Mexico State

Local news in brief, May 7, 2011 - Santa Fe New Mexican.com

[Agriculture] (AGRICULTURE NEWS - Google News)

Local news in brief, May 7, 2011 Santa Fe New Mexican.com LAS CRUCES — Regents at New Mexico State University have selected Jeff Witte for the state's top agriculture job. The appointment of Witte as secretary of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture was announced Friday afternoon. Las Crucen tapped as new NM Ag SecretarySilver City Sun News all 9 news articles » ...

[details] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

SHAWN MICHAEL PERRY & ONLY THE BRAVE SPECIAL EDITION CD
[CNN] (CNN iReport - Latest)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SHAWN MICHAEL PERRY & ONLY THE BRAVE a power pop, country, funk, rock band that performs original music and brings an exciting attitude to the stage! This band is as diverse as they come. The band is fronted by Shawn Michael Perry who shares the stage with a group of the hottest musicians. They offer an exciting, energizing show that delivers tight and rigorous compositions with impeccable musicianship.Shawn Michael Perry has taken the multi -hyphenate to new height ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SHAWN MICHAEL PERRY & ONLY THE BRAVE a power pop, country, funk, rock band that performs original music and brings an exciting attitude to the stage! This band is as diverse as they come. The band is fronted by Shawn Michael Perry who shares the stage with a group of the hottest musicians. They offer an exciting, energizing show that delivers tight and rigorous compositions with impeccable musicianship.

Shawn Michael Perry has taken the multi -hyphenate to new heights. This singer, songwriter, actor, educator, activist was born into indigenous heritage in Southern California. The strength of his music and beauty of his words was enhanced by producer John Avila the talented bassist/producer of Oingo Boingo. Final polishing was added by the skillful mastering of techniques of Ron Mc Master (Capitol Records). Shawn has opened for and shared the bill with REDBONE...BADLANDS... BILL MILLER...MARY YOUNGBLOOD...KEITH SECOLA...JEFF HEALEY...THEE RHYTHM KINGS, just to name a few.

Shawn released his new single Red Earth during his performance at one of the largest pow –wows in the world ‘Gathering of Nations/stage49” in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can order “Shawn Michael Perry & Only The Brave Special Edition” CD at Hastings Entertainment, CD Baby, itunes, and www.OnlyTheBraveEntertainment.com Shawn still finds time to speak to youth groups and adults alike in rural and reservation areas. Shawn captivates his audience through storytelling and incorporating music throughout his presentation. For bookings www.OnlyTheBraveEntertainment.com 951.566.7501

ONLY THE BRAVE (THE BAND MEMBERS)

"CHICAGO" CHUCK GULLENSlanded in Southern California after spending his high school years in Las Vegas, and his college years in Kansas and Wyoming. While attending The University of Wyoming, he helped found one of the hardest working Blues bands in the country, BLINDDOG SMOKIN'. BLINDDOG spent the better part of twenty years playing in excess of 250 dates a year all over the world. In his travels, Chuck has shared the stage with such diverse artists as Wynton Marsalis, Jonny Lang, B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Marshal Tucker, and many more. As a seasoned and accomplished drummer and percussionist, Chuck lays a deep pocketed foundation and brings a diverse amalgamation of styles to ONLY THE BRAVE.

DIG LEWIS the remarkable musician, composer, and conductor has toured extensively with major performing artists such as Stevie Wonder, George Benson, John Mellencamp, Boz Skaggs. Always in demand, Dig has also played bass for Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder and more. When he’s not stroking the bass he composes music for film and television. As a child prodigy, Dig became an accomplished violin, viola and cello musician at the age of 13 in Detroit, Michigan, where he played on some of the earliest of Motown’s famous R&B sound tracks. Lewis followed these remarkable accomplishments by serving as a junior concert master for the Detroit Junior Symphony orchestra for three years, while concentrating his attention toward composing and conducting a diverse variety of musical scores. During this time, he conducted orchestrations and concerts for notables such as Frank Sinatra and the Pointer Sisters.

He is an alumnus of the University of Arizona and also attended Wayne State University and the University of Detroit. As his career evolved, Lewis continued to develop his skills as a musician gaining respect among the elite members of the R&B community, and was named among the top 10 bass players in the nation by both Downbeat and Bass Player magazines. He worked on numerous recording sessions as a studio musician and toured extensively with major performing artists such as Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Jack McDuff and John Mellencamp. As time progressed, Lewis became seriously interested in pursuing his true love in music which is composing. Over the years he has used his unique and formidable composing skills, both electronically and “live” to make film scores come to life. Dig’s company Sync Masters worked on scores for The March of The Penguins and Apocalypto, just to name a few. Shawn Michael Perry’s company Only The Brave Entertainment and All That Culture Music Of The America’s is honored to work with Dig. His talents include teaching students the art of musical scoring on television and films.

ROBERT “CHALO” ORTIZ Chalo named after his famous grandfather who shared the stage with the legendary Trace (Three) Ponchos. Robert Sr.Ortiz. states that Chalo picked up the guitar at an early age of eight and has not put the guitar down since. Coming from a family of musicians music was ingrained in his blood. Chalo practiced every day to the likes of Santana, EL Chicano and others. It certainly has paid off. His first band The Night Creatures”, was a blues band. He played the blues like he owns the stage. It comes deep within his soul. Eventually he moved onto Thee Rhythm Kings”. Chalo has shared the stage with such greats such as Los Lobos, EL Chicano and many others. Quite diverse in his ability to play Chalo has moved onto other bands since such as Blind Dog Smokin along with Shawn Michael Perry & Only The Brave.

Shawn Michael Perry Along with These Fine Group of Musicians Are Sure to Rock The Stage!

Only The Brave Recordings & Entertainment –

All That Culture Music of The America’s

For bookings contact Belinda Corcovelos

(951) 566-7501 belinda@otbentertainment.com
NMSIC files 'pay to play' lawsuits
[bizjournals] (Albuquerque Business News - Local Albuquerque News | New Mexico Business Weekly)
The New Mexico State Investment Council filed lawsuits in both federal and state district courts on Friday to hold 15 individuals and a Texas partnership accountable for their alleged roles in “pay-to-play” and kickback schemes involving the SIC from 2003 to 2009. The suits seek monetary damages and recovery of ill-gotten gains allegedly acquired by the defendants at the expense of the state’s permanent funds, now valued at $15 billion. The SIC is the trustee for the permanent funds, which ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

The New Mexico State Investment Council filed lawsuits in both federal and state district courts on Friday to hold 15 individuals and a Texas partnership accountable for their alleged roles in “pay-to-play” and kickback schemes involving the SIC from 2003 to 2009. The suits seek monetary damages and recovery of ill-gotten gains allegedly acquired by the defendants at the expense of the state’s permanent funds, now valued at $15 billion. The SIC is the trustee for the permanent funds, which include the Land Grant Permanent Fund, Severance Tax Permanent Fund, Tobacco Settlement Permanent Fund and the Water Trust Permanent...

Death toll from Mexican mine blast rises to 9 - Seattle Post Intelligencer

[Mexico] (mexico news - Google News)

CTV.ca Death toll from Mexican mine blast rises to 9 Seattle Post Intelligencer Chile's Navy Cmdr. Renato Navarro, center, accompanied by Mexico's Labor Secretary Javier Lozano Alarcon, center left, speaks to relatives of trapped miners at a coal mine in San Juan de Sabinas, Coahuila state, Mexico, Wednesday, Landslide at Mexico mine leaves 3 deadFox News Death toll from Mexican mine blast rises to 9Forbes Eighth body recovered from collapsed Mexico mineReuters Africa CNN International -Charles ...

[details] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

Arizona Calling – Share Something Amazing
[Citizen Journalism, News] (CNN iReport - Latest)
Summer is approaching and the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) is marking the occasion with the return of the agency’s popular in-state travel summer promotion, ValueAZ. ValueAZis a one-stop-Web site listing for all the incredible travel deals and packages that can be found throughout the Grand Canyon State this summer. As a new component of the ValueAZ promotion, many of the travel deals and packages listed will feature Arizona’s Centennial theme.In addition to launching ValueAZ, AOT in coll ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

Summer is approaching and the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) is marking the occasion with the return of the agency’s popular in-state travel summer promotion, ValueAZ.

ValueAZis a one-stop-Web site listing for all the incredible travel deals and packages that can be found throughout the Grand Canyon State this summer. As a new component of the ValueAZ promotion, many of the travel deals and packages listed will feature Arizona’s Centennial theme.

In addition to launching ValueAZ, AOT in collaboration with the Governor’s Task Force on Tourism and Economic Vitality will launch “Arizona Calling – Share Something Amazing,” an ePostcard campaign featuring iconic Arizona images. Both campaigns will begin May 7, 2011.

The ePostcard campaign features vibrant imagery of the Grand Canyon State that gives residents and travelers the opportunity to share Arizona’s beauty with others. With customizable messages, email ePostcards can be sent to friends and family around the globe at no cost. The ePostcard is available through www.Arizonaguide.com.

“ValueAz and Arizona Calling are great ways to showcase all that Arizona has to offer, not only to our residents but to our out-of-town visitors as well,” said Sherry Henry, AOT director and chair of the Governor’s Task Force. “As summer approaches and families are making vacation plans, ValueAZ offers exceptional travel deals across the state and what better way to say to family and friends ‘wish you were here’ than with a beautiful electronic postcard featuring photography of some of Arizona’s most beautiful tourist attractions.”

ValueAz will run from May through September. It is a coordinated effort involving travel and tourism entities from across the state that upload unique travel opportunities to www.ValueAZ.com for visitors to enjoy throughout the summer months.

“Word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful tool and we want our residents to explore Arizona and share their positive experiences with others,” continued Director Henry. “We know our best spokespeople are Arizona residents. Arizonans already recognize, appreciate and value what the state has to offer as a vibrant destination. Through ValueAZ and the Arizona Calling ePostcard campaign, they can now share that knowledge with others.”

The Arizona tourism industry brings millions of visitors annually to the Grand Canyon State. In 2009, visitors spent $16.6 billion throughout the state, pumping nearly $45 million each day into Arizona’s economy. This industry employs nearly 200,000 residents and also generates an estimated $2.4 billion in local, state and federal tax revenues.

Visit ValueAZ.com to discover the value of Arizona today! For more information on the ePostcard and for what to see and do in Arizona, visit www.Arizonaguide.com.

About the Governor’s Task Force

The Arizona Governor’s Task Force on Tourism and Economic Vitality is comprised of members from the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT), the Arizona Department of Commerce, the Arizona Mexico Commission, as well as the Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association and the Arizona Tourism Alliance.

About Arizona Office of Tourism

Created as an executive agency in 1975, the Arizona Office of Tourism is charged with enhancing the state economy and the quality of life for all Arizonans by expanding travel activity and increasing related revenues through tourism promotion and development. AOT works to serve the Grand Canyon State’s travel industry and related businesses, the traveling public, and the taxpayers of Arizona. For more information, visit www.azot.gov.

Tying the knot, Sanibel style - Sanibel Captiva Islander

[Costa Rica] (costa rica celebrities - Google News)

Sanibel Captiva Islander Tying the knot, Sanibel style Sanibel Captiva Islander Awaiting the newlyweds was an 11-night cruise on Celebrity's Equinox balcony state room and concierge class service to the countries of Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, and Grand Cayman Islands. While there was no television reception of ...

[details] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

Women on the road to Rio+20 convene at United Nations CSD-19
[Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate Responsibility] (CSRwire Press Releases, Events and Reports)
After three days at the 19th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-19), I began thinking about how important women's leadership is to the tiered mission of Rio+20 also known as Earth Summit 2012 to help create a global green economy, and alleviate poverty. Over the course of the prep meetings earlier this year, and during CSD-19 this week, it became more clear to me why women need to have more control over the Earth's resources and the new technologies that can ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

After three days at the 19th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-19), I began thinking about how important women's leadership is to the tiered mission of Rio+20 also known as Earth Summit 2012 to help create a global green economy, and alleviate poverty. Over the course of the prep meetings earlier this year, and during CSD-19 this week, it became more clear to me why women need to have more control over the Earth's resources and the new technologies that can help to provide clean water, clean energy, clean air, and clean agriculture. With more power and training in the hands of women, particularly in developing countries, there will be more jobs for women, healthier communities, more education for girls, and population stabilization. With so much data that proves that women have a better track record for paying back micro-loans (even at higher rates), for protecting resources, and for investing money in their families and communities, it makes sense that empowering women is critical to the Rio+20 mission. On May 4th, the Democracy and Gender Equality Roundtable was held by UN Women, simultaneous to CSD-19. I was struck by the statistics that show how unrepresented women are in managerial roles in all walks of life, from board rooms to government positions. Worse than I thought actually. Without a seat at the table, women can have no voice. Some of the developing countries where families rule, presented another glitch. In these countries, when women are put in positions of power, it is often as a surrogate of their husbands and fathers. Questions were asked. Is this better or worse? I was reminded of the t-shirt worn by my friend, Jody Weiss, CEO of Peacemaker "Cause-metics" that reads, "I want my million bucks." The slogan refers to a factoid she offered that over the course of one’s lifetime, women in the same job make about $1 million dollars less than a comparable man. And Trish Karter, of Dancing Deer Bakery, standing on her head to show how upside down the proportion of women to men on boards is, and why turning this around can make a big difference in the world. One look at the speaker list at energy and oil conferences tells us where the power lies. As an affirmative action baby myself, I know I wouldn't have gotten my first job as a research diver for the State of California if there wasn't a quota to fill. But, as an ice diver, I was just as qualified as the male applicants. They just had never considered a woman before. I wondered about where I'd be? In the back office typing memos for my boss? On Thursday, May 5, I was invited by Osprey Orielle Lake to a Forum hosted by her Women's Earth and Climate Caucus, a gem of a side event beyond the walls of the United Nations, out there past the row of flags where women are collaborating to gain traction around climate change and other environmental issues. Which, incidentally, adversely affect women and children more than men. The Forum focused on global topics around water and food security, with presenters from NGOs and businesses, including my friend Ann Goodman, Executive Director of Women's Network for a Sustainable Future (WNSF), Joji Carino of Tebtebba Indigenous Peoples' International Centre, Donna Goodman, Director of Earth Child Institute, Anita Wenden of International Peace Research Association, and Bridget Burns, Program Director of WEDO - Women's Environment and Development Organization. This group of impressive women shared stories and strategies for adapting to and mitigating climate change. From there, I was cordially invited to a WEDO reception on Lexington Avenue, and some of us walked there together on what I would call an empowerment high. For me, WEDO was like discovering a treasure trove of international mentors and luminaries. Among other things, these highly educated and talented women have been working for twenty years to ensure that the environmental activities at the UN, benefit by a woman’s touch, or stronghold. Throughout the 1990’s WEDO played a key leadership role to ensure that gender was included in the outcomes of major UN conferences. In 2006, it was recognized with the Champions of the Earth award by UNEP and in 2010, WEDO received the Advocacy Award from the National Council for Research on Women. Their 20th anniversary conference will coincide with Rio+20. As the event wound down, Elizabeth "Liz" Thompson arrived, the Co-Coordinator of Rio+20. I can say I slept a little easier that night, knowing the Earth was in better hands than I thought. SEE: CSD-19 Can developed and developing countries find common-ground? by Martha Shaw May 3, 2011 on CSRwire. About Martha Shaw, M.Sc. Martha Shaw is a scientist and media contributor in clean technology and other topics. Martha has been named an Adweek Creative All Star and is the winner of international awards in communications. She is a member of the Climate Literacy Network, Fellow of the Explorers Club, board member of NYSES and CEO of Earth Advertising. NEWS FROM EARTH: * Ready for Rio? Find out how your green business can have a voice in the dialogue, and a seat at the table at COP-17 in Durban, South Africa, December 2011, and at Rio +20 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 2012. Learn more about the Green Business Initiative through Earth Advertising. * We are pleased to welcome our newest clients: New Leaf Paper, the earth's greenest 100% post-consumer paper, and Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, the largest biosphere in the world. See PBS Frontline World, Rough Cut: Mexico: The Business of Saving Trees. *Earth Advertising is a green certified, women-owned enterprise, committed to healthy people, a healthy planet, and a healthy economy through 360º media campaigns, webgames, creative tools, and research in consumer conscience.
Wasserman Schultz: ‘We’ve really concentrated’ on oil production
[Right-Wing, Politics] (RedState)
There was an undeniable uptick in U.S. oil production in 2009 and 2010. But new DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) tried to take credit for it: Like I said, domestic oil production is at its highest point in recent years. So we’ve actually really concentrated on that. Democrats patting themselves on the back for oil production increases? Ba. Lo. Ney. With all due respect. Rep. Wasserman Schultz represents the party that always tells you that there’s no point in looking fo ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en
There was an undeniable uptick in U.S. oil production in 2009 and 2010.

But new DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) tried to take credit for it:

Like I said, domestic oil production is at its highest point in recent years. So we’ve actually really concentrated on that.

Democrats patting themselves on the back for oil production increases?

Ba. Lo. Ney.

With all due respect.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz represents the party that always tells you that there’s no point in looking for new oil fields because it takes 10 years to develop them. Remember?
World-class oil fields can take that long to develop, but it’s a stupid argument against doing them. For example, fields like BP’s Thunder Horse and Atlantis, and BHP Billiton’s Shenzi together account for 100% of the 2009-10 growth in Gulf of Mexico production. All these fields were discovered 10 years ago or more, and the owners had the foresight to stick with them even through times when the oil price was as low as $10 per barrel (1999). Back then Barack Obama was still an unknown Illinois state senator, and Wasserman Schultz was in the Florida state house.

Here’s what was predicted for BP’s big fields back in 2008, before you-know-who was elected:

When running at full tilt, Thunder Horse alone will increase overall U.S. oil and gas production by 3.6 percent. Add BP’s Atlantis platform that started up last year, and the boost grows to 6.4 percent.

Onshore, fields usually don’t take so long to develop. Just in the past few years, there has been an oil drilling boom in places like North Dakota and South Texas, and those booms are partly responsible for the production uptick. But the Feds, and certainly not the Dems, deserve zero credit for the Bakken Shale and the Eagleford Shale booms. Those plays were driven by technology and entrepreneurial, independent oil men.

And we’re no where near where we should be:

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the slowing of permit approval will result in the loss of 250,000 barrels a day of production this year and 500,000 in 2012. [Hmmm... sounds familiar. - Ed.]

The moratorium has stopped us from looking for the next Thunder Horse or Atlantis. If the Bakken Shale were on public, not private lands, they’d be trying to shut that down, too.

Oh. Wait.

No, the answer to our energy woes lies in our private sector, not in Washington, and certainly not in the Democratic Party. And for them to try to take credit for this uptick is laughably pathetic.
While we’re at it, here’s Rep. Wasserman Schultz’s voting record on energy:
- Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jan 2007)
- Voted YES on keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore. (Jun 2006)
- Voted NO on scheduling permitting for new oil refineries. (Jun 2006)
- Voted NO on authorizing construction of new oil refineries. (Oct 2005)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s interview on Fox and Friends with Brian Kilmeade.
Thanks for all the “help”, Congresswoman.
Cross-posted at SteveMaley.com.

Organic Bytes: Dumping GMOs, Xtremes, and Carbon Nation

[Environmental Health] (MCS America ©)

[details] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

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Dumping GMOs, Xtremes, and Carbon Nation

#275, May 6, 2011

In this issue:

Quote of the Week: Why Being a Foodie Isn't "Elitist"
Essay of the Week: The Xtremes by Ronnie Cummins
Alerts of the Week:
- Get Monsanto Out of Trader Joe's & Whole Foods Market!
- No Sewage Sludge In "Organic" School Gardens!
Millions Against Monsanto:
- See You in Chicago, Seattle & New York!
- Get Ready for World Food Day Actions 10/16/11
Videos of the Week
Via Organica Updates
Little Bytes

Quote of the Week

Why Being a Foodie Isn't "Elitist"

"America's current system of food production - overly centralized and industrialized, overly controlled by a handful of companies, overly reliant on monocultures, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, chemical additives, genetically modified organisms, factory farms, government subsidies and fossil fuels - is profoundly undemocratic. It is one more sign of how the few now rule the many. And it's inflicting tremendous harm on American farmers, workers and consumers."

- Eric Schlosser, "Why Being a Foodie Isn't 'Elitist'," May 1, 2011, The Washington Post

The Xtremes: Subversive Recipes for Catastrophic Times

"Minor political reforms and corporate 'greenwashing' at this stage of history are too little, too late. The lesser of indentured evils in the White House is not going to save us. Increased market share for organic, green, and Fair Trade products will amount to little or nothing in the closing era of the Xtremes. What we need is a bold determination to carry out regime change and build a new green and egalitarian society, inside the deteriorating infrastructure of the old."

Get Monsanto Out of Trader Joe's & Whole Foods Market!

Trader Joe's is 80% GMO-free. All of their store-brand products are sourced from non-genetically modified ingredients, and Trader-Joe's-brand products are 80% of what they carry.

But Trader Joe's definitely sells foods that contain GMO ingredients. For example, Trader Joe's sells products by:

* Morningstar Farms, which admits that all but one of their products (the Breakfast Patties Made with Organic Soy) contain genetically modified organisms.
* Tofutti, which uses non-GMO soy protein, but admits that other ingredients, like the partially hydrogenated (trans fat) soybean oil in their Better Than Cream Cheese, are genetically modified.

Ask Trader Joe's to go from 80% to 100% GMO-free. In the meantime, demand that they respect consumers' right to know what's in our food by labeling any food that may contain ingredients made with genetically engineered organisms, including ingredients from animals raised on genetically engineered feed.

Take Action

Likewise, Whole Foods Market claims to support mandatory GMO labels, but admits selling unlabeled foods made with genetically modified organisms.

Whole Foods & Trader Joe's both have non-GMO policies for their store-brand products, but the policy doesn't apply to the rest of the food they sell.

The Millions Against Monsanto campaign is stepping up our efforts to get Monsanto out of Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's.

Click here for action ideas, including a video on GMO Food Dumps!

Alerts of the Week

No Sewage Sludge In "Organic" School Gardens!

Some of Hollywood's "green" celebrities - Rosario Dawson, Ed Begley, Jr., and a bevy of starlets - thought they were promoting organic school gardens for inner-city kids.

But the Environmental Media Association (EMA) teamed them up with a secretive corporation, Kellogg Garden Products, whose main business is selling Los Angeles sewage sludge!

That company calls its Kellogg brand "quality organics" and deceptively labels bags sold at the garden store as "garden soil" made from "compost" - with no mention of which products are made from industrial and human waste that contains tens of thousands of contaminants. That's why federal law bars the use of sewage sludge-based products in organic gardens.

So, when news broke that Kellogg Garden Products provided sewage sludge products to EMA's "organic" school gardens, and its spokesperson even posed with sewage sludge-derived products at the gardens, you'd think EMA and its stars would cut all ties to the sludge industry.

But you'd be wrong. Instead of denouncing the contamination of the kids' gardens and the corporation's effort to "greenwash" its brand through associating with stars devoted to organic produce, EMA is sticking with its corporate donor. So far.

Help OCA's ally, the Center for Media and Democracy, tell Hollywood it's not green to partner with a company that put sewage sludge on school gardens.

Tell Hollywood to Stop Greenwashing Sewage Sludge!

PLEASE DONATE

Millions Against Monsanto Fundraising Appeal

Three hundred thousand have already signed up as participants and supporters in our Millions Against Monsanto Truth-in-Labeling Campaign. But we need money to print leaflets, to buy educational videos, to print up T-shirts and bumper stickers, and to pay our campaign staff. As you know, GMOs, Factory Farms, and deceptively labeled consumer products pose a mortal threat to public health, climate stability, and all living things. As we speak, organic crops are being contaminated with Monsanto's GMOs. We need your financial contributions to educate and mobilize consumers, to protect and maintain strict organic standards, and to pressure the entire food industry, including natural food stores and co-ops, to adopt Truth-in-Labeling practices.

Please Donate

Millions Against Monsanto

See You in Chicago, Seattle & New York!

To gear up for the Millions Against Monsanto actions on World Food Day, October 16, 2011, we're hosting regional anti-GMO summits at each of the Green Festivals around the country:

Chicago May 14-15, 2011
Seattle May 21-22, 2011
New York October 1-2, 2011

We need volunteers in each city to host gatherings at their homes or community centers, to put up OCA staff and volunteers in their homes and to work in the Millions Against Monsanto booths.

To volunteer, please click here.

If you've already volunteered, thank you! Campaign Director Alexis Baden-Mayer will be contacting you shortly.

Millions Against Monsanto

Get Ready for World Food Day Actions 10/16/11

On Sunday, October 16, 2011, the Organic Consumers Association's Millions Against Monsanto campaign is calling for World Food Day actions to get genetically engineered organisms out of our food.

Get involved by joining your local Millions Against Monsanto chapter!

The goal is to have 435 actions, one in each U.S. Congressional District, and for each action to represent 2300 Millions Against Monsanto supporters.

435 x 2300 = 1,000,000 Against Monsanto

It would be great to have 2300 people participating in each event, but we can also demonstrate our numbers by delivering petitions signed by 2300 people in each Congressional District.

Anyone who can't attend an action on 10/16/11, can join the virtual rally by signing the Millions Against Monsanto petition.

Time to start planning! Here's how to get started.

Videos of the Week

Dumping GMOs: Guerrilla Theatre

OCA's Thalia Kazakos offers another great video on how and why anti-GMO activists should organize local activists and dump GMO-tainted products in front of natural food stores, especially industry leaders such as Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's.

Watch

Carbon Nation

Carbon Nation is the logical next step after An Inconvenient Truth: We know there's a problem; now, how do we get everyone to do something about it?

Watch this and more of OCA's favorite videos on our YouTube Channel!

Via Organica

Join Us In Mexico for a Spring Sustainability Conference

Engineers without Borders, The Center for Appropriate Technology and Indigenous Sustainability- Mexico (CATIS-Mexico) and the Earth and Lime Institute are hosting a month-long spring workshop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The OCA's sister organization Via Orgánica has been invited to teach during the Small Scale Sustainable Farming week, June 20-24th, 2011. A solution-based course, this program teaches skills in small-scale organic food production for both urban and rural dwellers. Participants will have the opportunity to link practical skills in variety of locales, as well as analyze how overarching global issues like climate change and food scarcity can be confronted.

We are inviting our members to participate in this exciting course. Register by May 7th for the early bird special. Combine your spring vacation with an enlightening and authentic educational experience in the outskirts of beautiful San Miguel. Meet OCA Director Ronnie Cummins and the Vía Orgánica staff.

Learn More

Planet to Plate Tour

Join Planet2Plate with a small group on a private 8-day tour of the foods and agricultural origins of the sustainable movement in San Miguel de Allende. Meet the people working with the OCA's sister organization, Vía Orgánica.

On this tour you'll trace the region's agriculture from the pre-colonial milpa (considered the original perma-culture technique), to the colonial hacienda system. Then get a brief look at agribusiness for exports compared to rural organic cooperatives working together to support the livelihoods of many families. Celebrate the sustainable food movement, which is flourishing in the fertile,high-desert of Central Mexico by sampling the best organic food the region has to offer.

For more information please visit Planet2Plate's website.

Little Bytes

Will the Real Food Movement Please Stand Up?
READ MORE

A Closer Look at the USA Assassination of "Osama bin Laden"
READ MORE

Take the Pledge for Climate Protection
READ MORE

Some Developers are Starting to Incorporate a New Feature into Neighborhoods: A Food Supply
READ MORE

Coke, BPA, and the Limits of 'Green Capitalism'
READ MORE

Book of the Week

Help Us Build a Sustainable Future!

Our friends at Chelsea Green offer the latest books on sustainability, democracy, new science, and pathways to peace. Thanks to our new Affiliate Program, your online purchase supports the OCA!

This weeks featured book is: Food Not Lawns

Gardening can be a political act. Creativity, fulfillment, connection, revolution-it all begins when we get our hands in the dirt.

Food Not Lawns combines practical wisdom on ecological design and community-building with a fresh, green perspective on an age-old subject. Activist and urban gardener Heather Flores shares her nine-step permaculture design to help farmsteaders and city dwellers alike build fertile soil, promote biodiversity, and increase natural habitat in their own "paradise gardens."

But Food Not Lawns doesn't begin and end in the seed bed. This joyful permaculture lifestyle manual inspires readers to apply the principles of the paradise garden-simplicity, resourcefulness, creativity, mindfulness, and community-to all aspects of life. Plant "guerilla gardens" in barren intersections and medians; organize community meals; start a street theater troupe or host a local art swap; free your kitchen from refrigeration and enjoy truly fresh, nourishing foods from your own plot of land; work with children to create garden play spaces.

Flores cares passionately about the damaged state of our environment and the ills of our throwaway society. In Food Not Lawns, she shows us how to reclaim the earth one garden at a time.

Learn More

Message From Our Sponsors

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What is iSpaces?
iSpaces is a free virtual desktop you can access from any computer with an Internet connection. All of your open browser windows, tabs and files will be ready and waiting for you no matter what computer you login from.

Get ready to leap into the cloud and visit www.ispaces.com to set-up your free account today - it's pure web ecstasy!

Become an OCA Sponsor!

Every issue of Organic Bytes now goes to 265,000 organic consumers with a thousand new subscribers each week. Please help us and your business by letting our subscribers know who you are and that you support the work of the OCA. Please contact us if you want more information!

Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites,
print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!

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Brazil supreme court recognizes same-sex civil unions
[Law] (JURIST - Paper Chase)
[JURIST] The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil [official website, in Portugese] unanimously recognized legal rights [press release, in Portugese] for partners in same-sex civil unions [JURIST news archive] on Thursday. Through the ruling, gay couples in "stable relationships" now have rights to community property, alimony, health insurance and tax benefits, adoption, and inheritance rights. The court disregarded a portion of the civil code, instead deferring to Article 3, Clause IV of the Federal ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

[JURIST] The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil [official website, in Portugese] unanimously recognized legal rights [press release, in Portugese] for partners in same-sex civil unions [JURIST news archive] on Thursday. Through the ruling, gay couples in "stable relationships" now have rights to community property, alimony, health insurance and tax benefits, adoption, and inheritance rights. The court disregarded a portion of the civil code, instead deferring to Article 3, Clause IV of the Federal Constitution [full text, in Portugese], which provides that the state should "promote the good of everyone, without distinction of origin, race, sex, color, age and other forms of discrimination." The court upheld the distinction between civil unions and marriage. Lawmaker Jean Wyllys [official website, in Portugese] plans to introduce a constitutional amendment to legalize same-sex marriage [Correio Braziliense report, in Portugese] as soon as he obtains the necessary number of signatures. Brazil becomes the largest country to legalize unions for same-sex couples, and the third South American nation, after Uruguay and Argentina [JURIST report]. Foreign and domestic courts and legislators are increasingly addressing the issue of gay marriage. Last month, Hungary added a prohibition against gay marriage [JURIST report] to its Constitution. France upheld a same-sex marriage ban [JURIST report] in January. In the US, judges in Wisconsin, California and Texas [JURIST reports] confronted the issue last year. Governments in Mexico, Kenya, Portugal and Germany [JURIST reports] are also addressing the issue.

Landslide at Mexico mine leaves 3 dead - Fox News

[Mexico] (mexico news - Google News)

CBC.ca Landslide at Mexico mine leaves 3 dead Fox News Mexico City – A landslide at a opal mine in the small western Mexican town of Hostotipaquillo left three miners dead, officials said. An emergency-management and firefighters' spokesperson in Jalisco state informed Efe Thursday that one of the bodies Families desperate to recover bodies at Mexico mineReuters Africa Seventh body recovered from Mexican mineCNN International At least three dead after mine collapses in western MexicoChannel 6 ...

[details] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

A Brief Introduction to Scentsy and Scentsy Products
[Real Estate] (Latest News)
In 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain, and San Diego became part of the Mexican state of Alta California. The fort on Presidio Hill was gradually abandoned, while the town of San Diego grew up on the level land below Presidio Hill.

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

In 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain, and San Diego became part of the Mexican state of Alta California. The fort on Presidio Hill was gradually abandoned, while the town of San Diego grew up on the level land below Presidio Hill.
Reflections on Mexico's National Anti-War March
[Chicano, Latino] (My Word is My Weapon)
by Kristin Bricker I'm in Morelos covering the "We've Had It Up to Here, Stop the War, For A Just And Peaceful Mexico" march. I will publish an article about the march when it's over at Upside Down World. But I'm so awestruck by the people I've met in the march that I have to share my initial observations with you. The march is growing by the hour. It left Cuernavaca with just over 500 people, and by the time it arrived in Coajomulco, Morelos, over a thousand people were marching. When I w ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

by Kristin Bricker

I'm in Morelos covering the "We've Had It Up to Here, Stop the War, For A Just And Peaceful Mexico" march.

I will publish an article about the march when it's over at Upside Down World. But I'm so awestruck by the people I've met in the march that I have to share my initial observations with you.

The march is growing by the hour. It left Cuernavaca with just over 500 people, and by the time it arrived in Coajomulco, Morelos, over a thousand people were marching. When I woke up this morning in Coajomulco, I saw that more marchers had arrived during the night, including a bus from Oaxaca that carried members of CACTUS, the community organization that Bety Cariño founded and led before she was assassinated near San Juan Copala just over a year ago.

Bety's just one of Mexico's nearly 40,000 dead who are here in spirit and rage today.

I don't think I will interview Javier Sicilia, the poet and journalist whose son's murder sparked this national movement against murder and impunity. He's been interviewed enough, and I am enraged that the media following the march turns off their cameras when other drug war victims speak, and they only turn them on when Sicilia speaks. It's not his fault; it's the corporate media's fault. They've made it their job to ignore the drug war's innocent victims and the families it has torn apart. When one of their own lost his son (Sicilia writes for Proceso and La Jornada), they couldn't ignore it anymore. Actually, a lot of journalists in the corporate media know Sicilia and they knew his son. They feel genuinely terrible for the man, and they've been reporting constantly from the march, step by step. Most of them even camped with us in Coajomulco.

Even if I don't interview Sicilia, I do have to thank him. He's single-handedly removed (or at least greatly diminished) the stigma that families feel when a loved one is murdered. As I reported in an earlier article about the Reyes Salazar family, the drug war's victims are nameless. The government wants it that way, because it's easy to paint the drug war's dead as narcos if no one even knows their names, much less their stories. Now, however, that's changing. They're marching alongside and behind Sicilia, and the press is actually interviewing them, some of them for the first time. And they're interviewing them as human beings, not as narco-families.

The march that Sicilia made possible has also allowed survivors to connect with each other for the first time. I saw the following conversation occur multiple times yesterday:

"Who is the young man in the photo you're carrying?"

"He was my son. He was murdered. And who is the young man on your t-shirt?"

"He is my son. He's disappeared."

This march, more than anything, is a march against impunity. In some cases, police kidnapped and disappeared the victims. In another case, organized crime snatches little girls from a community and traffics them. In other cases, victims were killed in armed robberies. The perpetrators vary: organized crime, unorganized crime, or the government. But everyone has one complaint in common: the government has done nothing to stop the violence, and when citizens are victims of violence, the government does nothing to bring the perpetrators to justice.

In a few days, you'll be able to read all about the amazing interviews I've done with some of the strongest people I've ever met. In the meantime, I want to share just one person's story with you: the Galactic Cowboy's father.

The Galactic Cowboy's family is from Mexico State, but up until a year ago he lived and worked in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. He is a street performer, a human silver statue of a cowboy. He stands perfectly still until you insert a coin in his box, and then he makes robotic movements. "Ever since he was little, he wanted to be a cowboy," says his father.

The Galactic Cowboy works in the informal market. Police had detained him several times in Monterrey for working without a permit. One time he managed to get a permit to work on the street, but it was only for one month. "What good is a one-month permit?" asks his dad. Street theater is is a life-long career for the Galactic Cowboy.

One day, Monterrey municipal police detained the Galactic Cowboy and two companions in Monterrey. Witnesses saw police arrest them. They wrote down the patrol car numbers.

The police deny that they detained the Galactic Cowboy and his companions. The witnesses who saw them detain him refuse to testify for fear of reprisal. The government refuses to investigate the disappearance.

The Galactic Cowboy has been missing for a year.
Putting on Blinders - the EIA Budget cuts
[Green, Oil ] (The Oil Drum - Discussions about Energy and Our Future)
Pit pony wearing blinders to limit what it can see, and so make it easier to control. (Horse and Man) If you read many of the pieces that I write here, you will soon notice that I am convinced that this country and most of the civilized world has a problem with future oil supply. That problem is getting worse rather rapidly, and this is causing the price increases that you have noticed every time you visit a gas station. It is popular and easy to blame the current increases on either speculators ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en
Pit pony wearing blinders to limit what it can see, and so make it easier to control. (Horse and Man)
If you read many of the pieces that I write here, you will soon notice that I am convinced that this country and most of the civilized world has a problem with future oil supply. That problem is getting worse rather rapidly, and this is causing the price increases that you have noticed every time you visit a gas station. It is popular and easy to blame the current increases on either speculators or the “evil” oil companies. While both may play a role on the edges of what is going on, the harsh reality is that prices now are largely controlled by those nations who form the OPEC partnership. Saudi Arabia, who supplies the largest portion of OPEC oil, has said that it is uncomfortable with current oil prices, since they are getting high enough that they could cause another recession. However that did not stop them from raising their prices in April and they now need the high prices to help pay to keep Saudi Arabia from seeing any of the riots that are happening to other countries. One has to know how to separate the popular myths from the actual reality.

And if legislatures at both state and national level are to make the right choices about what to do as oil prices keep going up (bearing in mind that it was a cause of the major recession in 2008) they too need to know what is really going on. There are alternate strategies for changing domestic production and alternate fuels (such as the growing supply of natural gas) that could be a significant help in the near future. Some of those that seemed to be promising, don’t always work as fast as promised, as we found out with cellulosic ethanol. They (and the rest of us who try and explain what’s happening) need to know not only what is going on, but as things change, what the effects of new rules events (such as banning drilling for a while in the Gulf of Mexico) are having on current and future supplies. It is only in this way the rational and useful steps to help get America, and the rest of the world, off this addiction to OPEC oil can be picked out, and put into place.

Because of the need to trim the Federal budget, different Federal agencies are cutting back on the services that they provide to the public. One of the most recent has been the Energy Information Agency who have just explained in a press release, the cuts they are making. Bear in mind that this is the agency that is supposed to provide the information I have just said that we have to have. With a tip to Gregor, the cuts that are occurring are given below, together with a comment.
Oil and Natural Gas Information
- Do not prepare or publish 2011 edition of the annual data release on U.S. proved oil and natural gas reserves.
- Curtail efforts to understand linkages between physical energy markets and financial trading.
- Suspend analysis and reporting on the market impacts of planned refinery outages
- Curtail collection and dissemination of monthly state-level data on wholesale petroleum product prices, including gasoline, diesel, heating oil, propane, residual fuel oil, and kerosene. Also, terminate the preparation and publication of the annual petroleum marketing data report and the fuel oil and kerosene sales report.
- Suspend auditing of data submitted by major oil and natural gas companies and reporting on their 2010 financial performance through EIA's Financial Reporting System.
- Reduce collection of data from natural gas marketing companies.
- Cancel the planned increase in resources to be applied to petroleum data quality issues.
- Reduce data collection from smaller entities across a range of EIA oil and natural gas surveys.
Electricity, Renewables, and Coal Information
- Reduce data on electricity exports and imports.
- Terminate annual data collection and report on geothermal space heating (heat pump) systems.
- Terminate annual data collection and report on solar thermal systems.
- Reduce data collection from smaller entities across a range of EIA electricity and coal surveys.
Consumption, Efficiency, and International Energy Information
- Suspend work on EIA's 2011 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), the Nation's only source of statistical data for energy consumption and related characteristics of commercial buildings.
- Terminate updates to EIA's International Energy Statistics.
Energy Analysis Capacity
- Halt preparation of the 2012 edition of EIA's International Energy Outlook.
- Suspend further upgrades to the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). NEMS is the country's preeminent tool for developing projections of U.S. energy production, consumption, prices, and technologies and its results are widely used by policymakers, industry, and others in making energy-related decisions. A multiyear project to replace aging NEMS components will be halted.
- Eliminate annual published inventory of Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States.
- Limit responses to requests from policymakers for special analyses.
In addition to these program changes, EIA will cut live telephone support at its Customer Contact Center.
So, here we are in a mess. Generally when you’re in a mess it is a good idea to understand what the mess looks like, so that you can work out how to get out of it. But now that information is not going to be locally available. Yes there will still be the information from the IEA, though it is not really comparable, and OPEC itself provides Monthly Oil Market Reports, but that is a little less independent than most, and does not cover the internal production within this country that is a valuable tool to indicate how fast we are approaching the next crisis. (And the indications are that it may well hit right around the next election). And ignoring the information (or deliberately choosing not to collect it), is not going to affect the situation from developing, only perhaps possibly it might slow our noticing, but since we go to gas stations very regularly I think that is a bit doubtful.

At some point in the future, perhaps even that soon, politicians and administrators are going to complain “but nobody told us!!” and rush to blame the industry yet again. But the truth is, there was a group that was keeping the records, and who could tell those with the responsibility to fix it when there was a problem. And the Administration just closed it down. We will regret that lack of information and the warning messages that it would have brought.
NJ pre-draft camp tipping off
[College Basketball] (Yardbarker: College Basketball)
The NBA draft lottery is still nearly two weeks away, but teams are already hoping to find the next big thing. Or in the case of the Cavaliers, some young players who might be able to help them next season. Like nearly every team, the Cavs will be represented at a pre-draft combine this weekend in New Jersey. None of the players attending is an expected lottery selection, or even a first-rounder. Instead, most will be vying for a spot late in the draft. A select few may catapult themselves in ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

The NBA draft lottery is still nearly two weeks away, but teams are already hoping to find the next big thing. Or in the case of the Cavaliers, some young players who might be able to help them next season. Like nearly every team, the Cavs will be represented at a pre-draft combine this weekend in New Jersey. None of the players attending is an expected lottery selection, or even a first-rounder. Instead, most will be vying for a spot late in the draft. A select few may catapult themselves into the 25-35 range, but even that is a reach. No matter, anyone with a second-round pick is sure to keep a close eye on this weekend, in hopes of finding the next Landry Fields or Wesley Matthews -- or any other player who flew under the radar and turned into a viable NBA player. Basically, this is when the pre-draft stuff starts to get serious. Theres this and then theres the Chicago combine (May 20-22) with all the big-name prospects, said one Eastern Conference scout. Beyond that, everything will pretty much be determined when teams call in guys for individual workouts. Also, workouts like the one this weekend in New Jersey have taken on added significance, as a July lockout could cancel summer league. That means players who arent drafted in the first round will have limited opportunities to make an impression. For guys like that, it will pretty much be this weekend, followed by individual workouts, followed by the week between the draft and the end of the current collective bargaining agreement (June 23-30). This particular workout is being sponsored by New Jersey, New York and Houston, and takes place at the Nets practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J. As an aside, unconfirmed reports say Ohio State guard Jon Diebler -- who supposedly rejected an offer to participate initially -- will make the trip. The entire workout field looks like this, although not all of the names on the list have been confirmed: Saturday, May 7 Olu Ashaolu F 67 220 Louisiana Tech Deangelo Casto F 68 231 Washington State Mamadou Diarra C 70 240 USC Kim English GF 66 200 Missouri Ashton Gibbs G 62 190 Pittsburgh Troy Gillenwater F 67 225 New Mexico State Josh Harrellson C 610 275 Kentucky Tu Holloway G 60 185 Xavier Scotty Hopson GF 66 195 Tennessee Reggie Jackson G 63 208 Boston College Orlando Johnson G 65 205 UC Santa Barbara Reggie Johnson C 610 303 Miami Cory Joseph G 63 170 Texas Guy-Marc Michel C 70 270 Indiana Darius Morris G 64 190 Michigan Jamine Peterson F 66 230 Providence New Mexico (D-League) Carleton Scott F 68 218 Notre Dame Iman Shumpert G 64 200 Georgia Tech John Shurna F 68 210 Northwestern Hollis Thompson F 67 205 Georgetown Sunday, May 8 Jon Diebler G 66 200 Ohio State Lacedarius Dunn G 64 200 Baylor Mustapha Farrakhan G 64 181 Virginia Gary Flowers F 68 214 Southern Mississippi Austin Freeman G 64 195 Georgetown Andrew Goudelock G 62 200 College of Charleston Jerai Grant F 68 220 Clemson Justin Holliday F 185 185 Washington Tyler Honeycutt F 68 200 UCLA Rick Jackson F 69 240 Syracuse Delroy James F 68 220 Rhode Island Ravern Johnson F 67 205 Mississippi State DeAndre Liggins G 66 180 Kentucky Vernon Macklin FC 69 245 Florida Damian Saunders F 67 205 Duquesne Greg Smith FC 610 250 Fresno State Julyan Stone G 67 200 UTEP Malcolm Thomas F 68 220 San Diego State Isaiah Thomas G 58 180 Washington Chris Wright G 61 180 Georgetown
'Made in the USA' May Be Coming Back
[Deaf] (AllDeaf.com)
'Made in the U.S.A.' may be staging comeback - Business - US business - Made in America - msnbc.com he "Made in the USA" label may be poised for a comeback, a new study argues. The next few years will bring a wave of reinvestment by U.S. multinational manufacturers in their home base, as rising wages and a strong yuan currency make China a less attractive production center, the paper by the Boston Consulting Group predicts. The study, published on Thursday, says U.S. reinvestment will accelerat ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en

'Made in the U.S.A.' may be staging comeback - Business - US business - Made in America - msnbc.com he "Made in the USA" label may be poised for a comeback, a new study argues. The next few years will bring a wave of reinvestment by U.S. multinational manufacturers in their home base, as rising wages and a strong yuan currency make China a less attractive production center, the paper by the Boston Consulting Group predicts. The study, published on Thursday, says U.S. reinvestment will accelerate as the United States becomes one of the cheapest locations for manufacturing in the developed world. If it came to fruition, such reinvestment could speed up a delicate economic recovery that has yet to gain much traction. More must-read stories There is evidence the trend has already started: Caterpillar Inc. said last year it may produce construction excavators at U.S. facilities that are currently imported. NCR Corp. brought back production of automatic teller machines to Georgia, creating 870 jobs. Toymaker Wham-O moved production of Frisbees and Hula-Hoops from China and Mexico to the United States. More such announcements are likely over the next year or two, BCG says, citing conversations with clients. "If you work the math out using today's numbers. you'd still say it's a good idea to go to China," said Hal Sirkin, a senior BCG partner and lead author of the study. "(But) around 2015, you get to a point of indifference between producing in the U.S. and producing in China." Advertise | AdChoices Wages in China are still a fraction of what U.S. workers earn. Direct pay and benefits for production workers in the United States are about $22 per hour, versus only about $2 in China, roughly 9 percent of the U.S. cost. But that difference is expected to narrow, with the Chinese worker earning about 17 percent as much as his or her U.S. counterpart four years from now. Factoring in higher U.S. productivity rates, the weaker U.S. dollar and other factors, such as shipping costs, that difference could narrow further. The study predicts China will remain a major global player just less of an exporter to the United States. China will still export to Europe, whose workers are less able to move for jobs than U.S. workers are. U.S. wage advantages could eventually reach the point that European automakers will export U.S.-made cars to Europe, the study said. The appeal of a shorter supply chain and fewer headaches from issues like intellectual property will also help encourage jobs and production to come back to the United States, BCG said. Policy could also nudge manufacturers to make the move. High unemployment is driving state incentives to attract factories, while unions are becoming more flexible. Still, the study's thesis is based on assumptions that may not play out. One is that supply and demand of labor in China are increasingly moving out of balance. Another is that demand from a growing Chinese middle class will raise costs, as factories shift to producing for domestic consumption and workers demand more pay to pay for goods that were out of reach before. Also, the yuan's rally could reverse. Since China first loosened restrictions on trading the yuan, its value has steadily strengthened from more than 8 yuan to the U.S. dollar in 2005 to fewer than 6.5 per dollar now. The expected U.S. reinvestment, meanwhile, will affect some industries more than others. Shoes or clothing are work-intensive and do not require highly skilled labor. But higher-value goods made in lower volumes, such as home appliances and construction equipment, are more likely to bear the "Made in the USA" label in coming years especially if they are large and expensive to ship. General Electric Co's example supports the study's contentions. GE's appliance unit is in the middle of a four-year, $600 million plan to build up its manufacturing presence in Louisville, Kentucky, adding some 830 new jobs. "The default has been to say: 'Let's put the next plant in China,'" Sirkin said. "We're saying: 'Sit back and think through your options.'" BCG is a management consulting firm that advises large manufacturers on issues ranging from strategy to operations.
Fracking the Future: How Unconventional Gas Threatens Our Water, Health and Climate - Report
[Green] (DeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science)
Fracking the Future.png The United States is at the center of a high profile controversy over the threats posed by unconventional gas drilling, particularly surrounding the industry’s hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling techniques. Amidst the dirty energy industry’s rush to drill the last of America’s dwindling fossil fuel reserves, a growing number of independent scientists, politicians, environmental organizations and impacted citizens ar ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Fracking the Future.png

The United States is at the center of a high profile controversy over the threats posed by unconventional gas drilling, particularly surrounding the industry’s hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling techniques. Amidst the dirty energy industry’s rush to drill the last of America’s dwindling fossil fuel reserves, a growing number of independent scientists, politicians, environmental organizations and impacted citizens are urging the nation’s lawmakers to adopt a more cautious and informed approach to the fracked gas boom.

The oil and gas industry, however, is fighting back against calls for caution, suggesting that it has everything under control – much like it did prior to BP’s offshore drilling disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

In a new report released today, “Fracking the Future: How Unconventional Gas Threatens Water, Health, and Climate,” DeSmogBlog details the concerns that scientists, cancer specialists, ecologists, investigative journalists and others have raised about the unconventional gas boom. Featuring original interviews and unpublicized reports, “Fracking The Future” delves into many of the key issues in the unconventional gas debate.

DeSmogBlog is calling for a nationwide moratorium on fracking, citing the fact that the potential impacts on water, health, and climate appear greater than previously understood. A moratorium is necessary to protect the public while fracking is studied much more thoroughly in order to determine if the risks of this practice outweigh the benefits. 

Additionally, since state regulators have failed to safeguard the public from the ill effects of gas fracking, federal health and safety officials must be empowered to hold the gas industry accountable for damage to public health, drinking water and the environment.

The report traces the massive industry lobbying efforts to confuse the public and stifle long-overdue federal oversight of the unconventional gas drilling bonanza. We review the sordid history of industry favoritism by the Bush administration, typified by the infamous Halliburton Loophole, which created a recipe for recklessness that has led to air and water contamination and drilling-related accidents. But the prioritization of industry greed above public health and safety didn’t start there.

Since the Reagan era, those charged with protecting health and the environment have instead worked with the gas industry to minimize public awareness of its practices, and to hide the early warning signs regarding the inherent dangers of drilling deeper into the Earth for fossil fuels. State agencies have been pressured to accommodate the industry’s increasingly dangerous drilling techniques, and have largely enabled the poor, unmonitored practices common in the industry today.

The gas industry is investing millions of dollars each year to restrict oversight to the state level and thwart all federal involvement. The number of gas industry lobbyists has increased seven-fold in recent years, exhibiting the dangerous political sway the dirty energy industry exercises in Washington and at the local level across the nation.

Industry front groups like Energy in Depth (EID) play a pivotal role in the dissemination of misinformation and efforts to attack and silence those who attempt to call polluters to account.

Despite EID’s claims to represent small, independent “mom and pop” gas producers, internal industry documents uncovered by DeSmogBlog reveal that the group was created with seed funding from Big Oil multinationals. When communicating with its industry friends, EID continues to repeatedly tout the funding it receives from BP, Halliburton, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and other oil giants that certainly don’t fit the “mom and pop shop” characterization.

With international attention focused on the U.S. experience with unconventional gas, “Fracking the Future” urges a cautious approach and much greater industry transparency. The public deserves to know the true costs of fracked unconventional gas before allowing the oil and gas industry to carry on with its pursuit of this fossil fuel.

Read more: Fracking the Future: How Unconventional Gas Threatens Our Water, Health and Climate
California 'Dream Act' clears Assembly
[Sacramento Bee] (SacBee -- Capitol and California)
Illegal immigrants could receive college financial aid under legislation approved Thursday by the Assembly and apparently destined for the desk of a new Democratic governor who supports the concept. Maria Luna, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, wears her graduation cap from California State University, Sacramento, as she watches Assembly action Thursday on a college aid bill that would help some undocumented students. Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, left, talks with ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Illegal immigrants could receive college financial aid under legislation approved Thursday by the Assembly and apparently destined for the desk of a new Democratic governor who supports the concept.

Maria Luna, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, wears her graduation cap from California State University, Sacramento, as she watches Assembly action Thursday on a college aid bill that would help some undocumented students.

Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, left, talks with Jorge Herrera, 18, of Carson after Cedillo's measure won Assembly passage. Herrera, an undocumented immigrant and college student, says he entered the country at age 4.
California 'Dream Act' clears Assembly
[Sacramento Bee] (SacBee -- State Politics)
Illegal immigrants could receive college financial aid under legislation approved Thursday by the Assembly and apparently destined for the desk of a new Democratic governor who supports the concept. Maria Luna, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, wears her graduation cap from California State University, Sacramento, as she watches Assembly action Thursday on a college aid bill that would help some undocumented students. Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, left, talks with ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Illegal immigrants could receive college financial aid under legislation approved Thursday by the Assembly and apparently destined for the desk of a new Democratic governor who supports the concept.

Maria Luna, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, wears her graduation cap from California State University, Sacramento, as she watches Assembly action Thursday on a college aid bill that would help some undocumented students.

Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, left, talks with Jorge Herrera, 18, of Carson after Cedillo's measure won Assembly passage. Herrera, an undocumented immigrant and college student, says he entered the country at age 4.
California 'Dream Act' clears Assembly
[Sacramento Bee] (SacBee -- Top Stories)
Illegal immigrants could receive college financial aid under legislation approved Thursday by the Assembly and apparently destined for the desk of a new Democratic governor who supports the concept. Maria Luna, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, wears her graduation cap from California State University, Sacramento, as she watches Assembly action Thursday on a college aid bill that would help some undocumented students. Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, left, talks with ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Illegal immigrants could receive college financial aid under legislation approved Thursday by the Assembly and apparently destined for the desk of a new Democratic governor who supports the concept.

Maria Luna, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, wears her graduation cap from California State University, Sacramento, as she watches Assembly action Thursday on a college aid bill that would help some undocumented students.

Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, left, talks with Jorge Herrera, 18, of Carson after Cedillo's measure won Assembly passage. Herrera, an undocumented immigrant and college student, says he entered the country at age 4.
J & J Cellars 2008 Mixed Red - 4 Pack
[Wine] (Woot Wine! - One Week, One Wine)
Wine-astyA good soap opera should start with an exciting theme song. Too bad we don’t have the budget for that.“Well, well, well. Barbera. I didn’t think you’d come crawling back to the Paso Robles Appelation.” “Thought you scared me away, Tempranillo? Well, I guess that made sense once upon a time. After all, back in 2008, when we all started, you had Merlot in your back pocket, didn’t you? He would have given you anything. In fact… I think he did!” KLIK “Oh, dearest Barb ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en
Wine-asty

A good soap opera should start with an exciting theme song. Too bad we don’t have the budget for that.

“Well, well, well. Barbera. I didn’t think you’d come crawling back to the Paso Robles Appelation.”

“Thought you scared me away, Tempranillo? Well, I guess that made sense once upon a time. After all, back in 2008, when we all started, you had Merlot in your back pocket, didn’t you? He would have given you anything. In fact… I think he did!”

KLIK

“Oh, dearest Barbera. I’m on fire for you. Your aromas of sweet caramel, black cherry, pomegranate, spice, all balanced by your smooth tannins.”

“Darling, darling Merlot. Every time I taste black licorice, dried herbs, Bing cherries and a hint of chocolate, I think of you. But what if you don’t really love me? What if I’m just a fling?”

“Darling, you’re no fling. I know my brother Reserve toyed with you before, but I’d-”

“No, darling, please! He was just a Petite Sirah, but he thought his flavors of ripe plum, fig and black coffee with a framing of vanilla, tobacco and oak tannins made him… made him… oh, when he threw me away for that common tramp Tempranillo… oh, send her away, my love! Don’t let her come between you and I!”

KLIK

“Where did you get that recording, Tempranillo?”

“That doesn’t matter, Barbera. What matters is that I’ve got it now. And it’s proof that you never forgave me for taking that Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.”

“Hmph. And don’t forget about the additional Gold Medal you won at the Tasters Guild International Wine Judging.”

“Oh, thank you, Barbera! I’ve won so many, it’s hard to keep track! I guess tasting of licorice and sweet berries with a lingering finish does that to a girl. Not that you’d know. Are those new, sweetie? They seem a little lopsided.”

“YOU TRAMP, TEMPRANILLO!”

slap

“OH! HOW DARE YOU, BARBERA? HOW DARE YOU?”

slap

“When Merlot and Reserve Petite Sirah hear of this- ow! My hair!”

“You don’t have the guts to tell them about me! We’ve all been a four pack together, aging since 2008! You tear us apart, the entire J&J Cellars empire would go down with it!”

“No, not the pool!”

sploosh

“Looks like you’re all wet now, Barbera!”

“Looks like I am, Tempranillo… but so is your tape!”

“Oh! Curse you, Barbera! You grabbed it from my hand as you fell! Now I don’t have any evidence!”

“Are you sure you’re vintage 2008, my dear? Because you really don’t seem to have aged as well as me. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

“This isn’t over, Barbera!”

“Of course not, darling. What would be the fun in that?”

J & J 2008 Barbera
- Brix: 26
- Alcohol: 15%
- Acidity: 7.8g/L
- pH: 3.23
- RS: .04%
This wine has aromas and flavors of sweet caramel, juicy black cherry, pomegranate, and spice, all balanced by smooth tannins.
J & J 2008 Merlot
- Brix: 23
- Alcohol: 13.06%
- Acidity: 5.1g/L
- pH: 3.86
- RS: .27%
This wine shows aromas and flavors of Bing cherries, black licorice, dried herbs, and a hint of chocolate, finishing with well-balanced tannins.

J & J 2008 Tempranillo
- Brix: 25
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Acidity: 5.3g/L
- pH: 4
- RS: .2%
This wine has aromas and flavors of licorice and sweet berries with a broad bank of tannin and a lingering finish.

J & J 2008 Reserve Petite Sirah
- Brix: 24
- Alcohol: 13.37%
- Acidity: 5.9g/L
- pH: 3.64
- RS: .34%
This is an intense wine with flavors of ripe plum, fig and black coffee framed by vanilla, tobacco, and oak tannins.

Rules and restrictions:
- Wine sold by winery
- You must be 21 or older to order
- Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
- If you're drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
- Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
- We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address
Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District Of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
If your state's not on the list, you're out of luck... for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.

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Price: $49.99

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Letter from AmeriKat: Happy Cinco de Mayo!
[Patents] (The IPKat)
The AmeriKat is currently enjoying a fridge stocked full of proper lemonade, paper cartons of milk, and chile rellenos. This can mean only one thing - she is back in the land of the free and the home of the brave. She has returned home for an attempt of a "vacation" before she prowls over to INTA next week, but so far her Blackberry has been making it necessary to straddle the 7 hour time zone between work and play. However, today is cause for celebration in the U.S. as today is Cinco de May ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

The AmeriKat is currently enjoying a fridge stocked full of proper lemonade, paper cartons of milk, and chile rellenos. This can mean only one thing - she is back in the land of the free and the home of the brave. She has returned home for an attempt of a "vacation" before she prowls over to INTA next week, but so far her Blackberry has been making it necessary to straddle the 7 hour time zone between work and play. However, today is cause for celebration in the U.S. as today is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that commemorates the Mexican militia's victory over France in The Battle of Puebla in 1862. The day is celebrated with Mexican food and music throughout the US but mostly in predominately Hispanic areas, such as the AmeriKat's home state and current location of New Mexico. (picture, above - the AmeriKat in her celebratory hat) So in celebration of today, she is making her way to Albuquerque's Old Town to breathe in the sites and smells of the day. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Tyson's Tattooist Tattles on Film

Last Friday, Victor Whitmill, the tattoo artist who designed and tattooed the left side of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in 2003 sued Warner Brothers for copyright infringement over allegations that the studio has copied the tattoo design in its upcoming movie, The Hangover Part II. Whitmill has asked a Eastern District of Missouri court to injunct Warner Brothers from copying, distributing and publicly displaying the design in the film and promotional marketing of the sequel to the 2009 box-office success, The Hangover.

Whitmill, a resident of Missouri, created the tattoo for Tyson in February 2003 while living in Las Vegas. The copyright in the tattoo design, located on the upper left side of Tyson' face (picture, right), is owned by Whitmill and Tyson additionally signed a release acknowledging the same. The complaint argues that Whitmill has never reproduced, authorized or licenced the design to anyone else, making Warner Brothers use of the design even more "reckless". Whitmill claims that the Warner Brother's film, The Hangover 2, features a "virtually exact reproduction of the Original Tattoo, which appears on the upper left side of the Stu Price character's face, played by actor Ed Helms." The tattoo also features on Helms's face in the advertising poster for the movie (picture, below). A close-up of the tattoo does show that the features of the design are substantially replicated, but the scaling is smaller on Helms's face than it is on Tyson's. It should be noted that there is a possible interesting complication in this complaint is that Mike Tyson appeared in the first The Hangover movie in 2009.

Whitmill registered the copyright in the tattoo, known on the register as "Tribal Tattoo" on 19 April 2011. Although copyright registration is not compulsory to afford protection in the U.S. (thank you Berne Convention), a work of US origin must be registered before infringement proceedings are filed. Registration also affords a plaintiff the ability to claim for statutory damages and attorney's fees in some circumstances, as well as the ability to point to a prior registration when enforcing their rights. However, because the first publication of the work was in 2003, more than five years before the registration, the registration is not considered prima facie evidence in court.

The most interesting part of this case is whether this work is protectable by copyright law. Like the UK, the US has a requirement that copyright protects "original works of authorship" that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. So far so good. The tattoo design is assumingly original and it is fixed by way of permanent ink onto flesh in an expression which is capable of communication. However the 1983 UK case of Merchandising Corporation of America v Harpbond, aka the Adam Ant case, may point that such a conclusion is not necessary easy to arrive at. The Adam Ant (picture, left) case centered on Adam Ant's facial decoration being refused copyright protection by a UK court because the designs were applied with face paint. Face paint, being removable, was deemed not to be a sufficient "fixation" under the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 because it was not sufficiently permanent to be deemed a "work".

However, Whitmill's work is permanently inked into the skin of Tyson, so unlike face paint, there is no danger of being easily erased, unless Tyson undergoes laser removal. If this case was in the UK, this surely must then be sufficiently permanent to be classified as a work and the same should also apply in the U.S. If so, is the lesson then that if make up artists and entertainers wish to have copyright protection in their facial decoration (a la David Bowie, Alice Cooper) they must tattoo it on their face? Perhaps more reasonably it would be better for the make-up artists to work from a sketch, and thus any copies of the work would be an infringement of the sketch and not the arguably non-permanent, unprotectable facial decoration.

The AmeriKat was reminded by a reader how interesting a case it would be where a work was tattooed onto a client with out permission from the copyright owner and infringement proceedings brought against the tattooist. What would the remedy be? Destruction, by way of laser removal, of the client's tattoo? Delivery up of the client himself?

Also what sort of terms should a client be signing up to with a tattoo artists? In this case Tyson signed a release saying that Whitmill owned the copyright in the work, but did Whitmill then grant Tyson a perpetual licence to publicly display the copyright work? If so, is there a potential claim against Tyson himself for apperance in the 2009 film? The AmeriKat thinks this is a fascinating discussion about the cross-section of decorative body arts, free speech and copyright. Do any readers have any first hand experience with this industry?

Judge rules construction can go ahead - ESPN

[Construction] (CONSTRUCTION NEWS - Google News)

SuperSport.com Judge rules construction can go ahead ESPN AP MONTERREY, Mexico -- Construction of a 6000-plus-capacity athletes' village for October's Pan American Games in Guadalajara can continue after a federal judge suspended an earlier court order halting work. A state judge ordered construction on the Work continues on athletes village for PanAm GamesUSA Today all 51 news articles » ...

[details] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Police find body of deceased male alongside I-40
[Racism] (Search for "racism")
According to New Mexico State police the body of a deceased man was discovered Thursday morning alongside I-40 east of Grants.

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

According to New Mexico State police the body of a deceased man was discovered Thursday morning alongside I-40 east of Grants.
Moderate earthquakes strike Mexico, Alaska, Japan
[Politics] (Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News)
Source: [b]cnn[/b] Moderate earthquakes struck in Mexico, Alaska and Japan on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The first earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 struck in southwestern Mexico, in the state of Guerrero, according to the USGS. The Mexican Seismological Service put ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Source: [b]cnn[/b]

Moderate earthquakes struck in Mexico, Alaska and Japan on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The first earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 struck in southwestern Mexico, in the state of Guerrero, according to the USGS. The Mexican Seismological Service put ...
College Track & Field Power Rankings for week of May 3, 2011
[Sports] (Women Talk Sports | Latest News and Blog Posts)
Not much has changed at the top since last week. Powerful performances by LSU and Texas A&M at the Penn Relays prove why they're at the top of the rankings for both men and women.The Superfan’s Men’s Power Rankings for May 4, 2011(last week's ranking in parenthesis)1. Texas A&M (1)2. Florida (4)3. LSU (2)4. Florida State (3)5. BYU (9)6. Arkansas (6)7. Texas (5)8. Stanford (20)9. Minnesota (7)10. Nebraska ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 275 days ago lang: en

Not much has changed at the top since last week. Powerful performances by LSU and Texas A&M at the Penn Relays prove why they're at the top of the rankings for both men and women.The Superfan’s Men’s Power Rankings for May 4, 2011(last week's ranking in parenthesis)1. Texas A&M (1)2. Florida (4)3. LSU (2)4. Florida State (3)5. BYU (9)6. Arkansas (6)7. Texas (5)8. Stanford (20)9. Minnesota (7)10. Nebraska (12)11. Oregon (11)12. Wisconsin (14)13. Virginia Tech (10)14. UCLA (15) - beat Southern Cal15. Arizona State (16) - beat Arizona and Northern Arizona16. Georgia (17)17. Texas Tech (13)18. Southern Cal (8) - lost to UCLA19. Arizona (22) - lost to Arizona State, beat Northern Arizona20. Indiana (18)21. Ohio State (21)22. Oklahoma (24)23. Washington (19) - beat Washington State24. Iowa (23)25. Penn State (NR)Close, but not quite: Air Force, Akron, Baylor, Cornell, Houston, Mississippi St., New Mexico, North Carolina, Princeton, Washington St.The big movement upward was made by Stanford. This is partly due to me still tinkering with the formula, but also because they ran some pretty good times at the Cardinal Invitational.The big movement downward was made by Southern Cal, who lost at home to UCLA.The Superfan’s Women’s Power Rankings for May 4, 2011(last week's ranking in parenthesis)1. Texas A&M (1)2. LSU (2)3. Oregon (3)4. Arkansas (5)5. Nebraska (7)6. Clemson (4)7. Texas (6)8. Oklahoma (9)9. Arizona State (11) - beat Arizona and Northern Arizona10. Arizona (8) - lost to Arizona State, beat Northern Arizona11. Stanford (14)12. Florida State (10)13. Southern Cal (15) - beat UCLA14. Texas Tech (12)15. BYU (13)16. Tennessee (17)17. Penn State (20)18. Georgia (18)19. North Carolina (16)20. Ohio State (19)21. California (22)22. Auburn (24)23. Florida (NR)24. Indiana (25)25. Central Florida (21)Close, but not quite: Baylor, Duke, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Sacramento St., South Carolina, Southern Illinois
San Diego Chargers Draft Successes - #1 DRUM ROLL PLEASE
[San Diego Chargers] (Bolts From The Blue)
As much as it may seem like I'm mean for thinking it, I'm glad this list has had a little bit on controversy. Many didn't agree with me leaving off Philip Rivers (not drafted by the Chargers), Jamal Williams (supplemental draft pick) or Antonio Gates (not drafted at all). Others didn't like that LaDainian Tomlinson, arguably the greatest Chargers player of all time, came in as the #3 greatest draft success of recent memory for the Bolts. These are all valid points and things that I struggled wit ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

As much as it may seem like I'm mean for thinking it, I'm glad this list has had a little bit on controversy. Many didn't agree with me leaving off Philip Rivers (not drafted by the Chargers), Jamal Williams (supplemental draft pick) or Antonio Gates (not drafted at all). Others didn't like that LaDainian Tomlinson, arguably the greatest Chargers player of all time, came in as the #3 greatest draft success of recent memory for the Bolts.

These are all valid points and things that I struggled with in making this list. However, I stick by my top 10 and am happy to finally announce to you all who is number one. But first, because this is being posted about a week later than it was supposed to be, a free shout out to Bud Light! "Bud Light, it's the only beer that my mom will drink!" (Editor's note: Any jokes about my mom in the comments will get you immediately and permanently banned)

The rules of my selections stated that players drafted in 1994 or sooner were the only ones eligible. Lucky for Rodney Harrison that I picked that year, otherwise he would not have made the cut and would not have been the #1 draft success of the San Diego Chargers.

The biggest reason Harrison is up this high is not that he was a great player, which he was, but is that the Bolts found such a great player in the middle of the 5th round. This was no A.J. Smith "best draft ever" either. The team lucked into Harrison. Here's how that draft went for San Diego:

Isaac Davis, G Arkansas
Vaughn Parker, G UCLA
Andre Coleman, WR Kansas State
Willie Clark, CB Notre Dame
Aaron Lang, TE New Mexico State
Rodney Harrison, SS Western Illinois
Darren Krein, DE Miami (FL)
Tony Vinson, RB Towson
Zane Beehn, Kentucky

Outside of Parker and Harrison, do you recognize any of those names? Me neither. I can't imagine the team was picking Rodney and saying "This guy's a future Hall of Famer who will help turn this team around when paired with Junior Seau." The only other player picked in Harrison's round with any kind of success was the Packers' selection of Dorsey Levens.

Much of Harrison's Hall of Fame resume will center on him winning two Super Bowls (and almost a third) with the New England Patriots after being released by the Chargers. In San Diego's defense, Harrison's last two seasons were disappointing (especially in terms of coverage) and they needed to get younger/cheaper quickly. Before being released, though, Harrison built a resume that easily makes him the best Safety in Chargers history.

Here's his stats from his time in blue and gold: 123 games (97 starts), 759 tackles, 21.5 sacks, 26 INTs, 21 defended passes, 8 forced fumbles, 2 touchdowns. That makes up for about two-thirds of his career totals, which makes sense considering he played 9 of his 15 seasons with the Chargers. He made the Pro Bowl twice, both times with San Diego.

When a team uses a top 5 pick on a player, their range of expectation in somewhere between "Superstar for a long time" to "average starter". When they're picking guys like Shaun Phillips in the 4th round or Rodney Harrison in the 5th, the range of realistic expectation is somewhere between "average starter" and "washout". When a team can take one of these guys and turn them into a Pro Bowler, or 7+ seasons of them being a top 3 player at their position, that's about as good a value as you're going to get from a draft pick. That's why the choice could not have been anyone but Rodney Harrison.

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Mag Silver awarded damages against Fresnillo
[Vancouver] (Vancouver local news from Metronews.ca)
VANCOUVER - Mag Silver Corp. (TSX:MAG) said Thursday it has been awarded US$1.86 million by international panel for costs in defending against what it called an "improper take-under bid" for the company by its joint venture partner, Fresnillo plc. The exploration-stage miner with interests in the Mexican silver belt said the decision was rendered by a three-member arbitral panel of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. It unanimously ruled that Fresni ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

VANCOUVER - Mag Silver Corp. (TSX:MAG) said Thursday it has been awarded US$1.86 million by international panel for costs in defending against what it called an "improper take-under bid" for the company by its joint venture partner, Fresnillo plc.

The exploration-stage miner with interests in the Mexican silver belt said the decision was rendered by a three-member arbitral panel of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.

It unanimously ruled that Fresnillo had committed numerous breaches and violations of the shareholders agreement governing the Juanicipio joint venture, including the breach of a standstill provision which prohibits any attempt by Fresnillo to directly or indirectly take control of Mag without Mag's consent.

It said the decision, written in Spanish, is currently being translated into English.

However, it said that "among other things, the ICC awarded approximately US$1.86 million in damages to Mag, which represents Mag's costs of defending Fresnillo's bid in late 2008 and 2009."

Mag is conducting ongoing exploration of properties in Mexico including a silver, lead and zinc discovery and a moly-gold discovery at its 100 per cent owned Cinco de Mayo property in Chihuahua state.

Mag and Fresnillo are jointly developing the Valdecanas deposit on the Juanicipio joint venture in Zacatecas State.

On the Toronto Stock Exchange, Mag stock was down 18 cents at $10.50 Thursday afternoon.
Weekly Unemployment Claims Soar to 474,000; Bogus Excuses Offered
[Economics] (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
The number of people filing initial unemployment claims soared to 474,000 this week, surpassing the most bearish forecast of all 46 economists in a Bloomberg economic survey. Please consider the Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for the week ending April 30, 2011.In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 474,000, an increase of 43,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 431,000. The 4-week moving average was 4 ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

The number of people filing initial unemployment claims soared to 474,000 this week, surpassing the most bearish forecast of all 46 economists in a Bloomberg economic survey.

Please consider the Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for the week ending April 30, 2011.
In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 474,000, an increase of 43,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 431,000. The 4-week moving average was 431,250, an increase of 22,250 from the previous week's revised average of 409,000.
Weekly Claims and 4-Week Average Up 3 Consecutive Weeks

Seasonally Adjusted 4-Week Moving Average of Initial Claims

Bogus Excuses Offered

Please consider U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Jump on Auto Shutdowns

The number of claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, pushed up by auto-plant shutdowns and other unusual events that seasonal variations failed to take into account, the Labor Department said.

A spring break holiday at schools in the state of New York prompted workers to file claims, which the seasonal adjustment factors didn’t expect last week, the Labor Department official said. In addition, Oregon began a new emergency benefits program for the long-term unemployed that also pulled in some new claimants, he said. Finally, auto plant shutdowns due to parts shortages caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan also contributed to the increase, the official said.
Spring Break in New York? New Oregon Benefits?

From the first link...
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 23 were in New Jersey (+5,326), Massachusetts (+4,027), Pennsylvania (+2,306), Ohio (+1,700), and Connecticut (+1,601), while the largest decreases were in Florida (-1,861), North Carolina (-1,662), Missouri (-1,618), New Mexico (-1,417), and Arizona (-1,138).
An Eye Test

Just to make sure that I am not blind, does anyone see either New York or Oregon in that list?

However, I must point out that was for the week ending April 23, not April 30. Then again, the Oregon extension kicked in for the week ending April 23.

This of course has me wondering what extended emergency benefits have to do with "initial" claims in the first place unless someone dropping off the list then coming back on a week later counts as an "initial" claim.

As a point of reference, also note the Spring Break in New York City was as follows: Monday April 18 Through Tuesday April 26 including Good Friday, Easter and Passover.

What kind of silly system allows teachers to file for unemployment benefits for a one-week recess? For that matter, why should they be able to file even for a whole summer?

Nonetheless, let's watch to see next week if there is some huge jump for New York or Oregon. If not, this was a huge smoke-blowing exercise.

Manufacturing Slowdown Theory vs. Service Sector Theory

There is some merit to the possibility of a manufacturing slowdown caused by Japan.

However, I have a more likely explanation. Here it is: Non-Manufacturing ISM Plunges Below Prediction of All 73 Economists, New Orders Collapse, Prices Firm; Did Rosenberg Capitulate at the Top?

Rate of growth in the service sector unexpected plunged in April. Employment is barely expanding. Given the service sector is a huge percentage of the economy, and the plunge was missed by 73 of 73 economists, I will stick with my explanation vs. the explanation of the Department of Labor unless proven otherwise.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
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Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.
Them Who Shall Be Asked for Papers
[Feminism] (Shakesville)
by Nezua [Trigger warning for racism, violence, Othering, dehumanization.] Hola, family. My name is Nezua and you may know me as the creator of The Unapologetic Mexican blog. My thanks to Melissa for inviting me to write here at Shakesville, after her reading a stream of tweets I fired off in reaction to the White House releasing President Obama's long form birth certificate in response to Donald Skunkstump's blathering about all the darkies at the water fountain or whatever it was he was tryi ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

by Nezua

[Trigger warning for racism, violence, Othering, dehumanization.]

Hola, family. My name is Nezua and you may know me as the creator of The Unapologetic Mexican blog. My thanks to Melissa for inviting me to write here at Shakesville, after her reading a stream of tweets I fired off in reaction to the White House releasing President Obama's long form birth certificate in response to Donald Skunkstump's blathering about all the darkies at the water fountain or whatever it was he was trying to say. I know that moment has been eclipsed in the media since Osama Bin Laden was reportedly killed, but the issue of US and THEM is not unrelated, and Them Who Shall Be Asked for Papers know this as well as anyone.

This is an article I have taken my time with, and brevity was not the first priority. It will not be a fast read. I hope you can get to it with a drink, or a sandwich, or a cup of tea.

We begin, but do not end, with the sensational incident where the Obama White House, under Trumpian pressure, produced for public inspection the President's "long form" birth certificate.

I do not know how successful I will be in my attempts to navigate the journey, but I think it's important to move from an immediate feeling of hurt or anger to a broader view of the very thing that moves behind this event and is so upsetting about it. This is what I will try to do.

* * *

Why can't we roam this open country?
Oh, why can't we be what we wanna be?
We want to be free.

--Bob Marley, 3 o'Clock Roadblock
ROADBLOCK

What a frenzy.

What a storm of feelings, thoughts, tweets, and emotions were exploded into view with that one event, where the President of the United States of America—a man of color—answered the insincere jeering of a single white citizen by producing his identity papers for inspection. As if our duly elected President was but a teen at a police checkpoint, wearing baggy pants and with his hands up against the hood. As if he were a young man standing on a corner looking Mexicano, immediately suspect and thus beholden to the law man to prove he was not up to criminal acts. What a shaking of the timbers of racial history were felt up and down the blogosphere in this one simple happening.

And rightly so. What a harsh reality we trade in; that it will take far more time than our grandparents', parents', or our own lifetimes to evolve past the sickly, sadistic, inhuman history we Americans share on matters of race. In matters of history—look to Mexico, or China, or Egypt—this country is in an infantile stage. And the things that were done to African Americans, and Indians (indigenous peoples from el Norte as well as from south of the "border"); to Chinese and Japanese and Chileans and so on.... These ghosts will not fade fast.

Donald Trump is one of those ghosts, his expression forever puckered like a lemon-shocked anus-mouth, his mind alight with tired stereotypes and bursts of fart-static. A clown who doesn't have the decency to laugh at himself.

And Donald is so easy to hate, isn't he? Because he is a hateful man. And because he enlists the powers of hate, hate long rooted in American soil. Hate that long ago drew blood and tossed ropes and smiled for the picture as the body cooled to a dusk-like temperature. Hate that raided Native American villages to murder sleeping children. Hate that buffed its boots before demanding that black men duck their eyes, and go drink from some other fountain. Hate that considers women, and Blacks and Cubans and Haitians and Iraqis and Afghanis and Mexican and Chinese and Vietnamese and Puerto Rican as less than human. Hate today that spends Joe Arpaio's paycheck, props up his decaying frame, and parades his prisoners in pink. Hate yesterday that reneged on treaties, and swallowed up gold, and burned codices.

Donald Trump is animated by the very same hate that is used to divide so many people today, and strives to obscure the roots of our liberation as it obscures the hands that lock the cuffs on us. It is a disease of the mind and soul called White Supremacy. And in the land wherein this virus thrives, certain kinds of men, with their ballooned minds and feverish egos, get to demand certain concessions from other people: that you surrender your papers; that you not harbor anger in your eye or your tone lest it be beaten out of you; that law shall endorse such beatings; that you prone out on the ground with a gun in your back at a moment's notice; that you swallow a bullet if the bully feels sexy while perched up there and straddled around your spine. It is a land where you apologize for a role you never asked for but is ascribed to you by thieves and liars; where They will always have the right to tell you to pull over and prove yourself, and where You will always comply and perhaps be allowed to live with just humiliation if you are lucky enough to walk away with your life.

And so the target of so much history, for a day, becomes Donald "I am the Patriarchy" Trump. And many hearts seethe for his being so cruel as to remind us of our history, and to imply that even when you gain The Most Powerful Office in the World, it means nothing next to the anger of a White Man. It was the same reminder Republican Senator Joe "YOU LIE" Wilson gave us when he shouted down the President of the United States in the middle of an address that was adorned with all the pomp and decorum as we see fit to afford our nation's executive leader. That shout, that demand to show papers, that insistence that you duck your eyes, it hisses You can even become President, but you still are not White. Which means you are not really the President. Don't go dreaming that somehow you are now more powerful than me, darkie.

And as an immediate and visceral (and predictable) reaction, what did so many of us people of color need to see the President do? We needed him to scoff at the implication that such assertions could be true. We needed him to refute that reality. To deny it exists. To stand up and stand proud. To destroy that reality with a new action.

Was coughing up the papers but then roasting Trump at a gala dinner in front of the Press enough? Was ordering the home invasion and murder of a wanted man of color in Pakistan enough to erase that reality? Perhaps for our empathy with Obama being humiliated, it was. Perhaps now the unpleasant memory of watching the national daddy figure bow to a carnival barker has been mitigated for most. Maybe now that feeling, as if we watched the POTUS hand over his lunch money to bullies, has been nullified, gunsmoke wafting about our heads like purifying incense smoke.

And I suppose it is best to take the man at his word: he saw the Birtherism (also known as "Racism") wasn't going to go away and wanted to squash it and force the GOP ravers into a corner by removing what he saw as their last leg in what was left of the Birther argument.

But I do not think it does the larger issue any service to forget it when the feelings fade, or to imagine it resolved because the President has shown his papers, is in the clear, and we are feeling tough again because, damn son—he's got that killer instinct. Just as Rosa Parks' challenge was not to one bus driver, but to an entire system of inequality, this matter is much broader and deeper than the pageantry that recently unfolded between two rich men on TV.

Yes, the dynamic where we identify culturally or ethnically in some way with President Obama (and as a man of color, I do) leads us to watch the disgusting Trump claim victory for making the President skip on command, and we fume with empathy. We gnash our teeth and swear our allegiance all over again to Barack, this poor besieged man who has to endure the barbs and slings of Age Old Racism. This intelligent, thoughtful scholar, statesman, gentleman, father and husband. This President who bears up nobly in conditions potentially humiliating, conditions asked of no other President has been before him. We spit on the ground and growl Trump's name. We swear to show up in the voting booth for the Democrats...as if that in any measurable way addresses the larger issue of Them Who Shall Be Asked for Papers.

CONQUER AND DIVIDE

I should probably clearly state the obvious in case it is not as obvious as I'd hope: the American Black experience is deep, unique, and I highly respect it. I would never claim to see it in all its parts or stand within it. I am not pretending to have any stake or voice therein. At the same time, I have my own experiences as a Xicano, and there is some degree of overlap between the experiences of all people of color in this nation. This I know from years of activism and friendships and conversations with people of different ethnicities.

Also—quite important to suss out and account for—there are (exploitable) gaps between our experiences. It is in those gaps that divide and conquer wedges are introduced by the ruling class.

Strategically, it is in marginalized peoples' great interest to discover these gaps ourselves so they cannot be exploited casually. It is in our great interest to find them, examine them, and prepare for the attacks that will be launched; attacks that would seek to exploit the latent weaknesses that could threaten our unity as people marginalized and exploited by the oppressive, racist hand of law. Black and Brown alike suffer behind the racist criminal justice system, for starters. Statistics for both Latinos as well as Blacks are disproportionately high for the actual number of crimes that run rampant through all communities, when compared. This is so because the law continues old power differentials and is implemented by human beings who have been conditioned by the same society.

And because law begins as idea, and only becomes strapped with force when enough people agree on that idea.

One of the ways that unfortunate ideas become commonly accepted is by the use of emotional triggers to mislead thought and obscure the true machinations of state or corporate power.

It is necessary to deny the apparent binaries here.

1. This is not just a black/white issue. Take it from Chuck D. And for all of us who care, there is a way to channel the need to see justice done in the wake of this ugly moment. There are other peoples and communities who would greatly benefit from our consideration in the current context. People who would suffer in continued indignities and abuse were we to avoid using that lens in a broader sense. Other communities that are having their own dignity denied, with not just social pressure demanding they suborn themselves and produce papers for how they look (not white), but laws. Laws and actions, I'm sorry to say, that are supported very much by President Obama. Laws being snuck under the radar that increase the reach of the surveillance state, as well as that feed into the growing prison and detention industry in the U.S. Like the actions of the Department of Homeland Security's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

I will be more specific on these both in a moment. But I wanted to prepare the soil of your imagination for this turn of thought. I invite you to explore these ideas:

--- The President, seemingly the unwilling subject of this degrading and dehumanizing shape of act before our eyes—being forced to show papers in the course of his day, with no reason but for the fact that he is not a pale man called Smith—supports that very idea being implemented for others who Appear Foreign, and is directly involved with making this a reality across America.

--- If it bothers me that he, as one person (and a very powerful one on the continuum considered) is subject to this, how can I engage the larger fight where millions are subjected to this? Millions of very vulnerable people. Not graduates of Ivy League schools; not powerful politicians with millions of dollars at their disposal, and millions of people clamoring to back them up.

2. This is not a struggle between Barack H. Obama and Donald Whatever Trump. Nor one between their persons or personalities. Sure, let us consider their power and from where their power derives, and what they use it for. Let us give context to the scene and the players. But we really don't need to make either of them a demon or a hero for us to successfully engage this important fight. In fact, doing so will dilute our powers of observation and thought.

3. The battle is not between the Evil, Rich, Racist Ole GOP and the Beleaguered, Liberal, Bullied, Righteous Democrats.If I may presume to know and say so, the battle at the heart of this outrage and hurt here, is for principles. For human dignity, and human rights. The battle is for integrity. The battle is against racist hate shaped into popular opinion and finally, given the force of the masses' will—be it in the shape of social pressure, law, violence, or all three.

Going forward, we must recognize the possible faultline that divides certain viewpoints rooted in the Black American experience from certain viewpoints in the Mexican American community, as well as in the Pro-Migrant community. Especially when exploited by the powers that be. We must dwell in our connectedness. It's not hard. I know I don't just care for Mexicanos. I care for all people who suffer behind the racist machinations afoot in the nation today.

4. It's not citizens vs. immigrants. Human rights, dignity, fairness: these are not things we should let legal terms determine. These are things we want human beings to have. Don't let the squirming exploiters and vampires at the top whisper to us the nightmarish myth of scarcity. Things only seem scarce when a small group of people need to capitalize on many people's energies and resources, and this profit-making pyramid shape enforces an artificial scarcity.

When we feel we cannot even take care of "our own," it's easy to let a feeling of solidarity slip away. It makes me sad when I see people of color who should understand and join in the struggle that Mexicanos and other immigrants face today, but who veer away from that struggle imagining that immigrants represent a threat to their own community. This is the voice of White Supremacy, and it's a bullhorn turned on all day and night in this land, so I understand. But when in all important ways our struggle is the same, "our own" can be an expansive thing—and these larger numbers will render us more powerful to fight those exploiters at the top, already unfairly given advantage.

Many of today's most important issues deal with power differentials between the very rich, and the rest of us. Immigration is one of the most important areas for us to mind. Many issues come together here. Drug war, Commerce, and the Economy. Lines of ownership; lines that signify an US and THEM, borders that we end up believing need small army units and millions of dollars of technology in guns, drones, and surveillance equipment to maintain their reality; their solidity.

In the issue of immigration and corporate abuse of borders and employees is revealed the secret of how towns and communities become economically destroyed by corporate powers being above the law, and exploiting the worker. In the selling of the idea that the only people affected are Criminal Illegal Alien Invader Types, the elite continue to exploit our vulnerable brothers and sisters.

In Immigration politics, we see the manipulative hand of Economics, and the fallout of Capitalism and Neoliberalism. Domestically as well as Internationally. Within this struggle are handholds to engage the struggle for working class rights, women's rights, family rights, culture, reproduction, human rights, our national ethics.

As more and more strife becomes about resources and mobility, more conquer and divide tactics will be put to work in this area of Immigration.

We must remember first and foremost (and again at the end), that the forces that benefit from our being divided will seek to exploit all these key areas. A simple lens adjustment would make that impossible. We must come to realize how many of us share this same struggle; fighting that power that reared its ugly naked head recently under the glow of sunlight bouncing off skyscraper windows, and hissed at the President with breath as old and rancid as years of gallows sweat.

TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY

There are so many discussions about the Arc of Obama in the eye of popular opinion as of yet. We've all had an intense experience of some sort from Election Day until now, though our specific experiences may vary, and our current feelings vary just as much. Some have offered arguable reasons for becoming disenchanted with his administration. I will avoid the political laundry list, some or all of with which you may or may not agree. That's not the conversation(s) I am here for. I don't want to get sidetracked. I don't want to exploit or even risk the potential differences and faultlines in our unity just for a moment. And when I say "our unity," I mean working class people. I mean the 99% of income earners in the nation. I mean many many Black, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, Guatemalan, Dominican, Chinese, Korean or otherwise golden brown beautiful red black people. I mean white people. Here, I talk to all those people marginalized in some way by the powers and status quo that men like Donald Trump act in the service of.

I propose that what we have in common here is the idea of how wrong it is to deny the full dignity and rights to the Other in the name of safety and legal procedure. I suggest that this fight and furious sense of injustice cannot and should not end with the humiliating press conference, nor with the empowering roast of Trump at a dinner you and I had no means nor invitation to attend.

PROMISES, PROMISES

Candidate and President Barack Obama made some very specific promises to crowds of Latinos, in speeches to NCLR and to the immigrant community. He decried the ICE raids that tore parents away from their children, he called the system broken. In passioned speech, he told desperate immigrant families that he had their back. That he understood their pain. That he was determined to make a difference for them. He said he was an ally to Latinos and to Immigrants and that we could count on him.

He then turns around and continues the raids, but in other shapes. He deports more people than George W. Bush does, ensuring that many, many children are torn from their parents, after all. He does this in the name of Papers, not in the name of human rights or dignity.

President Obama and Janet Napolitano brag to the Republicans that they are deporting record numbers of undocumented immigrants. He turns his back on his own disabled aunt when the cold eye of ICE falls upon her. He sends troops to the US' Southern border, when the economic refugees flee conditions in Mexico that have been greatly caused by NAFTA policies (a Democratic accomplishment under Bill Clinton). Those people risking rape, murder, starvation, and poverty to cross the border to find a chance at life don't need bullets in their heads; they need help accessing resources so they don't need to flee their homes and families.

Obama's Department of Homeland Security offers a program called "Secure Communities" (S-Comm) that ties in the FBI and ICE to local police so that anyone apprehended by local police has all their info shared with these other agencies, even if a person is not convicted of anything. We've seen how successful Arizona's SB 1070 has been in disrupting society, and at driving a wedge between local police and many communities where people fear either being detained or simply being hassled based on ethnic signifiers. Many police have protested the implementation of S-Comm, understanding right away how it would harm their relationship with the immediate community and lend a hand to the proliferation of many crimes that would exploit this wedge. A few cities attempted to opt out of S-Comm, but voila! The cloak came off and Obama's DHS suddenly informed these cities that the program was not, after all, voluntary. Whoops.

Immigrant communities understand that they are being targeted when they are just trying to feed their kids and make a living, often exploited by workplaces that know they live without protection from law or society. But to console the rest who don't know this, Obama's White House claims it is only deporting serious criminals. The most cursory examination of reality shows this to be a complete falsehood.

One easy example of this is shown quite blatantly by how the White House is going after activist, friend, and law school student Prerna Lal. Prerna is a positive role model, an engaged, passionate person and organizer. Hardly a serious criminal. (Please sign the petition to help Prerna fight deportation.) Her crime? The creation and success of DreamActivist.org. Prerna was simply too successful in organizing students behind the DREAM Act, which—unlike these sly and disingenuous actions by the Department of Homeland Security—does exist in the service of human rights. We don't need to be frozen in the sixties to aid those fighting for communities before it becomes common sense to do so. We can look Prerna's way.

The stats tell the same story. The Obama administration is not deporting scores of dangerous criminals but people who have an old offense, or minor offenses, or who get caught up in the widening and growing web of "immigration enforcement," or who are simply students and children of immigrants and dared to make a valedictorian speech at their school, or reach out to help other people in the same plight. Sometimes they are simply driving home from work, and get pulled over by an old, white, sheriff who might as well be Donald Trump. They get asked for their birth certificate because their name sounds...un-American.

COME TOGETHER

It's so easy for us to stay firm in our personal experience and all the ways it feeds our own heart. One of the major premises in this article (or ramble depending on how you look at it) is that we proceed deeper and deeper into times when it will be important to not let ourselves be divided in the wrong ways. The Earth, mother of all, is increasingly poisoned and robbed...and those plunderers conspire to keep us misinformed about her condition. As she sickens in different ways, as our reckless, imbalanced, capitalist society veers drunkenly to and fro, as the divides grow starker and the ultra-rich more intoxicated by desperation, the powers that be will work harder and harder to keep us at each other's throats, to offer us others who we can throw to the curb in order to keep our own apparently threatened freedom.

We can feel empathy, kinship, or even an affection for the person named Barack Obama, for the challenges he faces navigating a system so strongly interwoven with racist currents, yet simultaneously see how today's policies enacted by the creepily-named Department of Homeland Security exist to grow the racist prison system, and aid racist behaviors and values through the normalization of certain laws.

We must shift our view of immigrants as Other. We must consider their fight our fight. They are, in fact, us—if we had less protection and more need for the help of the greater community. They are far closer to you and me than the President is, when it comes to struggle. They can be disappeared down a hole of legalisms and racist hate in a second flat...and you will not see them roasting the police a day later on national TV.

We need to feel simultaneously outraged by the racist mechanisms in society that demand documentation from President Obama simply because he is not white, as well as demand that he, too, do his part in eradicating those very mechanisms.

* * *

Final notes: Thanks to friend (and immigration lawyer) Dave Bennion for helping me with resources and to Melissa for posting the piece, which will be crossposted at The Unapologetic Mexican.

Please consider this a humble passing around of the socialist hat: If you are inclined and able to support my work on issues of race and immigration, paypal to dolaresATxolagrafikDOTcom (preferred method), or follow this link (will subtract a fee from donation).

President calls on Mexicans to back war on drugs - Fox News

[Mexico] (mexico news - Google News)

BBC News President calls on Mexicans to back war on drugs Fox News Mexico City – President Felipe Calderon called on Mexico's states and people in a recorded message to back the government's war on drugs. "We need to redouble our efforts and we need you, all the citizens, to win this struggle," Calderon said in his The Magnifying Glass: Mexico's Drug WarBoise State University The Arbiter Online Mexico defends drug crackdown ahead of protestABS CBN News April death toll highlights tr ...

[details] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Judge says Pan Am athletes' village can go ahead
[Washington, D.C.] (Examiner RSS)
MARK WALSH Associated Press MONTERREY, Mexico Mexican authorities say the construction of an athletes' village for October's Pan American Games in Guadalajara can continue after a federal judge suspended an earlier court order halting the work. Fernando Guzman Perez, the secretary general of the western state of Jalisco, says ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

MARK WALSH

Associated Press

MONTERREY, Mexico

Mexican authorities say the construction of an athletes' village for October's Pan American Games in Guadalajara can continue after a federal judge suspended an earlier court order halting the work.

Fernando Guzman Perez, the secretary general of the western state of Jalisco, says the license to build the Villa Panamericana is "solid" and that the four-building complex to house 6,000 athletes would be completed "on time."

A state judge ordered construction on the complex to be shut down Monday after residents of Zapopan complained the work would affect their water supply.

Organizers said any significant delay would threaten the staging of the games and vowed to continue construction while an appeal was processed.
30 Greatest Sauced Up Cinco De Mayo Mexican Soccer Fans [Photos]
[Men] (Busted Coverage: Booze, Ladies And Football)
From our friends at Wikipedia: Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla. The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

From our friends at Wikipedia: Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla. The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and [...]
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Austin!
[About.com] (About.com Austin)
Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit Puebla, where the holiday began nearly 150 years ago, to study Spanish. Cinco de Mayo is a major holiday in the state of Puebla and its capital city, though it's not as big elsewhere in Mexico. Many U.S. cities like Austin, though, mark the day and celebrate in a nod to residents' Mexican American heritage.Read Full Post ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit Puebla, where the holiday began nearly 150 years ago, to study Spanish. Cinco de Mayo is a major holiday in the state of Puebla and its capital city, though it's not as big elsewhere in Mexico. Many U.S. cities like Austin, though, mark the day and celebrate in a nod to residents' Mexican American heritage.
...
Read Full Post
Robust Business Performance in 2010; Bosch Returns to Growth Path in North America
[Solar] (Solar Energy News)
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bosch in North America has returned to its economic course and remains optimistic for growth, despite uncertainty in the wake of current events. In fiscal 2010, Bosch generated regional sales of $8.8 billion, an increase of 27 percent to the prior year (2009: $7.3 billion). Combined Americas (North and South America) sales totaled more than $11 billion, accounting for over 18 percent of the Group's global sales. The global supplier of technolo ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bosch in North America has returned to its economic course and remains optimistic for growth, despite uncertainty in the wake of current events. In fiscal 2010, Bosch generated regional sales of $8.8 billion, an increase of 27 percent to the prior year (2009: $7.3 billion). Combined Americas (North and South America) sales totaled more than $11 billion, accounting for over 18 percent of the Group's global sales. The global supplier of technology and services reported 2010 group revenue of 47.3 billion euros ($62.7 billion), the highest level of annual sales in Bosch's 125-year history. In 2011, the company expects to surpass the 50-billion-euro mark in global sales. With continued positive recovery of the U.S. economy, Bosch expects single-digit growth in North America in 2011, regaining its pre-crisis sales level.

Peter Marks, chairman, president and CEO, Robert Bosch LLC and member of the Bosch Board of Management said, ''We are keenly aware of looming uncertainties that could affect growth of the world economy. We expect the consequences of the unfortunate events in Japan will have a temporary effect. Yet, we remain confident that Bosch is on solid footing to shoulder the impact and achieve further growth. Our sights are set on sustained innovative strength, a continued focus on diversification and pursuit of new business areas and opportunities in North America.'' Bosch plans to generate 20 percent or more of its sales in the Americas mid-term.

Positive headcount development

The U.S. economic recovery and the upturn particularly in the automotive sector were key drivers of Bosch's strong 2010 regional result. All three business sectors significantly increased their sales in 2010. This positive development is also reflected within the company's regional employment. In 2010, the number of Bosch associates working throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico increased 8 percent to some 22,000 (2009: 20,350).

''The know-how, determination and resiliency of our associates in the region are critical assets in our return to growth,'' stated Marks. Bosch intends to increase the number of associates in North America by 1,000 in 2011. Worldwide, the number of Bosch associates is expected to rise by 15,000 to reach some 300,000 by yearend.

Continued investment fuels future growth

Bosch continues positioning itself for growth through investment in acquisitions and capital expenditures, equivalent to 5 percent of the Group's revenue. The U.S. remains the second largest market for Bosch worldwide, and more than $150 million was invested in North American activities in 2010. With its acquisition of RTI Technologies Co., Ltd. in December 2010, Bosch expands its development and distribution of automotive maintenance equipment, particularly air conditioning service (ACS) machines. Affirming commitment to its regional manufacturing footprint, last year Bosch announced a five-year, $125-million investment in its Charleston, S.C. site, an action expected to create nearly 300 new jobs in the Automotive Technology sector. Present in Mexico since 1955, Bosch invested $27 million there in 2010, and inaugurated its new headquarters in Mexico City in April 2011, featuring a state-of-the-art training facility that will help serve the local needs of clients, technicians and distributors. In 2011, Bosch Group intends to spend more than 7 billion euros (over $9 billion) globally to safeguard its future.

Growth in all business sectors with focus on energy-efficiency

In Automotive Technology, Bosch in North America recorded significant sales of $5.6 billion in 2010, 24 percent more than in the previous year (2009: $4.5 billion). Apart from solid capacity utilization as a result of the industry's recovery, the company strengthened its position as a leading automotive supplier, with high-quality products that reduce fuel consumption, and increase safety and driver comfort. SB LiMotive, the joint venture of Samsung SDI and Bosch, will supply lithium-ion battery packs for the Fiat 500EV, scheduled for launch in 2012 for the U.S. subcompact passenger vehicle market. In January 2010, Bosch was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to lead a project to develop a high compression, turbocharged engine. This project will be partially funded by a $12 million grant to support the Advanced Combustion Controls -- Enabling Systems and Solutions (ACCESS) for high efficiency light-duty vehicles, boosting engine fuel economy up to 30 percent by late 2014. Increased demand among automakers and end consumers alike for fuel-efficient technologies will continue to benefit Bosch in the near-term.

The region's Industrial Technology sector achieved the highest rate of growth, growing its 2010 sales by more than 33 percent to $1.2 billion (2009: $0.9 billion). In 2010, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power, photovoltaics and concentrated solar power in the U.S. could power roughly 200,000 homes.

Bosch Rexroth and Bosch Solar Energy are well positioned to leverage this continuing development. In December 2010, Bosch completed its first on-site installation of several hundred ground-mount solar panels in the U.S. At Bosch's Proving Ground in Flat Rock, Mich., the system, developed by Bosch Solar Energy and Bosch Rexroth, spans 15,000 square feet, generating 63,400 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, nearly enough to power eight U.S. homes for 12 months each. Bosch Rexroth recently announced it will supply hydraulic system solutions for the modernization and expansion of the Panama Canal, scheduled to open during the waterway's 100-year anniversary in 2014.

In Consumer Goods and Building Technology, Bosch in North America achieved growth of roughly 5 percent to some $2 billion in 2010 (2009: $1.9 billion). Despite continued weakness in the construction industry, the company sees increased demand for energy-efficient, high performance power tools, heating technology, home appliances and security systems. 2010 debuted the Dremel Trio™, the first multifunctional tools of its kind, with the functionality of a spiral jigsaw, edge sander and detail router. Comprehensive federal and state incentives continue to generate demand for Bosch's geothermal heat pumps, tankless water heaters, solar thermal water heaters and boilers. In March, Bosch Home Appliances, part of the company's 50-50 joint venture Bosch and Siemens Home Appliance Group (BSH), received the highest honor awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency, the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Award for Sustained Excellence. Bosch is the only U.S. appliance manufacturer with entire product lines of ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers, washers and refrigerators.

Research and development activities stayed strong

Some 45 percent of Bosch Group's research and development (R&D) expenditure (2010 total expenditure: 3.8 billion euros, over $5 billion) focuses on technologies that conserve resources and protect the environment. With more than 34,000 associates working globally in R&D, 1,800 Bosch researchers are located in North America. ''We are committed to the development of smart solutions that truly benefit our customers,'' said Peter Marks. ''It is our intent to leverage our vast technological competence to help solve market challenges.''

At its Research and Technology Center (RTC) locations in Palo Alto, Calif., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Cambridge, Mass., Bosch researchers focus on a variety of areas including software engineering, human machine interface, autonomous systems, energy conversion and storage. In 2010, Bosch was selected by Willow Garage, Inc. to receive a Personal Robot 2 (PR2). The two-year research program is designed to advance personal robotics through collaboration within the technical robotics community. Also, Bosch partnered with DuPont®, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and 3M™ to develop longer-lasting, less expensive solutions to store clean energy.

The collaboration was awarded a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy GRIDS Program, aimed to improve the operation of the electric grid.

Bosch Healthcare continues to expand its regional leadership in telehealth systems, and was recently awarded a new contract for its Health Buddy system by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The at-home monitoring system, which allows patients to actively monitor their health and give providers an opportunity to intervene before a patient's condition becomes critical, has been in use for more than ten years. Seeing great potential in the interconnective ''internet of things'', the company has extended its portfolio of services. Bosch Software Innovations supplies software and system solutions for several industries, from financial services providers to mobility and energy infrastructure managers.

125 Years of Bosch Innovation

In 2011, the Bosch Group celebrates its own 125th anniversary, as well as the 150th anniversary of company founder Robert Bosch's birth. For 125 years, Bosch has been steadfast in its quest to provide novel, beneficial technological solutions that meet market needs. A pioneer in globalization, Bosch, by 1913, sold products on every continent, and generated more sales in the U.S. than in Europe. To commemorate these milestones, several associate events in the U.S., Canada and Mexico -- as well as in every other region - will be held during the year.

In the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive original equipment and aftermarket products, industrial drives and control technology, power tools, security and communication systems, packaging technology, thermotechnology, household appliances, solar energy, healthcare and software innovations. Having established a regional presence in 1906, Bosch employs over 22,000 associates in more than 100 locations, with reported sales of $8.8 billion in fiscal 2010. For more information, visit www.boschusa.com.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 285,000 associates generated sales of 47.3 billion euros ($62.7 billion) in fiscal 2010. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 350 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent 3.8 billion euros (approximately $5 billion) for research and development in 2010, and applied for over 3,800 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. Bosch is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011. Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, and www.125.bosch.com.
Note to Activists: Bring Back the Polar Bears, Please
[Law] (Consumer Class Actions and Mass Torts)
I am traveling on the Left Coast for business this week. And so it was with a certain amount of bemusement that I read this article that came across my Blackberry yesterday. It explains that an environmental activist group, "Our Children's Trust," has decided to sue a number of states, seeking to force judges into ordering state governments to mandate the reduction of greenhouse gases, with the goal of preventing global warming. One of the activists is quoted as saying: "We sh ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

I am traveling on the Left Coast for business this week. And so it was with a certain amount of bemusement that I read this article that came across my Blackberry yesterday. It explains that an environmental activist group, "Our Children's Trust," has decided to sue a number of states, seeking to force judges into ordering state governments to mandate the reduction of greenhouse gases, with the goal of preventing global warming.

One of the activists is quoted as saying:

"We should be getting youths in front of the courts, not polar bears," Wood said, referring to a widely publicized attempt to have courts declare polar bears endangered as rising temperatures melt Arctic ice.

So how are these activists using America's youth to paint a compelling picture for judicial regulation of greenhouse gases? Read this portion of a complaint apparently filed by the organization in New Mexico:

Climate change is adversely affecting [16-year-old] Akilah Sanders-Reed now. Akilah is a skiing enthusiast and has been skiing regularly for the last 8 years. Over that time, Akilah has seen a decrease in the snowpack on the slopes of Taos and Santa Fe. The snowpack on those slopes has been thin and generally not good for skiing. Akilah plans to continue skiing and to teach her younger brother to ski. Therefore she is concerned that if the quality and amount of snowpack on the Taos and Santa Fe ski slopes continues to decline, she will have fewer opportunities to ski during the already abbreviated ski season in New Mexico.

Compl. para. 10.

Really?!!! This is the tragedy that justifies judicial exercise of Executive Branch powers? No skiing on Spring Break? Bring back the cute, cuddly Polar Bears whose very existence is threatened, please!

The group's legal strategy seems as flawed as its storytelling. It is suing the governors of various states on the so-called "public trust doctrine," which they describe as a common law theory. But it's hardly a cause of action, like public nuisance. Rather, it is simply a doctrine recognizing the sovereign's ownership interest in the land underlying navigable waters. Ironically, the whole reason for the doctrine is to preserve the ability of the public to use such waters for commerce. Our Children's Trust, of course, wants to invoke the doctrine to impede commerce and economic activity, state by state.

The fact that it can't cite in its New Mexico complaint a single New Mexico case applying the doctrine as they request gives you some idea of just what a long-shot their legal theory actually is. They do nothing in their pleadings to anticipate the defenses that typically have proven fatal to climate change cases. For example, they do nothing to establish the children's standing to assert a claim. In public nuisance -- which is an actual cause of action designed to protect interference with the public's right of enjoyment of property -- the right to sue is reserved to the sovereign unless an individual can prove that he or she suffers a special injury that is different in type and degree from that suffered by the general public. Notably, a bad ski day (if there really is such a thing) wouldn't cut it.

Similarly, defendants have argued that federal statutes and regulations preempt individual common law claims aimed at regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Notably, even the cases that Our Children's Trust cite in its complaint expressly recognize the preeminence of federal authority. For example, in Illinois Central Railroad v. Illinois, 146 U.S. 387 (1892), the court observed that the state's rights and obligations under the public trust doctrine were "subject always to the paramount right of Congress to control [the] navigation [of the state's navigable waters] so far as may be necessary for the regulation of commerce with foreign nations and among the States." Id. at 435. Likewise, in Montana v. United States, 450 U.S. 544 (1981) -- also cited by plaintiffs -- the court cautioned that:

The State's power over the beds of navigable waters remains subject to only one limitation: the paramount power of the United States to ensure that such waters remain free to interstate and foreign commerce.

Id. at 551.

Moreover, the plaintiffs make no allowance in their pleading for defenses such as the political question doctrine, primary jurisdiction, or causation. Notably, courts and advocates that have considered the climate change question have acknowledged that the issue of greenhouse gas emissions is a global one; emissions from one part of the globe may travel and have effects in other parts of the globe. Thus, localized emissions caps -- like plaintiffs advocate -- have no real hope of abating the alleged nuisance locally, and local emissions cannot be deemed the substantial cause of alleged local climate change.

Ultimately, all that Our Children's Trust has achieved is making cash-strapped states that have no ability to solve the problem defendants in frivolous litigation that will cost lots of time and money to defend. And they did so without finding a more compelling mascot than fluffy polar bears.
Blog Post: Haiku #104
[Storage] (Site Home)
My PSOM Data port? There's no way to Change that port! Unless . Hey, everyone: happy Cinco de Mayo. As you may or may not know, May 5th is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that marks the Mexican army's stunning defeat of the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo (which is Spanish for uh, well, it's Spanish) is not the same thing as Mexican Independence Day; Mexican Independence Day actually occurs sometime in September. It's also not, as one local news ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: Unknown

My PSOM

Data port? There's no way to

Change that port! Unless ....

Hey, everyone: happy Cinco de Mayo. As you may or may not know, May 5th is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that marks the Mexican army's stunning defeat of the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo (which is Spanish for … uh, well, it's Spanish) is not the same thing as Mexican Independence Day; Mexican Independence Day actually occurs sometime in September. It's also not, as one local news commentator recently reported, "Hispanic Independence Day."

Which, we presume, would have to mark the day that the country of Hispania won its independence.

And here's an interesting piece of trivia for you: although Cinco de Mayo marks the occasion of a great victory by the Mexican army, the holiday is actually celebrated much more widely in the US than it is in Mexico. In the US, it's a big deal; in Mexico, celebrations are mainly limited to the state of Puebla.

Of course, we're sure that has nothing to do with America's penchant for taking any occasion and turning it into a day of joy and celebration. As well as a day when companies can sell you stuff you had no idea you needed to buy.

Note. Although we have to admit that the taco costume would look equally good on any day of the year, not just on Cinco de Mayo. As would the Drinko de Mayo T-shirt.

Of course, by now you're probably wondering, "What does Cinco de Mayo have to do with Lync Server PowerShell?" Well, the answer to that question will surprise you. No, wait, check that: what would surprise you is if we actually had an answer to that question. Seeing as how we don't, let's just ignore all this Cinco de Mayo stuff and get down to the real subject of today's haiku: the Set-CsEdgeServer cmdlet.

Note. Interestingly enough, the Set-CsEdgeServer cmdlet is also not widely celebrated in Mexico. Go figure, huh?

As you already know, Edge Servers serve as an intermediary between your internal network and the outside world.

Note. How do we know that you already know that? Because when we were writing the Lync Server PowerShell help we included a sentence like that one to describe Edge Servers as an intermediary between your internal network and the outside world, and we were told we should take that out because "Everyone already knows that."

At any rate, if you're doing something like trying to log on to Lync Server from the Internet, you typically connect to the Edge Server and rely on the Edge Server to communicate with a Front End Server. As a general rule, you don't have people on the Internet directly accessing your internal network. Which is actually a pretty darn good rule to follow.

As you can probably guess, the Set-CsEdgeServer cmdlet is used to modify the settings of one or more Edge Servers. For the most part, that means configuring the ports used for different types of network traffic. Edge Servers handle a lot of different traffic types: TCP traffic, UDP traffic, PSOM (Persistent Shared Object Model) traffic, etc., etc. Each traffic type must be assigned one or more ports, and these port assignments can be made by using the Set-CsEdgeServer cmdlet.

An example? Sure, we can show you an example. Suppose you want to set the PSOM client port to port 443. How do you do that? Like this:

Set-CsEdgeServer -Identity "EdgeServer:atl-edge-001.litwareinc.com" –DataPsomClientPort 443

Note. Yes, considering how easy that was it is somewhat surprising that the Set-CsEdgeServer cmdlet isn't more-widely celebrated in Mexico. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

What if you want to set the PSOM client port for all your Edge Servers? Well, admittedly, that's a little tricky: the Set-CsEdgeServer cmdlet doesn't accept pipelined input, which means that a command like this one won't work:

Get-CsService –EdgeServer | Set-CsEdgeServer –DataPsomClientPort 443

Note. Now that you mention it, we should have mentioned that the only way to view the current settings for your Edge Servers is to use the Get-CsService cmdlet and the EdgeServer parameter:

Get-CsService –EdgeServer

For some reason, and we aren't sure what that reason is, there is no Get-CsEdgeServer cmdlet.

But don't despair: not only is today Cinco de Mayo (and if you’re still looking for a reason to celebrate, try this), but there's a way to work around this issue. If you want to set the PSOM client port for all your Edge Servers, do this:

Get-CsService –EdgeServer | ForEach-Object {Set-CsEdgeServer –Identity $_.Identity –DataPsomClientPort 443}

What we're doing here is using Get-CsService to return a collection of all our Edge Server settings. From here, however, we don't pipe the collection to Set-CsEdgeServer; that would be pointless, seeing as how Set-CsEdgeServer won't accept pipelined input. Instead, we pipe the data to the ForEach-Object cmdlet, which dutifully calls Set-CsEdgeServer for each of the servers in the collection.

Yeah, we thought that was kind of sneaky, too. But it works.

There's really only one other thing to keep in mind here. If you decide to modify the media communication port, you'll have to deal with two parameters: MediaCommunicationPortStart and MediaCommunicationPortCount. Media communications can (and should) be assigned multiple ports. To do that, you use MediaCommunicationPortStart to assign the first port in the series of ports to be used for media communications, then use MediaCommunicationPortCount to determine the total number of ports to be used for this traffic. For example, suppose you want to assign media communications to ports 50000 through 50003. (That's really not enough ports, but this is just an illustration.) That means you want to use a total of 4 ports:

·         50000

·         50001

·         50002

·         50003

Consequently, you need to use a command like this one:

Set-CsEdgeServer -Identity "EdgeServer:atl-edge-001.litwareinc.com" –MediaCommunicationPortStart 50000 –MediaCommunicationPortCount 4

As you can see, we set the starting port number to port 50000, and the total number of ports to 4. It's not hard, just something that you have to keep in mind.

That's all we have for today; again, happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone. Is the author of today's haiku enjoying his Cinco de Mayo? Well, let's put it this way: he's sitting at his desk writing Lync Server PowerShell haikus.

Which, come to think of it, is how he spends all his holidays.
Kleiner Perkins Invests in Chromosome Multiplier Kaiima
[Green, Smart Grid] (Greentech Media: All Content)
Kleiner, Perkins Caufield and Byers joined an second round of financing for Kaiima, which wants to boost biofuel and even food crops by doubling an organism's chromosomes. Kaiima, based in Israel, raised $18 million in the second round. Earlier investors include Draper, Fisher Jurvetson and Musea Ventures. The company essentially makes GMO organisms that aren't technically GMOs.The company has devised a technique for multiplying the number of chromosomes in biofuel and other agricultural cro ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Kleiner, Perkins Caufield and Byers joined an second round of financing for Kaiima, which wants to boost biofuel and even food crops by doubling an organism's chromosomes.

Kaiima, based in Israel, raised $18 million in the second round. Earlier investors include Draper, Fisher Jurvetson and Musea Ventures.

The company essentially makes GMO organisms that aren't technically GMOs.The company has devised a technique for multiplying the number of chromosomes in biofuel and other agricultural crops in a way that will increase harvests while at the same time skirting some of the technical and regulatory risks surrounding genetically modified organisms.

The company already sells seeds for castor plants with four sets of identical chromosomes that can produce about 4 to 7 tons of feedstock per acre, or more than double the 1.5 tons associated with naturally occurring castor. The oil can be used for biofuel or bioplastics.

"We want to get to 10," CEO Doron Gal told us in 2009. Besides castor, it also wants to come out with seeds for canola oil plants and fhigh-yield wheat and rice. It is also working with partners in Mexico on a version of corn. (See earlier feature here.)

These higher-growth plants require more water and absorb more nutrients from the soil than conventional versions of the same plant, but that gets counterbalanced by higher yields, Gal added. In the end, farmers get more oil or food out of a fixed base of resources.

The science behind the company revolves around polyploidy, a condition in which a species has more than one set of chromosomes. Durum wheat, for instance, has four sets of chromosomes (making it a tetraploid) while wheat grown for bread flour has six sets of chromosomes. Polyploids can occur naturally and then spread through selective breeding. Those freakishly large strawberries you see in grocery stores these days? Polyploid varieties.

Although polyploid plants can reproduce and survive for generations, polyploidy typically does not work well in humans or animals. Doubling of a chromosome in humans, for example, leads to Down Syndrome. Some biologists believe that in plants polyploidy acts as a survival mechanism, allowing plants to endure droughts and other hazards. The percentage of polyploidy plants is greater in harsh environments, Gal noted.

"Animals can move. Plants can't. It is a way to become more robust," he said.

Various scientists have developed polyploid plants in the lab, but the effort often fails. Many of the resulting plants can't reproduce, have had their genome damaged during the polyploidy process, or revert back to their more natural genetic state in a generation or two.

The problem in part has to do with the tools employed. Polyploidy occurs in the first stage of mitosis, where a cell splits into two. In a normal cell, the DNA in the cell is replicated and then spindle fibers pull the cell into two different directions until two identical, independent cells emerge. The cell multiplication process then continues until you have a full-fledged organism.

In a polyploid plant, the fibers never manage to pull the initial cell into two. That results in a single cell with twice the number of chromosomes. The diploid cell then becomes the basis for the organism. (If cell division fails again, a tetraploid results)

To recreate the polyploid process in a lab, scientists have bathed the cell in colchicine, a harsh chemical solvent. By contrast, Kaiima does not bathe its cells. It targets its solvent (which he says is gentler than colchicines) directly at the spindle fibers so that less is required. After trial and error, it manages to produce seeds that can give rise to stable crops that do not revert back to single chromosome sets.

Injecting solvents in a targeted manner derives from cancer research. Amit Avidov, a well-known seed scientist, is one of the co-founders. Avidov started AB seeds, now part of Monsanto.

So why does Gal argue that these plants aren't GMOs? Most genetically modified plants are transgenic, i.e., the genome of the plant contains genes from other species. Kaiima's polyploids do not contain any material from other species. In fact, the strands of DNA are identical to normal plants: there just happen to be more of them.

Regulators in some instances don't classify polyploids as GMOs, he said. Look at the polyploid varieties of wheat: although developed centuries ago, humans had a direct impact on the genetic content. Where do you draw the line? Nonetheless, activists have also focused on polyploids. More extensive use of the technique could lead to regulator issues.

The company has received $8 million in its first round.

Kaiima, by the way, means sustainability in Hebrew.
Mexico sets one-month murder record
[bizjournals, Phoenix, AZ, Phoenix] (Phoenix Business News - Local Phoenix News | The Business Journal of Phoenix)
Mexico set a record for the most murders in a month in April as its bloody drug wars continue. The Boston Herald and other media outlets report there were 1,400 murders in Mexico last month. That number comes at the U.S. State Department issued another travel warning for Americans headed to Mexico, including Rocky Point and ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 275 days ago lang: en

Mexico set a record for the most murders in a month in April as its bloody drug wars continue. The Boston Herald and other media outlets report there were 1,400 murders in Mexico last month. That number comes at the U.S. State Department issued another travel warning for Americans headed to Mexico, including Rocky Point and...
CEOs rank best and worst states for business; See where New Mexico sits
[bizjournals] (Albuquerque Business News - Local Albuquerque News | New Mexico Business Weekly)
For the seventh year in a row, chief executives rate Texas as the No. 1 state in which to do business and California as the worst, according to a report Thursday. Greenwich, Conn.-based Chief Executive magazine said its annual survey also showed that North Carolina maintained its No. 2 ranking while Florida rose three positions to the No. 3 spot. New Mexico dropped three spots to No. 32. The Land of Enchantment was No. 29 in the 2010 report. For the 2011 survey, 550 CEOs from across the country ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: ca

For the seventh year in a row, chief executives rate Texas as the No. 1 state in which to do business and California as the worst, according to a report Thursday. Greenwich, Conn.-based Chief Executive magazine said its annual survey also showed that North Carolina maintained its No. 2 ranking while Florida rose three positions to the No. 3 spot. New Mexico dropped three spots to No. 32. The Land of Enchantment was No. 29 in the 2010 report. For the 2011 survey, 550 CEOs from across the country evaluated the states on a broad range of issues including regulations, tax policies, workforce quality, education resources, quality of living and...
Will Politicians Listen to the Message Being Delivered by High Oil Prices
[Finance, Oil ] (Home)
If you read many of the pieces I write here you will soon notice that I am convinced that this country, and most of the civilized world, has a problem with future oil supply. That problem is getting worse rather rapidly, and this is causing the price increases that you have noticed every time you visit a gas station. It is popular, and easy, to blame the current increases on either speculators or the “evil” oil companies. While both may play a role on the edges of what is going on, the harsh ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en-gb

If you read many of the pieces I write here you will soon notice that I am convinced that this country, and most of the civilized world, has a problem with future oil supply. That problem is getting worse rather rapidly, and this is causing the price increases that you have noticed every time you visit a gas station. It is popular, and easy, to blame the current increases on either speculators or the “evil” oil companies. While both may play a role on the edges of what is going on, the harsh reality is that prices now are largely controlled by those nations who form the OPEC partnership. Saudi Arabia, who supplies the largest portion of OPEC oil, has said that it is uncomfortable with current oil prices, since they are getting high enough that they could cause another recession. However that did not stop them from raising their prices in April and they now need the high prices to help pay to keep Saudi Arabia from seeing any of the riots that are happening to other countries. One has to know how to separate the popular myths from the actual reality.

And if legislatures at both state and national level are to make the right choices about what to do as oil prices keep going up (bearing in mind that it was a cause of the major recession in 2008) they too need to know what is really going on. There are alternate strategies for changing domestic production and alternate fuels (such as the growing supply of natural gas) that could be a significant help in the near future. Some of those that seemed to be promising, don’t always work as fast as promised, as we found out with cellulosic ethanol. They (and the rest of us who try and explain what’s happening) need to know not only what is going on, but as things change, what the effects of new rules events (such as banning drilling for a while in the Gulf of Mexico) are having on current and future supplies. It is only in this way the rational and useful steps to help get America, and the rest of the world, off this addiction to OPEC oil can be picked out, and put into place.

Because of the need to trim the Federal Budget, different Federal agencies are cutting back on the services that they provide to the public. One of the most recent has been the Energy Information Agency who have just explained in a press release, the cuts they are making. Bear in mind that this is the agency that is supposed to provide the information that I have just said that we have to have. With a tip to Gregor, the cuts that are occurring are given below, together with a comment.

Oil and Natural Gas Information

• Do not prepare or publish 2011 edition of the annual data release on U.S. proved oil and natural gas reserves.
• Curtail efforts to understand linkages between physical energy markets and financial trading.
• Suspend analysis and reporting on the market impacts of planned refinery outages.
• Curtail collection and dissemination of monthly state-level data on wholesale petroleum product prices, including gasoline, diesel, heating oil, propane, residual fuel oil, and kerosene. Also, terminate the preparation and publication of the annual petroleum marketing data report and the fuel oil and kerosene sales report.
• Suspend auditing of data submitted by major oil and natural gas companies and reporting on their 2010 financial performance through EIA's Financial Reporting System.
• Reduce collection of data from natural gas marketing companies.
• Cancel the planned increase in resources to be applied to petroleum data quality issues.
• Reduce data collection from smaller entities across a range of EIA oil and natural gas surveys.

Electricity, Renewables, and Coal Information

• Reduce data on electricity exports and imports.
• Terminate annual data collection and report on geothermal space heating (heat pump) systems.
• Terminate annual data collection and report on solar thermal systems.
• Reduce data collection from smaller entities across a range of EIA electricity and coal surveys.

Consumption, Efficiency, and International Energy Information

• Suspend work on EIA's 2011 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), the Nation's only source of statistical data for energy consumption and related characteristics of commercial buildings.
• Terminate updates to EIA's International Energy Statistics.

Energy Analysis Capacity

• Halt preparation of the 2012 edition of EIA's International Energy Outlook.
• Suspend further upgrades to the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). NEMS is the country's preeminent tool for developing projections of U.S. energy production, consumption, prices, and technologies and its results are widely used by policymakers, industry, and others in making energy-related decisions. A multiyear project to replace aging NEMS components will be halted.
• Eliminate annual published inventory of Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States.
• Limit responses to requests from policymakers for special analyses.

In addition to these program changes, EIA will cut live telephone support at its Customer Contact Center.

So here we are in a mess. Generally when you’re in a mess it is a good idea to understand what the mess looks like, so that you can work out how to get out of it. But now that information is not going to be locally available. Yes there will still be the information from the IEA, though it is not really comparable, and OPEC itself provides Monthly Oil Market Reports, but that is a little less independent than most, and does not cover the internal production within this country that is a valuable tool to indicate how fast we are approaching the next crisis. (And the indications are that it may well hit right around the next election). And ignoring the information (or deliberately choosing not to collect it), is not going to affect the situation from developing, only perhaps possibly it might slow our noticing, but since we go to gas stations very regularly I think that is a bit doubtful.

At some point in the future, perhaps even that soon, politicians and Administrators are going to complain “but nobody told us!!” and rush to blame the industry yet again. But the truth is that there was a group that was keeping the records, and who could tell those with the responsibility to fix it that there was a problem. And the Administration just closed it down. We will regret that lack of information and the warning messages that it would have brought.

By. Dave Summers

David (Dave) Summers is a Curators' Professor Emeritus of Mining Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology (he retired in 2010). He directed the Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center at MO S&T off and on from 1976 to 2008, leading research teams that developed new mining and extraction technologies, mainly developing the use of high-pressure waterjets into a broad range of industrial uses. While one of the founders of The Oil Drum, back in 2005, he now also writes separately at Bit Tooth Energy.
What Is Cinco De Mayo?
[The Huffington Post, Huffington Post, Celebrity Blogs] (The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com)
Cinco de Mayo is more than just another excuse to party. The holiday, which is celebrated more abroad than actually in Mexico, commemorates the Battle of Puebla which took place on May 5, 1862.The underdog victory for Mexico pushed French forces out of the state of Puebla against seemingly insurmountable odds. Next year the 150th anniversary of the battle will be celebrated. Read More ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en-US

Cinco de Mayo is more than just another excuse to party.

The holiday, which is celebrated more abroad than actually in Mexico, commemorates the Battle of Puebla which took place on May 5, 1862.

The underdog victory for Mexico pushed French forces out of the state of Puebla against seemingly insurmountable odds. Next year the 150th anniversary of the battle will be celebrated.

Read More...
Georgia Football Schedule 2011: New Mexico State In The World's Largest Cocktail After-Party
[Georgia (The Country)] (Georgia - Yahoo! News Search Results)
Come November 5, the Dawgs will either be celebrating a rare win over Florida in Jacksonville (and praying it portends a historical shift in the Georgia-Florida rivalry) or wailing and gnashing their teeth with fear that yet another rookie Gator head coach is going to continue their inexplicable losing streak in Jacksonville. What does all this have to do with New Mexico State? Not a thing ...

[details] [close] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: en

Come November 5, the Dawgs will either be celebrating a rare win over Florida in Jacksonville (and praying it portends a historical shift in the Georgia-Florida rivalry) or wailing and gnashing their teeth with fear that yet another rookie Gator head coach is going to continue their inexplicable losing streak in Jacksonville. What does all this have to do with New Mexico State? Not a thing ...

Prosecutors patiently await Barretos, 2 years after flight to Mexico - The Republic

[Mexico] (mexico news - Google News)

Prosecutors patiently await Barretos, 2 years after flight to Mexico The Republic Two years ago, Janet and Ramon Barreto left town apparently for Mexico and safe harbor from state charges surrounding the death of their 2-year-old adopted daughter, Enna. District Attorney Ben Creekmore continues to be optimistic that they will face and more » ...

[details] received 274 days ago published 274 days ago lang: ca

Thursday Skull Session
[Sports] (Eleven Warriors)
Buenos Dios amigos y bienvenidos a tus Thursday Skull Session. It's Cinco de Mayo, and depending on your perspective it's either an inoccuous statement of the date or an obscure Mexican holiday that Americans use as an excuse to drink gallons of Jose Cuervo. I, for one, plan on imbibing a Corona or two in honor of our southern brothers. After all, it's not often Mexicans can trade war stories with Germans about the utter incompetence of the French. For those less familiar with the holiday, Ci ...

[details] [close] received 275 days ago published 275 days ago lang: en

Buenos Dios amigos y bienvenidos a tus Thursday Skull Session. It's Cinco de Mayo, and depending on your perspective it's either an inoccuous statement of the date or an obscure Mexican holiday that Americans use as an excuse to drink gallons of Jose Cuervo. I, for one, plan on imbibing a Corona or two in honor of our southern brothers. After all, it's not often Mexicans can trade war stories with Germans about the utter incompetence of the French.

For those less familiar with the holiday, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of Mexico over the French in the 1860s. Sadly, the French went on to steamroll the Mexican army and place a puppet ruler in charge. In another example of the utter absurdity that was European politics, the French invaded Mexico to recoup debt by installing a relative of the Austrian Archduke as the Emperor of Mexico. Like the Holy Roman Empire, the Empire of Mexico wasn't much of an Empire. Once the U.S. got it's shit in shape and ended the Civil War, General Grant re-asserted the good old Monroe Doctrine and helped kick the French out, in an example of one of the few times the U.S. actually helped Mexico. On a somewhat unrelated note, Ulysses S. Grant was a badass.

Anyway, enough with the history lesson. Today's theme is The Other Blogs, what do they say? Who do they fancy? Why are people reading them and not us? What do sportsfans think about Kate Middleton's dress? Was Barack Obama's Birth Certificate Bin Laden's last Horcrux?

Wait, what? Our first stop on the BlogoTour is LandLoyalty, a blog about Cleveland sports. Writer Tim Ertle thinks the Buckeyes lack of marquee names the last two drafts will come back to haunt them. With only one player drafted in the first two rounds over the last couple of years, Mr. Ertle thinks players may begin to question Tressel's ability to develop players.

Now, there's little doubt that a school's ability to put players in the league is a recruiting advantage, and Ohio State hasn't had the number of draft hits it had in the middle of last decade, but I think it's a little premature to think the lustre is off the program. Besides, although I'm skeptical that Ohio State is twice as good at developing talent as Florida, hadn't we already determined Tressel was one of the elite?

What Distractions? Adam Rittenberg over at ESPN released his list of the top teams in the B1G coming out of spring. Banking on a heavy dose of Dave, Rittenberg expects the Buckeyes to lay the lumber on defense and hold onto the ball on offense to try and coast through the first five games:

Quarterback is certainly a concern for the first five games, but Ohio State likely will be able to survive, thanks to the run game, defense and special teams -- classic TresselBall.

Can't argue with that.

As for the rest of the teams, Rittenberg mostly sees a redux of 2010, with the notable exception of Iowa. Considering the heavy losses on defense and the graduation of All-American Hero Ricky Stanzi, that's not a bad bet. Whether Michigan can pull itself out of the gutter with their newly refurbished offense will go a long way toward determining the rest of the conference.

Got your back, coach. The O-Zone interviewed Doug Worthington concerning his thoughts on the Tat-5 situation, and what should come as no surprise, the big man thinks Tressel did what he thought was right. There are certainly questions surrounding the FBI investigation and it's role in leading Tressel to withhold information, but by and large it's broadly understood that the Cicero e-mails largely disabuse anyone of that notion. The O-Zone, putting Worthington's comments into perspective:

If Tressel was indeed afraid for his players, his fears were realized in December when Ohio State received a letter from the United States Department of Justice outlining the involvement of as many as 10 players—past and present—with Rife.

Even then, Tressel chose not to come forward with what he had already known for eight months. It wouldn’t be until after the Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas that Ohio State officials uncovered the email exchanges with Cicero, but none of Tressel’s actions to this day have changed anything in the eyes of Worthington.

While it's not surprising to see former players support their coach, it's still comforting. It's unlikely that Tressel is a mercenary conman who only looks out for #1 if all of his former crew constantly and consistently vouch for his character. Say what you will, but I respect a coach who screws up supporting his players more than a coach who screws up supporting only himself.

Why so serious? Peter Bean over at Burnt Orange Nation brings the indignation over the Boise State situation. For those who haven't heard, Boise State has been issued allegations of a 'lack of institutional control.' That is essentially the worst possible violation a school can commit. However, said violations included, among other things, a recruit sleeping on a player's couch. With total misconduct totalling only $5,000, most of which were minor (including a $2.34 charge), there has been much scratching of heads. In addition, the Tennis coach commited an especially serious violation that will likely lead to that program undergoing heavy sanctions.

Peter Bean:

Boise State committed a handful of ticky-tack violations, the like of which Ohio State has self-reported by the dozens over the years (as has every other school on the planet), and the NCAA -- in conjunction with one major violation -- concluded, "This might be a lack of institutional control."

Think that through to its logical conclusion. On the one hand, you have a rogue tennis coach, trying to slip one by... well, no one, because no one is paying attention to Boise State tennis. Or any other tennis program, for that matter. On the flipside, we have Jim Tressel, who was trying to slip unquestionably ineligible players into... the Fiesta Bowl.

Now, I'm no lawyer (yet), but in what way does Boise State's culpability in various NCAA infractions reflect on Ohio State? While I understand Peter's reaction to the NCAA's seemingly absurd allegations with respect to the BSU football program, that has nothing to do with the eligibility of the Tat-5. The NCAA had full knowledge of the extent of the Tat-5's violations, and rendered their verdict with that knowledge in mind. It's done. Kaput. Over. There is nothing more to be said about Terrelle Pryor, Solomon Thomas, Dan Herron, Mike Adams, and Deveir Posey. The question left unresolved deals exlusively with Jim Tressel and his withholding of information.

That said, a lack of institutional control deals with the athletic department, not just the coaching staff of a specific sport. Whether Jim Tressel is a lying, cheating, piece of human excrement is immaterial. If Boise State's athletic department knowingly allowed a non-collegiate player to suit up (something that, one would assume, the university should certainly know about considering you have to, you know, register for classes and everyting), that's a far cry from a coach lying to his athletic department about violations.

Regardless, pointing to Ohio State and saying "They were worse!" is not a particularly interesting argument at this point, especially when comparing apples and oranges.
ISU Professor Richard Hansen’s Maya research featured in 'Smithsonian' magazine
[Anthropology] (anthropology - Yahoo! News Search Results)
An Idaho State University anthropology professor has been featured in the May edition of “Smithsonian” magazine for research he’s done over the course of three decades on a Mayan cultural site in Guatemala and Mexico.

[details] [close] received 275 days ago published 275 days ago lang: en

An Idaho State University anthropology professor has been featured in the May edition of “Smithsonian” magazine for research he’s done over the course of three decades on a Mayan cultural site in Guatemala and Mexico.

The Magnifying Glass: Mexico's Drug War - Boise State University The Arbiter Online

[Mexico] (mexico news - Google News)

AFP The Magnifying Glass: Mexico's Drug War Boise State University The Arbiter Online There's a good chance it came from Mexico, where there is an incredibly bloody war being waged by the Mexican government to take back control of its territory from pervasive drug cartels. Since 2006, over 34000 Mexicans have been killed by drug related April death toll highlights trauma of Mexican bloodbathHouston Chronicle Drug cartels taking over government roles in parts of MexicoVancouver Sun Bloody week o ...

[details] received 275 days ago published 275 days ago lang: en

Glaxo May Settle 1,000 More Avandia Suits, Patients’ Lawyer Says - Businessweek
[Pharma, Health] (PharmaGossip)
May 5 (Bloomberg) -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc, after setting aside more than $6 billion to help settle lawsuits over medicines including its Avandia diabetes drug, is poised to resolve 1,000 more cases, a lawyer for patients said. Glaxo, the U.K.’s biggest drugmaker, is in settlement talks with lawyers for an estimated 1,000 former Avandia users who sued the company in state courts in Pennsylvania, California and Illinois, Dianne Nast, a plaintiffs’ attorney who serves on a group helping to ...

[details] [close] received 275 days ago published 275 days ago lang: ca

May 5 (Bloomberg) -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc, after setting aside more than $6 billion to help settle lawsuits over medicines including its Avandia diabetes drug, is poised to resolve 1,000 more cases, a lawyer for patients said.

Glaxo, the U.K.’s biggest drugmaker, is in settlement talks with lawyers for an estimated 1,000 former Avandia users who sued the company in state courts in Pennsylvania, California and Illinois, Dianne Nast, a plaintiffs’ attorney who serves on a group helping to oversee cases consolidated in federal court in Philadelphia, said in an interview yesterday.

“There are a total of about 5,300 state-court cases pending” around the country, Nast told U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe at a hearing in Philadelphia. “I expect a multiple number of them probably will be resolved.” After the hearing, Nast declined to comment on the amount of any settlements.

The company said in September it would stop promoting Avandia worldwide after regulators said the treatment would be withdrawn from the market in Europe and sales would be limited in the U.S. because of studies linking the drug to increased risks of heart attacks.

Sales of Avandia fell 43 percent in the wake of the restrictions, the company said. Avandia was once the world’s best-selling diabetes pill, generating $3 billion in annual sales.

$3.5 Billion Charge

Glaxo officials have agreed to pay at least $700 million over the last eight months to resolve about 12,000 suits alleging the drugmaker failed to warn consumers that Avandia could cause heart attacks and strokes, people familiar with the accords told Bloomberg News earlier.

Bernadette King, a U.S.-based Glaxo spokeswoman, declined comment on the Avandia settlement talks.

Glaxo said in January it was taking a $3.5 billion charge to cover expenses linked to investigations and suits over Avandia and sales practices on other drugs. The reserve brings to more than $6 billion the amount the drugmaker has set aside for legal costs tied to Avandia and other drugs, such as its antidepressant Paxil.

GlaxoSmithKline officials also updated Avandia’s warning label in February to include safety restrictions ordered by federal regulators, who cited studies showing the drug poses an increased risk of heart attack and stroke for some users.

Along with the state court cases, Glaxo faces about 1,600 suits consolidated before Rufe in Philadelphia for pre-trial proceedings, Nast said. Those are the cases that remain after the settlements, she added in an interview outside court.

2,400 Claims Settled

Settlement talks in state court in Los Angeles already have resulted in 2,400 former Avandia users settling their claims, Nast told the judge. The lawyer said she expected the talks to generate about another 200 settlements in state court in Philadelphia and an undetermined number in Illinois.

Two Avandia cases have been set for trial in November in New Mexico and California, Nast said. Another New Mexico trial has been set for March 2012, she added.

Setting firm dates for jury trials helps push Glaxo and consumers to resolve the cases, Samuel Lanham Jr., a Bangor- Maine-based lawyer for former Avandia users told the judge.

“The sooner we get something teed up, the better,” he said.

Glaxo rose 6.5 pence to 1,306.5 pence in London trading yesterday.

The consolidated case is In re Avandia Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, 07-01871, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia).

--Editors: Glenn Holdcraft, Michael Hytha

To contact the reporter on this story: Jef Feeley in Wilmington, Delaware, at jfeeley@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net

via businessweek.com

Posted via email from Jack's posterous
11 bodies found in Mexico pits, total now 121
[Taiwan] (WORLD News)
Investigators in the northern Mexico state of Durango said they found the remains of 10 men and one woman in mass graves in the state ...

[details] [close] received 275 days ago published 275 days ago lang: zh-tw

Investigators in the northern Mexico state of Durango said they found the remains of 10 men and one woman in mass graves in the state
Poland continues construction of large reactors and small modular reactors may have increased appeal
[Future, Nanotechnology] (Next Big Future)
1. Poland rejects a German request to stop nuclear plant construction in Poland Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk Wednesday rejected a German call on Poland to cancel the planned construction of nuclear power plants, saying the Polish public supports the project. “We can’t succumb to hysteria about it,” Mr. Tusk said in remarks from northwestern Poland, near the border with Germany. “The reason for radiological risks in Japan isn’t an accident at the nuclear plant, but an earthqu ...

[details] [close] received 316 days ago published 317 days ago lang: en

1. Poland rejects a German request to stop nuclear plant construction in Poland

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk Wednesday rejected a German call on Poland to cancel the planned construction of nuclear power plants, saying the Polish public supports the project.

“We can’t succumb to hysteria about it,” Mr. Tusk said in remarks from northwestern Poland, near the border with Germany. “The reason for radiological risks in Japan isn’t an accident at the nuclear plant, but an earthquake and tsunami.

The minister-president of the German federal state of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, told Germany daily Tagesspiegel earlier in March he hoped Poland will abandon the plan after the nuclear crisis in Japan. Mr. Tusk Wednesday called Platzeck’s remarks inappropriate.

Poland plans to build two nuclear power plants, each with a 3,000 megawatt capacity, as part of a strategy to diversity the country’s energy sources away from coal and an over-reliance on natural gas from Russia.

“Calls from a friendly political leader from the other side of the border, Mr. Platzeck, for Poland to stop the project appeared somewhat inappropriate to me. A country that has about 16 nuclear power plants shouldn’t be too concerned with our plans to build the most modern plants available on the market,” the Polish prime minister said.

2. Small modular reactor development companies still believe in a bright future for their technology.

As improbable as it may sound amid the devastation in northeastern Japan, the nuclear accident may increase the appeal of innovative, small-scale reactors, says Chris Gadomski, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyst.

Hyperion Power Generation Inc. in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is working on 25-megawatt, refrigerator-sized designs for $50 million each that could power remote locations or be used in hospitals and factories. By 2020, Russian nuclear company Rosatom Corp. expects to sell seven barges equipped with twin 35-megawatt reactors for the Arctic and Africa. In Argentina, the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is clearing ground in the central grasslands for a 25-megawatt prototype planned for 2014.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates is backing a more powerful, 500-megawatt reactor designed by TerraPower LLC in Bellevue, Washington. Its traveling-wave technology uses uranium-238 to fuel a reaction in what functions like a 13-foot- tall candle.

NuScale is designing and testing a 60-foot-high (18-meter-high) reactor encased in a thermos-like metal sheath. It would cost about $200 million and could be used to light and heat villages, desalinate ocean water or be strung together side by side to form a midsize power plant -- virtually free of carbon emissions. With some investors on board, Reyes plans to ask the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license in late 2012.

NuScale’s reactor core is housed inside a vessel that’s 10 times stronger than the one in Japan, he says, and that’s placed in a pool of water and buried underground.

More important, his design doesn’t require pumps or external power to cool the reactor. Fukushima Dai-Ichi reactors, of which Toshiba Corp. (6502) was among the builders, overheated when power sources failed and pumps couldn’t deliver cooling water.

By 2025, the world could add 36 small reactors, each with 400 megawatts of capacity or less, according to the IAEA.

The U.S. nuclear industry is already growing more slowly than those of China, Russia and India. Nuclear generating capacity may jump by 77 percent in the Far East, including China, by 2020 compared with 12 percent in North America, the IAEA says. Capacity in Western Europe may drop 24 percent in that period

If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks

Mexico State

#275, May 6, 2011

In this issue:

Quote of the Week

Why Being a Foodie Isn't "Elitist"

Essay OF THE WEEK

The Xtremes: Subversive Recipes for Catastrophic Times

Alerts of the Week

Get Monsanto Out of Trader Joe's & Whole Foods Market!

Alerts of the Week

No Sewage Sludge In "Organic" School Gardens!

PLEASE DONATE

Millions Against Monsanto Fundraising Appeal

Millions Against Monsanto

See You in Chicago, Seattle & New York!

Millions Against Monsanto

Get Ready for World Food Day Actions 10/16/11

Videos of the Week

Dumping GMOs: Guerrilla Theatre

Carbon Nation

Via Organica

Join Us In Mexico for a Spring Sustainability Conference

Planet to Plate Tour

Little Bytes

Book of the Week

Help Us Build a Sustainable Future!

Message From Our Sponsors

iSpaces Gives the World a Free Virtual Desktop!

Become an OCA Sponsor!

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