Daily News Bucket

Posted by Knoxville Progressive | Jan 23, 2006 | 27 |

There wasn’t one up for today, so here y’all go!

About The Author

Knoxville Progressive

47, an environmental scientist, Italian-American, married, 2 sons, originally a Catholic from Philly, now a Taoist ecophilosopher in the South due to job transfer. Enjoy jazz, hockey, good food and hikes in the woods.

27 Comments

Knoxville Progressive on January 23, 2006 at 10:10 am

Today’s top story – Planet heating chaotically; economy screwed, “Fortune” magazine reports:

As Gomer Pyle would say, “Sur-prise, sur-prise, sur-prise:” A disturbing consensus is emerging among the scientists who study global warming: Climate change may bring more violent swings than they ever thought, and it may set in sooner. Reported in Fortune, which serves up the following food for thought:

What if the secret behind civilization is that we’ve had really good weather? Humankind has prospered and multiplied during one of the most benign climate eras in the history of the planet. And the past two centuries — which witnessed the great expansion of the Industrial Revolution, a sixfold increase in human population, the triumph of the consumer society, and the rise of the integrated global economy — have been particularly stable. One would have to go back 115,000 years to find a time as tranquil and warm as the present.

The author goes on to detail the effects on the economy of a rapidly changing and volatile climate. The bottom line? We’re screwed. His closing thoughts:

…proposals have been on the table since the early 1990s. Many are even more salient today. By not taking action on greenhouse emissions, we are betting our well-being that climate change poses little threat. If we are wrong, we will meet our fate.

Other News
Scientists have pinpointed the heart-healthy compound in cocoa by studying a tribe of native people that live on islands off the Panama coast. The tribesmen drank 3-4 cups of cocoa per day. The compound was found to relax blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and easing blood flow.

California’s ambitious plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions could create tens of thousands of new jobs and dramatically boost the economy in coming years, according to two new independent analyses. Reported in the LA Times (registration required).

Evolution in action: Killifish adapt to polluted New Bedford, MA harbor; other species die off.

“I’m shocked, shocked:” Halliburton contaminated water supply to US base in Iraq, and didn’t tell anyone. (As they used to say out West: “Somebody get a rope!”)

Now this makes me proud to be an Amurkan: A study by Yale and Columbia Universities, ranked the US 28th over all in environmental performance, behind most of Western Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Costa Rica and Chile, but ahead of Russia and South Korea. But it was reported in the NY Times, trusted by neither right nor left, so there’s nothing to see here folks, listen to Officer Wiggum and move along, move along…

British alternate fuels 1: British turn to waste cooking oil – it’s cheaper than diesel, but they get hit for tax evasion!

British alternate fuels 2: Delmarva chicken producer adopting British technology to burn chicken poop as fuel.

Maine gets it: A first-in-the-nation law went into effect Wednesday in Maine, requiring makers of televisions and computer monitors to pick up the tab to recycle and safely dispose of their products once they are discarded.
- CabinGirl on January 23, 2006 at 10:16 am
  
  Glad you posted one for us!
  - rba on January 23, 2006 at 11:58 am
    
    CG, if you’re interested in that newsletter thang, please send me an e-mail. thanks.
- keepinon on January 23, 2006 at 7:53 pm
  
  Global Warmen? AWW… don’t know nuff bout it, gonna hav to study it more. Don’t think I know anybody from HalliBurton?! Don’t got me in pictures with any of em, do ya?
CabinGirl on January 23, 2006 at 10:16 am

First Word Glaxo Wellcome

GW Pharmaceuticals announced Wednesday that the FDA accepted its application for Sativex in the treatment of pain in patients with advanced cancer that has not been adequately relieved by opioid medication. The FDA also agreed to allow GW to conduct Phase III trials for the oral, cannabis-based drug in the US.

The US clinical trials will include a Phase III 250-patient study evaluating Sativex’s effect in relieving average daily pain, reducing the use of opioid medication, and improving sleep quality among other measures. The company indicated that a regulatory filing for the drug could occur 24-36 months after initiation of the clinical programme, which is expected to begin in late 2006. GW plans to seek a licensing partner in the US to help with development costs.
ask on January 23, 2006 at 10:47 am

From Aftenposten (Norway):

Renewed violence that left three soldiers dead in attacks blamed on Tamil rebels Monday overshadowed the visit of a top Norwegian envoy on a mission to shore up Sri Lanka’s troubled peace process. Envoy Erik Solheim, who helped negotiate a cease-fire between the government and rebels as a UN envoy in 2002, met with Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera hours after arriving in Colombo. Solheim is now Norway’s government minister in charge of foreign aid and development.
(short English extract}

As reported by BBC – Envoy issues Sri Lanka peace call

A senior Norwegian envoy has said Sri Lanka is at a crossroads, as he holds talks to prevent a return to civil war.

Erik Solheim met Sri Lanka’s foreign minister in Colombo as well as a senior US official, Nicholas Burns.

Mr Solheim helped broker a truce in 2002, but violence that has left more than 120 people dead in recent weeks has prompted fears it no longer holds.

As he arrived, three soldiers died in a landmine explosion in the east, which the army blamed on the Tamil Tigers.
(more)
rumi on January 23, 2006 at 10:51 am

Michael Hayden is on C-Span now, answering questions….live, I think.
- BrendaStewart on January 23, 2006 at 12:24 pm
  
  I watched this and as far as I am in concern, he was in CYA mode. He failed on all points to answer the questions of the audience appropriately, IMHO. This man is a farce and rouse.
maryb2004 on January 23, 2006 at 11:04 am

Blackberry users beware:

link

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from the maker of the BlackBerry in the long-running battle over patents for the wildly popular, handheld wireless e-mail device.

The high court’s refusal to hear Canada-based Research In Motion Ltd.’s appeal means that a trial judge in Richmond, Va., could impose an injunction against the company and block BlackBerry use among many of its owners in the United States.

The judge has set a February 1 deadline for filings on the injunction issue.

I’d look for a last minute settlement.
- rumi on January 23, 2006 at 11:18 am
  
  Haven’t nearly all of the patents been ruled invalid on Patent Office review? I’ve been trying to figure what strength NTP has besides favor with the original court in this.
  - maryb2004 on January 23, 2006 at 11:35 am
    
    Here’s a Bloomberg story from December saying that ONE of the patents had been thrown out but the other patent reviews were still ongoing and might not be resolved for years. link
    
    I haven’t followed the story that closely — since I don’t use a blackberry.
    - rumi on January 23, 2006 at 12:08 pm
      
      NTP Co-founder on BlackBerry: “We should have taken the money when we had the chance”
      Let me first say that Don Stout, co-founder of NTP, didn’t actually say that NTP should have taken the money when they had the chance, however, I guarantee you that the thought has run across his mind. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. As the days go by, it looks like all Mr. Stout and NTP are going to get from Research in Motion is a stack of lawyer bills and maybe a free BlackBerry 8700c from Amazon.com
      
      ————
      
      In 2003 Research in Motion was found guilty on 5 counts of patent infringement and has been entrenched in a length appeals process the may force the BlackBerry maker to pay a settlement to NTP that some analysts estimate to be over $1 billion or face being shutdown in the United States. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reviewing the patents and in an initial review and a second (but still not final) review, the USPTO has claimed the the NTP patents are invalid.
      
      The USPTO has actually told both NTP and RIM that they fully expect the NTP patents to be invalidated on final review which complicates the separate patent infringe proceedings even further. The 30 day extension gives NTP more time to prepare their defense of their patents, however, they say that hey will not take the entire 30 days to respond. The USPTO plans to have the review process completed in the next 10 weeks.
      
      Part of the problem is in the patent creation process in the US. Nearly anything is allowed pending legal challenges that are always expected to come.
      - maryb2004 on January 23, 2006 at 3:30 pm
        
        Interesting. The U.S. patent system IS all screwed up but I don’t know enough about this case to be able to form an opinion on these patents. I just know all my friends with Blackberries are hoping service won’t be interrupted. I’m willing to lay good odds that it won’t be — for one reason or another.
      - rumi on January 23, 2006 at 5:47 pm
        
        From what I’ve seen, RIM has been dedicated to keeping the service regardless of what it cost them. By the owner’s (NTP) own description, NTP is nothing more that a filing cabinet in an office in VA. The ingenuity of aquiring questionable patent rights for virtually pennies and then gambling on infringement suits has been lucrative for some of his suits. Most of these suits seem to be settled to avoid the hassle whether or not the suit has merit.
        
        Interestingly, RIM/Blackberry is in the plans for a partnership of sorts with Google….sorry, Bill.
olivia on January 23, 2006 at 11:13 am

It’s election day here in Canada. Should be an interesting — and scary — night. Weather-friendly day for election.

Interesting development in the Pakistan air strike: Expulsion of U.S. ambassador demanded in Pakistan.

This is certainly terrible news: Alberta cow tests positive for mad cow: CFIA.

An interesting article on secularism and fundamentalism and their influence in politics: The New Secularism: Cultivating A Sober Tone of Doubt (Rick Salutin). How’s this for a teaser: “Alongside Afghanistan under the Taliban and the Iran of the mullahs, the U.S. is that rare nation that defines the left-right political spectrum in terms of the secular and the religious.”
maryb2004 on January 23, 2006 at 11:14 am

I’m glad when Democratic candidates for Senate stick to party message. link

Seems there was some doubt as to whether Claire McCaskill would oppose Alito if she were a senator right now. She erased that doubt.

State Auditor Claire McCaskill finally ended several days of does-she-or-doesn’t-she debate on Friday when she finally announced that she opposes Judge Samuel Alito’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Associated Press and other news outlets reported her decision, after noting the questions raised when her spokesman initially disavowed national Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean’s declaration Wednesday that McCaskill was a “No” vote as far as Alito was concerned.

Spokesman Tony Wyche said that Dean didn’t consult with McCaskill, and didn’t speak for her. But after some gigging from the national Republican Party, McCaskill made clear Friday that -whether or not Dean spoke for her — she did reach the same conclusion.

It’s hard living in a state with two moronic Republican senators like Kit Bond and Jim Talent(less)who will vote Republican party line no matter what.

The man she hopes to oust in November, U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., sent out a fundraising email late Friday noting that he and senior U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, R-Mo., already have declared their support for Alito.

PLEASE DON’T SPAM THIS THREAD JUDY — I’VE CALLED THEM BOTH. It will do no good, but I’ve called them and asked everyone else that I know to call them. The only real solution is to defeat Talent and get McCaskill into the senate. Polling over the weekend was good — they are running neck and neck and haven’t really started spending money yet. But Talent has raised a lot of money, so it will be an uphill battle.
idredit on January 23, 2006 at 11:15 am

“The Republican System” (hat tip Corrente)

This is a must read even for those who think they’ve read all there’s on the scandal and those who missed it; Sidney Blumenthal’s chronicle connects the dots on Abramoff-Bush-Delay-Hastert-K Street over the decade. It details Republicans at work ‘the lobbying and the politics.’

Btw, for those who can’t recall knowing or ‘having met’ Abramoff this should bring on the chills.

excerpt:

Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials, has left a trail of hard evidence in addition to his sworn confessions. At the end of every business day his former assistant wrote a summary of all his contacts and their conversations, emailed it to him and carefully saved it; these documents mapping the days and ways of Jack Abramoff are now in the hands of the prosecutors. (Abramoff’s former assistant, Susan Ralston, moved seamlessly from his employ to the White House to become Karl Rove’s assistant, where she regularly vetted supplicants to Rove through Grover Norquist, Abramoff’s longtime political associate and business partner).

Waaaah. just wonderin’ if there’s a photo ablum to complete the dossier. Ya think?
- idredit on January 23, 2006 at 3:26 pm
  
  Ooops, my bad. Here’s the missing link to “The Republican system”, by Sidney Blumenthal
  
  http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy/republican_system_3197.jsp
IndyLib on January 23, 2006 at 12:13 pm

Here’s some good news about marriage equality:

In a landmark victory for families, a Baltimore trial court ruled [last week] that Maryland’s statutory exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage violates the Maryland Constitution because it discriminates based on gender and does not serve any legitimate public purpose. “When tradition is the guise under which prejudice or animosity hides, it is not a legitimate state interest,” ruled Judge M. Brooke Murdock.

Tradition is not a legitimate vehicle for the state to use to discriminate against an entire class of people. Nice to hear someone from the bench say that. ::happy dance::
- Janet Strange on January 23, 2006 at 3:57 pm
  
  Y-A-A-AY-Y-Y-Y! I will join you (virtually) in a happy dance!
Arcturus on January 23, 2006 at 12:19 pm

Well, I just woke up, don’t really have anything, but wanted to give the heads-up that Amy Goodman will have the Canadian reporter, Anthony Fenton, on to talk about the NED & Haiti. He’s the reporterwho broke the story about the AP reporter, Regine Alexandre, who was also working as a consultant for the State Department funded NED.
maryb2004 on January 23, 2006 at 12:36 pm

More good news here in Red State Missouri.

link

Even before Osama bin Laden resurfaced late last week, an increasing number of Missourians said they were fearful about their safety, their jobs and the war in Iraq.

A majority also believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.

As a result, Missouri voters appear to be less enamored of President George W. Bush than they were in fall 2004, when Bush easily carried the state in his bid for re-election.

That’s the upshot of a new poll of 800 likely voters in Missouri conducted last week for the Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV (Channel 4).

There was a roughly even split among respondants over the illegal spying program, which sounds ridiculous (how can you be in favor of spying on americans) — but as the pollster said

For a Republican-leaning state like Missouri, “that division speaks volumes,” Ali said. “That’s an ominous sign.”

but look at the drop in Bush’s approvals — its HUGE:

But the sharpest decline is in Bush’s job approval rating. In September 2004, 53 percent of those polled rated him “excellent” or “pretty good.” This time, 44 percent did.

And on whether the country is headed in the wrong direction:

In September 2004, polled voters in Missouri were split almost evenly when asked whether the country was headed in the right or wrong direction.

But now more than half of those polled – 57 percent – said the nation is headed in the wrong direction, while only 39 percent were pleased with the way things are going.

Here in MO — we celebrate every small victory.
ask on January 23, 2006 at 2:39 pm

‘Oldtimers’ will remember Susanhu’s challenge to the community last May regarding the 10 most ignored stories of the world.
Nanette covered the one on Fistula

Just came across this link:

When Dr. Marcella L. Roenneburg first decided to take her daughter to work two years ago, it was more than the usual trip downtown to mom’s office at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

The two crammed their suitcases with surgical gloves, sutures and soap and flew 5,000 miles to a primitive operating room in the impoverished West African country of Niger. Last fall, the destination was Bangladesh.

Clad in surgical masks and scrubs, mother and 16-year-old daughter tended to girls who have suffered devastating wounds of pregnancy – wounds that can turn them into social outcasts.
(more)
- ask on January 23, 2006 at 2:41 pm
  
  OK, trying again.
  Here is the link to the article.
- Janet Strange on January 23, 2006 at 3:55 pm
  
  Wow! Now that’s great mothering. What a lucky kid her daughter is.
maryb2004 on January 23, 2006 at 5:15 pm

More I. Lewis Libby trial news.

link

Lawyers for a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday made their first request to use classified evidence at his trial, launching a highly secretive court process that could bog down the case.

In the filings made under seal in federal court, lawyers for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby put the judge and prosecutors on notice that they want a jury to hear evidence the government now says is classified.

Their action puts the Libby case on a dual track — one public, the other secret — that often can delay criminal cases from going to trial.

Although the specifics of Monday’s filing remain secret, Libby’s defense team hinted in a court document last Friday that they will want to disclose to a jury the nature of Plame’s work as a CIA operative.

Libby’s lawyers said Plame’s now-classified duties are among the “significant disagreements” they have with special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, an issue they believe is “material” to the defense’s case.

I’m sure reddhead at Firedoglake will analyze this soon.
DuctapeFatwa on January 23, 2006 at 11:52 pm

The demonstration seemed harmless enough. Late on a June afternoon in 2004, a motley group of about 10 peace activists showed up outside the Houston headquarters of Halliburton, the giant military contractor once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. They were there to protest the corporation’s supposed “war profiteering.” The demonstrators wore papier-mache masks and handed out free peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to Halliburton employees as they left work. The idea, according to organizer Scott Parkin, was to call attention to allegations that the company was overcharging on a food contract for troops in Iraq…

But that’s not how the Pentagon saw it. To U.S. Army analysts at the top-secret Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), the peanut-butter protest was regarded as a potential threat to national security…

Wolfowitz, then deputy Defense secretary, authorized a fact-gathering operation code-named TALON–short for Threat and Local Observation Notice–that would collect “raw information” about “suspicious incidents.” The data would be fed to CIFA to help the Pentagon’s “terrorism threat warning process,” according to an internal Pentagon memo.

A Defense document shows that Army analysts wrote a report on the Halliburton protest and stored it in CIFA’s database. It’s not clear why the Pentagon considered the protest worthy of attention…

It isn’t clear how many groups and individuals were snagged by CIFA’s dragnet. Details about the program, including its size and budget, are classified….

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