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5/7/08
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Clinton to Fight On Despite Split Result
With her hopes for a
shift in campaign momentum deflated by Senator Barack Obama’s commanding victory
in North Carolina on Tuesday, his strong showing in Indiana and signs of
mounting financial problems, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton nonetheless vowed to
fight on, heading early Wednesday for a new round of speeches, rallies and town
meetings in West Virginia, which holds its primary on May 13.
And more power to her.
She'll be getting another donation from me.
The World
US-Iran security talks postponed, Iraqi FM says
BAGHDAD - Iraq's
foreign minister on Wednesday said security talks between Iran and the United
states have been indefinitely postponed due to an "exchange of accusations"
between the sides.
Golfing Baghdad's Green Zone: a course with real bunkers
BAGHDAD - The weight
of the 9-iron felt just right. My first swing off the first tee was smooth and
the ball sailed straight and true.
Clashes erupt in Lebanon as Hezbollah stages labor strike
BEIRUT, Lebanon -
Protesters from the Hezbollah-led opposition clashed with supporters of
Lebanon's U.S.-backed government Wednesday as a strike by the Shiite militant
group paralyzed large parts of Beirut.
EU concerned over political stability in Turkey, calls for reform
ANKARA (AFP) - The
European Union said Tuesday that a legal bid to ban Turkey's ruling party
threatened the country's political stability and urged Ankara to accelerate its
reform drive to overcome domestic tensions and ease its entry into the EU.
Diplomats say IAEA chief urging more US flexibility on Iran
VIENNA, Austria -
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency urged
Washington
on Tuesday to show more sensitivity in dealing with
Iran
if it hopes to see Tehran make concessions on its nuclear program, diplomats
said.
Russia's Medvedev takes power, pledges freedom
MOSCOW (Reuters) -
Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as Russian president on Wednesday and just over two
hours later nominated his predecessor Vladimir Putin as prime minister, ushering
in an unprecedented period of dual rule.
U.S. business presses India for more WTO concessions
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- U.S.
business groups said they hoped a meeting of top trade officials from the United
States and India this week would help advance world trade talks but criticized
India's role in negotiations so far.
Myanmar approves UN aid flight
GENEVA - The
international relief effort for hundreds of thousands of Myanmar cyclone victims
picked up speed Wednesday as
India
dispatched two planeloads of aid and
Myanmar
authorized the United Nations to send its own air shipment, officials said.
Health experts warn of looming crisis after Myanmar cyclone
BANGKOK (AFP) - Aid
experts on Wednesday warned of a looming health crisis in Myanmar, where
millions of cyclone victims face outbreaks of disease as they struggle to
survive without clean water, food or shelter.
SKorea to stick to US beef deal despite wave of criticism
SEOUL (AFP) - South
Korea's government insisted Wednesday it would not backtrack on an agreement to
open its market to US beef, despite an Internet-driven tide of public criticism.
Australian campaigner behind anti-Muslim leaflet fined
SYDNEY (AFP) - An
Australian political campaigner who distributed leaflets falsely implying his
opponents supported Muslim extremist bombers was fined 750 dollars (705 US) in a
Sydney court Wednesday.
Canada can't find 41,000 people it wants to deport
OTTAWA (Reuters) -
Canadian authorities cannot find 41,000 people who were classified as security
risks or illegal immigrants and ordered to leave the country, an official
watchdog reported on Tuesday.
Brazil acquits rancher in US nun killing
RIO DE JANEIRO,
Brazil - An Amazon rancher convicted of ordering the killing of American nun
Dorothy Stang has been acquitted in a retrial, a court official said Tuesday.
Guantanamo detainee sues British government for torture info
Attorneys for a
detainee held here as an alleged al Qaeda co-conspirator filed suit against the
British government on Tuesday, claiming it would violate its own foreign policy
by permitting a former resident to face war crimes trial here with evidence
allegedly obtained by torture.
Zimbabwe parties challenge parliamentary results
HARARE (Reuters) -
Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition MDC have challenged half the
results of the March 29 parliamentary election, state media said on Wednesday,
extending a stalemate that has triggered violence.
African Union demands free, transparent Zimbabwe run-off
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) -
The African Union (AU) on Wednesday urged all Zimbabwean parties to hold a free,
transparent and non-violent presidential runoff.
Survey lists most world's most repressive regimes
WASHINGTON - In a worldwide survey, a democracy watchdog organization
said 90 countries respect a broad array of basic human rights and political
freedom while 103 countries fail to some degree to observe standards of liberal
democracy.
The Nation
Pentagon Targeted Iran for Regime Change after 9/11
Three weeks after
the 9/11 terror attacks, former U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
established an official military objective of not only removing the Saddam
Hussein regime by force but overturning the regime in Iran, as well as in Syria
and four other countries in the Middle East, according to a document quoted
extensively in then Undersecretary of Defence for Policy Douglas Feith's
recently published account of the Iraq war decisions. Feith's account further
indicates that this aggressive aim of remaking the map of the Middle East by
military force and the threat of force was supported explicitly by the country's
top military leaders.
Bolton: US should bomb Iranian camps
John Bolton,
America’s ex-ambassador to the United Nations, has called for US air strikes on
Iranian camps where 'insurgents' are trained for war in Iraq. Mr Bolton said
that striking Iran would represent a major step towards victory in Iraq.
Justice System For Detainees Is Moving At a Crawl
Although defense
officials have said they want to start the Sept. 11 trials before the Bush
administration ends -- and one high-ranking Pentagon officer has been quoted
talking about the "strategic political value" of doing so before the November
elections -- those involved privately agree that opening statements could be a
year or more away.
Canadian becomes first child soldier since Nuremberg to stand trial for war
crimes
An inmate at the
US-run Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba is set to be the first child soldier
to go on trial for war crimes since Nuremberg, after a military judge ruled that
there were no legal obstacles preventing the camp's special military tribunals
from prosecuting him. Omar Khadr, a Canadian national, was 15 at the time of his
alleged crimes. His defence team said his age should see him treated as a victim
and rehabilitated, rather than prosecuted as a war criminal.
Special counsel's office raided amid obstruction probe
WASHINGTON - Federal agents raided the office and home of U.S. Special
Counsel Scott Bloch on Tuesday while investigating whether the nation's top
protector of whistle-blowers destroyed evidence potentially showing he
retaliated against his own staff.
White House Admits To Failing to Preserve Additional Emails
(American Constitution Society)
According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the
White House admitted it failed to preserve any backup tapes for emails from
March 1, 2003 to May 22, 2003. The administration previously admitted it did not
keep backup tapes for September 30, 2003 to
October 6, 2003. CREW notes that the earlier period coincided with
the US
invasion of Iraq, which took place from March 20 to May 1, and the latter period
coincided with a Justice Department investigation into the disclosure of Valerie
Plame Wilson’s covert identity. The White House’s declaration is available
here.
EPA might not act to limit rocket fuel in drinking water
WASHINGTON - An EPA
official said Tuesday there's a "distinct possibility" the agency won't take
action to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has
contaminated public water supplies around the country.
Democrats in US Congress Prepare Iraq-Afghanistan Funding Measure
Majority Democrats
are preparing for a possible vote on legislation to fund war operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan. The debate, which could take place on Thursday, involves the
bulk of the money President Bush requested last year for
Iraq
and Afghanistan, including funds to help the Pentagon get through the early
months of 2009.
US House to vote on proposal to leave Iraq by end 2009
WASHINGTON (AFP) -
The Democratic-led House of Representatives will this week debate a new war
spending bill that includes a provision to pull US combat troops out of Iraq by
December 2009, lawmakers said Tuesday.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not going to hold my breath.
House votes to subpoena Addington.
(Think Progress)
This morning, the House Judiciary Committee voted to subpoena David Addington,
Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff, to compel him to testify about the
administration’s interrogation programs. He has said he will agree to testify if
subpoenaed. The AP also reports that John Yoo, author of legal memos that
sanctioned torture, has reversed course and agreed last night to testify before
the committee as well, along with Douglas Feith and former Attorney General John
Ashcroft. Former CIA Director George Tenet “is still in negotiations with the
committee, according to House Judiciary Committee spokeswoman Melanie Roussell.”
House takes up bills to help financially at-risk homeowners
WASHINGTON — The
House of Representatives will take up legislation Wednesday that would broadly
address the nation's housing crisis and could have the government assume control
of up to $300 billion in refinanced home loans to be given to distressed
homeowners.
Gulf Coast senators seek hurricanes aid for elderly, infirm
WASHINGTON --
Three
Gulf
Coast
senators are pushing legislation to aid thousands of disabled or elderly
citizens who remain uprooted nearly three years after they were left homeless by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
GAO questions adding wind damage to flood insurance
WASHINGTON — Congressional investigators cast a skeptical eye on a
House of Representatives proposal to expand the federal flood insurance program
by adding coverage for wind damage, saying the Federal Emergency Management
Agency would need to complete "certain challenging steps."
US to dismiss cocaine charges against Colombian rebel
WASHINGTON - Three
years after officials hailed his arrest as a major drug war victory, the U.S.
asked a judge Tuesday to dismiss cocaine charges against Colombian rebel leader
Ricardo Palmera.
U.S. executes first inmate after moratorium
JACKSON, Georgia
(Reuters) - Georgia executed a convicted murderer on Tuesday, the first person
to be put to death in the United States since the Supreme Court ended a de facto
moratorium on capital punishment last month.
Economy & Finance
Stocks down after home sales, labor cost data
NEW YORK - The stock
market traded lower Wednesday, as investors reacted to mixed economic data and
waited to see if oil prices will climb further into uncharted territory.
Worker productivity up at 2.2 percent rate in first quarter
WASHINGTON - Worker productivity rose by a better-than-expected amount
in the first three months of the year while labor cost pressures eased.
More Mortgages Are Underwater
New data from Zillow
show a startling share of homes are worth less than their mortgage, says Hot
Property
Fed chief urges foreclosure
prevention
Fed Chairman Ben
Bernanke says finding ways to avoid preventable foreclosures is a 'legitimate
and important concern of public policy' and gives the green light to proposed
legislation aimed to stop foreclosures of homes caught in the national drop in
home prices.
Bush threatens veto of Dems housing aid plan
The White House on
Tuesday threatened a veto of Democrats' broad housing rescue plan, calling it a
burdensome bailout that would open taxpayers to too much risk.
Bankruptcies on the Rise
Tighter credit,
rising commodity prices, and slipping sales aren't slamming just Wall Street;
now small businesses are getting hit
In food price crunch, more Americans seek help
BALTIMORE (Reuters)
- Carolyn Stanley, a single mother with five children, receives $327 in food
stamps each month to feed her family. With prices for staples like bread and
cheese going ever higher, each month is harder than the last. She buys hot dogs
over higher-quality meat and feeds her kids cereal, but even with other
government support she often has to seek help from local churches and from
friends.
Hedging Against $200 Oil
For the financial
whizzes of Southwest Airlines, it only gets pricier to buy protection as the
cost of oil keeps climbing
Media
Permanent link to MTA daily media news
Obama inching closer to Democratic presidential nomination
WASHINGTON
- On the rebound, Barack Obama left Hillary Rodham Clinton with fast-dwindling
chances to deny him the Democratic presidential nomination after beating her in
North Carolina
and falling just short in an Indiana cliffhanger.
Transcript: Hillary Clinton Delivers Remarks at Indiana Celebration Event
(posted at No Quarter)
Thank you, Indiana. Thank you. Not too long ago, my opponent made a prediction.
He said I would probably win Pennsylvania. He would win North Carolina, and
Indiana would be the tie-breaker. Well, tonight we’ve come from behind, we’ve
broken the tie, and thanks to you, it’s full speed on to the White House.
Click through to read the rest of the transcript, and to watch the
video.
A Plum for Hillary, A Black Eye for the Mayor of Gary, Indiana
(by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
Shame on the Mayor of Gary, Indiana for withholding the vote results until after
midnight,
ET. Class Act of the night: Mayor Tom McDermott of
Hammond, Indiana. CNN says
seniors brought it home for Hillary all by themselves in Indiana. 69% of them
voted for her. They made the difference, and they vote in much greater numbers
than younger voters.
With no photo IDs, nuns denied ballots in Indiana primary
(McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — At least 10 retired nuns in South Bend, Ind., were barred from
voting in Tuesday's Indiana Democratic primary election because they lacked
photo IDs required under a state law that the Supreme Court upheld last week.
The Math vs. The Problem
(by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
The math favors Obama and tonight made the math favor him even more. The math is
clear. Obama leads in the pledged delegates and he gained 150,000 votes in the
popular vote… What is not clear is that Barack Obama can win white working class
voters. And to pretend this is not a problem is to play ostrich. I will not do
that. In the state next door, Obama could not carry more than 40% of the white
vote. He will get wiped out in West Virginia next week. And he will lose badly
in Kentucky two weeks from now. Obama is closer to being the Democratic nominee
after tonight. But more than ever, his electability is a question mark. Tonight
answered none of the questions that surround Barack Obama's electability. That
is simply a fact.
Stalemate (by
Anglachel)
So, what now? Local variations will give supporters on either side arguments
about relative strength, but the larger picture is that Obama is losing 60% of
white voters within his own party, let alone across parties. His scorched earth
campaign to claim white racism as the sole and overwhelming cause of his losses
puts the party between the Devil and the deep blue sea. He has alienated voters
of all ethnicities by forcing the campaign into a black/white racial divide,
angering Democrats who are voting against his lack of substantive policies, not
his skin color (in truth, at this point, the only things about him that appeal
to me are his skin color and his proposed Cuba policy), and antagonizing AAs
with his claim that white politicians are conspiring to deny him the nomination,
which will make a significant number stay home if he is not the nominee. The
political question for me is whether, should he lose the nomination, will he
support Hillary? If he does, Democrats win. If he doesn't, Democrats lose. The
party is at a stalemate now. Neither candidate will win with just pledged
delegates. Super delegates will break it in favor of one candidate or the other.
Do we want to win in November or not?
Obama's tainted victory
(by lambert at Corrente)
I’ve said all along that the reason Obama hasn’t asked for my vote (see bleeding
feet, friend with) is because he doesn’t want it. Now Obama über-fan and, for
what that’s worth, avowedly neutral DNC fonctionnaire Donna Brazile confirms me
in my view. Via TalkLeft: “… Paul, you’re looking at the old coalition. A new
Democratic coalition is younger. It is more urban, as well as suburban, and we
don’t have to just rely on white blue-collar voters and Hispanics. We need to
look at the Democratic Party, expand the party, expand the base and not throw
out the baby with the bathwater.”…
[T]hough I think I know What Donna Meant, it’s hard to square that with Obama’s behavior (factoring out his rhetoric, which is by definition meaningless at best). While Brazile says she doesn’t want to throw the baby [now the “old” coalition is a baby?] out with the bathwater, it seems to me, and to many, that this is just what Obama does, by walking back universal health care (and adding insult to injury by running Harry & Louise ads), by dogwhistling on Social Security, by saying Reagan had a lot of good ideas about this, that, or the other, and on and on and on. Both in terms of policy, and in terms of the critical work that so many of have done to combat right wing thinking, Obama is just not there for us, or is outright destructive. When you combine all that with the vile misogyny of so many Obama fans … and the Obama campaign’s casual leveraging of baseless charges of racism … to win temporary political advantage, it’s easy to see how many members of the “old” “coalition” despair both of Obama’s ability to make government work again, and over ideals that many worked years to uphold. Bottom line is that for all Obama’s spinning, he’s not expanding the base, he’s fracturing it.
And now the final act...
(by John: south of
Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
The road forward is tough for Clinton. She should win large victories in West
Virginia and Kentucky in the next 2 weeks. This probably will not do much to
move things in her direction. I believe the only thing that can sink Obama now
is a revelation so harmful the S.D.'s go running into the night. Allusions
abound about such a bit of info - but I certainly know of nothing. If being
employed by a terrorist for 8 years doesn't get coverage by the major media I
can't imagine what will. It would have to be a "Spitzeresque" meltdown - to coin
a phrase.
We do need to start thinking about the crack up of the Democratic Party and decide if this is a bad thing. I am not sure it is. The exit polls indicate a severe fissure. I admit to having a moment of not caring one wit for the Democratic party tonight. Donna Brazille's behavior on CNN is appalling and Howard Dean is a disaster. Pelosi has accomplished nothing and Harry Reid acts like the mayor of Mayberry - not the majority leader. This is not the party of FDR, Truman and Bill Clinton. If working class whites and rural voters have to walk out - so be it.
BHO will be the nominee of college students, college professors, independents and African Americans, apparently voting for him solely because of his race. Good for them. But this is not the Democratic Party I care to be identified with. I won't vote for BHO in the general. It is a relief to know this. An Obama rout in the general might have a silver lining.
Nuclear nightmare scenario: Guam determines nominee
(by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
I think what we’re seeing here is a real racial divide. It was engineered,
deliberately, by Obama’s campaign in order to separate African Americans from
the Clintons. It has worked spectacularly well... [I am] deeply offended … by
how Obama has split my party on racial lines and pitted race against their
regular party members, as if there was a real split there to begin with. As if I
were the enemy. He has pitted Dem against Dem. I am insulted that Howard Dean
and Donna Brazile have put their thumbs on the scales for Obama instead of
encouraging him to agree to revotes in FL and MI. The thought of voting for him
under these circumstances fills me with revulsion. And there’s no amount of
cheerleading that Hillary can do to make me change my mind. It’s not her. It’s
him.
What Happened [Last Night]
(by FrenchDoc at Corrente)
[The] results were exactly what was expected after all. Actually, it’s pretty
bad news for BO. His base is young voters and AAs and that’s it… How unelectable
is Barack Obama? Let me count the ways:
1. Can’t get decisive wins to end the primary
2. Won’t allow for a resolution on Mi/Fl
3. Alienates the core of the Democratic party
4. Is now officially the “Black Candidate”
5. Can’t win the primary decisively in spite of DNC support, $$$, media love
fest, major “progressive” blogs adoration.
Obama Campaign Says Rush Affected Indiana Vote
(by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
Graceless loser? Via Fox: David Axlerod attributes Hillary's better numbers in
Indiana to Rush Limbaugh. It was an open primary. 11% of voters in the
Democratic primary said they were Republicans -- half of those said they voted
for Hillary. There's no support for the theory that this 5.5% listened to Rush.
It's just as likely they are sick of Bush and don't like McCain and prefer
Hillary to Obama. 5.5% voted for Obama. Maybe they listened to Rush but decided
Obama is the more unelectable against McCain and wanted him to be the nominee to
help McCain win in November. Six of one, half dozen of the other. Obama urged
Republicans and Independents to register as Dems and vote for him in earlier
open caucuses and primaries. I guess what's good for the goose isn't good for
the gander in Obama's world.
Exit Polls Confirm: “Operation Chaos” Abject Failure
(by SilentPatriot at Crooks and Liars)
The numbers are in and they confirm what has been obvious for, oh, 30 years now:
Rush Limbaugh is an egotistical buffoon who, in fact, has no influence on
anything but the opinions of his few gullible dittohead listeners. The way it’s
looking now, Republicans, who account for 11% of the entire Indiana electorate,
have voted for Hillary by the same margin that the entire state has. Stick to
ruining your own party, Rush. Lord knows you’ve done a fantastic job at that.
Jeremiah Wright’s Wider Toll
(by Gary MacDougal, Washington Post, former chairman of the Illinois governor's
Task Force on Human Services Reform and is the author of "Make a Difference: A
Spectacular Breakthrough in the Fight Against Poverty.")
It is easy to be outraged by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's abhorrent remarks,
whether accusing our country of willfully spreading AIDS or being deserving of
the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks. And, yes, Sen. Barack Obama should have spoken out forcefully much
sooner than this week. But Wright has done more, and worse, than tarnish Obama's
presidential campaign. Consider the corrosive effect Wright and others like him
have on their communities as they rob thousands of listeners of the American
dream: hope that through their hard work they can have better lives. Imagine
getting up each morning to go to work in a society that doesn't want you,
doesn't respect you and seeks to hold you back. Your spiritual leader has told
you this, after all.
Mimi Speaks Truth on Rev. Wright & His Ilk
(by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Preface: Mimi is a frequent AA commenter who is modest about her insightful,
compelling writing
Susan, you are absolutely right… This is no way to help people lift
themselves up. You can’t transform your life for the better if you focus on
what’s wrong. Organized religion is a business. That’s why I gave up on it.
After the Black Nationalism of the 60s swept through the AA community, a lot of
churches lost their memberships. then during the Reagan Years and also the whole
‘born again’ movement and the emergence of high profile white Christian
ministers espousing political points of view from the pulpit with regard to
abortion and ‘family values,’ younger black ministers started following suit,
preaching black nationalist theology. They are doing what’s necessary to fill
the pews
Are We Getting Two for One?Is Michelle Obama responsible for the Jeremiah Wright
fiasco? (by
Christopher Hitchens, Slate, thanks to
No Quarter)
What can it be that has kept Obama in Wright's pews, and at Wright's mercy, for
so long and at such a heavy cost to his aspirations?... [H]ow is it that the
loathsome Wright married him, baptized his children, and received donations from
him? Could it possibly have anything, I wonder, to do with Mrs. Obama?.. I
direct your attention to Mrs. Obama's
1985 thesis at Princeton University. Its title (rather limited in scope,
given the author and the campus) is "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black
Community.".. [A]t quite an early stage in the text, Michelle Obama announces
that she's much influenced by the definition of black "separationism" offered by
Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton in their 1967 screed Black Power: The
Politics of Liberation in America…
I have the distinct feeling that the Obama campaign can't go on much longer without an answer to the question: "Are we getting two for one?" And don't be giving me any grief about asking this. Black Americans used to think that the Clinton twosome was their best friend, too. This time we should find out before it's too late to ask.
Michelle Obama Says ‘Amen’
(by Byron York, The National Review)
Walking onstage to chants of “Yes, we can!” and “Fired up — ready to go!”
[Michelle Obama] quickly gets to the heart of her message: There are forces out
there who are trying to take away everything Barack has worked for. They — she
doesn’t mention anyone in particular but does refer to one “brand name
politician” — are trying to win this election for themselves and thereby deny
Obama the opportunity to move America to the mountaintop of hope. And they must
be stopped.
“We’ve learned that we’re still living in a time and in a nation where the bar
is set, right?” she tells the crowd.
“That’s right.”
“They tell you all you need to do is do these things and you’ll get to the bar —
”
“Uh-huh.”
“So you go about the business of doing those things — ”
“Yes — ”
Her husband has been doing just that, Obama explains — raising money, building
an organization, winning caucuses, winning primaries, and amassing a large
number of delegates. And yet he still hasn’t won, because nothing is ever enough
for those unnamed adversaries.
“You start working hard and sacrificing, and you think you’re getting closer to
the bar, you’re working and you’re struggling, you get right to that bar, you’re
reaching out for the bar, and then what happens?”
“They raise the bar!”
“They raise the bar. Raise the bar. Shift it to the side. Keep it just out of
reach.”
“Yes!”
“And that’s just what’s been happening in this race.”
Glenn Beck Brings On Caller ‘Honky Whitesville’ For Attack On Michelle Obama
(Think Progress)
On his radio show [Monday], CNN’s Glenn Beck devoted a 15-minute segment to
making fun of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and wife Michelle, referring to them as
“elitist” for running for president and talking about “just how tough it is in
America today for black people.” In the segment, Beck brought on a fictional
caller by the name of “Honky Whitesville,” who alleged that he was “working for
the Obama campaign.” Beck billed the apparently humorous skit as a way to “make
the Obama’s seem a little more relatable to the average person”.
Part of the insanity of the Obama wing of the Democratic Party is that
they profess to believe that right wingers won’t use race against their
candidate. They should see the email I’m getting from my right wingers. Of
course, they’ll say it won’t matter to the general public. The general public
won’t be fooled. Just as they weren’t fooled by the attacks on John Kerry’s
strength, his war record? Just as they weren’t fooled by the attacks on “Mr.
Boy Scout” Al Gore’s veracity? We’re going down the same damn road.
Gore is 'listening and watching'
(On Politics,
USA
Today)
"The odds are overwhelming" that the battle for the Democratic presidential
nomination will be wrapped up well before the party's late-summer convention,
former vice president Al Gore said today. He also repeated, on National Public
Radio's Fresh Air, that he has no plans to endorse either Barack Obama or
Hillary Rodham Clinton any time soon. "I'm simply watching and listening to the
campaign," said the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee and 2008 Democratic
superdelegate. "As a delegate to the convention, I will cast my vote at the
proper time. I haven't ruled out making an endorsement prior (to the convention)
... but I haven't been moved to do so." Gore said he respects both candidates.
As for being a "party elder" who might help settle the Obama-Clinton battle,
Gore joked that he doesn't like that title.
About That Crush on Obama (by Kurt Andersen, New York Magazine)
Illustration by Ward Sutton
[I]t’s ironic that the media
and their fellow upscale Americans are now disposed to like Obama precisely
because he resembles them in so many ways. The difference is he’s relatively
unsullied, an exquisite, idealized version of themselves: educated, thoughtful,
twigged to nuance, a lovely writer, well-traveled, witty, cool, dignified,
candid, a little quixotic, a clued-in grown-up but not yet ruined by the ugly
facts of Washington life. And, mirabile dictu, a perfectly postmodern embodiment
of compromise between the hard binaries of race and age. He’s both white and
black. Born on the very cusp of the baby boom and Generation X, he’s both oldish
and youngish. And as a skinny, athletic, gentle-seeming, virtually metrosexual
man, he nearly splits the difference on gender as well.
And he’s so bland that every one of those constituencies reads into
his candidacy whatever it is that they want to believe he believes in—as
he said himself, “I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly
different political stripes project their own views.” And how great is it to
see our friend
Ward Sutton (the illustrator) back in print?
Chris Matthews’ Clinging Tingling For Obama Nearly “Official” — Then There’s
Olbermann’s Blatant Sexism
(by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Turns out that Chris Matthews’ leg-tingling* that he discussed recently on
MSNBC’s Hardball — aired on a network so blatantly pro-Obama that we all call it
MSNBO these days — is not due to restless leg syndrome. It’s a far more serious
mental obsessive-compulsive condition that has disabled his ability to be
neutral when discussing Obama. Numerous reports confirm this exchange before a
Harvard Crimson audience: “Praising Barack Obama throughout his speech, Matthews
said the Illinois Democrat is a symbol of the positive change that he believe
the country needs… When asked by another audience member how he would respond to
the claim that MSNBC officially supports Obama, Matthews responded with typical
Hardball wit, “Well, it’s not official.”
Obama Praises the Wrong Conservatives
(by Greg Anrig, The American Prospect)
Barack Obama says Republicans have some good ideas, but he is missing an
opportunity to point out the difference between traditional conservative
governance and the deliberately destructive agenda of today's conservative
movement.
Obama gets the beer right, but he's still sipping
(McClatchy)
RALEIGH - Sen. Barack Obama made a last-minute, surprise appearance at a
downtown bar this afternoon, ordering a Pabst Blue Ribbon (beer of the working
man) and spending half an hour greeting voters. “Everyone voted?” he hollered,
walking up Martin
Street as he headed
into the Raleigh Times bar about
5:30 p.m.
Oh, but Obama doesn’t PANDER. Only Clinton panders. I know, because
Whoever Kidnapped Josh Marshall told me so.
McCain ‘confused about where he was’ during judicial philosophy speech.
(Think Progress)
During his speech on judicial philosophy today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) appeared
to have what Fox News’s Brit Hume would likely describe as a “senior moment.” In
his prepared remarks, McCain intended to thank “the students and faculty of
Wake
Forest
University”
for their hospitality. But as the AP reports, when he delivered the speech, “he
appeared confused about where he was for a moment”
Obama is McCain’s junior by 30 years, and he’s been confused, too,
about
which town he’s in. Is that a senior moment, too?
Parsing McCain on the Democrats’ Health Plans
(New York Times)
Senator John McCain has been repeatedly suggesting that his Democratic rivals
are proposing a single-payer, or even a nationalized health care system along
the lines of those in countries like
Canada and Britain. The
suggestion is incorrect. While both Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York
are calling for universal health care and an expanded role for government, they
stop well short of calling for a single-payer plan. Mr. McCain has made the
assertion several times in recent days, even as he and the Republicans have made
repeated calls for accuracy on the campaign trail.
Having Flipped To ‘Securing Our Borders First,’ McCain Flops Back To
‘Comprehensive Immigration Reform’
(Think Progress)
Speaking on the Senate floor in March 2006, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) argued for
comprehensive immigration reform, stating that “while strengthening border
security is an essential component of national security, it must also be
accompanied by immigration reforms.” But while seeking the GOP nomination for
president, McCain “encountered anger from hard-line immigration foes,”
particularly over his support for a bill that would “have allowed most
undocumented immigrants to work toward citizenship.” Thus, in order to pander to
the far right during the primary, McCain changed his position, saying the U.S.
must secure the borders before undocumented immigrants are dealt with, thereby
discarding the “comprehensive” nature of his previous immigration position.
McCain Aides Say Hagee Endorsement Was The Result Of ‘Poor Vetting’
(Think Progress)
In addition to having previously referred to Catholicism as “The Great Whore,”
controversial pastor John Hagee said on NPR in September 2006 that Hurricane
Katrina was the result of God condemning New Orleans because “there was to be a
homosexual parade there” the day the hurricane hit — a belief he recently
reaffirmed. Despite Hagee’s radical and bigoted beliefs, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
sought and received Hagee’s endorsement for president — one McCain said he was
“very honored” to have. Since then, Hagee’s views have garnered more attention,
sparking wider questions as to why McCain would accept such an endorsement. In a
recent article on the McCain/Hagee saga, Newsweek reports that McCain aides
attribute the courting of Hagee’s support to “poor vetting.” But some from
McCain’s own party wonder how his views could have “slipped through the cracks”.
FOXNews Sunday: Power Player Carly Fiorina
(by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
Good lord, my irony meter is redlining again. After openly admitting that he
doesn’t understand economics as well as he might, who should Republican
Presidential nominee John McCain turn to for advice than the unlamented former
head of Hewlett Packard Carly Fiorina, who was forced out of HP for her
mismanagement and disruptive style? There’s some serious Bush-level street cred.
Someone who has failed in her most prominent business position? Hire her! And
FOXNews Sunday can’t help but note in their glossy yet remarkably detail-free
profile that Fiorina is even possibly being considered for the VP spot.
But…but…what about Condi?
Click through to watch the video.
Bonus Quote of the Day
(Political Wire)
"The Republican loss in the special election for
Louisiana's Sixth
Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for
Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course
of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November." --
Newt Gingrich, in his strategy newsletter.
Don’t laugh. Do not ever underestimate the Republicans. Not EVER.
Hispanic media coalition calls Limbaugh’s comment ‘nasty, bigoted, racist.’
(Think Progress)
Brian Maloney of the right-wing site Radio Equalizer defends Rush Limbaugh’s
comment about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa being a “shoe shine guy.”
“As to Limbaugh’s remark, was it indeed racist? This one’s easy: not at all!”
writes Maloney. “There’s nothing race-specific about his comment. Are
‘shoe-shine guys’ usually Hispanic? No.” Alex Nogales, president of the National
Hispanic Media Coalition, has quite a different take: “What can I tell you? It’s
the same kind of nasty, bigoted, racist type of comment that has become so
prevalent in today’s society, as practiced by Lou Dobbs, as practiced by [Sean]
Hannity, [Bill] O’Reilly, [Michael] Savage — all these guys who are appealing to
a particular bigoted audience, and fanning the fires of bigotry and racism by
doing these kinds of things without real concern about the consequences of their
words.”
Fox News’ wealthy white males get their chuckles from discussing ‘downscale
voters.’
(Think Progress)
While discussing the primary returns tonight, the “Fox News All Stars” —
including Brit Hume, Fred Barnes, and Mort Kondracke — discussed what
constitutes a “downscale voter.” Hume opened the segment by asking Barnes to
elaborate on his view that many of Hillary Clinton’s supporters are “downscale.”
Barnes could hardly contain his laughter as he explained that the term “working
class” is a euphemism because “it’s kind of mean to say ‘lower class.’ It’s as
simple as that.” He explained that the “lower class” are people of low “social
class.”
Click through to watch the video.
Laura Bush’s Katrina Amnesia: Slams Burmese Govt. For Ignoring ‘Warnings’ Of
Impending Natural Disaster
(Think Progress)
In an “unusual foray into foreign policy” [Monday], First Lady Laura Bush
admonished the Burmese government for its “inept” response to the recent cyclone
that killed over 20,000 people. The First Lady heaped particularly harsh
criticisms on the Burmese government for not adequately warning residents about
the incoming storm: “It’s troubling many of the Burmese people learned of this
impending disaster only when foreign outlets such as Radio Free Asia and Voice
of America sounded the alarm. Although they were aware of the threat,
Burma’s state-run media
failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm’s path.” In fact,
equally harsh criticism could be leveled at President Bush. As Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita struck in 2005, Bush was on vacation, and the White House
ignored warnings about the dangers ahead.
Click through to watch the video of Stepford Laura.
Kurtz: Media won’t cover Pentagon propaganda ‘because they are embarrassed.’
(Think Progress)
In a washingtonpost.com online chat today, the Post’s media critic Howard Kurtz
was asked why the television news media have largely failed to report on the
Pentagon propaganda operation revealed recently by the New York Times. Kurtz
said the media is too embarrassed to report the story.
Being corporate media means never having to say you’re sorry.
It's Not Free Trade, the Yuppies Would Never Tolerate It
(by Dean Baker)
Yet again (yeah, it's standard) the WSJ refers to the selective protectionism
pursued by the United
States in its trade
policy as "free trade." Yes, tens of millions of people are upset about policies
that are designed to put manufacturing workers in direct competition with
low-paid workers in
China and Mexico. The
trade agreements allow doctors, lawyers, economists and other highly paid
professionals to remain largely protected from such competition. The latter
group are obviously knuckle-scraping Neanderthals who fear the global economy.
But, this group also has enormous political power, so trade agreements don't get
written that make them face competition in the same way as auto or steel
workers. It will be a huge step forward when this situation is discussed more
honestly in the media.
High Food Prices or Low Food Prices: What Do We Want?
(by Dean Baker)
The WSJ should be asking this question in its analysis of the progress of the
new farm bill in Congress. It reports that complaints of White House spokesman
Tony Fratto that the bill would be raising food prices when we actually want
lower food prices. Actually, much of the effect of the bill would be to lower
food prices. By providing subsides to people engaged in a wide range of farming
activities, it is encouraging people to enter farming. This leads to more output
in general. On the other hand, the subsidy to ethanol, does directly pull land
out of food production and shifts it into the production of biofuels… It would
be helpful if the analysis sought to assess the the goals of U.S. agricultural
policy and whether this bill was helping to meet them.
Media Matters for America headlines
• AP uncritically quoted McCain attacking Obama over national security experience, economics
A Technology Consortium Plans a Wireless Network
SAN FRANCISCO — A
who’s who of technology and telecommunications companies plans to announce on
Wednesday that it intends to build the first of a new generation of nationwide
wireless data networks, according to several people briefed on the deal. The
consortium includes a disparate group of partners: Sprint Nextel, Google, Intel,
Comcast, Time Warner and Clearwire… They expect the network, which will provide
the next generation of high-speed Internet access for cellphone users, to be
built in as little as two years… The partnership of such fundamentally different
companies underscores the convergence of Internet, entertainment and
telecommunications services. The wireless network of the future is expected to
be fast enough — rivaling speeds that cable customers have in their homes today
— to allow delivery not just of text and simple Web pages, but of video and
advertising.
Just as I’ve been saying. Someday I’m going to get some respect.
Lauren Rich Fine On Dropping Print: ‘Tremendous Difficulty’ Regaining Lost Ad
Rev (Paid
Content)
Many in the newspaper industry were stunned by the Capital Times’s decision to
move to an online-only edition. IDG Magazines decision to drop the print edition
of InfoWorld, while equally surprising, is quite different and vastly more
logical. Magazines, in most cases (and certainly in the case of InfoWorld’s),
are focused on one theme or subject. As such, the consumer/reader is likely to
make their way through a lot of pages and/or page views as their interest in the
topic has already been established. The ability to monetize the content online
should be relatively close to the print version, all things considered, creating
an opportunity for the online version to come close to prior print ad revenue
totals. Further, the advertising tends to be fairly relevant and is typically
of interest as well.
The issue for newspapers is that the print-version revenue assumes a reader
consumes the entire paper; given the breadth of what a newspaper covers each day
and the breadth of advertising, this does not translate as well online.
Certainly newspapers have garnered solid traffic online and seem to be doing a
pretty good job of monetizing that traffic. But with better measurement of this
traffic relative to the print version, coupled with the likelihood that an
online newspaper reader will spend less time online than with the print paper,
newspapers are going to have tremendous difficulty regaining lost print ad
revenue ground with online. Newspapers still need to generate other revenue
sources, and quickly.
Pity the Poor Mainstream Media!
(by Ernest Partridge at The Crisis Papers)
[W]ith the erosion of paid support of established "mainstream" print and
broadcast media, who and what is to pay for information and diverse opinion that
is essential to a functioning democracy? If the purveyors of the junk that
dominates the mass media today fail to reform themselves and as a result shrivel
and die from financial strangulation, we’ll all be the better for it. Good
riddance! But the question remains: who or what is to support the indispensable
responsible journalism that is the lifeblood of our democracy – in particular,
the journalism that appears on the internet, which might well become the next
mass media?
It won’t do simply to ignore
the question and to go on using the free internet while we have it. Such
behavior imitates that of the Grover Norquist “tax reform” crowd, which
willingly enjoys the benefits of the common public resources that are sustained
by tax revenues – the courts, an educated public, physical infrastructure,
regulation of commerce, protected food and drug supply, scientific research and
development, etc. – yet steadfastly advocates the abolition of those taxes… I
confess that I don’t have a simple answer… But here, at least, is a suggestion,
admittedly in need of much elaboration and refinement: adopt a system of
financing similar to that of the music and entertainment industry.
If you care about the future of media, click through and read the
details of Dr. Partridge’s proposal. I think it could work.
Journalists Continue to Be Killed With Impunity Across the Globe (IPS
News)
Murder is the ultimate form of censorship. The more killings of media workers go
unpunished, the more the press is silenced.
Cuba refuses to give blogger visa to collect prize
HAVANA (AFP) -
Cuban authorities have refused to give a travel visa to a Cuban blogger who was
to have flown to
Spain to receive a
top journalism award, the writer told AFP Tuesday.
'Plain Dealer' Staffer's Rape Story Brings Other Victims Out
"Two people at the paper came up to me and said they had been raped and one had
never told anyone," Joanna Connors said Tuesday about the Sunday stories she
wrote about her 1984 rape. She only agreed to reveal her story in the paper if
her family approved the stories before they ran.
Did Star Tribune's owners leak bankruptcy story to NY Post?
A business journalist floats the possibility that Star Tribune owner Avista
Capital Partners leaked the "brink of bankruptcy" story to the New York Post in
advance of trying to sell the paper. Jeff Shaw writes: "It's possible that the
firm has decided to sell and is using this story to fuel perception that the
paper can be had for a bargain-basement price. Another source, a former CEO,
said the timing of the story suggests it's a tool to use in upcoming labor
negotiations."
Surely the buyout hypothesis couldn’t be true. If you want someone to
buy your company, you don’t pretend that it’s about to declare bankruptcy.
WP's Style editor Heard considers taking buyout package
Erik Wemple
wonders if Deborah Heard is being encouraged to take it. "Her section is the
subject of considerable intra-newsroom sniping, much of it a lamentation of how
far Style has fallen over the years," he writes. "The section's iconic feature
hole has become something of a stink pen."
Why does a serious newspaper have a style section?
NYT online unit wins eight Webby Awards, Onion wins seven
Stephen Colbert
was named "Webby Person of the Year," honored for the innovative way he uses the
Internet to interact with "Colbert Report" fans. Multiple Webby Award winners:
NYTimes.com (8); The Onion (7); PostSecret (4); National Geographic (4);
Apple.com (4); Hometown Baghdad (3); "You Suck at Photoshop" (3), Flickr (3);
FactCheck.org (3); BBC (3); TED.com (3); ESPN.com (3); and CondeNet (3).
Magazine Awards, Now With Fewer Deadly Ingredients
(by Simon Dumenco, Advertising Age)
I'm hereby announcing the American Magazine Vanguard Awards (AMVA's), which
recognize both big and small innovators: magazines that are taking new, smart,
necessary risks in extending their franchises off the page.
Click through for potential recipients and prizes.
Chief of Random House Said to Be Stepping Down
Peter W. Olson,
one of the most powerful figures in American book publishing, will step down
amid mounting pressure over declining profits at Random House.
Maybe depending on just potential blockbusters isn’t a good business
model for the book publishing industry. Will they discover that before they all
go bankrupt?
Hollywood producers suspend talks with Screen Actors Guild
LOS ANGELES -
Hollywood producers on Tuesday temporarily broke off contract talks with the
Screen Actors Guild, calling its demands regarding DVD sales and online content
"unreasonable."
UMG confirms deal with Qtrax to allow free music downloads
SAN JOSE, Calif.
(AP) - Universal Music Group confirmed Tuesday that it has reached a deal with
file-sharing site Qtrax to allow free, legal downloads of UMG music. Qtrax
announced in January that it had the backing of"all the major labels" to
distribute music free online, generating revenue with ads. But New York-based
Warner Music Group Corp., said it had not authorized the use of its content on
Qtrax's service. UMG and EMI Group PLC also said at the time they did not have
licensing deals in place with Qtrax.
Trojan Adware Hiding in MP3s, McAfee Says
Adware pushers
have found a new way to trick you into downloading their annoying products: fake
MP3 files.
Viewers aren't pushing for Couric to quit her anchor job
Of 1,016 adults polled by
Gallup,
46% said Katie Couric shouldn't be replaced, while one quarter of respondents
said she should be replaced. Many of those polled would be happy to see Couric
return to morning duties if she did leave the CBS newscast, according to Gallup.
Electronic Arts looks to Wii to drive sports growth
VANCOUVER
(Reuters) - Video-game publisher Electronic Arts Inc unveiled two initiatives on
Tuesday to breathe new life into its sports business by making games that are
easier to play and customized for Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) popular Wii
console.
Pope goes digital to better connect with youth
SYDNEY (Reuters)
- Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile
phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July, hoping going digital will help
him connect better with a younger audience.
Bill Gates says Microsoft going 'independent' way
TOKYO - Microsoft
Chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday the company isn't pursuing other deals
following the withdrawal of its $47.5 billion takeover bid for Yahoo.
Wikipedia Battles Literary Agent Over Negative Comments
While many sites
add user-generated content to enhance user experience, Wikipedia relies almost
entirely on posts from contributors.
Employers pulling the plug on Facebook
All that
superpoking wastes a lot of time at the office — and could be costing companies
billions in lost productivity. Why a growing number of employers are banning
Facebook.
Is Your Consumer Using Social Media?
Nine Profiles of
Who Your Targets Are and Where They Might Be Online
Advertisers Disappointed in the Merger That Wasn't
Not Because
Microhoo Was a Tempting Property, but That a Google Challenger Didn't Emerge
CBS Radio Rolls Out Digital DJ Application
Teams With AOL
Radio for Local Ads
Technology & Science
Social Networking Sites Replace Reunions?
Ten years after
graduating from Taylor
High School
in Katy, Texas, Tina Lee Naro learned some surprising things about her former
classmates.
Unexpected Role: EGFR Protects Cancer Cells From Starving
ScienceDaily (May 7,
2008) — A growth factor receptor found abundantly on the surface of cancer cells
and long known to fuel cancer growth also protects tumor cells from starvation
by a newly identified mechanism, researchers at The University of Texas M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center report in the May 5 issue of Cancer Cell… [The] findings
could explain why some drugs that target what was previously thought to be
EGFR's only role in cancer proliferation have had limited success in patients.
Drugs that block EGFR's activation by growth factors - its tyrosine kinase
activity -- have gotten response rates in 10 percent to 20 percent of patients
across a variety of cancers.
More Than 25 Percent Of Pediatric 'Emergency' Visits Could Be Conducted Online,
Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (May 7, 2008) — A community-wide study in upstate New York found
that nearly 28 percent of all visits to the pediatric emergency department could
have been replaced with a more cost-effective Internet doctor's "visit," or
telemedicine, according to investigators from the University of Rochester
Medical Center.
It Might Be True That 'Men Marry Their Mothers'
ScienceDaily (May 7,
2008) — Whether a young man's mother earned a college degree and whether she
worked outside the home while he was growing up seems to have an effect years
later when he considers his ideal wife, according to a study by University of
Iowa sociologist Christine Whelan.
Abuse changes brains of suicide victims
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- Suicide victims who were abused as children have clear genetic changes in
their brains, Canadian researchers reported on Tuesday in a finding they said
shows neglect can cause biological effects.
Hunger Hormone Makes Food Look More Tasty
Study finds those
given injections of ghrelin showed activity in brain's reward centers.
Folic Acid Doesn't Help the Heart
Long-term study,
involving women, deals another blow to homocysteine theory
Alcoholism Gender Gap Is Closing
Changing social
mores, opportunities for women make it not just a 'man's disease' anymore
Women Who Quit Smoking Lower Heart Risks Quickly
Study saw
significant declines in several death risks within 5 years of stopping.
Naturally-occuring Protein May Be Effective In Limiting Heart Attack Injury And
Restoring Function
ScienceDaily (May 7, 2008) — Medical College of Wisconsin researchers in
Milwaukee have shown for the first time that thrombopoietin (TPO), a naturally
occurring protein being developed as a pharmaceutical to increase platelet count
in cancer patients during chemotherapy, can also protect the heart against
injury during a heart attack.
Researchers Target Tumors With Tiny 'Nanoworms'
ScienceDaily (May 7,
2008) — Scientists at UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and MIT have developed
nanometer-sized “nanoworms” that can cruise through the bloodstream without
significant interference from the body’s immune defense system and—like tiny
anti-cancer missiles—home in on tumors.
Electric fields could repel sharks
Sharks have an
innate ability to detect electric fields, useful for sensing the bioelectric
activity of their prey. Researchers discovered that strong electric fields could
repel these predators, most likely by overwhelming their electricity sensors.
Part Of Universe's Missing Matter Discovered By XMM-Newton X-Ray Observatory
Ten years ago,
scientists predicted that about half of the missing ‘ordinary’ or normal matter
made of atoms exists in the form of low-density gas, filling vast spaces between
galaxies… Astronomers using XMM-Newton were observing a pair of galaxy clusters,
Abell 222 and Abell 223, situated at a distance of 2300 million light-years from
Earth, when the images and spectra of the system revealed a bridge of hot gas
connecting the clusters. "The hot gas that we see in this bridge or filament is
probably the hottest and densest part of the diffuse gas in the cosmic web,
believed to constitute about half the baryonic matter in the universe," says
Norbert Werner from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, leader of the
team reporting the discovery.
Environment
Collaboration Calls for New U.N. Agency to Oversee Transport Emissions
A newly formed
watchdog of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
is proposing that the U.N. establish a new authority to regulate emissions from
high-carbon international activities such as aviation and shipping. The
International Scientific and Business Congress on Protecting the Climate, a
group of climate change policy negotiators, scientists, and business
stakeholders, suggested that the UNFCCC establish a World Carbon Authority to
oversee a global emissions cap-and-trade scheme that would apply initially to
the transport sector.
Germany defends bio-fuel, to boost meat output
Berlin -
Germany's government rejected Tuesday claims that fuel crops were causing the
worldwide spike in food prices, but said it would ease farm health rules to
encourage more meat production.
DTE Energy Taps into Biodiesel
DETROIT, Mich. --
DTE Energy will convert its 800-strong service vehicles and trucks to biodiesel
in a move it expects will save the company $600,000 a year.
Celulose Irani - Biomass to Electricity
Located in Vargem
Bonita, Brazil, the Celulose Irani Project demonstrates how one paper
manufacturer is finding economic value in what was once considered waste. The
facility uses byproduct biomass from their paper production process to generate
sustainable energy for their facility. Irani thus provides a model for biomass
projects that reduce both waste and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), promoting
sustainable development through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
New PepsiCo Bottle Uses 20 Percent Less Plastic
PURCHASE, N.Y. --
The new half-liter bottles also will sport a smaller label and need 5 percent
less shrink wrap for multi-packs.
Nike Leads Pack of Companies Improving Climate Performance
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Companies such as Nike, Google, Anheuser-Busch and Levi
Strauss have taken strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
communicating those efforts in ways that are transparent to consumers, according
to the second Climate Counts Company Scorecard released today.
A City Committed to Recycling Is Ready for More
The mayor of San
Francisco wants to make the recycling of cans, bottles, paper, yard waste and
food scraps mandatory instead of voluntary, on the pain of having garbage
pickups suspended.
Rice Plants That Resist Uptake Of Arsenic Could Ease Shortage
ScienceDaily (May 7,
2008) — Genetically engineered rice plants that resist the uptake of toxic
metals could boost production and ease the shortage of this staple crop in Asia,
India and Bangladesh, where irrigation with contaminated groundwater has created
soils with toxic levels of arsenic.
Golden Wheat 'Greens' Kenya's Drylands
ScienceDaily (May 7,
2008) — Hot and barren, Kenya´s dry lands have long been unfit for agriculture,
at best merely a grazing area for wild animals and livestock. Today, the
landscape is more picturesque and productive, lined with golden stalks of wheat
yielding precious grain for Kenya´s farms and families. The wheat is a new
variety, one that is high yielding and resistant to drought. As a result, small
farming families are realizing harvests on farmlands once considered too poor to
cultivate, to the country´s social and economic benefit.
Koalas at risk from climate change
CANBERRA, Australia
- Koalas are threatened by the rising level of carbon dioxide pollution in the
atmosphere because it saps nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves they feed on, a
researcher said Wednesday.
Arctic ice melt could see rise of "Grolar bear"
LONDON: Scientists
have suggested that due to the adverse effects of Arctic ice melting, the hybrid
of a polar bear and grizzly bear - dubbed the 'grolar bear', might rise in
numbers. According to a report in The Sun , the effects of climate change means
that the hybrid bears could become more common as their habitats increasingly
overlap due to global warming.
Agencies issue plan to run Columbia dams, preserve salmon
GRANTS PASS, Ore. -
The Bush administration Monday issued its final court-ordered plans for making
Columbia Basin hydroelectric dams and irrigation projects safe for endangered
salmon.
Survey shows US honey bee deaths increased over last year
SAN FRANCISCO - A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim
picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed hives lost since
last year.
