http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1984
Posted by: Jeff Masters, 2:53 PM GMT on November 09, 2011
The most powerful storm to affect the Bering Sea coast of Alaska in 37 years is pounding Alaska's west coast and Eastern Siberia with hurricane-force winds, a destructive storm surge up to 7 feet high, waves up to 35 feet high, and blinding snow. Tin City on the west coast of Alaska north of Nome recorded sustained winds of 70 mph, gusting to 81 mph, at 1:55 am local time this morning, and hurricane-force winds are likely affecting much of the open waters of the Bering Sea. A storm surge of 6 feet hit Nome, Alaska this morning, pushed inland by sustained winds that reached 45 mph, gusting to 61 mph. A even higher storm surge is predicted for this evening (Figure 3.) The last time Nome, Alaska saw a storm this strong was November 11 - 12 1974, when the city experienced sustained winds of 46 mph with gusts to 69 mph, a pressure that bottomed out at 969 mb, and a storm surge of 13 feet that pushed beach driftwood above the previous high storm tide mark set in 1913. The center of today's storm moved ashore over eastern Siberia near 12 UTC with a central pressure of 945 mb. The storm has likely peaked in strength, and will gradually weaken as it moves northeast into the Arctic.
[...]
As sea ice continues to decrease in coming years, leaving more ocean surface exposed to air, more moisture and heat will be available to power storms. As I discussed in detail in my post, The future of intense winters storms, multiple studies have documented a significant increase in the number of intense extratropical cyclones with central pressures below 970 or 980 mb over the North Pacific and Arctic in recent decades. Computer climate models predict predict a future with fewer total winter storms, but a greater number of intense storms; up to twelve additional intense Northern Hemisphere cold-season extratropical storms per year are expected by the end of the century if we continue to follow our current path of emissions of greenhouse gases. These stronger storms will bringer higher winds and higher storm surges to coastal areas of Alaska and the Arctic over the remainder of the 21st century, resulting in increased erosion and flooding of low-lying areas. Contributing to the erosion will be sea level rise.
Kivalina, which lies on a narrow barrier island in the Chukchi Sea, has been losing up to 8 feet of shore each year due to erosion, and the long-term survival of the island is in serious doubt. Plans have been drawn up by the Army Corps of Engineers to relocate the city to the mainland, but finding funding for the $100 - $400 million dollar move has been problematic. The city of Kivalina and a federally recognized tribe, the Alaska Native Village of Kivalina, sued Exxon Mobil Corporation, eight other oil companies, 14 power companies, and one coal company in a lawsuit filed in federal court on February 26, 2008, claiming that the large amounts of greenhouse gases these companies are responsible for contribute to global warming that threatens the community's existence. The lawsuit estimates the cost of relocation at $400 million.
[...]
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Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Newt Gingrich Calls For Reinstating Glass-Steagall, Admits Deregulating The Banking Industry Was A Mistake
I'm not a fan of Newt Gingrich, but his being big enough to admit to a mistake makes me respect him, at least some.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/09/newt-gingrich-calls-for-reinstating-glass-steagall-admits-deregulating-the-banking-industry-was-a-mistake/
November 9, 2011
By Stephen D. Foster Jr.
As Speaker of House during the 1990s, Newt Gingrich and the Republican Party were instrumental in killing the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated investment banks and traditional lending banks. The combining of these banks in the wake of the repeal of that regulation led to the economic collapse in 2008. In an interview on ABC with Jake Tapper, Gingrich admitted that deregulating the banking industry was a mistake. Here is the exchange between the two.
TAPPER: One question I want to ask has to do with your call to repeal the Wall Street reforms, Dodd-Frank. I don’t think a lot of Americans would understand why anyone would want to repeal regulations that happened after this calamity on Wall Street. If you disagree with those regulations that were imposed, do you agree at least that there should be some new reforms or regulations?
GINGRICH: Sure, there should be very decisive reforms. I think, in retrospect, repealing the Glass-Steagall Act was probably a mistake. We should probably reestablish dividing up the big banks into a banking function and an investment function and separating them out again.
Glass-Steagall became law in the wake of the Great Depression. It established regulations that divided investment banks and lending banks so that banks would not get too big, nor would they be able to gamble with money used for lending. Reinstating the regulation would break up the big banks such as Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. When Newt Gingrich says that deregulating the banking industry was a mistake, it’s worth taking seriously. A Republican admitting to a mistake is very rare so hopefully this admission will spur Democrats and Republicans alike to make reinstating Glass-Steagall a reality so that big banks will never again threaten the health of the American economy.
..
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/09/newt-gingrich-calls-for-reinstating-glass-steagall-admits-deregulating-the-banking-industry-was-a-mistake/
November 9, 2011
By Stephen D. Foster Jr.
As Speaker of House during the 1990s, Newt Gingrich and the Republican Party were instrumental in killing the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated investment banks and traditional lending banks. The combining of these banks in the wake of the repeal of that regulation led to the economic collapse in 2008. In an interview on ABC with Jake Tapper, Gingrich admitted that deregulating the banking industry was a mistake. Here is the exchange between the two.
TAPPER: One question I want to ask has to do with your call to repeal the Wall Street reforms, Dodd-Frank. I don’t think a lot of Americans would understand why anyone would want to repeal regulations that happened after this calamity on Wall Street. If you disagree with those regulations that were imposed, do you agree at least that there should be some new reforms or regulations?
GINGRICH: Sure, there should be very decisive reforms. I think, in retrospect, repealing the Glass-Steagall Act was probably a mistake. We should probably reestablish dividing up the big banks into a banking function and an investment function and separating them out again.
Glass-Steagall became law in the wake of the Great Depression. It established regulations that divided investment banks and lending banks so that banks would not get too big, nor would they be able to gamble with money used for lending. Reinstating the regulation would break up the big banks such as Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. When Newt Gingrich says that deregulating the banking industry was a mistake, it’s worth taking seriously. A Republican admitting to a mistake is very rare so hopefully this admission will spur Democrats and Republicans alike to make reinstating Glass-Steagall a reality so that big banks will never again threaten the health of the American economy.
..
Alabama County Files for Bankruptcy
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2011/11/09/alabama_county_files_for_bankruptcy.html
Jefferson County, Alabama, filed the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy after an agreement among elected officials and investors to refinance $3.1 billion in sewer bonds fell apart, Bloomberg reports.
Matt Taibbi, from earlier this year: "The genesis of the whole affair was a sewer project that crooked local pols turned into a $3 billion money pit; when they turned to Wall Street to help finance their way out of the cost overruns, the banks leaned on the County to take on a series of swap deals that essentially pushed the debt into the future, but at geometrically increasing cost. Among other things, the banks worked through middlemen who bribed the local commissioners into taking the toxic deals. As a result of all of this, Jefferson County not only ended up saddled with an astronomical debt service on its sewer project, it also saw a downgrade in its overall credit rating, which left it paralyzed in its attempts to borrow money to pay for general expenditures."
The Birmingham News notes that since 1981, 35 cities, towns, villages and counties nationwide have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, including five in Alabama.
..
Jefferson County, Alabama, filed the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy after an agreement among elected officials and investors to refinance $3.1 billion in sewer bonds fell apart, Bloomberg reports.
Matt Taibbi, from earlier this year: "The genesis of the whole affair was a sewer project that crooked local pols turned into a $3 billion money pit; when they turned to Wall Street to help finance their way out of the cost overruns, the banks leaned on the County to take on a series of swap deals that essentially pushed the debt into the future, but at geometrically increasing cost. Among other things, the banks worked through middlemen who bribed the local commissioners into taking the toxic deals. As a result of all of this, Jefferson County not only ended up saddled with an astronomical debt service on its sewer project, it also saw a downgrade in its overall credit rating, which left it paralyzed in its attempts to borrow money to pay for general expenditures."
The Birmingham News notes that since 1981, 35 cities, towns, villages and counties nationwide have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, including five in Alabama.
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Making a better future
Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so. ~Noam Chomsky
But optimism needs to be paired with reality, too, to choose a course that will make things better, not worse...
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Climate Change's Health Costs Projected To Be Enormous
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/health-costs-of-climate-c_n_1080473.html
First Posted: 11/7/11 05:22 PM ET Updated: 11/8/11 07:47 AM ET
A tally of lost lives and health care expenditures arising from just six recent weather-related or epidemiological events suggests that the economic toll of future climate change is likely to be even more staggering than previously thought, according to a study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs.
The analysis, conducted by a team of researchers from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco, represents one of the most ambitious attempts to establish a uniform method for putting a price tag on the health impacts of climate change. Most previous estimates have only looked at costs associated with property losses, damage to infrastructure and other resource forfeitures.
"This is a problem with a human face," said Kim Knowlton, a senior scientist in the Health and Environment Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the lead author of the study. "Our prior notions about climate change damage without these costs included have been vastly underestimated."
The researchers examined morbidity and mortality data -- including expenditures for hospitalization, visits to the emergency room and other medical services -- arising from a California wildfire in 2003 and a 2006 heat wave in the same state; the 2004 hurricane season in Florida; an outbreak of West Nile virus in Louisiana in 2002; a river flood two years ago in North Dakota; and nationwide ozone pollution between 2000 and 2002.
Although none of these scenarios can be definitively linked to climate change, all six were chosen as emblematic of the types of episodes that experts expect to see more of as the planet warms. They were also selected, Knowlton said, because robust health impact data for each was available in the peer-reviewed literature.
In reviewing that data, the researchers concluded that these six events resulted in 1,689 early deaths, 8,992 hospitalizations, 21,113 emergency department visits and 734,398 outpatient visits, with estimated costs totaling more than $14 billion. Almost all of that expense -- 95 percent -- arose from the foreshortening of human life. The researchers used a valuation developed by the Environmental Protection Agency that puts the health cost of each premature death at $7.9 million. Encounters with the health care system in these six scenarios accounted for as much as $740 million.
The highest health costs were associated with ozone pollution, which tallied $6.5 billion, and the California heat wave, which came in at $5.4 billion.
Differences in how cost data was tabulated in each event and other points of variability, the authors concede, may have resulted in the tally being overestimated by as much as $9.6 billion -- or underestimated by as much as $25.6 billion. But given the expected rise in the number of heat waves, flooding, and other extreme weather- and disease-related events associated with global warming -- in addition to established projections for the impact of climate change on physical infrastructure and other non-human capital -- the study suggests that the total price tag is likely to be exponentially higher than previously thought.
Other potential expenditures -- from increased rates of food- and waterborne illnesses and lost school days for children to the costs associated with climate change's disproportionate impact on poorer communities -- also have not yet been tallied, the authors note.
[...]
A 2008 analysis commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council, for example, estimated that hurricane damage, real estate losses, energy and water costs associated with global warming could cost as much as $1.9 trillion annually by the end of the century. Various other studies, including one by the British economist Nicholas Stern, have put the potential cost at anywhere between 1 percent and 5 percent of the total national product of all countries, or the gross world product, which is currently estimated to be just over $63 trillion.
[...]
..
First Posted: 11/7/11 05:22 PM ET Updated: 11/8/11 07:47 AM ET
A tally of lost lives and health care expenditures arising from just six recent weather-related or epidemiological events suggests that the economic toll of future climate change is likely to be even more staggering than previously thought, according to a study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs.
The analysis, conducted by a team of researchers from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco, represents one of the most ambitious attempts to establish a uniform method for putting a price tag on the health impacts of climate change. Most previous estimates have only looked at costs associated with property losses, damage to infrastructure and other resource forfeitures.
"This is a problem with a human face," said Kim Knowlton, a senior scientist in the Health and Environment Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the lead author of the study. "Our prior notions about climate change damage without these costs included have been vastly underestimated."
The researchers examined morbidity and mortality data -- including expenditures for hospitalization, visits to the emergency room and other medical services -- arising from a California wildfire in 2003 and a 2006 heat wave in the same state; the 2004 hurricane season in Florida; an outbreak of West Nile virus in Louisiana in 2002; a river flood two years ago in North Dakota; and nationwide ozone pollution between 2000 and 2002.
Although none of these scenarios can be definitively linked to climate change, all six were chosen as emblematic of the types of episodes that experts expect to see more of as the planet warms. They were also selected, Knowlton said, because robust health impact data for each was available in the peer-reviewed literature.
In reviewing that data, the researchers concluded that these six events resulted in 1,689 early deaths, 8,992 hospitalizations, 21,113 emergency department visits and 734,398 outpatient visits, with estimated costs totaling more than $14 billion. Almost all of that expense -- 95 percent -- arose from the foreshortening of human life. The researchers used a valuation developed by the Environmental Protection Agency that puts the health cost of each premature death at $7.9 million. Encounters with the health care system in these six scenarios accounted for as much as $740 million.
The highest health costs were associated with ozone pollution, which tallied $6.5 billion, and the California heat wave, which came in at $5.4 billion.
Differences in how cost data was tabulated in each event and other points of variability, the authors concede, may have resulted in the tally being overestimated by as much as $9.6 billion -- or underestimated by as much as $25.6 billion. But given the expected rise in the number of heat waves, flooding, and other extreme weather- and disease-related events associated with global warming -- in addition to established projections for the impact of climate change on physical infrastructure and other non-human capital -- the study suggests that the total price tag is likely to be exponentially higher than previously thought.
Other potential expenditures -- from increased rates of food- and waterborne illnesses and lost school days for children to the costs associated with climate change's disproportionate impact on poorer communities -- also have not yet been tallied, the authors note.
[...]
A 2008 analysis commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council, for example, estimated that hurricane damage, real estate losses, energy and water costs associated with global warming could cost as much as $1.9 trillion annually by the end of the century. Various other studies, including one by the British economist Nicholas Stern, have put the potential cost at anywhere between 1 percent and 5 percent of the total national product of all countries, or the gross world product, which is currently estimated to be just over $63 trillion.
[...]
..
Exploding, Once Again, the “Non-Payer” Tax Myth
http://www.offthechartsblog.org/exploding-once-again-the-non-payer-tax-myth/?
November 7, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Have you heard the one about how nearly half of Americans don’t pay taxes? Nonsense, as the recent Congressional Budget Office report on income inequality reminds us.
As we have explained, in a typical year around 35-40 percent of households don’t owe any federal income tax. But most of them pay a significant share of their incomes in other taxes — particularly payroll taxes, as the CBO report points out:
People in the bottom four-fifths of the income scale pay more in payroll taxes than federal income taxes, on average. The Tax Policy Center estimates that payroll taxes (including both the employee and employer shares) outweigh federal income taxes for 82 percent of households. (Most economists agree that workers pay not only the employee share of payroll taxes but the employer share as well in the form of lower wages.)
Working-poor and middle-class Americans pay a much larger share of their incomes in payroll taxes than high-income people do (see graph). That gap has increased over the past 30 years, the CBO report shows. In addition, the share of federal revenues coming from payroll taxes has gone up while the share coming from income taxes has gone down.
When you count all federal taxes (income, payroll, and excise), even people in the bottom fifth of the income scale are net federal taxpayers, on average. This group, whose after-tax incomes averaged just $17,700 in 2007, paid 4.7 percent of their incomes in federal taxes that year.
Moreover, these figures don’t consider the significant state and local taxes that virtually all Americans pay — taxes that, like federal payroll and excise taxes, tend to demand more of lower-income people relative to their incomes.
When you count all taxes — federal, state, and local — the bottom fifth of households paid 16 percent of their incomes in taxes in 2009, on average, according to Citizens for Tax Justice.
[...]
..
November 7, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Have you heard the one about how nearly half of Americans don’t pay taxes? Nonsense, as the recent Congressional Budget Office report on income inequality reminds us.
As we have explained, in a typical year around 35-40 percent of households don’t owe any federal income tax. But most of them pay a significant share of their incomes in other taxes — particularly payroll taxes, as the CBO report points out:
People in the bottom four-fifths of the income scale pay more in payroll taxes than federal income taxes, on average. The Tax Policy Center estimates that payroll taxes (including both the employee and employer shares) outweigh federal income taxes for 82 percent of households. (Most economists agree that workers pay not only the employee share of payroll taxes but the employer share as well in the form of lower wages.)
Working-poor and middle-class Americans pay a much larger share of their incomes in payroll taxes than high-income people do (see graph). That gap has increased over the past 30 years, the CBO report shows. In addition, the share of federal revenues coming from payroll taxes has gone up while the share coming from income taxes has gone down.
When you count all federal taxes (income, payroll, and excise), even people in the bottom fifth of the income scale are net federal taxpayers, on average. This group, whose after-tax incomes averaged just $17,700 in 2007, paid 4.7 percent of their incomes in federal taxes that year.
Moreover, these figures don’t consider the significant state and local taxes that virtually all Americans pay — taxes that, like federal payroll and excise taxes, tend to demand more of lower-income people relative to their incomes.
When you count all taxes — federal, state, and local — the bottom fifth of households paid 16 percent of their incomes in taxes in 2009, on average, according to Citizens for Tax Justice.
[...]
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Solar updraft tower
An interesting way to generate electricity from the sun w/o solar panels. Since a car heats up when the windows are up even on a cloudy day, due to the same greenhouse effect of glass, this should be able to use energy from the sun even on cloudy days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower
The solar updraft tower is a renewable-energy power plant. It combines the chimney effect, the greenhouse effect and the wind turbine. Air is heated by sunshine and contained in a very large greenhouse-like structure around the base of a tall chimney, and the resulting convection causes air to rise up the updraft tower. This airflow drives turbines, which produce electricity.
[...]
Heat can be stored inside the collector area greenhouse to be used to warm the air later on. Water, with its relatively high specific heat capacity, can be filled in tubes placed under the collector, increasing the energy storage as needed.[
[...]
..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower
The solar updraft tower is a renewable-energy power plant. It combines the chimney effect, the greenhouse effect and the wind turbine. Air is heated by sunshine and contained in a very large greenhouse-like structure around the base of a tall chimney, and the resulting convection causes air to rise up the updraft tower. This airflow drives turbines, which produce electricity.
[...]
Heat can be stored inside the collector area greenhouse to be used to warm the air later on. Water, with its relatively high specific heat capacity, can be filled in tubes placed under the collector, increasing the energy storage as needed.[
[...]
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UK Fracking Firm Admits They Are Causing Earthquakes Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/fracking-earthquakes-uk-2011-11#ixzz1dAT3YyZv
http://www.businessinsider.com/fracking-earthquakes-uk-2011-11
Nick Jardine | Nov. 7, 2011, 9:58 AM
Following seismic tremors in North-West England this Spring, the firm exploring for natural shale gas in the region has admitted that the disturbances were caused by the controversial exploration process of fracking.
Fracking involves cracking or fracturing rock, containing trapped shale gas, by using pressurized liquid. Shale gas is an increasingly important energy resource though there have been claims that it is worse for the environment than coal, largely due to the fracking process.
A press release from Cuadrilla Resources, who were responsible for exploration in the region, reported that:
"The hydraulic fracturing of Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall-1 well did trigger a number of minor seismic events."
"The seismic events were due to an unusual combination of geology at the well site coupled with the pressure exerted by water injection as part of operations."
The company did add that the chances of such an occurrence happening again would be slim. It predicted that a worse case scenario would result in an earthquake measuring no more than 3.0 on the Richter Scale.
..
Nick Jardine | Nov. 7, 2011, 9:58 AM
Following seismic tremors in North-West England this Spring, the firm exploring for natural shale gas in the region has admitted that the disturbances were caused by the controversial exploration process of fracking.
Fracking involves cracking or fracturing rock, containing trapped shale gas, by using pressurized liquid. Shale gas is an increasingly important energy resource though there have been claims that it is worse for the environment than coal, largely due to the fracking process.
A press release from Cuadrilla Resources, who were responsible for exploration in the region, reported that:
"The hydraulic fracturing of Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall-1 well did trigger a number of minor seismic events."
"The seismic events were due to an unusual combination of geology at the well site coupled with the pressure exerted by water injection as part of operations."
The company did add that the chances of such an occurrence happening again would be slim. It predicted that a worse case scenario would result in an earthquake measuring no more than 3.0 on the Richter Scale.
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NPR Corporate Donations
http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/publicradiofinances.html#annual
For 2009 (the most recent data)
Percentage of public radio station revenue from business = 20.1%
NPR percentage of revenue
from station programming fees = 34%
from corporate sponsorships = 22%
So the total percentage of NPR revenues from business = 22 + .201*34 = 28.8%
[...]
..
For 2009 (the most recent data)
Percentage of public radio station revenue from business = 20.1%
NPR percentage of revenue
from station programming fees = 34%
from corporate sponsorships = 22%
So the total percentage of NPR revenues from business = 22 + .201*34 = 28.8%
[...]
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Is NPR disorganized, or hiding something? - corrected 11/10/2011
In the fall of 2010, I thought NPR was pretty tardy about posting info on it's operations, including corporate sponsors, because the latest info they had was for 2010 2009.
Here it is near the end of 2011, and the latest info is still for 2009!
http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/publicradiofinances.html#annual
Annual Reports
Each year NPR publishes an annual report highlighting the achievements, new initiatives, and milestones that stand out during the calendar year.
*Note: See the Audited Statements for the related financial information for these years.
..
Here it is near the end of 2011, and the latest info is still for 2009!
http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/publicradiofinances.html#annual
Annual Reports
Each year NPR publishes an annual report highlighting the achievements, new initiatives, and milestones that stand out during the calendar year.
*Note: See the Audited Statements for the related financial information for these years.
| Annual Reports and Donor Lists | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006* | 2007* | 2008* | 2009* |
| NPR |
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Monday, November 07, 2011
GE Sees Solar Cheaper Than Fossil Power in Five Years
If the costs of dealing with pollution from fossil fuels was included in the costs of the fuel, fossil fuels would be much more expensive. As it is, taxpayers are stuck with much of the environmental and health costs from the use of fossil fuels. And alternative sources of energy do not need to replace all use of fossil fuels in order to be beneficial.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-26/solar-may-be-cheaper-than-fossil-power-in-five-years-ge-says.html
By Brian Wingfield - May 26, 2011 4:58 AM ET
Solar power may be cheaper than electricity generated by fossil fuels and nuclear reactors within three to five years because of innovations, said Mark M. Little, the global research director for General Electric Co. (GE)
“If we can get solar at 15 cents a kilowatt-hour or lower, which I’m hopeful that we will do, you’re going to have a lot of people that are going to want to have solar at home,” Little said yesterday in an interview in Bloomberg’s Washington office. The 2009 average U.S. retail rate per kilowatt-hour for electricity ranges from 6.1 cents in Wyoming to 18.1 cents in Connecticut, according to Energy Information Administration data released in April.
GE, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, announced in April that it had boosted the efficiency of thin-film solar panels to a record 12.8 percent. Improving efficiency, or the amount of sunlight converted to electricity, would help reduce the costs without relying on subsidies.
The thin-film panels will be manufactured at a plant that GE intends to open in 2013. The company said in April that the factory will have about 400 employees and make enough panels each year to power about 80,000 homes.
Solar-panel makers from Arizona to Shanghai are expanding factories to add more cost savings that analysts say will sustain the industry’s expansion. Installations may increase by as much as 50 percent in 2011, worth about $140 billion, as cheaper panels and thin film make developers less dependent on government subsidies, Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecast.
The cost of solar cells, the main component in standard panels, has fallen 21 percent so far this year, and the cost of solar power is now about the same as the rate utilities charge for conventional power in the sunniest parts of California, Italy and Turkey, the London-based research company said.
[...]
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Just set up a Facebook page for a local monthly music coffeehouse I go to. Took awhile, and now it is near time for Barnes & Noble to close, which is why there aren't very many posts tonigt.
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Here Comes the Sun
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/opinion/krugman-here-comes-solar-energy.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=OP-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-HCS-110711-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: November 6, 2011
For decades the story of technology has been dominated, in the popular mind and to a large extent in reality, by computing and the things you can do with it. Moore’s Law — in which the price of computing power falls roughly 50 percent every 18 months — has powered an ever-expanding range of applications, from faxes to Facebook.
Our mastery of the material world, on the other hand, has advanced much more slowly. The sources of energy, the way we move stuff around, are much the same as they were a generation ago.
But that may be about to change. We are, or at least we should be, on the cusp of an energy transformation, driven by the rapidly falling cost of solar power. That’s right, solar power.
If that surprises you, if you still think of solar power as some kind of hippie fantasy, blame our fossilized political system, in which fossil fuel producers have both powerful political allies and a powerful propaganda machine that denigrates alternatives.
Speaking of propaganda: Before I get to solar, let’s talk briefly about hydraulic fracturing, a k a fracking.
Fracking — injecting high-pressure fluid into rocks deep underground, inducing the release of fossil fuels — is an impressive technology. But it’s also a technology that imposes large costs on the public. We know that it produces toxic (and radioactive) wastewater that contaminates drinking water; there is reason to suspect, despite industry denials, that it also contaminates groundwater; and the heavy trucking required for fracking inflicts major damage on roads.
Economics 101 tells us that an industry imposing large costs on third parties should be required to “internalize” those costs — that is, to pay for the damage it inflicts, treating that damage as a cost of production. Fracking might still be worth doing given those costs. But no industry should be held harmless from its impacts on the environment and the nation’s infrastructure.
Yet what the industry and its defenders demand is, of course, precisely that it be let off the hook for the damage it causes. Why? Because we need that energy! For example, the industry-backed organization energyfromshale.org declares that “there are only two sides in the debate: those who want our oil and natural resources developed in a safe and responsible way; and those who don’t want our oil and natural gas resources developed at all.”
So it’s worth pointing out that special treatment for fracking makes a mockery of free-market principles. Pro-fracking politicians claim to be against subsidies, yet letting an industry impose costs without paying compensation is in effect a huge subsidy. They say they oppose having the government “pick winners,” yet they demand special treatment for this industry precisely because they claim it will be a winner.
And now for something completely different: the success story you haven’t heard about.
These days, mention solar power and you’ll probably hear cries of “Solyndra!” Republicans have tried to make the failed solar panel company both a symbol of government waste — although claims of a major scandal are nonsense — and a stick with which to beat renewable energy.
But Solyndra’s failure was actually caused by technological success: the price of solar panels is dropping fast, and Solyndra couldn’t keep up with the competition. In fact, progress in solar panels has been so dramatic and sustained that, as a blog post at Scientific American put it, “there’s now frequent talk of a ‘Moore’s law’ in solar energy,” with prices adjusted for inflation falling around 7 percent a year.
This has already led to rapid growth in solar installations, but even more change may be just around the corner. If the downward trend continues — and if anything it seems to be accelerating — we’re just a few years from the point at which electricity from solar panels becomes cheaper than electricity generated by burning coal.
And if we priced coal-fired power right, taking into account the huge health and other costs it imposes, it’s likely that we would already have passed that tipping point.
But will our political system delay the energy transformation now within reach?
Let’s face it: a large part of our political class, including essentially the entire G.O.P., is deeply invested in an energy sector dominated by fossil fuels, and actively hostile to alternatives. This political class will do everything it can to ensure subsidies for the extraction and use of fossil fuels, directly with taxpayers’ money and indirectly by letting the industry off the hook for environmental costs, while ridiculing technologies like solar.
So what you need to know is that nothing you hear from these people is true. Fracking is not a dream come true; solar is now cost-effective. Here comes the sun, if we’re willing to let it in.
..
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: November 6, 2011
For decades the story of technology has been dominated, in the popular mind and to a large extent in reality, by computing and the things you can do with it. Moore’s Law — in which the price of computing power falls roughly 50 percent every 18 months — has powered an ever-expanding range of applications, from faxes to Facebook.
Our mastery of the material world, on the other hand, has advanced much more slowly. The sources of energy, the way we move stuff around, are much the same as they were a generation ago.
But that may be about to change. We are, or at least we should be, on the cusp of an energy transformation, driven by the rapidly falling cost of solar power. That’s right, solar power.
If that surprises you, if you still think of solar power as some kind of hippie fantasy, blame our fossilized political system, in which fossil fuel producers have both powerful political allies and a powerful propaganda machine that denigrates alternatives.
Speaking of propaganda: Before I get to solar, let’s talk briefly about hydraulic fracturing, a k a fracking.
Fracking — injecting high-pressure fluid into rocks deep underground, inducing the release of fossil fuels — is an impressive technology. But it’s also a technology that imposes large costs on the public. We know that it produces toxic (and radioactive) wastewater that contaminates drinking water; there is reason to suspect, despite industry denials, that it also contaminates groundwater; and the heavy trucking required for fracking inflicts major damage on roads.
Economics 101 tells us that an industry imposing large costs on third parties should be required to “internalize” those costs — that is, to pay for the damage it inflicts, treating that damage as a cost of production. Fracking might still be worth doing given those costs. But no industry should be held harmless from its impacts on the environment and the nation’s infrastructure.
Yet what the industry and its defenders demand is, of course, precisely that it be let off the hook for the damage it causes. Why? Because we need that energy! For example, the industry-backed organization energyfromshale.org declares that “there are only two sides in the debate: those who want our oil and natural resources developed in a safe and responsible way; and those who don’t want our oil and natural gas resources developed at all.”
So it’s worth pointing out that special treatment for fracking makes a mockery of free-market principles. Pro-fracking politicians claim to be against subsidies, yet letting an industry impose costs without paying compensation is in effect a huge subsidy. They say they oppose having the government “pick winners,” yet they demand special treatment for this industry precisely because they claim it will be a winner.
And now for something completely different: the success story you haven’t heard about.
These days, mention solar power and you’ll probably hear cries of “Solyndra!” Republicans have tried to make the failed solar panel company both a symbol of government waste — although claims of a major scandal are nonsense — and a stick with which to beat renewable energy.
But Solyndra’s failure was actually caused by technological success: the price of solar panels is dropping fast, and Solyndra couldn’t keep up with the competition. In fact, progress in solar panels has been so dramatic and sustained that, as a blog post at Scientific American put it, “there’s now frequent talk of a ‘Moore’s law’ in solar energy,” with prices adjusted for inflation falling around 7 percent a year.
This has already led to rapid growth in solar installations, but even more change may be just around the corner. If the downward trend continues — and if anything it seems to be accelerating — we’re just a few years from the point at which electricity from solar panels becomes cheaper than electricity generated by burning coal.
And if we priced coal-fired power right, taking into account the huge health and other costs it imposes, it’s likely that we would already have passed that tipping point.
But will our political system delay the energy transformation now within reach?
Let’s face it: a large part of our political class, including essentially the entire G.O.P., is deeply invested in an energy sector dominated by fossil fuels, and actively hostile to alternatives. This political class will do everything it can to ensure subsidies for the extraction and use of fossil fuels, directly with taxpayers’ money and indirectly by letting the industry off the hook for environmental costs, while ridiculing technologies like solar.
So what you need to know is that nothing you hear from these people is true. Fracking is not a dream come true; solar is now cost-effective. Here comes the sun, if we’re willing to let it in.
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Defense Contractors Pay Little To No Corporate Income Tax While Earning Billions
According to the "logic" of those opposed to the inheritance tax, since they are paid with tax money, the money has already been taxed, so they shouldn't be taxed again, right?http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/11/07/362646/defense-industry-tax-no/
By Pat Garofalo on Nov 7, 2011 at 11:50 am
Last week, Citizens for Tax Justice released a report showing that 30 major corporations have paid no income taxes for the last three years, as they made $160 billion. CTJ looked at 280 companies in the Fortune 500, and found that “while the federal corporate tax code ostensibly requires big corporations to pay a 35 percent corporate income tax rate, on average, the 280 corporations in our study paid only about half that amount.”
In fact, over the last three years, only two industries — retail and health care — paid an effective tax rate of 30 percent or more. And as the Hill noted today, one industry is doing very well when it comes to tax avoidance — defense contractors:
American defense manufacturers pay an average annual tax rate of 17.5 percent, placing them in a class with some of the nation’s least-taxed sectors like information technology, telecommunications, financial services and energy, Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy concluded. [...]
Boeing, which also makes commercial aircraft, came in with the lowest tax rate among defense firms at -1.8 percent; SAIC had the highest at 28.7 percent, according to the report.
[...]
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Jack Abramoff: The lobbyist's playbook
Crooked lobbyist Jack Abramoff explains how he asserted his influence in Congress for years, and how such corruption continues today despite ethics reform. Lesley Stahl reports. See the 60 minutes segment at the following link:
www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57319075/jack-abramoff-the-lobbyists-playbook/
November 6, 2011 7:04 PM
Jack Abramoff, the notorious former lobbyist at the center of Washington's biggest corruption scandal in decades, spent more than three years in prison for his crimes. Now a free man, he reveals how he was able to influence politicians and their staffers through generous gifts and job offers. He tells Lesley Stahl the reforms instituted in the wake of his scandal have had little effect.
The following is a script of "The Lobbyist's Playbook" which aired on Nov. 6, 2011.
Jack Abramoff may be the most notorious and crooked lobbyist of our time. He was at the center of a massive scandal of brazen corruption and influence peddling.
As a Republican lobbyist starting in the mid 1990s, he became a master at showering gifts on lawmakers in return for their votes on legislation and tax breaks favorable to his clients. He was so good at it, he took home $20 million a year.
It all came crashing down five years ago, when Jack Abramoff pled guilty to corrupting public officials, tax evasion and fraud, and served three and a half years in prison.
Today he's a symbol of how money corrupts Washington. In our interview tonight, he opens up his playbook for the first time.
And explains exactly how he used his clients' money to buy powerful friends and influence legislation.
Jack Abramoff: I was so far into it that I couldn't figure out where right and wrong was. I believed that I was among the top moral people in the business. I was totally blinded by what was going on.
Jack Abramoff was a whiz at influencing legislation and one way he did that was to get his clients, like some Indian tribes, to make substantial campaign contributions to select members of Congress.
Abramoff: As I look back it was effective. It certainly helped the people I was trying to help, both the clients and the Republicans at that time.
[...]
Stahl: Can you quantify how much it costs to corrupt a congressman?
Abramoff: I was actually thinking of writing a book - "The Idiot's Guide to Buying a Congressman" - as a way to put this all down. First, I think most congressmen don't feel they're being bought. Most congressmen, I think, can in their own mind justify the system.
Stahl: Rationalize.
Abramoff: --rationalize it and by the way we wanted as lobbyists for them to feel that way.
Abramoff would provide freebies and gifts - looking for favors for his clients in return. He'd lavish certain congressmen and senators with access to private jets and junkets to the world's great golf destinations like St. Andrews in Scotland. Free meals at his own upscale Washington restaurant and access to the best tickets to all the area's sporting events; including two skyboxes at Washington Redskins games.
Abramoff: I spent over a million dollars a year on tickets to sporting events and concerts and what not at all the venues.
[...]
But the "best way" to get a congressional office to do his bidding - he says - was to offer a staffer a job that could triple his salary.
Abramoff: When we would become friendly with an office and they were important to us, and the chief of staff was a competent person, I would say or my staff would say to him or her at some point, "You know, when you're done working on the Hill, we'd very much like you to consider coming to work for us." Now the moment I said that to them or any of our staff said that to 'em, that was it. We owned them. And what does that mean? Every request from our office, every request of our clients, everything that we want, they're gonna do. And not only that, they're gonna think of things we can't think of to do.
[...]
After the scandal, Congress instituted a package of reforms, making what Abramoff did - like plying members of Congress with free expensive meals - illegal. But he doesn't see the new reforms as being very effective.
Abramoff: The reform efforts continually are these faux-reform efforts where they'll change, they'll tweak the system. They'll say, "You can have a meal with a congressman if they're standing up, not sitting down."
Stahl: Is that serious? Or are you joking?
Abramoff: Oh no, I'm not joking at all.
Stahl: So, it's okay if you pay for lunch as long as you stand up?
Abramoff: Well, it's actually worse than that. You can't take a congressman to lunch for $25 and buy him a hamburger or a steak of something like that. But you can take him to a fundraising lunch and not only buy him that steak, but give him $25,000 extra and call it a fundraiser. And have all the same access and all the same interaction with that congressman. So the people who make the reforms are the people in the system.
Stahl: Could you do the same thing today? I'm asking you whether you think the system's been cleaned up?
Abramoff: Could do the same thing that I? Yeah. No, the system hasn't been cleaned up at all.
Stahl: At all.
Abramoff: There's an arrogance on the part of lobbyists, and certainly there was on the part of me and my team, that no matter what they come up we, we're smarter than they are and we'll overcome it. We'll just find another way through. That's all.
He says the most important thing that needs to be done is to prohibit members of Congress and their staff from ever becoming lobbyists in Washington.
[...]
..
www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57319075/jack-abramoff-the-lobbyists-playbook/
November 6, 2011 7:04 PM
Jack Abramoff, the notorious former lobbyist at the center of Washington's biggest corruption scandal in decades, spent more than three years in prison for his crimes. Now a free man, he reveals how he was able to influence politicians and their staffers through generous gifts and job offers. He tells Lesley Stahl the reforms instituted in the wake of his scandal have had little effect.
The following is a script of "The Lobbyist's Playbook" which aired on Nov. 6, 2011.
Jack Abramoff may be the most notorious and crooked lobbyist of our time. He was at the center of a massive scandal of brazen corruption and influence peddling.
As a Republican lobbyist starting in the mid 1990s, he became a master at showering gifts on lawmakers in return for their votes on legislation and tax breaks favorable to his clients. He was so good at it, he took home $20 million a year.
It all came crashing down five years ago, when Jack Abramoff pled guilty to corrupting public officials, tax evasion and fraud, and served three and a half years in prison.
Today he's a symbol of how money corrupts Washington. In our interview tonight, he opens up his playbook for the first time.
And explains exactly how he used his clients' money to buy powerful friends and influence legislation.
Jack Abramoff: I was so far into it that I couldn't figure out where right and wrong was. I believed that I was among the top moral people in the business. I was totally blinded by what was going on.
Jack Abramoff was a whiz at influencing legislation and one way he did that was to get his clients, like some Indian tribes, to make substantial campaign contributions to select members of Congress.
Abramoff: As I look back it was effective. It certainly helped the people I was trying to help, both the clients and the Republicans at that time.
[...]
Stahl: Can you quantify how much it costs to corrupt a congressman?
Abramoff: I was actually thinking of writing a book - "The Idiot's Guide to Buying a Congressman" - as a way to put this all down. First, I think most congressmen don't feel they're being bought. Most congressmen, I think, can in their own mind justify the system.
Stahl: Rationalize.
Abramoff: --rationalize it and by the way we wanted as lobbyists for them to feel that way.
Abramoff would provide freebies and gifts - looking for favors for his clients in return. He'd lavish certain congressmen and senators with access to private jets and junkets to the world's great golf destinations like St. Andrews in Scotland. Free meals at his own upscale Washington restaurant and access to the best tickets to all the area's sporting events; including two skyboxes at Washington Redskins games.
Abramoff: I spent over a million dollars a year on tickets to sporting events and concerts and what not at all the venues.
[...]
But the "best way" to get a congressional office to do his bidding - he says - was to offer a staffer a job that could triple his salary.
Abramoff: When we would become friendly with an office and they were important to us, and the chief of staff was a competent person, I would say or my staff would say to him or her at some point, "You know, when you're done working on the Hill, we'd very much like you to consider coming to work for us." Now the moment I said that to them or any of our staff said that to 'em, that was it. We owned them. And what does that mean? Every request from our office, every request of our clients, everything that we want, they're gonna do. And not only that, they're gonna think of things we can't think of to do.
[...]
After the scandal, Congress instituted a package of reforms, making what Abramoff did - like plying members of Congress with free expensive meals - illegal. But he doesn't see the new reforms as being very effective.
Abramoff: The reform efforts continually are these faux-reform efforts where they'll change, they'll tweak the system. They'll say, "You can have a meal with a congressman if they're standing up, not sitting down."
Stahl: Is that serious? Or are you joking?
Abramoff: Oh no, I'm not joking at all.
Stahl: So, it's okay if you pay for lunch as long as you stand up?
Abramoff: Well, it's actually worse than that. You can't take a congressman to lunch for $25 and buy him a hamburger or a steak of something like that. But you can take him to a fundraising lunch and not only buy him that steak, but give him $25,000 extra and call it a fundraiser. And have all the same access and all the same interaction with that congressman. So the people who make the reforms are the people in the system.
Stahl: Could you do the same thing today? I'm asking you whether you think the system's been cleaned up?
Abramoff: Could do the same thing that I? Yeah. No, the system hasn't been cleaned up at all.
Stahl: At all.
Abramoff: There's an arrogance on the part of lobbyists, and certainly there was on the part of me and my team, that no matter what they come up we, we're smarter than they are and we'll overcome it. We'll just find another way through. That's all.
He says the most important thing that needs to be done is to prohibit members of Congress and their staff from ever becoming lobbyists in Washington.
[...]
..
Tues. Nov. 8, 2011 election day
Many places in the U.S. will be having elections tomorrow, Tues. Nov. 8, 2011
..
..
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Horses face starvation as drought ravages Texas pastures
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/06/129446/horses-face-starvation-as-drought.html
Posted on Sunday, November 6, 2011
By Steve Campbell | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH — With drought-ravaged pastures turning into dust, water tanks drying up and the price of hay skyrocketing, equine rescue groups across Texas are being inundated with horses surrendered by cash-strapped owners or simply abandoned on back roads.
"I've taken in 14 horses in the last two weeks," said Bob Williams of Ranch Hand Rescue in Argyle. "Law enforcement agencies can't keep up with the numbers of animals they are rounding up on country roads. Nobody knows what to do. I'm telling you it's an epidemic.
"The problem is everyone used up their winter hay supply during the summer. Between the drought and the wildfires, there's no hay in Texas," said Williams, noting that the cost of forage has more than doubled in a year.
[...]
Cattle ranchers, whose pastures were withered by the hottest and driest summer on record, have been trucking in loads of out-of-state hay, selling off herds or shipping them north to greener pastures. But that's not an option for most of the estimated 181,000 people who own the nearly 1 million horses in Texas, Sigler said.
With the drought expected to continue into next year, dwindling water supplies are an even greater concern for Sigler.
"The tanks are dry and wells are going dry, and some water suppliers are restricting water use for livestock," he said.
With the horse market glutted, people can't even give horses away.
Every day, beleaguered owners are asking the Humane Society of North Texas to take theirs, said Sandy Grambort, equine services manager in Fort Worth. The society is now caring for 40 head.
"We used to take in 20 to 30 horses a year; now we're getting that many every month. Some months we're getting 50 to 60," she said. "It's a double whammy with the economy and the drought. It's putting the horse industry in a pretty serious crisis."
Melissa Orten of Rendon, who has been raising and showing quarter horses, paint horses and Arabian horses for 30 years, recently surrendered four of her nine prized show horses to the Humane Society.
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done to swallow my pride and ask for help," Orten said. "We have income, but with the cost of hay, we couldn't make it work. It just drowns you."
Orten, 54, and her husband, Jeff, an insurance adjuster, had their manufactured home repossessed a year ago and are living in a storage building that was a tack room on their 8-acre property.
"That wouldn't have happened if I had let go of the horses earlier," she said, noting that she has "sold down" from 16 head.
"I've tried to sell the four I'm surrendering, but the market is flooded," she said. "I just want to make sure they get good homes. I don't want them sold for slaughter in Mexico."
Orten thinks she's found an adoptive home for her best horse, a 5-year-old mare that she says won a world title at a paint horse show in 2008.
"She's got champion bloodlines. I've got $10,000 in her and I'm giving her away. It's heartbreaking," she said.
Instead of removing the horses, Grambort is giving Orten "hay assistance."
"We can't support people's horses, but we can supplement them. The goal is to keep horses in homes as sort of a stopgap," she said.
[...]
Some horses are being abandoned, and donkey-dumping has become so pervasive that Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in Miles quit taking in animals three weeks ago when its facility reached capacity at 450.
"We've taken in 600 in Texas this year. We've got a list of 300 more waiting to come in, mostly from law enforcement agencies," said Mark Meyers, who founded the rescue group. "I think it will be a crisis this winter. I don't think it will just be abandonment. I can see hundreds of donkeys being shot by their owners this winter."
[...]
..
Posted on Sunday, November 6, 2011
By Steve Campbell | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH — With drought-ravaged pastures turning into dust, water tanks drying up and the price of hay skyrocketing, equine rescue groups across Texas are being inundated with horses surrendered by cash-strapped owners or simply abandoned on back roads.
"I've taken in 14 horses in the last two weeks," said Bob Williams of Ranch Hand Rescue in Argyle. "Law enforcement agencies can't keep up with the numbers of animals they are rounding up on country roads. Nobody knows what to do. I'm telling you it's an epidemic.
"The problem is everyone used up their winter hay supply during the summer. Between the drought and the wildfires, there's no hay in Texas," said Williams, noting that the cost of forage has more than doubled in a year.
[...]
Cattle ranchers, whose pastures were withered by the hottest and driest summer on record, have been trucking in loads of out-of-state hay, selling off herds or shipping them north to greener pastures. But that's not an option for most of the estimated 181,000 people who own the nearly 1 million horses in Texas, Sigler said.
With the drought expected to continue into next year, dwindling water supplies are an even greater concern for Sigler.
"The tanks are dry and wells are going dry, and some water suppliers are restricting water use for livestock," he said.
With the horse market glutted, people can't even give horses away.
Every day, beleaguered owners are asking the Humane Society of North Texas to take theirs, said Sandy Grambort, equine services manager in Fort Worth. The society is now caring for 40 head.
"We used to take in 20 to 30 horses a year; now we're getting that many every month. Some months we're getting 50 to 60," she said. "It's a double whammy with the economy and the drought. It's putting the horse industry in a pretty serious crisis."
Melissa Orten of Rendon, who has been raising and showing quarter horses, paint horses and Arabian horses for 30 years, recently surrendered four of her nine prized show horses to the Humane Society.
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done to swallow my pride and ask for help," Orten said. "We have income, but with the cost of hay, we couldn't make it work. It just drowns you."
Orten, 54, and her husband, Jeff, an insurance adjuster, had their manufactured home repossessed a year ago and are living in a storage building that was a tack room on their 8-acre property.
"That wouldn't have happened if I had let go of the horses earlier," she said, noting that she has "sold down" from 16 head.
"I've tried to sell the four I'm surrendering, but the market is flooded," she said. "I just want to make sure they get good homes. I don't want them sold for slaughter in Mexico."
Orten thinks she's found an adoptive home for her best horse, a 5-year-old mare that she says won a world title at a paint horse show in 2008.
"She's got champion bloodlines. I've got $10,000 in her and I'm giving her away. It's heartbreaking," she said.
Instead of removing the horses, Grambort is giving Orten "hay assistance."
"We can't support people's horses, but we can supplement them. The goal is to keep horses in homes as sort of a stopgap," she said.
[...]
Some horses are being abandoned, and donkey-dumping has become so pervasive that Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in Miles quit taking in animals three weeks ago when its facility reached capacity at 450.
"We've taken in 600 in Texas this year. We've got a list of 300 more waiting to come in, mostly from law enforcement agencies," said Mark Meyers, who founded the rescue group. "I think it will be a crisis this winter. I don't think it will just be abandonment. I can see hundreds of donkeys being shot by their owners this winter."
[...]
..
Air fresheners can trigger allergies, asthma
This is no news to me!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45181988/ns/health-allergies_and_asthma/
By Joseph Brownstein
updated 11/6/2011 12:53:38 PM ET
People with asthma or allergies may want to avoid air fresheners and other chemicals used to spread fragrant scents through their homes, and their doctors should be aware of the hazards.
"The chemicals in some of these products can trigger the nasal congestion, sneezing and the runny nose," Dr. Stanley Fineman, an allergist with Emory University and the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic. "With the asthmatics, there's really good data showing their lung function changes when they're exposed to these compounds."
[...]
A 2009 study by Caress and Anne Steinenmann at the University of Washington found that nearly a third of people with asthma also have chemical hypersensitivity, and more than a third reported irritation from scented products.
"The more you're around, the more likely it is to cause an attack," Caress said. "People with asthma, many of them should try to avoid artificially fragranced products."
Caress said that advice can apply to products that may be labeled "natural" as well. "Some people have natural allergies to things like wood, so they might have trouble with things like that as well."
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Saturday, November 05, 2011
Nutritional intervention helps in mild Alzheimer's disease
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/uoc--nih110411.php
Public release date: 4-Nov-2011
Contact: Jeffree Itrich
University of California - San Diego
Clinical trial findings show memory improvement with daily intake of medical food product
A second clinical trial of the medical food Souvenaid confirmed that daily intake of the nutritional intervention improves memory in people with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). Results of the trial - called Souvenir II - were presented at the 4th International Conference on Clinical Trials in Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) in San Diego, California on Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 by Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD, Professor of Cognitive Neurology and Director of the Alzheimer Center at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam.
CTAD is sponsored by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium (EADC).
Souvenaid contains a patented combination of nutrients (Fortasyn Connect) specifically designed to stimulate the formation of nerve connections called synapses. Loss of synapses is thought by many Alzheimer's experts to be the underlying cause of memory loss and cognitive dysfunction in AD. Preclinical studies showed that the nutrients in Fortasyn Connect promote the growth of new brain synapses. Subsequently, in a study called Souvenir I, Souvenaid taken once per day over 12 weeks was shown to improve scores on standardized memory tests.
"I'm encouraged by the results of this second trial, but we need to do more analyses and further studies to fully understand the findings," said Scheltens. "These positive results give me the energy to go forward."
[...]
..
Public release date: 4-Nov-2011
Contact: Jeffree Itrich
University of California - San Diego
Clinical trial findings show memory improvement with daily intake of medical food product
A second clinical trial of the medical food Souvenaid confirmed that daily intake of the nutritional intervention improves memory in people with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). Results of the trial - called Souvenir II - were presented at the 4th International Conference on Clinical Trials in Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) in San Diego, California on Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 by Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD, Professor of Cognitive Neurology and Director of the Alzheimer Center at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam.
CTAD is sponsored by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium (EADC).
Souvenaid contains a patented combination of nutrients (Fortasyn Connect) specifically designed to stimulate the formation of nerve connections called synapses. Loss of synapses is thought by many Alzheimer's experts to be the underlying cause of memory loss and cognitive dysfunction in AD. Preclinical studies showed that the nutrients in Fortasyn Connect promote the growth of new brain synapses. Subsequently, in a study called Souvenir I, Souvenaid taken once per day over 12 weeks was shown to improve scores on standardized memory tests.
"I'm encouraged by the results of this second trial, but we need to do more analyses and further studies to fully understand the findings," said Scheltens. "These positive results give me the energy to go forward."
[...]
..
Life challenges prevent those with lupus from keeping doctors' appointments
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/hfss-lcp110411.php
Public release date: 5-Nov-2011
Contact: Phyllis Fisher
Hospital for Special Surgery
Transportation and childcare difficulties top reasons for missed appointments
The first step towards successful medical care is to see a physician, but for some patients this isn't as simple or easy as it may sound.
A study being presented Sunday, Nov. 6 at the 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Chicago, finds that many lupus patients with low socioeconomic status are unable to attend scheduled appointments with physicians due to daily obstacles.
"Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that requires continuous monitoring of the disease activity and the effects medications may be having on someone," explained Doruk Erkan, M.D., senior author, rheumatologist and clinical co-director at the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care at Hospital for Special Surgery. "Missing an appointment, and thus staying on a medical course without re-evaluating a patient's health status, could cause these individuals avoidable harm."
The researchers examined lupus patients who also had low socioeconomic status at the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care at Hospital for Special Surgery, and found that challenges of socioeconomic status played a large part in causing some of the patients to miss their appointments. The top two reasons for missing their appointment was due to tardy or unreliable transportation, such as ambulettes, or because of insufficient childcare.
"Most of these lupus patients are women," explained Pretima Persad, MPH, lead author of the study and the manager of the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care. "If their childcare falls through, they put their child first and decide to cancel appointments, which can then affect their healthcare."
[...]
A common and potentially dangerous health concern for these individuals is kidney inflammation, because, in lupus patients, the body's own immune system may attack different organs including kidneys. If not monitored regularly, someone with lupus might be faced with kidney malfunction without experiencing any pain. Regular urine and blood testing, at least every three months in patients who are deemed by their rheumatologist to have relatively active lupus, is important to monitor kidney involvement, explained Kyriakos A. Kirou, M.D., DSc, FAC, co-author of the study and clinical co-director at the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care at Hospital for Special Surgery.
"It's possible that these patients are doing fine, but it's also possible that they are getting sick internally, without having any significant symptoms," explained Dr. Kirou. "They could be in dire need of medical attention without knowing it."
..
Public release date: 5-Nov-2011
Contact: Phyllis Fisher
Hospital for Special Surgery
Transportation and childcare difficulties top reasons for missed appointments
The first step towards successful medical care is to see a physician, but for some patients this isn't as simple or easy as it may sound.
A study being presented Sunday, Nov. 6 at the 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Chicago, finds that many lupus patients with low socioeconomic status are unable to attend scheduled appointments with physicians due to daily obstacles.
"Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that requires continuous monitoring of the disease activity and the effects medications may be having on someone," explained Doruk Erkan, M.D., senior author, rheumatologist and clinical co-director at the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care at Hospital for Special Surgery. "Missing an appointment, and thus staying on a medical course without re-evaluating a patient's health status, could cause these individuals avoidable harm."
The researchers examined lupus patients who also had low socioeconomic status at the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care at Hospital for Special Surgery, and found that challenges of socioeconomic status played a large part in causing some of the patients to miss their appointments. The top two reasons for missing their appointment was due to tardy or unreliable transportation, such as ambulettes, or because of insufficient childcare.
"Most of these lupus patients are women," explained Pretima Persad, MPH, lead author of the study and the manager of the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care. "If their childcare falls through, they put their child first and decide to cancel appointments, which can then affect their healthcare."
[...]
A common and potentially dangerous health concern for these individuals is kidney inflammation, because, in lupus patients, the body's own immune system may attack different organs including kidneys. If not monitored regularly, someone with lupus might be faced with kidney malfunction without experiencing any pain. Regular urine and blood testing, at least every three months in patients who are deemed by their rheumatologist to have relatively active lupus, is important to monitor kidney involvement, explained Kyriakos A. Kirou, M.D., DSc, FAC, co-author of the study and clinical co-director at the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care at Hospital for Special Surgery.
"It's possible that these patients are doing fine, but it's also possible that they are getting sick internally, without having any significant symptoms," explained Dr. Kirou. "They could be in dire need of medical attention without knowing it."
..
Medicare Patients Sue HHS over Hospital Payments
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/Medicare/29458
By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: November 04, 2011
A group of Medicare patients are suing the federal government over what they say is misuse of a policy that allows hospitals to classify certain stays as outpatient rather than inpatient stays.
If a Medicare patient is never officially admitted to the hospital, Medicare's Part A hospital benefit doesn't pick up the tab. In addition, because they weren't admitted, they weren't eligible for Part A coverage of post-hospitalization treatment in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare only pays for skilled nursing facilities if a Medicare patient is hospitalized for three consecutive days.
The patients who are suing say they should have been admitted, but were instead placed on "observation status," sometimes for days, which resulted in them having to pay large out-of-pocket expenses.
The class-action lawsuit, Bagnall vs. Sebelius, was filed in a Connecticut court Thursday by the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the National Senior Citizen Law Center against Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who has authority over the Medicare program.
The plaintiffs are all elderly Medicare beneficiaries who received services that would normally be considered inpatient services at hospitals, but were classified as on observation status, and billed through Medicare Part B, which covers doctor visits and other outpatient care.
It is Medicare policy that observation status should last no more than 24 or 48 hours, except in extreme circumstances, but according to the lawsuit, it's an increasingly common practice of hospitals to place a patient on "observation" status for longer than two days.
The number of observation claims increased by 22% from 2006 to 2008, and the number of stays of 48 hours or more increased by 70% during that same time period, said Judith Stein, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, on a Thursday conference call to discuss the case.
[...]
The lawsuit is named for Richard Bagnall, 91, a retired physician living in Connecticut who was went to the emergency room on July 9 because he was experiencing dizziness for several days. He was found to have atrial fibrillation and received an IV infusion, EKG, X-ray, and his heart was monitored.
He was discharged on July 12 after being treated for dehydration, weakness, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension, according to the lawsuit.
During that time, he was never officially admitted. Rather, he was deemed to be on observation status, and thus an outpatient. Because Part A didn't cover his stay, he had to pay about $500 out-of-pocket in Part B expenses. His subsequent stay in a skilled nursing facility wasn't covered by Medicare, and Bagnall paid $5,685 out-of-pocket for the stay, according to the lawsuit.
There are bills in both the U.S. House and the Senate that would count all time spent in the hospital toward the three-day minimum hospital stay required for payment for skilled nursing facilities. Neither bill has seen any movement since it was introduced.
..
By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: November 04, 2011
A group of Medicare patients are suing the federal government over what they say is misuse of a policy that allows hospitals to classify certain stays as outpatient rather than inpatient stays.
If a Medicare patient is never officially admitted to the hospital, Medicare's Part A hospital benefit doesn't pick up the tab. In addition, because they weren't admitted, they weren't eligible for Part A coverage of post-hospitalization treatment in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare only pays for skilled nursing facilities if a Medicare patient is hospitalized for three consecutive days.
The patients who are suing say they should have been admitted, but were instead placed on "observation status," sometimes for days, which resulted in them having to pay large out-of-pocket expenses.
The class-action lawsuit, Bagnall vs. Sebelius, was filed in a Connecticut court Thursday by the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the National Senior Citizen Law Center against Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who has authority over the Medicare program.
The plaintiffs are all elderly Medicare beneficiaries who received services that would normally be considered inpatient services at hospitals, but were classified as on observation status, and billed through Medicare Part B, which covers doctor visits and other outpatient care.
It is Medicare policy that observation status should last no more than 24 or 48 hours, except in extreme circumstances, but according to the lawsuit, it's an increasingly common practice of hospitals to place a patient on "observation" status for longer than two days.
The number of observation claims increased by 22% from 2006 to 2008, and the number of stays of 48 hours or more increased by 70% during that same time period, said Judith Stein, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, on a Thursday conference call to discuss the case.
[...]
The lawsuit is named for Richard Bagnall, 91, a retired physician living in Connecticut who was went to the emergency room on July 9 because he was experiencing dizziness for several days. He was found to have atrial fibrillation and received an IV infusion, EKG, X-ray, and his heart was monitored.
He was discharged on July 12 after being treated for dehydration, weakness, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension, according to the lawsuit.
During that time, he was never officially admitted. Rather, he was deemed to be on observation status, and thus an outpatient. Because Part A didn't cover his stay, he had to pay about $500 out-of-pocket in Part B expenses. His subsequent stay in a skilled nursing facility wasn't covered by Medicare, and Bagnall paid $5,685 out-of-pocket for the stay, according to the lawsuit.
There are bills in both the U.S. House and the Senate that would count all time spent in the hospital toward the three-day minimum hospital stay required for payment for skilled nursing facilities. Neither bill has seen any movement since it was introduced.
..
Most of the unemployed no longer receive benefits
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45175026/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/#.TrXIL3KOu8s
Nov. 11, 2011
The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits.
Early last year, 75 percent were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent — a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one-third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more.
Congress is expected to decide by year's end whether to continue providing emergency unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states. If the emergency benefits expire, the proportion of the unemployed receiving aid would fall further.
[...]
The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits.
Early last year, 75 percent were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent — a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one-third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more.
Congress is expected to decide by year's end whether to continue providing emergency unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states. If the emergency benefits expire, the proportion of the unemployed receiving aid would fall further.
[...]
The number of unemployed has been roughly stable this year. Yet the number receiving benefits has plunged 30 percent.
Government unemployment benefits weren't designed to sustain people for long stretches without work. They usually don't have to. In the recoveries from the previous three recessions, the longest average duration of unemployment was 21 weeks, in July 1983.
Advertise | AdChoices
By contrast, in the wake of the Great Recession, the figure reached 41 weeks in September. That's the longest on records dating to 1948. The figure is now 39 weeks.
[...]
Weekly unemployment checks average about $300 nationwide. If the extended benefits aren't renewed, growth could slow by up to a half-percentage point next year, economists say.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that each $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates up to $1.90 in economic growth. The CBO has found that the program is the most effective government policy for increasing growth among 11 options it's analyzed.
[...]
Contributing to the smaller share of the unemployed who are receiving benefits: Some of them are college graduates or others seeking jobs for the first time. They aren't eligible. Only those who have lost a job through no fault of their own qualify.
[...]
..
Nov. 11, 2011
The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits.
Early last year, 75 percent were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent — a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one-third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more.
Congress is expected to decide by year's end whether to continue providing emergency unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states. If the emergency benefits expire, the proportion of the unemployed receiving aid would fall further.
[...]
The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits.
Early last year, 75 percent were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent — a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one-third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more.
Congress is expected to decide by year's end whether to continue providing emergency unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states. If the emergency benefits expire, the proportion of the unemployed receiving aid would fall further.
[...]
The number of unemployed has been roughly stable this year. Yet the number receiving benefits has plunged 30 percent.
Government unemployment benefits weren't designed to sustain people for long stretches without work. They usually don't have to. In the recoveries from the previous three recessions, the longest average duration of unemployment was 21 weeks, in July 1983.
Advertise | AdChoices
By contrast, in the wake of the Great Recession, the figure reached 41 weeks in September. That's the longest on records dating to 1948. The figure is now 39 weeks.
[...]
Weekly unemployment checks average about $300 nationwide. If the extended benefits aren't renewed, growth could slow by up to a half-percentage point next year, economists say.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that each $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates up to $1.90 in economic growth. The CBO has found that the program is the most effective government policy for increasing growth among 11 options it's analyzed.
[...]
Contributing to the smaller share of the unemployed who are receiving benefits: Some of them are college graduates or others seeking jobs for the first time. They aren't eligible. Only those who have lost a job through no fault of their own qualify.
[...]
..
Friday, November 04, 2011
FDA: Moldy applesauce repackaged by school lunch supplier
vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/04/8636308-fda-moldy-applesauce-repackaged-by-school-lunch-supplier
By JoNel Aleccia
11/4/2011
A Washington state fruit processor that supplies the nation’s schools and a baby food maker is under scrutiny by federal health regulators for repackaging applesauce contaminated with several kinds of potentially dangerous, multi-colored molds, msnbc.com has learned.
Food and Drug Administration officials this week posted a warning letter to Snokist Growers of Yakima, Wash., saying the company cannot ensure the safety of moldy applesauce and fruit puree that has been reconditioned for human consumption.
“Your firm reprocesses moldy applesauce product … using a method that is not effective against all toxic metabolites,” read the FDA letter sent Oct. 20 to Jimmie L. Davis, Snokist’s president. “Several foodborne molds may be hazardous to human health.”
Products recalled earlier this year by Snokist were blamed for illnesses of nine North Carolina children who became sick after eating applesauce at school.
The latest warning came after FDA officials said Snokist failed to adequately address problems identified during a June inspection in which regulators found large, laminated bags of fruit products that were supposed to be sealed and sterile, but instead were broken open and tainted with white, brown, blue, blue-green and black mold. Some of the compromised bags were bloated and one had “a strong fermented odor,” the report said.
The FDA’s letter identified at least eight instances last year in which Snokist had reprocessed the moldy applesauce into canned goods for human consumption. The inspection report said Snokist documents showed the company had reprocessed mold-contaminated applesauce at least 13 times between January 2008 and May 2011, repackaging food into 15-ounce cans, 106-ounce-cans, 300-gallon bags and 4.2-ounce, single-serve cups.
[...]
..
By JoNel Aleccia
11/4/2011
A Washington state fruit processor that supplies the nation’s schools and a baby food maker is under scrutiny by federal health regulators for repackaging applesauce contaminated with several kinds of potentially dangerous, multi-colored molds, msnbc.com has learned.
Food and Drug Administration officials this week posted a warning letter to Snokist Growers of Yakima, Wash., saying the company cannot ensure the safety of moldy applesauce and fruit puree that has been reconditioned for human consumption.
“Your firm reprocesses moldy applesauce product … using a method that is not effective against all toxic metabolites,” read the FDA letter sent Oct. 20 to Jimmie L. Davis, Snokist’s president. “Several foodborne molds may be hazardous to human health.”
Products recalled earlier this year by Snokist were blamed for illnesses of nine North Carolina children who became sick after eating applesauce at school.
The latest warning came after FDA officials said Snokist failed to adequately address problems identified during a June inspection in which regulators found large, laminated bags of fruit products that were supposed to be sealed and sterile, but instead were broken open and tainted with white, brown, blue, blue-green and black mold. Some of the compromised bags were bloated and one had “a strong fermented odor,” the report said.
The FDA’s letter identified at least eight instances last year in which Snokist had reprocessed the moldy applesauce into canned goods for human consumption. The inspection report said Snokist documents showed the company had reprocessed mold-contaminated applesauce at least 13 times between January 2008 and May 2011, repackaging food into 15-ounce cans, 106-ounce-cans, 300-gallon bags and 4.2-ounce, single-serve cups.
[...]
..
18 Arrested In Wisconsin Legislature For Using Cameras, Guns Still Allowed
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/11/03/361002/wisconsin-assembly-guns-cameras/
Eighteen activists were arrested on Tuesday for using cameras in the gallery of the Wisconsin General Assembly. The arrests were part of a “Concealed Camera Day” event, planned to coincidence with the implementation of a new law that allows Wisconsinites to a concealed firearm, including inside the Assembly building. The Assembly does not allow cameras in the gallery, which the protesters — including the editor of a local progressive magazine — say is a violation of the First Amendment and of Wisconsin’s open meeting laws.
..
Eighteen activists were arrested on Tuesday for using cameras in the gallery of the Wisconsin General Assembly. The arrests were part of a “Concealed Camera Day” event, planned to coincidence with the implementation of a new law that allows Wisconsinites to a concealed firearm, including inside the Assembly building. The Assembly does not allow cameras in the gallery, which the protesters — including the editor of a local progressive magazine — say is a violation of the First Amendment and of Wisconsin’s open meeting laws.
..
Fourteen U.S. billion-dollar weather disasters in 2011: a new record
There is a chart at the following link of info for each of these disasters.
www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1981
Posted by: JeffMasters, 12:12 PM GMT on November 04, 2011
It's time to add another billion-dollar weather disaster to the growing 2011 total of these costly disasters: the extraordinary early-season Northeast U.S. snowstorm of October 29, which dumped up to 32 inches of snow, brought winds gusts of 70 mph to the coast, and killed at least 22 people. Not since the infamous snow hurricane of 1804 have such prodigious amounts of October snow been recorded in New England and, to a lesser extent, in the mid-Atlantic states. Trees that had not yet lost their leaves suffered tremendous damage from the wet, heavy snow. Snapped branches and falling trees brought down numerous power lines, leaving at least 3 million people without electricity. The damage estimate in Connecticut alone is $3 billion, far more than the damage Hurricane Irene did to the state. Hundreds of thousands still remain without power a week after the storm, with full electricity not expected to be restored until Monday.
The October 29 snow storm brings the 2011 tally of U.S. billion-dollar weather disasters to fourteen, thoroughly smashing the previous record of nine such disasters, set in 2008. Between 1980 - 2010, the U.S. averaged 3.5 of these weather disasters per year.
[...]
With nearly two months remaining in 2011, the potential exists for more billion-dollar weather disasters this year. Our first opportunity comes Tuesday, when the NOAA Storm Prediction Center is forecasting the possibility of a severe weather outbreak centered over Arkansas and Missouri.
..
www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1981
Posted by: JeffMasters, 12:12 PM GMT on November 04, 2011
It's time to add another billion-dollar weather disaster to the growing 2011 total of these costly disasters: the extraordinary early-season Northeast U.S. snowstorm of October 29, which dumped up to 32 inches of snow, brought winds gusts of 70 mph to the coast, and killed at least 22 people. Not since the infamous snow hurricane of 1804 have such prodigious amounts of October snow been recorded in New England and, to a lesser extent, in the mid-Atlantic states. Trees that had not yet lost their leaves suffered tremendous damage from the wet, heavy snow. Snapped branches and falling trees brought down numerous power lines, leaving at least 3 million people without electricity. The damage estimate in Connecticut alone is $3 billion, far more than the damage Hurricane Irene did to the state. Hundreds of thousands still remain without power a week after the storm, with full electricity not expected to be restored until Monday.
The October 29 snow storm brings the 2011 tally of U.S. billion-dollar weather disasters to fourteen, thoroughly smashing the previous record of nine such disasters, set in 2008. Between 1980 - 2010, the U.S. averaged 3.5 of these weather disasters per year.
[...]
With nearly two months remaining in 2011, the potential exists for more billion-dollar weather disasters this year. Our first opportunity comes Tuesday, when the NOAA Storm Prediction Center is forecasting the possibility of a severe weather outbreak centered over Arkansas and Missouri.
..
From Facebook:
Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine
concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!
It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in
a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates
from your local American hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some
health improvement.
Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned
detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a
book of gift certificates.
Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.
There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift
certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about
a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this
isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town
Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.
How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or
motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?
Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a
local cleaning lady for a day.
My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.
OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.
Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave
your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at
your hometown theatre.
Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese
lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about
fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to
burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.
You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that
China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about
US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.
THIS is the new American Christmas tradition. Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments.
Christmas - a revolution of caring about each other!
Isn't that what Christmas is about?
===========================================
Some comments added the following ideas:
You can also make a donation to your local food bank, homeless shelter or other charitable organization in your loved ones name.
Our kids choose a gift from Heiffer International - nothing like giving a struggling family their own cow, llama, rabbits, or bees.
..
Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine
concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!
It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in
a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates
from your local American hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some
health improvement.
Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned
detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a
book of gift certificates.
Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.
There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift
certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about
a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this
isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town
Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.
How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or
motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?
Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a
local cleaning lady for a day.
My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.
OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.
Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave
your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at
your hometown theatre.
Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese
lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about
fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to
burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.
You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that
China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about
US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.
THIS is the new American Christmas tradition. Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments.
Christmas - a revolution of caring about each other!
Isn't that what Christmas is about?
===========================================
Some comments added the following ideas:
You can also make a donation to your local food bank, homeless shelter or other charitable organization in your loved ones name.
Our kids choose a gift from Heiffer International - nothing like giving a struggling family their own cow, llama, rabbits, or bees.
..
New kind of army
What this world needs is a new kind of army - the army of the kind. ~Cleveland Amory
..
..
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http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/04/clinging-to-their-fiscally-conservative-fantasy-is-clearly-getting-in-the-way-of-putting-people-back-to-work/
November 4, 2011
Yesterday Senate Republicans successfully filibustered a $60 billion infrastructure spending package. This marks the third time in less than a month that Republicans have filibustered legislation that is completely paid for and designed to create jobs.
Clinging to their fiscally conservative fantasy is clearly getting in the way of putting people back to work. When Republicans controlled all or a majority of government (2002-2007) or when they controlled the White House (2001-2009), they never once passed a spending bill that was paid for. Such fiscally irresponsible behavior helped double the federal debt and create a trillion dollar budget deficit all within 8 years time. But now that they are in the minority, and now that a Democrat is president, Republicans get to pretend that fiscal responsibility is a core value of theirs.
However, the only core value for Republicans is protecting millionaires. The Democratic infrastructure bill placed a 0.7 percent surtax on people making more than $1 million. Republicans couldn’t let that happen so they filibustered it. Protecting the richest among us is the only core value Republicans have as a track record in governance. They would rather see unemployment rise, our roads crumble away, our schools condemned than force millionaires to pay a little extra to help the whole of the country. Elitism is their core belief. Hoping America fails is their opium.
..
November 4, 2011
Yesterday Senate Republicans successfully filibustered a $60 billion infrastructure spending package. This marks the third time in less than a month that Republicans have filibustered legislation that is completely paid for and designed to create jobs.
Clinging to their fiscally conservative fantasy is clearly getting in the way of putting people back to work. When Republicans controlled all or a majority of government (2002-2007) or when they controlled the White House (2001-2009), they never once passed a spending bill that was paid for. Such fiscally irresponsible behavior helped double the federal debt and create a trillion dollar budget deficit all within 8 years time. But now that they are in the minority, and now that a Democrat is president, Republicans get to pretend that fiscal responsibility is a core value of theirs.
However, the only core value for Republicans is protecting millionaires. The Democratic infrastructure bill placed a 0.7 percent surtax on people making more than $1 million. Republicans couldn’t let that happen so they filibustered it. Protecting the richest among us is the only core value Republicans have as a track record in governance. They would rather see unemployment rise, our roads crumble away, our schools condemned than force millionaires to pay a little extra to help the whole of the country. Elitism is their core belief. Hoping America fails is their opium.
..
Thursday, November 03, 2011
New analysis from the Nurses' Health Study: Association of alcohol with risk of breast cancer
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/bumc-naf110311.php
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: R. Curtis Ellison
Boston University Medical Center
New analysis from the Nurses' Health Study: Association of alcohol with risk of breast cancer
A well-done analysis by Chen WY et al, published in JAMA assesses the association of moderate alcohol consumption during adult life, drinking patterns, and breast cancer risk. The authors use prospectively collected data from the 105,986 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study followed up from 1980 until 2008 with an early adult alcohol assessment and 8 follow ups.
The International Scientific Forum of Alcohol Research comments 'A large percentage of observational prospective studies have shown that women who consume alcohol show an increase in their risk of developing breast cancer. In general, the relation seems to be stronger for women who drink in binges, are also taking post-menopausal hormonal therapy, and/or have low intakes of dietary folate. Most studies have shown that heavier drinkers are at the greatest risk'.
In this study, the risk of breast cancer was found to be modestly increased among consumers of alcohol, even those whose total alcohol consumption was reported to be in the range of 3 to 6 drinks/week. Similar small increases in the risk of breast cancer have been found from alcohol consumption in the majority of previous studies observational studies. A strength of this study was the very large number of subjects, permitting the investigators to attempt to determine if both the amount of alcohol and the frequency of consumption were important in this association; strong effects were not found for either. When adjusting for the cumulative lifetime consumption, there was no effect of the frequency of consumption (1-2, 3-4, or 5-7 days per week).
A weakness in the paper, is a failure to report on the effects of diet and folate intake on the association between alcohol and breast cancer risk; the same investigators have previously shown that folate is a potential moderator of the effects of alcohol on breast cancer risk.
[...]
The authors describe well the dilemma that women face regarding alcohol intake, which may increase slightly the risk of breast cancer but markedly decrease the risk of other more common diseases, especially cardiovascular conditions. For example, the authors state that regarding breast cancer, "We did find an increased risk at low levels of use, but the risk was quite small." The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research commented on the study "The results are plausible from the pathophysiological point of view: alcohol intake increases estrogen levels and this means that women have a slightly lower risk for osteoporosis and a slightly higher risk for breast cancer. When we tell the public that current data suggest small to moderate amounts of alcohol protect against cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, and vascular dementia, we should also state that breast cancer risk in women is slightly increased."
The authors of this paper put their findings into perspective when they conclude: "An individual will need to weigh the modest risks of light to moderate alcohol use on breast cancer development against the beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease to make the best personal choice regarding alcohol consumption."
..
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: R. Curtis Ellison
Boston University Medical Center
New analysis from the Nurses' Health Study: Association of alcohol with risk of breast cancer
A well-done analysis by Chen WY et al, published in JAMA assesses the association of moderate alcohol consumption during adult life, drinking patterns, and breast cancer risk. The authors use prospectively collected data from the 105,986 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study followed up from 1980 until 2008 with an early adult alcohol assessment and 8 follow ups.
The International Scientific Forum of Alcohol Research comments 'A large percentage of observational prospective studies have shown that women who consume alcohol show an increase in their risk of developing breast cancer. In general, the relation seems to be stronger for women who drink in binges, are also taking post-menopausal hormonal therapy, and/or have low intakes of dietary folate. Most studies have shown that heavier drinkers are at the greatest risk'.
In this study, the risk of breast cancer was found to be modestly increased among consumers of alcohol, even those whose total alcohol consumption was reported to be in the range of 3 to 6 drinks/week. Similar small increases in the risk of breast cancer have been found from alcohol consumption in the majority of previous studies observational studies. A strength of this study was the very large number of subjects, permitting the investigators to attempt to determine if both the amount of alcohol and the frequency of consumption were important in this association; strong effects were not found for either. When adjusting for the cumulative lifetime consumption, there was no effect of the frequency of consumption (1-2, 3-4, or 5-7 days per week).
A weakness in the paper, is a failure to report on the effects of diet and folate intake on the association between alcohol and breast cancer risk; the same investigators have previously shown that folate is a potential moderator of the effects of alcohol on breast cancer risk.
[...]
The authors describe well the dilemma that women face regarding alcohol intake, which may increase slightly the risk of breast cancer but markedly decrease the risk of other more common diseases, especially cardiovascular conditions. For example, the authors state that regarding breast cancer, "We did find an increased risk at low levels of use, but the risk was quite small." The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research commented on the study "The results are plausible from the pathophysiological point of view: alcohol intake increases estrogen levels and this means that women have a slightly lower risk for osteoporosis and a slightly higher risk for breast cancer. When we tell the public that current data suggest small to moderate amounts of alcohol protect against cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, and vascular dementia, we should also state that breast cancer risk in women is slightly increased."
The authors of this paper put their findings into perspective when they conclude: "An individual will need to weigh the modest risks of light to moderate alcohol use on breast cancer development against the beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease to make the best personal choice regarding alcohol consumption."
..
Return of the dust bowl: Geoscientists predict a dry, dusty future for the American West
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/agi-ero110311.php
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: Megan Sever
American Geological Institute
EARTH: Return of the dust bowl: Geoscientists predict a dry, dusty future for the American West
Alexandria, VA – Haboobs, giant dust storms, walloped Arizona last summer — some close to 2 kilometers high and 160 kilometers wide — knocking out electricity, creating traffic jams and grounding airplanes. Even old-timers say they can't remember anything quite like this year's aerial assaults. Meanwhile Texas is experiencing one of the most extreme droughts in recent history, with almost 90 percent of the state in the most extreme level of drought. Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and other states are also experiencing drought conditions. The worry is that this might just be the start of a trend, as EARTH reports in the November issue: Over the next couple of decades, researchers say, the American West will transition to an environment that may make the 1930s Dust Bowl seem mild and brief.
The problem, researchers told EARTH in "Return of the Dust Bowl," is that rising temperatures will contribute directly and indirectly to there being more dust in the air. Then, persistent droughts, increasingly violent and variable weather patterns, urban and suburban development and even off-road recreational vehicle usage compound the problem. So, is the West doomed? Or is there any reason to believe that this forecast may not come true?
Read more about the havoc that dust has been wreaking in the West in the November issue of EARTH now available digitally. Also featured are other stories, such as how one geoscientist took a road trip to find out if the U.S. is ready for vehicles running on natural gas; how subducting seamounts are not to blame for producing megathrust earthquakes like the Japan quake last March; and, you won't want to miss the news story about La Niña formation, as NOAA just announced that the pattern has formed again in the Pacific and will affect us this winter.
..
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: Megan Sever
American Geological Institute
EARTH: Return of the dust bowl: Geoscientists predict a dry, dusty future for the American West
Alexandria, VA – Haboobs, giant dust storms, walloped Arizona last summer — some close to 2 kilometers high and 160 kilometers wide — knocking out electricity, creating traffic jams and grounding airplanes. Even old-timers say they can't remember anything quite like this year's aerial assaults. Meanwhile Texas is experiencing one of the most extreme droughts in recent history, with almost 90 percent of the state in the most extreme level of drought. Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and other states are also experiencing drought conditions. The worry is that this might just be the start of a trend, as EARTH reports in the November issue: Over the next couple of decades, researchers say, the American West will transition to an environment that may make the 1930s Dust Bowl seem mild and brief.
The problem, researchers told EARTH in "Return of the Dust Bowl," is that rising temperatures will contribute directly and indirectly to there being more dust in the air. Then, persistent droughts, increasingly violent and variable weather patterns, urban and suburban development and even off-road recreational vehicle usage compound the problem. So, is the West doomed? Or is there any reason to believe that this forecast may not come true?
Read more about the havoc that dust has been wreaking in the West in the November issue of EARTH now available digitally. Also featured are other stories, such as how one geoscientist took a road trip to find out if the U.S. is ready for vehicles running on natural gas; how subducting seamounts are not to blame for producing megathrust earthquakes like the Japan quake last March; and, you won't want to miss the news story about La Niña formation, as NOAA just announced that the pattern has formed again in the Pacific and will affect us this winter.
..
Vegetarian diet, physical activity protect against diabetes in black population, study shows
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/llua-vdp110311.php
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: Heather Reifsnyder
Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center
Vegetarian diet, physical activity protect against diabetes in black population, study shows
Loma Linda University research reveals how African-Americans may help counteract their increased risk
LOMA LINDA, Calif. — New research shows that following a vegetarian diet and exercising at least three times a week significantly reduced the risk of diabetes in African Americans, who are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes when compared to non-Hispanic whites.
"These findings are encouraging for preventing type 2 diabetes in the black population, which is more susceptible to the disease than other populations," said Serena Tonstad, MD, a professor at Loma Linda University and lead author of the research, published in the October issue of Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.
In addition to being at a greater risk for developing diabetes, black persons in the U.S. are also more likely to suffer from diabetes-related complications, such as end-stage renal disease and lower-extremity amputations, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"A vegetarian diet may be a way to counteract the increased diabetes risk for the black population," Dr. Tonstad said.
Dr. Tonstad's research showed that, compared to non-vegetarian blacks, vegan blacks had a 70 percent reduced risk of diabetes, and lacto-ovo vegetarian blacks (those who consume dairy, but no meat) had a 53 percent reduced risk of diabetes. Dr. Tonstad said one explanation was the protection associated with foods typically consumed in higher amounts in a vegetarian diet. Fruits and vegetables have a high fiber content, which may contribute to a decreased occurrence of type 2 diabetes. In addition, whole grains and legumes (beans) have been shown to improve glycemic control and slow the rate of carbohydrate absorption and the risk of diabetes.
The study also showed that black participants who exercised three or more times a week, compared to once a week or never, had a 35 percent reduced risk of diabetes.
[...]
..
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: Heather Reifsnyder
Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center
Vegetarian diet, physical activity protect against diabetes in black population, study shows
Loma Linda University research reveals how African-Americans may help counteract their increased risk
LOMA LINDA, Calif. — New research shows that following a vegetarian diet and exercising at least three times a week significantly reduced the risk of diabetes in African Americans, who are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes when compared to non-Hispanic whites.
"These findings are encouraging for preventing type 2 diabetes in the black population, which is more susceptible to the disease than other populations," said Serena Tonstad, MD, a professor at Loma Linda University and lead author of the research, published in the October issue of Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.
In addition to being at a greater risk for developing diabetes, black persons in the U.S. are also more likely to suffer from diabetes-related complications, such as end-stage renal disease and lower-extremity amputations, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"A vegetarian diet may be a way to counteract the increased diabetes risk for the black population," Dr. Tonstad said.
Dr. Tonstad's research showed that, compared to non-vegetarian blacks, vegan blacks had a 70 percent reduced risk of diabetes, and lacto-ovo vegetarian blacks (those who consume dairy, but no meat) had a 53 percent reduced risk of diabetes. Dr. Tonstad said one explanation was the protection associated with foods typically consumed in higher amounts in a vegetarian diet. Fruits and vegetables have a high fiber content, which may contribute to a decreased occurrence of type 2 diabetes. In addition, whole grains and legumes (beans) have been shown to improve glycemic control and slow the rate of carbohydrate absorption and the risk of diabetes.
The study also showed that black participants who exercised three or more times a week, compared to once a week or never, had a 35 percent reduced risk of diabetes.
[...]
..
It takes two: Brains come wired for cooperation, neuroscientist asserts
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/jhu-itt110311.php
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: Lisa DeNike
Johns Hopkins University
It takes two: Brains come wired for cooperation, neuroscientist asserts
When Nancy Grace and her partner danced a lively rumba to Spandau Ballet's 1980's hit, "True," on a recent "Dancing with the Stars," more was going on in the legal commentator's brain than worry over a possible wardrobe malfunction.
Deep in Grace's cortex, millions of neurons were hard at work doing what they apparently had been built to do: act and react to partner Tristan MacManus's movements to create a pas de deux that had the dancers functioning together (for the most part) like a well-oiled machine.
That is because the brain was built for cooperative activity, whether it be dancing on a television reality show, constructing a skyscraper or working in an office, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins behavioral neuroscientist Eric Fortune and published in the Nov. 4 issue of the journal Science.
"What we learned is that when it comes to the brain and cooperation, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts," said Fortune, of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the university's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. "We found that the brain of each individual participant prefers the combined activity over his or her own part."
[...]
..
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: Lisa DeNike
Johns Hopkins University
It takes two: Brains come wired for cooperation, neuroscientist asserts
When Nancy Grace and her partner danced a lively rumba to Spandau Ballet's 1980's hit, "True," on a recent "Dancing with the Stars," more was going on in the legal commentator's brain than worry over a possible wardrobe malfunction.
Deep in Grace's cortex, millions of neurons were hard at work doing what they apparently had been built to do: act and react to partner Tristan MacManus's movements to create a pas de deux that had the dancers functioning together (for the most part) like a well-oiled machine.
That is because the brain was built for cooperative activity, whether it be dancing on a television reality show, constructing a skyscraper or working in an office, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins behavioral neuroscientist Eric Fortune and published in the Nov. 4 issue of the journal Science.
"What we learned is that when it comes to the brain and cooperation, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts," said Fortune, of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the university's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. "We found that the brain of each individual participant prefers the combined activity over his or her own part."
[...]
..
Decline in dead zones: Efforts to heal Chesapeake Bay are working
Nice to see some places where people are acting responsibly.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/jhu-did110311.php
Public release date: 3-Nov-2011
Contact: Phil Sneiderman
Johns Hopkins University
Decline in dead zones: Efforts to heal Chesapeake Bay are working
Efforts to reduce the flow of fertilizers, animal waste and other pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay appear to be giving a boost to the bay's health, a new study that analyzed 60 years of water quality data has concluded. The study, published in the November 2011 issue of Estuaries and Coasts, was conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
The team found that the size of mid- to late-summer oxygen-starved "dead zones," where plants and water animals cannot live, leveled off in deep channels of the bay during the 1980s and has been declining ever since. The timing is key because in the 1980s, a concerted effort to cut nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay was initiated through the multistate-federal Chesapeake Bay Program. The goal was to restore the water quality and health of the bay.
"I was really excited by these results because they point to improvement in the health of the Chesapeake Bay," said lead author Rebecca R. Murphy, a doctoral student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins. "We now have evidence that cutting back on the nutrient pollutants pouring into the bay can make a difference. I think that's really significant."
[...]
..
Private sector loans triggered crisis
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2008/10/12/53802/private-sector-loans-not-fannie.html?storylink=MI_emailed
Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008
By David Goldstein and Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — As the economy worsens and Election Day approaches, a conservative campaign that blames the global financial crisis on a government push to make housing more affordable to lower-class Americans has taken off on talk radio and e-mail.
Commentators say that's what triggered the stock market meltdown and the freeze on credit. They've specifically targeted the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the federal government seized on Sept. 6, contending that lending to poor and minority Americans caused Fannie's and Freddie's financial problems.
Federal housing data reveal that the charges aren't true, and that the private sector, not the government or government-backed companies, was behind the soaring subprime lending at the core of the crisis.
Subprime lending offered high-cost loans to the weakest borrowers during the housing boom that lasted from 2001 to 2007. Subprime lending was at its height from 2004 to 2006.
Federal Reserve Board data show that:
More than 84 percent of the subprime mortgages in 2006 were issued by private lending institutions.
Private firms made nearly 83 percent of the subprime loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers that year.
Only one of the top 25 subprime lenders in 2006 was directly subject to the housing law that's being lambasted by conservative critics.
[...]
Between 2004 and 2006, when subprime lending was exploding, Fannie and Freddie went from holding a high of 48 percent of the subprime loans that were sold into the secondary market to holding about 24 percent, according to data from Inside Mortgage Finance, a specialty publication. One reason is that Fannie and Freddie were subject to tougher standards than many of the unregulated players in the private sector who weakened lending standards, most of whom have gone bankrupt or are now in deep trouble.
During those same explosive three years, private investment banks — not Fannie and Freddie — dominated the mortgage loans that were packaged and sold into the secondary mortgage market. In 2005 and 2006, the private sector securitized almost two thirds of all U.S. mortgages, supplanting Fannie and Freddie, according to a number of specialty publications that track this data.
In 1999, the year many critics charge that the Clinton administration pressured Fannie and Freddie, the private sector sold into the secondary market just 18 percent of all mortgages.
[...]
..
Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008
By David Goldstein and Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — As the economy worsens and Election Day approaches, a conservative campaign that blames the global financial crisis on a government push to make housing more affordable to lower-class Americans has taken off on talk radio and e-mail.
Commentators say that's what triggered the stock market meltdown and the freeze on credit. They've specifically targeted the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the federal government seized on Sept. 6, contending that lending to poor and minority Americans caused Fannie's and Freddie's financial problems.
Federal housing data reveal that the charges aren't true, and that the private sector, not the government or government-backed companies, was behind the soaring subprime lending at the core of the crisis.
Subprime lending offered high-cost loans to the weakest borrowers during the housing boom that lasted from 2001 to 2007. Subprime lending was at its height from 2004 to 2006.
Federal Reserve Board data show that:
More than 84 percent of the subprime mortgages in 2006 were issued by private lending institutions.
Private firms made nearly 83 percent of the subprime loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers that year.
Only one of the top 25 subprime lenders in 2006 was directly subject to the housing law that's being lambasted by conservative critics.
[...]
Between 2004 and 2006, when subprime lending was exploding, Fannie and Freddie went from holding a high of 48 percent of the subprime loans that were sold into the secondary market to holding about 24 percent, according to data from Inside Mortgage Finance, a specialty publication. One reason is that Fannie and Freddie were subject to tougher standards than many of the unregulated players in the private sector who weakened lending standards, most of whom have gone bankrupt or are now in deep trouble.
During those same explosive three years, private investment banks — not Fannie and Freddie — dominated the mortgage loans that were packaged and sold into the secondary mortgage market. In 2005 and 2006, the private sector securitized almost two thirds of all U.S. mortgages, supplanting Fannie and Freddie, according to a number of specialty publications that track this data.
In 1999, the year many critics charge that the Clinton administration pressured Fannie and Freddie, the private sector sold into the secondary market just 18 percent of all mortgages.
[...]
..
Warming gases saw biggest jump on record in 2010
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45153509/ns/us_news-environment/#.TrMxGXKOu8s
By SETH BORENSTEIN
updated 11/3/2011 4:11:32 PM ET
The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how feeble the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.
The new figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago.
[...]
Extra pollution in China and the U.S. account for more than half the increase in emissions last year, Marland said.
[...]
Boden said the latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst case projections from the climate panel. Those forecast global temperatures rising between 4 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century with the best estimate at 7.5 degrees.
Even though global warming skeptics have attacked the climate change panel as being too alarmist, scientists have generally found their predictions too conservative, Reilly said. He said his university worked on emissions scenarios, their likelihood, and what would happen. The IPCC's worst case scenario was only about in the middle of what MIT calculated are likely scenarios.
[...]
But Reilly and University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver found something good in recent emissions figures. The developed countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas limiting treaty have reduced their emissions overall since then and have achieved their goals of cutting emissions to about 8 percent below 1990 levels. The U.S. did not ratify the agreement.
In 1990, developed countries produced about 60 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, now it's probably less than 50 percent, Reilly said.
"We really need to get the developing world because if we don't, the problem is going to be running away from us," Weaver said. "And the problem is pretty close from running away from us."
..
By SETH BORENSTEIN
updated 11/3/2011 4:11:32 PM ET
The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how feeble the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.
The new figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago.
[...]
Extra pollution in China and the U.S. account for more than half the increase in emissions last year, Marland said.
[...]
Boden said the latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst case projections from the climate panel. Those forecast global temperatures rising between 4 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century with the best estimate at 7.5 degrees.
Even though global warming skeptics have attacked the climate change panel as being too alarmist, scientists have generally found their predictions too conservative, Reilly said. He said his university worked on emissions scenarios, their likelihood, and what would happen. The IPCC's worst case scenario was only about in the middle of what MIT calculated are likely scenarios.
[...]
But Reilly and University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver found something good in recent emissions figures. The developed countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas limiting treaty have reduced their emissions overall since then and have achieved their goals of cutting emissions to about 8 percent below 1990 levels. The U.S. did not ratify the agreement.
In 1990, developed countries produced about 60 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, now it's probably less than 50 percent, Reilly said.
"We really need to get the developing world because if we don't, the problem is going to be running away from us," Weaver said. "And the problem is pretty close from running away from us."
..
A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Lose
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/a-mind-is-a-terrible-thing-to-lose/?smid=tw-NytimesKrugman&seid=auto#
Paul Krugman
November 2, 2011, 4:18 pm
OK, I see that some people are doubling down on the claim that rising inequality is all about education — when what the CBO report drives home is that this is all wrong, the big increase has come from gains at the very top. I have to admit that I have a sneaking suspicion that this is in part driven by KDS (DS for derangement syndrome): some people will rush to take a position precisely because I have debunked it. But anyway, it’s really, really wrong.
[...] [see graph with familiar info on how almost all gains in income since 1979 have gone to the top 1%]
For comparison, here’s some data on wages of men by education from EPI:
Not the perfect comparison, but good enough. Notice the difference in scales. College graduates have made only modest gains, and basically nothing after 2000; even advanced degrees weren’t giving anything like the gains we see for the top 1 percent (and the much bigger gains of the top 0.1 percent).
Yes, college grads have done better than non; but inequality in America is mainly a story about a small elite pulling away from everyone else, including ordinary college grads. And we’ve know this for a long time! There is no excuse for getting it wrong.
=============================================================
At least part of what is happening is that as a larger percentage of the population get college degrees, a college degree is being required for jobs that didn't used to require it. This reduces the number of resumes and applications that companies need to spend time looking at.
..
Paul Krugman
November 2, 2011, 4:18 pm
OK, I see that some people are doubling down on the claim that rising inequality is all about education — when what the CBO report drives home is that this is all wrong, the big increase has come from gains at the very top. I have to admit that I have a sneaking suspicion that this is in part driven by KDS (DS for derangement syndrome): some people will rush to take a position precisely because I have debunked it. But anyway, it’s really, really wrong.
[...] [see graph with familiar info on how almost all gains in income since 1979 have gone to the top 1%]
For comparison, here’s some data on wages of men by education from EPI:
Not the perfect comparison, but good enough. Notice the difference in scales. College graduates have made only modest gains, and basically nothing after 2000; even advanced degrees weren’t giving anything like the gains we see for the top 1 percent (and the much bigger gains of the top 0.1 percent).
Yes, college grads have done better than non; but inequality in America is mainly a story about a small elite pulling away from everyone else, including ordinary college grads. And we’ve know this for a long time! There is no excuse for getting it wrong.
=============================================================
At least part of what is happening is that as a larger percentage of the population get college degrees, a college degree is being required for jobs that didn't used to require it. This reduces the number of resumes and applications that companies need to spend time looking at.
..
Romney Absurdly Claims ‘I’m Proposing No Tax Cuts For The Rich’
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/11/03/360285/romney-tax-cuts-rich/
By Pat Garofalo on Nov 3, 2011 at 10:35 am
Several GOP 2012 presidential hopefuls have released tax plans that clearly deliver the lion’s share of their benefits to the very richest Americans. Both former pizza magnate Herman Cain and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, through their embrace of flat income taxes and their elimination of all investment taxes, would deliver huge tax breaks worth millions of dollars to those at the top of the income scale.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, is trying to claim the mantle of defender of the middle class, saying during a GOP debate that “if I’m going to use precious dollars to reduce taxes, I want to focus on where the people are hurting the most, and that’s the middle class. I’m not worried about rich people. They are doing just fine.” During an interview yesterday with WTVT in Tampa, Romney even claimed “I’m proposing no tax cuts for the rich”:
[...]
Romney’s claim is simply absurd on its face. His tax plan consists of $6.6 trillion in tax cuts, the vast majority of which goes to the wealthy and corporations. In fact, Romney dedicates an entire section of his economic plan to discussing elimination of the estate tax, which only the very richest households in the country ever have to pay (since, right now, an estate must be worth more than $5 million to pay any estate tax at all). Currently, more than half of the estate tax is paid by the richest 0.1 percent of households.
Meanwhile, Romney’s claim that his tax plan cuts taxes for the middle-class has little basis in reality. A ThinkProgress analysis found that the vast majority of middle-class households would get no benefit from Romney’s tax plan, since its based on a capital gains tax cut when most middle-class families have no capital gains.
Romney’s tax plan, while not as generous to the rich as those of his competitors, still delivers its benefits to the top while ignoring those in the middle who haven’t seen their income rise in years. He might try to deny it, but the proposals that he’s put on paper make it very clear where his priorities lie.
..
By Pat Garofalo on Nov 3, 2011 at 10:35 am
Several GOP 2012 presidential hopefuls have released tax plans that clearly deliver the lion’s share of their benefits to the very richest Americans. Both former pizza magnate Herman Cain and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, through their embrace of flat income taxes and their elimination of all investment taxes, would deliver huge tax breaks worth millions of dollars to those at the top of the income scale.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, is trying to claim the mantle of defender of the middle class, saying during a GOP debate that “if I’m going to use precious dollars to reduce taxes, I want to focus on where the people are hurting the most, and that’s the middle class. I’m not worried about rich people. They are doing just fine.” During an interview yesterday with WTVT in Tampa, Romney even claimed “I’m proposing no tax cuts for the rich”:
[...]
Romney’s claim is simply absurd on its face. His tax plan consists of $6.6 trillion in tax cuts, the vast majority of which goes to the wealthy and corporations. In fact, Romney dedicates an entire section of his economic plan to discussing elimination of the estate tax, which only the very richest households in the country ever have to pay (since, right now, an estate must be worth more than $5 million to pay any estate tax at all). Currently, more than half of the estate tax is paid by the richest 0.1 percent of households.
Meanwhile, Romney’s claim that his tax plan cuts taxes for the middle-class has little basis in reality. A ThinkProgress analysis found that the vast majority of middle-class households would get no benefit from Romney’s tax plan, since its based on a capital gains tax cut when most middle-class families have no capital gains.
Romney’s tax plan, while not as generous to the rich as those of his competitors, still delivers its benefits to the top while ignoring those in the middle who haven’t seen their income rise in years. He might try to deny it, but the proposals that he’s put on paper make it very clear where his priorities lie.
..
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Obama rips Republicans for House vote on 'In God We Trust' motto
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/obama_mocks_congress_on_motto033241.php#
November 02, 2011 3:30 PM
By Steve Benen
President Obama invoked God Wednesday as he criticized Congress for voting on commemorative coins and a resolution reaffirming “In God We Trust” as the national motto in all public buildings, public schools and other government institutions.
“That’s not putting people back to work,” Obama said. “I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people to work.”
Obama called on Congress to approve his jobs package.
“There’s no excuse for 100 percent of Washington Republicans to say no,” Obama said. “That means Republicans in Washington are out of touch with Republican voters.”
When there’s a jobs crisis, the public is desperate for Congress to focus on job creation, and House Republicans are investing time in a resolution that says the national motto is still the national motto, yes, I think it’s safe to say Republicans in Washington are out of touch.
It’s also good to see the president pick up on a theme I’ve been pushing quite a bit recently: Republican voters are far more likely to have their act together than Republican policymakers. After all, rank-and-file GOP voters largely support Democratic jobs proposals and modest tax increases on millionaires and billionaires.
[...]
..
November 02, 2011 3:30 PM
By Steve Benen
President Obama invoked God Wednesday as he criticized Congress for voting on commemorative coins and a resolution reaffirming “In God We Trust” as the national motto in all public buildings, public schools and other government institutions.
“That’s not putting people back to work,” Obama said. “I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people to work.”
Obama called on Congress to approve his jobs package.
“There’s no excuse for 100 percent of Washington Republicans to say no,” Obama said. “That means Republicans in Washington are out of touch with Republican voters.”
When there’s a jobs crisis, the public is desperate for Congress to focus on job creation, and House Republicans are investing time in a resolution that says the national motto is still the national motto, yes, I think it’s safe to say Republicans in Washington are out of touch.
It’s also good to see the president pick up on a theme I’ve been pushing quite a bit recently: Republican voters are far more likely to have their act together than Republican policymakers. After all, rank-and-file GOP voters largely support Democratic jobs proposals and modest tax increases on millionaires and billionaires.
[...]
..
Senators Introduce Constitutional Amendment To Overturn Citizens United
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/11/02/358694/senators-introduce-citizens-united-amendment/
By Zaid Jilani on Nov 2, 2011 at 9:50 am
One of the overarching themes of the 99 Percent Movement is that our democracy is too corrupted by corporate special interests. This corruption was worsened last year by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed for huge new unregulated flows of corporate political spending.
Yesterday, six Democratic senators — Tom Udall (NM), Michael Bennett (CO), Tom Harkin (IA), Dick Durbin (IL), Chuck Schumer (NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), and Jeff Merkely (OR) — introduced a constitutional amendment that would effectively overturn the Citizens United case and restore the ability of Congress to properly regulate the campaign finance system.
The amendment as filed resolves that both Congress and individual states shall have the power to regulate both the amount of contributions made directly to candidates for elected office and “the amount of expenditures that may be made by, in support of, or in opposition to such candidates.”
“By limiting the influence of big money in politics, elections can be more about the voters and their voices, not big money donors and their deep pockets,” said Harkin of the amendment. “We need to have a campaign finance structure that limits the influence of the special interests and restores confidence in our democracy. This amendment goes to the heart of that effort.”
[...]
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By Zaid Jilani on Nov 2, 2011 at 9:50 am
One of the overarching themes of the 99 Percent Movement is that our democracy is too corrupted by corporate special interests. This corruption was worsened last year by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed for huge new unregulated flows of corporate political spending.
Yesterday, six Democratic senators — Tom Udall (NM), Michael Bennett (CO), Tom Harkin (IA), Dick Durbin (IL), Chuck Schumer (NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), and Jeff Merkely (OR) — introduced a constitutional amendment that would effectively overturn the Citizens United case and restore the ability of Congress to properly regulate the campaign finance system.
The amendment as filed resolves that both Congress and individual states shall have the power to regulate both the amount of contributions made directly to candidates for elected office and “the amount of expenditures that may be made by, in support of, or in opposition to such candidates.”
“By limiting the influence of big money in politics, elections can be more about the voters and their voices, not big money donors and their deep pockets,” said Harkin of the amendment. “We need to have a campaign finance structure that limits the influence of the special interests and restores confidence in our democracy. This amendment goes to the heart of that effort.”
[...]
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Are corporations people?
From picture on Facebook:
If corporations are people
I want to see their birth certificates!
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If corporations are people
I want to see their birth certificates!
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Tuesday, November 01, 2011
GOP Cuts To Heating Assistance Mean One Cold Winter For Millions Of Americans
http://www.politicususa.com/en/gop-cuts-to-heating-assistance-mean-one-cold-winter-for-millions-of-americans
By Adalia Woodbury
November 1, 2011
States are anticipating a difficult winter as they make plans for the their respective heating assistance programs. It looks like another very hard winter for Americans who are already suffering from the harsh effects of the recession.
With high unemployment and increased poverty, there is an increased demand for this heating assistance programs. Many of the people who will feel the effects are senior citizens.
Last year, this program helped a quarter of a million families in Georgia heat their homes.
Nancy Smith with the Middle Georgia Community Action Agency says she’s hoping for a warm winter.
The combination of heating costs increasing by 40% last year and an unemployment rate of 10%, this is going to be a very harsh winter for struggling Americans in Pennsylvania.
[...]
If you spend a little time on Google, story after story conveys the same message. Unemployment is up heating costs are up. Demand for assistance is also up. However, eligibility will be more stringent since the program is expected to be cut by half. In Oregon, a household’s income must be 60% of the state’s median income to qualify for the program.
If this was simply a matter of skipping the world cruise, or buying one less Mercedes, one could understand and applaud this sort of cut. However, it like other cuts in government programs are directed at the same people who are suffering the most, with the least resources. Cutting expenses means going without food, or medicine. These are hardly extraneous expenses, unless you live in a Dickens novel or in the United States in 2011.
For people in this situation, cutting expenses means more children going hungry more often. As it stands, 42% of American children live in low income households. That means, below the national poverty threshold. According to the AARP, 16% of seniors are living in poverty as a directly result of the recession.
Government cuts to home heating programs are a result of previous cuts to the program at the Federal level. In the name of accommodating the GOP whose are convinced that if someone is poor and freezing it’s their own fault. Meanwhile, we hear stories about Republican congressman “struggling” to live on $400,000 a year or how the rich would suffer great hardship if they had to endure a tax increase. At least they would be enduring it in a heated home.
..
By Adalia Woodbury
November 1, 2011
States are anticipating a difficult winter as they make plans for the their respective heating assistance programs. It looks like another very hard winter for Americans who are already suffering from the harsh effects of the recession.
With high unemployment and increased poverty, there is an increased demand for this heating assistance programs. Many of the people who will feel the effects are senior citizens.
Last year, this program helped a quarter of a million families in Georgia heat their homes.
Nancy Smith with the Middle Georgia Community Action Agency says she’s hoping for a warm winter.
The combination of heating costs increasing by 40% last year and an unemployment rate of 10%, this is going to be a very harsh winter for struggling Americans in Pennsylvania.
[...]
If you spend a little time on Google, story after story conveys the same message. Unemployment is up heating costs are up. Demand for assistance is also up. However, eligibility will be more stringent since the program is expected to be cut by half. In Oregon, a household’s income must be 60% of the state’s median income to qualify for the program.
If this was simply a matter of skipping the world cruise, or buying one less Mercedes, one could understand and applaud this sort of cut. However, it like other cuts in government programs are directed at the same people who are suffering the most, with the least resources. Cutting expenses means going without food, or medicine. These are hardly extraneous expenses, unless you live in a Dickens novel or in the United States in 2011.
For people in this situation, cutting expenses means more children going hungry more often. As it stands, 42% of American children live in low income households. That means, below the national poverty threshold. According to the AARP, 16% of seniors are living in poverty as a directly result of the recession.
Government cuts to home heating programs are a result of previous cuts to the program at the Federal level. In the name of accommodating the GOP whose are convinced that if someone is poor and freezing it’s their own fault. Meanwhile, we hear stories about Republican congressman “struggling” to live on $400,000 a year or how the rich would suffer great hardship if they had to endure a tax increase. At least they would be enduring it in a heated home.
..
How Soda Caps Are Killing Birds
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/10/31/141879837/how-soda-caps-are-killing-birds?sc=fb&cc=fp
November 1, 2011
by Claire O'Neill
Remember those haunting images of animals stuck in plastic soda rings? This is worse. Since 2009, photographer Chris Jordan has been documenting birds on Midway Atoll way out in the Pacific Ocean — near what's known as the "Pacific Garbage Patch" or, essentially, a swirling heap of plastic the size of Texas.
What Jordan found on those islands were carcasses of baby birds that have died an unnerving death: According to the BBC, "about one-third of all albatross chicks die on Midway, many as the result of being mistakenly fed plastic by their parents."
Jordan was a runner-up this year for the Prix Pictet, a prize in photography and sustainability, for a morose series that shows plastic guts spilling from dead birds. His photos, and others from the Prix Pictet contest, are currently touring various museums. He is also producing a film about his journeys to Midway Atoll, where the photos were taken.
"For me," Jordan writes in an artist statement, "kneeling over their carcasses is like looking into a macabre mirror. These birds reflect back an appallingly emblematic result of the collective trance of our consumerism and runaway industrial growth."
They are hard to look at, but it's even harder to confront that this is not fiction.
..
November 1, 2011
by Claire O'Neill
Remember those haunting images of animals stuck in plastic soda rings? This is worse. Since 2009, photographer Chris Jordan has been documenting birds on Midway Atoll way out in the Pacific Ocean — near what's known as the "Pacific Garbage Patch" or, essentially, a swirling heap of plastic the size of Texas.
What Jordan found on those islands were carcasses of baby birds that have died an unnerving death: According to the BBC, "about one-third of all albatross chicks die on Midway, many as the result of being mistakenly fed plastic by their parents."
Jordan was a runner-up this year for the Prix Pictet, a prize in photography and sustainability, for a morose series that shows plastic guts spilling from dead birds. His photos, and others from the Prix Pictet contest, are currently touring various museums. He is also producing a film about his journeys to Midway Atoll, where the photos were taken.
"For me," Jordan writes in an artist statement, "kneeling over their carcasses is like looking into a macabre mirror. These birds reflect back an appallingly emblematic result of the collective trance of our consumerism and runaway industrial growth."
They are hard to look at, but it's even harder to confront that this is not fiction.
..
Police In Oakland Used Tactics That Aren’t Permitted In War Zones
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/01/police-in-oakland-used-tactics-that-arent-permitted-in-war-zones/
November 1, 2011
By Stephen D. Foster Jr.
A week ago, police fired rubber bullets, bean bags, and canisters into the crowd of protesters in Oakland. Their brutality almost cost Marine veteran Scott Olsen his life. And it turns out, the police used tactics that aren’t even allowed to be used in war zones.
A former Marine with special operations in crowd control says that what the police did in Oakland last week is something that the armed forces prohibits, especially when the crowd is peaceful and non-threatening. According to this Marine,”Before gas goes into a crowd, shield bearers have to be making no progress moving a crowd or the crowd must be assaulting the line. Not with sticks and stones but a no bullshit assault. 3 warnings must be given to the crowd in a manner they can hear that force is about to be used. Shield bearers take a knee and CS gas is released in grenade form first to fog out your lines because you have gas masks. You then kick the canisters along in front of your lines. Projectile gas is not used except for longer ranged engagement or trying to steer the crowd ( by steering a crowd I mean firing gas to block a street off ). You also have shotguns with beanbags and various less than lethal rounds for your launchers. These are the rules for a WARZONE!!
How did a cop who is supposed to have training on his weapon system accidentally SHOOT someone in the head with a 40mm gas canister? Simple. He was aiming at him.
[...]
Additionally, the official military manual backs up these statements and also says that those who are trying to help the injured are defined as non-combatants and are not to be fired upon because they pose no threat. While people were trying to help Scott Olsen, a police officer threw a flashbang into the group, which would be a direction violation of the rules of engagement.
Here’s what the US Military manual says.
“Sailors and Marines have a duty to collect and care for the wounded. Prioritize treatment according to injuries. Make NO treatment distinction based on nationality. All soldiers, enemy or friendly, must be treated the same.”
[...]
tags: Occupy Wall Street, OWS, Occupy Oakland, police brutality
..
November 1, 2011
By Stephen D. Foster Jr.
A week ago, police fired rubber bullets, bean bags, and canisters into the crowd of protesters in Oakland. Their brutality almost cost Marine veteran Scott Olsen his life. And it turns out, the police used tactics that aren’t even allowed to be used in war zones.
A former Marine with special operations in crowd control says that what the police did in Oakland last week is something that the armed forces prohibits, especially when the crowd is peaceful and non-threatening. According to this Marine,”Before gas goes into a crowd, shield bearers have to be making no progress moving a crowd or the crowd must be assaulting the line. Not with sticks and stones but a no bullshit assault. 3 warnings must be given to the crowd in a manner they can hear that force is about to be used. Shield bearers take a knee and CS gas is released in grenade form first to fog out your lines because you have gas masks. You then kick the canisters along in front of your lines. Projectile gas is not used except for longer ranged engagement or trying to steer the crowd ( by steering a crowd I mean firing gas to block a street off ). You also have shotguns with beanbags and various less than lethal rounds for your launchers. These are the rules for a WARZONE!!
How did a cop who is supposed to have training on his weapon system accidentally SHOOT someone in the head with a 40mm gas canister? Simple. He was aiming at him.
[...]
Additionally, the official military manual backs up these statements and also says that those who are trying to help the injured are defined as non-combatants and are not to be fired upon because they pose no threat. While people were trying to help Scott Olsen, a police officer threw a flashbang into the group, which would be a direction violation of the rules of engagement.
Here’s what the US Military manual says.
“Sailors and Marines have a duty to collect and care for the wounded. Prioritize treatment according to injuries. Make NO treatment distinction based on nationality. All soldiers, enemy or friendly, must be treated the same.”
[...]
tags: Occupy Wall Street, OWS, Occupy Oakland, police brutality
..
Did You Hear the One About the Bankers?
This is especially significant because Friedman usually slants right.
From a comment on http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2011/10/it-doesnt-get-any-more-immoral-than-this.html#comment-6a00d83451b33869e2015392bd1eff970b
"The disenfranchised usually do the street work for organized crime. In today's world I am not sure if that would be the mafia or Wall Street though."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/friedman-did-you-hear-the-one-about-the-bankers.html?_r=2&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=OP-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-DYH-103111-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: October 29, 2011
CITIGROUP is lucky that Muammar el-Qaddafi was killed when he was. The Libyan leader’s death diverted attention from a lethal article involving Citigroup that deserved more attention because it helps to explain why many average Americans have expressed support for the Occupy Wall Street movement. The news was that Citigroup had to pay a $285 million fine to settle a case in which, with one hand, Citibank sold a package of toxic mortgage-backed securities to unsuspecting customers — securities that it knew were likely to go bust — and, with the other hand, shorted the same securities — that is, bet millions of dollars that they would go bust.
It doesn’t get any more immoral than this. As the Securities and Exchange Commission civil complaint noted, in 2007, Citigroup exercised “significant influence” over choosing $500 million of the $1 billion worth of assets in the deal, and the global bank deliberately chose collateralized debt obligations, or C.D.O.’s, built from mortgage loans almost sure to fail. According to The Wall Street Journal, the S.E.C. complaint quoted one unnamed C.D.O. trader outside Citigroup as describing the portfolio as resembling something your dog leaves on your neighbor’s lawn. “The deal became largely worthless within months of its creation,” The Journal added. “As a result, about 15 hedge funds, investment managers and other firms that invested in the deal lost hundreds of millions of dollars, while Citigroup made $160 million in fees and trading profits.”
Citigroup, which is under new and better management now, settled the case without admitting or denying any wrongdoing. James Stewart, a business columnist for The Times, noted that Citigroup’s flimflam made “Goldman Sachs mortgage traders look like Boy Scouts. In settling its fraud charges for $550 million last year, Goldman was accused by the S.E.C. of being the middleman in a similar deal, allowing the hedge fund manager John Paulson to help choose the mortgages and then bet against them without disclosing this to the other parties. Citigroup dispensed with a Paulson figure altogether, grabbing those lucrative roles for itself.” (Last Thursday, the U.S. District Court judge overseeing the case demanded that the S.E.C. explain how such serious securities fraud could end with the defendant neither admitting nor denying wrongdoing.)
[...]
Our Congress today is a forum for legalized bribery. One consumer group using information from Opensecrets.org calculates that the financial services industry, including real estate, spent $2.3 billion on federal campaign contributions from 1990 to 2010, which was more than the health care, energy, defense, agriculture and transportation industries combined. Why are there 61 members on the House Committee on Financial Services? So many congressmen want to be in a position to sell votes to Wall Street.
[...]
..
From a comment on http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2011/10/it-doesnt-get-any-more-immoral-than-this.html#comment-6a00d83451b33869e2015392bd1eff970b
"The disenfranchised usually do the street work for organized crime. In today's world I am not sure if that would be the mafia or Wall Street though."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/friedman-did-you-hear-the-one-about-the-bankers.html?_r=2&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=OP-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-DYH-103111-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: October 29, 2011
CITIGROUP is lucky that Muammar el-Qaddafi was killed when he was. The Libyan leader’s death diverted attention from a lethal article involving Citigroup that deserved more attention because it helps to explain why many average Americans have expressed support for the Occupy Wall Street movement. The news was that Citigroup had to pay a $285 million fine to settle a case in which, with one hand, Citibank sold a package of toxic mortgage-backed securities to unsuspecting customers — securities that it knew were likely to go bust — and, with the other hand, shorted the same securities — that is, bet millions of dollars that they would go bust.
It doesn’t get any more immoral than this. As the Securities and Exchange Commission civil complaint noted, in 2007, Citigroup exercised “significant influence” over choosing $500 million of the $1 billion worth of assets in the deal, and the global bank deliberately chose collateralized debt obligations, or C.D.O.’s, built from mortgage loans almost sure to fail. According to The Wall Street Journal, the S.E.C. complaint quoted one unnamed C.D.O. trader outside Citigroup as describing the portfolio as resembling something your dog leaves on your neighbor’s lawn. “The deal became largely worthless within months of its creation,” The Journal added. “As a result, about 15 hedge funds, investment managers and other firms that invested in the deal lost hundreds of millions of dollars, while Citigroup made $160 million in fees and trading profits.”
Citigroup, which is under new and better management now, settled the case without admitting or denying any wrongdoing. James Stewart, a business columnist for The Times, noted that Citigroup’s flimflam made “Goldman Sachs mortgage traders look like Boy Scouts. In settling its fraud charges for $550 million last year, Goldman was accused by the S.E.C. of being the middleman in a similar deal, allowing the hedge fund manager John Paulson to help choose the mortgages and then bet against them without disclosing this to the other parties. Citigroup dispensed with a Paulson figure altogether, grabbing those lucrative roles for itself.” (Last Thursday, the U.S. District Court judge overseeing the case demanded that the S.E.C. explain how such serious securities fraud could end with the defendant neither admitting nor denying wrongdoing.)
[...]
Our Congress today is a forum for legalized bribery. One consumer group using information from Opensecrets.org calculates that the financial services industry, including real estate, spent $2.3 billion on federal campaign contributions from 1990 to 2010, which was more than the health care, energy, defense, agriculture and transportation industries combined. Why are there 61 members on the House Committee on Financial Services? So many congressmen want to be in a position to sell votes to Wall Street.
[...]
..
Another busy week
I'm probably going to be posting less this week. Didn't do it yesterday at all. I'm doing phone calls for a political campaign, and I'm going to be working some more Thursday on recording a couple of the songs I've written. I hope I can get at least one sounding good enough this time to put it on http://www.reverbnation.com/patriciashannon
[...]
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[...]
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Nevada Threatens To Arrest Bankers
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/10/31/nevada-threatens-to-arrest-bankers/
October 31, 2011
By Justin "Filthy Liberal Scum" Rosario
In a widely unpublicized move earlier this month, Nevada passed a law making illegal foreclosures, well, illegal!
Since the housing market collapse, many of the more unsavory practices of the mortgage industry have come to light. One of the worst has been the “robo-signing” of foreclosures in which banks have repossessed hundreds of thousands of homes without having the proper documents or sometimes any of the documents at all.
One specific aspect of this has now been made a felony by the Nevada legislature.
From Housingwire.com:
Assembly Bill 284 took effect Oct. 1, making it a felony if a mortgage servicer or trustee made false representations concerning a title. There also will be a $5,000 fine assessed if fraud, such as robo-signing, is detected. The new law requires servicers to provide a new affidavit that provides the amount due on the mortgage, who is in possession of the note and who has the authority to foreclose.
Basically, no more foreclosures unless the paperwork is in order. Currently, the onus is on the homeowner to sort out the industrial scale disaster that is the mortgage market but now, in Nevada at least, the banks have to clean up their own mess before they can kick people out of their homes.
[...]
..
October 31, 2011
By Justin "Filthy Liberal Scum" Rosario
In a widely unpublicized move earlier this month, Nevada passed a law making illegal foreclosures, well, illegal!
Since the housing market collapse, many of the more unsavory practices of the mortgage industry have come to light. One of the worst has been the “robo-signing” of foreclosures in which banks have repossessed hundreds of thousands of homes without having the proper documents or sometimes any of the documents at all.
One specific aspect of this has now been made a felony by the Nevada legislature.
From Housingwire.com:
Assembly Bill 284 took effect Oct. 1, making it a felony if a mortgage servicer or trustee made false representations concerning a title. There also will be a $5,000 fine assessed if fraud, such as robo-signing, is detected. The new law requires servicers to provide a new affidavit that provides the amount due on the mortgage, who is in possession of the note and who has the authority to foreclose.
Basically, no more foreclosures unless the paperwork is in order. Currently, the onus is on the homeowner to sort out the industrial scale disaster that is the mortgage market but now, in Nevada at least, the banks have to clean up their own mess before they can kick people out of their homes.
[...]
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