Newstablet Edition - 28/01/11 http://www.LibertyNewspost.

com

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Obama misses walks, not leaving huge Iranian response (BloggingStocks)
to attack (AP)
home without shaving (Yahoo! News: Most Viewed)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:40:00 PM

Jeff Mason (Front Row

Washington)
president is the ‘bubble.’ I can’t
go for a walk, I can’t go to the
worked as a politician.
“I’ve got more to make up for,”
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:03:04 PM Ask TUAW live
Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:18:10 PM corner coffee shop, I can’t leave
the house and not shave,” he said.
he said. “Used to be I could just
get away with flowers.”
AP - A diverse panel of decision-
makers and experts from the
today, 1:30pm
Jan 27, 2011 20:18 EST “That is something that I don’t
President Obama is staying think I’ll ever get used to.”
Obama said actually his wife United States, Europe and the PT/4:30p ET
wanted time together more than Middle East found common
Michael Rose (TUAW)
neutral on the Super Bowl, The shaving part would be a anything. “We always try to get a ground on just one thing when it
dislikes the “bubble” of being drag… date night out on Valentines comes to dealing with the Iranian Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:30:00 PM

president, and enjoyed (go figure) The president declined to predict Day,” he said. nuclear program Friday: A
political science in college. Got a puzzler on your iMac or a
a winner in the February 6 Super Photo Credit: REUTERS/Jason military strike could well spark a
Those were some of the takeouts Bowl between the Pittsburgh tricky problem on your iPad?
Reed (Obama and family return devastating counterattack.
from the president’s roughly 45- Steelers and the Green Bay We'd love to hear about it -- and
from Hawaiian vacation)
minute interview Thursday on the Packers. Probably a wise move. try to address it live today on our
This entry passed through the
Internet site YouTube, which He opined that engineers should Full-Text RSS service — if this is Mubarak orders army Macworld Expo video stream.
Our Mac mavens will be on
posed questions to him from be rewarded as much as lawyers your content and you're reading it to back police against camera at 1:30 pm Pacific, 4:30
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Asked what his favorite thing his favorite class in college was our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ unrest (Reuters) pm Eastern; if you have a
was about being president, Obama political science. question, you can get it to us in
content-only/faq.php (Yahoo! News: Most Viewed)
said having a positive impact on The president also joked that several ways. Either comment on
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people’s lives took first place.
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:54:24 PM this post, join in our Ustream chat,
Valentine’s Day gifts for his wife, Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
What does he not like? or tweet us at@tuaw_mwsf. See
Michelle, were getting more and The Crosshairs. Reuters - President Hosni
“(The) toughest thing about being more expensive, the longer he you later today!
Mubarak sent troops and armored Ask TUAW live today, 1:30pm
cars onto the streets of Cairo and
Super Bowl has transformed from humble to huge other Egyptian cities on Friday in
PT/4:30p ET originally appeared
on TUAW on Fri, 28 Jan 2011
an attempt to quell street fighting
(Reuters) and mass protests demanding an
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(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed) end to his 30-year rule. Permalink| Email this| Comments
grown from a game with humble States and a glitzy extravaganza
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:27:55 PM roots played in front of thousands seen in nearly 200 countries and
of empty seats into the biggest territories in 33 languages.
Reuters - The Super Bowl has single sporting event in the United
2 Headline/
Washington Extra – Red light, green light
Tabassum Zakaria (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 4:56:59 PM
The White House seems to be in
go-slow amber mode over the
protests in Egypt – declaring
President Hosni Mubarak an ally,
but supporting free speech as the
American way.
It’s much easier to take a stance
when the government is not an
ally, as happened with Iran’s
crackdown on street protests in
2009 when President Barack
Obama said firmly: “I strongly
condemn these unjust actions.”
Today, Obama was asked in a
YouTube interview that took
questions from the public about
the protests in Egypt. His
response: “Egypt’s been an ally of
ours on a lot of critical issues,
they made peace with Israel,
President Mubarak has been very
helpful on a range of tough issues
in the Middle East, but I’ve
always said to him that making
sure that they are moving forward
on reform — political reform,
economic reform — is absolutely
critical for the long-term well-
being of Egypt. And you can see
these pent-up frustrations that are
being displayed on the street.”
Closer to home, the color-coded
security alert system created after
the Sept. 11 attacks is about to go
the way of the disco ball. We will
now be told whether there is an
“imminent” threat or an
“elevated” risk.
And finally, it looks like Jay
Carney got the green light at the
White House and will be
switching from Veep spokesman
to the president’s press secretary
podium.
Here are our top stories from
Washington today…
Bernanke: all but one major firm
at risk in 2008
Twelve of the 13 most important
financial firms were at the brink
of failure at the height of the
credit crisis in 2008, according to
previously undisclosed remarks
made by Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke in
November 2009. The deeply
divided Financial Crisis Inquiry
Commission’s final report was
endorsed only by its six
Democratic members. It criticized
the culture of deregulation
championed by former chairman
Alan Greenspan and said the
government had ample power to
avert the crisis but chose not to
use it.
For more of this story by Dave
Clarke and Kevin Drawbaugh,
read here.
Treasury starts maneuvering on
debt limit
The Treasury has initiated the
first in what is likely be a series of
maneuvers aimed at preventing it
from hitting a legal debt limit as a
political battle over spending
intensified. The action to reduce
the amount of money the Treasury
holds in a special account at the
Federal Reserve marked only a
small step in freeing up new
borrowing capacity, but was
symbolically important as the
Obama administration and
Newstablet Edition
For more of this story by Kevin
Drawbaugh, read here.
GM drops US loan application
after turnaround
GM has withdrawn an
application for $14 billion in
subsidized loans from the
Department of Energy, saying it
has the financial strength to fund
investment in more fuel-efficient
and electric vehicles on its own.
The move could provide a public-
relations boost to GM, which has
struggled to distance itself from
the controversy of a $50 billion
bailout and the stigma of having
become “Government Motors”
Republican lawmakers stake out for cutting their budget deficits a f t e r b e i n g r e s t r u c t u r e d i n
ground in a wider budget debate. before financial markets turn on b a n k r u p t c y .
For more of this story by Glenn them and force borrowing costs For more of this story by David
Somerville, read here. higher, the IMF warned, as rating Lawder, read here.
US defense chief warns of agency Standard & Poor’s cut Mixed U.S. data point to growth
“crisis” over funding Japan’s long-term sovereign debt momentum
Defense Secretary Robert Gates rating. A day earlier, a U.S. Housing and factory data show
warned that Congress was causing agency raised its 2011 budget the economy still gaining strength
a “crisis on my doorstep” by deficit forecast by 40 percent. in December but at a pace
failing to approve Pentagon For more of this story by Lesley unlikely to cause the Federal
spending, inaction that could lead Wroughton, read here. Reserve to rethink its stimulus
to a funding shortfall and hurt the US Rep Paul gloomy on deficit program. Economists said they
military. “It’s one thing to talk outlook, sees crisis expected Friday’s GDP data to
about (fiscal year 2012) and then A world currency crisis awaits if show the U.S. picking up speed,
t o e x p r e s s c o n c e r n s a b o u t the U.S. Congress and the White and they shrugged off a surprise
something that may or may not House do not balance the federal j u m p i n n e w c l a i m s f o r
happen in four or five years, but I budget soon and that appears unemployment benefit as a result
have a crisis on my doorstep,” unlikely, Representative Ron Paul of bad weather.
Gates said. “Frankly, that’s how s a i d i n a n i n t e r v i e w . T h e For more of this story by Lucia
you hollow out a military even in iconoclastic Texas Republican Mutikani, read here.
wartime.” also told Reuters he expects wide Pension issues may hurt US state
For more of this story by Phil s u p p o r t f o r a b i l l h e h a s ratings – Moody’s
Stewart, read here. reintroduced in the U.S. House of Some states face so much
U.S., Japan must spell out plans Representatives to allow greatly pressure to fund pensions for
to cut debt-IMF expanded scrutiny of the Federal public employees that it could
The United States and Japan R e s e r v e b y C o n g r e s s ’
WASHINGTON page 3
urgently need to spell out plans i n v e s t i g a t i v e w i n g .
Newstablet Edition Business/ Technology/ 3
WASHINGTON
continued from page 2

hurt their credit ratings, Moody’s
said. As concerns grow over the
financial health of many states
and how they will cut spending to
cope, the ratings agency said its
report combined pension and debt
data to rank the liabilities of each
state. Connecticut, Hawaii,
Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, New Jersey and
Rhode Island, along with Puerto
Rico, have the largest debt-and-
pension loads, Moody’s found.
For more of this story by Lisa
Lambert, read here.
US to provide specifics in future
terrorism alerts
The Obama administration has
unveiled a new system to warn
about terrorism threats, scrapping
the widely ignored color-coded
alerts. The old approach was
criticized because it lacked
specifics about threats and so
people ignored the warnings. The
new approach will tell the public
whether the threat is “imminent”
or there is an “elevated” risk of
Sanofi-Aventis Breast Cancer Drug Fails
Brent Archer (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:00:00 PM
Filed under: Major Movement, could be a good time to look at a
threat. “The new system reflects
the reality that we must always be
on alert and be ready,” Homeland
Security Secretary Janet
Napolitano said.
For more of this story by Jeremy
Pelofsky, read here.
Bovine bellies yield clues for
new biofuels
Researchers looking for better
ways to make biofuels turned to
experts at breaking down grass —
cattle — and found more than a
dozen new compounds in their
guts that might help make new,
cheap sources of energy. They
used new genetic sequencing
techniques to find microbes that
make enzymes that in turn can
break down tough grasses into
usable products.
For more of this story by Maggie
Fox, read here.
From elsewhere…
When will your tax refund
arrive? There’s an app for that
With the onset of the annual tax
season in the United States,
its goal in a Phase 3 study. If you
think this stock won't be rising too
far in the coming months, then it
residents concerned about the
status of their refund or their
federal tax returns don’t have to
worry — because there is an app
for that. The IRS introduced an
app, IRG2Go, the first
smartphone application that
enables taxpayers to keep track of
their returns.
For more of this story, click here.
Photo credit: Reuters/Lucas
Jackson (traffic light)
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Clean Energy Fuels: For
High-Risk Investors
Only
Joseph Lazzaro
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:20:00 PM providing compressed natural gas
(CNG) and liquid natural Gas
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Energy Fuels Corp. ( CLNE), first currently operates more than 200
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2010, at a price of $14.75, have more than 20,000 vehicles.
downtrended in minor bear-hug Continue reading Clean Energy
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business model. Only
Note: I consider Clean Energy to Clean Energy Fuels: For High-
be a high-risk stock not suitable Risk Investors Only originally
for moderate/low-risk investors. appeared on BloggingStocks on
Don't consider CLNE if you can't Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:20:00 EST.
tolerate a 30% to 50% drop in the Please see our terms for use of
stock's price; it could happen. feeds. Permalink| Email this|
Clean Energy Fuels designs, Comments
builds, operate and maintains
natural gas fueling stations,
New-Age Gaming
Gadgets - The New
Sony NGP Has Been
Revealed (GALLERY)
ranking.
Continue reading Sanofi-Aventis (TREND HUNTER - The Latest
Trends)
Breast Cancer Drug Fails
Sanofi-Aventis Breast Cancer Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:13:02 PM

Bad News, Options, Technical bearish hedged play on SNY. Drug Fails originally appeared on
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4 Top News/
Egyptians flood the streets, defying police and calling for
regime change (The Christian Science Monitor)
(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 8:36:32 AM
Cairo – At Cairo's Mustafa
Mahmoud mosque today, there
was at first just the calm rustling
of thousands going through the
Muslim prayer ritual.
But when the prayer ended, first
one voice and then thousands
shouted, "The people want the
regime to fall!" They poured out
into the street, broke through a
police cordon, and joined forces
with other protesters to present
the gravest threat to the regime of
President Hosni Mubarak since he
took power nearly 30 years ago.
By mid-afternoon, tens of
thousands of Egyptians, braving
tear gas and water cannons, were
converging on Tahrir Square in
central Cairo and protests were
taking place across the country.
Similar scenes were played out in
hundreds of mosques in Cairo,
Alexandria, and the gritty
industrial towns of the Nile Delta.
IN PICTURES: Egyptian protests
A middle-aged woman in a Cairo
crowd who had never participated
in a demonstration before
summed up the mood of a
populace that, at least for today,
has reached a breaking point.
“We didn’t just come here
because of inflation or rising food
prices. We came because we want
freedom, because we’re tired of
oppression, and because we hate
the regime,” she says.
In Cairo, there were reports of
increasingly savage beatings of
protesters. In Suez, there were
reports of a police station being
burned to the ground. The son of
Ayman Nour, an opposition
activist who spent years in jail for
challenging Mubarak, told Al
Jazeera that a rock thrown by a
policeman had sent his father to
the hospital.
"If I’m understanding how this is
unfolding, on Jan. 25 the
government let them protest and
blow off steam. Then after dark
and the end of the news cycle,
they went after people. And that
pissed people off,” says Josh
Stacher, a political scientist who
studies Egypt at Kent State. “This
is one of the first times in Egypt
I’ve seen people out protesting for
different reasons. In Suez, it’s
police repression. In Mahallah,
it’s economics. In Cairo, it’s
political freedom. The Interior
Minister said the other day the
‘Egyptian regime is not fragile.’
Well, when you say those kinds of
things, it means you’re in
trouble."
Think you know the Middle
East? Take our geography quiz.
Citizens have broken a barrier of
fearHow this all ends remains
uncertain. But autocracy in the
Arab world’s largest country is
looking shaky. Protesters are
seeking to build a wave of
momentum that could sweep
away a regime, a move that would
dramatically alter regional
policies and complicate US
interests in the Middle East.
Mr. Mubarak is unlikely to be
swept away as easily as President
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of
Tunisia was driven out of his
country. But it’s clear that citizens
have broken through a barrier of
fear in the Arab world’s largest
country, a nation that serves as a
regional cultural capital and as a
model for the security states that
dominate the region.
“For the first time, we felt as if we
can breathe. We can say no. So
we came today to fight for our
rights," says Usama el-Wardany,
an upper class Egyptian who
became politically active when his
friend of Khalid Said was beat to
death at the hands of police last
year. “I think they’re going to kill
us today, but I feel this is how I
will achieve my rights, so I’m not
scared.”
Illusion of stability shatteredThe
illusion of stability, that an
authoritarian state that takes little
feedback from its citizens that can
sustain itself indefinitely, has
been shattered. The outcome of a
presidential election scheduled for
September, widely expected to be
engineered to either return
Mubarak to power or perhaps to
install his son Gamal as successor,
now looks very much in question.
Will other members of the ruling
elite dump the Mubaraks and
promote another from their ranks
in the hopes of mollifying the
people? Will street power
continue, and be rewarded with a
meaningful political opening
towards democracy?
These questions, which would
have seemed absurd just two
months ago after rigged
parliamentary elections in
November wiped out the formal
opposition to Mubarak’s National
Democratic Party, are now being
asked in regional capitals, in
Washington, and by citizens from
Algeria to Damascus wondering if
their voices, too, can now be
heard.
“There’s only one way this gets
resolved [and that] is by the
massive of use of force, and I
don’t think it’s going to work,”
says Joshua Stacher, a political
scientist at Kent State who studies
the authoritarian systems of Egypt
and Syria. “Even if this is a
furious burst of hot air and it stops
[soon], if they try to install Gamal
in September, they will get an
enormous backlash.
"Everyone talks about the
prowess of Egyptian security.
Well, they’ve never really been
tested," he adds. "Maybe the
[police] are getting tired and
spread out. I don’t want to call
this an inevitability, but it’s
looking bad for the regime.”
Why the stakes are higher in
Egypt than TunisiaPolitical
analyst Mustapha Kamel Al
Sayyid says the fact that the
Newstablet Edition
protests took place across the
nation, and were not led by a
particular political movement or
opposition party, set them apart
from demonstrations in the last
decade.
“This time it is really a national
movement. It’s quite remarkable
that the slogans raised by the
demonstrators were not typical of
any political party. They were
general slogans about democracy,
ending the state of emergency,
and lowering prices.... The
government will not respond
favorably so I think the
continuation of the protests is
almost certain.”
For the US and many others, the
stakes in Egypt are much higher
than they were in Tunisia. Ben Ali
presided over a small country
with just 10 million people and
with one of the weakest Islamist
movements in the region.
Egypt is home to 80 million
people, it is one of only two Arab
states to make peace with Israel,
and has been closely allied with
the US, giving free passage to US
warships through the Suez canal
in wartime, policing militant
infiltration into and out of the
Gaza Strip, and receiving billions
of dollars in US aid over the years
in return.
The US views the country as a
crucial partner for pushing for
Israeli-Palestinian peace. And
EGYPTIANS page 8
Newstablet Edition Top News/ Technology/ 5

Court puts Emanuel back in Chicago mayor's race (AP)

(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed) As the next phase of the a runoff. A recent poll showed grandmother of seven who we're all still in this and we're all
Submitted at 1/28/2011 6:10:37 AM campaign began with Emanuel Emanuel just a few percentage planned on sitting the election out trying to get our message out,"
and his three top rivals talking points away from the 50 percent if Emanuel's name wasn't on the she said.
CHICAGO – Minutes after street-level issues at the debate, of the votes plus one vote he ballot. "It's not about sympathy, Another opponent, City Clerk
finding out that Illinois' highest the big question is what effect the needs to win the seat outright. it's about being right and it's about Miguel del Valle said he was
court had put him back in the race legal dispute has had on the race: Don Rose, a longtime analyst of being fair." relieved that the "distraction" of
f o r C h i c a g o m a y o r , R a h m Did it garner Emanuel sympathy Chicago politics, said the legal The former White House aide has the residency fight was behind
Emanuel was at a downtown from voters in a campaign where saga would bring Emanuel "even said he always intended to return them, saying he was "glad we're
transit station, shaking hands and he has had to fight claims that he's greater sympathy" and could lift to Chicago, and his arguments there, finally, even though there's
talking about a congratulatory not a "real Chicagoan" or were the him to victory. were accepted by the city election only four weeks left."
phone call from President Barack other contenders able to attract "It's over," Rose said. "The only board and a Cook County judge Gery Chico, the city's former
Obama. some notice from voters who open question is whether he wins before the appeals court rejected school board president and one of
The scene after the state Supreme thought Emanuel wouldn't make it in the first round or whether them. Emanuel's more prominent rivals,
C o u r t r u l e d u n a n i m o u s l y the ballot? there's a runoff." In their decision, the Supreme has complained that the recent
Thursday in Emanuel's favor Legally, it appears that Emanuel's Another analyst agreed that Court justices left no doubt that "drama" surrounding Emanuel
served as a reminder that he was residency problems are over. In Emanuel got a "good bit of they thought Emanuel had been had "made this election into a
still the front-runner. He had their ruling, a majority of the sympathy" over the ballot fight wronged by the appellate court. circus instead of a serious debate
barely broken stride during the justices concluded the earlier but wasn't so sure he would coast The high court called the lower about the future of Chicago." He
three days his campaign was in d e c i s i o n w a s " w i t h o u t a n y to victory. court's basis for deciding that expressed hope that the campaign
doubt after a lower court threw foundation" in the law because it "It's going to be very turbulent in Emanuel could not be on the could now move on to the issues:
the former White House chief of s a i d a c a n d i d a t e m u s t b e the next week or two," said Dick ballot "without any foundation in crime, education and the city's
staff off the ballot because he had physically present in Chicago. Simpson, a University of Illinois- Illinois law." budget woes.
not lived in Chicago for a full Emanuel lived for nearly two Chicago political scientist and The court also added to "Game on," he said.
year before the Feb. 22 election. years in Washington working for former alderman, who said he Emanuel's narrative that only the ___
Emanuel is still far ahead in the Obama. He moved back to thinks the other candidates picked call from the president could have Associated Press writers Michael
polls, millions of dollars ahead in Chicago in October, after Mayor up some support in the last week. persuaded him to move out of Tarm, Tammy Weber, Sophia
fundraising, and again reminding Richard M. Daley announced he "A number of voters will Chicago and quit his job Tareen and Karen Hawkins
voters of his friends in the highest would not seek a seventh term. reconsider" and the remaining representing the city's North Side contributed to this report.
of places — even as he tries to The lawyer at the center of the debates will be important. in Congress, saying that Emanuel This entry passed through the
win votes in train stations and challenge, Burt Odelson, said as Throughout the last few days, "took an inherently temporary Full-Text RSS service — if this is
bowling alleys. far as he was concerned, the issue voters had expressed frustration at position of national service." your content and you're reading it
"The good news is now that we is dead and can't be appealed the appeals court's ruling, saying Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley on someone else's site, please read
have the Supreme Court decision, through the federal courts. they, not a court, should be Braun, who has tried to portray our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
it's behind us," he said a short Talk quickly turned back to what deciding who would be the next Emanuel as an outsider, said she content-only/faq.php
time later during a debate with it was before the appeals court mayor. didn't question the court's Five Filters featured article:
other candidates. "Hopefully this ruling that tossed Emanuel from "They didn't have a right to do decision. Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
will be the last question about it the race — whether he will win what they did to him," said "The court's ruling stands and the The Crosshairs.
for all of us, including myself." enough votes on Feb. 22 to avoid Marilyn Scott, a 62-year-old fact is that the field hasn't changed

Untitled
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6 Top News/ Newstablet Edition

WikiLeaks Times Release of Egypt-Focused Cables to News

Cycle
Kit Eaton (Fast Company)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:08:50 PM

Controversial "whistleblower"
site WikiLeaks is improving as a
timely source of information: It's
just released a fresh batch of
leaked U.S. cables that concern
Egypt.
Earlier today WikiLeaks's official
(if still "unverified") Twitter
account had the following t weet:
"We will soon release numerous
cables on Egypt."
Then just a few hours later,
WikiLeaks came good on its
promise, and a new suite of
leaked U.S. diplomatic cables
concerning American political
relations with a number of
factions inside Egypt have
surfaced on the WikiLeaks
website(which is still online,
despite the attempts by different
users to suppress it).
All told there are 12 Egypt-
specific cables on the single page
(though WikiLeaks's site seems to above, as we did for an earlier people across political and some of its most dramatic acts. Is tricky concept as it can only be as
imply there's another page of WikiLeaks release. Most religious persuasions in a crack- WikiLeaks trying to prove it's a powerful--or provocative--as the
documents, the links don't work), prominent in this text are the down designed to quell anti-Sadat truly journalistic entity at heart, data that's leaked to it. So unless
and they range from words Mubarak, Sadat, and jihadi activity--it failed to work. lending support to founder Julian an interested party leaks inside
"confidential" classification to the September: Mubarak is self- The cable addresses concerns, in Assange's claims that he's information from an organization
higher "secret/no foreign eyes" explanatory, and its this difficult 2007, that Mubarak's hard line on protected by freedom of the press that's actually embroiled in
level, over a period from August man that the current protests the oppositional Muslim laws? Is the site actually planning something newsworthy right at
2005 to July 2009. center around. Sadat is Anwar El Brotherhood could cause similar on becoming more of a news that moment, WikiLeaks could
The text of one particularly Sadat, third president of Egypt social tensions in Egypt. source? Or is this merely the by- hardly be regarded as a news
pertinent cable--a briefing, based and Nobel Peace Prize winner--he The cable got the dates of the product of tighter hands on the organization.
on information obtained locally, was assassinated by social tension/explosion wrong. reigns now that Assange is merely What it can do is curate the leaks
that summarizes an "Egypt in fundamentalist forces in October But WikiLeaks actually timed this under house arrest, and has access its given, and this seems to be the
transition" in September 2007-- 1981. In September 1981 (the well--releasing its information at to the Internet? case here: Among the slew of
has been turned into a word cloud third prominent word) Sadat exactly the right moment as the We suspect it's actually the latter. WIKILEAKS page 9
ordered the arrest of some 1,500 current Egyptian drama enters WikiLeaks as a "news source" is a
Newstablet Edition Top News/ Technology/ Food/ 7
Nesting Doll Luggage
World markets sink as protests escalate in Egypt Sets - These Porter
Matryoshka Travel
(AP) Pouches are Designed
for Frequent Fliers
(Yahoo! News: Most Viewed) Jeffrey Frankel, president of up for eight straight weeks. percent between October and
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:19:57 PM broker Stuart Frankel & Co. Disappointing earnings reports December. That was below the (GALLERY)
"Gold is up. Oil is up. Anything also helped send stocks lower. 3.5 percent that analysts had (TREND HUNTER - The Latest
NEW YORK – Escalating related to overseas is getting hit." Ford Motor Co sank 12 percent forecast. Trends)
protests in Egypt jarred world Prices of Treasury bonds, after its earnings fell short of Wall Sara Lee Corp. fell 2.2 percent
financial markets Friday. Stocks considered one of the safest Street's projections. Amazon.com after announcing a plan to split Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:52:02 PM

fell while the dollar, Treasurys assets, rose sharply. The yield on Inc. fell 8.5 percent after reporting into two companies. One, a food
and gold rose as investors sought the benchmark 10-year Treasury ( TrendHunter.com) Traveling is
that higher costs cut down its and retail business, will keep the
to reduce their exposure to risk. about to get a lot easier thanks to
note fell to 3.32 percent from 3.38 profit margins. Microsoft Corp. Sara Lee name and also operate
The Egyptian government's percent late Thursday. Bond the new Porter Matryoshka Travel
lost 4 percent after it said that the the Jimmy Dean and Hillshire
response to escalating street yields fall when their prices rise. Pouches. Porter has designed
profitability of its Windows Farms businesses. The other,
protests unnerved investors. The these nylon taffeta travel pouches
The dollar rose 0.6 percent division was falling. which has yet to be named, will
military was deployed in an effort against an index of six other to fit comfortably inside one
The Dow Jones industrial hold the current company's
t o r e s t o r e o r d e r a n d t h e currencies as investors sought another. Out of all the...
average fell 138 points, or 1.2 beverages and baked goods lines.
headquarters of the ruling party safety. Gold rose 1.6 percent to percent, to 11,852 in afternoon The company had considered
was on fire. Thousands of people $1,339.50 and crude oil rose 4.4
defied a curfew, and Internet and percent to $89.42 a barrel.
trading.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index
selling the whole business but was
unable to get a satisfactory price
Lighter Deep Dish
cell phone service has been cut The Egyptian stock market was fell 18, or 1.4 percent, to 1,281. for it. Pizza
off. closed for a holiday. It fell 10.5 All 10 company groups that make This entry passed through the (Cooking Light: Editor's Picks)
Earlier, riot police fired tear gas, percent Thursday. up the S&P index fell. Full-Text RSS service — if this is
rubber bullets and used water The MSCI World Market index, The Nasdaq composite index fell your content and you're reading it [ fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve
cannons to disperse crowds that the broadest measure of the 61, or 2.2 percent, to 2,694. The on someone else's site, please read full-text content] We made over
had gathered in the largest world's stock markets, slumped index was not updated nearly an our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to
challenge to Egyptian president 1.3 percent. hour after the market opened due content-only/faq.php deliver full flavor while keeping
Hosni Mubarak's thirty-year rule. "Traders are watching this flare- to technical problems. Five Filters featured article: saturated fat, sodium, and calories
Investors have been concerned up in the Middle East and using it A lower than expected report on Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In in check.
that the collapse of the Tunisian as a reason to take profits," said the U.S. economy helped lead to a The Crosshairs.
government Jan. 14 could lead to Doug Godine, managing director market sell-off as well. The
challenges to other authoritarian at Signal Hill, an investment Commerce Department reported
governments in the Middle East. bank. Prior to this week, the Dow that U.S. gross domestic product
"The safety trade is back," said Jones industrial average had been grew at an annual rate of 3.2

Retro Gamer Seasonings - Add Some Spice to Your Meal

With the Space Invaders Salt & Pepper Shakers
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest ( TrendHunter.com) Instead of seasoning using this Space retro characters come back to
Trends) shooting at those pesky aliens, Invaders Salt and Pepper Shaker? spice...
w h y n o t f i l l t h e m u p w i t h It's nice to see that the awesomely
8 Top News/ Technology/ Food/
Egypt's 'Net blockage an
'Armageddon approach' -
Computerworld
(Top Stories - Google News)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:40:35 PM
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Newstablet Edition
EGYPTIANS
continued from page 4
Egypt is home to the Muslim surged forward, trying to break
Brotherhood, the large Islamist the police cordon, and then
opposition group that would like retreated amid billowing clouds of
to eventually make Islamic law tear gas only to surge again.
the law of the land.
IN PICTURES: Egyptian protests
'We want these words to reach the
One demonstrator held aloft a
sign that read "Game over." It was
written, like other signs, in
West'In Cairo, security forces
were making a desperate stand
today, but protesters were
English. Why? Protesters
responded, “We want these words
to reach the West.”
determined to press on. As the
protesters from Mustafa
Dan Murphy reported from
Boston.
Mahmoud mosque made their Think you know the Middle
• Twitter • Opinion way through toward the Qasr el- East? Take our geography quiz.
• Facebook • Shark Tank Nil bridge that leads to Tahrir This entry passed through the
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• Operating Systems • Enterprise IT protesters down below were content-only/faq.php
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• Security • IT Government When they reached the bridge, The Crosshairs.
• Storage • IT Health Care they were confronted by riot
• Data Center • QuickPoll Center police and armed personnel
• Hardware • Shark Bait carriers as they massed to cross
• Applications • Video the bridge. They repeatedly
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Online Features - January/February 2011
• Jonny Evans on someone else's site, please read (Cooking Light: Editor's Picks) January and February at
• JR Raphael our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ CookingLight.com
• Michael Horowitz content-only/faq.php [ fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve
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Newstablet Edition Top News/ Technology/ Finance/ Culture/ 9
WIKILEAKS
Egypt protests: US speaks again, but continued from page 6

confidential data leaked to the site Assange was recently legally

no one seems to be listening - from the U.S. diplomatic

communications channel were a
number of documents that related
given permission to move his
arrest site to the Frontline Club, a
journalist hot-spot in London.
Christian Science Monitor to Egypt. All the folks running
WikiLeaks had to do was keep
WikiLeaks's Twitter account has,
in fact, been very active today in
(Top Stories - Google News) reforms.” will not make [their] grievances abreast of the news, corral the reporting and disseminating news
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:23:53 PM The administration thus appears go away.” relevant leaked cables, and make about the goings-on in Egypt.
set on a course of ramping up The secretary also held the an announcement to the world at Someone is very definitely at the
Secretary of State Hillary d e m a n d s f o r “ m e a n i n g f u l government accountable for the the right moment. We know that, helm of the organizationright
Rodham Clinton's comments on reforms” as events intensify, but m a s s i v e d i s r u p t i o n s o f for example, twitterer @ now. But tweeting does not make
the Egypt protests Friday call on continues to hold back from communications across Egypt, ioerror(Jacon Applebaum) is a one a journalistic entity. Not yet,
President Hosni Mubarak to uttering the words the thousands including c e l l u l a r WikiLeaks volunteer, subpoenaed anyway.
embrace reforms. But he hasn't of protesters would like to hear communications and the Internet, over the recent DDoS attacks on To read more news on this, and
paid the US heed during the crisis. most: support for a political and called for the repressive steps anti-WikiLeaks entities, and he's similar stuff, keep up with my
Washington “transition” in Egypt. to be reversed. been covering the Egypt news. updates by following me, Kit
As protesters filled Egyptian In any case, what the US has to “We urge the Egyptian authorities And we know that Julian Assange Eaton, on Twitter.
streets Friday and defied a curfew, say may matter less than some to allow peaceful protests, and to has been free to access the net to
the United States toughened its officials in Washington may reverse the unprecedented steps it manage his team, and to speak to
calls for reforms but essentially think, with evidence mounting the h a s t a k e n t o c u t o f f the press, while he's under house
left intact its makeshift approach Mubarak regime was paying little communications,” she said. arrest in the U.K.--in fact,
to events in the key Middle East heed to Washington's words. Of course, how much American
country: support for both the In brief comments at the State admonitions would be heeded
protesters and the government of Department, Secretary Clinton remained doubtful, anyway.
President Hosni Mubarak. Skip to repeated several times that the US Page: 1 | 2
next paragraph sees itself as a “partner” of both This entry passed through the
“We want to partner with the the Egyptian people and the Full-Text RSS service — if this is
E g y p t i a n p e o p l e a n d t h e i r Egyptian government. And as a your content and you're reading it
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Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a e n c o u r a g e d t h e E g y p t i a n our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
statement Friday. She called on government to “ engage” with its content-only/faq.php
the Mubarak government to own people, and was emphasizing Five Filters featured article:
IRS2Go Tracks Your
restrain the police and security that need now.
forces as a first order of business, “The Egyptian government needs
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
The Crosshairs.
Untitled Tax Return from Your
a n d t o m o v e q u i c k l y t o to engage with the Egyptian noreply@blogger.com (Ad
“economic, political and social people,” Clinton said. “Violence ServeRSS) (AdServRSS Feed) Phone [Downloads]
Alan Henry (Lifehacker)
Traffic Pain: 10 Cities with the Worst Commutes Socially responsible investments
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MoneyWatch.com) Mobility… global poverty. Microcredit helps iOS/Android: The IRS's official
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by Kathy Kristof for CBS What does sitting in traffic cost track your return once you've
MoneyWatch.com you? About $808 on average, submitted it to the IRS. More »
10 Top News/ Business/ Culture/ Newstablet Edition

Obama: Time For Fighting Health-

Care Overhaul Has Passed - Wall
Street Journal
(Top Stories - Google News) AARP, the senior citizens lobby, repeatedly said the votes are
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:10:26 PM and medical groups to press symbolic and repeal wouldn't pass
lawmakers to overhaul the health- in the Democrat-controlled
(Adds background in the third care system. Senate.
paragraph.) By Jared A. Favole The president thanked them for Obama said he is not willing to
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES their years of hard work. "I fight again for the health-care
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)-- couldn't be prouder of you," the overhaul although he is open to
President Barack Obama on president said. changes--even if they come from
Friday defended his health-care Obama entered the conference to Republicans--that would make
law in the face of continued cheers and chants of "Yes We health care more efficient.
Republican-led calls for repeal, Did." In introducing the president, He said repeal would "shift
declaring that the time to fight the Families USA Executive Director control right back to the insurance
overhaul has passed. Ron Pollack said the group will companies."
"You may have heard once or stand "shoulder to shoulder" with
twice that this is a job-crushing, O b a m a t o e n s u r e " n o o n e ,
-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones
Newswires; 202-862-9256;
Check Out Pictures Of
granny-threatening, budget- absolutely no one" will take away
busting monstrosity," Obama said, the benefits of the health law.
r e c o u n t i n g s o m e o f t h e The Republicans have vowed to
jared.favole@dowjones.com
This entry passed through the
Full-Text RSS service — if this is
Google's Cool New
Republican Party's arguments repeal the health-care law, or at
against the health-care law. "That least limit its reach by attempting
your content and you're reading it
on someone else's site, please read
London Offices (GOOG)
just doesn't match up to the to withhold funding of certain our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ Curbed.com (Business Insider) comingling of work and play.
reality," he said. provisions. The Republican- content-only/faq.php Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:22:34 PM Planning a meeting? See if faux
Obama was speaking at the c o n t r o l l e d H o u s e o f Five Filters featured article: log cabin No. 3 is available.
annual conference of Families Representatives voted last week in Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In As if one needed another Video conferences? Always more
USA, a liberal advocacy group favor of repeal, and a similar The Crosshairs. affirmation of how awesome it is effective when conducted in
that played a big role in the health measure may come up for a vote to work for Google. oversize dice.
-care overhaul. Families USA in the Senate. Its new London offices, a 40,000 Even desks are shaped like
teamed up with groups including The Obama administration has -square-foot space designed by primary-colored bumper cars and
Scott Brownrigg Interior Design, phone booths.
8 Automotive Lemons features a gym, massage room,
and Asian-fusion restaurant.
Submit those resumes here.
This post originally appeared at
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed) Automotive Lemons" 16 our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ (And, like the offices of Twitter, Curbed.com.
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:00:56 PM September 2007. content-only/faq.php Eames chairs!) Join the conversation about this
HowStuffWorks.com. 28 January Five Filters featured article: Officially decorated in a"London- story »
Please copy/paste the following 2011. Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In Brighton" theme, this is clearly a
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the Editors of Publications your content and you're reading it
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Newstablet Edition
Royal Bengal Tigers Get GPS Treatment, New
Plans to Save the Endangered Species
Jenara Nerenberg (Fast
Company)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:12:50 PM
Poachers beware--the World
Wildlife Fund is armed with GPS
tracking devices and far-reaching
plans to help tigers re-produce.
Tigers in the Himalayas were a
big issue this week, as a study co-
authored by WWF scientists was
published by Conservation
Letters, detailing how the world's
endangered tigers--many of which
are in Nepal, Bhutan, and India--
could triple with proper land
management. News also came
directly out of Nepal that it had
successfully installed a GPS
tracking kit on a Royal Bengal
tiger and then transported the tiger
from Chitwan National Park to
Bardia National Park. The goal of
the tracking is to place the tiger in
a safer, breeding-friendly
environment.
"We have one of the highest
densities of tigers. If our
landscapes are properly managed,
then our number of tigers can
triple," WWF Nepal Conservation
Quick Market Update: Stocks Floating Around Their Low Levels Of The Day
Joe Weisenthal (Money Game)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:00:28 PM
Comedian Charlie Callas dead in Las Vegas at 83 (AP)
(Yahoo! News: Obituaries)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:37:10 PM
Program Director, Ghana Gurung,
tells Fast Company. "We're
committed to doubling our
number of tigers by 2022."
The global tiger population has
decreased from 100,000 to 3,200
in just a century, due to profit-
seeking poachers as well as, in the
case of Nepal, war-inflicted
habitat destruction.
"Therefore, habitat management is
The relentless selling we saw
earlier has now given way to
flatness.
AP - Charlie Callas, a versatile
comedian whose zany faces and
antics made him a regular for
essential," says Gurung. And the
most important finding to come
out of the study is that by
preserving corridors that link
breeding areas, tigers will more
freely roam and breed.
If, however, they are confined to
small areas--and areas that are
disconnected from each other--the
population begins to decrease.
Of course protecting those
We're just bouncing along our
more than four decades on
television, in films and on casino
stages, has died in Las Vegas. He
Top News/ Economy/ Culture/ Obituaries
breeding grounds is also essential.
Poachers throughout Asia hunt in
search of high profits from sales
to China for use in traditional
Chinese medicine.
"We absolutely need to stop the
bleeding, the poaching of tigers
and their prey in core breeding
areas," says co-author Eric
Dinerstein, chief scientist at
WWF. "But we need to go much
further and secure larger tiger
landscapes before it is too late."
Follow me, Jenara Nerenberg, on
Twitter.
[Image: Carter Roberts, President
and CEO, WWF-US, with
Minister of Forest and Soil
Conservation of Nepal, Deepak
Bohara (standing, left), fitting a
GPS plus GLOBALSTAR-3
satellite collar on the wild tiger
'Namobuddha' before it was
translocated to Bardia National
Park from Chitwan National Park,
Nepal. Courtesy WWF/Min
Bajracharya]
low levels of the day.
Join the conversation about this
story »
was 83.
11
Flip-out for
Friday: Play
Now
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:00:56 PM
Ever just feel like flipping out
and clicking on a ton of stuff? We
hear you loud and clear. Flip Out
is a fresh new take on matching
games, but don’t run away yet –
you’ll be matching far more that
just similar images! Flip Out is
chock-full of unique twists that
will tickle your brain just the right
way. With a fun visual style and
feel-good gameplay that will keep
you coming back for more, Flip
Out is a game you have to try
today.
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12 Top News/ Newstablet Edition

Four Loko Is So 2010: Introducing the Marijuana-Spiked

Canna Cola
Ariel Schwartz (Fast Company) worry plenty.) and they don't contain much other vendors' hard liquors, Butler California dispensaries by the
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:18:22 PM The brainchild of California- marijuana either--each bottle explained to the Santa Cruz Spring. And after that? Canna
based commercial artist Clay contains between 35 and 65 Sentinel. That means customers Cola might one day find itself on
Fear not, Four Loko lovers. The Butler, the Canna Cola brand milligrams of THC (the active can actually drink entire bottles store shelves formerly occupied
next generation of giddiness- features a number of different ingredient in cannabis), or without having panic attacks. It by blackout-inducing alcoholic
inducing beverages is coming flavors, including the eponymous roughly three times less THC than also means that medical patients beverages. That's just called a
down the pike in the form of cola, a Dr Pepper knock-off called other marijuana-infused beverages who don't like the taste of market opportunity.
Canna Cola, a marijuana-infused Doc Weed, grape-flavored Grape --but they're meant to be tastier marijuana might be more willing Ariel Schwartz can be reached on
soda brand designed to be sold at Ape, orange-tinged Orange Kush, than the competition's offerings, to take a swig. Twitter or by email.
medical marijuana dispensaries in and the Sprite-y Sour Diesel. The containing only a hint of pot The line of beverages goes on
the U.S. (Doctors and parents of drinks, set to be priced in the flavoring. sale in Colorado next month.
college students, meanwhile, range of $10 to $15, aren't cheap, Canna Cola is like a light beer to Butler hopes to have them in
Newstablet Edition
NYC's New 27-Year-Old Chief Digital Officer Explains To
Us Exactly What Her Job Is
Ujala Sehgal (Business Insider)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:21:00 PM
Rachel Sterne has an intimidating
resume.
A native New Yorker, Sterne is
just 27 years old, and is the
founder and CEO of both a citizen
journalism site, GroundRepor t,
and a digital media consultancy
company for start-ups, Upward
Strategy. She's an adjunct
professor at Columbia Business
School -- without even having a
degree -- and two years ago,
Businessweek named her as one
of America's most promising
social entrepreneurs.
If that's not enough, after a six-
month search, the Bloomberg
Administration named Sterne
New York City's first Chief
Digital Officer earlier this week.
The job of the CDO, from the
description that was posted on the
city's website, is someone who
can “help develop forward-
thinking policies on social media,
digital communications, web 2.0
initiatives and other tools to
better serve the public.” The
salary: between $75,000 to
$125,000 per year.
With high achievement can
come...let's just call it backlash.
After Sterne's appointment, Dylan
Byers wrote a cutting article in
Adweek where he called Sterne's
experience into serious question,
saying that "Sterne’s skills as a
self-promoter may be stronger
than her skills in social media and
digital communications."
He quoted an acquaintance of
Sterne's as saying, "Despite
[Ground Report] never receiving
any traffic, Sterne used Ground
Report to win a bunch of do-
gooder awards, put herself in the
spotlight...In the meantime, all the
attention led her to realize she was
really best at promoting
herself...."
The piece was enough to inspire
the who's who of New York's tech
and media world to strongly leap
to Sterne's defense in the
comments section. [Read the
entire back and forth here.]
We interviewed Sterne via email.
While she did not comment on the
AdWeek piece, she did tell us
about how she began Ground
Report and what led her to
become the city's main liaison
with the digital start-up scene.
How did you come to start
Ground Report?
I started GroundReport in 2006,
inspired by my experience as an
intern at the U.S. Mission to the
United Nations. GroundReport’s
mission is to democratize the
media by crowdsourcing news
and opinion, and helping the
public make its voice heard. Its
ultimate goal was to help make
policy more efficient and
responsive by enabling more
citizen input. Today
GroundReport has thousands of
international reporters who report
firsthand from the scene of world
events and reach a global
audience. As I take on my new
role with the City, I will no longer
be involved in GroundReport, but
other members of its staff will
take over the reins and I have
enormous confidence in them.
What made you interested in the
Chief Digital Officer position?
My career has centered on using
technology in the public interest,
so when I saw the Chief Digital
Officer role I recognized it as an
incredible opportunity to pursue
that aim in the greatest city on
earth. I’m a native New Yorker
and very encouraged by the
digital efforts underway in New
York City and by the importance
that Mayor Bloomberg places on
innovation. I can’t imagine a more
exciting opportunity and
challenge.
What needs of the city's digital
media and tech scene do you think
the current administration could
do a better job in meeting?
The City is already doing a lot to
support entrepreneurs, and there is
a variety of programs underway,
from incubators and seed funds to
engineering education initiatives
and small business services. One
of my tasks will be to act as a
liaison between the tech
community and the City, helping
more entrepreneurs learn about
and take advantage of City
programs. And we can always do
more to support digital startups,
so I will work with the startup
community to look at long-term
goals and solutions – not quick
fixes, which won’t have a lasting
impact. As an entrepreneur, I am
committed to this goal and very
excited to help New York City’s
tech industry grow and thrive. As
Mayor Bloomberg mentioned in
his State of the City address last
week, New York city is now #1
for young entrepreneurs, and
recently surpassed Boston in
venture funding to become #2 in
the nation. And the best part is
we’re just getting started.
In what ways do you foresee the
city using social media?
The City of New York is already
actively using a wide range of
social media channels including
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and
Flickr to engage with citizens
across dozens of agencies. Part of
my role will be to support City
agencies in their work and help
coordinate and streamline
efforts.There is a lot of potential
to save the City money through
Business/ 13
coordinated social media efforts,
public-private partnerships, and
online enhancements.
What new policies and initiatives
are you thinking about
implementing as Chief Digital
Officer?
It’s only a few days in, so my
first step will be to start by taking
a close look at what the City is
already doing, and how citizens
feel the City could better serve
their needs. This will ultimately
take the form of a public 90-day
report that will quantitatively and
qualitatively look at current
initiatives and policies, and
identify next steps that can build
on these achievements. I will also
work with NYC.gov and 311
online teams to support their
efforts. And steps like enabling
more communication between
social media managers in different
City agencies will also be helpful.
Finally, creating meaningful
public-private partnerships will be
crucial – so I encourage NYC
startups interested in collaborating
to reach out to me via Twitter
@rachelsterne or Facebook.
Join the conversation about this
story »
14 Business/ News Wire/ Finance/
A Guide To Getting Your Dream Job GOP Looks to Restrict
At Goldman Sachs (GS) Birthright Citizenship
Katya Wachtel (Business
Insider)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:31:03 PM
Goldman's head of recruitment
told Fortune the firm receives
about 10,000 applications for jobs
each year.
So how do you make yourself
stand out?
These are the main lessons we
gleaned from an interview
Fortune scored with Goldman's
Global Head of Human Capital,
Edith Cooper.
Take up rowing, or sculpture or
charitable giving.
Sure, Goldman is looking for
someone who's academically
brilliant. But your chances are
multiplied exponentially if you
also excel in an area besides math.
"We define talent very broadly,"
Cooper said. They're looking for
someone "who's excelled across a
variety of different things."
They're looking for a stellar track
record in sport or music or
commitment to the community.
Just don't do anything too weird.
Source: Fortune
Show leadership in a "number of
7 Ways NOT to hemorrhage money on health care
nospam@example.com (The
Editors of Prevention)
(Financiallyfit on Shine)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:33:16 PM
If you feel like you need an
advance degree (and a sizable
back account) to manage your
different contexts"
So basically you can't just be part
of a sports team or having played
clarinet for two years back in high
school.
You need to demonstrate you
were kind of great at it, and more
importantly, you were in a
leadership role.
Source: Fortune
Be comfortable with feeling
uncomfortable
Cooper said that Goldman likes
health insurance, read on. Here
are 7 tips to help you save
"people who like to be slightly
uncomfortable."
She explained that it had
something to do with the fact that
they work in a dynamic industry
and every day is different.
So basically, just make it known
you're a sucker for uncomfortable
situations.
Source: Fortune
View more at Business Insider
money—and your sanity—while
still getting the best possible care
you can.
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:42:26 PM
Two Republican senators have
introduced a constitutional
amendment that would prohibit
the children of illegal immigrants
from gaining automatic U.S.
citizenship unless certain
conditions are met.
The move by Sens. Rand Paul, R-
Ky., and David Vitter, R-La.,
follows a proposal in Arizona
challenging the constitutional
right known as "birthright
citizenship."
Under U.S. law, anybody born on
U.S. soil is considered a citizen.
The proposal in Congress would
amend the Constitution so that
children born in the United States
are only considered automatic
citizens if one parent is a U.S.
citizen, one parent is a legal
immigrant, or one parent is an
active member of the Armed
Forces. They could also follow
the traditional naturalization
process to attain citizenship.
"Citizenship is a privilege, and
only those who respect our
immigration laws should be
allowed to enjoy its benefits,"
Paul said in a written statement.
But any constitutional
amendment stands a slim chance
of passing, as it would have to be
approved by a two-thirds majority
in both chambers of Congress and
Newstablet Edition
ratified by three-quarters of the
state legislatures. Plus critics of
the push say it won't address the
problem of illegal immigration
and would be struck down in the
courts anyway.
"To me, it's unconscionable," said
Brent Wilkes, national director for
the League of United Latin
American Citizens, in reference to
the earlier Arizona measure. That
proposal followed another similar
bill in the Indiana General
Assembly.
"For folks to try to propose
another law that contravenes this
at the state level, that's illegal,"
Wilkes told Fox News.
But Vitter suggested the
guarantee that children of illegal
immigrants become citizens is
driving up illegal immigration in
the United States.
"Closing this loophole will not
prevent them from becoming
citizens, but will ensure that they
have to go through the same
process as anyone else who wants
to become an American citizen,"
he said.
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Newstablet Edition News Wire/ 15

Egypt Curfew Doesn't Curb Riots

(FOXNews.com) headquarters in Cairo was ablaze advocates, was under house arrest Cairo and several of the prepared to lead the opposition to
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:42:26 PM in the outpouring of rage, after joining the protests. policemen stripped off their a regime change.
bitterness and utter frustration "It's time for this government to uniforms and badges and joined When he joined protesters after
DEVELOPING: Egypt's national with a regime seen as corrupt, change," said Amal Ahmed, a 22- the demonstrators. noon prayers, police fired water
carrier says it has suspended its heavy-handed and neglectful of year-old protester. "I want a better An Associated Press reporter saw cannons at him and his supporters.
flights from Cairo for 12 hours. grinding poverty that afflicts future for me and my family when the protesters cheering the police They used batons to beat some of
E g y p t A i r ' s a n n o u n c e m e n t nearly half of the 80 million I get married." who joined them and hoisting ElBaradei's supporters, who
follows a government-imposed Egyptians. Hundreds were looting The sustained and intensifying them on their shoulders in one of surrounded him to protect him.
curfew from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. in television sets and electric fans demonstrations raised serious the many dramatic and chaotic A soaking wet ElBaradei was
r e s p o n s e t o w i d e s p r e a d from the burning complex of questions about whether Mubarak scenes across Egypt on Friday. trapped inside a mosque while
demonstrations and rioting that buildings used by the ruling party. can keep his grip on power. Egypt After chasing the police, hundreds of riot police laid siege
engulfed the Egyptian capital after One protester was killed in is Washington's closest Arab ally, thousands of protesters were able to it, firing tear gas in the streets
Friday prayers. demonstrations that stretched but Mubarak may be losing U.S. to flood into the huge Tahrir around so no one could leave.
The company said its flights from across nearly half the provinces in support. The Obama Square downtown after being kept Tear gas canisters set several cars
abroad will be able to land, but Egypt, bringing the death toll for administration has publicly out most of the day by a very ablaze outside the mosque and
departures were canceled from 9 four days of protests to eight. counseled him to introduce heavy police presence. Few police several people fainted and
p.m. "I can't believe our own police, reforms and refrain from using could be seen around the square suffered burns.
Separately, a Cairo Airport our own government would keep violence against the protesters. after the confrontation. When he returned home, police
o f f i c i a l s a i d a n u m b e r o f beating up on us like this," said President Barack Obama The unrest began when tens of stationed outside told him he was
international airlines had canceled Cairo protester Ahmad Salah, 26. convened his national security thousands poured into the streets not allowed to leave again.
flights to the capital, at least "I've been here for hours and team on the growing protests in after noon prayers in the mosques, Abeer Ahmed, a 31-year-old
overnight. The official was not gassed and keep going forward, Egypt as aides voice concern stoning and confronting police woman who showed up for
authorized to speak to the media and they keep gassing us, and I about violent clashes between who fired back with rubber bullets ElBaradei with her toddler, said
a n d s p o k e o n c o n d i t i o n o f will keep going forward. This is a demonstrators and police. and tear gas. she has a law degree but makes a
anonymity. cowardly government and it has Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Groups of thousands of living cleaning homes.
Read earlier report below: to fall. We're going to make sure said Friday that the United States protesters, some chanting "out, "Nothing good is left in the
Egypt's military deployed on the of it." is "deeply concerned" about the out, out," defied a ban that has country," she said. "Oppression is
streets of Cairo to enforce a Internet and cell phone services, Egyptian government's violent use been in place for days on any growing."
nationwide nighttime curfew as at least in Cairo, appeared to be of force to quell protests in Cairo gatherings and turned out at Some of the most serious
the sun set Friday on a day of largely cut off since overnight in and elsewhere, urging both sides different venues across Cairo, a violence Friday was in Suez,
rioting and violent chaos that was the most extreme measure so far to show restraint. city of about 18 million people. where protesters seized weapons
a major escalation in the challenge to try to hamper protesters form "We are deeply concerned about Some marched toward major stored in a police station and
to authoritarian President Hosni organizing. However, that did not the use of violence by Egyptian squares and across scenic Nile asked the policemen inside to
Mubarak's 30-year rule. prevent tens of thousands from police and security forces against bridges. leave the building before they
Still thousands in the capital flooding the streets, emboldened protesters," Clinton said. "The As the sun set, burning tires, burned it down. They also set
Cairo defied a nationwide night by the recent uprising in Tunisia - Egyptian government needs to buildings and cars sent up plumes ablaze about 20 police trucks
curfew and were trying to storm - another North African Arab understand that violence will not of black smoke across the parked nearby. Demonstrators
two major government buildings - nation. make these grievances go away." cityscape. Security officials said exchanged fire with policemen
- the state TV and the Foreign There are reports Syria has also In one of many astonishing there were protests in at least 11 trying to stop them from storming
Ministry. Others were praying on suspended internet access in scenes Friday, thousands of anti- of the country's 28 provinces. another police station and one
the streets after nightfall. response to the unrest in Egypt. government protesters wielding The protesters were energized by protester was killed in the gun
Flames rose up across a number Even Nobel Peace laureate rocks, glass and sticks chased the return of ElBaradei on battle.
of cities from burning tires and Mohamed ElBaradei, one of the hundreds of riot police away from Thursday night after a month
police cars. Even the ruling party country's leading pro-democracy the main square in downtown abroad. He declared he was EGYPT page 17
16 News Wire/
Consumer spending, trade buoy U.S. economy in Q4
(Reuters: Top News)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:43:42 PM
A woman carries shopping bags
along a sidewalk in New York
City, December 6, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar
By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON| Fri Jan 28,
2011 1:43pm EST
WASHINGTON(Reuters) - The
U.S. economy gathered speed in
the fourth quarter to regain its pre-
recession peak with a big gain in
consumer spending and strong
exports, removing doubts about
the recovery's sustainability.
The economy grew at a 3.2
percent annual rate in the final
three months of 2010, after
expanding at a 2.6 percent pace in
the third quarter, the Commerce
Department said on Friday.
Wall Street had looked for a 3.5
percent gain, but the composition
of growth gave the report a
surprisingly robust tenor: strong
consumer and business spending,
and a hint at a need for businesses
to build up inventories.
Still, it was not seen as so strong
as to knock the Federal Reserve
off track from efforts to support
recovery.
"The numbers look very good.
The economy has got some real
good momentum heading into the
new year," said Joseph LaVorgna,
chief U.S. economist at Deutsche
Bank Securities in New York.
He said growth could easily top 4
percent this year, if job creation
finally picks up. "If the labor
market does not come through the
economy is not going to get
enough lift."
Investors took little notice of the
report, distracted by political
unrest in Egypt and weak
corporate results, including a
steep decline in Ford Motor
Corp's quarterly earnings.
Stocks fell, while prices for U.S.
government bonds rose. The
turmoil in Egypt also helped push
the dollar up against a basket of
currencies as investors sought a
safe haven.
For the whole of 2010, U.S. gross
domestic product grew 2.9
percent, the biggest gain since
2005 but an advance too weak to
whittle away at unemployment,
which ended the year at 9.4
percent. Output contracted 2.6
percent in 2009.
"I think there is much more
confidence now that we've got a
sustainable expansion," Treasury
Secretary Timothy Geithner said
at the World Economic Forum in
Davos before the data was
released.
But he cautioned: "It is not a
boom. It's not going to offer the
prospect of a rapid decline in the
unemployment rate.
CONSUMERS SHOULDER
RECOVERY
During the fourth quarter,
consumer spending grew at a 4.4
percent rate -- the fastest since the
first three months 2006.
Consumer spending, which
accounts for more than two-thirds
of U.S. economic activity, added
about 3 percentage points to GDP
growth, its largest contribution in
Newstablet Edition
more than four years. hiring but capital reinvestment is regardless of what we hear or read
And consumers are growing a major part of business growth in the news about the GDP or jobs
more confident. The Thomson and we have always put that as a reports or housing or the stock
Reuters/University of Michigan's priority for the past ten years. market, the reality is that people
consumer sentiment index rose to Our company manufactures metal are hurting and will continue to
74.2 from 72.7 early this month, a products for the commercial hurt for a few more years to come.
separate report showed. construction industry. We We often use the cliche about not
Though analysts do not expect managed to grow 10 percent in being able to turn the Titanic
consumer spending to continue 2010. We expect that, maybe, the around in an hour when we take
rising at such a brisk pace, they commercial construction industry on changes in business practices.
expect it to remain strong. will begin to pick up the end of It is a cliche because everyone
• Share this 2011 into 2012. But, we understands it and it fits into
• Link this understood that would be the case almost any situation requiring
• Digg this when the bottom fell out of the major changes to adapt. It is
• Email economy in 2007/2008. obvious that our economic Titanic
• Reprints We do not hold out much hope of is turning ever so slowly, but
unemployment easing at all in the we’ll get there. Dahc wrote:
ALAN_PW7 wrote: next few years. We read daily I don’t know why, but amidst all
3.6% or 2.7% either one shows about Fortune 500 companies that this news, I have a strong feeling
the economy is growing. Good are reducing their workforces that the worse is yet to arrive. I do
and that means that since few throughout this year. We read feel in my gut that economy is
working people have extra money about the states having to lay off going to crash and burn again in
to buy optional items, that would many workers due to budget the coming days ahead, twice as
translate into maybe 8% to 12% issues they have yet to face. worse as 2008. Our current
inflation. Some place haven’t We are not economy analysts or growth can’t be sustained because
rised their prices and some are experts, however, the message there aren’t any “real” growth
higher than the 3.6% does that from the articles we read are clear taking place. This is all props and
seem about right?? How much are that housing will not be able to bandages being put in place to
profits up at the big corporations? rebound in the immediate future. hold things together so to speak,
W o r k s t h e s a m e w i t h More folks have yet to lose their but not hard-fast solutions. I’m
u n e m p l o y m e n t . . 8 % o r 9 % jobs, possibly defaulting on certainly not the expert but there
translates into about 15% to 20% mortgages because they have no are no changes in the real world.
unemployed since not all where else to turn for re- But it seems that large
u n e m p l o y e d h a v e a n y employment. corporations are doing quite well
unemployment payments to Progress is often measured in of course, but that “wellness”
collect (the extended benefits is percentages but that doesn’t mean doesn’t transfer over to the
sooo a stretch of the truth). Mine much to the average guy who has common folk, who are seeing
stopped over a year ago..no to pay the bills. Some of our prices go up, and their money
extensions. alwayslearning wrote: employees are so strapped that buying less. We are not in a
O u r s m a l l m a n u f a c t u r i n g they ask us (the employers) to recovery nor moving towards one,
company(21 full-time employees) help pay for oil for their homes not until every unemployed
is among those that purchased and will pay us back when they person is back to work, spending
state-of-the-art equipment for our get their tax returns.
shop in December. We are not I suppose my point is that CONSUMER page 20
Newstablet Edition
EGYPT
continued from page 15
In the upscale Mohandiseen
neighborhood, at least 10,000
were marching toward the city
center chanting "down, down with
Mubarak." The crowd later
swelled to about 20,000 as they
made their way through
residential areas.
Residents looking on from
apartment block windows waved
and whistled in support. Some
waved the red, white and black
Egyptian flags. The marchers
were halted as they tried to cross a
bridge over the Nile, when police
fired dozens of tear gas canisters.
In downtown Cairo, people on
balconies tossed cans of Pepsi and
bottles of water to protesters on
the streets below to douse their
eyes, as well as onions and
lemons to sniff, to cut the sting of
the tear gas.
At Ramsis square in the heart of
the city, thousands clashed with
police as they left the al-Nur
mosque after prayers. Police used
tear gas and rubber bullets and
some of the tear gas was fired
inside the mosque where women
were taking refuge. Hundreds
later broke through police cordons
to head to the main downtown
square, Tahrir. But they were
stopped by police firing tear gas.
Near Tahrir, hundreds of riot
police in a cluster moved in,
anticipating the arrival of large
crowds. A short while later,
thousands of protesters marched
across a bridge over the Nile and
moved toward the square, where
police began firing tear gas at
them.
Hundreds of protesters played a
cat-and-mouse game with riot
police in a square just behind the
famed Egyptian Museum on
Tahrir Square. Police were using
tear gas and the protesters
responded with rocks and chants
of "illegitimate, illegitimate," a
reference to Mubarak's regime.
Later, television footage showed
a chaotic and violent scene where
protesters were throwing rocks
down on police from a highway
overpass near Tahrir Square,
while a police vehicle sped
through the crowd spraying tear
gas on demonstrators.
Clusters of riot police with
helmets and shields were
stationed around the city, at the
entrances to bridges across the
Nile and other key intersections.
The troubles were preventing
trains from coming to Cairo, said
security officials.
In Assiut in southern Egypt,
several thousand demonstrators
clashed with police that set upon
them with batons and sticks,
chasing them through side streets.
Mubarak has not been seen
publicly or heard from since the
protests began Tuesday. While he
may still have a chance to ride out
this latest challenge, his choices
are limited, and all are likely to
lead to a loosening of his grip on
power.
A Facebook page run by
protesters listed their demands.
They want Mubarak to declare
that neither he nor his son will
stand for next presidential
elections; dissolve the parliament
holds new elections; end to
emergency laws giving police
extensive powers of arrest and
detention; release all prisoners
including protesters and those
who have been in jail for years
without charge or trial; and
immediately fire the interior
minister.
Mubarak has not said yet whether
he will stand for another six-year
term as president in elections this
year. He has never appointed a
deputy and is thought to be
grooming his son Gamal to
succeed him despite popular
opposition. According to leaked
U.S. memos, hereditary
succession also does not meet
with the approval of the powerful
military.
Mubarak and his government
have shown no hint of
concessions to the protesters who
want political reform and a
solution to rampant poverty,
unemployment and rising food
prices.
Continuing the heavy-handed
methods used by the security
forces the past three days would
probably buy the Mubarak regime
a little time but could strengthen
the resolve of the protesters and
win them popular sympathy.
The alternative is to introduce a
package of political and economic
reforms that would end his party's
monopoly on power and ensure
that the economic liberalization
policies engineered by his son and
heir apparent Gamal over the past
decade benefit the country's poor
majority.
He could also lift the emergency
laws in force since 1981, loosen
restrictions on the formation of
political parties and publicly state
whether he will stand for another
six-year term in elections this
year.
Friday's demonstrations also got
a boost from the endorsement of
the country's biggest opposition
group, the Islamic fundamentalist
Muslim Brotherhood. The group
called its supporters to join the
protests on Friday.
The Brotherhood, outlawed since
1954, is Egypt's largest and best
organized opposition group. It
seeks to establish an Islamic state.
It renounced violence in the 1970s
and has since been a peaceful
movement. Its network of social
and medical services has
traditionally won it popular
support, but its detractors say its
involvement in politics has
chipped away at its support base.
It made a surprisingly strong
showing in 2005 parliamentary
elections, winning 20 percent of
the legislature's seats, but it failed
to win a single seat in the latest
election late last year. The vote is
widely thought to have been
marred, rigged to ensure that
Mubarak's ruling party win all but
a small fraction of the chamber's
518 seats.
Egypt's four primary Internet
providers -- Link Egypt,
Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt,
17
Etisalat Misr -- all stopped
moving data in and out of the
country at 12:34 a.m., according
to a network security firm
monitoring the traffic. Telecom
experts said Egyptian authorities
could have engineered the
unprecedented cutoff with a
simple change to the instructions
for the companies' networking
equipment.
The Internet appeared to remain
cut off in Cairo but was restored
in some smaller cities Friday
morning. Cell-phone text and
Blackberry Messenger services
were all cut or operating
sporadically in what appeared to
be a move by authorities to
disrupt the organization of
demonstrations.
Authorities appear to have been
disrupting social networking sites,
used as an organizing tool by
protesters, throughout the week.
Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry
Messenger have all seen
interruptions.
The Associated Press contributed
to this report.
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18 News Wire/ Culture/ Newstablet Edition

Mubarak orders army to back police against unrest

(Reuters: Top News) tens of thousands of people were riots, lawlessness, looting, • Reprints appreciate my freedoms. I don’t
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:04:02 PM the biggest and bloodiest in four destruction, attack and burning of take them for granted- I pay far
consecutive days of protests by public and private property SomeBody1985 wrote: too much attention to what goes
A protester holds stones as he p e o p l e f e d u p w i t h including attacks on banks and The internet has been blocked in on around the world, and can
shouts at police during clashes in u n e m p l o y m e n t , p o v e r t y , hotels, President Hosni Mubarak Egypt. plz verify and publish remain grateful… I want what we
Cairo January 28, 2011. corruption and the lack of decreed a curfew as a military ROWnine wrote: have for everyone. Peace and
Credit: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic f r e e d o m u n d e r M u b a r a k . ruler," state TV said. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is freedom. For all America’s
By Shaimaa Fayed and Yasmine Protesters hurled stones at police FIRES evidently no Gandhi or Martin shortcomings- we don’t see this
Saleh and shouted "Down, Down, Hosni As darkness fell, tracked armored Luther King. But it is reported kind of stuff here- riots and
CAIRO| Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:24pm Mubarak." cars took up positions in key that he stated that “Egypt’s burning in the streets on this scale
EST "This protest is not going to stop. cities. Muslims and Christians will go - like Iran a couple years ago (and
CAIRO(Reuters) - President They won't and can't trick the "The armed forces started to out to fight against corruption”. poor Neda…). I supported them.
Hosni Mubarak sent troops and people again and give us some deploy forces in the governorates He didn’t mention that afterwards And these muslims are standing
armored cars onto the streets of lame concessions. Hosni has to of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez as if become a Christian you will with the christians- THAT’s what
Cairo and other Egyptian cities on go," protester Mohamed Taha in a first stage in implementing the then be beheaded, your daughters it’s supposed to be about. I don’t
Friday in an attempt to quell street Hussein said after fleeing a police decree...imposing a curfew will be forced into illiteracy, their agree with Sharia, however, and
f i g h t i n g a n d m a s s p r o t e s t s attack. starting from 6 p.m.," the official genitals mutilated and your sons Christians paying tax to Muslims-
demanding an end to his 30-year "I am 70 years old, I am going to news agency reported. will be taught to tear down all the but I do agree with them standing
rule. die, but these people have to fight Some 2,000-3,000 people idolaters temples with phallus together and fighting with each
Mubarak declared a night-time to live," he said. thronged around a military vehicle shaped columns and eventually other- they surely realize that their
c u r f e w f i r s t l y i n C a i r o , The unrest in Egypt, which has near Cairo's Tahrir square, a even those big pointy pyramid s i m i l a r i t i e s o u t w e i g h t h e
A l e x a n d r i a a n d S u e z , t h e raised fears of instability in other Reuters witness said. They shaped ones. Then we can all live differences, and they can be
epicenter of demonstrations in the authoritarian Middle Eastern climbed on it, shaking hands with in peace until some mullah allied. And if they’re truly
last four days, then extended it to countries, hit global financial the soldiers, and chanted: "The doesn’t like the way you looked at fighting for freedom- and not a
all cities. Demonstrators stayed on markets. Investors turned to the army and the people are united" them. But you won’t see that on vacuum to allow terrorists to take
the streets in defiance of security dollar and U.S. Treasuries as safe and "The revolution has come." TV. No TV’s allowed. The over- then I’m all for their cause.
forces, some mounting armored havens, while stocks fell around Shots were heard near parliament Muslim brotherhood should lay I’ll pray for them.
cars, cheering and waving flags. the world and crude oil prices and TV showed the headquarters low they are BANNED get it This entry passed through the
M e d i c a l s o u r c e s s a i d 8 7 0 rose. of the ruling party in flames, the Banned. JenniferB wrote: Full-Text RSS service — if this is
protesters had been wounded on a Friday evening marked the first blaze lighting up the night sky. Al I’m a bit torn on this issue. My your content and you're reading it
day that saw security forces using time the army had been put onto Arabiya television said protesters major concern is that when on someone else's site, please read
rubber bullets, tear gas and water the streets. It was not immediately forced their way into the state P a l e s t i n e d e c i d e d t o b e our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
cannon to disperse crowds n clear what role it would play or television building d e m o c r a t i c , t h e y e l e c t e d content-only/faq.php
running battles. Some were in a how troops would react to the • Share this Hezbollah. Which was great for Five Filters featured article:
serious condition with bullet protesters. • Link this us. (not) Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
wounds. "According to what some • Digg this Having said that, I am as patriotic The Crosshairs.
The demonstrations involving provinces witnessed in terms of • Email as they come. I LOVE and

Should I Go Back to School? [Ask Lifehacker]

Alan Henry (Lifehacker) I have a job, but I wouldn't call it back to school? More »
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:00:00 AM a career, and it's not what I'd
really like to do with my life.
Dear Lifehacker, Should I stick it out until the job market improves, or should I head
Newstablet Edition News Wire/ Obituaries 19

Hearing Envisions High-Speed Railway for Northeast

(Epoch Times | All headlines) Boston, reducing the current 215- growth. She pointed out another
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:19:50 AM minute trip to 84 minutes. obstacle, one that the
These grand plans made their congressional delegates agreed
By Tara MacIsaac debut in September 2010 and must be addressed: Environmental
Epoch Times Staff Created: Jan received strong support from Impact Statements can slow down
28, 2011 Last Updated: Jan 28, Obama on Tuesday. Travelers projects for years.
2011 won't be making the speedy trips Todorovich recognized, however,
A C E L A E X P R E S S : T h e anytime soon, however. The that the corridor railways would
proposed new high-speed railway initiative has a time frame of 30 be a good investment if a solid
would go much faster than the years. plan is developed.
existing Acela Express, which is “Within 25 years, our goal is to “Population and employment
touted at reaching speeds of up to give 80 percent of Americans density around train stations
150 miles per hour. (Lisa Lake/ access to high-speed rail,” Obama [along the Northeast Corridor]
Getty Images for Amtrak) NEW declared on Capitol Hill Tuesday. dwarf figures in other mega-city
YORK—President Barack Obama Joe Boardman, president of regions in the nation,” she said.
committed to investing in high- Amtrak, said it takes years just to Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed
s p e e d p a s s e n g e r r a i l w a y get a new train car. Rendell pointed out that a $72.5
infrastructure in his State of the The projected cost of $117 billion million investment in the rails
Union Address earlier this week. is no small sum either. Even if between Philadelphia and
With 25 percent of the nation's Obama is prepared to invest in rail Harrisburg showed the potential
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said they could progress with the high-
population situated between infrastructure, that kind of hefty for a good return. When the trip
must look into drafting legislation speed rail quickly because their
Washington and Boston along the i n v e s t m e n t m u s t c o m e i n was shortened from two hours to
that would guarantee the government is essentially a
Northeast Corridor, Rep. Bill i n s t a l l m e n t s . 90 minutes, ridership rose from
longevity of commitment. “dictatorship” that does what it
Shuster (R-Penn.) said it's a good A major focus of the hearing 890,000 to 1.1 million.
Another option is to seek wants, often without concern for
place to start. centered on how to encourage “If you build it, they will come,”
investments via the private route. how others are affected.
A congressional field hearing private investment. The panel saw said Rendell, quoting the movie
However, labor union Robert Scardelletti, president of
convened at Grand Central the uncertainty of the venture as a “Field of Dreams.”
representatives declared their the Transportation
Terminal Thursday to discuss major roadblock. A change of the This entry passed through the
dissatisfaction with getting private Communications Union, pointed
Amtrak's $117 billion plan to ruling body could put the entire Full-Text RSS service — if this is
investors involved. For them, it out that the Chinese regime could
dedicate two tracks to running project at risk and turn some your content and you're reading it
would mean a new employer that plow through someone's backyard
passenger trains at 220 miles per investors away. on someone else's site, please read
they may or may not trust. to build a rail without a thought.
hour along the corridor. Amtrak “We talk about environmental our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
“If you open up Amtrak lines to In America, however,
trains currently run at about 80 s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , e c o n o m i c content-only/faq.php
other entities … a foreign entity, homeowners as well as the
miles per hour. sustainability—political Five Filters featured article:
like communist China, can environment must be considered.
The high-speed railway would sustainability is the objective Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
underbid and take over the Investors' interests were
cut an hour off the trip from New here,” said Thomas Hart, vice The Crosshairs.
service,” said John Risch of the represented by Petra Todorovich,
Y o r k C i t y t o W a s h i n g t o n , president of the U.S. High Speed
UTU Transportation Union. director of America 2050, a
bringing it down to 96 minutes. It Rail Association, a non-profit
Throughout the discussion, national urban planning initiative
would take two hours off the group dedicated to promoting
speakers referenced how China interested in infrastructure
journey from New York City to high-speed rail infrastructure.

Marvelettes co-founder Gladys Horton dies at 66 (AP)

(Yahoo! News: Obituaries) AP - Gladys Horton, a co- helped put fledgling Motown its first No. 1 hit "Please Mr.
founder of the Marvelettes who Records on the musical map with Postman," has died at age 66.
20 News Wire/ Culture/
Obama: will not refight battle over healthcare law
(Reuters: Top News)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:41:38 PM
The United States Capitol
building is seen as legislators
move into a weekend of crucial
health care deliberations in
Washington March 19, 2010.
Democratic leaders in the U.S.
Credit: Reuters/Jim Bourg
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON| Fri Jan 28,
2011 1:41pm EST
WASHINGTON(Reuters) -
President Barack Obama said on
Friday his healthcare overhaul is
an important part of efforts to cut
the budget deficit and insisted he
will not "refight" the battle to pass
the law.
With emboldened Republicans
vowing to repeal or replace the
healthcare law he signed last
March, Obama reiterated his case
that the changes it brings are
necessary to help rein in the price
of the government-run Medicaid
and Medicare insurance programs,
a huge chunk of the U.S. budget
deficit problem.
The Congressional Budget Office
said on Wednesday the U.S.
budget deficit will hit $1.48
trillion for fiscal 2011, up from a
$1.07 trillion estimate in August.
"Health reform is part of deficit
reform," Obama told a meeting of
Families USA, a group that
Why Comfort Is a Productivity Killer [Productivity]
Adam Dachis (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:30:00 AM
advocated for healthcare reform.
"We know that health care costs,
including programs like Medicare
and Medicaid, are the biggest
contributors to our long-term
deficit. Nobody disputes this. And
this law will slow these costs."
Many Republicans promised in
last year's congressional election
campaigns to repeal the healthcare
law, and, after winning the
majority of seats in the U.S.
House of Representatives in
November, they voted this month
to do so.
That effort is unlikely to go
further because Democrats still
control the Senate, and will not
back repeal, but House
Republicans still vow to replace
the law "branch by branch" with
measures they say would bring
down soaring costs.
Obama repeated his assertion
from Tuesday's State of the Union
address that he was open to
changes in the law, but would not
refight the two-year battle to get it
passed.
He also defended the measure --
which includes provisions such as
a requirement that insurance
companies not deny health
coverage to patients who are sick
and that they allow parents to
keep their children on their
policies until they are 26.
And he laughed at some of the
Comfort is one of those words we
all like and one of those things we
tend to strive for on a regular
Newstablet Edition
CONSUMER
continued from page 16
is slashed and we move from
most vitriolic attacks on the law. on it. Thank you for passing it, deficit to surplus. This will take
"You may have heard once or Mr. President. PoconoPCDoctor years. Its not an overnight
twice that this is a job-crushing, wrote: solution. As much as I would like
granny-threatening, budget- How can the party of Lincoln to believe, I just don’t see
busting monstrosity. defend dismantling Health Care recovery here folks, just a lot of
That's about how it's been Reform when so many Americans political jargon to make people
portrayed by opponents," he said. have just received coverage under feel better, but no real recreation
"And that just doesn't match up to the bill – and many of those are of wealth, just a transfer of it.
the reality. I mean this thing has now unemployed? Truly, the This entry passed through the
been in place now for 10 months, party of the people is now the Full-Text RSS service — if this is
all right?" Democrats. Obama 2012 Graceful your content and you're reading it
(Editing by Jackie Frank) wrote: on someone else's site, please read
• Tweet this The healthcare reform, if our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
• Share this repealed will be a big mistake. I content-only/faq.php
• Link this am a physician and cannot stress Five Filters featured article:
• Digg this enough, how badly we need a Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
• Email reform. There is overuse of The Crosshairs.
• Reprints imaging and clinicians are most
concerned about defending them
We welcome comments that all the time against a suit, they
advance the story directly or with would not lay hands on a patient
relevant tangential information. u n l e s s t h e d i a g n o s i s i s
We try to block comments that documented by an imaging study.
use offensive language, all capital Tha’s not how good medicine is
letters or appear to be spam, and practiced in the best nation on the
we review comments frequently planet.
to ensure they meet our standards. This entry passed through the
If you see a comment that you Full-Text RSS service — if this is
b e l i e v e i s i r r e l e v a n t o r your content and you're reading it
inappropriate, you can flag it to on someone else's site, please read
our editors by using the report our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
abuse links. Views expressed in content-only/faq.php
the comments do not represent Five Filters featured article:
those of Reuters. Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Comments (5) Marvin8 wrote: The Crosshairs.
If Obamacare is not repealed, he
will go down in history as one of
the great Presidents. You can bet
that's killing your productivity.
Here's why. More »
basis, but it also may be the thing
Newstablet Edition News Wire/ Technology/ 21

Revolution 2.0: the Social Media Uprising

(Epoch Times | All headlines) Facebook to quell the protests, but
Submitted at 1/28/2011 8:42:12 AM by Jan. 27, the Internet was shut
down completely. BlueTunes Finds A
By Joshua Philipp Corbett said that while
Epoch Times Staff Created: Jan governments may try to quell Savior In Online Storage
28, 2011 Last Updated: Jan 28, dissent by blocking information Provider MiMedia
2011 exchange, “I don’t think it’s
French hackers group (pictured in Robin Wauters (TechCrunch)
possible for them to do that,”
coffee house) supported adding “People will figure out Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:44:55 AM

Wikileaks by creating a network how to get the information they

of mirror websites. Social media Earlier this month, I reported on
need in order to be happy—and in
used as a way to organize against the imminent shutdown of
order to be happy, sometimes
government decision has matured BlueTunes, which provided a
governments need to be
and has been instrumental for solution to upload locally stored
replaced.” Double-Edged Sword
voices of dissent.(Philippe music to the cloud. Turns out
The use of such tools differs in
Huguen/Afp/Getty Images) Social someone sorta kinda threw
each country. Arab countries, in
media is like a raging river, and BlueTunes a lifeline right before
general, have higher cell phone
governments can either move with it hit the deadpool.
usage, and less from desktop
it or be toppled by it. Online storage startup MiMedia
Internet connections.
Voices of online dissent are being has reached an agreement with
the course of human history,” This was done with the Since protesters in Egypt and
taken in two ways. In the free BlueTunes for its users to become
Corbett said. “I don’t think there knowledge that, traditionally, all Tunisia were using cell phones,
world, social media has merged subscribers of its online music
is anybody on the government forms of publishing “have the they were able to coordinate in
with government decision through storage offering, and more.
side who is willing to die for the ability to affect governments and real-time, alerting other protesters
what is referred to as The transaction closed earlier this
blocking of Twitter.” the people,” although it was likely where there were roadblocks, or
“Government 2.0.” Repressive week. Terms were not disclosed.
Social media began its not the original intention, Corbett where police were using tear gas.
regimes that resist the trend are Erik Zamkoff, MiMedia founder
emergence in the late ’90s with said. “That was remarkably effective,”
quickly finding that the Internet is and CEO, says BlueTunes users
the advent of the first blogging The role of social media as a way said Eva Galperin, international
not just a place to voice opinions, will be provided with the same
platforms, according to Corbett. to incite change, however, is now activist of the Electronic Frontier
but a place to organize. functionality they previously
The original idea was simple: give undeniable. Foundation, a nonprofit
“Any government that is trying to enjoyed, while also enhancing
everyone the ability to publish Tunisia was among the first to organization for digital freedom.
repress free information exchange their ability to store and access
and discuss online. This later realize this when the Jasmine This entry passed through the
is really engaged in a futile battle not only music but also photos,
grew into what is referred to as Revolution forced President Zine Full-Text RSS service — if this is
that will eventually end in their videos and other files via the
Web 2.0, or the Internet’s switch El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the your content and you're reading it
own demise,” said Peter Corbett, cloud.
from static websites into a place country on Jan. 14. on someone else's site, please read
CEO of iStrategyLabs, a civic Former blueTunes users will be
of interaction and collaboration. Egypt has taken center stage in our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
engagement company that able to access their data via the
“I think the intention was really an emerging social networking content-only/faq.php
develops government 2.0 MiMedia website (using their
the democratization of publishing. revolution, as protesters Five Filters featured article:
technology. blueTunes username and
It would be easier for people to coordinate through Twitter and Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
“You can’t really repress the password) starting January 31.
publish people in the Web and to Facebook to call for government The Crosshairs.
passion of people who want to be CrunchBase Information
just give more people that tool,” reform. The Egyptian government Bluetunes.net MiMedia
free—it’s something they will die
Corbett said. initially tried blocking Twitter and Information provided by
for, and we’ve seen it throughout
CrunchBase
22 News Wire/ Technology/ Newstablet Edition

Body of Missing Michigan Mom Egypt: Tor Use

Found Buried Skyrocketing as Users Route
(FOXNews.com) that he takes care of his father.
The court appointed a lawyer,
on the case while investigators
combed the area where the bodies
-Around Internet Blocks
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:42:26 PM
Klint Finley (ReadWriteWeb)
David Hunt, to represent Beebe. were discovered.
PAW PAW, Mich. -- The bodies Hunt said he couldn't immediately "We had a lot of work to do with Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:55:00 PM

o f t w o w o m e n w h o w e r e comment on the case. He said he the crime lab at the particular

a p p a r e n t l y s h o t t o d e a t h , plans to meet soon with Beebe, As we reported yesterday, the
crime scene," Gribler said.
including a 30-year-old mother but that he likely won't discuss the Egyptian government appears to
James Henslee, 32, told
missing since Monday, have been case in detail until he has be locking down Intrernet access
investigators that he last saw his
f o u n d b u r i e d i n s o u t h w e s t reviewed the police reports. in Egypt. Access in or out of the
wife at home at approximately
Michigan. country seems to be blocked.
Investigators believe Howarth 7:30 a.m. Monday when he left
Van Buren County Prosecutor had a "dating" relationship Beebe, GigaOm provides some analysis networks.
for work. Henslee said he called
Juris Kaps told reporters at a news Fox17Online.com reports. Both on how this might work.
the house about three hours later
conference Friday that the bodies women died of multiple gunshot However, some Egyptian Internet It's being widely retweeted that a
and no one answered the phone,
of Amy Sue Henslee and Tonya wounds and investigators believe users are still access the outside French ISP called French Data
according to police. Henslee then
Howarth, 36, were found in both died at the same time on Internet. The Washington Post Network is offering free dial-up to
said he drove home to find his
Bangor Township, about 60 miles Monday, according to officials lists some ways that Egyptians are Egyptians: "Free dialup internet
wife gone, with her purse, wallet
southwest of Grand Rapids. still accessing the Internet. access for egypt : http://
from the Van Buren County and ID still inside the house. The
Kaps said a cousin of Henslee's Sheriff's Department. Meanwhile, use of Tor, a free www.fdn.fr on +33172890150
woman was reported missing at
husband, Junior Lee Beebe, 34, Philip Beebe, an uncle of the Internet anonymizer, is login toto password toto #jan25
10 p.m. Monday after a search by
has been arrested on two counts of suspect, told WZZM-TV that skyrocketing. #egypt MASS RT PLZ"
her husband and other family
open murder and two counts of investigators had searched land Sponsor Many people on Twitter are
members yielded no sign of her.
possession of a firearm during a owned by Junior Lee Beebe, then Here's a graph from the Tor calling for people in other
Fox17Online.com and The
felony. He was arraigned Friday took him in for questioning. Metrics Portal: countries to setup Tor relays.
Associated Press contributed to
by video at the District Court in "They took him in a car and said According to the Post: It's probably worth revisiting the
this report.
Paw Paw and was ordered held they were going someplace warm • Noor Data Networks, the failure of Haystack, an interesting
Click here for more on this report
without bond pending hearings where they could talk," Philip provider used by the Egyptian but badly flawed attempt at
from Fox17Online.com.
next month. Stock Excahnge, is unaffected by anonymizing Internet traffic.
Bebee told the station. This entry passed through the
Beebe didn't enter a plea, but Authorities said Friday they think the Internet blackout. Perhaps this will also rekindle
Full-Text RSS service — if this is
when Judge Robert Hentchel Henslee left voluntarily with • Some are using dial-up access interest in projects like Freenet
your content and you're reading it
asked him about whether he was Beebe. A day earlier, police had routed through other countries, and Netsukuku. Discuss
on someone else's site, please read
aware of the charges in Henslee's said they didn't suspect foul play though there are reports that some
our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
death, Beebe responded: "Did or in Henslee's disappearance. That landlines are down.
content-only/faq.php
didn't? No I didn't." • Some are using virtual private
assessment changed as the Five Filters featured article:
The 34-year-old from Bangor, i n v e s t i g a t i o n d e v e l o p e d . Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
who was visibly distracted and Sheriff Dale Gribler expressed The Crosshairs.
didn't attempt to stifle yawns condolences to the women's
during the brief hearing, told the families early Friday. He said he
court he doesn't have a job and delayed the release of information
Newstablet Edition News Wire/ Culture/ 23

Google Invests in Hiring Expansion

(Epoch Times | All headlines) cloud, and more—really started to
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:20:54 AM pay off.”
Google's operating system
By Caroline Dobson platform, Android, now operates
Epoch Times Staff Created: Jan on more than 100 different
28, 2011 Last Updated: Jan 28, devices and has 300,000
2011 activations per day. Around 1
HIRING SPREE: Cars are parked million businesses opted for
on Jan. 26 near where Google will Google applications in 2010.
open a new office in the The Mountain View, Calif.-based
Binoculars Building in the Venice company has offices in 30
section of Los Angeles, Calif. countries. Its headquarters is often
Maybe-Pregnant Carrie
Google also announced its largest referred to as the "Googleplex,” Underwood and Mike
hiring spree, with 6,200 indicating the magnitude of the Fisher Share a Snowy
employees to be added this year. presence and growth of its
(Kevork Djansezian/Getty business. Date Night
Images) Hiring numbers will be The recruitment process to join Lauren Turner (PopSugar)
boosted for Google, Inc. in 2011. Google is famously rigorous and Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:46:21 AM
According to the Associated competitive, with more than 1
Press, Google has announced million applications every year. Carrie Underwood smiled widely
publicized, the majority of its staff who may not be enthusiastic
plans to hire more staff and follow The Internet search giant also has on her way into the Knicks game
are based in the United States. about the cost associated with the
the trend of 2010, when it hired attempted to retain its staff by with husband Mike Fisher last
Furthermore, current Chief recruitment initiative. Google
almost 4,600 people, by hiring an giving an across the board 10 night. They were among many
Executive Office Eric Schmidt, executives are determined to
additional 6,200 in 2011. This is percent pay raise in 2010, which, famous faces who braved the
who will be replaced by Larry bolster skills in the computer
the largest expansion to date by according to analyst estimates, freezing temperatures to cheer the
Page in April of this year, recently engineering department and in
the Internet’s most profitable could increase operating expenses NYC team on to a win against the
advised that there will be more sales in order to maintain their
company. There are currently by $500 million in 2011. Miami Heat at Madison Square
than 1,000 new positions created position in online search and
24,400 employees at Google. This entry passed through the Garden. Carrie is just coming off
in Europe alone. advertising.
The announcement of Google’s Full-Text RSS service — if this is of a trip to the West Coast, where
"At this stage, the number of The diversification into different
recruitment plans coincided with your content and you're reading it she attended the Golden Globes as
opportunities just vastly exceed areas like the saturated and
competitor Yahoo, Inc. on someone else's site, please read a nominee for best song. She
the number of people we have at aggressive market for
confirming that it will cut 100 to our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ didn't take home a statue, but she
the company," said Alan Eustace, smartphones has propelled
150 jobs, which is around 1 content-only/faq.php did stand out in a gorgeous gown.
Google's senior vice president of company growth for Google. In a
percent of its payroll. Five Filters featured article: Carrie shows off a more casual
engineering and research, reported company blog, Alan Eustace, said
Although the locations of the new Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In look, though, in the new trailer for
AP. that “Many of our big bets—on
positions for the leading Internet The Crosshairs. Soul Surfer, in which she makes
There are, however, investors mobile, display advertising, the
search company have not been her big-screen debut alongside
Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid.
Carrie's Hollywood film may not
be the only project she has in the
works if Star magazine's rumors
that she and Mike are expecting
their first child prove to be true.
View Slideshow ›
24 World News/ Newstablet Edition

Why Iran's Ahmadinejad Needs a Nuclear Deal

(World Politics Review: Articles) Secretary Saeed Jalili, who judiciary and office of the But Ahmadinejad's term of office dissimulation" or, more bluntly,
Submitted at 1/28/2011 6:07:00 AM represented Tehran in Istanbul on supreme leader toward agreeing to expires in July 2013, which means "deception."
Jan. 21-22, as saying that the an accommodation with the U.N. that his window of opportunity to As a result, few if any of Iran's
Negotiators from the P5+1 meeting should not be seen in a Security Council and the U.S. turn Iran around on domestic and neighbors trust that its nuclear
countries and Iran failed to reach negative light. They cast the But Iran's president and his allies international fronts is closing. intentions are entirely peaceful. A
a breakthrough in Istanbul last outcome as simply one more also need to appear strong at That explains the urgency with general consensus has arisen
week at the latest round of talks maneuver in ongoing multilateral home so that a deal will not be which he and his appointees are among world leaders that they
over Iran's nuclear program. d i s c u s s i o n s . A h m a d i n e j a d torpedoed by the mullahs and publicizing their willingness to cannot "believe a word of what
Nevertheless, it seems that, once announced to a crowd at the their xenophobic supporters. negotiate further until a deal the Iranians have to say" on the
again, Iranian President Mahmoud Caspian port city of Rasht, Hence Ahmadinejad's speech, like acceptable to all parties is nuclear issue, as Egyptian
Ahmadinejad wants to keep "Future rounds of talks between subsequent comments by Jalili reached. This is also the main President Hosni Mubarak put it.
negotiations alive with his Iran and the [P5+1] could yield a and others associated with the reason for their constant Without the intense pressure of
seemingly never-ending bazaar- good agreement." nuclear program, featured the insistence that sanctions be lifted sanctions, it is unlikely that
style haggling. Interestingly, the same news usual bluster for which Iranian forthwith. Iranian officials would have
T h e r e a s o n i s s i m p l e : report also provided the bluntly politicians are well-known. The P5+1's strategy of attended the summits in Geneva
Ahmadinejad's administration negative assessments of the talks Ahmadinejad knows it will be negotiating while tightening the and Istanbul, let alone proposed
requires a positive outcome, at made by Western representatives. difficult to convince his internal net over the Islamic Republic further discussions.
least on paper, so that the U.S., its European Union foreign policy rivals that it is in everyone's could indeed eventually lead to an Consequently, even if an
European allies and the United chief Catherine Ashton, British interest to settle the nuclear Iranian compromise. However, agreement is eventually struck
Nations Security Council lift the Foreign Secretary William Hague, standoff. So, following his lead, over the long term, whether before Iran tests and deploys
debilitating economic sanctions French Foreign Minister Michele the Iranian news media has begun Iranian leaders will live up to any nuclear weapons, the West must
targeting the Islamic Republic. So Alliot-Marie, German Foreign repeating -- indeed broadcasting deal is open to debate. Their track make it clear that the sticks of
despite last week's stalemate, the Minister Guido Westerwelle and for the world to hear -- that record suggests pessimism is in sanctions and other overt and
latest of many, Ahmadinejad is anonymous U.S diplomats were complex issues take time to order. covert actions remain ready for
dangling the carrot of compromise all cited condemning Iran's resolve. The gist of this message The Iranian government has gone redeployment. It is unfortunate
to lure the West back to the table. intransigence. The critical voices has found an external voice as to great lengths since the late but true that keeping Iran's leaders
In doing so, he has little to lose of prominent international figures well in Chinese Assistant Foreign 1980s to conceal the development under economic, electronic and
and much to gain. After all, for are rarely if ever conveyed by Minister Wu Hailong, who of the country's nuclear program military threat is the only way to
the West, signing a deal with Iran Iranian state-supervised media. remarked, "The nuclear issue is and to hinder oversight(.pdf) by encourage them to take the
is only the first hurdle -- enforcing The story was then reprinted the complicated and sensitive, and the International Atomic Energy straight and narrow path of
it within Iran will be an even following day by the Tehran obviously cannot be Agency (IAEA). Even new nuclear transparency and
greater battle. Ahmadinejad's Times. Clearly intended for both comprehensively resolved through nuclear storage and enrichment nonmilitarization.
expectation seems to be that, if domestic and foreign readerships, one or two rounds of dialogue." facilities -- like one near Qom-- Jamsheed K. Choksy is professor
only he can get both the P5+1 and t h e s e t w o s t o r i e s a n d a n Support for continued dialogue have been revealed to the IAEA of Iranian, Central Eurasian, and
his domestic political rivals to go increasing number of similar ones also has come from Turkish by Western intelligence services international studies and former
along with a deal, he can have his in recent months, push the Iranian President Abdullah Gul, who rather than by Iran. Iranian director of the Middle Eastern
Yazdi cookie -- the Iranian executive branch's position that a announced, "My country will officials continue to attempt to Studies Program at Indiana
equivalent of the proverbial cake - nuclear compromise is necessary exert more efforts with an eye to build networks of suppliers for University. He also is a member
- and eat it too. for Iran to flourish again. Use of ensure that the negotiations dual-use technologies and raw of the National Council on the
So, on Jan. 23, Iran's semi- the local news media is one very continue and that they yield materials despite a U.N. Security Humanities at the U.S. National
official Mehr News Agency p u b l i c m e a n s b y w h i c h concrete results . . . despite Council embargo on those items. Endowment for the Humanities.
quoted public statements by both Ahmadinejad and his inner circle attempts [by the P5+1] to The Persian language even has a The views expressed are his own.
A h m a d i n e j a d a n d S u p r e m e are trying to steer the competing downplay initiatives coming from word for such activity -- taqiyya,
N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l powerbrokers in Iran's parliament, Turkey." translated as "tactical WHY page 27
Newstablet Edition World News/ 25

The Realist Prism: A 'Greater Atlantic Community' for a G-

Zero World
(World Politics Review: Articles) Korb, are asking"why we still sustain America's efforts. Robert That means a future that looks a extend two "prongs" of influence
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:19:00 AM have 150,000 troops stationed in Kagan notes: lot more like Somalia and Yemen to other parts of the world. The
Europe and Asia, 65 years after We might begin by asking about instead of Iraq and Afghanistan, first would be by truly forging a
Ian Bremmer and David Gordon, t h e e n d o f W o r l d W a r I I , the global security order that the with a corresponding acceptance more effective trans-Pacific
of the Eurasia Group, do not sugar especially when our European United States has sustained since of higher degrees of risk. Instead partnership (TPP) with countries
-coat the shape of the new world allies are slashing their defense Word War II -- the prevention of of pushing for a robust like Japan, the Philippines and
order emerging in the 21st b u d g e t s t o d e a l w i t h t h e i r major war, the support of an open intervention in Somalia, for Australia, linking them not simply
century. They starkly note: d e f i c i t s ? " trading system, and promotion of instance, the global community to the United States but also to
For the first time since the end of Rising powers are spending the liberal principles of free now accepts offshore naval their trading partners in Europe
World War II, no country or bloc m o r e , b u t a r e g e n e r a l l y markets and free government. patrols that leave a residual risk of and Latin America. The second
of countries has the political and p u r c h a s i n g c a p a b i l i t i e s f o r How much is that order worth? pirate activity in the western would be for Brazil, backed by
economic leverage to drive an traditional "great power" warfare, What would be the cost of its Indian Ocean. the GAC, to strengthen the
international agenda. The United as opposed to developing those collapse or transformation into The other shift that may occur nascent India-Brazil-South Africa
States will continue to be the only for what Defense Secretary another type of order? under G-zero conditions is for the forum into a true economic and
t r u l y g l o b a l p o w e r , b u t i t Robert Gates has termed "regime- But the question of how to United States to begin reducing its security partnership for the
increasingly lacks the resources change and nation-building under redistribute the cost of the U.S. own supply chains to more southern Atlantic and Indian
and domestic political capital to fire." Neoconservative pundits global security role is perhaps a defensible perimeters: a more oceans. There is no reason, for
act as primary provider of global counsel against any cuts to the distraction. As Bremmer and compact and defensible "greater instance, why in 10 year's time,
public goods. There are no ready U.S. defense budget, warning that Gordon note, many nations seem Atlantic community" (GAC) primary responsibility for the
alternatives to U.S. leadership. "cutting military capacities is willing to risk the consequences consisting of Europe, North international anti-piracy coalition
They dub this international order simply reckless." But Tea Party of a G-zero world in the belief America, West Africa and Latin off the coast of Somalia could not
"G-zero," due to a "lack of politicians are adamant that that the ebbing of U.S. power will America. I observed two years be entrusted to an IBSA task
international leadership at the defense spending is "ultimately on not automatically produce ago that such an extended Atlantic force, with the U.S. Navy and
heart of so many emerging the table," as freshman Rep. Jon negative consequences. In other community would be able to NATO forces playing supporting
p o l i t i c a l a n d e c o n o m i c Runyan recently reaffirmed. words, they believe that the world satisfy the energy needs of its roles.
challenges." Surveying the same House Majority Leader Eric can get by with a diminished members. But it would entail A GAC-TPP-IBSA approach
geopolitical landscape, Reuters' Cantor made it clear that "no one American presence, or else that putting a strategic premium on would be a major shift from
political risk correspondent Peter can defend the expenditure of they themselves can ride through linking the natural resource America's grand strategy of the
A p p s s u m s i t u p a s " a n every dollar and cent at the any instability that might ensue. A endowments of Western Africa to last century, which has focused on
increasingly rudderless world of Pentagon." third option, of course, is that they Europe, via a trans-Sahara line, preventing the rise of a peer
growing international tension." One outcome of the G-zero assume that the United States will for instance, or American gas to challenger capable of dominating
Defense budget trends in the debate may be to convince other continue to bankrupt itself to play European consumers via a fleet of the Eurasian plain. It would
developed world confirm this countries that the maintenance of the role of the world's balancer-of North Atlantic liquid natural gas require years of patient institution
analysis. Analysts are still the American security umbrella in -choice for the near term. tankers. And if Britain, for -building with no short-term
forecasting"declines in European Europe, the Middle East and East What strategy, then, might the instance, is cutting back on its political payoffs for Washington
home-market defense budgets," Asia at its current force structures U.S. adopt in the years ahead, in naval commitments, Brazil could politicians. But it may offer the
especially in terms of European will require that they themselves preparation for the forthcoming G fill the gap by providing security best prospects of preserving all of
capabilities to project power reconsider either their own -zero world? One direction might for the sea lanes of the Atlantic the major gains made in the last
further afield. In turn, voices in contributions to the common be to shift the U.S. global role ocean. 60 years, without condemning the
the U.S., such as former Assistant defense, or redirect some of their from direct intervention to A reinvigorated GAC would, in
Secretary of Defense Lawrence resources into U.S. coffers to indirect containment of problems. turn, be in a better position to REALIST page 27
26 World News/
Egypt's Day of Wrath a Long Time Coming
(World Politics Review: Articles)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:03:00 AM
The recent events in Tunisia have
reverberated across the Middle
East and North Africa, but they
have found particular resonance in
Egypt, where anger and
frustration with President Hosni
Mubarak's government has
escalated considerably over the
past year. The violence,
corruption and media censorship
that accompanied last November's
parliamentary elections severely
damaged the government's
credibility. Exacerbating this
general frustration is the
expectation that Mubarak's son,
Gamal, will succeed him and
simply continue the status quo.
In this week's demonstrations,
which saw Jan. 25 renamed Youm
al-Ghadab, or Day of Wrath,
protestors have indeed directed
some of their anger at the younger
Mubarak, but the main target
remains the president himself.
Pictures and video footage show
protestors shouting and spray-
painting the slogan, Down with
Hosni Mubarak, on walls and
signs in central Cairo. Even a year
ago, such open and public
criticism of the president was a
red line for Egyptian authorities.
Despite Egypt's deep-seated
economic, social and political
difficulties, the strength and
length of the protests seen across
the country over the past three
days seem to have taken the
police, and the Egyptian people
themselves, by surprise. Even the
numerous self-immolation
attempts -- in imitation of
Tunisia's Mohamed Bouazizi --
that have occurred over the past
week were not enough to
convince many observers of
Egyptians' commitment to stage
such large demonstrations.
Analysts often repeat the maxim
that Egyptians only protest about
the price of bread, in reference to
the bread riots that broke out in
1977. Consequently, the Egyptian
government has long been
considered to be a stable regime.
But in Egypt, the word for bread -
- 'ayesh -- means life, because it
represents the daily basic needs of
the people. In this sense,
Egyptians are once again
demonstrating for bread.
But these protests have not
appeared out of nowhere. To the
contrary, there have been
successive rounds of protests that
have continued throughout the
past couple of years. We can point
to the large 2008 demonstration in
al-Mahalla as the beginning of a
raised level of activism and a
direct indication that the Egyptian
street would not remain quiet
forever. The campaign of
Mohamed ElBaradei, who
returned to Egypt last February
and launched the Association for
Change, is perhaps one link in the
chain leading to these protests.
While ElBaradei's campaign has
not resulted in any concrete,
practical changes, it broke a taboo
by vocally expressing the need for
change, shaking a new media-
savvy generation from its political
apathy. ElBaradei was out of the
country when this week's
demonstrations broke out, but he
has returned to Egypt today.
The death in June 2010 of Khalid
Mohamed Said at the hands of the
police was another key event
serving to break down taboos on
public criticism of the
government, thereby preparing the
way for this week's expression of
popular anger. At the time, the
incident provoked demonstrations
against police brutality
accompanied by slogans exposing
the disconnect between the police
and the people they are supposed
to protect. It is perhaps fitting,
then, that the current
demonstrations were timed to
coincide with National Police
Day. Designating this day instead
as the Day of Wrath reflects the
Egyptian people's sense of
degradation and discontent with a
government that has implemented
and exploited emergency laws to
limit freedoms.
The Khalid Said case also
demonstrated the ability and
willingness of Egyptians to use
social media such as Facebook to
discuss political issues and
organize campaigns. The role of
new media as an agent for change
is still a matter of debate. But the
speed with which news of the
events in Tunisia spread through
the use of social media, as well as
their use in organizing and raising
awareness in Egypt of Jan. 25 as
the Day of Wrath, does seem to
lend weight to those who argue
that they represent a new element
in play. The Egyptian government
initially reacted by intermittently
blocking both Twitter and
Facebook as the demonstrations
continued, and has now reportedly
shut down all inbound and
outbound Internet traffic from
abroad. For their part, Egyptians
have reacted by quickly passing
around links to proxy servers and
spreading advice on what to do if
arrested or attacked with tear gas.
What is most significant about
this week's demonstrations is that,
despite being forewarned, the
Egyptian police appeared
overwhelmed. There were doubts
that a Tunisia-style uprising could
happen in Egypt because of the
government's large and influential
security apparatus. But reports
that Suez was effectively closed
off indicate that the police were
struggling to quell protests and
had to resort to the use of
significant force against the
demonstrators.
Also important is that these
protests, unlike the smaller ones
seen regularly in the past two
years, have not been organized or
inspired by any particular political
group. Egypt's previously silent
majority has come out to express
its frustration over the personal
hardships Egyptians face, not its
support for any political ideology.
This may change on Friday.
ElBaradei's return to Egypt
signals that political leaders will
try to step in to capture the
momentum, as happened in
Tunisia.
Friday is also significant, not
Newstablet Edition
only because of the
demonstrations being called for,
but also because it is at Friday
prayers that the position of
mosques will become clear.
Arrests of Muslim Brotherhood
members on Wednesday indicate
that the government expects
Friday prayers to reignite the
demonstrations and worries that
Islamists may also try to
capitalize on the situation. Friday
is now being called Goma'a al-
Ghadab, Friday of Wrath, and it
will be pivotal in determining the
continued momentum and shape
of these unprecedented
demonstrations.
Even if these protests do not
force Mubarak out, they have
shattered the illusion of his
credibility. Compromises or
reforms will be unlikely to satisfy
the protesters, which means that
Egypt, and by extension the
United States, will no longer be
able to take the Egyptian people's
passivity for granted.
Elizabeth Iskander is a research
fellow in International Relations
at the London School of
Economics and Political Science.
She holds a Ph.D. in Politics and
International Studies from the
University of Cambridge. Her
research focuses on conflict
resolution, politics and religion in
the Middle East, with an emphasis
on Egypt.
Egyptian security forces, Cairo,
Egypt, Jan. 25, 2011 (photo by
Wikimedia user M. Soli, licensed
EGYPT'S page 27
Newstablet Edition
REALIST
continued from page 25
United States to paying the costs
of imperial overstretch.
Nikolas K. Gvosdev is the former
editor of the National Interest, and
a frequent foreign policy
commentator in both the print and
broadcast media. He is currently
on the faculty of the U.S. Naval
War College. The views
expressed are his own and do not
reflect those of the Navy or the
U.S. government. His weekly
WPR column, The Realist Prism,
appears every Friday.
Photo: President Obama at the
heads-of-state retreat at the last
WHY
continued from page 24
P h o t o : I r a n i a n P r e s i d e n t on someone else's site, please read It seems like just yesterday that
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad touring our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ the only mobile gaming systems
Iran's uranium enrichment facility content-only/faq.php
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EGYPT'S
continued from page 26
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Five Filters featured article:
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Friday Poll: Your mobile gaming rig
of choice?
(CNET News.com) comment for Matt Hickey, you
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:14:26 PM can submit it here. However,
because our editors and writers
New as of this week: Sony's receive hundreds of requests, we
NGP.(Credit: Sony) cannot tell you when you may
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With more than 15 years
in existence were Nintendo Game have a powerful gaming device in experience testing hardware (and
their pockets, but they do. And being obsessed with it), Crave
The Crosshairs. now with the iPhone hitting freelance writer Matt Hickey can
Nintendo last week took the V e r i z o n , t h e a u d i e n c e i s tell the good gadgets from the
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3DS, which offers a dual-screen future technology trends. Matt has
T h e s e d e v i c e s e a c h o f f e r
gaming system with a glasses-free different feature sets and can't blogged for publications including
3D screen for a new generation of really be compared apples to TechCrunch, CrunchGear, and
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28 Technology/
LivingSocial: We're set to overtake Groupon (Q&A)
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:00:26 PM
Last week, word of a great offer
began to make its way around the
Internet. I first heard about the
offer--a$20 Amazon gift card for
$10--on an e-mail list. Then I saw
it on The Huffington Post. Then it
started showing up on Twitter.
Every few seconds, it seemed,
someone new would tweet about
it. It was all over Facebook, and
people were blogging about it left
and right.
LivingSocial CEO Tim
O'Shaughnessy(Credit:
LivingSocial)
If you're fairly new to the group
offer space, you probably would
have thought that this great deal
was coming from Groupon, the
superstar start-up that has blown
up seemingly overnight and
already has turned down a $5
billion to $6 billion acquisition
offer from Google. But you'd have
been wrong. This deal came from
another player in the space,
LivingSocial. Lest you wonder
how such a company could sell an
unlimited number of the gift
cards, it was because last month,
the Washington, D.C.-based start-
up had sealed a $175 million
investment from Amazon that
gave it a $1 billion valuation, and
this was clearly the first tangible
public benefit of that transaction.
LivingSocial says it could
overtake Groupon in U.S. market
share in the offer space this year,
and whether or not that claim has
any merit, this was probably the
company's real public coming out
party. Before the day was done, it
had sold more than a million of
the cards and made a real name
for itself in the blogosphere and
beyond. And more than a week
later, its home page features a
prominent banner directing people
to a link where they can collect
the Amazon card.
But is the company that much
different than Groupon, or any of
the others that are now flooding
this fledgling industry? To find
out about that and about how
things really work in this fast-
paced and explosive business, I
invited CEO Tim O'Shaughnessy
to sit down for a 45 Minutes on
IM interview.
Q: Thanks very much for joining
me for 45 Minutes on IM. I
appreciate it.
Tim O'Shaughnessy: You're very
welcome
To begin with, tell me how the
Amazon gift card offer happened.
O'Shaughnessy: The Amazon gift
card was really the first
operational way that LivingSocial
and Amazon worked together post
Amazon's investment late last
year. It really came together
because we thought it was a
unique value proposition that our
existing users would love, new
users would find interesting, and
would be great brand building and
retention for both LivingSocial
and Amazon.
Talk about how things have
changed for LivingSocial since
the offer. I have to assume that it
was the biggest event in the
Newstablet Edition
really in a day, per se. or where we actually operate
Can you give me an idea of the events in conjunction with local
scope of the sales of the Amazon merchants.
card? Is that substantially different
O'Shaughnessy: It ended up from what Groupon and others in
being around 1.2 million sold at the space are doing?
$10 each. That's a total gift card O'Shaughnessy: Some
value of around $24 million, and a components are similar (we just
total sales value of about $12 tend to think we do them better--
million. hence our very fast growing
Nice. market share), and some are very
O'Shaughnessy: I agree. different. For example, I don't
I'd still like to get a little more at know of anyone else out there that
the idea of how the Amazon offer actually operates and produces
impacted the company. For one, it their own events in conjunction
would seem to me that it brought with merchants.
LivingSocial to the attention of a Why do you think it took so long
lot of people who hadn't heard of for this market category to
the company before. emerge, and why do you think it's
company's history. O'Shaughnessy: I think it growing so fast?
O'Shaughnessy: It certainly was absolutely brought us to new O'Shaughnessy: I think it's really
the biggest sales day ever. We audiences that hadn't heard of us a confluence of things. First, we
think it might have actually been before. It was really tremendous reached a tipping point where user
the largest single day sales of a exposure. The resulting impact comfort with online purchasing
product in the history of the Web. was that I think people have reached truly critical mass;
Maybe ever. And it's definitely realized we are on our way to Second, social tools have allowed
been very impactful. In addition really changing how people shop great deals or fun things to do to
to the significant brand building, and behave. And also people are reach wide audiences faster;
we've seen a very strong uptick in starting to realize how much Third, previous methods of local
subsequent days' sales. market share we're really getting advertising for merchants have
Wow. The largest single sales in this space in the U.S. To be decreased in effectiveness and
day in the history of the Web. able to pull off that large of a day audiences have gotten more and
How do you measure that, and really shows the power of the more diffused.
what makes you think that might platform. And people take note. It seems it took almost an aha
be the case? Hence our interview today. moment, though, for this space to
O'Shaughnessy: I don't think With Groupon in the same even get started. It's one of those,
anyone really keeps an official industry, how would you say Oh, I should have thought of it
tally of that sort of thing, and it LivingSocial specifically is years ago kinds of things. Would
may not be. Although when our changing the way people shop and you agree?
team put our heads together, we behave? O'Shaughnessy: Well, I think the
couldn't think of anything that had O'Shaughnessy: I think we're high-level concept has been
surpassed it--unless you count pre helping people buy from local around for years. The idea of
-orders prior to an item going on merchants online, which they
sale, a la the iPad. But that's not haven't traditionally done before, LIVINGSOCIAL: page 30
Newstablet Edition
YouTube New Ideas Week, ‘YouTube For Kids’, & The
Quest For The Awesome Cup
Jason Kincaid (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:27:20 PM
Talk to any large company in
Silicon Valley and they’ll be the
first to tell you that they foster a
culture where innovation is
everywhere and engineer
imaginations can run wild.
Unfortunately, that’s often just a
complete fabrication from the
company’s marketing department.
But even at companies that really
do try to encourage innovation,
it’s often tough for engineers to
pull themselves away from their
workload so that they can tinker
on a side project.
That’s an issue that faced
YouTube several years ago. No,
YouTube doesn’t just pay lip-
service to innovation — the
company, like its parent Google,
allocates a good chunk of time for
developers to work on their own
p r o j e c t s . B u t
oftentimes engineers simply
didn’t take advantage of their
20% time, so YouTube came up
with an answer: instead of trying
to get its engineers to spend one
day a week on side projects, it
decided to launch a biannual
event where they spend a whole
week crafting whatever they can
think up.
Earlier this month, YouTube
invited me to talk with a few team
members about this so-called New
Ideas Week and how it got
started. They also shared some
projects that are currently in the
works and got their start during
the Week — things like a new
version of YouTube built from the
ground up for children, and a new
Qik-like mobile service for live
streaming.
YouTube Director of Product
Management Hunter Walk kicked
things off by talking about some
of the underlying reasons why
New Ideas Week exists in the first
place. He says YouTube’s goal is
to maintain an environment where
engineers can test things out,
without having to worry if one of
their experiments is going to kill
their career. The first way to do
this is to insulate employees from
the “slings and arrows” thrown by
partners whenever there is a
change to the site. Walk says
Engineers are told to test out their
ideas with 1% of the site’s users
without having to request
approval — provided they “don’t
do something that would put me
in prison”.
From an infrastructure
standpoint, YouTube has set up a
system that allows engineers to
plug-in and monitor their
experiments without having to
reinvent the wheel. There’s an
internal dashboard that displays
the current status of each of
dozens of active experiments — I
managed to catch a glimpse of
one, but it was a mundane
experiment having to do with
YouTube’s lightweight
he says, “weren’t that great.” But
the idea took hold, and the results
from the second week, six months
later, were much better. This was
when a YouTube engineer built a
new feature for YouTube’s player
that would automatically detect
black bars in uploaded footage
and adjust the aspect ratio to
minimize them.
Of course, there are duds
— ”most of the ideas in there are
bad”, says Heckmann. For
example, one engineer noticed
that a huge number of videos on
YouTube feature the uploader’s
messy bedroom as the backdrop.
So, the team tried to build a
system that could detect motion
and replace the background with
something else (Apple’s Photo
Booth does something very
international site. My keen eyes similar). Unfortunately this didn’t
failed me, but Walk did mention really work. “The demo was
an interesting fact about the a w f u l b e c a u s e b a c k g r o u n d
experiments: at any given moment d e t e c t i o n i s n o t p e r f e c t ”
there is a percentage of users on Heckmann says. “An imperfect
YouTube who see no advertising beach in Hawaii is not as good as
at all, which serves as the site’s a messy room”.
control group. YouTube for Kids
Next, I spoke with Oliver More recently, these Weeks have
H e c k m a n n , a n E n g i n e e r i n g led to some bigger initiatives. The
Director based out of Google’s most interesting (at least, that I
Zürich office. Heckmann was h e a r d a b o u t ) w a s a f u l l y
actually responsible for the revamped version of YouTube
formation of New Ideas Week in d e s i g n e d s p e c i f i c a l l y w i t h
2008, after he noticed how little children in mind. Heckmann says
20% time he and his fellow that children tend to use YouTube
engineers were getting to actually differently than adults, and
use. obviously there is content on the
The results from the first week, site that kids shouldn’t be exposed
Technology/ 29
to. What’s worse, sometimes kids
stumble across this content
accidentally because of the way
the site’s automated suggestions
work.
To remedy this, YouTube is
building a version of the site
that’s been reworked to have
absolutely no text, save for the
YouTube logo. Videos that do
appear will be based off of
whitelists, so there won’t be any
chance of accidentally stumbling
across something unsavory or
scary. At this point it sounds like
the project still has a ways to go
(it was initially created during a
New Ideas week last summer), but
it’s on the way.
We also briefly discussed a
second product that got its start
during New Ideas Week: Qik-like
live streaming. YouTube has
recently been putting a lot of
effort into offering live streaming
capabilities to content partners,
and it’s going to begin allowing
them to stream content directly
from their phones.
The Awesome Cup
I closed out the day with John
Harding, another Engineering
Director for YouTube (he’s based
out of their San Bruno office).
Harding had the privilege of
unveiling one of the team’s
internal secrets: a trophy that gets
passed around the engineering
team that’s called “The Awesome
YOUTUBE page 31
30 Culture/ Travel/
LIVINGSOCIAL:
continued from page 28
aggregating people together for a
discount isn't novel in and of
itself. But all the things I
mentioned have made it the right
time to really take off.
Looking at the competition, what
was your reaction when you heard
that Groupon had rejected
Google's 10-figure offer?
O'Shaughnessy: They should
have made it 11-figures.
LOL
O'Shaughnessy: It's a big space.
It's obviously a lot of money to
turn down, but local commerce is
a big opportunity.
Were you surprised that Groupon
turned down the offer?
O'Shaughnessy: Well, one of my
eyebrows raised, but definitely
not both.
Can you talk about how the
offers are conceived? Does
LivingSocial work with retailers
and marketers to come up with the
specific ideas? I'd love to know
the process.
O'Shaughnessy: We very much
work with the retailers to come up
with what will work best for their
business. We have an entire team
whose mission is to figure out
what works best with the
merchant. We also have worked
with tens of thousands of
merchants at this point, so we can
really provide good guidance to
What Not to Do in Disney World
(CONCIERGE.COM: LATEST
TRAVEL FEATURES)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 2:02:07 PM
Make your Disney trip magical
the merchant on what will work
best for them both financially and
on the customer acquisition front.
You provide one offer per day in
each market. I have to assume
there are many more than one
available for you to choose from
each day. So how does
LivingSocial choose which ones
to offer?
O'Shaughnessy: Variety, plus
what we think customers want to
buy, plus creativity and keeping
things fresh.
For retailers, how do you help
them decide that an offer is going
to be a net positive for them?
O'Shaughnessy: We first try and
identify their goals (how many
customers, particular nuances of
their business they'd like to
highlight) and then we help
construct a package that we think
will be creative and a great value
for the consumer that fits within
those constraints.
What gets you excited about
being in this business?
O'Shaughnessy: The immediacy
of it. The ability to make people
happy every day. The types of
products we get to deal with.
What do you think are the biggest
challenges you face as a business
going forward, especially given
that you're competing with an 800
-pound gorilla like Groupon?
by following our dos and don'ts.
For example, utilize the Fastpass
in order to explore the park
instead of waiting on a monstrous "doing it all" cloud your head;
line. Also, don't let the stress of
O'Shaughnessy: We're a pretty
big gorilla ourselves. We've been
taking U.S. market share pretty
much every month for quite some
time now and are on track to pass
them in the U.S. in 2011. So we're
operating very, very effectively.
Note: Contacted about this,
Groupon said it doesn't comment
about its competition.
O'Shaughnessy: So we tend to
focus right now on continuing to
innovate and figure out how to
provide great things to do in their
city at great value for our users
and not really worry what others
are doing.
Tell me something about
LivingSocial that will really
surprise my readers?
O'Shaughnessy: We've added
more than 6 million new members
already this month.
How much do you attribute that
to the Amazon card offer, i.e.,
how many of those were before
the Amazon offer?
O'Shaughnessy: The majority
were before the Amazon offer.
We've been accelerating on a
variety of fronts over the last few
months, although obviously,
Amazon was a step change for us.
We're out of time, which means
one last question. It's my standard
last question: I really like doing
IM interviews for several reasons.
instead, take a day off to relax and
enjoy the Florida sun.
One is that I get a perfect
transcript, and also because IM
allows my subjects to be a little
more thoughtful and articulate
than they might be on the phone
or in person. But maybe most
important, IM allows for
multitasking. So...
O'Shaughnessy: LOL
What else were you doing during
the interview?
O'Shaughnessy: I was actually
looking at the American Film
Institute's greatest movie quotes
list and wondering if I could have,
as an answer to each of your
questions, used one of the quotes.
Very nice. Well, thanks so much
for doing this. I appreciate it.
O'Shaughnessy: You're very
welcome. And "Nobody puts baby
in a corner." ( Note: From "Dirty
Dancing".)
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Newstablet Edition
Childhood classic
explained: How
Play-Doh works
(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:37:00 PM
Like the sound you hear when
you shake of a box of LEGO
bricks, the smell of Play-Doh
m-odeling compound is instantly
recognizable to millions of
people. The scent is so memorable
and floods people with such
nostalgia that there's even a Play-
Doh perfume in honor of the
dough's 50th birthday.
What does wallpaper have to do
with one of the coolest toys of all
time? Find out in our article
where you’ll learn just why the
Play-Doh® compound acts the
way it does how it stormed the
1950s toy market.
Full article at
HowStuffWorks.com.
Total aggregation of
HowStuffWorks.com.
Photo credit: Fotolia
Permalink| Leave a comment »
Newstablet Edition Technology/ 31
YOUTUBE
How 5 Big Companies Are Marking continued from page 29

Cup”. You can see it in the photo lag when you flip to the next

Data Privacy Day above.

It’s pretty self-explanatory
— any time someone does
video. He says that in all, around
25 projects were conceived during
the last Week — but, unlike
Marshall Kirkpatrick innovation held by Google and its
(ReadWriteWeb) something especially awesome, Heckmann, he couldn’t think of
users.
they’re awarded the cup. It then any that were especially bad.
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:43:23 PM My favorite big company move is
sits on their desk until they deem Something about loving all his
probably IBM's running of a
Today is global Data Privacy Day that one of their coworkers does children equally.
column on the topic on its Smarter
and companies all around the something equally awesome, at YouTube isn’t the only company
Planet blog. Harriet Pearson, VP
world are marking it in different which point they hand it off. that holds special events to spark
Security Counsel & Chief Privacy
ways. Below we've highlighted Previous tasks that reached this developers’ creative juices.
Officer at IBM, focuses on the
some of the activities of level of awesomeness include the Facebook is well-known for its all
Internet of Things and the
Microsoft, Google, Facebook, revamped Watch page and the -night hackathons, which have
importance of securing trust
Opera and IBM. audio comment preview feature, given rise to some of the site’s
through privacy in order to build
Those actions range from which was based on an article in most important features, including
sustainable technology that can
implementing new technologies The Onion. Facebook Video. Of course, many
change the world.
through making blog posts w h i l e o n l y 5 % a n d 6 % What's at stake? Plenty. Getting Harding also talked about a few of Facebook’s ideas aren’t so
highlighting existing policies. Do respectively in Russia and United d a t a p r i v a c y " r i g h t " i s a n of the products that came out of great either — one fateful
you feel like these companies are States shared the same anxiety. economic and social imperative. YouTube’s most recent New hackathon led to the creation of
responsive to your concerns about B e t w e e n 1 3 a n d 1 9 % o f Trust and confidence in the I d e a s W e e k , w h i c h w a s i n Facebook Fax, which let you fax
data privacy in 2011? respondents in each country were security and privacy of the critical D e c e m b e r . O n e s u b t l e b u t photos to friends. Which, if
Sponsor not worried about anyone gaining systems of our planet - especially i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e c o n c e r n s memory serves, they used to punk
Microsoft put up a blog post insight into their online activities. the digital version of its central YouTube Leanback — the version me.
highlighting its strong security Facebook implemented HTTPS nervous system, the Internet - is of YouTube that’s seen on Google CrunchBase Information
measures baked into Hotmail and secure connections so that users foundational to individuals' TV. Before now Leanback would YouTube Information provided
Windows Live. That's nice. don't get hijacked by Firesheep c o n t i n u e d e n g a g e m e n t a n d only stream one piece of content by CrunchBase
European mobile mega-browser and other such programs. The reliance on such things as online at a time (the same way YouTube
company Opera posted the results company also faced widespread commerce, e-health and smart proper does). But now it will
o f a n i n t e r e s t i n g s u r v e y i t criticism on privacy, again, now grids. If individual consumers actually start buffering the next
commissioned regarding digital for this week's move to allow don't feel that their privacy and clip in your queue while you’re
privacy concerns around the advertisers to sponsor particular security are protected, they will watching the first, so there’s no
world. One highlight: status updates from users. not support modernization efforts,
Worried about who is watching Google is hosting a public even though the capabilities of
you online? Some 38% of Russian h e a r i n g i n W a s h i n g t o n D C technology advancements are
respondents were most concerned c a l l e d " T h e T e c h n o l o g y o f proven and the potential benefits
about social-networking websites Privacy: When Geeks Meet to society are extensive.
having too much insight into their Wonks." A video of that hearing What's at the forefront of your
online behavior, far ahead of 15% will be posted on the Google mind about digital privacy, here
in the United States and 10% in Privacy channel on YouTube. on this Digital Privacy Day?
Japan, where social media ranked Alma Whitten, Google's Director Disclosure: IBM is also a
number 2. U.S. participants were o f P r i v a c y , P r o d u c t a n d ReadWriteWeb sponsor. Discuss
m o s t c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e Engineering, is clearly committed
government (35%). Japan held to balancing peoples' privacy
least trust in shopping sites (33%), interests with the interests in
32 Technology/ Culture/ Newstablet Edition
Nicole Richie Loves
Horizontal Symmetry – The Way of the Future Winter but Breaks Out
the Florals For Lunch
Phone? Katie Henry (PopSugar)
Chris Burns (SlashGear) Call speaker Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:40:24 AM

Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:33:48 PM Call microphone (with noise-

The current trend in smartphone
design is that of a vertical
symmetry. It’s important to make
sure the left and the right of the
screen, (that being the right and
left when the phone is held in a
portrait mode,) are equal, or at
least appear to be equal. The
future of the phone is presented in
a project by Jason Wang, a
designer who believes that the
next logical step in the evolution
of the handheld communicator is
symmetry in landscape mode. As
a proof, he offers a conceptual
design by the name of Nokia E2.
Wang believes that as the past
several years have yielded a set of
smartphones that are
overwhelmingly similar to one
another, it becomes difficult for
the consumer to differentiate
between them. He believes that
the first step toward a new type of
phone is the 21:9 aspect ratio. He
notes though, that upon first
viewing a traditionally designed
21:9 phone, it lacks visual appeal,
especially due to the fact that
they’re designed, still, to be held
cancellation, activation upon Nicole Richie joined a group of
upward facing orientation) friends for lunch at one of her
2nd call speaker favorite spots, Izaka-Ya Sushi, in
2nd call microphone (with noise- LA yesterday. She broke out her
cancellation, activation upon latest long floral dress, which
upward facing orientation) looked similar to the designs in
*What these two call mics do is her Spring 2011 Winter Kate
assure the user that any way they collection. Nicole has been
hold the phone, its the right way. hanging close to home and
What do you think? We’re making regular visits to the gym
already sort of leaning this way while her husband, Joel Madden,
with flip-out keyboards and continues touring Europe with
gamepads like the upcoming Good Charlotte. Nicole has been
XPERIA Play– is this the way of busy keeping an eye on her kids,
the future? Harlow and Sparrow, while also
[ Via Yanko Design] finding time to do some modeling
and hang with pals at night. View
Relevant Entries on SlashGear Slideshow ›
• Windows Phone 7 Getting
Copy & Paste in Early 2011
upright. flash and 720p recording at 30fps • Gravity Phone concept looks
His solution is the E2, a 21:9 Concealed SIM and MicroSD cool and bulky
d e v i c e w i t h a h o r i z o n t a l slots (under the left side of the • Hitachi Claims First to Mass
symmetry, and what he says is “a back cover, tilted 2 degrees) Produce 800×480 LCD Panel for
large screen, a relatively small 3.5 mm headphone jack Mobile Phone
size, no vertical orientation bias, Micro USB port • Video of Nokia’s Super Sexy
and no compromises.” Specs for Multi-Purpose button (center, Concept Phone
his concept phone are as follows: top) 3 zone button/rocker with • Rumor: HTC Omni being used
4.6 21:9 ClearBlack display capacitive layer within Google doors
Proximity sensor HDMI output
12 megapixel camera with Xenon Stereo Speaker

Naomi Watts Pushes Sasha and Samuel Through the Snow

Lauren Turner (PopSugar)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:16:45 AM
Naomi Watts layered up to take
her sons, Samuel and Sasha, out
in chilly NYC this morning. The
city is having a record month of
snowfall, but that hasn't stopped
Naomi and other families from
stepping out and enjoying the
Winter weather. Liev Schreiber
even got playful in the slush with
Sasha, shortly after the little one
took a low-key stroll with mom
Naomi. Her city adventures may
cease temporarily in the coming
weeks, though, as she's signed on
for the J. Edgar Hoover biopic
that also stars Leonardo DiCaprio.
View Slideshow ›
Newstablet Edition Technology/ Finance/ 33

Gowalla Begins Connecting The Dots On Travel

MG Siegler (TechCrunch) complete with your miles message.
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:27:32 PM traveled. Below that they tell your Another small addition to the
friends about your journey. And Gowalla website is that they now
Now that Facebook has entered they’re even able to see if you had show you a map connecting your
the space, Google appears to be a layover at another airport. most recent check-ins. Again, this
ready to take it more seriously, Is it a small feature? Of course. could be interesting from a travel
and Foursquare is gaining some But again, it does point to some of perspective. Imagine being able to
real traction, the other players in the interesting things Gowalla give someone a link visually Cash Savings: Is It
the location field need to start could do with location in the
defining their roles. Of the other travel space. Other recent features
showcasing where you when on a
recent trip.
Better to Sit on It,
players, Gowalla has been doing t h e y ’ v e l a u n c h e d , s u c h a s Some of these concepts are things Invest It or Use It?
some interesting stuff around Highlights, also showcase this. that startups like TripTrace and nospam@example.com
check-in aggregation. But their With Highlights, you can make a others are working on as well. But (Quizzle.com) (Financiallyfit on
more interesting play may be list of your favorite things a city. Gowalla has the benefit of being a Shine)
around travel. And a small change This is based around pre-set pretty widely used (and very
Submitted at 1/28/2011 6:01:26 PM
today points to that. topics, so there’s a best place for solid) mobile application already.
As you can see on place pages for “People Watching” and a best By: Kristie Lorette If you happen
In other words, they already have
various airports, Gowalla has “Watering Hole”, for example. to be sitting on some
the great tool to populate this
begun connecting your travels But you can only have one set data. Now it’s just a question of
from destination to destination. So place for each topic, and so what they’ll do with it.
if you check it at SFO then five obviously, the emphasis here is to They’re sort of doing this with
CrunchBase Information Gowalla
hours later check in at JFK, they name things in your home city. the ability to leave notes at venues
Information provided by
know that you were on a cross- But imagine if they turned this on around the world, which entices
CrunchBase
country flight and create a new for vacations, so you could leave your friends to go visit and check-
g r a p h i c t o s h o w c a s e t h a t , recommendations to your friends? in there so they can unlock the

Yanko’s New Fire Watch is a Must-Have for Pyros

Robert Evans (SlashGear)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:27:37 PM
Few things are more satisfying
than the click of a lighter and the
subtle ‘whoosh’ a jet of fire
makes. The sheer fun of using a
good lighter is a leading reason
many smokers have trouble
quitting [Citation Needed]. All
you amateur arsonists and
recovering smokers may be able
to relieve a tiny portion of your
nervous energy if the latest watch
design on Yanko ever becomes a
reality.
The Lightning Watch has a blue
LED for hours and a yellow one
for minutes. Both are designed to
simulate the look of a jet of fire,
while the central “watch” face
looks like a lit burner. If someone
really wants to make this concept
sell, all they’d need to do is make
the burner functional and
exchange the LEDs for little jets
of real fire.
I can think of only two
downsides to that product. First,
you couldn’t wear acrylic unless
you like things melted into your
flesh. And second, you’d have to
buy two or three bottles of lighter
fluid every day to keep it going.
So yeah, it’s slightly less practical
than this laser watch designed by
the same guy.
[ Via Yanko]
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
• Tokyoflash Fire watch: more
LED confusion
• Great Bowls of Fire – fire pit
with style
• Pingy the Mini Fire
Extinguisher
• HomeHero Fire Extinguisher –
Looks good, probably won’t save
your house
• Flower doubles as fire
extenguisher
34 Technology/
Why the Telcos Will Go On a Spending Spree
Alex Williams (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:15:00 PM
The news came yesterday that
Verizon is buying Terremark, a
cloud services provider. The deal
is worth a reported $1.4 billion.
We've seen a lot of talk about
possible acquisition targets since
the news broke. But it feels like
it's more interesting to explore
why the market conditions are
right for telecommunications
companies executives to continue
spending mergers and acquisition
budgets on infrastructure
providers and cloud management
companies.
Sponsor
Chuck Hollis is vice president of
global marketing and chief
technology officer at EMC
Corporation. It's clear to him that
the acquisition is evident of the
move to providing information
technology more as a service than
anything else: If you believe in
the secular trend that -- over time
iPad 101: Reverting to an older version of an application
Michael Rose (TUAW)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:15:00 PM
It happens to us all: an
application update for the iPhone
or iPad goes awry, and the new
app doesn't do things the way we
want (or, unfortunately, work at
all on one of our devices). We
ourselves are in that boat at the
market to attack.
Indeed, early on, many people
thought that IT-as-a-service
would go to the telco carriers, and
that would be that.
Stacey Higginbotham of GigaOm
writes that telecommunications
companies see the ability to
manage customers networks and
their infrastructure.
That's a new play that correlates
to the deeper interest that the
telecommunications companies
have in extending the data they
offer through APIs.
To offer the computing, the
network and also data capabilities
means telecommunications
-- more IT will be delivered as a how to price their offerings and providers need to invest in cloud
s e r v i c e v s . c o n s u m e d i n a bill for them. management technologies and
traditional fashion, you quickly Their strategic motivations are new routing capabilities for data
realize that telcos can have a usually clear as well. More services. We'll see how these
compelling position. ordinary network services are kinds of companies are viewed as
They've got lots and lots of pipe. quickly becoming commoditized. telecommunications executives
They know how to deliver a There's only so much content you t a r g e t m o r e c o m p a n i e s f o r
r e l a t e d f o r m o f s e r v i c e - - can sell people. And, before long, acquisition in the year ahead.
communications. They know you go looking for the next big Discuss
moment, since the new version previous version of an iOS
2.0 of the TUAW iPhone app is application once you've updated.
not working as expected on the There is a workaround, however,
iPad -- our development team is if you haven't yet emptied your
digging into the problem right Trash in the Finder. Read on for
now and we hope to be fast- the steps.
tracking a fixed version right Continue reading iPad 101:
away. Our apologies for the Reverting to an older version of
issues. sticky because there's no Apple- an application
This sort of thing is particularly supported way to roll back to a iPad 101: Reverting to an older
Newstablet Edition
Getting news out
of an unplugged
Egypt
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:04:54 PM
Al Jazeera's English language
Web site was streaming the
protests in Egypt.(Credit: Al
Jazeera)
If you are at a computer and
you're not riveted to the Al
Jazeera live video coverage of the
protests in Egypt, you should be.
The images are fascinating to
watch. Protesters--calling for the
resignation of President Hosni
GETTING page 35
version of an application
originally appeared on TUAW on
Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:15:00 EST.
Please see our terms for use of
feeds.
Source| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
Newstablet Edition Technology/ 35
GETTING
continued from page 34

Mubarak--are seen ignoring showing live video in a window Voices Online.

curfew, running through the
streets, clashing with tear gas-
wielding police, and setting
buildings on fire.
While the region's popular
satellite channel broadcasts live
footage of the events, a nearly
country-wide clampdown on the
Internet means there are few
trickles from people on the
ground via blogs and Twitter.
Mohamed Nanabhay, the head of
Al Jazeera English online, said on
his Twitter page that nearly 45
percent of the traffic to the site's
Egypt coverage was coming from
America.
CNN's Web site also was
on the front page.
Meanwhile, Egyptians were
finding ways around the Internet
blockage, using landlines to
transmit messages to people
outside the country who were then
posting them online, according to
Global Voices Online blog.
Many people were posting on a
special Jan25voices Twitter
account, which was inaccessible
mid-morning PT due to "over
capacity."
"We are using phones and other
means to speak with Egyptians
behind the blocked internet,
tweeting their words in real time,"
a post said, according to Global
Also on Twitter, the WikiLeaks
account was reporting that
activists were faxing WikiLeaks
cables into Egypt to bypass the
Internet blockade.
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Five Filters featured article:
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Analyst: Apple to expand the iPhone to new carriers, boost

sales in Asia
Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:00:00 PM
Toni Sacconaghi of Sanford
Bernstein said the Apple iPhone is
enjoying wide-spread acceptance
in Asia that is "on par with the
U.S. in some cases."
Recent figures from IDC suggest
that 12% of all cell phones sold in
Japan are iPhones and South
Korea's KT confirmed earlier this
week that it has sold two million
iPhones since launching the
handset in late 2009. Apple
addressed this growing market
during its recent earnings
conference call and confirmed
that sales in the Asia and Japan
have doubled year over year.
Sacconaghi projected that Apple
will take advantage of this
momentum and expand to
additional carriers in the Asian
region.
Currently, the iPhone is sold
exclusively by China Unicom in
China, Softbank in Japan and KT
in South Korea. Future carriers
may include China Telecom,
Japan's KDDI and LG Telecom in
South Korea. Combined, the three
carriers have a subscriber base of
75 million and could help Apple
sell an additional seven to eight
million iPhones in 2011.
Interestingly enough, Sacconaghi
did not include China Mobile in
his list of potential future
providers. China Mobile recently
stated it was working with Apple
on a TD-LTE version of the
popular smartphone. Though
these predictions are encouraging,
they may not pan out as Apple
recently said that production of
the iPhone 4 is still constrained
when compared to global demand.
Analyst: Apple to expand the
iPhone to new carriers, boost sales
in Asia originally appeared on
TUAW on Fri, 28 Jan 2011
14:00:00 EST. Please see our
terms for use of feeds.
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36 Technology/ Economy/ Policy/
Google Swipes PayPal Vice President of Product
Development
Chris Burns (SlashGear)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:44:34 AM
Google has just poached the top
payment executive from PayPal
Osama Bedier, a man apparently
key in moving the payment brand
toward mobile payments. Does
this have anything to do with
Google’s recent big moves toward
NFC implementation in their
Android OS? Paypal’s CTO Scott
Guilfoyle writes his goodbyes and
thank yous to Bedier on the
PayPal Blog, noting that his
Why This Is Just The Beginning Of Egypt's
Crippling Demographic Crisis
Gus Lubin (Money Game)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:17:59 PM
Let's say the protesters fail and
Gam al Mubarak stays in power.
Next year the social pressures will
be greater. That's because today's
riots aren't about (just) politics or
Tunisia or food prices.
Egypt is facing a demographic
crisis.
A few facts:
• Egypt's population will grow
32% by 2040
• Egypt's median age will drop
from 33 to 23 by 2040
replacement will be a man by the
name of Matthew Mengerink, a
10 year PayPal veteran who’s led
“PayPal architecture,
infrastructure, payments
development, core technologies,
international development and
customer quality and engineering
services teams.” Guilfoyle also
notes that Mengerink “has 95
musical instruments at home and
plays most of them.”
If you do follow the link back to
the last time we spoke about Near
Field Communications, you’ll
• Half a million Egyptians enter
the job market every year
note that Google’s soon-to-be ex
CEO Eric Schmidt speaks on
NFC as one of the tools the world
needs to move the financial world
• Egypt, outside the desert, has
the highest population density in
the world, with 2,000 inhabitants
per square kilometer
In short, an incredibly dense
forward. He also mentions much
cheaper phones, and expanded
future 8-to-10 megabit networks.
Is there a glorious future in
population is expanding rapidly,
creating hundreds of millions of
unemployed and angry youths.
There's a similar problem in
Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Tunisia,
and all the other places where
riots have erupted recently. This
problem isn't going away, and it
will take more than regime
change to fix.
Don't miss: 10 Countries On The
Verge Of A Crippling
Demographic Crisis
Join the conversation about this
story »
Newstablet Edition
Google phones activating the
global economy in a way nothing
has ever activated it before?
[ Via Near Field Communications
World]
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
• PayPal lets iPhone users deposit
checks by taking pictures of it
• Paypal Steps Up Security
• New Apple iPod chief steps in
• Unboxing – Paypal security key
• Google on Purchasing Android
Inc: “Best Deal Ever”
Ronald Reagan at 100:
A True Believer Who
Caught Destiny's Eye
(AEI.Org: Articles)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 5:00:00 PM
"Within the Reagan household,
and perhaps in Ronald Reagan's
heart," his definitive biographer
Lou Cannon writes, "there was an
early sense that he was a child of
destiny." Certainly there was not
much in his family background to
suggest that. The 40th president
was born one hundred years ago
on Feb. 6 in the second floor of a
gritty-looking building in
Tampico, Ill. The family moved
to other towns, and briefly to
Chicago, before shoe salesman
Jack Reagan and his wife, Nell,
settled in the prosperous town of
RONALD page 37
Newstablet Edition
RONALD
continued from page 36
Dixon when Reagan was 9.
Reagan always remembered his
boyhood there in elegiac terms,
and the modest but comfortable
hillside house where he spent
several years seems to confirm
that impression. But Jack Reagan
was overfond of drink and failed
at one business after another, and
Lee County tax records indicate
that each place the Reagans rented
was worth less than the one
before. They ended up in an
apartment literally on the wrong
side of the railroad tracks.
Every so often his mother would
send him 50 cents for expenses,
and by the end of his college days
he was sending money home
Yet from an early age Ronald
Reagan seems to have been, as
one biographer said of Abraham
Lincoln, "a little engine of
ambition." An ambition to be
someone important in the world,
someone who could do things for
others; maybe, although he never
said so, to be president.
But how to move up in the
world? One way was athletics;
high school stars are celebrities in
small towns. But the young Dutch
Reagan stayed home reading
while his older brother Moon
played baseball, and he was too
nearsighted to hit a pitch or catch
a fly ball. In high school he
played football, but became a
lineman and, as he later
confessed, not a good one.
Swimming proved to be his sport.
At 16 he talked his way into a job
as lifeguard at a park along the
treacherous Rock River. It was a
busy place; he worked 12 hours a
day for six summers and rescued
77 people, making a notch on a
log for each one. That helped
make him popular enough to be
elected senior class president in
high school.
Another way up was college.
Only 6 percent of Americans
graduated from college in the late
1920s, and Reagan's parents had
not even attended high school.
But at 17 Reagan made the
remarkable decision to attend
Eureka College, 95 miles from
Dixon, financing his education
with his earnings as a lifeguard,
an athletic half-scholarship he
talked his way into, and a job
washing dishes. Every so often his
mother would send him 50 cents
for expenses, and by the end of
his college days he was sending
money home -- and bringing
Moon to Eureka with him.
At Eureka, Reagan played
football, swam and coached the
swimming team, was president of
the student senate and -- most
important for his future -- acted in
plays. As a young boy, his mother
encouraged him to perform in
public readings and church plays,
and he was always able to
memorize his lines quickly. "I
knew then that I wanted to be an
actor," he told Lou Cannon, "but
it wasn't considered a way to
make a living."
The way to make a living, he
decided, was in the new mass
medium of radio. Dixon is 100
miles straight west of Chicago,
and the signals of Chicago's clear
channel radio stations come in
loud and clear. And in the 1920s,
stations in Chicago, not New
York or Los Angeles, were the
great innovators, presenting the
first situation comedies,
sportscasts and national
convention coverage. Listening to
the radio in his parents' homes in
Dixon, Dutch Reagan was at the
cutting edge of innovative mass
media.
When he graduated from college
in June 1932, unemployment
stood at 24 percent, just about the
highest rate in American history.
He hitchhiked to Chicago and
applied for jobs as a radio
announcer. He was told that
Chicago was the big time and that
he should get some seasoning at a
small station in "the sticks." He
hitchhiked home, borrowed the
Oldsmobile his father could not
afford to buy gas for, and drove to
Davenport, Iowa, the home of
WOC, owned by the Palmer
Chiropractic School (the station's
call letters stood for world of
chiropractic). Told that there was
no opening, he talked the station
manager into letting him audition
by announcing an imaginary
football game between Eureka
and Western Illinois. He got the
job: $5 and round-trip bus fare to
broadcast a University of Iowa
football game.
That break surely fortified an
innate optimism. In 1933 Reagan
moved to another Palmer station,
WHO in Des Moines, where as a
sports announcer he did what he
had heard Chicago announcers do
in the 1920s -- narrate games from
a pitch-by-pitch account received
by telegraph (with lots of foul tips
when the telegraph broke down).
He became something of a local
celebrity and a frequent speaker to
civic groups, and sent one-third of
his paycheck home to his family.
He also did political
commentaries with future
Republican Rep. H.R. Gross. He
got raises and made $75 a week
(more than $1,200 in today's
dollars), twice what his father had
ever made.
In early 1937 he got the idea of
spending his month's vacation
following the Chicago Cubs at
their spring training in Catalina
Island off Los Angeles. WHO
agreed. In Los Angeles he sought
out a singer who had worked at
WHO; she got him an
appointment with her agent, who
got him a screen test. When he
returned to Des Moines, the agent
wired him that Warner Brothers
was offering him a seven-year
contract for $100 a week. "Sign
before they change their minds,"
Reagan wired back.
Reagan's movie career, later
derided by reporters and political
adversaries, was successful. He
learned his lines quickly, always
showed up on time, patiently
waited during delays in shooting.
He received many favorable
reviews. His performances in
"Knute Rockne, All-American"
and "Kings Row," both made just
before the United States entered
World War II, landed him a
million-dollar, multiyear contract.
Military service during the war,
most of it in Los Angeles,
prevented him from making
movies and money from what
37
might have been his peak earning
years, and after the war he bristled
against the studios' insistence that
he play light comedy rather than
dramatic roles.
The movies of the 1930s and
1940s, like the radio of the 1920s
and 1930s and the television
shows of the 1950s and 1960s,
were a universal culture, aimed
not at niche audiences like the
media of today but at the entire
population. They were intended to
be universally acceptable and to
embody the values shared by
almost all Americans, and indeed,
1940s movies still strike us as
expressing the national spirit more
than any other popular art.
In this national spirit Ronald
Reagan was always a true
believer. He was a believing and
observant Christian, a Protestant
like his mother rather than a
Catholic like his father. Like both
his parents he was a Democrat in
heavily Republican Downstate
Illinois, and he became an
enthusiastic fan of Franklin
Roosevelt and his New Deal
policies. As a Hollywood star he
kept up with political news; as a
board member of the Screen
Actors Guild from 1941 and its
president from 1947 to 1960, he
opposed Communist activists but
refused to name names or to
support outlawing the Communist
party.
It was always in Reagan's interest
to portray himself as an ordinary
person and certainly not as any
kind of intellectual. "Mr. Norm is
RONALD page 38
38
RONALD
continued from page 37
my alias," Reagan wrote in a 1942
article for the fan magazine
Photoplay. "Nothing about me to
make me stand out on the
midway." But he also admitted,
"I'm interested in politics and
government problems." More
interested than he let on. His first
wife, Jane Wyman, in seeking a
divorce in 1947, complained that
he talked about actors union and
political issues all the time. And
in 1948 he campaigned for Harry
Truman's re-election over
Republican Thomas Dewey and
the leftist Henry Wallace, and
emceed Truman's final campaign
speech in the Hollywood Bowl.
Four years later, Reagan
supported Republican Dwight
Eisenhower. He always insisted
that the Democratic party left him
rather than the other way around,
but clearly he changed his mind
on some issues. He resented the
91 percent top tax rate when he
was in his peak earning years, and
before you could escape high
rates by averaging income over
several years. He had been
affected by books like Friedrich
Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom,"
which argued that socialism
eroded personal freedoms. Hired
by General Electric CEO Ralph
Cordiner to speak to GE
employees across the country as
well as to host "GE Theater," he
became in the 1950s a dedicated
opponent of big government.
The times seemed to be going
against Reagan. A movie star in
his 20s and 30s, he was less of a
celebrity in his 40s. In his 50s,
normally the peak years in most
professions, he was an old man by
Hollywood standards. He resigned
as head of the Screen Actors
Guild in 1960 and General
Electric cancelled his show in
1962. John Kennedy, six years
younger than Reagan, was a
popular president seeking to make
big government even bigger.
By Reagan's reckoning, the
country seemed to be moving in
the wrong direction, so he took it
on himself to persuade his fellow
citizens into changing course. The
result was a speech, developed
from the talks he had delivered to
GE employees, called "A Time
for Choosing," and a group of
Goldwater-supporting
businessmen persuaded the
Arizonan's reluctant campaign to
broadcast it on national television
in October 1964. Reagan was
visibly angry at the prospect of
big government destroying the
American dream but, with his
congenital optimism, quoted
Roosevelt quoting Lincoln that
Americans had a "rendezvous
with destiny." The speech raised
money for the Goldwater
campaign, with little effect on the
result. But it convinced many that
Reagan had a rendezvous with
destiny himself.
Reagan was a believer, as
Roosevelt was, in American
exceptionalism. "I, in my own
mind, have thought of America as
a place in the divine scheme of
things that was set aside as a
promised land,"
Conventional political wisdom
held that Goldwater's landslide
defeat meant the end of
conservatism in America. Reagan
thought it was more like a
beginning, with a major role for
himself. Encouraged by the
businessmen who had promoted
the 1964 broadcast, he set about
running for governor in 1966
against two-term Democrat Pat
Brown, who had beaten Richard
Nixon in 1962. Events helped.
Student protests at Berkeley in
1964 and the black riot in Watts
in 1965 showed that two supposed
beneficiaries of big government
were anything but grateful for aid
provided by the tax dollars of the
ordinary middle-class Americans,
who had flocked to California as a
kind of promised land after World
War II. Reagan, like so many of
those taxpayers a migrant from
the Midwest, voiced outrage at
this ingratitude and at the failure
of big government policies to
produce the America they
believed in.
Reagan showed in 1966 and 1970
that a conservative Republican
could win landslide victories in
what had recently become the
nation's largest state. To be sure,
his record in office was not as
impeccably conservative as many
contemporary conservatives
believe: He acquiesced in a tax
increase and signed, to his later
regret, one of the most liberalized
abortion laws in the nation. But he
also made himself a plausible
candidate for the presidency and
tried for it three times -- in a last-
minute campaign in 1968, in a
prolonged march through the
primaries up to the national
convention in 1976, and in a long
campaign against an incumbent
president in which success
seemed anything but assured till
the weekend before the election in
1980.
Only three presidents since 1900
have won popular vote majorities
more than once: Franklin
Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower
and Ronald Reagan. On the
surface, all three seemed men of
great geniality, but in fact none of
them had any really close friends
or anyone in whom they fully
confided, except for Reagan --
and his confidante was his wife,
Nancy. Beneath the smiles there
was a certain cold, inaccessible
calculation. One difference is that
Roosevelt entered the White
House at 50, Eisenhower at 62
and Reagan just a month shy of
turning 70. And if Roosevelt and
Eisenhower had serious health
problems, Reagan was shot and
came close to dying in his second
full month in office. His
inattention to detail and his
reliance on chiefs of staff who
rationed his time and set his
agenda arguably made him less
effective than he might have been
had he come to office earlier in
life.
But since he left office it has
become apparent that the portrait
of Reagan as an airheaded actor
manipulated by sinister aides is
very far from accurate. It was
always in Reagan's interest to
portray himself as an ordinary
guy, unaffected by intellectual
influences -- the actor who called
himself "Mr. Norm," the
candidate for governor who
Newstablet Edition
insisted he was only a citizen-
politician, the president who said,
"They say that hard work never
killed anybody, but I say why take
the chance?"
On the contrary, the picture we
get from his 1970s radio scripts,
written out in his legible
handwriting and retrieved from
the wastebasket by a history-
conscious secretary, show a man
who was widely read and well-
informed on all manner of issues,
with a clear philosophic compass
and a gift for phrasemaking. It
was one of his strengths that he
could speak in the universal
language of the 1930s and 1940s
movies at a time of cultural
conflict, a time when other
politicians could only appeal to
their particular niches of support.
"I think it would be hard to be
president without having been an
actor," he once said. His greatest
performance may have been after
he was shot. In the process of
losing half his blood, he insisted
on walking into the hospital and
buttoning his jacket, before
collapsing on the floor when he
was out of camera range.
Ronald Reagan changed his mind
on economic issues and switched
parties in his 40s. But if he sought
to reverse the thrust of his hero
Franklin Roosevelt's economic
policies, he continued to believe
as Roosevelt did that America had
a special mission to deploy a
strong military to oppose tyranny
and expand freedom in the world.
The New Deal historian William
RONALD page 41
Newstablet Edition
Road Tax Alternative: Pay for Each Mile You Drive
(AEI.Org: Articles)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 5:00:00 PM
In his State of the Union address,
President Obama promised to put
Americans to work rebuilding the
nation's crumbling infrastructure.
That's a wonderful goal, but I'm
most impressed with how he
proposed to pay for it--by
"attracting private investment"
and choosing projects based on
"what's best for the economy, not
politicians."
This is not hollow speechmaking
or an impossible dream.
Broadening the use of public-
private partnerships in
transportation projects can build
new roads, bridges, and tunnels
quickly and efficiently without
adding to the federal deficit.
PPPs can bring private capital
and new jobs to struggling
communities. But perhaps most
significantly, they remove politics
from the equation.
PPPs empower motorists by
allowing them to become
consumers, not merely users, of
our nation's roadways. As
consumers of transportation,
Americans have tremendous
power--the power to demand the
facilities and the services they
need.
Higher taxes and more
government spending will not
advance our foundering
transportation system; they will
only mire it further.
In a public-private partnership, a
private investor assumes
responsibility for financing,
designing, building, and operating
a transportation facility.
Because private investors
shoulder upfront costs--as well as
the considerable risk that their
investment might fail--they have
strong incentives to make sure
projects are completed on time
and on budget. In a government-
funded roadway, that cost and risk
are borne by taxpayers.
Investors also stand to profit from
PPPs--that's why they invest in
the first place--so it's in their
interest to attract motorists
through efficient operation,
rigorous safety standards, and
fast, thorough repairs.
PPPs by nature have a customer-
service ethic that government-
operated roadways lack.
Private investors profit from
PPPs primarily through toll
revenue. Tolls, though not
generally popular, are the key to
revitalizing America's
transportation infrastructure,
because toll revenue can be used
to leverage enormous amounts of
private capital.
Private capital, as Obama
acknowledged Tuesday night, is
the only feasible way to
thoroughly renovate and expand
the nation's transportation system.
Even if government could allocate
resources fairly and oversee
projects efficiently--and Alaska's
"bridge to nowhere" suggests
strongly that it cannot--public
funding will never be deep
enough to finance the
infrastructure we need.
Higher taxes and more
government spending will not
advance our foundering
transportation system; they will
only mire it further.
More toll-funded roads wouldn't
necessarily mean more toll plazas
clogging our highways. Advanced
satellite tracking technologies
allow "open road" tolling, in
which motorists would be charged
per mile of road used--just as
consumers are charged per
kilowatt hour for electricity, per
gallon of water, or per minute of
cell phone use--without the
backup at the toll booth. Private
investors have the resources to
utilize this new technology.
Another critical benefit of tolls is
that fees can be adjusted to reduce
congestion. If traffic congestion
can be compared to water flowing
through a sink drain, then a
congestion toll is like the handle
on the spigot--it increases during
times of peak road use, decreases
during off-peak times, and is
adjusted in real time to keep
traffic flowing smoothly.
Congestion tolling saves
motorists an enormous amount of
time that would otherwise be
spent stuck in traffic, thereby
reducing stress, saving fuel, and
making trip times much more
predictable.
But the key benefit of congestion
tolling is its positive impact on the
environment. Auto emissions are
significantly higher in heavy
traffic; less congestion, therefore,
means less carbon dioxide and
fewer pollutants.
Although PPPs are not new to
America, they remain underused
as an engine for transportation
infrastructure investment.
Investors have financed major
infrastructure projects in other
industries for decades--including
natural gas, electricity, cable
television, railroads, and
telecommunications.
Currently, 29 states have enacted
legislation enabling private
investment in transportation
infrastructure, but the number of
PPP-operated projects remains
small.
We need greater public education
about the economic and
environmental benefits of PPPs,
and we need federal action to
encourage states' use of private
investment in transportation
projects.
Obama got it right Tuesday night.
The nation needs massive
Policy/ 39
investment in its transportation
infrastructure. But that investment
must come from the private
sector, not from the government.
Because they are market-driven,
PPPs transcend partisan
wrangling and place control of
America's roadways in the hands
of motorists as consumers.
And because they are profit-
centered, PPPs are more likely
than government projects to be
efficiently operated and well
maintained.
With Congress set to renew the
federal transportation bill in 2011,
we must keep PPPs at the center
of our dialogue on transportation
policy.
To bolster the vitality of our
infrastructure, the strength of our
economy, the health of our
environment, and the quality of
our lives, America's roadways
need the power of private
investment, now more than ever.
R. Richard Geddes is an adjunct
scholar at AEI.
Photo Credit: fatboyke/Flickr/
Creative Commons
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40 Policy/
Where Is Obama's Public Support for Afghanistan?
(AEI.Org: Articles)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 5:00:00 PM
Despite the fact that Afghanistan
is slowly making its way to
success, many Americans believe
the war is unwinnable-and most
want out. Perhaps many of them
suspect that the president of the
United States shares their view.
He has done little to disabuse
them of the notion.
General disaffection with war is
common, particularly with one as
drawn out as the almost decade-
long battle to secure Afghanistan.
But the outlook in Afghanistan
has improved: Afghans or allies
control large swaths of territory,
and while President Hamid Karzai
has proved that he lacks certain
Jeffersonian qualities, he is
certainly no worse than many
U.S. allies in terms of governance,
reliability and general fealty to his
American friends.
Nonetheless, fewer and fewer
Americans believe the war in
Afghanistan is worth fighting.
Polling in December and January
found public support for the war
consistently below 50 percent,
and surveys have frequently
shown that almost 60 percent of
respondents believe we should not
be there. Indeed, in the most
recent Washington Post-ABC
News poll, levels of
dissatisfaction for the first time
equaled those for the Iraq war at
its nadir.
Publicly, however, Obama has
been remarkably quiet about the
war.
In many ways, the public's
unhappiness is mysterious. It's not
rooted in politics: Barack Obama
campaigned on the argument that
Afghanistan-and not Iraq-was the
war that had to be won. As
president, Obama has sent more
troops to battle against Islamist
extremists and has resisted calls to
give up. On the other side of the
political spectrum, Republicans
outnumber Democrats in
believing the war is worth
fighting-by 2 to 1 in some polls.
But even among GOP stalwarts,
support is declining precipitously.
It could be that the war is not
well understood: Certainly the
Afghanistan conflict is not much
in the news, particularly
compared with the Iraq war. The
Pew Research Center notes that
media coverage of Afghanistan in
2010-the year we instituted the
troop surge and began to fight in
earnest (with accordingly higher
casualties)-rarely ticked above 5
percent of all U.S. news stories,
with only two spikes to 20 percent
in the year. Contrast that with
2007, the year of the surge in Iraq:
Pew reported that Iraq was the
"dominant story" from January,
when the surge was announced, to
May. Coverage of the topic
dropped after that-but remained at
10 percent of news stories for the
year.
Or it could be that the American
public is weary of the long fight
or the expense of the war at a time
of national hardship, though
historically the latter has not
deterred the American people.
All are possible factors, but here
is a certain one: President Obama
has done very little to support the
war. As commander in chief he
has prosecuted the conflict in
Afghanistan seriously, with
commitment and with
deliberation. He has been less
than effective, however, with the
bully pulpit that belongs to the
nation's leader.
Since taking office, Obama has
remained true to his 2008
campaign pledge that his "first
order as commander in chief will
be to end the war in Iraq and
refocus our efforts on
Afghanistan." After a lengthy
review in 2009, the president
ordered a surge of 30,000 troops
to Afghanistan. He set a deadline
of July 31, 2011, to begin drawing
down the troops-distressing
Afghans, Pakistanis, allies
worldwide and many in the
United States-but even that
deadline fell by the wayside at last
year's NATO summit in Lisbon.
To be fair, the president has
reportedly rejected
recommendations by the vice
president, his national security
adviser and countless others to
surge fewer troops, move to a
counterterrorism strategy or make
a negotiated peace with the
Taliban-all wrong moves.
Publicly, however, Obama has
been remarkably quiet about the
war. This week's State of the
Union address had only a passing
reference to Afghanistan. Obama
has given fewer than a dozen
significant speeches focused on
national security and only one
major speech on Afghanistan. In
contrast, George W. Bush gave
more than 30 such speeches in his
last two years in office.
Nor has the progress of the war,
the mission of our troops, the
various battlegrounds or other
details of what candidate Obama
called "the central front" been part
of the rhetoric of his everyday
leadership.
It is not merely that the president
has stayed quiet on war talk. He
has also silenced his commanders
in Afghanistan, in particular
forbidding Gen. David Petraeus to
report at home on the campaign.
And it was Petraeus, of course,
who effectively outlined the
strategy to the American people
and realized Bush's decision to
surge in Iraq.
Clearly, the president is a
Newstablet Edition
reluctant warrior. The root of that
reluctance-fear of agitating his left
-wing base; concerns about
shaping his legacy; lack of
interest in national security
policy?-is immaterial. The
president of the United States
owes it to the nation to explain
what is at stake, why we fight and
what more must be done-and to
do so often, with all the power of
his office. The commander in
chief and the president must lead
as one.
It may be that at the end of such
an effort, the American people
will reject his case. But they will
at least have heard it and better
understand why our troops are
risking their lives and what is at
stake.
Danielle Pletka is the vice
president for foreign and defense
policy studies at AEI.
Photo Credit: White House photo
by Lawrence Jackson
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Newstablet Edition
RONALD
continued from page 38
Leuchtenberg, interviewing all
living presidents for the 100th
anniversary of Roosevelt's birth,
found Reagan by far FDR's most
enthusiastic admirer -- the
interview went over the allotted
time.
Reagan was a believer, as
Roosevelt was, in American
exceptionalism. "I, in my own
mind, have thought of America as
a place in the divine scheme of
things that was set aside as a
promised land," he said in a
commencement speech in 1952,
when he was still a Democrat. In
his farewell speech as a
Republican president in 1989, he
said, "I've spoken of the shining
city [on a hill] all my political life,
but I don't know if I ever quite
communicated what I saw when I
said it. But in my mind it was a
tall, proud city built on rocks
10 Tips to Kick-start Your Love Life
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:00:56 PM
It's a question that many women
have at one time or another during
the course of a long-term
relationship: Where did the
passion go? Can I get it back, or
does my lackluster sex life mean
that I'm with the wrong person?
Happily you can restore the
passion, but it won't be like it was
in the beginning — and you have
to work at it, says sex therapist
Laura Berman.
stronger than oceans, windswept,
God-blessed, and teeming with
people of all kinds living in
harmony and peace; a city with
free ports that hummed with
commerce and creativity. And if
there had to be city walls, the
walls had doors and the doors
were open to anyone with the will
and the heart to get here. That's
how I saw it, and see it still."
"I wasn't a great communicator,"
said the man who talked his way
into college, into radio, into the
movies, into politics and into the
presidency, "but I communicated
great things, and they didn't spring
full blown from my brow, they
came from the heart of a great
nation -- from our experience, our
wisdom and our belief in the
principles that have guided us for
two centuries." The president who
voted for more winning
But first, how do so many of us
arrive at this passionless state?
The daily grind can play a big
role in derailing our sexual
interest in our partner. "Stress,
anxiety, depression, whatever it is
— can really affect how you
respond sexually," says Jennifer
Berman, a urologist and expert
along with her sister Laura in
women's sexual health.
But nature plays a role, too. The
truth is, says Laura, "your libido
is never going to be like when you
first met — when you were in the
presidential candidates than any
other president seems to have
always regarded himself as a child
of destiny, and it turns out he was.
But the destiny, he insisted, was
not his own but that of the people
of the United States of America.
Michael Barone is a resident
fellow at AEI.
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"infatuation" stage. Our bodies
can't sustain infatuation. We'd
never get anything done if we
lived in that stage all the time. It's
nature's way of moving us into a
better, more functional place
called the "attachment" stage —
"a sweeter, calmer kind of phase
that some people confuse with
infatuation."
When Sexual Problems Arise
It's during this phase that a
couple's sexual problems often
arise, notes Laura. "When you
move into this phase, people
12 Ways to Eat More
Veggies
(Cooking Light: Editor's Picks)
You’ve heard it before…
Americans just aren’t getting
enough fruits and vegetables. And
as the foundation of a healthy
diet, consider fruits and
vegetables your fountain of youth.
Rich in vitamins, nutrients,
antioxidants, fiber, and water, it’s
hard to understand how so many
can resist that gorgeous nutritional
profile. But the hard facts tell us
that less than 30% of us – that’s
seven out of every ten Americans
– are failing to meet the
recommended 5 A Day.
Enter in The 12 Healthy Habits.
We’re not asking for a revolution.
Just a few small and very simple
assume that sex should always be
spontaneous and you should
always have that driving, crazy
urge like you did in the
beginning," she explains. "But
you have to actually produce that
and it feels very unspontaneous
and very strange at first. But if it
becomes a habit, it really can help
to spice things up. Sometimes it's
a matter of actually inserting
some of the spontaneity in it and
taking control."
By taking control, will you soar
to the heights of passion again?
Culture/ Food/ 41
changes to make you eat better,
feel better, and create an overall
new sense of well-being. Step
one: Eat more Fruits & Veggies.
Yes, we are actually asking you to
eat more of something. How often
do you get to hear that? Here are
12 simple ways to get you eating
veggies and fruits today. Next Tip
1: Boost Your Breakfast
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Not necessarily, but there are
many things you can do to
reconnect with your partner which
"certainly drives the sexual
interest," says Laura.
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42 Economy/
Blood on Bernanke's Hands; Riots in Egypt over Food Prices
and Unemployment; Protests Spread to Algeria, Morocco and
Yemen; Twitter in the Spotlight
noreply@blogger.com (Michael
Shedlock) (Mish's Global
Economic Trend Analysis)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 7:49:00 PM
Violence in Egypt continues
unabated in spite of President
Hosni Mubarak's plea for calm.
Demonstrators threw firebombs
and chanted "Down with Hosni
Mubarak, down with the tyrant."
Police responded with teargas and
bullets.
Protesters are angry over poverty,
rising food prices, state food
subsidies, unemployment, and
social conditions.
Social media outlets, especially
Twitter have played a leading role
in organizing protests. The
Obama administration and the US
state department have also
resorted to Twitter and Facebook.
Here are a number of stories I
have been following, with
references to Twitter and
Facebook highlighted.
Thousands defy Egypt's leader in
fresh protests
MSNBC reports Thousands defy
Egypt's leader in fresh protests
Egyptian anti-government
activists pelted police with
firebombs and rocks in a second
day of clashes Wednesday that
left two dead. Beefed up police
forces on the streets quickly
moved in and used tear gas,
beatings and live ammunition
fired in the air to disperse any
demonstrations.
There were signs that the
crackdown on protesters was
taking a toll on Egypt's
international standing. In
Washington, White House
Spokesman Robert Gibbs would
not say whether President Hosni
Mubarak, the target of
demonstrators' anger and a close
U.S. ally, still has the Obama
administration's support.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
said the government should allow
peaceful protests instead of
cracking down.
Tens of thousands turned out for
the largest protests in Egypt in
years — inspired by the uprising
in Tunisia. They demanded
Mubarak's ouster and a solution to
grinding poverty, rising prices and
high unemployment.
"What happened yesterday was a
red light to the regime. This is a
warning," businessman Said
Abdel- Motalib said on
Wednesday.
Many in Egypt see these events
as signs of the authoritarian
president's vulnerability in an
election year. There is speculation
that 82-year-old Mubarak, who
has been in power for nearly 30
years and recently experienced
serious health problems, may be
setting his son Gamal up for
hereditary succession. But there is
considerable public opposition
and, according to leaked U.S.
diplomatic memos, it does not
meet with the approval of the
powerful military. And the
regime's tight hold on power has
made it virtually impossible for
any serious alternative to
Mubarak to emerge.
Egypt and the Internet
Activists used social networking
sites to call for fresh
demonstrations Wednesday. But
Facebook, a key tool used to
organize protests, appeared to be
at least partially blocked in the
afternoon. On Tuesday, Twitter
and cell phones appeared to be
sporadically blocked as well.
The Interior Ministry warned
Wednesday that police would not
tolerate any gatherings, and
thousands were out on the streets
poised to crack down quickly on
any new signs of unrest after
clashes on Tuesday that killed
three demonstrators and one
police officer.
Protesters Burn Tires, Throw
Molotov Cocktails
The New York Post reports US
demands reform amid Egypt riots
Thousands of protesters burned
tires, threw Molotov cocktails at a
government building and fought
riot police in Egypt yesterday in
the worst unrest in President
Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-old rule.
Police retaliated with tear gas,
beatings and by firing live
ammunition in the air in street
clashes that mirrored those that
drove Tunisia's dictator from
power two weeks ago.
The unprecedented street fury
against Mubarak -- a close US
ally -- prompted the Obama
administration to deliver a rare
public demand for change in
Cairo.
"We believe strongly that the
Egyptian government has an
important opportunity at this
moment in time to implement
political, economic and social
reforms to respond to the
legitimate needs and interests of
the Egyptian people," Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton
said.
The 82-year-old Mubarak, who
came to power in 1981 after
President Anwar Sadat was
assassinated, has been the target
of growing anger over the
country's poverty, corruption and
repression.
New elections are scheduled for
September, but critics believe
Mubarak, who has recently
experienced serious health
problems, is setting his son Gamal
up for hereditary succession.
Yesterday's protests extended
well outside the capital. In the city
of Suez, an angry crowd of about
1,000 people gathered outside the
city's morgue demanding to take
possession and bury the body of
Newstablet Edition
one of three protesters who died
in clashes on Tuesday. Current
protests in Egypt recall "Bread
Riots" of 1977
The International Business Times
reports Current protests in Egypt
recall "Bread Riots" of 1977
The ongoing anti-government
protests on the streets of Cairo
and other Egyptian cities
represent the biggest public
demonstration in the country since
the famous ‘bread riots’ which
occurred exactly 34 years ago.
The current riots, while more
dedicated to the overthrow of
President Hosni Mubarak, are also
partially incited by rising food
prices.
Ammar Ali Hassan, director of
the Middle East Studies and
Research Centre, told the paper:
“The atmosphere that prevailed
before and during the 1977 bread
riots is similar to now, especially
in that there is no confidence in
the government. The desire to
protest has overwhelmed a large
sector of society." Egyptians
denounce Mubarak, clash with
riot police
Yahoo!News reports Egyptians
denounce Mubarak, clash with
riot police
Egyptian police fired tear gas and
rubber bullets and beat protesters
to clear thousands of people from
BLOOD page 43
Newstablet Edition
BLOOD
continued from page 42
a central Cairo square Wednesday
after the biggest demonstrations in
years against President Hosni
Mubarak's authoritarian rule.
Mobilized largely on the Internet,
the waves of protesters filled
Cairo's central Tahrir — or
Liberation — Square on Tuesday,
some hurling rocks and climbing
atop armored police trucks.
"Down with Hosni Mubarak,
down with the tyrant," chanted the
crowds. "We don't want you!"
they screamed as thousands of riot
police deployed in a massive
security operation that failed to
quell the protests.
The sound of what appeared to be
automatic weapons fire could be
heard as riot police and
plainclothes officers chased
several hundred protesters who
scrambled onto the main road
along the Nile in downtown
Cairo. Some 20 officers were seen
brutally beating one protester with
truncheons.
Discontent with life in Egypt's
authoritarian police state has
simmered under the surface for
years. However, it is Tunisia's
popular uprising, which forced
that nation's autocratic ruler from
power, that appears to have
pushed young Egyptians into the
streets, many for the first time.
"This is the first time I am
protesting, but we have been a
cowardly nation. We have to
finally say no," said Ismail Syed,
a hotel worker who struggles to
live on a salary of $50 a month.
"We want to see change, just like
in Tunisia," said 24-year-old
Lamia Rayan.
Dubbed a "day of revolution
against torture, poverty,
corruption and unemployment,"
Tuesday's protests in cities across
Egypt began peacefully, with
police at first showing unusual
restraint in what appeared to be a
calculated strategy to avoid
further sullying the image of a
security apparatus widely
criticized as corrupt and violent.
Protests Spread to Algeria,
Morocco, Jordan, Yemen
Bloomberg reports North African
Unrest May Spread on Record
Food Prices
Record food prices may fan
social unrest and fuel inflation
beyond North Africa as thousands
of people take to the streets of
Cairo to denounce President
Hosni Mubarak, delegates at the
World Economic Forum said.
“This protest won’t end in North
Africa; it will spread in many
countries because of high
unemployment and increasing
food prices,” Hamza Alkholi,
chairman and chief executive of
Saudi Alkholi Group, a holding
company investing in industrials
and real estate, said in an
interview in Davos, Switzerland.
Risks of global instability are
rising as governments facing
budget crunches cut subsidies that
help the poor cope with surging
food and fuel costs, the head of
the United Nations’ World Food
Program said two days ago.
World food costs rose to a record
in December on higher costs for
sugar, grain and oilseeds, the UN
reported Jan. 4, contributing to the
uprising that ousted Tunisia’s
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on Jan.
14. Protests have spread to Egypt,
Algeria, Morocco and Yemen.
Higher commodity prices are
“leading to riots, demonstrations
and political instability,” Nouriel
Roubini, the New York
University economics professor
who predicted the financial crisis,
said on a Davos panel. “It’s really
something that can topple
regimes, as we have seen in the
Middle East.”
In Algeria, three were killed and
420 injured at rallies against high
food prices and a lack of public
housing. Jordanian opposition
groups have held peaceful protests
against the government, and in
Yemen today thousands gathered
outside the main university in the
capital, Sana’a, demanding that
President Ali Abdullah Saleh step
down.
“If you don’t improve people’s
lives, you will have social unrest,”
Sheikh Mohammed bin EssaAl
Khalifa, chief executive officer of
the Economic Development
Board in Bahrain, said in an
interview. “Each country is
different, each country is unique.
It could spurt up in Latin
America. It’s not an Arab thing.”
Obama Tells Egyptian President
to "Embrace Change"
In the US, Obama Poised to
Intensify U.S. Criticism of
Egypt’s Mubarak
The White House is prepared to
step up its criticism of Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak, a key
Middle East ally, if his
government intensifies its
crackdown on protesters, said an
administration official.
President Barack Obama
privately pressed Mubarak in a
telephone call last week to
embrace democratic changes, said
the official, who requested
anonymity. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton yesterday said
Mubarak, in power since 1981,
has an “important opportunity” to
enact economic, political and
social reforms.
‘Potentially Dangerous’
The Obama administration needs
to move cautiously, said Anthony
Cordesman, a senior defense
analyst at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, a
nonpartisan research group in
Washington.
“There isn’t just the morning after
to think about, there is the decade
after,” he said in a telephone
interview. “For the U.S. to get out
in front now would be premature
and potentially dangerous.”
Shadi Hamid, an expert on
Islamist politics and democratic
reform in the Middle East at the
Brookings Institution, said the
large pro-democracy protests may
have broken the “psychological
barrier of fear” among Egyptians.
"The U.S. does not want to see the
Egyptian regime fall any time
soon,’’ Hamid said in a telephone
interview. “But people who are
protesting, the tens of thousands,
do want to see the regime fall
some time soon. They are
diametrically opposed interests."
The White House Press Secretary
Robert Gibbs created some
ambiguity yesterday when asked
whether the administration still
43
supports Mubarak. In his response
that ‘‘Egypt is a strong ally,’’ he
avoided repeating Mubarak’s
name.
The Obama administration also
has been communicating through
the same social media sites that
the Egyptian protesters have used
to organize themselves. The State
Department issued statements
yesterday on Twitter, including
one supporting the ‘‘universal
rights of the Egyptian people
including freedom of
expression.’’
Social Media
Twitter Inc. of San Francisco,
which was used to help coordinate
the Tunisian protests, yesterday
said access to its services was
blocked in Egypt. Facebook Inc.,
the Palo Alto, California-based
owner of the world’s most
popular social- networking
service, hasn’t seen any major
changes in user traffic in Egypt,
though it is aware of reports of
service disruption in the country.
Earlier, some Facebook users
reported the site was inaccessible
in Egypt, according to
Herdict.org, which monitors web
access. Clinton Defends
Facebook, Twitter Amid Egypt
Protests
Note: The entitre article that
follows is on social networking
including, Tritter, Facebook,
Google, and Blackberry.
Bloomberg reports Clinton
Defends Facebook, Twitter Amid
Egypt Protests
As Egyptian authorities struggled
BLOOD page 45
44 Economy/
Egypt Shuts Down Internet, Blackberry, Text Messages;
Mubarak Rival Returns to Egypt; Protests Rattle Yemen; Only
Certainty is Uncertainty
noreply@blogger.com (Michael
Shedlock) (Mish's Global
Economic Trend Analysis)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:22:00 AM
Once again it's the unwatched pot
that boils over. A revolt that
started in Tunisia has spread to
other countries in Africa and the
Mideast. Protests in Egypt have
gotten downright ugly as
demonstrators threw firebombs
and chanted "Down with Hosni
Mubarak, down with the tyrant."
Police responded with teargas and
bullets.
Mohamed ElBaradei, an
Egyptian dissident flew home to
claim his stake in the revolution,
but no one showed up to cheer.
Egypt Shuts Down Internet,
Blackberry, Text Messages
As noted earlier in Blood on
Bernanke's Hands; Riots in Egypt
over Food Prices and
Unemployment; Twitter in the
Spotlight, social media outlets,
especially Twitter have played a
leading role in organizing
protests.
In response Egypt's Internet,
Blackberry, and Text Mesaging
Shut Down
Reports are emerging that
Internet has gone down in Cairo
and throughout Egypt, only hours
before the largest planned protests
yet.
According to a report from The
Arabist, "Egypt has shut off the
Newstablet Edition
internet." on fears that Yemen could connection and the Yemini threat,
CNN reporter Ben Wedeman become Al Qaeda's next please see the 10-page New York
confirmed Internet is down in operational and training hub, Times article Is Yemen the Next
Cairo and writes, "No internet, no rivaling the lawless tribal areas of Afghanistan?
SMS, what is next? Mobile Pakistan where the organization's I am pleased to make the NYT
phones and land lines? So much top leaders operate. global headlines list for my earlier
for stability. Yemen faces a violent separatist report.
The Los Angeles Times is also movement in the south and an Tens of Thousands of Yemeni
reporting that BlackBerry Internet increasingly bold insurgency by Protesters Demand President
has been taken offline in Egypt. Al Qaeda. An intermittent Resign
All International Connections rebellion in northwestern Yemen The LA Times reports In Yemen,
Shut Down that flared up again in August tens of thousands march against
The Huffington Post has had 2009, leaving dozens dead and president
numerous updates to that story, wounded, has added another Demonstrators angry over
each confirming additional element of instability. unemployment and oppression
shutdowns. Here is the 9:45 PM Al Qaeda's growing presence in under President Ali Abdullah
ET update ... Confirming what a Yemen — where it took credit for Saleh demand political change.
few have reported this evening: in a deadly attack on the American The unrest worries the U.S.,
an action unprecedented in Embassy in 2008 — is especially which has been working with the
Internet history, the Egyptian troubling because the country's government to defeat an Al Qaeda
government appears to have fractious tribes and rugged offshoot.
ordered service providers to shut geography make it notoriously The current unrest in the Middle
world's oldest civilizations, is the
down all international connections difficult to control. East spread to impoverished
poorest country in the Arab world
to the Internet. Critical European- Much of the violent tribal feuds, Yemen on Thursday as tens of
as well as a haven for Islamic
Asian fiber-optic routes through banditry and kidnapping appear thousands of protesters angry over
jihadists and the site of what
Egypt appear to be unaffected for beyond the control of the central unemployment and political
amounts to a secret American war
now. But every Egyptian government. Yemen has the oppression marched in the capital
against leaders of a branch that Al
provider, every business, bank, region's largest arms market: the against President Ali Abdullah
Qaeda has established there.
Internet cafe, website, school, country, with roughly 20 million Saleh.
In January 2011, Yemen became
embassy, and government office people, is said to have at least 20 Instability in Yemen is a major
the latest Arab state to see mass
that relied on the big four million guns. concern for Washington, which
protests in the wake of a
Egyptian ISPs for their Internet Grounds for Extremism has been working with Saleh's
revolution in Tunisia, as
connectivity is now cut off from Yemen is fertile ground for government to defeat an
thousands of Yemenis took to the
the rest of the world. World News extremism not only because of its entrenched Al Qaeda offshoot that
streets in the capital and other
Yemen tribal culture and topography, but claimed responsibility for last
regions to demand a change in
The New York Times discusses also because of its deep poverty, year's attempted bombings of
government.
World News Headlines on high illiteracy and birth rates, and planes over U.S. airspace.
Until the protests, the world's
Yemen. government corruption. EGYPT page 47
attention had mainly been focused
Yemen, home to one of the For more on the Al Qaeda
Newstablet Edition
BLOOD
continued from page 43
to quash anti-government
uprisings yesterday, Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton called on
the longtime U.S. ally to unblock
social networking sites that have
been used to organize protests,
such as those operated by
Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc.
By urging Egypt’s government
“not to prevent peaceful protests
or block communications,
including on social media,”
Clinton in Washington renewed
her call for freedom of expression
and assembly online, and fueled
debate over how to promote those
goals without undermining other
U.S. interests.
Clinton’s defense of social
networking is “a very delicate
balancing act,” because of the
longstanding U.S. relationship
with Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak, said Ethan Zuckerman,
a senior researcher at Harvard
University’s Berkman Center for
Internet and Society. “At the same
time, we’re starting to see
evidence of an anti-authoritarian
revolution in the region, and she
doesn’t want to be on the wrong
side of that either. The safe stance
is to be pro-free speech,” he said.
Google, Microsoft Corp., and
Yahoo! Inc., are the only
technology corporations that have
joined the Global Network
Initiative, a group of financial
services firms, rights groups and
communications companies
committed to resisting
government censorship and
demands for private user
information.
Blackberry Monitoring
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and
India last year threatened to shut
down BlackBerry service unless
authorities were allowed to
monitor messaging, citing
concerns about illegal activities.
The Saudi and UAE governments
eventually backed down; India’s
talks with RIM are ongoing.
As with other private talks, it’s
hard to determine if the
intervention of U.S. officials
made a difference. RIM declined
to comment. Egypt Debt Riskier
Than Iraq
Bloomberg reports Egypt Riskier
Than Iraq in Swaps as Protests
Spread
Egypt is riskier than Iraq in the
market for credit default swaps
for the first time in at least a year
after protests denouncing
President Hosni Mubarak.
The cost of protecting Egyptian
debt against default for five years
with the contracts jumped 69
basis points, or 0.69 percentage
points, this week to 375 today,
compared with 328 for Iraq,
according to prices from CMA, a
data provider in London. Just last
week, Iraqi swaps cost 19 basis
points more than Egypt’s, and in
June, an average 240 basis points
more, as Iraq recovered from the
U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
The unrest, inspired by the revolt
that toppled Tunisia’s leader,
“does raise political risks,” said
Eric Fine, a portfolio manager in
New York who helps Van Eck
Associates Corp. oversee $3
billion in emerging-market assets.
“If this is a revolution, the price of
risk for Egypt could go much
higher, and if it’s a failed one” the
cost will drop to 300 basis points
and probably 250, Fine said in a
phone interview.
Higher borrowing costs may
crimp Egypt’s ability to meet its
target of cutting the budget deficit
to 3 percent of gross domestic
product by 2015 from the current
8 percent. Yields at the
government’s debt auction
climbed this week. The average
rate on 91-day bills rose 30 basis
points from the previous sale to
9.5 percent, while the yield on
182-day bills advanced 20 basis
points to 10.2 percent, data
compiled by Bloomberg show.
The yield on Egypt’s 2040 dollar-
denominated bonds jumped 50
basis points since Tunisian
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
was ousted on Jan. 14 to 7.10
percent, the highest level on
record, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg.
Mubarak, 82, has been in power
since 1981 and hasn’t said
whether he will run in the
September elections.
Egypt is rated BB+ at Fitch
Ratings and Ba1 at Moody’s
Investors Service, the highest non
-investment grade levels. Iraq’s
2028 dollar bond isn’t rated and
rose for the first time in six days
yesterday, pushing the yield down
less than 1 basis point to 6.4
percent, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg.
The assessment of U.S. President
Barack Obama’s administration is
that “the Egyptian government is
stable,” Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton said.
The U.S. relies on Mubarak as a
mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict, and Egypt is the second-
biggest recipient of American
foreign aid after Israel. Relations
were strained during the
administration of President
George W. Bush, who repeatedly
called on Mubarak to allow more
freedoms.
Mubarak will probably survive
the protests as strong ties between
the ruling National Democratic
Party and the military means that
a repeat of Tunisia’s uprising is
unlikely, Richard Fox, Fitch’s
London-based head of Middle
East and North Africa Sovereign
Ratings, said in a conference call
today.
“The military has long been the
lynchpin of stability in Egypt and
our base case at this stage would
be that stability will be restored in
due course,” Fox said.
“One thing that we can all take
from the Tunisian situation is that
the unexpected can sometimes
happen rather quickly,” Fox said.
“It would be a brave man who
would try to expect what would
happen in Egypt between now and
the election.” More Videos
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=4mo2Xxj9Dt8&feature=
player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/
w a t c h ? v = p o 1 b -
fv4uNo&feature=player_embedde
d Click Here To Scroll
Reflections on Social Media
A tip of the hat to Twitter and
Facebook.
Information is power and Twitter
and Facebook do help spread
45
information. While I do not
condone riots, I certainly
understand them. Nonetheless,
people have a right to the news,
and the same thing applies to the
US.
Unfortunately, the US is headed
down the path of more news
suppression more control over
media.
North Africa proves it will not
work and cannot be done.
Blood on Bernanke's Hands
Most of the increases in food
prices are due to droughts in
South America, floods in
Australia, and poor growing
conditions in many places.
However, Bernanke's
"Quantitative Easing" policies
combined with rampant credit
growth in China and India have
led to increased speculation in
commodities. That speculation
has forced up food prices.
If you are tweeting, please tweet
this "Bernanke has blood on his
hands".
Please note that speculation in
commodities is not a cause of
anything. Rather commodity
speculation is a result of piss poor
monetary policies not only the
Fed, but central bankers
worldwide.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
h t t p : / /
globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.
com
Thru My Recent Post List Mike
"Mish" Shedlock is a registered
investment advisor representative
BLOOD page 47
46 Economy/
A Brief Tour Of The 7 Oil Chokepoints That Are Crucial To
The World Economy
Gus Lubin (Money Game)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:26:00 PM
The global economy runs on oil,
and much of that oil gets shipped
through seven narrow straits.
When there's even a rumor of a
chokepoint getting blocked,
people freak out.
And there are rumors right now
in Egypt.
To get you up to speed on what's
at risk, here's the key information
from the EIA.#1 The Strait of
Hormuz
"The most important oil
chokepoint due to its daily oil
flow of 15.5 million barrels..."
EIA: Located between Oman and
Iran, the Strait of Hormuz
connects the Persian Gulf with the
Gulf of Oman and the Arabian
Sea. Hormuz is the world's most
important oil chokepoint due to
its daily oil flow of 15.5 million
barrels in 2009, down from a
peak of 17 million bbl/d in 2008.
Flows through the Strait in 2009
are roughly 33 percent of all
seaborne traded oil(40 percent in
2008), or 17 percent of oil traded
worldwide.
On average, 1 3 crude oil tankers
per day passed eastbound through
the Strait in 2009 (compared with
an average of 18 in 2007-2008),
with a corresponding amount of
empty tankers entering
westbound to pick up new cargos.
More than 75 percent of these
crude oil exports went to Asian
markets, with Japan, India, South
Korea, and China representing the
largest destinations.
At its narrowest point, the Strait
is 21 miles wide, but the width of
the shipping lane in either
direction is only two miles,
separated by a two-mile buffer
zone. The Strait is deep and wide
enough to handle the world's
largest crude oil tankers, with
about two-thirds of oil shipments
carried by tankers in excess of
150,000 d eadweight tons.
Closure of the Strait of Hormuz
would require the use of longer
alternate routes at increased
transportation costs. Alternate
routes include the 745 mile long
Petroline, also known as the East-
West Pipeline, across Saudi
Arabia from Abqaiq to the Red
Sea. The East-West Pipeline has
a nameplate capacity of 4.8
million bbl/d. The Abqaiq-
Yanbu natural gas liquids
pipeline, which runs parallel to
the Petroline to the Red Sea, has a
290,000-bbl/d capacity.
A new bypass is currently being
constructed across the United
Arab Emirates that is expected to
be completed in 2011. The 1.5
million bbl/d Habshan-Fujairah
pipeline will cross the emirate of
Abu Dhabi and end at the port of
Fujairah just south of the Strait.
Other alternate routes could
include the deactivated 1.65-
million bbl/d Iraqi Pipeline across
Saudi Arabia (IPSA), and the
deactivated 0.5 million-bbl/d
Tapline to Lebanon. Additional
oil could also be pumped north
via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to
the port of Ceyhan on the
Mediterranean Sea, but volumes
have been limited by the closure
of the Strategic pipeline linking
north and south Iraq.
#2 Malacca
"The key chokepoint in Asia with
an estimated 13.6 million bbl/d
flow..."
EIA: The Strait of Malacca,
located between Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Singapore, links the
Indian Ocean to the South China
Sea and Pacific Ocean. Malacca
is the shortest sea route between
Persian Gulf suppliers and the
Asian markets –notably China,
Japan, South Korea, and the
Newstablet Edition
has dropped due to the increased
patrols by the littoral states
authorities since July 2005.
Over 60,000 vessels transit the
Strait of Malacca per year. If the
strait were blocked, nearly half of
the world's fleet would be
required to reroute around the
Indonesian archipelago through
Lombok Strait, located between
the islands of Bali and Lombok,
or the Sunda Strait, located
between Java and Sumatra.
There have been several
proposals to build bypasses to
reduce tanker traffic through the
Strait of Malacca. Construction
began in 2009 to build a 240,000
bbl/d crude oil pipeline from
Burma to China that could
Pacific Rim. Oil shipments
eventually be expanded.
through the Strait of Malacca
#3 The Suez Canal
supply China and Indonesia, two
"An estimated 1 million bbl/d of
of the world’s fastest growing
crude oil and refined petroleum
economies. It is the key
products flowed northbound...
chokepoint in Asia with an
continuing enhancement and
estimated 13.6 million bbl/d flow
enlargement..."
in 2009, down slightly from its
EIA: The Suez Canal is located
peak of 14 million bbl/d in 2007.
in Egypt, and connects the Red
At its narrowest point in the
Sea and Gulf of Suez with the
Phillips Channel of the Singapore
Mediterranean Sea, covering 120
Strait, Malacca is only 1.7 miles
miles. Petroleum (both crude oil
wide creating a natural bottleneck,
and refined products) accounted
as well as potential for collisions,
for 16 percent of Suez cargos,
grounding, or oil spills.
measured by cargo tonnage, in
According to the International
2009. An estimated 1.0 million
Maritime Bureau’s Piracy
bbl/d of crude oil and refined
Reporting Centre, piracy,
petroleum products flowed
including attempted theft and
northbound through the Suez
hijackings, is a constant threat to
tankers in the Strait of Malacca,
BRIEF page 47
although the number of attacks
Newstablet Edition
EGYPT
continued from page 44
Officials fear anarchy in the
country would give militants a
strategic base in the Arabian
Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.
The U.S. has expanded its
intelligence and security roles in
the country, and American
military aid is expected to reach at
least $250 million this year, a
major increase from previous
years. But Washington has long
been wary of Saleh, who runs a
government based on patronage
networks and has a history
making questionable deals with
enemies, including Islamic
militants, who years ago were
tolerated.
Only Certainty is Uncertainty
The Washington Post also picked
up on the Al Qaeda Yemen
connection in As protests swell
from Yemen to Egypt, Middle
East faces uncertainty
The tumult in Yemen, where
more than 10,000 people took to
the streets of the capital, Sanaa,
on Thursday, added a troubling
new dimension to the regional
unrest that began nearly two
months ago in Tunisia. Yemen,
one of the poorest and most
heavily armed countries in the
Middle East, is home to multiple
separatist movements and has its
own particularly virulent branch
of al-Qaeda.
"Yemen is a different game," said
BLOOD
continued from page 45
for SitkaPacific Capital
Management. Sitka Pacific is an
asset management firm whose
goal is strong performance and
Khairi Abaza, a Middle East
expert and a senior fellow at the
Washington-based Foundation for
the Defense of Democracies. "If
things go out of hand in Yemen,
you have many players who will
be waiting to try to affect the
outcome, from al-Qaeda to Iran."
The only certainty, experts said,
is uncertainty - an extended and
potentially dangerous period of
instability that is probably just
beginning.
"What happened in Tunisia is
completely unprecedented in the
Arab world," said Bruce Riedel, a
former CIA officer who served as
special assistant on the Middle
East and South Asia to three
presidents. "We've never had a
dictator toppled by the street. As a
consequence, there is no safety
net, no organized opposition
ready to move in. . . . No one has
a clue what is going to emerge in
some of these places."
Riedel said the uncertainty,
combined with speed of the
change underway, presents the
Obama administration with an
array of difficult choices as it
seeks to show support for
democratic expression while
working to preserve stability and
prevent violence. Historically,
U.S. governments "have never
gotten these things right," he said.
Washington Post Video
low volatility, regardless of
market direction. Visit http://
www.sitkapacific.com/
account_management.html to
Thankfully, the protests in
Yemen have not been violent.
Mubarak Rival Returns to Egypt
- No One Cheers
The Telegraph reports Mubarak
rival flies to Egypt as the revolt
gathers pace
Mohamed ElBaradei, the
Egyptian dissident, flew home to
Cairo on Thursday night to stake
his claim as the leader of the
would-be revolution to overthrow
President Hosni Mubarak.
"If people, in particular young
people, if they want me to lead the
transition, I will not let them
down," he told reporters in
Vienna before boarding his flight.
Mr ElBaradei presented his offer
as a gesture of self-sacrifice, yet it
is unclear how grateful the
protesters will be.
There were no throngs of people
to greet him at the airport and
many view the former chief of the
United Nations nuclear watchdog
with a degree of suspicion, seeing
him as a rich outsider whose
understanding of Egyptian
suffering is limited.
As Mr ElBaradei has seized the
limelight, so Mr Mubarak has
shunned it. There has been no
sign of him since protests began.
Members of his family are
rumoured to have left the country.
With the president looking ever
weaker and more isolated, the
learn more about wealth
management and capital
preservation strategies of Sitka
Pacific.
outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, by
far the largest opposition
movement in Egypt, chose to
make its first move by supporting
the protests. "We are not pushing
the movement, but we are moving
with it," the group said in a
statement. "We don't wish to lead
it, but we do want to be part of it."
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
h t t p : / /
globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.
com
Click Here To Scroll
Thru My Recent Post List Mike
"Mish" Shedlock is a registered
investment advisor representative
for SitkaPacific Capital
Management. Sitka Pacific is an
asset management firm whose
goal is strong performance and
low volatility, regardless of
market direction. Visit http://
www.sitkapacific.com/
account_management.html to
learn more about wealth
management and capital
preservation strategies of Sitka
Pacific.
47
BRIEF
continued from page 46
Canal to the Mediterranean Sea in
2009, while 0.8 million bbl/d
travelled southbound into the Red
Sea. This represents a decline
from 2008, when 1.6 million bbl/d
of oil transited northbound to
Europe and other developed
economies.
Almost 35,000 ships transited the
Suez Canal in 2009, of which
about 10 percent were petroleum
tankers. With only 1,000 feet at
its narrowest point, the Canal is
unable to handle the VLCC (Very
Large Crude Carriers) and ULCC
(Ultra Large Crude Carriers)
class crude oil tankers. The Suez
Canal Authority is continuing
enhancement and enlargement
projects on the canal, and
extended the depth to 66 ft in
2010 to allow over 60 percent of
all tankers to use the Canal.
View more at Business Insider
48 Economy/ Culture/ Newstablet Edition

Gallup Poll: 41% of Unemployed Think a Job

Offer Will Come Within 4 Weeks; 57% Would
Accept a Job Under $24,000
noreply@blogger.com (Michael full-time jobs. will have a job? what others are going through. It
Shedlock) (Mish's Global
Economic Trend Analysis)
• On average, unemployed
workers report that they have
spent 27 weeks actively looking
Asked of the Underemployed: Do
you think that in the next 4 weeks
you will have a job that requires
would have been interesting to see
how optimism changes over time.
Unfortunately, Gallup offered no
Can humans
start an
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:36:00 AM
In one of the most overly for a job you to work 30 hours or more per such breakdown.
optimistic survey results I have • In their previous job, 48% said week, or not? However, even with the
ever seen, a Gallup poll shows
that slightly over 4 in 10
they were making less than
$24,000 a year. An additional
The questions were perfectly
valid and easily understandable.
assumption that most of those
expecting to find a job quickly are earthquake?
unemployed expect to get a job 25% were making $24,000- Moreover, 15,120 seems like a the recently unemployed, I cannot (Holy Kaw!)
within 4 weeks. $60,000 a year. 20% did not offer decent sample size. account for such rampant Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:34:00 PM
To show how eager people are to an opinion. Amazing Optimism optimism.
work, 57% of those unemployed • For their next job, 57% of As of December 2010, there were Mike "Mish" Shedlock It's easy to see how an
said they would take a job making unemployed would accept a job 14.5 million unemployed. There h t t p : / / underground explosion can shake
$24,000 or less. An additional paying less than $24,000 a year. were an additional 8.9 million globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. the Earth. But a dam? A dam is
20% did not say. An additional 20% would accept a working part-time for economic com just holding back water. How can
Here are some highlights from job paying $24,000-$60,000 a reasons. Click Here To Scroll that cause an earthquake?
Unemployed Americans Face year. 20% did not offer an If 41% of the unemployed got a Thru My Recent Post List Mike In this article, we'll see how a
Challenging Job Search opinion. job in the next 4 weeks, the "Mish" Shedlock is a registered dam -- and more specifically its
economy would have to create investment advisor representative reservoir activity -- can trigger a
• Despite today's nearly double- Survey Methods and Two Key 5.95 million jobs, either full or for SitkaPacific Capital quake, and we'll find out whether
digit unemployment rate, 41% of Questions part-time. Management. Sitka Pacific is an dams have caused earthquakes
unemployed Americans expect to Unemployed and underemployed If 34% of the underemployed got asset management firm whose and other "natural" disasters in the
get a job in the next four weeks. results are based on telephone a full-time job in the next 4 goal is strong performance and past.
• 34% of underemployed have the interviews conducted as part of weeks, the economy would have low volatility, regardless of Full article at
same expectations with respect to Gallup Daily tracking from Dec. to create an additional 3.03 market direction. Visit http:// HowStuffWorks.com.
obtaining a full-time job. 21, 2010-Jan. 9, 2011, with a million full-time jobs. www.sitkapacific.com/ Total aggregation of
• On average, unemployed random sample of 15,120 adults, Those expectations are simply account_management.html to HowStuffWorks.com.
workers report that they have aged 18 and older, living in all 50 n o t g o i n g t o h a p p e n . T h i s learn more about wealth Photo credit: Fotolia
spent 27 weeks actively looking U.S. states and the District of economy will struggle to generate management and capital Permalink| Leave a comment »
for a job. Columbia, selected using random- 5 . 9 5 m i l l i o n j o b s w i t h a n preservation strategies of Sitka
• On average, unemployed digit-dial sampling. additional 3 million full-time jobs Pacific.
workers say they have applied for H e r e a r e t h e t w o c r i t i c a l in the next 4-5 years (not weeks).
45 different jobs, while the q u e s t i o n s : I suspect most of those expecting
underemployed, on average, Asked of Unemployed: Do you to find a job quickly were recently
report applying for 19 different think that in the next 4 weeks you unemployed and have no idea
Newstablet Edition Culture/ 49

As Egypt Tightens Its Internet Grip, Tunisia Looks to Open

Up
Mike Elkin (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:54:00 AM

A security guard stands outside a

Tunisian Internet Agency. (Mikel
Ayestaran)
TUNIS, Tunisia – When Zine El
Abidine Ben Ali’s dictatorship
began unravelling here last month
amid violent street protests, the
Tunisia’s Internet administrators
saw a massive spike in the
number of sites placed on
government block lists. But, in
contrast to the embattled Egyptian
government, the Ali regime never
ordered Internet and cellphone
communications shut off or
slowed down, the head of the
Tunisian Internet Agency says.
“I think Ben Ali did not realize
where the situation was going or
that he could be taken down,”
Tunisian Internet Agency(ATI in
its French initials) director Kamel
Saadaoui tells Wired.com.
“Maybe if he had known that he
would have cut the Internet. But
the number of blocked sites did
grow drastically when the
revolution started. They were
trying desperately to block any
site that spoke about Sidi Bouzid.
In a few weeks the number
doubled.”
Egypt’s blackout, confirmed Egyptian stock exchange, Rensys taking to the streets in massive accounts. All Tunisian ISPs and Saadaoui, its director of three
Thursday by Internet monitoring reported. The move signals an numbers. email flowed through its offices years, complains that the
company Renesys, shut down four unprecedented clampdown on During its 15-year existence, the before being released on the perception of the ATI as an
out of five of the country’s ISPs, communications interference as ATI had a reputation for Internet, and anything that the oppressive cyber-nanny is
with one connection left open to activists, apparently inspired by censoring the Internet and hacking dictatorship of Ben Ali didn’t like
Noor Group, which hosts the Tunisia’s successful uprising, are into people’s personal email didn’t see the light of day. EGYPT page 50
50
EGYPT
continued from page 49
undeserved. He was just
following the regime’s orders, he
insisits. Now that the government
has changed, he’s following those
new policies, helping open up
Tunisian Internet access as never
before.
“We are computer and electronic
engineers, not policemen,”
Saadaoui says at his office in the
ATI headquarters, a handsome,
white bungalow near Pasteur
Square in a high-end
neighborhood of Tunis. “We
don’t check email and we don’t
filter websites, even though we
have filtering engines on our
network. We run the engines
technically, but we don’t decide to
block your blog. We don’t even
know you have a blog.”
‘It’s useless to block. Whatever
we do, there are ways to get
around it.’
“But,” he adds, “we give access to
these engines to other institutions
that have been mandated by the
government to choose which
websites should be blocked. They
have the gateway that has all the
mail to be read.”
In other words: don’t blame us.
We just work here.
Saadaoui described the
governmental oversight of the
Internet as an encrypted interface
built and maintained by the ATI.
Only the government can
manipulate it.
“We gave them an interface where
they can go in and add anything
they want to block,” he says. “We
don’t even know what they were
banning because the list is
encrypted. We can only see the
number of blocked sites and some
other technical aspects, such as
CPO load, how much traffic…
things like this. Sometimes we
learn about the blocked sites when
people call in and ask why their
blog has been blocked. Then we
know.”
At first, the regime banned
around 300 websites, but as
Internet use grew throughout the
country – from 1 percent of the
population in 2000 to 37 percent
as of last November – the
blacklist bloated to more than
2,000. When the government
started going after proxies,
Saadaoui said, the number jumped
to many thousands. He estimated
that around 1,000 of the blocked
sites were political, and the rest
were proxies.
The revolution began on
December 17, when a 26-year-old
fruit vendor named Mohammed
Bouazizi in the central Tunisian
town of Sidi Bouzid set himself
on fire to protest the humiliating
tactics of local officials. The
suicide jolted Tunisians; they
began to protest in the streets —
and clash with police. Around 100
people died throughout the
country. The media, controlled by
Ben Ali’s advisers, reported only
that criminals were looting. But
videos of the protests, riot police
and their victims appeared on
Facebook and bloggers began
reporting the daily events with
first-hand accounts, photographs
and videos. This information
helped drive the uprising, and the
government responded by
allegedly hijakcing Tunisian
Facebook passwords.
At the same time, hackers began
to attack the Tunisian
government’s control over the
Internet. They bombed the ATI’s
DNS and website, and tried to
bomb the email centipede
gateway. The National Computer
Security Agency, which fights
hacking, phishing, viruses and
fraud, took on the activists who
tried to overload government
websites with Distributed Denial
of Service attacks.
“When the hackers did DDOS
they did a good job, and
Anonymous did a good job,”
Saadaoui says, smiling. “But not
on everything. They weren’t able
to take down the DNS, they
weren’t able to take down the
main servers or the network, but
they were able to DDOS websites.
They were able to bomb Ben Ali’s
website.”
Since Ben Ali fled the country on
January 14, the transitional
government has removed several
restrictions on Internet use while
the 60-person ATI aims to focus
on tasks more befitting an Internet
regulator: providing bandwidth
and IP numbers, DNS
management, IP addresses,
research and development,
electronic commerce, and web
hosting. The agency is also the
ISP for all public institutions.
How the dictator-less Tunisia
will rebuild its Internet
architecture is still being
discussed, Saadaoui says. But one
optimistic sign is that 33-year-old
blogger and activist Slim
Amamou, who was arrested
during the revolt, is now the
secretary of state for youth and
sports. The Ministry of
Communications and Technology
has announced that anyone who
has a SMTP server can have
direct access to the Internet
without going through the
governmental post office.
The interface that allows the
government to block sites,
however, still exists. Saadaoui
promises that it will be used only
to block pornography, child
pornography, nudity and “hate,”
using URL classifiers.
“The new government told us to
keep the filtering engines where
they are and to allow them to add
categories that they don’t like,”
Saadaoui says. “The difference
now is that they will ask a judge
to approve the filtering. The
problem is not filtering, the
problem is who filters and based
on what law. Before, people
would filter without applying the
law, and now we will filter with a
judicial mandate. And the current
Newstablet Edition
mandate is to block pornography,
pedophilia, nudity, and hate.”
Many Tunisians, such as
Amamou and the hackers who
fought the ATI during the
revolution, prefer a completely
open Internet. Saadaoui disagrees.
He says the current filters are
necessary on a political level:
“The limits are symbolic. It’s a
message from the government that
we are a Muslim and conservative
society and that we would
appreciate if you didn’t go to
these [filtered] sites.
Besides, Saadaoui says, everyone
knows how to sidestep the
restrictions, anyway.
“Tunisia has a lot of young, open
people who know how to go
around filters via hotspot
proxies,” he says. “So really it’s
useless to block. Whatever we do,
there are ways to get around it.”
See Also:
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Newstablet Edition Culture/ 51

How to Play a Duet for Violin and

Radioactive Particles
Olivia Solon, Wired U.K. (Wired close to the speed of light and Matthias’ playing creates a
Top Stories) leave behind numerous ions as variable force field in the
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:33:00 PM they go. Each of these ions chamber, influencing the way the
becomes a nucleation site for particles behave. This ensures that
By Olivia Solon, Wired U.K. droplet condensation, creating a the duet between radioactive
Composer Alexis Kirke has visible track of tiny droplets particles and violinist is as
created a duet between subatomic indicating the trajectories of the dynamic as possible.
radioactive particles and a live charged particles. The Cloud Chamber will debut at
violinist. In the duet, a camera above the the Peninsula Arts Contemporary
Kirke is a member of the c l o u d c h a m b e r f o l l o w s t h e Music Festival on Feb. 11. This
U n i v e r s i t y o f P l y m o u t h ’ s particle tracks and converts them year the festival has a theme of
Interdisciplinary Centre for into synthesized music, which “Re-Sounding Science” and
Computer Music Research, led by accompanies the violin. Fellow explores the creativity of
professor Eduardo Miranda. Interdisciplinary Centre for scientific apparatus, the
Kirke’s keen interest in quantum C o m p u t e r M u s i c R e s e a r c h technological tools of 21st-
mechanics led him to collaborate m e m b e r s A n n a T r o i s i a n d
with the ISIS Neutron and Muon Antonino Chiaramonte worked
century music creation and
neuroscience.
The ultimate get rich quick
Source at the Rutherford Appleton with Miranda to produce a visual-
Laboratory near Oxford, England. recognition-to-sound interface
If you want to hear what
subatomic particles sound like,
quiz
In order to achieve the subatomic called the Cloud Catcher. This see a demonstration of the Cloud (Holy Kaw!) online selling, freelance work and
part of the duet, radioactive tracks the subatomic particles and Catcher in action in the video at Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:27:00 PM off-the-wall ideas like plastering
material (radium 225) is placed uses them to control levels on a top, narrated by Kirke. your car with ads.
into a cloud chamber, a device digital sound synthesizer in real See Also: Getting rich in your spare time Show what you know at
used by physicists to observe time. This entry passed through the isn't easy. But with the worldwide HowStuffWorks.com.
particle trails. Meanwhile, Kirke recruited Full-Text RSS service — if this is economy still tanking, making Total aggregation of
The cloud chamber is a self- p r o f e s s i o n a l v i o l i n i s t J o h n your content and you're reading it any amount of extra money in HowStuffWorks.com.
contained environment filled with M a t t h i a s , a R a d i o h e a d a n d on someone else's site, please read your after work hours can't be a Photo credit: Fotolia
a supersaturated alcohol vapor, Coldcut collaborator, to be the our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ bad idea. Permalink| Leave a comment »
which is cooled with liquid human part of the duet. An content-only/faq.php In this quiz, test your knowledge
nitrogen. When radioactive amplified version of the violin Five Filters featured article: of money making methods like
material is placed into the p a r t w a s a l s o s e n t t o a n Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
chamber, charged particles pass electromagnetic field system The Crosshairs.
through the supersaturated air at positioned near the particles. Thus
52 Culture/ TV/ Newstablet Edition

Pitching Data Helps Quantify Umpire Mistakes

Erik Malinowski (Wired Top zone, umpires were correct only especially when a hitter has a 3-0
Stories) 85.6 percent of the time, which count.
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:50:00 PM the authors contend is not that So yes, hitters will often
bad, “considering that the average complain that they were robbed
For those fans who’ve long pitch starts out at 92 mph, crosses by umps during a critical
thought that umpires tend to clam the plate at more than 85 mph, situation, and even they’ll often
u p d u r i n g h i g h - p r e s s u r e and usually has been garnished have a case, just don’t expect
situations, a new data analysis of w i t h a l l s o r t s o f s p i n a n d them to pull out a spreadsheet
MLB pitching shows that thought m o v e m e n t . ” next time it happens.
to indeed be true. Fair enough, but when you drill Photo: Flickr/ revelwriter, CC
In the new book Scorecasting, down and look at called pitches See Also:
written by Sports Illustrated that were around the corners of This entry passed through the
senior writer Jon Wertheim and h o m e p l a t e , u m p i r e s o n l y Full-Text RSS service — if this is
University of Chicago professor correctly called 49.9 percent of your content and you're reading it
Tobias Moskowitz, the authors pitches that were strikes according on someone else's site, please read
crunched the data from some 1.1 to PitchFX, so when you’re up at success rate skyrockets to 51.2 percent, meaning umpires will our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
million called pitches charted by the plate putting your trust in the percent.) call an outside pitch a strike in 20 content-only/faq.php
PitchFX, which uses in-stadium umpire that he’s going to get the And if you’ve got a 3-0 count on percent of those situations. This Five Filters featured article:
cameras to denote balls and call right, well, you’ve only got a you, your chance of drawing a graph shows how the strike zone, Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
strikes at every MLB game, and 50/50 chance. (Oddly enough, four-pitch walk on a ball outside as based on the league-mandated The Crosshairs.
found that of pitches thrown your odds get slightly better if it’s the strike zone stands at only 80 dimensions, tends to enlarge
within the MLB-designated strike the first pitch of an at-bat, as the

Keck's Exclusives: Meet the Characters of ABC's Pan Am

William Keck (TVGuide.com: Schlamme charged with bringing on The Majestic's maiden flight to now!
Breaking News) this world to life. Our flight crew London with his wife and kid. This entry passed through the
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:30:00 PM includes Maggie, Kate, Laura, Dean, our pilot, is having an Full-Text RSS service — if this is
Colette, charming pilot Dean and affair with the plane's purser, your content and you're reading it
Tommy Schlamme his co-pilot Ted. Bridget, who goes missing in on someone else's site, please read
ABC is hoping it has the next Maggie, we will learn, is leading Eastern Europe. (Sounds to me our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Mad Men with Pan Am, an early a double life. When not all dolled like an assignment for Agent content-only/faq.php
1960's-set drama focusing on the up on her flights, she is living as a Kate!) Five Filters featured article:
sexy stewardesses (as flight bohemian beatnik in New York's And Ted, it seems, is just a sexy Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
attendants were known back then) Greenwich Village. wiseguy who will be trying to cop The Crosshairs.
of Pan Am's state- of-the-art Kate is secretly an undercover a feel any chance he gets.
aircraft, The Majestic. Though CIA agent. Her gorgeous sister, So given all of that, are you ready
just a pilot at this point, the Laura, is new to the stewardess Sexy, sophisticated and worldly to book a ticket on The Majestic
project is in very good hands, world, having just ditched her French woman Colette is having this fall?
with West Wing director Tommy fiancé at the altar. an affair with John, who turns up Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine
Newstablet Edition Politics-Left/ 53

Dangerous Game
William Galston (The New (when it was headed down, not need a grand bargain that deals
Republic - All Feed) up). structurally with both spending
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:00:00 PM I don’t know many economists, and our outdated tax code. Can
liberal or conservative, who view we do it? Yes, because we’ve
I’ve just spent a snowed-in day this prospect with equanimity. done it before—in the 1990s, to
p l o w i n g t h r o u g h t h e The CBO certainly doesn’t; its be precise, starting with the
Congressional Budget Office’s report states that “Although bipartisan budget deal that may
l a t e s t t e n - y e a r b u d g e t a n d deficits during or shortly after a have cost George H. W. Bush a
economic outlook. The short-term r e c e s s i o n g e n e r a l l y h a s t e n second presidential term,
outlook is grim enough, with an economic recovery, persistent continuing with Bill Clinton’s
e s t i m a t e d d e f i c i t o f $ 1 . 5 deficits and continually mounting brave 1993 austerity budget, and
trillion—a new record, and the debt would have ... negative concluding with an agreement
third consecutive 13-figure result. economic consequences for the between the Clinton
As for the long-term outlook, it’s United States”—among them, administration and the Gingrich-
not as bad as you’ve read; it’s reduced investment, output, and led House Republicans.
worse. incomes; less room for maneuver Let’s look at a snapshot of the
H e r e ’ s w h y t h e h e a d l i n e s when the next economic crisis eight Clinton years (all numbers
understate the gravity of our erupts; and worst of all higher expressed as a percentage of
situation. CBO is required to use probability that investors would GDP).
current law as the basis for its eventually lose confidence in our 1993 2000
e s t i m a t e s — t o a s s u m e , f o r country’s creditworthiness and T o t a l s p e n d i n g
example, that all the Bush tax cuts demand much higher interest 21.4 18.2
will expire at the end of 2012, that rates. While no one can predict Domestic discretionary
Medicare payments to physicians when that “tipping point” might 3.4 3.0
will be cut sharply, and that the occur, the report notes that as the D e f i c i t
alternative minimum tax will be global economic recovery gathers 3.9 -2.4
allowed to affect millions more strength, investors will be less (surplus)
A m e r i c a n s . U s i n g t h e s e inclined to purchase U.S. Debt held by the public
assumptions, taxes as a share of government debt as a safe haven 49.3 34.7
G D P w o u l d b y a l l o w e d t o and will focus instead on its rising During the Clinton years,
increase by five percentage points risks. spending of all kinds declined as a
by 2014 and would keep on rising What should we do? Answer: share of GDP, deficits turned into
t h e r e a f t e r , w e ’ d h a v e a Use the tax compromise struck surpluses, and debt held by the
cumulative deficit of about $7 during the lame-duck session of public barely budged: $3.2 trillion
trillion dollars over the next the 111th Congress as a two-year at the beginning, $3.4 at the end.
decade, and debt held by the window to get our house in order. During the Bush years, by
public would increase from 62 By the time that legislation contrast, every form of spending
percent to 77 percent of GDP. expires, we should agree on a increased substantially, surpluses
Using more politically realistic long-term plan that halts and then turned into deficits, and debt held
assumptions, the cumulative reverses our downward fiscal by the public almost doubled,
deficit would be about $12 plunge. How should we do it? A from $3.3 to $5.8 trillion.
trillion, and debt held by the n u m b e r o f h i g h - l e v e l The experience of the Clinton
public would reach 97 percent of commissions have come to years contradicts a standard
GDP, the highest level since 1946 roughly the same conclusion: We Republican talking point:
increased revenues aren’t always
spent. The Clinton administration
used the proceeds from a higher
top marginal tax rate to reduce the
deficit. And those rates didn’t
exactly suppress economic growth
or job generation either.
I wish I could say that today’s
elected officials are as serious
about our fiscal future as Clinton
was. Republicans are proposing
damaging cuts in domestic
discretionary spending (a small
part of the total budget) while
ducking far more important
drivers of the long-term deficit
problem—such as entitlements.
Democrats seem to be hoping that
they can score tactical political
points by hanging back and
forcing the Republicans to put
specifics on the table. And
although the State of the Union
address left the door open to a
serious discussion, not even the
president’s supporters are
claiming that it etched a profile in
fiscal courage. (As intended, his
investment message had far more
resonance.) Senator Kent Conrad,
the Democratic chair of the
Senate Budget Committee, is
publicly lamenting the president’s
unwillingness to join in a budget
summit with the bipartisan
congressional leadership.
Memo to Republicans: You’re
rightly critical of George W.
Bush’s fiscal performance. But
there is no evidence—none—that
you can get the deficit and debt
under control with your preferred
combination of spending cuts and
tax cuts. Have you noticed that
Paul Ryan’s famous Roadmap
allows the national debt to reach
100 percent of GDP? Do you care
about facts?
Memo to Democrats:
Denouncing the proposal offered
by the president’s commission as
a “cat food” budget for the elderly
is a political talking-point, not a
serious argument. Is Dick Durbin
no longer liberal enough for you?
Have you forgotten that fiscal
restraint and full employment
were partners, not adversaries,
little more than a decade ago?
Memo to Obama: During your
2008 campaign, you said that the
president has to be able to walk
and chew gum at the same time.
You were absolutely right. You
can talk, as you should, about
vital public investments and take
the lead, as you must, to head off
a fiscal train wreck.
During the next two years, we
have to do what Clinton did, and
more. We have to restrain
discretionary spending (defense as
well as domestic) and boost
revenues. And because what was
only a cloud on the horizon in the
1990s—the retirement of the baby
boom generation—is now a
swelling reality, we have to do
what Clinton didn’t: Namely, find
a way to reduce the anticipated
increases in entitlement spending
without imposing hardship on the
lower-income elderly who depend
on these programs for a decent
and dignified old age.
William Galston is a contributing
editor for The New Republic.
54 Politics-Left/ Technology/ Newstablet Edition

Sudan Dispatch: Can the South Reach Its Full Potential?

Rebecca Hamilton (The New state, there is a map showing Peter Lualo Lul, a Shilluk leader, Khartoum, responded harshly. remains faithful to this promise,
Republic - All Feed) where various ethnic groups live told me about the ongoing dispute Refusing to accept the election then he will gain the goodwill
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:00:00 PM in the south. It is a patchwork of between Shilluk and Dinka in results, the SPLM arrested the needed to tackle the enormous
some 40 different colors, but one Fashoda county, which is near newly elected Shilluk politicians. challenges that face the new
Malakal, Sudan—In the build-up color dominates: that of the Malakal. In many ways, it When protests and violence country. If not, suspicion of the
to their historic referendum two Dinka, a group to which SPLM sounded like numerous other land followed, the army moved in. SPLM and Dinka will remain,
weeks ago, all parts of southern leader and president of southern disputes across Sudan, where They focused on an armed Shilluk ethnically charged rebellions will
Sudanese society united behind Sudan Salva Kiir belongs, as did there is a seasonal battle over rebel leader, Robert Gwang, who, continue to be a consistent feature
one goal: achieving independence his predecessor, the late John water and grazing rights. Often, still today, the SPLM views of southern life, and the viability
from the north. Today, all signs G a r a n g . I n t h e w a r y e a r s , these disputes can be resolved warily. “Robert Gwang is guiding of the south as a unified nation
point to this goal having been rebellions against the SPLM by between traditional leaders. The us. He is keeping us safe from the will be placed in doubt.
r e a c h e d . T h e r e f e r e n d u m ’ s southerners who viewed the group difference is that, as this particular Dinka,” says Lul. “As southerners, we should never
success shows the promise of the as a pro-Dinka, rather than pro- dispute grew, the southern army The only way to transcend the allow individual interests to
soon-to-be nation of South Sudan: southern, cause resulted in much intervened. “The army is majority mounting mutual distrust among override our national interests.
At its best, a diverse people can south-on-south violence. The Dinka,” Lul offers as his ethnic groups, like the Shilluk and Nations are built by people
put their history of inter-ethnic legacy of these years remains in explanation for this turn of events. Dinka, is for the southern through sacrifice, patriotism, and
violence behind them to pursue a the southern psyche. As a result, The army’s intervention in favor government to lead by example. It a common goal,” Kiir told
common national identity. But many minority groups do not of the Dinka left Shilluk feeling has taken some steps toward this, legislators in Juba earlier this
transforming this moment into view the large proportion of persecuted by the government. if belatedly. In October, three week. In the coming months, the
something sustainable will be a Dinka in the southern government “People believe the Dinka have months before the referendum, question is whether he will
Herculean challenge for the a n d a r m y a s a b e n i g n been using their position in the President Kiir convened a south- translate these words into action.
south’s former rebel group-turned consequence of their numerical army to acquire land,” says a UN south reconciliation conference Rebecca Hamilton is the author
ruling party, the Sudan People’s majority. Instead, they read it as a official familiar with the dispute. and offered amnesty to dissident of Fighting for Darfur and a
Liberation Movement (SPLM), sign that one side won the Shilluk fears increased following militia leaders, including Gwang. fellow at the New America
w h i c h i s v i e w e d b y e t h n i c southern war; the pro-Dinka rebel the 2010 elections. Lam Akol, a The participants also reached an Foundation. Her Sudan reporting
minorities across the south with group has now become a pro- rebel leader who had fought agreement that, if southerners is supported by funding from the
deep suspicion. Dinka government. And the against the SPLM during the war voted for independence, then Pulitzer Center.
(Read Rebecca Hamilton’s earlier southern government’s behavior with support from Khartoum, had another conference of all southern For more TNR, become a fan on
dispatches from the vote in during the six years since the formed his own party, which leaders, from different ethnicities Facebook and follow us on
southern Sudan: Part 1, Part 2, s i g n i n g o f t h e 2 0 0 5 p e a c e nominated several Shilluk and political parties, would come Twitter.
Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part agreement has not done enough to candidates in Upper Nile state. together to discuss the
7, Part 8, Part 9.) change this perception. When some of these candidates constitutional arrangements for
At the United Nations office in Consider the case of the minority won seats, the SPLM, viewing the new nation and schedule
Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile Shilluk group in Upper Nile state. them and Akol as proxies for democratic elections. If Kiir

Visualized: Google's periodic table of APIs

Donald Melanson (Engadget) order to the chaos with its own appropriate categories -- and, of on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:21:00 PM take on the periodic table of the course, linked to their respective 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our
elements. As you can see above, websites. Hit up the link below to terms for use of feeds. Permalink|
The world of Google APIs and Android occupies the top spot check out the table in its Google| Email this| Comments
d e v e l o p e r t o o l s c a n b e a normally reserved for hydrogen in interactive form.
confusing one, but the company the actual periodic table, and the products are all grouped into their Visualized: Google's periodic
has now at least brought a bit of remaining APIs and developer table of APIs originally appeared
Newstablet Edition
Black Friday
Eric Trager (The New Republic
- All Feed)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 11:00:00 PM
Cairo— Downtown Cairo is one
of the loudest places in the world,
but tonight it is eerily quiet. There
is an unusual amount of elbow
room—make that enough room to
extend one’s arms fully—in
Tahrir Square, the heart of the city
which many thousands of
demonstrators descended on last
Tuesday. The steps of the
Journalists Syndicate, a key locus
of protest that was packed only
yesterday, are completely empty.
The Lawyers Syndicate is hosting
a demonstration for the third
straight day, but it is noticeably
smaller, and relatively few people
beyond the participants and the
riot police seem to be paying
attention.
Indeed, after losing round one of
these anti-authoritarian
demonstrations when protesters
stormed Tahrir Square, the
security forces have won round
two decisively. Hundreds, at least,
have been arrested; thousands
have been tear-gassed; and
millions have watched their city
fall under a police occupation. But
round three begins tomorrow,
when the opposition activists have
called on worshippers to
commence demonstrations
immediately following Friday
prayers. It promises to be the
ugliest and most violent episode
of this tumultuous week.
That’s because, after three days
of demonstrations that have been
dominated by pro-democratic
youth activists, these post-prayer
protests promise a greater voice
for Islamists. And as harshly as
the regime deals with its liberal
opponents, it deals with
Islamists—and particularly the
Muslim Brotherhood—far more
brutally. The regime views
Islamists, correctly, as its
foremost domestic challenge:
Islamists provide a coherent, if
uncompromising, ideology that
contrasts sharply with the
regime’s non-ideological
demeanor, and they have further
recruited millions of followers
through intensive interpersonal
networking and the provision of
social services.
To some extent, the greater
involvement of Islamists will be a
gift to the regime. Since Tuesday,
state-run television has defended
the government’s brutal
crackdown by portraying the
protests, inaccurately, as the work
of the Brotherhood. The actual
involvement of Islamists
tomorrow will make the regime’s
case more convincing to
international and domestic
audiences that fear Egypt
becoming “another Iran.”
Islamist groups seem to be aware
of this. While expressing their
support for the protests, they have
insisted that their followers will
be participating as citizens, rather
than as members of specific
Islamist organizations. “Muslim
Brothers are among the people,”
said Brotherhood official
Mohamed Morsi. “They will
move with others to the mosque
and make demonstrations with the
others.”
Whatever happens, the linkage of
prayer and protest—and the fact
that the protests will originate
from such a wide variety of
locations—promises to make this
the most consequential day of the
current standoff. And if the
regime prevents people from
praying or interferes too overtly in
their day of worship, the gloves
will surely be off. If Cairo is quiet
tonight, it is likely a misleading
calm before the storm.
Eric Trager is a Ph.D. candidate
at the University of Pennsylvania.
He was a Fulbright fellow in
Egypt from 2006-2007.
For more TNR, become a fan on
Facebook and follow us on
Twitter.
Politics-Left/ TV/ 55
NBC Pilot Playboy
Finds a Top Director
Michael Schneider
(TVGuide.com: Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:17:00 PM
Alan Taylor
The director who brought Mad
Men to life will now do the same
for another 1960s-set drama, the
NBC pilot Playboy.
Alan Taylor was hired late
Thursday to direct the pilot of
Playboy, which takes place during
the same era that helped make
Mad Men a critical darling. Like
Mad Men, Playboy is aiming to
capture the look and feel of the
social and cultural revolution of
the early 1960s. The story follows
the exploits of a group of women Playboy as a cross between Mad
hired to work at a Playboy Club in Men and The Sopranos. "It's a
Chicago. provocative title and a sexy
Taylor directed the first episode world," said 20th Century Fox TV
of Mad Men, titled "Smoke Gets executive vice president Jennifer
in Your Eyes," in 2007 and has Nicholson Salke.
directed several more episodes Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine
since then, including "Nixon vs. now!
Kennedy" from Season One and This entry passed through the
"The Mountain King" in Season Full-Text RSS service — if this is
Two. He has also directed your content and you're reading it
episodes of HBO hits Boardwalk on someone else's site, please read
Empire, Big Love, Lost, our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Deadwood, Sex and the City and content-only/faq.php
The Sopranos. Five Filters featured article:
As a matter of fact, executives at Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
20th Century Fox TV — which is The Crosshairs.
producing Playboy, along with
Imagine TV — are positioning
56 TV/
Keck's Exclusives: Details Revealed About Sarah
Michelle Gellar's New Show
William Keck (TVGuide.com:
Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:27:00 PM
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Exciting new details have
emerged about Sarah Michelle
Gellar's new CBS series, Ringer,
which sounds potentially even
more intriguing than the goings
on in Buffy's old Sunnydale
universe.
If her pilot is picked up, Sarah
Michelle will star as twin sisters,
Bridget Cafferty and Siobhan
Marx. Bridget, we'll learn, is a
recovering addict who is about to
testify in court against a
dangerous murderer. The morning
of the trial, she slips away and
goes on the run from the FBI.
With no where else to go, she
reaches out to her estranged sister,
Siobhan, who seems to have it
all: money, clothes, a ritzy Upper
West Side apartment and a
loaded, hot hubby named Andrew.
Soon after Bridget contacts her
sister, Siobhan commits suicide
— or so it seems.
This twist of fate allows Bridget
to assume her "dead" sister's
identity, unaware of just how
messed up Siobhan's life secretly
is. It doesn't take long for Andrew
to notice that something's off
about his wife.
Other characters Bridget (as
Siobhan) will have to fool:
Siobhan's BFF, Gemma, an
architect who has been renovating
Siobhan and Andrew's new, even
more luxurious pad. Interestingly,
Gemma has a pair of twins of her
own. Could her knowledge of
twins help her figure out what
Bridget has done?
It also turns out that Gemma has
a crummy marriage to Henry, an
out-of-work alcoholic novelist
who'd been having a torrid affair
with Siobhan! Naturally, he
comes to question why his
mistress no longer seems into
him.
Bridget must also steer clear of
the muscular FBI Agent Victor
Newstablet Edition
Machado, who tracks his escaped
witness to New York, where he
finds only Siobhan. All this stress
will test Bridget's sobriety. Too
bad her AA sponsor — good
looking black community college
professor, Malcolm Howard — is
all the way back in Wyoming.
Seems there may have been
something more brewing between
Bridget and Malcolm outside of
their AA meetings.
So Buffy fans, does this storyline
excite you enough to watch Sarah
Michelle Gellar in this new role?
Err... Make that roles because you
know it's probably just a matter of
time before "dead" Siobhan turns
up very much alive.
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine
now!
This entry passed through the
Full-Text RSS service — if this is
your content and you're reading it
on someone else's site, please read
our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article:
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
The Crosshairs.
Newstablet Edition
'Episodes' Co-Creators David Crane
and Jeffrey Klarik on Matt LeBlanc
Playing Himself and More
Joel Keller (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 8:00:00 AM
Filed under: Reality-Free,
Celebrity Interviews There's
nothing like interviewing
someone who's sitting in a
bathroom.
That's exactly what happened
when I spoke to Jeffrey Klarik
and David Crane, the co-creators
of the new Showtime
series'Episodes,' a couple of
weeks ago. They had just come
off their TCA press tour session,
and they were speaking to me
from a private room at the tour's
hotel. It inspired Klarik to
describe why a phone in the
bathroom isn't as luxurious a
notion as it once was, thanks to
cell phones.
"You know, sometimes I'll be
talking to my mother, she lives in
Florida, and in the middle, I'll
hear like tinkling and I'll realize
she's talking to me while she's
peeing. And I'm like 'Oh gee,
Ma!'"
After the fun, we talked about the
series, where Tamsin Greig and
Shaun Marcum play a British
couple whose hit U.K. series is
being adapted for a U.S. network,
and the show is getting lost in
translation. Among the
adaptations the network has
"suggested"? Matt LeBlanc as the
star of the show. We talked about
whether LeBlanc was reluctant to
play himself, if the executives
depicted on the show are accurate,
and which show of theirs they
wish was still on the air.
Permalink| Email this| Linking
Blogs| Comments
TV/ 57
Mark Zuckerberg Wants
to Join Jesse Eisenberg
on 'Saturday Night Live'
Tomorrow
Jean Bentley (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 7:00:00 AM
Filed under: TV Previews, TV
News Recent Oscar nominee
'The Real Housewives of Orange Jesse Eisenberg is set to
host'Saturday Night Live' this
County' Season 6 Trailer: Divorce, week alongside musical guest
Nicki Minaj, but he could have
Catfights and Gold Diggers another very special visitor attend
Jean Bentley (TV Squad) shouts "Your husband was rude to tomorrow night's taping.
Submitted at 1/28/2011 7:30:00 AM my husband!" before a shoving According to the New York Post,
match breaks out. Ah, it feels Mark Zuckerberg is angling to
Filed under: TV Previews'The good to be back. appear on the episode. A source
Real Housewives of Orange Though Lynne Curtin isn't listed told the paper that the Facebook
C o u n t y ' m i g h t ' v e b e e n as a full-time cast member, she founder wants "to show he has a
o v e r s h a d o w e d b y t h e i r pops up in the trailer along with sense of humor" after complaining
counterparts in Beverly Hills, former Housewife Jeana Keough. publicly that he was portrayed
Atlanta, New York and New The newbies this season are poorly in 'The Social Network.'
Jersey these past few years, but Peggy Tanous, a stay-at-home- Dueling Zuckerbergs? We're in.
Bravo's trailer for the newest mom-slash-model, and Fernanda It'll be best if 'SNL' uses him in an
season of the original Housewives Rocha, the first lesbian cast actual sketch, but we have a
proves they haven't lost their flair member. feeling he's going to be relegated
for the dramatic just yet. 'The Real Housewives of Orange to a short Weekend Update guest
In the one-and-a-half-minute clip, County' season 6 premieres Sun., spot. Either way, the results could
t h e l a d i e s t a l k v a g i n a l March 6 at 10PM ET on Bravo. be great.
rejuvenation, the danger of gold Watch the trailer after the jump. Watch Eisenberg's promos for
diggers (pot, meet kettle) and Permalink| Email this| Linking this week's show after the jump.
divorce, then get into fights that Blogs| Comments Permalink| Email this| Linking
would be immature even for high Blogs| Comments
schoolers. Someone actually
58 Products/ Newstablet Edition

Skeletons In The TV Stand: The Flying Nun

(Woot! - One Day, One Deal) with a nun? That can never, ever,
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:30:00 PM ever be a problem. She's not after
his heart, she's after his soul! It's a
It never hit the top ten, it's often brand new thing in same old drag,
the punchline to a joke, and the baby! Of course, it's still sort of
premise… well, nobody's ever creepy how many people in this
dared a remake. But it's also still show act like they're trying to
in syndication today, and even has score with a nun. But it was the
a loyal fanbase. Today we're swingin' Sixties, right? That was
peeling open the dark corners of just how people acted back then.
classic television to take a quick This is exactly how Ellen stole
peek at the one of the most Anne Heche from Steve Martin
charmingly goofy ideas for a And then there's the flying part.
sitcom ever dreamed up by a For people who haven't seen the
studio: show, "How can that nun fly?" is
That's right. Get ready, children, the second-biggest question, just
because after the jump, Scott's after "Are you sure there isn't
talking about The Flying Nun. anything else on TV right now?"
So let's be clear right off the bat: So how do the writers solve this
there are 82 episodes of The issue? Is it some mutant power?
Flying Nun and I didn't watch all Some divine gift from a loving
of them when preparing for this God? Maybe alien nanites sent
post. What I did do was watch sit back through time? Nope. Stop
down and watch the first half of thinking so 21st Century, people.
the first season. I feel safe talking In 1968, it's just plain old physics.
about the show after that because "When lift plus thrust is greater
I'm pretty sure The Flying Nun than load plus drag… well,
won't throw in some amazing plot anything'll fly!"
twist conversion to Islam as a first Read that quote again because
season cliffhanger. Just be aware there it is. That's the reason.
in advance that the scope of my "shake up" the other nuns, and she meet Carlos! Much like Job, he's gate was locked. That's why she flies. And even
review might be limited. quickly offends her Mother about to be tested by God. You And this is where the writing when other nuns try to make a big
But I have to say, and maybe it's Superior by being, well, too cool see her too, right, honey? team really gets to shine. We all deal out of it, and they tell her that
just Stockholm Syndrome, but for Catholic school. Carlos is the first person Sister know the Hollywood formula has she's special, Sister Bertrille stays
after about two hours The Flying The power of Christ compels you Bertrille meets in Puerto Rico. invented literally thousands of humble, and goes out of her way
Nun really began to earn my T h i s i s n ' t r e a l l y a n y t h i n g He's a non-religious gambler who different ways to play "will they/ to stress that it's just regular old
respect. The first episode covered groundbreaking, especially for also owns a nightclub and spends w o n ' t t h e y " w i t h t h e m a i n physics in action. This isn't the
t h e p r e m i s e p r e t t y w e l l , those of us who survived the 80s. his free time trying to score with characters. Now think about how story of a saint with some weird
introducing the sweet Sister But this next part, this is where it bikini models. This is the sort of many shows went bad when the Dr. Strange-style magic. This is
Bertrille (Sally Field), a young gets a little more interesting. lifestyle that really ends badly male and female lead hooked up. the story of a lightweight lady
novice who's come to Puerto Rico Because sitcoms just aren't when a nun suddenly imprints on Moonlighting, X-Files, Batman: with a big, solid hat on a very
to learn how to be a nun. Of sitcoms without the romantic male you and decides to be your special The Animated Series, all of them windy day. The faith presented
course, she has all sorts of lead, or at least, that's what friend. fell apart quickly when the gender
"groovy" phrases that really Hollywood assumes. And so, Sorry, Mr. Hefner, I thought the tension vanished for good. But SKELETONS page 61
Newstablet Edition
The 9 Most Bad-Ass Communists In '80s Pop Culture
(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:30:00 PM
"It was back when we didn't know
the Russians were incompetent."
- Hank Hill
As the Cold War got colder than
a Leningrad toilet seat, the
movies, comics, and video games
of the 1980s brought us a new
wave of terrifying Soviet
supercomrades. Could pampered,
moonwalking, hair-gelled
Americans possibly stand up to
these steel-muscled proletarian
titans? Of course, with the
collapse of the Soviet bloc by
decade's end, we'd soon learn that
the scariest Russian is a drunk,
underpaid teenage soldier
guarding a nuclear stockpile. But
for a few years there, a parade of
fictional Communist automatons
(none played by actual Russians)
kept our nerves on edge and our
defense contractors rich...
Ivan & Ludmilla Drago, Rocky
IV
Looking like a Stalinist statue
come to life, the hulking Ivan
Drago (played by Dolph
Lundgren, Fulbright Scholar (
seriously)) let his 2,000-PSI
punches do the talking. His few
lines of dialogue in Rocky IV are
coldly robotic taunts like "I must
break you" and "If he dies, he
dies." He's so blank, so chiseled,
that his ice queen wife, swimming
champ Ludmilla Drago (played by
the future Flavor Flav consort
Brigitte Nielsen), must serve as
the "friendly face" of the Soviets'
venture into professional
Products/ 59
like Cuban officer played by Ron
"Superfly" O'Neal in hip beret and
reflector shades. Early on, he's
sending dissidents to the firing
squad; by the third act, he's
comparing the kids' fight to his
guerrilla days and he lets a
wounded Wolverine get away.
No such warmth courses through
the veins of Colonel Strelnikov.
When the Kremlin decides they've
had enough of being pushed
around by the likes of C. Thomas
Howell, they send The Hunter to
sort things out. But of course,
even this elite Soviet paratroop
commander is no match for the
Wolverines - The Hunter catches
lead by the time the credits roll.
Vodka Drunkenski, Super Punch-
Out!!
You probably know him as Soda
Popinski. But the arcade version
of Nintendo's boxing game pulled
no punches (sorry) about the
liquid enthusiasms of the
pugilistics. Here's the fun couple sickle wielding Vanguard to the trying to kill each other. Even "Champion of U.S.S.R." You can
meeting the press. shield-throwing, star-emblazoned behind the Iron Curtain, Marvel is hear echoes of his original
But as Rocky batters Ivan into Red Guardian (wonder where the M a r v e l . U n l i k e M i k h a i l identity in the NES game, though,
caviar at their climactic Moscow scheming Reds got that idea?). Gorbachev, Ursa Major came with taunts like "I drink to prepare
bout, the Russian boxer discovers But the most Russian of all was through perestroika with his for a fight. Tonight I am very
the merits of individualism ("I Ursa Major. A flat-topped, square career intact, and still defends the prepared!" and "I can't drive, so
fight for me!") and Ludmilla lets -jawed Red Army officer named Sorta-Capitalist Motherland to I'm gonna walk all over you!"
concern for her husband break her (with convenient comic-book this day. You can take the boy out of
mask of proletarian perfection. logic) Major Ursus, he was C o l o n e l B e l l a & C o l o n e l Russia...
See? World peace would be ours bestowed by Soviet science with S t r e l n i k o v , R e d D a w n Captain Ivan Danko, Red Heat
if we could just reach across the the ability to transform into an The pinnacle of '80s Cold War The 1988 buddy cop movie Red
gap between East and West and enormous, slavering, but still paranoia, Red Dawn was cited as Heat took the bold stance that
beat the hell out of each other for intelligent bear. Here's his historic the most violent movie of all time America's problem is that our
15 rounds. introduction to the other Soviet upon its 1984 release. Not only police are too restrained and we
Ursa Major, Marvel Comics Super-Soldiers in Incredible a r e t h e r a g t a g h i g h - s c h o o l should be more like the Russians.
The Soviet Super-Soldiers served Hulk#258 from 1981. guerrillas repelling the Red Army Arnold Schwarzenegger's Ivan
t h e S o c i a l i s t M o t h e r l a n d Yes, within seconds of meeting, patriotic, they're also cool enough
MOST page 62
gloriously, from the hammer-and- these ostensible teammates are to win the admiration of the Che-
60 Products/
Vizio 47” 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV
(Woot! - One Day, One Deal)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:00:26 AM
Schisms Are Gross
Lo, it doth be 28 January, 1521.
And thou’re watching Xtreem
Christendom on thy Vizio 47”
1080p LCD HDTV.
Ho, well met, dear viewers! ‘Tis
I, Johann Eck, assistant to the
Archbishop of Trier and host of
“The Fortnight Top Twenty” on
Vatican Radio. Today on Xtreem
Christendom, we’ll be giving thee
our finest challenge yet to date.
Tonight’s victor will be leaving
full of pride, and shall also be
taking home a refurbished Vizio
47” 1080p LCD HDTV! Is that
not most fine indeed?
clapclapclapclap
Now, let us give greeting to the
contestants! Playing for the house,
his Eminence and reigning
Xtreem Christendom champion,
it’s Pope Leo X!
clapclapclapclap
And opposed to our most Holy
Pope, we welcome a brand new
challenger. All the way from the
printing presses of Erfurt, it’s
Martin Luther!
clapclapclapclap
Men, prepare thyselves, as we
begin shortly. Now, for all the
noble viewers at home, watching
us on large 1080p LCD screens
that meet or exceed Energy Star
4.1 guidelines, let it be broken
down to the base elements of
combat. First, Martin, thou hast
three minutes to run up and down
yon staircase ninety five times,
each time nailing one of these
theses to the cathedral door. Miss
just one, and thou must to start all
over again! Pope Leo X, while
brave Martin is doing such a
thing, thou hast to head over to
this well full of gelatin and try to
find the key to Urbino, at which
point, you’ll give it to your
brother over there. Remember, if
one of thou two men finishes the
physical challenge first, thy both
are sworn to stop and move on, so
it is in thy best interest to move
quickly. The winner doth get ten
points added to their tally.
Now, when the horn is sounded,
it shall be time to proceed most
celeritously toward the next
station, here at our Vatican City
level. Yon viewers at home with
young children may want to take
advantage of thy three built-in
HDMI ports to attach an
additional device, lest they see the
atrocities of this next challenge.
For our brave contestants now
enter… the Diet of Worms!
clapclapclapclap
Yes, good fellows, thou art both
compelled to proceed and devour
as many worms as possible in the
two minutes granted by our
generous benefactor, Emperor
Charles V. At the end of those
two minutes, each of thy
corporeal forms shall be weighed,
and thusly, thou shalt be judged
in consumption. And shortly
thereafter, the winner shall receive
a lovely refurbished Vizio 47”
1080p LCD HDTV!
Oh, the producers have asked me
to point out that, in the event of a
tie, the contest will be relocated to
Ireland and continue for like fifty
years or so, pretty much non-stop.
So, art thou ready? Set? Gird thy
loins, brave champions, for the
Xtreem Christendom Diet of
Worms challenge… has begun!
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Newstablet Edition Products/ 61
SKELETONS
FAA fines outsourced airline- continued from page 58

here relies on a trust in God's internal rules. In this universe,

maintenance facilities greater plan, remembering that if

He created the universe, He
created physical laws too. I
with the right hat and the right
wind, you always fly! If we're
being honest with ourselves, that's
Consumer Reports Shopping 2007 investigation into airline
Blog (Consumer Reports) thought this made for a very nice practically Arthur C. Clarke
maintenance outsourcing— An
character decision, as so many territory right there. Could The
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:39:46 AM Accident Waiting to Happen—
writers forget that Pride is also Flying Nun have been the most
Consumer Reports noted: “At
FAA fines outsourced airline- one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and realistic sci-fi show that that late
SASCO/ST Aerospace, a
maintenance facilities the truly pious don't ever hold 60s had to offer? Oh, before you
maintenance contractor in
The Federal Aviation their blessings over other people's start yelling, Star Trek fans, a
Singapore that served Northwest,
Administration has proposed two heads. We're all only human, but quick question… have you guys
an employee suspected of having
fines—one totaling $1,025,000 such modesty is a nice touch in a finished making your transporters
Al Qaeda connections was
a n d a n o t h e r f o r Aerospace added that there are no arrested along with 14 others in show about a nun. yet? No? Well, then, you're still
$170,000—against outside airline allegations of current compliance late 2001.” And even better than that, the currently neck and neck with the
maintenance contractors for issues. humble Sister Bertrille absolutely theoretical physics shown by The
Consumers Union also raised
alleged violations of the U.S. In addition, the FAA proposed concerns about FAA oversight of loves the idea of flying (and who Flying Nun. Try not to choke on
Department of Transportation’s the $170,000 penalty against outsourced maintenance through w o u l d n ' t?) so she reads your rage.
Workplace Drug and Alcohol Pemco World Air Services for the DOT’s Future of Aviation aerodynamics textbooks until she Hey, you ever fly so fast that you
Testing program. can control herself in the air. It's turned into a lizard? No?
violations concerning alcohol and Advisory Committee. However,
The larger fine has been levied drug screening in 2008. The the committee could not reach not some innate talent she's born Of course, there's lots of other
against San Antonio Aerospace, a company, which is based in consensus on this topic and it was with, it's just a skill she has to stuff ripe for overthinking, from
subsidiary of Singapore-based Alabama and has facilities in not included in the final list of work to master (admittedly totally the very impressive lack of white
S i n g a p o r e T e c h n o l o g i e s Florida and Ohio, states it services proposals presented to DOT off camera, but one can only ask authority figures (after all, why
Aerospace, which services airlines aircraft for air carriers such as Secretary Raymond LaHood last so much from 1967) and that WOULDN'T Puerto Ricans be in
worldwide. The company is Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways, month. Ironically, one of the key makes her more Tony Stark than charge of Puerto Rico?) to the
charged with violating federal and Southwest Airlines. Clark Kent. There are times when ridiculous way Sister Bertrille
issues that arose from these
safety regulations by failing to Interestingly, an ST Aerospace discussions is that some foreign- she flies without wanting to fly. always finds some excuse to fly
conduct pre-employment drug facility in Mobile, Ala. was the based repair shops servicing U.S. There are even a few times when ("Oh, Carlos! Your girlfriend lost
tests and receive the results before f o c u s o f a P B S F r o n t l i n e airlines do not require the drug she wants to, but can't get enough her favorite parrot? Why, I should
hiring 90 employees to “perform d o c u m e n t a r y o n a i r l i n e and alcohol screening mandated lift, and so ends up completely go look for it now!") but there's
s a f e t y - s e n s i t i v e f u n c t i o n s ” maintenance outsourcing that by the FAA for facilities in the unable to fly. It's very strongly only so much room Jason's
between March 2007 and May aired last week. Consumers Union United States. implied that, assuming that all the willing to offer me to make a post
2008. conditions were met, any one of about The Flying Nun. So I'll end
participated in Flying Cheaper, — William J. McGee Subscribe God's children could be zipping by saying that I think the show
The company responded by and an extensive Q&A detailing now!
stating it is “disappointed” with my views on outsourcing is around up there right beside her. ultimately turns out to be a little
S u b s c r i b e t o
the FAA’s press release, noting: featured on the Frontline site. ConsumerReports.org for expert Which, if you think about it, more daring now than it appeared
“ST Aerospace takes our safety Consumers Union has addressed Ratings, buying advice and opens the door to redefining what to be back then. And maybe after
obligations seriously and has in grave security problems at ST r e l i a b i l i t y o n h u n d r e d s o f genre this show is. Technically I'm done with all of Spartacus:
fact addressed the issues raised by Aerospace as well. In our March products. Update your feed still just as probable as Warp One Blood & Sand, I might just go
the FAA way back in 2008.” ST That one little idea, that a flying back and check out The Flying
preferences
nun is just the result of solving an Nun once more.
equation, that one little idea turns
what seems to be a religious
sitcom into a science-based
fantasy obeying its own strict
62 Products/ Daily Word/ Newstablet Edition
MOST
continued from page 59

Danko sneers at the Western legal
niceties that keep Chicago cops
like Jim Belushi's Art Ridzic from
really knocking some heads.
Would YOU want this guy
finding cocaine in your artifical
leg?
Near as I can tell, despite his
ideal look for the role, this is the
only time Arnie ever played a
Soviet. He probably figured he'd
have plenty of time for that. Little
did he, or anyone, know.
Nikolai Volkoff, World
Wrestling Federation
Pro wrestling is nothing without
its villains. Nikolai Volkoff didn't
just want to hit you with a chair -
he wanted to put you in a camp
and force your children to dig up
beets. Actually a Croatian named
Josip Peruzovic, he wisely
guessed that WWF fans wouldn't
know the difference. Volkoff
joined his fellow foreign heel the
Iron Sheik in an axis of Russian-
Iranian evil, capturing the WWF
Tag-Team title in 1985 only to
lose it to "the U.S. Express" a few
months later. Darn the luck.
Unnamed Soviet agent, Spies
Like Us
In the era of Anna Kournikova
and Russian mail-order brides, it's
funny to recall that the
stereotypical Soviet woman was
once a husky, wart-faced
babushka who smelled strongly of
rotting potatoes. But then there
were Red temptresses like this,
from the Dan Aykroyd/Chevy
Chase vehicle Spies Like Us, who
made adolescent boys consider
that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad
to be conquered by the Soviet
Union. (Never mind that she was
actually played by British actress
Vanessa Angel.)
Communist bad guys just don't
pack the same punch they used to
- even a remake of Red Dawn
featuring the Chinese as bad guys
has been indefinitely shelved.
Like their real-life counterparts, it
seems, the scary fictional Soviets
of the '80s will remain relics of a
bygone age. If they die, they die.
But I know I must have left some
out. What pop-cultural Russian
spectres gave you nightmares?
If you read this far, you might
also like:
• The 12 Most Eighties-Style
Superheroes and Supervillains
• 6 Songs About The Iran
Hostage Crisis
Ephesians 3:16 (01-28-
11)
(Verse of the Day)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:00:00 AM
I pray that out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with
power through his Spirit in your
inner being.
— Ephesians 3:16(NIV) Thoughts
on Today's Verse... What is one of
the most important things we can
do for those we love in the Lord?
We can pray for them. But more
than that, we can pray that God
will strengthen them with power
through his indwelling Spirit. This
same Holy Spirit raised Jesus
from death (Eph. 1:19). This same
Holy Spirit is God's great gift for
those who ask (Luke 11:13). This
same Holy Spirit reanimated a
valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37).
And this same Holy Spirit will
strengthen those we love in the
Lord if we ask for him to! My
Prayer... Mighty and awesome
God, I have several brothers and
sisters in Christ who need your
grace, mercy, and power poured
into their lives by your Spirit.
Some need to be convicted of
their sinfulness. Some need
strength and courage for their
difficult road ahead. Some need
power to overcome besetting sin
in their lives. Please strengthen
them with your power in their
inner being through your Holy
Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.

Some Girl Scout troops cut cookie choices to six

Consumer Reports Shopping deLites), Lemon Chalet Cremes were later recalled because they Mints and Samoas all year 'round,
Blog (Consumer Reports) and Tagalongs (also called Peanut had an off taste and smell. This Time has recipes for eight
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:43:15 AM Butter Patties) you're in luck. But year a number of councils in varieties in Secrets from the Girl
the cookie has crumbled for Dulce metropolitan areas such as New Scouts's kitchen.
Some Girl Scout troops cut de Leche, Thank U Berry Munch, York are raising the price of a box —MHJF Subscribe now!
cookie choices to six All Abouts, and Sugar-Free to $4. But the scouts must be S u b s c r i b e t o
They don't award a merit badge Chocolate Chip. doing something right: Last year ConsumerReports.org for expert
for it, but the Girl Scouts are "Our top five varieties make up 77 profits rose to $714 million from Ratings, buying advice and
learning a lesson in downsizing. percent of cookie sales," Amanda The so-called Super Six pilot $700 million. That's a lot of reliability on hundreds of
In an effort to reverse a decline in Hamaker, the manager of national program is the Scouts' latest effort cookies. products. Update your feed
sales, at least a dozen of the product sales for the Girl Scouts, to increase profits. Some of last The cookie-selling season is just preferences
largest Girl Scout councils have told the Wall Street Journal. "The year's batch of cookies were beginning and the Wall Street
cut back their cookie offerings to others are yummy and fun, but reduced by one ounce per box. Journal has challenged its readers
just six varieties. If you like Thin they're side dressing—leaving The size of the Lemon Chalet to try to sort the real Girl Scout
Mints, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils, councils with an awful lot of Cremes was reduced but boxes cookies from some imposters.
Samoas (also called Caramel alternate varieties left over." And for those who crave Thin
Newstablet Edition Products/ Sports/ 63

Super Bowl XLV: Pittsburgh

Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey
misses second day of practice
ESPN.com news services somewhat reduced workload.
(ESPN.com) William Gay assumed
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:57:47 AM McFadden's role as the team's No.
2 cornerback, and Doug Legursky
Updated: January 28, 2011, 12:57 replaced Pouncey.
PM ET There was no change in the
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers' injury status from
Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey Wednesday to Thursday: All Pro
did not practice again Thursday safety Troy Polamalu(Achilles),
because of the left ankle injury he w i d e r e c e i v e r E m m a n u e l
sustained during Sunday's AFC Sanders(foot), left tackle Jonathan
Championship Game victory over Scott ribs) and special teamer
the New York Jets. Will Allen(knee) all did not
Later Thursday, the Pittsburgh practice again, but Allen is the
Post-Gazette, citing unidentified only one with an injury expected

General Motors speeds nationwide sources, reported that Pouncey to be serious enough to put his
had a broken bone in his left ankle status for Super Bowl XLV in
to go with a sprain. Damage to question.
rollout of Chevrolet Volt ankle ligaments remains the major Defensive end Aaron Smith
obstacle for Pouncey, the report continues to be limited in practice
said.
Consumer Reports Shopping and deliveries will begin in the no corresponding announcement participation, as he has been for
Blog (Consumer Reports) third quarter of this year in of any additional production Pouncey said after Sunday's the past three weeks. He has not
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:34:04 AM Delaware, Florida, Georgia, beyond the 10,000 units it has game that he intended on playing played since tearing a triceps Oct.
Hawaii, Maryland, North promised for this year, nor its in the Super Bowl. He was seen in 24 and is not expected to be ready
G e n e r a l M o t o r s s p e e d s Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, projection of 30,000 sales in a c a s t a n d o n c r u t c h e s to face the Green Bay Packers on
nationwide rollout of Chevrolet South Carolina, Virginia, and 2012. That leads us to wonder if W e d n e s d a y ; l a t e r t h a t d a y , Feb. 6.
Volt Washington. the company is having trouble teammate Chris Kemoeatu told Information from The Associated
General Motors announced Deliveries to other states won’t getting enough orders for the reporters that Pouncey was not Press was used in this report.
Thursday that it would speed up start until sometime in the fourth $41,000 compact sedan in the going to play in the Super Bowl. This entry passed through the
the rollout of its Chevrolet Volt quarter. initial rollout states. Kemoeatu backed off those Full-Text RSS service — if this is
plug-in hybrid to all 50 states by This announcement comes on the — Eric Evarts comments Thursday. your content and you're reading it
the end of this year. heels of reports in December that Subscribe now! Also not practicing for the on someone else's site, please read
The Volt is currently available in N i s s a n w a s h a v i n g t r o u b l e S u b s c r i b e t o Steelers was starting cornerback our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
California, New York, New delivering many of the all-electric ConsumerReports.org for expert Bryant McFadden, who has a content-only/faq.php
Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, and Leaf hatchbacks that customers Ratings, buying advice and strained abdomen. McFadden also Five Filters featured article:
Washington, D.C. GM says it have ordered. Some observers reliability on hundreds of did not practice early last week, Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
expects sales in Michigan to begin have seen it as a feather in GM’s products. Update your feed but he returned to practice Friday The Crosshairs.
to begin this spring. Chevrolet cap that it is beating Nissan to the preferences and played Sunday -- albeit with a
d e a l e r s w i l l b e g i n t a k i n g nationwide rollout.
nationwide orders by this June, Interestingly, however, GM made
64 Sports/ Newstablet Edition

Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher says split is best for him
and franchise
ESPN.com news services I'll move forward with whatever future. I think we have good He also had losing skids of at treat us like men.
(ESPN.com) happens in the future." players. I believe in [senior least five games in five of the last "He's a guy you could always talk
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:53:09 PM The team announced the split executive vice president] Steve seven seasons. to about your situation and was
Thursday night, shocking players, Underwood and [general He has coached more NFL games respectful of his players. I really
Updated: January 28, 2011, 1:53 assistant coaches and the rest of manager] Mike Reinfeldt to find for one franchise than all but six don't have anything bad to say
PM ET the NFL because owner Bud our next head coach." Titans Fish Hall of Famers: George Halas, about coach Fisher."
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jeff Adams decided three weeks ago for Answers Tom Landry, Don Shula, Chuck Reinfeldt noted Fisher's departure
Fisher said he and the Tennessee to keep Fisher for the final year of The Titans' record took a tumble Noll, Curly Lambeau and Bud didn't change the Titans' decision
Titans had reached a point where his contract. in Jeff Fisher's past few seasons. Grant. He ranks third among to either trade quarterback Vince
it was "time to move on" and part A source told ESPN.com's John Titans, Past 3 Seasons 2008 2009 active coaches in career wins with Young or release him later this
ways with each other after 16 full Clayton that one of the final 2010 W-L 13-3* 8-8 6-10 PPG a record of 147-126, behind only offseason. The general manager
seasons. disagreements that led to Fisher's 23.4 22.1 22.3 Opp YPG 293.6 Bill Belichick (176) and Mike also noted Fisher just finished his
Fisher, who declined to address departure involved his son, 365.6 367.7 Turnover diff+14-4- Shanahan (160), and he is 20th in 17th season with the organization
specific details about the decision, Brandon. Fisher wanted to have 4*Top seed in AFC career coaching victories. and called the feat unbelievable in
acknowledged some differences his son on the staff as a quality • More notes from ESPN Stats & He could coach again this season. a difficult job that takes a toll.
with the team, but said Friday control coach and thought it Info A team executive noted that's up "He was the face of the franchise
morning it was the best decision would be approved. Brandon powered by to Fisher, but the coach wouldn't for such a long time," Reinfeldt
in the wake of two difficult Fisher helped out during the The search to replace Fisher is speculate when asked if he might said. "At the same time, I think
seasons. The Titans rebounded s e a s o n w h i l e o f f e n s i v e already under way, and Reinfeldt work on television for a season. change is part of the NFL. You
from an 0-6 start to finish 8-8 in coordinator Mike Heimerdinger and Underwood will handle the "I think I need the rest. Those that look other places where change
2009, then wasted a 5-2 start in was receiving cancer treatment. process. The only timetable is "as coach 10 years that take a year off has happened, change can be a
2010 by losing eight of their final For several years, Adams has long as it takes." Underwood said are three times better coaches ... wonderful thing, and we can use
10 games for a 6-10 record. Mike stressed that he didn't want family reports of the coach's settlement at in year 11. I'm going to take that change to get us to where we
and Mike in the Morning hired to the Titans' coaching staff $8 million were "erroneous." time," Fisher said. want to be."
ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski and he apparently stuck by those Among the four major U.S. Titans linebacker Stephen Information from The Associated
explains why he wasn't surprised p r i n c i p l e s t h i s w e e k i n sports, only Jerry Sloan with the Tulloch told The (Nashville) Press was used in this report.
Jeff Fisher was dismissed from c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h F i s h e r . NBA's Utah Jazz has been with Tennessean that he believes This entry passed through the
the Titans. Plus, Jaworski says Speaking Friday by telephone the same team longer than Fisher Fisher would be in demand Full-Text RSS service — if this is
he'd take Terry Bradshaw over from Houston, Adams said teams had been with the Titans. Andy around the league "because he's a your content and you're reading it
Ben Roethlisberger. and coaches almost always reach Reid of Philadelphia now takes good coach and very well- on someone else's site, please read
More Podcasts » a point when it's time for change. over as the NFL's longest-tenured respected." our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
"I've been coaching for 24 years, "This is where we are," Adams coach, having finished up his 12th "At the end of the day, he's a content-only/faq.php
and it's time. I need a break," said. "This isn't personal. It is just season with the Eagles. players' coach," Tulloch said, Five Filters featured article:
Fisher said. "And I think timing- time for a change, and I believe Fisher guided the team's according to the newspaper. "He's Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
wise this is a perfect opportunity both the team and Jeff will benefit relocation from Houston to somebody I can definitely say a The Crosshairs.
to do this so the organization can in the long run from this move. Tennessee and took the Titans to lot of players enjoyed playing for.
move forward with their plan, and Now I'm still confident about our their lone Super Bowl appearance. He knew how to coach us and
Newstablet Edition Sports/ Technology/ 65

Hal Steinbrenner 'absolutely' wants Brian

Cashman back
Andrew Marchand and Wallace "I think Brian does a great job," no evidence that the Yankees' their rotation. As it stands right
Matthews (ESPN.com) he said, according to the New hierarchy is unhappy with now, the Yankees would have a
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:40:37 AM York Post. "We need to sit and Cashman. Even in the case of rotation of Sabathia, Phil Hughes,
talk, but now is not the time for Soriano, Cashman and other A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova.
Updated: January 28, 2011, 12:40 that." executives admitted their Sergio Mitre and Bartolo Colon
PM ET By Andrew Marchand and Steinbrenner echoed comments disagreement, but didn't indicate will fight it out for the fifth spot.
Wallace Matthews team president Randy Levine there were larger problems. The Yankees have a slew of
ESPNNewYork.com made after the Rafael Soriano Still, it has been an explosive young pitching prospects who
NEW YORK -- Brian Cashman news conference two weeks ago. offseason verbally for Cashman. Cashman thinks could contribute
wants to stay, and the New York The team views Cashman as the He got into a war of words with this season. Three of the minor
Yankees want him back. best man for the job, but per club Jeter's camp over the captain's leaguers -- Manny Banuelos,
The general manager has a year policy plans to wait until the end value at age 36. Cashman publicly Dellin Betances and Andrew
left on his contract and has had of the season before working on a
some well-publicized clashes with new contract. There also has been
said that they paid too much for
Soriano. At a breakfast with fans,
Brackman-- were in Scouts Inc.
senior baseball analyst Keith
NFL Should Look
team brass and even captain no clear evidence that Cashman is he speculated about Jeter possibly Law's Top 100 prospects. To Hockey, Soccer
Derek Jeter. But Yankees owner looking to leave. moving from short to center field Andrew Marchand and Wallace
Hal Steinbrenner still says he Steinbrenner told the Post that one day. Matthews cover the Yankees for on Flagrant Fouls
"absolutely" wants Cashman to speculation about Cashman not Ultimately, Cashman is judged ESPNNewYork.com. Joe Lapointe (FanHouse Main)
return. being the GM after this season has by the on-field product. The team This entry passed through the Submitted at 1/28/2011 9:30:00 AM
A n d C a s h m a n s c o f f e d a t been a "drummed-up drama." came up short in its bid to sign Full-Text RSS service — if this is
suggestions that he is doing things Start Spreading The News free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee, but your content and you're reading it Filed under: Chicago Bears,
to shorten his stay in the Bronx. February 14, 2011 | Tampa Cashman wasn't alone in putting on someone else's site, please read Packers, NFC North, NFL Injuries
"Am I trying to get fired? 00 together the offer to Lee. It was our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ If the National Football League is
Absolutely not," Cashman said. The Yankees' roster is nearly set, the highest overall offer of any content-only/faq.php serious about reducing vicious
"What have I done that's so and spring will be here before you team, but it did not match the Five Filters featured article: blows to the head, it can add a
explosive? What have I done know it! We've got the latest. $161 million deal the Yankees Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In new rule that borrows a little from
that's so controversial? I did Yankees blog gave CC Sabathia. The Crosshairs. hockey and a little from soccer.
nothing improper or wrong or Other than Cashman being As the Yankees wait for Andy
controversial or explosive." overruled in the signing of new Pettitte to decide whether he'll NFL page 66
Steinbrenner offered his support. setup man Soriano, there has been continue to pitch, they are thin in

Motorola lifts our spirits with new Atrix 4G video

Vlad Savov (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:42:00 PM
Been feeling down this cold and
dreary January? Well, let
Motorola "introduce" you to its
new smartphone! The CES
conqueror we already know as the
Atrix 4G has received its first It's all set to a very uplifting video
promo video from the mothership, soundtrack, connoting all the Motorola lifts our spirits with
highlighting its laptop and HD beautiful opportunity and new Atrix 4G video originally
multimedia docks (giving us a potential that our collective appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28
decent peek at the docked UI for smartphone future holds. Jan 2011 13:42:00 EDT. Please
both), dual-core processor and [Thanks, engadgeteer] see our terms for use of feeds.
related gaming credentials, and, of Continue reading Motorola lifts Permalink Pocketnow| motorola
course, that gorgeous qHD screen resolution on the handset itself. our spirits with new Atrix 4G (YouTube)| Email this| Comments
66 Sports/ Newstablet Edition
NFL
continued from page 65

In addition to walking off
yardage against the transgressing
team, football could establish a
virtual penalty box that forces a
team to use 10 men instead of the
usual 11 for one or more plays
after a dangerous foul.
An example of the need for such
a rule came Sunday in the NFC
Championship Game when the
Green Bay Packers defeated the
Chicago Bears, 21-14, for the
right to play Pittsburgh in the
Super Bowl.
In the fourth quarter, defensive
end Julius Peppers of the Bears
was penalized 15 yards for
delivering a blind-side hit to the
head of Packers quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, who has already
suffered two concussions this
season.
"He lowers his head, leads with
the crown and it's helmet-to-
helmet,'' FOX announcer Troy
Aikman said while watching the
replay. "It's a wonder there that
Rodgers (was) even able to get
up.''
The screen showed Rodgers
rising slowly and with difficulty
to his feet with blood on his
tongue while Peppers argued with
the officials. In addition to the
Bears losing 15 yards, Peppers
was fined $10,000, it was reported
a few days later.
Despite the league's crackdown
on such hits, the risk/reward ratio
of these fouls still makes it
tempting for tacklers to hit
quarterbacks this way.
Even a loss of 15 yards is worth
the risk if such a collision puts a
star quarterback out of a game or
leaves him at less than his best. So
why not do it? Even a fine of
$10,000 is a small deterrent,
especially if a player earning
millions of dollars has bonus
money in a contract related to
overall team success.
Flames Take Hot Streak
Into Break FLAMES page 67
Rita Mingo (FanHouse Main)

In 48 Hours, Tennis Turned on Its Head

Greg Couch (FanHouse Main) too. But on Wednesday, it wasn't. over the past few months on that
Submitted at 1/28/2011 9:30:00 AM Things are happening a little too top tier. Nadal was going for the
fast for tennis' own good. Rafa Slam, winning all four
Filed under: Australian Open, "From a personal point of view," majors in a row.
WTA, ATP Andy Murray said, "I would Read: Greg Couch's New Tennis
MELBOURNE, Australia -- The rather be in the final than Blog
best transitions in sports happen watching Roger and Rafa at On the women's side, while we
naturally, and by process. A star home, playing again." wait for Serena Williams to
player gets old, and the next guy Murray had just beaten David recover, Kim Clijsters was
s l o w l y o v e r t a k e s h i m a n d Ferrer 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 7-6 (7- dominating the tour. Justine
becomes the top dog. It happens 2) Friday to advance to the final Henin, one of the all-time greats,
N a d a l - - i s y o u r r e g u l a r l y change.
with teams, too. of the Australian Open. He'll play was struggling some in her
scheduled program for major Just 48 hours ago, the Federer-
And fans have a chance to adjust, Novak Djokovic on Sunday for comeback with a sore elbow.
finals. At least one of them, Nadal rivalry was as solid as ever.
get used to the new order. the year's first major. Blink.
anyway. And this is part of the Federer had re-established himself
Tennis is in a transition stage, Roger and Rafa -- Federer and
Newstablet Edition
FLAMES
continued from page 66
Filed under: Blues, Canucks,
Flames, Predators, Stars
CALGARY -- Don't throw out
that Calgary Flames' car flag just
yet.
While most everyone in the city
by the foothills was ready to count
their NHL team out of any 2010-
11 postseason contention a mere
month ago, lo and behold the
Flames have rekindled that fading
hope in a significant way.
The Flames (24-21-6) have won
four straight games, beating the
Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks,
Nashville Predators and St. Louis
Blues. They head into the All-Star
break just two points out of the
coveted eighth spot in the
Western Division.
And what a difference a week
DC Universe Online
review: Heroic trials
Mike Schramm (Joystiq)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:00:00 PM
Gaming/ 67
makes.
Earlier in January, Calgary was
nine points in arrears; just last
week, after dropping an
embarrassing 6-0 game to
Minnesota, the Flames were eight
back and, had they reached double
digits, the nails were poised to be
pounded into their season.
But since then, they've
leapfrogged a couple of teams,
Columbus and St. Louis, and are a
scant point behind Los Angeles
and Minnesota. Whether they can
keep up the pace once play
resumes next week is the million-
dollar question.
Sudoku DSiWare exploit enables
homebrew on DSi
Ben Gilbert (Joystiq) homebrew software. grabbing the game before Monday
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:30:00 PM Perhaps most exciting for (when the NA store is routinely
homebrew developers, this updated). At the very least, it
For just 200 DSi Points (that's breakthrough brings the DSi's would be an excuse to throw away
$2), a whole world of digital hardware upgrades (over the that ratty copy of Snakes on a
sudoku can be yours -- plus DSi original DS) into play. "In DSi Sudoku, right?
homebrew capabilities! The mode, the DSi SD card slot is Continue reading Sudoku
hacking troupe known as "Team accessible, the whole 16MB RAM DSiWare exploit enables
Twiizers" has found a hole in is available, and the CPU is homebrew on DSi
EA's Sudoku DSiWare game -- clocked 2x higher than DS- Sudoku DSiWare exploit enables
exposed using a false save file -- mode," Twiizers notes in on post homebrew on DSi originally
through which homebrew games on HackMii. appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Jan
and applications can be run on a As of publishing, the Sudoku
DSi without a flashcart. Notably, game is still available in the North
this exploit can not be used to American DSiWare store, but has
2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Comments
p l a y p i r a t e d g a m e s o r already been removed in Europe -
applications, but only enables true - T e a m T w i i z e r s s u g g e s t s
UNIVERSE page 68
68 Gaming/
UNIVERSE
continued from page 67
Judging solely by its list of
features, you know DC Universe
Online is a heroic feat. Sony
Online Entertainment has
included every facet of the now
traditional World of Warcraft-
style MMO, including skill trees,
loot and instances, raids and open-
world PvP (and soon, an Auction
House). The developer has even
shoehorned it all into a console-
style interface, transferring a
whole mouse and keyboard of
functions and abilities into
basically four buttons, two toggles
and a set of detailed menus.
But as an experience, DCUO(as
it's been labeled in the acronym-
loving MMO community) is more
Aquaman than Superman. The
game is buggy, and even with
sizable updates already released
and more on the way, I've still
Newstablet Edition
experienced multiple freezes,
almost constant sound issues,
terrible menu lag, and lots and
lots of UI and gameplay
frustrations. DCUO is a
respectable MMO, but the console
version is far from being an ideal
way to play it.
Gallery: DC Universe Online
(Batman)
Continue reading DC Universe
Online review: Heroic trials
DC Universe Online review:
Nintendo opens teaser
Heroic trials originally appeared
on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Jan 2011
site for Wii 'Pandora's
14:00:00 EST. Please see our
terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Comments
Tower'
JC Fletcher (Joystiq) work of Xenoblade developer
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:20:00 PM Monolith Soft.
Despite the total lack of
Today, Nintendo of Japan posted information, Nintendo of Japan
a teaser site for a new Wii game president Satoru Iwata said in an
called "Pandora's Tower: Until I investor presentation that the
Return to Your Side." Not a thing game is almost complete, and
is known about it other than what Nintendo plans to launch it this
can be seen and heard on the site, spring in Japan.
which means all we can confirm Nintendo opens teaser site for
at this point is a back tattoo and Wii 'Pandora's Tower' originally
the spoken line "Dying and appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Jan
becoming beautiful, or living even 2011 14:20:00 EST. Please see
though you're ugly. Which will our terms for use of feeds.
make you happier?" (as translated Permalink| Email this| Comments
by Andriasang). If we had to
guess, we'd say this looks like the
Newstablet Edition
Gallup Poll: Americans Divided on
Obama Approach to Spending Cuts
Tom Diemer (Politics Daily)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:29:00 PM
Correspondent It sure sounded
good. Americans gave high marks
to President Obama on his State
of the Union speech, but are
divided over whether the
president or the Republican
opposition has the best idea for
shrinking the federal budget, a
new Gallup Poll says.
In a survey taken earlier this
week, Gallup found that only 39
percent of the 1,004 adults
contacted favored the president's
proposal for a five-year freeze on
domestic, non-security-related
spending. Another 41 percent
preferred the Republican way of
pulling discretionary, homefront
spending back to 2008 levels.
Both plans would leave major
portions of the budget -- defense
and entitlements -- virtually
untouched.
"Americans reacted positively to
Obama's State of the Union
address but are less convinced
that he will change the types of
policies he will pursue," Gallup
said in an analysis. "They are also
not convinced that his plan to
control government spending --
one of the key elements of his
speech -- is better than the plan
laid out by congressional
Republicans." Predictably,
Democrats leaned heavily toward
the president's approach, while
Republicans were even more
favorable to their party's plan.
More than one-third of those
sampled watched the speech
Tuesday night and another 28
percent heard it or knew
something about it. Nearly two-
thirds -- 65 percent -- gave it a
positive rating.
But did the State of the Union
mark a new path for the president
on government policy? Only 34
percent thought it did, with 47
percent saying they did not detect
any "major changes."
And most of the public was not
impressed with the spectacle of
Democrats and Republicans
breaking with custom and sitting
together during the joint session
in the House chamber. Only 44
percent saw the mixing and
mingling at the speech as a sign
that the two sides "will be more
willing to work with each other
this year." Half of the sample
didn't think it meant much.
Gallup took the telephone survey
on Jan. 26 -- the day after the
president's speech. The margin of
error was plus or minus 4
percentage points.
Folo Tom Diemer on Twitter
http://twitter.com/tomdiemer
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Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
The Crosshairs.
Rahm Emanuel Radio
Ad for Chicago Mayor
Features Obama Praise
Lynn Sweet (Politics Daily)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:10:00 PM
Correspondent
A day after the Illinois Supreme
Court reinstated Rahm Emanuel
on the Chicago mayoral ballot, his
campaign released a radio ad
featuring President Obama
praising his former White House
chief of staff.
Obama has not officially
endorsed Emanuel, but that may
become a distinction without
much of a difference. Obama
hosted a lavish send-off for
Emanuel at the White House East
Room on Oct. 1, and his
comments about Emanuel's role as
chief of staff are highlighted in
the spot.
"I needed somebody at my side
who I could count on to help get
the job done. There was no
candidate for the job of chief of
staff who would meet the bill as
well as Rahm Emanuel. And that's
why I told him he had no choice
in the matter. He was not allowed
to say no."
The Emanuel campaign hopes
Politics/ 69
that his connection to the nation's
first African-American president
will help him win votes among
Chicago's black voters. Voting in
Chicago often, though not always,
falls along racial lines. One of his
chief rivals, former Sen. Carol
Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), is
depending on black votes; other
strong black candidates, Rep.
Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and state
Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago),
dropped out in order to let Braun
leverage the black vote.
Early voting starts in Chicago on
Monday. If no one wins more
than 50 percent in the Feb. 22 non
-partisan primary, the top two
vote-getters face off in an April 5
general election.
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70 Politics/
Palin to Keynote Ronald Reagan
100th Birthday Celebration
Tom Diemer (Politics Daily)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:39:00 AM
Correspondent Sarah Palin was
16 when Ronald Reagan was
sworn in as the 40th president of
the United States in 1981. On Feb.
4, the former governor of Alaska
will give the keynote address at
the opening of two days of
festivities marking the late
president's 100th birthday.
Her speech at the Reagan Ranch
Center in Santa Barbara, Calif.,
"will draw parallels to today,
while calling on young people to
continue the Reagan revolution
into the future," according to
Young America's Foundation, the
sponsor of the event.
Palin, the 2008 Republican vice
presidential candidate, says she is
considering a bid for the
presidency in 2012. Like most of
her potential rivals for the GOP
nomination, she considers herself
a "Reagan conservative."
Former Vice President Dick
Cheney will close out the
festivities with a speech on Feb. 5.
Cheney served in Congress,
Newstablet Edition
Cantor, Hoyer Urge
Anti-Israel Resolution
Veto
(Newsmax - Inside Cover)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 7:11:17 AM
Friday, 28 Jan 2011 01:11 PM
By Dan Weil
House Majority Leader Eric
Cantor(pictured), R-Va., and
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-
Md., are certainly in agreement on
one issue. They sent a letter to
President Barack Obama
Thursday urging the U.S. to veto a
resolution at the U.N. Security
representing Wyoming, during the entire year-long celebration of Council that would declare any
Reagan presidency. President Reagan's life, ideas and post-1967 Israeli settlements,
In between the two speeches, his relevance for today's times," including East Jerusalem, illegal,
event planners have scheduled a the foundation said. The Hill reports. Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.; ranking
series of panels with Reagan This entry passed through the The Palestinian Authority and the member Howard Berman, D-
authors (including Politics Daily Full-Text RSS service — if this is Arab League want the resolution Calif.; Middle East subcommittee
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Reagan administration officials on someone else's site, please read Hillary Rodham Clinton voiced and ranking member Gary
and young conservative leaders. our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ opposition to the measure last Ackerman, D-N.Y.
Young America's Foundation was content-only/faq.php week. She says the Israelis and © Newsmax. All rights reserved.
founded at Vanderbilt University Five Filters featured article: Palestinians should solve their This entry passed through the
in 1969 with the aim of bringing Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In conflict through negotiations. But Full-Text RSS service — if this is
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"These special events kick off an as one of five permanent members our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
on the Security Council. content-only/faq.php
The letter urging a veto sent by Five Filters featured article:
Cantor and Hoyer also was signed Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
by House Foreign Affairs The Crosshairs.
Committee Chairwoman Ileana
Newstablet Edition Politics/ Finance/ Science/ 71

Romney's Key ’08 White House Ignores

Supporters Hesitant Reid on Earmarks
(Newsmax - Inside Cover) (Newsmax - Inside Cover)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 5:21:29 AM Submitted at 1/28/2011 5:44:01 AM

Friday, 28 Jan 2011 11:21 AM
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
Romney(pictured) has placed at or
near the top of polls for potential
Republican 2012 presidential
candidates. But an ominous sign
has emerged for him: several
Republican bigwigs who
supported his presidential
campaign in 2008 aren’t on board
now, Politico reports.
For example, former Sen. Judd
Gregg of New Hampshire, whose
endorsement of Romney in 2008
was seen as a key factor in
launching his campaign, is
undecided this time around.
“I’m listening to all the candidates
and have not made any decision,”
Gregg tells Politico. “It’s one of
the more open fields I’ve seen
over the years.”
Other 2008 Romney backers who
are undecided include two key
Friday, 28 Jan 2011 11:44 AM
By Dan Weil
Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid took umbrage with President
Barack Obama’s pledge in his
State of the Union address to veto
any bill with earmarks in it. But
the White House isn’t backing
down, The Hill reports.
White House press secretary
Robert Gibbs says that if a bill
players in the early primary state with earmarks is presented to the
of South Carolina: Sen. Jim president, "he will veto it, and he
DeMint and Gov. Nikki Haley. will send it back."
© Newsmax. All rights reserved. Gibbs says, "The president was
This entry passed through the clear on this. We're going to make
Full-Text RSS service — if this is some very, very tough decisions,
your content and you're reading it as the president talked about, in
on someone else's site, please read his budget. We're going to make
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content-only/faq.php that Democrats and Republicans
Five Filters featured article: alike will both say are important.
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In But we're doing that because we
The Crosshairs. know right now the government
spends far, far more than it takes
in and that that can't continue."
© Newsmax. All rights reserved.
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Five Filters featured article:
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The Crosshairs.
To Silence Protesters,
Egypt Unplugs Itself
From the Internet
Entirely
Rebecca Boyle (Popular
Science - New Technology,
Science News, The Future
Now)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 10:45:02 AM
Egyptian Protests Locals pray in
the street in front of The l-
Istiqama Mosque watched by riot
police in Giza on January 28,
2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Peter
Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Add "shutting down the Internet"
to batons and tear gas as the
protest-silencing methods of the
modern era. In response to
protests simmering throughout
SILENCE page 72

Do The Cube
(Forbes.com: News) Collegs of Applied Science at Today, the Rubik’s Cube is the your content and you're reading it
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:06:44 PM Budapest University, pictured in best selling puzzle game of all on someone else's site, please read
London, Dec. 10, 1981 with his time, with over 350 million cubes our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
Jan. 28 2011 - 2:06 pm | 0 views| “Rubik cube”, the small multi- sold worldwide. content-only/faq.php
0 recommendations| color cube that has become (AP-Photo/John Glanvill) Five Filters featured article:
By DAVID M. EWALT known as a Hungarian horror Post Your Comment Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Don’t try to cheat by peeling the because of its induced frustation, You must be logged in to post a The Crosshairs.
stickers off the Geek Picture of rage and temporary insanity. He comment Members
the Day. claims to have designed the cube s h a p e s i n a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d Log in with your Forbes account
click to embiggen to assist his students relate to and c o n s t r u c t i o n . This entry passed through the
Erno Rubik, a Professor at the understand three dimensional Full-Text RSS service — if this is
72 Social Media/
SILENCE
continued from page 71
Egypt this week, with calls for the
president to resign and outcries
over the jailing of political
dissidents, the government shut
off the Internet Friday.
"According to our analysis, 88
percent of the ‘Egyptian Internet'
has fallen off the Internet,'" said
Andree Toonk at BGPmon, a
monitoring site that checks
connectivity of countries and
networks, to the Guardian.
The Internet went dead around
midnight Egypt time on Friday,
and at the same time, the few
companies that pipe Internet
connections into and out of Egypt
went dark as well, the AP said.
The government apparently
wields enough control over the
country's Internet service
providers that it shut them all
down at once, something that is
unprecedented in the history of
the Internet, according to network
security expert Jim Cowie.
This is a departure from other
regimes' attempts to quash online
communication- typically, a few
websites are blocked, not the
entire pipeline. That was the case
earlier this week, as Egyptian
ISPs restricted access to social
media sites like Facebook and
Twitter. But today, the shutdown
reaches far beyond the protesters
to Egypt's entire economy.
Cowie's Internet-monitoring firm,
Renesys, said "every Egyptian
provider, every business, bank,
internet cafe, website, school,
embassy and government office
that relied on the big four
Egyptian ISPs for their internet
connectivity is now cut off from
the rest of the world. Link Egypt,
Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt,
Etisalat Misr, and all their
customers and partners are, for the
moment, off the air."
The Egyptian Stock Market is
still online, however, because the
ISP that powers it, Noor Group,
was left alone.
In this country, discussions about
shutting off the Internet have
centered on attacks from other
nations. Sen. Joe Lieberman
wants to give the president an
Internet "kill switch" that would
disconnect America from
incoming worldwide traffic. But it
probably wouldn't work anyway,
because hackers would use proxy
servers and other workarounds to
circumvent any blockade.
That may be why Egypt shut off
the whole thing, security experts
said - there is no possibility for a
proxy, because there is nothing
Newstablet Edition
coming in or out.
"There is literally no route. It's as
if the entire country disappeared,"
Cowie said.
A wholesale shutoff, rather than
some blocked tweets, may be
more likely to spark interest from
other governments. "We are
concerned that communication
services, including the Internet,
social media and even this tweet,
are being blocked in Egypt," State
Department spokesman P. J.
Crowley said on Twitter.
The Internet and social media
were key instruments of
communication during the 2009-
2010 election protests in Iran,
Watch for Zuckerberg
dubbed the "Twitter Revolution"
for the site's importance in
allowing protesters to
on “SNL” Tomorrow
Charlie White (Mashable!) program last month, where
communicate with each other.
Now it appears Egypt wants to Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:27:07 PM WikiLeaks founder Julian
prevent communication Assange ended up looking like a
altogether. Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg hero.
[ AP] h osts Saturday Night Live Our guess? Zuckerberg will do a
tomorrow night, but the big cameo walk-on similar to those
question is: Will the real Mark done by President Barack Obama
Zuckerberg appear alongside and Sarah Palin.
him? [via All Facebook]
The Facebook CEO and his More About: Cameo Appearance,
handlers remain quiet about the jesse eisenberg, mark zuckerberg,
possibility of him stepping before snl
the bright lights on NBC’s live For more Media coverage:
comedy show, but sources are • Follow Mashable Media on
whispering to the New York Post Twitter
about how this could be • Become a Fan on Facebook
Zuckerberg’s attempt to show • Subscribe to the Media channel
everyone that he indeed has a • Download our free apps for
sense of humor. Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Perhaps Zuckerberg wants to
appear on SNL as a rebuttal to the
satirical drubbing he took on the
Newstablet Edition
Just In Time For Spring Break, Water-Powered
Jetpack Finally Goes On Sale
Rebecca Boyle (Popular
Science - New Technology,
Science News, The Future
Now)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:45:03 PM
Jetlev Flyer in Action Jetlev
Waterskiing is so passé. This
summer, you'll be able to fly with
Raymond Li's water-powered
jetpack, which is going on sale in
March. It's only $99,500!
The JetLev jetpack consists of a
lightweight fiberglass backpack
connected to a hose that sucks up
water. By separating the engine
and its fuel from the backpack, Li
was able to drastically reduce the
backpack's weight and therefore
3-D Printer Sets Record For Building World's Biggest, Most
Complicated Rubik's Cube
Clay Dillow (Popular Science -
New Technology, Science
News, The Future Now)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 11:41:25 AM
Oskar van Deventer's 17-by-17-
by-17 Rubik's Cube Shapeways
They said it couldn't be done, but
Oskar van Deventer-a longtime
puzzle maker living in the
Netherlands-created it anyhow: a
17-by-17-by-17 tile Rubik's cube
that, as far as we know, is an
the amount of thrust needed to get
airborne. The device's thrust-to-
weight ratio is three times better
than that of a fighter jet,
according to New Scientist.
The jetpack produces 430 pounds
unofficial world record for the
world's largest and most complex
Rubik's puzzle.
Van Deventer, an electrical
engineer by trade, didn't carve out
the 1,539 constituent pieces by
hand, but rather tapped the
increasing availability of 3-D
printing technology to
manufacture his high-tech puzzle. hours (and three tries) before a
That's not to say it was easy; the successful prototype was printed
design itself took more than 60
of thrust, letting its pilot fly
forward at 22 mph and reach
heights up to 30 feet. "It's the
same reaction force a firefighter
experiences when he points a
water jet at a fire," says Li.
Science/ 73
But it's much more easily
controlled - the pilot can use hand
controls to adjust the water
pressure to make precise
movements.
The jetpack was on display this
week at a boat show in Germany,
and it will be available for
purchase starting in March, with a
$99,500 price tag. New Scientist
says initial sales will likely come
from resorts and rental agencies.
But it could prove useful for water
rescues, marine inspections and
even peackeeping missions, Li
says.
[ New Scientist]
at Shapeways, an online unofficial). Want to give it a
commercial provider of rapid shot? You can print one out
prototyping technologies. Dyeing yourself at Shapeways for a cool
the individual pieces required $2,000. Judging from the looks of
another 10 hours. it, that comes out to about $1 per
The finished product, titled "Over hour you'll spend trying to solve
the Top," is 5.5 inches and 17 tiles it.
long along each side when
assembled, blowing the current
record of 12-by-12-by-12 out of
the water (though, as noted above,
this world record is currently
74 Health/
Nnamdi Asomugha
(Mensfitness.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:00:00 AM
by Brandon Guarneri| Print
Article| Email to Friend
Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback
Nnamdi Asomugha showed up at
MF's New York office looking
nothing like a superstar NFL
athlete, which makes sense for a
guy that's still a mystery to most
casual fans. Wearing jeans,
sneakers and a hoodie, without
being flanked by a publicist, he
was practically anonymous.
Maybe he's just used to it. He's
widely considered to be the best
defensive backs in the game, yet
some can't pronounce his last
name (HINT: try Ahh-Sum-Wah.)
After earning nearly $30 million
in the first two years of the three-
year deal, the Raiders recently
voided his contract, surprisingly
making the star cornerback a free
agent right in his prime. And
while Asomugha can't negotiate
with teams until the NFL's owners
and players union reach a new
collective bargaining agreement,
just about every team in the
league will be interested when
that times comes. So we jumped
on the chance to find out how
Asomugha plans to stay on top of
his game this off-season.
Did you have a sense when you
signed that contract, that you
might end up leaving Oakland?
There was a huge salary number
due for you this year.
I knew that something could
happen, but you know, you're
never sure of it or planning for it.
Newstablet Edition
I knew that once it came to that party and go out and do all that
point, a decision was going to stuff like that anymore. I felt like I
have to be made. had a responsibility to everyone to
On the field, lots of opposing show up.
QB's are so intimidated by you Did you learn anything from
that they won't even throw to your Charles Woodson when he was on
side of the field. How do you stay the team? He's enjoyed a career
focused mentally when teams are resurgence in Green Bay, and he's
going the other direction no a big reason the Packers are in the
matter where you line up? Super Bowl.
You always stay focused in the When he was in Oakland, the
game, because at any point they stuff that I learned from him
can come at you. And it's wasn't really "X's and O's"
happened to me before. That one football type stuff. The stuff that I
moment where you've gotten into learned from him was just about
a routine, that's when they try to the swag that you have to have
catch you off guard. I don't think when you're on the field, that
you can ever get bored or lose confidence in the way you move.
focus as a competitor. I sat back as a young guy and just
You've been considered one of watched that, and it helps having
guys go out and the plan is to the NFL and realized I wasn't as
the best CB's in the league for the that type of internal confidence
work out with another 30 guys. prepared for it as I thought I was.
last five seasons. Year in and year when you go out there that you're
And some guys feed off that, In high school, you can just go out
out, how do you stay on top? the best. It was like nothing ever
whereas I feed off a smaller there and play. In the NFL it was
I think it's just the amount of fazed him on the field.
g r o u p , m o s t l y j u s t f r i e n d s , so much more mental. It was
hours that you put into whatever it You did say you're interested in
because I'm a little more focused probably about my second or third
is that you do. I'm one of the guys returning back to the Raiders if
when I do it that way. And I'm a year in the NFL when it clicked
that thinks you have to spend a lot that's something that develops, is
big time basketball fan, so I'll and it was like, you have a chance
of time at whatever your craft is that right? Certainly the door isn't
always shoot hoops during the to be great, you have to hone your
in order to sustain it, and in order closed there.
period between now and March. skills.
to get better at it. If you have Right, the door is not closed at
You've been dominant for so What did you do differently?
those goals, you have to continue all, and obviously when we go
long. Do you remember back My focus changed. The first
to focus your attention on them. into free agency anything can
when you first realized you were couple of years in the league it
You can't just think things are happen and all doors are open,
on a different level than those was just go out and play and have
going to happen. pretty much, for me. So yeah, that
around you? fun. It was just making a lot of
How are you approaching this off door will never be closed for me.
In high school, my dream was to young decisions as opposed to
-season in terms of training? Related articles:
g o t o t h e N B A . B u t w h e n being focused in my profession.
I'll be in Los Angeles. That's my MF Interview: Michael Strahan
recruiting came around, the letters At the time I wasn't playing much
home—that's where I'm from, MF Interview: LaMarr Woodley
f o r f o o t b a l l c o m p a r e d t o because we had two cornerbacks,
where I was raised. I always go MF Interview: Ndamukong Suh
basketball were like 25 to one, Charles Woodson and Philip
back to L.A. and train. It's all [on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and
and my one wasn't from Duke. I Buchanon. I was the guy that
about feel for me, it's all about more]
just loved being a part of the comes off the bench and runs
how my body feels, what I feel I This entry passed through the
sport, and it wasn't something that down on special teams. And once
need to work on as far as speed,
I really took that seriously. It I was thrown into the starting NNAMDI page 75
agility or strength. A lot of times
became a business when I got to lineup, it kind of hit me. I can't
Newstablet Edition Health/ 75
NNAMDI
Seven Tips for Winter Running continued from page 74

Full-Text RSS service — if this is

(Mensfitness.com) actually occurring," says your content and you're reading it
Submitted at 1/28/2011 4:00:00 AM Glowney. The cold makes you on someone else's site, please read
feel less thirsty, but your body is our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
by Noah Johnson| Print Article| still sweating so you need to content-only/faq.php
Email to Friend diligently replace fluids, just as Five Filters featured article:
Put on the Right Clothes you would in the heat. Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
Layers that you can shed are Have a Goal The Crosshairs.
essential. Start with a moisture- Pick an early-spring 5K or 10K
wicking base, a mid layer for and use it as motivation for when
insulation, and an outer shell for the cold months make outdoor
blocking wind. A vest (like The running seem unbearable. If
North Face's Animagi, $120 @ you're looking for a race or
thenorthface.com) keeps in body running club near you, Road
heat without sacrificing mobility. Runners Club of America (
Protect Your Extremities rrca.org) is a great resource.
Most of your body heat is lost Related articles:
through your head and hands, so Tips For Running Your First
gloves and hat are a must. Make B o u l d e r C e n t e r f o r S p o r t s touches, which warm muscles Marathon
s u r e w h a t e v e r y o u p i c k i s Medicine in Colorado. At night, quickly. Seven Tips For Getting the Most
compressible, so you can shove wear plenty of reflective gear and Think of Your Lungs Out of Running
' e m i n t o a p o c k e t o r y o u r always run against traffic. If "Cold, dry conditions make the Improve Your Running
waistband if you get too hot. For possible, run into the wind on respiratory system work harder Form—and Performance—With
your feet, choose wool running your way out and with the wind since it has to warm the air you're These Five Tips
socks, like SmartWool PhD on the way home. Running into breathing," says Glowney, who is [on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and
R u n n i n g s o c k s ( $ 1 6 @ the wind when you're sweaty will also the team physician for the more]
smartwool.com). They're thin, subject you to much greater stress Garmin-Transitions U23 cycling This entry passed through the
breathable, and warm, even when a n d c o l d e x p o s u r e , w a r n s team. To protect yourself, cover Full-Text RSS service — if this is
wet. Glowney. your mouth with a balaclava or your content and you're reading it
Be Route Savvy Do a Good Warm-Up ski mask to hold in your body's on someone else's site, please read
Stick to a fairly short, well-lit Take a few extra minutes to get existing warmth and humidity. our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
loop. "Winter brings slick and icy your joints and body loose. Do Stay Hydrated content-only/faq.php
conditions plus less light, which your warm-up indoors, if possible, "Winter months tend to be drier, Five Filters featured article:
can hamper your ability to see and and focus on dynamic stretches and athletes may be less aware of Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
be seen," says Jason Glowney, like leg swings and walking toe the amount of sweating that's The Crosshairs.
M.D., an internist with the
76 Health/ Technology/ Newstablet Edition

Muscle Mixers
(Mensfitness.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 3:00:00 AM

by John Alvino| Print Article|

Email to Friend
Drinking a protein shake can be
like downing a shot of vodka,
rum, or gin on its own. Sure,
you’re a real man if you can
stomach it, but it would taste a
hell of a lot better if you had
something to mix it with. The
same goes for certain protein
shakes, which guys tend to choke
down simply because they need
the nutrients, all the while hating
that artificial flavor. Fortunately,
Tesla details Closed
you can jazz up a bland shake
with these simple add-ons—think
of them as “mixers”—guaranteed
Loop battery recycling
to cut that chalky taste at no cost
to your shake’s nutritional value.
PEPPERMINT EXTRACT
program for Europe
Tim Stevens (Engadget) then refining the rest of the cell
Use it purely for flavor constituents into things like
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:33:00 PM
enhancement—it won’t affect the shake. Just put one tablespoon in Make Shakes for Gains lithium cobalt oxide, which can be
nutritional content of your shake. your shake to transform it into a Hit the Weight-Loss Bull's-Eye Electric cars need big 'ol used in other batteries, and other
Add a few drops to a chocolate d e s s e r t - l i k e s n a c k . E a c h Fat to Fit Diet Plan batteries, like the Model S pack various byproducts that can be
shake for a mouthwatering mint tablespoon contains about 95 [on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and shown above, and while we've used in cement or as fill. The
chocolate chip ice cream flavor. calories, eight grams of healthy more] seen time and again that those whole process of breaking down
INSTANT COFFEE fats, three grams of protein, and a This entry passed through the cells hold up better than expected and extracting all the components
Add one teaspoon of decaf to shot of fiber, vitamins, and Full-Text RSS service — if this is for years, eventually they're going is actually profitable, so hopefully
your vanilla shakes to create an minerals. your content and you're reading it to need to be decommissioned. Euro drivers won't get hit with
iced-coffee flavor. Alternatively, FROZEN BERRIES on someone else's site, please read What happens then? Tesla already any pricey Roadster disposal fees
add coffee to a chocolate shake Try adding one cup to your our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/ has a recycling program in the US when they trade up to a Model S.
for a mocha flavor. If you’re vanilla shake to transform it into a content-only/faq.php and now it's detailing plans for a Tesla details Closed Loop battery
drinking a shake pre-workout, you fruit smoothie. You can and Five Filters featured article: similar program in Europe in recycling program for Europe
can use caffeinated coffee to get a should use all kinds of berries to Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In partnership with Umicore. Tesla's originally appeared on Engadget
stimulant effect and help you zone maximize antioxidants and fiber. The Crosshairs. packs are now eligible for on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:33:00
in on your training. One cup of berries has about 50 Umicore's "Closed Loop" process, EDT. Please see our terms for use
ORGANIC PEANUT BUTTER calories and 11 grams of carbs. disassembling them to remove of feeds. Permalink| Tesla Blog|
It goes well with any flavor of See Also: easily re-used components and Email this| Comments
Newstablet Edition
A Sputnik Moment?
Submitted at 1/28/2011 3:00:41 AM
Who does the president think he
is kidding?
D emocrats should be careful
when they invoke Sputnik. Their
party’s response to the Soviet
Union’s achievement may have
helped win them three elections,
in 1958, 1960, and 1962, but it
also helped bring about the Cuban
missile crisis and durably
poisoned the political atmosphere
around national-security issues.
After Sputnik was launched on
Oct. 4, 1957, President
Eisenhower reacted calmly; he
knew that by not complaining
about the overflight of U.S.
territory by the Soviet spacecraft,
he was setting a precedent. He
understood the significance of
Sputnik in large part because in
1953, almost immediately after
taking office, he had ordered work
to begin on America’s first spy
satellite, the WS-117. As the
Russians were basking in the
glow of their space triumph,
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Donald Quarles said that the
Soviets “might have done us a
good turn unintentionally, in
establishing the concept of
international freedom of space.”
Three years later, when the first
U.S. spy satellites successfully
delivered pictures from deep
inside the USSR, no one in
Moscow denounced the
Americans for violations of the
sacred airspace of Mother Russia.
The U.S. no longer needed to fly
U-2 missions in order to look
inside their borders.
#ad#It is hard to imagine today
what a huge advantage totalitarian
states had in the pre-Sputnik era.
They were closed societies,
allowing the rest of the world to
see only a carefully molded image
of military strength, political
regimentation, and economic
success. They were aided in this
by Western intellectuals,
journalists, and celebrities such as
George Bernard Shaw, Walter
Duranty, and Charles Lindbergh.
From Hitler’s march into the
Rhineland in 1936 to the Soviet
invasion of Hungary in 1956,
Western governments had to
estimate the strength of their
enemies in a fog of ignorance.
Spy satellites dispersed that fog.
Totalitarian power became a lot
less total.
From a strategic point of view,
Sputnik was a Soviet blunder of
the first magnitude. If the
Americans had gone first, it
would have given Russia a chance
to demonize all space operations
as imperialist aggression in the
heavens. Every U.S. satellite
launch would have been
denounced as a crime against
humanity. The U.S. space
program in both its civil and
military aspects would have been
crippled.
But from a propaganda point of
view, Sputnik was a triumph, and
in this they were aided and
abetted by America’s Democrats.
President Eisenhower later wrote
that “in the weeks and months
after Sputnik, many Americans
seemed to be seized with a sudden
worry that our defenses had
crumbled, but also with an equally
unjustified alarm that our entire
educational system was
defective.” The Democrats would
not let a good crisis go to waste.
Sen. Stuart Symington (D., Ct.)
was one of those who accused the
Eisenhower administration of
being in a “state of complacency
not justified by the facts.” He
claimed that by 1962, Russia
would have 3,000 intercontinental
ballistic missiles. Official U.S.
intelligence estimates gave that
number as 500; the recently
published third volume of Boris
Chertok’s memoir Rockets and
People: Hot Days of the Cold War
claims that in 1962, “the US had
5,000 units of nuclear weaponry
supported by delivery systems (to
strike the territory of the USSR)
against the USSR’s 300 units.”
Yet the Democrats launched an
unceasing campaign on the theme
of a missile gap. Accusing
Eisenhower, of all people, of
failing to understand a vital
military question would seem
ridiculous. But thanks to Sputnik,
to the need to keep America’s spy
-satellite program secret, and to
the partisans in the media, they
convinced a lot of voters that the
Republicans had neglected the
defense of the nation in favor of
budgetary restraint. This after
eight years in which more than 10
percent of GDP had been devoted
to defense, and in an era when the
U.S. still had a largely conscript
force.
#page#In fact, by 1960, the U.S.
led the Soviets in every aspect of
nuclear weapons and delivery
technology, especially in
submarine-launched missiles.
Instead of listening to the
president’s reassurances, the
media chose to believe
Khrushchev’s claim that missiles
were coming off the Soviet
assembly lines “like sausages.” In
the 1960 election, John F.
Kennedy promised to close the
missile gap. He taunted Richard
Nixon, saying, “I think that color
television is not as important as
rocket thrust.” Given the briefings
he had received, he knew that the
U.S. was ahead in both television
and rockets, but he could not let
the truth get in the way of a good
political jab at Nixon. At least one
biography claims that as
president, JFK said, “Who ever
believed in the missile gap
anyway?”
When the Kennedy
administration exposed the Soviet
bluff, Khrushchev’s response was
to deploy almost all of his
medium- and intermediate-range
missiles to Cuba. Having relied on
the illusion of the missile gap for
so long, the Soviet leader thought
he had to make a desperate
gamble in order to restore his lost
prestige. If, beginning in 1957, the
Democrats had clearly and
explicitly said that Eisenhower’s
sober assessment of the balance of
forces between the two
superpowers was largely correct,
the world might have been spared
that near catastrophe.
Politics-Right/ 77
#ad#The Democrats did seize the
“Sputnik Moment” to expand the
federal government’s role in
education. Eisenhower conceded
that there was a national
emergency that justified
temporarily spending federal
dollars on science and math
instruction, and thanks to his
support, the National Defense
Education Act passed Congress in
August 1958. The act allocated $1
billion over four years. But
Eisenhower feared the impact this
money would have. He wrote,
“the process of taking money
away from citizens to return it to
localities for special (educational)
purposes implies a centralization
of wisdom in Washington that
certainly does not necessarily
exist.”
The Nation, then as now the
principal voice of the Left, wanted
more, but noted that “the bill does
at least crack the ice of resistance
to federal aid to education.” How
right they were; there is nothing
quite so immortal as temporary
government spending. In spite of
all the racial injustices that thrived
in late-1950s America, its overall
educational standards are now to
be found only in places such as
Singapore and South Korea.
Study after study shows that our
educational system results in “A
Nation at Risk,” the federal
government’s investment grows,
and the system keeps failing.
President Obama’s call for
10,000 new science, technology,
SPUTNIK page 88
78 Politics-Right/ Newstablet Edition

The Truth About 'Investments' Hurts

(The Front Page) broadband, and fix our failing K- negative, as the real world signals U.S. agriculture policy (the result the Obama era, signaled by last
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:01:00 AM 12 government school system. persistent unemployment coupled of both Democratic and weeks' cancellation of a permit for
That assumption is false. with rising food and gas prices. Republican administrations) a coal mine already under
“Don’t Harsh My Recovery.” So Obama's original plan to recover By contrast, in 1981, President hinders crop growth in the U.S., operation in West Virginia.
said a tweet I got in response to an f r o m t h e r e c e s s i o n w a s t o Ronald Reagan inherited a hurting our farmers, raising prices The American consumer will
analysis I did on America's s t i m u l a t e t h e e c o n o m y b y recession as bad as the current for American consumers, and face skyrocketing prices for all
c o n t i n u i n g e c o n o m i c n o n - spending hundreds of billions of one. By 1986, oil was $10 a contributing to food riots in other sources of energy, along with
recovery on my radio show this borrowed dollars on "shovel- barrel and the growth rate of the countries. higher prices for all the products
week. The tweet went on to say, ready" projects, with "90%" of the economy was 9%. By the end of For example, the Feds have we need that are made and/or
"I want to believe the economy is jobs "created or saved" in the the decade, more than 20 million deliberately turned parts of delivered with that energy.
recovering, Roger, if I believe it private sector. private sector jobs had been California's fertile Central Valley These government "investments"
will." According to a study done by created. Why? into a dust bowl by holding back are, by definition, made by
"Think and grow rich" might e c o n o m i s t s a t S t a n f o r d Reagan's view was that water supplies to supposedly help politicians using political
w o r k f o r a n i n d i v i d u a l University, from March 2009 government was the problem, not an "endangered" 2-inch fish. calculus. Money is allocated
envisioning business success, but through September 2010 just $4 the solution. His solution was to Unemployment rates in The based on political gain rather than
it is delusional as national billion was actually spent on cut taxes, encourage business Valley top 40% in some towns the price mechanism of a free
economic policy. We can't wish "infrastructure," while $173 development, including oil and hard-hit by this self-inflicted market.
or will the country to prosperity, billion was handed out to state gas drilling, and get government wound. In his State of the Union speech,
or recover from a recession a n d l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t s t o out of the way. Oh, and defeat the While Russia puts quotas on Obama also correctly called for an
caused by too much debt by s u b s i d i z e t h e i r b u d g e t s . Soviet Union too. It worked, even wheat exports, and many other increase in American exports to
incurring more debt. The President says we need more when the Democrats in Congress countries impose price controls on increase American jobs. Reagan
"Together We Thrive" was not money for education? The sad insisted on deficit spending to food costs, the time is now to free said the same thing in 1981, and
only inappropriate as a theme for fact is that the U.S. already spends protect "entitlements" and American agriculture. Plant, his low taxes and reduced
a memorial to the victims of the m o r e t h a n e v e r y o t h e r welfare. Baby! Plant! government regulations approach
Tucson shooter, it is the economic industrialized country on Earth for Fast-forward to today. Obama's America's economy depends on did in fact increase American
policy of a collective society, not K-12 education, with the poorest own experts predict his economic cheap energy. While, again as exports by the end of the decade.
of a free one. results of any of those countries. policies will result in high with food, world demand for Unfortunately, Obama is
"When the truth hurts, lie to me" Does anyone really still think that unemployment, low growth rates energy pushes prices up, Obama's pursuing a depreciation of the
m i g h t h e l p y o u c o p e w i t h more money is the answer to our in the gross domestic product, and energy policies make the problem value of the dollar as the quickest
interpersonal relationships, but it failing public education system? trillion dollar deficits stretching to worse. way to lower the cost of American
doesn't work in economics. The Despite these facts, most the horizon. Yet this President Obama's cap-and-trade CO2 exports. The price of this policy
t r u t h a b o u t t h e A m e r i c a n Americans lapped up Obama's continues to tout the "success" of emissions reduction will will be a reduction in the
economy hurts, and when it does, State of the Union call for more his policies. "necessarily skyrocket the cost of purchasing power of your income
too many Americans want to be government "investments" in To be fair, the world is a different electricity" (his words during the and your retirement savings. In a
lied to. infrastructure and schools. place than when Reagan was 2008 campaign). Do you think word, it's inflation.
S p e c i f i c a l l y , t o o m a n y Reminiscent of the children's President. World wheat, corn, the economy can recover if the Sorry tweeter. The real facts of
Americans want to believe that f a b l e " T h e E m p e r o r ' s N e w rice, and other staple food electricity rates "skyrocket"? our economy today are harsh, and
government "investments" will Clothes," Obama declared the end production is stretched thin just as The State of the Union address no amount of wishful thinking or
create jobs. Polls show majorities of the recession and the success of demand increases in China and repeated calls for solar and wind hopeless collective utopianism
f a v o r i n g m o r e g o v e r n m e n t his economic recovery plan, India for more (and higher- power, while Obama bans oil and will change that. Only freedom
spending on infrastructure and pointing to the rising Dow Jones quality) food. All the more gas drilling wherever he can, even will.
schools. The public assumption Industrial Average as proof. But reason to rely on a free (or at least revoking drilling leases This entry passed through the
appears to be that such spending nearly every economic indicator freer) market. But that is not previously granted. Abundant
will build new roads, bridges, and except the Dow is flashing happening. cheap coal also faces extinction in TRUTH page 82
Newstablet Edition
Punking the Left
Jamie Glazov (FrontPage
Magazine » FrontPage)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:35:21 PM
Frontpage Interview’s guest
today is Zack Rawsthorne, a
conservative writer/cartoonist
who is the creator of Diversity
Lane ( www.diversitylane.com), a
print-cartoon series and soon-to-
be-released book which
mercilessly skewers the liberal/
left world-view on a regular basis.
A man on a mission to “help get
America laughing at the
Left,” Rawsthorne believes that
far too much ground is given up
in the humor department to the
forces of modern liberalism. In his
view, without widespread
participation in the arena of
Humor, the conservative vision–
which Rawsthorne regards
as essentially common-sense– is
severely undermined in our
culture. He is the author of the
new book, Diversity Lane/A
Liberal Family Saga?
FP: Zack Rawsthorne, welcome
to Frontpage Interview.
Rawsthorne: Thanks for inviting
me again—it’s a real honor.
FP: Congratulations on your new
book.
Tell us about it.
Rawsthorne: At my blog
www.diversitylane.wordpress.co
m and my website
www.diversitylane.com I’ve been
posting anti-left cartoons for a
couple years. The worldview of
the Left is irresistible as a mine
for comedy, it’s like a real-life
Pink Panther set-up except that
when they stumble and bumble
people die, lose their
freedom or have their money
taken away.
Leftism and freedom are like the
oil and vinegar of the ideological
world, they’re physically
incapable of mixing. So I created
this cartoon family of
leftists, humorously contrasting
their AddamsFamily-like
irrationality with that of a normal
person– their daughter, Diversity.
And please no one write me that
this is a ridiculous name for such
a family to give their daughter
because Gwynneth Paltrow
named her kid Apple and Forest
Whitaker named his Ocean.
So anyway I’d been getting
requests from friends and emailers
that I please put out a book, we
need this in a form we can mail to
our friends as birthday gifts or
leave anonymously on some
liberal’s desk at the office. This
encouraged me to take the
plunge. So I drew up about 80
new cartoons which still have
never been released online and
Politics-Right/ 79
spruced up about 150 of the still-
relevant older ones. I put a great
deal of time into laying it all out
in an entertaining way, separating
things into particular chapters that
make sense, adding some contests
and other odds and ends into the
mix… at 244 oversized pages it’s
a really big, fun package full of
surprises, many readers have told
me this.
FP: What kind of responses are
you getting?
Rawsthorne: Outrage, and
cheers. The hate mail saying how
dare I wipe the floor with our
president is pretty funny: here are
the same types who sliced and
diced W for eight years, all up in
arms at my disrespect for Obama.
They wrote and attended plays
that featured W’s assassination,
for God’s sake! The worst thing I
do is show an Obama doll laying
at the bottom of a garbage can.
That’s chickenfeed next to an
assassination.
There’s plenty of favorable
response too. I’ve included lots
of small vignette drawings which
I’m told are at times as funny as
the main cartoons. For example I
have a whole series of small
sketches of Alex Lane’s closet
illustrating his vast wardrobe of
message-sweatshirts such as “I’m
Sorry I’m White”. Vehicles like
this enabled me to flesh out his
leftist worldview—the leftist
worldview in general– and still be
fun. It’s not always easy to
delineate the force and direction
PUNKING page 85
80 Politics-Right/
Can We Save the Music Business?
Submitted at 1/28/2011 3:00:21 AM
A new industry report suggests
an effective way to combat piracy.
S ince the advent of the Web,
nearly every industry that sells
intellectual property has faced a
turning point: the point at which
everyone finally concedes that the
Internet has put the industry in
serious jeopardy. For newspapers,
that point came with the
recession, which was
accompanied by rounds of layoffs
and the long-delayed conclusion
that online-ad revenue can’t keep
most local papers afloat.
For the music industry, that point
came last week, in a report on
sales figures from the
International Federation of the
Phonographic Industry. It turns
out that online music sales --
which, like online ads for
newspapers, had long been
heralded as the last best hope --
are reaching a plateau, and
therefore will not grow enough to
offset the decline in CD sales.
Overall revenue from recorded
music has fallen 31 percent since
2004, and more than 50 percent
since 1999.
#ad#Two things are obvious at
this point. One, rampant piracy is
bad for business -- which should
have been obvious from the
beginning, but which many
observers refused to believe. Two,
if we want artists -- and, by
extension, everyone who works
with and for artists -- to be paid
for their creations, we’re going to
have to try some new and
promising anti-piracy techniques.
At first, many analysts claimed
that a decline in music quality, not
an increase in piracy, was causing
sales to drop, and, indeed, it
seemed awfully suspicious that a
decline in music purchases
coincided with the rise of Limp
Bizkit. Some studies purported to
show that piracy was harmless or
even beneficial. But now that
sales have been in freefall for a
whole decade -- as broadband
connections became more
popular, as the population became
more Internet savvy, and as
popular music escaped from its
creative slump -- this thesis can’t
hold water.
People are enjoying the music;
they’re just not buying it. They’re
not buying it in stores, and they’re
not buying it online, either,
despite some truly impressive
efforts by various Internet
businesses. I’m personally a fan
of Amazon MP3 and 7digital,
which offer great deals on a wide
variety of albums, and which are
quite convenient to use. iTunes is
even more convenient, allowing
you to download and pay for
music through the same program
you use to play it, though its
prices are higher. There are also
new subscription services that
offer music through cell phones
for a monthly fee; those who are
still clinging to the hope that
digital technology will save us
from the piracy it enables point to
these services as an example.
The bottom line is that when
pirated songs are available as an
instant download -- you no longer
need to borrow and copy a
friend’s CD, or even have a friend
who owns the album you want,
for that matter -- we’re left with
social norms and laws to make
people support the music they
enjoy. The norms are gone, if they
ever existed. Partly this is the
music industry’s fault; I
remember paying $19 for CDs in
the years before Napster, and it
later turned out that labels were
fixing prices. And partly this is
rank selfishness, hidden behind
modern teenagers’ widespread
belief that it’s a basic human right
to enjoy art -- the fruits of
someone else’s labor -- without
paying for it.
And what about the laws? Piracy
is illegal, and the music industry’s
attack dog, the Recording
Industry Association of America,
filed a flurry of lawsuits against
pirates when the problem took off.
The group gave up soon
thereafter, however, concluding
that these efforts were not
effective enough to offset the bad
PR they brought the music
industry. (A business group, the
ridiculous argument went, should
not sue its “customers.”) The
1998 Digital Millennium
Copyright Act, meanwhile,
encouraged Internet-service
providers (ISPs) to take down
infringing material when notified
by the copyright holder (in return,
they were let off the hook for
violations that occurred on their
service). This has made piracy
more difficult on the margins, but
clearly it has not eliminated the
problem: To this day, the majority
of downloaded music has not
been paid for.
#page#But the new report
mentions several countries that
seem to have found an effective
way to combat piracy. (The New
York Times has a good
summary.) This method is called
“graduated response,” and while
some ways of implementing it are
troubling, it proves that there is a
way for the U.S. to enforce
copyright law.
In some graduated-response
systems, such as the United
Kingdom’s, the government
deputizes ISPs as copyright cops -
- this would be the troubling part.
Copyright holders monitor
infringing services (such as the
program BitTorrent), identify
violators, and inform the ISPs.
The ISPs then warn the violators
and cut off Internet service if the
violations don’t stop.
#ad#These measures may cut
down on piracy, but if there’s one
thing the private sector shouldn’t
handle, it’s law enforcement.
Further, most ISPs won’t enforce
Newstablet Edition
copyright laws voluntarily -- if
they did, customers would simply
leave for ISPs that didn’t -- so the
only way to get this to work is by
government force, or at least by
giving the ISPs some kind of
incentive. In Ireland, one ISP
allows violators to escape
punishment if they sign up for the
company’s music-subscription
service.
France, however, has set up an
independent agency to handle
complaints, send warnings to
infringers, and take pirates to
court if need be. In one survey, 53
percent of violators said they had
stopped or slowed their infringing
activities. This is the path the U.S.
should follow.
Intellectual-property laws are
important because they ensure
that the people who create art are
paid for their work. Without these
protections, the biggest acts may
still make plenty of money from
touring, but developing artists will
find it difficult to support
themselves, even if they have
music on countless fans’ iPods.
Further, the lost revenue hurts
everyone whose employment is
connected to the industry, and
practical effects aside, piracy is
immoral and illegal. It’s time to
find a workable solution, and we
can start with graduated response.
--- Robert VerBruggen, an NR
associate editor, runs the Phi Beta
Cons blog. Robert VerBruggen
Newstablet Edition
Khomeini’s Return?
Arnold Ahlert (FrontPage
Magazine » FrontPage)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:50:58 PM
What happened in Tunisia
apparently hasn’t stayed in
Tunisia. Reportedly organized via
the website Facebook, 90,000
Egyptians agreed to demonstrate
in a “National Day of Wrath” on
Police Day, an Egyptian national
holiday. Demonstrators marched
in Alexandria, the Nile Delta
cities of Mansura and Tanta, and
the southern cities of Aswan and
Assiut, witnesses
reported. Thousands massed in
the capital city of Cairo,
congregating at the central Tahrir
(Liberation) Square on Tuesday
chanting, ”Down with Hosni
Mubarak, down with the tyrant.
We don’t want you!” All across
the Muslim world turmoil is
erupting — Tunisia, Egypt,
Lebanon, and now Yemen. The
frightening possibility is that,
rather than being a force for
liberation, these regional protests
may in fact be undermining
democracy by imperiling pro-
Western allies one-by-one and
fertilizing the soil for Khomeini-
like Islamic factions to gain
power and sow their killing fields.
It could be the Iranian Revolution
of 1979 all over again in these
nations, and if it is, it represents a
horrific scenario for Western and
Israeli interests — as well as for
the people who will find
themselves the victims of the
Islamist bloodbaths that will by
necessity ensue.
Despite claims by the Interior
Ministry that the Muslim
Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest
opposition group (although
legally banned), is to blame for
the mobilization, the Evening
Standard of London is reporting
that another opposition
group, Sixth of April Youth, was
responsible for the uprising.
”Tomorrow, don’t go to work.
Don’t go to college. We will all
go down to the streets and stand
hand in hand for you, our Egypt.
We will be millions,” one activist
wrote on its website. As in
Tunisia, where protesters were
apparently inspired by the death
of a poor Tunisian vegetable
vendor who set himself on fire to
protest corruption, Egyptians were
Politics-Right/ 81
reportedly aroused in similar
fashion by the killing of Khaled
Said, a young Egyptian who was
reportedly beaten to death by two
policemen in Alexandria last year.
Further reports revealed that both
Facebook and Twitter were
instrumental in the organization of
the demonstrations and their
coordination. Demands posted on
Facebook were far-reaching: the
protesters are insisting that
Mubarak and Prime Minister
Ahmed Nazif resign, that the
parliament be dissolved, and that
a national unity government be
instituted. In response, the
government has reportedly shut
down mobile phone and internet
networks, and blocked both
Twitter and Facebook accounts.
At the heart of the protests are a
dismal economy, an oppressive
government, and widespread
corruption. Egypt is a country of
83 million people,
approximately 60 percent of
whom are under 30. That
demographic also comprises 90
percent of the unemployed. About
40 percent live below the poverty
line, set by the World Bank at
$2.00 a day, and one-third of the
country is illiterate. Egypt is
ranked 138th out of 167 countries
on the Democracy Index, as
compiled by The Economist
magazine, a respected source for
measuring political freedom. As
recently as last November,
Egyptians rioted to protest what
they characterized as a “rigged”
KHOMEINI’S page 87
82 Politics-Right/ Newstablet Edition

Evil-Man Economics
Submitted at 1/28/2011 3:00:53 AM
have produced an analysis that bubble was cheered on by the went looking for somewhere to losses were concentrated in a
relies upon and reinforces the American government, the invest: Where better than the small number of firms, and
C hairman Phil Angelides and the mythology of the Left, producing American consumer, and the American mortgage market, because those firms were
Democratic majority on the a document that may as well have American banker, because nearly where a great many of the dramatically over-leveraged. If
F i n a n c i a l C r i s i s I n q u i r y been written by Rolling Stone’s everybody likes appreciating asset underlying loans were insured by there is a public-policy proposal
Commission have released their Matt “Vampire Squid” Taibbi, prices and the illusion of wealth the government or its proxies? to be extracted from this mess, it
r e p o r t , a t e x t b o o k - w o r t h y minus the literary flair. that accompanies them. When the Third, we would need to is that in a world of “too big to
example of the “Evil Man School Yes, this crisis was avoidable. To dot-com bubble burst, convince a great many Americans fail” banks -- and, like it or not,
of Economics.” Something went avoid it, we would have had to do Washington responded the way not to take out mortgages they that is the world in which we live
wrong, and a villain must be a number of things differently. Washington always responds: by could not afford should their -- large financial institutions
identified. This is tediously The first is to alert the authorities, slashing interest rates, hoping that houses fail to appreciate, and should be subject to tighter
familiar territory for those who beginning in the 1930s, that a sluice of cheap money and easy convince a great many financial leverage controls, with higher
have followed the political federal policies designed to credit sloshing through the managers not to make bad standards for capital reserves and
e s t a b l i s h m e n t ’ s y e a r s - l o n g encourage homeownership -- well economy would stimulate investments large enough to bring liquidity. That dry, technical
attempt to evade responsibility for -intentioned though they have productive economic activity, or down their firms. reform would solve most of the
the crisis of which it was a cause. been -- would create, and today the illusion of productive Mr. Angelides, formerly the problems that we might hope to
#ad#“We conclude this crisis was continue to sustain, a set of economic activity, sufficient to treasurer of California, should solve with new financial
avoidable,” they write. “The crisis economic incentives driving vast disguise the damage done by the know something about man-made regulation, but it would not
was the result of human action amounts of capital from around bubble. Having been burned by financial disasters. And the truth provide any emotional satisfaction
and inaction, not of Mother the world into the U.S. residential unprofitable start-ups at home and is that Goldman Sachs did not to those who wish to use this
Nature or computer models gone real-estate market. From the disappointing emerging-market cause this crisis, and neither did crisis to rail against executive
haywire.” That much is hardly Federal Housing Administration investments abroad, a great many Barney Frank. Bad investments, bonuses, which had almost
objectionable. But which human to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to Americans decided to invest that economics, and well-meaning nothing to do with the problem, or
actions? On that question, the the mortgage-interest deduction, easy money in houses. government policies caused it. to those who wish to sermonize
commission’s report is both U . S . g o v e r n m e n t p o l i c i e s Washington was keeping interest There were, and are, bad actors in about the alleged moral failings of
implausible and nakedly political: distorted the market, creating a rates down and encouraging the this story. But the main problems capitalism. Still less would it offer
T h e E v i l M e n a r e g r e e d y massive misallocation of capital loosening of mortgage-lending have been the natural limitations any political opportunity to
corporate executives and Wall under the naïve theory that standards; at the same time, on human knowledge, including former real-estate developer Phil
Street moneymen, and the crisis housing prices only move in one Washington’s creatures, Fannie the knowledge of government Angelides and his Wall
might have been averted if only direction: up. Mae and Freddie Mac, helped officials and the managers of Street–backed Democratic
they had been endowed with The second action would be to give the mortgage market enough large financial institutions. colleagues, who wish to use the
sufficient moral fiber -- or had an prevent the dot-com bubble of the liquidity to alarm Noah. They The dot-com bubble actually crisis as an opportunity to expand
appropriately mindful policeman 1990s, of which the housing- were helped mightily in that destroyed more wealth than did the size and scope of the
appointed over them, which is the market meltdown was both an endeavor by the rise of massive the decline in housing prices; the managerial state that did so much
real point of the Angelides report. echo and a consequence. Like the savings in China and elsewhere in housing meltdown became a crisis to create it. The Editors
Which is to say, the Democrats real-estate bubble, the dot-com the developing world, all of which because the related securities
TRUTH
continued from page 78

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Newstablet Edition
The Green Jobs Hustle
(The Front Page)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:01:00 AM
Fox News recently decided to
check up on the United Nations
Development Program, “the
U.N.’s flagship anti-poverty
agency,” and see how their big
initiative to create “green” jobs
was coming along.
The agency threw out a lot of
conflicting answers, eventually
coming up with a “curiously
specific” number of 5280 “green
jobs” created – a figure Fox
reporter George Russell gently
suggests they might have pulled
out of the united posteriors.(If that
number sounds strangely familiar,
it just happens to be the exact
number of feet in a mile.)
Stumbling through the billowing
clouds of smoke pouring out of
the UNDP, Russell tripped over
documentation that “appeared to
be in vast disarray,” in which
“portions of the electronic
paperwork appeared to have been
openly altered.”
The initial cost figure for those
5280 jobs provided by the UNDP,
$53.9 million, proved to be an
outright lie. With a little detective
work, Russell found the true cost
was $1.68 billion. That’s
$288,700 per “green job” created
– in countries where the per-
capita income ranges from a high
of about $13,000 per year, down
to a low of only $160 in the
Congo. The United States kicked
in $86.5 million to these U.N.
development projects last year.
Russell speculates that a lot of
this money simply vanished into
the hungry jaws of “government
and regulatory offices in countries
where corruption is often not
unknown, and perhaps to pay for
consultants who were helping
those officials renovate their
administrations.” Green jobs are
still fabulously expensive in the
United States, with our more
modest, Charles Rangel levels of
corruption. Depending on who
you ask, the cost per job ranges
from $50,000 to over $100,000
apiece.
The green jobs hustle is an
example of politicians attempting
to override the laws of basic
economics. A job is not a product
to be manufactured, or a gift that
can be bestowed by a benevolent
State. Jobs are the sustained
demand for labor, created in
response to opportunity. If the
economy wanted green jobs, it
would create them without
massive government subsidies –
which must be sustained over
long periods of time, since jobs
that vanish after a few months
don’t do much for the
unemployment rate.
Since the economy does not want
green jobs, the State must force
them into existence… and yes,
this is an exercise of compulsive
force, since it takes funds away
from taxpayers, and uses them to
force labor into channels
undesired by the private sector.
These green projects are far less
efficient and productive than
rational uses of energy and
industrial technology, so large
amounts of spending are
necessary to make the economy
accept them.
Throw in the corruption and
chaos of the United Nations, and
it’s easy to see how the already
appalling cost of American green
jobs would double or triple into
the figures hidden by shady U.N.
accounting. Efficient investment
of its funds was never the object
of the game for the UNDP
anyway. Russell writes of the
philosophical debate under way in
the environmentalist community:
“The old view was that poverty
and environmental decay went
hand in hand, as poor people
abused scarce natural resources in
the struggle to survive. The new
view is that the so-called “poverty
-environment nexus” can be
managed differently so that
environmentalist projects can lead
poor people to win new
employment and better standards
of living in the global ‘green
economy’ - especially at a time
when traditional anti-poverty aid
from budget-conscious Western
nations is drying up.”
So the Green answer to “poor
people abusing scarce natural
resources to survive” is not
helping those people to become
less poor, but rather building
expensive fences around those
natural resources, and turning
them into theme parks. Western
nations might not be keen on
traditional anti-poverty aid, but
Green moral tirades about “saving
the planet” will prompt them to
pony up for “green jobs” tending
fields of useless windmills, and
polishing acres of low-functioning
solar panels.
A new “Earth Summit” is
scheduled for Rio de Janeiro in
May 2012, where the agenda will
include giving “Increased
momentum to the notion of
“sustainable development in a
global green economy, and to
establish new instruments of
global governance to make those
changes permanent.” I’m sure that
permanent global government
would display all the fiduciary
responsibility and accounting
rigor of the United Nations
Development Program. Every
Republican presidential candidate
in 2012 should make it clear that
under his or her leadership,
America will take a pass on that
“global governance.” We have
plenty of corrupt bureaucracies on
our own soil, and we’re done
trying to conjure jobs by burning
huge piles of taxpayer money. It’s
just not environmentally sensitive.
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Politics-Right/ 83
Waivers for
Favors
(The Front Page)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 2:01:00 AM
President Obama's storytellers
recently launched a White House
blog series called "Voices of
Health Reform," where "readers
can meet average Americans
already benefiting from the health
reform law."
I propose a new White House
series: "Voices of Health Reform
Waivers," where taxpayers can
meet all the politically connected
unions benefiting from exclusive
get-out-of-ObamaCare passes --
after squandering millions of their
workers' dues to lobby for the job-
killing, private insurance-
sabotaging law from which they
are now exempt.
At the end of last year, the
Department of Health and Human
Services had granted some 222
temporary waivers to businesses
small and large, insurers, labor
and other organizations that offer
affordable health insurance or
prescription drug coverage with
limited benefits. On Wednesday,
the agency quietly updated its
online list, which now reveals a
whopping total of 729
ObamaCare escapees -- in
addition to four states,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio
and Tennessee -- who collectively
cover about 2.1 million enrollees.
At least one eyebrow-raising
WAIVERS page 84
84
WAIVERS
continued from page 83
waiver recipient -- the left-
leaning, nationalized health care-
promoting Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation -- has direct ties to the
White House. Obama health care
czar Nancy-Ann DeParle sits on
the foundation's board of trustees.
Most noteworthy: One-fourth of
all the waivers (182) so far have
gone to Big Labor groups across
the country.
The Teamsters Union, which
hailed Obama last March for
"enacting historic health care
reform, providing health
insurance to millions of
Americans who don't have it and
controlling costs for millions
more who do," obtained waivers
for 17 different locals.
The United Food and
Commercial Workers
International Union (UFCW),
which celebrated the passage of
Obamacare as "an achievement
that will rank among the highest
in our national experience,"
secured waivers for 28 different
affiliates.
The International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers -- which
exulted after the health care law's
passage that "finally, affordable
and comprehensive health care
coverage will be available for
millions of working Americans" -
- saw eight of its affiliates win
shelter from the Obamacare
wrecking ball.
The Communications Workers of
America, which sent its workers
to lobby for Obamacare on
Capitol Hill as part of the left-
wing billionaire George Soros-
funded Health Care for America
Now front group, snagged a
waiver that will spare a hefty
19,000 of its members from the
onerous federal mandate.
And the Service Employees
International Union, which poured
$60 million into Democratic/
Obama coffers in 2008 and
millions more into the campaign
for the federal health care
takeover, added four new
affiliates to the waiver list: SEIU
Local 2000 Health and Welfare
Fund, representing 161 enrollees;
SEIU 32BJ North Health Benefit
Fund, representing 7,020
enrollees; SEIU Local 300, Civil
Service Forum Employees
Welfare Fund, representing 2,000
enrollees; and SEIU Health &
Welfare Fund, representing 1,620
enrollees.
That's in addition to three other
previous SEIU waiver winners:
Local 25 SEIU in Chicago with
31,000 enrollees; Local 1199
SEIU Greater New York Benefit
Fund with 4,544 enrollees; and
SEIU Local 1 Cleveland Welfare
Fund with 520 enrollees. This
brings the total number of
Obamacare-promoting SEIU
Obamacare refugees to an
estimated 45,000 workers
represented by seven SEIU locals.
Without the HHS-approved
exemptions, these health
providers would have been forced
to drop low-cost coverage for
seasonal, part-time and low-wage
workers due to skyrocketing
premiums. The only way they are
keeping their health care is by
successfully begging the feds to
spare them from Obamacare.
The Democrats' law seeks to
eliminate the low-cost plans
(known as "mini-med" plans)
under the guise of controlling
insurer spending on executive
salaries and marketing. The
Newstablet Edition
ultimate goal, as I've reported
before: forcing a massive shift
from private to public insurance
designed by government-knows-
best bureaucrats.
House and Senate Republicans
plan separate investigations of the
Obamacare waiver process. Who
got one when and why? Who
knew whom? Who didn't? HHS
acknowledged Thursday that
some 50 sanctuary-seekers had
their waiver applications denied,
but would not say more. Perhaps
the White House storytellers, so
eager to profile the "Voices of
Health Reform," can enlighten us.
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Newstablet Edition
Skinning the Cap-and-Trade Cat with Clean
Energy Standards
Nicolas Loris (The Foundry:
Conservative Policy News.)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:00:26 PM
Posted January 28th, 2011 at
2:00pm in Energy and
Environment Print This Post
Speaking before a new Congress
in his State of the Union address,
President Obama gave an
alternative suggestion for
Congress now that cap and trade
is out of the picture. He pitched an
aggressive clean energy standard,
saying he wants 80 percent of our
electricity to come from carbon-
free sources of energy by 2035.
For reference, the Energy
Information Administration shows
that carbon-free sources generated
31 percent of our total electricity
in 2009 (20 percent nuclear, 7
percent hydroelectric, and 4
percent other renewables). As
Kim Strassel points out in today’s
Wall Street Journal, a clean
energy standard is cap and trade
without the carbon revenue:
It’s also cap and trade by another
name. Consider: The goal of cap
and trade is to impose crushing
taxes on fossil fuels—oil, coal,
natural gas—thereby forcing
utilities to switch to costly
renewables. Under Mr. Obama’s
new proposal, the government
skips the tax part and outright
requires the use of costly
renewables. The result is the
same: dramatically higher energy
Politics-Right/ 85
PUNKING
continued from page 79
of this ideology and still amuse.
It’s like trying to tell jokes at a
funeral.
FP: I know you joked about
beauty of the market. The
possible book-burnings in our
President pointed to the
earlier interview but have such
importance of innovation in
things actually materialized?
creating cars, planes, the Internet,
Rawsthorn e: It’s early yet. The
Facebook, and Google.
left’s rabid Palinphobia and
Minute later, however, when
assorted anti-right hysterics which
discussing a clean energy
set in after the Tucson massacre
standard, President Obama
this month nicely publicized their
remarked, “Now, clean energy
witch-trial viciousness, which
breakthroughs will only translate
even the liberal/left NYTimes has
into clean energy jobs if
admitted now. I wouldn’t mind if
businesses know there will be a
they turned their Salem Spotlight
market for what they’re selling.”
temporarily on me next, it would
Guaranteed shares in the
be great publicity which my book
marketplace remove the process
needs because America has to
of innovation the President
wake up to the Left and my book
praised earlier in his speech.
helps with that on a humorous
prices, from carbon-free sources. energy—but including nuclear A clean energy standard may level. But that seems to
Now you know why even climate and clean-coal lures increases the reward certain energy producers
particularly bother them judging
warrior John Kerry was so probability of passage and also in the short term but will hurt both from some of my mail… humor is
sanguine about the president’s increases the grab bag of special producers and consumers in the
a primal irritant, even dogs
failure to say “climate change” in interests. Strassel explains that long run because it eliminates recognize and hate laughter at
h i s s p e e c h . “ I ’ m v e r y President Obama will“lure c o m p e t i t i o n , r e d u c e s t h e
their expense and it’s especially
s y m p a t h e t i c , ” s a i d t h e Republicans into negotiations, incentives to lower costs, and loathed by dictators and
Massachusetts senator, who then cement their support with e n c o u r a g e s g o v e r n m e n t
dictatorial ideologies.
clearly got the strategy memo. lavish energy pork for their home- dependence. Political winners are FP: How much of the book is
A clean energy standard forces state nuclear, clean-coal, wind, market losers, and it’s the
new, never-before-seen material
Americans to use more expensive biofuels and solar projects. As a consumer who suffers. vs. older cartoons already
energy sources. If these energy bonus, the plan gives cover to This entry passed through the
viewable at your blog?
sources were cost-competitive, nervous coal state Democrats.” Full-Text RSS service — if this is Rawsthorne: There are about 80
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new cartoons plus a few dozen
government-guaranteed share of remarks in his State of the Union on someone else's site, please read small vignettes but I don’t have
the electricity market. d e m o n s t r a t e t h e e c o n o m i c our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/
the patience to go through and
A clean energy standard is less impracticality of a clean energy content-only/faq.php count them all. I already
o n e r o u s t h a n a r e n e w a b l e standard. He first (correctly) said, Five Filters featured article:
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e l e c t r i c i t y s t a n d a r d — w h i c h “None of us can predict with Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In times which is longer than any
mandates that a predetermined certainty what the next big The Crosshairs.
decent person should be forced to
percentage of electricity must industry will be, or where the new spend with this family. Aside
come from government-selected jobs will come from.” This is the
from the brand new material I
PUNKING page 88
86 Politics-Right/
The Muslim Brotherhood on the March
Rich Trzupek (FrontPage
Magazine » FrontPage)
Submitted at 1/27/2011 10:43:48 PM
It took the opposition in Tunisia
only a month to get rid of
President Zine el-Abidine Ben
Ali, who fled the country two
weeks ago after twenty-three
years of control. Inspired and
emboldened by that success,
Egyptian opposition forces have
amassed a fierce popular uprising
against their own strongman,
Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled
since 1981. The fires of discontent
in the region continue to grow:
today is expected to be the worst
day of Egyptian protests since
they began and now, Yemen has
succumbed to the wave of unrest
that is slowly sweeping through
North Africa and the Middle East.
We thus appear to be entering a
very disconcerting phase in the
development of the Muslim
world. If dissidents are successful
in effecting regime change in key
nations, the West should be very
concerned about whoever fills the
vacuums of power thus created.
Indeed, it could be Iran 1979 all
over again — and the Muslim
Brotherhood is on the march.
Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Ali
Abdallah Salih in Yemen are
hardly ideal American friends, but
they have at least done their part
to keep their countries’ aggressive
Islamist factions at bay in an area
where options are very much
limited in this regard.
Islamist forces in Yemen and
Egypt are waiting in the wings as
we speak, eager to capitalize on
escalating protests which have so
far not been principally motivated
by Islamic radicalism. A coalition
of left-leaning organizations and
youth groups, long-opposed to the
Mubarak regime, joined together
to orchestrate protests in Egypt.
These included Kifaya (Enough),
the youth-based 6th of April
Movement, Karama, The Popular
Democratic Movement for
Change (HASHD), the National
Association for Change, the
Justice and Freedom Youth
movement, and the Revolutionary
Socialists. Free lance journalist
Yasmine El Rashidi was in Cairo
for the protests and blogged
extensively on events for the New
York Review of Books. She
reports that the movement is
largely youth-based and non-
sectarian:
To lobby support, the activists
used Twitter and Facebook,
targeting above all the 60 percent
of Egypt’s 80 million people who
are under the age of 25. …In
Newstablet Edition
Shubra, we joined a marching
procession of about one hundred
people, mainly Muslims, who
were moving slowly through
narrow, muddy streets, led by
activists chanting into a speaker:
“Christian or Muslim it’s not
important, similar poverty similar
concerns! Hosni Mubarak, Hosni
Mubarak, the plane is waiting, the
plane is waiting. Saudi Arabia is
not far!
Protests in Yemen seem to have
been well-organized as well. The
“Joint Meeting Parties” is an
umbrella group representing a
number of groups who oppose
Salih’s rule. As the situation in
Tunisia was heating up, the Joint
Meeting Parties decided that their
time had come. Thus far the
protests, by all reports, have been
peaceful and the response of the
government restrained. Yet, the
Joint Meeting Parties say that they
will continue to ramp up the
pressure on Salih’s regime,
although the organization
promises to utilize only non-
violent means of protest.
Newstablet Edition Politics-Right/ 87
KHOMEINI’S
Remembering Challenger: 25 Years continued from page 81

parliamentary election, when “domino effect” in a country

Later President Mubarak’s ruling

National Democratic Party won
most of that chamber’s 518 seats.
where protests have usually drawn
no more than a few hundred
people at any one time. Yet the
Rory Cooper (The Foundry: and dreamers. hide our space program. We don’t
Conservative Policy News.) Mubarak has ruled the country government itself may have
On the evening of January 28, keep secrets and cover things up.
for 30 years, ever since Egypt’s played an integral part in allowing
Submitted at 1/28/2011 12:00:44 PM P resident Ronald Reagan We do it all up front and in
last leader, Anwar Sadat, was the demonstrations to gain
addressed the nation from the public. That’s the way freedom is,
Posted January 28th, 2011 at Oval Office. In a moment that assassinated in 1981. Ostensibly, momentum: according to
and we wouldn’t change it for a
1:00pm in Ongoing Priorities helped define the character and Mubarak is up for re-election this Reuters, several police officers
minute. We’ll continue our quest
Print This Post year, but there is widespread reported they were “under orders
compassion of Reagan’s in space.”
Today, America marks the 25 th presidency, he spoke directly to speculation that the 82-year-old not to force a confrontation.” It is
In less than five minutes,
anniversary of the space shuttle those school children, when he ruler may retire due to health speculated that the Egyptian
President Reagan mourned with a
Challenger tragedy. On January said: “I know it is hard to issues, including surgery last year. authorities did not want “an
nation, honored its lost heroes and
28, 1986, America lost seven understand, but sometimes painful Many Egyptians fear that escalation as in Tunisia, where a
demonstrated our collective
brave explorers – Dick Scobee, things like this happen. It’s all Mubarak is setting up his son, rising number of deaths and
resolve. As Reagan told the
Michael Smith, Ellison Onizuka, part of the process of exploration Gamal, to succeed him. Yet in a casualties only served to fire up
nation: “The crew of the space
Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, and discovery. It’s all part of stunning development, Arabic protesters.”
shuttle Challenger honored us by
Gregory Jarvis and Christa taking a chance and expanding website Akhbar al-Arab reports The number of demonstrators has
the manner in which they lived
M c A u l i f f e – w h e n N A S A man’s horizons. The future that Gamal Mubarak has fled to been estimated at 20,000 country-
their lives. We will never forget
suffered its first-ever in-flight doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; London with his family. wide, but such numbers are
them, nor the last time we saw
loss. Rising food prices are unreliable because the
it belongs to the brave. The them, this morning, as they
The loss of the Challenger Challenger crew was pulling us contributing to the country’s woes demonstrations were spread out,
prepared for the journey and
m a r k e d o n e o f t h o s e v i v i d into the future, and we’ll continue as well, a reality reflected and the state-controlled media has
waved goodbye and ‘slipped the
moments in our nation’s history to follow them.” by Sami Imam, a 53-year-old downplayed their impact. By
surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the
that are unforgettable, including President Reagan also committed retired teacher who took part in contrast, an official statement
face of God.’”
where you watched it, heard of it t o c o n t i n u i n g A m e r i c a ’ s Tuesday’s protests. ”I have not from the Interior Ministry
This entry passed through the
or how you grieved. For millions exploration of space despite the visited the butcher in six months,” estimated the crowd to be “10,000
Full-Text RSS service — if this is
of Generation Xers, they were in tragedy, and celebrated the he said. Mr. Imam also said gathered in one central square of
your content and you're reading it
their school rooms, cafeterias and openness of our space program something that might encapsulate Cairo alone,” raising the
on someone else's site, please read
libraries set to witness the historic despite the challenges our nation the reason why so many possibility that the number of
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flight of Christa McAuliffe, a faced during the Cold War: “I’ve Egyptians, who have long feared Egyptians demanding change is
content-only/faq.php
teacher from Concord, New always had great faith in and the legendary brutality of Egypt’s far greater than currently known.
Five Filters featured article:
Hampshire whose flight was respect for our space program, 1.4 million strong security forces, The state news agency said 90
Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In
scheduled to inspire future and what happened today does took to the streets: “The police people were arrested in Cairo,
The Crosshairs.
generations of explorers, scientists nothing to diminish it. We don’t cannot kill us because we, to all with a judicial source adding that
practical purposes (sic), are 64 people were detained in
already dead.” Alexandria.
That sentiment seems to reflect
the current reality which some in
the media are referring to as a
“tipping point,” the “crossing of a
psychological barrier” or a
88 Politics-Right/
SPUTNIK
continued from page 77
engineering, and math teachers
will probably result, if enacted, in
the hiring of a new cohort of
propagandists for whatever scare
the environmentalists have
cooked up this month. If America
were going to hire 10,000 math
and science teachers of the quality
we had in 1958, it might be worth
it. Now, however, teachers
who’ve been trained to believe in
the “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”
and whose vision of America
owes more to Howard Zinn than
to Samuel Eliot Morison are
going to be no more competent at
teaching molecular biology than
they are at teaching why the
Battle of Midway is important.
In addition, the president did not
address the broad failure of
America’s engineering schools to
adapt to the complexities of
today’s high-performance
PUNKING
continued from page 85
included about 150 older cartoons
and massively cleaned them up in
terms of drawing quality and
character consistency.
FP: You quote Shakespeare at the
outset of the book—any specific
reason for this choice?
Rawsthorne: Initially I just
wanted to class up the joint with
that quote from Lear but like all
of Shakespeare the play
demonstrates profoundly
conservative ideas and it’s very
obvious that Shakespeare had
common sense about, for
example, human evil– marking
him as a conservative. Edgar is
technology. Only a few mavericks
understand that the old design
habits of systems engineers that
worked so well on the Apollo
program are ill suited to the needs
of today’s projects. Our
universities, corporations, and
entrepreneurs need to rethink the
way engineers are trained. No
amount of federal money can
substitute for this lack of
leadership.
When President Obama said that
“we didn’t know how we’d beat
them to the moon,” and that “the
science wasn’t there yet,” he was
misinformed. German Walter
Holman worked out the basic
mathematics of getting to the
moon in 1916. In America, Robert
Goddard published the basic
principles of liquid-engine rockets
in 1920, though his argument was
controversial at the time. (The
the arch-villain of the piece (or
one of them; it’s like an MSNBC
roundtable, this play). At one
point he speaks the following
lines, and in so doing voices and
mocks one of liberalism’s
definitive beliefs: that wrongdoers
are often not responsible for their
misdeeds, it’s Society or a bad
upbringing or Sarah Palin that’s to
blame. Shakespeare poetically
makes mincemeat of this notion in
no uncertain terms.
“This is the excellent foppery of
the world,
that when we are sick in fortune,
often the surfeits
New York Times editorial page
said he “seems to lack the
knowledge ladled out daily in our
high schools.” On July 20, 1969,
as Neil Armstrong and Buzz
Aldrin walked on the moon, the
paper published a correction.)
The “Sputnik Moment” was a
very real moment in American
history. It just doesn’t mean what
President Obama thinks it does.
--- Taylor Dinerman is a senior
editor at the Hudson Institute's
New York branch and co-author
of the forthcoming Towards a
Theory of Spacepower: Selected
Essays, from National Defense
University Press. Taylor
Dinerman
of our own behavior, we make
guilty of our disasters
the sun, the moon, and stars; as if
we were
villains on necessity; fools by
heavenly compulsion;
knaves, thieves, and treachers by
spherical
predominance; drunkards, liars,
and adulterers by
an enforced obedience of
planetary influence; and
all that we are evil in, by a divine
thrusting on.”
FP: Anything you’d like to point
out about the format of the book?
Rawsthorn e: I put a couple
Hands Off My Purse!
Why Money Bills
Originate in the House
Julia Shaw
Posted (The Foundry:
January 28th, 2011 at
11:00am in First Principles Print
different contests in there with
real prizes. If you come up with
the best funny caption to a
particular cartoon I’ve featured
you can win a pretty valuable
prize. Plus there’s a “Find the
Conservative Element in the Lane
Home” contest. This is sort of
like one of those hidden picture
things on the back of a cereal box
except that you have to provide
the cereal yourself.
Newstablet Edition
This PostHANDS page 88
The House of Representatives is
HANDS
continued from page 88
not merely a larger Senate. The
Constitution divided the
legislative branch into two
Houses, with different
constituencies, term lengths, sizes,
and functions for each house. For
example, only the Senate offers
advice and consent on treaties and
appointments of judges and
executive officials. And as Erik
M. Jensen explains in his
Constitutional Guidance for
Lawmakers essay, only the House
of Representatives holds the
power to raise revenue – an
essential element of the power of
HANDS page 89
Newstablet Edition
HANDS
continued from page 88
the purse.
Federalist No. 58 described the
House’s power over the purse
as“as the most complete and
effectual weapon with which any
constitution can arm the
immediate representatives of the
people, for obtaining a redress of
every grievance, and for carrying
into effect every just and salutary
measure.” In recent years,
however, the Senate has usurped
the House’s prerogative. The
Senate has construed its power to
amend bills so broadly as to
replace the entire text of revenue
bills that had originated in the
House. Members of the House of
Representatives should be more
zealous in protecting their
HOW TO: Optimize
Your Company’s
Adam
AdamKleinberg
Kleinberg(Mashable!)
is co-founder
and CEO at Traction, an
exclusive duty. Next time the
Senate attempts to usurp the
House’s power over bills of
revenue, members of the House
shouldn’t be afraid to say: “
Hands off my purse!”
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The Crosshairs.
interactive
HOWagency that aligns
page 90
psychology with technology to
Social Media/ 89
Leaders React to Communication
Blackout at World Economic Forum
in Davos [VIDEO]
Vadim Lavrusik (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:00:09 PM
As protests in Egypt continued to
intensify and get more violent,
leaders gathered in Davos,
Switzerland for the World
Economic Forum addressed the
protests and communication
shutdown in the country.
Speaking to reporters at the
Forum, United Nations Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon condemned
Egypt’s authorities for the Internet
takedown, warning that “freedom
of expression should be fully
respected.” He said the decision to
cut Internet access off prior to said in a session on mobile to be more engaged. It also asked
planned protests was against devices that Egyptian authorities how governments and businesses
democratic principles of asked his company to “turn down should operate in a hyper-
expression and association. the network totally,” which the connected world. And that’s a
However, what is clearly absent company had to comply with question we’d love for our readers
from the forum are members of because of Egyptian law, to discuss in the comments below.
the official Egyptian delegation, according to T he Wall Street More About: davos, Egypt,
who pulled out from participating Journal. internet, protests, video, world
just before it started. Participants Delegates also discussed, in economic forum
of the exclusive gathering interviews with CNN, whether the For more Video coverage:
generally avoided discussing the “social media-led” unrest in Egypt • Follow Mashable Video on
Egypt protests in panels, but was a growing trend in Africa and Twitter
concerns around the unrest were the Middle East: • Become a Fan on Facebook
still a topic of discussion for Interestingly, a panel on “ • Subscribe to the Video channel
attendees. Leading in a Hyper-Connected • Download our free apps for
World” addressed how a Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Vittorio Colao, CEO of Vodafone
G r o u p P L C ,
telecommunications company,
a connected world is enabling
people who share common values
90
HOW
continued from page 89
create ideas that work. Look for
Traction’s LinkedIn page and free
toolkit. Catch him tweeting
at@adamkleinberg and blogging
at tractionco.com/blog.
Boasting 90 million users,
LinkedIn is one of the social
media titans. For business
professionals, it has become an
essential tool for staying
connected to their business
network.
But for companies, there’s been
little reason to pay attention to
their presence there. LinkedIn has
been about individuals, not
organizations. LinkedIn
Companies existed, but offered
little in the way of functionality.
That has now changed.
In November, LinkedIn quietly
introduced an upgrade to
LinkedIn Companies that makes it
both a critical and powerful tool
for managing your company’s
digital presence (especially if you
market B2B).
Here’s a primer to help you plan
and make the most of some of the
powerful new features on
LinkedIn Companies. The Basics
The basic features have not
changed since previous iterations
of LinkedIn Companies. (In fact,
if I have one criticism of the new
version it’s the utter lack of
integration between the new
features and old. The new ones all
live under one tab.) You can
upload a logo, add a paragraph
describing your business, list
contacts and attach their profiles.
There’s a decent chance someone
at your company has already done
this. Other legacy features include
the ability to post job listings.
LinkedIn also automatically
displays the profiles of employees
and new hires. This can be a great
tool for business development
pros because they can quickly
discover the people with the
“right” job titles at companies
they are targeting.
Unfortunately, LinkedIn does this
by keyword association, so there
is a significant degree of
inaccuracy in the profiles listed.
Of the forty-four “employees”
listed for my agency, at least ten
are from other companies with
similar names. Allowing
administrative control over this
would be nice. Products &
Services
The biggest new feature of
LinkedIn Companies is the
addition of the Products &
Services tab. Your company can
list each of its products or
services, upload a 100 x 80 pixel
icon and description of each, and
create a bullet list of attributes.
Pretty standard, right?
This is where we begin to have
fun and start to build a really
powerful marketing tool. The first
thing you’ll notice when you visit
a souped-up page is the
“carousel.” Through a simple
admin tool, you can upload three
whopping 640 x 220 banners
(JPEG, GIF or PNG, no Flash)
that rotate on the page and link to
specific URLs that you designate.
Obviously, these can be landing
pages set up to generate leads.
You can also go with a softer sell
— my agency put up ads driving
toward case studies in our website
portfolio.
The impact of these is substantial
and the fact that LinkedIn allows
you to create links that take users
away from their website (and
advertising revenue) is to be
applauded. YouTube Videos
You can now also embed a
YouTube video on the Overview
page and each of the individual
Products & Services pages you
create. When done well, video is a
powerful tool to convey your
message to customers. This is a
huge opportunity to engage
people in a contextually relevant
manner. You can use a different
video on every page and
embedding them is as simple as
copying and pasting a URL from
YouTube. Recommendations
Probably the most important new
feature is the ability to solicit
recommendations from your
customers for each of your
products or services. This works
just like the Recommendations
feature does on an individual
LinkedIn profile. You’ll want to
take the time to edit the default
message when asking for an
endorsement.
This will soon become a vital
reference checkpoint that people
use before doing business with
your company. According to
Forrester Research (in
Groundswell), 83% of us say we
are at least somewhat influenced
by word-of-mouth. While the
highly edited “Success Stories” on
your website may
comprehensively cover the
breadth of benefits and messages
you want to convey, their impact
is no match for a three sentence
endorsement attached to the
personal profile of an enthusiastic
customer.
LinkedIn has elected to give you
administrative approval over
which testimonials go on your
profile. Users are savvy and will
recognize this, so don’t think
Recommendations can replace
actually having good products and
services. Google is only a click
away. Audiences
This is where LinkedIn
Companies gets powerful.
LinkedIn allows you to
completely customize how you
present your products and services
to distinct audience segments.
If your ears just perked up, you
may work for a company with a
diverse customer base or product
offering. Or maybe you’re a
marketer who knows that creating
content that is relevant to your
target is essential for provoking
engagement, inciting response and
maximizing ROI.
Either way, you’re probably
realizing that this is not something
you’re going to do in one
afternoon. You’re going to want
to be strategic in your approach
and thoughtful about the content
you create.
Taking advantage of Audiences
may take strategic planning, but it
won’t take technical acumen.
LinkedIn lets you easily “Create
an audience segment,” select its
attributes (job title, seniority,
company size, industry, location,
etc.) with a few clicks and then
edit a clone of your base company
profile. Offers and Campaigns
Newstablet Edition
Each product or service (for each
audience segment) also has a
placeholder for a unique offer
associated with it. For example,
you can easily create an offer for
a free white paper or a free
coupon for your tasty and
delicious consumer packaged
good.
Once you’ve got your products
and services all set up, you can
create targeted Campaigns to
drive traffic to your profile.
LinkedIn has a self-service tool
with simple filtering options to
find the right audience. Self-
service is a good thing because it
means you don’t have to be a big
company with a big budget to
start generating traffic, leads and
revenue.
The system works a lot like
Google AdWords. You can create
multiple versions of your
campaign — up to fifteen of them
— to see what works best. You
can set a daily budget and a
maximum bid for either clicks or
CPMs (cost per thousand views).
And you can set campaigns to run
indefinitely or until a specific
date. Analytics
Lastly, it wouldn’t be digital if
you couldn’t measure it. LinkedIn
has some nice charts that allow
you to view your performance in
terms of page views, visitors,
clicks on various types of content
visits by industry and followers.
What I really like is that
LinkedIn compares your
performance in each of these
categories with similar
HOW page 91
Newstablet Edition
HOW
continued from page 90
companies, so you have a
contextually relevant benchmark.
I don’t like that I can’t export any
of these charts to Excel or embed
them in a dashboard. But hey, a
guy can dream, right?
Overall, I think LinkedIn
Companies could become as
important to brands as websites or
Facebook Pages. It’s worth taking
the time to do them well to
harness the power these new
features can provide. More
Business Resources from
Mashable:
- 10 Online Strategies for Your
Next Product Launch
- What to Look For When Hiring
a Community Manager
- 8 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Get
More Out of Twitter
- 5 Masterminds Redefining
Social Media Marketing
- 24 Professional Events &
Organizations for Social Media
Strategists
Image courtesy of Flickr, nan
palmero
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how to, linkedin, linkedin
companies, social media
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coverage:
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Finance/ 91
Egyptian Civil Strife Sends Oil
Close To $100 On Suez Canal Fears
(Forbes.com: News)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:04:31 PM
Protests in Egypt are sending the
markets down and oil up. (Picture
- REUTERS)
Investors have their eyes on
Egypt as civil unrest in the North
African country has progressively
escalated into a full blown crisis
with international repercussions.
Beyond the obvious and
inexcusable human cost, the
protests against Hosni Mubarak’s
30-year reign have hit the
sovereign debt and equity
markets, and are working their
way through the oil and gold
markets.
As Egypt’s youth battles the
police’s rubber bullets and tear
Telecom, property of the wealthy unrest that seriously threatened
gas with Molotov cocktails and
Sawiris family, headed by Onsi economic and financial
rocks, Egyptian equity markets
Sawiris(founder of Oracom, performance and the economic
have been taking an expected
ranked 307 in Forbes’ World reform process would lead to a
beating. The EGX30 equity index
Billionaires List) and his two rating downgrade.
lost 10.5% on Thursday January
sons, Nassef(ranked 127) and In its release, the ratings agency
27 hitting its lowest level in 19
Naguib(374). noted that the Egyptian economy
months. Providing easy access to
Authorities in Egypt have was on course to grow 6% this
Egyptian equities, the Market
blocked out internet and mobile year, a requirement to absorb
Vectors Egypt ETF (EGPT) has
phone access in an attempt to “new entrants into the labor
taken a dive as well hitting its
disrupt the protests, as reported by market.” But the country’s
lowest level ever on Friday 28 at
my colleague Olson ( Egypt Goes problems are based on youth
less than $16. The fall comes
Dark, Cuts Off Internet and unemployment, estimated at much
amidst soaring volumes;
Mobile Networks). Meanwhile, higher than the country-wide
MarketWatch reports that
Fitch has lowered its outlook on average of 9%, and food price
Thursday’s more than 330,000
Egyptian sovereign debt to inflation, at 17% and supported by
shares traded in the morning mark
negative from stable. Richard heavy subsidies. Riots in Tunisia,
its greatest volume ever by more
Fox, head of Fitch’s Middle East which forced president Zine El
than three times. The ETF’s
and East Africa sovereign ratings, Abidine Ben Ali to dissolve the
largest holdings include Orascom
warned that “a continuation or
Construction and Orascom EGYPTIAN page 92
intensification of significant
92 Finance/
Is China Taking Over the Globalization Agenda?
(Forbes.com: News)
Submitted at 1/28/2011 1:02:26 PM
On the heels of Forbes’ meeting
with the World Bank comes news
that China has surpassed the
World Bank in lending to the
developing world. The Financial
Times estimates that over the past
two years, China has made an
estimated $110 billion worth of
loans to Africa, South America
and the Middle East. With China
taking center stage in the U.S.
political arena, could it also be
taking over the globalization
agenda?
The development goals of China
stand in stark contrast to those of
the World Bank according to
Jamie Metzl, executive vice
president of the Asia Society.
“The key difference between
World Bank loans and China’s
loans is that Chinese investments
are not being made from an
economic perspective, but from a
strategic and national security
one. China has national security
motives in gaining access to
natural resources and in gaining
political support.” Sudan, for
example, sells two-thirds of its oil
to China and in exchange is
provided with tanks, combat
aircraft, small arms and
investment funds, despite the civil
conflict and human rights
violations in Darfur. In 2007,
Chinese President Hu Jintao
announced that China would
forgive $70 million in Sudanese
debt and enter into a series of
bilateral economic deals,
including an interest-free loan of
$12.9 million for a new
presidential palace.
Loans from China typically carry
different terms than World Bank
loans. In the case of China’s
involvement in Africa, Robert
Rotberg, editor of the book China
into Africa, says, “China loans
[are] in exchange for resources,
which its companies extract
themselves using Chinese labor,
so in essence it’s fake lending.
The Chinese rarely expect those
loans to be paid back.” According
to a paper published by David
Mitchell of the Center for
Strategic and International
Studies, China canceled $1.2
billion in debt from 31 African
countries in 2000 and added
another $750 million in debt
forgiveness in 2003. World Bank
loans, on the other hand, come
with expectations of transparency
and anti-corruption measures to
ensure good governance in
recipient countries. Metzl argues
that China’s loans are
emboldening undemocratic and
autocratic leaders in developing
nations: “We [the West] can’t be
too sanguine about the past 40
years of development strategies in
Africa. At the same time, it’s hard
to believe that propping up rogue
leaders with unconditional loans
can be a good thing. Without
better governance, Africa is going
nowhere. If countries get money
that supports the position of the
government elites, then there’s no
pressure to reform.”
With loans being doled out by
China, no strings attached, what
does this mean for the World
Bank and its agenda? According
to Metzl, “China will undermine
the efficacy of the World Bank.”
He does not consider Chinese
loans as development aid.
Furthermore, “African countries
are being bombarded with cheap
Chinese consumer products. This
makes the possibility of Africa
developing a low-end production
base extremely difficult. There
just aren’t a lot of growth
prospects with these loans.” he
says. But perhaps there’s at least
something gained from a bottom-
line perspective. Mr. Rotberg
argues, “They [the World Bank
and Chinese Development banks]
have different roles. The World
Bank is a transparent
organization. The Chinese can
lend however they want. This
means projects that wouldn’t
otherwise get done, are
undertaken.”
Readers, what do you think? Is
China taking over the
globalization agenda, and if so, it
that a good thing?
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Newstablet Edition
EGYPTIAN
continued from page 91
government, were sparked by
spiking food costs and poverty in
the fellow North African country.
Fears that a global food crisis is
around the corner have fueled
speculation of contagion across
North Africa and eventually the
Middle East. (Read On the Verge
of a Global Food Crisis).
Sovereign debt and commodity
prices have gone haywire as well.
Bloomberg reports that “Egyptian
government’s dollar bonds due
April 2020 fell, sending yields to
a record high. Yields on the debt
rose 30 basis points to 6.61
percent at 3 p.m. in London,
extending this week’s increase to
89 basis points, [while] the cost to
insure the country’s debt against
default for five years rose 11 basis
points from yesterday, to 387,
according to CMA prices.” And
by midday, the Journal reported
the credit-default swaps of
Egyptian sovereign debt had
spiked 450 basis points (the cost
of insuring $10 million of
Egyptian sovereign debt over 5
years would be $450,000). A
huge spike yes, yet insuring
Egyptian debt is still cheaper than
its Portuguese, Irish, and Greek
Equivalents.
The situation could have ripple
effects worldwide if the Suez
Canal becomes jeopardized or
even shut down. According to
Canaccord Genuity, “this may be
impactful as approximately 1.8
million bb/d of oil was
transported through the Suez
Canal in 2009. A closure of the
EGYPTIAN page 93
Newstablet Edition
EGYPTIAN
continued from page 92
canal would result in an extra
6,000 miles of travel for any oil
being transported out of the
region, an additional cost which
could drive up oil prices.”
International oil prices are already
racing towards the $100 a barrel
mark. Brent crude oil contracts
for March, “the global
benchmark,” hit their highest
level since late 2008 at $99.63 per
barrel on January 28. West Texas
Intermediate March futures were
up 4.2% to $89.21. Even gold
began to pick up, with Comex
February gold spiking in tandem
with oil, up 1.7% on January 28 to
$1,341.20.
The outcome of any massive
uprising is unpredictable. It is
especially so in Egypt, where 30
years of uninterrupted rule by
93
Hosni Mubarak, who succeeded
president Anwar Sadat after his
assassination in 1981 (see video
below), are being questioned by
an angry youth movement and
dissident politicians like Nobel
peace laureate and former head of
the International Atomic Energy
Agency, Mohamed El Baradei.
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