Tag Archives: united-states

Should Societal Values Be Considered When Placing Animals on the Endangered Species List?

photo: Steve Jurvetson / Creative Commons Though the US Fish & Wildlife Service is tasked with placing animals on the Endangered Species List based on “the best scientific and commercial data available” when it comes to the gray wolf in the northern Rockies, important social science data on how human activity and values wasn’t consulted, and it… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Should Societal Values Be Considered When Placing Animals on the Endangered Species List?

Breaking News Report: Iran Now Nuclear Self-Sufficient

– CNN Breaking News… Report: Iran now nuclear self-sufficient Report: Iran now able to process its own raw uranium December 5th, 2010 04:56 AM ET Iran now produces everything it needs for the nuclear fuel cycle, making its nuclear program self-sufficient, the head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization told state media Sunday. The Islamic republic has begun producing yellowcake, Ali Akbar Salehi told Press TV. Yellowcake is an intermediate stage in producing uranium ores, Press TV said. The United States and its allies fear that Iran is trying to produce a nuclear bomb, but Iran has denied the allegations. added by: EthicalVegan

Helen Thomas: Congress, the White House, and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists

Oh boy, Helen Thomas can't keep her big mouth shut. She's exercising her God given right to free speech as if it were going to be taken away tomorrow! *** In a speech that drew a standing ovation, Helen Thomas talked about “the whole question of money involved in politics.” “I can call a president of the United States anything in the book, but I can’t touch Israel, which has Jewish-only roads in the West Bank,” Thomas said. “No Americans would tolerate that — white-only roads.” “We are owned by propagandists against the Arabs. There's no question about that. Congress, the White House, and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists. No question in my opinion. They put their money where there mouth is…We're being pushed into a wrong direction in every way.”… In her speech to about 300 inside a center in Dearborn, Thomas lashed out at the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying they were built on lies. And she decried bias against Arabs. Who said there are only two acts in American lives? Thomas keeps on going. Here she is in the Detroit Free Press saying that her firing has liberated her to speak the truth about Zionist influence. Apparently she gave a speech in Dearborn, Michigan. John Mearsheimer lately called Dennis Ross an agent for Israel and Thomas calls him a Zionist. Well for god's sake he headed the Jewish People Policy Institute, which is based in Jerusalem. Isn't that a story? This guy is now making our policy? Is Thomas right or is she wrong about Zionist influence? When will the debate really happen? I think the answer is, When Jews come out strongly against Zionism and can show that this is not about Jews, it is about an ideology/mindset/frame that pervades and distorts Jewish life. Of course, the National Chairman of the Jewish-run Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Abraham Foxman is continuing his onging efforts of actually DEFAMING anyone who dares to breach the ultimate taboo. “Helen Thomas has clearly, unequivocally revealed herself as a vulgar anti-Semite,” Foxman said in a statement. “Her suggestion that Zionists control government, finance and Hollywood is nothing less than classic, garden-variety anti-Semitism. This is a sad final chapter to an otherwise illustrious career. Unlike her previous, spontaneous remarks into a camera, these words were carefully thought out and conscious. It shows a prejudice that is deep-seated and obsessive.” added by: maasanova

Clever Electric Bus Prototype Combines 2 Battery Chemistries for Max Power & Range

Photo: GE Dual Battery System FTW There are about 840,000 buses on the roads of the United States, and while they are a greener way to get around than individual cars (especially for commuting in urban areas – please people, if you live in the city, use transit), the vast majority of them are powered by non-renewable fossil fuels. Some use diesel-hybrid powertrains for better fuel economy and lower emissions, and others run on compressed natural gas to reduce smog-forming tailpipe emissions, but those are just partial solutions. Fully electric buses would be better, but current battery t… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Clever Electric Bus Prototype Combines 2 Battery Chemistries for Max Power & Range

Global Solar Energy Could Hit 980 GW in Under 10 Years

Photo: Jeda Villa Bali , Flickr, CC That’s the finding of a newly released report , put together by a trade group of over 20 associations around the world, that tracks the development of solar power around the world. According to the findings, by 2020, the world could easily enjoy 1,000 Gigawatts of solar power — if the proper incentives and support is given by world governments. You might also be surprised for the sunny future projected for US solar: … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Global Solar Energy Could Hit 980 GW in Under 10 Years

An Insider’s Look at the Formation of the NRDC and Birth of the Environmental Movement (Book Review)

Photo credit: NRDC You’d be hard pressed to think of anyone or anything that has done more to protect the American environment over the last 40 years than John Adams and the organization he founded, the NRDC . The National Resource Defense Council may not boast a name that rolls off the tongue, but they do boast perhaps the most impressive legacy for using the law to stand up for the environment. Adams’ new memoir, A Force for Nature tells the story of that legacy. I… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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An Insider’s Look at the Formation of the NRDC and Birth of the Environmental Movement (Book Review)

McCain presses for accountability in WikiLeaks breach

Really?? What about the accountability of the former president and his staff?? What about the accountability of the US and the thousands they have killed over a bullshit war?? What about the accountability of our government and the LACK OF SUPPORT FOR IT'S PEOPLE AND THE MONEY THEY KEEP WASTING??? They already bailed out the banks, when are they going to bail out the PEOPLE THAT PAY THEIR SALARIES??? More and more I find our country lacking moral judgement and the balls to question, accuse and attack others, but not take responsibility of it's actions!! When is someone going to? or are we (people who protest) so called “terrorist”/ “traitors” for not accepting the bullshit that's going on in this country??? ************************************************************** and by the way, here's the news article… =D http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/02/mccain.wikileaks/ Washington (CNN) — A senior Republican senator pressed Pentagon leadership Thursday as to why nobody — other than a very junior soldier — has been held responsible for the leak of thousands of secret national security documents to WikiLeaks. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called the WikiLeaks episode “an incredible breach of national security.” In a tense exchange, McCain asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates whether the Pentagon has identified or punished anyone else. “Have you held anyone responsible?” McCain asked. “Not yet,” replied Gates, who earlier said the criminal investigation limits the Defense Department's ability to conduct an independent investigation. So far a single low-ranking U.S. soldier, Pfc. Bradley Manning, is the only person charged and held in custody in connection with the leaks. Later McCain grilled other Pentagon officials, who were testifying with Gates before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the ban on gays and lesbians serving opening in the military. McCain appeared obviously frustrated. “It's been since July,” McCain said with a dismissive wave of his hand, referring to the first WikiLeaks release of Defense Department documents. “Can't you carry out an investigation at the same time that the criminal investigation is going on?” McCain asked Joint Chiefs Chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen. “Yes, sir, in certain kinds of incidents that's certainly possible,” Mullen answered. “At least, maybe, to hold someone responsible for this besides a private first class,” McCain said. Mullen said everything necessary must be done to prevent another breach of secure documents, stopping short of directly endorsing McCain's call for punitive action against WikiLeaks organizers such as travel bans, asset freezes and other sanctions. “In my world, when I've got men and women in harm's way and they are now exposed because of this, I think we as a country should do all we can to make sure it can't happen again,” Mullen said. The political frustration was bipartisan. Following a closed-door hearing of the Senate's intelligence committee on WikiLeaks' latest release, the group's outgoing chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said that not enough is being done to protect critical government information. “This qualifies as espionage,” the California Democrat said as she left the hearing. “[The release] incapacitates this nation to carry out business… This is far beyond free speech.” On Thursday, Sens. John Ensign (R-Nevada), Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) and Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) proposed legislation to make it easier for federal authorities to go after WikiLeaks' founder, Julian Assange, and others behind leaks of confidential U.S. documents. “What Wikileaks has done amounts to espionage in a most serious form,” said Lieberman. “It's probably the most terrible act and greatest act of espionage against the United States in our history.” Meanwhile, the U.S. government also continued its verbal assault on Assange. “He could be considered a political actor. I think he's an anarchist, but he's not a journalist,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said at his daily briefing. “Mr. Assange obviously has a particular political objective behind his activities and I think that, among other things, disqualifies him from the possibility of being considered a journalist.” Wikileaks often is referred to as a “whistle-blower” organization but the State Department spokesman shot that down, too. “He's not a journalist, he's not a whistle-blower,” Crowley said. “He is a political actor; he has a political agenda.” more at the link… added by: KSirys

Macau Government Trashes Las Vegas Sands Two-Parcel Application

Macau government downright rejected Las Vegas Sands Corp-owned casino company’s application to develop the final two parcels of land in its China expansion plan. Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s Hong Kong-listed Sands China Ltd. is given 15 days to apply for a government review, and a month to appeal on the Macau courts in order to Macau Government Trashes Las Vegas Sands Two-Parcel Application is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading

Nigeria To Charge Dick Cheney In $180 Million Bribery Case, Issue Interpol Arrest Warrant

The energy services company Dick Cheney ran prior to becoming Vice President of the United States was atop the tongue of liberals each time it was awarded a contract in Iraq. Now the company's name, Halliburton, is being spoken somewhere else: Nigeria. According to a story filed late Wednesday( http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-01/nigeria-to-charge-dick-cheney-in-pip… ), Cheney will be indicted in a Nigerian bribery case as part of an investigation into an alleged $180 million bribery scandal. “Last week, Nigeria arrested at least 23 officials from companies including Halliburton, Saipem, Technip and a former subsidiary of Panalpina Welttransport Holding AG in connection with alleged illegal payments to Nigerian officials. Those detained were all freed on bail on Nov. 29,” Bloomberg News' Elisha Bala-Gbogbo wrote. “Authorities in the West African nation are probing Halliburton, Saipem and Technip for the alleged payment of $180 million in bribes to win a $6 billion liquefied natural-gas contract,” Bala-Gbogbo added. “Panalpina is being investigated for illegal payments it allegedly made to Nigerian customs officials on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell Plc.” The prosecuting counsel for the country's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said that indictments will be handed down in the next three days and that an arrest warrant for Cheney “will be issued and transmitted through Interpol.” Adds Bloomberg, “Obla said charges will be filed against current and former chief executive officers of Halliburton, including Cheney, who was CEO from 1995 to 2000, and its former unit KBR Inc., based in Houston, Texas; Technip SA, Europe’s second-largest oilfield- services provider; Eni SpA, Italy’s biggest oil company; and Saipem Construction Co., a unit of Eni. Obla didn’t identify the former officials whom he said held office when the alleged bribes were paid.” A spokesman for Cheney declined to comment. The US Securities and Exchange Committee probe focused on the deal as early as 2004. Wrote The Washington Post at the time: ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35486-2004Jun11.html ) The Nigerian project, started in the early 1990s, was worth almost $5 billion to TSKJ, a partnership that included a KBR predecessor, as well as companies from France, Japan and the Netherlands. At issue are payments made to Tristar, a Gibraltar company that had a consulting arrangement with a corporation formed by TSKJ to “administer the contracts and execute the work” in Nigeria, a Halliburton spokeswoman said in response to questions. KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton, was formed when Halliburton acquired Dresser Industries Inc. in 1998. It was a combination of Halliburton's Brown & Root and Dresser's M.W. Kellogg Co. Officials from the SEC and Cheney's office declined to comment. Early on Thursday, Halliburton said( http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f= /g/a/2010/12/02/bloomberg1376-LCSK1K6TTDS801-2FON5J2K50U6QS8ACM9RA159SE.DTL#ixzz16xiDvrD6) they hadn't seen the new charges, but still denied their involvement. “Halliburton's oil-field services operations in Nigeria have never in any way been part of the LNG project and none of the Halliburton employees have ever had any connection to or participation in that project,” Tara Mullee Agard, a spokeswoman for the Houston-based company, said in an e-mailed response to Bloomberg. Added Bloomberg: “Halliburton Co., the world's second- largest oilfield-services provider, said it hasn't seen any amended charges by Nigerian authorities who plan to indict current and former employees in a bribery scandal.” added by: toyotabedzrock

FIFA 2022 World Cup location

A map locating the countries bidding to host the 2018 (orange) and 2022 (green) World Cups. The 2018 race has seen England, Russia and Spain-Portugal vying for supremacy in an increasingly acrimonious bidding war. The favourites for the 2022 tournament are the United States, Australia and Qatar, with Japan and South Korea seen as rank outsiders. America’s final pitch to host to the 2022 World Cup was left to a former president and an Oscar-winning actor, who talked of diversity and outlined an

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FIFA 2022 World Cup location