Techno-politics

The Federal Communications Commission recently made a ruling that prevents cable companies from removing channels during network disputes. The ruling also prevents companies from favoring programming where the cable provider has a financial stake. The new restrictions should make it easier for independent networks and producers to keep its programming on the air. Read the Continue Reading →

A group of five telecomm companies have proposed a plan to the FCC that could bring broadband Internet to almost every American, within five years. The proposal would overhaul how subsidies are handed out and prevent multiple companies from collecting money where there is no actual service being provided. Read the full article at HuffingtonPost.com Continue Reading →

[wpaudio url=”https://media.shellypalmer.com/wp-content/images/usrn/110801_SHELLYPALMER_GEN_BED.mp3″ text=”Click to play … ” dl=”0″] Missouri recently banned student-teacher Facebook friendships under a law preventing students from having social relationships with their teachers. The law specifically prevents ‘exclusive’ access to students, which bans using Facebook for things like private study groups. Some teachers believe the ban will prevent students who wouldn’t otherwise Continue Reading →

President Obama is set to make an official announcement on Friday that will set new standards for automotive fuel efficiency. All cars made between the years of 2017 and 2025 will be required to drive 54.5 miles-per-gallon. Current regulations require automakers to accomplish 35.5 miles-per-gallon by 2016. Read the full article at Reuters.com Continue Reading →

[wpaudio url=”https://media.shellypalmer.com/wp-content/images/usrn/110728_SHELLYPALMER_GEN_BED.mp3″ text=”Click to play … ” dl=”0″] President Obama is set to make an official announcement on Friday that will set new standards for automotive fuel efficiency. All cars made between the years of 2017 and 2025 will be required to drive 54.5 miles-per-gallon. Current regulations require automakers to accomplish 35.5 miles-per-gallon by 2016. Continue Reading →

There was an interesting article on the AP this week entitled, “Israel blocks airborne protest, questions dozens.” It described how Israeli security used social media sites to compile a “blacklist” of undesirable individuals and then prevented many of them from entering the country. It’s a good read if you’re interested in Palestinian/Israeli politics. I have Continue Reading →

Quite obviously, Yiddish is not Michele Bachmann’s first language.  This video clip from YouTube shows Congresswoman Bachmann (R-MN) doing her best to pronounce the Yiddish word, “CHUTZPAH” which can be loosely translated as audacity or impudence. Depending upon where your ancestors came from, Yiddish is a patois of dialects that will contain elements of Hebrew, Continue Reading →

Originally posted at MediaBizBloggers.com Frank Rich made his debut in New York magazine in its July 11th issue with a brilliantly written, well-reported, and penetrating article titled “Obama’s Original Sin,” and it was a Ruthian home run. Rich’s theme was: “The president’s failure to demand a reckoning from the moneyed interests who brought the economy Continue Reading →

The US Government says they have credible intelligence that al-Qaida’s newest bombs are people with surgically implanted explosives or explosive components. This is the logical extension of the current arms race. They use metal weapons, we install metal detectors, they escalate the race by using non-metallic weapons, we create better scanners … now, we have Continue Reading →

Accused baby killer Casey Anthony was found not guilty. According to a jury of her peers, Casey was not responsible for Caylee Anthony’s death. This fact was Tweeted and Retweeted, Facebooked and Refacebooked, blogged and commented on by literally millions of people yesterday. The sheer volume of broadband traffic dedicated to #caseyanthonyverdict was astonishing. Which Continue Reading →