Morning Media Summary
Tech:
Without Internet, Egyptians find new ways to get online:
“”When countries block, we evolve,” an activist with the group We Rebuild wrote in a Twitter message Friday.”
Google won’t be taken to court over data gather:
“The US state of Connecticut said Friday it would hold negotiations with Google over the collection of private wireless data by its Street View mapping cars and not take the Internet giant to court.”
Egypt shutdown worst in Internet history: experts:
“The scale of Egypt’s crackdown on the Internet and mobile phones amid deadly protests against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak is unprecedented in the history of the web, experts said.”
FCC Asks Court to Dismiss MetroPCS, Verizon Net Neutrality Suits:
“The Federal Communications Commission on Friday moved to dismiss the net neutraliy challenges filed by MetroPCS and Verizon, claiming they were “filed prematurely.””
China blocks ‘Egypt’ on Twitter-like site:
“CHINA has blocked the word “Egypt” from the country’s wildly popular Twitter-like service, while coverage of the political turmoil has been tightly restricted in state media.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
Video: Robert Redford, environmental hypocrite?:
Ann McIlhenny and Phelim McAleer, the producers of the feature-length documentary Not Evil Just Wrong that exposed many false global-warming claims of environmentalists — and the damage done by them — have decided to focus on short films that look at the individual hypocrisies of environmental activists. In their latest edition, they feature Robert Redford, who used the earnings from his film career to buy a large preserve in Utah, a vineyard in Napa Valley, and a reputation for environmental activism. Only McIlhenney and McAleer note that the activism seems to be the do-as-I-say variety:
Save the environment or save the economy? The brewing batting over bottled water could kill jobs:
For more than a few years environmentalists have fueled a movement to ban or significantly reduce consumer use of bottled water. Dozens of universities and municipalities have already taken action to curb bottle water use.
Insurance / Gambling:
Commission Clarifies Changes in U.K. Online Gambling Regulations:
“The threat that the United Kingdom would change its taxation and compliance laws for online gambling operators that were not registered in the U.K. has been lessened to a certain degree by a recent announcement by Jenny Williams, the head of the U.K.’s Gambling Commission.”
Health / Safety:
Six cases of cholera suspected in Massachusetts:
“A second Massachusetts resident has been diagnosed with cholera and four others are suspected of having the intestinal ailment, state disease trackers reported today.”
Future cars to decide if driver is drunk:
“Future technology may put the brakes on drunk drivers and save many lives as researchers in Massachusetts are developing a system that will prevent a car from starting if the driver’s blood alcohol level is higher than the legal limit.”
Economics:
Credit card rates at record highs near 15%:
“Interest rates are now hovering near record highs, at an average rate of 14.72%. And if your credit is bad enough, you could even end up with a rate as high as 59.9% APR.”
Legal:
Do You Want Me To Throw It on the Ground?:
“This was first posted to YouTube last summer, but has gone viral in the last 24 hours after someone posted it to Reddit. The Reddit post says it’s set in Wildwood, New Jersey, and begins as police are writing a guy a ticket for wearing a t-shirt with profanity. I can’t find a news account of the incident to verify that.”
Labor:
Most Catholic Health Partners workers reject SEIU:
“Given the chance to cast votes in a union election without electioneering from either side, most of the 6,600 workers at fifteen facilities owned by Catholic Health Partners decided this week not to join organized labor.”
Transportation/ Land Use:
Republicans embrace Obama rail initiative:
“Key Republicans are embracing a major spending initiative outlined in President Obama’s State of the Union address.”