Morning Media Summary
Tech:
Wipeout: When Your Company Kills Your iPhone:
“A few weeks ago, Amanda Stanton’s iPhone suddenly went black.”
34% of all malware ever created appeared in 2010:
“According to PandaLabs, in the first ten months of the year the number of threats created and distributed account for one third of all viruses that exist.”
HTTPS Everywhere gets Firefox “Firesheep” protection:
“The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today said it rolled out a version of HTTPS Everywhere that offers protection against “Firesheep” and other tools that seek to exploit webpage security flaws.”
Open-source social network Diaspora goes live:
“IDG News Service – Diaspora, a widely anticipated social network site built on open-source code, has cracked open its doors for business today, at least for a handful of invited participants.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
China says it is the world’s top greenhouse gas emitter:
“BEIJING (Reuters) – China acknowledged on Tuesday it is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases stoking global warming, confirming what scientists have said for years but defending its right to keep growing emissions.”
Final Settlement Phase Starts for BP Oil Spill:
“In the months since the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, hundreds of thousands of people and businesses have filed for emergency payments from the $20 billion BP fund administered by Kenneth R. Feinberg. More than $2.2 billion is being paid to some 150,000 individuals and businesses with documented claims, according to fund estimates.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Police to enforce new gaming laws:
“A warning to operators of Internet gaming parlors in Martinsville: Quit breaking the city’s rules for the businesses or you will be prosecuted.”
Health / Safety:
San Francisco overrides mayoral veto, bans Happy Meals with Toys:
“The San Francisco, California, Board of Supervisor banned most McDonald’s Happy Meals with toys Tuesday. Despite objections and ridicule from opponents, the vote overrode the mayor’s veto and officially approved the ban.”
Michelle Pushes Funding For 6,000 Salad Bars in Public Schools:
“A White House official says Michelle Obama will announce details of a plan to put 6,000 salad bars in public school lunchrooms within the next three years.”
Daily HIV pill use yields strong results:
“Men who faithfully take a daily pill that contains drugs to treat HIV can reduce their risk of catching the deadly virus by up to 73 percent, the National Institutes of Health said in a study released Tuesday.”
Economics:
List of Problem Banks Grows Despite Solid Net Income:
“The number of banks on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp’s confidential “problem” list grew over the summer even while the overall industry posted solid net income.”
Legal:
Placards, kilts part of plans for scanner protests:
“Holiday travelers dismayed by airport body scans planned protests at bustling airports Wednesday, while the head of the nation’s transport security agency urged passengers to comply with searches to reduce the possibility of delays on one of the busiest travel days of the year.”
TSA workers face verbal abuse from travelers:
“The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents TSA workers, is urging the TSA to do more to protect its employees from abuse from airline passengers angry over the new security methods. The union reports that some members “have reported instances in which passengers have become angry, belligerent and even physical with TSOs (transportation security officers). In Indianapolis, for example, a TSO was punched by a passenger who didn’t like the new screening process,” the union said in a Nov. 17 statement posted on its website.”
More Hope & Change… Feds Are Now Using Mobile X-Ray Vans On U.S. Steets (Video):
“The Obama Administration is not only forcing travelers through naked body scanners, they’re bringing the X-ray scanners into your neighborhood, too.”
University Speech Codes, Reborn As “Anti-Bullying” Rules?:
“The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is out with this timely warning about the “Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act,” a bill introduced in Congress by Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rush Holt, both New Jersey Democrats:”
Full-body scanners popping us at courthouses:
“Taking a trip during the holidays isn’t the only time that people might get a full-body scan to pass through security. People heading to court to testify, get a restraining order, pay a ticket or answer criminal charges could also face a full-body scan at courthouses.”
Fuming over anti-smoke spending:
“The Bay State ranks near the bottom nationally in spending on anti-smoking programs, but state health officials say Massachusetts is still tops in preventing residents from lighting up.”
Labor:
Online day of solidarity planned to show support for the long-term jobless:
“The AFL-CIO is planning a day of online solidarity in support of the long-term jobless. On Dec. 7, they’re asking people to replace their Facebook and Twitter images with the Jobless avatar you see above. They are also asking that on that day, people change their status to: “We Are All Jobless.””
Transportation/ Land Use:
Eau Claire Council moves to get high-speed rail back on track:
“The fate of high-speed rail in Wisconsin is in a much different place than it was only a month ago. Now that plans are on hold, the Eau Claire City Council weighs what it should do.”