Happy Independence Day!

57 Comments

Happy Independence Day!

MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews are taking the day off to hang out with family and friends, hopefully see the first Independence Day space shuttle launch (scheduled for 2:38pm EDT), watch fireworks, and celebrate Independence Day (United States).

If you’re celebrating today, too, we wish you a happy and safe Fourth. To everyone else, we thank you for visiting MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews!

We will resume our regular Apple-, Mac-, and iPod-related news coverage on Wednesday, July 5th.

MacDailyNews Note: Click for The Declaration of Independence.

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57 Comments

  7. Let’s try to be civil, shall we?

    Liberty Enlightening the World, known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty, is a statue given to the United States by France in the late 19th century, standing at Liberty Island in the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans. The copper statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the United States and is a gesture of friendship between the two nations. The sculptor was Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, and Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower, engineered the internal supporting structure.

    More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty

    Reply

  10. I’m just thinking of those poor Chinese sweatshop workers killing themselves for the Mac cause and here is MDN and friends taking time out from the battle for personal benefit (plus, since nothing is happening news wise here today, I thought I’d stir it up a little).

    Reply

  11. Should the English celebrate Independence Day too? Are they glad to be independent from the USA? Is it a bit rude of the Americans to have it as one of their _main_ holidays?

    Imagine if the war of Independence had been lost and the Americas (South, North plus Canada) were islands belonging to England along with Northern Ireland. Then London would be the world’s pain in the … instead of Washington.

    Or what if Utah had got their way and were an independent country trapped within the US! Weird to postulate, but ultimately pointless!

    Magic word: ‘degree’ as in I have two degrees, but neither in history or politics, so ignore my rants.

    Reply

  13. Happy 4th holidays & have a great 230th Birthday America!

    On the point about Chinese sweatshop workers slaving away making the vastly superior to anything else iPod, go take a look at Lenovo – the Chinese company that bought IBM’s hardware devision – and low and behold the wonders of sweatshop labor in an entire range of PC’s!

    Nike, Coca-Cola, Sony, DKNY, Levi Jeans and many more are just as guilty of using sweatshop labor to make their goods on the cheap.

    I’m not condoning the use of sweatshop labor, but Apple did launch an investigation into Apple’s partner that makes the iPod. Nearly all the other corporate organisations just sweeped the issue under the rug by denying any involvement in the use of sweatshop labor.

    MW ‘summer’ as in wow MDN it is summer!

    Reply

  16. >Nike, Coca-Cola, Sony, DKNY, Levi Jeans and many more are just as guilty of using sweatshop labor to make their goods on the cheap.>

    They’re better off than if they didn’t have a way to earn anything.

    Reply

  17. While you are enjoying family, friends and good food this day take a moment to remember a couple of things:

    1- Even as we enjoy one of the most open and free societies ever seen, hundreds of millions have never savored the sweet taste of freedom.
    2- Even as we enjoy the bounty of our prosperous nation, countless souls struggle for the basics of survival.
    3- Even as we are free, many suffer repression because they advocate and seek freedom.
    4- The freedom we enjoy was purchased at a very high price by many, over many generations, in many places. Some died in the process.
    5- Freedom is precious and must be defended, from the inside and the outside.
    6- Those who are free have an obligation to encourage and help those who seek to be free by peaceful means.
    7- When the freedom of anyone is trampled upon, all humanity suffers.

    <b>Grace , Mercy & Peace to all.

    Reply

  18. All I have to say is NATO.

    All your little countries are just bases to US.

    So Frenchies and Englishites, just remember that when you drive one way for a day in any direction and hit either water or a border crossing.

    Don’t mess with iTunes, that’s a order!

    Reply

  19. It’s not just Northern Ireland. Wales and Scotland are also part of the UK. It’s probably important to note that England itself is not independent. England doesn’t not mean the same as the UK. There is no English parliament. English members of parliament have a say in UK wide issues.

    Wales and NI (I think NI. Not 100%)) have assemblies, with very limited powers. Scotland has a parliament that has greater (but still limited) powers, and has local laws and bank notes (though they’re still GBP). There is no English parliament. English members of parliament have a say in UK wide issues, but not on some issues in Scotland, NI and Wales. There’s a problem at the moment because representatives from Wales and Scotland DO have a vote on issues that affect England only (due to devolution of those issues to the Welsh Assembly and Scotland).

    As this problem gets more and more coverage, there will be more and more call for independence FOR England rather than FROM England !

    Reply

  20. The best thing about living in Canada is that we get drunk and blow off fireworks 4 days before you guys….

    Happy 4th to our buddies down below the 49th (and those other disconnected states).

    Reply

  22. Those in the US should enjoy and celebrate our “freedom”. Mainly because it’s being stripped away by the current administration with daring alarm. That and the fact that this country is set on a very bad course means we should definitely appreciate what we have now. Our forefathers did such an amazing job that the country will probably hold strong for another ten years. But when you don’t invest in education, health care, raise the minimum wage, and stimulate the middle class there will be a price to pay down the road.

    Reply

  24. The best thing about living in Canada is that we get drunk and blow off fireworks 4 days before you guys….

    And we won the war of 1812.

    and we think sexual orientation is not a justifiable basis for denying people rights which are left open to other members of our society …

    /and we burned down the White House

    Reply

  26. Hywel,

    What you’re not doing is approaching the whole sibling rivalry thing in the UK with a sense of joyful malice.

    I have, over the years, encountered a number of Scots for whom the epithet “chippy” is a mere understatement.

    Many years ago, when one such “well-balanced” (i.e. chip on both shoulder) pompous ass of a Scot (one of my subordinates) had annoyed me by being unnecessarily unpleasant to a waitress whilst tired and emotional, I decided that enough was enough and developed a means for winding them up.

    My chosen method – which has been proven to work across numerous test subjects – is to engage in a conversation about the beauty of the various elements of the British Isles. When the conversation drifts north of Hadrian’s Wall (as is inevitable), you light the blue touchpaper with “Sorry, I always think of Scotland as a minor Northern English county” and then gracefully lean back whilst your Celtic/Pict/Gaelic acquaintance quietly explodes, using such ripostes as “I’ll have you know that James I of England was James VI of Scotland, so I’ll think you find that England belongs to Scotland”.

    Allow your opponent around five to ten minutes of such tosh, so he/she thinks he/she is on a winner and then close the debate with: “But if Scotland rules England, why is London the capital?”.

    I have had even more entertainment out of this ruse than out of my feminist wind-up (“No women can be truly fulfilled until she’s had children” combined with “You’ve come a long way in this business for a woman” – never fails to get a lively conversation going),

    Please understand I don’t actually believe any of these statements, but – having read the Stephen Potter books as a teenager – you have to take your opportunities for fun where you can find them.

    Reply

  28. MCCFR

    – You’re a man after my own heart. I would also suggest that you add to your salvo:

    When a woman struggles with a vcr/computer/digicam/etc, casually drop the remark “High technology baffles another girlie”.

    You will have lit the blue touchpaper and should immediately retire to a safe distance.

    Reply

  32. MCCFR,

    Thx for the ‘Scot’ tip!

    I’ll try it on the cow that lives across the hall.

    BTW, you must know her. You’ve described her so accurately. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”tongue wink” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  34. Dirty Pierre –

    An interesting approach, however the “digital lifestyle” company I currently run makes a big play of being “female-friendly” so I’ll save that for another point of my life.

    Reply

  36. The best thing about living in Canada is that we get drunk and blow off fireworks 4 days before you guys…

    Yikes, guess you have to be really drunk to blow fireworks.

    Must dull the pain right?

    Only in Cananda I guess.

    Reply

  38. Happy Independence Day to all of us in the U.S.A! Thanks to all those well wishers outside our borders; it’s great to see the number of MDN visitors from other locals.

    A couple of things:
    The Statue of Liberty is one of the greatest gifts betowed on any country. It is important to note however that the Statue was a gift from private citizens of France and not the government of France. Also, France was a different Republic in those days.

    G-Spank– Our forefathers, that you invoke, would roll in their graves if they knew about the Federal Government’s involvement in education AND control, wage control, health care AND control, etc., etc. They never perceived it micro-managing our lives as it does today. It is the very act of allowing the Federal Gov’t influence and control of these aspects of our life that we lose our freedoms, not the other way around, as you would apparently have it.

    The U.S.A. has its flaws but I am grateful every day that I was blessed with being born here. God Bless this country and all humanity.

    Reply

  40. To G-Spank “Those in the US should enjoy and celebrate our “freedom”. Mainly because it’s being stripped away by the current administration with daring alarm.”

    No one is stripping personal freedoms faster than the Liberals and Blame instead of solutions are the norm.

    Can’t wait to see what you guys do with the country next time you win. Both Carter and Clinton made a mockery of the office. Carter with poor leadership and Clinton with his abuse of power. I don’t have sex in my office and I don’t expect a president to take the country off track by having it in the office I pay him to work in–take it after hours to Motel 6 if you can’t keep it in your pants, don’t turn the nation upside down with such porn crap. And I never heard a peep out of liberals when he was bombing the hell out of foreign countries while getting his BJ’s.

    Neither party is perfect in my opinion. So don’t act so holier than thou.

    Reply

  42. Yeah those Clinton years sucked. The economy was super strong, there were no outlaw wars, the deficit was managed responsibly, and government relief efforts weren’t put into the hands of inadequate boyfriends. And oh yeah, the Republicans tried to impeach our president for getting a blow job.

    Then Bush, who is nothing but a figurehead president was “elected”, and government spending went through the roof, the deficit climbed at never before seen rates, the people were repeatedly lied to in order to justify a war for oil, and the law was clearly broken in order to take away our personal freedoms.

    Age doesn’t justify ignorance.

    Reply

  43. “don’t have sex in my office and I don’t expect a president to take the country off track by having it in the office I pay him to work in”

    So getting a blow job is worse for the country than dragging us into a half-trillion dollar pointless war over fabricated stories about WMD and made-up links between Iraq and 911? Is getting a blowjob worse than illegally wiretapping Americans?

    If you like the current administration, you must think back fondly on Nixon. Nixon was also a fan of illegally wiretapping Americans and sending our troops off to die for no good reason.

    Anyways, I only hate the current administration because I’m sick of seeing them hurt America. It would be a happier 4th of July if the troops were back home, the Patriot Act was trashed, the illegal wiretapping of Americans ceased, Guantanamo was shut down and the prisoners of war within put on trial, Bin Laden was captured, and the people who willingly compromised that CIA agent’s identity were fired as promised earlier by the White House.

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  44. G-Spank
    “Economy was super strong”
    Yeah, and oil was 4x as cheap.
    “Yeah those Clinton years sucked. The economy was super strong, there were no outlaw wars, ..”
    You forget Yugoslavia, “humanitarian catastrophe”, don’t you?
    What particular law it was based on?
    Nothing changed, really.
    Same shit.

    Reply

  46. Republicans and freedom?!!! HUH?!!!

    If there were no Republicans, we’d have…

    Public health care – making everyone equal and free to be healthy.

    Freedom to marry regardless of gender – making everyone equal and free to love without fear.

    A single flat rate tax – making everyone equal and free in supporting their country and community.

    No national debt – making everyone equal and free from their parents’ reckless spending.

    More women and minorities in office – making everyone equal and free to have true representation.

    Better international relations – making everyone equal and free in a friendlier world community.

    Less warmongering – making everyone equal and free in a safer world.

    Fewer weapons in your neighbor’s house – making everyone equal and free to live safely in their own home. (If handguns make you safer, then the US should be the safest country on Earth, but the exact opposite is true!)

    Stricter pollution standards – making everyone equal and free to breathe clean air and help insure a more stable climate.

    Yea, the excessive liberty and freedom in the United States would really suck if the “liberals” were in control.

    But none of these make any money for the ruling Republicans and their corporate buddies, and thus we’ll never see ANY of them as long as this greedy party remains in power.

    “Bad things happen when good people do nothing.”
    Perhaps the troubles of the world ARE the fault of the liberals… for not doing enough. It’s time for us to FIGHT as if our children’s lives depend upon it… because it does!

    Reply

  47. I see the shuttle was full of cracks before launch, but they launched anyway. I hear a few things fell off during launch. If I was one of the crew I’d be wondering how to get back to earth without exploding agian. Apple can you help?

    Reply

  48. Boy, nothing can turn you from a shivering liberal pinko into a die hard republican killing machine faster than the front line of a good war.

    You liberals live in a dream world caused by not facing your fears and conquering them.

    MDW: “music” I LOVE MILITARY MUSIC

    I also love the smell of napalm in the morning ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

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  49. In response to my buddy’s rant about republicans, I offer this retort. (I’m not a republican, or a democrat)

    I’ve taken his statements and typed a more accurate assessment in the following prose.

    If there were no Republicans, we’d have…

    Public health care – which would bankrupt the country.. but hey, who needs a defense when you can get a ear cleaning and a hang nail removed for free!

    Freedom to marry regardless of gender – ok… this would be a good thing. But it’s both sides of the isle that are blocking this. Think not? then why wasn’t it passed when the dems had control of the government?

    A single flat rate tax – uhhhhhhh…. the Dems are not in favor of this. It unfairly taxes the poor, who have less disposable income,. Besides, this would kill the democratic party. The proponent of this was a member of the…. wait for it…. REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!

    No national debt – stop… you’re killing me. Do you remember who started off the whole deficit spending spree in the first place? Do you remember who controlled congress for the 40 years that initiated deficit spending? GmJm.. read a history book would ya?

    More women and minorities in office – There are more women and minorities in the current administration in leadership positions than there were in the previous administration – but you wouldn’t recognize that would you?

    Better international relations – appeasement doesn’t work. Just ask the Jews in Europe in the 1930’s. Oh wait, you can’t because they’re all DEAD from the gas chambers. Does the phrase “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it” mean anything to you?

    Less warmongering – lol… you’re killing me man. Seriously, pass the doobie over here and stop hogging it all to yourself.

    Fewer weapons in your neighbor’s house – if you really think that changing the constitution to remove handguns would make the USA a safer place, then you’re more naive than I thought. Guns don’t kill people, people with no hope kill people. It’s about the economy stupid. It was when Clinton ran for office, was when he took office, and still is with W in office. Better economy means less crime, worse economy means more crime. but hey.. go ahead and defend your family from an intruder with a butter knife if you like. Works for me. One less idiot to try and reason with.

    Stricter pollution standards – works for me, as long as every country in the world adopts the same standards. If it’s equal then I’m for it.

    But none of these make any money for the ruling Republicans and their corporate buddies, and thus we’ll never see ANY of them as long as this greedy party remains in power. – lol…. this is the funniest of all. And the democrats get their money wwwhhhhheeerrrrrreeee????????? Both parties are in cahoots fool. Wake up. Both parties have good people in them, and both parties have idiots in them. Stop being a political racist and wake up. There is good and bad in both, why do you think the country swings back and forth between them? Wanna know? It’s because the country is in the CENTER. That’s where the truth is.

    “Bad things happen when good people do nothing.”
    Perhaps the troubles of the world ARE the fault of the liberals… for not doing enough. It’s time for us to FIGHT as if our children’s lives depend upon it… because it does! – ok… good.. get involved. But the enemy of the world is not sitting in the white house, the enemy of the world is people like GmJm. Who can’t see that political racism, the attitude that my way is the only way, is the path to destruction.

    MDN word is “together” as in…

    Together we can do it. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike.

    Reject the far left, and the far right. 80% of the USA is in the middle.

    Reply

  50. GM jim
    “If there were no Republicans, we’d have…Public health care – making everyone equal and free to be healthy.”

    FYI-Just had a friend move to Canada a few years ago. From what she says, you don’t want public health care. It sucks. She’d rather go back to the U.S. system.

    Reply

  51. Who made China favored trade staus?

    That’s now responsible for the high price of steel, building materials, gas and oil?

    Yea, liberal, pinko, I need my tube steak s*cked now, fsck Americans Bill “jackass” Clinton.

    Who failed to nip Al -Quesedia* in the bud early on? Suddam insane? Oh just lob a few missles over there, what a weak liberal move.

    You got to rip off heads and cr*p down necks or your not taken seriously in this world.

    NATO is a bunch of pansy ass, fuufuu boys anyway.

    *(name altered to protect this post/IP being Elchon’ed)

    Reply

  52. I voted for both Clinton, and Bush.
    My replies to GmJm’s statements:

    “Freedom to marry regardless of gender – making everyone equal and free to love without fear.”
    —I agree, but one should be called Marriage, and the other should be called a Civil Union. Rights would be the same.

    “A single flat rate tax – making everyone equal and free in supporting their country and community.”
    —YES! IRS sucks.

    “More women and minorities in office – making everyone equal and free to have true representation.”
    —In my observations as an independent, I notice Democrats putting minorities and women in their speeches, while Republicans are putting them in offices.

    “Better international relations – making everyone equal and free in a friendlier world community.”
    —YES, but in the past, making everyone equal and free took a Civil War to accomplish here.

    “Less warmongering – making everyone equal and free in a safer world.”
    —Again, any time this was accomplished in history, it took World War every 30 years or so. History shows bullies and dictators have never done well with making/keeping promises of peace and freedoms. We’ve had to blow them to bits, and the ones left alive sign the peace treaties. IE: Hitler and Japan.

    “Fewer weapons in your neighbor’s house”—Fine if your neighbor is Mr. Rodgers. Weapons in a house guarantee a not so nice neighbor stays in their own. Again, bullies, criminals, and dictators historically don’t honor property lines on a map. They need “reminding” shall we say.

    Reply

  53. “You got to rip off heads and cr*p down necks or your not taken seriously in this world.”

    Which is fine as long as you’re not one of those innocent citizens in a far off country who is having their ‘head ripped off’ and ‘neck crapped in’.

    Reply

  56. It’s not too amazing that the litany of complaints our Founding Fathers had against the tyrannical king is almost point on point legitimate against our current tyrannical president. Read ’em and weep.

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  57. To Wade:

    Hail to Double-U, Double-U Bush, King George the First. First King of America and tyrant to America’s colonies.

    I read the declaration of independence too and had a similar shock of contemporary relevance. Such is man that we become what we most despise. Bush is not alone though, it happens to most politicians of both camps.

    Reply

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