California which had led the nation in innovative approaches to complex problems is back in the forefront by becoming the first state to ban plastic shopping bags at retail stores. "Paper or plastic?" no longer will be asked by checkout clerks when the new law goes into effect Jan 1, 2011. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger is expected to sign the law which he endorsed earlier … [Read more...] about California First State To Ban Plastic Bags At Retail Checkout Stands
Live Obama Cam
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EPA Should Stop Dispersants NOW As Concerns Rise Of BP PR Ploy
If there is one department in the federal government that is shirking its responsibilities as responders to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill it would be the Environmental Protection Agency. It must act fast and now to determine the toxic damage the dispersant Corexit 9500 is inflicting on humans, sea and plant life, birds, and the underground water tables on the Gulf … [Read more...] about EPA Should Stop Dispersants NOW As Concerns Rise Of BP PR Ploy
Wake Up Lula!: Obama is Better than Ahmadinejad: Folha, Brazil
Is Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva making a mistake cozying up to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the expense of Brazil's relations with the United States? In this latest of a series of articles we've translated about the wisdom of Lula's ambitious profile on the global stage, Sergio Malbergier of Brazil's Folha newspaper warns President Lula that he could be … [Read more...] about Wake Up Lula!: Obama is Better than Ahmadinejad: Folha, Brazil
The Meltdown Blues
The EU's euro is shrinking, like a summer ice cream scoop, The U.S. Congress keeps spending, awash in that old debt soup, The struggling Dow and Nasdaq, can’t seem to find a floor, And investor fears keep rising, rising, rising, Investor fears keep rising, As confidence goes through the floor. The days are past when investors viewed all losers as fallen gems, And … [Read more...] about The Meltdown Blues
BP, Halliburton and All the Rest: Why Humans Grieve The Deaths of Creatures
You've likely had a good dog say a blue tick, or a cat who you gladly wore as a nightcap, or any pet you cared for who was either suddenly killed, or spiraled down in old age. If/ when the time came to 'put the child down', most all of us pre-grieved and grieved after, even though the spirit of the creature, the furry relative's spirit, remained nearby somehow for … [Read more...] about BP, Halliburton and All the Rest: Why Humans Grieve The Deaths of Creatures
F BP and The Horse They Rode In On
Amid reports as yet unverified that Britbitch Petroleum has attempted to keep journalists and photographers from covering its egregious damage to human beings, land, water and creatures --by alledgedly threatening to arrest them if they try to enter or fly over the sticken land... photos are coming out anyway. I memorialized at TMV last week the Deepwater Eleven, the 11 … [Read more...] about F BP and The Horse They Rode In On
How Rod Blagojevich Will Spend His Summer And We Will Watch Tittalated
Selection of a jury which Rod Blagojevich has wooed or tried to taint since his indictment 18 months ago on 24 corruption charges entered its second day Friday. The impeached Illinois governor has written a book, hosted a radio talk show, stormed the national television networks with self-serving interviews and appeared on a reality TV series and just may have talked himself … [Read more...] about How Rod Blagojevich Will Spend His Summer And We Will Watch Tittalated
Anti-Israel Meme Unraveling
Since Israel interdicted six ships claiming to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza, the dominant meme surrounding the incident has been that the resulting casualties were just further evidence of Israel's "rogue state" status. Claims by the activists on the ships that they were merely humanitarian aid workers caught up in an unjustified Israeli assault are usually taken at face … [Read more...] about Anti-Israel Meme Unraveling
Jobs offered to Pols
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The Gore Divorce
A decade ago, who would have thought Hillary and Bill would still be together as Tipper and Al end their forty-year marriage? In announcing their breakup, the Gores requested "respect for our privacy," but that hasn't stopped speculation about what happened to the man who might have been president if Bill Clinton had kept his pants zipped. The Gore news comes right after … [Read more...] about The Gore Divorce
Meet Japan’s New Prime Minister
Finance Minister Naoto Kan has been nominated to lead the Democratic Party of Japan, and is expected to be confirmed as the new Prime Minister within hours. His predecessor, Yukio Hatayama, only held the post for 8 months before his resignation on Wednesday. Kan has already gone on record as saying he cannot fix Japan's problems overnight, but nevertheless Japanese stocks … [Read more...] about Meet Japan’s New Prime Minister
The Statute of Limitations on Blaming Bush for the Gulf Disaster
I am certainly one of President Obama's strongest supporters when it comes to his response to the oil spill. I think most of the criticisms leveled against him represent either the impotent rage of environmentalist frustration or partisan hypocrisy from his enemies seeking to avenge the media treatment accorded Bush after Katrina. And the Dowd-esque rants about Obama's lack of … [Read more...] about The Statute of Limitations on Blaming Bush for the Gulf Disaster
“Israel Does Not Need Enemies: It Has Itself.”
The New York Times has a post up now at its "The Lede" blog, written by Robert Mackey, about the interview with Al Jazeera journalist Jamal ElShayyal that I blogged about earlier today. … [Read more...] about “Israel Does Not Need Enemies: It Has Itself.”
For Once, America Must Bring Israel to its Senses: Zaman, Turkey
The people of Turkey are particularly incensed by Israel's raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, since many of the activists on those vessels were Turkish - as were most of the dead. Turks are also looking to the United States do something to stop Israel from committing what they and many others regard as war crimes. In one of two articles we've posted from Turkey today, columnist … [Read more...] about For Once, America Must Bring Israel to its Senses: Zaman, Turkey
Oil Spill Not Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, But Mankind’s, Fools
Forrest Gump's mother was right. "Stupid is what stupid does," Forrest would quote his mother. It got me to thinking about comments Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann have said about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. For Rush, two comments have drawn attention from his 10 million daily fans and equal number of antagonists. One is environmentalists working … [Read more...] about Oil Spill Not Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, But Mankind’s, Fools
Turkish-American Teenager Killed By Israelis Was Not “Really” American
You know, it actually shouldn't make any difference to this unmitigated horror that one of the 10 or so activists killed by Israel while bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza was an American by birth. It shouldn't matter. Every single one of those human lives snuffed out on the flotilla ship deserves to be mourned and remembered, no matter WHAT country they come from. … [Read more...] about Turkish-American Teenager Killed By Israelis Was Not “Really” American
It Looks Like Less Than Net Zero To Me
Sometimes the appearance of action seems more important than the consequences. BP is getting some great headlines today regarding its successful "cut" of an oil pipe located a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. But the math and odds of success are, pardon me, at odds with the headlines. First The Odds The cut did not go smoothly, no pun intended: Crucially, … [Read more...] about It Looks Like Less Than Net Zero To Me
Al Jazeera Reporter Says Israelis Were Shooting From Helicopter Before Commandos Boarded
This article and accompanying video at Al Jazeera's English language edition is a must-read and a must-see. … [Read more...] about Al Jazeera Reporter Says Israelis Were Shooting From Helicopter Before Commandos Boarded
Is the link economy suffering from inflation?
If Rupert Murdoch's announcement that he plans to withdraw his news content from Google's index is any indication, the value of the link is still a topic of debate. Proponents of the "economy of the link" who consider the hyperlink to be the ultimate form of flattery -- from which revenue will flow -- argue that the aggregators, search engines, and blogs send firehoses of … [Read more...] about Is the link economy suffering from inflation?