Morning Media Summary
Tech:
Internet is easy prey for governments:
“For all that the revolution in Egypt tells us about the power of networked media to promote bottom-up change, it even more starkly reveals the limits of our internet tools and the ease with which those holding power can take them away.”
EA Simulates 2010 NFL Season, Predicts Super Bowl Champs:
“EA Sports, publisher of the Madden NFL videogame franchise, has taken its latest game iteration (Madden NFL 11) and run through the upcoming 2010 NFL season, offering at least a simulated insight into who’ll be celebrating in Arlington, Texas, after Super Bowl XLV.”
Internet runs out of IP addresses:
“The pool of Internet addresses has officially been drained. Four non-profit Internet administrative groups — the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Number Resources Organization (NRO), the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the Internet Society — said at a press conference in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday that the supply of IPv4 addresses has been depleted.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
Big Green groups tell Obama to tell Canada to Drop Dead:
“A coalition of 89 Big Green environmental groups is urging President Obama to reject Canada’s efforts to secure U.S. approval for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would bring millions of barrels of oil extracted from Canadian shale formations.”
Oregon state legislature pushes shopping bag ban at start of 2011 session:
“Oregon’s state Senate will be conducting a hearing on Tuesday to determine whether the state should be the first in the union to ban non-reusable shopping bags in all retail outlets. The proposed ban would include both paper and plastic bags, with the exception of paper bags containing at least 40 percent recyclable materials. For those bags, shoppers would have to pay 5 cents per sack.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Barnett to fight federal gambling regulations:
“The Federal Government is working on an overhaul of gambling regulations as part of its deal to secure the support of the independent M-P Andrew Wilkie.”
Health / Safety:
Restaurant Nutrition Draws Focus of First:
“After wrapping her arms around the retail giant Wal-Mart and trying to cajole food makers into producing nutrition labels that are easier to understand, Michelle Obama, the first lady and a healthy-eating advocate, has her sights set on a new target: the nation’s restaurants.”
Economics:
Canadian Dollar Reaches Highest Level Since May 2008 on Economic Growth:
“Canada’s dollar reached the strongest level since May 2008 as the nation’s economy and employment grew more than forecast, boosting confidence in the recovery.”
Huffington Post agrees to $315 million buyout from AOL:
“Huffington Post, the liberal-leaning online news site that has been one of the Internet’s start-up success stories, said it agreed to a $315 million buyout late Sunday night from AOL Inc., the elder statesman of online access and digital content.”
IRS not ready to process many returns until mid-February:
“In the final days of 2010, the IRS announced that, because of last-minute maneuvering on Capitol Hill, the agency won’t be ready to process more than 50 million returns until mid- to late-February. Since most returns demand refunds from the IRS, the delay means millions of taxpayers will have to wait to get their money back.”
Legal:
New tax tab for Rev. Al:
“The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has vowed to clean up his fiscal house, has a new tax lien to pay.”
Sunday Reflection: Does America have a lawyer problem, or a law problem?:
“As someone who teaches at a law school, and sees his students go out into the world, I am predisposed to like law. When I practiced law at a big firm here in Washington, D.C., I enjoyed it and I felt like we helped our clients with their problems, more often than not.”
Labor:
Airport screeners allowed to unionize:
“The Obama administration has cleared the way for the nation’s 45,000 airport screeners to unionize and bargain over a limited number of workplace issues, though not pay and issues related to security. The decision quickly drew fire from Republicans.”
Transportation/ Land Use:
Texas bill gives homeowners tool against eminent domain:
“After years of conflict, the Texas Legislature could be heading toward a long-sought resolution on property rights with a carefully stitched compromise supported by Gov. Rick Perry, key lawmakers and major interest groups.”