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Internet News RecordLibertyNewsprint.com U.S. Edition23/06/09 - 24/06/09
U.S. Senate leader pushesimmigration reform bid
By Jeremy Pelofsky (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 6/23/2009 12:59:01 PM
Even with enormously difficult topass legislation on healthcare andclimate change topping the Obamaadministration’s agenda, SenateMajority Leader Harry Reid believeshe can still muscle through a bill tooverhaul U.S. immigration policieslater this year.President Barack Obama has saidhe wanted immigration reform donethis year, although his ownspokesman acknowledged onMonday that they may only be ableto begin the debate on the issue. “Ican see the president’s desire for it tohappen, but understanding that …currently where we sit, the mathmakes that more difficult than thediscussion,” said White Housespokesman Robert Gibbs.But that hasn’t stopped Reid, whocaught a lot of people off guard a fewweeks ago when he predicted theSenate would act this year.“I’ve said right here that we have tofinish healthcare. We have to doenergy before we get to immigrationreform. But being third on the list ispretty good,” Reid told reporters onTuesday. He denied that risingunemployment, expected to top 10percent amid a deep recession, wouldslow reform efforts.“What is impacting doingcomprehensive immigration reformis getting floor time to do it. I think the votes are there to do it,” he said.On Thursday, Obama will host aclosed-door meeting with keylawmakers to discuss the issue andDemocratic Senator CharlesSchumer, chairman of the SenateImmigration Subcommittee, plans onWednesday to outline his principlesfor legislation he will offer.Click here for more Reuterspolitical coverage- Photo credit: Reuters/HenryRomero (protesters outside the U.S.embassy in Mexico)
A Panasonic Toughbook vs atiger and elephant
By Matt Burns (CrunchGear)
Submitted at 6/24/2009 5:40:13 AM
Panasonic’s Toughbooks havelegendary strength but I doubt any of us ever considered them toughenough to survive a white tiger orAsian elephant. I didn’t. The last“durable notebook” I tested failedwith a 4 foot drop. But the PanasonicToughbook that Forbes tested took a.22 bullet and still booted after beingused as a chew toy. Impressive.Forbes wasn’t so nice to thisnotebook. They ran over it with aVolkswagen Jetta TDi, poured DietCoke on the keyboard, threw darts atthe screen, had an elephant stand ontop of it, and yes, gave it the ol’JohnHinckley Jr. treatment by shooting itwith a .22. But it kept on kick’n.Eventually a 1911 .45 ACP took itdown, followed by a .44 Magnumand a 12-gauge slug for goodmeasure.Somehow I’m thinking that eventhough they ruined the notebook, theForbes editor isn’t going to get afurious email from an embarrassedPR agent as I did after my Durabook testing.Hit up the Forbes article for the fulldetails and a video of the tigergnawing on the notebook.
The HTC Hero gets aYouTube demo
By Matt Burns (CrunchGear)
Submitted at 6/24/2009 6:42:07 AM
Got HTC Hero overload yet? Well,here’s the official demo video of HTC’s latest. Enjoy.
Video of the HTC Herosliding and slipping
By John Biggs (CrunchGear)
Submitted at 6/24/2009 5:22:01 AM
Be sweet, don't retweet
(Scripting News)
Submitted at 6/23/2009 11:43:15 AM
That's like Be Kind Rewind.And of course everyone retweetedthis and everyone clicked.Nothing here. Move along.
 
2Internet News Record
No apology for CIA coup plotting? Well, how about a photothen…
By David Alexander (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 6/23/2009 4:00:48 PM
President Barack Obama artfullydodged a request from Chileanreporters Tuesday for an apology forCIA meddling in Latin America, buthecaved into another demand.“President Obama, can you take aphotograph with the Chilean press,please?” one reporter asked at theend of an Oval Office statement byObama and Chilean PresidentMichelle Bachelet.“A photograph with the press?”Obama asked. “OK, why don’t we gooutside?”The U.S. leader was lessforthcoming on the matter of apologizing for the CIA’s longhistory of meddling in the affairs of Latin American governments.The CIA has denied directinvolvement in the overthrow anddeath of Chilean President SalvadorAllende in 1973 but hasacknowledged trying to prevent himfrom assuming the presidency threeyears earlier.And it has acknowledgedsupporting the military junta thattook control of country after thecoup.Bachelet, then a college student,was imprisoned and torturedfollowing the coup, as was hermother. Her father, who had been anair force general in the Allendegovernment, was imprisoned andtortured to death.Asked if it was time for an apologyfor the CIA’s activities in Chile,Obama said, “I’m interested in goingforward, not looking backward.”“I think that the United States hasbeen an enormous force for good inthe world. I think there have beentimes where we’ve made mistakes,”he said. “But I think that what isimportant is looking at what ourpolicies are today, and what myadministration intends to do incooperating with the region.”That said, he did manage a chuckleat U.S. expense — over the old jokethat there’s never been a coup in theUnited States because it has noAmerican Embassy.Someone else told the joke,Bachelet insisted after it wasattributed to her.“I just said it was a good joke,” shesaid.“Yes, it is,” said Obama, laughing.For more Reuters political news,please click here.Photo credit: Reuters/KevinLamarque (Obama, Bachelet posewith Chilean traveling press)
Politics/ 
 
3Internet News Record
The First Draft: Afterthe Crash
By Andy Sullivan (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 6/24/2009 5:28:27 AM
Investigators say it likely will beweeks before they determine thecause of the deadly Washingtonsubway crash.But the accident, which killed nineand wounded 75 during the Mondayafternoon rush hour, has once againhighlighted the need to updateAmerica’s aging infrastructure.Federal investigators warnedWashington’s Metro system toreplace or upgrade its older cars aftera 2004 accident, but thetransportation agency said it couldn’tafford to retire the 30-year-old carsfor another decade.Now they’ve changed their tune.“I think it is urgent, and let’s do itas quickly as humanly possible,”Washington Mayor Adrian Fentysaid on ABC’s “Today Show.” “It’snot a small sum of money, but livesare more important than finances.”It will likely cost $1 billion toreplace the 290 subway cars thathave been in operation since Metrofirst opened in 1976.Metro has a hard enough timesimply keeping the trains running asit must secure funding from threestates — Maryland, Virginia and theDistrict of Columbia — with all thelegislative headaches that entails.Can the federal government help?Public concerns about governmentspending are on the rise after a $787economic stimulus bill and priceybailouts of banks and automakers.Congress aims to take up a$450billion bill to finance long-termtransportation spending this summer,but the Obama administration isurging an 18-month delay to allowlegislators to focus on healthcare andclimate change.Some in the House of Representatives worry that coulddelay needed upgrades.That’s not something nervouscommuters want to hear.Photo credit: REUTERS/YuriGripas (Rescue workers at the sceneof the June 22 crash in Washington)For more Reuters political news,click here.
Governor Sanford’s walk in the woods
By Matthew Bigg (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 6/23/2009 3:44:59 PM
When Governor Mark Sanfordwalks out of the woods tomorrow,he’s sure for a big surprise.The governor of South Carolinawent hiking on the Appalachian Traillast Thursday to clear his head after atough legislative session, accordingto his aides. Nothing odd in that -politicians need time off as much asanyone. Trouble is, when Sanfordleft he didn’t tell his aides where hewas going. He didn’t tell the state’slieutenant governor either. Or hiswife.His disappearancesparkedspeculation about his whereabouts,although Fox Newsreported hedidcall to check intwo days into thetrip.Tomorrow he is due to emergefrom the trail and return to work andhe will doubtless facemanyquestions. For a possible presidentialcandidate in 2012, the distractioncould prove awkward.And it won’t help that the father of four sons was away from home onFather’s Day.PHOTO CREDIT:REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst:SouthCarolina Governor Mark Sanfordarrives for a dinner held for theNational Governors Association atthe White House in Feb. 22, 2009.
Obama calls Neda video ‘heartbreaking’
By Tabassum Zakaria (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 6/23/2009 11:43:57 AM
“Heartbreaking.”That was President Barack Obama’s response to avideoshowing the death of Neda, ayoungwoman who has come tosymbolize theuprising against theIranian government.The video shows the woman,identified as Neda Agha Soltan,onthe ground after apparently beingshot,bloodstreaming over her faceas she dies.“It’s heartbreaking,” Obama said ata news conference. “And I think thatanybody who sees it knows thatthere’s something fundamentallyunjust about that.”He quoted civil rights leader Dr.Martin Luther King’s expression “thearc of the moral universe is long, butit bends toward justice.”“We have to believe that ultimately justice will prevail,” Obama said.Click here for more Reuterspolitical coveragePhoto credit: Reuters/Ho New(Frame grab from YouTube showswoman identified as Neda Agha-Soltan)
Toshiba thinks about joining the Blu-raybandwagon
By Serkan Toto (CrunchGear)
Submitted at 6/24/2009 3:59:05 AM
Remember HD DVD? The videoformat developed by Toshiba thatlost the format war against Blu-ray?Today Toshiba held a prettyinteresting annual shareholdermeeting in Tokyo during whichpresident Atsutoshi Nishida didn’tsay they will revive HD DVD butthat his company thinks aboutproducing Blu-ray products.Nishida said that Blu-ray recordersin particular appear to be a viableoption, adding one reason is that thevideo disc format war is lost onceand for all for Toshiba. Anotherreason might be that demand for Blu-ray recorders is on the rise(especially in Japan) and Toshibawants to have a share of that marketsegment.Another factor is surely pressurefrom the shareholders, as Toshiba isin a devastating financial state. Forthe current fiscal year, Nishida saidhis company is on track to save $3.5billion after he apologized for the badnumbers in fiscal 2008.
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