Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Huffington Post: FLAME WAR: Google ENDS Search Censorship, China Retaliates

 
FLAME WAR: Google ENDS Search Censorship, China Retaliates

Google announced yesterday that it would stop censoring China search results and has effectively shut down its mainland China search site, rerouting users to its Hong Kong-based servers at Google.com.hk.

This page will bring you all the breaking news, tweets, and photos, all in one place, regarding Google's actions in China.

Flip through the latest major news in the slideshow below, or scroll down to the Twitter module below for streaming updates.


Below is our Google-in-China-focused Twitter List module, bringing you live updates from tech journalists, people on the ground in China, and China-centered news outlets for the latest on the fallout from Google's big move.

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Saturday, March 20, 2010

Another bad plate......

A plate that'll get you pulled over....

Huffington Post: Cat Sings Trolololo: The Mash-Up You Knew Would Happen



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Huffington Post: REPORT: Google To Leave China By April 10



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Huffington Post: COOKED?

 
COOKED?

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Sen. Chris Dodd (D - Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, called for an investigation into the accounting activities used by Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis.

Last week, Lehman's bankruptcy examiner issued a scathing report that detailed the firm's use of "Repo 105" transactions to keep debts from being reflected on their balance sheet. The deals were essentially loans that were improperly classified as revenue on Lehman's books. The effect was to remove $50 billion from Lehman's balance sheet -- an act that then CEO Richard Fuld, was "at least grossly negligent" in allowing, the examiner said.

Based on Dodd's letter, it seems that NPR was correct in saying that it's a "safe bet" criminal trials are not far off. Here's Dodd's letter:


Dear Attorney General Holder:

I am deeply concerned about the facts that have come to light regarding the demise of Lehman Brothers and the accounting manipulation that contributed to it. I respectfully ask you to commission a task force to investigate the Lehman situation as well as other companies that may have engaged in similar accounting manipulation with a view to prosecution of employees or agents who contributed to any violations of the law.

According to the Report of the U.S. Trustee-appointed Examiner Anton R. Valukas, Lehman presented a misleading picture of its financial condition to the public by using extensive repurchase agreements known as Repo 105 transactions. The Examiner found that "Lehman did not disclose its use - or the significant magnitude of its use - of Repo 105 to the Government, to the rating agencies, to its investors, or to its own Board of Directors." The result was to conceal its holdings of bad assets and to temporarily remove approximately $50 billion of assets from its balance sheet at the end of the first and second quarters of 2008. The Examiner found that Lehman used Repo 105 transactions for no other articulated purpose than to shrink its balance sheet at the quarter-end, in a manner that deceived investors and creditors about its true financial state and misleading others.

We must work tirelessly to reduce the incidence of financial fraud in order to restore trust and confidence in the financial markets. A task force investigation and taking appropriate Federal actions in these matters will contribute to these goals.

Sincerely,



Christopher J. Dodd
Chairman

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Huffington Post: PHOTOS: The 13 Funniest Help Wanted Signs Ever



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Huffington Post: Lone Conan Twitter Followee Says Life Has Become 'Totally Nuts'

 
Lone Conan Twitter Followee Says Life Has Become 'Totally Nuts'

CONWAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Last week, Sarah Killen had three Twitter followers.

This week, she has 20,000 – as well as a new iMac computer and offers to help pay for a dress and drinks for her wedding.

The unsuspecting rural Michigan woman has one out-of-work late-night talk show host to thank for her newfound online popularity – Conan O'Brien.

O'Brien decided last week to pick Killen as the only person he would follow on Twitter, turning the 19-year-old's life upside down.

The deposed "Tonight Show" star whose exit deal with NBC barred him from TV appearances for several months, has taken to Twitter to reach the masses during his exile and has amassed more than a half-million followers.

But up until Friday, O'Brien had steadily increased his number of Twitter devotees without following the feeds of anybody else.

Enter Killen, who is finishing up her high school requirements, preparing to make the jump to college and getting married in September.

"I've decided to follow someone at random," O'Brien's posting read at 3:55 p.m. on Friday. "She likes peanut butter and gummy dinosaurs. Sarah Killen, your life is about to change."

Boy, did it ever.

Immediately after O'Brien started following her, Killen – whose Twitter handle is "LovelyButton" – picked up followers at a rate of 150 per minute.

Then came the calls: Family, friends (actual and long-lost) and interview requests from Web sites, TV shows and radio stations.

She sleeps a few hours each night, has fallen woefully behind on her schoolwork and day-to-day activities such as laundry and rarely leaves the house.

"It's totally nuts," she said.

Until O'Brien plucked Killen from obscurity and turned her into an overnight Web celeb, she and fiance John Slowik Jr. lived a normal life, residing in the basement of a house in Conway Township, more than an hour's drive west from Detroit.

It's hard to say exactly what O'Brien's motivation was – O'Brien spokesman Beau Benton had no comment on Wednesday – but it's had a profound effect on Killen and her 21-year-old fiance.

The exposure has resulted in a brand-new iMac, which was bought for them by a Florida businessman.

A New York designer is donating a wedding dress, and someone else is sending wine for the nuptials.

Not bad for a couple who saved $30 for the wedding, hadn't reserved a location and faced the prospect of not being able to afford a wedding dress.

"People are saying that I'm asking for gifts and stuff, and I'm not," Killen said.

What she is asking of her newfound army of Twitter followers is to contribute to charity, including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Still, Slowik says he'd love one more thing from the man who used to make them laugh nightly during his abbreviated "Tonight Show" run.

Slowik wants O'Brien to be his best man at the wedding.

Will he do it?

"I would hope so," Killen said.

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