|
Posted on 12.04.08 by Thomas L. Knapp
Update, 12/04/08 – Thanks to subscribing contributor MA, whose monthly payment of $10 brings our running total to $3,755.37 against our goal of $5,000! - TLK —– Dear readers, Earlier this year, I told you that RRND/FND would be moving to a “twice-a-year” fundraising schedule — and we’re keeping our word. We’ve even waited almost a month past mid-year to start our first 2008 drive. But now it’s time. The goal is $5,000, and we’ll keep plugging until we reach it (even if that means extending into our year-end fundraiser, which we’d certainly prefer not to do!). You can support “the freedom movement’s daily newspaper” (and our offshoot publications — 2nd Amendment News Digest, Liberty Action News Digest and Progressive News Digest) in any of several ways: One-Time Payments Online
Become a Subscribing Contributor! [Note: All subscription payments received during the fundraiser will be credited toward its total]
Other Options If you prefer to support RRND/FND through the International Society for Individual Liberty, to target your contribution to this project. Please drop me a line so that I can thank you and add your contribution to our total (ISIL doesn’t send us a daily report). If you’d like to send a check, money order, cash or other valuable thing via US Snail, again, write me so I can send you the address and instructions.
And Now For Something Completely Different Would you like to see NO MORE RRND/FND fundraisers for nearly a year? So would we … so here’s a “side bet.” Up-front disclaimer: This mid-year fundraiser WILL continue until the goal is met, even if that’s some time next year (hopefully it will be some time next month!). But, we’re running a simultaneous “contingent pledge drive” through Fundable.Com to raise ANOTHER $5k … and if we make it, our next fundraiser won’t be until at least mid-2009. It’s a simple concept: You pledge the amount of money you’re willing to contribute to that second $5k. If we raise $5k in pledges like yours, you pay. If we don’t, you don’t. That simple. Click here to make your pledge. We didn’t make the Fundable.Com goal … but we’ll set a new project of this type up Real Soon Now. Yours in liberty, Filed under: 2AM News and Feature Articles and LAND News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Raw Story Posted on 12.04.08 by Steve Trinward “Al Franken’s senate campaign says the Democratic candidate has pulled ahead of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman for the first time since the recount began. The campaign’s internal tally shows a Franken lead of 22 votes, campaign attorney Marc Elias told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. (Independent tallies by local newspapers still show Coleman holding the lead.) Elias also said Franken’s campaign would be withdrawing 600 challenges of ballots, conceding that the votes clearly were meant for Coleman. … Franken picked up 37 votes Tuesday night when elections officials discovered 171 ballots that had been uncounted.” (12/03/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5lmm3e Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: ABC News Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “Indiana’s Planned Parenthood is offering a unique option this winter. $25-$100 gift certificates that can be used for anything at the clinics from contraception to abortions. The Chicago Tribune reports today on the effort which is available in 35 clinics throughout the state. The CEO of the state’s Planned Parenthood is quoted by the paper as saying the reception has been ‘pretty robust, and generally favorable’ and that the vast majority of those visiting Planned Parenthood are coming for basic health issues, not an abortion.” (12/03/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/668xg3 Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Arizona Republic Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “A Massachusetts girl’s awful experience on a school bus is at the heart of a case argued in the Supreme Court on Tuesday over limits on lawsuits about sex discrimination in education. The 5-year-old kindergarten student in Hyannis, Mass., told her parents that in 2000 a third-grade boy repeatedly made her lift her dress, pull down her underwear and spread her legs. … The district refused to assign the boy to another bus or put a monitor on the bus, records show. Upset with the school district’s response, parents Lisa and Robert Fitzgerald sued the district in federal court under both Title IX, which bars sex discrimination at schools that receive federal money, and a provision of a Civil War era, anti-discrimination law that was designed to enforce the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause. … A decision is expected by late spring.” [editor’s note: This one bears watching - SAT] (12/03/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6cb64g Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “The biggest obstacle facing Hillary Clinton’s Senate confirmation as President-elect Barack Obama’s top diplomat may not be her husband’s wheeling and dealing abroad for his foundation, as many suspected. Instead, it could be the U.S. Constitution. According to an emolument clause in the Constitution, no lawmaker can be appointed to any civil position that was created or received a wage increase during the lawmaker’s time in office. President Bush ordered Cabinet salaries raised to $191,300 from $186,600 by executive order early this year, while Clinton was senator.” (12/03/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6cv83r Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “In the 2-1/2 years since 52 London commuters were killed by suicide bombers, Britons have become accustomed to news of police swoops on the homes of suspected terrorists. But a counterterrorist unit’s series of raids last week sparked shock and anger because of the unlikely target — a Conservative member of Parliament. Officers didn’t just search the home of Damian Green — they arrested him, raided his office, and detained him for nine hours as part of an investigation into the leaking of government documents. The raids have led to an outcry among lawmakers, the press, civil liberties groups, callers to phone-in shows, and writers to letter columns who have long accused the government of eroding civil liberties in the fight against terrorism. Many are calling for protection from a ‘police state.’” (12/04/08) Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1204/p12s01-woeu.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Boston Globe Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “When the Legislature granted 20 new, highly coveted liquor licenses to Boston in late 2006 to meet pent-up demand, the city’s Licensing Board did not hesitate to dole them out. In less than three months, it awarded licenses to five bars in South Boston and five more in the South End, two in the North End, two in Chinatown, and a handful of others from Roxbury to Beacon Hill. But … one element remained remarkably constant: the same set of politically connected lawyers. The majority of the license recipients hired the same firm, McDermott, Quilty & Miller. The firm’s clients won 13 of the 20 new licenses, or 65 percent.” [editor’s note: Just as with “taxi-medallions” … the State created a business-niche for legal weasels, one that would not even exist in a free society! - SAT] (12/03/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6a2dow Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Raw Story Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken’s campaign says he trails Republican incumbent Norm Coleman by just 50 votes as the recount of ballots in Minnesota nears its conclusion. Marc Elias, the Franken campaign’s lead attorney, told reporters the margin was based on tallies from observers in recount locations. Elias also said he’s optimistic at the prospects to have some of the more than 9,000 rejected absentee ballots re-added to the count as elections officials begin sorting through the ballots based on the reason they were rejected. Whatever happens, Elias vowed to fight on ‘until every vote has been fairly and accurately counted,’ even if that means asking the US Senate to intervene. Of the rejected absentee ballots, Elias estimate as many as 1,000 represent legitimate votes that should be counted.” (12/02/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/58agez Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “Duuuuuude! The world’s oldest stash of marijuana has been found in far western China, according to an article in the Journal of Experimental Botany. An ancient Caucasian people, probably the Indo-European-speaking Yuezhi whose fair-haired mummies keep turning up in Xinjiang province, seem to have buried one of their shamans with a whopping 789 grams of high-potency pot 2,700 years ago. That’s about 28 ounces of killer green bud, worth perhaps $8,000 at today’s street prices, and enough to keep even Harold and Kumar happy for a couple of days.” (12/02/08) Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,460425,00.html Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “President-elect Barack Obama has earned accolades from Democrats and Republicans alike for the high-powered national security and economic teams he has unveiled. As a young and relatively inexperienced chief executive, Mr. Obama has assembled a group of advisers known more for their sterling credentials than for their loyalty to him. That alone speaks to a certain confidence on Obama’s part, a self-possession that was on regular display during the long presidential campaign. The selection of this team also shows a willingness to take risks, particularly his choice for secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, his bitter rival for the Democratic nomination. And it speaks to the grave nature of the times, with the US fighting two wars and mired in what economists predict will be a long, deep recession. In less than two months, the hard business of governing begins. The question then becomes: Can Obama manage this team of A-listers, many of whom have outsized personalities and tend to see themselves as leaders in their own right rather than followers?” (12/02/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5ku6ax Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Boston Globe Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “The crush of economic developments surrounding Barack Obama last week — from the promise of a large government stimulus package, to the possibility of a bailout for automakers, to the creation of a new presidential advisory panel of economists — may or may not turn the economy around. And with a credit crisis of vast proportions, the economy may be bad enough that it will be hard to judge the impact of all the government activity. But the Obama administration’s promise of swift government action to protect companies and workers is likely to achieve one result that has been unthinkable for 75 years: It will make the Democrats the party of Big Business.” [editor’s note: What’s hilarious is that this writer considers this a “change!” Big business has ALWAYS backed the incumbent party, despite appearances - SAT] (12/02/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5uu47r Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: MSNBC Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “Humbled and fighting for survival, Detroit’s once-mighty automakers appealed to Congress with a retooled case for a huge bailout Tuesday, pledging to slash workers, car lines and executive pay in return for a federal lifeline. GM said it wouldn’t last till New Year’s without an immediate $4 billion and could drag the entire industry down if it fails. General Motors Corp., asking for as much as $18 billion to keep afloat and survive even worse economic storms, painted the direst portrait to date of what could happen if Congress doesn’t quickly step in.” (12/02/08) Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28012984 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Arizona Republic Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA’s sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season. Two and a half months after Hurricane Ike blasted the shoreline, alligators and snakes crawl over vast piles of shattered building materials, lawn furniture, trees, boats, tanks of butane and other hazardous substances, thousands of animal carcasses, perhaps even the corpses of people killed by the storm. State and local officials complain that the removal of the filth has gone almost nowhere because FEMA red tape has held up both the cleanup work and the release of the millions of dollars that Chambers County says it needs to pay for the project. Elsewhere along the coast, similar complaints are heard: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been slow to reimburse local governments for what they have already spent, putting rural counties on the brink of financial collapse.” (12/02/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6c6ahk Filed under: CANDi News and PND News | |
|
Source: Tennessean Posted on 12.03.08 by Steve Trinward “American Express has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Nashville accusing the owner of three Nashville restaurants of failing to pay $1.15 million in fraudulent credit card charges. The suit claims that Michael D. Tangredi and his 18-year-old son, Michael G. Tangredi, obtained fraudulent American Express accounts, through which 15 separate payments were charged to M. Tangredi Restaurants Inc., and an unincorporated entity called Minc Concepts for amounts ranging from $28,750 to $98,750. The complaint said the money was taken in cash and the fraudulent accounts were never paid. … The suit accuses the Tangredis of opening one of several fraudulent American Express charge card accounts in the name of employee Laura Lightfoot. The employee was ‘duped by the Tangredis into having her name and credit information used so that a credit card could be issued to perpetrate their fraud,’ according to the suit.” (12/02/08) Link: http://tennessean.com/article/20081202/BUSINESS01/812020325 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Raw Story Posted on 12.02.08 by Steve Trinward “The National Impeachment Network is planning to run an advertisement on California television during the months of December and January 2009 which advocates for the impeachment of President George W. Bush. Headed by Ralph Lopez, diarist at the left-leaning Daily Kos, the National Impeachment Network is supported by grassroots groups such as Code Pink, Veterans for Peace and Republicans for Impeachment.” (12/01/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5pz4g3 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Associated Press Posted on 12.02.08 by Steve Trinward “In the past year, 30 percent of U.S. high-school students have stolen from a store, and 64 percent have cheated on a test, according to a new large survey. Educators reacting to results questioned any suggestion that today’s young people are less honest, but they noted intensified pressures prompt many to cut corners. … Josephson Institute, an LA-based ethics group, surveyed 29,760 students at 100 randomly selected high schools nationwide, both public and private. All in the selected schools were given the survey in class, anonymity assured. The survey indicated that 35 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls acknowledged stealing from a store in the past year (30 percent overall). One-fifth said they stole something from a friend; 23 percent said they stole something from a parent or relative.” (12/01/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5a2h32 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 12.02.08 by Steve Trinward “The United States can expect a terrorist attack using nuclear or more likely biological weapons before 2013, reports a bipartisan commission in a study being briefed Tuesday to Vice President-elect Joe Biden. It suggests the Obama administration bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists. ‘Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing,’ states the report, obtained by The Associated Press. It is scheduled to be publicly released Wednesday.” (12/01/08) Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459927,00.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Boston Globe Posted on 12.02.08 by Steve Trinward “In the last month of the presidential campaign, it was one of Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s strongest attack lines: John McCain, they warned, would ‘tax your healthcare benefits for the first time ever.’ But now, some Congressional Democrats in charge of health reform are talking about doing just that. They would not go as far as McCain, who wanted to end the tax exclusion entirely for employer-sponsored insurance, which excludes money spent by employees and their employers on health benefits from income and payroll taxes. But some key Democrats are talking about limiting the benefit for workers, so that those with higher incomes or more generous health benefits might pay taxes on some portion of the income they use to pay for their health premiums.” [editor’s note: Not sure which is more deceitful, (a) mischaracterizing McCain’s one semi-smart idea as “taxing people’s healthcare benefits;” or (b) claiming the Dems’ similar plans are somehow less intrusive! - SAT] (12/01/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5a7yvh Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 12.02.08 by Steve Trinward “Call it crisis eclipse. The global food crisis that dominated headlines earlier this year has been overshadowed by this fall’s financial crisis, but it continues to exact a crippling toll on the world’s poor. And, although commodity prices for a wide range of crops have fallen by as much as 50 percent from record highs in June, the financial crisis is expected to make it dramatically worse: credit for farmers could dry up, meaning less money to buy fertilizer and seed, leading in turn to greater global shortages of food. Money for food aid could dry up as well. In June, governments and donors pledged $12.3 billion for the food crisis. So far, only $1 billion has actually been disbursed, as lending institutions and governments instead scramble to save ailing banks.” (12/02/08) Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1202/p01s03-wogi.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Agence France-Presse Posted on 12.02.08 by Steve Trinward “Facing a deep budget deficit, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday declared a ‘fiscal emergency’ in California and called a special session of the state legislature to deal with the crisis. ‘Without immediate action our state is headed for a fiscal disaster,’ said Schwarzenegger in a statement. California, with a population of 38 million, would be the world’s sixth largest economy if it were an independent country. ‘We must act now to address the current year revenue shortfall of 11.2 billion dollars and we must implement an economic stimulus package to help retain and create jobs, keep Californians in their homes and fix the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund,’ Schwarzenegger said at a Los Angeles press conference.” (12/01/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/69lpnj Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Raw Story Posted on 12.01.08 by Steve Trinward “Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal to decriminalise cannabis by a clear majority in a nationwide referendum, Swiss news agency ATS reported. Switzerland is the heaviest user of cannabis in Europe according to a recent study but the proposal to decriminalise the drug failed to win popular support in the majority of cantons, ATS said. In anticipation of a ‘no’ vote, the Pro Juventute youth group along with the Federation of Swiss Youth Clubs and teachers unions has called for a fresh approach to young cannabis users, the NZZ am Sonntag weekly newspaper reported. … Instead of criminal proceedings, people under 18 caught using cannabis would face fines and also drug prevention treatment and counselling, the paper said.” (11/30/08) Link: http://rawstory.com/rawreplay/?p=2514 Filed under: LAND News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: NY1 News Posted on 12.01.08 by Thomas L. Knapp “With less than two months left in office, President George Bush’s administration reportedly is racing to push through some new regulations opposed by President-elect Barack Obama. The New York Times says the administration is working on about 20 new rules affecting labor, environmental and health law. One of the most controversial rules would make it harder for the government to regulate toxic substances in the workplace. … All the changes would become part of the Code of Federal Regulations which is difficult for future presidents to revise.” (11/30/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5f8jwo Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: The Telegraph [UK] Posted on 12.01.08 by Steve Trinward “A revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could provide enough power for the entire world, scientists claim. The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot — about one mile an hour — meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe. Existing technologies which use water power, relying on the action of waves, tides or faster currents created by dams, are far more limited in where they can be used, and also cause greater obstructions when they are built in rivers or the sea. Turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently, while most of the earth’s currents are slower than three knots. The new device, which has been inspired by the way fish swim, consists of a system of cylinders positioned horizontal to the water flow and attached to springs.” (11/30/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6pcyvs Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Washington Post Posted on 12.01.08 by Steve Trinward “Federal authorities last week announced a series of arrests and convictions in connection with a global identity-theft ring that stole millions of dollars by hijacking home-equity lines of credit issued to thousands of consumers. On Monday, state and federal law-enforcement officials arrested four men who were part of a group that allegedly combined high-tech equipment with old-fashioned con-artistry to drain home-equity lines. According to charging documents unsealed this week in New Jersey’s U.S. District Court, the men and four others arrested earlier this year tricked multiple banks and credit unions into wiring more than $2.5 million from home-equity lines to accounts controlled by members of a fraud ring in Canada, China, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea, among other countries.” [editor’s note: So lemme get this straight … Even folks who legitimately bought or maintained homes got scammed (under the radar, while the banking industry played roulette?) during this recent mortgage fiasco? Payback sure had BETTER be a bitch … on wheels! - SAT] (11/30/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/63n8t2 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Boston Globe Posted on 12.01.08 by Steve Trinward “On a clear night, the Milky Way cuts across the sky and down to the horizon like a celestial lightning bolt, a giant, luminescent spear shrouded in a graceful veil of back-lighted stardust. The sight has always been up there. But today, few Americans can see it, especially not in brightly lighted cities like Boston. On the densely populated East Coast, Mount Desert Island is one of the last inhabited places where the naked eye can still clearly observe the heavenly wonders that have inspired religion, mythology, science, and culture. To preserve that natural spectacle — and protect one of the tourist attractions of the island’s Acadia National Park — voters in Bar Harbor this month approved a ‘dark sky’ ordinance aimed at limiting the manmade lighting that has blotted out the view of the stars over much of the country. Bright lights installed after Dec. 4 will have to be shielded from the sky to illuminate only the area beneath them.” [editor’s note: That this was done locally, and with an essential consensus built for its passage, MIGHT mitigate against the tyrannical nature of such an incursion on private property … or maybe not! - SAT] (11/28/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6b2jyx Filed under: CANDi News and LAND News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Arizona Republic Posted on 12.01.08 by Steve Trinward “Undocumented workers and employers in Arizona are finding ways to circumvent the state’s employer-sanctions law by turning to the underground, or cash, economy. Blocked by the law from getting payroll jobs, many illegal immigrants instead are performing services or selling items on the side for cash. Others have tried a different strategy: borrowing the identities of citizens or legal residents to land jobs with employers. The maneuvers are allowing many undocumented families to remain in the United States despite heightened enforcement of immigration laws and a battered economy that has erased many jobs. There are no studies that estimate how many illegal immigrants have turned to cash-only work to survive in Arizona.” (11/30/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5maekx Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 12.01.08 by Steve Trinward “In the latest season of the popular South African television show, Soul City, Zanele presents her husband with a box of condoms when she discovers he’s been cheating. If he won’t be faithful, she says, they’ll have to use protection. When he storms out, Zanele’s mother chides her for making a fuss, saying all men have other women. ‘Well, times have changed, Ma,’ says Zanele. ‘There is a thing called HIV now.’ The show, produced by a South African nongovernmental organization, is representative of a revolutionary new generation of AIDS prevention campaigns that reflect a growing recognition that condoms aren’t enough and that slowing the epidemic will require widespread cultural change.” (12/01/08) Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1201/p04s01-woaf.html Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 12.01.08 by Steve Trinward “The French say they need the largest condoms in Europe while Greeks get by on smaller ones, according to a Europe-wide study by a German consultancy that provides advice on condoms. The study by the Singen-based Institute of Condom Consultancy was done by asking 10,500 men in 25 countries to measure their penis and enter the number into a database. The results show Frenchmen on average claim to need 15.48 centimeters (6.09 inches) long condoms, about 3 centimeters longer than Greeks, whose condom size requirement was the most modest.” [editor’s note: Umm … six inches and a small fraction? Clearly these French are not competing as Cuban supermen! - SAT] (11/28/08) Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,458628,00.html Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: ABC News Posted on 11.26.08 by R. Lee Wrights “A judge on Tuesday ruled that a strict Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional, declaring there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state’s arguments that there is ‘a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children.’” (11/25/08) Link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6329631 Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Tennessean Posted on 11.25.08 by Steve Trinward “Charles Phillip Maxwell hasn’t had a license in more than a decade, but that hasn’t stopped him from driving. He made his own license plate for his truck because he is against paying license renewal fees. The tag reads 54-4-111. Maxwell says that’s the number of a Tennessee law that supports his argument against registering his vehicle. He says a renewal fee is an unfair tax on travel. The 57-year-old Davidson County man is on a crusade against taxes and fees that he says are unconstitutional, and he’s not afraid to challenge the government in court. Maxwell fought an audit from the Internal Revenue Service with lawsuit after lawsuit, claiming that while the government can tax its citizens, there’s no law anywhere saying he has to pay it.” (11/24/08) Link: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20081124/NEWS03/811240353/1017 Filed under: CANDi News and LAND News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Boston Globe Posted on 11.25.08 by Steve Trinward “President-elect Barack Obama rode a spirit of civic engagement among young people to victory, harnessing a hunger for service and belonging that was sweeping across the nation’s high schools, college campuses, and online communities. But that hunger had been building long before Obama launched his campaign, and it is poised to continue growing long after he has left the White House. By many accounts, the interest and participation in public service, volunteerism, and social entrepreneurship among youth — from middle-schoolers to graduates with advanced degrees — have risen dramatically over the last decade.” [editor’s note: Once again, a politician notices a trend, occurring naturally, seeks to make it mandatory, and then claim credit for making it happen? - SAT] (11/24/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/62s7vh Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Raw Story Posted on 11.25.08 by Steve Trinward “‘A jury on Friday returned guilty verdicts against four people who attempted to arrest former White House adviser Karl Rove during a fundraising appearance earlier this year in Iowa,’ AP reported Monday. Guilty of trespassing were retired Methodist minister Chet Guinn, two members of the Des Moines Catholic Worker Community, Edward Bloomer and Mona Shaw, and onetime group member Kirk Brown. ‘The four were cited after attempting a citizen’s arrest of Rove on July 25 at the Wakonda County Club in Des Moines, where he spoke at a Republican fundraiser,’ AP noted. ‘They were stopped at the country club’s entry gate.’ … ‘I’m surprised that there are six people in the United States who don’t believe Karl Rove should be suspected of committing felonies,’ Shaw told AP after the verdict.” (11/24/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5fuovz Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 11.25.08 by Steve Trinward “Modest opposition gains in state and local elections, coupled with sagging oil prices, could hamper President Hugo Chavez as he lays the groundwork for a new attempt to persuade Venezuelans to do away with term limits. The opposition won five of 22 states up for grabs, including the two biggest — Miranda and Zulia — as well as mayoral races in the two largest cities. The opposition’s gains, however, did not dampen Chavez’s ambitions. ‘We’ve handed them a new defeat … and a big one,’ Chavez said at a news conference Monday night, calling the results ‘a great revolutionary victory.’” [editor’s note: For a very different read on the same story, see the next blurb - SAT] (11/25/08) Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,457104,00.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 11.25.08 by Steve Trinward “Allies of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez swept statewide elections Sunday, reaffirming the socialist leader’s popularity. But victories by the opposition in key races, including the mayoral post in Caracas, could prove an obstacle to Mr. Chavez’s agenda, which received its first major blow last December after a stinging defeat in a constitutional referendum. Although Sunday’s election was regional, including races for 22 governorships and more than 300 mayoral seats, it was widely seen as a referendum on Chavez’s stewardship. The question hanging over the contest was: Did last year’s referendum loss represent an anomaly, or would a consecutive loss this year mean that the Chavez era is on the wane? For now, it seems that question is unanswerable, with both sides digging in their heels in a draw that voters say sets the stage for more political strife.” (11/25/08) Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1125/p06s01-woam.html Filed under: PND News | |
|
Source: Raw Story Posted on 11.23.08 by Steve Trinward “Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss missed a Senate vote to extend unemployment benefits in order to continue campaigning against his Democratic challenger, Think Progress reported. Chambliss, who was one of four senators to miss the vote, said he would have voted for the bill had he been there. His campaign sent out a press release praising ‘the passage of the law and [said he] hopes it will help laid-off workers get by while seeking a new job.’ But Martin’s campaign claims Chambliss didn’t support extending benefits for the unemployed until it became a hot-button issue.” [editor’s note: Kudos to the Libertarian contender who created this runoff, and who now refuses to endorse either of these boneheads - SAT] (11/22/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5tp7z7 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Arizona Republic Posted on 11.23.08 by Steve Trinward “When Countrywide Financial felt pressured by federal agencies charged with overseeing it, executives at the giant mortgage lender simply switched regulators in the spring of 2007. The benefits were clear: Countrywide’s new regulator, the Office of Thrift Supervision, promised more flexible oversight of issues related to the bank’s mortgage lending. For OTS, which depends on fees paid by banks it regulates and competes with other regulators to land the largest financial firms, Countrywide was a lucrative catch. But OTS was not an effective regulator. This year, the government has seized three of the largest institutions regulated by OTS, including IndyMac Bancorp, Washington Mutual and on Friday evening, Downey Savings and Loan Association. The total assets of the OTS thrifts to fail this year: $355.7 billion. Three others were forced to sell to avoid failure, including Countrywide.” (11/23/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5w6ffz Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 11.23.08 by Steve Trinward “Islamist fighters threatened to attack Somali pirates Sunday in an effort to rescue a Saudi oil supertanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil that was hijacked last week, the Agence France-Presse reported. The Sirius Star — a 1,080-foot tanker owned by Saudi Aramco — was taken captive by Somali pirates on Nov. 15 in the Indian Ocean. The pirates have demanded that a $25 million ransom be met by Nov. 30 to release the vessel. Piracy, which is a capital offense under Islam, has reportedly angered the Shehab, a militant Islamist group that controls much of southern and central Somalia and rejects an internationally-backed peace process.” (11/23/08) Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,456507,00.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 11.23.08 by Steve Trinward “As part of his push to find new solutions to the war in Afghanistan, President-elect Barack Obama is considering a new diplomatic push on Kashmir, reversing eight years of American silence on the issue. Mr. Obama has argued that Pakistan will not fully commit to fighting the insurgency it shares with Afghanistan until it sheds historic insecurities toward India. Talks about Kashmir, the central point of contention between the two nuclear rivals, are among the ‘critical tasks for the next administration,’ Obama said in an interview last month with Time magazine. It is a strategy that worries Indians, who suggest the Pakistani Army is blackmailing Obama to support its claims. Yet security analysts say the Afghan insurgency has roots in the power struggle between India and Pakistan and cannot be solved without a regional approach.” (11/21/08) Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1121/p01s01-wosc.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Tennessean Posted on 11.23.08 by Steve Trinward “The pressure on Henry Paulson in early September was greater than at any other time during his tenure as treasury secretary. As he pored over the books of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, he discovered that they were about to collapse and that the financial markets would experience what he called ‘a meltdown to end all meltdowns.’ The federal government would have to seize control of the firms. But the law said their management would have to agree, and his own staff had reservations about whether Paulson had the legal authority to force them to surrender.” (11/23/08) Link: http://tennessean.com/article/20081123/BUSINESS01/811230399 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 11.21.08 by Steve Trinward “The Pentagon has suffered from a cyber attack so alarming that it has taken the unprecedented step of banning the use of external hardware devices, such as flash drives and DVD’s, FOX News has learned. The attack came in the form of a global virus or worm that is spreading rapidly throughout a number of military networks. ‘We have detected a global virus for which there has been alerts, and we have seen some of this on our networks,’ a Pentagon official told FOX News. ‘We are now taking steps to mitigate the virus.’ The official could not reveal the source of the attack because that information remains classified.” [editor’s note: The only question is, why the Pentagon? Hitting the IRS, the Treasury or the Federal Reserve would have a much greater effect on things! - SAT] (11/20/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/55r3hz Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Arizona Republic Posted on 11.21.08 by Steve Trinward “Gov. Janet Napolitano is President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, multiple news agencies reported late Wednesday. If appointed, the Democrat in her second term would head the sprawling federal agency, which is responsible for immigration policy and border security as well as emergency response issues. The Governor’s Office neither confirmed nor denied the reports Wednesday. When asked whether the governor has been offered the Homeland Security post, or whether she has indicated she would accept it, Napolitano spokeswoman Jeanine L’Ecuyer said repeatedly, ‘I can’t answer that.’ A popular Democratic governor in a red-state, and an early Obama supporter, Napolitano, 51, has been the focus of Cabinet speculation for weeks.” (11/20/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5owar9 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: San Jose Mercury News Posted on 11.21.08 by Thomas L. Knapp “A Palo Alto start-up with powerful backing on Thursday unveiled an ambitious $1 billion plan to help make the Bay Area the nation’s electric-car capital. Endorsed by all three of the Bay Area’s big city mayors, the plan would provide the re-charging infrastructure that must be in place before most consumers would consider buying or leasing an electric car.” (11/21/08) Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_11032113 Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Associated Press Posted on 11.21.08 by Steve Trinward “The ship, operating off Oman in the lawless waters of the Gulf of Aden, was crewed by heavily armed men, some carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers. What followed, officials said Wednesday, was a rare victory in a sea war against Somalia-based piracy that has become increasingly more violent. A patrolling Indian navy frigate quickly identified the vessel as a ‘mother ship,’ a mobile attack base used to take gangs of pirates and smaller speedboats into deep water, and ordered it to stop and be searched. … Navy officials wouldn’t say how long the battle Tuesday lasted, but the frigate, the INS Tabar, is a 400-foot war machine, carrying cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and six-barreled 30mm machine guns for close combat, according to the Web site GlobalSecurity.org.” (11/20/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5dsyaz Filed under: CANDi News and PND News | |
|
Source: Christian Science Monitor Posted on 11.21.08 by Steve Trinward “During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama made a ‘talk to our enemies’ position a highlight of his diplomatic vision, using that stance in particular to underscore how American foreign policy under him would change toward Iran. But neither close Obama advisers nor Iran experts are expecting a rush to dialogue with Tehran come Jan. 20, for a number of tactical and event-driven reasons … None of this means Iran can be expected to have slowed its nuclear program and its pursuit of uranium-enrichment technology, Iran experts say.” (11/21/08) Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1121/p03s05-usfp.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Tennessean Posted on 11.21.08 by Steve Trinward “If it’s no surprise that Michigan lawmakers are behind the pitch for a $25 billion lifeline for Detroit automakers, then it might be just as predictable that Southerners would be leading the charge against it. Southern politicians have spent years luring foreign automakers to build cars in their states, with huge success. Most recently, Tennessee attracted a $1 billion Volkswagen assembly plant to Chattanooga. South Carolina has BMW. Mississippi landed a major plant for Toyota Motor Corp. Alabama boasts plants run by Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co.” (11/20/08) Link: http://tennessean.com/article/20081120/BUSINESS01/811200368 Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: San Francisco Chronicle Posted on 11.21.08 by Steve Trinward “After more than 30 years, those comic poets of dope, Cheech and Chong, have reunited for their Light Up America tour, which arrives this weekend in the Bay Area. We caught up with the pair earlier in the week from a hotel room on the road and started by asking them why they’ve hit the road again. Cheech: We’re doing it for the kids. Chong: The kids are our future. Cheech: Yeah, the kids are the future, so we’re doing it for them. Chong: And they really appreciate it. Especially the kids that only know Cheech from Nash Bridges and me from That ’70s Show. We’re doing it for those kids, letting them know who Cheech and Chong is.” (11/20/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5d2gqd Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Boston Globe Posted on 11.21.08 by Steve Trinward “John Kenneth Galbraith bought a copy of Le Monde there every day. Julia Child searched for obscure Italian and German cooking magazines, and Robert Frost once stopped by — it actually was a snowy evening — to get directions to a reading. Over the years, pretty much anyone looking for news from far and near, be they eminent professors or the masses rushing to work on the Red Line, found it at Out of Town News. But the landmark shop, an axis at the center of Harvard Square’s bustle, may be about to go away.” [editor’s note: This truly IS a landmark in those climes, and will be sorely missed, although the internet has mostly replaced its scope - SAT] (11/20/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5roxjw Filed under: PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: McClatchy Newspapers Posted on 11.19.08 by Steve Trinward “The Syrian facility bombed last year by Israel had features similar to a nuclear reactor and chemically processed uranium particles were found at the site, but a full assessment cannot be done until Syria provides ‘the necessary transparency,’ a new U.N. International Atomic Agency report said Wednesday. A second IAEA report said that Iran has persisted in blocking the agency’s probe of its nuclear program and continues to defy U.N. Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that produces fuel for nuclear weapons. The confidential reports by the nuclear watchdog’s director general, Mohammad ElBaradei, were sent to the agency’s 35-nation board of governors. Copies were posted on an Internet blog, armscontrolwonk.com.” (11/19/08) Link: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/56146.html Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Boston Globe Posted on 11.19.08 by Steve Trinward “Senior state education leaders are considering expanding the state MCAS exams to include science experiments, group projects and oral presentations in an attempt to inject more critical thinking into the widely criticized tests. The recommendations, which were unveiled yesterday, respond to growing concerns that the state’s high school graduates are entering college or the workplace lacking the sophisticated skills needed to succeed, such as the ability to solve problems, communicate or work in teams. The state originally emphasized these ’21st Century skills’ after passage of the 1993 Education Reform Act, but many schools stopped teaching them as the state ramped up the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, which placed a higher premium on content knowledge.” [editor’s note: Having been among those who have “scored” some of the prior MCAS tests, I can only hope their group-approach is better! - SAT] (11/19/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5mptxq Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Fox News Posted on 11.19.08 by Steve Trinward “With only 206 votes out of 2.9 million total ballots separating Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota from his Democratic opponent Al Franken, every vote counts — including the elusive 32 absentee ballots first reported to be found in a state official’s car three days after the election. The Coleman campaign claims that Minneapolis elections director Cynthia Reichert said the ballots had been ‘found’ in her car and would be counted. Reichert denies that account, saying no ballots ever were placed in her vehicle.” [editor’s note: Nobody asked, but it sure seems to me that if (1) a statewide election for US Senate is to be decided on 32 votes, and (2) the outcome could result in a filibuster-proof 60-40 Democrat (plus two “Independents”) dominance of said body … democracy has now provably outlived its usefulness! - SAT] (11/19/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/689spv Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Arizona Republic Posted on 11.19.08 by Steve Trinward “Madeleine Pickens, wife of Texas billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens, said Tuesday that she plans to build a refuge for America’s wild horses, potentially saving thousands of them from slaughter. Pickens, a longtime horse enthusiast, hit upon the idea after she heard that the federal agency charged with managing the animals was considering euthanasia as a way to grapple with a looming budget crisis. ‘This is a solution, and it’s a solution that will work,’ Pickens told The Arizona Republic in a phone interview. ‘This is our heritage, and I am very excited about what we can do.’ Pickens said she plans to purchase between 500,000 and 1 million acres of Western land for her sanctuary, which would also house public-education and recreation programs.” (11/19/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6b8pdc Filed under: CANDi News and PND News and RRND News | |
|
Source: Orange County Register Posted on 11.19.08 by Steve Trinward “A Newport Beach-based Coast Guard crew earlier this week made a 9,987-pound marijuana seizure about 100 miles southwest of San Diego, an amount estimated to worth roughly $32 million. The seizure is one of the largest … the Coast Guard has done in the Southern California area in the past 15 years, said Coast Guard Lt. Kristopher Ensley. … The crew on the Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal spotted a suspicious boat on Sunday afternoon about 100 miles southwest of San Diego while patrolling. They spotted a vessel that was headed northbound going about 6 knots, but as the sun went down, the boat spe |