From the Editor's Desk: A slow CTIA, whose app is it anyway, the EVO 4G LTE isn't as bad as you thought, eh?

Two thirds of these guys busted their butts at CTIA in New Orleans. One of them was not me.

Another CTIA has come and gone. I'm not usually one to gripe about the pace of a show, given that at these things we're essentially on a working vacation in cool city. But this spring's CTIA was pretty meh. The biggest announcement was, what, Verizon's Droid Incredible 4G LTE? Not an unimportant phone, I suppose, and it should sell just fine. But while Sprint and AT&T and T-Mobile are rocking phones from the new-and-improved HTC One line, with much-improved cameras, Verizon's missing out.

Samsung missed a pretty big opportunity in New Orleans, too. Not even a week after it unveiled the Galaxy S III to a worldwide (or at least European) audience in London, Sammy squandered a great chance to get the U.S. even more excited about it, and to get CTIA attendees (mostly of the American variety, we wager) proper looks at the new flagship phone. Strike while the iron is hot, they say.

Of course, the U.S. carriers will put their own spin on the Galaxy S III. And it's pretty likely that we'll see some sort of event to show them off, just like what we had with the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. But it was pretty surprising to see a minimal showing from Samsung here in New Orleans. No both. Just a brief appearance at the Mobile Focus event, where journos and companies cram into a ballroom for food, drink and a slightly more intimate look at products than on the show proper. The Galaxy S III is an important phone that was mostly kept off the floor, and that's a shame. Good thing we went to London to get a proper introduction. (By the way, if you haven't read Alex Dobie's piece -- "Hype, expectation an the Galaxy S III" -- you've missed out.)

The roundtable keynote featuring the CEOs of Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, moderated by CNBC's Jim Cramer, was entertaining if not overly substantive. (It also went a bit long, with each of the four's intro remarks taking more time than many of us would have preferred.) But Sprint CEO Dan Hesse hit home a little bit with a renewed push for mobile privacy, security and safety. Those are three things that will only become more important in the coming years. The Sprint Guardian program, which covers all applicable lines on an account for a relatively small fee, should be an interesting way of going about it.

Otherwise, no real showstopping announcements. No real major releases. Will CTIA in the fall (back in San Diego) make up for it? Or is the usefulness of trade shows starting to run its course for manufacturers?

Oh, by the way. Those two guys in the picture above -- Jared "The Body" DiPane and Anndrew "Yes that's how it's spelled" Vacca kicked some serious ass last week. Cheers, boys.

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Begun, The Retina Wars Have

As we approach the E3, the electronic gaming show in early June, I suspect that the value of "Retina" high-resolution displays will soon become apparent. While the prospect of Retina MacBooks is all but inevitable, we have reached a plateau when it comes to general computing and, more important, living room media. The first question is, in short, why do we need a Retina MacBook? Presumably it would be a superior experience for video and photo editing and offer designers far more real estate on a large screen, especially when viewing photos at lower resolutions. As evidenced by the iPhone's Retina display, gaming will become considerably more compelling. This presupposes a rich and vibrant OS X gaming ecosystem.

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Five Reasons To See 'The Avengers'

In all honesty, you probably already seen or have plans to see "The Avengers." You've watched the each one of the Marvel movies and waited around until after the credits, maybe not understanding the references, but always looking them up on Wikipedia to learn more. All of this has led up to the day when [...]

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Homelessness, Death and Trickle Down Economics ... - OpEdNews

In the sixties, UC Berkeley (Cal) was the home to student activism. ? Students, concerned about social justice, took to the streets to demand rights against oppression. ??? In 2009, at an Orange County orientation for Cal acceptees, one of the speakers stated that the university had changed and that a conservative counter-culture had taken root. ? Last weekend, Jashen Edwards blew away the conservative counter-culture with his production of C.H.A.N.G.E a musical/operetta that showed the failures and cruelties of Reaganomics. ? The musical is largely based on Jonathan Kozol's, Rachel and Her Children, an account of New York's city-paid shelter hotels of the 1980's.

The final show started with photos of the route to Potter's Field, New York, where innocent children who died in poverty were buried in the 80s. As Potter's Field was part of a prison complex, parents weren't even allowed to attend their own children's funerals.

Cast members first enter, carrying child sized coffins up onto the stage. ? Three children, ghosts of children who died at New York's Hotel Martinique, sing the prologue to the show. ? They are joined by a talented choir of Berkeley's top music and theater students. ? Next the audience sees a homeless family trying to take refuge in the Hotel Martinique, a shelter-hotel, which had deplorable conditions. ?? Fires were common in at the Hotel Martinique as it had bad electrical wiring and no proper food facilities, resulting in people sneaking in items for cooking food, which caught fire. ? The Hotel was extremely unhealthy, with rodents and other health hazards being common. ? Children died in the fires and from the horrific conditions and were buried in Potter's Field, while (as noted above) the parents were unable to attend the funerals.

The musical also followed themes of corporate greed, physical abuse towards the poor, domestic violence, commercialism, the general treatment of impoverished Americans as discarded garbage by the Reagan Administration, religious hypocrisy, a press with an agenda, and Reagan's flowery language that made it appear America had turned rosy under his administration, when in fact the country was a nightmare for a large segment of society.

Alex Ghenis very convincingly played a paraplegic veteran with PTSD who was traumatized, not just by what happened to him in the war, but by shooting people he did not know, thus killing his American dream. ? Jose Hernandez played prisoner 7227, on death row for a crime that had resulted from his impoverished circumstances and too much responsibility too soon. ?

Emma Tome played a victim of domestic violence, apparently homeless in the rain with her children. ? Her situation was the result of her leaving her marriage after her husband beat her. ? This portrayal spells out some of the fears that keep domestic violence victims in chains in our society. ? ? The mother needed to provide for her children and had to leave them alone to do so, not knowing what would happen to the children she loved. ?? Would it have been better to stay in the marriage and take more violence? ? This is another theme that has a great deal of meaning in 2012. ? ? One of the actresses in Jashen's musical was the victim of a brutal father who came close to killing the actress and her mother. ? One of the audience members this writer met the first evening was also a domestic violence victim.? This is not unusual as one in every two women has been or will be a victim of domestic violence, making this a very relevant subject.

The marriage between TV, religion, the press and politics is portrayed quite insightfully in the production. ? The connection between these was a major part of the Reagan Administration. ? ?? It is hard to think about the eighties and not recall Tammy Faye and the hypocrisy of televangelists promoting the Republican Party agenda while pumping Christians for dollars. ? During part of the play, Reagan's voice could be heard in the background. ? However, much of the hopelessness, poverty and homelessness on which the show was based have returned to make the show also reflective of 2012. ?

Keith Menconi played a crack dealer who preyed on the homeless. ? The hypocrisy of the U.S. Government importing drugs and hooking the vulnerable and innocent, only to arrest the survivors is well known.

The best line in the show was sung by Elsa Bishop. ? "Trickle down will come next year." Trickle down was Herbert Hoover's, later Reagan's and even later the Bushs' economic plans.? Since 1929, Americans have been waiting to see some of that trickle down wealth.

The musical was a production of Cal's music and theater departments. ? Jashen Edwards put the musical together after his idea won the Max Weinbach UC Berkeley Musical Theater Prize. ??? Jason wrote all the music, much of which was on a par with current Broadway musicals. Jessica Clarkson directed the show and Vanessa Ramos was the stage manager.

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Jashen cares deeply about social issues and feels writing musicals is the best arena for his activism.? He is from South Central Los Angeles and recalls the fears resulting from drive-by shootings.

??? Berkeley's top liberal political activist Daniel Alley conducted the orchestra and backed them up on piano. ? Daniel also works with the Berkeley Opera and is in the University Chorus. ? After the production, the cast members expressed their gratitude to Daniel and spoke at length about his skill and talent.

Among the actresses/ singers that Jashen Edwards snagged is Natasha Hull-Richter, the founder of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party and the girl who convinced California leaders to give the state's voters a voter-verifiable paper trail. ? The death row scene undoubtedly resonated with her as her resolution calling for a legislated moratorium (effectively abolition) has been the California Democratic Party's official position on the subject since she was 12. ? Natasha has an extensive background in singing, dancing and acting, having founded a performance company while in grammar school and having acted in over three dozen TV shows, movies and commercials. ? She is a talented member of the Screen Actors Guild, where she is known by her professional name.?

The show contained some hot new talent, such as Dave Abrams, a theater and performance studies student, whose performance was at or above a professional level. ? Abrams has a background in community and regional theater, having previously acted in a production of Smokey Joe's Cafe .? ? In C.H.A.N.G.E., he had several roles, and excelled in his singing and acting in each of them. This writer's suggestion is to watch this actor. ? He has star quality written all over him. ?

The presentation was very professional. ? The direction, orchestration, and production were impressive enough to rival any Broadway production. ? Jashen plans to expand the opera, adding more scenes of relevant social issues. ??

The other talented members of the production ? (not previously mentioned) include Jenny Jung (set/prop designer), Aries Limon (costume design), Anthony Ferraro (Light Designer), Michael Schiff (Sound Designer), Michael Ross (Art Designer), ? and Stevie Lee Crouch (Audio/Video). ? The Orchestra included Katya, Frazier Anna Yap, Anna Clifford, George Sun, Jenny Larsen, Masis Parunyan, Denise Doan and Elaine Laguerta. ? The other talented actresses/ actors not mentioned above include Natalie Rivera, Julia Marostica, Xioaqian Lin, Victor Gonzalez, Ian McGregor, Kenny Wang, Won Jin Lee, Vanessa Aldrich, Erin Alford, Jessica Clarkson ( also the director), and Christina Geraci, ??

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The author is the chairman of a liberal Democratic club that is working to move the Democratic Party towards it's true base, the people. She has organized major political events and helped elect some of the most liberal politicians in America. Her (more...)
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BBC's Planet Earth returns as a live simulcast next week -- but not in the US (video)

For fans of HD and / or nature documentaries, the BBC Planet Earth series is the unquestioned champion, and to provide a proper followup the Brits are improving it the only way they know how: doing it live. What the broadcaster calls its "most ambitions global wildlife series ever" will air simultaneously in 140 countries (more on that bit later) starting Sunday May 6th, then every Thursday and Sunday for three weeks. The plan is to track animals in seven different locations around the world in real time as they struggle for survival and broadcast it all in HD. One segment features Top Gear's Richard Hammond following a pride of lions across southern Kenya, while another will track black bears in Minnesota. The bad news? If you're in the US or Canada you're not on that 140 country list and won't be seeing any of this live. We're not sure if there's time to make this a campaign issue in the 2012 presidential election but we figure that, or at least bugging BBC America (while we're on the subject -- where's our global iPlayer?) is worth a try. Check after the break for a press release with all the details on where and when it is airing, as well as a trailer.

Continue reading BBC's Planet Earth returns as a live simulcast next week -- but not in the US (video)

BBC's Planet Earth returns as a live simulcast next week -- but not in the US (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ice Cube Remembers LA Riots At 'Krush Groove'

The legacy of West Coast rap music was celebrated and the 20-year anniversary of the riots in Los Angeles was commemorated on Saturday night at the KDAY show.

Photo: MTV News

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Out & About

Tiffani Thiessen was spotted dining at her favorite NYC restaurant, Beauty & Essex. Before her dinner, the starlet was seen trying on jewelry and checking out handbags at the famous Pawn Shop located in front of the restaurant. Tiffani enjoyed Tomato Tartare, Tuna Tacos and Kale Salad.

The Office's Craig Robinson sported Chicago White Sox headphones by BiGR Audio.

DJ Vice was spotted playing at Avenue on Wednesday night in NYC. The DJ powerhouse was also spotted at NYC hotspot Beauty & Essex on Thursday night catching up with friends and checking out the DJ booth before jet setting back to Vegas for shows at TAO and LAVO

Heidi Klum is back and bolder than ever with brand new pieces for spring! Featuring unique metal finishes and custom-made simulated gemstones, the latest additions to the Wildlife by Heidi Klum collection are as bold as they are beautiful. Each style embodies a modern aesthetic that is sure to make a statement this season. You can visit QVC.com starting on Thursday, May 17 to see Heidi showcase several new pieces, including bracelets, necklaces, earring and rings.

Mariah Carey and L.A. Reid had dinner at Catch to celebrate new artist, Leah Labelle.

Selita Ebanks attended the 2012 Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Champion Committee Spring Social at Catch Rooftop in New York.

Constantine Maroulis partied at the Absolut/Avion-sponsored bash for the Journey documentary Don't Stop Believin' at NYC's Gansevoort Hotel on April 19.

Nintendo 3DS fans Nikki Reed and Whitney Port are loving the new Kid Icarus game!

True Blood star Joe Manganiello and his mystery date roamed the Coachella Music Festival. Joe wore G-Star?s Halo Rovic Art Loose ? in Camo print.

On Sunday, April 22, Kim Kardashian, Magic Mike's Olivia Munn, NBA star Chris Paul, Malika Haqq and more joined The Jeep Brand for the launch of it's 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Altitude Edition, announced as the ?official vehicle of USA Basketball? and celebrated the men's and women's USA Basketball team's quest for Gold this summer at LA Center Studios in Downtown LA.

Olivia Munn celebrated the pre-opening of Mercedes-Benz Transmission LA: AV CLUB curated by Mike D of the Beastie Boys.

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