Category: News

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010

In the morning, the President and the Vice President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing and the Economic Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. Later, the President will meet with senior advisors in the Oval Office. These meetings are closed press.

In the afternoon, the President will welcome the World Series Champion New York Yankees to the White House to honor their 2009 season. Appearing at this event with the team will be Yankees coaches and staff. This event is open press.

Later the President and the Vice President will meet with Secretary of Defense Gates in the Oval Office. This meeting is Closed Press.

In the evening, the President will deliver remarks at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship at the Ronald Reagan Building. At his June 4, 2009, speech in Cairo, President Obama announced that the U.S. Government would host a Summit on Entrepreneurship to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations, and entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world. The President’s remarks will be streamed live on www.WhiteHouse.gov/live. The other sessions at the summit will be streamed live at www.state.gov/entrepreneurshipsummit. This event is pooled for TV and open to pre-credentialed correspondents and still photographers. The deadline to request credentials has passed.

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: ABC
Print: Washington Examiner
Radio: NPR

EDT

9:30AM Pool Call Time

9:30AM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:00AM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT receive the Economic Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:40AM THE PRESIDENT meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

3:00PM THE PRESIDENT welcomes World Series Champion New York Yankees to the White House.
South Portico
Open Press (Pre-set 2:00PM – Final Gather 2:30PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

4:30PM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT meet with Secretary of Defense Gates
Oval Office
Closed Press

6:00PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship
Ronald Reagan Building
Pooled TV, Open to pre-credentialed correspondents & still photographers (Pool Gather time 5:15PM- North Doors of the Palm Room)

Briefing Schedule

1:00PM Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

##

Ok, I’m headed over to talk to RIM and get some hands on time with the Pearl 9100 series and the Bold 9650.  Let’s have a live conversation!  What would you like me to ask them?  Post your questions in the comments section, and I’ll do my best to answer them and post back!

(This is “live,” but I have to walk over to another part of the hotel.  Bear with me!)

[JURIST] Thailand’s pro-government People’s Alliance for Democracy Network, known as “yellow shirts,” called Monday for a declaration of martial law to quell the anti-government movement spearheaded by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, or “red shirts.” The statement comes after over a month of conflict in Bangkok that has left more than 25 dead and nearly 1,000 injured in connection with increasingly violent anti-government protests. After an attack Sunday on a former premier’s home left 11 people injured, the reds dug into their fortified bunker in Bangkok in anticipation of government retaliation. Yellow shirt representatives have said that if the government will not crack down on the reds, the group is prepared to take action itself.
Last week, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that he is prepared to negotiate with red shirt protesters once they cease their illegal conduct. Thai courts have recently issued arrest warrants for several high-profile protesters, including high-ranking officials of the red shirt opposition, in connection with violent protests and an alleged break-in at Parliament. Internal divisions have been mounting steadily in Thailand since the 2006 ouster of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose progressive policies engendered the support of the poor rural class that largely constitutes the reds today. The yellows, primarily consisting of the urban middle-class, considered Shinawatra, and as well as the reds, disloyal to the monarchy. Because of the mounting violence, Abhisit has imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok and neighboring provinces.

The SMART Response product line offers five unique models that can meet the needs of a variety of learning environments, such as K–12, early education, special needs, advanced math and science and 1:1 learning environments.

No matter which SMART Response you select, you can easily create quizzes and deliver lessons from within SMART Notebook collaborative learning software, providing a consistent experience regardless of your classroom environment. And it’s easy to use because all necessary features are one click away.

Read more.

Tiger Woods apologist Jim Carrey joined Conan O’Brien onstage during his nationwide comedy tour stop in the City of Angels on Saturday night.

On the Los Angeles leg of his comedy tour this weekend, the late-night comic was greeted by surprise guest appearance by Carrey, who came dressed as a superhero. Wearing a Superman costume, joined the former Tonight Show host onstage to sing a duet of the song “Superman” by Five For Fighting. Both Conan and Jim posted a video of the show online for fans’ enjoyment, with O’Brien writing on his Team Coco: “If you missed last night’s show, A.) I feel sorry for you, and B.) here’s a little taste of the comedy magic that went down.”

Earlier this month, Conan confirmed that he will be returning to late-night TV on a new TBS series premiering in November.

Sunday, April 25th, 2010, I picked up several packages of CFL at my local Costco at a great price.  In fact the price made it close to impossible to pass up.

$0.99 bought a four pack of 13 Watt CFL  (60 Watt replacement) after instant rebate taken at the register.

$1.79 bought a four pack of 23 Watt CFL  (100 Watt replacement) after instant rebate taken at the register.

The package label indicates the 13 Watt last 13 times longer; save $369 per pack of 4.

The package label indicates the 23 Watt last 10 times longer; save $225 per pack of 4.

Nice deal – great way to save  on your electric bills. 

>>>>> Remember Home Depot collects CFL for safe recycling.

Via: Costcp LINK

Luke Timmerman wrote:

Pharmaceutical giant Novartis has exercised its right to buy 55,223 more shares of Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALNY), Alnylam said today in a statement. The purchases, for almost $1 million, allow Novartis to maintain a 13.4 percent ownership stake in the company, Alnylam said. The two companies began collaborating on RNA interference technology in 2005, and the collaboration has been extended to last through October 2010.

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UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

Last week Constantin Films got YouTube to pull almost all the Angry Hitler parody clips by using the website’s Content ID tracking system. The process is automatic, and YouTube immediately takes down a video once it’s been tagged. However, that also means you can use this system in reverse to get your clips back up, at least for as long as you’re in dispute with the copyright holder. Whether you do this or not will depend on how willing you are to risk a potential lawsuit later on.

Here’s how Content ID works. A content partner–Constantin Films in this case–uploads its content to YouTube to create a video and audio “fingerprint,” and then YouTube automatically scans user videos for matches. The copyright holder also sets up whatever rules it wants to use for taking clips offline.

After that, everything about the process is automatic. Unlike a DMCA takedown notice, which requires some human and legal involvement, the Content ID system works more or less like filters in your email account.

The good news is you can dispute any Content ID claim. If you have a clip that’s been targeted, you’ll see a notice about it on your YouTube account page. From there you can access a dispute page where you can affirm that you believe your clip falls under fair use, and the clip will immediately become public again. The copyright holder will receive notice that you’ve disputed the clip, and must then decide to leave you alone, send a DMCA takedown notice, or sue.

Brad Templeton, who created a legitimate fair use parody of Constantin Films last year using the Downfall footage, says it’s not easy to find the dispute page but that it works immediately:

YouTube does allow uploaders to file a dispute over a Content ID takedown, and I did file a dispute. Upon filing the dispute, it appears the video became immediately playable (though embedding was disabled until I turned it back on.) The uploader is not told this, however, as the YouTube status page still reports that the “dispute is still awaiting a response from Constantin Films” and that the video is “blocked worldwide.” We will see how long it takes for Constantin to respond. They don’t make the dispute form easy to find, and in fact I got no notice via e-mail that I can see to tell me of the takedown. When I visited the page logged in to YouTube, it still showed me the video even though nobody else could see it, and uploaders have to work to learn that their vids are gone.

AND NOW A WARNING. There are legal ramifications to this, which YouTube hints at and the EFF explains very clearly. If you decide to fight copyright abuse by a large company, you should make sure that you’re on the right side of the fight, that you have a sensible chance of winning a possible lawsuit, and that you’re willing to assume the financial risk. All three of those determinations probably require some serious meetings with a lawyer.

On the other hand, if you’re one of those dumb naive Internet types who make inane copyright/free speech arguments, you can check YouTube’s own “General Copyright Inquiries” page for a somewhat exasperated-sounding explanation of what types of excuses won’t work in front of a judge.

“Studio does content-ID takedown of my Hitler video about takedowns” [4Brad.com]
“Content ID and Fair Use” [YouTube Blog]
“A Guide to YouTube Removals” [Electronic Frontier Foundation]

RELATED
“Say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ To Hitler War Room Parodies”

With a cloture vote to open formal debate on Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.) financial regulatory reform bill scheduled for 5 p.m. this evening, Senate Democrats spent the weekend negotiating with Republicans likely to support the bill, including Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe.

It seems that Democrats do not yet have the crossover support.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the minority leader, told FOX News Sunday, “It’s my expectation that we will not go forward with this partisan bill tomorrow,” and that “it’s not ready yet.” On NBC’s Meet the Press, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Sen. Dodd said much the same. “I think that nothing happens between now and tomorrow,” Shelby said. “The Democrats will not get cloture.”

But Republican opposition to the bill seemed to be softening, with issues for debate winnowing down to: the $50 billion “resolution authority” fund, which some Republicans wrongly insist would mean taxpayer funded bailouts for big firms; the role of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency; and a provision backed by Republicans to guarantee no taxpayer funds will be used for bailouts.

Nam said the Red Cross is as obsessive as Edward Cullen when it comes to making sure he keeps up his donation schedule. He says the organization is bordering on harassment as it urges him to come in and open up his veins.

I just wanted to share my recent experiences with the American Red Cross. Let’s preface this by saying I respect the mission and goals of the organization and I don’t have any problem with the organization’s purpose.

That said, I have been getting calls from the American Red Cross everyday at least twice (sometimes 3 times!) a day for the past month and a half. Every time they ask me to come in and donate blood. I have been sick on and off and missed my last scheduled donation session. However, I am constantly getting calls from their volunteers to come in and donate blood. It almost feels like I am being harassed because I have a something that belongs to them.

I believe I was more than nice simply telling their volunteers that I have been sick and I will have to decline to donate each time they call. Around 3 days ago I received yet another call and I told the volunteer I have been really ill from a stomach virus and I finally asked to be taken off the call list and I would call when I was ready to come in for my next donation. She kindly agreed and I thought that was going to be the end of the incessant calls. The next day I received yet another call from another volunteer of the Red Cross. I told her I was called the previous day and asked to be taken off the list and I would make an appointment to donate when I felt up for it. She kindly apologized and said they had been making a lot of repeat calls because of a problem with the system. I said, “no problem, honest problem” and that was the end of that conversation and what I thought would be the end of the calls. The next morning (8:30 AM on a SATURDAY) I get yet another call from another volunteer of the American Red Cross.

I was a bit annoyed, but still tried to be polite since I figure it’s not her fault their system is telling her to call me. I again asked to be taken off the list because I was getting incessant calls multiple times a day. She continues to “encourage” me that I need to donate because there is a severe shortage of blood in the area. Valid problem, but will a pint of my blood really be missed until I get better? I firmly declined to make an appointment and stated I would really like it if they “stopped calling me at all waking hours of the day”. I admit there was a significant amount of annoyance behind that statement and this is where the conversation goes south.

The volunteer snaps back, ” [the Red Cross] doesn’t call at all hours”. My response, “yes you may not call every hour, but 2-3 times is a bit excessive”. She follows with a statement dripping with sarcasm. At this point I am so appalled that all I can muster is a, “just please stop calling”, and hang up on her. Today is Sunday and I am 99% positive I received another call from the Red Cross today because their calls always show up as “unknown number” on my cell.

While I appreciate the Red Cross trying to get much needed blood donations I find it a bit ridiculous that I am practically harassed to donate blood and the attitude I got from a volunteer makes me NEVER want to go back to the Red Cross. My fiance has already been pissed off by a few of the Red Cross volunteers and vowed to only donate blood at the blood bank run by the local hospital. I am probably going to do the same at this point. At what point is it considered excessive and is their any recourse for me if I am constantly called by them even after asking many times to be taken off their call list? I realize they are not telemarketers and are not subject to the “Do not call” list regulations, but how do I make it stop? I understand they are trying to do a good thing, but is it really wise to annoy their current pool or regular blood donors?

Any ideas on how to get Red Cross off Nam’s tail? Maybe a garlic necklace?

Over the course of BBGeeks’ almost-three years, we’ve done plenty of quick tips. So many, I suppose, that I sometimes think we’ve covered something, but have not. That sometimes works out well. Today, for instance, I had planned a tip about removing phone information from your BlackBerry inbox. I thought we had done a tip on separating SMS from your inbox, but after a few searches I found that not to be the case. So it’s a two-for-one. How to remove SMS, and then how to remove call information from your BlackBerry inbox.

(more…)

Bruce V. Bigelow wrote:

—Xconomy’s list of San Diego’s top 10 VC deals during the first quarter of 2010 included funding for three high-tech startups, although investments in life sciences and medical devices accounted for most of the money and deals. EMN8, which is developing automated kiosks for fast-service restaurants, raised almost $14.5 million; Avaak, which developed a wireless webcam system, got $10 million; and AwarePoint, which developed a wireless tag and tracking system for medical equipment and supplies, also got $10 million.

—Confident Technologies, a new startup with network security technology salvaged from Portland, OR-based Vidoop, announced its debut as a San Diego-based startup. The company says its image-based security technology is intuitive and easier for customers to remember.

—Connect inducted software industry pioneer Peter Preuss into its Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame, a pantheon that includes Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs, Idec Pharmaceuticals founder William Rastetter, and SAIC founder J. Robert Beyster. Preuss, the eighth inductee, founded ISSCO, one of the first software companies to specialize in computer graphics. He sold the company to Computer Associates in 1986.

—San Diego’s Imagine Communications, a five-year-old digital video startup, raised $10 million in a Series C round of venture funding from its existing venture investors. The company, which has now secured more than $34 million, specializes in digital video technology for cable TV operators.

—Google Ventures led a $5 million Series B round of venture funding for San Diego’s OpenCandy, a web-based venture that operates a kind of online marketplace for open-source software. The company, started by …Next Page »

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For the most part, Flash has always been the standard for showing video on the web (think of YouTube and Vimeo), supported in all browsers with the only exception being the iPhone and most recently, the iPad. But now, with HTML5, the new video tag is creeping into our lives and opening up many new, exciting and standardized media possibilities for web developers.

Some quick resources to get started…

Alright gang, it’s official – RIM this morning announced the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and the Pearl 9100 series.  I’ll be getting some hands-on time with the two in the coming hour and will report back, but in the meantime, some quick specs for you:

BlackBerry Bold 9650 – Website

• Dimensions: 4.4-inches x 2.4-inches x .56-inch and weighs 4.8 oz.
• 2.44-inch high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi)
• 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
• 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
• BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as  iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
• Full HTML web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
• Built-in GPS with support for geotagging, BlackBerry® Maps and other mapping applicationsSupport for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America, as well as UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for 5 hours of CDMA talk time

BlackBerry Pearl 9100 Series – Website

• Dimensions: 4.25-inches x 1.96-inches x 0.52-inch (108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm) and weighs 3.3 ounces (93 grams)
• 624 MHz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
• 360×400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
• Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
• 3.2-megapixel camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording*
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging 
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) – first BlackBerry smartphone to support ‘n’
• microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
• BlackBerry® OS 5
• Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks

More to come!

2011 Nissan LEAF

It was reported just last week that pre-orders of the Nissan Leaf have reached 3,754 units in three weeks in its domestic market after launching the pre-order process in Japan on April 1. That exceeds half of the company’s sales target for FY2010, which is 6,000 units.

As of Friday morning, more than 6,600 people in the U.S. have reserved the Leaf, just a few days after Nissan started taking reservation for its new electric-vehicle. The reservations for the Leaf come from potential buyers in the United States who paid a $99 refundable deposit.

Prices for the 2011 Nissan Leaf will start at $32,780 or $25,280 with a federal tax-credit. That works out to a lease payment of $349 a month.

Click here to read news on the Nissan Leaf.

Refresher: Power for the Nissan Leaf comes from a 107-hp electric-motor that runs on power supplied by lithium-ion cells. On a full-charge, the Nissan Leaf allows for a driving range of 100 miles with a top speed of 87 mph. A full charge takes up to 8 hours on a standard 200V outlet. Buyers can opt for the DC 50kW quick-charger, which recharges the battery up to 80 percent in under 30 minutes.

2011 Nissan Leaf:

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Free Press

Electronics are best found in Best Buy, America’s electronic store chain. Well, Best Buy is setting up in the UK too and will offer a whole range of green technology. The Best Buy stores in UK will have GreenTech areas showcasing everything that’s green and uses electricity, including electric vehicles.

The first store will be situated in Thurrock, Essex and will open up next Friday. Planning an expensive electric car? Step inside UK’s first Best Buy with the £86,950 Tesla Roadster on display! That’s not all. The store also offers less expensive electric vehicles too. You can also grab solar chargers for your electric gadgets, energy monitors, energy saving plugs and gadgets and a whole lot of other cool stuff from the stores GreenTech section. Hopefully stores like these open up around the world making green technology easily accessible and buyable.

[Electricpig]

This is the latest motherboard of the latest PS3 Slim. And thanks to those two silver squares in the middle, it’s less power-hungry and more profitable (err, potentially profitable) than ever before. More »