"The Texas attorney general has opened an antitrust investigation into how Google ranks search results, the first United States case to strike at the heart of the company’s main search business.
The issue at hand — referred to as search neutrality — is whether Google manipulates results to thwart competitors and advance its own businesses. Some companies worry that Google has the power to discriminate against them by lowering their listings in search results or charging higher fees for their paid search ads.
“This whole issue of how Google treats these vertical competitors, that’s a big issue now,” said Gary L. Reback, a lawyer at Carr & Ferrell in Palo Alto, Calif., who has advised small companies that have brought antitrust cases against Google.
Google announced the inquiry by the Texas attorney general, Greg Abbott, on Friday after Search Engine Land, an industry blog, reported on it. Lauri Saathoff, a spokeswoman for Mr. Abbott, confirmed the existence of the investigation but declined to give more information because the review was not complete.
Don Harrison, Google’s deputy general counsel, wrote in a company blog post that Google’s responsibility is to its users, not to Web sites, and that the company’s priority was to “provide the most useful, relevant search results and ads for users.”
“Given that not every Web site can be at the top of the results, or even appear on the first page of our results, it’s unsurprising that some less relevant, lower-quality Web sites will be unhappy with their ranking,” Mr. Harrison wrote…" New York Times
I been blogging since 1982. I have covered a lot of subjects. I was a member of the Green Party back a long time ago. I have always been interested in living green and promoting it.
But I knew nothing about gas drilling and fracturing fluid until I moved to Fort Worth. It is an issue in Fort Worth and Dallas. It is an issue in Texas and in other states.
It seems when the oil corporations drill for natural gas they use dangerous hydraulic fracturing fluid. They drill by using a LOT of water with sand and hydraulic "fracturing" fluid. The oil corporations refuse to tell the public or government what fracturing fluid they use!
I know it is hard to believe that they have been doing this for years and they just thumb their nose at the public and government. Hell they give us the finger.
Now the oil corporations say that the fracturing mix is 95% water. Hell they will say it is 99.5 % water. But they use millions of gallons of water.
After they pour that dirty dangerous mix down the well to do the drilling they pump out the sludge and they may bury the sludge right there. We do not know what they do with the left over unknown crap.
"FORT WORTH — John Peter Smith Hospital officials will review the medical response to a man who collapsed and died Tuesday in the hospital pharmacy after witnesses complained that help was slow to arrive and that emergency equipment did not appear to work properly.
Jeff Dickerson, who was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy, said it took medical workers nearly 10 minutes to get there. Once there, he said that two defibrillators the workers tried to use did not appear to work.
"I thought this was all so ridiculous because you’re in a hospital and the equipment doesn’t work right," Dickerson said, adding that he was in a group of witnesses who agreed after the incident that they should contact the media about their concerns.
CEO Robert Earley said hospital staffers did all they could to resuscitate the man and suggested that witnessing someone in trauma can cause emotions to run high…"
A story like this has a strong effect on me. I worked hospital security for 30 years in Kansas City (MO). I was a CPR instructor for one hospital for years. I took training and was certified as an EMT in Missouri.
We do not know what took place at the hospital pharmacy. I suspect there were problems. I have no details but let me just guess at a few problems that might have taken place.
#1 The pharmacy staff had contact with the man. I suspect he must have looked sick and showed some signs of distress and they failed to pay attention to them. Why? Because the are "pharmacy" and they had out pills. But they need to trained and looking for things like this event.
#2 The call for help. The citizen that told someone that the guy was not responding through no fault of their own may not have got the word to someone right away and in the correct manner. They did not tell pharmacy staff? They walked around the corner to a another department and what did they say? Did they say someone needs some help? Did they say "CODE BLUE" in pharmacy? My guess is they said a guy needs some help. Hospital staff are thinking someone needs a wheelchair or something like that.
#3 If an announcement went out of "Code Blue" or whatever they use at that hospital let me tell you that within seconds there would have been all sorts of help at that location.
#4 The defibrillator not working troubles me. Location of emergency equipment and condition of equipment and training of staff to use the equipment I would want them to look into and check and double check. How is that equipment checked? The bio-med department should be checking it. The last person to use that equipment should have made sure it was operational and charged. There should be a sign off sheet on it were it is checked daily! The equipment is in your department then it gets checked not just daily but during your shift! Security checks stuff like that often. As a security officer I would not expect to check the charge on the equipment but the the crash cart was in an open area I would be checking the seal on the crash cart to make sure the seal was intact. If not intact then they would have to check the cart.
#5 Yes, the CEO is correct…When they are doing a code on a person in public it does may not look right to the non-medical public. I have seen hundreds of codes by the way. At all the hospitals I worked at security had to respond on all codes. We had a number of duties.
It is sad when a person dies like that…I have seen a person walk in the door of the hospital and drop over dead or be sitting at a desk giving their insurance information. I have seen people drive in the parking lot and die in their car. Let me tell you that hospital staff are very professional and when something like this happens they respond fast and they know what they are doing. I have nothing but the highest respect for doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.
Fox News and the right wing talk people are going to have a field day with this story:
"Washington (CNN) — Memorial crosses erected along Utah public roads to honor fallen state highway troopers have been found unconstitutional by a federal appeals court.
A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the 14 large crosses would be viewed by most passing motorists as "government’s endorsement of Christianity."
"We hold that these memorials have the impermissible effect of conveying to the reasonable observer the message that the state prefers or otherwise endorses a certain religion," concluded the Denver, Colorado-based court. The state of Utah and a private trooper association have the option of appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court…"
Of course these very large crosses are unconstitutional. They are government supported in your face statements of religion. If all of the fallen officers had been of the Muslim religion or Jewish religion they would not put up a large symbol of their religion.
What they needed to do and need to do now is erect a tome stone or some non-religion memorial.
The right wing will be going nuts on this subject…It will be a Communist Obama attack on religion. We will hear it all "liberal judges" etc. I get so tired of their crap. It is a matter of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. This is what makes America the great nation we have been and that we need to remain.
After watching a couple of videos on Real Catholic TV I posted "Real Catholic TV is a black operation? A front group?"
One video was on government and one was on Jews.
The video on government and you are not going to believe this called for an end to democracy and the installing of a Catholic dictatorship.
So the video says that democracy is NO GOOD. The only government that is good and will last is a government in a Catholic nation where only true Catholics can vote! The guy talking in the video is Michael Voris S.T.B.
As I reported on ShowMeBlog and Howard’s Notebook I did a search of the Internet and only found sites that had posted the video and talked about correct and wonderful Michael Voris was!
Today I found an excellent blog called "Joe.My.God." It is a very well written blog and he has a story on "Catholic TV Host: It’s Time to End Democracy, Install Catholic Dictatorship."
"JMG reader Bernard tips us to this post by Pharyngulabloggger PZ Meyers:
We’ve been doing politics all wrong. Michael Voris has the answers. The problem with democracy is all these voters with different views on things like abortion and homosexuality, where people who vote for such things are just rotten parasites who want to destroy civilization. So he has two solutions: 1) only allow good Catholics to vote, and 2) ideally, get rid of democracy altogether and instead install a Catholic dictatorship. Really. He says that. I’m not making it up!
Watch the entire clip, you’ll be awed by the asshattery. Real Catholic TV is "the world’s first Catholic internet television network" with "hundreds of hours of instructional programming" that you can view "for a modest gift." They do not allow comments or ratings on their YouTube clips, of course.
UPDATE: Real Catholic TV has taken the video private, probably out of shame. And I was just about to mirror it to my own YouTube account. If anybody saved it, please email me."
Yes, Real Catholic TV has taken the video down. I guess they moved it to their private area. I wish I had saved the video. I should have known they would take it down. If you are a member of Real Catholic TV please download the video and send it to me so I can get it back online for every American to see.
They still have "The Jews" video online.
All I can say is Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world please take away RealCatholicTV.
"(CNN) — Erykah Badu must pay a $500 fine and serve six months on probation for her naked stroll through downtown Dallas, Texas, while making a music video last March, a city official confirmed Tuesday.
Badu reached a plea deal to settle a misdemeanor disorderly conduct citation issued after she released a music video, according to Dallas spokesman Jose Torres.
The singer shed her clothes as she walked through Dealey Plaza until she was nude and then fell near where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Badu said the video was "shot guerrilla style," without a crew and in one take March 17, 2010…"
"I want to thank the OFA supporters who stood with House Democrats as they raced back to Washington this week to cast a vote on a state assistance bill. I’m proud to say they passed the bill yesterday and the President immediately signed it into law.
And, because of it, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be saved — including an estimated 14,500 public school teachers across Texas.
Republicans called this bill a "bailout" and a "handout." They called the police officers, firefighters, and teachers whose jobs were on the line "special interests." And nearly every House Republican voted no.
But Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats did the right thing, reminding us again of what we’re fighting for in the upcoming elections. When voters cast their ballots in November, it’s up to us to make sure they remember who’s fighting for them.
Thanks for all you do,
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America"
"Washington (CNN) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law a $26 billion measure to help avoid teacher layoffs — a move Democrats claim is necessary in the wake of state and local government cutbacks.
The House gave final approval earlier Tuesday to the bill, which had already passed the Senate.
The measure, which passed the House on a largely party-line 247-to-161 vote, is designed to save the jobs of approximately 160,000 teachers across the country, as well as create and save positions for police officers, firefighters and nurses, according to Democratic leaders.
Specifically, it includes $10 billion for teacher positions and $16 billion to help cover state Medicaid payments…"
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is such a fucking prick. He met the President of the United States at Love Field (Dallas, TX) and had a letter in his hand that he wanted to give to the president.
He was allowed to hand-deliver it to an Obama aide.
It was all just a fucking stunt .. a PR piece …. President Obama should have had the aide hand him a letter saying if you attempt to take Texas out of the United States we will hang you for treason you piece of shit.
The letter from Gov. Perry asked for resources to secure the border of Texas with Mexico.
SwagBucks Kicked Darlene Off
I posted a couple of days back that Darlene, my ex-wife, was saving her SwagBucks until she got 700 so that she could get $5.00 in her PayPal account. Then yesterday I told you that she had saved up 700 and had turned them in and was waiting for them to put $5.00 in her PayPal account.
Well she is not getting the $5.00 and they have kicked her off of SwagBucks! It seems they have a rule of only one family member can belong to SwagBucks. I do not remember seeing that rule. I can not find that rule on their site.
I am sure they suspect fraud and that is the reason they have that rule.
Any site that gives away things or has contest or anything is going to have major fraud attempts taking place.
But poor Darlene a handicapped poor woman in a wheelchair … She is the one they catch. That is always the way it is. Plus she was not scamming them in any way she was just doing what they want.
Both Darlene and Jimmy had SwagBucks account. They live in the same apartment. Both Russell and I live in the same apartment and we both have account now.
First LTE Phone headed to Metro PCS & DFW!
"When you think of LTE, regional carrier Metro PCS may not be the first thing that comes to mind. That will change soon, however, as Metro PCS has announced that they will be bringing an LTE-capable handset onto its 4G network called the Samsung Craft. The Craft is the same device we saw about a week ago passing through the FCC as theSCH-R900, and will cost around the same as Metro PCS’s other smartphone offerings, around $250-$280. Metro PCS plans to launch its LTE network later this year in Las Vegas, and they’ll be adding the Dallas-Ft. Worth area early next year.
No matter what carrier pushes it out, I know I’m excited to finally see some LTE phones hit the market. The fact that the Craft is hitting Metro PCS, known to be more of a budget-friendly carrier, just adds to the excitement. With around 7 million subscribers, Metro PCS may not be the biggest wireless carrier out there, but they definitely seem to be one of the most aggressive when it comes to 4G, and I love them for it." www.phonedog.com
"The HTC EVO and soon to be released Samsung Epic may be the only 4G handsets available right now, but they’ll be getting some company some time in the near future. The very first LTE handset has gotten the FCC’s stamp of approval, and it’s the CDMA/LTE Samsung SCH-R900. The device, heading to Metro PCS, will be released before the end of the year. The SCH-R900 includes a 1700/1900 MHz LTE radio, Bluetooth, and WiFi. There’s not much else to learn about the device, but who cares? It’s the first LTE phone!
It’s kind of surprising to see that the first LTE phone passing through the FCC will be heading to Metro PCS, but the company did announce the device back in March. We haven’t heard any information yet about LTE phones on any other carriers that are supporting it, so this is great news for Metro PCS. There’s no definite launch date for the device, but it wouldn’t it be interesting if Metro PCS was the first carrier out of the gate with an LTE device on the market?" www.phonedog.com
LTE is "Long Term Evolution" network and operates in the 700 MHz band. It is going to be 4G.
Work for the USPS? We need Form 2976-E.
My ex-wife needs to send a package via Priority Mail to Australia. She does not have the Form 2976-E (she needs the clear envelope). I am looking for someone that can send us the form. She needs it fast. The post office will send out supplies to her but it takes x number of days. I do not want my son to have to take the bus and then walk in this heat (105 F).
Darlene is all worrying about it. She makes little things into big things.
So I am wondering if there is someone out there in ShowMeBlog land that works for the post office (US) or lives right next to one or has to go to one for their work or something that can send us the form she needs. I can put a couple bucks in your PayPal account when you send it or if you want to send it Priority Mail I will pay you for it. (I just don’t want her to know I paid for sending Priority Mail. She tries to save and get by on as little as she can.)
Let me know if you can help out. showmeblog@mail.com
TXU Energy Bill
Russell and I first moved here to Fort Worth in November of 2009. We had lived in Miami for about six years.
We moved into a one bedroom apartment. I got the bedroom this time. In Miami Russ had one of the two bedrooms and Ken had the other. So this time I got the bedroom.
One of my concerns was the electric bill here. I am living on a very limited income until I win the lottery (just joking everyone …I am not one of those people that thinks he is going to win the lottery).
I signed up with TXU Energy and I been very happy with the bills. The first full bill was for December (2009) and it was $104.44, then the next bill was $150.14, $110.79, $85.68, $69.94, $57.40 and last month was $95.56 and this month was $74.29 for July.
So I have four months that I have never seen a past bill; August, September, October and November.
If the monthly bill is $100.00 or under I am happy.
We do not pay a water or gas bill. We do not own a car.
August 2010
A new month and this will be a hot month for Fort Worth. We just need to make it through August and the weather will start and get better.
I been running the ceiling fan in my room. We have one in the living room and I have not been running it. I did not pay any attention but there is a switch for direction of the fan. I guess I have had it running in the wrong direction for the hot weather.
"…In the summer, use the ceiling fan in the counterclockwise direction. While standing directly under the ceiling fan you should feel a cool breeze. The airflow produced creates a wind-chill effect, making you "feel" cooler. In the winter, reverse the motor and operate the ceiling fan at low speed in the clockwise direction. This produces a gentle updraft, which forces warm air near the ceiling down into the occupied space. Remember to adjust your thermostat when using your ceiling fan — additional energy and dollar savings could be realized with this simple step!" Energy Star
It is 87 F right now at 0837 hours. It is going to get to 104 F today in Fort Worth. But it will be cooler the rest of the week 103 on Monday, 103 on Tuesday, 102 on Wednesday, 101 on Thursday, 101 on Friday and hell on Saturday we may need to put on a coat it is only going to be 100 degrees in Fort Worth.
President Obama turns 49 next week
President Obama turns 49 next week, and OFA supporters across the country are sharing in the fun.
Volunteers on the ground are holding birthday parties — and we’ll be recruiting new volunteers for this grassroots movement that has helped President Obama so much.
Want to come?
Here’s what we’re doing in Fort Worth:
What: President’s birthday event
Where: 3004 W. Lancaster
Fort Worth, TX 76102
When: Wednesday, August 4th
5:00 pm
Can you make it?
Yes, count me in.
No, but I’d like to sign a birthday card for the President.
No, but I want to see if there are other events near me.
No experience is necessary, and talking to potential volunteers is a fun way to spend some time.
RSVP for the President’s birthday event in Fort Worth:
http://my.barackobama.com/BirthdayEvents
Thanks,
Jeremy
Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America
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