Microsoft Battles Google by Hiring Political Brawler Mark Penn

SEATTLE — Mark Penn made a name for himself in Washington by bulldozing enemies of the Clintons. Now he spends his days trying to do the same to Google, on behalf of its archrival Microsoft. Since Mr. Penn was put in charge of “strategic and special projects” at Microsoft in August, much of his job has involved efforts to trip up Google, which Microsoft has failed to dislodge from its...

Read More..

The last call for a skid row era at King Eddy Saloon

Wire-thin and slumped like a question mark, James Maley nurses a watered-down whiskey at the battered bar inside the King Eddy...

Read More..

Why We Fight to <em>Keep</em> Registered Sex Offenders Online

Believing that human trafficking is worsened by the internet’s anonymity, the sponsors of California’s Proposition 35 thought they had a simple solution to combatting the problem: require convicted traffickers to register as sex offenders. Then require all individuals on California’s sex offender registry to disclose their online identities and service providers.The measure passed in the November...

Read More..

Sally Struthers enters not guilty plea for DUI

YORK, Maine (AP) — Sally Struthers has entered a not guilty plea on charges she drove drunk in Maine, where she was performing in a musical.The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/XleJBq) reports the 65-year-old Struthers did not appear in York District Court on Thursday, and entered the plea through her lawyer.Police arrested Struthers on Sept. 12 on U.S. Route 1 in the resort town Ogunquit (oh-GUHNG’-kwit)....

Read More..

HealthBridge Managemant Ordered to Reinstate Striking Workers

A federal judge in Hartford has ordered a Connecticut nursing home chain to reinstate nearly 600 workers who have been on strike since July 3, and to rescind the pension and health care cuts it had imposed. Judge Robert N. Chatigny of the United States District Court in Connecticut ruled on Tuesday night that the nursing homes’ owner, HealthBridge Management, had broken the law by refusing...

Read More..

DealBook: Yahoo Shakes Up Its Board

Yahoo announced a number of changes to its board on Thursday, including the addition of Max Levchin, a co-founder of PayPal.The company also said two directors were stepping down: Brad Smith, the chief executive of Intuit, and David W. Kenny, chief executive of the Weather Channel.Yahoo’s latest board changes signal its continued push to become a top technology company once more, a strategy it began...

Read More..

Fed to tie interest rate to job gains

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve said it will continue aggressive measures to stimulate the economy and made a major policy...

Read More..

Bright Eyes: Smart Snow Goggles Measure Your Radness

Snow goggles used to be so simple: a tinted lens to block the sun, and a strap to hold it to your head. All we asked of the shades was that they wouldn't fog up, and that they'd keep the sun's glare from scorching our eyes.Today, ski and snowboard goggles have more digital functionality than your first car. Now you can keep track of your speed, elevation and other stats...

Read More..

Late BBC star Savile suspected of 199 crimes: UK police

LONDON (Reuters) – British television star Jimmy Savile is suspected of carrying out an unprecedented number of sex offences including 31 rapes, police said on Wednesday in their most comprehensive review of the scandal.Revelations about Savile, who died last year, provoked outrage across Britain where he had been a household name since the 1960s.News of Savile’s crimes threw his main employer the...

Read More..

Another Look at a Drink Ingredient, Brominated Vegetable Oil

James Edward Bates for The New York TimesSarah Kavanagh, 15, of Hattiesburg, Miss., started an online petition asking PepsiCo to change Gatorade’s formula. Sarah Kavanagh and her little brother were looking forward to the bottles of Gatorade they had put in the refrigerator after playing outdoors one hot, humid afternoon last month in Hattiesburg, Miss. But before she took a sip, Sarah, a...

Read More..