by bgetch.

We’ve got 8-15 seconds in a video to capture someone’s attention.

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by bgetch.

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by bgetch.

In March 8 story “Protesters target U.S. foreclosed-homes auctioneer,” corrects story to include company’s response to protest in paragraphs 6 and 9.

NEW YORK, March 8 (Reuters) - An auction of foreclosed homes in New York City on Sunday drew protesters who blamed banks for an epidemic of home losses and called for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. Read the rest of this entry »

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by bgetch.

Luxury cars in German have been torched by groups referring to themselves as BMW.
Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) — When Berlin resident Simone Klostermann returned from vacation and couldn’t find her Mercedes SLK, she thought it had been towed. Police told her the 35,000- euro ($45,000) car had been torched. Read the rest of this entry »

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by bgetch.

Get your own - Open publication

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by bgetch.

It’s not easy being NIMBY
With members of Congress stuffing the economic stimulus with green energy projects, they may be overlooking one of the biggest obstacles to getting them in line: the NIMBY crowd.

A recent Zogby poll found that 85 percent of Americans favored government incentives to encourage the growth of renewable energy. But the “not in my backyard” folks — those who support clean energy but, for instance, don’t want any wind turbines within eyesight — could pose serious delays to wind farms and new renewable energy transmission lines included in the stimulus. Read the rest of this entry »

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by bgetch.

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by bgetch.

Atlanta divorce guide

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by bgetch.

Interest Groups, Bloggers Remind Obama They’re Watching

Amy Schatz reports on the FCC and tech policy issues.

With President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team sprinting to the end of the cabinet-appointment process, anticipation is rising among public interest groups, unions and lefty bloggers about who Obama will name for posts at independent agencies that oversee Internet and media issues, such as the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

On Thursday, a coalition of groups is planning to send a letter to Chicago to remind Obama about his campaign promises on issues such as net neutrality, universal broadband and media ownership reform.

“The commitments you made and the detailed plan you published represent a fundamental shift toward communications policy in the public interest,” the letter states. “The more than one hundred people signed onto this letter – and the millions more we represent in our organizations, workplaces and communities – join your call to create a more vibrant and diverse media system and to deliver the benefits of the open Internet and new technology to all Americans.”

The Service Employees International Union, National Organization of Women, MoveOn and Center for American Progress are among the groups that signed the letter, which also drew support of several prominent bloggers and musicians including REM’s Mike Mills, Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard and My Morning Jacket’s lead singer Jim James.

“The letter is a reminder to the president-elect that the public interest community is squarely behind the agenda he’s set forth and we want to make sure that he appoints public officials who will carry out his goals,” said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, a public interest group which was behind the effort.

Harvard Law School’s newest hire, Lawrence Lessig, also signed the letter. Lessig’s name has been floated by supporters for both the top FCC job and as the first national “chief technology officer” but told Washington Wire recently in an interview he wasn’t interested in either job.

It’s not clear yet when the Obama team will get around to naming a new FCC chairman or prominent jobs in other independent agencies. There’s speculation the FCC job could happen sooner rather than later if only so the Obama team will have someone to help with planning for the U.S.’s transition to digital-only television on Feb. 17. The Obama transition team has already been focusing time on the issue and anxiety is rising on Capitol Hill about what could happen in February if millions of Americans who rely on free over-the-air television suddenly find themselves without a working TV.

So far, four FCC alumni are most often cited for being in the running for the FCC’s top job: Obama tech policy advisers Julius Genachowski and Larry Strickling, Stifel Nicolaus telecom analyst Blair Levin and Level 3 Communications executive Don Gips.

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by bgetch.

From WSJ opinion page 12/24/08

Congress Targets Philanthropy

New evidence on the benefits of foundation giving.

Like divining rods, Members of Congress are always alert to fresh sources of money, which once discovered they will spend. California Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra thinks he’s discovered a new source of political treasure: the money inside private and community foundations.

The tax exemption foundations enjoy, says Mr. Becerra, is a “$32 billion earmark.” As he explains: “I have an obligation to make sure that those $32 billion that would have gone to the federal government are used for a . . . public good.”

This sounds like political intimidation. Unless the foundations reprogram money in the direction of Mr. Becerra’s preferences, he’ll start proceedings to dismantle their tax exemption. Read the rest of this entry »

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