Dvorak News Blog

Adidas Cancels the ‘Shackle’ Shoes

By Uncle Dave Tuesday June 19, 2012

German sports apparel maker Adidas withdrew its plans to sell a controversial sneaker featuring affixed rubber shackles after the company generated significant criticism when advertising the shoe on its Facebook page.
[…]
“Wow obviously there was no one of color in the room when the marketing/product team ok’d this,” said a commenter identifying herself as MsRodwell on nicekicks.com.

What? Black men don’t want to wear something that smacks of slavery? They’d rather financially shackle themselves by spending hundreds on shoes endorsed by athletes.

Brits May Start Recording Mail To & From Addresses

By Uncle Dave Monday June 18, 2012

15 Comments

“No current plan,” but give them the tools and eventually they will use them.

The Home Office says it has no current plans to force the Royal Mail to store data on all letters and postcards passing through its system. […] And it stressed that only data about mail – not its contents – would be retained if the law was ever enacted.

Under the draft bill, the Royal Mail and other postal services could be asked to retain “anything written on the outside” of items for up to 12 months so they can be accessed by the police, security services and HM Revenue and Customs. But a Home Office spokesman said only information relating to the “communications data of mail — who sent the letter to whom, when it was sent and the origin and destination” would, potentially, be stored.
[…]
Detail of all UK internet use will be stored for up to 12 months so that it can be accessed by the police, the security services and HM Revenue and Customs if the draft bill becomes law. Records will include people’s activity on social network sites, webmail, internet phone calls and online gaming.

Meanwhile, here in the US…

Tea Party nutball proclaims himself chief executive of New Mexico and United States

By Eideard Monday June 18, 2012

41 Comments

Sorry President Obama and Gov. Martinez. But when you weren’t looking, Kenneth Gomez of Farmington took your jobs.

No Agenda Podcast
Oryx Burgers!

By John C Dvorak Monday June 18, 2012

8 Comments

Executive Producers: Barry Hanna
Associate Executive Producers: Sir Scott, Sir Borislav Marinov, Sir Gene Naftulyev, Sir Robert Goshko

Art By: Nick the Rat

Donate to show here or here.

Listen to show by clicking ►

Direct link to show.
Show Notes here.
Show forum here.

Sign up for No Agenda Mailing List here.
Sites to consider: No Agenda Nation, No Agenda Films, No Agenda Records, No Agenda Stickers, and put a banner on your site! Click here!

Missed by only that much…

By Eideard Saturday June 16, 2012

33 Comments

Michigan — A Southfield Township man accidentally shot himself in the groin Tuesday morning as he was adjusting his gun…

Michigan Republicans gag legislator for saying – gasp – “vagina”

By Eideard Saturday June 16, 2012

45 Comments

A lawmaker was barred from speaking on the floor of the Michigan state legislature for saying “vagina” during a heated debate over abortions. House Republicans blocked Democratic Rep. Lisa Brown for her remark during a speech blasting the controversial bill that would restrict abortions after 20 weeks, according to The Detroit News.

Dvorak Poll: Amnesty For Illegal Aliens

By McCullough Saturday June 16, 2012

64 Comments

David Buenrostro, Adrian James, Jahel Ramos

President Obama has just opened a floodgate of opportunity for young illegal immigrants in the United States, but could it squeeze the aspirations of legal Americans in the process?

Across the nation Friday, immigrant advocates and Hispanic youth groups hailed Obama’s decision to offer legal status to some undocumented immigrants under 30 as a watershed in U.S. immigration history and a long-sought victory for ambitious youths denied a chance to realize the American dream. But opponents of illegal immigration warned that the policy could create significant new competition for jobs and university slots at a time of nationwide recession and numerous states’ efforts to curb public spending.

“I see a tidal wave coming,” said Brad Botwin, president of Help Save Maryland, a group that opposes legalization for undocumented immigrants. “Half of our college graduates today can’t find jobs, and the unemployment rate for high-school-aged Americans is extremely high. This is unfair to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who are out there struggling to get ahead.” Under the new policy, as many as 1.4 million undocumented immigrants under age 30 will be able to apply for the amnesty, allowing them to work and attend college legally. To be eligible, they must have been in the United States for five years, have no criminal record, and attend high school or college or be a military veteran.

TSA Agents Bribe To Keep Jobs

By Uncle Dave Saturday June 16, 2012

11 Comments

How hard is it to pass a test without bribing the instructor where you have to feel up people in wheel chairs with gusto, be able to yell, “Opt out!” loud enough, and toss a water bottle into a trash bin from 10 feet?

Saying it has “zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace,” the federal Transportation Security Administration, which oversees passenger screening at airports, is seeking to dismiss seven Philadelphia workers.

The seven are among 10 employees who were suspended in November 2011 from security duties at Philadelphia International Airport, pending an investigation into allegations of payoffs for passing grades in annual proficiency tests.

In February, training instructor Shannon Gilliam, of Sharon Hill, pleaded guilty in federal court to taking a $200 bribe from a security officer.

Pic of the Day: The Happiest Place on Mercury

By McCullough Saturday June 16, 2012

16 Comments

A June 3 image from NASA’s Messenger probe shows a scene in Mercury’s southern hemisphere, northwest of Magritte Crater. Three overlapping craters form the head and ears of a “Mickey Mouse” shape.

Three Quarters Of All US Nuclear Reactors Leaking Radiation

By McCullough Friday June 15, 2012

74 Comments

BRACEVILLE, Ill. – Radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites, often into groundwater from corroded, buried piping, an Associated Press investigation shows.

The number and severity of the leaks has been escalating, even as federal regulators extend the licenses of more and more reactors across the nation.

Tritium, which is a radioactive form of hydrogen, has leaked from at least 48 of 65 sites, according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission records reviewed as part of the AP’s yearlong examination of safety issues at aging nuclear power plants. Leaks from at least 37 of those facilities contained concentrations exceeding the federal drinking water standard — sometimes at hundreds of times the limit.

No Agenda Podcast
Cyber 9/11

By John C Dvorak Friday June 15, 2012

4 Comments

Executive Producer: Greg Simunich
Associate Executive Producers: LFVW, Bill Haughee, Dr. Spock, Sir Borislav Marinov, Sir Justin Seitz, Gene Naftulyev, Sir Steven Van Der Have, John Catalano
Become a member of the 418 Club, support the show here
Art By: Thoren

Donate to show here or here.

Listen to show by clicking ►

Direct link to show.
Show Notes here.
Show forum here.

Sign up for No Agenda Mailing List here.
Sites to consider: No Agenda Nation, No Agenda Films, No Agenda Records, No Agenda Stickers, and put a banner on your site! Click here!

W Loses his Head, Makes Guest Appearance on “Game of Thrones”

By McCullough Wednesday June 13, 2012

69 Comments

Skip to 1:10, last head on the left.

Update: HBO Apology.

Searching with Google or AOL? Patent Infrigement!

By Uncle Dave Wednesday June 13, 2012

19 Comments

How is it possible to write any software these days without violating someone’s ‘patent’?

Google and AOL were sued for patent infringement Thursday by New Jersey-based Suffolk Technologies, LLC over their Internet search summary descriptions, or ‘snippets.’
[…]
In effect, the lawsuit asserts that every single Google search result ‘snippet’ display violates the ’132 patent.
[…]
“Google’s server compares the identification signals of the webpage [sic] from which the request is made to identification signals stored by Google,” the results that Google uses to serve AdSense ads to a web page violate the ’835 patent.

This guy actual believes software patents are a good idea.

Israel to Deport Africans as a Perceived Threat To Jewish Character

By McCullough Wednesday June 13, 2012

70 Comments

(Reuters) – Israel said on Monday it had started rounding up African migrants in the first stage of a controversial “emergency plan” to intern and deport thousands deemed a threat to the Jewish character of the state. Israel Radio reported that dozens of Africans, mainly from South Sudan, had already been detained in the Red Sea resort of Eilat, including mothers and children.

“This is only a small group of the infiltrators,” Interior Minister Eli Yishai said. “I’m not acting out of hatred of strangers but love of my people and to rescue the homeland.”

DH Unplugged
Waiting for Europe

By John C Dvorak Tuesday June 12, 2012

6 Comments

Here is the latest conversation I had with money manager Andrew Horowitz…. new insights for anyone who invests in anything. We discuss the never-ending tribulations in the Eurozone.

Click here for non-Flash version.click ► to listen:

Right click here and select ‘Save Link As…’ to download the mp3 file.