Hey, Congress: Keep Your Day Jobs : NPR: "Next week, hordes of conservative Republican lawmakers will descend on Washington to take their seats in the freshman class of the 112th Congress. But some prominent conservatives suggest the best thing lawmakers can do to fix Capitol Hill is to stay the heck away from it.
'We used to pay farmers not to grow crops. Let's pay congressmen to stay out of Washington, D.C.,' Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal recently told Human Events. In a new book, Jindal makes a serious case for a return to a part-time Congress, among other things. He argues that once elected, lawmakers who once promised to change Washington 'become part of the problem' and turn into a 'permanent governing political class.'
His solution? 'Make them part-time, give them term limits. Don't let them become lobbyists. When they have to live under the same rules and laws they pass for the rest of us, maybe you'd see some more common sense coming out of Washington, D.C.'
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Jindal, Markell tops in popularity - David Catanese - POLITICO.com
Jindal, Markell tops in popularity - David Catanese - POLITICO.com: "Navigate:
Jindal, Markell tops in popularity
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Delaware Gov. Jack Markell are the most popular governors set to stand for reelection over the next two years, according to Public Policy Polling's end-of-the-year rankings.
Jindal, who plans to run for a second term in 2011, has the approval of 58 percent of his state's voters; Markell, the outgoing chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, earns a 50 percent approval rating.
The governor with the lowest approval rating who could face voters again: Washington's Christine Gregoire.
Gregoire is mulling a third term in the Evergreen State, but right now just 40 percent of voters approve of her job performance, according to PPP.
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Jindal, Markell tops in popularity
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Delaware Gov. Jack Markell are the most popular governors set to stand for reelection over the next two years, according to Public Policy Polling's end-of-the-year rankings.
Jindal, who plans to run for a second term in 2011, has the approval of 58 percent of his state's voters; Markell, the outgoing chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, earns a 50 percent approval rating.
The governor with the lowest approval rating who could face voters again: Washington's Christine Gregoire.
Gregoire is mulling a third term in the Evergreen State, but right now just 40 percent of voters approve of her job performance, according to PPP.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
China has carrier-killer missile, U.S. admiral says - Washington Times
China has carrier-killer missile, U.S. admiral says - Washington Times: "China's military is deploying a new anti-ship ballistic missile that can sink U.S. aircraft carriers, a weapon that specialists say gives Beijing new power-projection capabilities that will affect U.S. support for its Pacific allies.
Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, disclosed to a Japanese newspaper on Sunday that the new anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) is now in the early stages of deployment after having undergone extensive testing.
'An analogy using a Western term would be 'initial operational capability (IOC),' whereby I think China would perceive that it has an operational capability now, but they continue to develop it,' Adm. Willard told the Asahi Shimbun. 'I would gauge it as about the equivalent of a U.S. system that has achieved IOC.'
The four-star admiral, who has been an outspoken skeptic of China's claims that its large-scale military buildup is peaceful, said the U.S. deployment assessment is based on China's press reports and continued testing.
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Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, disclosed to a Japanese newspaper on Sunday that the new anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) is now in the early stages of deployment after having undergone extensive testing.
'An analogy using a Western term would be 'initial operational capability (IOC),' whereby I think China would perceive that it has an operational capability now, but they continue to develop it,' Adm. Willard told the Asahi Shimbun. 'I would gauge it as about the equivalent of a U.S. system that has achieved IOC.'
The four-star admiral, who has been an outspoken skeptic of China's claims that its large-scale military buildup is peaceful, said the U.S. deployment assessment is based on China's press reports and continued testing.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Where are the jobs? For many companies, overseas
Where are the jobs? For many companies, overseas: "Corporate profits are up. Stock prices are up. So why isn't anyone hiring?
Actually, many American companies are—just maybe not in your town. They're hiring overseas, where sales are surging and the pipeline of orders is fat.
More than half of the 15,000 people that Caterpillar Inc. has hired this year were outside the U.S. UPS is also hiring at a faster clip overseas. For both companies, sales in international markets are growing at least twice as fast as domestically.
The trend helps explain why unemployment remains high in the United States, edging up to 9.8 percent last month, even though companies are performing well: All but 4 percent of the top 500 U.S. corporations reported profits this year, and the stock market is close to its highest point since the 2008 financial meltdown.
But the jobs are going elsewhere. The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, says American companies have created 1.4 million jobs overseas this year, compared with less than 1 million in the U.S. The additional 1.4 million jobs would have lowered the U.S. unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, says Robert Scott, the institute's senior international economist.
'There's a huge difference between what is good for American companies versus what is good for the American economy,' says Scott.
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Actually, many American companies are—just maybe not in your town. They're hiring overseas, where sales are surging and the pipeline of orders is fat.
More than half of the 15,000 people that Caterpillar Inc. has hired this year were outside the U.S. UPS is also hiring at a faster clip overseas. For both companies, sales in international markets are growing at least twice as fast as domestically.
The trend helps explain why unemployment remains high in the United States, edging up to 9.8 percent last month, even though companies are performing well: All but 4 percent of the top 500 U.S. corporations reported profits this year, and the stock market is close to its highest point since the 2008 financial meltdown.
But the jobs are going elsewhere. The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, says American companies have created 1.4 million jobs overseas this year, compared with less than 1 million in the U.S. The additional 1.4 million jobs would have lowered the U.S. unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, says Robert Scott, the institute's senior international economist.
'There's a huge difference between what is good for American companies versus what is good for the American economy,' says Scott.
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White House Plans to Push Global Warming Policy, GOP Vows Fight - FoxNews.com
White House Plans to Push Global Warming Policy, GOP Vows Fight - FoxNews.com: "HONOLULU, Hawaii -- After failing to get climate-change legislation through Congress, the Obama administration plans on pushing through its environmental policies through other means, and Republicans are ready to put up a fight.
On Jan. 2, new carbon emissions limits will be put forward as the Environmental Protection Agency prepares regulations that would force companies to get permits to release greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
Critics say the new rules are a backdoor effort to enact the president's agenda on global warming without the support of Congress, and would hurt the economy and put jobs in jeopardy by forcing companies to pay for expensive new equipment.
'They are job killers. Regulations, period -- any kind of regulation is a weight on economy. It requires people to comply with the law, which takes work hours and time, which reduces the profitability of firms. Therefore, they grow more slowly and you create less jobs,' said environmental scientist Ken Green of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
On Jan. 2, new carbon emissions limits will be put forward as the Environmental Protection Agency prepares regulations that would force companies to get permits to release greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
Critics say the new rules are a backdoor effort to enact the president's agenda on global warming without the support of Congress, and would hurt the economy and put jobs in jeopardy by forcing companies to pay for expensive new equipment.
'They are job killers. Regulations, period -- any kind of regulation is a weight on economy. It requires people to comply with the law, which takes work hours and time, which reduces the profitability of firms. Therefore, they grow more slowly and you create less jobs,' said environmental scientist Ken Green of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Friday, December 24, 2010
Good Works Ministries
News & Events: "The Good Works House is ready for a new school year!
We opened our first Good Works House on August 1st, 2010 for young women who have aged out of foster care and are interested in attending college. The home provides a safe living/study environment with mentorship and community building skills development. We will house up to eight occupants with an additional room for much needed temporary housing for emergency situations. The home has a large meeting area for educational seminars and fellowship. We will be able to hold workshops for youth who are preparing to age out of foster care. These workshops serve a large number of youth, plus allow our house members important opportunities to participate in mentoring roles with other at-risk youth.
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We opened our first Good Works House on August 1st, 2010 for young women who have aged out of foster care and are interested in attending college. The home provides a safe living/study environment with mentorship and community building skills development. We will house up to eight occupants with an additional room for much needed temporary housing for emergency situations. The home has a large meeting area for educational seminars and fellowship. We will be able to hold workshops for youth who are preparing to age out of foster care. These workshops serve a large number of youth, plus allow our house members important opportunities to participate in mentoring roles with other at-risk youth.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
should-you-pay-a-relative-to-take-care-of-mom: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance
should-you-pay-a-relative-to-take-care-of-mom: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance: "According to a report by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, 43.5 million Americans looked after a friend or relative age 50 or older in 2009, 28% more than in 2004. In a survey conducted for Home Instead Senior Care, a home-care franchiser, nearly 7% of respondents said they receive compensation for providing care to a relative.
Jeffrey Bloom, an elder-law attorney in Boston, says the number of such cases in his practice has quadrupled since before the recession. 'I have several clients with adult children who are out of work,' he says. 'Rather than pay someone else for care, many hire the child.'
Feeding the trend: the high unemployment rate, the rising cost of nursing-home care, an aging population and a 2006 change in Medicaid law that makes it harder for people who wish to qualify to give away assets. (Individuals are subject to strict limits, which vary by state, on the value of their assets in order to qualify for Medicaid benefits.)
When caregivers make financial sacrifices, elder-law attorneys say, it is often appropriate to compensate them. Some 37% of caregivers surveyed by the NAC in 2007 said they had quit a job or reduced their hours to accommodate their responsibilities.
There are several ways to compensate a family caregiver. Attorneys say many families pay an hourly wage. As an estate-planning tactic, others opt for annual gifts or a lump-sum payment designed to cover services over an extended period. Some arrange for the caregiver to receive a larger inheritance.
Which option makes the most sense will depend on factors such as the caregiver's desire for income now versus later and the care recipient's estate-planning goals. Families also must consider tax consequences. And if a parent may need to rely on Medicaid to cover future nursing-home costs, it is important to pay the caregiver in a way that is permitted under Medicaid law.
Regardless of the method selected, elder-law attorneys urge clients to disclose these arrangements to the whole family. When revealed after the fact, compensation agreements can create suspicions that result in family conflicts or even estate litigation, says Howard Krooks, an elder-law attorney who practices in Boca Raton, Fla., and Rye Brook, N.Y. (To find an elder-law attorney familiar with your state's rules, go to www.elderlawanswers.com or www.naela.org.)
Under federal law, when annual compensation exceeds $1,700, an employer and employee each owe federal payroll taxes of 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare. The employer must generally also pay 6.2% on the first $7,000 in wages in federal and state unemployment tax, says Melissa Labant, a CPA with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. (For more information, see IRS Publication 926, 'Household Employer's Tax Guide.')
In many cases, people employing someone 40 hours or more a week also are required to contribute to state workers' compensation insurance pools.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Jeffrey Bloom, an elder-law attorney in Boston, says the number of such cases in his practice has quadrupled since before the recession. 'I have several clients with adult children who are out of work,' he says. 'Rather than pay someone else for care, many hire the child.'
Feeding the trend: the high unemployment rate, the rising cost of nursing-home care, an aging population and a 2006 change in Medicaid law that makes it harder for people who wish to qualify to give away assets. (Individuals are subject to strict limits, which vary by state, on the value of their assets in order to qualify for Medicaid benefits.)
When caregivers make financial sacrifices, elder-law attorneys say, it is often appropriate to compensate them. Some 37% of caregivers surveyed by the NAC in 2007 said they had quit a job or reduced their hours to accommodate their responsibilities.
There are several ways to compensate a family caregiver. Attorneys say many families pay an hourly wage. As an estate-planning tactic, others opt for annual gifts or a lump-sum payment designed to cover services over an extended period. Some arrange for the caregiver to receive a larger inheritance.
Which option makes the most sense will depend on factors such as the caregiver's desire for income now versus later and the care recipient's estate-planning goals. Families also must consider tax consequences. And if a parent may need to rely on Medicaid to cover future nursing-home costs, it is important to pay the caregiver in a way that is permitted under Medicaid law.
Regardless of the method selected, elder-law attorneys urge clients to disclose these arrangements to the whole family. When revealed after the fact, compensation agreements can create suspicions that result in family conflicts or even estate litigation, says Howard Krooks, an elder-law attorney who practices in Boca Raton, Fla., and Rye Brook, N.Y. (To find an elder-law attorney familiar with your state's rules, go to www.elderlawanswers.com or www.naela.org.)
Under federal law, when annual compensation exceeds $1,700, an employer and employee each owe federal payroll taxes of 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare. The employer must generally also pay 6.2% on the first $7,000 in wages in federal and state unemployment tax, says Melissa Labant, a CPA with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. (For more information, see IRS Publication 926, 'Household Employer's Tax Guide.')
In many cases, people employing someone 40 hours or more a week also are required to contribute to state workers' compensation insurance pools.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Top Stories of 2010
- Unemployment
- Government regulation and pseudo-nationalization of Health Care industry
- Government Regulation of Auto and Banking industry
- Federal Debt
- Federal Spending by 111th Congress
- Gulf Oil Spill and regulation of off-shore drilling
- Obama Administration's "Cap and Trade"
- Control of National Borders (Immigration Reform)
- Global Warming
- China's new economic power
- Real Estate Mortgage Crisis
- Toyota safety issues
- Congressional "Cash for Clunkers"
- Republican gains in Congress and Governorships
- Wikileaks
- GM financial collapse and comeback
- Wall Street Bailouts
- European Bailouts
- Haiti earthquake
- Apple Ipad
- TSA pat-downs
- Federal Reserve's quantitative easing
- Iraq war withdrawal
- Afghanistan war surge
- Iran nuclear program
- North Korea nuclear program
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Metro begins random bag searches | Washington Examiner
Metro begins random bag searches | Washington Examiner: "Metro kicked off tighter security controls Tuesday, beginning randomized searches of riders' bags at two stations during the morning commute.
The first screenings, typically running well under a minute each, lasted for an hour at the Green Line's College Park station and Braddock Road stop on the Yellow/Blue lines in Alexandria.
No explosives were found, and no terrorist suspects were arrested, according to spokeswoman Cathy Asato. 'It went off as intended,' she said.
Metro started the searches five days after announcing the new policy -- and the same day a defective bomb was found in Rome's subway. But Metro officials said the timing was merely coincidental. They also have denied any connection to the recent arrests of two men accused of threatening Metro.
It is not clear when, where or how often more searches will occur as the transit agency does not plan to announce them. Metro officials had alerted media about Tuesday's screenings in advance on the condition the information not be published until they began.
Opposition to them is mounting. The local branches of the American Civil Liberties Union are questioning their constitutionality. The D.C. Bill of Rights Coalition and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition posted an online petition, saying the searches attack riders' civil liberties. And Metro's Riders' Advisory Council, which opposed such searches two years ago, plans to host a Jan. 3 public forum.
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The first screenings, typically running well under a minute each, lasted for an hour at the Green Line's College Park station and Braddock Road stop on the Yellow/Blue lines in Alexandria.
No explosives were found, and no terrorist suspects were arrested, according to spokeswoman Cathy Asato. 'It went off as intended,' she said.
Metro started the searches five days after announcing the new policy -- and the same day a defective bomb was found in Rome's subway. But Metro officials said the timing was merely coincidental. They also have denied any connection to the recent arrests of two men accused of threatening Metro.
It is not clear when, where or how often more searches will occur as the transit agency does not plan to announce them. Metro officials had alerted media about Tuesday's screenings in advance on the condition the information not be published until they began.
Opposition to them is mounting. The local branches of the American Civil Liberties Union are questioning their constitutionality. The D.C. Bill of Rights Coalition and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition posted an online petition, saying the searches attack riders' civil liberties. And Metro's Riders' Advisory Council, which opposed such searches two years ago, plans to host a Jan. 3 public forum.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Commutes Sentence of Man Sent to Jail for Owning Guns Legally - FoxNews.com
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Commutes Sentence of Man Sent to Jail for Owning Guns Legally - FoxNews.com: "A man given seven years in prison after being found with two guns he purchased legally in Colorado has had his sentence commuted, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Monday.
The case of Brian Aitken, 27, had become a cause célèbre among gun-rights advocates. On Jan. 2, 2009, Aitken, an entrepreneur and media consultant with no prior criminal record, muttered to his mother that life wasn't worth living after a planned visit with son was abruptly canceled at the last minute. Aitken then left his mother's home in Mount Laurel as she called police, who later found two locked and unloaded handguns in the trunk of his car.
Aitken had purchased the guns legally in Colorado, and he passed an FBI background check when he bought them, according to his father, Larry Aitken. Brian also contacted New Jersey State Police before moving back back to the Garden State to discuss how to properly transport his weapons. But despite those good-faith efforts, Larry Aitken said, Brian was convicted on weapons charges and sent to prison in August.
Judge James Morley would not allow the argument in trial earlier this year and Christie later declined to reappoint the judge due to an unrelated case.
According to an order for commutation of sentence released by Christie on Monday, Aitken was to be released from custody as soon as administratively possible. The order is subject to revocation at any time.
Prior to Monday's announcement, Larry Aitken, who could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday, said he would not stop advocating for his son's release.
'I don't think there are words yet invented that could characterize the -- I guess anger would be one word, but it's a lot deeper than anger,' he told FoxNews.com this month. 'Whatever the word is that's a combination of anger, shock, disbelief, horror and a desire to expose all of this -- that's the word.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The case of Brian Aitken, 27, had become a cause célèbre among gun-rights advocates. On Jan. 2, 2009, Aitken, an entrepreneur and media consultant with no prior criminal record, muttered to his mother that life wasn't worth living after a planned visit with son was abruptly canceled at the last minute. Aitken then left his mother's home in Mount Laurel as she called police, who later found two locked and unloaded handguns in the trunk of his car.
Aitken had purchased the guns legally in Colorado, and he passed an FBI background check when he bought them, according to his father, Larry Aitken. Brian also contacted New Jersey State Police before moving back back to the Garden State to discuss how to properly transport his weapons. But despite those good-faith efforts, Larry Aitken said, Brian was convicted on weapons charges and sent to prison in August.
Judge James Morley would not allow the argument in trial earlier this year and Christie later declined to reappoint the judge due to an unrelated case.
According to an order for commutation of sentence released by Christie on Monday, Aitken was to be released from custody as soon as administratively possible. The order is subject to revocation at any time.
Prior to Monday's announcement, Larry Aitken, who could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday, said he would not stop advocating for his son's release.
'I don't think there are words yet invented that could characterize the -- I guess anger would be one word, but it's a lot deeper than anger,' he told FoxNews.com this month. 'Whatever the word is that's a combination of anger, shock, disbelief, horror and a desire to expose all of this -- that's the word.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Cop shoots, kills family dog | ajc.com
Cop shoots, kills family dog | ajc.com: "'Boomer' started barking and running toward a police officer Saturday morning, the officer shot the dog and killed it, Lawrene King told the AJC Sunday night.
“He’s a golden retriever,' King said. 'He barks, but he’s never bitten anyone.”
A Clayton County police officer was on foot patrol on North Shore Drive when the dog jumped off a porch and started barking and running toward the officer, Capt. Tina Daniel said. The officer ordered the dog to stop and when it didn't, the officer shot and killed the animal in its yard, Daniel said.
The police department has launched an internal investigation into the incident and will not discuss the incident until it is completed, Sgt. Otis Willis said Monday afternoon.
The officer, whose name was not released, was responding to a call reporting a suspicious person, police said.
A resident called police to report that someone was selling meat from the back of a white pickup truck, King said. The friend of one of her children had parked his white truck in front of the family's home, and King believes the officer was checking it to confirm it was involved.
'My neighbor saw the whole thing,' King said. 'He was shocked how quickly the officer pulled his gun.'
Boomer was killed about 25 feet from his spot on the front porch, close to her front door, King said. He was not on a leash.
King said she wasn't home when Boomer was shot, but three teenagers were in her house. King said she received a frantic call from her 19-year-old son Jonathan.
'Mom! He killed my dog,' King said her son screamed.
Lawrene King said police officers were still at her home when she returned.
The family had an electric fence, but there was not a sign alerting the officer it was there, Daniel said.
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“He’s a golden retriever,' King said. 'He barks, but he’s never bitten anyone.”
A Clayton County police officer was on foot patrol on North Shore Drive when the dog jumped off a porch and started barking and running toward the officer, Capt. Tina Daniel said. The officer ordered the dog to stop and when it didn't, the officer shot and killed the animal in its yard, Daniel said.
The police department has launched an internal investigation into the incident and will not discuss the incident until it is completed, Sgt. Otis Willis said Monday afternoon.
The officer, whose name was not released, was responding to a call reporting a suspicious person, police said.
A resident called police to report that someone was selling meat from the back of a white pickup truck, King said. The friend of one of her children had parked his white truck in front of the family's home, and King believes the officer was checking it to confirm it was involved.
'My neighbor saw the whole thing,' King said. 'He was shocked how quickly the officer pulled his gun.'
Boomer was killed about 25 feet from his spot on the front porch, close to her front door, King said. He was not on a leash.
King said she wasn't home when Boomer was shot, but three teenagers were in her house. King said she received a frantic call from her 19-year-old son Jonathan.
'Mom! He killed my dog,' King said her son screamed.
Lawrene King said police officers were still at her home when she returned.
The family had an electric fence, but there was not a sign alerting the officer it was there, Daniel said.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Hungary passes law boosting government control over media | Reuters
Hungary passes law boosting government control over media | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Hungary's parliament passed legislation on Tuesday to tighten government control over news outlets that media watchdogs say is arbitrary and ill-defined.
The new National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH), dominated by people loyal to the ruling Fidesz party, will oversee all public news production and its powers will include levying big fines on private media that violate the law.
Some 1,500 people protested near parliament on Monday night against the media law.
Since Fidesz won a two-thirds parliament majority in April, it has put its own people into key posts at public institutions such as the financial regulator and the state audit office, as well as the NMHH.
The media law, seen as the latest piece of that power grab, received 256 votes with 87 against and no abstentions in parliament.
Critics have called the law heavy-handed, saying it does not clearly lay out what news outlets have to do to comply.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it severely restricted print and online media, which runs counter to OSCE standards.
'Regulating print media can curb media freedom and free public debate, which are indispensable elements of democracies,' OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatovic wrote in a report.
'Regulating online media is not only technologically impossible but it exerts a chilling, self-censoring effect on free expression.'
Besides regulatory changes, all public service news production, in television, radio and the national news agency MTI, will be merged and its contents disseminated for free.
The government said the new law was long overdue to bring outdated legislation up to date with changing technology and content. It said the law respected press freedom and was in line with those in fellow European Union countries.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The new National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH), dominated by people loyal to the ruling Fidesz party, will oversee all public news production and its powers will include levying big fines on private media that violate the law.
Some 1,500 people protested near parliament on Monday night against the media law.
Since Fidesz won a two-thirds parliament majority in April, it has put its own people into key posts at public institutions such as the financial regulator and the state audit office, as well as the NMHH.
The media law, seen as the latest piece of that power grab, received 256 votes with 87 against and no abstentions in parliament.
Critics have called the law heavy-handed, saying it does not clearly lay out what news outlets have to do to comply.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it severely restricted print and online media, which runs counter to OSCE standards.
'Regulating print media can curb media freedom and free public debate, which are indispensable elements of democracies,' OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatovic wrote in a report.
'Regulating online media is not only technologically impossible but it exerts a chilling, self-censoring effect on free expression.'
Besides regulatory changes, all public service news production, in television, radio and the national news agency MTI, will be merged and its contents disseminated for free.
The government said the new law was long overdue to bring outdated legislation up to date with changing technology and content. It said the law respected press freedom and was in line with those in fellow European Union countries.
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Venezuela tightens Internet regulation | Reuters
Venezuela tightens Internet regulation | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Venezuela's parliament approved tighter regulation of the Internet on Monday in the latest of a package of laws to entrench President Hugo Chavez's socialist 'revolution' before a new Assembly is sworn-in next month.
Members of his ruling Socialist Party say the move brings South America's top oil producer into line with international norms for policing the Web. But opposition politicians say it is aimed at stifling dissent.
It followed a more controversial vote by the National Assembly last week that will allow Chavez to bypass the next parliament and rule by decree for 18 months.
The former paratrooper turned populist leader says he needs the wide-ranging powers to deal with a national emergency caused by floods that have killed 40 people and driven nearly 140,000 more from their homes.
But the decision was denounced by furious opposition parties due to take 40 percent of seats in the Assembly beginning on January 5, as well as by the U.S. State Department, which accused Chavez of finding 'creative ways' to justify autocratic powers.
The Internet bill approved on Monday prohibits online content attacking 'good customs,' disrespecting public officials or inciting violence against the president.
Many of Venezuela's lively news forums operate without a moderator or editor filtering out extremist or vulgar content. But the bill has concerned some free speech activists, who have drawn comparisons with how China and Cuba police the Web.
Under the new regulations, all Internet traffic is supposed to pass through a single, government-controlled access point, stoking opposition fears about surveillance and censorship.
Lawmakers who promoted the bill had argued that it would make the Internet faster. But it was not clear how the government planned to undo the communications architecture already in place, or even whether it was technically possible.
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Members of his ruling Socialist Party say the move brings South America's top oil producer into line with international norms for policing the Web. But opposition politicians say it is aimed at stifling dissent.
It followed a more controversial vote by the National Assembly last week that will allow Chavez to bypass the next parliament and rule by decree for 18 months.
The former paratrooper turned populist leader says he needs the wide-ranging powers to deal with a national emergency caused by floods that have killed 40 people and driven nearly 140,000 more from their homes.
But the decision was denounced by furious opposition parties due to take 40 percent of seats in the Assembly beginning on January 5, as well as by the U.S. State Department, which accused Chavez of finding 'creative ways' to justify autocratic powers.
The Internet bill approved on Monday prohibits online content attacking 'good customs,' disrespecting public officials or inciting violence against the president.
Many of Venezuela's lively news forums operate without a moderator or editor filtering out extremist or vulgar content. But the bill has concerned some free speech activists, who have drawn comparisons with how China and Cuba police the Web.
Under the new regulations, all Internet traffic is supposed to pass through a single, government-controlled access point, stoking opposition fears about surveillance and censorship.
Lawmakers who promoted the bill had argued that it would make the Internet faster. But it was not clear how the government planned to undo the communications architecture already in place, or even whether it was technically possible.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Obama's mystery proposal to regulate the Internet | Washington Examiner
Obama's mystery proposal to regulate the Internet | Washington Examiner: "If President Obama wants his executive branch to resemble the opaque, power-hungry political machinations in Chicago, he seems to be succeeding in the area of Internet regulation. Last April, a federal court told the Federal Communications Commission that it has no business regulating the Internet. Unfortunately, judicial rejection of the commission's first swing at the 'net neutrality' ball -- the idea the FCC must regulate the Internet to insure everybody has equal access -- didn't deter Obama's FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski, from taking another whack. He's bringing a new set of proposed net neutrality regulations to the five-member panel Tuesday. Unfortunately, nobody knows any details of the new proposal because Genachowski has kept them secret until the last possible minute even as he rushed them forward for a vote. How ironic that the Internet, the great and empowering liberator of information that 'wants to be free,' is being chopped up behind closed doors by an unelected panel. Note, too, that this is being considered by the FCC on the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year.
In their net neutrality quest, Genachowski and two of his fellow Democratic appointees are working to expand government power into an area where the commission has no jurisdiction, under the guise of solving a problem that does not exist. Meredith Baker, a Republican FCC appointee, summarized the situation well: 'We have two branches of government -- Congress and the courts -- expressing grave concerns with our agency becoming increasingly unmoored from our statutory authority. By seeking to regulate the Internet now, we exceed the authority Congress has given us and justify those concerns.' Incoming House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., has called on the FCC to 'cease and desist.'
This exercise in government opacity and overreach is already damaging the economy. As major telecommunications and Internet service companies prepare to roll out new fourth generation (4G) wireless service for millions of customers, these unelected bureaucratic commissars are recklessly creating doubt about the future value and profitability of those companies' investments. They are also discouraging future investments that need to be made for the Internet to continue its phenomenal growth.
Federal courts will almost certainly strike down anything the FCC adopts Tuesday, just as they did earlier this year. Congress will also have its chance to undo Genachowski's handiwork through the Congressional Review Act. But why should we have to go this far to rein in a government agency supposedly run by people who took an oath to 'support and defend' our Constitution? Is Obama unable to make his own appointees obey the law? Either way, the new Congress should hold Obama accountable for what the FCC is now doing in his name.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
In their net neutrality quest, Genachowski and two of his fellow Democratic appointees are working to expand government power into an area where the commission has no jurisdiction, under the guise of solving a problem that does not exist. Meredith Baker, a Republican FCC appointee, summarized the situation well: 'We have two branches of government -- Congress and the courts -- expressing grave concerns with our agency becoming increasingly unmoored from our statutory authority. By seeking to regulate the Internet now, we exceed the authority Congress has given us and justify those concerns.' Incoming House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., has called on the FCC to 'cease and desist.'
This exercise in government opacity and overreach is already damaging the economy. As major telecommunications and Internet service companies prepare to roll out new fourth generation (4G) wireless service for millions of customers, these unelected bureaucratic commissars are recklessly creating doubt about the future value and profitability of those companies' investments. They are also discouraging future investments that need to be made for the Internet to continue its phenomenal growth.
Federal courts will almost certainly strike down anything the FCC adopts Tuesday, just as they did earlier this year. Congress will also have its chance to undo Genachowski's handiwork through the Congressional Review Act. But why should we have to go this far to rein in a government agency supposedly run by people who took an oath to 'support and defend' our Constitution? Is Obama unable to make his own appointees obey the law? Either way, the new Congress should hold Obama accountable for what the FCC is now doing in his name.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Robert M. McDowell: The FCC's Threat to Internet Freedom - WSJ.com
Robert M. McDowell: The FCC's Threat to Internet Freedom - WSJ.com: "By ROBERT M. MCDOWELL
Tomorrow morning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will mark the winter solstice by taking an unprecedented step to expand government's reach into the Internet by attempting to regulate its inner workings. In doing so, the agency will circumvent Congress and disregard a recent court ruling.
How did the FCC get here?
For years, proponents of so-called 'net neutrality' have been calling for strong regulation of broadband 'on-ramps' to the Internet, like those provided by your local cable or phone companies. Rules are needed, the argument goes, to ensure that the Internet remains open and free, and to discourage broadband providers from thwarting consumer demand. That sounds good if you say it fast.
Nothing is broken that needs fixing, however. The Internet has been open and freedom-enhancing since it was spun off from a government research project in the early 1990s. Its nature as a diffuse and dynamic global network of networks defies top-down authority. Ample laws to protect consumers already exist. Furthermore, the Obama Justice Department and the European Commission both decided this year that net-neutrality regulation was unnecessary and might deter investment in next-generation Internet technology and infrastructure.
Analysts and broadband companies of all sizes have told the FCC that new rules are likely to have the perverse effect of inhibiting capital investment, deterring innovation, raising operating costs, and ultimately increasing consumer prices. Others maintain that the new rules will kill jobs. By moving forward with Internet rules anyway, the FCC is not living up to its promise of being 'data driven' in its pursuit of mandates—i.e., listening to the needs of the market.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Tomorrow morning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will mark the winter solstice by taking an unprecedented step to expand government's reach into the Internet by attempting to regulate its inner workings. In doing so, the agency will circumvent Congress and disregard a recent court ruling.
How did the FCC get here?
For years, proponents of so-called 'net neutrality' have been calling for strong regulation of broadband 'on-ramps' to the Internet, like those provided by your local cable or phone companies. Rules are needed, the argument goes, to ensure that the Internet remains open and free, and to discourage broadband providers from thwarting consumer demand. That sounds good if you say it fast.
Nothing is broken that needs fixing, however. The Internet has been open and freedom-enhancing since it was spun off from a government research project in the early 1990s. Its nature as a diffuse and dynamic global network of networks defies top-down authority. Ample laws to protect consumers already exist. Furthermore, the Obama Justice Department and the European Commission both decided this year that net-neutrality regulation was unnecessary and might deter investment in next-generation Internet technology and infrastructure.
Analysts and broadband companies of all sizes have told the FCC that new rules are likely to have the perverse effect of inhibiting capital investment, deterring innovation, raising operating costs, and ultimately increasing consumer prices. Others maintain that the new rules will kill jobs. By moving forward with Internet rules anyway, the FCC is not living up to its promise of being 'data driven' in its pursuit of mandates—i.e., listening to the needs of the market.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Gaping holes at the Mexico border are exposed | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Gaping holes at the Mexico border are exposed | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "More than 18 months after U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspectors were supposed to start enforcing stringent ID requirements at the nation's land borders, millions of travelers are still being admitted without passports or other secure IDs, a new government audit shows.
An Office of Inspector General report released Monday found that CBP remains unprepared to fully implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which officially took effect in June 2009 and requires all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to carry passports or one of a handful of other forms of secure ID.
In the first eight months after the requirements took effect, 2.3 million travelers failed to provide proper paperwork at U.S. land ports of entry.
CBP internal policy, issued shortly before the implementation deadline, only required travelers who provided improper paperwork multiple times to undergo added inspection, resulting in additional screening for about 9,000 people based only on their lack of documentation, according to the report.
Auditors singled out Texas for having the lowest compliance rate in the country, with nearly 1-in-10 travelers — 1.1 million people — arriving at Texas land borders without proper identification during the period of the review.
Critics warned that the failure to fully implement the more stringent ID requirements, mandated by Congress as part of its response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, amounts to a security vulnerability.
Until the new travel document requirement is fully enforced, OIG's auditors wrote, the agency 'continues to incur risk' that it will admit travelers falsely claiming to be citizens of the U.S., Canada, Bermuda and Mexico.
'This report highlights why our nation's border security must be our first priority,' said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in response to the OIG's findings. 'The WHTI requirements have been in place for over a year, and it is unacceptable that the administration failed to ask for adequate resources needed to fully comply with the mandate.'
Improvements seen
While identifying problems preventing full compliance, auditors noted significant recent improvements by CBP in technology and manpower. The auditors also reported CBP had a high overall compliance rate with document requirements — 96 percent nationwide — driven in part by a robust public outreach and media campaign.
CBP spokeswoman Yolanda Choates declined comment on the report Monday. In a written response to OIG, a top CBP official said that 'despite OIG's characterization, all travelers have to satisfy, and will continue to have to satisfy, the inspecting officer of their identity, citizenship and admissibility prior to their admission to the United States.'
Even travelers that fail to comply with the WHTI requirements are queried against terrorist watch databases, CBP wrote.
According to the report, the agency does not yet have a date to fully implement the WHTI requirements.
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An Office of Inspector General report released Monday found that CBP remains unprepared to fully implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which officially took effect in June 2009 and requires all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to carry passports or one of a handful of other forms of secure ID.
In the first eight months after the requirements took effect, 2.3 million travelers failed to provide proper paperwork at U.S. land ports of entry.
CBP internal policy, issued shortly before the implementation deadline, only required travelers who provided improper paperwork multiple times to undergo added inspection, resulting in additional screening for about 9,000 people based only on their lack of documentation, according to the report.
Auditors singled out Texas for having the lowest compliance rate in the country, with nearly 1-in-10 travelers — 1.1 million people — arriving at Texas land borders without proper identification during the period of the review.
Critics warned that the failure to fully implement the more stringent ID requirements, mandated by Congress as part of its response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, amounts to a security vulnerability.
Until the new travel document requirement is fully enforced, OIG's auditors wrote, the agency 'continues to incur risk' that it will admit travelers falsely claiming to be citizens of the U.S., Canada, Bermuda and Mexico.
'This report highlights why our nation's border security must be our first priority,' said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in response to the OIG's findings. 'The WHTI requirements have been in place for over a year, and it is unacceptable that the administration failed to ask for adequate resources needed to fully comply with the mandate.'
Improvements seen
While identifying problems preventing full compliance, auditors noted significant recent improvements by CBP in technology and manpower. The auditors also reported CBP had a high overall compliance rate with document requirements — 96 percent nationwide — driven in part by a robust public outreach and media campaign.
CBP spokeswoman Yolanda Choates declined comment on the report Monday. In a written response to OIG, a top CBP official said that 'despite OIG's characterization, all travelers have to satisfy, and will continue to have to satisfy, the inspecting officer of their identity, citizenship and admissibility prior to their admission to the United States.'
Even travelers that fail to comply with the WHTI requirements are queried against terrorist watch databases, CBP wrote.
According to the report, the agency does not yet have a date to fully implement the WHTI requirements.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
FCC Gives Government Power to Regulate Web Traffic - WSJ.com
FCC Gives Government Power to Regulate Web Traffic - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON—Federal telecommunications regulators approved new rules Tuesday that would for the first time give the federal government formal authority to regulate Internet traffic, although how much or for how long remained unclear.
The FCC has approved rules that would give the federal government authority to regulate Internet traffic and prevent broadband providers from selectively blocking web traffic.
WSJ's Amy Schatz explains what the new rules really mean.
A divided Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal by Chairman Julius Genachowski to give the FCC power to prevent broadband providers from selectively blocking web traffic.
The rules will go into effect early next year, but legal challenges or action by Congress could block the FCC's action. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) on Tuesday called the FCC's action 'flawed' and said lawmakers would 'have an opportunity in the new Congress to push back against new rules and regulations.'
The new FCC rules, for example, would prevent a broadband provider, such as Comcast Corp., AT&T, Inc. or Verizon Communications Inc., from hobbling access to an online video service, such as Netflix, that competes with its own video services.
The rules would also require Internet providers to give subscribers more information on Internet speeds and service. Broadly, the rules would prohibit Internet providers from 'unreasonably discriminating' against rivals' Internet traffic or services on wired or wireless networks.
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The FCC has approved rules that would give the federal government authority to regulate Internet traffic and prevent broadband providers from selectively blocking web traffic.
WSJ's Amy Schatz explains what the new rules really mean.
A divided Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal by Chairman Julius Genachowski to give the FCC power to prevent broadband providers from selectively blocking web traffic.
The rules will go into effect early next year, but legal challenges or action by Congress could block the FCC's action. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) on Tuesday called the FCC's action 'flawed' and said lawmakers would 'have an opportunity in the new Congress to push back against new rules and regulations.'
The new FCC rules, for example, would prevent a broadband provider, such as Comcast Corp., AT&T, Inc. or Verizon Communications Inc., from hobbling access to an online video service, such as Netflix, that competes with its own video services.
The rules would also require Internet providers to give subscribers more information on Internet speeds and service. Broadly, the rules would prohibit Internet providers from 'unreasonably discriminating' against rivals' Internet traffic or services on wired or wireless networks.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
$100 Oil: Good For Investors, Not Consumers
ATT.NET - Email, News, Sports, Entertainment and Games: "$100 Oil: Good For Investors, Not Consumers
By Jeff Cox, CNBC.com Staff Writer NEW YORK (CNBC) -- The rise in oil prices could be just getting started, posing opportunities for investors -- as well as challenges for consumers and hopes for U.S. economic growth.
Consensus estimates are for oil prices to rise to the $100-a- barrel range for 2010, a base case that would reflect a steady pace of economic growth. In an optimistic scenario, gains of that nature merely would reflect growth in the U.S. economy and would not pose an obstacle to what is expected to be a more sustained pace of recovery.
But anything beyond that, such as the estimate from Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Monday for $120 a barrel in 2011, could spell danger. More from CNBC Oil Predictions for 2011 Expect Another Recession in 2012-2013: Strategist Schork: Has Nat-Gas Peaked? ...
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By Jeff Cox, CNBC.com Staff Writer NEW YORK (CNBC) -- The rise in oil prices could be just getting started, posing opportunities for investors -- as well as challenges for consumers and hopes for U.S. economic growth.
Consensus estimates are for oil prices to rise to the $100-a- barrel range for 2010, a base case that would reflect a steady pace of economic growth. In an optimistic scenario, gains of that nature merely would reflect growth in the U.S. economy and would not pose an obstacle to what is expected to be a more sustained pace of recovery.
But anything beyond that, such as the estimate from Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Monday for $120 a barrel in 2011, could spell danger. More from CNBC Oil Predictions for 2011 Expect Another Recession in 2012-2013: Strategist Schork: Has Nat-Gas Peaked? ...
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
111th Congress - Spendthrifts without Equal!
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Books | Obama reads his children's book to 2nd graders | Seattle Times Newspaper
Books | Obama reads his children's book to 2nd graders | Seattle Times Newspaper: "ARLINGTON, Va. —
Usually, big-name authors plug their books on a nationwide book tour. President Barack Obama took a lower-key approach Friday, reading selections from his new children's book to a group of delighted second-graders in suburban Virginia.
In the library of Long Branch Elementary School, some four dozen youngsters giggled and squirmed as Obama gave voice to passages from 'Of Thee I Sing,' an illustrated volume in the form of a letter to his daughters describing the lives of 13 great Americans. It was written in 2008 but just came out this fall, with proceeds going to a scholarship fund for the children of fallen and disabled soldiers.
'I wanted to borrow you guys, and read to you,' Obama explained, sitting down on a wooden chair as the children sat cross-legged on the carpet.
He began with entries on Albert Einstein - 'he was one of the smartest men ever' - and Jackie Robinson - 'he was the first African-American to play in major league baseball' - before skipping to the end, and the entry on Abraham Lincoln.
'Everybody know who Abraham Lincoln is?' Obama asked, to a chorus of 'Yes!' from the youngsters. 'He helped to end slavery in the United States.'
Obama left behind a signed copy for the school library. 'You can read about all these other different people who are brave and imaginative and creative and smart, just like you guys are,' he said. 'I hope you enjoy it.'
Obama also read the Christmas poem ''Twas the Night Before Christmas' by Clement Moore, pausing so the kids could jump in at key points and making side comments on things like the couple of inches of snow Washington was dusted with Thursday. 'I'm surprised you guys are in school 'cause a lot of times in Washington people don't go to school when there's even an inch of snow,' he said.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Usually, big-name authors plug their books on a nationwide book tour. President Barack Obama took a lower-key approach Friday, reading selections from his new children's book to a group of delighted second-graders in suburban Virginia.
In the library of Long Branch Elementary School, some four dozen youngsters giggled and squirmed as Obama gave voice to passages from 'Of Thee I Sing,' an illustrated volume in the form of a letter to his daughters describing the lives of 13 great Americans. It was written in 2008 but just came out this fall, with proceeds going to a scholarship fund for the children of fallen and disabled soldiers.
'I wanted to borrow you guys, and read to you,' Obama explained, sitting down on a wooden chair as the children sat cross-legged on the carpet.
He began with entries on Albert Einstein - 'he was one of the smartest men ever' - and Jackie Robinson - 'he was the first African-American to play in major league baseball' - before skipping to the end, and the entry on Abraham Lincoln.
'Everybody know who Abraham Lincoln is?' Obama asked, to a chorus of 'Yes!' from the youngsters. 'He helped to end slavery in the United States.'
Obama left behind a signed copy for the school library. 'You can read about all these other different people who are brave and imaginative and creative and smart, just like you guys are,' he said. 'I hope you enjoy it.'
Obama also read the Christmas poem ''Twas the Night Before Christmas' by Clement Moore, pausing so the kids could jump in at key points and making side comments on things like the couple of inches of snow Washington was dusted with Thursday. 'I'm surprised you guys are in school 'cause a lot of times in Washington people don't go to school when there's even an inch of snow,' he said.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Airport Security: Loaded Gun Slips Past TSA Screeners - ABC News
Airport Security: Loaded Gun Slips Past TSA Screeners - ABC News: "Last fall, as he had done hundreds of times, Iranian-American businessman Farid Seif passed through security at a Houston airport and boarded an international flight.
He didn't realize he had forgotten to remove the loaded snub nose 'baby' Glock pistol from his computer bag. But TSA officers never noticed as his bag glided along the belt and was x-rayed. When he got to his hotel after the three-hour flight, he was shocked to discover the gun traveled unnoticed from Houston.
'It's just impossible to miss it, you know. I mean, this is not a small gun,' Seif told ABC News. 'How can you miss it? You cannot miss it.'
But the TSA did miss it, and despite what most people believe about the painstaking effort to screen airline passengers and their luggage before they enter the terminal, it was not that unusual.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
He didn't realize he had forgotten to remove the loaded snub nose 'baby' Glock pistol from his computer bag. But TSA officers never noticed as his bag glided along the belt and was x-rayed. When he got to his hotel after the three-hour flight, he was shocked to discover the gun traveled unnoticed from Houston.
'It's just impossible to miss it, you know. I mean, this is not a small gun,' Seif told ABC News. 'How can you miss it? You cannot miss it.'
But the TSA did miss it, and despite what most people believe about the painstaking effort to screen airline passengers and their luggage before they enter the terminal, it was not that unusual.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Payrolls Drop in 28 U.S. States, Joblessness Rises in 21 in Labor Setback - Bloomberg
Payrolls Drop in 28 U.S. States, Joblessness Rises in 21 in Labor Setback - Bloomberg: "Payrolls decreased in 28 U.S. states and the unemployment rate climbed in 21, showing most parts of the world’s largest economy took part in the November labor- market setback.
North Carolina led the nation with 12,500 job cuts last month, followed by Massachusetts with 8,600 dismissals, and Ohio with 7,800, figures from the Labor Department showed today in Washington. Joblessness increased most in Georgia and Idaho, while workers in Nevada faced the highest rate in the country at 14.3 percent.
The report is consistent with figures on Dec. 3 that showed unemployment increased last month for the first time since August. The Federal Reserve’s pledge to buy an additional $600 billion of Treasuries by June and the $858 billion bill passed by Congress extending all Bush-era tax cuts for two years may help boost growth and cut unemployment.
The report shows “an uneven distribution of improvement with some disappointing results,” said Russell Price, a senior economist at Ameriprise Financial Inc. in Detroit. “We’ve seen pretty clear evidence that demand is starting to improve and with the tax program that was passed last night it should further accelerate. That increased demand is going to pull forward further improvements in employment.”
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
North Carolina led the nation with 12,500 job cuts last month, followed by Massachusetts with 8,600 dismissals, and Ohio with 7,800, figures from the Labor Department showed today in Washington. Joblessness increased most in Georgia and Idaho, while workers in Nevada faced the highest rate in the country at 14.3 percent.
The report is consistent with figures on Dec. 3 that showed unemployment increased last month for the first time since August. The Federal Reserve’s pledge to buy an additional $600 billion of Treasuries by June and the $858 billion bill passed by Congress extending all Bush-era tax cuts for two years may help boost growth and cut unemployment.
The report shows “an uneven distribution of improvement with some disappointing results,” said Russell Price, a senior economist at Ameriprise Financial Inc. in Detroit. “We’ve seen pretty clear evidence that demand is starting to improve and with the tax program that was passed last night it should further accelerate. That increased demand is going to pull forward further improvements in employment.”
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Special Report: Is America the sick man of the globe? - Yahoo! News
Special Report: Is America the sick man of the globe? - Yahoo! News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
This article should be recommended reading for every American who wonders about federal deficits and unemployment issues. The forecast is not very pretty.
I would really like to have your comments after reading the article.
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
This article should be recommended reading for every American who wonders about federal deficits and unemployment issues. The forecast is not very pretty.
I would really like to have your comments after reading the article.
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Senate Dems unveil $1.1T spending bill - TheHill.com
Senate Dems unveil $1.1T spending bill - TheHill.com: "Senate Democrats have filed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that would fund the government through fiscal year 2011, according to Senate GOP sources.
The 1,924-page bill includes funding to implement the sweeping healthcare reform bill Congress passed earlier this year as well as additional funds for Internal Revenue Service agents, according to a senior GOP aide familiar with the legislation.
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The 1,924-page bill includes funding to implement the sweeping healthcare reform bill Congress passed earlier this year as well as additional funds for Internal Revenue Service agents, according to a senior GOP aide familiar with the legislation.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Monday, December 13, 2010
Puppy Tweets
Puppy Tweets
Every once in a while, a special product comes along that you know will probably be popular, but you have no idea why. This year that product is Puppy Tweets, a $30 electronic dog tag that promises to answer the eternal question: "Ever wonder what your pet is doing while you're away?"
According to Mattel (MAT
) , the toy company behind Puppy Tweets, the electronic tag senses when your dog moves around or barks and uses this information to post select messages to Twitter under the dog's personal account. What kind of messages, you ask? Well, one of them is, "I bark because I miss you. There, I said it. Now hurry home."
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Adorable, but completely and utterly useless.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Saturday, December 11, 2010
US cable: Cuba to be insolvent within 2-3 years - Yahoo! News
US cable: Cuba to be insolvent within 2-3 years - Yahoo! News: "HAVANA – A newly released confidential U.S. diplomatic cable predicted Cuba's economic situation could become 'fatal' within two to three years, and detailed concerns from other countries' diplomats — including China — that the communist-run country has been slow to adopt reforms.
The cable was written in February, months before Cuban President Raul Castro announced a major revamp of the island's economy, laying out plans to fire a half-million state workers and open up the island to expanded forms of private enterprise.
The cable, sent by the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, which Washington maintains instead of an embassy, was released Friday by WikiLeaks. It was apparently written by America's chief diplomat on the island, Jonathan Farrar.
There was no immediate reaction from the Cuban government, but the cable's release is not likely to help improve U.S.-Cuban relations already strained by the long detention of an American contractor on suspicion of spying — not to mention 50 years of Cold War animus.
It details a breakfast meeting held by the Interests Section's chief economic officer with diplomats from some of Cuba's main trading partners, including China, Spain, Canada, Brazil and Italy, as well as France and Japan, both of which are among the island's top creditors.
'All diplomats agreed that Cuba could survive this year without substantial policy changes, but the financial situation could become fatal within 2-3 years,' the cable said, adding that Italian diplomats cited sources within the Cuban government as predicting that the island 'would become insolvent as early as 2011.'
Even the Chinese diplomat expressed what the cable referred to as 'visible exasperation.' It said the Chinese were particularly annoyed by Cuba's insistence on retaining majority control of any joint venture.
'No matter whether a foreign business invests $10 million or $100 million, the GOC's (Government of Cuba's) investment will always add up to 51%,' the cable quoted the unidentified Chinese commercial counselor as saying.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The cable was written in February, months before Cuban President Raul Castro announced a major revamp of the island's economy, laying out plans to fire a half-million state workers and open up the island to expanded forms of private enterprise.
The cable, sent by the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, which Washington maintains instead of an embassy, was released Friday by WikiLeaks. It was apparently written by America's chief diplomat on the island, Jonathan Farrar.
There was no immediate reaction from the Cuban government, but the cable's release is not likely to help improve U.S.-Cuban relations already strained by the long detention of an American contractor on suspicion of spying — not to mention 50 years of Cold War animus.
It details a breakfast meeting held by the Interests Section's chief economic officer with diplomats from some of Cuba's main trading partners, including China, Spain, Canada, Brazil and Italy, as well as France and Japan, both of which are among the island's top creditors.
'All diplomats agreed that Cuba could survive this year without substantial policy changes, but the financial situation could become fatal within 2-3 years,' the cable said, adding that Italian diplomats cited sources within the Cuban government as predicting that the island 'would become insolvent as early as 2011.'
Even the Chinese diplomat expressed what the cable referred to as 'visible exasperation.' It said the Chinese were particularly annoyed by Cuba's insistence on retaining majority control of any joint venture.
'No matter whether a foreign business invests $10 million or $100 million, the GOC's (Government of Cuba's) investment will always add up to 51%,' the cable quoted the unidentified Chinese commercial counselor as saying.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Gas up $1 a gallon on Obama's watch - Washington Times
Gas up $1 a gallon on Obama's watch - Washington Times: "Gas prices have risen $1 since just after President Obama took office in January 2009 and are now closing in on the $3 mark, prompting an evaluation of the administration's energy record and calls for the White House to open more U.S. land for oil exploration.
The average price per gallon across the U.S. hit $2.81 this week, according to the Energy Information Administration. That was up from $1.81 the week of Jan. 26, 2009, just after the inauguration, and marks the highest price since Oct. 20, 2008.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The average price per gallon across the U.S. hit $2.81 this week, according to the Energy Information Administration. That was up from $1.81 the week of Jan. 26, 2009, just after the inauguration, and marks the highest price since Oct. 20, 2008.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
U.S. Posts $150.4 Billion November Budget Deficit - WSJ.com
U.S. Posts $150.4 Billion November Budget Deficit - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON—The U.S. government ran its 26th straight monthly budget deficit in November amid wrangling over a package that would extend big tax cuts to Americans trying to recover from recession.
The Treasury Department, in its regular budget monthly statement, said the government spent $150.4 billion than it collected in the second month of fiscal 2011.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a shortfall of $126.5 billion. November is traditionally a month for deficits.
The Treasury report, detailing the government's spending programs, prompted an economic research firm, Macroeconomic Advisers, to lift its forecast for economic growth from October through December by four-tenths of a percentage point, to 2.7%.
Last month's red ink pushes up the deficit to $290.8 billion for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. That figure is a little smaller than the deficit during the same period last year. But President Barack Obama's administration expects the deficit to top $1 trillion in this fiscal year.
Washington has spent in excess of $1 trillion during each of the last two fiscal years, as revenues were reduced by the deep recession. At the same time, the economic slump and Wall Street bailout raised the government's expenses.
The November deficit marked the government's 26th shortfall in a row. As the deficit continues growing, Washington is in the midst of working out key tax legislation. The Senate unveiled final details of a broad tax bill—and its 10-year price tag of $858 billion—and began debate Thursday night on the package. Earlier in the week, Mr. Obama struck a deal with Republicans in Congress to extend for two years tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush.
The budget statement Friday said federal spending totaled $585.7 billion so far this fiscal year, with revenues at $294.9 billion. In the last two months, the federal government spent $128.3 billion on defense, $36.8 billion in interest payments on its debt, and $20.0 billion for unemployment benefits.
The U.S. budget deficit in fiscal 2010, at $1.294 trillion, was the second-highest ever, behind the record 2009 deficit of $1.416 trillion.
The administration last July said it was projecting a 2011 budget deficit of $1.416 trillion. But Michael Feroli, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase, said Friday he expects the budget gap to set a new record in fiscal 2011, reaching $1.5 trillion as the government pays for the extension of tax cuts.
The tax package prompted Mr. Feroli to raise his forecast of 2011 economic growth by half of a percentage point. This also came after the Fed, to spur the weak economy, announced a decision last month to buy $600 billion in U.S. Treasury notes.
'Because the added growth from the package should be concentrated in the first half of next year, we now believe the Fed will not seek to increase asset purchases beyond the currently scheduled $600 billion amount when it reviews the program next June,' he said in a research note.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The Treasury Department, in its regular budget monthly statement, said the government spent $150.4 billion than it collected in the second month of fiscal 2011.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a shortfall of $126.5 billion. November is traditionally a month for deficits.
The Treasury report, detailing the government's spending programs, prompted an economic research firm, Macroeconomic Advisers, to lift its forecast for economic growth from October through December by four-tenths of a percentage point, to 2.7%.
Last month's red ink pushes up the deficit to $290.8 billion for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. That figure is a little smaller than the deficit during the same period last year. But President Barack Obama's administration expects the deficit to top $1 trillion in this fiscal year.
Washington has spent in excess of $1 trillion during each of the last two fiscal years, as revenues were reduced by the deep recession. At the same time, the economic slump and Wall Street bailout raised the government's expenses.
The November deficit marked the government's 26th shortfall in a row. As the deficit continues growing, Washington is in the midst of working out key tax legislation. The Senate unveiled final details of a broad tax bill—and its 10-year price tag of $858 billion—and began debate Thursday night on the package. Earlier in the week, Mr. Obama struck a deal with Republicans in Congress to extend for two years tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush.
The budget statement Friday said federal spending totaled $585.7 billion so far this fiscal year, with revenues at $294.9 billion. In the last two months, the federal government spent $128.3 billion on defense, $36.8 billion in interest payments on its debt, and $20.0 billion for unemployment benefits.
The U.S. budget deficit in fiscal 2010, at $1.294 trillion, was the second-highest ever, behind the record 2009 deficit of $1.416 trillion.
The administration last July said it was projecting a 2011 budget deficit of $1.416 trillion. But Michael Feroli, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase, said Friday he expects the budget gap to set a new record in fiscal 2011, reaching $1.5 trillion as the government pays for the extension of tax cuts.
The tax package prompted Mr. Feroli to raise his forecast of 2011 economic growth by half of a percentage point. This also came after the Fed, to spur the weak economy, announced a decision last month to buy $600 billion in U.S. Treasury notes.
'Because the added growth from the package should be concentrated in the first half of next year, we now believe the Fed will not seek to increase asset purchases beyond the currently scheduled $600 billion amount when it reviews the program next June,' he said in a research note.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Friday, December 10, 2010
Democrats: What can you say?
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Obama honors Nobel winner with statement about himself | Washington Examiner
Obama honors Nobel winner with statement about himself | Washington Examiner: "There was an extraordinary scene at the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo Friday morning. The prize went to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was barred by the Chinese government from attending the ceremony. It was the first time since 1935 -- when the prize went to a winner imprisoned in one of Adolf Hitler's concentration camps -- that the Peace Prize winner did not appear personally to accept the award.
So on this notable occasion, the White House released a statement from President Obama on the awarding of the prize to Liu in absentia. And this is how Obama's statement began:
One year ago, I was humbled to receive the Nobel Peace Prize -- an award that speaks to our highest aspirations, and that has been claimed by giants of history and courageous advocates who have sacrificed for freedom and justice.
Critics have often said of Obama that 'it's all about him,' that he has a tendency to reference himself no matter what subject he is discussing. Could he do any more to prove them right? But just to show that he is, in fact, humble, the president followed his opening sentence with this:
Mr. Liu Xiaobo is far more deserving of this award than I was.
In the rest of his statement, Obama writes that 'We respect China's extraordinary accomplishment in lifting millions out of poverty, and believe that human rights include the dignity that comes with freedom from want.' But of course, Liu wasn't at the Nobel ceremony in Oslo because of the Chinese government, so Obama adds, 'Mr. Liu reminds us that human dignity also depends upon the advance of democracy, open society, and the rule of law. The values he espouses are universal, his struggle is peaceful, and he should be released as soon as possible.' And then, before closing, the president makes one more reference to himself:
I regret that Mr. Liu and his wife were denied the opportunity to attend the ceremony that Michelle and I attended last year.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
So on this notable occasion, the White House released a statement from President Obama on the awarding of the prize to Liu in absentia. And this is how Obama's statement began:
One year ago, I was humbled to receive the Nobel Peace Prize -- an award that speaks to our highest aspirations, and that has been claimed by giants of history and courageous advocates who have sacrificed for freedom and justice.
Critics have often said of Obama that 'it's all about him,' that he has a tendency to reference himself no matter what subject he is discussing. Could he do any more to prove them right? But just to show that he is, in fact, humble, the president followed his opening sentence with this:
Mr. Liu Xiaobo is far more deserving of this award than I was.
In the rest of his statement, Obama writes that 'We respect China's extraordinary accomplishment in lifting millions out of poverty, and believe that human rights include the dignity that comes with freedom from want.' But of course, Liu wasn't at the Nobel ceremony in Oslo because of the Chinese government, so Obama adds, 'Mr. Liu reminds us that human dignity also depends upon the advance of democracy, open society, and the rule of law. The values he espouses are universal, his struggle is peaceful, and he should be released as soon as possible.' And then, before closing, the president makes one more reference to himself:
I regret that Mr. Liu and his wife were denied the opportunity to attend the ceremony that Michelle and I attended last year.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Monday, December 06, 2010
Frankenbombers are 'new kind of terrorism': Al Qaeda hopes to surgically implant bombs into thugs
Frankenbombers are 'new kind of terrorism': Al Qaeda hopes to surgically implant bombs into thugs: "WASHINGTON - Jihadis bent on concocting a 'new kind of terrorism' are brainstorming how to surgically implant explosives to make undetectable Frankenbombers.
'What is your opinion about surgeries through which I can implant the bomb ...inside the operative's body?' an apparent mad surgeon recently asked an online forum used by Al Qaeda affiliates.
He called on bombmakers and doctors to cook up the perfect solution to murder 'larger numbers of unbelievers and apostates.'
'I am waiting for the interaction of the experienced brothers to connect the two sciences together and produce a new kind of terrorism, Allah willing,' he wrote, according to a translation by terror experts at the SITE Intelligence Group.
The scheming comes amid controversy over body scanners and pat-downs in airports that some Americans complain are too invasive. The ideas for a 'surgically booby-trapped martyrdom seeker' were chillingly concise for the doctor of death monitored by SITE.
Stitching a bomb into the abdominal cavity made of plastic or liquid explosives - such as semtex or PETN - was judged the best method.
'It must be planted near the surface of the body, because the human body absorbs shocks,' advised one terrorist.
Prior to the attempted destruction of a Detroit-bound flight last Christmas by accused underwear bomber Farouk Abdulmutallab, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula almost assassinated a Saudi prince with a bomb believed to have been concealed inside a body cavity; it was recently clarified that it was the first attempt at an explosive hidden in undies.
Unproven body cavity bombs worry security agents, though 'no one has figured out how to actually do it,' said a counterterror official.
Last month, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole said his agency wouldn't do cavity checks because secondary screening procedures and technology can find fuses and detonators, which must be outside the body.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
'What is your opinion about surgeries through which I can implant the bomb ...inside the operative's body?' an apparent mad surgeon recently asked an online forum used by Al Qaeda affiliates.
He called on bombmakers and doctors to cook up the perfect solution to murder 'larger numbers of unbelievers and apostates.'
'I am waiting for the interaction of the experienced brothers to connect the two sciences together and produce a new kind of terrorism, Allah willing,' he wrote, according to a translation by terror experts at the SITE Intelligence Group.
The scheming comes amid controversy over body scanners and pat-downs in airports that some Americans complain are too invasive. The ideas for a 'surgically booby-trapped martyrdom seeker' were chillingly concise for the doctor of death monitored by SITE.
Stitching a bomb into the abdominal cavity made of plastic or liquid explosives - such as semtex or PETN - was judged the best method.
'It must be planted near the surface of the body, because the human body absorbs shocks,' advised one terrorist.
Prior to the attempted destruction of a Detroit-bound flight last Christmas by accused underwear bomber Farouk Abdulmutallab, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula almost assassinated a Saudi prince with a bomb believed to have been concealed inside a body cavity; it was recently clarified that it was the first attempt at an explosive hidden in undies.
Unproven body cavity bombs worry security agents, though 'no one has figured out how to actually do it,' said a counterterror official.
Last month, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole said his agency wouldn't do cavity checks because secondary screening procedures and technology can find fuses and detonators, which must be outside the body.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
U.S. Regulators Propose Requiring Backup Cameras in All New Cars by 2014 - Bloomberg
U.S. Regulators Propose Requiring Backup Cameras in All New Cars by 2014 - Bloomberg: "U.S. auto-safety regulators proposed requiring backup cameras on all new vehicles by 2014 to prevent drivers from backing over pedestrians, a rule that may cost as much as $2.7 billion.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which published the proposed rule today, said an average of 292 people die each year from back-over accidents, which primarily kill children and the elderly. To equip a new-vehicle fleet of 16.6 million produced in a year would cost from $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion, the agency said in the proposal, calling the cost “substantial” and saying it might reduce back-over deaths and injuries by almost half.
“There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “The changes we are proposing today will help drivers see into those blind zones directly behind vehicles to make sure it is safe to back up.”
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which published the proposed rule today, said an average of 292 people die each year from back-over accidents, which primarily kill children and the elderly. To equip a new-vehicle fleet of 16.6 million produced in a year would cost from $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion, the agency said in the proposal, calling the cost “substantial” and saying it might reduce back-over deaths and injuries by almost half.
“There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “The changes we are proposing today will help drivers see into those blind zones directly behind vehicles to make sure it is safe to back up.”
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Obama Made ‘Big Mistake’ on Climate Bill, Turner Says - Bloomberg
Obama Made ‘Big Mistake’ on Climate Bill, Turner Says - Bloomberg: "U.S. President Barack Obama made a “big mistake” in pushing health-care legislation before climate change, billionaire Ted Turner said today.
“We would have an energy climate change bill in the United States if President Obama had made that his top priority and brought that to the American people and Congress first rather than the health-care bill,” Turner, founder of Time Warner Inc.’s CNN, said today at a conference in Cancun, Mexico. “But he didn’t, and I think it was a big mistake.”
Obama, who campaigned on a promise to fight climate change, made the economy, health care, energy and education his top priorities after taking office. Health-care legislation was signed into law earlier this year after contentious debate while a “cap-and-trade” bill to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions stalled in the Senate. Obama now says he doubts such a measure can win passage until 2013 at the earliest.
“The climate bill is much more important than health care because the climate situation is about life and death whereas the health-care bill was much more limited,” Turner, 72, said.
A bill creating a cap-and-trade program to reduce emissions and establish a market in pollution allowances passed the House of Representatives last year. The Senate dropped the measure earlier this year amid claims that an emissions-trading system would boost energy prices and hurt the economy.
Skepticism Rises
U.S. skepticism about whether humans are causing climate change has increased, polls show. Congressional elections in November will bring into office in January almost four dozen new lawmakers who question global warming, according to ThinkProgress, an arm of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a Washington research group allied with Democrats.
Turner, who also spoke in Cancun yesterday, said more needs to be done to raise public awareness of the threat.
“We have to convince the majority of people in the world that we are right and get them motivated,” he said. “That’s a big job, but hopefully we can do it.”
Turned noted humans only began burning the fossil fuels linked to climate change about 200 years ago. “Now we are being asked to completely change our energy system in a quick period of time,” he said. “It’s hard for us. It’s something we really have to do if we want to survive.”
Climate Summit
Turner spoke this weekend at the World Climate Summit, a conference focused on how businesses can help combat climate change. The gathering is timed to coincide with United Nations- led climate change treaty talks in Cancun.
Negotiators from about 190 countries are debating the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and terms for a new accord that includes all major polluters. The U.S., the second-biggest greenhouse-gas emitter after China, is the only industrialized nation not bound by the Kyoto treaty.
Japan, Russia and Canada have refused to sign up for a second round of emissions reductions once the current ones written into Kyoto expire in 2012.
Emerging economies, such as China, India and Brazil, are pushing for the developed countries to agree on a new commitment period. Discord over Kyoto threatens to take attention away from talks for a new global climate agreement that includes the U.S., UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said yesterday.
The Obama administration is limited in what it can commit to in the talks because the U.S. doesn’t have a national law capping emissions by a certain percentage. Obama’s lead climate negotiator, Todd Stern, says the U.S. will stick to its pledge of cutting greenhouse gases about 17 percent by 2020.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to start regulating carbon from power plants and oil refiners starting in January.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Chipman in Washington at kchipman@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
“We would have an energy climate change bill in the United States if President Obama had made that his top priority and brought that to the American people and Congress first rather than the health-care bill,” Turner, founder of Time Warner Inc.’s CNN, said today at a conference in Cancun, Mexico. “But he didn’t, and I think it was a big mistake.”
Obama, who campaigned on a promise to fight climate change, made the economy, health care, energy and education his top priorities after taking office. Health-care legislation was signed into law earlier this year after contentious debate while a “cap-and-trade” bill to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions stalled in the Senate. Obama now says he doubts such a measure can win passage until 2013 at the earliest.
“The climate bill is much more important than health care because the climate situation is about life and death whereas the health-care bill was much more limited,” Turner, 72, said.
A bill creating a cap-and-trade program to reduce emissions and establish a market in pollution allowances passed the House of Representatives last year. The Senate dropped the measure earlier this year amid claims that an emissions-trading system would boost energy prices and hurt the economy.
Skepticism Rises
U.S. skepticism about whether humans are causing climate change has increased, polls show. Congressional elections in November will bring into office in January almost four dozen new lawmakers who question global warming, according to ThinkProgress, an arm of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a Washington research group allied with Democrats.
Turner, who also spoke in Cancun yesterday, said more needs to be done to raise public awareness of the threat.
“We have to convince the majority of people in the world that we are right and get them motivated,” he said. “That’s a big job, but hopefully we can do it.”
Turned noted humans only began burning the fossil fuels linked to climate change about 200 years ago. “Now we are being asked to completely change our energy system in a quick period of time,” he said. “It’s hard for us. It’s something we really have to do if we want to survive.”
Climate Summit
Turner spoke this weekend at the World Climate Summit, a conference focused on how businesses can help combat climate change. The gathering is timed to coincide with United Nations- led climate change treaty talks in Cancun.
Negotiators from about 190 countries are debating the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and terms for a new accord that includes all major polluters. The U.S., the second-biggest greenhouse-gas emitter after China, is the only industrialized nation not bound by the Kyoto treaty.
Japan, Russia and Canada have refused to sign up for a second round of emissions reductions once the current ones written into Kyoto expire in 2012.
Emerging economies, such as China, India and Brazil, are pushing for the developed countries to agree on a new commitment period. Discord over Kyoto threatens to take attention away from talks for a new global climate agreement that includes the U.S., UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said yesterday.
The Obama administration is limited in what it can commit to in the talks because the U.S. doesn’t have a national law capping emissions by a certain percentage. Obama’s lead climate negotiator, Todd Stern, says the U.S. will stick to its pledge of cutting greenhouse gases about 17 percent by 2020.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to start regulating carbon from power plants and oil refiners starting in January.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Chipman in Washington at kchipman@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Hydrogen Powered Cars: Impractical Because Of Hydrogen's Cost To Produce, Low Energy Density | Markets | Minyanville.com
Hydrogen Powered Cars: Impractical Because Of Hydrogen's Cost To Produce, Low Energy Density | Markets | Minyanville.com: "[In May 2009], the Department of Energy (DOE) finally conceded that hydrogen won't be a part of the near-term solution to global warming, the peak oil crisis, or anything else you can think of. They're cutting back funding dramatically on hydrogen research. This is a triumph of physics over policy. In the long run, physics will always win, but we have way too many policy wonks in Washington without a clue about how the physical world works.
Even if hydrogen could be produced cheaply, it has another problem that makes it impractical as a fuel for transportation. Even when highly compressed, the energy density per liter or gallon is very low compared to gasoline or diesel fuel. Think about the size of the fuel tanks on the trucks that deliver gasoline to a station compared to the size of the tank on the truck. The ratio is about 90 to 1. That’s an efficient delivery system. If a hydrogen delivery truck had to burn hydrogen, the size of the fuel tank for the engine would be about one-quarter of the size of the delivery tank!
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Even if hydrogen could be produced cheaply, it has another problem that makes it impractical as a fuel for transportation. Even when highly compressed, the energy density per liter or gallon is very low compared to gasoline or diesel fuel. Think about the size of the fuel tanks on the trucks that deliver gasoline to a station compared to the size of the tank on the truck. The ratio is about 90 to 1. That’s an efficient delivery system. If a hydrogen delivery truck had to burn hydrogen, the size of the fuel tank for the engine would be about one-quarter of the size of the delivery tank!
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
What Obama Needs to Make a Comeback: Nothing Short of Luck - TIME
What Obama Needs to Make a Comeback: Nothing Short of Luck - TIME: "A survey of the political landscape shows that many groups who were part of the 2008-09 Obama coalition have turned on him. Liberals believe he is an overcompromising wimp. (See blistering recent columns by progressive icons Paul Krugman and Frank Rich of the New York Times for a taste of what the left thinks of 'their' President now.) The business community considers Obama ignorant about markets at best, a socialist at worst (O.K., some business people entertain an even harsher assessment). The media, after aiding and abetting his ride to the White House, now see the President as incompetent and overwhelmed. The independents and Republicans who backed him for office currently feel he is too liberal and too weak to do the job. These trends are all worse in Washington and among opinion leaders than they are in the country at large, but the views of elites are clearly shaping how the President is perceived by the nation in general. (See 'Judging Obama's First Year, Issue by Issue.')
With unemployment high and promising to stay there, it is nearly impossible in the short term for Obama to shift opinion and be seen as a successful President. But he can't achieve anything in 2011 and 2012, or get re-elected, unless he can win back support from some of his core groups.
The already tiresome debate about what Obama should do to launch a comeback tells only part of the story. Yes, he needs to show people what he stands for, fight for what he believes, compromise with Republicans when it's sensible, reshape his circle of advisers and focus on job growth and deficit reduction. But those are all tall orders, and they run counter to Obama's instincts, the political realities of American politics for the last generation, or both.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
With unemployment high and promising to stay there, it is nearly impossible in the short term for Obama to shift opinion and be seen as a successful President. But he can't achieve anything in 2011 and 2012, or get re-elected, unless he can win back support from some of his core groups.
The already tiresome debate about what Obama should do to launch a comeback tells only part of the story. Yes, he needs to show people what he stands for, fight for what he believes, compromise with Republicans when it's sensible, reshape his circle of advisers and focus on job growth and deficit reduction. But those are all tall orders, and they run counter to Obama's instincts, the political realities of American politics for the last generation, or both.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Gingrich: Leaks show Obama administration 'shallow,' 'amateurish' - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Gingrich: Leaks show Obama administration 'shallow,' 'amateurish' - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room: "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that President Obama and the White House deserve a large share of the blame for the massive amounts of classified information revealed through WikiLeaks.
Gingrich said the leaks are 'a scandal of the first order' and that they demonstrate the Obama administration is 'shallow' and 'amateurish' when it comes to national security.
'You have a private first class who downloads a quarter million documents, and the system doesn't say, 'Oh, you may be over extended?' I mean, this is a system so stupid that it ought to be a scandal of the first order,' Gingrich said. 'This administration is so shallow and so amateurish about national security that it is painful and dangerous.'
He also said the U.S needs to act fast in shutting down WikiLeaks and finding Julian Assange.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Gingrich said the leaks are 'a scandal of the first order' and that they demonstrate the Obama administration is 'shallow' and 'amateurish' when it comes to national security.
'You have a private first class who downloads a quarter million documents, and the system doesn't say, 'Oh, you may be over extended?' I mean, this is a system so stupid that it ought to be a scandal of the first order,' Gingrich said. 'This administration is so shallow and so amateurish about national security that it is painful and dangerous.'
He also said the U.S needs to act fast in shutting down WikiLeaks and finding Julian Assange.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Don’t Look, Don’t Read - Government Warns Its Workers Away From WikiLeaks Documents - NYTimes.com
Don’t Look, Don’t Read - Government Warns Its Workers Away From WikiLeaks Documents - NYTimes.com: "WASHINGTON — In a classic case of shutting the barn door after the horse has left, the Obama administration and the Department of Defense have ordered the hundreds of thousands of federal employees and contractors not to view the secret cables and other classified documents published by Wikileaks and news organizations around the world unless the workers have the required security clearance or authorization.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Ford, BMW, Toyota Took Secret Government Money
Ford, BMW, Toyota Took Secret Government Money: "In the depths of the financial collapse, the U.S. Federal Reserve pumped $3.3 trillion into keeping credit moving through the economy. It eventually lent $57.9 billion to the auto industry — including $26.8 billion to Ford, Toyota and BMW.
The Fed on Wednesday was forced to reveal the identity of the companies it aided during the crisis, after contending to Congress that keeping their identities and the details of such lending secret was essential. Much of Wall Street, and corporate giants such as General Electric, Harley Davidson and McDonald's, took advantage of the Fed's help. We've done the math on how the Fed propped up the auto industry.
While Chrysler and General Motors had to go to Congress to beg for cash in 2008, every other automaker's finance arm was having trouble as well. Typically, once they lend money to a buyer, they sell the loan, get the cash upfront, then pump the proceeds back into the business. They also take out short-term loans called commercial paper that keeps the day-to-day business afloat. The crash cut the circuit, raising the chances the automakers couldn't make loans to buyers and keep selling new vehicles.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The Fed on Wednesday was forced to reveal the identity of the companies it aided during the crisis, after contending to Congress that keeping their identities and the details of such lending secret was essential. Much of Wall Street, and corporate giants such as General Electric, Harley Davidson and McDonald's, took advantage of the Fed's help. We've done the math on how the Fed propped up the auto industry.
While Chrysler and General Motors had to go to Congress to beg for cash in 2008, every other automaker's finance arm was having trouble as well. Typically, once they lend money to a buyer, they sell the loan, get the cash upfront, then pump the proceeds back into the business. They also take out short-term loans called commercial paper that keeps the day-to-day business afloat. The crash cut the circuit, raising the chances the automakers couldn't make loans to buyers and keep selling new vehicles.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
WikiLeaks cables reveal how US manipulated climate accord | Environment | The Guardian
WikiLeaks cables reveal how US manipulated climate accord | Environment | The Guardian: "Hidden behind the save-the-world rhetoric of the global climate change negotiations lies the mucky realpolitik: money and threats buy political support; spying and cyberwarfare are used to seek out leverage.
The US diplomatic cables reveal how the US seeks dirt on nations opposed to its approach to tackling global warming; how financial and other aid is used by countries to gain political backing; how distrust, broken promises and creative accounting dog negotiations; and how the US mounted a secret global diplomatic offensive to overwhelm opposition to the controversial 'Copenhagen accord', the unofficial document that emerged from the ruins of the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009.
Negotiating a climate treaty is a high-stakes game, not just because of the danger warming poses to civilisation but also because re-engineering the global economy to a low-carbon model will see the flow of billions of dollars redirected.
Seeking negotiating chips, the US state department sent a secret cable on 31 July 2009 seeking human intelligence from UN diplomats across a range of issues, including climate change. The request originated with the CIA. As well as countries' negotiating positions for Copenhagen, diplomats were asked to provide evidence of UN environmental 'treaty circumvention' and deals between nations.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The US diplomatic cables reveal how the US seeks dirt on nations opposed to its approach to tackling global warming; how financial and other aid is used by countries to gain political backing; how distrust, broken promises and creative accounting dog negotiations; and how the US mounted a secret global diplomatic offensive to overwhelm opposition to the controversial 'Copenhagen accord', the unofficial document that emerged from the ruins of the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009.
Negotiating a climate treaty is a high-stakes game, not just because of the danger warming poses to civilisation but also because re-engineering the global economy to a low-carbon model will see the flow of billions of dollars redirected.
Seeking negotiating chips, the US state department sent a secret cable on 31 July 2009 seeking human intelligence from UN diplomats across a range of issues, including climate change. The request originated with the CIA. As well as countries' negotiating positions for Copenhagen, diplomats were asked to provide evidence of UN environmental 'treaty circumvention' and deals between nations.
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In Pakistan, Christianity Earns a Death Sentence - Yahoo! News
In Pakistan, Christianity Earns a Death Sentence - Yahoo! News: "By OMAR WARAICH / ISLAMABAD Omar Waraich / Islamabad – Sun Dec 5, 9:40 am ET
It all began a year and a half ago, with a quarrel over a bowl of water. A group of women farm workers were suffering in the heat near a village in Pakistan's Punjab province. Aasia Noreen, an illiterate 45-year-old mother of five, offered them water, but was rebuffed. Noreen was a Christian, they said, and therefore her water was unclean - sadly, a common taunt hurled at Pakistan's beleaguered Christians. But rather than swallowing the indignity, she mounted a stout defense of her faith.
Word of the exchange swiftly filtered through the village of Ittan Wali, in Sheikhupura district. The local mullah took to his mosque's loudspeakers, exhorting his followers to take action against Noreen. In a depressingly familiar pattern, her defense of her faith was twisted into an accusation of blasphemy, according to her family and legal observers familiar with the case. As a frenzied mob pursued her, the police intervened, taking her into custody. But far from protecting her, they arrested and charged Noreen with insulting Islam and its prophet. And on Nov. 8, after enduring 18 months in prison, she was sentenced to death by a district court, making her the first woman to suffer that fate. (See how WikiLeaks' disclosure fueled anti-U.S. anger in Pakistan.)
In the ensuing weeks, the case of Noreen, popularly known as Aasia Bibi, has sparked a national furor. Human rights campaigners and lawyers have denounced the sentence. Religious fundamentalist groups, usually at odds with one another, have suddenly coalesced around a campaign to defend the blasphemy law and attack its critics. One politician who called for Noreen to be pardoned now faces a fatwa for alleged apostasy. Another politician, who is trying to have the blasphemy laws amended, has been warned that she will be besieged. On television, religious scholars have disagreed among themselves over the law's merits. Divisions are also being seen within the government, with powerful figures taking opposing sides. And there has even been global outrage, with Pope Benedict XVI last week calling for Noreen's freedom.
Noreen's case has spurred the first genuine debate over some of Pakistans most controversial laws. The original blasphemy law was drawn up by the British, in the Indian Penal Code of 1860, aimed at keeping the peace among the subcontinent's sometimes fractious diversity of faiths. Not only did Pakistan inherit the laws after partition, but it added to them. In the 1980s, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's military dictatorship introduced a slew of elastically worded clauses, including a death sentence for those deemed to have defiled the sacred name of the Prophet.
Before Zia, there were only two reported cases of blasphemy. Since the death sentence was inserted in 1986, the number has soared to 962 - including 340 members of the Ahmadi Muslim sect, 119 Christians, and 14 Hindus. Close examination of the cases reveals the laws often being invoked to settle personal vendettas, or used by Islamist extremists as cover to persecute religious minorities. (See how WikiLeaks exposed insecurity over Pakistan nukes.)
Vague wording allows the blasphemy laws to be used an instrument of political and social coercion, says Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. And they give the state a sectarian character.
No conclusive evidence has been presented against Noreen, say people familiar with the case. The district judge relied on the testimonies of three other women, all of whom bore animus toward her. Noreen had long been under pressure by fellow farmworkers to convert to Islam, her family says. And the district judge ruled out any possibility of her innocence or mitigating circumstances.
Christians are subject to vicious prejudice in Pakistan, where their beliefs are said to make them 'unclean.' Municipalities routinely advertise jobs for cleaners with a note saying they would prefer Christian applicants. And defending their rights is not popular. When Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab, visited Noreen in prison and urged her release, he was branded an apostate by fundamentalist groups. And in the fundamentalist view, apostasy, like blasphemy, is punishable by death.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
It all began a year and a half ago, with a quarrel over a bowl of water. A group of women farm workers were suffering in the heat near a village in Pakistan's Punjab province. Aasia Noreen, an illiterate 45-year-old mother of five, offered them water, but was rebuffed. Noreen was a Christian, they said, and therefore her water was unclean - sadly, a common taunt hurled at Pakistan's beleaguered Christians. But rather than swallowing the indignity, she mounted a stout defense of her faith.
Word of the exchange swiftly filtered through the village of Ittan Wali, in Sheikhupura district. The local mullah took to his mosque's loudspeakers, exhorting his followers to take action against Noreen. In a depressingly familiar pattern, her defense of her faith was twisted into an accusation of blasphemy, according to her family and legal observers familiar with the case. As a frenzied mob pursued her, the police intervened, taking her into custody. But far from protecting her, they arrested and charged Noreen with insulting Islam and its prophet. And on Nov. 8, after enduring 18 months in prison, she was sentenced to death by a district court, making her the first woman to suffer that fate. (See how WikiLeaks' disclosure fueled anti-U.S. anger in Pakistan.)
In the ensuing weeks, the case of Noreen, popularly known as Aasia Bibi, has sparked a national furor. Human rights campaigners and lawyers have denounced the sentence. Religious fundamentalist groups, usually at odds with one another, have suddenly coalesced around a campaign to defend the blasphemy law and attack its critics. One politician who called for Noreen to be pardoned now faces a fatwa for alleged apostasy. Another politician, who is trying to have the blasphemy laws amended, has been warned that she will be besieged. On television, religious scholars have disagreed among themselves over the law's merits. Divisions are also being seen within the government, with powerful figures taking opposing sides. And there has even been global outrage, with Pope Benedict XVI last week calling for Noreen's freedom.
Noreen's case has spurred the first genuine debate over some of Pakistans most controversial laws. The original blasphemy law was drawn up by the British, in the Indian Penal Code of 1860, aimed at keeping the peace among the subcontinent's sometimes fractious diversity of faiths. Not only did Pakistan inherit the laws after partition, but it added to them. In the 1980s, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's military dictatorship introduced a slew of elastically worded clauses, including a death sentence for those deemed to have defiled the sacred name of the Prophet.
Before Zia, there were only two reported cases of blasphemy. Since the death sentence was inserted in 1986, the number has soared to 962 - including 340 members of the Ahmadi Muslim sect, 119 Christians, and 14 Hindus. Close examination of the cases reveals the laws often being invoked to settle personal vendettas, or used by Islamist extremists as cover to persecute religious minorities. (See how WikiLeaks exposed insecurity over Pakistan nukes.)
Vague wording allows the blasphemy laws to be used an instrument of political and social coercion, says Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. And they give the state a sectarian character.
No conclusive evidence has been presented against Noreen, say people familiar with the case. The district judge relied on the testimonies of three other women, all of whom bore animus toward her. Noreen had long been under pressure by fellow farmworkers to convert to Islam, her family says. And the district judge ruled out any possibility of her innocence or mitigating circumstances.
Christians are subject to vicious prejudice in Pakistan, where their beliefs are said to make them 'unclean.' Municipalities routinely advertise jobs for cleaners with a note saying they would prefer Christian applicants. And defending their rights is not popular. When Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab, visited Noreen in prison and urged her release, he was branded an apostate by fundamentalist groups. And in the fundamentalist view, apostasy, like blasphemy, is punishable by death.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Saturday, December 04, 2010
CNN Reporter Put On Watch List After Criticizing TSA
CNN Reporter Put On Watch List After Criticizing TSA: "In light of new reports alleging that the TSA is creating a watch list of individuals who criticized the agency as a form of collective punishment, it’s revealing to note that CNN journalist Drew Griffin was also put on a TSA watch list immediately after he filed reports critical of the organization back in 2008.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans’ Credit Cards in Real Time | Threat Level | Wired.com
Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans’ Credit Cards in Real Time | Threat Level | Wired.com: "Federal law enforcement agencies have been tracking Americans in real-time using credit cards, loyalty cards and travel reservations without getting a court order, a new document released under a government sunshine request shows.
The document, obtained by security researcher Christopher Soghoian, explains how so-called “Hotwatch” orders allow for real-time tracking of individuals in a criminal investigation via credit card companies, rental car agencies, calling cards, and even grocery store loyalty programs. The revelation sheds a little more light on the Justice Department’s increasing power and willingness to surveil Americans with little to no judicial or Congressional oversight.
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The document, obtained by security researcher Christopher Soghoian, explains how so-called “Hotwatch” orders allow for real-time tracking of individuals in a criminal investigation via credit card companies, rental car agencies, calling cards, and even grocery store loyalty programs. The revelation sheds a little more light on the Justice Department’s increasing power and willingness to surveil Americans with little to no judicial or Congressional oversight.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Chase orders Southlake bank to remove Christmas tree | Northeast Tarrant | News from For...
Chase orders Southlake bank to remove Christmas tree | Northeast Tarrant | News from For...: "SOUTHLAKE -- Chase Bank told a businessman to remove the Christmas tree he donated to a local branch because it could offend people.
Antonio Morales, owner of Bellagio Day Spa in Southlake, had assembled and decorated a 9-foot-tall tree in the lobby of the Chase Bank branch at 1700 E. Southlake Boulevard as a favor to the branch manager, who is one of his clients.
The tree remained in the lobby from the Monday before Thanksgiving until Tuesday. Morales said his friend called him Wednesday to tell him the tree had to go. She later showed him an e-mail from JPMorgan Chase saying that the tree had to be removed because some people were offended by it.
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Antonio Morales, owner of Bellagio Day Spa in Southlake, had assembled and decorated a 9-foot-tall tree in the lobby of the Chase Bank branch at 1700 E. Southlake Boulevard as a favor to the branch manager, who is one of his clients.
The tree remained in the lobby from the Monday before Thanksgiving until Tuesday. Morales said his friend called him Wednesday to tell him the tree had to go. She later showed him an e-mail from JPMorgan Chase saying that the tree had to be removed because some people were offended by it.
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Friday, December 03, 2010
Be Afraid - Be Very Afraid
EDITORIAL: Wave goodbye to Internet freedom - Washington Times: "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is poised to add the Internet to its portfolio of regulated industries. The agency's chairman, Julius Genachowski, announced Wednesday that he circulated draft rules he says will 'preserve the freedom and openness of the Internet.' No statement could better reflect the gulf between the rhetoric and the reality of Obama administration policies.
With a straight face, Mr. Genachowski suggested that government red tape will increase the 'freedom' of online services that have flourished because bureaucratic busybodies have been blocked from tinkering with the Web. Ordinarily, it would be appropriate at this point to supply an example from the proposed regulations illustrating the problem. Mr. Genachowski's draft document has over 550 footnotes and is stamped 'non-public, for internal use only' to ensure nobody outside the agency sees it until the rules are approved in a scheduled Dec. 21 vote. So much for 'openness.'
The issue of 'net neutrality' is nothing new, but the increasing popularity of online movie streaming services like Netflix have highlighted an area of potential concern. When someone watches a film over the Internet, especially in high definition, the maximum available capacity of the user's connection is used. Think, for example, of the problems that would arise at the water works if everyone decided to turn on their faucets and take a shower simultaneously. Internet providers are beginning to see the same strain on their networks.
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With a straight face, Mr. Genachowski suggested that government red tape will increase the 'freedom' of online services that have flourished because bureaucratic busybodies have been blocked from tinkering with the Web. Ordinarily, it would be appropriate at this point to supply an example from the proposed regulations illustrating the problem. Mr. Genachowski's draft document has over 550 footnotes and is stamped 'non-public, for internal use only' to ensure nobody outside the agency sees it until the rules are approved in a scheduled Dec. 21 vote. So much for 'openness.'
The issue of 'net neutrality' is nothing new, but the increasing popularity of online movie streaming services like Netflix have highlighted an area of potential concern. When someone watches a film over the Internet, especially in high definition, the maximum available capacity of the user's connection is used. Think, for example, of the problems that would arise at the water works if everyone decided to turn on their faucets and take a shower simultaneously. Internet providers are beginning to see the same strain on their networks.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Economy Added Fewer Jobs Than Expected in November - WSJ.com
Economy Added Fewer Jobs Than Expected in November - WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy added fewer jobs than expected in November and the unemployment rate rose to its highest level since April, indicating the economic recovery remains weak 17 months after the recession ended.
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Thursday, December 02, 2010
Amazon faces boycott over WikiLeaks axe | Metro.co.uk
Amazon faces boycott over WikiLeaks axe | Metro.co.uk: "Amazon is facing a backlash from its customers after kicking whistleblowing website WikiLeaks off its servers.
What is your opinion about the boycott?
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
What is your opinion about the boycott?
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Fed aid in financial crisis went beyond U.S. banks to industry, foreign firms
Fed aid in financial crisis went beyond U.S. banks to industry, foreign firms: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
What is your opinion about the Federal Reserve (FED) bailing out Europe?
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
What is your opinion about the Federal Reserve (FED) bailing out Europe?
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Va. judge dismisses challenge to Obama health care - Yahoo! News
Va. judge dismisses challenge to Obama health care - Yahoo! News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
If the federal government can force people to do buy something then it has unlimited power over every citizen and it will do anything it wants. Tyranny is right around the corner.
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
If the federal government can force people to do buy something then it has unlimited power over every citizen and it will do anything it wants. Tyranny is right around the corner.
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Economy Cartoons - US News and World Report
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
US embassy cables: UN seeks answers from Washington | World news | The Guardian
US embassy cables: UN seeks answers from Washington | World news | The Guardian: "The senior American diplomat at the UN tonight defended her team after WikiLeaks disclosed a US spying operation targeting the UN's secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, and members of the security council.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador appointed to the UN by Barack Obama last year, appeared uncomfortable and, at times, exasperated as she took questions from the media at the UN today.
She denied US diplomats were engaged in spying. 'Let me be very clear: our diplomats are just that,' she said. 'They are diplomats. That is what they do every day. They get out and work with partners here at the UN and around the world.'
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Susan Rice, the US ambassador appointed to the UN by Barack Obama last year, appeared uncomfortable and, at times, exasperated as she took questions from the media at the UN today.
She denied US diplomats were engaged in spying. 'Let me be very clear: our diplomats are just that,' she said. 'They are diplomats. That is what they do every day. They get out and work with partners here at the UN and around the world.'
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Let's call it the German 'Holiday' Village | Philadelphia Daily News | 11/30/2010
Let's call it the German 'Holiday' Village | Philadelphia Daily News | 11/30/2010: "It turns out that the letters spelling 'Christmas' were removed yesterday afternoon from the archways on the north and west sides of the plaza, at the request of Managing Director Richard Negrin. They will be replaced with the word 'Holiday.'
City spokesman Mark McDonald said Negrin asked for the change after the city received complaints from workers and residents.
'As a city of great diversity, one shouldn't be surprised that there's a difference of views when it comes to symbols and words,' McDonald said.
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City spokesman Mark McDonald said Negrin asked for the change after the city received complaints from workers and residents.
'As a city of great diversity, one shouldn't be surprised that there's a difference of views when it comes to symbols and words,' McDonald said.
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Smithsonian Christmas-Season Exhibit Features Ant-Covered Jesus, Naked Brothers Kissing, Genitalia, and Ellen DeGeneres Grabbing Her Breasts | CNSnews.com
Smithsonian Christmas-Season Exhibit Features Ant-Covered Jesus, Naked Brothers Kissing, Genitalia, and Ellen DeGeneres Grabbing Her Breasts | CNSnews.com: "(CNSNews.com) -- The federally funded National Portrait Gallery, one of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, is currently showing an exhibition that features images of an ant-covered Jesus, male genitals, naked brothers kissing, men in chains, Ellen DeGeneres grabbing her breasts, and a painting the Smithsonian itself describes in the show's catalog as 'homoerotic.'
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
GM's Massive Taxpayer IOU Remains - TheStreet
GM's Massive Taxpayer IOU Remains - TheStreet: "According to the most recent transaction report for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Treasury Department distributed $50.7 billion to General Motors; $16.3 billion to its one-time financing subsidiary, GMAC (now rebranded as Ally Financial); offered a $3.5 billion credit line to GM Supplier Receivables; and will distribute up to $1.5 billion in incentives to GMAC Mortgage to workout troubled homeowners' debt.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Monday, November 29, 2010
How 250,000 US embassy cables were leaked | World news | guardian.co.uk
How 250,000 US embassy cables were leaked | World news | guardian.co.uk: "An innocuous-looking memory stick, no longer than a couple of fingernails, came into the hands of a Guardian reporter earlier this year. The device is so small it will hang easily on a keyring. But its contents will send shockwaves through the world's chancelleries and deliver what one official described as 'an epic blow' to US diplomacy.
The 1.6 gigabytes of text files on the memory stick ran to millions of words: the contents of more than 250,000 leaked state department cables, sent from, or to, US embassies around the world.
What will emerge in the days and weeks ahead is an unprecedented picture of secret diplomacy as conducted by the planet's sole superpower. There are 251,287 dispatches in all, from more than 250 US embassies and consulates. They reveal how the US deals with both its allies and its enemies – negotiating, pressuring and sometimes brusquely denigrating foreign leaders, all behind the firewalls of ciphers and secrecy classifications that diplomats assume to be secure. The leaked cables range up to the 'SECRET NOFORN' level, which means they are meant never to be shown to non-US citizens.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The 1.6 gigabytes of text files on the memory stick ran to millions of words: the contents of more than 250,000 leaked state department cables, sent from, or to, US embassies around the world.
What will emerge in the days and weeks ahead is an unprecedented picture of secret diplomacy as conducted by the planet's sole superpower. There are 251,287 dispatches in all, from more than 250 US embassies and consulates. They reveal how the US deals with both its allies and its enemies – negotiating, pressuring and sometimes brusquely denigrating foreign leaders, all behind the firewalls of ciphers and secrecy classifications that diplomats assume to be secure. The leaked cables range up to the 'SECRET NOFORN' level, which means they are meant never to be shown to non-US citizens.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The US Diplomatic Leaks: A Superpower's View of the World - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
The US Diplomatic Leaks: A Superpower's View of the World - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International: "Never before in history has a superpower lost control of such vast amounts of such sensitive information -- data that can help paint a picture of the foundation upon which US foreign policy is built. Never before has the trust America's partners have in the country been as badly shaken. Now, their own personal views and policy recommendations have been made public -- as have America's true views of them.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Swiss voters approve harsher deportation plan | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 28.11.2010
Swiss voters approve harsher deportation plan | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 28.11.2010: "Switzerland has approved a plan to automatically deport foreigners convicted of serious crimes
How come other countries can control their borders but USA cannot?
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
How come other countries can control their borders but USA cannot?
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
GM's union made out like a bandit!
GM's union recovering after stock sale - Washington Times: "General Motors Co.'s recent stock offering was staged to start paying back the government for its $50 billion bailout, but one group made out much better than the taxpayers or other investors: the company's union.
Thanks to a generous share of GM stock obtained in the company's 2009 bankruptcy settlement, the United Auto Workers is well on its way to recouping the billions of dollars GM owed it — putting it far ahead of taxpayers who have recouped only about 30 percent of their investment and further still ahead of investors in the old GM who have received nothing.
The boon for the union fits the pattern established when the White House pushed GM into bankruptcy and steered it through the courts in a way that consistently put the interests of the union ahead of many suppliers, dealers and investors — stakeholders that ordinarily would have fared as well or better under the bankruptcy laws.
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Thanks to a generous share of GM stock obtained in the company's 2009 bankruptcy settlement, the United Auto Workers is well on its way to recouping the billions of dollars GM owed it — putting it far ahead of taxpayers who have recouped only about 30 percent of their investment and further still ahead of investors in the old GM who have received nothing.
The boon for the union fits the pattern established when the White House pushed GM into bankruptcy and steered it through the courts in a way that consistently put the interests of the union ahead of many suppliers, dealers and investors — stakeholders that ordinarily would have fared as well or better under the bankruptcy laws.
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SEIU drops health coverage !!!!!!!
1199SEIU to Drop Health Coverage for Workers' Children - Metropolis - WSJ:
It should not come as any surprise to anyone that even Unions are dropping Health Coverage.
"One of the largest union-administered health-insurance funds in New York is dropping coverage for the children of more than 30,000 low-wage home attendants, union officials said. The union blamed financial problems it said were caused by the state’s health department and new national health-insurance requirements.
The fund is administered by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. Union officials said the state compelled the fund to start buying coverage from a third party, which increased premiums by 60%. State health officials denied forcing the union fund to make the switch, saying the fund had been struggling financially even before the switch to third-party coverage.
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It should not come as any surprise to anyone that even Unions are dropping Health Coverage.
"One of the largest union-administered health-insurance funds in New York is dropping coverage for the children of more than 30,000 low-wage home attendants, union officials said. The union blamed financial problems it said were caused by the state’s health department and new national health-insurance requirements.
The fund is administered by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. Union officials said the state compelled the fund to start buying coverage from a third party, which increased premiums by 60%. State health officials denied forcing the union fund to make the switch, saying the fund had been struggling financially even before the switch to third-party coverage.
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Doctors not accepting Medicare Patients
Doctors say Medicare cuts force painful decision about elderly patients: "Want an appointment with kidney specialist Adam Weinstein of Easton, Md.? If you're a senior covered by Medicare, the wait is eight weeks.
How about a checkup from geriatric specialist Michael Trahos? Expect to see him every six months: The Alexandria-based doctor has been limiting most of his Medicare patients to twice yearly rather than the quarterly checkups he considers ideal for the elderly. Still, at least he'll see you. Top-ranked primary care doctor Linda Yau is one of three physicians with the District's Foxhall Internists group who recently announced they will no longer be accepting Medicare patients.
'It's not easy. But you realize you either do this or you don't stay in business,' she said.
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How about a checkup from geriatric specialist Michael Trahos? Expect to see him every six months: The Alexandria-based doctor has been limiting most of his Medicare patients to twice yearly rather than the quarterly checkups he considers ideal for the elderly. Still, at least he'll see you. Top-ranked primary care doctor Linda Yau is one of three physicians with the District's Foxhall Internists group who recently announced they will no longer be accepting Medicare patients.
'It's not easy. But you realize you either do this or you don't stay in business,' she said.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Barack Obama's grandmother 'prays he converts to Islam' - Telegraph
Barack Obama's grandmother 'prays he converts to Islam' - Telegraph: "Barack Obama's Kenyan grandmother has said she prayed for the US president to convert to Islam, according to reports.
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Friday, November 26, 2010
What will be Barack Obama's ACHIEVEMENTS in 2011?
What will be Barack Obama's ACHIEVEMENTS in 2011?
- Finding and keeping qualified economic advisors
- Triangulation to the center of American politics
- Airport security (TSA)
- Federal Regulation of all human behavior $
- Setting world record for the number of appearances and interviews on television
- Historically high Frequent flier-miles on Air Force One $
- Afghanistan war
- American dollar devaluation $
- Unemployment $
- Iran
- Iraq
- North Korea
- Inflation and/or Deflation $
- Economic growth $
- rescue mission by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund $$$$$$
- Terrorism
- Prosecution of business "fat cats"
- Guantanamo Bay closing
- "Too big to fail" $
- Gays in the military
- Union Pensions unfunded liabilities $
- Stability of American Dollar ($)
- Federal deficit $
- Increase/decrease Federal debt $
- Increase/decrease Federal spending $
- Federal tax increase $
- Health Care quality $
- Consumer confidence
- Energy independence
- Over-Regulation of American Business
- Balance of trade with China
- Prosecution of Terrorists
- Global governance
- Obesity
- Global warming
- Green jobs $
- Nationalization of American Business
- START treaty
- Winter Olympics for America
- Political bipartisanship
- Listening to the American People
- Upholding the Constitution of the United States
- More documentation of United States violations of Human Rights
- Explaining Obamacare more clearly and forcefully
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
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