Motorola Introduces First Phones of Its New Google Era - NYTimes.com:
"After being quiet for nearly a year, Motorola Mobility, recently acquired by Google, is making its return to the mobile market with three new smartphones."
'via Blog this'
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Key Figure Is Charged in Scandal That Felled Bo Xilai - NYTimes.com
Key Figure Is Charged in Scandal That Felled Bo Xilai - NYTimes.com:
"BEIJING — The once-powerful police officer at the center of a scandal that felled the senior Communist leader Bo Xilai was charged Wednesday with defection, abuse of power and corruption."
'via Blog this'
"BEIJING — The once-powerful police officer at the center of a scandal that felled the senior Communist leader Bo Xilai was charged Wednesday with defection, abuse of power and corruption."
'via Blog this'
Santander eyes 3.4bn euros from Mexico listing
Santander eyes 3.4bn euros from Mexico listing:
"MADRID/MEXICO CITY: Spanish bank Santander said on Tuesday it would seek to raise up to 3.4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) through the stock market listing of a quarter of its Mexican unit as it looks to boost capital levels and weather a grinding recession at home."
'via Blog this'
"MADRID/MEXICO CITY: Spanish bank Santander said on Tuesday it would seek to raise up to 3.4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) through the stock market listing of a quarter of its Mexican unit as it looks to boost capital levels and weather a grinding recession at home."
'via Blog this'
Far From ‘Junk,’ DNA Dark Matter Proves Crucial to Health - NYTimes.com
Far From ‘Junk,’ DNA Dark Matter Proves Crucial to Health - NYTimes.com:
"Among the many mysteries of human biology is why complex diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and psychiatric disorders are so difficult to predict and, often, to treat. An equally perplexing puzzle is why one individual gets a disease like cancer or depression, while an identical twin remains perfectly healthy."
'via Blog this'
"Among the many mysteries of human biology is why complex diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and psychiatric disorders are so difficult to predict and, often, to treat. An equally perplexing puzzle is why one individual gets a disease like cancer or depression, while an identical twin remains perfectly healthy."
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Great Divide
Peter Watson is an English intellectual who has written a book on the origin of ideas. The Great Divide follows in the line of works, as those by Charles C. Mann, and Jared Diamond.
Humans are environmental products; if we are to understand why we are the way we are, we have to understand, how is the land we are born on, which shaped the way we think. Mann started by pointing out that there was Intelligent Life in America before 1492, and Diamond proposed one answer to Yali's Question : ""Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had little cargo of our own?"
Diamond writes his answer in Guns, Germs, and Steel. He makes us aware of the importance of the South to North orientation of America, and the West to East orientation of Eurasia. Americans took a longer time to build agricultural societies, because corn had to adapt to different latitudes, as opposed to wheat, which was domesticated in different longitudes. It is ironic, that it is relatively easy to measure latitude, and harder to measure longitude. On this, you can read Dava Sobel's book: Longitude. And maybe the more fun, Umberto Eco's: The Island of the Day Before.
Returning to Watson; he points out the existence of psychoactive plants in America in greater numbers than in Eurasia, and the more fragile environment as well. He proposes that this combination made the first Americans' Gods, malign, and the other hemisphere's single God more benign. Order vs. Chaos.
The interesting fact is that we are both: Our Earth as a big Brain, with two communicating hemisphere's, Left Brain, and Right Brain. If we could only live together. I am afraid an Indian War is starting in Mexico, and one already started in Peru. Shining Path, and Zapatista Army of National Liberation. It doesn't have to be that way.
Oh well.
Humans are environmental products; if we are to understand why we are the way we are, we have to understand, how is the land we are born on, which shaped the way we think. Mann started by pointing out that there was Intelligent Life in America before 1492, and Diamond proposed one answer to Yali's Question : ""Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had little cargo of our own?"
Diamond writes his answer in Guns, Germs, and Steel. He makes us aware of the importance of the South to North orientation of America, and the West to East orientation of Eurasia. Americans took a longer time to build agricultural societies, because corn had to adapt to different latitudes, as opposed to wheat, which was domesticated in different longitudes. It is ironic, that it is relatively easy to measure latitude, and harder to measure longitude. On this, you can read Dava Sobel's book: Longitude. And maybe the more fun, Umberto Eco's: The Island of the Day Before.
Returning to Watson; he points out the existence of psychoactive plants in America in greater numbers than in Eurasia, and the more fragile environment as well. He proposes that this combination made the first Americans' Gods, malign, and the other hemisphere's single God more benign. Order vs. Chaos.
The interesting fact is that we are both: Our Earth as a big Brain, with two communicating hemisphere's, Left Brain, and Right Brain. If we could only live together. I am afraid an Indian War is starting in Mexico, and one already started in Peru. Shining Path, and Zapatista Army of National Liberation. It doesn't have to be that way.
Oh well.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tuesday's Speakers at Democratic Convention
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Speakers for Tuesday's session of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena, as released by the Democratic Party (all times EDT):
Speakers for Tuesday's session of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena, as released by the Democratic Party (all times EDT):
___
5-6 p.m.
Call to Order: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, chair, Democratic National Committee
Invocation: His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, bishop of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Detroit
Presentation of Colors: Disabled American Veterans, The Stanly County Chapter 12 Honor Guard
Pledge of Allegiance: 3rd Grade Class, W.R. O'Dell Elementary School, Concord, N.C.
National Anthem: Amber Riley, singer/songwriter and "Glee" actress
Stephen J. Kerrigan, CEO, Democratic National Convention Committee
Welcome video
Presentation of Credentials Committee Report from Co-Chairs
Bishop Vashti McKenzie, first woman elected as bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Julián Castro, mayor of San Antonio, Texas
Presentation of Rules Committee Report from Co-Chairs
Kamala D. Harris, attorney general of California
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley
Appointment of Convention Officers
Gaveling-in of Permanent Chair
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, chair, Democratic National Convention Committee
Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland
Andrew Tobias, treasurer, Democratic National Committee
Alice Germond, secretary, Democratic National Committee
Roll Call for Attendance
___
6-7 p.m.
Platform Committee Remarks
Rep. Barbara Lee of California
Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy (Ret.), first woman to reach rank of three-star general in the U.S. Army
Platform Video and Remarks
Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory A. Booker
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue
American Hero Video: Education
American Voices: Ryan Case
Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union
Rep. Charles Gonzalez of Texas, chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez of New York
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn
Doug Stern of Cincinnati, Ohio firefighter
U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine of Virginia
___
7-8 p.m.
Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony R. Foxx
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada
An Economy Built to Last video: Education
Women of the U.S. House
Former President Jimmy Carter video
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
Kennedy family tribute video
Joe Kennedy III, candidate for the U.S. House from Massachusetts
Live performance: singer/songwriter Ledisi
Robert Wexler, president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace
___
8-9 p.m.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak
Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado
Stronger Together video: Reproductive Choice
American Voices: Maria Ciano
Nancy Keenan, president, National Abortion Rights Action League - Pro-Choice America
Progress for People video: American Veterans
American Voices: Nate Davis
Tammy Duckworth, candidate for the U.S. House from Illinois
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee
Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina
Progress for People video: Health Care
American Voices: Stacey Lihn
Rep. Xavier Becerra of California
___
9-10 p.m.
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland
Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Kal Penn, actor/producer, former associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement
Craig Robinson and Maya Soetoro-ng, brother of Mrs. Obama and sister of President Obama
Stronger Together video: Equal Pay
Lilly Ledbetter, women's equality leader and namesake of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick
___
10-11 p.m.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley
Joaquin Castro, candidate for U.S. House from Texas
Keynote address: San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro
Michelle Obama video
Elaine Brye
First lady Michelle Obama
Benediction: Jena Lee Nardella, founder and executive director of Blood: Water Mission
Trust, Immigrants and Gov. Brown
There is a significant and immediate step Gov. Jerry Brown of California can take to protect community safety and civil liberties in his state.
He can sign the Trust Act, a recently passed state bill that prevents local police departments from turning their jails into immigration holding cells for noncriminals or minor offenders whose sentences are up or who should otherwise be out on bail. The act would require the police to let such people go, even if Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have issued voluntary requests, known as detainers, that they be held until they can be picked up for deportation. Only those who have been convicted of or charged with serious or violent felonies would continue to be detained at ICE’s request.
He can sign the Trust Act, a recently passed state bill that prevents local police departments from turning their jails into immigration holding cells for noncriminals or minor offenders whose sentences are up or who should otherwise be out on bail. The act would require the police to let such people go, even if Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have issued voluntary requests, known as detainers, that they be held until they can be picked up for deportation. Only those who have been convicted of or charged with serious or violent felonies would continue to be detained at ICE’s request.
The purpose of the act is to bring state enforcement in line with federal deportation priorities — which is to focus on dangerous criminals, national-security threats and repeat offenders. It was prompted by a troubled ICE program called Secure Communities, which enlists local authorities in immigration enforcement by doing checks on everyone they fingerprint. The program has led to the deportation of tens of thousands of minor offenders or those with no criminal records. The Trust Act is one state’s way to prevent such overkill.
“We want police to distinguish between the woman selling tamales and the gang member who has a record,” said the measure’s sponsor, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco Democrat. Mr. Ammiano wants to spare local police the burden and expense of confining the wrong people on ICE’s behalf. He also wants to avoid the damage done to public safety when immigration enforcement is indiscriminate, and when deportation decisions are, in effect, delegated to the local police. He says that crime victims and witnesses in immigrant communities will be too afraid to cooperate with the police if they fear that any encounter could mean being handed over to ICE.
But the bill is facing strong opposition from some sheriffs who claim that the Trust Act would force them to choose between violating federal law and violating state law, based on their mistaken view that detention requests from ICE are mandatory, not voluntary. About two dozen law professors have written to Governor Brown explaining that this interpretation is simply wrong, given the statutory language, legislative and regulatory history of federal immigration law, and the constitutional principle that the federal government cannot commandeer state law enforcement for its own purposes.
The Trust Act has the support of civil rights organizations, local governments, the Los Angeles mayor and other city officials, and the Catholic bishops — all of whom favor a bright line between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement. On Friday, the Los Angeles City Council voted 11 to 0 for a resolution endorsing the bill. Its sensible approach to limit unfair detentions and help conserve local resources for fighting crime deserves the governor’s support.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)