Morning Media Summary
Tech:
Pandora Mobile App Transmits Gobs Of Personal Data:
“A popular free mobile application from online music service Pandora.com that is the subject of a Grand Jury investigation into loose data privacy practices in the mobile application market confirms that the application silently sends reams of sensitive data to advertisers.”
Google to revamp YouTube with ‘channels’:
“Google Inc. is working on a major overhaul of YouTube as it tries to position itself for the rise of televisions that let people watch online video in their living rooms, according to people familiar with the matter.”
San Francisco Approves Twitter Tax Break:
“The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a tax break Tuesday to keep Twitter from fleeing the city.”
Google: Online privacy public enemy No.1?:
“When it comes to cracking down on online piracy, lawmakers say Google is public enemy No.1.”
Georgia woman cuts off web access to whole of Armenia:
“An elderly Georgian woman was scavenging for copper to sell as scrap when she accidentally sliced through an underground cable and cut off internet services to all of neighbouring Armenia, it emerged on Wednesday.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
Senate rejects block to EPA climate regs:
“The Senate rejected a GOP-backed amendment Wednesday that would have permanently blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.”
Hurricane is overdue, experts warn our area:
“If meteorological history repeats, it should be a quiet hurricane season in Florida this year — even though conditions are ripe for more than a dozen named Atlantic basin storms.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Report: Bushnell woman stole from in-laws to support multimillion-dollar gambling habit:
“A Sumter County woman has been arrested and accused of stealing more than $500,000 from her in-laws to support a gambling habit that saw her spend more than $14 million at a Tampa casino over two years.”
Health / Safety:
Hookah Smoking Replacing Cigarettes?:
“Young Americans are smoking fewer cigarettes, but researchers say that progress is threatened by an increasingly popular cultural import — the tall, ornate water pipe known as the hookah.”
Economics:
A Ronald Reagan Budget:
“Nothing like Paul Ryan’s budget, “The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise,” has been heard from a Republican since February 1981, when Ronald Reagan issued his presidency’s first budget message, “America’s New Beginning: A Program for Economic Recovery.” The echoes reach beyond the titles.”
Obama: Expect little short-term relief on gas prices:
“Pitching the promise of energy independence, President Barack Obama cautioned Wednesday that it’s going to be tough to transition from America’s oil-dependent economy and acknowledged there’s little he can do to lower gas prices over the short term.”
US Going Same Route as Greece, Portugal: Economist:
“The US is going down a similar road as that taken by Greece and Portugal with regard to its budget decisions, John E. Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo, said on Wednesday.”
Legal:
Impeach Them All:
“Attorney Bruce Fein, who briefly worked in the Reagan Justice Department, is advocating for the impeachment of President Obama for authorizing military strikes in Libya, Politico reports. He has even drafted an article of impeachment. This is nothing new for Fein, however, as he also called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and worked on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. No word whether his proposal has found any supporters in Congress. Dennis Kucinich, perhaps? If only we could impeach Bruce Fein.”
Labor:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Calls His State’s Teachers Union ‘Political Thugs’:
“New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie took another shot at his state’s teachers today by describing their union leaders as “political thugs.””
Transportation/ Land Use:
Pa. vies for high-speed rail money nixed by Fla.:
“The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is seeking more federal money originally set aside for Florida so that it can speed up the travel of passenger trains between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, agency spokeswoman Erin Waters said Wednesday.”