Obama pledges to veto anti-net neutrality legislation
“The White House said Tuesday that President Barack Obama likely would veto upcoming legislation that would unwind net-neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission adopted last year. “ Read more…
(source: Wired)
Net neutrality rules and regulations to take effect within months
“According to Reuters, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget has finally signed off on the [FCC’s proposed rules for net neutrality], which clears the way for implementation in the coming months. In a nutshell, net neutrality concerns whether or not the government should regulate ISPs, and if so, to what extent. The new rules are, predictably, a compromise; if you’re interested in the nitty-gritty details, you can read the FCC’s document for yourself.”
“To say that Net neutrality has been a contentious issue would be an understatement; even the FCC commissioners narrowly approved the rules with a 3-2 vote. The issue has been hotly debated for years, and there’s been no sign of abatement as the rules creep closer to the day when they officially take effect.” Read more…
(source: HotHardware)
The real reason Big Macs are cheaper than more nutritious alternatives
“So while it may be amusing to use Americans’ worsening recession-era diet as another excuse to promote cultural stereotypes, the nutrition crisis costing us billions in unnecessary healthcare costs is more about public policy and powerful special interests than it is about epicurean snobs and affluent tastes. Indeed, this is a problem not of individual proclivities or of agricultural biology that supposedly makes nutrition naturally unaffordable — it is a problem of rigged economics and corrupt policymaking.” Read more…
(source: AlterNet)
It's time to end the war on salt
The zealous drive by politicians to limit our salt intake has little basis in science
“For decades, policy makers have tried and failed to get Americans to eat less salt. In April 2010 the Institute of Medicine urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt that food manufacturers put into products; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already convinced 16 companies to do so voluntarily. But if the U.S. does conquer salt, what will we gain? Bland french fries, for sure. But a healthy nation? Not necessarily.” Read more…
(source: Scientific American)
Al Franken: "The most important free speech issue of our time"
“Imagine if Comcast customers couldn’t watch Netflix, but were limited only to Comcast’s Video On Demand service. Imagine if a cable news network could get its website to load faster on your computer than your favorite local political blog. Imagine if big corporations with their own agenda could decide who wins or loses online. The Internet as we know it would cease to exist. That’s why net neutrality is the most important free speech issue of our time.”
Read more…
—Al Franken, US Senator from Minnesota
(source: The Huffington Post)
I always appreciated Franken’s quick, caustic comedic mind back to when he started out as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live. He also impressed me as he shifted to becoming a progressive advocate, author, and radio personality. And my respect for him continues to grow as I follow him as a politician and law maker. —drego
