LGF Pages

Muslim Terrorist-Affiliated Group Invited to Teach in Public School

aigle — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:44:31 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

Media coverage is limited regarding Muslim terrorist-affiliated group's indoctrination in Tampa, Florida public school. The group is the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Marines Sport Nazi SS Flag in Afghanistan

Thanos — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:34:55 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/02/marines-sport-nazi-ss-flag-afghanistan
If this isn't a WTF?! Moment I don't know what is.

The Marine Corps' scout snipers in Afghanistan could probably use a safety stand-down. Just weeks after news broke that one elite unit of the forward-deployed Marines urinated on the corpses of dead Afghans, a photo has surfaced of another unit posing proudly beside a flag of the Nazi's killer SS troops. The Marine Corps Times reports:
The stylized "SS" logo appeared in a photograph of the platoon taken in September 2010 in Sangin district, Afghanistan, a hotly contested area in Helmand province. The Marines were with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The I Marine Expeditionary Force inspector general based at Pendleton was made aware of the "SS" flag photo in November of last year, said Capt. Gregory Wolf, a spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters. The issue has been addressed with the Marines involved, Wolf said. He did not say what specific action was taken beyond ordering Marines to stop using the logo.
The photo in question is not the only one documenting usage of the logo: A second image (embedded below) shows the SS logo emblazoned on a Marine's rifle.
The Marines' story is that the unit used the flag "to identify the Marines as scout snipers, not Nazis." The symbolic appropriation may indeed be unwitting, but witlessness is no more desirable a trait in downrange warriors than malice is.

Foreclosure Deal to Spur U.S. Home Seizures - Bloomberg

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:29:09 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-09/foreclosure-deal-to-spur-new-wave-of-u-s-home-seizures-help-heal-market.html

The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may trigger a wave of home seizures, inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely.
Lenders slowed the pace of foreclosures as they negotiated with attorneys general in all 50 states for more than a year over allegations of faulty and fraudulent paperwork used to repossess homes. With today's agreement, banks are likely to resume property seizures.
"The best thing about the settlement, frankly, is that it will be done," said Stan Humphries, chief economist for Seattle-based Zillow Inc. (Z), a provider of home-sales data. "The shadow of the settlement hung over the market for a year now."
The backlog of foreclosures has trapped homeowners in properties they can no longer afford, depressed prices by increasing the number of abandoned properties and led banks to tighten mortgage credit standards because of uncertainty about their potential obligations. New foreclosures fell 46 percent in December from October 2010, when the investigation into the so- called robo-signing of mortgage documentation began, according to Irvine, California-based RealtyTrac Inc.
The agreement will direct $17 billion to writing down debt to buffer some homeowners from foreclosure. About 11 million U.S. homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, according to CoreLogic Inc. (CLGX), a Santa Ana, California- based real estate data provider. That has limited their ability to sell or refinance and reduced the incentive to keep paying.

Donald Trump rants that Scotland will be destroyed by wind farms

Jimmah — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:13:29 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

Trump declares war on the implementation of wind energy in Scotland, completely ignoring its benefits and trying to alarm people with ludicrously exaggerated claims about it's impact:

"It will be like looking through the bars of a prison and the Scottish citizens will be the prisoners.
"Luckily, tourists will not suffer because there will be none as they will be going to other countries that had the foresight to use other forms of energy."

Trump, a climate change denier who owns a golf club near the site of a proposed wind farm in Scotland, insisted that:

"I am doing this to save Scotland."

Full story here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-16969723

(Watered Down) Ethics Reform Bill to Ban Insider Trading by Congress Members, Executive Branch Passed by House

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:11:13 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ethics-reform-bill-to-ban-insider-trading-by-congress-members-executive-branch-passed-by-house/2012/02/09/gIQAV3MS1Q_story.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics

The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved its scaled-back version of an ethics reform package that would prohibit insider trading on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch.
On a 417 to 2 vote, the legislation won approval despite complaints from senators and House Democrats that GOP leaders stripped the measure of several key reforms that the Senate had easily approved.
Despite those concerns, lawmakers agreed the best step was to approve this version and head to a House-Senate conference to hash out the differences between the two bills.
After the vote, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) hailed what he called the "strengthened" House bill and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said the sweeping vote should put pressure on the Senate - which passed its version 96 to 3 - to just approve the House version.
"We've got some work to do to restore the bond" of voters, Cantor said.
The legislation unveiled by formally bans lawmakers and staff members from making financial trades based on non-public information they receive in their positions.
Rather than holding an open, freewheeling debate, as the Senate did last week, House Republicans put the ethics legislation on a fast-track schedule that forbids amendments and requires a two-thirds majority for passage.
Despite those restrictions, Republican and Democratic leaders pledged their support for their version of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or Stock Act.
Cantor nixed a provision that would have required a burgeoning K Street industry of consultants who glean inside information about legislative proposals, then alert their clients -- hedge funds and other investment houses -- about the likely outcome so they can buy or sell their stakes in advance. Unlike federally registered lobbyists, who disclose their actions and sources of income, the political intelligence industry has operated below the radar.
"It's astonishing and extremely disappointing that the House would fulfill Wall Street's wishes by killing this provision," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), sponsor of the Senate-approved amendment. "The Senate clearly voted to try to shed light on an industry that's behind the scenes."

Bank Settlement Highlights the Feds' Foreclosure Flop

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:05:06 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/09/bank-settlement-highlights-the-feds-foreclosure-flop.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet

The $26 billion settlement that 49 attorneys general wrested from the big banks today is a pittance compared to the damage done--but they were forced to act by inaction in Washington.
Go ahead and hate the deal the federal government and 49 of the country's 50 attorneys general just finalized with five of the country's largest banks over foreclosure fraud. There's plenty to dislike about the settlement, starting with the price tag: $26 billion. That's a slap on the wrist given the reckless, sometimes criminal behavior of the banks and a pittance compared to the trillions of dollars homeowners collectively lost during the subprime debacle. Wade into the fine print and the deal seems even more disappointing. One settlement site says that it can take up to three years for homeowners to know if they're even eligible for a cash payment. Victims losing their home in a foreclosure can expect a cash payment of between $1,500 and $2,000--enough to maybe cover the costs of a rented truck and storage costs once they got the boot.
Be mad, but make sure to be angry at the right people. Bank regulators in Washington, and not the country's attorneys general, should have been cracking down on banks that were routinely evicting people despite incomplete documentation. It's the U.S. Justice Department and other federal agencies that should have gone after the banks when they were caught fabricating legal papers and routinely "robo-signing" thousands of affidavits at a sitting. The Obama administration also might have added teeth to HAMP (Home Affordable Modification Program) rather than relying solely on incentives, which explains why HAMP has helped only a small fraction of the 3 million to 4 million homeowners it was created to help.

Santorum: Obama Leading Christians to the 'Guillotine'

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:18 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/09/santorum-obama-leading-christians-to-the-guillotine/

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum warned on Wednesday that President Barack Obama and other liberals are leading people of faith down a path that ends at the guillotine.
During a campaign event in Plano, Texas, the candidate charged Obama had an "overt hostility to faith."
"When you look and see what the left is trying to do in America today, progressives are trying to shutter faith, privatize it, push it out of the public square, oppress people of faith, strip their charitable deductions away from them, trying to weaken them, churches -- trying to say that anyone who believes in the value of Judeo-Christian principles," Santorum explained.
"As we saw in the Ninth Circuit just this week, that if you believe that [same sex marriage is wrong] -- this is what the court said -- that if believe that, if believe what's taught in Genesis, if you believe what's practiced Biblically and a generation since then you are irrational. The only possible reason you could believe this, according to the Ninth Circuit, is that you are a bigot and that you are a hater."
He continued: "They are taking faith and crushing it. Why? When you marginalize faith in America, when you remove the pillar of God-given rights then what's left is the French Revolution. What's left is a government that gives you rights. What's left are no unalienable rights. What's left is a government that will tell you who you are, what you'll do and when you'll do it. What's left in France became the the guillotine."

The banks don't get the punishment they deserve, but the White House finally gets some traction on housing woes

MikeySDCA — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:01:12 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.salon.com/2012/02/09/the_foreclosure_deal_every_little_bit_counts/

The first thing to understand about Thursday's much ballyhooed $26 billion foreclosure fraud settlement between five big banks, the federal government and 49 states is that it is nowhere near as big of a deal as it is being made out to be. You can safely ignore the claim that the torturously negotiated settlement is the heftiest financial punishment of industry by government since the landmark multistate tobacco deal in 1998 or President Obama's declaration Thursday morning that it is the "largest joint federal-state settlement in our nation's history."
Not only does the foreclosure deal add up to peanuts compared to the $350 billion tobacco settlement, but it also pales before the size of the problem that it is theoretically supposed to address. The amount of negative equity held by Americans in their homes is currently calculated at around $700 billion. As a result of the foreclosure settlement around 750,000 Americans who lost their homes to foreclosure will receive checks of around $2,000 and another million homeowners will see the size of their outstanding loans reduced by an estimated average of around $20,000. Sure, any additional stimulus will be sorely appreciated in today's demand-constrained U.S. economy, but a $2,000 check isn't going to make up for a foreclosed home, and it is silly to think the banks will feel more than a slight pinch. The banks have already reserved enough capital to cover the checks that they are going to have to cut (around $5 billion). Compared to the damage caused to American families by both the financial crisis and the rush to foreclosure, the banks are getting off easy.

Koman Choke Hold

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:57:55 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://sigmundcarlandalfred.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/koman-choke-hold/

Olav Zipser selects Interorbital Systems for Freefly Astronaut Program vehicle

Curt — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:55:03 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150416169017390

Famed Spain Judge Convicted of Misusing Authority

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:48:11 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i1YiIxG07fRmXTkUmn5a9LZTALpg?docId=232d0f95778245bc979a62af94117a3c

The Spanish superstar judge who won global fame for aggressively taking on international human rights cases was convicted Thursday of overstepping his jurisdiction in a domestic corruption probe and barred from the bench for 11 years, completing a spectacular fall from grace for one of Spain's most prominent people.
Baltazar Garzon was unanimously convicted by a seven-judge panel of the Supreme Court. Because he is 56, the punishment could end his career in Spain. Hours after the verdict, hundreds of Garzon supporters gathered in Madrid's central Sol plaza in freezing weather shouting "Shame! Shame!" in protest.
It was just one of three cases pending against Garzon, who is still awaiting a verdict in trial on the same charge -- knowingly overstepping the bounds of his jurisdiction -- for launching a probe in 2008 of right-wing atrocities committed during and after the Spanish civil war of 1936-1939 even though the crimes were covered by a 1977 amnesty.
In Thursday's verdict, the court ruled that Garzon acted arbitrarily in ordering jailhouse wiretaps of detainees talking to their lawyers, the court said, adding that his actions "these days are only found in totalitarian regimes."
Ironically, Garzon is best known for indicting a totalitarian ruler, former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, in 1998, and trying to put him on trial in Madrid for crimes against humanity. He also indicted Osama bin Laden in 2003 over the Sept. 11 attacks.
The verdict came despite declarations by Spanish prosecutors that Garzon committed no crime. The charges against him stem from a complaint filed by lawyers who were taped in prison while visiting their clients. In a quirk of Spanish law, people can seek criminal charges even if prosecutors disagree.
Garzon took on cases using the principle of universal jurisdiction -- the idea that some crimes are so heinous they can be prosecuted anywhere. He and colleagues at the National Court went on to champion the doctrine and try to apply it to abuses in far-flung places like Rwanda and Tibet.
Legal experts have said Spain's Constitutional Court, the country's highest court, probably won't accept an appeal of the judge's conviction, although Garzon's lawyer could try, or file an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, that would likely take years.
The lawyer, Francisco Javier Baena Bocanegra told the Cadena Ser radio network that Garzon was "suffering severely," but suggested he will appeal. "He is completely innocent," Bocanegra said. "We face a long road ahead, but we still have strength."
Garzon also said he was evaluating his appeal options without offering specifics, and vehemently denied breaking any laws.
"I have worked against terrorism, drug trafficking, crimes against humanity and corruption. I've done it with the law in hand, together with prosecutors, judges and police," he said in a statement. "I have always strictly complied with the rules, I have defended the rights of defendants and victims in very adverse situations

Bottom Line - Mortgage Settlement Leaves Most Homeowners to Fend for Themselves

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:40:29 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/09/10365356-mortgage-settlement-leaves-most-homeowners-to-fend-for-themselves

The landmark $25 billion settlement reached by the federal government, 49 states and the nation's five biggest banks will provide long-overdue relief for hundreds of thousands of homeowners who have been struggling to navigate the mortgage mess created by lenders.
The wider impact for most homeowners, along with the housing market and economy, will be much more limited.
"You're hardly skimming the surface," said Paul Dales, a housing economist with Capital Economics. "It could help some people a lot, individually. But in terms of the big-picture, overall economy and housing market, it's really just a drop in the ocean of the problem.
The settlement takes a multipronged approach to try to unravel the aftermath of a housing market collapse that resulted in more than seven million foreclosures, created a legal morass for lenders and left a red tape nightmare for millions struggling to hang onto their homes.
Some of those who lost their homes may be eligible for a small cash payment, while others who are struggling to hang on may see their monthly payments lowered substantially through reductions in interest rates or their principal balance. So if you're one of the lucky homeowners reached by the program, the impact could be significant.
That won't happen right away: the details of who will be helped and how they'll be chosen have yet to be worked out. (See: What the mortgage settlement means to you.)
Over the next 30 to 60 days, state and federal officials say they will pick an administrator to handle the logistics and a monitor to track lenders' compliance. It will take another six to nine months identify eligible homeowners and notify them by mail. Lenders have three years to complete loan modifications. If they come up short, unearned modification credits will be converted to a cash penalty paid to the government.
State and federal officials say the settlement could eventually help as many as a million households. Roughly 750,000 borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure between 2008 and 2011 will get a cash payment of about $2,000.

WSJ: Google Working on a Home Entertainment Center

MichaelJ — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:37:44 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57374229-261/wsj-google-working-on-a-home-entertainment-center/

Google hasn't given up on creating its own consumer-electronics gear.
The Wall Street Journal is report that the company is working on a home-entertainment device that would "stream music wirelessly throughout the home" and be marketed under Google's name.

Imagine a device that could stream music throughout the home wirelessly. Oh, wait, that's already been done by Sonos, Apple, Roku, Squeezebox and countless others. I could go on, but instead I'll just link to a NYT article about this groundbreaking device category that was originally published on 9/24/2008.

Pelosi Takes on Colbert

Locker — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:22:31 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/09/pelosi-takes-on-colbert/

The Alice in Wonderland state of American politics has just reached a new level.
Nancy Pelosi, the stately, serious former House speaker released a video satire Thursday going after comedian Stephen Colbert for his super PAC.

My friend.. Newt Gingrich... hilarious...

Homs Assault Escalates As Syrians Call for Help

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:06:33 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203824904577212573695999762.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Syrian forces' deadly artillery assault on Homs continued for a sixth straight day Thursday, as the country's fractured opposition lobbied for international support ahead of an Arab League summit Sunday.
The weeklong blitz of Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has been one of the most violent and sustained government offensives of the 11-month uprising. Opposition groups put the number of dead at between 60 and 110 in the city on Thursday, bringing the toll for the week to at least 400.
The claims couldn't be independently verified. City residents reached by mobile telephones described a near-constant barrage of heavy artillery and rocket fire pounding a handful of neighborhoods known to be opposition strongholds.
"Every minute there's another explosion, some far away and some so close you think it's over," said a resident of Homs's Al-Inshaat neighborhood, who gave his name only as Wael. "Everyone is afraid to go out of their homes."
A damaged house in Homs on Wednesday, in an image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria.
The conflict in Syria has grown increasingly violent in recent weeks as the rebels' loose-knit umbrella army, the Free Syrian Army, has grown and obtained heavier arms, and the regime has redoubled efforts to crush the spreading rebellion.
International efforts to stop the conflict, meanwhile, have floundered. The Arab League suspended its observer mission that was monitoring the conflict due to mounting violence on Jan. 28. And a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step aside failed to pass after Russia and China double-vetoed it Saturday.
The U.S. and Turkey, as well as European and Arab allies, all want to see President Assad out of power and are struggling to come up with a new strategy to head off a conflict that is teetering toward civil war.
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and the 22-member Arab League are both set to meet on Sunday to hash out their next move to resolve the conflict.

10 States Freed From 'No Child Left Behind' Requirements

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:57:12 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/09/politics/states-education/index.html

Ten states are being granted waivers to free them from some requirements of the No Child Left Behind education reform law, with President Barack Obama explaining Thursday that the move aims to "combine greater freedom with greater accountability."
Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee will no longer have to meet 2014 targets set by the law.
In exchange for that flexibility, the states "have agreed to raise standards, improve accountability, and undertake essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness," the White House said in a statement Thursday morning.
Obama elaborated on the rationale for the decision later in the day, speaking at a White House event attended by teachers and school superintendents.
He stressed that his administration remains committed to the overarching goals of raising standards and closing the achievement gap in the nation's public schools. At the same time, "We determined we need a different approach" than what was prescribed by the landmark legislation.
"We've offered every state the same deal: We've said, if you're willing to set higher, more honest standards then we're going to give you the flexibility to meet those standards," Obama said.
Each of those states granted waivers Thursday offered different approaches. Massachusetts, for instance, set a goal to slash its number of underperfoming students by half within six years; Colorado is setting up a comprehensive online database of assessment measures, among other steps; and New Jersey is developing an "early warning" system in an effort to prevent students from dropping out of school.

21000 Square Feet of Cold War Memories for Sale, Satellite Dish Included

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:55:31 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/us/jamesburg-earth-station-can-be-yours-for-3-million.html

Just in time for Valentine's Day comes the ultimate gift for the Dr. Strangelove in your life: the 21,000-square-foot Jamesburg Earth Station, a satellite relay base from the Kennedy era that was built to survive a nuclear attack.
Perched on a remote hillside overlooking the Ventana Wilderness here on California's Central Coast, it is a white elephant that costs $3 million, a tech-lover's paradise on 161 acres and equipped with a 97-foot satellite dish. (Though the signs reading "Danger: High Voltage" are perhaps not the best marketing tool.)
In its glory days, this sprawling bunkerlike redoubt on Comsat Road played an essential role in national life. Built in 1968 by the Communications Satellite Corporation, the Jamesburg Earth Station and nearly a dozen others like it helped bring the first televised images of Neil Armstrong on the moon and President Richard M. Nixon in Beijing into America's living rooms. They also pulled in signals from satellites in geostationary orbit that made international telephone calls fast and easily accessible for most Americans.
"It's the ultimate man cave," said Jeffrey W. Bullis, a Silicon Valley electronics mogul, who bought the property in 2004 for $2 million from AT&T and is now selling it, complete with the hand-carved Tiki gods from Vanuatu that he placed at the entrance as a homey touch.
Fiber optics made the station's technology obsolete. Mr. Bullis, 56, who develops security systems for nuclear plants and other sites, had hoped to develop an Internet business there. When that did not prove to be feasible, he said, he proceeded with Plan B: Turning the Jamesburg Earth Station into a house.
"This is Love," he said during a tour, indicating one of the would-be bedrooms that he christened on the building's perimeter. "This is Peace. This is Happiness."
A time-stood-still feeling pervades the place, despite its once-futuristic aura.

Mark Zuckerberg's Bonus: Facebook Discloses Bonuses for Top Execs

researchok — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:52:58 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/mark-zuckerberg-bonus-facebook_n_1265035.html?ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=020912&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

Facebook's top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are eligible for twice-a-year bonuses of up to 45 percent of their base salaries and other earnings, according to a Wednesday regulatory filing.
Facebook Inc. said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will pay Zuckerberg, 27, a base salary of $500,000 per year. Zuckerberg's 45 percent target bonus will be based on his performance.
Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg will receive a base salary of $300,000. Her target bonus is also 45 percent.
David Ebersman will continue to serve as chief financial officer and he will get a base salary of $300,000.
Mike Schroepfer, Facebook's vice president of engineering, will receive a base salary of $275,000. Both he and Ebersman have a target bonus of 45 percent.
That said, the bulk of the windfall Zuckerberg and others will earn will be in the form of Facebook stock they own. The company said last week it plans to raise $5 billion in its IPO. If all goes as planned, Facebook could be worth as much as $100 billion.
Another executive, Vice President and General Counsel Theodore Ullyot, will receive a base salary of $275,000, according to the filing. He will also get a retention bonus of $400,000 per year for five years, as well as restricted stock and stock options.

JC Penney CEO: 'Ellen Represents the Values of Our Company'

Locker — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:56:29 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/02/09/422100/jc-penney-ceo-ellen-represents-the-values-of-our-company/

JC Penney CEO Ron Johnson spoke out this morning in defense of the company's new partnership with Ellen DeGeneres. The conservative group One Million Moms has called for a boycott against the store for "jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon," but both JC Penney and DeGeneres have defended the partnership. Johnson told CBS News that he sees no controversy because "Ellen represents the values of our company":
JOHNSON: We stand squarely behind Ellen as our spokesperson and that's a great thing, because she shares the same values that we do in our company. Our company was founded 110 years ago on The Golden Rule, which is about treating people fair and square, just like if you treated yourself. And we think Ellen represents the values of our company and the values that we share. [...]

I love JC Penney and now it's for more than employing my college student kid. A strong statement of backing is just what was called for. Kudos!

Apple to Stream McCartney Concert Live to iTunes, Apple TV

MichaelJ — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:25:07 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.macworld.com/article/165271/2012/02/apple_to_stream_mccartney_concert_live_to_itunes_apple_tv.html

Apple has announced that Paul McCartney will be promoting his new album, Kisses on the Bottom, with a live video stream on Thursday, February 9, at 7 p.m. Pacific. The performance, at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, will be available on iTunes on Mac and PC, as well as by choosing the iTunes Live option from the Internet menu on the second-generation Apple TV.

In this announcement, Apple also potentially drops a subtle but important clue regarding future plans for live broadcasts, and for Apple TV in general: The company's directions say to select iTunes Live from the Internet menu on Apple TV, but that option doesn't currently appear. Combined with last week's appearance of Genius features for movies and TV shows on the Apple TV (sans software update), it seems clear that Apple has the ability to dynamically enable or disable functionality on the Apple TV without the need for user intervention. It's possible that Apple will add more 'channels' to Apple TV in the future, as needed, or, at the very least, that the company will host more live events in the future.

FactCheck.org : Misleading Claims in Obama's First 2012 Spot

Rightwingconspirator — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:18:58 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://factcheck.org/2012/01/misleading-claims-in-obamas-first-2012-spot/

Misleading Claims in Obama's First 2012 Spot
Dissembling on ethics, jobs and oil imports
Posted on January 20, 2012 , Corrected on January 21, 2012

President Obama's first 2012 campaign ad misleads on ethics, "clean-energy" jobs and U.S. dependence on oil imports.

The spot uses outdated quotes from groups that said his record on ethics is "unprecedented" and that he "kept a promise to toughen ethics rules." One of those same groups said later that he "has let down millions of Americans who accepted his word," and another rated his promise as "broken."
The 30-second TV spot also trumpets a claim of "2.7 million jobs" in "America's clean-energy industry." That mostly counts jobs put in place long before Obama took office.
Finally, it boasts that U.S. dependence on foreign oil has declined to below 50 percent, as a net share of total demand, for the first time in more than a decade. That's true, and increasing U.S. oil production is a factor (despite Republican criticisms that Obama is anti-drilling). But economists say the chief factor is reduced oil consumption, brought on by the recent economic recession.

Your Phone Loses Value Pretty Fast (Unless It's an iPhone)

MichaelJ — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:16:05 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://priceonomics.com/phones/#cell-phone-depreciation

"It's probably hard for a Mercedes owner to describe to a Honda owner how attention to detail makes their driving experience better."
- MG Siegler [on why the iPhone is superior to Android]
"Let's not let our preferences (and that's all they are, preferences, not empirical facts) dictate how we think about and relate to other people."
- Joshua Topolsky [strenuously disagreeing with Siegler's position]
The empirical facts are in, and the iPhone is wiping the floor with Android and BlackBerry in terms of resale value.
At Priceonomics, we firmly believe that resale value is the best objective indicator of product quality. If you wanted to figure out the best cell phone, you could look at all the reviews, test out all the phones, talk to all the experts, but still your assessment will be subjective. Or you could let the market tell you which phones are the highest quality by seeing which ones best retain their value over time.
Priceonomics phone pricing data strongly indicates that Apple phones are a better value than smartphones on other platforms. The market has spoken, and Android and Blackberrys do not age well.

Contraceptive Use Drives Teen Pregnancy Rate to 30-Year Low: Study

Locker — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:13:20 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/09/contraceptive-use-drives-teen-pregnancy-rate-to-30-year-low-study/

The use of and easy access to contraceptives is being seen as the cause of numbers published this week by the Guttmacher Institute, showing that the U.S. teen pregnancy rate has hit a 30-year low.
The study found that in 2008, just 67.8 per every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 got pregnant. That's down from 1990′s high point, when 116.9 out of every 1,000 became pregnant.
"Continuing decreases in teen pregnancy more recently may be driven by increased use of the most effective contraceptive methods as well as dual method use," the Guttmacher Institute explained. "In sum, teens appear to be making the decision to be more effective contraceptive users, and their actions are paying off in lower pregnancy, birth and abortion rates."

We know, all women should be barefoot and pregnant. This won't matter to the wingers, they don't use logic, facts, science and reason as they have a liberal bias.

Adobe Creative Cloud to Offer CS6, LR4, and 20GB Storage for $50/Month

Rightwingconspirator — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:09 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.petapixel.com/2012/02/08/adobe-creative-cloud-to-offer-cs6-lr4-and-20g-storage-for-50month/

Adobe's cloud-based subscription program, called Creative Cloud, now has a price tag: $50/month with a minimum one-year agreement. Subscribing will get you access to the latest version of Adobe's popular programs (e.g. CS6 and Lightroom 4) without the pain of shelling out big bucks for buying the boxed version and subsequent upgrades. In addition to receiving updates to the programs as soon as they're released, you'll also be given 20GB of cloud storage that can be used for syncing your work.

Here Comes the Culture War! by David Remnick - The New Yorker

MikeySDCA — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:48:16 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/02/remnick-obama-contraception-catholic.html

Somewhere between the New Hampshire primary in 1992 and the release of "The War Room," James Carville became the Descartes of modern electoral warfare, as "it's the economy, stupid" became the cogito ergo sum of political knowingness. Inside the Obama White House, it is a given that foreign-policy successes--from the elimination of Osama bin Laden to the withdrawals from Iraq and (soon) Afghanistan--will matter hardly at all in November. The election, the President and his aides acknowledge, will rest almost entirely on the economy--unemployment figures, the state of foreclosures, debates over bailouts, banks, deficits, taxes, income disparities, and, yes, "class warfare."

The Top 12 Reasons to Hate the Mortgage Settlement

Alouette — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:45:24 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yves-smith/mortgage-settlement_b_1264806.html

As readers likely know by now, 49 of 50 states have agreed to join the so-called mortgage settlement, with Oklahoma the lone refusenik. Although the fine points are still being hammered out, various news outlets (New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal) have details, with Dave Dayen's overview at Firedoglake the best thus far.
The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that the SEC is about to launch some securities litigation against major banks. Since the statue of limitations has already run out on securities filings more than five years old, this means they'll clip the banks for some of the very last (and dreckiest) deals they shoved out the door before the subprime market gave up the ghost.
The various news services are touting this pact at the biggest multi-state settlement since the tobacco deal in 1998. While narrowly accurate, this deal is bush league by comparison even though the underlying abuses in both cases have had devastating consequences.
The tobacco agreement was pegged as being worth nearly $250 billion over the first 25 years. Adjust that for inflation, and the disparity is even bigger. That shows you the difference in outcomes between a case where the prosecutors have solid evidence backing their charges, versus one where everyone know a lot of bad stuff happened, but no one has come close to marshaling the evidence.

The Right's Shepard Fairey

MikeySDCA — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:32:19 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://www.salon.com/2012/02/09/the_rights_shepard_fairey/

Jon McNaughton's painting of Obama trampling the Constitution has made him conservatives' favorite new artist
For many progressives, Shepard Fairey's HOPE poster now evokes the same riot of emotions that comes from picking through photos of a friend taken before an epic falling-out or of parents before a divorce: regret, anger, queasy self-consciousness, a stray pang of old joy.
But, in its day, the tri-color masterpiece of Barack Obama did its work magnificently. Fairey's genius innovation was to flavor hearty, comfort-food nationalism with a bright dash of counterculture. His aesthetic, a May-December marriage of social realism and post-millennial stencil graffiti, borrowed from the protest art of two generations. In cribbing the signifiers of rebellion, the screen-painted image exalted a simple wish for a better tomorrow to the level of a radical act -- all while making the slyest wink at the inescapable ridiculousness of campaign posters. And, of course, in Obama's abstract, almost Fauvist face, progressives saw not just their candidate, but themselves: youthful, noble, sophisticated, iconoclastic, and superlatively patriotic. The man was modern.

A Fistful of Rebates

Curt — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:24:04 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2012/02/a-fistful-of-rebates.html

It's halftime.
Both teams are in their locker rooms discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half. Diagramming plays. Texting their agents and German supermodel wives. Reviewing Belichick's aerial spy photos.
It's halftime in America, too. People are hurting, and it isn't because of towel snapping and the ol' Kramergesic-in-the-jockstrap prank. They're beat up and bruised, and wondering what they're going to do to make a comeback. We're all scared, because this isn't a game. And because we're up against the Dragons and their all-Asia linebacker Hong Kong Chong with his crazy 'roid rage chopsockey chop-blocks.
The people of Detroit know a little something about this. Okay, yeah, so this isn't Detroit, it's actually New Orleans. So sue me. We were supposed to film this in Detroit, but GM rented it out to film their Chevy Truck Apocalypse ad. But imagine this really was Detroit, with all its gritty inspiring he-man decay. When the chips were down we all pulled together, hosed down the streets, and turned up the dramatic shadow lighting. Now Motor City is fighting again - as the world's cheapest location shoot for zombie movies.
[...]

Canadian Jews News: AFP Flunks on Transparency

aigle — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:54:46 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

Canadian Jewish News publishes an Op-Ed by CAMERA's Tamar Sternthal pointing out the inconsistencies in AFP's accounts concerning Hazem Bader's Jan. 25 photograph said to be depicting a Palestinian whose legs (or leg) was run over by a trailer (or maybe a tractor) driven by an Israeli soldier.

Discovery uses 'fracture putty' to repair broken bone in days

Bobibutu — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:35:12 PST

Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]

http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/uga-discovery-uses-fracture-putty-to-repair-broken-bone-in-days/

Broken bones in humans and animals are painful and often take months to heal. Studies conducted in part by University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center researchers show promise to significantly shorten the healing time and revolutionize the course of fracture treatment.
"Complex fractures are a major cause of amputation of limbs for U.S. military men and women," said Steve Stice, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, animal and dairy scientist in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and director of the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center.
"For many young soldiers, their mental health becomes a real issue when they are confined to a bed for three to six months after an injury," he said. "This discovery may allow them to be up and moving as fast as days afterward."
Stice is working with Dr. John Peroni to develop a fast bone healing process. "This process addresses both human and veterinary orthopedic needs," said Peroni, an associate professor of large animal surgery in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine and a member of the RBC.
Peroni and Stice are leading a large animal research project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. The project includes scientists and surgeons from the Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University and the University of Texas, who conducted the early studies.
Engineering new bone
"Healing of critical-size defects is a major challenge to the orthopedic research community," Peroni said. "Large-bone defects must be stabilized and necessitate technologies that induce rapid bone formation in order to replace the missing tissue and allow the individual to return to rapid function. To date, no single material can suffice."
The group they lead is a multidiscipline and multi-institutional group actively working on bone tissue engineering.
"Our group has been working productively together on numerous projects through the last several years," Stice said, "So, a collegial relationship and successful collaborative working relationship is already established."
Between 2009 and 2011, the collaborations received a $1.4 million grant from the DOD for the use of stem cells in fracture healing to be tested in sheep.
"In our experiences with large animal models, following the guidelines established by our animal care and use committee," Stice said, "we have been successful in formulating a product that contains mesenchymal stem cells and allows them to survive in the environment of the fracture long enough to elicit the rapid formation of new bone."
This year, the group showed bone can be generated in sheep in less than four weeks. The speed in which bone is formed is one of the truly unique features of this study.
Fracture putty
To start the bone regeneration process, the RBC used adult stem cells that produce a protein involved in bone healing and generation. They then incorporated them into a gel, combining the healing properties into something Stice calls "fracture putty."
With Peroni's assistance, the Houston-based team used a stabilizing device and inserted putty into fractures in rats. Video of the healed animals at two weeks shows the rats running around and standing on their hind legs with no evidence of injury. The RBC researchers are testing the material in pigs and sheep, too.
"The small-animal work has progressed, and we are making good progress in large animals," he said.
More work is needed to get to human medical trials, but the threat of losing federal funding for biomedical work through the DOD means they will have to find new ways to fund the project.
Next steps
"The next step is to show that we can rapidly and consistently heal fractures in a large animal," Peroni said, "then to convert it to clinical cases in the UGA [College of Veterinary Medicine] clinics where clinicians treat animals with complex fractures all the time."
Once they have something that works for animals, it will be passed over to the DOD for human use.
Peroni, who is chairman of the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association, is hopeful this material will be promoted to the veterinary and human medical fields through the educational efforts of NAVRMA and the RBC.
However, the RBC isn't the only group working on a faster fix for broken bones.
"Our approach is biological with the putty," Stice said. "Other groups are looking at polymers and engineering approaches like implants and replacements which may eventually be combined with our approach. We are looking at other applications, too, using this gel, or putty, to improve spinal fusion outcomes."
One of the best hopes for the fracture putty is in possible facial cranial replacements, an injury often seen on the battlefield.
The project ends in mid-2012. "By then we are to deliver the system to the DOD," Stice said.