaking News MindTouch Mint Mir:ror MOG
The year's top 10 products, as of 2009, Alphabetical Moshi Monsters Mozilla
38 Tech News/ Entertainment/ PopSci/ E-reader News Edition
New Pics: Meet
BlueKai: Intent Data or Black Box? Jake Pavelka's
By Richard MacManus airport or city, and activity on Lookery as a better data source,
(ReadWriteWeb) price comparison sites. her other point was that BlueKai New Bachelorettes
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:00:00 AM
The report analyzed "more than is essentially a "black box" and (ETonline - Breaking News)
10 million online shopping intent its data can't be substantiated
BlueKai is an online marketing actions" for PCs and video game "They both track who is when it comes to users - or their Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:25:00 AM

firm that provides data to consoles through the week interested in what through a intents. Questions Over Data What do an NBA dancer, a
marketers, ad networks and ending November 28, 2009. cookie, an invisible bit of code Reliability, But There's a Big corporate flight attendant, a
publishers. The main purpose of Here's a chart showing that on a Web page. When someone Market For It mortgage loan officer and a
this data, held in a repository netbooks, rather than the recently does a search, for example, on What BlueKai is doing is similar captain in the Air National Guard
c a l l e d t h e B l u e K a i D a t a released Windows 7, had the Kayak.com for first-class flights to the methods used by the raft of have in common? They all have
Exchange, is to target ads to biggest increase in shopping to Paris in September, that recommendation engines we've their sights set on moving to
consumers. BlueKai claims to intent actions in the PC category information can be captured by a profiled this year. We found in Dallas with the new "Bachelor"
have now aggregated "intent over the Black Friday holiday cookie, and Kayak.com can sell that series that each Jake Pavelka, when "The
data" from over 160 million period. that cookie using eXelate or recommendation engine had its Bachelor: On the Wings of
unique users on e-commerce, BlueKai explained: BlueKai." own methods and algorithms; Love," the 14th edition of ABC's
online travel agency and auto "Online intent actions by those As well as intent data, BlueKai and that it was difficult to judge popular romance reality series,
comparison sites. shopping for Netbooks surged recently announced a new service the accuracy of the data and premieres Monday, January 4 at
What is "intent data"? Broadly 81% during the week of Black that gives advertisers access to which company's method worked 8 p.m. ET has a first look at the
speaking, it's data that purports to Friday versus the prior week, shopper profiles. BlueKai CEO best. 25 women who hope to win
show the intent of Web users with Netbooks reaching 7.1% Omar Tawakol claimed that this Likewise I'm somewhat Jake's heart and hand in
when they browse a website. For share of total PC online intent gives advertisers insight into skeptical of BlueKai's data marriage.
example, a recent report from actions for the week ending "actual shopping patterns," as claims, especially given how
BlueKai collected and analyzed November 28. Just a month prior, opposed to merely surveying a unreliable web data usually is
online shopping data over Black Netbooks comprised only 2.7% user base. (Alexa anyone?).
Friday week. In this post we look of PC-related online intent The problem is, BlueKai is Nevertheless, BlueKai is
at that report's findings and then a c t i o n s o n t h e B l u e K a i inferring things about a consumer attempting to mine a large store
ask some questions about the E x c h a n g e . " that may not be true. Claire of data that up till now has been
validity of the data. Here's another chart, this time Herminjard of the now defunct very difficult to gather and Facebook Becomes
Sponsor showing that Nintendo game Lookery, which tried (and failed) analyze on a large scale online: More Racially Diverse,
Black Friday Online Shopping: devices, and in particular the Wii, to make a business of capturing user patterns on commerce sites.
Netbooks & Nintendo Popular held the most interest amongst explicit user data via a piece of Whether or not the data is
Ought To Release Data
BlueKai defined the resulting online shoppers during Black javascript in partner sites, put it reliable is an open question for for Outside Analysis
"shopping intent" data as "search Friday week. well: "[we] make no assumptions now, but there is a large market By Marshall Kirkpatrick
and shopping related activities by How it Works about users. If we don't have for it - and that will continue as (ReadWriteWeb)
consumers on retail and price A New York Times article data on a consumer, we don't long as online advertising is the
Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:02:56 PM
comparison sites." Specifically earlier this year profiled both pretend that we do (or assume main business model on the Web.
these "intents" included price BlueKai and a similar data house what we think it may be)." Discuss
search by auto make and model, called eXelate. The Times Although Herminjard was FACEBOOK page 39
travel destination search by explained how they work: primarily trying to position
January 2010 Issue Now Online
By John Mahoney (Popular And here you thought it was still
Science - New Technology, 2009: We've published
Science News, The Future everything from the January 2010 issue. See it all here.
E-reader News Edition
FACEBOOK
continued from page 38
Facebook used to be dominated
by White and Asian users, but
tonight the company announced
results of a demographic study of
its users concluding that the
percentages of Black and
Hispanic users of the site are now
approaching their percentages of
the population in the general US
public. Hear that? Facebook
scientists have looked at the data
and everything is ok now.
For months, we've been calling
on Facebook to open up user data
in an appropriate way for the
public at large to study.
Sponsor
It's an invaluable bird's eye view
of the interactions between 350
million people around the world.
There are probably a lot of social
patterns of interaction between
people that could be discovered
in that data - some not pretty at
all. For now, though, Facebook
has analyzed the data in-house
and given itself a cheery report
card. More analysis appears to
be forthcoming, so we'll see what
we're told about what really goes
on on Facebook - but that data
ought to be made available for
outside analysis.
In this case the data wasn't
Gay Pride Came Early This Year [Open Caption]
By Brian Moylan (Gawker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:52:14 AM
[ Straight allies Robert De Niro
and Bruce Springsteen show
anonymized, it was analyzed by
two in-house staff members and
two grad students from Cornell
and Princeton. The group
compared users' last names on
Facebook to US Census data
about the percentage of people
with those last names who
reported particular racial
backgrounds.
Once a larger number of
Facebook users have public
profiles, something that's
probably happening very rapidly
thanks to the radical new privacy
settings the company began
recommending to users last
week, then analyzing things like
names, friend lists and
associations won't constitute a
violation of user privacy
anymore.
That might not sound like
something many users are
comfortable with, but one way or
another there is a lot of potential
for social good (not just
advertising) made possible by
aggregate user data. Perhaps co-
incidentally, perhaps not - the
new privacy regime will remove
the primary objections to bulk
analysis of user data.
Presumably something will need
President Obama their support
for gay rights at a reception for
the Kennedy Center Honors
recipients at the White House on
December 5. Image freshly
to be done to make the data
available in bulk and in an
appropriate format for outside
analysis, though.
The example we've offered most
commonly in calling for this data
to be released is the history of
what's called Real Estate
Redlining. When in the 1960's
both US Census information and
real estate mortgage loan
information were made available
for bulk analysis, it was proven
that banks around the US were
discriminating against home loan
applicants in traditionally African
American neighborhoods.
That was a big deal and we
suspect that there are patterns of
comparable importance, both
positive and negative, hiding in
Facebook's huge store of data.
For contrast and illustration,
consider the conclusions drawn
by popular dating site OK Cupid
in an analysis of dating inquiry
response rates between its users
of different races. In
heterosexual pairs, male inquirers
on OK Cupid were far more
likely to get a response when
they were white. Black, Hispanic
and Asian men saw terrible
response rates from women on
uploaded to the White House's
Flickr]
Entertainment/ Tech News/ 39
the site. White men were least
likely to respond to inquiries
from Black women and they
were by far the most likely to say
that they preferred to date people
of their same race. Both white
men and women were quite Ivan
unusual in the likelihood of their
saying they preferred to date
people of their own race.
Reitman —
Take that, people who
commented on the Facebook
study tonight saying that people
[Pullquote]
By Gabriel Snyder (Gawker)
don't see race any more! It
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:40:58 AM
certainly appears that we do.
It will be interesting to see if comedy producer ( Animal
Facebook is willing to publish House, Stripes and, er,
data that shines a less positive Kindergarten Cop, as well as
light on its own user base. Most Ghostbusters) after being asked if
likely, outside parties would be The Hangover deserves a
more apt to expose data like that. Academy Award nomination for
The world could use some more Best Picture this year, to the New
self-awareness, Facebook, but it's York Times' Carpetbagger blog.
important that such self-
awareness not be hand-delivered
by scientists on your own staff,
with your financial interests as
their bottom line. Discuss
SoundHound: A Music
App That Could
Change Mobile Search
By Dana Oshiro
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 5:55:00 PM
Larry Marcus is one investor
with the ability to turn good core
technology into consumer
success. Five years ago he helped
change the mathematical
SOUNDHOUND: page 40
40 Tech News/ Sports/
SOUNDHOUND:
continued from page 39
algorithm of the Music Genome
Project into music sensation
Pandora. Today, Marcus' work
with Melodis' Sound2Sound
Search Science is already
celebrating market success with
music identifying application
SoundHound. ReadWriteWeb
caught up with Marcus to hear
about his latest project.
Sponsor
At first glance, Melodis'
SoundHound is a Shazam Encore
competitor with faster search
functionality. Both services are
among the top paid iPhone
applications, both cost $5 dollars
and both allow users to find
songs, scan lyrics and read artist
bios. Nevertheless, in addition to
allowing users to identify songs
from ambient background music,
sung lyrics, spoken word and text
-based search, SoundHound also
lets you listen to music through
your own iTunes library or
Pandora account. With
SoundHound you can capture
FM radio, identify a song and
create a Pandora internet radio
station within seconds. And
Puck Talk: Minnesota's Uprising
By Bruce Ciskie (Fanhouse
Main)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 4:00:00 AM
Filed under: Wild It was a competitive without longtime
hideous start to the season for the coach Jacques Lemaire, the Wild
Minnesota Wild. At one point, have quietly put together an
the Wild were comfortably sitting impressive 13-5-3 mark, and
in the basement of the Western they're climbing up the Western
while each of these features are
impressive, what we're really
excited about is SoundHound's
plans for the future.
The Underlying Technology
Explains Marcus, "Most sound
recognition technology converts
speech to text in order to identify
similarities. Sound2Sound
(SoundHound's core technology)
converts text and speech to
phonic representations and cross
references those. "
The same underlying sound
recognition technology that
powers SoundHound also makes
Melodis' Voice Dialer application
possible. What's more, Marcus
suggests that the technology can
have even broader applications.
"Music is just one way we're
bringing this core technology to a
mass market. It's a passion
project that brings joy to users,
but we can expand even further.
To start, we believe that the best
user interface ever is search."
Meanwhile, Shazam's core
technology is no longer its own.
The company sold its search
assets to BMI more than 4 years
Conference.
Since a 3-9 start left everyone in
Minnesota wondering about the
ability of this team to be
ago to track audio files and
enforce royalties for rights
owners. While both Shazam and
Melodis' SoundHound remain
some of the App Store's most
downloaded products, Shazam's
product expansion is limited by
BMI's control.
Marcus believes that
SoundHound may just be the tip
of the iceberg for Melodis. From
bird call recognition, to driver
assistance, to voice-activated
emergency response,
Sound2Sound can expand as far
as its engineers can carry it.
Given the attention to voice
recognition in yesterday's Bing
iPhone application release and
the fact that mobile search has
become increasingly competitive,
we may find Sound2Sound
integrated in some unlikely
places. To check out
SoundHound, download it here.
Discuss
Conference ladder. With that in
mind, we reached out to Nathan
Eide, a writer with Wild blog
Hockey Wilderness, to talk about
this improved team.
Listen to the podcast above, or
click here to download the file.
Google Announces Map
Contest: $50K for Adding
Schools, Hospitals & More
By Jolie O'Dell
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 7:00:22 PM
Google is announcing a new
contest for local would-be
heroes.
The Map Maker Global
Competition, which challenges
users to add high-quality data on
universities, schools, hospitals
and medical clinics in Google
Map Maker, will run from
December 15, 2009 to January
31, 2010. The grand prize for the
user who adds the greatest
quantity of data is a $50,000
UNICEF donation to the winner's
home country.
Sponsor
The winning team or user will
moreover receive a VIP tour
from UNICEF officials of the
local projects that will benefit
from the donation as well as an
all-expenses-paid trip to the
Google Super Mappers 2010
conference. Top mapping
contributors will appear on
Google Map Maker and
ultimately on Google Maps.
Google's Map Maker shows
users satellite images and asks
them to add data to make actually
useful maps. These "citizen
E-reader News Edition
cartographers" can add
directions, streets, schools and
more; data is subject to peer
moderation. The app is available
in English, Spanish, French,
Russian, Romanian, and
Vietnamese and in more than 170
countries.
UNICEF rep Gerrit Beger told
Google, "We know that mapping
is a proven method to enhance
community development. Google
Map Maker is a powerful tool to
create better situational
awareness for both young people
and communities at large. It will
enable organizations like ours to
better deliver services, respond to
crises and adapt to change."
Google has also just wrapped up
a similar competition focusing on
Latin America. In that event,
more than 50 teams from all over
the world participated, which led
to a 500 percent increase in
mapping activity for several
Latin American countries.
Discuss
E-reader News Edition Tech News/ Sports/ 41

Facebook in the Factory: Manufacturers Want

Social Software, Too
By Alex Williams The survey of manufacturing
(ReadWriteWeb) managers was done on behalf of
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:10:29 AM
IFS North America, one of the

Factories may not be the first

largest software providers to
manufacturing markets. IFS is
Backchecking
place you'd expect to see demand
for social technologies. But
developing its open-source
applications to fit the changing
With ... Ryan
social networks are changing
how manufacturers view their
manufacturing landscape. For
example, it is migrating away
Suter
operations. from static documentation By Adam Gretz (Fanhouse
Main)
In a recent survey of 268 technologies in favor of more
manufacturers, 63% of collaborative applications such as Submitted at 12/17/2009 2:00:00 AM

respondents said that enterprise wikis. Many manufacturing

resources planning (ERP) companies face an aging Filed under: Predators
software will provide its highest workforce. A new breed of We get to know NHL players
value when integrated with social socially oriented technologies with some quick questions.
computing technologies. Users will be considered part of doing Today's subject: Nashville
want ERP software to perform business for a younger Predators defenseman Ryan
the functions of collaborative generation. Suter.
technologies and social networks. It's evident that real-time
Sponsor manufacturers with more than $1 contextual information from technologies, social networks and
But why do manufacturers want billion in revenue, 72% said they similar users at other companies, cloud-based services are having
s o c i a l t e c h n o l o g i e s i n t h e wanted this capability. and troubleshooting. real impacts across our economy.
enterprise? M a n u f a c t u r e r s a r e m o s t Manufacturers are turning out to In 2010, we expect to see clear
According to Manufacturing interested in using data from be the surprise adopters of examples of how these new
BusinessTechnology, a trade social networks to capture leads, Enterprise 2.0 technology. In a messaging and communications
publication, they want to develop research competitors and perform recent survey done by the 2.0 services affect supply chains
ways to share the knowledge of business intelligence functions, Adoption Council, manufacturers a c r o s s m u l t i p l e i n d u s t r i e s .
s e n i o r e n g i n e e r s a n d such as product training. They were some of the most eager D i s c u s s
p r o f e s s i o n a l s . A m o n g are also interested in receiving adopters of social technologies.

Bengals' Chris Henry in Dire Condition, Source Says

By Dan Graziano (Fanhouse N.C. and was being treated for support. thoughts and prayers [are] with
Main) life-threatening injuries, "We ask everyone to pray for h i m d u r i n g t h i s e x t r e m e l y
Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:38:00 AM
according to a source with direct Chris," agent Andy Simms of d i f f i c u l t t i m e . "
knowledge of the situation. PlayersRep Sports said in a
Filed under: Bengals Cincinnati "We don't think he's going to statement. "We also ask that you
Bengals receiver Chris Henry m a k e i t , " t h e s o u r c e t o l d respect the privacy of Chris'
was seriously injured in a car F a n H o u s e o n W e d n e s d a y FoxSports.com's Alex Marvez family. Chris is indeed battling
accident Wednesday in Charlotte, e v e n i n g . reports that Henry is on life for his life tonight, and our
42 Tech News/ TV/ Sports/
OpenID Ends 2009 With 1 Billion
Accounts Enabled
By Jolie O'Dell
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 6:00:35 PM
At the close of a whiz-bang year,
OpenID has a lot to be proud of.
With a community of 9 million
sites that use OpenID logins and
1 billion enabled accounts,
OpenID has effectively
revolutionized the way we are
able to create and maintain
portable identities. Best of all, it's
not just bloggers and geeks who
sang OpenID's praises: The U.S.
federal government got on board
this year, too.
Sponsor
OpenID accounts are enabled by
such providers as AOL, Blogger,
Flickr, Google, LiveJournal,
MySpace, Verisign, WordPress
and Yahoo with announcements
of upcoming OpenIDs from
Microsoft and PayPal. Sites that
allow users to login with OpenID
range from major retailers and
music labels to news
Bosh Unhappy With Toronto's Strategy
By Tim Povtak (Fanhouse
Main)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 5:15:00 PM
F i l e d u n d e r : R a p t o r s agent this summer, was second-
ORLANDO -- Chris Bosh is not guessing the Raptors' strategy
happy with the Toronto Raptors. after getting drilled in back-to-
organizations and social sites.
As for the government, at the
Gov 2.0 Summit in Washington,
DC, earlier this year, the General
Services Administration and
several government agencies
announced they would adopt
OpenID as part of the White
House's Open Government
Initiative. Participating
companies included Yahoo!,
PayPal, Google, Equifax, AOL,
VeriSign, Acxiom, Citi, Privo
and Wave Systems. On the
government side is the Center for
Information Technology (CIT),
National Institutes of Health
(NIH), U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
(HHS), and related agencies.
Not only is the government's
involvement a vote of confidence
for OpenID's innovation; it also
speaks to the product's security
And that's not good for the
Raptors.
Bosh, their franchise player who
can leave as an unrestricted free
progress, which was spearheaded
by security committee head and
PayPal exec Andrew Nash.
In addition to developing and
spreading the OpenID product,
there's also the OpenID
Foundation, which appointed its
first executive committee,
including Chris Messina and Don
Thibeau, in 2009.
Portable identity is one of our
favorite themes from this year,
and we applaud what OpenID has
been able to accomplish. What do
you look forward to seeing from
the product, the foundation and
OpenID partner sites in the year
to come? Let us know your
thoughts in the comments.
Update: The title of this post was
changed to reflect the
discrepency between the number
of OpenID enabled accounts now
online vs. the number of probable
OpenID users. Discuss
back games by the Miami Heat
E-reader News Edition
Local Stations Still Pushing For
Local Commercial Measurement
(but won’t wanna pay for it)
By Robert Seidman national commercials (I believe it
(TVbytheNumbers) is called audio watermarking)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:04:39 AM
being usable at the local level, I
just don’t see it happening.
L e d b y G r o u p M a n d h e One of the reasons they can
T e l e v i s i o n B u r e a u o f solve the problem with
Advertising, Nielsen is again technology more easily at a
being pressured to provide local national level is there aren’t that
ratings for commercial viewing many different ads. At the local
like they do at a national level. level it expands to many more. I
Previously, Nielsen had only think Nielsen could figure it out,
measured live program viewing but it sure seems like it would be
at the local level, but it is rolling extremely labor intensive and
out Live+SD program viewing cost a lot of money. Money the
a n d p u s h i n g t h a t a s a n local stations aren’t going to
enhancement at the local level. want to pay.
I can understand the local It will be interesting to see how
stations and advertisers wanting this resolves, but my guess is that
t h e s a m e c o m m e r c i a l in the short-term it will resolve
measurement as Nielsen does with Nielsen’s plans to roll-out
nationally, where it measures l i v e + S D p r o g r a m v i e w i n g
commercial (rather than program m e a s u r e m e n t l o c a l l y .
viewing) live and up to 3 days Much, much more from Claire
after on DVR. But because Atkinson on Broadcasting &
national commercials are national Cable.
Nielsen can use technology to fivefilters.org featured article:
measure the viewing, plus at the Normalising the crime of the
local level viewing is much century by John Pilger. Available
smaller. Without any kind of tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
technology that can easily detect RSS, Term Extraction.
and Orlando Magic. all the time so we should trust
"We make adjustments with our system. We need to go out
teams before we play the game. there and play hard. If they beat
That sends the wrong message to us for one quarter doing the
ourselves,'' Bosh said after losing things we normally do, then
to the Magic, 118-99, okay. Now we can change it up.''
Wednesday night. "We practice
E-reader News Edition
Apple Making Mobile Safari Web
Apps Better, Faster, Stronger
By Darrell Etherington
(TheAppleBlog)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 9:39:27 AM
iPhone web apps aren’t being
left behind by Apple, despite the
fact that the App Store has gone
onto become such a huge success
following its introduction in
2008. In fact, according to John
Gruber at Daring Fireball, recent
efforts on the Mac maker’s part
show a real dedication to
improving the platform’s web
application experience.
In a lengthy post comparing
developing using Cocoa Touch
for the App Store vs. developing
web applications, Gruber goes
over the strengths and limitations
of both. In the end, he reveals
that a new web app framework
would bring the experience of
using web apps much closer to
that of apps which reside natively
on the iPhone. The new
framework is apparently called
PastryKit, and it’s an official
Apple endeavor.
PastryKit brings three really
important things to the table for
web developers:
• Hides the address bar, without
the need to create a home screen
shortcut first, which currently
Sony e-readers get exclusive Dow Jones, New York Post content (Engadget)
(Yahoo! News Search Results
for e-readers)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:55:11 AM
Apple/ TV/ E-reader News/ 43
CBS’s “Late Show” and “The
Late Late Show” Continue
since these are known to have Their Winning Ways
trouble with JavaScript in mobile By Bill Gorman 25-54 and 1.0/04 in adults 18-
Safari. (TVbytheNumbers) 49. LATE SHOW beat “The
There’s little doubt that Apple is Tonight Show” broadcasts in
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:02:50 AM
keeping its eye on the mobile households by +63% (vs. 1.9/05),
web space, which is poised to via press release: viewers by +66% (vs. 2.65m) and
explode thanks to recent CBS’s “LATE SHOW” AND +17% in adults 25-54 (vs.
developments in web tech like “THE LATE LATE SHOW” 1.2/05).
HTML5, CSS and others. There CONTINUE THEIR WINNING THE LATE LATE SHOW
are some things that the App WAYS posted a 1.4/05 in households
Store is no doubt better for, “Late Show” Tops “The Tonight with 1.95m viewers, 0.6/03 in
including advanced 3-D games Show” in Viewers and Adults 25- adults 18-49 and 0.7/04 in adults
allows that. like the kind released by 54 25-54. LATE LATE SHOW
• Allows for static, fixed position Gameloft, ngmoco and EA, but “The Late Late Show” Places beat “Late Night With Jimmy
toolbars that don’t scroll along for other apps, an improved web First in Viewers, Adult 18-49 and Fallon” in households (vs. 1.1/04,
with the rest of the page. interface could be just what the Adults 25-54 +27%), viewers (vs. 1.50m,
• A l l o w s f o r s c r o l l i n g doctor ordered. CBS’s LATE SHOW with +30%) and tied in both adults 25-
momentum, which allows users If Apple can get smaller DAVID LETTERMAN topped 54 and adults 18-49. LATE
to “fling” lengthy lists without developers who are creating apps “The Tonight Show” in viewers LATE SHOW also beat “Jimmy
causing scroll friction, the way with limited or light functionality and adults 25-54 while THE Kimmel Live” in households (vs.
web apps generally do now. to take their business to the web L A T E L A T E S H O W w i t h 1.3/04, +8%), viewers (vs.
instead of routing through the CRAIG FERGUSON placed first 1.70m, +15%) and tied in adults
PastryKit has already been App Store, it’ll be able to in viewers and key demos (tied), 25-54 and adults 18-49.
deployed in its iPhone User eliminate a lot of the static and according to Nielsen live plus fivefilters.org featured article:
Guide web page, though you can chatter that currently gums up the same day ratings for the week Normalising the crime of the
only see the effects if you’re review process and no doubt ending Dec. 1. century by John Pilger. Available
visiting the site on an iPhone. c o s t s C u p e r t i n o a n o t - LATE SHOW posted a 3.1/08 in tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
T h e y a r e a l l J a v a S c r i p t insignificant amount of overhead. households with an average of RSS, Term Extraction.
implementations, and so should It may lose revenue, too, but the 4.40m viewers, 1.4/06 in adults
be usable by any web developer. more lucrative titles will likely
MacRumors points out that remain as dedicated apps, being
performance issues attached to the aforementioned games from
the new features could arise on major publishers I mentioned
older-generation iPhone models, above.
Boss of the Year Entry Form Engadget. Please fill in all of the Normalising the crime of the
Now that we've thrown 'em off required fields because they're century by John Pilger. Available
the trail, use the form below to required. tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
get in touch with the people at fivefilters.org featured article: RSS, Term Extraction.
44 Apple/ TV/
iPhone Passes Windows Mobile in
Smartphone OS Market Share
By Darrell Etherington
(TheAppleBlog)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:20:43 AM
Windows Mobile, Microsoft’s
increasingly embarrassing single
entrant in the smartphone OS
field, can’t seem to hold onto the
attention of the world’s
consumers. A new survey by
market research firm comScore
sees Windows Mobile dropping
one place in the overall rankings,
and Apple’s iPhone gaining one,
which puts it ahead of Microsoft.
The iPhone climbs to No. 2 in
terms of general smartphone OS
market share in the U.S., while
Windows Mobile drops to third.
Research In Motion’s BlackBerry
OS still tops the list, and in fact
does so with an impressive gain
in customers over the course of
2009, according to a breakdown
of the report by DailyTech.
comScore compiles its results
for the smartphone survey every
three months, collecting data
from thousands of U.S.
consumers. The latest three-
month period, the one which is
detailed in this latest report,
ended in October of this year.
RIM, as mentioned, saw pretty
significant growth throughout the
year. At the beginning of 2009, it
had just under 10 million
customers, and according to the
comScore report, it now boasts
14.96 million in the U.S. RIM
has been employing aggressive
pricing strategies to compete with
the iPhone’s success, including
handset giveaways and deep
discounts, and it looks like the
BlackBerry maker’s efforts have
paid off nicely.
Windows Mobile actually
showed negative growth — it’s
the only smartphone company
that can make this unfortunate
claim, and now has around 7.13
million users. Buyers could be
shy of committing to a device
that runs Windows Mobile 6.5
when version 7 is set to launch
sometime early in 2010.
Everyone else, including Palm’s
WebOS, Google’s Android, and
Symbian all experienced modest
gains. Android still tails all
others, but during the most recent
period it broke the 1 million
mark, and I’d expect to see it
surge even further on the strength
of the Droid in upcoming
surveys.
As for the iPhone, it grew to
8.97 million users over the period
ending in October. That’s a pretty
impressive lead over Windows
Mobile, though it means Apple
still has a lot of ground to make
up before it can snatch the crown
from powerhouse RIM. It’s even
more impressive when you
consider that at the beginning of
the year, the iPhone only had
around 5 million users, meaning
it experienced about 70 percent
growth over the course of 2009, a
performance that likely has a lot
to do with the release of the 3GS
and the significant price drop and
continued sales of the 3G model.
Overall, the smartphone market
continues to do well. Roughly
11.8 percent of the American
population claims to now own
one, according to this most recent
poll.
E-reader News Edition
The Twelve Days of
Festivus: Seven shows a
-thrivin'
By Kona Gallagher (TV
Squad)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:03:00 AM
On the seventh day of Festivus,
TV gave to me... Seven shows a-
thrivin'.
The 2009-2010 season is a great
one to be on TV-- especially for
returning dramas and new
comedies. If we had 20 days of
Christmas, I probably could have
filled the list with shows that
were either thriving right out of
the gate or making a resurgence
after being on the air for several
years. As it is, we just have seven
slots, so here are some finale? I know some of you saw
the big twist coming at the end,
noteworthy series that are
thriving this year. but I certainly did not. Who
doesn't like to end a season with
Dexter
I've always liked Dexter, but it's their jaw on the floor?
Continue reading The Twelve
never been appointment TV for
me. I've generally been content to Days of Festivus: Seven shows a-
thrivin'
wait until the season came out on
DVD and knock all of the Filed under: Supernatural,
Watercooler Talk, Festivus,
episodes out in a weekend.
However, after a creative dip in Dexter, NCIS, TV Squad Lists,
Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Big
season 3, I've found myself
positively glued to my television Bang Theory, Community,
Modern Family
every Sunday night that season 4
has aired. John Lithgow Permalink| Email this| |
Comments
absolutely made the season as the
creepy Arthur Mitchell. Plus the
E-reader News Edition TV/ Economy/ 45

“This Week” Is #2 Among Total Screen Actors Guild

Viewers And Adults 25-54
By Bill Gorman
(TVbytheNumbers)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:17:26 AM
via press release:
“THIS WEEK” IS #2 AMONG
25-54, “This Week” cut into the
NBC show’ s demo lead by
63%(240,000 vs. 640,000)
compared to the same week last
year.
January 1, 2009 to present
award nominations for
Cameron is the executive
producer. The program airs
Sundays on the ABC Televis ion
TV
Network. By Allison Waldman (TV
Squad)
(Sunday, December 13, 2009)
TOTAL VIEWERS A25-54 Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:33:00 AM

T O T A L V I E W E R S A N D versus the same period in 2008, MM/Rtg

ADULTS 25-54 “This Week” has cut into “Meet’ ABC “THIS WEEK” Every day it seems that we have
“THIS WEEK” CLOSES s” total viewing lead by 2,770,000 860,000/.7 nominations to announce. Yes,
TOTAL VIEWING GAP WITH 6 3 % ( 4 9 0 , 0 0 0 i n 2 0 0 9 v s . NBC “MEET THE we are in award season and today
“MEET THE PRESS” 1,330,000 in 2008). Among PRESS” 3,510,000 it's the Screen Actors Guild's
FOR THE 40 TH TIME THIS Adults 25-54, the gap has 1,100,000/.9 turn. On Saturday, January 23,
YEAR narrowed by 57%(200,000 in CBS “FACE THE 2010, at 8 p.m. on TNT and TBS,
ABC News“This Week with 2009 vs. 460,000 in 2008). NATION” 2,760,000 the winners of the 16th Annual
George Stephanopoulos” was Please note that last Sunday 760,000/.6 Screen Actors Guild Awards will
the#2 Sunday morning discussion “This Week” was pre-empted in FOX “FOX NEWS air live from Los Angeles. Here's
program among both Total Vi two of the top 25 markets: SUNDAY” 1,130,000 the nominees in the main
ewers and Adults 25-54 on Dallas due to coverage of a local 450,000/.4 categories and some thoughts on
Sunday, December 13, according marathon and Pittsburgh due to Source: NTI – A25-54 & Total each:
to Nielsen Media Research. In local news coverage. Viewers – Wks. of 12/7/09, Drama Ensemble: The Closer;
addition, “This Week” continues George Stephanopoulos’ guests 11/30/09 & 12/8/08 Live +SD. Dexter; The Good Wife; Mad
to close the gaps with NBC’ s last Sunday were NEC Director 1/1/09 to present: Live +7 Men; True Blood
“Meet the Press.” For the 40 th Lawrence Summers and Rep. (where available) & Live +SD Interesting that CBS's The Good honoring the Seinfeld team all
time this year “This Week” E r i c C a n t o r ( R - V A ) . T h e for 1/1/09-12/13/09 & 1/1/08- Wife made the cut, especially over again? Also, where's The
narrowed the total viewing year roundtable featured George Will, 12/14/08. over Lost or House or Breaking Big Bang Theory?
to year gap with“Meet” by E d G i l l e s p i e , A r i a n n a fivefilters.org featured article: Bad or Sons of Anarchy or Continue reading Screen Actors
5 2 % ( 7 4 0 , 0 0 0 i n 2 0 0 9 v s . Huffington, John Podesta, and Normalising the crime of the Damages or Friday Night Lights. Guild award nominations for TV
1,530.000 in 2008), which does April Ryan. century by John Pilger. Available And I love The Closer, but the Filed under: OpEd, House, Curb
not include the shows when ABC George Stephanopoulos is the tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text inclusion here is a surprise. I Your Enthusiasm, The Office,
was number one. Among Adults anchor of “This Week” and Ian RSS, Term Extraction. guess NCIS would be too big a Celebrities, The Closer, 30 Rock,
surprise to get recognized. Dexter, Awards, Breaking Bad,
Bank capital rules face overhaul Comedy Ensemble: 30 Rock;
Curb Your Enthusiasm; Glee;
Reality-Free, Mad Men, Glee,
Modern Family
(Financial Times - US invasive international regulatory minimum. Modern Family; The Office Permalink| Email this| |
homepage) regime unveiled on Thursday. fivefilters.org featured article: Glee and Modern Family are Comments
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:01:56 AM
The Basel Committee on Normalising the crime of the freshmen, but clearly excellent
Banking Supervision, which is century by John Pilger. Available ensemble comedies. And for
Banks will be blocked from reviewing the rules governing tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text Curb Your Enthusiasm, are they
paying bonuses or dividends to banks’ strength, said the ban RSS, Term Extraction.
shareholders if their capital levels would apply if a bank failed to
fall below a minimum threshold, maintain a buffer of perhaps 25
under the terms of a more per cent above a new regulated
46 TV/ Sports/
What's On Tonight:
Attack of the Show, SNL
Christmas, Mentalist
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 12:10:00 PM
• At 7, G4 has a new Attack of
the Show, then a new X-Play.
• At 8, CBS has a new Survivor,
followed by new episodes of CSI
and The Mentalist.
• NBC has Saturday Night Live
Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
at 8, then a new Jay Leno Show.
• TCM has Christmas in
Connecticut at 8, followed by
Holiday Affair.
• TLC has a new American
Chopper at 9.
• Spike has a new TNA
Wrestling at 9.
• Current has a new SuperNews
at 9.
• At 10, Bravo has a new Real
Housewives of Orange County.
• MTV has a new Jersey Shore
at 10.
• At 10:30, Current has a new
Rotten Tomatoes Show.
Check your local TV listings for
more.
After the jump, the late night
talk shows.
Continue reading What's On
Tonight: Attack of the Show,
SNL Christmas, Mentalist
Filed under: Late Night,
Programming, Celebrities, Talk
Show, What To Watch Tonight,
Reality-Free
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Comments
E-reader News Edition
Curses! Tortorella
Swears He'll Find
Answers for Woeful
Review: Nip/Tuck - Rangers
By Christopher Botta
Wesley Clovis (season (Fanhouse Main)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 1:58:00 PM
finale) Filed under: Rangers NEW
YORK -- Good thing MSG
By Jonathan Toomey (TV (Sean, especially). Network is wise enough to record
Squad) Within the final moments of last John Tortorella's post-game press
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:55:00 AM
night's superb finale (I mean it -- conferences instead of
best episode of the season), it's broadcasting them live.
( S06E10)"Besides, we've seen easy to make the argument that Pressed, albeit not too intensely,
people die before. I mean, hell, all has been forgiven, but with by the New York media corps for
we've thrown them in a swamp." nine episodes remaining (the his answers to the Rangers'
- Christian seventh and final season dispassionate showing
This deep into Nip/Tuck, it's premieres in just a few weeks on Wednesday night at home in a 2-
hard sometimes to remember the January 6th), it's probably a safe 1 loss to the rival Islanders,
original sin that took place in the bet that we just witnessed the Tortorella went into David
pilot episode all those years ago - calm before the storm. Mamet mode.
- Sean and Christian wrapping a Continue reading Review:
body in spiral hams and dumping Nip/Tuck - Wesley Clovis
it deep in the Everglades. The (season finale)
two of them, they're not innocent Filed under: OpEd, Nip/Tuck,
-- not by a longshot -- and it Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
always creates an interesting Permalink| Email this| |
dichotomy when they try to C o m m e n t s
elevate themselves ethically
E-reader News Edition
Donald Trump gets
another TV show
By Brad Trechak (TV Squad)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:30:00 AM
Not only does the man keep
getting rehired, he's now got yet
another job. Donald Trump will
be hosting Donald J. Trump's
Fabulous World of Golf on April
26 on the Golf Channel. The
premise of the program is that
golf stars and celebrities will play
Trump one-on-one in a golf game
for charity (presumably if Trump
loses, the show donates to the
charity of the celebrity's choice).
Will anybody attack Trump with
a golf club? I would tune in for
that. Wouldn't it be great if he
had the rematch with Vince
McMahon in a game of golf?
Perhaps, much like his WWE
appearance, the loser can also
have their head shaven.
I'll wait to hear who Trump is
actually playing before I consider
Mag+ digital magazine concept
makes e-readers cower with
envy (video!) (Engadget)
(Yahoo! News Search Results
for e-readers)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 4:10:11 AM
The estimated percentage of
cellphones that were recycled in
2007.
The EPA estimated that of the
126.3 million cellphones
disposed of in 2007, only 14
TV/ Fashion/ E-reader News/ 47
Support
Global Art
Initiatives!
By ELLE.com (ELLE News
Blog)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 2:09:33 PM
Charlie Horse and United
Bamboo present:
“Gift Horse,” a silent auction in
support of emerging New York
photographers including Joe
tuning in. Of course, I hear Tiger DeNardo, Cassie McQuater, Paul
Woods suddenly has a lot of free
time available and could use the
positive publicity. That would be
Ratings Detective: Can Salveson, Phillip Birch, Jack
Jeffries, and many more.
Benefits Charlie Horse Reach, a
an interesting episode.
Filed under: Programming, You Name The Show new outreach program to sponsor
talented South African artists,
OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and
Renewals, Reality-Free
Permalink| Email this| |
From The Ratings Alone? and a portion of the proceeds go
to KittyKind, a New York, non-
Comments By Bill Gorman that isn’t an immediate give profit, cat rescue and adoption
(TVbytheNumbers) away. group.
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:55:42 AM
I will return later today to When to go: Tonight, December
confirm the correct answer 16, from 7-10pm
How much of a TV ratings
detective are you? Think you can
assuming someone has gotten it, Where to go: Charlie Horse, 28
but because of my schedule there Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn
name a show looking only at its
ratings trend?
may be quite a lag between a Follow ELLE on Twitter.
c o r r e c t g u e s s a n d m y Become our Facebook fan!
Here’s the 2009-2010 adults 18-
49 ratings trend for a broadcast
confirmation.
Depending on how well this
million -- about 10 percent -- primetime scripted show (its new works, I might do it again. Or
were recycled. The rest? Landfill episodes only, repeats have been not!
heaven. (source: EPA, July 2008) removed, and the episode ratings fivefilters.org featured article:
fivefilters.org featured article: are show in order without any Normalising the crime of the
Normalising the crime of the date gaps). century by John Pilger. Available
century by John Pilger. Available Guesses? tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text If no one guesses correctly, I RSS, Term Extraction.
RSS, Term Extraction. will return with hints, but that
will require me to think up a hint
48 TV/ Entertainment/ E-reader News Edition

More on Meg Whitman's Fratty

Princeton Son [Rumormonger]
By Ryan Tate (Gawker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:46:50 AM

A defacto bodyguard lived at

The guy who writes my
TV listings is the greatest
TV listing writer ever
By Danny Gallagher (TV
Squad)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:02:00 PM
I know that the odds of this
statement being repeated are
about as good as finding the lost
director's cut of The Magnificent
Ambersons at my local
Blockbuster (let alone an actual
cut of The Magnificent
Ambersons until it's remade with
Ben Stiller and Jack Black), but
here goes: I love my cable
provider.
Oh, sure, they're a faceless
media corporation that forwards
all of my tech support calls to
Princeton with Griff Harsh to
assuage the kidnapping fears of
his mom, California
gubernatorial candidate Meg
Whitman, according to a
longtime Gawker commenter
close to the university. And the
rich kid's suspension? Probably
academic.
As we reported last night, Harsh
— full name Griff Harsh V —
was forced to withdraw from the
university for a year, moving
from the class of 2008 to the
2009 (thus presumably
graduating last May. (The Daily
Princetonian's seems to confirm
some far off land, finds any the timing; the campus paper last
reason to raise my rates, and is as year said ID'd him as a member
electrically reliable as a used of the class of 2008 but in
Pontiac Sunfire. But the guy they January this year ran a correction
hired to write their TV listings saying he's really in the class of
amuses me to no end. Check out 2009.)
this recent listing for a rerun of Our tipster, who lives in
America's favorite old show Princeton, NJ and says he knows
(with an emphasis on "old"), the university well, says that the
Matlock, infused with a tasty bit suspension appears academic,
of TV trivia. Who says TV is no given Harsh's reputation as a not-
longer the great educator? so-bright legacy.
Filed under: Programming, The Whitman kid does sound
Cable/Satellite, Reality-Free more like a boor than a bright
Permalink| Email this| |
Comments
light, given the party antics
described in a campus magazine,
which had the heir bragging that
his wealth protected him from
obnoxious behavior.
But the heir may have another
reason for his brashness:
According to our tipster, the
university assigned one of the
toughest guys on campus to be
his roommate, the lacrosse-
playing son of a New Jersey real
estate developer.
The bodyguard roomie was
probably the doing of Momma
Whitman, who is very concerned
Griff might be kidnapped, our
tipster claims. Having donated at
least $30 million to the
university, she wouldn't have
much trouble wielding influence
with the housing office. Her fears
would also help explain why we
haven't been able to find any pics
of her son on the internet, save
for the tiny thumbnail above.
Genuine or not, Whitman's
protectiveness over her son
provides a ready-made excuse to
avoid all discussion of and
appearances with him on the
campaign trail. Whitman can
hardly be expected to answer
questions about hearings and
suspensions when she's trying to
prevent an honest-to-God
kidnapping, right? If only the
Republican had some similar
excuse to avoid answering
questions about gay marriage
rights.
E-reader News Edition
How a Fake Twitter Death Report Tragically
Became True [Shut Up, Twitter]
By Ryan Tate (Gawker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:24:38 AM
Last night on Twitter, someone
impersonating a newspaper
writer falsely reported the death
of football player Chris Henry.
Henry died about 12 hours later,
according to news reports, finally
making one of Twitter's many
fake stories come true.
The real news is horrible enough
without the added layer of
internet deception. During what
police described as a domestic
dispute with his wife, Henry tried
to jump into the bed of a pickup
truck in which his wife was
driving away. He fell and was
later found lying on the road and
rushed to the hospital. He died at
6:36 am ET this morning.
But Henry was reported dead
approximately 12 hours earlier on
Twitter. Real and fake deaths
were bound to bump up against
one another on the
America Refuses to Work Out Without Gizmos [Fitness]
By Hamilton Nolan (Gawker)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:42:19 AM
If there's one thing America
needs more of to solve its obesity
crisis, it is flashing electronic doo
-dads. And pricey customized
gizmos. Combine these with
exercise video games, and
brother, you are the fitness
microblogging service sooner or
later, by sheer chance. Twitter
supplies a steady stream of
misinformation, including most
prominently the prematurely
reported death of actor Patrick
Swayze, outrage over an Amazon
gay book ban that never existed,
and the false news that California
person of the future!
• Sure, you play a lot of Wii Fit.
But do you play enough Wii Fit?
Another plastic computer
thingamajig knows! David Pogue
introduces us to two little
whatsits that you clip on your
body, like a fool, and they will moving sufficiently, in the course mouthpiece (price: "$595 to
tell you whether or not you are of the day, to satisfy their cold, $2,250, not counting the dentist's
Entertainment/ Popular News/
News," and attaching a picture of
real-life Morning News
columnist Gerry Fraley, plus a
link to Fraley's page on the
newspaper's website. With
Cincinnati Bengals receiver
Henry known to be in the
hospital following a car accident,
it would be easier to pass off fake
news:
These reports were flatly denied
by one of the supposed "sources,"
and the fakester was even outed
by the real Gerry Fraley as fake.
An enraged Twitter turned
ferociously against the scammer
(except for a few people who
later insisted he'd been proven his
courts had overturned a gay correct, despite the 12 hour gap
marriage ban.
between his false tweets and the
The Henry death scam was, as actual death):
these things go, relatively
The Dallas Morning News must
sophisticated, perpetrated by a be thrilled with all the people
scammer who went to the trouble
who still think the scammer
of changing his screen name to worked for the paper. Welcome
"Gerry," calling himself a "Sports to microblogging, printies!
Reporter for Dallas Morning
electronic drill sergeant hearts.
"I'm betting that you'd stick with
these wearable plastic bits longer
than you would with a gym
membership - and pay a lot less,"
says David Pogue, Mr. Universe,
1993.
• If you wear a custom-made
49
Ohio School to Drop
'Belief in God' From
Mission Values
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:45:04 AM
UNIONTOWN, Ohio An Ohio
school district facing a possible
lawsuit from an atheist group
plans to drop belief in God from
its mission statement of values.
The Lake Local school board
near Canton has voted to delete
the reference to belief in God. A
final vote is planned next month.
Board members say they're
acting out of concern about a
possible lawsuit over the issue.
The Freedom From Religion
Foundation says the values
statement violates the separation
of church and state.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
fee"), it will maybe do something
for your athletic performance, or
not. If you don't wear one, just sit
on the couch with some pie, you
fat fuck.
•
[Pic via]
50 Entertainment/ Sports/ E-reader News Edition

Snooki Puncher Is Notre Dame Fighting Irish on

Sorry, Also a Blackout potential Big Ten membership: We
Drunk [Free Snooki] prefer independence
By Brian Moylan (Gawker) By ESPN.com news services the major football conferences evaluate it based upon what
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:46:52 AM
(ESPN.com) make even more money from would be in the best interest of
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:58:45 AM
their own media contracts than MU athletically and
Queens gym teacher Brad Ferro the $9 million Notre Dame is academically," the university
is so sorry sorry he punched The Big Ten's decision to study paid annually by NBC for the said.
Jersey Shore's Nicole "Snooki" expansion brings back an oft- football rights. In the Big Ten, Other schools cited as potential
Polizzi in the face on camera and asked question -- would Notre TV and radio rights fees generate candidates for Big Ten expansion
we should forgive him. Why? Dame consider joining the $20 million a year for the have included Pittsburgh and
Because he was so drunk he conference, which includes a schools. Rutgers, both members of the
doesn't remember doing it! number of its regional football But Swarbrick said the football Big East.
Classy. rivals? program considers factors other If a team other than Notre Dame
Ferro's apologia for the incident The answer is no, athletic than revenue, according to the joined the Big Ten, it could set
(which became a hit viral clip but director Jack Swarbrick told the Tribune. off a chain reaction across other
won't be shown on tonight's Chicago Tribune. "All of this has a lot more to do conferences, similar to what took
episode) comes by way of the "Our strong preference is to with our priorities than it does place when Virginia Tech, Miami
New York Post, the official remain the way we are," with business issues," Swarbrick and Boston College bolted the
instrument of repentant attackers Swarbrick said, according to the said, according to the Tribune. Big East for the Atlantic Coast
and recovering prostitutes: report. "Independence is a big "Our independence is tied up in a Conference. With that in mind,
"When I saw the video I was sick
TV critic Linda Stasi goes on an part of the tradition of the lot of the rivalries we have. We Notre Dame will keep an eye on
to my stomach. I couldn't believe
anti- Jersey Shore polemic. So, program and our identity. We'd play Navy every year and have the situation, Swarbrick said,
that I'd ever do anything like that.
which is it, Post? You hate the sure like to try to maintain it." the tradition of USC weekends. according to the Tribune.
I was raised to act in a respectful
show but will benefit from it's College football nation blog Frankly, it works pretty well to "The question that any school
manner to women. I remember
notoriety? We shouldn't watch Get all the coverage of Notre play USC in October at home faces, not just Notre Dame, is:
very little from the time of the
trashy reality shows, but we Dame in the college football and in November at their place." Does this start the dominoes
incident. It's all fuzzy. I
should forgive the monsters on nation blog. Brian Bennett Notre Dame is not the only falling again, like the last round
remember a punch — I don't
them who beat up women in provides the latest Irish updates school that could be courted by of reconfiguration?" Swarbrick
remember who or why and I
bars? Make up your mind, or else as part of ESPN.com's blog the Big Ten. Missouri also said, according to the report. "It's
remember being arrested."
we're sending a black-out-drunk network. previously has been mentioned as less about our willingness to
That's just...Wow. Still, the
Ferro to your news room in the Notre Dame, which declined Big a potential expansion choice for enter into discussions than what
article paints Ferro in a positive
middle of the night to say "Sorry" Ten membership in 1999, is one the conference, due to geographic happens to the industry. What are
light, talking about his love of of three remaining major college and academic factors. the implications?"
all over your face.
teaching and how he tells his football independents, along with In a statement released Tuesday, fivefilters.org featured article:
students that violence is bad. Yet, Navy and Army. The Fighting Missouri, a Big 12 member, said Normalising the crime of the
in the same edition of the paper, Irish play in the Big East in other it had not yet been approached century by John Pilger. Available
sports, including men's and about Big Ten membership -- and tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
women's basketball, and in the didn't rule out the possibility. RSS, Term Extraction.
CCHA in ice hockey. "Should there be an official
Swarbrick acknowledged that inquiry or invitation, we would
E-reader News Edition Sports/ 51

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry dies after fall from

truck
By ESPN.com news services painful to us. We feel it in our -- Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco humble background and was a North. They visit the San Diego
(ESPN.com) hearts, and we will miss him." " We knew him in a way that wonderful young man and Chargers on Sunday and will
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:07:19 AM
Police spokeswoman Rosalyn [was not consistent] with his football player. Chris was like a wear a helmet sticker to
Harrington said homicide public persona. We liked him. He son to me and I will cherish all remember Henry.
Bengals React To Henry's Death detectives have been assigned to had worked through troubles in the great memories that I have of When the players received word
Bengals React To Henry's Death the case but had no further his life ... to a point where he was him." Henry had died, quarterback
VIDEO PLAYLIST information. going to have the future we all -- Michigan offensive Carson Palmer called them
• Bengals React To Henry's Henry was rushed to the hospital wanted for him and that he coordinator Calvin Magee together in the locker room and
Death Bengals React To Henry's Wednesday after being found on wanted for himself. At the time Henry is engaged to Loleini said they should dedicate the
Death a residential road "apparently of his tragedy he was running to Tonga, and the couple has been game and rest of the season to
• NFL Fraternity Grieving Loss s u f f e r i n g l i f e - t h r e a t e n i n g daylight." raising three children. Tonga's Henry and the wife of defensive
O f H e n r y N F L F r a t e r n i t y injuries," according to police. -- Bengals president Mike Brown MySpace page identifies herself coordinator Mike Zimmer, who
Grieving Loss Of Henry Police said a dispute began at a " For those who knew Chris, he as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a died unexpectedly during the
• Impact Of Henry's Death On home about a half-mile away, was nothing like his public picture of her next to a person season.
Bengals Impact Of Henry's Death and Henry jumped into the bed of perception. A loving and caring who appears to be Henry. She Henry was away from the
On Bengals the pickup truck as his fiancee individual, he was thankful for also has a post from Tuesday Bengals after breaking his left
• League Stunned By Henry was driving away from the what he had in life, and proud of talking about buying wedding forearm during a win over
News League Stunned By Henry residence. what he had overcome." rings. A neighbor said Baltimore on Nov. 8. He had
News Police said at some point when -- Andy Simms, Henry's agent Wednesday that the Tonga family surgery and was placed on season
she was driving, Henry "came " I enjoyed our time together at owns the home where police say -ending injured reserve following
C H A R L O T T E , N . C . - - out of the back of the vehicle." West Virginia and we shared a the incident began. Charlotte is the game.
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris They wouldn't identify the lot of great moments. I have home to his fiancee's parents. "We are greatly saddened by
Henry has died, one day after woman, and no charges were many fond memories of our three "We ask that you keep Chris' today's tragic news about the loss
falling out of the back of a immediately filed. years together and will remember family -- especially the young of Chris Henry," NFL
pickup truck in what authorities Shock, Sadness Over Henry's those forever." children he leaves behind -- in commissioner Roger Goodell
described as a domestic dispute Death -- Michigan coach Rich your prayers," Henry's agent, said. "Our thoughts and prayers
with his fiancee. " We are greatly saddened by Rodriguez Andy Simms of PlayersRep go out to Chris' family, including
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police today's tragic news about the loss " The entire Mountaineer football Sports said in a statement. "It is his Bengals family. We have
said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. of Chris Henry. Our thoughts and family is deeply saddened by the tragic when a life is taken so been in contact with the Bengals
Thursday. Henry was 26. prayers go out to Chris' family, tragic passing of Chris Henry. young. He was a man just to offer our support through this
"We knew him in a different way including his Bengals family. I We say 'Once a Mountaineer, realizing his potential, not just in difficult time.
than his public persona," Bengals ask you to keep Chris Henry and always a Mountaineer,' and Chris football, but in life." "I ask you to keep Chris Henry
owner Mike Brown said of the his family in your thoughts was a big part of our success Authorities have not announced and his family in your thoughts
player who was suspended five today." during his time here. For me, he the cause of death. Mecklenburg today."
times during his career. "He had -- NFL commissioner Roger was a real joy to be around on a County medical examiner Throughout his career, his
worked through the troubles in Goodell daily basis. He always came to investigator Carol Cormier said temper and poor decisions got
his life and had finally seemingly " We talked before every game work and loved to play football." they were expecting to receive him in trouble.
r e a c h e d t h e p o i n t w h e r e and he would just say go out -- WVU coach Bill Stewart the body later Thursday. He was ejected from a game and
everything was going to blossom. there and handle your business. I " I remember recruiting Chris to The Bengals (9-4), in the midst suspended for another while at
And he was going to have the don't know what else to say. He West Virginia like it was of their best season since winning
future we all wanted for him. It's had been doing everything right." yesterday. He came from a 11 games in 2005, lead the AFC CINCINNATI page 53
52 Sports/ E-reader News Edition

Cincinnati Shocked by Chris Henry’s Death

(WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) hard time maintaining Henderson decries South Indianapolis (-3) at Jacksonville:
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:45:46 AM
journalistic detachment this Florida’s stonewalling on the Indianapolis hasn’t lost yet this
morning. “Ive never come across story. “The longer everyone season, as you might’ve heard.
To describe the life of former an athlete as talented or as waits for a resolution, the more But Jacksonville might be the
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver t r o u b l e d a s C h r i s H e n r y , ” likely that positions will be more admirable team in this
Chris Henry as turbulent is to L u d w i g w r i t e s . hardened,” Henderson writes. game. The Jaguars’ roster is
e n g a g e i n u n d e r s t a t e m e n t . Garey will have more on this “The damage to the football loaded with rookies, their home
H e n r y ’ s b r i e f N F L c a r e e r topic tomorrow.* * * program and university, while stadium is regularly half-empty
featured five arrests, three NFL Only the most ardent and snuff the story out. Getty Images already substantial, will get and their fate seemingly was
suspensions and a host of second blinkered of college-football Jim Leavitt worse. Then when USF finally sealed before the season’s first
chances. At age 26, Henry loyalists are under the illusion The confusing part came later, as does have something to say, you coin flip. But the Jags have
seemed finally to be straightening that their coaches of choice are Miller and his father — who, wonder if anyone will be worked their way into the playoff
things out off the field while particularly admirable people. remember, was a quoted source listening anymore.” picture by beating teams worse
contributing steadily on the field There are exceptions to the in the original story — In the St. Petersburg Times, than them while losing to more
before suffering a season-ending general rule, of course, but for disavowed the whole thing. Gary Shelton argues that only a talented teams with such
i n j u r y i n W e e k 9 . O n the most part football coaches — (Leavitt has always denied any thorough inquiry into the charges predictability that it’s hard not to
Wednesday, news broke that a leaders of men and master wrongdoing.) On Wednesday, can repair the damage to admire the extent to which they
domestic dispute with his fiancee strategists though they might be McMurphy reported that Miller’s Leavitt’s reputation. “At this have fulfilled — if never really
somehow led to Henry falling or — are as flawed as any/everyone brother was not entirely willing point, only a vigorous, surpassed — their potential. The
being thrown from the back of a else. While it’s not necessarily to toe the family’s new line on determined investigation will bad news for Jacksonville is that
pickup truck and suffering surprising to hear about college- the incident, and stuck to a convince everyone that Leavitt’s the Colts are also playing up to
serious injuries. Henry died of football coaches being brutish or version of the incident in which side of the story is the truth,” their potential, and are by far the
those injuries on Thursday churlish, the scandal currently Leavitt was decidedly the villain. Shelton writes. “And at this better club — and one seemingly
morning, leaving Bengals fans surrounding University of South So, what actually happened? We point, only such a truth can clear inclined to follow the pundits’
and teammates to puzzle over the Florida coach Jim Leavitt stands may never know, in large part Leavitt’s name.”* * * decree and play their stars down
confusing legacy of his short, out. That’s partially because of since Miller’s football life The Fix picks the NFLs the stretch, record be damned.
troubled life. Reuters Chris the allegations against Leavitt — depends on him continuing to Thursday game, ahead of its The good news? The Jags are
Henry, seen during a playoff that he throttled and twice struck stick to his latest story. In the Friday picks for the weekend: officially this year’s NFL
game against Pittsburgh in this in the face a sophomore walk-on Tampa Tribune, Martin Fennelly It’s a nice debate to face: Should working-class heroes. That
2006 file photo. named Joel Miller at halftime of hopes that the truth in this strange you turn your perfect regular counts for something, right?
There surely will be more to a Nov. 21 game — but more tale will out. “There needs to be a season over to the scout-teamers Pick: David: Indianapolis,
read about Henry and his strange notably for the way the story has real investigation here,” Fennelly and headset-wearers while Garey: Indianapolis, Al Toonie:
story in days to come, but for the changed shape in recent days. writes. “There are coaches, resting the stars for the Jacksonville* * *
time being we have to substitute Former Tampa Tribune reporter bigger names, longer legends, postseason, or gun for the win? That the NFL has a head-injury
emotional response for context. Brett McMurphy based the who have been fired for doing The New Orleans Saints could be problem is news only to those
“I saw a tall, lean, quiet, kid who FanHouse story that broke the what Leavitt is accused of doing. mired in their own Cajun- who went out of their way not to
wanted to get better as a football whole thing on quotes from five It’s hard to imagine something inflected version of this debate if know it over the last decade or
player and was doing all the right eyewitnesses as well as Miller’s more serious than a coach they keep winning and clinch so. But while the NFL has
things to make it happen,” the father and Miller’s high-school bullying his players. It’s hard to home-field advantage in the acknowledged and addressed that
Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Erardi coach. The story raised some imagine why any university playoffs over the Minnesota problem recently — breaking
writes. “A kid.” eyebrows because of Leavitt’s would want such a coach, or why Vikings. In Indy, the debate has from a years-long “more research
Longtime Bengals beat writer alleged bad behavior and what any parent would send their son arrived early, because the rest of needed” slow-walk that was
C h i c k L u d w i g w r i t e s a t McMurphy described as the to such a university.” the AFC didn’t put up much of a
Cincinnati.com that he’s having a coach’s subsequent attempt to CINCINNATI page 55
Elsewhere in the Tribune, Joe fight for the No. 1 seed.
E-reader News Edition
CINCINNATI
continued from page 51
West Virginia, where former
coach Rich Rodriguez told Henry
that he was an embarrassment to
himself and the program. His
reputation was already costing
him -- the Bengals were the only
NFL team to bring him in for a
pre-draft visit in 2005.
They found that his demeanor
didn't match his reputation.
Henry was shy and spoke in a
quiet voice. They warned him
that he had to stay in control if he
was going to stay in the NFL.
Then, they picked him in the
third round.
In a sense, it was already a
second chance.
"I'm worth the chance," Henry
said, when he showed up the
following weekend for a rookie
minicamp. "I'm just happy they
took me."
Henry become a vital part of the
offense as a rookie, helping the
Bengals reach the playoffs in
2005 with his ability to run past
defenders to grab long passes. In
the final month of the season, he
also showed his other side,
getting arrested for marijuana
possession. After a playoff loss
to Pittsburgh, he was arrested on
a gun charge in Florida.
Henry and former Tennessee
cornerback Adam "Pacman"
Jones became the league's two
most trouble-bound players.
Commissioner Roger Goodell
suspended both in 2007 -- Jones
for a full season, Henry for half
of it -- as part of a toughening of
the league's conduct policy.
When Henry was arrested for a
fifth time following that season
on an assault charge, the Bengals
decided they'd had enough. At
his arraignment on April 3, 2008,
Municipal Court Judge Bernie
Bouchard called Henry "a one-
man crime wave." He was
released by the Bengals the same
day.
It was a jolt to Henry, who had
dreamed of an NFL career since
high school, when he got the
NFL logo tattooed on the back of
his right hand. No team showed
an interest in bringing him back.
His career seemed finished.
Then, Brown -- who refers to
himself as "a redeemer" --
changed his mind and gave him
another chance.
"If you only knew him by
hearsay, you'd think he's some
kind of ogre," Brown said, during
the Bengals' appearance on
HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this
summer. "It's not true. He's a
good person. When you see him
up close, you'll find that you'll
like him. He'll be a soft-spoken,
pleasant person."
This time, Henry seemed
determined to stay out of trouble.
After only 19 catches and two
touchdowns in 12 games in the
2008 season, he set about making
himself a topflight receiver again.
He got into top shape and worked
out with teammates in the
offseason, showing more resolve
than at any point in his career.
Henry also changed his personal
life, spending more time with his
fiancee and the three children
they are raising. Teammates
noticed a pronounced change in
his demeanor.
"He's a great kid with a great
heart," Palmer said as training
camp started. "He's changed his
life around. He ran into some
trouble, made some bad
decisions, and realized that. He's
sorry for them, apologized for
them, and has done everything he
can to make himself a better
person. I'm just proud of him."
Before the 2009 season, Henry
got a new tattoo that matched his
new outlook. Below his left ear,
in flowing one-inch script, was
the world "Blessed."
"I kind of felt like I dug myself
out of the hole and started doing
the right things," Henry said in an
interview with The Associated
Press as training camp opened.
"People say, 'How you feeling
Fashion/ 53
now Chris? You doing all right?'
I just tell them I'm blessed. That's
why I got it."
He caught a touchdown pass in
each of Cincinnati's four
preseason games. A thigh injury
slowed him early in the season,
and he had 12 catches for 236
yards -- his 19.7-yard average per
catch leads the team -- when he
broke his left arm during a win
over Baltimore on Nov. 22,
ending his season.
"He was doing everything right,"
receiver Chad Ochocinco said.
"My grandma always says you
never question the man upstairs
on decisions he makes. Everyone
FKIA's Daily
makes mistakes, but I don't see
how Chris was supposed to go
Double:
already, especially when he was
on the right path. Other than that, School Daze
he's going to be missed." By ELLE.com (ELLE News
Information from The Blog)
Associated Press was used in this
Submitted at 12/16/2009 1:58:16 PM
report.
fivefilters.org featured article: Attitude dressing is fine but why
Normalising the crime of the not lighten things up with a
century by John Pilger. Available tongue-in-chic take on the tried-
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text and-sometimes-tacky leopard
RSS, Term Extraction. print. Alex Wang's faux lippi cat
open-toe wedges instantly add
just the right amount of bougie
zhush to Nicolas Ghesquière’s
safari pants and schoolboy
blazer.
— Anne Slowey
Let me know what you
love—and if you have any
questions, e-mail me at
AnneSloweyFashionKnowItAll
@elle.com.
Follow ELLE on Twitter.
Become our Facebook fan!
54 Sports/ Fashion/ E-reader News Edition

Washington Redskins hire Bruce Allen after

Vinny Cerrato, VP of football operations, resigns
By ESPN.com news services needs someone different in this outstanding draft picks and Redskins have won only one
(ESPN.com) position," Cerrato said in a encouraging performance by our playoff game since 2000.
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:52:48 AM
statement released by the team. younger players, we have laid a Cerrato's power within the
"I'm thankful to Dan Snyder and strong foundation for the organization increased after
The Washington Redskins hired other members of his ownership franchise," Cerrato said in the coach Joe Gibbs' resignation two
former Tampa Bay Buccaneers team for the opportunities I've statement. years ago, and there have been
general manager Bruce Allen on been given over the years." Cerrato added that he has "had plenty of hits and misses among
Thursday, shortly after executive The resignation was first the pleasure of working with his player choices.
vice president of football reported by ESPN 980 in some great coaches such as Joe This year, Cerrato gave Zorn an
operations Vinny Cerrato Washington. Gibbs, Greg Blache and Sherman offensive line without a single
resigned. Allen's father, the late George Lewis" -- notably leaving out the reserve who played in the NFL
Allen becomes the first person Allen, coached the Redskins in current coach, Jim Zorn, whose last year -- even though two
hired by owner Daniel Snyder to the 1970s and led the team to job status is also tenuous. starters were coming off
hold the title of general manager. Super Bowl VII. Cerrato has been a favorite significant injuries. Both of those
The Redskins already have Cerrato, who was highly
complied with the league's criticized for his player personnel
R o o n e y R u l e a n d h a v e moves, had been Snyder's right-
punching bag for fans in recent
years, receiving criticism often in
tandem with Snyder. One fan
starters soon were out for the
season, and the resulting
scramble for a starting five
Street Chic:
interviewed at least two minority hand man for nearly all of
candidates, an NFL source told Snyder's 10 years as owner of the
E S P N N F L I n s i d e r A d a m Redskins.
infamously used a pair of signs to
refer to the two as "Dumb" and
hampered the development of the
offense. New York
"Dumber" at a game this season. Cerrato was previously was a By ELLE.com (ELLE News
Schefter, who first reported the NFC East blog Cerrato was one of the first scouting and player personnel Blog)
hiring of Allen. ESPN.com's Matt Mosley writes major hires after Snyder bought director for the San Francisco
Submitted at 12/17/2009 4:00:00 AM
A news conference was expected about all things NFC East in his the Redskins in 1999. Cerrato 49ers, and recruiting coordinator
to be held Thursday afternoon to division blog. was fired in 2001 by coach Marty at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz. Fur accents add a cozy-chic
announce the hiring of Allen, • Blog network: NFL Nation Schottenheimer after Information from The touch to a versatile black
who also worked in the Oakland For the past two seasons, Cerrato Schottenheimer was given Associated Press was used in this ensemble.
Raiders front office. has held the post of executive control of football operations. A report. Photo: Kelly Stuart
Cerrato vice president of football year later, Snyder fired fivefilters.org featured article: Think you are Street Chic? E-
In a statement released by the operations. This year's Redskins Schottenheimer and rehired Normalising the crime of the mail us your photo and you could
team Thursday morning, Cerrato are 4-9 and have struggled in part Cerrato. century by John Pilger. Available appear in ELLE.com's Street
said he has had numerous because of a lack of depth along Although Cerrato's title changed tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text Chic Daily.
conversations with Snyder the the offensive line. during the years, he remained a RSS, Term Extraction. Follow ELLE on Twitter.
past few weeks about the team's "Of course, I am disappointed significant front-office voice in Become our Facebook fan!
future. with this year's results, but I player decisions. The results have
"We agreed that the franchise s t r o n g l y b e l i e v e t h a t w i t h been far from encouraging: The
E-reader News Edition Sports/ Economy/ 55
CINCINNATI
The Count: Sabermetricians Take on continued from page 52

impressive even by congressional cycle does much to keep the

the Big Pitcher Moves standards — the National Hockey
League has generally ducked its
more unsatisfying elements of the
sports discourse front and center
(WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Lee has been twice or three own concussion issue. In the San with its ginned-up debates and
Submitted at 12/16/2009 11:16:05 AM
times, depending on how you Francisco Chronicle, Ray Ratto facile controversies, it’s worth
count, in the last six years. The suggests that the NHL address its taking a moment to credit
Sabermetrically minded baseball secret to Halladay’s success? A serious and seriously under- ESPN.com’s E-Ticket, a unique
analysts are puzzling over the big part of it is his uncanny addressed brain-trauma problem Web feature that allows ESPN’s
three-way deal between the ability to locate his fastball on the as soon as possible. stable of writers to stretch out
Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue corners. “People are in just that sort of and write long features on stories
Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. In Still, even if Lee falls off mood on skull shots — even that don’t fit within the
particular, they can’t figure out want to make decisions on large slightly, getting him for a year at football fans, who grew up instantaneousness that defines
why Cliff Lee seems to be valued samples, Lee’s thrown 450 a bargain price makes the trade a worshiping them as the highest ESPN. Wright Thompson’s
s o m u c h l o w e r t h a n R o y innings over the last two years h e i s t f o r t h e M a r i n e r s , a s form of entertainment, are getting fascinating story on Jimmy
Halladay. Both aces have been and racked up +13.8 wins in that C a m e r o n w r i t e s a t U . S . S . the message,” Ratto writes. “The Robinson, a boxer who fought
stellar over the last two seasons, time. You can’t fluke your way Mariner (ESPN’s Rob Neyer NHL needs not to get the Muhammad Ali before facing
and Lee is coming off a better- into that kind of performance.” agrees). Though acquiring Lee message, it needs to give it, and it some much scarier demons later
than-stellar postseason for the Money is a factor here — in and Chone Figgins isn’t enough needs to give it with a knee right in life, is a fine example of just
Phillies. Yet Philadelphia got terms of the salaries both pitchers to make the Mariners favorites in to the nethers, so that no owner, how good E-Ticket can be. It’s a
little in return for Lee, while are due in 2010, and the contracts the AL West, the Angels’ loss of general manager, coach, player or great, sobering read.
unloading valuable prospects to they sought afterwards. But there Figgins and John Lackey may at fan can mistake it for anything — Tip of the Fix cap to Fixer
get Halladay, whom they signed are also subtle statistical reasons least mark a power shift. On other than what it should be.”* * emeritus Carl Bialik and fellow
to a three-year extension. Getty to prefer Halladay. Over the last FanGraphs, though, Matthew * Fixer Garey Ris.
Images John Lackey hopes to two years, Halladay has been Carruth points out reasons to So much sports journalism is Found a good column from the
channel his few fond Fenway worth about a win more above a worry about Lackey’s future and about reaction and overreaction: world of sports? Don’t keep it to
memories, such as this near no- replacement pitcher than Lee, in suggests the Red Sox may have trashing players, calling for the yourself — write to us at
hitter in 2008. part because he delivered roughly overpaid for their new starter. heads of coaches or GMs, over dailyfix@wsj.com and we’ll
“The only thing that makes sense equal quality while going for ( H e a l s o h a s s t r u g g l e d a t and over and over. While that consider your find for inclusion
to me is that teams are still a bit nearly 30 more innings. Also, Fenway, though that may say s t u f f c a n b e e n t e r t a i n i n g in the Daily Fix. You can email
skeptical of Lee’s rapid rise to Halladay has been far more more about the bats of his new sometimes, none of us would be David at droth11@gmail.com.
greatness,” Dave Cameron writes consistent; he hasn’t been below t e a m m a t e s t h a n a b o u t h i s following sports — or reading
on FanGraphs. “And while we’re league average since 2000, while p i t c h i n g . ) the Fix, most likely — if the
the first ones to point out that you bigger narratives of sports didn’t
matter to us at least a little bit.
While ESPN’s 24-hour news

US to back $100bn climate financing

(Financial Times - US
homepage)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 4:54:15 AM
The US attempted to break the
deadlock at the United Nations’
climate conference in
Copenhagen on Thursday by
publicly backing a proposal that
developed countries should
provide poorer nations with
$100bn per year by 2020 to fight
climate change.
The proposal came with less
than two days left to secure a
deal to curb global greenhouse
gas emissions, after the talks had
become bogged down on
Wednesday in disputes over century by John Pilger. Available
p r o c e d u r e i n a d d i t i o n t o tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
significant differences over RSS, Term Extraction.
substantive issues.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
56 Sports/ Economy/ E-reader News Edition

The Count: Chris Henry’s Stats Report: Wife to seek

Suggest He Was Underrated divorce from Tiger
(WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:22:10 AM
More advanced stats also testify
to Henry’s abilities. Football
Outsiders ranks all receivers by
Woods
When the news broke that their Defense-adjusted Value By ESPN.com news services course. One woman who said she
(ESPN.com) had a 31-month affair with
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Over Average, or DVOA. This
Chris Henry died Thursday at age takes into account the defense, Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:46:45 AM
Woods shared a voice mail that
26, many who knew him — game situation and passes thrown she said Woods left her two
including a former teammate and to a receiver that are incomplete Elin Nordegren, the wife of n i g h t s b e f o r e h i s N o v . 2 7
a Bengals beat writer— recalled Tiger Woods, will seek a a c c i d e n t .
Henry in Cincinnati, receivers or intercepted. Because it’s a stat
how very talented he was. Getty divorce, ABC News.com is "I am deeply aware of the
T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad compared to average, a value
Images Chris Henry’s stats, and reporting. disappointment and hurt that my
Ochocinco each had more than over zero makes a player better
this photo, demonstrate how A source close to Nordegren told infidelity has caused to so many
twice the productivity in catches than league average. And in four
supremely talented he was. out of Henry’s five seasons, he the Web site on Wednesday that people, most of all my wife and
and yards than Henry did.
This wasn’t immediately a "divorce is 100 percent on." children," Woods said in a
However, Henry was better than had a positive DVOA. This
obvious from his stats. In five N o r d e g r e n w a s r e c e n t l y statement released last week. "I
both of them at extending his season was shaping up to be his
seasons with the Bengals, he photographed pumping gas want to say again to everyone
catches for long gains, and at best yet, with a DVOA of 26.7%,
caught just 119 passes for 1,826 without her wedding ring. that I am profoundly sorry and
scoring once he caught the ball. ranking him the top dozen or so
yards — which amounts to solid Woods and his wife have been that I ask forgiveness. It may not
He averaged 15.3 yards per receivers — though he had only
production for two seasons, not married for five years and have a be possible to repair the damage
reception and scored on 18% of 23 balls thrown his way.
five. Part of that reflects games 2-year-old daughter and a 10- I've done, but I want to do my
those, compared to equivalent The stats can only go so far, but
he missed to suspension and month-old son. best to try."
n u m b e r s f o r t e a m m a t e s they paint a portrait of an
injury, but Henry still appeared in Woods announced late last week Woods has not been seen in
Houshmandzadeh and Ochocinco e x c e e d i n g l y t a l e n t e d a n d
55 NFL games, equivalent to he was taking an indefinite leave public since the accident.
of 11 yards and 9%, and 14.5 valuable wide receiver — when
three and a half seasons. During his off-field problems didn’t keep from public life and golf while he Information from The
yards and 9%, respectively.
the time they overlapped with him from playing. works to fix his marriage after Associated Press was used in this
multiple allegations of infidelity. report.
The announcement came two fivefilters.org featured article:
BofA names Moynihan as new chief weeks after Woods crashed his Normalising the crime of the
SUV into a tree outside his century by John Pilger. Available
(Financial Times - US in leadership at the Charlotte, members who wanted to promote Florida home, setting in motion a tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
homepage) North Carolina, bank. an insider and directors who stunning downfall for the world's RSS, Term Extraction.
Submitted at 12/16/2009 9:48:51 PM
The appointment of Mr wanted an outsider to take No. 1 player who for 13 years
Moynihan, who is 50 years old control at the bank. rarely made news off the golf
Bank of America named Brian and currently heads BofA’s fivefilters.org featured article:
Moynihan to be its next chief substantial consumer banking Normalising the crime of the
executive late on Wednesday, u n i t , b r i n g s a n e n d t o a century by John Pilger. Available
keeping the job within the tumultuous 11-week search that tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
company and disappointing involved several high-profile RSS, Term Extraction.
institutional shareholders who c a n d i d a t e s a n d u l t i m a t e l y
have been agitating for a change exposed a rift between board
E-reader News Edition Sports/ 57

Mike Holmgren,
Cleveland Browns haven't
discussed money yet
By Associated Press
(ESPN.com)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:44:31 AM
BEREA, Ohio -- Mike
Holmgren and the Cleveland
Browns will talk again, and
money has yet to come up in the
discussions.
AFC North blog
ESPN.com's James Walker
writes about all things AFC
North in his division blog.
• Blog network: NFL Nation
No Guts, No Glory: 19-0 Is Way to Browns spokesman Bill
Bonsiewicz says the second
run the Browns' football
operations.
Before Holmgren can be hired,
the Browns would have to
interview a minority candidate to
comply with the NFL's "Rooney
Rule."
Bonsiewicz said the Browns
have been in contact with the
league to be certain the team is
clear on the rule.
He would not say if the Browns
already have interviewed a
minority candidate -- or any
other, besides Holmgren.
Copyright 2009 by The

Go conversation will occur in the

coming days, but offered no
specifics. He did say the team
Associated Press
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
By Jay Mariotti (Fanhouse attained by no other human Jaguars Thursday evening and
Main) and Holmgren have not talked century by John Pilger. Available
being. the Saints beat up the December-
salary, despite reports that tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
So why wouldn't the doomed Cowboys on Saturday
Submitted at 12/16/2009 12:35:00 PM Holmgren could command RSS, Term Extraction.
Indianapolis Colts and New night. At 13-0, both teams are
upwards of $10 million a year to
Filed under: NFL Orleans Saints, both armed with bound for home-field advantage
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Any the opportunity of an all-time in the playoffs. Before you can
team can win a Super Bowl ... sports achievement, embrace the say "Mercury Morris" -- and it
check that, any team not based in i d e a o f p u r s u i n g t h e should be a matter of hours
Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo or, unprecedented? I don't grasp why before we hear the most arrogant
well, Jacksonville. But no team t h i s m u s t b e a n e i t h e r / o r of 1972 Dolphins self-promoting
has won the Super Bowl with the proposition, why climbing the the NFL's only perfect team ever
flawless sheen of a 19-0 record. Rockies would suffice when Mt. and denouncing the current
From the moment an athlete Everest beckons. At 13-0, both challengers -- both could be 18-0
emerges from the womb and teams have favorable schedules and playing each other in the
hears a doctor's first words -- and should win their final three ultimate championship game in
probably, "You da man!!!" -- he regular-season games, assuming Miami.
is mandated to seek plateaus the Colts pounce on the erratic
58 Sports/ Game/ E-reader News Edition

Grading the Prospects in

the Halladay-Lee
Blockbuster
By Frankie Piliere (Fanhouse
Main)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 12:30:00 PM

Filed under: Athletics, Blue

Jays, Mariners, Phillies, MLB
Transactions, Prospects, MLB
Hot Stove, Advanced Scouting
Following any blockbuster trade,
questions about the lesser known
names involved in the deal are
inevitable. There were several
talented prospects swapped
between the Mariners, Phillies,
Blue Jays and Athletics in the
Roy Halladay- Cliff Lee
megadeal, but just how do these
players profile as future big-
leaguers?
That's a question the pro
scouting departments of these
teams have been working hard to
try and answer from start to
finish of this deal.
The prospects on the move
profile from anywhere between
solid regulars to dominant
players at their positions. In other
words, Lee and Halladay might
not be the only star-level talents
involved in this trade when it's all
said and done.
Below, the guys involved in this
deal who don't have Cy Young
Awards in their trophy case (at
least not yet) are grouped based
on the 2-8 scouting scale, with 8
representing a truly elite talent.
Resident Evil 5's 'Desperate Escape'
episode detailed
By Griffin McElroy (Joystiq) collapsed after that one fight. duds, while Sheva gets somewhat
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:30:00 PM
Together, they have to escape classier " Business" attire. Check
from the Tricell facility, pushing them out in the videos after the
Yesterday, we learned about the through wave after wave of faux- jump!
cast swap that would take place zombies in the middle of the Gallery: Resident Evil 5 -
in Resident Evil 5 Alternative night. They'll need to do so Desperate Escape
Edition's second downloadable quickly, as they need to fulfill Continue reading Resident Evil
episode, Desperate Escape. their important, life-saving duties 5's 'Desperate Escape' episode
However, we had no context in to Chris and Sheva, who are detailed
which to put Jill Valentine and simultaneously locked in battle Resident Evil 5's 'Desperate
Josh Stone in cahoots, nor did we with that one guy. Escape' episode detailed
know what they'd be doing while Additionally, Capcom has originally appeared on Joystiq on
cahooted. Now, thanks to an released some screens of the new Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST.
announcement from Capcom, we episode, which we've posted in Please see our terms for use of
know: They'll be escaping. the gallery below. Also, the feeds.
Desperately. developer revealed two new Read| Permalink| Email this|
We'll try to share these details costumes for Chris and Sheva in Comments
without dropping any spoilers: the game's Mercenaries Reunion
Josh encounters Jill, who has mode: Chris gets " Heavy Metal"
E-reader News Edition Game/ 59

Joyswag: Xbox 360 Holiday Games Bundle

By Joystiq Staff (Joystiq) we'll say about the first prize is:
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:15:00 AM
rogue[rohg]-adjective 1.
Operating outside desirable
Welcome to Joystiq's " Naughty controls.
or Nice" holiday giveaway What is Joyswag? Since we
extravaganza! It's simple: Just don't keep the games and
follow the instructions below to merchandise we receive for
enter for your chance to win. Ah, review or promotional purposes,
but to win what? There's always it becomes"Joyswag," which is
a catch, isn't there? Each passed along to our readers.
"Naughty or Nice" giveaway Please note that Joyswag may be
features two prizes: a totally in "used" condition. For more
sweet bundle of holiday cheer info on our policy, click here.
and, um, a lump of coal. Winners Joyswag: Xbox 360 Holiday
are selected randomly, we assure Games Bundle originally
you. Of course, who's to say luck appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17
isn't dependent on virtue ... Have • You must be 18 years or older F I F A S o c c e r 1 0 , F o r z a your emails! Dec 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please
you been naughty? Or nice? and a resident of the US or Motorsport 3, Halo 3: ODST, • For a list of complete rules, see our terms for use of feeds.
To enter this giveaway: Canada (excluding Quebec). Left 4 Dead 2, and DJ Hero click here. Permalink| Email this|
• Limit 1 entry per person per Bundle with Turntable, plus Comments
• Leave a comment on this post calendar day. additional Turntable controller, For the grand prize we've
t e l l i n g u s i f y o u ' v e b e e n • This entry period ends at 12:00 all for Xbox 360, and a "Live rounded up an eclectic mix of
"naughty" or "nice" this year. pm ET on Tuesday, December Turns Five" wireless Xbox 360 many of the best Xbox 360
(Note: Your response will not 22. We'll randomly select one controller (Total ARV: $568); games from 2009's fall and
affect your chance of winning grand prize winner at that time to and one first prize winner to holiday seasons and tossed in a
a n y o f t h e p r i z e s i n t h i s receive one copy of Assassin's receive Rogue Warrior for Xbox limited edition orange controller
giveaway.) Creed II, Dragon Age: Origins, 360 (ARV: $60) -- please check (from 2007 -- it's vintage!). All

3D Blu-ray specs finalized, PlayStation 3 support confirmed

By Ben Gilbert (Joystiq)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:00:00 PM
The Blu-ray Disc Association
this morning confirmed the
finalization of "the Blu-ray 3D
specification." What we're trying
to tell you is this: 3D films are
heading to your PlayStation 3
next year and there's nothing you
can do to stop it. Sure, you
probably don't own a 3D-ready
television just yet, but that's
okay, because we've been assured
that nearly everyone will have
one by 2014.
If you're like us and aren't quite
ready to make the 3D jump just
yet, the BDA thankfully notes
that our quaint old "2D" films
will still be supported. But don't
let that lull you into a false sense
of safety -- embedded within
today's announcement is the fact
that 3D technology "allows every
Blu-ray 3D player and movie to
deliver Full HD 1080p resolution
to each eye[our emphasis]."
That's right, folks -- they're
targeting each eye individually!
Sounds like a great time to invest
in the burgeoning eye patch
market.
3D Blu-ray specs finalized,
PlayStation 3 support confirmed
originally appeared on Joystiq on
Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST.
Please see our terms for use of
feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
60 Game/ E-reader News Edition

Joyswag: PS3 Holiday Games Bundle

By Joystiq Staff (Joystiq) Here's a good question: What's
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:15:00 PM
more functional? The Tony
Hawk: Ride board or the replica
Welcome to Joystiq's " Naughty Phurba Dagger Artifact included
or Nice" holiday giveaway in the extremely rare Uncharted
extravaganza! It's simple: Just 2: Among Thieves: Fortune
follow the instructions below to Hunter Edition?
enter for your chance to win. Ah, What is Joyswag? Since we
but to win what? There's always don't keep the games and
a catch, isn't there? Each merchandise we receive for
"Naughty or Nice" giveaway review or promotional purposes,
features two prizes: a totally it becomes"Joyswag," which is
sweet bundle of holiday cheer passed along to our readers.
and, um, a lump of coal. Winners Please note that Joyswag may be
are selected randomly, we assure in "used" condition. For more
you. Of course, who's to say luck affect your chance of winning pm ET on Tuesday, December Crack In Time for PlayStation 3 info on our policy, click here.
isn't dependent on virtue ... Have any of the prizes in this 22. We'll randomly select one (Total ARV: $590); and one first Joyswag: PS3 Holiday Games
you been naughty? Or nice? giveaway.) grand prize winner at that time to prize winner to receive Tony Bundle originally appeared on
To enter this giveaway: • You must be 18 years or older receive one Uncharted 2: Among Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle Joystiq on Thu, 17 Dec 2009
and a resident of the US or Thieves: Fortune Hunter Edition, (ARV: $90) -- please check your 13:15:00 EST. Please see our
• Leave a comment on this post Canada (excluding Quebec). Assassin's Creed II, Demon's emails! terms for use of feeds.
t e l l i n g u s i f y o u ' v e b e e n • Limit 1 entry per person per Souls: Deluxe Edition, God of • For a list of complete rules, Permalink| Email this|
"naughty" or "nice" this year. calendar day. War Collection, Modern Warfare click here. Comments
(Note: Your response will not • This entry period ends at 12:00 2, and Ratchet & Clank Future: A

Hands-on: Mass Effect 2, the first 90 minutes

By Randy Nelson (Joystiq) the first 20 minutes. 09)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 12:00:00 PM
We know that because -- save Continue reading Hands-on:
for some optimizations here and Mass Effect 2, the first 90
click to enlarge there -- we played the first hour- minutes
With the game set to ship out on and-a-half of a finished Mass Hands-on: Mass Effect 2, the
January 26, EA held one last Effect 2, from the title screen first 90 minutes originally
hands-on sneak preview of Mass until being politely informed that appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17
Effect 2 on Wednesday night in we were about to enter forbidden Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please
San Francisco. We were there, of p l o t t e r r i t o r y . W h i c h i s see our terms for use of feeds.
course, intrigued by an invitation surprising, considering that the Permalink| Email this|
that promised we'd learn what opening of the game, apart from That said, we must warn you and the surprises it holds to Comments
s o m e t h i n g c a l l e d " P r o j e c t being one of the most dramatic that the preview after the break remain unrevealed until launch
Lazarus" was -- as it turned out, w e ' v e w i t n e s s e d i n r e c e n t contains what some may consider day, seriously ... don't read any
it's a crucial part of the game's memory, is also chockablock MAJOR SPOILERS-- so if you further.
plot that makes an appearance in with pretty huge plot twists. want the beginning of the game Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (12-17-
E-reader News Edition Game/ 61

Spec Ops: The Line may face censorship; Dubai taking the
'wait and see' approach
By Christopher Grant (Joystiq) struck a nerve. in mosques.' With myriad games
Submitted at 12/17/2009 12:30:00 PM
"We will have to review the having angered religious or
game first before issuing any national groups before -
" I t t a k e s p l a c e a f t e r a n decision on whether to ban it or everything from Resistance and
unimaginable natural disaster has allow it," Mohammed al Mutawa, the Church of England to
struck the region," says former a video games censor at the LittleBigPlanet and the Qur'an-
GameSpot editor-in-chief and United Arab Emirate's National the Spec Ops team has plenty to
current video game producer M e d i a C o u n c i l , t o l d T h e learn from. We'll know more
Greg Kasavin, discussing 2K National. Juma Obaid Alleem, closer to the game's expected
Games' recently revealed shooter, the director of media content at 2011 release.
S p e c O p s : T h e L i n e . T h e the NMC, told the newspaper that [Thanks, mister_jOBe; via LA
unimaginable natural disaster he's 'before a video game is released Times]
referring to is a catastrophic in the UAE, the NMC assesses Spec Ops: The Line may face
sandstorm and the region is the whether it conforms with local censorship; Dubai taking the
financially precarious Dubai. laws and notifies authorities if it 'wait and see' approach originally
With the one-time booming city- does not.' From there, we see For his part, Kasavin is playing explained to The National that appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17
state finding itself in something references to "international up the setting as a "fantastic 'the enemies ... in the fictional Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please
of a bust, following the global matter" and "Ministry of Foreign location from an architectural Dubai would not have any clear see our terms for use of feeds.
economic downturn, scenes of Affairs" and we figure it best to standpoint" but is quick to point religious or political beliefs Read| Permalink| Email this|
D u b a i ' s w o r l d - f a m o u s take the 'wait and see' approach out that "the game uses the associated with them' and that Comments
skyscrapers buried in sand surely Mr. al Mutawa referred to. location purely as a location." He 'none of the shoot-outs took place

Bonfire Studios hires former Halo Wars lead David Pottinger

By David Hinkle (Joystiq)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 11:30:00 AM
Bonfire Studios, the
development house that emerged
in the wake of the Ensemble
Studios closure, has picked up
another ex-colleague: Dave
Pottinger, lead designer of Halo
Wars. He rejoins his peers as the
director of technology, assuming
the same responsibilities he held people away once they see what
before Ensemble was shut down. we're doing."
Bonfire Studios is currently Bonfire Studios hires former
working on several unannounced Halo Wars lead David Pottinger
projects for 2010. originally appeared on Joystiq on
Pottinger has been with the Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST.
company since its formative days Please see our terms for use of
back in 1996, and contributed to feeds.
the development of Ensemble's the former studio's last game, friends that I am looking forward Read| Permalink| Email this|
key real-time strategy titles, from Halo Wars.
to working with again," Pottinger
Comments
"Bonfire is a team full of old said. "I think we're going to blow
Age of Empires all the way up to
62 Fashion/ Economy/ Popular News/ E-reader News Edition

Backstage With Lissy Trullie Dollar’s revival

By ELLE.com (ELLE News great teacher, and really warm When I was younger I liked a lot damps demand
Blog) and friendly. of Motown and soul music. And
Submitted at 12/16/2009 12:06:11 PM
You toured with the Virgins as I grew into a preteen, I became for stocks
earlier this year. How was that? obsessed with Freddie Mercury. (Financial Times - US
As Lissy Trullie’s debut EP, Self I’ve known Donald [Cumming] Then I discovered indie music. I homepage)
Taught Learner, proves, the for about ten years, so it was like was growing up in DC and
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:46:12 AM
stylish singer-songwriter— see touring with my buddies. On the there’s a band there that started
her 2008 ELLE shoot—has bus we did art projects—I out as Nation of Ulysses then 16:45 GMT. The dollar shot to
plenty of substance (in fact, she’s embroidered a vest that he wears turned into The Make-Up and I its highest level in three months
been honing her guitar hooks on stage. We watched a ton of was obsessed with them. There on Thursday after traders
since age 11). Trullie, set to movies—there was never a good are great DC bands—Slant 6, perceived the Federal Reserve
release her first full-length album selection wherever we went, so Tuscadero, Bratmobile. had adopted a more upbeat tone
in 2010, spoke with us before we actually watched Conan the What can we expect from your regarding the US economy
Monday night’s show at New Barbarian and its sequel. forthcoming full-length album? following its decision to leave
York’s Mercury Lounge. —Erin What’s the biggest It’s more reflective of how I interest rates at historic lows.
Clements misconception about you? wanted my music and However, in a sign that the the
You music has gotten a lot of That I had a big career as a songwriting to be. The EP was carry trade mantra of “strong
buzz this year. What have been model and I’m some model It was released in the ‘70s. That’s recorded in a very short amount dollar equals weak stocks” is still
the high points and low points? turned rocker. I did it for a short an amazing jam. I DJ a lot of of time with little money—it was afforded some heft, global stock
Touring was great—just getting time while I was in school. But Motown, soul, and hip-hop—Wu rushed and I didn’t get all the markets turned lower on the
more fans has been pretty I’ve been doing music since I -Tang and Tupac. As far as ideas that I wanted to get in there greenback’s advance.
awesome. The low point was was a child. newer bands go, the Virgins, done. I like it—I feel blessed that fivefilters.org featured article:
when our bassist Ian got swine How did you get into modeling? LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip. we got to put that together Normalising the crime of the
flu in Hamburg—he was in the I was scouted on the street. I was How did you get into Hot Chip? because it’s gotten us so many century by John Pilger. Available
hospital for a long time and we very reluctant and suspicious I love your “Ready for the Floor” great shows and fans. But this tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
were quarantined. about what this person wanted cover. one is not as sophomoric. RSS, Term Extraction.
How did you meet Adam Green from me and then she ended up I had to change up my DJ set What’s your songwriting process
(of the Moldy Peaches), with booking me for something that and was looking for current, like?
whom you duet on a cover of Biz paid really well. And from there poppier stuff to play. I checked It all comes together in a mess. I As wage theft rises,
Markie’s “Just a Friend”? she took me to an agency. At the don’t sit down with a melody in
We played at the same ASPCA time, I was a struggling student,
out Hot Chip and thought that
song had an amazing melody, mind; it’s all just this chaotic states and cities
event and started hanging out. so the idea of making money was
We knew we were going to do a like, “Yeah! I don’t have to
and it got stuck in my head. thing. I listen to a lot of music, I
read a lot of books, and I write a
crack down (AP)
When we were playing earlier on,
duet at one of my shows and waitress?” I was actually a janitor lot, and I think that helps. I try (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
and nobody knew who we were, I
someone else had suggested to at the time, so that sounded thought it would be a good idea not to sing too personally Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:38:07 AM
him “Just a Friend.” enticing. But then after three to throw in a cover so people had because I don’t want to exclude
Who else would you like to years I really just wasn’t happy anyone, like “you won’t CHICAGO – Fabian Gutierrez
something to relate to. And when
collaborate with? doing it. understand this because it’s so logged more than 60 hours a
we did that one, people kind of
The producer for my upcoming You also DJ occasionally. deep.” week slicing meat and stocking
freaked out over it. My manager
record was kind of a guitar hero What’s always on your playlist? Photo: Getty Images shelves with cheeses and milk at
was like, “Why don’t you record
of mine—Bernard Butler. I was a “Uptown Top Ranking,” by a neighborhood grocery for less
that?”
little intimidated at first, but he’s Althea & Donna, this reggae duo than minimum wage and no
Who are your musical icons?
such an amazing musician, a of girls who were 17 at the time.
WAGE page 63
E-reader News Edition
WAGE
continued from page 62
overtime.
The 32-year-old Mexican
immigrant said he put up with the
situation for months because he
was desperate to support his wife
and young daughter. And like
many co-workers, he was afraid
to challenge his boss.
"All of us took abuse. We were
disrespected," said Gutierrez,
who found help at a workers'
rights center, joined with other
workers to sue the owner of La
Fruteria and now works at
another grocery store that he says
treats him better.
Across the nation, the long-
simmering problem of employers
who don't pay their workers
appears to be getting worse,
especially for immigrant laborers.
In the absence of aggressive
federal action, some states and
local governments have begun to
tackle the issue on their own.
They say employers who don't
pay overtime or minimum wage
are unlikely to pay into state
workers' compensation or
unemployment insurance
funds— bilking taxpayers even
as they're cheating workers.
Workers rights centers say wage
theft has become the No. 1
complaint they've heard in recent
months.
In Chicago, Working Hands
Legal Clinic, which is helping
Gutierrez, received 161
complaints of wage theft from
January through June 2008. That
jumped by more than 60 percent
to 252 complaints during the
same period this year.
The Los Angeles-based National
Day Laborer Organizing
Network says at least 50 percent
of day laborers— there are
120,000 on a given day in the
U.S. — experience some form of
wage theft.
About 68 percent of low-wage
workers reported wage theft in
2008, regardless of citizenship
status, according to a study
released earlier this year that
surveyed 4,400 low-wage
workers in major U.S. cities, the
first such extensive review in
years.
"It's not confined to the margins,
or a few rogue employers.
Employers realize that workers
are desperate," said Nik
Theodore, a professor at the
University of Illinois at Chicago
and lead author of the study
conducted with the University of
California, Los Angeles and the
City University of New York. "It
looks like standard business
practice in many industries."
Wage theft has even emerged in
industries where there haven't
previously been many
complaints, like fairs and
carnivals, according to the
Workers' Rights Law Center of
New York. Earlier this year,
Dreamland Amusements Inc.
agreed to pay $325,000 in back
wages to Mexican workers in
New York after the company was
accused of forcing them to work
70 hours a week at less than
minimum wage.
Low-wage immigrant workers
are particularly vulnerable
because most are paid in cash,
making record-keeping difficult.
Many fear a call to immigration
authorities, even if they have
legal status to work in the U.S.
Gutierrez, a soft-spoken, husky
man who declined to discuss his
immigration status, said he and
other workers were scared to
bring up the problems with their
employer because they feared
they might be deported.
Eventually, Gutierrez said, he
overcame his fear because he
wanted to make sure others
weren't wronged.
Gutierrez's former boss, Tony
Macias, owns several grocery
stores throughout Chicago. His
attorney, William J. Raleigh, said
Macias didn't know he had to pay
overtime.
Until recently, such lawsuits
have been the main way for
workers to fight back. But
lawyers often won't take the
cases since they take months to
resolve, the payoff is low and
collection is difficult.
"Even if we win, that's usually
just the beginning," said Milan
Bhatt of The Workers' Rights
Law Center. "By the time the
litigation is resolved, they've
closed shop and moved
elsewhere."
Some states are looking for
creative solutions. California and
New York created multi-agency
task forces that raid problem
industries, such as car washes
and grocery stores, and focus on
regions where workers repeatedly
report violations.
"Having everyone go out
together shows a very powerful
message that you can't just pay
the piper and keep going," said
Terri Gerstein, New York's
deputy labor commissioner for
wage and immigrant services.
Advocates say enforcing wage
and hour laws even for laborers
in the country illegally keeps
wages for all workers from being
driven down and ensures that
employers who follow the rules
can compete.
California has also required
some businesses to pay a state
registration fee, which pays
workers if violations are later
found and funds a collections
department, making fines
enforceable.
Some worker advocates say
combining efforts for massive
raids is good publicity but nets
little for workers because the
focus is on recovering
unemployment or Social Security
taxes for the state rather than
overtime wages for the
employee.
In response, New York Labor
Commissioner M. Patricia Smith
has worked with community-
based groups and even unions,
which are often the first to
receive labor complaints, in a
nationally recognized effort to
identify employers violating
labor laws.
"Unlike with a state agency,
people don't feel nervous coming
to us and sharing their stories,
even undocumented folks," said
Andrew Friedman, co-executive
director of Make the Road New
York.
Washington, Oregon and
Massachusetts are beginning to
63
adopt some similar approaches
and adding their own twists, such
as hefty fines and online
complaint filing.
In Miami-Dade County, a
nongovernmental wage theft task
force is pushing to create a low-
cost, streamlined complaint
process. San Francisco already
has a similar ordinance, and Los
Angeles and New Orleans are
considering such proposals.
Still, advocates say the federal
government needs to step up
enforcement. Despite reports
from the ground that wage theft
is on the rise, the U.S.
Department of Labor reported a
25 percent drop in registered
complaints from low-wage
workers from the start of the
Bush administration through
2008, the most recent data
available.
A recent Congressional report
slammed the Labor Department
for frequently failing to
investigate or even register some
complaints; a bill in the House
would extend the federal statute
of limitations on some violations
to give the department more time
to investigate them.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has
added about 250 wage and hour
inspectors, and last week, the
department signed an agreement
with the New York labor
department, Mexican Consulate
and several other groups to create
a call center that will provide
Hispanic workers in the New
York area information about their
WAGE page 66
64 Popular News/ E-reader News Edition

Police: Bengals' Henry dies day after dispute (AP)

(Yahoo! News: U.S. News) say if the woman, whom police died unexpectedly during the second chance. himself as "a redeemer" —
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:15:55 AM
would not identify, was present season. "I'm worth the chance," Henry changed his mind and gave him
at the scene when police arrived. Henry was away from the said, when he showed up the another chance.
C H A R L O T T E , N . C . – Henry is engaged to Loleini Bengals after breaking his left following weekend for a rookie "If you only knew him by
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Tonga, and the couple has been forearm during a win over minicamp. "I'm just happy they hearsay, you'd think he's some
Henry died Thursday, a day after raising three children. Tonga's Baltimore on Nov. 8. He had took me." kind of ogre," Brown said, during
falling out of the back of a MySpace page identifies herself surgery and was placed on season Henry become a vital part of the the Bengals' appearance on
pickup truck during what police as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a -ending injured reserve following offense as a rookie, helping the HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this
said was a domestic dispute with picture of her next to a person the game. Bengals reach the playoffs in summer. "It's not true. He's a
his fiancee. who appears to be Henry. She "We are greatly saddened by 2005 with his ability to run past good person. When you see him
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police also has a post from Tuesday today's tragic news about the loss defenders to grab long passes. In up close, you'll find that you'll
said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. talking about buying wedding of Chris Henry," NFL the final month of the season, he like him. He'll be a soft-spoken,
Henry was 26. rings. A neighbor said commissioner Roger Goodell also showed his other side, pleasant person."
"We knew him in a different way Wednesday that the Tonga family said. "Our thoughts and prayers getting arrested for marijuana This time, Henry seemed
than his public persona," Bengals owns the home where police say go out to Chris' family, including possession. After a playoff loss determined to stay out of trouble.
owner Mike Brown said of the the incident began. Charlotte is his Bengals family. We have to Pittsburgh, he was arrested on After only 19 catches and two
player who was suspended five home to his fiancee's parents. been in contact with the Bengals a gun charge in Florida. touchdowns in 12 games in the
times during his career. "He had "We ask that you keep Chris' to offer our support through this Henry and former Tennessee 2008 season, he set about making
worked through the troubles in family — especially the young difficult time. cornerback Adam "Pacman" himself a topflight receiver again.
his life and had finally seemingly children he leaves behind — in "I ask you to keep Chris Henry Jones became the league's two He got into top shape and worked
r e a c h e d t h e p o i n t w h e r e your prayers," Henry's agent, and his family in your thoughts most trouble-bound players. out with teammates in the
everything was going to blossom. Andy Simms of PlayersRep today." Commissioner Roger Goodell offseason, showing more resolve
And he was going to have the Sports said in a statement. "It is Throughout his career, his suspended both in 2007 — Jones than at any point in his career.
future we all wanted for him. It's tragic when a life is taken so temper and poor decisions got for a full season, Henry for half Henry also changed his personal
painful to us. We feel it in our young. He was a man just him in trouble. of it — as part of a toughening of life, spending more time with his
hearts, and we will miss him." realizing his potential, not just in He was ejected from a game and the league's conduct policy. fiancee and the three children
Police spokeswoman Rosalyn football, but in life." suspended for another while at When Henry was arrested for a they are raising. Teammates
H a r r i n g t o n s a i d h o m i c i d e Authorities have not announced West Virginia, where former fifth time following that season noticed a pronounced change in
detectives have been assigned to the cause of death. Mecklenburg coach Rich Rodriguez told Henry on an assault charge, the Bengals his demeanor.
the case but had no further C o u n t y m e d i c a l e x a m i n e r that he was an embarrassment to decided they'd had enough. At "He's a great kid with a great
information. investigator Carol Cormier said himself and the program. His his arraignment on April 3, 2008, heart," quarterback Carson
Henry was rushed to the hospital they were expecting to receive reputation was already costing Municipal Court Judge Bernie Palmer said as training camp
Wednesday after being found on the body later Thursday. him — the Bengals were the only Bouchard called Henry "a one- started. "He's changed his life
a residential road. Police said the The Bengals will wear a helmet NFL team to bring him in for a man crime wave." He was around. He ran into some trouble,
dispute began at a home about a sticker Sunday against San Diego pre-draft visit in 2005. released by the Bengals the same made some bad decisions, and
half-mile away, and Henry to remember Henry. They found that his demeanor day. realized that. He's sorry for them,
jumped into the bed of the pickup When the players received word didn't match his reputation. It was a jolt to Henry, who had apologized for them, and has
truck as his fiancee was driving Henry had died, quarterback Henry was shy and spoke in a dreamed of an NFL career since done everything he can to make
away from the residence. Carson Palmer called them quiet voice. They warned him high school, when he got the himself a better person. I'm just
Police said at some point when together in the locker room and that he had to stay in control if he NFL logo tattooed on the back of proud of him."
she was driving, Henry "came said they should dedicate the was going to stay in the NFL. his right hand. No team showed Before the 2009 season, Henry
out of the back of the vehicle." game and rest of the season to Then, they picked him in the an interest in bringing him back. got a new tattoo that matched his
Police have not released the 911 Henry and the wife of defensive third round. His career seemed finished.
tapes, and Harrington wouldn't coordinator Mike Zimmer, who POLICE: page 72
In a sense, it was already a Then, Brown — who refers to
E-reader News Edition Popular News/ 65

NFL Star Dies After Fall From Truck in Domestic Dispute

(FOXNews.com) Harrington wouldn't say if the after breaking his left forearm Henry and former Tennessee in his life and seemed to reach
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:33:26 AM
woman was present at the scene during a win over Baltimore on cornerback Adam "Pacman" the point where everything would
when police arrived. Nov. 8. He had surgery and was Jones became the league's two blossom and he would have the
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Authorities have not announced placed on season-ending injured most trouble-bound players. future we all planned for him,"
Chris Henry died Thursday, a the cause of death. Mecklenburg reserve following the game. Commissioner Roger Goodell Brown said. "And then this
day after falling off a truck C o u n t y m e d i c a l e x a m i n e r Throughout his career, his suspended both in 2007 — Jones tragedy cut him down."
during a domestic dispute with investigator Carol Cormier said temper and poor decisions got for a full season, Henry for half Henry seemed determined to
his fiancee, a tragedy Bengals they were expecting to receive him in hot water. of it — as part of a toughening of stay out of trouble. After only 19
owner Mike Brown said "cut him the body later Thursday. He was ejected from a game and the league's conduct policy. catches and two touchdowns in
down" just as he was "running to A controversial player at times, suspended for another at West When Henry was arrested for a 12 games in the 2008 season, he
daylight." Henry had a history of getting in Virginia, where former coach fifth time following that season set about making himself a
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police trouble. Coach Marvin Lewis Rich Rodriguez told Henry that on an assault charge, the Bengals topflight receiver again. He got
said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. s a i d H e n r y h a d b e c o m e a he was an embarrassment to decided they'd had enough. At into top shape and worked out
Thursday. Henry was 26. different man. himself and the program. His his arraignment on April 3, 2008, with teammates in the offseason,
Henry was rushed to the hospital "He worked through adversity reputation was already costing Municipal Court Judge Bernie showing more resolve than at any
Wednesday after being found on and came out of it to be a beacon him — the Bengals were the only Bouchard called Henry "a one- point in his career.
a residential road. Police said the of hope for other people," Lewis NFL team to bring him in for a man crime wave." He was Henry also changed his personal
dispute began at a home about a said. "It's a very difficult thing pre-draft visit in 2005. released by the Bengals the same life, spending more time with his
half-mile away, and Henry with this loss of a young life that They found that his demeanor day. fiancee and the three children
jumped into the bed of the pickup won't ever get to reach its full didn't match his reputation. It was a jolt to Henry, who had they are raising. Teammates
truck as his fiancee was driving potential." Henry was shy and spoke in a dreamed of an NFL career since noticed a pronounced change in
away from the residence. Henry is engaged to Loleini quiet voice. They warned him high school, when he got the his demeanor.
Police said at some point when Tonga, and the couple has been that he had to stay in control if he NFL logo tattooed on the back of "He's a great kid with a great
she was driving, Henry "came raising three children. Tonga's was going to stay in the NFL. his right hand. No team showed heart," quarterback Carson
out of the back of the vehicle." MySpace page identifies herself Then, they picked him in the an interest in bringing him back. Palmer said as training camp
They wouldn't identify the as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a third round. His career seemed finished. started. "He's changed his life
woman, and no charges were picture of her next to a person In a sense, it was already a Then, Bengals owner Brown — around. He ran into some trouble,
immediately filed. who appears to be Henry. She second chance. who refers to himself as "a made some bad decisions, and
"It is with great sadness to learn also has a post from Tuesday "I'm worth the chance," Henry redeemer" — changed his mind realized that. He's sorry for them,
Chris has passed away," Henry's talking about buying wedding said, when he showed up the and gave him another chance. apologized for them, and has
agent, Andy Simms said in a r i n g s . A n e i g h b o r s a i d following weekend for a rookie "If you only knew him by done everything he can to make
statement. "For those who knew Wednesday that the Tonga family minicamp. "I'm just happy they hearsay, you'd think he's some himself a better person. I'm just
Chris, he was nothing like his owns the home where police say took me." kind of ogre," Brown said, during proud of him."
public perception. A loving and the incident began. Charlotte is Henry become a vital part of the the Bengals' appearance on Before the 2009 season, Henry
c a r i n g i n d i v i d u a l , h e w a s home to his fiancee's parents. offense as a rookie, helping the HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this got a new tattoo that matched his
thankful for what he had in life, "We ask that you keep Chris' Bengals reach the playoffs in summer. "It's not true. He's a new outlook. Below his left ear,
and proud of what he had family — especially the young 2005 with his ability to run past good person. When you see him in flowing one-inch script, was
overcome." children he leaves behind — in defenders to grab long passes. In up close, you'll find that you'll the world "Blessed."
Police spokeswoman Rosalyn your prayers," Simms said. "It is the final month of the season, he like him. He'll be a soft-spoken, "I kind of felt like I dug myself
H a r r i n g t o n s a i d h o m i c i d e tragic when a life is taken so also showed his other side, pleasant person." out of the hole and started doing
detectives have been assigned to young. He was a man just getting arrested for marijuana Brown said during a press the right things," Henry said in an
the case but had no further realizing his potential, not just in possession. After a playoff loss conference on Thursday that interview with The Associated
information. Police have not football, but in life" to Pittsburgh, he was arrested on Henry had restarted his life.
released the 911 tapes, and Henry was away from the team NFL page 68
a gun charge in Florida. "He has worked through troubles
66 Popular News/
Dude, they're putting pot in more than brownies
(AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:03:55 AM
DENVER – Any slacker living
over his parents' garage can make
pot brownies. Gourmet chefs are
taking the art of cooking with
marijuana to a higher level.
In Denver, a new medical-
marijuana shop called Ganja
Gourmet serves cannabis-infused
specialties such as pizza,
hummus and lasagna. Across
town in the Mile-High City, a
Caribbean restaurant plans to
offer classes on how to make
multi-course meals with pot in
every dish. And in Southern
California, a low-budget TV
show called "Cannabis Planet"
has won fans with a cooking
segment showing viewers how to
use weed in teriyaki chicken,
shrimp capellini and steak
sandwiches.
The evolution of pot cooking
was perhaps inevitable given the
explosion of medical marijuana
around the country in recent
years. Many health-conscious
patients would rather eat the drug
than smoke it. And they would
prefer to eat something other than
sugary treats.
"When I started using marijuana,
I was eating a brownie every day.
I gained a ton of weight," said
Michael DeLao, a former hotel
chef who hosts the "Cannabis
Planet" cooking segments on Los
Angeles' KJLA. "Then I learned
how to really cook with
marijuana, and once more people
learn about all the possibilities,
we're going to see a lot more
people wanting this in their
food."
Ganja Gourmet's menu includes
lasagna ("LaGanja"), " Panama
Red Pizza" and an olive tapenade
called "ganjanade," along with
sweets such as cheesecake,
muffins and brownies.
Employees wear tie-dyed T-shirts
that proclaim, "Our food is so
great, you need a license to eat
it!!!"
All patrons at the Ganja
Gourmet must show a medical
marijuana card that proves they
have a doctor's permission to use
pot for some kind of malady. The
place opened last week, and so
far, 90 percent of its business has
been takeout.
The food isn't cheap. A whole
pizza sells for $89, and a dozen
sweet treats called Almond Horns
cost $120.
"The food is really good," said
Jamie Hillyer, a 41-year-old
medical marijuana patient who
paid $12 for a serving of
vegetable LaGanja. Hillyer said
that he can't taste the weed in the
food and that it gives him a
"more mellow" buzz than
smoking pot.
Chefs are able to use marijuana
in cooking because its key
ingredient, the mind-altering drug
THC, is fat-soluble, meaning it
binds with oils or fats.
Marijuana chefs put leaves or
buds in a food processor and
grind the marijuana into green
flour. Then they add the flour to
oil or butter, cook it slowly for
up to a couple of days while the
THC binds to the fat, and strain
out the green flakes.
The result is "cannabutter," or
butter that makes a diner high.
Chefs say 2 teaspoons of
cannabutter typically contain the
amount of THC in an ounce of
weed.
The pot-infused oils and butters
have a greenish tint and an earthy
taste, but chefs say the flavor can
easily be masked with garlic or
other herbs and spices.
Denver's 8 Rivers Modern
Caribbean restaurant does not
serve pot-infused food, but its
husband-and-wife owners, Scott
Durran and Wanda James, plan to
offer cooking-with-marijuana
classes starting next month. They
also own a medical marijuana
dispensary, which they hope will
eventually offer take-home soups
and roasted chicken.
Marijuana chefs say it takes 20
minutes to two hours for the pot-
laced food to produce a high. The
biggest problem, they say, is that
users often eat too much,
thinking the food isn't working.
While you can't exactly overdose
on marijuana food, people who
eat too much may feel more
sluggish or disoriented than they
would like.
So at Ganja Gourmet, customers
are allowed to eat only one menu
item every 45 minutes.
(The drug takes so long to start
working that there's little chance
of a customer developing a case
of the munchies and getting
hungrier the more he ate.)
Ganja Gourmet owner Scott
Horowitz tried to get liability
insurance of the sort bars take out
to protect themselves against
damage caused by intoxicated
patrons. But he said he couldn't
any insurers selling similar
coverage for pot shops.
Ganja Gourmet does offer
customers a ride home if they
need one. "If someone leaves my
place wasted, I'm liable,"
Horowitz said.
Horowitz's liability worry may
be shortlived. Denver's City
Council is considering an
ordinance banning dispensaries
from allowing marijuana to be
smoked or eaten on site.
___
On the Net:
Cannabis Planet:
http://cannabisplanet.tv
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition
WAGE
continued from page 63
labor rights.
For now, Gutierrez and his
former employer are trying to
work things out in court, but he's
unsure if he'll get all the back pay
he says he's owed.
"I want my voice to be heard," he
said. "We don't do the work for
free."
___
Laura Wides-Munoz reported
from Miami.
___
On the Net:
Make the Road New York:
http://www.maketheroad.org/
Working Hands Legal Clinic:
http://www.workers-law.org
Workers' Rights Law Center of
N e w Y o r k :
http://www.workersrightsny.org
National Day Laborer
Organizing Network:
http://www.ndlon.org
(This version corrects Friedman's
title to co-executive director
instead of co-director and adds
the full name of his group, Make
the Road New York.)
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition Popular News/ 67

Police Highly Suspicious of Missing Utah Mom's

Husband
(FOXNews.com) certainly causes us to ask members. and they broke in, fearing the
Submitted at 12/17/2009 5:38:56 AM
questions as to why would he do Josh Powell's attorney, Scott family had suffered from carbon
things to exclude the resources Williams, a defense attorney who monoxide poisoning.
SALT LAKE CITY that we can bring to the table to often defends high-profile clients, Susan Powell's father, Charles
Authorities have upgraded their find Susan," Black said. described the DNA testing as Cox of Puyallup, Wash., said
investigation into the Josh Powell said he went routine in such cases. police found a wet spot in the
disappearance of a Utah mother camping with their boys, ages 2 Williams disputed allegations home being dried by two fans,
to a criminal probe and say her a n d 4 , i n s u b f r e e z i n g made by police that his client had but police have declined to
husband's "lack of cooperation" temperatures about 12:30 a.m. on been uncooperative. comment on that.
has made them increasingly Dec. 7 and returned in the "Despite our continued invitation Investigators said there were no
suspicious of him. evening. to be contacted with questions we signs of forced entry at the home
Susan Powell, a 28-year-old But Josh Powell has been received no contact from the and they found Susan Powell's
mother of two young children, uncooperative in providing any police today (Wednesday) and as purse and cell phone there.
was reported missing Dec. 7, details that might explain what to the nature of prior information, Susan Powell was last seen by
when she didn't show up for happened to his wife, Black said. we have answered all questions someone other than her husband
work. She was last seen a day Among other things, Josh posed to us since Monday on Dec. 6 — a family friend who
earlier. Powell hasn't specified where he morning," he said. "Josh ate dinner with her at the couple's
"Every lead we've been offered went camping or where he was continues to favor attention on home following church.
so far would leave us to believe all day on Dec. 7, he said. finding Susan and has been The family has planned a news
this is out of character (for "That would be awesome if he cooperating and providing conference in the Seattle area on
Susan) and thus suspect foul play would be willing to cooperate on information to that end." Thursday, according to a posting
is involved," West Valley City that level and take us to his camp Black reiterated that Josh Powell on the Friends and Family of
Asst. Police Chief Craig Black site," Black said. has given them little information Susan Powell Facebook page.
said Wednesday. Powell has told police he went of value. Click here for more from
He said that her husband, Josh camping in Simpson Springs on "Any reason as to why she Fox13Now.com.
Powell, has not been named a the historic Pony Express Trail in would've disappeared either of fivefilters.org featured article:
suspect but investigators are Utah's west desert — an area of her own accord or because of Normalising the crime of the
highly interested in him. thousands of square miles — that some type of other foul play, he century by John Pilger. Available
" J o s h ' s u n u s u a l l a c k o f is now covered in snow. has not been cooperative with tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
cooperation for a husband Josh Powell on Tuesday did that," he said. RSS, Term Extraction.
looking for his wife with the provide a DNA sample to police, The Powell home was locked
police department, you know, it as did several other family when officers initially arrived
68 Popular News/ Picture/ E-reader News Edition

Texas parents, school tangle over boy's long locks

(AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News) father, Delton Pugh, said Independent School District members of the society in which
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:39:44 AM
Wednesday. "I don't think it's spokesman Ian Halperin said of we live."
right to hold a child down and the modified in-school A persistent violator could face
BALCH SPRINGS, Texas – force him to do something ... suspension that Taylor is serving. additional suspensions, but such
Taylor Pugh has been suspended when it's not hurting him or "We expect students ... to adhere issues are handled on a case-by-
from pre-kindergarten because he affecting his education."
likes his hair a little on the floppy Pugh, a tattoo artist, said he used
side. to shave his own head but that his
to the code of conduct."
According to the district dress
code, boys' hair must be kept out
case basis, Halperin said.
Pugh said the issue is about
more than hair. He said his son is
Prose,
The 4-year-old sat with a son "made me pinky promise I
teacher's aide in a suburban would let my hair grow long with
of the eyes and cannot extend
below the bottom of earlobes or
being singled out, and that he has
seen other male students in the
poetry, and
D a l l a s s c h o o l l i b r a r y o n him."
Thursday during the fourth week The follicle fight came to a head
of his in-school suspension. last month when Taylor's parents
over the collar of a dress shirt.
Hairstyles "designed to attract
attention to the individual or to
district with hair much longer
than Taylor's.
"Nobody wants to meet in the
photography
By Cris Stoddard (Flickr Blog)
Taylor's locks — long on the received a signed letter from disrupt the orderly conduct of the middle. It's all or nothing," Pugh
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:25:43 AM
front and sides, covering his Floyd Elementary School's classroom or campus (are) not said. "He's my son. I love him. I
earlobes and shirt collar— violate p r i n c i p a l , t h r e a t e n i n g t o permitted," the policy states. will back him to the end." FlickrPoet, a new application
the school district's dress code. withdraw the boy from school if The district is known for ___ from Thomas Sturm, is a search
His parents say the boy plans to his hair didn't comply with standing tough on its dress code. On the Net: engine which will illustrate
eventually cut his hair and donate district standards. Earlier this year, a seventh-grader Mesquite Independent School poems, prose, or song lyrics with
it to a charity that makes wigs for When Taylor's parents didn't in the district was sent home for D i s t r i c t : Flickr images.
cancer patients. And they are not budge, their son was suspended. wearing black skinny pants. His http://www.mesquiteisd.org/ Every reload of the Show Story
happy with the district's rules. When the boy returned, his hair parents chose to home-school fivefilters.org featured article: button fetches something new – a
"They kicked me out that place," was longer than ever. But school him. Normalising the crime of the great way to find great photos
said Taylor, who prefers the officials decided suspension was On its Web site, the district century by John Pilger. Available and make new contacts. Click
nickname Tater Tot. "I miss my too harsh and changed the defends its code, saying "students tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text through to one of the images and
friends." punishment. who dress and groom themselves RSS, Term Extraction. you’re on a photo page where
The school district appears " T h e y s t i l l h a v e r e g u l a r neatly, and in an acceptable and you can fave or comment.
"more concerned about his hair classroom work, but in an appropriate manner, are more Need more inspiration? Here’s a
than his education," said Taylor's isolated environment," Mesquite likely to become constructive few more applications growing in
NFL the App Garden that can tell you
continued from page 65 a story.
Press as training camp opened. and he had 12 catches for 236 Henry sounded confident he fivefilters.org featured article: Application by sturm_sf.
"People say, 'How you feeling yards — his 19.7-yard average could get through the latest Normalising the crime of the fivefilters.org featured article:
now Chris? You doing all right?' per catch leads the team — when setback. century by John Pilger. Available Normalising the crime of the
I just tell them I'm blessed. That's he broke his left arm during a "It just comes with time, you tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text century by John Pilger. Available
why I got it." win over Baltimore on Nov. 22, know?" he said. "I learned to RSS, Term Extraction. tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
He caught a touchdown pass in ending his season. handle all situations, so I'll be all RSS, Term Extraction.
each of Cincinnati's four When he showed up in the right."
preseason games. A thigh injury locker room for the first time The Associated Press
slowed him early in the season, since surgery to fix the fracture, contributed to this report.
E-reader News Edition Popular News/ 69

Judge: Gangs more deadly than some Family Enraged After

Gitmo detainees (AP) Driver Who Killed Cop
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:45:42 AM Gets 3rd DUI
gang's crimes. It was one of the
city's longest and most tightly
guarded trials. The judge and jury
speech, said afterward he was not
convinced on that point.
Such a trial "creates this massive
WASHINGTON – The chief were protected by bulletproof hydraulic pressure to declassify (FOXNews.com) behind the wheel.
judge of the federal court in glass. information," said Baker. "We Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:12:14 AM
"I think he should be locked up
W a s h i n g t o n t o l d l a w y e r s President Barack Obama has can always do something. again, and all this crap about
Thursday that domestic street ordered the federal government Whether you can really protect An Ohio man is due in court remorse and treatment while he
gangs are more deadly than some to acquire an underused state national security fully is really an Friday to face DUI charges for was in prison, that didn't do no
Guantanamo Bay detainees who prison in rural Illinois to be the open question." the third time after serving 10 good, it didn't do no good ... it's
could face trial in U.S. courts. new home for a limited number Lamberth said he "bristled" years in prison and losing his 15 years later," Knaff's cousin
Judge Royce Lamberth was of terror suspects now held at when he heard Holder predict license for life in the 1994 death Rosalyn told Fox 8.
speaking at an American Bar G u a n t a n a m o . T h e f e d e r a l that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed of a police officer, Fox 8 Officers applauded the efforts of
Association breakfast about government will transform the and the four others will be reported. the convenience store customer
Attorney General Eric Holder's site into a prison that exceeds convicted, and bristled again Police say they received a call who followed Gordon home.
recent decision to put the reputed supermax standards, officials said when defense lawyers spoke Sunday night from a Green, Ohio "This was late at night, I'm sure
Sept. 11 mastermind and four this week. publicly about the case becoming convenience store customer they were tired, they could easily
accused henchmen on trial in Lamberth said he does not want a " show trial." regarding a man who appeared have just said I hope they make it
New York federal court. to get into a political debate The judge suggested a gag order intoxicated. home and got in their car and
L a m b e r t h d i d n ' t r e f e r about whether detainees should could be imposed on all the "They went and attempted to gone home," Holland said.
specifically to those five in his be tried in military commissions lawyers in any such case to keep block this person in, the driver Gordon is charged with driving
comments, but rejected the or civilian courts, but he insisted the proceedings from getting out got in the car, maneuvered under the influence, driving
suggestion made by some critics the court system can handle of hand. around the citizen's car and took under suspension and refusing to
of Holder's decision that U.S. whatever cases it gets. He also said that it is possible off driving," Inspector William take a breathalyzer test.
courts cannot secure defendants "Federal courts are very capable defendants will use the trial to Holland of the Summit County "They should take a real long,
like terror suspects held at of doing this," Lamberth said. launch anti-American invective, Sheriff's Department told Fox 8. hard look at him cause he has
Guantanamo. Some critics of Holder's decision but said: "It's a free country. I The customer followed the served time, you would think that
"The gangs are more murderous, argue that such trials will expose don't think that that can be swerving car to a nearby home, 10 years would really absolutely
I think, than some of these people national security secrets to enemy prevented and I think families where police deputies arrived and give him the courage to be
at Guantanamo," Lamberth said. terrorists. But Lamberth argued a have to understand that in a free found 47-year-old Gregory remorseful for real from the heart
"They've certainly killed their trial judge can sort through the country those things can happen." Gordon, who was convicted of for what he did," Rosalyn Knaff
share of witnesses here." classified information in secret fivefilters.org featured article: killing police officer George told Fox 8.
Lamberth presided over a 2004 before anything is aired in a Normalising the crime of the Knaff in 1994 after running a Click here to read more on this
trial in which six members of a public courtroom. century by John Pilger. Available stop sign and smashing into story from Fox8.com.
gang called Murder Inc. were Stewart Baker, a former Bush tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text Knaff's car. fivefilters.org featured article:
accused of killing at least 31 administration homeland security RSS, Term Extraction. This is also Gordon's second Normalising the crime of the
people, including witnesses to the official who attended Lamberth's arrest for DUI since his release century by John Pilger. Available
from prison. He was arrested in tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
2006 as well. RSS, Term Extraction.
Knaff's family is enraged that he
is still able to drink and get
70 Popular News/ E-reader News Edition

N.J. Dad in Brazil Wins Custody, Colombia scam

Wants Son for Christmas mastermind jailed
(FOXNews.com) Joao Paulo Lins e Silva, the The case began in 2004 when (BBC News | Americas | where he faces money-laundering
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:31:26 AM
Brazilian stepfather with whom Goldman's wife, Bruna Bianchi, World Edition) charges.
Sean lives, would appeal took the 4-year-old Sean to her Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:40:52 AM
Murcia was extradited from
RIO DE JANEIRO A U.S. Wednesday's federal court ruling native Brazil. Panama to Colombia a year ago
father who won another round in to surrender the boy. Zamariola Goldman says it was to be a two A Colombian man who ran a to face accusations that his
his legal fight to regain custody said he didn't expect a final -week vacation. But she stayed pyramid scheme that defrauded business was a pyramid scheme
of his 9-year-old son living in resolution until at least the first and so did the boy. She thousands of people of their life that amassed millions of dollars
Brazil is expected to land in Rio half of 2010. eventually obtained a Brazilian savings has received a 30-year and duped at least 200,000
on Thursday, hoping to bring the The stepfather's attorney, Sergio divorce from Goldman and jail term. Colombians out of their life
boy to New Jersey in time for Tostes, declined to comment. remarried. David Murcia Guzman was savings.
Christmas. The boy's maternal grandmother Goldman was already seeking sentenced after being found The demise of DMG provoked
But David Goldman's own has said her grandson wants to his son's return under an guilty in August of money- protests both by those angry at
attorney warned that additional stay in Rio. She has filed a international treaty that covers laundering and illicit enrichment. the loss of their money and also
appeals could block the hand- s e p a r a t e p e t i t i o n w i t h t h e cross-border child abductions Murcia, who insists his business by investors who insisted that the
over of his son, Sean — which a Supreme Court asking that Sean's when his former wife died last was legal, led the DMG Group, company was legitimate and that
federal court set for Friday at the desires be considered. A similar year giving birth to a daughter. which promised returns of well the government had forced its
U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro. request from the Brazilian family Her death generated more over 100%. collapse.
"The hand-over can be halted," was denied earlier this year. interest in the case, which has Its collapse in November 2008 Print Sponsor
said Ricardo Zamariola, The child, who has dual been discussed this year by top- led to widespread street protests fivefilters.org featured article:
Goldman's attorney, referring to a citizenship, has been shielded level diplomats in Washington across Colombia by investors. Normalising the crime of the
possible Supreme Court appeal from speaking directly to the and the Brazilian capital, Sentencing Murcia to 30 years in century by John Pilger. Available
by the family that now has news media. Brasilia. It also has been the prison, the judge also ordered tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
custody of the boy. President Barack Obama, the subject of congressional hearings that he be fined $12.5m (£7.7m). RSS, Term Extraction.
Goldman said he is cautious U.S. Congress and Secretary of in the U.S. and has prompted It is expected that Murcia will
after such a long fight. State Hillary Rodham Clinton protests in both countries. soon face extradition to the US
"I've been down this road for 5 have all urged the child's return. Goldman and Sean were
1/2 years," he told CNN in Goldman, who lives in Tinton reunited in February for the first
comments aired Thursday. "Until Falls, New Jersey, was not time since his son was taken to
I'm on the plane with Sean and present for the ruling and didn't Brazil. They have not seen each
the wheels are up, I can only be return a request for comment other since June.
hopeful." made to his U.S. attorney, fivefilters.org featured article:
Previous rulings favorable to Patricia Apy. Zamariola said he Normalising the crime of the
Goldman have been scuttled by had spoken with Goldman and century by John Pilger. Available
other Brazilian courts. Zamariola expected him to arrive in Rio de tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
said he was certain lawyers for Janeiro on Thursday. RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition
'Boss of bosses' killed in Mexico
(BBC News | Americas |
World Edition)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 2:00:49 AM
One of Mexico's most-wanted
drug lords has been killed in a
shoot-out with state security
forces, officials say.
Arturo Beltran Leyva and four
alleged members of his cartel
died in a raid by troops on a flat
in Cuernavaca, just south of
Mexico City.
The Beltran Leyva cartel, based
on the Pacific coast, is one of
Mexico's most powerful and
violent drug gangs.
Meanwhile, the severed heads of
six policemen were found near a
church in the north of the
country, police said.
They said the beheadings in
Durango state were a revenge
attack by the Gulf cartel for the
killing of 10 gang members last
week.
The severed heads, left in plastic
bags outside the church before
dawn, were discovered by
garbage collectors, the state
attorney general's office said.
'Boss of bosses'
Arturo Beltran Leyva, known as
the "boss of bosses", was one of
five brothers who split from the
Sinaloa cartel and aligned
themselves with Los Zetas, a
group of former soldiers hired by
the Gulf Cartel as hit men.
The split is believed to have
fuelled much of the bloodshed
across Mexico, where more than
14,000 people have died in drugs
-related violence since 2006.
The Mexican government listed
Beltran Leyva as one its 24 most-
wanted drug traffickers and had
offered a $2.3m (£1.4m) reward
for his capture.
A Navy statement described the
gun battle in which Beltran
Leyva was killed as "intense". It
involved at least 200 members of
Mexico's armed forces.
Reports said three soldiers were
injured by grenade fragments
during the operation in
Cuernavaca, a city of 350,000
Popular News/ Media/ 71
MediaDailyNews:
Discovery Debuts
Season 2 Of 'Green
Magazine TV'
(MediaPost | Media News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 6:50:42 AM
"Green Magazine TV" produced
by Worldwide Digital
Communications, is a kicking off
its second season featuring
ecology and energy conscious
companies and organizations. It
is aired as paid programming on
the Discovery Channel."Green
Magazine TV" begins Jan. 7
profiling four companies: Dell,
which is working to be the
greenest technology company on
our planet; the Global Gas
Flaring Reduction (GGFR)
partnership, a World Bank-led
initiative, that investigates global
that is a popular weekend retreat The Obama administration warming and Johnson Controls
spot. delivered five helicopters to which provides customers with
An Associated Press reporter at Mexico on Wednesday to help it l o n g - t e r m , i n d i v i d u a l i z e d
the scene described hearing at in its fight. sustainable solutions; and East
least 10 explosions. Washington says the rising death Penn Manufacturing, one of the
Please turn on JavaScript. Media toll is a sign the drug gangs are largest single-site lead-acid
requires JavaScript to play. weakening under President battery manufacturing facilities
More than 200 soldiers were Calderon's military crackdown, in the world, which has been
involved in the operation which has seen some 49,000 developing highly recyclable lead
During the gunbattle, sailors extra troops deploy across -acid battery technology for over
went door to door to evacuate Mexico. 63 years.
r e s i d e n t s o f t h e u p m a r k e t Print Sponsor fivefilters.org featured article:
residential complex, AP reported. fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the
Drug gangs 'weakening' Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available
Mexico's authorities are battling century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
a wave of violence by drug gangs tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
fighting over smuggling routes to RSS, Term Extraction.
the US.
72 Popular News/ Economy/ E-reader News Edition
POLICE:
Iraq rebels 'hack into US drones' continued from page 64

new outlook. Below his left ear, receiver Chad Ochocinco said.
(BBC News | Americas | that data because their PC is only video, there was no evidence that in flowing one-inch script, was "My grandma always says you
World Edition) watching for what they want. they were able to jam electronic the world "Blessed." never question the man upstairs
Submitted at 12/17/2009 10:04:41 AM
However, SkyGrabber signals from the aircraft or take "I kind of felt like I dug myself on decisions he makes. Everyone
eavesdrops on all the data being control of them. out of the hole and started doing makes mistakes, but I don't see
Insurgents in Iraq have hacked downloaded over a link and turns The unnamed official said the the right things," Henry said in an how Chris was supposed to go
into live video feeds from it back into whole files. US defence department had interview with The Associated already, especially when he was
unmanned American drone The way that data is sent over addressed the issue by working to Press as training camp opened. on the right path. Other than that,
aircraft, US media reports say. the net makes it very easy for encrypt all video feeds provided "People say, 'How you feeling he's going to be missed."
Shia fighters are said to have anyone to reconstruct files. by drones in Iraq, Afghanistan now Chris? You doing all right?' ___
used off-the-shelf software SkyGrabber has proved popular and Pakistan. I just tell them I'm blessed. That's Associated Press Writer Mitch
programs such as SkyGrabber to because it has good filters that let Predator drones can fly for why I got it." Weiss and AP Sports Writer Joe
capture the footage. people sort the types of files, several hours, remotely He caught a touchdown pass in Kay in Cincinnati contributed to
The hacking was possible mp3, wmv, jpg they want to get. controlled by pilots thousands of each of Cincinnati's four this report.
because the remotely flown It also knows about many miles away. The aircraft can preseason games. A thigh injury fivefilters.org featured article:
planes have an unprotected different satellites and can be re- carry out surveillance and attack slowed him early in the season, Normalising the crime of the
communications link. tuned to look at other data targets with on-board missiles. and he had 12 catches for 236 century by John Pilger. Available
Obtaining such video feeds streams - such as those coming Pentagon spokesman Bryan yards — his 19.7-yard average tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
could provide insurgents with from drones. Whitman said the US military per catch leads the team — when RSS, Term Extraction.
information about sites the The downside is that continually evaluated the he broke his left arm during a
military might be planning to SkyGrabber users only get what technologies it used and quickly win over Baltimore on Nov. 22,
target. other people want. corrected any potential problems ending his season.
Anyone downloading via a wire The breach of the Pentagon it discovered. "He was doing everything right,"
only shares that net link with a surveillance system's security is "There's potential vulnerabilities
few neighbours. By contrast, said to have come to light when in all of our systems," he said.
anyone using a satellite net footage shot by a Predator drone Print Sponsor
connection effectively shares all was found on the laptop of an fivefilters.org featured article:
the data they are getting with apprehended Iraqi insurgent. Normalising the crime of the
everyone in the area covered by a A senior Pentagon official is century by John Pilger. Available
satellite. quoted as saying that although tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
Those other people do not see militants were able to view the RSS, Term Extraction.

Bernanke faces Republican problem

(Financial Times - US
homepage)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:19:10 AM
Another Republican swing vote
that looked as if it was up for
grabs has just gone against
Bernanke - Kay Bailey
Hutchison. Bernanke can rely on
Republicans Bob Corker and
Judd Gregg. But with David
Vitter also saying he does not
want to proceed before there is
more information on AIG - and
hardcore opponents Jim Bunning
and Jim De Mint guaranteed No
votes - that looks like at least half
the Republican group on the
commitee against by my
calculations.
This follows an earlier blow for
Fed chairman Ben Bernanke -
Richard Shelby, the ranking
Republican on the Senate
Banking Committee, will vote
against Bernanke’s
reconfirmation for a second term.
I think that could mean half or
more of the Republicans say no.
Bernanke should still win the
vote, but a Republican revolt is a
problem. A narrow mandate
would not stop him doing what
he wants as Fed chief - but it
would weaken his hand further in
the political debate about reforms
that would weaken the Fed’s
powers and independence. Plenty
to worry about here.
Tags: bernanke, fed
December 17, 2009 3:54pm in
North America, federal reserve|
Comment
fivefilters.org featured article:
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century by John Pilger. Available
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RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition Popular News/ Media/ 73

Colombia rebel groups 'to unite' MediaDailyNews:

(BBC News | Americas |
World Edition)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:27:01 AM
The head of the Colombian
armed forces, Gen Freddy
Padilla, was dismissive of the
in urban areas. It is thought to
have some 1,500 fighters.
It is not clear to what extent the
Fuller 'Can Dream'
news.
Two of Colombia's biggest rebel "This alliance is impossible," he
groups have announced they said. "They dispute territory to
two groups can put aside their
differences.
"Now they have something in
Cross-Platform
(MediaPost | Media News) devices. Clear Channel has
intend to unite to fight the control drug-trafficking and have common, that they have been access to a national audience of
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:10:10 AM
country's security forces. killed one another in the south seriously diminished by Uribe," more than 100 million people on-
The Revolutionary Armed (of the departments of) Bolivar Mauricio Romero, a political The creator of "American Idol" air each week and 30 million
Forces of Colombia (Farc) and and Arauca." analyst, told Reuters. is starting up a new digital people on its digital properties
the National Liberation Army Farc has in the past tried to But he sees their union as largely distributed talent show and will monthly.
(ELN) said they were "on our absorb ELN, although the smaller symbolic. take one of the "Idol" sponsors Using MySpace, prospective
way towards working for unity". group proved to be stronger than The Farc has suffered several with him. talent will uploading videos
Farc and the smaller ELN have expected, beating back the Farc defeats at the hands of S i m o n F u l l e r ' s n e w explaining why they deserve to
deep ideological differences and in several areas. conservative President Alvaro entertainment series "If I Can be featured as part of the audition
have fought each other in some New path Uribe's security forces. Dream" will focus on five young process.
regions. The Farc is Colombia's oldest Now under new leadership, it is people striving to make their Ford Motor Company is
Together they could be a and largest left-wing rebel group. steering a new path, and allying mark on the entertainment partnering with "Dream" to
significantly greater danger to the It was once thought to have some itself with former enemies to try industry. The series debuts in create a marketing buzz for the
state, says the BBC's Jeremy 16,000 fighters, but reports to recover lost ground, our early 2010. its new Ford Fiesta in 2011. An
McDermott. suggest it now has about 9,000. correspondent says. The show will be distributed initial social media effort has
The surprise announcement was The group is rurally-based and Print Sponsor thorugh online, mobile and radio generated over 675,000 flickr
made on a website known for its finances itself through drug fivefilters.org featured article: platforms with Hulu.com, Clear views and 5.5 million YouTube
links with the Farc. trafficking. Normalising the crime of the Channel and MySpace as its views, so far.
"Our only enemy is North The ELN was formed in 1965 by century by John Pilger. Available main distribution partners. Ford PepsiCo will develop new
American Imperialism and its intellectuals inspired by the tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text Motor Co, one of the three big integrated partnerships for a
oligarchic lackeys," the statement Cuban revolution and liberation RSS, Term Extraction. "Idol" sponsors, will sponsor number of its brands -- as yet
said, a reference to the US which theology. It is regarded as being "Dream. So will PepsiCo. unannounced. The beverage
supplies aid and training to the more ideological than the Farc H u l u . c o m w i l l s t r e a m a n company's Pepsi Refresh Project
Colombian security forces. and has succeeded in recruiting exclusive episode of "Dream" will be a part of the effort, where
each week, as well as running people are encourage to submit
highlights and other content. ideas that will lead to positive
Clear Channel Radio will serve change.
to market the event through its fivefilters.org featured article:
r a d i o p e r s o n a l i t i e s a n d Normalising the crime of the
discussions with its audience. century by John Pilger. Available
"Dream" cast member stories will tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
air on Clear Channel's radio RSS, Term Extraction.
stations, online and on mobile
74 Popular News/ Economy/
Arrest in Brazil needle boy case
(BBC News | Americas |
World Edition)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 1:00:56 AM
Please turn on JavaScript. Media
requires JavaScript to play.
Some of the needles may have to
stay there for good
A Brazilian toddler has been
found with some 40 needles
inside him, which police say his
stepfather inserted during a
possible "black magic" ritual.
Police said Roberto Carlos
Magalhaes has confessed to
sticking the sewing needles into
the two-year-old boy, who is in
intensive care at a hospital.
Mr Magalhaes said his mistress
had told him to ritually kill the
child to take revenge on his wife.
Doctors are set to begin
operating on Thursday to remove
some of the needles.
The toddler was taken to hospital
in the north-eastern Bahia state
by his mother, complaining of
stomach pains and vomiting.
X-rays showed scores of sewing
needles inside his neck, torso and
legs. At least one had punctured a
London as a financial centre: Foul-weather friends
(The Economist: News
analysis)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 10:33:35 PM
London as a financial centre
Dec 17th 2009 | HONG KONG, economy. Then the American
LONDON AND NEW YORK
From The Economist print Regulation Q and the Interest
edition How London risks losing Equalisation Tax, two measures
its global appeal
lung, another his liver.
'Revenge attack'
Police said Mr Magalhaes had
broken down and confessed after
being arrested.
"He did that for revenge, to get
back at his wife," the police chief
in the town of Ibotirama, Helder
Fernandes Santana, was quoted
as saying by AFP news agency.
"His mistress told him to kill the
child through a macabre ritual,"
Mr Santana said.
AT THE start of the 1960s
London’s status as a financial
centre was in gentle decline,
reflecting Britain’s waning
importance in the global
government helpfully imposed
that encouraged investors to hold
The boy's mother told police she
suspected the child had been the
victim of a black magic ritual
after she found suspicious objects
in the home she shared with Mr
Magalhaes - her husband of six
months - and her six children.
Doctors said most of the needles
would be removed, but not the
ones inside organs as their
removal could cause more
damage.
They said there were no signs of
a lot of their dollars offshore.
London became the centre of the
so-called Euromarket, attracting
more international banks than
New York.
Despite its terrible weather and
creaking transport infrastructure,
London has continued to punch
above Britain’s economic weight
as a financial centre. The city
E-reader News Edition
LONDON
continued from page 74
which runs a listed fund-of-hedge
-funds group. A special levy on
bankers’ bonuses announced
earlier this month has come on
top of a forthcoming 50% tax
rate on high earners, a charge on
the worldwide earnings of expats
living in Britain (also known as
“non-doms”), pension rules that
create marginal tax rates of over
100% and some unfriendly words
from Adair Turner, the head of
Britain’s financial regulator.
A poll of Bloomberg subscribers
in October found that Britain had
dropped behind Singapore into
third place as the city most likely
to be the best financial hub two
wounds on the boy. years from now. A survey of
Reports say the boy is in a e x e c u t i v e s t h i s m o n t h b y
serious condition, but that he has Eversheds, a law firm, found that
shown some improvement since Shanghai could overtake London
being admitted to hospital on within the next ten years.
Sunday. To those affected it is the
Print Sponsor arbitrary nature of the tax
fivefilters.org featured article: changes that has them rattled.
Normalising the crime of the “There has always been a belief
century by John Pilger. Available that Britain gets it,” says Simon
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text Ruddick of Albourne Partners, a
RSS, Term Extraction.
LONDON page 75
built up critical mass in legal, as the world’s financial centre
accounting and fund- was commonplace.
management expertise, and big That claim sounds rather hollow
American investment banks such now, thanks to a change in the
as Goldman Sachs steadily political and regulatory climate.
increased their presence. London “London’s position as a financial
is not just Europe’s dominant centre is now threatened,” says
financial hub (see chart). Before Robin Bowie of Dexion Capital,
the credit crunch, talk that LONDON page 74
London would replace New York
E-reader News Edition
LONDON
continued from page 74
hedge-fund consultancy. “By ‘it’
I mean the fact that any tax
gathered from the nomadic nom-
doms, itinerant hedge-fund
managers and overpaid bankers is
all fiscal manna from heaven.
Now that this truth has been un-
learned, there is the real fear and
strong expectation that it cannot
be relearned.”
So far, Heathrow has not been
packed with financiers fleeing the
country (if staff at British
Airways and Eurostar go on
strike, they may find it hard to
leave). But it takes time for
people to adjust their plans. A
survey of financial analysts in
September by the CFA Institute
found that 20% expected to leave
Britain over the next year.
British banks report that since
the bonus tax was announced,
overseas rivals have launched
aggressive attempts to poach staff
away, using lower taxes as a lure.
One French-born but London-
based entrepreneur says he has a
letter on his desk from the French
government, offering a cap on his
taxes if he brings his business
back home. He has not taken up
the offer but thinks it is “red
alert” time for London, which has
a large base of French
expatriates. Tullett Prebon, a
brokerage, is offering its staff the
chance to relocate out of Britain,
noting that many had expressed
concern about the “increased
uncertainty of the future tax
regime”.
Hedge funds, always the most
mobile of firms, are likely to be
in the vanguard of any exodus.
BlueCrest Capital Management, a
leading British hedge-fund
group, is establishing a Geneva
office. Odey Asset Management,
another hedge-fund titan, says it
is in the process of establishing a
Swiss operation in order to give
itself some options, although it is
unlikely that the whole operation
would leave Britain. “Taxation is
no longer being organised on the
basis of what maximises revenue
or creates the best set of
incentives,” says Nick Carn, an
Odey partner.
Driving the wealthy abroad may
satisfy a political need for
vengeance but could harm
taxpayers in the end. The British
government estimates that the top
1% of all taxpayers (many of
whom work in finance or related
industries) will pay 24.1% of all
income-tax revenues in 2009-10,
with the top 5% paying 43% of
the total. It is likely that such
taxpayers also pay a big
proportion of stamp duty, capital-
gains tax and inheritance tax. In
the decade before the crisis,
financial companies were paying
20-27% of all corporation-tax
receipts.
A big decline in tax revenues
would come not from the
departure of a few hedge-fund
managers, but from the loss of a
big bank. There is no sign of this
yet. The chief executive of HSBC
is moving his main office to
Hong Kong in February, but this
decision is for “strategic reasons”
and involves only 12-15 people.
The bank says there are “no
current plans” to move the
headquarters of the overall group.
But it may be wrong to assume
that no big bank would leave
Britain.
In a speech on December 14th
Bob Diamond, president of
Barclays, said it was worrisome
that Britain is “looking inward”
and added that the bonus tax “is
separate from what we agreed” at
the G20, where a code was drawn
up to push banks into paying
bonuses over much longer
periods, to discourage short-term
risk-taking. For every loser
If there were an exodus from
London, where might the
financiers go? The grass may not
necessarily be greener on the
other side of the Atlantic.
Congress is still pushing ahead
with reform of the finance
industry—the House of
Representatives passed its bill on
December 11th. Anger at Wall
Street bonuses is widespread. “I
did not run for office to be
helping out a bunch of fat-cat
bankers on Wall Street,” said
Barack Obama on December
13th. Kenneth Feinberg, the
administration’s pay tsar, has
imposed restrictions on firms that
have taken lots of government
cash. Others are having to show
more self-restraint: Goldman
Sachs has promised to pay
bonuses to its top 30 employees
purely in shares.
Asia will naturally become more
important as a financial centre,
given its economic power and its
role as the provider of global
savings. Much of that money is
directed at other emerging
markets and need not flow
through London or New York.
There is no big city in Asia that
does not have at least some
aspiration to become a financial
hub. Stymied by a small home
market, Kuala Lumpur dreams of
being a Mecca for Islamic
finance. Seoul and Tokyo say
they want to become regional
financial centres; Mumbai and
Shanghai say they want to
become global ones. Hong Kong
and Singapore, without size,
money or resources, have shown
what is possible: they are
crawling with international fund
managers and bankers, plus all
the accoutrements of accountants
and lawyers.
The success of these last two
places shows how important a
welcoming regulatory regime can
be. It also helps if near-
neighbours are far less
welcoming. London has
benefited from being perceived
as an outcrop of “Anglo-Saxon”
capitalism within the more
dirigiste European Union. This
difference has blurred. France
has said that it will follow
Britain’s lead in imposing a
75
bonus tax, while Greece has
promised a 90% levy (Athens is
not renowned as a global
financial hub). The heads of
Germany’s biggest banks and
insurers have agreed to
implement G20 rules on bonus
limits this year, ahead of the
official 2010 implementation
elsewhere, in what seemed a
clear move to head off political
pressure for a windfall tax like
Britain’s. Earlier this year Josef
Ackermann, the head of
Deutsche Bank, warned that
unilateral pay limits would leave
it unable to attract good staff.
Outside the EU, Switzerland is an
obvious threat.
Some of the complaints of
London’s financiers are special
pleading. It is easier to threaten
to leave the country than actually
to do so. But those threats should
not be taken lightly. The city’s
status as a financial centre is not
a God-given right.
Back to top ^^ Readers'
comments
The Economist welcomes your
views.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
76 Economy/
British Airways: Falling star
(The Economist: News
analysis)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 3:18:25 AM
British Airways
Dec 17th 2009
From The Economist print
edition Christmas woes for
British Airways, even though a
court orders that a strike is
cancelled
THERE was a time, a decade
ago, when British Airways (BA)
could credibly claim to be “the
world’s favourite airline”, as its
posters proudly affirmed. Not
any more. And certainly not to
those passengers who were
hastily booking alternatives to
their BA flights this week as the
threat of a long strike over
Christmas loomed. The walkout
was averted on Thursday
December 17th, but the
underlying problems that led to
the standoff remained
unresolved. Compounding the
woe came news of a series of two
-day strikes at Eurostar, the
passenger-train service under the
English Channel, and the
collapse of Flyglobespan, a
Scottish airline.
The dispute at BA centres on its
desire to cut costs by reducing
cabin staff on most flights and
limiting wage increases. The
airline’s pilots and engineers
have already accepted austerity
measures; cabin staff, notified of
the proposed changes in July, are
less inclined to compromise
(though some have taken
voluntary redundancy). On
December 14th Unite, the union
which represents almost all of the
company’s 13,500 cabin staff,
said they had voted
overwhelmingly to strike.
The next day BA applied to
London’s High Court for an
injunction to stop them. The
airline argued that Unite had not
polled its members correctly:
some votes were recorded from
people no longer employed by
BA, and the call for industrial
action did not specify the
intention to strike for 12
consecutive days precisely at
Christmas. Had members known
those details, fewer might have
supported a strike, BA argued.
The judge agreed, and ruled
against the strike.
Industrial disputes are not the
only issue bothering BA. More
than 20 years after privatisation,
it is still struggling with the
legacy of state ownership.
Grandfathered work practices
allow cabin crew to spend two
nights at a destination if the
itinerary has been disrupted,
which plays havoc when planes
are redirected because of bad
weather. According to the Civil
Aviation Authority, it costs BA
an average of £29,900 ($49,000)
in basic pay to employ a cabin
attendant, compared with
£20,200 for easyJet, the next-best
payer among British airlines. BA
staff work a maximum of 900
hours a year in the air, far fewer
than European Union guidelines
allow, and most can expect
generous pensions.
Willie Walsh, the airline’s
punchy Irish chief executive, was
appointed in 2005 to knock such
practices into competitive shape.
He is unlikely to yield much
ground to union militancy. It
seems that BA’s core
shareholders support him: the
share price hardly moved when
the strike was announced. Many
reckoned that the benefits of
BA’s restructuring outweighed
the likely damage from the
threatened strike. Estimates of
potential net revenue loss over
the 12 days ranged from £60m to
£160m, whereas the benefits of
restructuring were put by some
analysts at £60m a year.
Such numbers are in any event
small change compared with
other losses looming over the
company. BA is already expected
to report a pre-tax loss of at least
£400m in the year to March 31st,
and perhaps as much as twice
that sum. Its important North
American routes and business
have been hard hit by the
collapse in business-class travel.
This could bounce back quickly
with economic recovery in
America and, provided that cost
increases from environmental
measures are not too onerous, the
long-haul travel on which BA’s
profitability depends should
revive in time. But, like all
former national carriers in
Europe, it is facing devastating
competition on its short-haul
flights from low-cost airlines.
The only remedy may lie in
creating or teaming up with a low
-cost partner.
The planned merger with Iberia,
the Spanish airline, looked as if it
would be a winning combination
a year ago when it was first
mooted. Today it seems more
like a mutual rescue operation.
Both airlines’ national economies
are still in the doldrums; both
firms are struggling with costs
greater than their revenues. Iberia
seems unmoved by Mr Walsh’s
fight with the union. It is also
reasonably sanguine about BA’s
other big problem: its enormous
pension deficit. But according to
the merger memorandum signed
in November, Iberia can call off
the wedding if BA cannot reach a
satisfactory agreement with the
trustees of its two pension funds.
On December 14th the trustees
announced that they had
recalculated the deficit of the two
E-reader News Edition
funds at £3.7 billion, based on
March 31st valuations. BA is
currently making cash top-ups of
£131m a year. The Pensions
Regulator will help to determine
whether the trustees’ valuation is
adequate and what must be done
to plug the deficit. If BA has to
pay in a lot more cash, Iberia
could opt out of the merger.
Pension valuations are
notoriously susceptible to
assumptions, and BA’s deficit
could easily lurch between £1
billion and £8 billion.
Such uncertainties limit BA’s
options, as well as its
attractiveness to a merger
partner. Any spare cash that the
airline can generate should be
used to replace its fleet of 55
ageing Boeing 747s, which are
an average of five years away
from retirement. But how much
spare cash will BA have? Less,
after its dispute with cabin staff,
even though it won its case in
court.
Back to top ^^ Readers'
comments
The Economist welcomes your
views.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition
Europe.view: Looking to the stars
(The Economist: Daily
columns)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 8:18:12 PM
Europe.view
months has receded, leaving the
basic structure of economics and
politics in the region covered in
seaweed and shabby, but intact.
No government has fallen to the
Crimea. An EU-sponsored higher
education institution, cultural
centre and visa office would be a
powerful counterweight to
Russia's “soft power” efforts and
Economy/ Media/ 77
Research Brief: "Pay Per
View" Means What
Americans Want To
costs, foreign investment and
export-led growth is outdated Watch
too. The region has lost some of
(MediaPost | Media News)
its competitiveness. And it
should not aim to stay only as a Submitted at 12/17/2009 5:15:24 AM

Dec 17th 2009 temptations of economic autarky would signal EU commitment to low-cost provider of goods and
According to a new Synovate
From Economist.com A little and political populism: those Ukraine, even while the question services for the rich west.
study on which media are the
seasonal wisdom for the east messages are preached on the of membership is on hold. The best way to be taken
most effective in targeting
THE reindeer are straining at the s i d e l i n e s b y t h e l i k e s o f NATO may not send anything, seriously is to have something
Americans and their daily media
harness, the sledge is packed and H u n g a r y ’ s J o b b i k , b u t t h e barring some exercises in the new and interesting to say. The
habits, Americans can't live
snow is falling softly all over political mainstream remains Baltic next summer. It is ex-communist countries need to
without the internet, want to see
central and eastern Europe. So untouched. transfixed by the needs of show that their brainpower,
advertisements that are
what should Santa bring the That is cause for relief—and also Afghanistan, devoting its spare creativity and innovation deserve
innovative, and are open to new
region? gratitude. Some politicians have moments to examining its own a place at the top table. A big
technologies that monitor their
A wishlist is easily drafted. A put national interest above their navel. The best that can be hoped asset is that people in the region
media usage if privacy is
quick return to economic growth; own short-term popularity. for is that it does not weaken its are used to radical change in a
maintained.
a louder voice in the councils of Outsiders deserve thanks too, collective security guarantee by way that the old, tired countries
Steve Garton, Executive
international organisations such such as the European Bank for discussing it to death. of western Europe can hardly
Director of Synovate's media
as the European Union (and Reconstruction and Development What the region really imagine.
research group, said, "...
better decisions by them); more and the European Commission, needs—and only it can Europe needs that dynamism,
understanding the media
attention from the American which together with the IMF and provide—is a new account of innovation and flexibility more
channels that are important in
administration; a neighbourly some national governments itself. The great story of the past than ever. Please Santa, bring
consumers' everyday lives,
Russia. But such a list belongs in cobbled together deals that kept 20 years needs a new chapter. sharp pencils for the Christmas
marketers can derive valuable
the same category as childish the western-owned banks in the Many ex-communist countries thinkfest.
insights on where consumers are
scrawls in crayon, asking Father region from pulling the plug on have joined what were once Back to top ^^ Readers'
the most receptive to marketing
Christmas to bring a magic rabbit their stricken local subsidiaries. “western” clubs such as the EU comments
communications."
and an invisibility cloak. Santa should reward them, just as and NATO. But “enlargement The Economist welcomes your
The cell phone has become an
In the real world, the best that he delivers lumps of coal to those fatigue” means that the next lap views.
increasingly prevalent channel
the region can hope for is rather who have been less helpful. of EU expansion is likely to be fivefilters.org featured article:
for Americans to receive news
more limited. The top priority is Any presents from the new slow. And being in the club does Normalising the crime of the
and information, and the rise in
to hope that western Europe—the European Commission are likely not mean that you get taken century by John Pilger. Available
smart phones has increased
main export market for the t o b e i l l - c h o s e n a n d seriously: almost every top job in tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
mobile marketing and advertising
region—does not plunge into disappointing. But one big and the EU, NATO and other big RSS, Term Extraction.
efforts. 35% percent of people in
another, deeper recession. The practical offering would be a outfits is held by westerners.
the US say they cannot live
financial tsunami of the past 12 b e e f e d - u p E U p r e s e n c e i n The virtuous circle of low labour
without their cell phones, but as
their use of mobile devices has
grown, their attitude towards
increased mobile marketing is
still a bit hesitant. 39% of
Americans feel the amount of ads
they see now are sufficient, while

RESEARCH page 78
78
RESEARCH
continued from page 77
54% say they would not accept
more ads via their mobile devices
even if paid to do so.
58% of Americans say they can't
live without the Internet, the
highest response across all 11
markets surveyed. However,
even though 56% of people in the
US say there are too many ads on
the Internet, and 41% say they
avoid websites with intrusive ads
more often than they did a year
ago, 52% are open to seeing
more ads on the Internet if paid
to do so.
Only 5% of Americans said they
could easily live without TV,
while 34% said they can't live
without it. Across all markets
surveyed, people, 68% globally
and 71% of Americans think
there are too many ads on TV.
The report suggests that this may
be why 48% of people globally
and 44% in the US say they skip
ads more often than they did a
year ago, by either turning down
the TV, changing the channel or
fast forwarding through
commercials.
However, 52% of Americans
also say they'd be willing to
watch the ads if paid to watch
them, such as through money off
their cable bill. The US was the
second highest market globally
that said this, after Spain at 57%.
Americans show less use of
social media to promote a brand
or ad compared to the rest of the
globe, says the study. 13% of
people globally, and 8% of
Americans, say they are
discussing ads with their friends
more than they did a year ago,
while 11% globally and 8% of
Americans are searching more
for ads online on the social
network.
68% of people globally, and
63% of Americans, say they have
never promoted a brand on their
social networking page, though
9% of Americans say they are
doing this more often compared
to a year ago. The number of
people following brands on
Twitter remains low, with only
5% of people globally and 4% of
Americans saying they've done
this.
In responding to the question "In
thinking about the ads you enjoy
the most, which characteristic is
most common in these ads?" the
variations of responses to this
question are enlightening, says
the report:
• Ads that are Innovative /
Unique are most well-received,
with more than one in five
(21%) of people globally and in
the US liking them
• Spontaneous / Playful (the
second most admired attribute),
liked by 16% of people
around the globe and 17% in the
US
• Optimistic / Happy
Straightforward (third most
admired), with 14% liking this
globally and 12% in the US
Garton said, "... the most popular
ads tap into this need of fun and
light-heartedness. People are
down and bored with the
negative news... and want
something upbeat to lift their
spirits."
E-reader News Edition
With regard for the potential for
behavioral marketing,
respondents were asked, "How
would you feel if websites and
TV channels developed
technology that monitored what
you use and watch so they would
only show ads on brands and
products they thought would
interest you?"
• 26% globally, and 32% of
Americans, say they would like
this technology if none of the
data could identify them
• An additional 35% of
Americans aren't convinced they
couldn't be individually
identified, so they aren't
interested in this technology at all
For more information from
Synovate, please visit them here.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition
TV Watch: Time Warner and Fox
Should Give Viewers The Real
Bottom-Line, A-La-Carte Score
(MediaPost | Media News)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:30:36 AM
Concerned about the ratings for
"American Idol"'s new season,
starting this January? Now add
this worry to the mix: What
might happen if 14 million U.S.
viewers find out they have no
access to the most-watched show
on network television next
month?
This could be the scenario
should News Corp. and Time
Warner Cable's testy negotiations
explode into a full-blown war --
one that could result in 15 Fox-
owned stations being dropped.
(The Fox network comprises 27
Fox-owned TV stations and 150-
plus affiliate stations.)
The contract is due to end Dec.
31. The expiring agreement
includes carriage for other
networks, including FX and Fox
Sports regional networks.
News Corp. wants a bold $1 a
cable subscriber per month,
believing that its stations are
worth at least as much -- if not
more -- than many cable
networks. Top cable network,
ESPN, for example, gets $4 a
subscriber. Recent estimates were
that new retrans deals could give
broadcast TV stations some 50
cents a subscriber.
NBC and CBS executives are
keenly watching this battle, and
could alter the strategies for their
own future retransmission
negotiations. All broadcast
networks believe their financial
models need to change --
radically - for them to survived.
Time Warner has been doing
some unusual marketing to get
ahead of the typical bad PR
effects that happen with these
negotiations. Under its
RollOverOrGetTough.com, it
tries not to finger-point any bad
guys in this battle. Rather, it asks
customers for ideas.
All this in preparation for those
phone calls and emails when
Time Warner customers can't get
to see those early-round results of
singing knuckleheads on "Idol,"
or that late-fourth-quarter playoff
game comeback by a NFL team
for its NFL Sunday game
coverage.
The real question Time Warner
-- and, to a lesser extent, News
Corp. -- isn't asking customers is
this: What does a particular show
mean to you, right now, on a
Sunday afternoon in January, or a
Tuesday evening in February?
As an experiment, Time Warner
should offer up a multiple-choice
question as an experiment to give
cable subscribers some
perspective: What would you
pay to watch "Idol" for a
particular evening? $1.99?
$2.99? 50 cents?
Viewers might not bite -- or
perhaps take it the wrong way,
especially when they are already
paying $75 a month for hundreds
of channels of TV programming,
most of it stuff they don't view
regularly.
But it would give customers
more to think about when
deciding how they want video
programming packaged -- and
how much to pay for it -- in the
future.
A la carte programming,
anyone? Or perhaps a fuller,
more-costly TV meal?
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
Media/ PopSci/ 79
First Nanotube Circuit
Created, Paves Way For
Better Chips
By Stuart Fox (Popular
Science - New Technology,
Science News, The Future
Now)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:15:21 AM
A computer chip using nanotube
circuitry can run much faster than
a regular silicon chip, for a
fraction of the cost, but no one
has been able to effectively string
together two nanotube
transistors, let alone the
thousands needed for a chip.
Until now: researchers at
Stanford University have built
the first nanotube circuits, by
stamping multiple layers of
nanotubes on top of one another.
The stamping method involves researchers managed to create a
using metal electrodes to guide calculator that stores numbers
the nanotubes into place. In and performs simple operations.
effect, rather than laying down A record, to be sure, but no
circuitry one tube at a time, this where near the 100-plus
new technique embeds a mess of nanotubes per micrometer needed
nanotubes at once, and then to compete with modern silicon
etches away the unwanted tubes. chips.
This bulk method saves time, and The scientists suspect they can
allows for more complex reach that density within 10
circuitry. years, at which point the carbon
So far, the Stanford scientists nanotube chips will dissipate heat
have produced three-dimensional better, run faster, and cost less,
circuits with five to ten than regular silicon chips.
nanotubes per micrometer. At [ Technology Review]
that level of complexity, the
80 E-reader News/ E-reader News Edition

Sony partners with News Corp. to offer WSJ, NY Post,

MarketWatch on e-readers (ZDNet)
(Yahoo! News Search Results with Dow Jones, to have The
for e-readers) Wall Street Journal, the New Free 14-day trials are available
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:02:25 AM
York Post and a variety of other for all of the packages.
exclusive Dow Jones information posted by Andrew Nusca
Latest Post| Last 10 Posts| available wirelessly on the December 17, 2009 @ 7:46 am
Archives Reader Daily Edition underscores Previous Post: Google Earth:
Previous Post: Google Earth: our belief in the critical value of Coming to an Audi A8 near you
Coming to an Audi A8 near you content, and the devices that can Next Post: BlackBerry users hit
Next Post: BlackBerry users hit deliver it with ease and integrity by outage Last 10 posts:
by outage Sony partners with to users everywhere." • BlackBerry users hit by
News Corp. to offer WSJ, NY outage(12-17)
Post, MarketWatch on e-readers Users of the 7-inch,$399 • Sony partners with News Corp.
Posted in: resistive touchscreen Daily to offer WSJ, NY Post,
• Ebook Edition e-reader will receive MarketWatch on e-readers (12-
• Sony wireless 3G delivery of content 17)
from the Journal, Post and • Google Earth: Coming to an
Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer MarketWatch. It's also the first Audi A8 near you(12-17)
a n d W a l l S t r e e t J o u r n a l digital foray for the New York • Will Google become a
managing editor Robert Thomson Post, a popular New York City hardware company in 2010?(12-
o n T h u r s d a y a n n o u n c e d a tabloid newspaper. 17)
partnership between Sony and • Facebook's audience is diverse
Dow Jones & Company to offer The publishers said they will (and ready to be carved up for
the Journal and New York Post jointly market the devices with technology to adopt compared to • The Wall Street Journal PLU
advertisers)(12-17)
a non e-Ink device such as S: The daily newspaper plus a
on Sony's new Daily Edition Sony. • IDC: Global PC market to
Apple's iPod touch, which has supplementary bulletin delivery
Reader e-book reader. The grow at double-digit clip through
free applications for both the after the close of the markets,
announcement comes seven The decision to exclusively 2013(12-17)
Times and the Journal, as well as will cost $19.99 per month.
months after The New York partner is a curious one. While it • Can RIM keep up with Apple
Times Co. announced a deal with makes sense from a financial several other popular papers and • MarketWatch Today: A digest
and Android?(12-17)
news outlets such as USA Today, of the day's most important
Amazon for its Kindle family of standpoint, the moves make it • TR Dojo: Five cool Microsoft
Financial Times, Bloomberg, feature stories and analysis from
e-readers, drawing a line in the nearly impossible for a consumer applications that are free(12-17)
CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, Time MarketWatch.com, it will cost
sand between two of the nation's who reads both papers (highly • News to know: Real-time
and Newsweek. $10.99 per month.
most read d a i l y likely) to read their content on a search; Apple-Psystar; FTC-Intel;
newspapers."Sony is a world single e-reader. • New York Post: Daily news,
AT&T; EU-Microsoft(12-17)
The companies said the content gossip and sports will cost $9.99
leader in bringing together • Momentum behind AT&T
will be available soon in Sony's per month.
c o n t e n t a n d t e c h n o l o g y t o It also excludes that content protest grows to point of
Reader Store.
provide the richest and most from other e-readers, such as the becoming pointless(12-16)
The Wall Street Journal digital
rewarding experience for the Barnes & Noble Nook and
consumer," Stringer said in Plastic Logic Que. Prices are as follows: edition and MarketWatch Today
more Posts (Archives)
prepared remarks. • The Wall Street Journa l digital will be available in the next few
WordPress Mobile Edition
e d i t i o n w i l l b e d e l i v e r e d days. The Wall Street Journal
Furthermore, the moves make e-
wirelessly each morning for PLUS and New York Post will SONY page 81
"Our announcement, together r e a d e r s a m o r e d i f f i c u l t
$14.99 per month. be available in January.
E-reader News Edition E-reader News/ Gallup Poll/ 81

Gartner sees e-readers booming in 2010 (EE

Times Asia)
(Yahoo! News Search Results differentiation points are support for example, could migrate the be the lowest price for fully
for e-readers) for E Ink's electronic paper more than 500 book applications featured e-reading devices for the
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:53:55 AM
technology, support for further
book formats, and the ability of
in the iTunes store to a tablet
device and Google, which
2009 shopping season, but
Gartner analysts said that prices
Palin’s Favorable Up
Gartner Inc. reports that 2009 is some devices to allow consumers recently announced a browser- will need to drop closer to $99 to Slightly; Obama’s
likely to be remembered as a to purchase content wirelessly based e-reader, could offer gain significant consumer Holds Steady
watershed year in the evolution and to synchronize content across applications for Android-based traction.
of e-books and e-readers. The devices." devices of various form factors." Longer-term, Weiner believes (All Gallup Headlines)
year saw several milestones and Weiner said that while fixed There are a number of hurdles that the future is bright for e- Submitted at 12/16/2009 8:00:00 PM
product launches standing out as devices that are built solely for that need to be overcome before e readers and advised publishers to
catalysts for change in the reading, such as Amazon's -readers can become more be bullish in the digital PRINCETON, NJ -- After the
market. However, Gartner said Kindle and Sony's family of mainstream, such as e-books distribution of e-books, release of her much-publicized
t h a t w h i l e t h e n u m b e r o f devices get most of the attention, needing a wider variety of retail newspapers and magazines. "It's autobiography and the ensuing
electronic readers sold is likely to book applications on smart channels, ranging from big box the perfect time for a trial and to book tour, Sarah Palin is still
increase in 2009, it expects 2010 p h o n e s a r e a n i m p o r t a n t retailers and wireless carrier establish relationships with viewed more unfavorably than
to be the year when e-book component of publishers' digital outlets to lifestyle stores such as others in the value-chain—that is favorably by Americans, though
readers will really become strategy. However, Gartner Brookstone. More publishers service providers and digital her favorable rating has improved
popular consumer electronic believes that it is too early in the must also be seen buying into e- warehouses—that can be slightly (now 44%, up from 40%
devices, culminating in e-reader evolution of the e-reading market readers. For example, there has positioned to assist in a rapid in October).
mania for the 2010 holiday to know whether smart phones been news about the success of e- deployment if the market takes While releasing a best-selling
season. will become powerful stand- book sales of Dan Brown's "The off earlier than anticipated," he autobiography may have had a
"With the entry of new players, alone devices for reading books Lost Symbol"; however other said. modest positive effect on views
such as Barnes and Noble, into or whether they will complement noted authors such as John fivefilters.org featured article: of her, it did not register quite the
the e-reader market and an other devices, such as fixed Grisham and J.K. Rowling do not Normalising the crime of the same impact as former first lady
increase in models from Amazon readers. have their works available as e- century by John Pilger. Available Hillary Clinton's book release
and Sony, consumers began to "Book applications for smart books. tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text appeared to in June 2003. Prior to
have choices in single-purpose e- phones have the potential to Gartner said that price will also RSS, Term Extraction. the publication of Clinton's
reading devices in 2009," said become a bridge to other devices play a leading role in the future memoir "Living History," 45% of
Allen Weiner, research VP at such as tablet readers and success of e-readers. At the Americans viewed her favorably
Gartner. "Among the product netbooks," said Weiner. "Apple, moment it appears that $199 will and 46% unfavorably. Those
ratings shifted to 53%
SONY favorable/43% unfavorable when
continued from page 80
the book was released, and
available at alexking.org. RSS, Term Extraction. remained above 50% for the next
powered by WordPress. three-plus years.
fivefilters.org featured article: Like Clinton, the former Alaska
Normalising the crime of the governor and 2008 Republican
century by John Pilger. Available vice presidential candidate is a
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text politically polarizing figure. Palin

PALIN’S page 82
82 PopSci/
PALIN’S
continued from page 81
is viewed favorably by 79% of
Republicans, 40% of
independents, and 21% of
Democrats. Since October,
Palin's ratings are up among both
Republicans and Democrats, but
are essentially flat among
independents.
Palin's future plans remain a
topic of much speculation, and
include the possibility that she
will seek the GOP presidential
nomination and challenge Barack
Obama for president in 2012. At
this point, Obama is the more
popular of the two. The Dec. 11-
13 USA Today/ Gallup poll finds
56% of Americans saying they
have a favorable view of the
president, with 42% viewing him
unfavorably.
Obama's favorable rating has
been steady since October, but
remains down significantly from
earlier this year. And his
favorables continue to exceed the
50% mark even as his approval
ratings have been below that
level for much of the past several
weeks.
The pattern of higher favorable
ratings than approval ratings has
been typical for presidents since
1993, when Gallup regularly
began tracking both measures.
The two measures generally
move together, with the favorable
rating the higher of the two. That
has been the case for Obama to
date.
The same pattern applied to
George W. Bush -- aside from
two measurements shortly after
9/11, when his approval rating
matched his favorable rating.
Throughout his presidency,
Bush's favorable rating exceeded
his approval rating by an average
of five points.
The notable exception to the
general historical pattern of
higher favorable than approval
ratings occurred in the latter part
of Bill Clinton's presidency, after
the Monica Lewinsky scandal
broke. Prior to late January 1998,
Clinton's favorable ratings
exceeded his approval ratings by
an average of six points. From
then until the end of his
presidency, however, Clinton's
approval ratings were eight
points higher than his favorable
ratings, on average.
Currently, Obama is viewed
positively by 91% of Democrats,
53% of independents, and 19%
of Republicans. All three party
groups give him slightly lower
marks for the job he is doing as
president.
Over the course of the year,
Obama's favorable rating has
fallen sharply among
Republicans, from 60% just
before he took office to 19% in
the current poll. Independents'
ratings of Obama have also
declined significantly, though to
a smaller degree than
Republicans'. Most of the decline
in independents' favorable ratings
of Obama occurred between July
and October. Democrats' ratings
have remained strong throughout
the year, generally in the 90%
range.
These changes generally mirror
the trends in Obama's approval
rating by party.
Bottom Line
Obama and Palin are arguably
the most prominent members of
the Democratic and Republican
Parties at the moment. While
Obama's popularity has sagged
over the course of the year, he
remains a more popular figure
than Palin, and continues to
receive higher favorable ratings
than overall job approval ratings.
Palin's recent book release and
the surrounding publicity seemed
to have a very modest effect on
how Americans view her, but on
balance the public still views her
more negatively than positively.
Sign up for Gallup e-mail alerts
or RSS feeds
Get Gallup news on Facebook
and Twitter
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone
interviews with 1,025 national
adults, aged 18 and older,
conducted Dec. 11-13, 2009. For
results based on the total sample
of national adults, one can say
with 95% confidence that the
maximum margin of sampling
error is ±4 percentage points.
Interviews are conducted with
respondents on land-line
telephones (for respondents with
a land-line telephone) and
cellular phones (for respondents
who are cell-phone only).
In addition to sampling error,
question wording and practical
difficulties in conducting surveys
can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion
polls.
fivefilters.org featured article:
Normalising the crime of the
century by John Pilger. Available
tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text
RSS, Term Extraction.
E-reader News Edition
Inside the Scene-
Stealing 3-D
Technology Behind
James Cameron's Avatar
By John Scott Lewinski
(Popular Science - New
Technology, Science News,
The Future Now)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 8:30:10 AM
James Cameron is stubborn. He
decided nearly a decade ago to
film his humans-versus-aliens sci
-fi adventure Avatar in 3-D, but
he refused to start production
until technology could convince
the viewer that he or she could
step through the screen and pick
up a bow alongside the Na’vi, the
film’s 10-foot-tall, blue, cat-
faced alien protagonists. To give
scenes realistic depth, Cameron,
who brought a computer-
generated liquid-metal T-1000 to
life in Terminator 2, and camera
whizzes Vince Pace and Patrick
Campbell built the Pace/Cameron
Fusion Camera System to capture
images the same way as a human
eye does. Cameron then used a
virtual camera to walk—or
fly—around in the virtual world
to record any shot of the Na’vi
that he wanted and combined that
INSIDE page 83
E-reader News Edition
INSIDE
continued from page 82
with the real-life footage. Here, a
guide to making the most
convincing 3-D film yet.
Build The Stage: Courtesy Mark
Fellman/Twentieth Century Fox
How James Camerson Made a
Truly Lifelike 3-D Movie
1. Build the Stage
An array of 72 to 96 cameras,
depending on the size of the set,
hang around the perimeter of a
sound stage and are configured in
a grid. Later, a computer replaces
the studio walls, floor and ceiling
with digitally rendered three-
dimensional environments and
structures. The grid is also
marked on the floor to provide
reference within this virtual
world.
2. Capture Motion
Actors, weapons and props
marked with reflective dots move
around the stage while the
camera grid tracks only the dots.
A computer records the dots’
movement, triangulates their
location, and assembles these
data points into wire-frame
skeletons that in Avatar will be
“dressed” with computer-
generated Na’vi bodies.
3. Shoot in 3-D
Capture Motion: Courtesy Mark
Fellman/Twentieth Century Fox
Next Cameron films the flesh-
and-blood characters in 3-D so
that they will look at home
alongside the Na’vi in the virtual
3-D world. Older 3-D tech used
two cameras mounted side by
side to create a left eye/right eye
effect. Because of their bulk,
those cameras were placed far
apart and could shoot only
straight ahead. The Fusion
Camera System has two cameras,
but by using small high-
definition digital image sensors,
the lenses can sit closer together
than your pupils. The line of
sight of the lenses is adjustable so
that, during a shot, they can be
angled closer together to focus on
nearby objects, or farther apart
for those in the distance, just as
your eyes do. The system
combines the images into a single
image with realistic depth.
4. Climb into the Movie
After a computer inserts the
motion-capture performances
into the digital environment,
Cameron carries a virtual
camera—an LCD display with
buttons and grips similar to a
videogame controller—onto the
set. As he moves, radio and
optical detectors track the
camera’s location and relay it to
computers offstage, which render
the virtual world as viewed from
that vantage and send it to the
tablet. This allows Cameron to
walk through the virtual action to
record any shot he wants—he can
even set the vantage point to take
shots that would require a crane
or helicopter. Later, the 3-D
footage of human characters can
be added to these scenes.
5. Watch It
At RealD 3-D shows, a projector
alternately displays the left-eye
and right-eye images, each in an
oppositely circular polarized
direction, 144 times per second.
Polarized glasses ensure that each
eye sees only the image meant
for it.
Climb Into the Movie: Courtesy
Mark Fellman/Twentieth Century
Fox PopSci Interview: James
Cameron
Behind the 3-D magic is a
director who won’t let even the
laws of physics get in the way of
an epic story
Science Advisers are Annoying:
Related Articles How Not to
Make a 3D movie Big Movie
Uses Tiny Subs to Probe the
Titanic How Hannah Montana
Could Help Change the Future of
Movie Theaters Tags
Technology, Feature, 3-D,
Avatar, cgi, high-definition,
interviews, James Cameron,
January 2010, movies I have just
enough of a science background
to get me in trouble. When I’m
writing, I’m thinking: What can
cause a mountain to float? Well,
if it was made out of an almost-
pure room-temperature
superconductor material, and it
was in a powerful magnetic field,
it would self-levitate. This has
actually been demonstrated on a
very small scale with very strong
magnetic fields. Then my
scientists said, “You’ll need
magnetic fields that are so
powerful that they would rip the
hemoglobin out of your blood.”
So I said, “Well, we’re not
showing that, so we may just
have to diverge a little bit from
what’s possible in the physical
universe to tell our story.”
But Sometimes Scientists are
Useful:
I wanted to put Pandora in the
Alpha Centauri star system, but
we haven’t found any large
planets there. One of my
astrophysicists said, “Well, if a
planet’s ecliptic was inclined at
60 degrees to our line of sight,
then the Doppler method would
not work because the planet
would perturb [the star] Alpha
Centauri A or B on a different
axis, and so we wouldn’t be able
83
to see it. You wouldn’t be able to
see it using the transit method,
either.” So there might be planets
there. But you can only have
stable orbits out to about 230
million miles from Alpha
Centauri A, so your planets have
to be close in, blah blah blah. So
we went through the steps of
creating two possible solar
systems there, because it’s a
binary star, and gussied it up with
technical research.
Audiences Will Like it Anyway:
My goal was to tell an epic story
with visual power and to impress
the crap out of the audience, like
my goal is every time I make a
movie. When it comes to the
science behind the camera, what
it took to produce the images—I
think the viewer likes the idea
that they’re being shown
something new, but I don’t think
they really care how you did it. I
mean, I’m happy to talk about it,
but I don’t think it sells the damn
ticket.
84 PopSci/
Robotic Insects Could Pollinate Flowers and Find
Disaster Victims
By Corey Binns (Popular
Science - New Technology,
Science News, The Future
Now)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:03:47 AM
Teamwork among honeybees
keeps a hive running smoothly.
Worker bees collect pollen, nurse
bees care for larvae, and male
drones spread the colony’s genes.
Each insect’s efforts ensure the
colony’s success. That strategy
led Gu-Yeon Wei to suggest that
Rob Wood morph an almond-
size robotic fly he had developed
into a fleet of autonomous bees,
each capable of carrying out
specialized tasks. Perhaps, they
speculated, the “RoboBees”
could supplement the pollinating
duties of bees stricken by a
mysterious affliction that’s killed
36 percent of America’s 2.4
million hives. If you build the
bee body, Wei told Wood, I can
make the brain.
Wood could tweak his fly’s
flight system so that the RoboBee
could lift off and hover in place
like real bees do, but he and Wei,
both electrical engineers at
Harvard University, knew they
would need help replicating a
bee’s other traits. So they
recruited biologists to advise
them on bee behavior and a
materials scientist to develop a
small rechargeable fuel cell.
Computer scientists joined to
write software to coordinate the
colony’s actions, and Wei began
designing a microprocessor that
can crunch data from multiple
sensors. Last fall, the team
earned a $10-million grant from
the National Science Foundation
to build a network of autonomous
bees.
In five years, the group hopes to
have dozens of RoboBees that fly
and coordinate with one another.
Down the road, the ’bots could
monitor environmental hazards
or search for survivors after a
natural disaster. Collaboration is
key for bees and the scientists,
Wood says: “No one bee would
be successful with these missions
on its own. The same is true for
us.” Here, a look at how a hive of
RoboBees might operate. How
RoboBees Pollinate an Orchard
STEP 1: Establish Home Base
A farmer sets up a mobile
RoboBee “hive.” In the future, an
autonomous robot could haul the
hive from field to field.
STEP 2: Survey the Landscape
Scout RoboBees leave the hive
first and use their ultraviolet
sensors to locate the same UV
patterns on flower petals that real
bees look for. Cameras on the
E-reader News Edition
Scientists Decode
Entire Genetic
Code of Cancer
By Jeremy Hsu (Popular
Science - New Technology,
Science News, The Future
Now)
Submitted at 12/16/2009 2:44:00 PM
And cigarette smokers get a free
mutation in every pack
In a major step toward
understanding cancer, one of the
biggest problems bedeviling
modern medicine, scientists have
now cracked the genetic code for
two of the most common cancers.
This marks just the beginning of
an international effort to catalog
all the genes that go wrong
among the many types of human
cancer, the BBC reports.
Too much time spent under the
sun apparently leads to most of
the 30,000 mutations contained
within the DNA code for
bee’s head record landmarks melanoma, or skin cancer.
underneath the bee to give it a Outside experts told the BBC that
sense of where and how far it has no previous study has managed
traveled. to link specific mutations to their
STEP 3: Make a Map causes.
The scouts return to the hive to Wellcome Trust scientists also
recharge and upload flower found more than 23,000 errors in
locations to a central computer, the lung cancer DNA code, with
which maps the entire orchard as most caused by cigarette smoke
more scouts report in. exposure. A typical smoker
STEP 4: Get Pollinating might get one new mutation,
Worker bees, outfitted with possibly harmless but also
f e w e r s e n s o r s a n d b i g g e r possibly a cancer trigger, for
batteries for longer trips, head every 15 cigarettes that they
directly for the flowers, picking smoke.
u p p o l l e n f r o m o n e a n d The new cancer maps could lead
delivering it to others.
SCIENTISTS page 86
E-reader News Edition
Insurgents Hack Predator Video Feed With $26
Software
By Stuart Fox (Popular
Science - New Technology,
Science News, The Future
Now)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 7:45:26 AM
The use of drone aircraft for
surveillance and bombing has
transformed how the US wages
war -- a fact not lost on our
cunning adversaries. Rather than
just sit around, waiting for the
next Predator missile strike,
insurgents in Iraq have devised a
way to intercept the video feed
from drone sensors, giving them
the same view as the drone's
operator. And they did it with a
$26 piece of software.
According to The Wall Street
Journal, Shiite militias in Iraq
have used SkyGrabber, a piece of
software developed in Russia for
pirating satellite TV signals, to
intercept the data feed from US
drones. And while they haven't
been able to hack into the drone
to take control, this development
helps neutralize one of America's
key technological advantages.
The hacking takes advantage of
the aging network that the drone
feeds travel through. Created
over a decade ago, the military
data network uses drastically out
of date encryption. Updating the
encryption requires the
production of entirely new
hardware, and the military
decided to forgo encryption
upgrades to save money and
production time, and to ease the
sharing of information across
military services and between US
allies.
US intelligence became aware of
the problem when agents found
videose from Predator drones
saved on captured insurgent
laptops. According to senior
officials who spoke to The Wall
Street Journal, seized laptops
contained what amounts to days
of footage. To get an idea of what
that footage looked like, you can
watch our annotated video of a
Predator drone missile strike.
The military claims that they are
working to fix the problem, but
that a great deal of insecurity
remains. Additionally, new
evidence indicates that the skills
to compromise US drone feeds
has migrated to Afghanistan, as
well. The spread to Afghanistan
may cause the US even more
trouble than in Iraq, as the US
uses drone in Afghanistan and
Pakistan far more frequently than
they do in Iraq.
And while The Wall Street
Journal blames Iran for teaching
the insurgents how to conduct
this counter-intelligence
operation, I have a hunch that the
Iraqis were just trying to
download a bootleg copy of
Avatar, and simply snatched the
wrong file. Torrents can be tricky
like that.
[ The Wall Street Journal]
PopSci/ 85
First Commercial 3-D
Bioprinter Fabricates
Organs To Order
By Stuart Fox (Popular
Science - New Technology,
Science News, The Future
Now)
Submitted at 12/17/2009 9:55:01 AM
The problem with organ
transplants is that the organ has
to come from someone else.
Since most people rather fancy
their hearts and lungs, getting any
organ other than a kidney usually
requires the difficult combination
of donor consent and timely
death. In an attempt to
circumvent that limitation, the
engineering company
engineering firm Invetech teamed
up with the medical company
Organovo to produce the first
commercial 3-D bio-printer.
The device, which works like a 3
-D fabricator, builds organs up
one layer of cells at a time.
Instead of using melted plastic or
ink, the printer uses different
cells based on the recipient's own
body, thus significantly lowering
the chance of organ rejection. For
some of the more complex
organs, the printer lays the cells
over a pre-made scaffold.
FIRST page 86
86
SCIENTISTS
continued from page 84
to better blood tests for
diagnosing the respective
cancers, as well as better targeted
drugs. Blood tests might even
reveal the DNA patterns that
suggest cancer lies on the
horizon.
Related Articles Multi-Tasking
Nanoparticle Diagnoses and
Fights Cancer Simultaneously
Hideous Rodent May Provide
Cure For Cancer UCSB
Scientists Create Cancer-
Stopping Nanoparticle-and-Laser
Treatment Wellcome Awards:
The Most Stunning Medical
Images of 2009 Tags Science,
Jeremy Hsu, cancer care, cancer
maps, cancer treatments, cancers,
codes, dna, genes, lung cancer,
melanoma, mutations, skin
cancer The International Cancer
Genome Consortium still expects
to spend hundreds of thousands
of dollars in cracking the code of
the many human cancers. The
U.S. has the job of studying
cancers of the brain, ovary and
pancreas, while the UK examines
breast cancer. China is tasked
with decoding stomach cancer,
Japan is focused on liver cancer,
and India has taken a crack at
mouth cancer.
This painstaking research can
only help futuristic treatment
efforts, such as nanoparticle-
targeted lasers and do-it-all
nanoparticles that can track, tag
and kill cancer cells. But those
cancer-resistant mole rats should
still count their lucky stars.
[via BBC]
E-reader News Edition
FIRST
continued from page 85
The printer remains in an early it for the benefit of my taste buds.
testing phase, but Invetech and Perfectly marbled cut of bone-in
Organovo claim that the rib eye? I'll email you the specs --
technology will advance far just print it out when I'm done
enough to print out arteries and with my appetizer.
veins for bypass surgery within [ Gizmag]
five years, with complex organs
like a heart or a liver possible
within ten.
Naturally, these companies
created this device for the benefit
of mankind and human health,
but I'm looking forward to using