More San Francisco fallout from Madoff collapse - SFGate.com

More local fallout from Madoff collapse From SFGate: “With reference to the unfolding $50 billion alleged Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard Madoff, the following e-mail was sent to a number of Bay Area institutions Monday:

Dear Colleagues:

I regretfully write to inform you that due to a sudden financial crisis and the resulting loss of funding, the JEHT Foundation has stopped all grant-making effective immediately and will be closing its doors in early 2009. Unfortunately the funds of the donors to the JEHT Foundation were managed by Bernard L. Madoff, a financial adviser who was arrested last week for defrauding investors out of billions of dollars. ”

-- The ripple impact of this is huge. It goes to show what happens when wealth is concentrated in a few hands that are then fooled by one person. Stories like this are all over the World. And the credit crunch assures these nonprofits will be in dire straights for a while.

Nation's first face transplant done in Cleveland | ajc.com

Nation's first face transplant done in Cleveland | ajc.com From AP and AJC : “CLEVELAND — A woman so horribly disfigured she was willing to risk her life to do something about it has undergone the nation's first near-total face transplant, the Cleveland Clinic announced Tuesday. Reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow and a team of other specialists replaced 80 percent of the woman's face with that of a female cadaver a couple of weeks ago in a bold and controversial operation certain to stoke the debate over the ethics of such surgery.

The patient's name and age were not released, and the hospital said her family wanted the reason for her transplant to remain confidential. The hospital plans a news conference Wednesday and would not give details until then.”

--- I have to admit I have an issue with this, because I'm wondering about the character of the woman who had her face. It seems like she's taking a new life - someone else's life. But on the other hand, it's better to have a face where people want to approach you than not. The doctors just made sure she would be able to earn a living.

Time names Obama 'Person of the Year'

 

President-elect Barack H. Obama has been named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2008. The magazine has named Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Gov. Sarah Palin and Chinese director Zhang Yimou as runners-up.

Why did Time choose Barack Obama? For the some of the same reasons that Seihan Mori, the senior monk at Kyoto's Kiyomizu, temple chose Obama's now-iconic "change" as Japan's character of the year. In an age full of cynicism and tribulation, Obama has inspired many around the world to rekindle their fundamental belief in our potential - to work in hope rather than languish in despair.

read more | digg story

VP Dick Cheney's Senior Staff Salaries Hidden From Public

I got an email that was supposedly from Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr's Chief of Staff Kenneth A. Edmonds. In checking online to learn more about Edmonds, I discovered his salary, and that VP Dick Cheney's senior staff salaries are hidden from the public.

Report: Small online news sites more proven than large ones » VentureBeat

Report: Small online news sites more proven than large ones » VentureBeat: “The report uses long tail economics to show how small sites can do well by achieving greater distribution among a niche readership. Because operating costs are so low, these sites can still manage to be successful despite lower rates of advertising revenue. The report describes the revenue model for independent blogs and news sites and it offers, as an example, a news site with 1 million unique visitors a month which generates $1.5 million in annual revenues assuming a $2 CPM (cost per thousand user impressions) rate.”

No Steve Jobs in 2009: Apple Announces Its Last Year at Macworld

Apple Announces Its Last Year at MacworldFrom Apple's website: “CUPERTINO, California—December 16, 2008—Apple® today announced that this year is the last year the company will exhibit at Macworld Expo. Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show. The keynote address will be held at Moscone West on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Macworld will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center January 5-9, 2009.”

-- This is definitely the end of an era. I can't imagine anyone getting up at 4 AM to hear Phillip Schiller speak in the morning. I can't help but wonder what the real story here is.

National Journal Online -- Lost in Transition -- E-Government Ball Already Rolling At Commerce

National Journal Online -- Lost in Transition -- E-Government Ball Already Rolling At Commerce: “If Barack Obama wants to prioritize e-government, he might look to the Commerce Department, which has quietly gained a reputation for being one of the most Web-savvy departments in the federal government.
Commerce has long been viewed as a sprawling, almost ungovernable bureaucracy, but over the last few years it has seen significant advances in areas both small (online video) and large (the 2010 census).
"I think the Commerce Department has been aggressive and progressive," said Arnold Jackson, associate director for the 2010 census.”