March 24, 2008
First Amendment Crusader Dies
A sad note to start the week -- First Amendment crusader Marv Johnson died late last week after a long battle with complications from diabetes. He joined the American Civil Liberties Union in 2000 after serving as executive director of the ACLU of Wyoming and became known to many who follow censorship and free expressions issues.
One of Johnson’s final legislative accomplishments was leading a bipartisan group to defeat provisions of a lobbying reform bill that he believed would have prevented Americans from expressing their views to members of Congress. Johnson was also the author of two reports on the dangers of domestic spying by federal law enforcement.
Before his ACLU career, Johnson worked as an attorney in private practice and served in the Air Force as a judge advocate general. He is survived by his life partner Billie Ruth Edwards, who is also a civil liberties activist.
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March 17, 2008
What Ever Happened To…
Technology Daily staff writer Michael Martinez? He recently landed a plum job at WAMU (88.5 FM), the National Public Radio affiliate in Washington, D.C. Martinez is a producer for The Kojo Nnamdi Show, a two-hour daily broadcast that covers news, political issues and social trends.
Martinez, a University of North Carolina graduate, is a great addition to the Kojo team -- particularly because of the program's "Tech Tuesday" segment that explores hot-button high-tech issues. It's a favorite of mine and I've been on as a guest to talk about data security and net neutrality -- issues that have garnered considerable congressional interest in recent years.
Congrats, Michael. The patent reform debate is heating up. I'll have my people call your people. Updates on the whereabouts of other TD alums can be found here, here and here.
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February 29, 2008
As Heidi Says On "Project Runway," Auf Wiedersehen
It looks like there are going to be quite a few farewell parties taking place across the federal government as several high-ranking officials announce their departures. CongressDaily's TechCentral has all the details:
NTIA Chief To Leave As Criticism Mounts Over DTV Shift
For the second time in four months, a Commerce Department official overseeing the shift to digital television transmission is stepping down.
Majoras Departure Leaves Successor, Timing In Doubt
The departure of FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras will leave the commission with two Republicans, one Democrat and an independent, and an unclear timeline for a replacement.
Senior Bush IP Official To Step Down, Start New Firm
The U.S. coordinator for intellectual property enforcement, is moving on amid an increased focus on IP protection domestically and globally.
Posted by Andrew at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
February 27, 2008
A Musical Afternoon On Capitol Hill
You never know what you're going to see on Capitol Hill on any given afternoon. The musicFirst coalition held a lengthy jam session in the House Judiciary Committee hearing room that inspired North Carolina Republican Howard Coble (pictured left) to clap along. That's RIAA lobbyist Mitch Glazier on the right.
Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., stopped by with Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson-Lee a short time later to schmooze with BeBe Winans and Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown . Former "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington also did some hand-shaking. He was visiting Capitol Hill to lobby members of the Congressional Black Caucus on an unrelated issue.
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February 26, 2008
Gingrich To Open Silicon Valley Shop
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich might be spending more time in sunny California now that his American Solutions for Winning the Future announced that it will open a new office in Silicon Valley to serve as the organization's technology headquarters. Gingrich made the announcement (appropriately enough) on YouTube.
"We're excited to be in Silicon Valley and to learn from the best of the private sector so we can utilize the latest technological breakthroughs to fundamentally transform government from the world that fails to the world that works," Gingrich said. David Kralik, a veteran of online grassroots campaigns, will manage the West Coast operation.
Posted by Andrew at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
February 22, 2008
What Ever Happened To…
Technology Daily assistant editor Theresa Poulson? She'll be starting work Monday at nationaljournal.com as a staff writer/producer. Poulson is a New Jersey native who graduated from Rutgers University in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in art history and painting (and she happens to crank out some darned good artwork in her spare time).
She came to Tech Daily last January -- after working as a reporter, designer and editor for a weekly newspaper group -- with a strong interest in multimedia and will be involved in efforts to expand NJ's online multimedia capabilities. At TD, Theresa created a number features, including a package on the presidential candidates' tech policy views and an issue page on the Internet tax moratorium.
Want to know where my other former colleagues landed? Go here and here.
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February 14, 2008
Guess Who's Making Big Bucks?
Kyle McSlarrow, the president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, was the highest paid executive in the communications and information technology association sector in 2006, National Journal magazine will report in its issue, dated Saturday. He received a total compensation package, including benefits and allowances, of $1.75 million. Walter McCormick, president and CEO of the United States Telecom Association and the Consumer Electronics Association president and CEO, Gary Shapiro, received a boatload too. Let's not forget about the entertainment industry -- the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America. Click here for those juicy tidbits.
Posted by Andrew at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
February 12, 2008
What Ever Happened To…
Former Technology Daily writer Heather Greenfield? She has hopped the journalism fence to try her hand in the public relations world. Greenfield, a former AP writer and broadcaster, joined the staff of the Computer and Communications Industry Association. The trade group represents Google, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo and many other high-tech firms. Meanwhile, Technology Daily alum Aliya Sternstein has landed at CQ where she will write about agriculture.
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February 11, 2008
463 Brings On New Partner, Hani Durzy
The high-tech PR gurus at 463 Communications have hired a new partner for the bicoastal company's San Francisco office. Hani Durzy joins Sean Garrett who has been holding down the fort all by himself on the West Coast as the D.C. operation has grown and grown.
Garrett wrote on his blog that "once we got past Hani's obnoxious Red Sox Nation-isms, we knew that he would be the perfect compliment to our team and a great asset as we grow in the Bay Area." Durzy was most recently eBay's communications director, which prompted this e-mail exchange:
To: Sean Garrett
From: Andrew Noyes
Sent: Mon 11/02/2008 2:09 PM
Subject: Good get!
Did you buy your new colleague on eBay? If so, what was the highest bid? Heh!
From: Sean Garrett
To: Andrew Noyes
Sent: Mon 11/02/2008 5:27 PM
Subject: RE: Good get!
Zing! That is our whole plan. Buy low and sell high.
Posted by Andrew at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 11, 2007
Greta Wodele: From Tech Daily To Esquire
Greta Wodele started her Washington reporting career by covering homeland security and other issues for Technology Daily and CongressDaily. She eventually moved up the ladder to cover the Senate for CongressDaily.
We've always admired Greta for the beauty of her reporting and writing talents, but these days, with her being on camera at C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," Greta is getting plenty of attention for her natural beauty, too.
Over the summer, she was a candidate in FishbowlDC's annual "Hottest Media Types" contest. And according to today's "Reliable Source" in The Washington Post, she has earned a mention in Esquire magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" contest.
Here's part of the quote the Post pulled from Esquire, which mentioned Greta among the likes of actress and sexiest woman Charlize Theron: "She is not hot; she's beautiful. Her hair, thick and mahogany, shows no trace of having been put through much but a brush. Her dark eyes are moist, her smile prim and pink."
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