Category: Politics

CNN:

All 178 Republicans opposed it, along with 34 Democrats.

As a father of a terminally ill child, I know better than most how complicated and evil the insurance companies can be. If it weren’t for St. Jude and their paying for Josiah’s treatments, I don’t know what we would do. His care over the last ten months has totaled well over $1 million, with no end in sight. Is this bill perfect? No. Will it help millions of people retain coverage and protect them from being excluded for preexisting conditions? Yes. Can the GOP suck it? Yes.

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Harry Haydon of The Sun:

Star Wars fan Chris Jarvis, 31, was told he would have to leave if he did not take it down.

Chris is a member of the International Church of Jediism - based on the sci-fi films - whose doctrine states that followers should be allowed to wear hoods.

But when he protested, security escorted him from his local branch in Southend, Essex.

He filled out a complaint form - and received a formal letter from the JobCentre Plus branch’s boss just three days later.

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NPR:

Democrats assert that the Senate bill would fundamentally transform the health care system in the country, beginning with restrictions on private insurance companies. Obama told NPR that “a patient’s bill of rights on steroids” lies inside the Senate bill.

Various provisions would prevent insurers from dropping ill patients and denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. The bill would also require that individuals buy insurance, if they don’t already have it from their employers or existing government programs, such as Medicare.

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CNN:

Unlike his predecessors, Obama was selected not for substantive accomplishments, but for his “vision” and inspiring “hope” at the beginning of his presidency.

I liek the guy and his policies; I just hope he lives up to this.

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Apple recently published new information about the total environmental impact of their products — from manufacturing and usage to Apple’s own facilities:

And today’s 20-inch iMac uses 55 percent less material than its first-generation, 15-inch predecessor. That’s a material savings of 10,000 metric tons — the equivalent of 7200 Toyota Priuses — for every one million iMac computers sold.

The transparency is impressive, but the numbers are even more so.

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CNET:

“AT&T has long supported the principle of an open Internet and has conducted its business accordingly,” Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s senior vice president of external and legislative affairs, said in a statement. “We were also early supporters of the FCC’s current four broadband principles and their case-by-case application to wired networks.”

But Cicconi went on to say that the principles and new legislation should not apply to the wireless market.

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In this video, he thanks the person who donated the liver he received, encouraged others to become organ donors and thanked Apple’s team for supporting him.

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by Stephen M. Hackett

I have the coordinates to Memphis tattooed on my left forearm. I get asked about it almost everyday, and usually the response I get is goes something like this:

Why would you get that tattooed on your arm?

My answer is simple — I love Memphis. It’s a great city.

I’m not talking about the postcard platitudes that include sweet tea, BBQ and Elvis. Those type of niceties keep us distracted from the real issues.

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An awesome photoessay by Time Magazine.

The neat part is that the press had only about 30 seconds to shoot. After that, it was a private discussion.

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My favorite part:

All of your iTunes… the complete works of Kenny G

Don’t worry baby… we can download that shit for free

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This is from iLounge’s review of the new Shuffle:

There is, however, something that many users will care about: the new shuffle doesn’t fully work with any headphones except Apple’s. Because of what Apple has done here—something sneaky and arguably terrible for consumers, especially if it continues with other iPod and iPhone products in 2009—if you plug your old third-party headphones of any sort into the new shuffle, you’ll find that you can’t do anything with the device other than have it continuously play music, without volume controls or interruption, unless of course of you turn it off. Surprise: the only third-party headphones that will work are ones that haven’t even entered manufacturing yet, because they’ll need to contain yet another new Apple authentication chip, which will add to their price. Your only alternatives will be third-party remote control adapters—also not yet available, as Apple’s not even making one—and using Apple’s earphones. The prices for the third-party adapters will be no less than $19, and quite possibly more like $29; compatible headphones announced thus far start at $49.

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Ars Technica:

The mother of a kid living in Cincinnati, Ohio is suing Apple and 10 unnamed retail employees from the Apple Store in Kenwood over an iPod touch that allegedly exploded in the child’s pocket. According to the complaint filed yesterday in the Southern District of Ohio, the plaintiff had the “iTouch” (as the lawsuit refers to it) in his pocket during school when the unfortunate accident happened, resulting in hospital bills and other monetary losses thanks to the disintegration of the iPod touch and, well, the kid’s clothes.

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