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Our top story this week was about bad news for the big guys: Google,
Facebook, Digg's top users. As you catch up on the news, be sure to watch the conversation about China, tech and
democracy that took place between activist/artist Ai Weiwei, Twitter's Jack Dorsey and
ReadWriteWeb's Richard MacManus. We also continued our exploration of the significant Internet
trends of 2010, including Real-Time Web, Mobile Web and Internet of Things.
Note: We've refreshed the format for our longest running feature, the Weekly
Wrapup. It now focuses more explicitly on the key trends that ReadWriteWeb is tracking in 2010,
as well as giving you the highlights from the leading story of the week. Let us know your
thoughts on the new format.
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Pastoral letter to victims expresses shame and remorse of Catholic church and calls on priests to
face justice
The pope today apologised to the victims of child sex abuse by Catholic priests in Ireland,
saying he was "truly sorry" for their suffering.
In a pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, Benedict XVI castigated Irish bishops for "grave errors
of judgment" in their handling of the paedophilia scandal and ordered a Vatican investigation into the Irish church.
But he made no mention of any Vatican responsibility and gave no specific punishments for bishops
who have been blamed by victims and Irish government inquiries for having concealed the
abuse.
"You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry," the pope wrote, addressing the victims.
"It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the church. In her
name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel."
The letter described the sexual and physical abuse perpetrated by priests, brothers and nuns as
"sinful and criminal", saying they had betrayed the trust of the faithful, brought shame on the
church and now must answer to God and civil authorities.
"Conceal nothing," he said. "Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of
justice, but do not despair of God's mercy."
Benedict criticised the Irish bishops for having failed, "sometimes grievously", to apply the
church's punishments for child abusers, which include defrocking them. But he did not rebuke them
specifically for having failed to report cases of abuse to police.
"I recognise how difficult it was to grasp the extent and complexity of the problem, to obtain
reliable information and to make the right decisions in the light of conflicting expert advice,"
Benedict wrote.
"Nevertheless, it must be admitted that grave errors of judgment were made and failures of
leadership occurred. And this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness."
The pope ordered a Vatican investigation into some diocese, seminaries and religious orders. Such
inquiries only occur when the Vatican considers a local church unable to deal with a problem on
its own, as in the case of sexual abuse by US priests.
Victims have demanded that bishops resign. Three Irish bishops have offered to step down but the
pope has not accepted their resignations.
Three official inquiries, ordered by the Irish government, documented how thousands of Irish
children suffered rape, molestation and other abuse by priests in their parishes, and by nuns and
brothers in boarding schools and orphanages. Irish bishops did not report a single case to police
until 1996 after victims began to sue the church.
Benedict said he recognised that nothing could undo the victims' pain and he compared their
suffering to that of Christ on the cross.
"Christ's own wounds, transformed by his redemptive sufferings, are the very means by which the
power of evil is broken and we are reborn to life and hope."
The Itawamba School District filed a brief containing several new revelations on Friday. The
brief says prom was called off to settle the "very explosive and disruptive" issue of the
district's ban on same-sex dating, the Clarion Ledger
reports.
So the school actually has an official ban on same-sex dating?
"The filing by school board attorney Benjamin Griffith states that Itawamba Agricultural High
School senior Constance McMillen 'wishes to make the defendant district the site for a national
constitutional argument over gay and lesbian rights.' ... Griffith said the student's rights
were not violated. 'This is not an issue where anyone has been denied an education or suffered a
constitutional deprivation,' he wrote in the filing. 'Rather, this is a social event that, in
light of rapidly escalating circumstances, was disruptive to the school environment because
people are on all sides of the issue.' An affidavit filed Friday by attorney James Keith says
school board members have been been under 'tremendous pressure' as a result of the controversy."
"The school board's response states that parents have organized a private prom at a furniture
mart in nearby Tupleo (sic). Now that the school district has withdrawn from the event, any
constitutional claims are irrelevant, Griffith wrote. [ACLU attorney Christine] Sun said
she had only heard rumors of the private dance until she read it in the brief. 'Constance has not
been invited, so it is clear to me that what is happening is that the school has encouraged a
private prom that is not open to all the students,' she said. 'That's what Constance is fighting
for — a prom where everyone can go.'"
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian investigators will be given access to the Chicago man who pleaded
guilty to helping plan the Mumbai attacks, but he won't be extradited to India on current charges,
a U.S. official said on Saturday.
Fox News' Special Report suggested that a "deal" in the health care bill was sought by
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) for a proposed hospital in Connecticut and discussed other purported
"deals" for Tennessee and Louisiana. In fact, Connecticut would potentially have to compete for
funding against other states, and Republicans and Democrats have said that provisions for
Tennessee and Louisiana are crucial to fixing an imbalance in Medicaid funding in those states.
Special Report, Sean Hannity make claims of "special deals" in health bill
From the March 19 broadcast of Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier:
BRIAN WILSON (correspondent): Deals still alive for the moment? Well, Republicans claim that
Democrat Bart Gordon changed his vote from "yes" -- from "no" to "yes" after he got $100 million
for Tennessee hospitals that treat the poor. Other deals still in play? Yes, the Louisiana
Purchase: $300 million in Medicaid money is still alive; Connecticut hospital handout -- $100
million sought by Senator Dodd.
From the March 19 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
HANNITY: Retiring Congressman Bart Gordon is doing a 180 as well. Now he voted "no" in November,
but after securing millions of dollars in Medicaid funding for low-income patients in his home
state, well, he's now in the "yes" column.
CT not the only state eligible for hospital funding; also sought by GOP Gov. Rell
Connecticut would reportedly have to compete for the hospital funds. The
Hartford Courant
reported that Connecticut would have to compete for the funds. Also, Dodd
reportedly said that at least 14 other states could apply for the grant.
Funding for health care facilities would be decided by Health and Human Services
secretary. The
text of the Senate health care bill as passed states that the $100 million grant for
"infrastructure to expand access to health care" "may only be made available by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services upon the receipt of an application from the Governor of a State" that
meets certain requirements:
(b) REQUIREMENT.-Amount appropriated under subsection (a) may only be made available by the
Secretary of Health and Human Services upon the receipt of an application from the Governor of a
State that certifies that-
(1) the new health care facility is critical for the provision of greater access to health care
within the State;
(2) such facility is essential for the continued financial viability of the State's sole public
medical and dental school and its academic health center;
(3) the request for Federal support represents not more than 40 percent of the total cost of the
proposed new facility; and
(4) the State has established a dedicated funding mechanism to provide all remaining funds
necessary to complete the construction or renovation of the proposed facility.
Proposed UConn hospital part of Republican Gov. Rell's health care proposal.
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, has reportedly
proposed a $352 million University of Connecticut Health Center that would rely on $100
million in federal funds available as a grant in the health care bill under the provision
inserted by Dodd.
Funding for TN hospitals sought by Dems, Republicans to fix Medicaid imbalance
Under health care bill reconciliation "fix," $100 million in Medicaid would go to
"disproportionate share hospital" payments. Changes proposed to the Senate health care
bill included a section that, in part, gives disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments to
states that otherwise would receive no payments after FY2011. The House Rules Committee summary
of the changes describes Sec. 1203:
Sec. 1203. Disproportionate share hospital payments. Lowers the
reduction in federal Medicaid DSH payments from $18.1 billion to $14.1 billion and advances the
reductions to begin in fiscal year 2014. Directs the Secretary to develop a methodology for
reducing federal DSH allotments to all states in order to achieve the mandated reductions.
Extends through FY 2013 the federal DSH allotment for a state that has a $0 allotment after FY
2011.
Entire TN delegation asked Energy and Commerce Committee to deal with the fact that the
state is scheduled to get no DSH money. As
reported by the Nashville Business Journal, a May 2009
letter from Tennessee's entire House delegation -- consisting of both Democrats and
Republicans -- to the House Energy and Commerce Committee requested DSH funding. According to the
letter, Tennessee had given up DSH funding in 1993 when it created a special state insurance
program, TennCare, in lieu of traditional Medicaid. The letter added that, since March 2006,
Tennessee hospitals have "returned to a traditional Medicaid population," but are not getting DSH
payments, unlike almost every other state. From the letter:
As you may know, with the onset of the TennCare waiver in 1993, the state agreed to eliminate the
DSH payment for Tennessee, using the rationale that the majority of the uninsured and uninsurable
would have the opportunity to enter the new TennCare program and, consequently, hospitals would
be getting TennCare reimbursement for the majority of the patients that would have been charity
care patients. Although there was an initial 25 percent-decline in charity care under the
program, the cost of charity care in Tennessee hospitals returned to pre-TennCare levels by 2000
and has continued to grow at a pace consistent with hospitals across the country. As of March
2006, the state Medicaid program began to disenroll adults who were eligible for TennCare as
uninsured or uninsurable previously. This leaves Tennessee hospitals in the dilemma of having
returned to a traditional Medicaid population covered by a Medicaid program with no DSH payment.
Tennessee is one of only two states with no DSH payment. The other state is
Hawaii.
Tennessee reportedly got temporary fixes in the past. The Nashville Business
Journal article also reported:
The imbalance has existed since Tennessee gave up its payments when it created TennCare in the
1990s -- and it has been similarly addressed by lawmakers in the past. Early last year, a $32.8
billion bill to insure poor children included a provision extending DSH payments to Tennessee
hospitals by $30 million a year for two years.
TennCare spokeswoman Kelly Gunderson said the majority of Tennessee hospitals receive some level
of DSH payments.
Provision affecting Louisiana fixes Medicaid gap caused by Katrina, Rita
Funding would fix FMAP rates for "certain states recovering from a major
disaster." The Senate bill as passed
includes a provision -- often referred to as the "Louisiana Purchase" by conservative media
-- that would adjust the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rate for "certain states
recovering from a major disaster." The bill requires that it only apply to states "for which, at
any time during the preceding 7 fiscal years, the President has declared a major disaster" and
"determined as a result of such disaster that every county or parish in the State warrant
individual and public assistance or public assistance from the Federal Government."
The Department of Health and Human Services states that
FMAP is "used in determining the amount of Federal matching funds for State expenditures for
assistance payments for certain social services, and State medical and medical insurance
expenditures. The Social Security Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
calculate and publish the FMAPs each year."
Times-Picayune: Temporary post-Katrina
spending "spiked" per capita income "long enough" to skew Medicaid funding formula, causing state
Medicaid funding shortfall. The Times-Picayune
reported on January 22 that "FMAP refers to the percentage of a state's payments under
Medicaid that are covered by the federal government. Louisiana usually gets a higher match
because of how poor the state is, but because of all the recovery and rebuilding money that
poured in after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, state per capita income spiked long enough to throw
the formula out of kilter and threaten to blow a hole [in] the state budget. [Sen. Mary]
Landrieu's fix was, according to state officials, only the beginning of a solution for a huge
Medicaid shortfall the state is facing." The article stated that Landrieu said "attaching the
Medicaid provision to a health-care bill made sense, and there is no obvious and feasible
legislative alternative."
Jindal: "If not corrected in Washington, D.C.," FMAP problem will cost $500
million a year. Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal's fiscal year 2010-2011
budget proposal states that the "Louisiana state government faces significant, multi-year
budget challenges, compounded by a faulty federal FMAP formula that, if not corrected in
Washington, D.C., will cost the state approximately $500 million a year in Medicaid funding,
impacting services for the poorest in our state, and often those who need care the most." The
proposal also says that "[w]hile there is discussion in Washington about extending the enhanced
federal Medicaid match rate for six months for all states, without a permanent fix to Louisiana's
faulty FMAP calculation, combined with the loss of federal stimulus funding, Louisiana will still
face a projected $1.7 billion shortfall for FY 12."
It's official: Aksys Games is localizing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift for
North America. Continuum Shift, the sequel to Arc System Works' high-resolution 2D
fighting game, will be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer. Like the Japanese release, this
updated version adds new
characters.
It also adds new modes, including a Beginner Mode, which simplifies the control scheme, a Challenge
Mode with specific missions for each character, and Legion Mode, a mini-strategy game in which
players fight enemies to gain control of a map.
"If you're not on the hype train this time, you're missing out on the latest greatest 2D game from
Arc", Aksys marketing director Gail Salamanca said in a quote we can't help but pass along, "GET
HYPE, CHOO CHOO!"
It's official: Aksys Games is localizing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift for
North America. Continuum Shift, the sequel to Arc System Works' high-resolution 2D
fighting game, will be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer. Like the Japanese release, this
updated version adds new
characters.
It also adds new modes, including a Beginner Mode, which simplifies the control scheme, a Challenge
Mode with specific missions for each character, and Legion Mode, a mini-strategy game in which
players fight enemies to gain control of a map.
"If you're not on the hype train this time, you're missing out on the latest greatest 2D game from
Arc", Aksys marketing director Gail Salamanca said in a quote we can't help but pass along, "GET
HYPE, CHOO CHOO!"
Beekeepers in New York City no longer have to keep the honey of their labors a secret. The
city's Board of Health decided Tuesday to allow beekeeping in the city after a long ban. Some New
Yorkers have secretly tended beehives on rooftops and in backyard gardens for years in defiance of
city regulations. The health code had placed honeybees in the same category as other creatures that
are deemed too dangerous or venomous for city life, including hyenas and venomous snakes. And more
@ the NY Times... New
York City is among the few jurisdictions in the country that deem beekeeping illegal, lumping the
honeybee together with hyenas, tarantulas, cobras, dingoes and other animals considered too
dangerous or venomous for city life. But the honeybee's bad rap -- and the days of urban beekeepers
being outlaws -- may soon be over. Read more |
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The Magellan eXplorist GC is yet another geocaching device which will hit the market pretty soon,
and it will also come in an extremely bright color for obvious reasons - how many people actually
go geocaching in the pitch black darkness of then ight? Looks like Magellan will be rolling out
an official announcement in the very near future, so stay tuned for new developments that
accomany this geocaching device, including its pricing, availability and most importantly,
specifications.
If you don't already have plans to attend PAX East in Boston next weekend, consider a drive to
Brookfield, WI instead for the Midwest Gaming Classic, a two-day "all-encompassing electronic
gaming trade show" running from March 27-28.
Of course, the event will have hundreds of arcade and pinball machines to play and show off, but
it also features lots of other entertaining attractions like the Classic Gaming and Computing
Museum with its five display/play rooms devoted to vintage consoles, modern consoles, "underdog"
consoles, family games, and versus games.
The show has a number of notable speakers booked to deliver presentations: Robotron and
Defender co-creator Eugene Jarvis, High Voltage Software's Keith Hladik, console modder
Benjamin Heckendorn (who will be bringing his Bill Paxton Pinball machine), Sword of Fargoal creator Jeff McCord, and many others.
There will be several film screenings (Tilt: The Battle to Save
Pinball, Pinball Passion, and Pinball 101), tournaments (e.g. Super Mario Wii, Space
Invaders), and other events (e.g. The benheck.com Experience) at the Midwest Gaming Classic,
too.
Here you go, folks,
an official statement from Redmond itself on the
perennial Windows Phone 7 Series / copy-and-paste discussion. First and foremost, from the
onset, there will be no copy and paste in the traditional sense; Microsoft is hoping to bypass the
issue by integrating into the OS common, case-specific, single-tap instances for viewing an address
on a map, doing Bing searches based on highlighted terms, dial a phone number, and so on. But the
book isn't entirely closed here, apparently, as the statement goes on to say the company "will
continue to improve our feature set over time based on what we hear." We've also got a statement
regarding the
hacked emulator, to which a representative told us, "we have been very clear that [it] is based
on early code and is not reflective of the final user experience," which is a nice way of saying
don't get your hopes up on those fun little surprises (task manager, anyone?). Full statements
after the break.
Still, good to hear that the game is still going on, considering that we've only seen the barest sprouts of
information about it so far. Maybe Miyamoto should give his team a 30-day time limit within
which to finish the game, and see how they feel about that.
Still, good to hear that the game is still going on, considering that we've only seen the barest sprouts of
information about it so far. Maybe Miyamoto should give his team a 30-day time limit within
which to finish the game, and see how they feel about that.
You know those special
amps used by Spinal Tap that go to 11, in order to provide "that extra push over the cliff"?
It appears Fox News has gotten a hold of some and hooked them up to its coverage of health care
reform.
As the reform bill moved closer to a vote in the House, the Fox News noise machine went into
overdrive, hurling every false and misleading claim it could muster.
The week in Fox News health care hysteria began with an oldie-but-goodie -- Steve Doocy, Bill Hemmer, and Bill O'Reilly all claimed or suggested that
the bill will, in O'Reilly's words, "require American taxpayers to fund abortion." But it
doesn't, at least not beyond what is currently permitted under current law. Fox News,
unfortunately, is not alone in
repeating this falsehood.
Then, Doocy and Hemmer, joined by Neil Cavuto and several other hosts, jumped on the idea that
a legislative procedure the House is reportedly considering to pass the Senate's version of
health care reform would allow them to do so without a vote. Wrong again -- the House would need
to vote to implement that procedure.
Carl Cameron, however, broke through the noise on this issue, pointing out that the process would simply
pass the bill "in one vote instead of two" and that the process "has been used, literally, for
centuries" -- indeed, Republicans made
copious use of the "self-executing rule" when they controlled Congress. Even Charles
Krauthammer conceded that it's
constitutional. Still, that didn't keep Alisyn Camerota from scoffing that the rule "might as well be a
self-immolating rule."
Fox News then pounced on a survey
claiming to have found that 46 percent of primary care physicians would consider leaving their
profession if health care reform passes. O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and contributor Dr. Marc Siegel
all portrayed the survey as having been published by the prestigious New England Journal of
Medicine.
Except it wasn't. The article was written by the physician-recruiting firm that conducted the
survey, and it actually appeared in an employment newsletter produced by the publisher of the
New England Journal of Medicine, not the Journal itself. Further, the survey
itself was not all that scientific -- done via email contacts taken from the recruiting firm's
database -- so any claim that the survey's results accurately reflect the view of the American
medical community is dubious at best.
Fox News' Megyn Kelly did eventually note
that the survey was "not a scientific poll." But that didn't keep Glenn Beck from insisting -- hours after Kelly corrected the
record -- that "The New England Journal of Medicine says that if this bill is
passed nearly one-third of doctors will quit practice medicine."
(Beck, meanwhile, is keeping up the long
tradition of Fox News hosts pushing partisan political agendas by joining with Republican
Rep. Steve King to promote an anti-reform rally in Washington.)
Fox News contributor and serial
misleader Dana Perino made her own non-contribution to the health care debate, asserting that the reform bill's Medicare
investment tax on those making over $200,000 a year is "so disturbing ... because the people who
make that money are the small business owners." In fact, fewer than 1.3 percent of small business
owners would be affected by the tax.
When the Congressional Budget Office released new numbers detailing how the reform bill would
reduce the deficit by $130 billion over 10 years, Fox News didn't want to talk about that -- it
spent far more time highlighting how
much the bill would cost instead of how much it would save. And when that didn't seem to work, it
tried to discredit the CBO as
untrustworthy and unreliable. Never mind that when the CBO issued "favorable" numbers last fall
on a Republican health care reform plan, Fox News praised the CBO as "nonpartisan."
The Fox News spin is even confusing its own hosts. Brian Kilmeade can't quite comprehend how a bill can cost money
yet reduce the deficit, and Kelly admitted, "I don't understand anything they're
talking about when it comes to this potential law."
Fox News' inept war against health care reform, while in keeping with its function as the
communications arm of the Republican
Party in exile, is making itself look like the Spinal Tap of news. It doesn't really need that
"extra push over the cliff" -- after all, that's what it's been speeding toward for years.
A whole lot of shaky earthquake claims goin' on at Fox
How much does Fox News oppose health care reform? It's pretending natural disasters didn't happen
if they're inconvenient to the anti-reform agenda.
On March 18, Doocy took exception to
President Obama's statement that a provision in the health care reform that would help Louisiana
cope with Medicaid shortfalls resulting from Hurricane Katrina might also help Hawaii because it
"went through an earthquake. "Hold it. What Hawaiian earthquake?" Doocy asked. "There was an
earthquake in 1868 that killed 77. There was an earthquake in 1975 that killed two." After noting
that the provision applies to states that have suffered a natural disaster "within the last seven
fiscal years," Doocy added: "Essentially it boils down to just one state, and that is Louisiana."
Doocy seems to have forgotten that there was an
earthquake in Hawaii in 2006. Not only did it cause tens of millions of dollars in damage,
the
Bush administration "declared a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaii and ordered
Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts" as a result of the quake.
But Doocy didn't need to rely on federal agencies for information on the quake -- Fox News
reported on it at the time.
(Investor's Business Dailysimilarly
ignored its own reporting to suggest there was no recent Hawaii quake.)
It seems that rather than trust the federal government or his own news organization, Doocy chose
instead to trust right-wing bloggers, who were spreading the misinformation. That runs
counter to a 2007
memo -- issued after Doocy and other Fox hosts falsely claimed that Obama was educated in a
madrassa -- in which Fox News vice president John Moody reportedly wrote, "For the record: seeing
an item on a website does not mean it is right. Nor does it mean it is ready for air on FNC."
Media Matters has written
Fox News requesting that Doocy correct the record. We shouldn't have to, since Fox News is
supposed to have a "zero tolerance" policy toward on-air mistakes, but then, these are the same
folks that
ludicrously insisted that a Fox & Friends graphic in which poll numbers added up to 120 percent contained no
errors.
The latest right-wing witch-hunt target: Jim Wallis
Fox News has long been a leader in witch hunts against Obama and his administration (or, really,
anyone who can be remotely tagged as liberal). Now Glenn Beck, as an extension of his repeated
challenged Beck to a debate over
social justice, Beck demurred, his vaguely
threatening statements making it clear his witch hunt was more important than reasoned
debate: "In my time, I will respond. ... Just know the hammer's coming. ... And when the hammer
comes, it's going to be hammering hard and all through the night, over and over."
Right-wing website WorldNetDaily, meanwhile, blundered into the breach with a poorly written
article that attempted to put words in Wallis' mouth. WND claimed that Wallis was a "champion of
communism," even though Wallis has declared communism to be a "failed" system; asserted that
Sojourners has published "a slew of radicals" while ignoring that it has also published a slew of
conservatives; and alleged that "Sojourners' official 'statement of faith' urges readers to
'refuse to accept [capitalist] structures and assumptions that normalize poverty and segregate
the world by class,' " even though the word "capitalist" -- inserted by WND -- actually appears
nowhere in the statement. WND even falsely claimed that Wallis "labeled the U.S.
'the great captor and destroyer of human life.' "
Somehow, we suspect that Beck's upcoming assault on Wallis will be just as divorced from reality
as WorldNetDaily's.
Erick Erickson joins the "scumbags" at CNN
Should a blogger who once called a retiring Supreme Court justice a "goat f---ing child molester"
be rewarded with a regular commentary gig on CNN? Doesn't matter -- the deal's been done.
CNN announced this week that RedState editor Erick Erickson has joined the network as a political
contributor, mainly appearing on John King's new show. The network claimed that Erickson is "a
perfect fit" for King's show, adding that "Erick is in touch with the very people John hopes to
reach."
Media Matters has detailed
Erickson's history of outrageous statements, of which the aforementioned is but one.
Predictably, conservatives defended
Erickson's new job, his fellow RedStaters among them. One of Erickson's RedState defenders,
however, went a tad off-message: "From
Non-Conservatives, to Academics and Liberal Elitists, to self-soiling and unprincipled
Professional Politicians and firmly-entrenched good ole boys inside the
M(ostly) S(cumbags)
M(edia), each of these clowns has a tale of doom about the
hell we're headed for compliments of CNN's hand basket."
We have to wonder: Does Erickson consider
his new CNN colleagues to be "scumbags"?
Media Matters maintains active online communities on the nation's leading
social networking sites. Be sure to join us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
MySpace,
and
Digg and join in on the discussion.
Media Matters Minutenow on
YouTube
For some time now, radio shows and stations throughout the country have been carrying the
Media Matters Minute, a daily, minute-long recap of our work topped off with
the "most outrageous comment" of the day. We encourage you to subscribe (YouTube /
iTunes /RSS) to the
Minute's daily podcast, hosted by Media Matters' Ben Fishel.
This weekly wrap-up was compiled and edited by Terry Krepel, a senior web editor at Media
Matters for America.
Microsoft has posted some of the first official details of its first
service packs for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. Most of the new developments in Service Pack 1
will be for the server OS, the company said. It adds RemoteFX, a more advanced virtual machine
technology that supports newer graphics like Flash or Silverlight, and dynamic memory, which can
automatically shift memory to virtual machines that need it....
"We actually haven't seen any official shots of the Office apps for Windows Phone 7 Series,
but now that Microsoft's emulator has been hacked and unlocked, we've got a glimpse of what
creating a Word doc in OneNote looks like -- and while there's a high probability that this a
super-early version of the app, it's still revealing in how drastically minimal it is."
There's a couple of video run throughs as well, mostly showing off what's available in the
emulator, but with sneak peeks at the Office apps as well. Don't expect to do anything more than
basic editing (at least, not yet), but you know - at least they're there.
This episode of 4MR is brought to you by the Knight Digital Media Center, providing a
spectrum of training for the 21st century journalist. Find out more at KDMC's website. It's also underwritten by GoDaddy, helping you
set up your own website in a snap with domain name registration, web hosting and 24/7 support.
Visit
GoDaddy to learn more.
Here's the latest 4MR audio report from MediaShift. In this week's edition, I look at Google TV,
the new alliance between Google, Intel, Sony and Logitech to create a new TV or set-top box that
will finally connect the TV with the Net in a simple way. Plus, Facebook last week surpassed
Google in traffic for the U.S., according to Experian Hitwise, and Facebook referrals to news
sites were more loyal visitors than referrals from Google News or the Google search engine. And I
asked Just One Question to Time magazine TV critic James Poniewozik, getting his take on Google
TV.
Mark Glaser is executive editor of MediaShift and Idea
Lab. He also writes the bi-weekly OPA Intelligence Report email newsletter for the Online Publishers Association. He lives in San Francisco
with his son Julian. You can follow him on Twitter @mediatwit.
This episode of 4MR is brought to you by the Knight Digital Media Center, providing a
spectrum of training for the 21st century journalist. Find out more at KDMC's website. It's also underwritten by GoDaddy, helping you
set up your own website in a snap with domain name registration, web hosting and 24/7 support.
Visit
GoDaddy to learn more.
Sprint
had promised a first-quarter
update for its Touch Pro2 way back in
January, and sure enough, it's delivered the Windows Mobile 6.5 boost right on time. It might
not have as much punch now that we know everything there is to know about Windows Phone 7 Series,
of course, but it's still a pretty big deal -- the Touch Pro2 remains one of the best
Microsoft-powered phones you can buy in the States, and unlike AT&T's Tilt2, it launched with that grubby old WinMo 6.1. It's
available now, complete with Sense "enhancements" and a variety of bug fixes -- so if you've got
one of these bad boys in your pocket, it seems like a must-grab.
The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the first beta release of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Long-Term
Support) Desktop, Server, and Netbook editions and of Ubuntu 10.04 Server for Ubuntu Enterprise
Cloud (UEC) and Amazon’s EC2. Codenamed "Lucid Lynx", 10.04 LTS continues Ubuntu’s
proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a
high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Desktop and Netbook Editions continue the trend of ever-faster boot speeds, with
improved startup times and a streamlined, smoother boot experience.
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Server Edition provides even better integration of the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud,
with its install-time cloud setup.
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Server for UEC and EC2 brings the power and stability of the Ubuntu Server
Edition to cloud computing, whether you’re using Amazon EC2 or your own Ubuntu Enterprise
Cloud.
The Ubuntu 10.04 family of variants, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, and Mythbuntu,
also reach beta status today.
Desktop features
————————
Social from the start: We now feature built-in integration with Twitter, identi.ca, Facebook, and
other social networks with the MeMenu in the panel.
New Design: Cleaner and faster boot, new notification area, new themes, new icons, and new
wallpaper bring a dramatically updated look and feel to Ubuntu.
Ubuntu One: Choose any folder in your home directory to sync, choose from millions of songs for
purchase in the Ubuntu One Music store.
Cloud computing: The Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud installer has been vastly improved in order to
support alternative installation topologies. UEC components are now automatically discovered and
registered, even with complex topologies. Finally, UEC is now powered by Eucalyptus 1.6.2
codebase.
UEC and EC2: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS continues the tradition of official Ubuntu Server image releases
for UEC and for Amazon’s EC2, giving you everything you need for rapid deployment of Ubuntu
instances in a cloud computing environment. UEC images, and information on running Ubuntu 10.04
on EC2, are available at:
Stability and security: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS brings many improvements over Ubuntu 8.04 LTS to keep
your servers safe and secure for the next five years, including AppArmor profiles for many key
services, kernel hardening, and an easy-to-configure firewall.
Ubuntu Netbook features
———————————-
Ubuntu Netbook Edition is optimised to run on Intel atom based netbooks. It includes a new
consumer-friendly interface that allows users to quickly and easily get on-line and use their
favourite applications. This interface is optimised for a retail sales environment.
It includes the same faster boot times and improved boot experience as Ubuntu desktop.
Kubuntu features
————————
Kubuntu 10.04 LTS will be the first LTS to feature KDE 4 Platform and Applications. KDE 4 has
come a long way since its early releases and is now suitable for the high demands of LTS users.
Being an LTS we have focused on bug fixing and stability for this release, but we did find time
to add features such as touchpad configuration, Firefox KDE integration, Kubuntu notification
improvements, and cross-desktop systray menu standardisation. Kubuntu features the Plasma Desktop
while Kubuntu Netbook Remix comes out of preview status with the Plasma Netbook workspace.
Edubuntu in Lucid features a more complete live environment containing more software from
universe and all existing language packs as well as our usual educational software in their
current version. For Lucid the text installer has been removed and so is LTSP for the time being.
We expect to have LTSP back on the DVD for the next beta. The DVD is then much smaller than it
used to be but will still provide a complete education environment based on Ubuntu Lucid.
Also included on the Edubuntu DVD is a small repository containing the required packages to
transform the regular Edubuntu desktop into a LTSP server or install the Netbook edition
interface.
Mythbuntu features
—————————
Mythbuntu 10.04 introduces MythTV 0.23. This new version is significantly faster and should feel
more responsive and stable than older versions. It also integrates better into the OS with better
support for things like ConsoleKit and Upstart.
Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, and servers, with a fast and
easy installation and regular releases. A tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications
is included, and an incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.
Professional technical support is available from Canonical Limited and hundreds of other
companies around the world. For more information about support, visit http://www.ubuntu.com/support
To Get Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Beta 1
———————————————
To upgrade to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Beta 1 from Ubuntu 9.10 or Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, follow these
instructions:
Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help turn this Beta into the best
release of Ubuntu ever. Please note that, where possible, we prefer that bugs be reported using
the tools provided, rather than by visiting Launchpad directly. Instructions can be found at
If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but are not sure, first try
asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel on FreeNode, on the Ubuntu Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu
forums:
2010 Mzda CX-7 - Click above for high-res image gallery
Two years ago, Mazda introduced an advanced new
2.2-liter four cylinder diesel engine in the European market. Since then, we've asked Mazda
officials on several occasions whether they would offer that engine in the U.S. market. The company
has never ruled out bringing a diesel here, but it has also never said it would. Instead, Mazda has
always said that it's watching the market and if there was demand for a diesel in the U.S., it
would look at offering the efficient engines. Perhaps the success of Volkswagen's diesel offerings in the U.S. has
convinced Mazda to look more seriously at oil-burners.
Mazda also offers a higher revving, more powerful 2.3-liter diesel which would be better suited to
U.S. tastes. Mazda already offers the CX-7 with an SCR after-treatment system that would go a long
way to meeting American emissions standards. However, at last fall's Tokyo Motor Show, the company also
showed a next-generation diesel dubbed Sky-D, which is 20 percent more efficient. According to
Road & Track, Mazda has acknowledged that the Sky-D diesel could be part of the lineup
for the next generation CX-7 and CX-9, but the obvious question is: When?
After years of infighting, the East Lothian MP is deselected after a vote by local party members
A sitting Labour MP has been deselected by her local party members after tensions over her style
erupted into a public feud with senior constituency officials.
With only weeks to go before the general election, Anne Moffat has been sacked as Labour's
candidate for East Lothian, a seat she has held for nine years, after a special meeting of her
local constituency party tonight.
Nearly 200 members, approximately half the local party, took part and voted for a special
resolution to deselect her by 130 to 59 – a heavier margin than her supporters
expected. The meeting heard her pleas to be kept on in silence.
Moffat, a former president of the trade union Unison and granddaughter of a famous Scottish
miners leader, has until 5pm on Monday to appeal to Labour's ruling national executive committee.
If she accepts the result, an all-women shortlist will be drawn up urgently to contest the seat.
There is speculation she may now retire on health grounds.
The vote comes after four years of infighting between Moffat and senior party activists in East
Lothian – a constituency shared by the current Labour leader in the Scottish
parliament, Iain Gray. He has repeatedly refused to back her.
Complaints about her track record and her style as MP has twice led to four out of the area's six
Labour party branches asking her to stand down. Moffat has relied heavily on a union block vote
for her survival, and the feuding led to the formal suspension of the constituency party by the
NEC in 2008.
Harry Cairney, one of her leading critics and the chairman of Prestonpans Labour club, one of the
largest in Scotland, said that despite the deep split within the party the meeting had been
"conciliatory and business-like."
Cairney said: "People have waited three years to get this vote and people said three years ago
when she couldn't carry a majority of the branches they should have their say."
Moffat left without speaking to the media. She had accused senior party officials of "bullying
and intimidation", while her critics claim she has failed to do her job adequately, failed to
attend party meetings and neglected her duties.
Moffat was involved in the first controversy over the suppression of information about MPs expenses by the Commons authorities.
In 2007, a two-year battle by a Green party activist under freedom of information legislation
finally led to the release of Moffat's £40,000 travel claims from 2004 –
then the highest of any MP at Westminster.
A former nurse, she has countered by claiming the party has ignored her medical condition after
she had a brain haemorrhage last year. She wrote to the party to say doctors had advised her not
"to engage in any activity which would cause stress and anxiety."
In an earlier interview with the BBC, she attacked her critics, claiming her recovery "has been
hampered by their bad feelings, and viciousness and vindictiveness of those people who even when
I was seriously ill, didn't let up."
Labour is defending a nominally strong 7,600-vote majority in East Lothian but that has been
halved since the previous sitting MP John Home Robertson stood down before the 2001 general
election to focus on his career in the Scottish parliament.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are pressing hard to take the seat and their candidate, Stuart
Ritchie, said after the vote: "Labour are going to parachute in a candidate, who probably won't
know or understand the issues the people of East Lothian face every day.
They'll just parrot Labour's tired old lines.
"It doesn't matter to the people of East Lothian who the Labour candidate is. Because whoever
they end up with, Labour are falling apart here."
Moffat's period as MP has been dogged by controversy. She quickly fell out with Home Robertson
after allegedly interfering in his constituency concerns; fought off allegations of an affair
with a fellow Labour MP; came bottom of a table of MPs ranked by the number of their Commons
speeches; and endured a sacking row with a senior member of her constituency staff.
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Microsoft has posted some of the first official details of its first
service packs for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. Most of the new developments in Service Pack 1
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