Daily News Feed 6.19.2009/Vocab: nimiety

Beyonce Sues Would-Be Bootleggers Before Tour
This weekend, Beyoncé kicks off the American leg of her I Am … Sasha Fierce tour with two big shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden, but her work has already begun. According to TMZ, B filed a pre-emptive lawsuit on Wednesday against unnamed people who sell bootleg merchandise in the vicinity of her shows. She hopes to crack down on the people hawking unauthorized CDs, T-shirts and other goods to fans entering and exiting the venue. Unable to target individual people, the suit simply warns would-be vendors against merchandise piracy. (Continue Reading…)

Report: African Americans Less Likely to Have Broadband at Home
Broadband adoption is on the rise, but so are monthly bills, according to a Wednesday report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. About 63 percent of American adults now have broadband connections at home, up 15 percent from the same time last year. Unfortunately, an increased customer base has not prompted a drop in price from providers. The average monthly price for broadband in April 2009 was $39 – up from $34.50 in May 2008. Despite the price increase and the recession, people are twice as likely to cut cell phone or cable TV service before they get rid of broadband, the study found. In the last 12 months, 9 percent of Internet users have dropped Internet service, but 22 percent have cut cable and another 22 percent have shut off the mobile phones. (Continue Reading…)

Senate Approves Resolution Apologizing for Slavery
The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for the wrongs of slavery. The nonbinding resolution sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is similar to a House resolution adopted last year that acknowledged the wrongs of slavery but offered no reparations. The House will have to vote on the issue again because the composition of that chamber changed after last November’s elections. The resolution was approved on a voice vote. Because it is nonbinding, it does not have to be forwarded to the president for his signature. Several states have passed similar resolutions, but the House resolution was the first time a branch of the federal government did so. Harkin’s resolution “acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery, and Jim Crow laws,” and “apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws.” (Continue Reading…)

nimiety \nih-MY-uh-tee\, noun: