Omss Politics: Apr 24, 2011

JFK Sought UFO Files 10 Days Before His Death

Click here to view this email as a web page

Insider Report from Newsmax.com

Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Sign-Language Expert: Trump 'Easy to Interpret'
2. Ford Foundation Pulls Funding From Israeli Groups
3. JFK Sought UFO Files 10 Days Before His Death
4. States Weigh 'Mileage Tax' on Vehicles
5. We Heard: Tea Party License, Andrew Young, Victoria Kennedy

Note: Before he died one of America's most noted economists revealed a chilling, prophetic warning of Obama's inflation plan and how it could destroy America. Find out why his book has become a runaway best-seller — Go Here Now

1. Sign-Language Expert: Trump 'Easy to Interpret'

A veteran sign-language interpreter has high praise for one public speaker with an eye on the White House — Donald Trump.

"He's very easy to interpret for because he's very straightforward," said Amy Hair after standing by Trump's side and translating his remarks for the deaf and hearing-impaired at a tea party rally in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16.

"Trump is good because he's very understandable. Most politicians speak very vaguely, and he speaks matter-of-factly. He speaks in very simple terms."

Hair has interpreted for three former presidents — both Bushes and Bill Clinton — and countless other politicians at speeches and debates, The Palm Beach Post reported.

She said her job is difficult when a politician tries to dance around an issue.

"They talk in so many circles that I have to contextualize. That means you have to kind of explain what they mean, but it's hard to do," she said, adding that she had no such trouble with Trump.

Editor's Note:

Special: Get the U.S. Border Patrol Cap, Stand for Secure Borders, Just Pay Shipping

2. Ford Foundation Pulls Funding From Israeli Groups

The Ford Foundation has announced that it will cease funding progressive nongovernmental organizations in Israel after its current grant ends in two years.

The progressive NGOs have been targets of attacks from the Israeli right, but the foundation insists the decision to discontinue funding is not related to politics but to "changing priorities," according to the Jewish publication Forward.

The Ford Foundation, the second largest philanthropic foundation in the United States with assets of more than $10 billion, has provided $40 million to Israeli NGOs since 2003, when it partnered with the New Israel Fund (NIF) to administer the grants.

The partnership focused the grants in three areas: helping Arab citizens in Israel, advancing civil and human rights, and promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Its largest single benefactor in the past two years is Adalah — The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, which received $400,000.

The foundation's partnership with the NIF has been criticized for its choice of grantees, which were mostly liberal, according to Forward.

The criticism peaked after the 2001 Durban conference, where NGOs funded by the Ford Foundation backed resolutions equating Israeli policies with those of the South African apartheid regime.

Forward reported that Aaron Back, director of the Ford Israel Fund, said the decision to cease funding came after "an across-the-board review of all programs" and "significant changes in its priorities."

The Ford Foundation claims that since 1948, it has donated more than $70 million to programs in Israel.

Editor's Note:

Special: Lose Weight Automatically. Honolulu Physician Shows How.

3. JFK Sought UFO Files 10 Days Before His Death

A newly released letter shows that 10 days before his assassination, President John F. Kennedy wrote to the head of the CIA demanding to be shown highly confidential documents about UFOs.

Author William Lester, who is researching a new book about Kennedy, says the CIA released the letter to him under the Freedom of Information Act.

Kennedy's letter, dated Nov. 12, 1963, has the subject line "Classification review of all UFO intelligence files affecting National Security," and asks for access to those files.

A second Kennedy letter released to Lester, written on the same date, was sent to the administrator of NASA and expressed a desire for cooperation with the Soviet Union on mutual outer space activities, according to Britain's Daily Mail.

Lester told AOL News: "One of his concerns was that a lot of these UFOs were being seen over the Soviet Union, and he was very concerned that the Soviets might misinterpret these UFOs as U.S. aggression, believing it was some of our technology.

"I think this is one of the reasons why he wanted to get his hands on this information and get it away from the jurisdiction of NASA so he could say to the Soviets, 'Look, that's not us, we're not doing it.'"

The Daily Mail pushes the envelope in its coverage of the story, headlining it, "Was JFK killed because of his interest in aliens?" But AOL News acknowledges that the president's interest in UFOs shortly before his death "is likely to fuel conspiracy theories about his assassination."

The story has already sparked renewed interest in the so-called "burned memo" that a UFO investigator claimed he received from an unidentified CIA leaker in the 1990s.

According to the investigator, the leaker said he worked for the CIA between 1960 and 1974 and pulled the document, marked Top Secret, from a fire when the agency was burning some sensitive files, according to the Daily Mail.

The memo from the CIA director refers to a group of military officials and scientists allegedly appointed by President Harry Truman to investigate the possible presence of aliens on earth. It also refers to "Lancer," which was Kennedy's Secret Service code name, and states, "As you must know, Lancer has made some inquiries regarding our activities, which we cannot allow."

Editor's Note:

Morningstar: 'A Low-Risk Way to Earn a Profit'

4. States Weigh 'Mileage Tax' on Vehicles

The Minnesota Department of Transportation believes that down the road, the increased use of fuel-efficient and hybrid cars will significantly lower gasoline consumption. That's good. But the lower consumption will lead to a reduction in gasoline taxes paid by motorists at the pump. That's bad.

So the DOT is testing technology that could someday be used to collect mileage-based fees from drivers. That's either good or bad, depending on the fuel mileage of a vehicle — drivers of hybrids will lose the savings they would otherwise see in gasoline taxes, while guzzlers would pay the same mileage fees as hybrids.

"We are researching alternative financing methods today that could be used 10 or 20 years from now when the number of fuel-efficient and hybrid cars increase and no longer produce enough revenue from a gas tax to build and repair roads," said Cory Johnson, the DOT's project manager.

Drivers in the research project will be given smartphones with a GPS application that has been programmed to monitor miles driven.

The DOT said, "If a mileage-based user fee were implemented, motorists would pay a fee based on how many miles they drive, rather than how much gas a vehicle uses," which is how Minnesota's revenue is currently collected, KARE 11 in Minneapolis/St. Paul reported.

Officials in Oregon, Iowa, Nevada, and Texas are also considering a mileage tax.

Editor's Note:

Can Prayer Heal You? Dr. Crandall Discovered the Truth.

5. We Heard . . .

THAT the Arizona state legislature has approved a measure creating a license plate that will allow drivers to express their support for the tea party movement.

The special "Don't Tread On Me" plate would feature the coiled rattlesnake emblem and yellow background of the historic Gadsden Flag, which has become a symbol of the tea party.

Lawmakers have proposed similar tea party license plates in Nevada and Virginia.

THAT a portrait of famed civil rights leader Andrew Young has been donated to the National Portrait Gallery and is on view in the museum's permanent collection exhibition "The Struggle for Justice."

Young, a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and was the first African-American mayor of Atlanta.

The portrait was painted by Ross R. Rossin, who has done two portraits that appeared on covers of Newsmax magazine, most recently the Ronald Reagan image for the February issue.

THAT Sen. Ted Kennedy's widow, Victoria Kennedy, has slashed $1 million from the price of the couple's former home in Washington, D.C.

The 6-bedroom, 6-bath mansion was privately listed for $8 million but remained unsold for two years. So Victoria, who has bought a smaller Washington home for $1.6 million, has reduced the price to $6,999,995, according to the Boston Herald.

The mansion features an indoor lap pool and a wine cellar grotto.

Editor's Note:

You Can Reverse Type 2 Diabetes. Use These Tips.

Editor's Notes:

This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this Newsmax e-mail because you subscribed to it or someone forwarded it to you. To opt out, see the links below.

TO ADVERTISE

For information on advertising, please contact Newsmax Advertising Sales via e-mail.

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this e-mail has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up, please click here.

Remove your e-mail address from our list or modify your profile. We respect your right to privacy. View our policy.

This e-mail was sent by:
Newsmax.com
4152 West Blue Heron Blvd., Ste. 1114
Riviera Beach, FL 33404 USA

1139838
C235-1

Newser Daily Digest - Trump Skipped Primaries for 21 Years

Trump Skipped Primaries for 21 Years

(Newser) - Donald Trump may end up in the Republican Party's 2012 primary, but he has not voted in any primaries for 21 years, reports the AP . According to the New York City Board of Elections, Trump last cast a primary ballot in 1989 in the New York City mayoral race,... More »

Newser located this story for you on Sunday, April 24, 2011 7:00 AM. The story matched your section(s) Politics.

As Trial Resumes, Blagojevich Worries About Daughters

(Newser) - Jury selection resumes Monday in the retrial for Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges, and the former Illinois governor tells the Chicago Tribune that he's mostly worried about how daughters Annie, 8, and Amy, 14, will handle a possible jail sentence for their dad. "I explained to her that... More »

Newser located this story for you on Sunday, April 24, 2011 7:00 AM. The story matched your section(s) Politics.

Cracks Showing in Conservative Front

(Newser) - Conservatives rallied behind a unified front for a long time, but the strains are beginning to show, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post . Witness Andrew Breitbart going after Glenn Beck and religious conservatives in the Tea Party; or the dissension in the ranks on the birther movement; or the... More »

Newser located this story for you on Sunday, April 24, 2011 7:00 AM. The story matched your section(s) Politics.

Unsubscribe or change your alert settings.

Newser, LLC
222 N. Columbus Dr.
Unit D
Chicago, IL 60601

Suggestions and feedback are welcome at feedback@newser.com

Turn Your PC Into a Super TV

Dear Newsmax Reader:

Please find below a special message from our sponsoring advertiser,
PC Advisor. They have some important information to share with you.
Thank you.

Newsmax.com

This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this Newsmax e-mail because you subscribed to it or someone forwarded it to you. To opt out, see the links below.

TO ADVERTISE

For information on advertising, please contact Newsmax Advertising Sales via e-mail.

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this e-mail has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up, please click here.

[Slashdot] Stories for 2011-04-24

======================================================================
Choosing an Enterprise Firewall for 2011 and Beyond
Firewalls are evolving. Enterprises now require a set of technologies that were previously unheard of. Perhaps most notably, application visibility and control has made its way to the forefront of the requirements list for enterprise firewalls. For an enterprise, the difficulty is understanding the different approaches and how they fulfill the organization's requirements. Understand how the enterprise firewall is evolving, the technology itself, how to deploy it, and ultimately how to select it. http://p.sf.net/sfu/palo-alto-sdnews
======================================================================

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Wardrivers Target Seattle Businesses
* Minnesota School Issues iPad 2 To Every Student
* A Glimpse Inside Google's South Carolina Data Center
* Mitigating Fukushima's Dangers, 42 Days In
* Sony Should Pay For OtherOS Removal, Says Finnish Board
* Pirate Party of Canada Promises VPN For Freedom
* Why People Should Stop Being Duped By the 3D Scam
* Google Will Save Videos After All
* The Real Reason Apple Is Suing Samsung
* Bionic Leg Undergoing Clinical Trials
* EC2 Outage Shows How Much the Net Relies On Amazon
* EV Fast-Charging Standards In Flux
* Comcast Hounded By Collections Agency
* Solar Panels Increase Home Value
* Wal-Mart Tests Online Grocery Delivery

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Wardrivers Target Seattle Businesses
| from the as-a-movie-plot-it's-too-obvious dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday April 22, @20:25 (Crime)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/009214/Wardrivers-Target-Seattle-Businesses?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]angry tapir writes "Seattle police are investigating a group of
criminals who they say have been cruising around town in a black Mercedes
stealing credit card data by [1]tapping into wireless networks belonging
to area businesses. The group has been at it for about five years,
according to an affidavit signed by Detective Chris Hansen, a fraud
investigator with the Seattle Police Department."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/009214/Wardrivers-Target-Seattle-Businesses?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com.au/
1. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/384214/seattle_police_say_wardrivers_hitting_small_businesses/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Minnesota School Issues iPad 2 To Every Student
| from the boondoggle-defined dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday April 22, @21:40 (Education)
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/019219/Minnesota-School-Issues-iPad-2-To-Every-Student?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

tripleevenfall writes "Thanks to a federally-funded grant for magnet
schools, every student at Heritage Middle School in West Saint Paul,
Minnesota, [0]now has an iPad 2." Why in my day, we had to buy our own
graphing calculators �� in the snow, both ways, uphill!

Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/019219/Minnesota-School-Issues-iPad-2-To-Every-Student?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.twincities.com/ci_17904745?nclick_check=1

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| A Glimpse Inside Google's South Carolina Data Center
| from the live-from-coast-zero dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday April 23, @00:29 (Google)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/0211213/A-Glimpse-Inside-Googles-South-Carolina-Data-Center?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

miller60 writes "Google today released a video showcasing the [0]security
and data protection practices in its data centers. Filmed at the
company's South Carolina data center, it provides a look at Google's
wiping of data and (literal) shredding of hard drives."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/0211213/A-Glimpse-Inside-Googles-South-Carolina-Data-Center?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/04/22/video-googles-data-center-security/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Mitigating Fukushima's Dangers, 42 Days In
| from the aw-heck-let's-just-bury-it dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday April 23, @03:23 (Japan)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/0255225/Mitigating-Fukushimas-Dangers-42-Days-In?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DrKnark writes "Tepco has released [0]more information about their
[1]plan to stabilize the Fukushima reactors. They are [2]basically facing
4 problems: ensure long term cooling of the cores; ensure cooling of the
spent fuel pools; prevent release of radioactive material; and mitigate
the consequences of the releases that will continue for a while."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/0255225/Mitigating-Fukushimas-Dangers-42-Days-In?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110417e13.pdf
1. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110417e15.pdf
2. http://nuclearpoweryesplease.org/blog/2011/04/22/day-42-how-is-a-core-cooled/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Sony Should Pay For OtherOS Removal, Says Finnish Board
| from the seems-only-fair dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday April 23, @06:18 (Sony)
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/031220/Sony-Should-Pay-For-OtherOS-Removal-Says-Finnish-Board?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

x*yy*x writes "According to Consumer Board in Finland, Sony [0]should pay
up 100 euros to a console owner for [1]OtherOS removal. The board said
that the removal of OtherOS crippled console features that were present
at the time of purchase and agreed that consumers should be compensated.
Sony tried to point out that the user agreed to the PS3 EULA, but the
consumer board noted that such agreements can't go around consumer laws."

Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/031220/Sony-Should-Pay-For-OtherOS-Removal-Says-Finnish-Board?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/04/21/sony_should_pay_100_to_man_for_otheros_removal_consumer_board_says
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OtherOS

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Pirate Party of Canada Promises VPN For Freedom
| from the at-least-we-don't-need-it-in-the-u.s. dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday April 23, @08:24 (Privacy)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/0534222/Pirate-Party-of-Canada-Promises-VPN-For-Freedom?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "The Pirate Party of Canada has announced that
it will extend a VPN originally set up to allow people in Tunisia to
browse freely while internet censorship was imposed there. Canada may
soon be added to that list since the ruling Conservative Party has vowed
to introduce a bill that would provide unprecedented systematic
interception and monitoring of Canadians' personal communications. So the
Pirate Party of Canada has announced [0]it will extend that service to
Canadians."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/0534222/Pirate-Party-of-Canada-Promises-VPN-For-Freedom?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. https://www.pirateparty.ca/uncategorized/press-release-pirate-party-secure-browsing

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Why People Should Stop Being Duped By the 3D Scam
| from the go-holodeck-or-go-home dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @09:37 (Movies)
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1139258/Why-People-Should-Stop-Being-Duped-By-the-3D-Scam?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Phoghat writes "The entertainment and electronics industries keep
trying to push 3D on consumers, even though a lot of smart people have
caught on to the fact that it is a scam and [1]not innovation as the
industry would like you to believe. From the article: 'This is a bad
experiment that the industry is forcing consumers to subsidize. And since
they can��t create a better product, they��ve simply latched on to 3D as a
marketing ploy that the entertainment and electronics industries can use
to trick people into thinking that they are getting a superior
experience. It��s only working because just enough people are falling for
the scam to keep it alive.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1139258/Why-People-Should-Stop-Being-Duped-By-the-3D-Scam?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. mailto:tjsobieski@gmail.com
1. http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/stop-being-duped-by-the-3d-scam/7983?tag=nl.e010

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Google Will Save Videos After All
| from the a-for-effort-though dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @10:52 (Google)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1220202/Google-Will-Save-Videos-After-All?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

don9030582 writes "After Google announced it would [0]permanently shutter
its Google Videos collection, dozens of volunteers from around the world
sprung into action in a massive effort to make a copy of the entire site.
It was originally slated to go dark on April 29th, but now [1]they have
eliminated any such deadline and furthermore they will be migrating the
collection to YouTube. We wish Google would have planned to do that from
the beginning, but ultimately this is a victory for the preservation of
user-generated content on the Internet."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1220202/Google-Will-Save-Videos-After-All?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/16/160256/Google-Videos-Going-Offline-Time-To-Grab-What-You-Want
1. http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-on-google-video-finding-easier.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The Real Reason Apple Is Suing Samsung
| from the same-thing-we-do-every-night-pinky dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @12:04 (Android)
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1519259/The-Real-Reason-Apple-Is-Suing-Samsung?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

doperative writes with this quote from a speculative piece at Business
Insider about [0]Apple's real motive behind its recent lawsuit against
[1]Samsung's Galaxy devices: "Android is free. In some cases, it's even
cheaper than free, with Google sharing some revenue from Google searches
on Android phones with partners. This is hugely disruptive to both
Microsoft and Apple's business models; Microsoft because they make money
on software licenses, and Apple on hardware. And this disruptive approach
is winning: Android is surging past iOS in marketshare. A lawsuit from a
big company, even if doomed, still takes a lot of time, energy and money
to fight off. So Samsung or someone else might settle, accepting to pay
some form of license. If that happens, Apple can go around to the other
manufacturers asking for the same license and have a much stronger claim.
And now OEMs have to factor that cost into the decision to choose
Android. And all of a sudden, Android has a price." Samsung has [2]fired
back with a lawsuit of its own.

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1519259/The-Real-Reason-Apple-Is-Suing-Samsung?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-real-reason-apple-is-suing-samsung-2011-4
1. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/04/18/2053241/Apple-Sues-Samsung-Over-Galaxy-Phones-and-Tablets
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13167573

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Bionic Leg Undergoing Clinical Trials
| from the we-have-the-technology dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @13:20 (Medicine)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1524210/Bionic-Leg-Undergoing-Clinical-Trials?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

fangmcgee writes "A 'bionic' leg designed for people who have lost a
lower leg is undergoing clinical trials sponsored by the US Army. The
researchers hope the leg will be able to [0]learn the patient's nerve
signal patterns and be able to move in response to the patient's own
muscles and nerves ([1]abstract). Electrodes are attached to nine muscles
in the thigh to detect the patterns in which the nerve signals are fired.
Different patterns correspond to different intended movements. In the
current stages of training, the volunteers are wired up to the electrodes
and learn how to use the muscles to make a computer avatar move on
screen. Results showed that all the volunteers could control the avatar��s
knee and ankle movements from neural information from the thigh, with
amputees achieving 91 percent accuracy of movement and the non-amputees
achieving 89 percent."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1524210/Bionic-Leg-Undergoing-Clinical-Trials?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-bionic-leg-clinical-trials.html
1. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/15/1542

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| EC2 Outage Shows How Much the Net Relies On Amazon
| from the too-big-to-fail dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @14:33 (Cloud)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1652245/EC2-Outage-Shows-How-Much-the-Net-Relies-On-Amazon?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "Much has been written about the recent
[0]EC2/EBS outage, but Keir Thomas at PC World has a different take: it's
[1]shown how much cutting-edge Internet infrastructure relies on Amazon,
and we should be grateful. Quoting: 'Amazon is a personification of the
spirit of the Internet, which is one of true democracy, access to the
means of distribution, and rapid evolution.'" An article at O'Reilly
comes to [2]a similarly positive conclusion from a different angle.

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1652245/EC2-Outage-Shows-How-Much-the-Net-Relies-On-Amazon?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/story/11/04/21/1515238/Major-Outage-At-the-Amazon-Web-Services
1. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/226033/thanks_amazon_the_cloud_crash_reveals_your_importance.html
2. http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2011/04/the-aws-outage-the-clouds-shining-moment.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| EV Fast-Charging Standards In Flux
| from the throw-electrons-at-it-and-see-what-sticks dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @15:48 (Power)
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1756210/EV-Fast-Charging-Standards-In-Flux?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

savuporo writes "With the first battery electric vehicles becoming
available on markets worldwide, there is an increased push to establish
standards for fast-charging plugs. Unfortunately, the story is far from
simple. The US hopes to establish [0]its own DC fast-charging standard by
2012, and Europe [1]cannot come to an agreement about their version.
Meanwhile, the [2]CHAdeMO fast-charge standard developed and widely
deployed in Japan, used on both the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi MiEV, is
gaining momentum with [3]deployments underway both in [4]the US and
[5]Europe. CHAdeMO is limited to a 62kW charge rate, able to charge
smaller battery packs to 80% SoC in 15-30 minutes."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1756210/EV-Fast-Charging-Standards-In-Flux?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://green.autoblog.com/2011/04/21/finalization-of-u-s-standard-for-level-3-connector-to-come-in-2/
1. http://green.autoblog.com/2011/04/12/germany-italy-france-argue-over-european-plug-standards-for-el/
2. http://www.chademo.com/
3. http://green.autoblog.com/2011/03/08/mitsubishi-estonia-507-imiev-250-quick-charge-stations/
4. http://www.theevproject.com/
5. http://electricaid.ning.com/profiles/blogs/energycompany-ishavskraft-2500

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Comcast Hounded By Collections Agency
| from the turnabout-is-fair-play dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @17:00 (Businesses)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1958238/Comcast-Hounded-By-Collections-Agency?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bob the Super Hamste writes "According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press,
Comcast is being [0]taken to court for non-payment by a bill collection
agency it used to collect past-due payments from customers. The suit
alleges that Comcast agreed to pay $5 for each account it closed and that
for each account the collection agency handled Comcast would pay 33% of
the collected funds. The suit is seeking $314,210 for account
cancellations and estimates Comcast owes them $50,000 for delinquent
funds collected."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1958238/Comcast-Hounded-By-Collections-Agency?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.twincities.com/business/ci_17911978?nclick_check=1

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Solar Panels Increase Home Value
| from the nimby-schmimby dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @18:22 (Earth)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1955202/Solar-Panels-Increase-Home-Value?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

blair1q writes "Venture Beat reports that [0]a study (PDF) by Berkeley
National Labs has found that homes sold in California [1]earned a premium
for solar panels. The benefit ranged from $3900 to $6400 per kW of
capacity. An earlier study found that proximity to solar or wind power
may also raise home values. These results contradict the arguments based
on degrading home values used by putative NIMBY (Not In My Back-Yard)
opponents to installing or living near such energy-generating equipment."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/1955202/Solar-Panels-Increase-Home-Value?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/emp/reports/lbnl-4476e-rs.pdf
1. http://venturebeat.com/2011/04/22/solar-panel-home-value/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Wal-Mart Tests Online Grocery Delivery
| from the bring-me-a-shrubbery dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 23, @19:34 (Businesses)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/2129214/Wal-Mart-Tests-Online-Grocery-Delivery?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]fysdt writes "The world's biggest retailer had been rumored to be
considering dipping its toe into online grocery delivery for the past few
years. The 'Walmart To Go' test allows customers to visit Walmart.com to
order groceries and consumables found in a Walmart store and [1]have them
delivered to their homes, the spokesman said. Products include fresh
produce, meat and seafood, frozen, bakery, baby, over-the-counter
pharmacy, household supplies and health and beauty items."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/23/2129214/Wal-Mart-Tests-Online-Grocery-Delivery?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://thunderfeeds.com/
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/23/us-walmart-idUSTRE73M1QX20110423

======================================================================

You have received this message because you subscribed to it
on Slashdot. To stop receiving this and other
messages from Slashdot, or to add more messages
or change your preferences, please go to your user page.

http://slashdot.org/prefs/messages

You can log in and change your preferences from there.

Obama's Next Target: The Bush Tax Cuts

Dear Newsmax Reader:

Please find below a special message from our sponsoring advertiser, League of American Voters. They have some important information to share with you. Thank you.

Newsmax.com

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your incredible support of the League's campaign to help Governor Scott Walker.

Because of our powerful radio ads — and hundreds of thousands of pro-Scott Walker phone calls the League has made to Wisconsin residents — we have made a huge difference.

As you are probably aware, we are still fighting Obama and his liberal allies in Wisconsin. They are desperate to turn back the clock on Scott Walker's reforms. They'll stop at nothing to reverse our huge victory.

And now Obama wants to turn back the clock on renewing the Bush tax cuts, another huge victory won by you and the League of American Voters.

Last year, the League embarked on a national campaign to have the Bush tax cuts FULLY extended.

We spent over $1 million in our national outreach, launching a national petition drive.

We even paid for TV ads featuring former Senator Fred Thompson, urging Americans to demand the Bush tax cuts be fully renewed.

Because of your generous support, last December we forced Obama to surrender on the tax cuts, and America averted another head-on collision with economic disaster.

But now, under the ruse of deficit reduction, Obama has launched a new broadside against the cuts, including many small businesses and investors with incomes above $200,000.

He smears these job creators as the selfish "rich" who want take away health insurance for "poor children… a disabled child, an autistic child."

Here's what he told a group of community college students on Tuesday:

"We can't just tell the wealthiest among us, you don't have to do a thing. Especially when we know that the only way to pay for [extending] these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans is by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more for their health care, or cutting children out of Head Start, or doing away with health insurance for millions of Americans on Medicaid — seniors in nursing homes, or poor children, or middle-class families who may have a disabled child, an autistic child."

Frankly, I find the President's remarks deeply offensive.

These are not only lies, but Obama's using the smear to demonize Americans who disagree with him.

Worse yet, Obama's using our society's most vulnerable members as pawns for his radical agenda.

And it's a measure for just how desperate Obama and his liberal allies have become.

Team Obama will do anything to force stop us from turning back Obamacare and his other far-left policies.

This is why it is so critical for you and the League of American Voters to stay in the fight.

We need your help to continue our work to support conservatives like Scott Walker, and to expose Obama's radical agenda.

Please continue to help us — Go Here Now

With your gift, the League will continue to peel back the onion exposing the truth about Obama – whether it's on the streets of Madison, Wisconsin or on Capitol Hill.

In Wisconsin, with our powerful radio ads and telephone campaigns, the League of American Voters has been at the forefront of the battle in defending Scott Walker and fighting for the taxpayers.

In Washington, the League has been credited in killing Obama's dreaded "public option" in his health care plan.

And we're continuing our efforts to FULLY repeal Obamacare.

We led the fight to renew the Bush Tax Cuts. And because of your support, we won that battle.

That's why Barack Obama is counting on you to stay on the sidelines, while he fires-up his liberal allies with lies and smears.

Obama knows the League's army of nearly 400,000 members are a powerful force – standing in his way.

Help the League to stop Obama and his liberal allies. Donate Here Now

Thank you for all that you do.

Yours for America,

Bob Adams
Executive Director

P.S. – Team Obama is desperate to turn back the clock on Gov. Scott Walker's reforms. And now Obama wants to turn back the clock on renewing the Bush tax cuts, another huge victory won by you and the League of American Voters. With your support, we'll protect our HUGE victories against the Obama Agenda. What's more, the League will continue to peel back the onion exposing the truth about Obama and FULLY repeal Obamacare. Donate Now to Support the League's Work – Go Here Now.

League of American Voters | 722 12th Street N.W. | Fourth Floor | Washington, D.C. 20005

This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this Newsmax e-mail because you subscribed to it or someone forwarded it to you. To opt out, see the links below.

TO ADVERTISE

For information on advertising, please contact Newsmax Advertising Sales via e-mail.

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this e-mail has been forwarded to you and would like a subscription, please sign up here.

Remove your e-mail address from our list or modify your profile. We respect your right to privacy. View our policy.

This e-mail was sent by:
Newsmax.com
4152 W. Blue Heron Blvd., Ste. 1114
Riviera Beach, FL, 33404 USA

1140879

9898-1

Tell Congress: Stop Birthright Citizenship for Illegal Aliens

Dear Newsmax Reader:

Please find below a special message from our sponsoring advertiser, NumbersUSA. They have some important information to share with you. Thank you.

Newsmax.com

Urge Your House Member to Oppose Birthright Citizenship for Illegal Aliens

Below is a FREE FAX you can send directly to your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, by merely pressing the button below.

Birthright Citizenship highlights another key area where our elected officials allow our immigration laws to be abused by illegal aliens--instead of protecting U.S. citizens and legal residents. This practice of granting automatic citizenship to the children of illegal aliens only encourages more people to come to the United States illegally.

Thankfully, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) has introduced a bill in the 112th Congress to eliminate this practice. H.R. 140 is an excellent first step into reversing the birthright citizenship loophole, but it will need more support in order for it to come for a vote on the House floor.

With the U.S. House more focused on increasing immigration enforcement, there is a good chance the bill will pass if it comes up for a vote. Please don't delay. Send this critical message to your U.S. House Member, urging them to support H.R. 140 against birthright citizenship. Other NumbersUSA members have already paid for this fax, so there is no cost to you.

PRESS TO SEND THIS NO-COST FAX

Dear (Your U.S. Representative Will Appear Here),

I am concerned about the excessive population growth resulting from the automatic citizenship granted to the children of illegal aliens.

An estimated 4 million current U.S. residents have received this type of citizenship. Who's hurt by this? Millions of poor American children live in families suffering from unemployment or depressed wages because an estimated 7 million illegal foreign workers are holding construction, manufacturing, service and transportation jobs. Anything that slows the decision of illegal workers to go back home prolongs the disadvantaging of the 30 million less-educated Americans and legal immigrants who don't have a job and who generally seek work in the same non-agricultural industries where most illegal workers are found."

Fortunately, there is already legislation in Congress, H.R. 140, the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, that would eliminate birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens and tourists. The granting of citizenship to the children of illegal aliens makes it less likely that illegal aliens with U.S.-born children will be deported, thereby keeping millions of unemployed Americans and legal immigrants out of jobs. I hope you will do all you can to support H.R. 140 so that illegal aliens are given one less reason to immigrate to the Unites States illegally.

Sincerely,
(Your Name Will Appear Here)

PRESS TO SEND THIS NO-COST FAX

NumbersUSA, America's largest-member immigration-reduction
organization. We are non-profit and non-partisan.

This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this Newsmax e-mail because you subscribed to it or someone forwarded it to you. To opt out, see the links below.

TO ADVERTISE

For information on advertising, please contact Newsmax Advertising Sales via e-mail.

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this e-mail has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up, please click here.