A transgender California woman is garnering national attention after making her debut on a junior college basketball team. The Contra Costa Times is just one of a number of publications to feature the story of 50-year-old Gabrielle Ludwig, who participated in the 19th annual Comet Classic tournament championship on Dec. 1. Ludwig, who is twice divorced and has three children, last played college basketball in 1980, more than 20 years before she transitioned, USA Today points out. Though Ludwig is decades older than some of her teammates (and, at 6ft 8in, substantially taller), coach Corey Cafferata nonetheless praised her to the Times as possibly going on to become “the most dangerous player in the state.”Read More…
More on California
Gabrielle Ludwig, Transgender Basketball Player, Makes Championship Game Debut
Labor tensions mounting in airline industry
Labor disputes increased in two U.S. airlines Thursday, with one confrontation escalating amid threats of legal action. The Wall Street Journal reported that flight attendants for US Airways rejected a contract proposal that would have put them under the same terms as their counterparts at the…
Strangulation by Union
Rules that “protect” government workers from arbitrary dismissal and require everyone be treated equally are bad for taxpayers and even unions. … Read More
Report: Google Maps Aims to Be on iPhones By the End of the Year, Maybe [UPDATED]
Whoops. (Photo: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps)
If there’s one thing the Great iOS6 Map Crisis of ’12 has taught us, it’s to appreciate the mapping function we have, or rather had. Google Maps isn’t perfect (just try finding the High Street station), but at least it’s never turned any highways into roller coasters, unlike Apple’s new offering. And so as the initial disbelief faded, the question became: When the hell are we getting a version of Google Maps available through the App Store?
The New York Times has an answer for you: “by the end of the year.” Hopefully.
The Gray Lady reports:
“Google is developing a maps application for iPhone and iPad that it is seeking to finish by the end of the year, according to people involved with the effort who declined to be named because of the nature of their work.”
We can already hear you whining, “But whyyyy?” Well, Google wasn’t exactly prepared for Apple to boot its maps off the iPhone, as the companies’ existing contract still had some time left on the clock.
And according to at least one of the Times’ sources, Google wants whatever it releases to include 3D imagery, but all of Google’s 3-D imager is trapped in Google Earth, “which is a separate app with a separate code base from Google Maps, so it would take some time to combine the two.” Sounds like there’ll be a lot of all-nighters happening for the GOOG’s resident cartographers. At least they won’t be bored anymore, right?
Meanwhile, Google chairman Eric Schmidt is basically rubbing Apple’s face in its terrible faceplant. Reuters relays a few of his choice comments:
“We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?” Schmidt told a small group of reporters in Tokyo. “What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It’s their call.”
We’re starting to suspect Mr. Schmidt might have been an eccentric mafia enforcer in a previous life. In fact, we can’t help but wonder whether Google is even in any rush to get this app out the door, or whether the company is taking its sweet time, under the theory, “That’ll teach them to appreciate us properly.”
UPDATED: The headline has been altered to more clearly reflect that Google has not confirmed that an iOS 6 version is in the works. … Read More
A.M. Links: Syrian Army and Air Force Headquarters Hit By Bomb Attacks, Warren in Trouble Over Legal Practice History, Small Businesses Pointing…
The headquarters of the Syrian army and air force in Damascus
was the
target of bombings that, according to state media, have not
caused any injuries to senior military personnel. ;
It looks like Elizabeth Warren practiced law
without the right license. The Democratic Senate candidate
represented numerous companies from her Harvard Law School office
despite not being licensed in Massachusetts. ;
The President
signed an executive order giving better protections to those
working for government contractors abroad in a bid to reduce human
trafficking and forced labor. ;
Most small businesses are worse off than
they were three years ago, and over half of small business
owners are blaming taxes and government spending on the poor state
of the economy. ;
Argentinian President
Cristina Kirchner slammed the IMF in her speech to the UN.
Argentina could face sanctions if it does not produce economic data
that is of the IMF’s standards. ;
British conservatives
have been meeting with American lobbyists in the hope of
learning how best to turn some Conservative MPs on to gay
marriage. ;
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here.
South Africa’s youth leader Malema charged
Activist who has seized South African mine unrest to attack ANC, accused of laundering proceeds of public contracts. … Read More
