- Tolerance has increased in Iraq post-Saddam
Hussein…..right? Maybe not if Iraqi authorities are suspending
the operating licenses of pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera and nine Iraqi TV
channels, as they did on Sunday, after accusing the broadcasters of escalating
sectarian tension – code for criticizing Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik's
government. The bans gave more ammunition to those who have expressed concern
about the Shiite-led government's increasing restrictions on freedom of speech
as it moves to tackle deteriorating security amid Sunni unrest and clashes that
have left more than 180 people dead in less than a week. The suspensions took
effect immediately and shockingly, they target mainly Sunni channels known for
outspoken criticism of al-Malik. Excluding Al-Jazeera, the decision affected
eight Sunni and one Shiite channels. For its part, the government is badly
overmatched in attempting to quell rising unrest in the country that erupted
last week after Iraqi security forces launched a deadly crackdown on a Sunni
protest site in the central city of Hawija, but this move seems unlikely to
change the fact that 23 people died in that conflict, including three soldiers.
All together, more than 180 people have been killed in gun battles with
security forces and other attacks since the initial violence, although four
months of largely peaceful protests by Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority against the
government laid the ground work for what has transpired in the past week. While
the 10 channels are suspended, viewers will still be able to watch their
programming. However, if any of the 10 attempt to work on Iraqi territory they
will face legal action from security forces under the rules of Iraq's
Communications and Media Commission. In short, the ruling is designed to keep
the broadcasters from reporting on what is happening in the country. Sunni
lawmaker Dahfir al-Ani denounced the move as part of the government's attempts
"to cover up the bloodshed that took place in Hawija and what is going on
in other places in the country." Al-Jazeera, based in f Qatar, said it was
"astonished" by the move. "We cover all sides of the stories in
Iraq, and have done for many years. The fact that so many channels have been
hit all at once, though, suggests this is an indiscriminate decision," it
said in a written statement. Two of the nine offending stations are al-Sharqiya
and al-Sharqiya News, which frequently criticize the government, and for that
reason they probably should have expected unjustified sanctions at some point.
All of this seems to indicate that Iraq still has a ways to go before reaching
its true democratic potential……….
- The Homeless Bill of Rights is not happening without a
fight in the Golden State. Although state legislators want to make it legal to
loiter, panhandle and sleep on the streets of California in order to reduce the
headaches caused by the ever-growing number of down-and-out folks flowing to
California’s welcoming climate. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) wrote
the bill and no sooner than the legislation was introduced, a lowly city
council member in Citrus Heights had a huge beef with the idea. Citrus Heights Councilwoman
Jeanie Bruins sounds extremely offended by the concept and her initial remarks
paint a picture of a woman who is ready to go to battle on the issue. “It’s
important to us, because I think there are a lot of unintended consequences to
this bill,” Bruins said. “It also makes some allegations I found very offensive
and that is that cities are mean-spirited when it comes to homelessness, and I
just think that’s wrong.” Bruins denounced the bill as a threat to public
health because it allegedly creates special rights for the homeless and will
cost cities too much money. Some of the protections under the bill are the
right to sleep in public places, panhandle and have 24/7 access to hygiene
provisions. Some may view it as lending a helping hand to those in need in
minimal fashion, but Bruins views it as both enabling the problem causers and
casting aspersions on cities for not doing enough already. “I understand that
cities are concerned about this issue, and I want to work with them to craft
legislation that everyone can support,” she added. Citrus Heights does seem to
be the very sort of place that needs encouragement to be nicer to homeless
folks, as it has banned panhandling at intersections and taken other
anti-homeless actions in recent years……..
- There is a smartphone for just about everyone these
days, except for one small demographic that simply cannot enjoy all of the
features of an iPhone or Droid. Blind people would love to be physically able
to appreciate the brilliant colors of an LCD screen or the user-friendly display
on their new phone, but they can't and up to now, no one has stepped up to
tackle that problem. Apps such as Siri and SayText do offer a good deal of
assistance, but inventor Sumit Dagar knew there needed to be more done for
those living with visual impairment. Dagar has come up with a smartphone that's
specifically designed for people who have trouble seeing and is now working to
polish up the idea. His phone doest have a name yet, but it does have a design,
one comprised of a grid of pins that move up and down to form into Braille
shapes and characters whenever an SMS message or email is received. The concept
phone uses what is known as Shape Memory Alloy technology, meaning that the
pins have a sort of virtual memory that allows them to recall their original
shape and return to it after expanding. Dagar describes the phone as
"[the] world's first Braille smartphone ... a companion more than a phone”
and hopes to have the phone on the market by the end of the year. To that end,
he is collaborating with IIT Delhi on the prototype, which is being tested at
the LV Prasad Eye Institute. The surprisingly affordable price point for the
phone is expected to be about $185………
- The NBA playoffs are a tense time. Careers, reputations
and legacies are on the line as the league’s best team do battle for the Larry
O’Brien trophy and designation of the best team in basketball. The resulting
pressure can get to everyone….including some overgrown kid who tries to get as
close to the action as possible despite a pronounced lack of actual basketball
talent by volunteering as a ball boy. After a season-ending injury for Oklahoma
City Thunder star guard Russell Westbrook ripped the heart out of the title
hopes of the Western Conference’s best team, many took the news hard. Perhaps no
one took it harder than Oklahoma City Thunder ball boy Mitchell Brown, who directed
his anger over the injury to the player whose attempted steal of the ball from
Westbrook caused the All-Star floor general’s torn meniscus: Houston Rockets
guard Patrick Beverley. After it was announced that Westbrook had successful
surgery to repair his meniscus and would be out for the remainder of the
playoffs, a tweet from the handle @MitchellBrwn said: "Patrick Beverly
(sic), I'm coming to kill you." Ordinarily, a tweet from a volunteer ball
boy wouldn’t be a major point of contention, but death threats tend to grab
attention and Brown didn’t help his case by sending out a second tweet to Beverley's
Twitter name, saying: "@pavbev21 I'm coming to kill you." At that point,
the situation went from dumb and poorly thought out to a bit disturbing, which
Brown seemed to realize because he apologized in a later tweet and then said he
was hacked in another post. Nice try, Mitch. It doesn’t work for athletes and
celebrities who tweet something regrettable and it didn’t work for you, much
the same way it never works when explaining to the cops that it’s not your weed
and you were just holding it for a friend. Oklahoma City police captain Dexter
Nelson confirmed that his department is working with the Houston police and the
NBA to investigate the threats. The Thunder issued a statement saying in part
that they "do not condone his comments. He works game nights on a
voluntary basis and the matter will be handled internally." In other
words, beat it idiot, we don’t need a headache right now from a lowly ball boy.
Beverley may have made a borderline dirty play, but it’s Kevin Durant and Co.’s
job to deliver payback, not the ball boy………
- Here’s hoping Michael Bay’s absurd comedy/action flick
“Pain and Gain” enjoyed its week at the top of the box office earnings list. With
“Iron Man 3” guaranteed to capture the most dollars next weekend, Mark Wahlberg
and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will have to be content with one week on top
after banking $20 million to start their movie off well enough given how
terrible its script is. “Oblivion” dropped one spot to finish second and
brought in $17.4 million to raise its two-week domestic total to $64.7 million.
Third place went to “42,” also down one spot, and the owner of a $7.5 million
weekend that elevated its total haul to $69.1 million and counting. “The Big
Wedding” opened in fourth place with $7.5 million, a so-so start for a tepidly
anticipated project. Next on the list was “The Croods,” slotted fifth with a
$6.6 million frame that bumped its overall domestic earnings to $163 million. “G.I.
Joe: Retaliation” slipped to sixth with its $3.6 million take that left it at
$116.4 million in total earnings after five weeks in U.S. theaters. The
tragically unfunny “Scary Movie 5” checked in three spots lower than last
weekend, finishing seventh after making $3.5 million. It has earned $27.5
million in three largely uneventful weeks of release. “Olympus Has Fallen”
secured eighth place with $2.8 million in its sixth weekend and has been fairly
profitable at $93 million in total domestic earnings thus far. “The Place
Beyond the Pines” finished beyond the top eight, slotting ninth with a $2.7 million
weekend that left its running total at $16 million in five weeks of limited
release. “Jurassic Park 3D” claimed the final spot in the top 10 with $2.3
million and now has made $42 million overall in its three-dimensional return to
theaters. Matthew McCanaughey’s new drama “Mud” failed to crack the top 10 in
its debut (albeit in limited release), while “Evil Dead” (No. 12) and “Oz the
Great and Powerful” (No. 13) both dropped off from last weekend’s list……..
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