Morning Media Summary
Tech:
The 10 best Android hacks:
“The web’s massed fanboy armies will debate the relative merits of iOS and Android until the apocalypse, but there’s no denying Google’s OS wins out when it comes to customisation – and, if you’ve taken the plunge and rooted your device, then a whole load more options will become available.”
California Bill Criminalizing Online Impersonations In Effect Starting Today:
“California’s SB 1411, which adds a layer of criminal and civil penalties for certain online impersonations, goes into effect starting today. The consequences include a fine of up to $1,000, and/ or up to a year in jail. So don’t go and do something crazy like impersonate Google CEO Eric Schmidt on Facebook. There may be consequences.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
Kiss your 100-watt lightbulb goodbye:
“Californians can start saying goodbye to traditional 100-watt incandescent light bulbs now that the state has become the first in the country to require a new standard for the screw-base bulbs.”
TheDC analysis: EPA global warming regulations no ‘end run’ around Congress:
“The Environmental Protection Agency’s pending global warming regulations are no “end run” around Congress, as many conservatives are charging. This time, Congress is being held hostage by its own laws.”
Drilling is stalled even after ban is lifted:
“More than two months after the Obama administration lifted its ban on drilling in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico, oil companies are still waiting for approval to drill the first new oil well there. Experts now expect the wait to continue until the second half of 2011, and perhaps into 2012.”
Eco-bulb cost to treble: Makers cash in as the ban on old-style bulbs kicks in:
“The price of energy-saving light bulbs will treble as the final supplies of traditional bulbs dry up, industry experts have warned.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Texas Holds the Key to Online Gambling in the USA:
“The laws regarding online gambling in the United States of America are still up in the air sort of speak. Various states have been forming their own laws and are very close to regulating online poker and other casino games specifically to augment their failing revenue sources experienced during the recent economic meltdown. California and New Jersey are getting on the bandwagon and can see the need for a regulated and licensed system to accommodate the already big internet gambling public.”
Health / Safety:
Big Health-Care Changes Arrive in New Year:
“New taxes on drug makers, lower prescription-drug costs for seniors and restrictions on tax-free medical spending accounts are among a slate of health-law provisions that kick in Saturday.”
House GOP plans two-pronged assault on health law:
“The new Republican-controlled House plans to schedule a vote to repeal the sweeping health care overhaul before President Barack Obama delivers his annual State of the Union address late this month, incoming House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said Sunday.”
Spain Enacts Tough Anti-Smoking Law:
“Tapas bars – the noisy and bustling Spanish success story that combined delicious morsels with good wine and often a cloud of cigarette smoke – are now smoke-free. So are restaurants, discos, casinos, airports and even some outdoor spaces.”
Economics:
Oil Climbs Above $92 a Barrell – Gas Could Rise Above $5 a Gallon by 2012:
“Oil climbed to above $92 a berrel today.”
Legal:
Issa says Obama administration is ‘one of the most corrupt’:
“The Republican congressman who is taking over responsibility for congressional oversight called President Obama’s administration “one of the most corrupt administrations” on Sunday and predicted that the investigations he is planning over the next two years could result in about $200 billion in savings for U.S. taxpayers.”
Why the Medicaid Mandates on States Violate the General Welfare Clause:
“My new op-ed in Monday’s Wall Street Journal with Mercer law professor David Oedel, ObamaCare and the General Welfare Clause, explains why the new Medicaid mandates imposed on the states suffer from the same General Welfare Clause problem as did the Cornhusker Kickback:”
California Bill Criminalizing Online Impersonations In Effect Starting Today:
“California’s SB 1411, which adds a layer of criminal and civil penalties for certain online impersonations, goes into effect starting today. The consequences include a fine of up to $1,000, and/ or up to a year in jail. So don’t go and do something crazy like impersonate Google CEO Eric Schmidt on Facebook. There may be consequences.”
Labor:
Cuomo Plans One-Year Freeze on State Workers’ Pay:
“Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will seek a one-year salary freeze for state workers as part of an emergency financial plan he will lay out in his State of the State address on Wednesday, senior administration officials said.”
NLRB Upholds NUHW Victory at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital:
“The National Labor Relations Board has upheld NUHW’s December 18, 2009 election victory at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, and employer St. Josephs Medical Center has agreed to begin bargaining for a first contract. NUHW’s victory was the nation’s largest private sector union election success of 2009, and its affirmation represents the latest in a string of comebacks for a union some thought down for the count after losing a system-wide vote at Kaiser Hospitals last October.”
Transportation/ Land Use:
Worries Follow Route of High-Speed California Line:
“The area just south of this agricultural city is not much to look at: miles of farmland, a collection of dingy fast food outlets and a gold rush ghost called Borden, where all that remains is a tiny cemetery devoted to long dead Chinese workers.”