NEW YORK TIMES Column: … Last October, the Library of Congress, which oversees the United States Copyright Office, decided that when a consumer unlocks her cellphone — a process that can be as straightforward as entering a code on the keypad — she may be violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
Tag: featured
Financial woes continue to take toll on Pennsylvania school districts
HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS: …An annual survey released today by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators shows declines in financial conditions will force school districts across the state to make more cuts to personnel, course offerings, and other educational programs next year…
Quinnipiac Poll: Pennsylvania Voters Say NCAA Hurt Penn State Football
A total of 47 percent of Pennsylvania voters say the Penn State situation will be “very important” or “somewhat important” in their vote for governor next year, while 48 percent say it will not be important.
Pa. treasurer refuses to pay no-bid contract
“This is a case of the Corbett administration cutting corners regarding contracting practices, inflating contract values beyond the original approved amounts, and using a no-bid process without adequately justifying the reasons,” he said. “Not only is it a bad way to do business, it is outside the law, and we have an obligation to the taxpayers to reject these payments.”
Jeep recall would be costly, but so would PR hit
USA TODAY: Chrysler’s refusal of a government request to recall 2.7 million Jeeps may carry a high public relations price for the company, but doing the recall could be even costlier — both for Chrysler and for the Obama Administration, experts say.
NGOs as “foreign agents”; youths emigrate from Russia
The law requiring all Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that receive foreign financing to be registered as “Foreign Agents” was adopted in Russia in the summer of 2012, but it came fully into effect this spring. Starting from February 2013, the prosecutor’s office checked and harassed about a thousand Russian NGOs.
Roadmap for Reelection (Satire?)
While running for my life from armed assailants in midtown Harrisburg one otherwise pleasant evening last weekend, I hopped a fence along the Susquehanna River and ducked behind some garbage cans.
A County in Alabama Strikes a Bankruptcy Deal (= Corbett’s nightmare)
The terms call for these creditors to receive about $1.84 billion for the $2.4 billion of debt they now hold. The concessions were weighted most heavily toward JPMorgan, the term sheet said, “to increase the recovery of other sewer creditors.”
Latest revelation about CHIP underscores need for prudence regarding Medicaid expansion.
But, it turns out, Corbett and his administration were only recently informed that his decision is immaterial for at least 70,000 children out of the more than 187,000 currently enrolled in CHIP.
Susan Rice to replace Tom Donilon as National Security Advisor
NEW YORK TIMES: In a major shakeup of President Obama’s foreign-policy inner circle, Tom Donilon, the national security adviser, is resigning and will be replaced by Susan E. Rice, the American ambassador to the United Nations, White House officials said on Tuesday.
Christie Decides on October Vote for New Senator
NEW YORK TIMES: Gov. Chris Christie announced on Tuesday a highly unusual special election that was immediately criticized for costing the state $24 million and setting up a schedule that was likely to confuse the voting public.
Americans have mixed feelings about wearable tech
USA TODAY: Some 82% of wearable technology users believe these devices have enhanced their lives, but with privacy concerns mounting, almost two-thirds of consumers believe that Google Glass and other forms of wearable devices should be regulated in some form or another, according to a survey to be released Wednesday of 2,000 Americans by Rackspace, the cloud computing operator.
Who killed financial reform?
USA TOAY: …Bankers, lawyers and consultants met with regulators in nine sessions at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory offices around the Capitol, voicing concern the provision would unduly restrict the industry.
The Many Ways That Cities Cook Their Bond Books
But officials in some troubled cities are pushing back against the notion that investors should get the best deal among creditors. Harrisburg City Council members have balked at a state-proposed bailout plan because they claim it places much of the burden on taxpayers without penalizing investors.