NOBAMA: New Jersey Just Got Dumber
TRENTON, N.J. – Residents in one New Jersey town are disturbed after receiving fliers over the weekend that question Barack Obama’s candidacy on racial grounds. Roxbury resident Elizabeth Corsetto says a flier was left in her driveway asking, “Do You Want A Black President?” and showing a doctored photo of Obama with a long beard and turban. Roxbury Police Chief Mark Noll says the fliers were left on various streets in the northwestern New Jersey township by a white supremacist group called the League of American Patriots. Noll says the incident is being investigated as littering, which carries a potential $500 fine, and not as a hate crime, because the group did not target certain homes. E-mail and phone messages to the group were not immediately returned Tuesday. News of the fliers were first reported Monday by The Star-Ledger of Newark. [via INQUIRER]
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NOTHING BUT A G – THANG: Google Unveils G-Phone
If the HTC’s new G1 cellphone, featuring Google’s Android software, were introduced two years ago, jaws would drop. But Apple’s iPhone already won the wows that go to the first small phone that is truly good at Web browsing. So the G1 offers some interesting evolution, but not a revolution in the concept. After playing with the G1 for 20 minutes, my initial take is that the G1 is the PC to the iPhone’s Macintosh. The G1, which is initially being offered exclusively through T-Mobile in the United States and Europe, has many more buttons on the front and many more options on the screens inside. That means that it takes longer to do the things you want to do most frequently, but you also have many more options at hand. Physically, it is a little narrower than the iPhone, but thicker. That means the screen is a little smaller. I also found that the plastic case feels a little cheap. The biggest differentiator is the G1’s slide-out keyboard, some might find easier to type on than the iPhone’s virtual keyboard. [via NEW YORK TIMES]
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STUDY: Local Cultural Organizations Are All Give, Not Enough Take
A substantial number of the region’s cultural organizations are operating with life-threatening deficits, according to a new study by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. But despite such specters, the alliance study shows that the 281 groups studied provided 19,000 jobs, attracted 15 million visitors, earned $657 million from tickets, rentals and other sources, and received $526 million in contributions. The data are contained in Portfolio 2008, the second broad statistical analysis of cultural groups performed by the alliance and released yesterday. The first Portfolio, which analyzed financial information from fewer organizations, was issued two years ago. […] Specifically, the study showed that 40 percent of the organizations operate with deficits, and 22 percent are operating with deficits greater than 10 percent of total revenues – what the report deems “unsustainable territory.”[via INQUIRER]