Over the last few years, social media platforms such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized not only person-to-person communication, but how organizations such as the National Guard communicates with current members and reaches out to potential new recruits…
Between weekend drills, overseas deployments, the work in communities during peacekeeping and natural disaster missions, full-time jobs and school, National Guardsmen often find themselves too busy for their hobbies…
The top non-commissioned officer of the Afghanistan National Army and chief of Afghan National Police recently visited Camp Atterbury to learn about the training facilities that produce thousands of troops and civilians deploying to Afghanistan and to brief Army officials on the situation in theatre…
The end of the National Guard biathlon season traditionally culminates with the Chief of the National Guard Bureau Championships in early March…
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Simmons said Wednesday that a national controversy over a federal appellate court nominee’s personal background questionnaire highlights the seriousness of “false and misleading answers” given by opponent Linda McMahon gave on a questionnaire she filled out to gain appointment to the State Board of Education in 2009.
Noting that Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week are criticizing appellate court nominee Goodwin Liu for omitting information about his background from his questionnaire, Simmons called the situation is similar to that of McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, his opponent for the Republican Senate nomination this year.
Simmons referred to a Courant Government Watch column Sunday said that McMahon answered “no” five times on the questionnaire in January 2009 when she should have, or arguably should have, answered “yes.” In addition, she listed her 1969 degree from East Carolina University as a bachelor’s in education, when it was in French.
“Critics are right to question Mr. Liu’s fitness for high office after he omitted key information from his background questionnaire, and Mr. Liu is right to apologize for his actions,” Simmons said. “However, an honest accounting of one’s record and background as part of the vetting process is a requirement of public service and those who fail to do so raise serious red flags about both about their record and their integrity.”
Simmons said that “unlike Liu, who has apologized for certain omissions, Linda McMahon has brushed aside questions about outright false answers provided by her about her professional and educational background on her application to the Board of Education. But the Liu incident serves to remind us that honesty is not an option, it is the standard that must be met by all who seek high office. Regrettably, Linda McMahon has already begun the process of lowering the bar.”
“McMahon needs to answer whether or not she would join the Republican criticism of Liu, or apply the same standard she has set for herself,” Simmons said.
McMahon spokesman Ed Patru fired back with a statement of his own, saying: “I think a lot of people who have followed this campaign cringe when they hear Rob Simmons accuse anyone of being dishonest or misleading. In the past few months alone, he has changed his position on most every core belief he’s ever held in order to pander to Republican voters. That’s not honesty.”
Patru added: “When he needed to sound credible on the issue of job creation, he plagiarized an economic plan and passed it off as his own work. That’s not honesty.” In March, a Simmons spokesman conceded that “one of our young staffers” who helped draft the plan “made the mistake of borrowing words from another source” for a “small section of the plan.”
Patru continued: “A few weeks later we found out that, as a Congressman, he assigned levels of importance to his constituents based on whether they contributed to his campaign coffers and he encouraged other Members of Congress to do the same. That’s not honesty.” That was a reference to an earlier Government Watch column about Simmons.
Among questions McMahon answered “no” to on the questionnaire were whether she had been “publicly identified” with a “controversial national, state, or local issue” — and whether she’d “submitted oral or written views to any governmental authority … on any particular controversial issue.” The sexually suggestive content, foul language and violence of WWE programming have been controversial for years. Also, McMahon was interviewed under oath as part of a congressional investigation into the use of steroids in professional wrestling.
McMahon also answered “no” to the question “Have you ever written any books or articles?” McMahon acknowledged in a Courant interview last week that she used to write for the WWE’s wrestling magazines under a pseudonym, “Linda Kelly.”
McMahon told The Courant last week that she had answered “no” to the background questions under the assumption that everyone already knew of her activities with WWE and its past controversies.
Patru elaborated on that defense Wednesday, saying: “Linda’s association with WWE has been an open book by virtue of the fact that WWE has been heavily covered by print and electronic media for years, and it’s programming is carried on live TV every week. Every person involved in the confirmation process was aware of Linda’s association with WWE.
“Liu isn’t being attacked because he failed to mention that he wrote wrestling updates for a fan magazine 20-30 years ago; he’s under assault because he failed to disclose major public policy positions on issues like affirmative action that have relevancy to the work he would be doing on the bench.”
McMahon resigned from the State Board of Education last week, saying a new ruling by a state elections attorney might create legal complications for her Senate candidacy. The resignation came a day after The Courant indicated it would be writing about her questionnaire answers, but she said one had nothing to do with the other.
Well, well. For a legal ruling that really has no direct impact on the actual case it’s about, the decision that the FCC can’t punish Comcast for breaking net neutrality sure got people worked up. Suddenly there’s talk of the FCC reaching for the so-called “nuclear option.” What’s that? It would involve reclassifying broadband as a common carrier service. Of course, this would be a reversal for the FCC, which (under the previous administration) pushed hard to reclassify both DSL and cable broadband as information services (not regulated) instead of telco services (regulated).
The whole thing is a bit of a mess — and, once again, distracts from the larger issues (i.e., the lack of real competition in the space). Now, there’s a reasonable argument to be made that both services do, in fact, have common carrier status. The argument is stronger with DSL, which is built on telco infrastructure that, at one point, was built and run through a gov’t-granted monopoly. But, with both, you are dealing with public rights of way, which at least give some legitimacy to the idea that they should fall under a category that involves oversight from the FCC. But, having already flipped the switch one way, going back the other way is not going to be as easy. Unlike five years ago, when this issue was mostly ignored by politicians, this time around, everyone’s gearing up. And, unfortunately, rather than a debate on the issues (and, oh boy, are there issues), it’s shaping up along partisan lines, which isn’t good for anyone.
You’ve got Rep. Joe Barton warning the FCC not to reclassify, while Senator John Kerry is suggesting the FCC should reclassify. Kerry’s statement is pretty damn amusing:
“I am not advocating that the FCC reclassify broadband services as a result of this decision, but I absolutely believe they maintain that legal authority and it would be entirely consistent with the history of communications law in our country if they did.”
In other words, “I’m not saying reclassifying, but you should reclassify.” Meanwhile, across the aisle, Senator Orrin Hatch is already signaling that any attempt by Congress to give the FCC the necessary mandate will be fought hard by the Republicans. Though, his reasoning is specious. While I agree that the FCC’s attempt to regulate the internet is outside its mandate, the following statement is pure drivel:
“This is also good news for the future prosperity of the Internet, because there is now an actual incentive to expand capacity, which benefits consumers and our economy alike.”
There is nothing about the ruling that gives anyone incentive to expand capacity. In fact, it does the exact opposite. It gives broadband providers the incentive to limit uses instead of expanding capacity. If there were real competition, however, then there would be incentives to expand capacity. Too bad no one seems focused on that at all. Instead, it looks like we’ll get another political food fight that won’t actually do anything about making sure that we have the broadband we need.
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Looking for a job? Then this might be a bit of good news — Home Depot is so hopeful about the economic rebound that they’re adding new in-store positions for the first time in four years.
The Depot, which currently employs around 317,000 folks, made the decision to hire new employees after higher than expected sales in the fourth quarter of 2009. (And I thought I was the only one who bought his mom a bandsaw for Christmas!)
Let’s hear from Home Depot CEO Frank Blake:
We made a very conscious decision this year to hire into our projection… The fourth quarter was more positive than we anticipated so we revisited some of our planning assumptions toward the end of 2009.
He did not, however, say how many new hires Home Depot plans to take on in the coming months.
Home Depot hiring workers [Detroit News]
A man in Tennessee has been banned from ever entering any Regions Bank branch again, because the bank says he was so disruptive and hostile to their employees that they were forced to seek a restraining order. The cause of the dispute was a $29 late fee on an account where the bank had moved up the due date but hadn’t noted it on the online version of the account.
Regions says William Weintraub cursed during his calls, and would call back immediately whenever employees hung up on him. Weintraub says he intentionally took a harsh tone with customer service reps, but that he has always had a cordial experience with branch employees. More likely, the following incident was the trigger for the lifelong banning:
Among other things, [Weintraub] said he used a Google search to find the phone number of Grayson Hall — who took over as Regions CEO on March 31 — and called him at home, in a discussion that lasted for about 20 minutes.
[…]
They have a wall between you and their executives or anybody else in the bank but customer service people,” he said, adding that “they didn’t like me penetrating that wall.”
“Regions to Knoxville man: Stay away. Forever.” [Knox News] (Thanks to Kevin!)
A bunch of readers have let us know that Palm’s stock is jumping up right now – as of this writing it’s up 15% over yesterday’s close.
The reason? More takeover chatter which appears to stem from a report from Next Inning Technology Research, who put out a newsletter suggesting that RIM would be a good candidate to acquire Palm.
Update: as Phantom_Pain notes in the comments, the bigger rumor might be Lenovo. You may recall that they purchased the ThinkPad Laptop division from IBM and did a pretty good job with it after the acquisition. Lenovo could potentially be more interesting than the earlier contenders – but then again they are also looking fairly focused on Android right now.
Of course, we’re still down on the RIM prospect, original reasons why after the break.
Update: I have spoken with several trusted sources and they each confirmed the April 29th launch date for the HTC Incredible.
We all know that Verizon plans to launch the HTC Incredible soon, but the carrier has been very quiet on the details of the device. The last hint we saw was a couple of Tweets from @VZWOffers that mentioned the HTC Incredible by name and said “good things come to those who wait“. Some of the high-ups at Verizon must not have approved of that message because the tweets were removed after our article went up.
Now comes word that Verizon is preparing their employees for the launch of at least seven new devices. An email is being circulated with the subject “Get ready for liftoff” which contains an image that says “New devices launching really soon!” (see below).
So when is the HTC Incredible going to drop? Target release dates change every day, but one of our sources claims in Incredible is scheduled to arrive on April 29th. Considering the phones are already on order at Verizon warehouses, it seems likely they could make this date if they wanted to.
Part of me feels like Verizon or HTC is intentionally dropping these small hints as we approach the launch. It reminds me of all the leaks before the Nexus One launch which created a huge online buzz.
Which marketing strategy do you prefer? A big press briefing months before the launch date (Sprint EVO 4g)? Or absolutely no official information until a week before the device hits stores?
HTC Incredible on 4/29.
Something is coming…
A new Fannie Mae survey (via Felix Salmon) gives a sad picture of the American homebuyer.
On one hand, people are cautious and have more doubts than ever about the safety of houses as investments.
But…
Basically, Americans still dream of owning a home and there’s little to dissuade them.
Even after so much pain, there’s little hope people will stop wanting to own homes, and thus the government will inevitably oblige, sticking with all manner of incentives to keep the dream alive.
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Source: Fannie Mae
Image: Zillow
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Bien es sabido que esta temporada no ha empezado como lo deseaban en la escudería Mercedes Grand Prix. Durante la pretemporada, este equipo partía como uno de los cuatro favoritos a ganar el campeonato pero tras tres grandes premios, ha quedado confirmado que están un paso por detrás.
Tanto es así, que Mercedes Grand Prix presentará novedades en su monoplaza (MGP W01) para el GP de España. Además, debemos decir que el primer piloto en recibir dichas mejoras será Nico Rosberg, algo impensable al inicio de la temporada cuando Michael Schumacher era claro favorito a superar a su joven compañero de escudería.
Related posts:
Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona has devised a great way for the inmates of his jail to stay fit while generating electricity. Yup, that’s right! He arranged for a stationary bike equipped with a mechanism to generate electricity to be set up in the jail’s viewing centre. The TV is connected to this bike, if an inmate wants to watch TV, he has to pedal his way to entertainment. This bike, which the sheriff calls, “Pedal Vision”, can generate 12V of current, which is enough to power a 19-inch TV set. If all of US’s 2.5 million prisoners were to follow this practice, it could generate more than 363,641 kWh of electricity while saving millions of dollars. Currently, this facility is only available for the female inmates at Arpaio’s jail.
Considering the importance of exercise for the inmates and the scarcity of energy, this is a great way to contribute to solving both the problems.
[treehugger]
Iconeye magazine wrote about Mexican artist Gilberto Esparza’s plant robot, a roving art installation. Called “Nomadic Plants,” the robot is part of an exhibition organized by LABoral Gallery in Asturias, Spain. Iconeye says the project is inspired by ”natural processes whereby plants adapt to hostile environments and colonise new territories.” The nomadic plant is autonomous, and leads an ”unthreatening existence,” living off industrial waste.
Esparza told Iconeye: ”Nowadays robots are a waste of energy: they dance and they move all the time.” To make his plant robot self-sufficient but also productive, he designed it so it runs on bacteria found in waste. “When these microorganisms need nourishment the machine seeks out dirty water, which is then decomposed to create energy; any surplus is used to emit a noise and sustain plants carried on its back. The machine and plants becomes co-dependent.”
Iconeye says Esparza has long explored the relationship between organisms and systems. “In a previous project, Urban Parasites, creatures made from recycled electronic goods infested urban environments, feeding of a city’s electricity and telephone wires.”
The installation is open from March 25 to June 7 at LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial.
Read the article and see more images.
Image credit: Gilberto Esparza / Iconeye Magazine
As the world emerges from economic crisis, significant trading partners Canada and the United States are striving for sustained recovery. The 2010 Henry T. King Jr. Annual Conference – The Canada-US Regulatory Regime: Review, Reform, Recovery – examines challenges and obstacles along the path to recovery.
The Canada-United States Law Institute hosts its 27th annual conference this Thursday-Saturday (April 8-10) at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. The conference agenda and description can be found at http://cusli.org/conferences/annual/index.html.
The conference this year is being re-dedicated in the name of Case Western Reserve’s Professor Henry T. King Jr., who died May 9, 2009. Professor King was a legendary figure at the CWRU Law School and the broader international community.
The conference also is significant because CUSLI will announce the two new co-chairs who will be replacing King – James Blanchard, the former U.S. Ambassador to Canada and former governor of Michigan, and James Peterson, former Minister of International Trade Canada and former member of the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama recently observed that recovery requires a thorough examination of the Canada-U.S .regulatory environment. Canada-U.S. regulatory policies often are described as “ships passing in the night” or “a game of leap frog.”
Differing approaches to regulation, such as in the nations’ financial sectors, can provide lessons for avoiding future crises and promoting stability. On the other hand, regulatory differences can lead to competing, conflicting, and unnecessary processes that add costs to businesses, diminish economic competitiveness and prevent job creation.
CUSLI will present the Henry T. King Jr. Award to U.S. Sen. George Voinovich. A member of the senator’s staff will be present for the award, and CUSLI is planning a ceremony in Washington, D.C., later this spring with the senator.
The 2010 conference will also examine a number of key sectors – manufacturing and autos, energy, agriculture and food, intellectual property, and taxation. Analysis will involve CUSLI’s ongoing work regarding climate change, border security and international trade policy.
Ultimately, CUSLI will issue a report to the respective governments that will respond to leaders’ call to identify areas that reduce unnecessary regulatory differences by building on previous efforts, developing focused priorities and a specific timeline. That goal was within the Joint Statement by North American Leaders, Guadalajara, in August 2009.
Os carros da Lifan, uma das maiores companhias privadas da China, começam a ser vendidos no mercado brasileiro em maio. A marca será representada oficialmente e com exclusividade no País pela empresa Ever Eletric, mesmo grupo responsável pela Effa Motors. As duas marcas vão operar com redes de concessionárias exclusivas. Em maio serão lançados dois modelos: o sedã 620 (motor 1.6) e o hatch 320 (motor 1.3). Ambos contarão com a tecnologia de propulsores com 16 válvulas e um ótimo pacote de equipamentos de série, incluindo, por exemplo, ar-condicionado, direção hidráulica, trio elétrico e duplo air bag.
Fundada em 1992, a Lifan Industry Group possui 13 mil funcionários. Em 2003, o Grupo criou a Lifan Automobile, após adquirir a montadora Chongqing Special Purpose Use Vehicle Manufacturing. A empresa produz hoje os modelos 320, 520 (sedã e hatch) e 620. Outros modelos serão lançados em breve, incluindo o primeiro utilitário esportivo da marca, cuja apresentação mundial vai acontecer no Salão de Pequim, na China, entre 25 de abril e 2 de maio. O utilitário deverá ser lançado no mercado brasileiro ainda neste ano.
Fonte: g6comunicacao
China has found its SuBo! A young Chinese man named Lin Yu Chun is competing on a local reality show called Super Star Avenue and the talented vocalist has become the Web’s newest viral star after performing a powerful performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Now if only Whitney herself were still that impressive. Guess crack really does kill vocal cords.
At first sight, this Lego version of the world’s most expensive street car—the Bugatti Veyron—looks like just a nice reproduction. And then you see the video, and realize it’s actually an RC car with a 7+R sequential gearbox. More »
Filed under: GM, Earnings/Financials
General Motors has just announced it has completed fresh-start accounting as part of its quest to return to public ownership, and the numbers don’t exactly look good. GM says that it will announce a $4.3 billion loss for the fourth-quarter of 2009.
Despite relatively strong sales last year, the company had to pay out two large lumps of cash. First, $2.6 billion went to a UAW retiree medical plan. Another $1.6 billion went out the door thanks to “foreign currency re-measurement loss.” Despite the daunting figures, GM still says it’s confident the company can get back on its feet and start operating at a profit by the end of this year. Given the fact that the company is still aiming to return the large majority of its US Treasury and Export Development Canada loans, getting The General back on its feet may be easier said than done. Official press release after the jump.
[Source: General Motors]
Continue reading Write-downs lead to GM loss of $4.3 billion
Write-downs lead to GM loss of $4.3 billion originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The gang of guys (and gals) over at XDA-Developers have made quite a name for themselves over the last few years. When it comes to forums for ROMs and hacking, it’s often among the first names mentioned. Effective immediately, the XDA-Developers is available on the go with the release of a new, free Android application.
With four tabs across the top (Latest, Forums, Favorites, More), the app is streamlined and clutter free. All the basic functionality of the forums is there with basic navigation through threads and posts. Other features include reading private messages, checking to see who is online, and reviewing your personal profile. As of right now, editing profiles must still be done via the web.
Be sure to have an XDA-Developers account set up before downloading the app. It won’t do you much good if you can’t log in!
Scan/Click to download XDA-Developers