Today’s Links: August 24, 2012

OPINION

AMELIA HAMILTON: “Government Regulation Slowing Energy Jobs and Economic Growth”
“With unemployment in the United States at 8.3%, job growth is something which should be encouraged. However, it would seem that the government is only interested in jobs that support their agenda. In the field of oil and gas, for example, the government’s misguided policies are preventingthe creation of 64,805 new jobs and $15 billion in economic growth.”

KYLE SMITH: “Legalize Sports Betting, And Let Gov. Chris Christie Spike The Football”
“Christie wants the state’s racetracks and casinos to be making book on sports by the end of the year, but the NCAA and the four major professional sports leagues in North America sued him earlier this month in federal court in Trenton. They cited a 1992 law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, sponsored by then-Senate basketballer Bill Bradley, that limited sports gambling to the states where it already existed: Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon.”

RYAN GALLAGHER: “FBI To Give Facial Recognition Software to Law-Enforcement Agencies”
“The speedy onward march of biometric technology continues. After recently announcing plans for a nationwide iris-scan database, the FBI has revealed it will soon hand out free facial-recognition software to law enforcement agencies across the United States. The software, which was piloted in February in Michigan, is expected to be rolled out within weeks. It will give police analysts access to a so-called ‘Universal Face Workstation‘ that can be used to compare a database of almost 13 million images. The UFW will permit police to submit and enhance image files so they can be cross-referenced with others on the database for matches.”

NEWS

CHINA – China Confronts Mounting Piles of Unsold Goods
“The severity of China’s inventory overhang has been carefully masked by the blocking or adjusting of economic data by the Chinese government — all part of an effort to prop up confidence in the economy among business managers and investors.”

JOBS – Marion Barry: I am a Jobs Czar
“‘I am a jobs czar,’ said Barry, who represents Ward 8 where the project is located. ‘Jobs and career development have been a top priority for me over the years, as well as ensuring opportunities for minority-owned businesses. I don’t just talk about the lack of jobs, I specialize in presenting results.'”

FREEDOM OF SPEECH – Egypt bans detention of journalists
“The editor of an independent Egyptian daily has been released from jail, just hours after the country’s Islamist president issued a law that bans the imprisonment of journalists accused of media-related offences.”