CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-18 17:43:54 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"We’re excited to announce that video messaging is now coming out of preview as a full-fledged (and free!) feature in Skype for Windows desktop, Skype for Windows 8, Skype for Mac, Skype for iPhone, Skype for iPad, Skype for Android and Skype for BlackBerry. Just like the millions of users around the world who have already previewed video messaging, you too can now record and share a personal video message, even when your friends and loved ones are not available. The best part is that they’ll be able to view your video message as soon as they sign into Skype. Skype Video Messaging is easy and convenient, and only the contact you’ve chosen to receive your message can view it."

2013-06-18 17:00:14 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"AT&T appears to be in the midst of rolling out support for Apple's FaceTime video calling service for iPhone on its cellular network, making good on a promise to support all video chat apps over wireless by the end of the year."

2013-06-18 16:26:06 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

"The internet probably doesn't need to be reminded that Google Reader is heading out the door on July 1st. The good news is, Feedly has already stepped up with its own sync server that's coming online now."

2013-06-18 16:23:03 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"After Republicans lost the presidential election and seats in both the House and the Senate last year, many in the party offered a stern admonishment: If we want to broaden our appeal, steer clear of divisive social and cultural issues.

Yet after the high-profile murder trial of an abortion doctor in Philadelphia this spring, many Republicans in Washington and in state capitals across the country seem eager to reopen the emotional fight over a woman’s right to end a pregnancy. Their efforts will move to the forefront on Tuesday when House Republicans plan to bring to the floor a measure that would prohibit the procedure after 22 weeks of pregnancy — the most restrictive abortion bill to come to a vote in either chamber in a decade.

The bill stands no chance of becoming law, with Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House. Republican leaders acknowledge that itspur... more »

2013-06-18 16:22:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"It's time to rethink copyright law, say the U.S. Register of Copyrights and the chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Hearings, speeches, and lots of quiet maneuvering have begun to shape "the next great copyright act."  Last week, Motion Picture Association of America president, former senator Chris Dodd, laid out his vision for copyright in a speech to the L.A. Copyright Society and an op-ed in the Huffington Post. Invoking the U.S. Constitution and the Founders as allies for Hollywood's cause, he dropped some hints about the positions that MPAA might take in the upcoming months and years.  If those statements are any guide, we’re going to have some misinformation to sort through.  Here’s a reality check."

h/t +Electronic Frontier Foundation 

2013-06-18 16:21:27 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

"It's time to rethink copyright law, say the U.S. Register of Copyrights and the chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Hearings, speeches, and lots of quiet maneuvering have begun to shape "the next great copyright act."  Last week, Motion Picture Association of America president, former senator Chris Dodd, laid out his vision for copyright in a speech to the L.A. Copyright Society and an op-ed in the Huffington Post. Invoking the U.S. Constitution and the Founders as allies for Hollywood's cause, he dropped some hints about the positions that MPAA might take in the upcoming months and years.  If those statements are any guide, we’re going to have some misinformation to sort through.  Here’s a reality check."

h/t +Electronic Frontier Foundation 

2013-06-18 16:18:21 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"Fewer U.S. adults are smoking, a new government report says."

2013-06-18 15:48:21 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

"At issue is a series of pieces that ran in the SFWA Bulletin, the association's publication, which after a period of irregular publication, was resurrected by Jean Rabe, a science fiction author and editor who has written for the Dungeons and Dragons, Star Wars, and BattleTech franchises. Under Rabe's editorial leadership, the Bulletin published a number of articles that lead some members to exit the association. The cover of one issue featured an image of a woman in a chain mail bikini, a decided throwback to science fiction's cheesecakier days. That same issue featured a conversation between two male writers, Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg, ostensibly devoted to a discussion of the genre's female editors, but that included odd comments about specific women's appearances. A subsequent issue featured another piece by a man praising Barbie as an image of female submissiveness... more »

2013-06-18 15:42:53 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

"But there is one item of good news: Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, has decided to go Eliot Ness on rapists. The Plain Dealer reports:

Cuyahoga County prosecutors and investigators are revisiting decades-old unsolved rape cases, using DNA evidence to connect serial rapes, tracking down victims and sending cases to grand juries for indictment—often racing against a 20-year statute of limitations.

The Plain Dealer rightfully takes credit for this, having turned the pressure up for years on authorities. Efforts escalated in 2011 at the request of Ohio's Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine, and the result has been a factory line of indictments, often against men who are accused of spending decades attacking women without facing any repercussions for it. Now the newspaper has created a clearinghouse page so readers can follow the stream of indictments sinceM... more »

2013-06-18 06:29:56 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

"Women may be able to start training as Army Rangers by mid-2015 and as Navy SEALs a year later under plans set to be announced by the Pentagon that would slowly bring women into thousands of combat jobs, including those in elite special operations forces.

Details of the plans were obtained by The Associated Press. They call for requiring women and men to meet the same physical and mental standards to qualify for certain infantry, armor, commando and other front-line positions across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reviewed the plans and has ordered the services to move ahead.

The move, expected to be announced Tuesday, follows revelations of a startling number of sexual assaults in the armed forces. Earlier this year, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said the sexual assaults might be linked to the longstanding ban on women... more »

2013-06-18 06:28:17 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

"After Republicans lost the presidential election and seats in both the House and the Senate last year, many in the party offered a stern admonishment: If we want to broaden our appeal, steer clear of divisive social and cultural issues.

Yet after the high-profile murder trial of an abortion doctor in Philadelphia this spring, many Republicans in Washington and in state capitals across the country seem eager to reopen the emotional fight over a woman’s right to end a pregnancy. Their efforts will move to the forefront on Tuesday when House Republicans plan to bring to the floor a measure that would prohibit the procedure after 22 weeks of pregnancy — the most restrictive abortion bill to come to a vote in either chamber in a decade.

The bill stands no chance of becoming law, with Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House. Republican leaders acknowledge that itspur... more »

2013-06-18 06:15:18 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Here's what being teargassed feels like: No one can help you and you can help no one. You feel you are drowning and around you are people fainting, vomiting, writhing around in pain.

As told to HRW's Emma Sinclair-Webb in Istanbul.

2013-06-18 06:12:20 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Our Takedown Hall of Shame makes sure that the groups that abuse copyright and trademark law to silence speech get the recognition they deserve. So ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our latest addition to the Takedown Hall of Shame: the Church of Scientology!

2013-06-17 20:36:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"European Union leaders and President Obama on Monday announced the start of negotiations for a far-reaching trans-Atlantic trade deal, but French indignation over recent remarks by a high-ranking Brussels official created a sideshow here at the Group of 8 meeting.

President Obama said that the first round of negotiations would begin in Washington next month between the United States and the 27-nation Europe Union. “The U.S.-E.U. relationship is the largest in the world — it makes up almost half of global G.D.P.,” Mr. Obama said, referring to gross domestic product. “This potentially groundbreaking partnership would deepen those ties.”

2013-06-17 20:32:47 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

" Turkey's deputy prime minister said on Monday the armed forces could be called up if needed to help quell popular protests that have swept Turkish cities in the last two weeks, the first time the possibility of a military role has been raised.

Bulent Arinc made the remarks in Ankara, where 1,000 striking trade union workers faced off briefly against police backed by several water cannon, before police retreated and the crowd left.

In Istanbul, the cradle of protests that have presented Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan with the greatest public challenge to his 10-year leadership, several hundred union members also marched in sympathy with anti-government demonstrations."

2013-06-17 15:40:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

"A top European Union official says talks on a sweeping new free trade agreement between the EU and the US will begin next month.

Jose Manuel Barroso, head of the EU's executive arm the Commission, said Monday at the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland that the deal could offer "huge economic benefits" for both sides of the Atlantic.

U.S. President Barack Obama added a deal would be "a priority of mine" and that he was "confident we can get it done."

Negotiations would focus on lowering tariffs and rules that hinder the trade of goods and services and is seen as a way of promoting new growth and jobs amid an uncertain global recovery.

Summit host British Prime Minister David Cameron said the trade pact could create 2 million jobs."

2013-06-17 15:30:58 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

"The Supreme Court says states cannot require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier.

The justices voted 7-2 to throw out Arizona's voter-approved requirement that prospective voters document their U.S. citizenship in order to use a registration form produced under the federal "Motor Voter" voter registration law.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which doesn't require such documentation, trumps Arizona's Proposition 200 passed in 2004. Arizona officials say their law is needed to stop non-Americans from voting in elections, while opponents see it as an attack on minorities, immigrants and the elderly.

But the high court agreed with the federal government in the case."

This is only the first... more »

2013-06-17 15:20:03 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

"The GOP is a Nice Party and it wants to know why so many college students are putting it in the Friend Zone, according to a new survey out by the College Republican National Committee."

2013-06-17 15:13:59 (2 comments, 11 reshares, 18 +1s)

"I have just discovered a whole new dimension to classical sculpture. If you dress the sculptures as hipsters it gives them an awesome new look. They become contemporary and totally badass. Needless to say, they look a lot more human. They look like people who we can picture in our lives. This beats Madame Tussauds. I am sold."

Very cool.

2013-06-17 15:07:31 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has tried to curb soda consumption, ban smoking in parks and encourage bike riding, is taking on a new cause: requiring New Yorkers to separate their food scraps for composting.

Dozens of smaller cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, have adopted rules that mandate recycling of food waste from homes, but sanitation officials in New York had long considered the city too dense and vertically structured for such a policy to succeed.

Recent pilot programs in the city, though, have shown an unexpectedly high level of participation, officials said. As a result, the Bloomberg administration is rolling out an ambitious plan to begin collecting food scraps across the city, according to Caswell F. Holloway IV, a deputy mayor."

2013-06-17 02:45:04 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 5 +1s)

"When you stopped buying DVDs and started streaming on Netflix, Hollywood's economics changed. So did the movies"

2013-06-17 02:11:37 (11 comments, 27 reshares, 58 +1s)

h/t +George Takei 

2013-06-16 16:57:27 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

"Thousands of defiant protesters attempting to converge on central Istanbul's Taksim Square on Sunday were kept away by police firing repeated rounds of tear gas, as the government maintained a hard line against rekindled demonstrations.

Across the city, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's supporters gathered in their thousands for a campaign-style rally as he sought to galvanize his base after weeks of anti-government protests left his international image battered, and exposed deep rifts within Turkish society.

Police in uniform and plain clothes sealed off Taksim Square and adjacent Gezi Park, which riot police cleared of thousands of peaceful protesters in a swift but muscular operation Saturday evening. Crews worked through the night to remove all traces of a sit-in that started more than two weeks ago and became the focus of the strongest challenge to Prime Minister... more »

2013-06-16 10:40:35 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

"ISTANBUL (AP) — Bulldozers cleared all that was left of a two-week sit-in in an Istanbul park and police sealed off the area early Sunday, keeping angry demonstrators from returning to a spot that has become the focus of the strongest challenge to the prime minister in his 10 years in office.

Protesters set up barricades and plumes of tear gas rose in Istanbul's streets into the early hours after Turkish riot police rousted a group who had vowed to stay in Gezi Park despite Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's warnings to leave.

As dusk fell Saturday, hundreds of white-helmeted riot police swept through the park and adjacent Taksim Square, firing canisters of the acrid, stinging gas. Thousands of peaceful protesters, choking on the fumes and stumbling among the tents, put up little physical resistance."

2013-06-16 10:33:04 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 10 +1s)

Video on how black holes emit x-rays, here: http://bit.ly/179m9lR

2013-06-16 06:06:18 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

"Driver’s license photographs and biographic information of most Americans would be accessible through an expanded Department of Homeland Security nationwide computer network if the immigration legislation pending before the Senate becomes law.

The proposed expansion is part of an effort to crack down on illegal immigration by requiring all employers to confirm the identity and legal status of any new workers by tapping into a Homeland Security Department system called E-Verify, which is now used voluntarily by about 7 percent of employers in the United States.

But the proposal already faces objections from some civil liberties lawyers and certain members of Congress, who worry about the potential for another sprawling data network that could ultimately be the equivalent of a national ID system."

2013-06-16 05:54:46 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 30 +1s)

H/t +George Takei 

2013-06-15 23:52:50 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

"IN THE past year commercial space start-ups have proposed everything from asteroid mining and lunar space-elevators to home-made satellites and private moonshots. Gravity, however, is not the only force preventing them from achieving lift-off. Although the cost of developing new space vehicles, products and services is high, just as much of a burden can be imposed by such intangible expenses as regulatory compliance, legal fees and insurance premiums. Art Dula, boss of Excalibur Almaz, a British firm touting trips to the moon aboard second-hand Russian spacecraft, says that so far his company has spent as much on navigating the legal and regulatory paperwork as it has on buying and refitting its Soviet-era space capsules for lunar travel."

2013-06-15 23:51:08 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

"A government’s first job is to protect its citizens. But that should be based on informed consent, not blind trust"

"Our point is not that America’s spies are doing the wrong things, but that the level of public scrutiny is inadequate and so is the right of redress. Without these, officials will be tempted to abuse their powers, because the price of doing so is small. This is particularly true for those who bug and ban.

Spooks do need secrecy, but not on everything, always and everywhere. Officials will complain that disclosure would hinder their efforts in what is already an unfair fight. Yet some operational efficiency is worth sacrificing, because public scrutiny is a condition for popular backing. Even allowing for the need to keep some things clandestine, Americans need a clearer idea of what their spies are doing in their name."

h/t +TheEco... more »

2013-06-15 17:44:14 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

"Melodrama comes naturally to film people. What is more puzzling is the seemingly suicidal behaviour of France in its readiness to kill the world’s most ambitious trade negotiation before it begins. Unless audio-visual services are entirely excluded from the talks, France insists, it will veto the mandate for the European Commission to open negotiations with America when trade ministers meet in Luxembourg this weekend.

In part, this is brinkmanship. The French know that Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, is keen to launch the negotiations when he hosts the G8 summit on June 17th and 18th. And Enda Kenny, Ireland’s prime minister, wants the talks to crown his country’s six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. Many also wonder if the French president, François Hollande, really wants an open clash with his European colleagues as well as with his American counterpart,Barack O... more »

2013-06-15 17:31:58 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

"On Friday the Legislature took up the law without debating its contents and it passed easily. It is packed with controversial measures. The law creates a Superintendency of Information and Communication, with the power to regulate the news media, investigate possible violations and impose potentially hefty fines. It creates a five-member Council for the Regulation and Development of Information and Communication, led by a representative of the president, to oversee the news media.

The law prohibits “media lynching,” which it defines as the repeated publication or broadcast of information intended to smear a person’s reputation or reduce one’s credibility. And it bans content that incites violence or promotes racial or religious hatred.

Carlos Lauría of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a group that promotes press freedom, said the wording of such measures was vagueenough t... more »

2013-06-15 17:29:45 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

"Iranian state television reported that Hassan Rowhani had more than 50 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a runoff in the race to replace the departing president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

2013-06-15 17:28:56 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"But appearing on stage together here on Friday, former President Bill Clinton and Gov. Chris Christie were nothing so much as two chummy wonks, casually dropping acronyms into discussions of zoning codes, land use and federal money for hazard mitigation."

2013-06-15 16:57:33 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

"Anti-government protesters in Turkey are refusing to leave Istanbul's Taksim Square despite the prime minister's pledge not to develop its Gezi Park site, setting the stage for another confrontation between demonstrators and police.

"We will continue our resistance in the face of any injustice and unfairness taking place in our country," the Taksim Solidarity, an umbrella group of protesters, said in a statement Saturday.

The protest began as a dispute over developing Gezi Park, but quickly blossomed into a broader protest against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamic-leaning government.

The resistance encompasses "citizens' anger that accumulated over 11 years of A.K.P. government," the statement said, referring to the acronym for the ruling Justice and Development Party.

NPR's Peter Kenyon, reporting from... more »

2013-06-15 16:55:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"The prime minister chooses toughness over talk. The consequences for Turkey could be seriously damaging"

2013-06-15 16:41:57 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

"The problem with Superman has always been that the ability to lovingly accept him demands a lack of cynicism—something that we have in abundance, more and more every day. Yet fans of DC’s proclaimed “Boy Scout” are typically capable of casting off that mantel of suspicion when they talk about Clark Kent. And Man of Steel’s job, as a film, was to see if it could get the rest of the world to do the same, to remind us what makes him the first superhero who’s name every child learns.

So I’ll spare you the suspense: It succeeds."

h/t +Tor.com 

2013-06-15 16:33:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"A new, sweeping Republican bill aimed at reducing abortions in Ohio would require women to wait longer before having the procedure and force doctors to pass on debatable information that a fetus might feel pain and that the procedure increases the risk of breast cancer.

So far, 35 House Republicans have signed on in support of the bill, which also subjects doctors who violate the new regulations to penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The bill drew criticism from Democrats and abortion-rights supporters such as Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, which sent an email headlined, “Ohio legislators continue to violate women.”

2013-06-15 16:28:06 (23 comments, 5 reshares, 0 +1s)

"Women who miscarry a pregnancy could face imprisonment if Mississippi has its way. The state Supreme Court is set to rule on whether or not the state can arrest women for delivering a stillborn or losing a pregnancy any time throughout the nine-month period of time a fetus is developing."

2013-06-15 16:25:13 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"During the signing of Texas' "Merry Christmas Bill" on Thursday, Gov. Rick Perry (R) made a rather shocking claim.

"Religious freedom does not mean freedom from religion," Perry declared at the State Capitol building in Austin before signing HB 308, which allows public schools to display scenes and symbols of "traditional winter holidays."

...

The U.S. Constitution specifically forbids government preference of one religion over another. A state law called the "Merry Christmas Bill," if only by its name, would seem to defy that principle."

2013-06-15 03:33:13 (7 comments, 8 reshares, 6 +1s)

"Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has vetoed a bill meant to prevent wage discrimination against women.

An aide to state Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D), who authored the equal pay bill, HB 950, said Perry's office called on Friday to say he had vetoed it. State Sen. Wendy Davis (D), who introduced the Senate version of the legislation, told the Texas Tribune that she had received the same call.

In a statement, Thompson said she was "deeply disappointed" and "heartbroken."

"Women will still have to struggle to receive their equal pay for their equal work," she said.

The bill would bring Texas state law in line with the federal Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which makes it easier for women to sue employers over wage discrimination. It cleared the state House in late April, and the Senate passed its version in late May."

For... more »

2013-06-14 04:49:13 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 12 +1s)

"The Kansas State Board of Education voted Tuesday to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new science curriculum that treats evolution and climate change as fact and promotes hands-on learning.

Officials in Kansas previously helped craft the K-12 curriculum with the help of 25 other states and several national organizations. The standards have already been approved by state boards in Rhode Island and Kentucky, according to Education Week."

Nice of Kansas to actually join the 21st Century.

2013-06-14 04:47:30 (27 comments, 4 reshares, 7 +1s)

"The U.S. House of Representatives voted again Thursday to allow the indefinite military detention of Americans, blocking an amendment that would have barred the possibility.

Congress wrote that authority into law in the National Defense Authorization Act two years ago, prompting outrage from civil libertarians on the left and right. President Barack Obama signed the measure, but insisted his administration would never use it.

Supporters of detention argue that the nation needs to be able to arrest and jail suspected terrorists without trial, including Americans on U.S. soil, for as long as there is a war on terror. Their argument won, and the measure was defeated by a vote of 200 to 226."

I ashamed by our Congress voting to continue denying the protection of rights guaranteed by the Constitution. There is simply no excuse to justify the elimination of trials... more »

2013-06-14 04:44:08 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

"Judge Edith Jones of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be subjected to a rarely used disciplinary review process to address alleged racist and discriminatory comments made earlier this year.

In a letter released Thursday, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts determined that the accusations against Jones, a conservative judge based in New Orleans, should be heard in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals."

2013-06-13 23:54:46 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

"For instance, I am fascinated by South Dakota, where the Legislature is almost rabidly anti-abortion. Previously in the state, women had to wait 72 hours after seeing a doctor at the state’s only abortion clinic law before they could have the procedure. This year, however, state law was amended to exclude Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from the 72-hour calculation.

“So now we can’t think on weekends?” the ACLU’s Louise Melling said dryly during a call with reporters Thursday. Melling, director of the ACLU’s Center of Liberty, presented an update on efforts to roll back abortion access, which are happening in many states.  “Do they really think we’re just stupid?”

(The ACLU, not normally known for its lighthearted approach, has launched a campaign called “They Think We’re Stupid.”  It is an up-to-the-minute compendium of anti-abortion efforts around thecountry, which are dramat... more »

2013-06-13 23:28:08 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

"Danielle Powell was close to getting her bachelor's degree when she was kicked out of her university for being gay in 2012, and now says the only way the school will transfer her credits to another school is if she agrees to pay $6,300. In response, Powell has launched an online petition to pressure the school to forgive the debt.

...

Michael James, executive vice president at Grace, told The Huffington Post that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents them from discussing any student's particular case. But he did confirm the student handbook states that "Any student involved in sexually immoral behavior, including premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual acts, is at minimum placed on University probation and may be subject to a Judiciary Hearing."

I'd be curious to know how often this kind of treatment is given to same sex couples... more »

2013-06-13 23:22:03 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 5 +1s)

"Apparently, not even an adorable little girl can melt the heart of a bigot. After a fierce, racist backlash on YouTube, the comments for the Cheerios ad featuring a mixed-race couple had to be disabled, prompting many of us to ask, "What the hell is wrong with people?"

In response to the controversy, Kenji (who also directed the hilarious Homo Thugs series) created this parody that ups the ante on bigots and tells the haters to "eat it." The spoof was co-written by Mark Normand and Eddie Lombardi, stars comedians Hollis Witherspoon and Joyelle Nicole Johnson, and features the adorable Adriana Barnett."

2013-06-13 23:06:55 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Thursday proposed major changes to New York City’s building code, saying Hurricane Sandy showed that both commercial and residential properties needed additional safeguards to withstand severe weather."

2013-06-13 22:36:28 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

"I’m trying to remember if I have ever read a Supreme Court opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas with the pleasure I read the one he wrote this morning. For a unanimous court, Thomas did the wise and sensible thing and said no to gene patenting, when the DNA comes straight from nature. Companies can still patent synthetic DNA, because that requires alteration of the gene. Fine. Synthetic gene patents reward scientists for invention. And Thomas is also careful to limit the scope of the ruling so it’s clear that the court isn’t discouraging scientists from coming up with new methods for manipulating genes, altering them, or applying knowledge to them in new ways. That should calm the fears of the biotech industry—their sky is not falling."

2013-06-13 06:14:13 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

"Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday accused the opposition of a pattern of misogynist behaviour, branding a menu for a party fundraiser "grossly sexist and offensive" after it featured a quail dish named after her that offered "small breasts" and "huge thighs".

The menu was used at a dinner in March for Mal Brough, a former government minister under prime minister John Howard and now an opposition candidate for the September national elections.

...

The menu only surfaced on Twitter Wednesday, listing a dish called "Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail: Small Breasts and Huge Thighs and A Big Red Box".

Conservative Liberal opposition leader Tony Abbott condemned the description. But the flame-haired Gillard, whose comments on misogyny last year won her global acclaim, said it demonstrated a "pattern... more »

2013-06-13 05:32:18 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

"ESPN's announcement Wednesday that it will shut down its 3-D channel by the end of the year is the latest sign the format won't revolutionize entertainment as the industry once hoped.

Troubling signs for 3-D have been on the horizon for a last year or so. ESPN 3D's audience ratings were below The Nielsen Co.'s measurable threshold, and in March, the Motion Picture Association said box office revenue for 3-D showings in the U.S. and Canada was flat in 2012 from a year earlier at $1.8 billion. The number of 3-D films released in the period dropped by 20 percent."