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President Obama this afternoon spoke briefly from the Rose Garden about the tragedy that continues to unfold in Raleigh County, W.Va., where 25 miners were killed in an explosion Monday, and rescue workers are fighting toxic gases and fire while searching for four others still unaccounted for.

The incident, Obama said, is ready indication that “more needs to be done” to ensure the safety of the nation’s coal miners. From his prepared remarks:

It’s a profession that’s not without risks and danger, and the workers and their families know that.  But their government and their employers know that they owe it to these families to do everything possible to ensure their safety when they go to work each day.

When I was in the Senate, I supported the efforts of Senators Byrd and Rockefeller to try and improve mine safety, but it’s clear that more needs to be done.  And that’s why I’ve asked my Secretary of Labor as well as the head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration to give me a preliminary report next week on what went wrong and why it went wrong so badly, so that we can take the steps necessary to prevent such accidents in the future.

In 2006, Congress passed mining legislation that was sold as the most significant reforms in 30 years. Yet a number of Democrats — including Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) — rejected the bill. They said it didn’t have any teeth.

Two years later, the House passed a bill designed to strengthen the 2006 law. Sponsored by Miller, that proposal would have hiked penalties for safety violations, empowered officials to more easily close troublesome mines and given mining officials subpoena power to investigate violations. It also would have “strengthen[ed] standards to contain explosions and fires inside mines,” according to Miller’s summary of the proposal.

Obama was a sponsor of the Senate version of that bill, but it didn’t get very far, due largely to the veto threat posed by President Bush, who said the additional safeguards would cripple the coal industry.

While 1st District Congressman John Larson is hanging with big donors in Napa Valley, his Republican opponent is getting ready to launch his campaign.

Mark Zydanowicz, whose campaign email describes him as a “husband, father, soldier and businessman.” will officially enter the race on Monday, when he holds a press conference at the Legislative Office Building.

He is a captain in the Connecticut Army National Guard and served on various missions, including a recent combat mission to Iraq, where he earned a bronze star.

Zydanowicz grew up in New Britain and graduated with a bachelor of science in marketing from Central Connecticut State University. He lives with his wife, Nella, and three children in West Hartford.

 

Sometime it gets too ridiculous – even for Bruno.

I’ve been sitting on the sidelines over the last couple weeks watching our so-called leaders turn City Hall into a circus, seeing the showdown between our ringmaster mayor and his clowns at the DWP with the Council over whether LA is going to go broke without the a bailout from the utility.  Controller Wendy Greuel’s been the girl on the flying trapeze.

But this morning’s news inspired me to get off my tail.

After crying wolf so loud the financial guys in New York put down their martinis and started paying attention, Antonio issued a big “never mind” yesterday about his call to shut down some city departments two days a week.

“To all of our surprise, we’ve gotten an increase in revenues of $30 million more from property tax than we expected,” Antonio said.

“To all of our surprise?”  What in God’s name is going on?  Does he think we’re all idiots?

Word in the kennel is that Antonio is being advised during this crazy crisis by Chief of Staff Jeff Carr, Deputy Mayor Jay Carson, former mayoral flack turned energy expert Matt Szabo and his new $1-a-year jobs czar Austin Beutner.

DWP Chief David Freeman was in Israel for much of the trouble, getting back just in time to make a fool of himself before the Council and managing to make Janice Hahn look like Margaret Thatcher – and that isn’t easy!

Try to imagine these guys meeting before announcing they’ve somehow found $30 million.

Antonio:  OK, somebody remind me who the hell brought up the idea of “brinksmanship?”

Carson:  That would be me boss.  It worked for Clinton.  Remember that thing with Newt?

Carr:  Right on, Homey.  In the hood you have to show you have balls.

Antonio:  Well guys, I’m getting my balls handed to me.  Anybody have any other brilliant ideas?

Szabo:  I could put out a press release.  Maybe tweet something.

Antonio:  What would the release say?

Szabo:  I don’t know.  

Antonio:  Anybody else?  How bout you, Beutner?  You’re rich.  You must be smart.

Beutner:  This job sucks. Just give me all the money and I’ll cut deals that will fix everything.

Carson:  I’ve got an idea boss.

Antonio:  What now?

Carson:  It’s another Clinton thing.  Let’s just lie!

Carr:  Terrific idea. You can tell them we looked around and found a few million dollars and the crisis is over.

Szabo:  I can write the bullet points.

Antonio:  Think we can get away with it?

At this point, all the men start laughing and the meeting concludes.  Freeman suddenly wakes up, burps and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell them anything you want.”

Woof!

Tycoon lovers everywhere, Shopper’s Paradise is the game for you! A combination of ‘Lemonade Stand’ games and tower defense, Shopper’s Paradise captures your real estate mogul’s heart in your frantic search for mall domination. Featuring fast, immersive and challenging gameplay, this is a game that will keep you hooked for hours.

Similar to many games in the popular tycoon genre, Shopper’s Paradise has very simple objectives: Build stores, earn money and put your competitor out of business. And that’s where all the fun begins.

When you start, you are presented with a pile of cash and an empty mall. From there you can build 11 different types of stores (ranging from ice cream shops to cinemas). You can upgrade these stores, boosting their capacity and average sale, or sell them to your competitor (for a profit!) As the game progresses and spaces for new stores are taken, you can buy competing businesses and demolish your existing stores to make room for your new luxury retailers! To win, you must achieve specific goals, some which include owning only third level upgraded stores and no competitor stores.

The free version of Shopper’s Paradise is well worth your time, featuring 3 different maps (each on three different difficulties), different goals and 11 different store types. The paid version (currently $2.99) features 20 different maps, each with up to 4 goals! The games has cute, smooth graphics and responsive gameplay.

Shopper’s Paradise is available for Android phones version 1.5+ and only uses ~600 kB of storage space, making it easy and accessible for all Android phone owners to get it.

Pros

• Great looking graphics and smooth gameplay
• Good replay-ability with personal rankings and scores
• Free version nets you a couple hours of play-time; full version much more!
• No force closes, stalls or bugs (that I’ve ever experienced)
• A very well polished app

Needs Improvement

• Sometimes the game just progresses too slowly. The run/walk settings should allow faster playing.
• It could use a level editor for users to create their own maps and mall designs!
• Needs a career mode, where you start as a sales trainer and work your way up through challenges to become a real estate mogul!

Final Verdict
As a casual, pick-up-and-play game, Shopper’s Paradise shines with cute graphics, smooth and responsive gameplay and great replay-ability. If you enjoy ‘Lemonade Stand’ or other tycoon games, you will want to be sure to download Shopper’s Paradise and start building your empire today!

Note: This review was submitted by Christopher Bowal as part of our app review contest.

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The first light in the universe, the light used to push spacecraft, and the light produced by kicking the head of a walrus.

Sharp. Black. Buttons. A power cord. We see Art Lebedev‘s logo, so “alien weapon” can be ruled out right off the bat. But actually, the truth is still fairly epic. More »

Posterous, one of our favorite light blogging services, started out as a very minimalist blogging and media sharing platform. In its earliest days, the only way to actually post a story to Posterous was by email. Today, however, Posterous announced the next version of its blog editor, which takes Posterous away from its minimalist origins. Posterous now allows users to upload images, videos and documents directly from the web editor, for example. In addition, Posterous now also features a full rich text editor.

Sponsor

“We Aint No Stinking Microblog”

As Posterous’s co-founder Garry Tan notes in the announcement, the company doesn’t want to be seen as a microblogging service.

New Features

The service still puts a lot of emphasis on sharing media files. The updated editor now allows users to upload multiple images, audio files, videos and documents in parallel. In addition, Posterous users can now rotate images and reorder image galleries by simply dragging and dropping files. Starting today, Posterous users can also finally combine and ungroup galleries – a feature that comes in handy if you want to combine all the images from a recent trip, for example.

Posterous Grows Up

Today’s update is yet another step in Posterous’ march towards becoming a fully featured blogging platform and away from Posterous’ minimalist origins. One of the few features that are still missing for this to happen is support for offline blogging clients like Windows Live Writer or MarsEdit. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear that this is already on Posterous’ roadmap, however.

How We Use Posterous and Co.

If you want to see how we use Posterous and similar services here at ReadWriteWeb, have a look at this post from earlier today.

Discuss

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been mentioned as a possible replacement for outgoing Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, but it’s unclear if she has interest in the position.

“She is completely focused on the important and demanding position she currently has,” one Homeland Security official told Fox News.

Still, the official said, “Secretary Napolitano would be flattered if the President considered her.”

After news broke Friday that Stevens would be retiring this summer, President Obama told reporters that he sees the process of finding a replacement “among my most serious responsibilities.”

“While we cannot replace Justice Stevens’ experience or wisdom, I will seek someone in the coming weeks with similar qualities — an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law, and a keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people,” he said.

Napolitano has had a high-profile political career, but she has also had an extensive legal career. Before becoming Governor of Arizona and then joining the Obama administration, Napolitano served as Attorney General of Arizona and U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.

In addition, Napolitano was a clerk for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and she was a private lawyer in Phoenix, according to her official biography on the DHS website.

She received her law degree from the University of Virginia’s law school, after attending Santa Clara University and becoming the school’s first female valedictorian, the DHS website says.

Don’t just look at the orange chart. Look at the year over year growth of nearly 60%.

Given that China is the marginal buyer of oil, and arguably setting the price with its imports of crude, the connection here is hard to argue. (via Waverly Advisors)

Join the conversation about this story »

STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICIALS OF THE ANC

The officials of the ANC held their normal weekly meeting held yesterday at the President’s residence – Mahlambandlopfu. The officials decided that, in view of the environment currently prevailing in our country, all our structures must restrain themselves.

The structures have been asked not to engage in any public debate on the death of Mr Eugene TerreBlanche and leave whatever matters that need the attention of the ANC in this regard to the headquarters of our movement. The structures were also asked by the officials to be circumspect in singing liberation songs that have words that can be seen and be interpreted to be contributing to racial polarisation of society.

Our appeal to our members is informed by the fact that we have a responsibility of ensuring that they are not used as a scapegoat for other agendas.

The call by the officials regarding our liberation songs does not amount to banning any of the songs, including the song that is hotly debated currently. The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC will at its next meeting on 14 – 16 May 2010, debate and decide on an appropriate political approach in dealing with the questions raised around some of our songs. The political approach should, amongst others, also be inclusive of the recognition by all of us that such songs are part of our history and heritage.

It is a considered view of our officials that such a restraint as called upon will help our society see through the disguised attempts by the right wing groups that seek to reverse the transformation progress made since 1994. The ANC has up to this point in not raised the questions around the involvement of a 15-year-old farm labourer in the brutal killing of Mr TerreBlanche.

We have also not questioned the drive by some sections of the media to ignore the fact that conflict around non-payment of wages cannot be elevated a singing of a song. We find it very unfortunate that some sections of the media together with some political commentators have decided to politicize a purely criminal matter with regard to the killing of Mr TerreBlanche.

Equally important is the lack of reporting and equal sensation around the shooting and killing of a black hunter by a farmer who is currently out on bail of R5000. We are also dismayed by the little coverage of the brutal assault of seven farm workers by a farmer in the North West. We question the objectivity and the motive that drive certain elements of our media on these matters.

The ANC officials also used their meeting to congratulate our police for acting with speed in arresting the suspects in all these instances, including the arrest of those allegedly responsible for the killing of Mr TerreBlanche, as well as the farmer responsible for brutally assaulting his workers.

“Justice Stevens has left an indelible mark on our judicial system – not only with his principled rulings, but with his good humor and abiding respect for the rule of law,” Dodd said in a statement. “His nearly 35 years of service on the Supreme Court will forever be remembered with gratitude and appreciation, and I wish him all the best in his retirement.”

“I am confident that President Obama will select a qualified nominee to replace Justice Stevens, and I look forward to working with Chairman Leahy and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on that nomination.  Our country deserves a civil process and a speedy confirmation of the next Associate Justice.”

It appears the Burning Man Organization (BMO), organizers of the annual Burning Man art and music festival, is reconsidering its “all your photos are belong to us” attitude toward images taken at the event. On April 7, the organizers called for community feedback on the Burning Man camera policy, including its approach to image rights. They’re asking for comments via email ([email protected]) by Friday, April 23, in advance of an April 28 meeting on the issue.

We’ve repeatedly criticized BMO for the onerous terms and conditions it imposes on Burning Man ticket sales. For example, the Burning Man ticket terms require participants to assign to the BMO—in advance—the copyright to any pictures they take on the playa; and limit participants’ rights to use their own photos online by obliging them to take down any photos to which the organizers object for any reason and forbidding them from allowing anyone else to download or copy the photos (meaning, participants can’t CC-license their photos, or dedicate them to the public domain).

BMO claims that the ticket terms are necessary to protect Black Rock City’s unique culture and the privacy of its participants. Furthermore, BMO points out that the limitations are rarely enforced and they only claim copyright if the photos are used in a way BMO doesn’t authorize. By asserting copyright in photographs taken at the event, BMO can use the streamlined “notice and takedown” process enshrined in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to quickly remove unapproved photos from the Internet.

But using online ticket terms for fast and easy takedown and to restrict CC-licensing and dedication to the public domain is a terrible precedent to set. We understand the real challenges BMO faces in trying to preserve its noncommercial, community character. That said, a benevolent censor is still a censor, and if other event organizers follow suit, assignment and abrogation of rights could become standard Terms of (Ab)use in all ticket contracts.

We’re glad that BMO is revisiting its image rights policy, and we hope the community will take full advantage of this opportunity to weigh in. So, Burners, if you care about your digital rights, tell the BMO that using take-it-or-leave-it fine print to assert veto rights over online expression is no way to promote a “society that connects each individual to his or her creative powers.”

Just before the New York Auto Show, Nissan officially announced the incredibly affordable price of the Nissan LEAF, which will go on sale this December. At $32,780 — or a $349/month lease after Nissan claims a $7,500 federal tax credit per car — Nissan surprised the world. The LEAF will be the first truly affordable, mass-market, fully capable 100% electric car the world has ever seen.

But along with the excitement over the price came many questions, one of the biggest of which was “how am I going to charge it?”

(more…)

One positive feature (OK, this isn’t so positive) of a Supreme Court fight is that the formidable Supreme Court commentator cottage industry gets to ramp up again. Conservative groups raise a mint off a Court fight; most of it goes to enrich movement conservatives and little else. So now we get to see folks like Curt Levey on the teevee for the next 4-5 months. Huzzah!

In his first such media appearance, speaking to TPM, Levey pushed for one of the names on Obama’s short list to replace Justice John Paul Stevens over the others:

Curt Levey, executive director of the Committee for Justice, tells TPMDC: “We’ll certainly be involved one way or another. As the loyal opposition I’m sure we’ll point out what we see as the weaknesses” of any Obama nominee.

But he continued: “It does depend on who he nominates — if he nominates someone like Garland, there won’t be a lot to complain about,” referring to DC federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland. “You’ll have, if not a love fest, something close to it if it’s a Garland. If it’s a Wood or Karlan, you’d have a huge fight,” says Levey, referring to Chicago appeals court Judge Diane Wood, whose name was floated last time around, and Pamela Karlan, a Stanford Law School professor.

Merrick Garland is seen as the most moderate court pick. You can certainly see something of a bargain in the works, where Garland gets essentially “pre-approved” by conservatives and sails to confirmation. Keep in mind that this is basically how Steven Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg made it through a Republican Senate. The difference is that Obama has 59 seats and doesn’t really need to make such bargains, or at least not with the most conservative elements of the party. He needs only to pick off a couple Republicans.

But we know about the lure of the path of least resistance and getting a “W”, so certainly Levey is tipping his hand here. And I think he’s being at least somewhat sincere. It makes sense for him to push the most moderate of those named on the short list; this is how the Court has shifted rightward for the last 30 years, in small doses. He does tip his hand, however, in a way that suggests that Obama will not get off too easily no matter who he picks. Levey and his wingnut welfare colleagues HAVE to scream about a Court selection, as a fiduciary responsibility to their staffers. In this partisan age, I see no value in a “safe” pick, because it won’t be described as safe, except right here where Levey lets his guard down.

I’d pay attention, if I were the White House, to what Mitch McConnell is saying.

“As we await the president’s nominee to replace Justice Stevens at the end of his term, Americans can expect Senate Republicans to make a sustained and vigorous case for judicial restraint and the fundamental importance of an even-handed reading of the law,” McConnell said in a statement.

I’ll throw a couple other statements from key Senators on the flip.

UPDATE: This NRO post also puts Garland most in the center, followed by Solicitor General Elana Kagan. Read Glenn Greenwald on Kagan.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

“Justice Stevens has been a strong presence on the Court for almost 35 years and worked to build consensus and protect the rule of law. I honor his service to America and wish him well in his retirement.

“I am confident that President Obama will use the same wisdom that he showed with his nomination of Justice Sotomayor and name a well-qualified successor. I encourage my Republican colleagues to join us in conducting fair, respectful hearings and swift confirmation of the President’s nominee.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy:

When the Supreme Court recesses on Justice Stevens’ final day on the bench, it will mark the end of an extraordinary judicial career spanning four decades, including 35 years on our highest court.

The last Justice from “the Greatest Generation,” John Paul Stevens first answered the call to service when he joined the Navy during World War II. Our nation called on him again years later, and he returned to public service as an appellate judge before accepting President Ford’s nomination to serve on the Supreme Court. He has since become one of the longest serving Justices on the Court. His confirmation was the first of a dozen Supreme Court nominations I have considered in my years in the Senate. As a young, freshman senator, it was a privilege to support his confirmation in 1975.

Justice Stevens’ unique and enduring perspective is irreplaceable; his stalwart adherence to the rule of law is unparalleled. The federal judiciary, and indeed the entire nation, will miss his principled jurisprudence. While it is with a heavy heart, I wish him the best in his retirement.

As we move forward with preparations for the second Supreme Court nomination of this Congress, I am reminded of the Vermont marble inscribed above the entrance of the Supreme Court which pledges “Equal Justice Under Law.” I hope that Senators on both sides of the aisle will make this process a thoughtful and civil discourse. I expect President Obama to continue his practice of consulting with members on both sides of the aisle as he considers this important nomination. The decisions of the Supreme Court are often made by only five individuals, but they impact the daily lives of each and every American. All Senators should strive to fulfill their constitutional duty of advise and consent, and give fair and thorough consideration to Justice Stevens’ successor.

 

Recent events — er, blog posts — have given us the opportunity to marvel at a cat standing upright while a jaunty tune played. That cat is a superstar in his own right.

But we’re here today to bring you another upright cat — one who, we’re inclined to think, might be even more adorable than the first (or, at the very least, tied for "Most Adorable").

This cat is Biscotti, whose owner’s Wii gaming console causes him no shortage of alarm. We hope he recovered from the shock of the video-game noises quickly — but we have to admit, his posture when experiencing a noisy shock is pretty darn cute.

RELATED:

Your morning adorable: Ticklish kitten taking over YouTube

Your morning adorable: Talented cat plays the theremin

— Lindsay Barnett

Video: batterseaw3 via YouTube

Over 20 years ago, I worked in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) where every day I saw children in serious distress from asthma. Most got better, but some returned time and again…and a few never went home. It was heartbreaking; especially because in many cases, their distress could have been prevented.

I felt called to help children make changes that would allow them to lead active, healthy lives unencumbered by asthma symptoms – to give them and their families the knowledge they needed to take control of asthma. It was then that I transitioned my career to promote asthma education and empower communities to manage asthma. It was, and continues to be, my goal that not one more person dies from asthma.

At EPA, where I have worked for the last 13 years, that mission is shared. We have partnered with other federal agencies, national, state, and local nonprofit organizations and hundreds of communities nationwide to promote environmental trigger management as part of comprehensive asthma care.

Part of EPA’s activities include convening the National Asthma Forum; providing support to a growing network of community asthma programs; promoting community action and events during Asthma Awareness Month; and recognizing health plans, providers and communities that are addressing environmental asthma triggers with the National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management.

Our most important activity, though, is empowering individuals to control asthma through education. Everyone in a community has a role in helping people manage asthma. Here are some actions you can take:

• Learn about asthma, environmental triggers and what you can do to control them.
• Plan or participate in an Asthma Awareness Month event this May.
• Talk to a nurse, the school board, the principal, the PTA or other leaders in your school district about how they can help students by controlling asthma triggers.
• Encourage your care provider to attend the National Asthma Forum.

I’ll never forget the struggles I saw in the PICU that inspired me on my path with EPA to educate and empower families affected by asthma. I hope each of you will join me in taking action. What will you do in your community to raise awareness about asthma and spread the message about comprehensive asthma management?

About the Author: Tracey Mitchell is an Environmental Scientist with the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air’s Indoor Environments Division and works on the EPA Asthma Team.

By now we have plenty of USB flash drives in our homes, and among those how many do we actually use? After all, I am pretty sure that we would have come across many a situation where we received free USB flash drives from roadshows or companies, only to toss them into a box for “later use”. Most of us probably have a primary and secondary USB flash drive which we make use of most of the time, and out of these, how many caps have we lost? You can be honest – when we’re in a rush or busy transferring some data which is deemed as private by others, our train of thought can easily be distracted only for us to leave the flash drive cap behind. Transcend prevents this from happening through a very simple solution (which has been done before, mind you) – doing away with the need for a USB flash drive cap! Their latest iteration would be the Transcend JetFlash 500 retractable USB flash drive.This stylish JetFlash 500 will come with a smooth sliding USB connector that will effortlessly extend and retract with but a simple flick of the thumb, and I believe that those who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD) might find flicking the USB connector in and out frequently – hmmm, they’d make pretty good testers for the durability of the slider, don’t you think so? Nice to know that Transcend isn’t boring as well, offering the JetFlash 500 in various colors and capacity options, where the final product comes in a smooth contoured shape that makes it suitable as a portable storage solution for users with busy and active lifestyles. As we all know, flash memory does have a lifespan and won’t be able to last forever, but good thing Transcend has the wisdom to know that even the most careful computer user will slip up sometimes, and dropping a USB flash drive could introduce some shock to the data within, and we wouldn’t want whatever precious material inside to end up as corrupted and unreadable now, would we? That is why the JetFlash 500 is solidly built to withstand a few bumps and falls, giving you peace of mind while knowing that its USB connector will also never become loose, fall out, or accidentally slip back into the drive when being plugged into a computer. All owners of the JetFlash 500 can download and install Transcend’s free JetFlash Elite data management tools onto the JetFlash drive. It will come in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities.

© 2007 Freakitude dot Com.

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Short sales is a hot topic on Zillow Advice, including this one from connect2house in Buena Park, CA:

Can I offer a lower price than what is being asked for a short sale house price?

iPhone OS is on perpetual lockdown. Android hacking’s boring, considering the platform’s Linux credentials. It’s webOS, Palm’s Linux-based OS, where some of the best gratuitous, for-the-hell-of-it hacking is taking place nowadays. Exhibit A: OpenOffice, running on a Pre. A Pre! More »