truesee's Blog

http://www.ajc.com/sports/ex-raiders-qb-russell-564716.html

Punishing the Jobless

PAUL KRUGMAN

The News York Times

July 4, 2010

 

There was a time when everyone took it for granted that unemployment insurance, which normally terminates after 26 weeks, would be extended in times of persistent joblessness. It was, most people agreed, the decent thing to do.

But that was then. Today, American workers face the worst job market since the Great Depression, with five job seekers for every job opening, with the average spell of unemployment now at 35 weeks. Yet the Senate went home for the holiday weekend without extending benefits. How was that possible? 

The answer is that we’re facing a coalition of the heartless, the clueless and the confused. Nothing can be done about the first group, and probably not much about the second. But maybe it’s possible to clear up some of the confusion. 

By the heartless, I mean Republicans who have made the cynical calculation that blocking anything President Obama tries to do — including, or perhaps especially, anything that might alleviate the nation’s economic pain — improves their chances in the midterm elections. Don’t pretend to be shocked: you know they’re out there, and make up a large share of the G.O.P. caucus. 

By the clueless I mean people like Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate for senator from Nevada, who has repeatedly insisted that the unemployed are deliberately choosing to stay jobless, so that they can keep collecting benefits. A sample remark: “You can make more money on unemployment than you can going down and getting one of those jobs that is an honest job but it doesn’t pay as much. We’ve put in so much entitlement into our government that we really have spoiled our citizenry.” 

Now, I don’t have the impression that unemployed Americans are spoiled; desperate seems more like it. One doubts, however, that any amount of evidence could change Ms. Angle’s view of the world — and there are, unfortunately, a lot of people in our political class just like her. 

But there are also, one hopes, at least a few political players who are honestly misinformed about what unemployment benefits do — who believe, for example, that Senator Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, was making sense when he declared that extending benefits would make unemployment worse, because “continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work.” So let’s talk about why that belief is dead wrong. 

Do unemployment benefits reduce the incentive to seek work? Yes: workers receiving unemployment benefits aren’t quite as desperate as workers without benefits, and are likely to be slightly more choosy about accepting new jobs. The operative word here is “slightly”: recent economic research suggests that the effect of unemployment benefits on worker behavior is much weaker than was previously believed. Still, it’s a real effect when the economy is doing well. 

But it’s an effect that is completely irrelevant to our current situation. When the economy is booming, and lack of sufficient willing workers is limiting growth, generous unemployment benefits may keep employment lower than it would have been otherwise. But as you may have noticed, right now the economy isn’t booming — again, there are five unemployed workers for every job opening. Cutting off benefits to the unemployed will make them even more desperate for work — but they can’t take jobs that aren’t there. 

Wait: there’s more. One main reason there aren’t enough jobs right now is weak consumer demand. Helping the unemployed, by putting money in the pockets of people who badly need it, helps support consumer spending. That’s why the Congressional Budget Office rates aid to the unemployed as a highly cost-effective form of economic stimulus. And unlike, say, large infrastructure projects, aid to the unemployed creates jobs quickly — while allowing that aid to lapse, which is what is happening right now, is a recipe for even weaker job growth, not in the distant future but over the next few months. 

But won’t extending unemployment benefits worsen the budget deficit? Yes, slightly — but as I and others have been arguing at length, penny-pinching in the midst of a severely depressed economy is no way to deal with our long-run budget problems. And penny-pinching at the expense of the unemployed is cruel as well as misguided. 

So, is there any chance that these arguments will get through? Not, I fear, to Republicans: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something,” said Upton Sinclair, “when his salary” — or, in this case, his hope of retaking Congress — “depends upon his not understanding it.” But there are also centrist Democrats who have bought into the arguments against helping the unemployed. It’s up to them to step back, realize that they have been misled — and do the right thing by passing extended benefits.

Gould/GettyChild advocates say the choice is 'outrageously dangerous.'

 

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

 A court in Australia is under fire for awarding custody of a five-year-old girl to her heroin-using, sex offender father it deemed a better option than her opiate-addicted mother, who is also a prostitute.

Outraged at the Federal Magistrates’ Court ruling, child welfare advocates described the decision as “defying logic.”

“There’s no way staying with either parent should have even been an option,” child protection supporter Hetty Johnson told Australia’s Herald Sun. “This isn’t in the best interests of the child.” 

According to the newspaper, the child’s mother has a rap-sheet of shoplifting and prostitution related convictions. The court was also told the mother, who has a history of drug abuse, left the maternity ward to buy heroin not long after giving birth.

The father was previously convicted of willful and obscene exposure, which caused him to be put on the nation’s sex offenders list. He also reportedly has a history of drug abuse. 

Joe Tucci, of the Australian Childhood Foundation, told the Sun “the decision should be made about whether or not a child is safe or not, not which parent is the better to look after them.” 

The young child has a history of behavior problems and suffers a speech impediment. She has also suffered from a series of significant injuries. 

Last year the Department of Human Services was notified the girl had been treated for a serious burn on her buttocks. Both parents blamed the other as the cause of the burn. 

The child also had a dog bite and was once injured from being hit with a shoe. 

The parents parted soon after their daughter’s birth. The mother is reported to have been the victim of domestic violence by the father. 

The father provides calmer parenting and more clearly set boundaries than the mother does,” the magistrate said. “A history of inadequate supervision combined with heroin and marijuana use create a serious concern that (the girl) may be neglected by her mother.” 

The court also accused the girl’s mother of being “dishonest with the court,” but allowed the child to spend two out of every three weekends with her mom. 

The Department of Human Services said on Monday that it will monitor the young girl through regular visits after the report of the court’s decision appeared in the Herald Sun. 

LINK TO ORGINAL STORY

 http://www.news.com.au/national/outrage-as-convicted-sex-offender-wins-custody-of-girl/story-e6frfkvr-1225887774312

 

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/07/05/2010-07-05_outrage_as_fiveyearold_girls_custody_awarded_to_convicted_sexoffender_father.html#ixzz0sqUDonk7

Monaster/NewsJelly made from Princess Diana's hair was sold on eBay for $10.

LONDON - It's art you can eat - if you dare.

 

Jelly made from what its maker claims is one of Princess Diana's hairs is on sale in London at a Surrealist art show. The $7.60 jar of jam was made by infusing a speck of the late Princess of Wales' hair with gin, which is then combined with milk and sugar to create a product that tastes like condensed milk, said creator Sam Bompas of Bompas and Parr caterers. 

The hair sold on eBay for $10. 

The bizarre product is meant to provoke thought about food marketing and how language enhances the eating experience. "We thought about it and the most mundane food of all is jam. So we made it a surreal object," Bompassaid.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/07/05/2010-07-05_hair_hair_its_the_royal_jelly.html#ixzz0soqHtho2

 

Vice President Joe Biden (left) meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (right) in Baghdad. AP

 

POLITICO 44

BAGHDAD – Vice President Joe Biden is using his political capital with Iraq’s leaders to urge them in starkly personal terms to break the four-month stalemate that followed their parliamentary elections. 

In detailed talks that accompanied feel-good photo ops during his surprise Fourth of July visit to the war zone, Biden was unyielding on U.S. plans for a dramatic drawdown, but promised not to abandon Iraq and even to step up non-military engagement with the struggling democracy.

“I’m not lecturing, I’m not imparting any great wisdom that you don’t already know,” Biden said at an Independence Day reception at the U.S. embassy. “But the concept of subordinating your individual interest is fundamental to the success of any nation. … So my plea to you is, finish what you started — a truly legitimate and representative government that meets the needs and aspirations of all Iraqi people.” 

Biden drew laughter when he added: “As a piece of American history, when our Founders did it, when they signed that Declaration, many of them did not even like one another. You think I’m joking; I’m not. … I’m absolutely confident you will do it.” 

The vice president’s trip was designed partly to showcase progress. During a citizenship ceremony for U.S. military members at the Al Faw Palace on Fourth of July morning, Biden said: “Here we are in the hunting lodge of a dictator who subjugated a people; who, in fact, stood for everything that we don’t stand for. And we’re in the middle of this marble palace, making a lie of everything that he stood for. I find it delicious that that’s happening.” 

But as a reminder of how dangerous Iraq remains, a huge explosion could be heard Sunday night inside the $700 million, 100-acre U.S. embassy compound, where Biden’s press corps was staying. Police said at least five mortar rounds had been fired in the Green Zone, which includes the embassy. No one was hurt, but three “duck and cover” sirens within a few hours – one at 4:46 a.m. — rattled even the locals. 

Administration officials traveling with Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, made it clear throughout the visit that they have no plans to deviate from President Barack Obama’s plan to end the U.S. “combat mission” in Iraq on Aug. 31. 

There’s always been a catch: About 50,000 U.S. troops are staying behind as a sort of insurance policy – with combat capability, but a primary mission of training, advising and supporting the Iraqi military. 

And now there’s a hitch: The Iraqi government is not where U.S. officials hoped it would be at this stage. 

Enter Biden, whose main purpose on the trip was to nudge Iraqi leaders toward forming a new government – but without, his aides repeatedly insisted, putting his thumb on the scale for any particular solution. 

In back-to-back meetings at regal but heavily fortified residences, Biden and his advisers sat down with the two front-runners for prime minister – Iyad Allawi, whose Sunni-backed coalition Iraqiya won the most seats in the March 7 election but fell short of gaining control, and the current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39370.html#ixzz0sofG0jeA

Wyatt Buchanan

Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

 

San Francisco Chronicle

July 4, 2010 04:00 AM

(07-04) 04:00 PDT Sacramento --

Ronald Reagan, or at least the legacy of the former president and California governor, is set to make a major return to the state and country next year. 

February marks the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth, and events are planned both nationally and internationally. Last week in the state Legislature, lawmakers passed a bill to permanently declare Feb. 6 Ronald Reagan Day in California. Schools would be encouraged to teach students about him on that day, Reagan's birth date.

Only two other Californians, naturalist John Muir and gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, are commemorated with such a day. 

The Legislature also passed a bill to create a special commission to coordinate events in the state to honor Reagan throughout the year. 

"Certainly under the criteria that we have in trying to help young people in schools to understand the heritage and important contributions by people, ... Ronald Reagan as a Californian is at the top of the list," said Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster (Los Angeles County), who sponsored the bill to create the state day. 

Both bills are expected to be signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

The commission, which would be known as the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission, would have five members appointed by legislative leaders and the governor along with two people that served in Reagan's administration in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., and a former governor. 

It would be prohibited from spending any taxpayer dollars and would be privately funded. 

'Exceptional career'

Assembly Republican Leader Martin Garrick of Carlsbad (San Diego County) wrote the bill to create the commission and said he envisions the state holding an elaborate dinner and other events. 

In addition to raising a family here and a career in Hollywood, Reagan is "the first Californian ever to be elected president of the United States and governor of this great state," Garrick said. "Obviously (these are) exceptional career accomplishments." 

He was governor from 1967 to 1975 and president from 1981 to 1989. Reagan died in 2004. 

While the measures passed with unanimous and bipartisan support, some members of the Legislature criticized the proposals and abstained from voting. 

Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, said that while the commission would be privately funded, the state already has spent tens of thousands of dollars in staff time and other resources to pass the bill through the Legislature. 

"He was a man who in his inaugural address in 1981 declared that in a time of crisis government is not the solution, government is the problem," said Saldana, who noted that Reagan was born in Illinois and said she didn't think Reagan himself would approve of the commission. 

"We're in a financial crisis. We don't want to be expending resources on things that aren't absolutely necessary," she said. 

Delicate issues

It is not clear whether or how controversial pieces of Reagan's legacy, including the Iran-contra scandal and his virtually ignoring the AIDS crisis as it ravaged gay communities and gained a foothold in the country, will be included in the events. 

Beyond California, President Obama has set up a special commission to commemorate the anniversary, and the Ronald Reagan Foundation, which is part of Reagan's presidential library, is planning nationwide and even international events throughout 2011. 

"We're doing something at every stop at just about every city and town in America," said Robert Bauer, spokesman for the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Simi Valley. Reagan's Feb. 6 birth date is the same day as the Super Bowl and - in addition to events at the library in the morning - Bauer said officials are trying to make that part of the celebration. 

In addition to the United States, events throughout 2011 will take place in Berlin, London and some Eastern European cities. While 2011 will be a focus, Bauer said it also will serve as a launchpad for future work. 

"The Reagan legacy will live on, but this is a special opportunity for Americans and others as well," he said.

 

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/04/BA4L1E87IP.DTL#ixzz0soG71WGV

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Voting Intentions Even, Turnout Indicators Favor GOP

Older Americans Eager to Vote…Republican, That Is

July 1, 2010

 

With four months to go before Election Day, voting intentions for the House remain closely divided, and neither party has gained or lost much ground over the course of 2010. However, Republicans are much more engaged in the coming election and more inclined to say they are certain to vote than are Democrats. This could translate into a sizable turnout advantage for the GOP in November that could transform an even race among registered voters into a solid victory for the Republicans. 

Fully 56% of Republican voters say they are more enthusiastic about voting this year than in previous elections - the highest percentage of GOP voters expressing increased enthusiasm about voting in midterms dating back to 1994. While enthusiasm among Democratic voters overall is on par with levels in 2006, fewer liberal Democrats say they are more enthusiastic about voting than did so four years ago (52% then, 37% today). 

The Republican Party now holds about the same advantage in enthusiasm among its party's voters that the Democratic Party held in June 2006 and the GOP had late in the 1994 campaign. Moreover, more Republicans than Democrats are now paying close attention to election news (64% vs. 50%). At this stage in previous midterms, news attentiveness was about the same for voters in both parties. 

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted June 16-20 among 1,802 adults and 1,496 registered voters reached on cell phones and landlines, finds that the Republicans also continue to hold a substantial advantage in the proportion of their party's voters who say they are "absolutely certain" to vote. Currently, 77% of Republican voters say they are absolutely certain to vote compared with 65% of Democratic voters.

The new survey finds that 45% of registered voters say they support the Republican in their district while the same percentage favors the Democrat. While Democrats have a substantial advantage among the least engaged group of voters -- young people -- Republicans have a large advantage among the age groups that are most committed to voting - those ages 50 and older. 

Voters younger than age 30 favor the Democratic candidate in their district by a wide margin (57% to 32%). Yet only half of young voters say they are absolutely certain to vote. Voters ages 50 and older favor the Republican candidate in their district by double digits (11 points) and roughly eight-in-ten (79%) say they are absolutely certain to vote. 

In June 2006, Democrats held significant leads among both younger and older voters. Their advantage among voters under age 30 was about the same as it is today (56% vs. 36%), but they also held a 14-point lead among voters 50 and older (52% to 38%). 

The GOP also is benefiting from a change in voting preferences among independents. Currently, Republicans have a slight edge over the Democrats among independent voters (44% to 36%). At this stage in 2006, independents backed the Democratic candidate in their district by a wide margin (47% to 32%). 

Equally important, independents who say they will support the Republican candidate this November are much more engaged than those who favor the Democrat in their district. This pattern is evident across several measures - enthusiasm about voting, attentiveness to campaign news and intention to vote.

More than half of independent voters (55%) who back the Republican candidate in their district are more enthusiastic than usual about voting this year; that compares with 36% of independents who prefer the Democratic candidate. While 63% of independent voters who favor the GOP candidate are closely following news about the election, just 48% of independents who support the Democratic candidate say the same. And 77% of independent voters who support a Republican say they are absolutely certain to vote, compared with 62% of independents who back Democrat.

The 2010 Electoral Landscape

In many ways, the 2010 campaign is shaping up as a mirror image of the midterm election four years ago. In June 2006, more Democratic than Republican voters said national issues would have the biggest impact on their vote. Anti-incumbent sentiment also was much stronger then among voters who planned to vote for a Democratic candidate than among those voting Republican. 

This year, more voters who plan to vote Republican than those who intend to vote Democratic say national issues will make the biggest difference in their vote for Congress (by 43% to 34%). And fully 44% of Republican voters oppose their own member's reelection, compared with just 22% of Democratic voters. In June 2006, these figures were nearly reversed (39% of Democratic voters vs. 22% of Republican voters). 

The issue of which party controls Congress is as big a factor today for Republicans as it was for Democrats four years ago; 66% of those planning to vote for a Republican say the issue of which party controls Congress will be a factor in their vote, compared with 57% of Democratic voters. Four years ago, 68% of Democratic voters cited party control of Congress as an influence on their vote as did 55% of Republican voters. 

Barack Obama is not as big a negative factor for Republican voters as George W. Bush was for Democratic voters four years ago. Currently, 52% of Republican voters think of their vote as a vote against Obama. In June 2006, 64% of Democratic voters said that about Bush. And there are now more pro-Obama Democratic voters than there were pro-Bush Republican voters four years ago (44% vs. 34%). 

As was the case in 2006, voters take a dim view of both parties' congressional leaders -- just 34% of voters approve of the job performance of Democratic leaders while 31% approve of the job of GOP leaders. While Republican voters are highly enthusiastic about the election, they are not very impressed with the party's congressional leaders. Just 48% of voters who favor a GOP candidate in their district approve of the job of Republican congressional leaders while 43% disapprove. Far more Democratic voters (63%) approve of the job their party's congressional leaders are doing. 

Somewhat fewer voters say that Congress has accomplished less than did so in June 2006 (35% today, 45% then). But Republican voters are currently about as critical of the accomplishments of the current Congress (52% accomplished less) as Democratic voters were four years ago (57%).

Looking Ahead to Nov. 2

Fully 72% of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters expect that the GOP will do better than it has in recent elections. This is similar to Democratic expectations during the 2006 election. In June of that year, 62% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters anticipated that their party would make gains - a figure that grew to 72% by the end of the campaign. 

However, Democratic voters this year are not particularly pessimistic about the election: 29% expect the Democrats to do better in this year's midterm, far more than the percentage of GOP voters who said that four years ago (16%). Nearly half of Democratic voters (48%) expect the party to do about the same this fall as in recent elections, while just 18% say it will do worse. 

The optimism of Republican voters about their party's chances this fall is one factor - though hardly the only factor -- boosting their enthusiasm about voting. Among the voters who favor the Republican candidate in their district and expect the party to do better than in recent elections, 63% are more enthusiastic about voting. That compares with 45% of voters who plan to vote Republican and expect the party to fare about the same as it has in recent elections. 

The high level of enthusiasm among Republican voters also is linked to strongly negative opinions about Barack Obama. Fully 62% of Republican voters who think of their vote as a vote against Obama are more enthusiastic about voting than in previous elections. By comparison, fewer than half (45%) of those who say Obama is not a factor in their vote are more enthusiastic about voting. There is a similar gap in enthusiasm between Republican voters who say party control of Congress is a factor in their vote and those who do not (60% vs. 45%). 

Republican voters who agree with the Tea Party movement - about half of all GOP voters - also are more enthusiastic about voting this fall than are Republican voters who have not heard of the Tea Party or have no opinion of the movement (66% vs. 45%).

 
GOP Image Still Weak

Despite the Republican Party's favorable electoral prospects, its image with the public is still relatively weak. The public views the Democratic Party as more concerned about the needs of "people like me," more able to bring about needed change, and as governing in a more honest and ethical way.

These opinions are little changed from February of this year. The Democratic Party's lead on some traits is smaller than it was in October 2006, near the end of the previous midterm campaign. At that   time, 55% viewed the Democrats as more concerned about the needs of average Americans, while just 27% said the GOP was more concerned.

Notably, the Republican Party holds a slight edge over the Democratic Party as better able to manage the federal government. Currently, 41% choose the Republican Party while 37% choose the Democratic Party. In October 2006, the Democratic Party held a 10-point lead as the party better able to manage the government (44% to 34%).

 

LINK TO FULL REPORT 

http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/630.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/04/sarah-palins-foreign-poli_n_632808.html

James Temple

Chronicle Staff Writer

 

July 4, 2010 04:00 AM

 

It's not just about dogs on skateboards anymore. 

Internet television is fast coming into its own, as high profile players have announced a series of products and initiatives that promise to fundamentally alter the way consumers digest video content. 

Google Inc. is rolling out services with partners like Sony Corp. this fall that will blend streams from the Internet and broadcast programming on television screens. Hulu, the popular online video site, last week unveiled plans for a paid service that will deliver broadcast shows over the Internet to computers, TVs, the iPhone and iPad, as well as several gaming consoles. 

Meanwhile, Sonic Solutions of Novato struck a deal with Sears Holdings Corp. to provide its retail customers online rentals and downloads of movies and TV shows over an assortment of Internet-connected devices. 

The approaches vary, but they all present alternatives to what most of us have come to think as normal: Paying $50-plus a month to pipe in a handful of channels we want - along with hundreds we don't - in order to watch the few programs we're interested in, largely at the time we're told. 

These new services allow consumers to pick from a broader array of content options, enjoy online programs through the so-called lean back experience of full-size TV screens or across various mobile devices, choose when they'd like to view without having to remember to set a recording and, particularly in the case of Google TV, take advantage of new interactive features. 

Most of the companies enabling what's known as "over the top" services stress they're looking to augment rather than displace the offerings of cable or satellite companies. But analysts think the additional power offered to consumers will leave the legacy companies with a stark choice: progress or perish. 

"The future of Internet-enhanced TV starts now," said James McQuivey, media technology analyst at Forrester Research. "It's really forcing cable ... to be more focused on consumer control and access across multiple devices." 

More cutting the cord

There's already a growing phenomenon of what's known as cord cutters and shavers, who cancel or scale back television subscriptions as they consume more online. 

Some 800,000 U.S. households have already snipped that cable, as they come to rely exclusively on online services, according to an April report by the Convergence Consulting Group. The Toronto firm predicts that could reach 1.6 million by the end of 2011. 

The Yankee Group estimates that as many as 1 in 8 consumers will unplug or downgrade paid TV service by April, as they take advantage of over the top options. 

But cable and satellite companies aren't sitting idly by. Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corp. are pursuing "TV Everywhere" strategies that deliver their vast content to already paying customers over the devices of their choosing. They're also supplementing offerings with on demand services and digital video recorders, which share some advantages of online TV. 

The networks are also forging ahead, as channels like ABC and NBC deliver more content directly on their Web sites. Today, however, most of these approaches leave the companies with less revenue, because they pack in fewer ads. 

Ultimately, the companies must deliver more targeted ads, which are more lucrative, said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. Internet TV could make this possible in ways that Nielsen ratings never could. 

Bay Area firms' role

Other Bay Area companies are also busy in this field. 

Netflix Inc. of Los Gatos was a pioneer in delivering movies online, allowing consumers to watch them over TV through partnerships with various gaming console, Blu-ray player, Internet TV and digital video box companies. 

The latter category includes Roku Inc. of Marin, which sells hardware starting at $79.99 that also feeds online content from Amazon, MLB.tv, UFC and other sources to televisions. Apple Inc. introduced the Apple TV set-top box in 2007, which allows customers to enjoy movies and music downloaded through iTunes on their living room screen. 

To date, these initiatives haven't exactly upended the industry. But analysts say that Internet TV momentum is clearly building, driven by the increasing adoption and speed of broadband as well as the widening availability of these services. 

Moreover, some believe that Google TV could represent a watershed moment.

"It's the first one I would say that represents a brand-new model," Bajarin said. 

Notably, it's not restricted to a particular set of services like many of the Internet TV attempts to date, instead incorporating the Internet at large. In addition, it's based on an open platform, Google's Android operating system. 

The Mountain View company hopes this will help create an industry standard that propels adoption and innovation, said Rishi Chandra, product manager for Google TV. 

Out of the box, the Google-powered Internet TVs and set-top devices will allow users to tap into the company's highly developed search capability to find video, music and other content not just among their cable programming but across the Internet. 

Meanwhile, the picture-in-picture capabilities could enable them to, say, pull up sports statistics as they watch the Super Bowl, chat live about World Cup matches with viewers on the other side of the globe, or click to buy that ironic trucker hat Judah Friedlander is wearing on "30 Rock." 

Google TV is crucial

The open source platform could also enable developers to invent tools and toys that can't be predicted today, much as Apple's App Store did for smart phones.

Google is providing the platform free, but anticipates making money from advertising within Google TV. It won't take a cut from the ads in traditional programming, but will employ information gleaned from the ways consumers use the service to improve ad targeting on the interactive side. 

As with all behavioral advertising, this is bound to raise the hackles of privacy advocates. But, as with most Internet services to date, consumers are likely to decide the trade-offs are worthwhile, McQuivey said. 

"Ask 400 million people on Facebook whether the concerns outweigh the benefits," he said.

 

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/04/BUK91E7AK0.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0skk7w9qM

State tea party groups challenge each other

Two groups are in conflict, challenging the other’s creditability

Sixteen months after its birth, the national tax movement that arguably got its biggest boost in Georgia is now splintered into several organizations that are competing for recognition. 

There’s the Georgia Tea Party Patriots. There’s The State of Georgia Tea Party, LLC. There’s Georgia’s Tea Party, which is also known as The Tea Party of Georgia, Inc. 

They might all sound like they’re the same group. But they’re not. In fact, the organizers of those first two groups don’t much like each other. 

Bill Evelyn, an Air Force vet who started the State of Georgia Tea Party group in May, said he founded the group because the Georgia Tea Party Patriots have lost their way. They “have become an appendage of the Georgia GOP,” he said. 

Evelyn said he has been disparaged as a fringe player by leaders of the Georgia Tea Party Patriots, which was one of the first such groups in the nation. “I’m representing the mainstream” of true conservatism, Evelyn said. “They are representing the fringe, the fake and phony conservative candidates.” 

Debbie Dooley, a coordinator of the Georgia Tea Party Patriots, contends the other similarly named groups are Johnny-come-lately fronts for candidates trying to get Tea Party cred. Or they say the groups are ego-driven vehicles for the founders to get their 15 minutes of fame. 

Dooley is a part of Tea Party lore. She was one of 22 angry activists and concerned citizens who met each other in February 2009 while participating in a national conference call set up to address the growing deficit. That call spurred the Tea Party movement. Dooley said she has concerns about the new groups: “False tea parties. Fake tea parties. Tea party fronts. 

“This is a problem,” she said. “People are trying to hijack our group. I think they cause confusion. People see ‘Tea Party’ and they think all tea parties are the same.” 

But should it be surprising that groups started by citizens who were “mad as hell and not going to take it any more” are now turning on each other? Probably not, said Merle Black, an Emory University political science professor. 

“There’s no platform or recognized leaders,” said the professor. “It seems like a battle of what constitutes the essence of the movement. I suppose they’ll be fighting it out for a while.” 

Evelyn said the essence is that the movement is open to ideas. He was angered in May when a debate organized by some leaders of the Patriots and another organization invited just the four “top-tier” Republican candidates — insurance commissioner John Oxendine, former congressman Nathan Deal, former secretary of state Karen Handel and former state Senator Eric Johnson. Raymond McBerry, a “state’s rights” candidate, was left out of the debate, proof enough for Evelyn that the Patriots were fronting for the RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). 

Patriot leaders claim Evelyn is using the Tea Party “brand” to give McBerry’s candidacy credibility and to attract other Tea Party members who now align themselves with the Patriot movement. 

Joy McGraw, a state Patriots coordinator, said Evelyn’s group has become an anchor for several local Tea Party organizations that have members supporting McBerry. 

Part of the reason for starting other groups is ego, McGraw said. “It’s human nature. You want to get the publicity, to be the leader,” McGraw said. “He’s bad mouthing us to get ahead.”

Another group, Georgia’s Tea Party, was created in May by a Dahlonega resident with ties to Oxendine to push his candidacy, Dooley said. The group’s “Favorite Pages” box has just one offering — John Oxendine’s page. 

The site’s founder, David Hayes, an insurance appraiser and former volunteer fireman, said he’s not a proxy for the insurance commissioner nor is he doing anything underhanded. He started the site georgiasteaparty.org , he said, because he wanted to get involved in politics but a degenerating spine has left him unable to easily leave the house. The Internet makes it easy to organize and make one’s views known, Hayes said. 

He wanted to call his site the Lumpkin Party Tea Party but found that name taken. So he settled for Tea Party of Georgia Inc. A techie friend suggested “Georgia’s Tea Party” would be more catchy. 

“The nice thing about the Tea Party is it’s getting a lot of attention,” said Hayes, who called himself “just a small little guy stuck in [his] house.” 

Hayes said some of the attention he received was unwanted. He was contacted by Dooley, who accused him of starting the group specifically to back Oxendine. 

Hayes believes the Patriots want all the glory, all the recognition. He acknowledged people might confuse the groups. 

“But it’s too late,” he said. “We’re here now.”

Fox 5 NewsJacob Edwards Bartels, Patty Jo Marsh were released on bond after charged with child cruelty.

 

 

Fox 5 NewsThe couple tattooed their six children with a homemade tattoo gun.

A Georgia couple is facing child cruelty charges for tattooing six of their children with a crude device made from a guitar string, says reports. 

Patty Jo Marsh and husband Jacob Edwards Bartels were arrested late last year after the biological mother of some of the children found that markings on their hands wouldn't wash off. 

They were each charged with three counts of illegal tattooing, second degree child cruelty and reckless conduct. The couple was released Friday after posting a property bond of $10,000 each. 

Both unlicensed tattooing and the tattooing of minors are illegal in Georgia. 

Five of their six children, ages 10 to 17, received small cross tattoos on their hands. Another child had "mom and dad" lettered on a hand. The youngest child was left unmarked. 

Police described the home-made tattoo gun as a plastic pen with a needle made from a guitar string that was connected to an electric motor. 

Marsh thinks the public overreacted to the tattoos.

"We would never do anything to hurt them," she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after her arrest. "I don't understand why this is getting blowed up so big."

John Everett, Chattooga County Sheriff, told the local paper that the case is unusual. "I've never seen parents tattooing their kids like that." 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/04/2010-07-04_georgia_couple_faces_child_cruelty_charges_after_tattooing_six_kids_with_home_ma.html#ixzz0sjM3nQYS

John McCain Slams Michael Steele link

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/07/04/2010-07-04_sen_john_mccain_calls_rnc_chairman_michael_steeles_afghanistan_war_remarks_inacc.html

Prominent Conservatives call for Steele to step down link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/03/AR2010070303475.html

EXCLUSIVE: Tiger Woods' Wife In Final Meetings With Divorce Lawyer

Jul 01, 2010 @ 04:31PM 

Tiger Woods' wife Elin Nordegren has been in marathon final meetings with her divorce lawyer this week, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.

Elin met with one of her attorneys for several hours on Tuesday, and again with the same lawyer on Wednesday.

"They spent a long time together on Tuesday," a source close to the situation told RadarOnline.com. "He came from out of town and they were meeting again for hours on Wednesday.

"The divorce is very close to being finalized."

The meetings took place in the house Elin is renting in Isleworth, Florida. She moved into that house after Tiger's secret life of cheating was exposed.

Tiger has remained in the home they once shared in Windermere, Florida, a suburb of Orlando.

"They have agreed to almost everything," the source said. "And when they file the papers there will not be a lot of detail in the public documents. They've worked everything out so that the financial details can remain private."

After Tiger's affair with Rachel Uchitel was exposed, he was romantically linked to more than 12 women, all during the course of his marriage to the Swedish beauty.

Tiger went for sex rehab treatment in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Elin participated in his therapy.

But things fell apart when Tiger announced his return to golf, prompting Elin to believe her husband didn't really want to change.

Now, they barely talk.

As RadarOnline.com was first to report - with photos and video - Tiger and Elin were together for the first time in a very long while on June 26 when they threw a birthday party for their daughter Sam. Tiger missed her birthday because he was in California playing in the U.S. Open. 

His main concern has been that Elin will try to take the kids and move to Sweden but the source says that is unlikely.

Elin will reportedly walk away with approximately $750 million.

JOEL PAGE/APRoughly one-fourth of people in this country don’t know that the U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain, according to a recent poll. 

At least according to a new Marist poll, which says 26% of people in this country don’t know that the U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain.

That includes 20% who were unsure and 6% who thought the U.S. separated from another nation.

So what country do people think the U.S. achieved its independence from?

Among the countries mentioned were France, China, Japan, Mexico and Spain.

The poll surveyed 1,004 Americans in June and had 3% margin of error.

But hey, even our founding fathers made mistakes.

Preservation scientists recently discovered Thomas Jefferson had originally referred to the American public as “subjects,” then changed it to read “citizens” before the ink dried.

Oops.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/03/2010-07-03_26_of_us_dont_know_who_we_declared_indepence_from_marist_poll.html#ixzz0seSXtCfw

Germantown woman's arrest linked to Vanilla Extract, Drug Counselors say it's not uncommon

April Thompson

 

5:46 PM CDT, July 2, 2010

 

• Germantown woman charged with DUI after running her car on curb
• Officers say she had vanilla extract bottle which contained 35% alcohol
• Moss reportedly slumped over the wheel, unable to stand on her own

 

(Arlington, TN 7/2/2010) - Forty-eight year old Kelly Moss appears in court Friday and gets a 4-thousand dollar bond for what happened on this Arlington Street.

Sam Palmer saw her car.

"It was jumped up over the curb. She had driven it up on the curb. In fact I went to see if she had hit the telephone pole. She hadn't hit that, but she had both wheels on the curb," says Palmer.

Police say Moss had a strong odor of vanilla on her breath and was unsteady on her feet.

They found a nearly empty bottle of vanilla extract and a partially empty bottle of diet coke in her car.
 
The vanilla extract said 35-percent alcohol.

Moss was arrested.

Sam Palmer doesn't know her, but as a recovering alcoholic, he knows abusers find ways to get their drug.

"Mouthwash, Geritol, Robitussin," says Palmer.

As a drug addiction counselor, Dr. Carolyn Bryant has seen it too.

"Instead of the drug that may be their drug of choice, that may be they have been arrested for or got in trouble about, they take something that will give them that same effect," says Bryant.

She counsels women to admit their problem and seek help.

"I hope she gets in a treatment program or a 12 step program," says Palmer. "She could have hit a telephone pole, could have wiped somebody else out."

This was Kelly Moss' third DUI arrest. No one answered the door at her Germantown home when we stopped by.

She will be back in court August 19th. 

 

LINK TO VIDEO 

http://www.wreg.com/videobeta/0b4d9fbd-4338-422a-9193-04d787b2b00a/News/Vanilla-DUI