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Internet News RecordLibertyNewsprint.com U.S. Edition11/08/09 - 12/08/09
The First Draft: Hillary Clinton’s bad day
By Deborah Zabarenko (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/11/2009 6:29:04 AM
Some days, you really have to feelfor Hillary Clinton. And this could beone of those days.Secretary of State Clinton’s badday started Monday in Kinshasa, inthe middle of a grueling African trip,when a translator goofed and made itsound as if a questioner wanted toknow what Clinton’s husband Billthought of a particular issue. Whileon this tour, she’d already had tocomment on the former president’shumanitarian mission to free to U.S. journalists from North Korea, andbasically, she’d had about enough.Read a just-the-facts Reuters storyon what happened here and watch thevideo below.But because the Clintons are theClintons, with a long history in thepublic eye, that was hardly the end of it. Tuesday morning television —CNN, ABC, NBC, others — replayedthe video of Hillary Clinton snappingat the student questioner: “You wantme to tell you what my husbandthinks? If you want my opinion, Iwill tell you my opinion, I am notgoing to be channeling my husband.”It was a five-star video on YouTube.Back at the State Department,Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowleyacknowledged that the question,however poorly it was translated —the questioner wanted to know whatPresident Barack Obama thought, notformer President Clinton — struck anerve. Crowley told CNN that herreaction had to be taken in thecontext of her African trip, where shehas worked to draw attention to theplight of women who are victims of rape as a weapon of war in Congo.“If Africa, if Congo is going toadvance, women have to play a moresignificant role. She was in thesetting of a town hall, and thequestioner was interested in what twomen thought, not the secretary of state,” Crowley said.No question about it, HillaryClinton is a polarizing figure. Butwhatever you think, being secretaryof state is challenging enough,especially on an exhausting trip to acontinent with critical diplomaticissues, without being second-guessedabout how she feels when askedquestions involving her high-profilehusband or the man she ran againstwho is now president.Or is she fair game, no matter whatthe circumstances?In domestic U.S. politics, Obamaheads for Portsmouth, NewHampshire, for a town hall meetingon health care. Fireworks possible.For more Reuters political news,click here.Photo credit: REUTERS/Joe Bavier(Hillary Clinton in Kinshasa, August10, 2009)
How to silence Larry Summers
By Emily Kaiser (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/11/2009 10:22:56 AM
White House economic adviserLawrence Summers is rarely at a lossfor words, which makes Tuesday'squestion-and-answer session at theNational Press Club in Washingtondownright astonishing.Summers, whose term as presidentof Harvard University ended ratherabruptly after he made someunfortunate remarks about womenand math and science aptitude, knewhe was on very thin ice whenhe wasasked a question about genderdifferences in retirement savings.As soon as the question wasasked,laughter spread around theroom. Summers himself paused for agood 20secondsbefore cracking a joke about how the question musthave frightened his staff."Now youhave just put their healthat risk," he said. "I think I will moveto the next question."UPDATE:See the full clip below:It's worth watching!
Costa Ricaleader getsswine flu
(BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
Submitted at 8/11/2009 10:43:13 PM
Costa Rican President Oscar Ariashas announced that he has swine flu."Apart from the fever and a sorethroat, I feel well and in good shapeto carry out my work bytelecommuting," the 68-year-old saidin a statement.The president is receiving medicalcare at his residence and is expectedto remain there for a week, hisbrother and chief of staff RodrigoArias said.He had been mediating talks on theHonduran crisis, after PresidentManuel Zelaya was toppled in a coupin June.But the negotiations broke downtwo weeks ago, and Mr Arias's brief absence is not expected to affect theoutcome.The Nobel Peace Prize winner,who suffers from chronic asthma, isthe first head of state known to havecontracted the H1N1 influenza virus.He was diagnosed with a mild caseof swine flu on Tuesday after havingflu-like symptoms for some days.More than 20 people in Costa Ricahave died as a result of the swine fluoutbreak, which was declared apandemic on 11 June by the WorldHealth Organization.Print Sponsor
 
2Internet News Record
Obama doesn’t want to pull plug ongrandma
By Tabassum Zakaria (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/11/2009 12:28:58 PM
This just in: President Barack Obama opposes pulling the plug onyour sick grandmother.In a sign of how twisted thehealthcare debate has become, thepresident of the United States wasforced tostand up in public and saydefinitively that he did not favorkilling off the elderly when their carebecame too expensive.The dramatic declaration cameinNew Hampshire in response toone of the wilder accusationscirculatedbyopponents of his efforts tooverhaul healthcare.“The rumor that’s been circulating alot lately is this idea that somehowthe House of Representatives votedfor death panels that will basicallypull the plug on grandma becausewe’ve decided that it’s too expensiveto let her live anymore,” Obama said,taking the issue head-on.It apparently arose from a provisionintended to give people moreinformation so they could handle end-of-life issues like setting up livingwills and hospice care, he said.“Somehow it’s gotten spun into thisidea of death panels,” Obama said. “Iam not in favor of that.”He did not mention Sarah Palin,former Republican vice presidentialcandidate and ex-governor of Alaska,who got the ball rollingon”death panels.”The fact that the president had totake a public standona rumor that atanother time might appear absurd (itwould be political suicide for anyoneto suggest thegovernmentpromoteeuthanasia) showsthat the oppositionis making inroads in stoking fearabouthealthcare overhaul.Obama used some scare tactics of his own, saying that unless thingschange, health insurance premiumswould skyrocket and the deficitwould grow because of rising costsof government health programs forthe poor - Medicaid - and elderly -Medicare.One thing to watch is Obama’sincreased reference to the healthcareplan as “health INSURANCEreform,” perhapsthe White Housebelieves that substitutinginsurancefor care somehow makes it morepalatable to the public.Do you think Obamaeffectivelyaddressed the criticism and put therumors to rest?Did his comments inany way change your viewon thehealthcare debate?Click here for more Reuterspolitical coveragePhoto credit: Reuters/Jim Young(Obama at healthcare reformtownhall in New Hampshire)
Texas 'fight club' trial begins
(BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
Submitted at 8/11/2009 6:30:34 PM
A former worker at a Texas stateschool for mentally disabled peoplehas gone on trial accused of organising fights between theresidents.Jesse Salazar is charged with injuryto a disabled person in what theTexas police have called a "fightclub".The case came to light whenofficers found a mobile phone inMarch with almost 20 videosshowing the residents punching andkicking each other.Mr Salazar, 25, could face 10 yearsin jail if convicted.As the trial began, the jury waswarned that the video evidencewould be "one of the saddest thingsthey will ever see".The footage allegedly shows staff from the Corpus Christi state schoolforcing the residents into fights,apparently for their entertainment.Mr Salazar's defence team says hewas trying to prevent the fights fromgoing ahead.Six former employees have alreadybeen charged for their part inorchestrating the fights.Print Sponsor
Jury deliberating again inGa. terror video trial (AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 8/12/2009 6:37:46 AM
russell buzzed up: CIT delaysreport, could have to file forbankruptcy (Reuters)20 hours ago 2009-08-11T11:21:25-07:00
US, Swiss cement deal on secret UBS bank accounts(AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 8/12/2009 7:06:40 AM
russell buzzed up: CIT delaysreport, could have to file forbankruptcy (Reuters)20 hours ago 2009-08-11T11:21:25-07:00
iriver E30 shows love for thelossless, long-winded
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 8/12/2009 9:02:00 AM
It ain't too much different than theE50 and E150, but considering thatiriver felt it necessary to label it ascore less than the former, it's new tous. Introduced today over in the FarEast, this pocket-friendly PMP toutsa 1.8-inch color display (220 x 176),a user-customizable equalizer andsupport for MP3, WMA, WAV,APE, FLAC and MJPEG files. Oh,and it can purportedly keep the tunesflowing for 52 frickin' hours withoutneeding a recharge, so those withtrouble locating AC outlets shouldcertainly take notice. There's nomention of a price or release date, butboth of those tidbits should becomecrystal clear soon. Very soon.[Via The MP3 Players]iriver E30 shows love for thelossless, long-winded originallyappeared on Engadget on Wed, 12Aug 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please seeour terms for use of feeds. Read|Permalink| Email this| Comments
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(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 8/12/2009 10:20:00 AM
Asteroid Impacts onEarth, Seen From Space
By Betsy Mason (Wired Top Stories)
Submitted at 8/11/2009 9:00:00 PM
Wired Science has collected imagestaken from space of some of theoldest, biggest and most interestingasteroid impact craters on Earth.
Politics/ Top News/ Gadgets/ Business/ *
 
3Internet News Record
The First Draft: Swearing-in is onething. A White House do is another.
By Deborah Zabarenko (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/12/2009 7:00:50 AM
For those who may have missed it— and don’t laugh, there could bequite a few who did — there’s a newSupreme Court justice in town. Aftermonths of speculation, debate, aCapitol Hill grilling and finally avote to confirm her, Sonia Sotomayorwas sworn in as the first Latina andonly the third woman to serve on theU.S. high court.The problem, for public-awarenesspurposes, is that it happened onSaturday in an eye-blink ceremony ina conference room at the SupremeCourt building. That was a departurefrom decades of tradition that hasdictated a White House oath-takingfor new justices, reportedly onPresident Barack Obama’s say-so.That doesn’t mean Sotomayorwon’t get her time at the WhiteHouse. That happens this morning inan East Room reception hosted bythe president and first lady MichelleObama.It’s a busy day for official honors at1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Thisafternoon, there will be a ceremonyto award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Senator Ted Kennedy,human rights leader Bishop DesmondTutu, tennis great Billie Jean Kingand actor and activist Sidney Poitier,among others. See the complete listhere.The most controversial recipient isprobably Mary Robinson, the formerU.N. high commissioner for humanrights and an organizer of an anti-racism conference in South Africa in2001. The U.S. delegation walkedout of that conference and pro-Israelgroups and others have criticised itsconcluding document as anti-Semiticand equating Zionism with racism.John Bolton, Washington’s U.N.representative during the Bushadministration, said flatly in a WallStreet Journal opinion piece thatRobinson should not receive theaward.Could there be protests in this mostdecorous of locations, at what isnormally — forgive our jadedsensibilities — a heart-warming butoften dull ceremony? Stay tuned.For more Reuters politicalcoverage, click here.Photo credits: REUTERS/JimYoung (Sonia Sotomayor is sworn inas associate Supreme Court justice,August 8, 2009); REUTERS/FahadShadeed (Mary Robinson speaks atthe 3rd Global CompetitivenessForum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,January 25, 2009)
Nokia rumored to be kickingSymbian OS to the curb,moving in with Maemo
By Tim Stevens (Engadget)
Submitted at 8/12/2009 10:07:00 AM
Poor Symbian. Sony Ericsson'sbeen giving you some hot play withits Satio and Aino smartphones, butlately it seems Nokia wants little todo with you, always throwing a coldshoulder and mentioning what a greatguy that Maemo dude is. Now,according to rumors from the (stillpink) German Financial Times,Nokia is looking to drop Symbian OSaltogether and move to Maemowholesale, powering not just itsinternet tablets but also itssmartphones, the first of which is duein "the next few weeks" -- possiblyreferring to the RX-51 Rover that'sbeen out and about lately. Accordingto the report, the Symbian OS justcan't keep up with the youngerplayers these days; "far toocumbersome to work with." Nokiahas issued a typical no comment, butinterestingly last night's mention of a" alliance" between Microsoft andNokia for the creation of Office forNokia phones made no explicitmention of Office for Symbian.Intrigue; we love it.[Via TechCrunch]Filed under: CellphonesNokia rumored to be kickingSymbian OS to the curb, moving inwith Maemo originally appeared onEngadget on Wed, 12 Aug 200910:07:00 EST. Please see our termsfor use of feeds. Read| Permalink|Email this| Comments
Bongiovi-equipped iHome iP1 iPod / iPhone dock finally ships
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 8/12/2009 7:26:00 AM
Remember that totally snazzyiHome iP1 dock that we toyed withback in May? You know, the onewith those boyish good looks and acurious Bongiovi Acoustics DigitalPower Station chip built in? Yeah,that very iPod / iPhone dock isfinally shipping to those willing tosplurge, with a buck under $300bringing you 100 watts of hair-raising rock through a pair of 4-inchwoofers and 1-inch silk dometweeters. Sure, it's pretty swank foran iPod dock, but can you imaginethe fanfare if this thing was Bon Jovi-approved? Bonus footage is after thebreak.[Via HotHardware]Continue reading Bongiovi-equipped iHome iP1 iPod / iPhonedock finally shipsFiled under: Home Entertainment,Portable AudioBongiovi-equipped iHome iP1 iPod / iPhone dock finally ships originallyappeared on Engadget on Wed, 12Aug 2009 07:26:00 EST. Please seeour terms for use of feeds. Read|Permalink| Email this| Comments
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