links for 2011-01-04

On his first full day on the job, Gov. Jerry Brown walked right up to the third rail of California politics. As he headed into a meeting with local government officials, he talked about how the state response to Proposition 13's limitations on property-tax rates have contributed to the state's financial dysfunction.

Brown's remarks come as he prepares to unveil a budget plan next week that will include proposals for unwinding the consolidation of government power in Sacramento that has taken place since voters approved the ballot measure in 1978, when Brown was first governor.

Brown's goal is to work with cities and counties to return many state government functions back to local governments.

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Of course, he wants to repeal it and further grow the government —> city and county level

The problem will be a real estate price crash and a split roll which will be anti-business

The Ninth Circuit panel in the primary Prop 8 appeal has just issued an order certifying to the California supreme court a question of state law relating to the standing issue in the case.

The panel has stayed further proceedings in the case pending final action by the California supreme court on the certified question.

In addition, the panel has issued an opinion affirming in part and dismissing in part Imperial County’s separate appeal. Judge Reinhardt has also filed a concurring opinion that applies to both cases. And he’s issued his promised memorandum setting forth his reasons for not disqualifying himself.

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There are a number of scenarios depending upon how the California supreme rules but all in all it is SCOTUS who will ultimately decide the case.

Unemployment rates rose in more than two-thirds of the nation's largest metro areas in November, a sharp reversal from the previous month and the most since June.

The Labor Department says unemployment rates rose in 258 of the 372 largest cities, fell in 88 and remained the same in 26. That's worse than the previous month, when the rate fell in 200 areas and rose in 108.

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The Obama PORKULUS has failed and now the Congress must address the debt and regulation of business which is stifling job creation.

With Republican leaders anxious to set an austere tone for their ascendance into the House majority this week, the lavish fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday night at a trendy Washington hotel to benefit a dozen GOP freshmen is not exactly the populist image leaders are anxious to project.

House Speaker-elect John Boehner, whose name was featured on the invitation, is nonetheless skipping the event at the W Hotel, where lobbyists, political action committee managers and others paying the $2,500 ticket price will be treated to a performance by country music star LeAnn Rimes

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Red it all.

Not a smart move by Rep Jeff Denham.

Appearance is everything and this stinks

Gov. Jerry Brown will spare K-12 schools from further drastic cuts in his budget – so long as voters extend higher income taxes in a special election, according to sources familiar with his proposal.

The tradeoff wouldn't cure education ills, and many districts would still face another year of fewer school days and larger class sizes. But it could avert even deeper cuts after years of school rollbacks and help Brown galvanize powerful education support for tax hikes in a June special election
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Brown plans to ask voters to extend higher tax rates on sales, vehicles and income. His proposal would send additional sales and vehicle tax money to counties as part of his plan to shift more responsibilities to local governments.

But Brown would keep the extra income tax revenue for the state, with a substantial portion going to education to offset that $2 billion cut. In his inaugural speech Monday, Brown singled out public schools as an area he wants to bolster in his return as governor.

John G. Roberts Jr., the chief justice of the Supreme Court, swore in President Obama – twice.

But Chief Justice Roberts is apparently bipartisan in his willingness to swear in federal employees.

On Tuesday morning, he presided over a closed-door ceremony in the offices of the soon-to-be House speaker, John A. Boehner of Ohio, to swear in the lawmaker’s staff a day before Republicans are scheduled to take control of the House chamber.

Employees of the federal government are all required to sign an oath as part of the paperwork they fill out when they are hired, according to Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner.

Often, though, it’s a fairly routine signature, without the pomp and circumstance of a swearing-in ceremony. And even then, not all employees have the chief justice present. But it’s not entirely unheard of, either.

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Nice of the Chief Justice to swear them in.

By organizing, filtering, selecting and picking the best and most relevant information for a target community of fans / readers / customers, an online publisher can provide his audience with high-quality, unique value that will be hard to find elsewhere.

So, as I wrote six years ago, it did and it still does look to me as a renaissance of sorts is truly taking place. Understanding what this renaissance is all about and how you or your organization can best leverage it, is what this guide on real-time news curation is all about.

Here, in Part 2 of this guide, find out what are the key differences between aggregation and curation and why real-time news curation is so much better than automated aggregation when it comes to provide high-quality news and information on a specific topic.

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Read it all