FAC

A&A: The mayor refused to let me make a public comment without identifying myself

Q: Before filing a Brown Act violation against the mayor for denying me the opportunity to speak on an item before the city council because I refused to identify myself before making a public comment.  I would like to get an opinion from your organization on my complaint and the city’s response. A: You are already aware that Government Code Section 54953.3 provides that members of the public may not be required to provide any

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Mayor Defends Mosque near Ground Zero

Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered an impassioned speech on religious freedom at a Ramadan dinner at Gracie Mansion Tuesday night, declaring there’s “nowhere in the five boroughs of New York City that is off limits to any religion.” August 25, 2010 The Wall Street Journal By Michael Howard Saul Mr. Bloomberg, speaking at an annual Iftar dinner, said he understood the impulse to find an alternative location for the proposed mosque and Islamic cultural center near

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Facebook Fights Privacy Concerns

The launch of Facebook Inc.’s Places location service this week sparked new privacy concerns about the popular social network. But the company’s efforts to mollify critics before the launch stemmed some of the blowback. August 25, 2010 The Wall Street Journal By Geoffrey A. Fowler Places is a feature that lets users share their physical locations with Facebook friends, but it also allows users to identify friends at those locations. By default, each Facebook member

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Calif. televangelist can sue ABC for defamation, 9th Circuit says

A federal appeals court yesterday reinstated a televangelist’s defamation lawsuit claiming ABC’s “20/20” news program used a fictionalized sermon in which he portrayed himself as a wealthy braggart out of context. August 25, 2010 By The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO —A trial court judge had earlier tossed out the lawsuit filed by the Rev. Frederick Price, ruling that the video apparently showing the founder of the Crenshaw Christian Center boast about his wealth didn’t leave

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Railroad worries EPA will keep destroying records

The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to stop destroying records Union Pacific requested about lead contamination in Omaha, but the railroad worries the federal agency won’t protect all relevant information. August 25, 2010 By The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. — Documents filed yesterday show Union Pacific Corp. and the EPA agreed on most aspects of a preliminary injunction, but the railroad wants a federal judge to order a broad definition of what kinds of records

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