N.Y. State Government to Interrupt Gaming With Emergency Bulletins
The Internet turned the big 4-0 this year, and the commercially available wireless phone celebrated its own quarter-century milestone. After all of that time, it seems that state and national governments are finally ready to accept the crazy notion that both modes of communication can be used to instantly disseminate urgent information during times of strife.
Japan introduced a cell phone earthquake notification system two years ago, an Iowa county recently launched the first 911-via-text service in the U.S., and Israel is currently developing a text-based rocket alert system. New York is now taking a huge leap forward with the announcement of the statewide 'Empire 2.0' program, which seeks to employ technology in creating a more "transparent, participatory, and collaborative" government.
There are few things in life you just don't turn down; a second chance at redemption, a Nobel Peace Prize, and, of course, an available high-speed Internet connection. A shocking number of Americans, though, are in fact turning their backs on the Internet, and Congress, rest assured, is concerned.
Take this from someone who went to college in a French-speaking country: no one takes la langue more seriously than the francophone. Heritage, cultural pride, and a sense of protection keep the government involved in the purity of francais, so much so that other languages have suffered in many francophone countries, most particularly France, itself. (Just ask the English-speaking Montrealers who were around in the 70's). In fact, linguistic delegation started in 1593, and 'La délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France,' or the committee that delegates the languages of France, ensures that signs, contracts, and advertisements all feature French prominently. 
When blogger Robert Forrey e-mailed Portsmouth, Ohio mayor Jim Kalb with an innocent-enough public records request, he probably wasn't expecting to have his likeness compared to a lizard. That's exactly what he got, though, along with a profanity-laced torrent of 
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