Posts
How Canada stole the American Dream
DUNCAN HOOD | June 25, 2008
...The wealth numbers, in particular, are shocking. As of 2005, the median family in Canada was worth US$122,600, according to Statistics Canada, while the U.S. Federal Reserve pegged the median American family at US$93,100 in 2004. Those figures, the most recent available, already include an adjustment for our higher prices, and thanks to the rising loonie Canadians are likely even further ahead today. We're ahead mainly because Americans carry far more debt than we do, and it means that the median Canadian family is a full 30 per cent wealthier than the median American family...
They also live longer, have free healthcare, work less, more sex, more family time and the list goes on and on... and if I lived there I could get married.
This is well worth the read.
This is a link to a post by Charles Lemos on his blog By The Fault. It's worth the read. If you don't believe in King Corn... trust me corn is bigger than oil.
Mandela's B-Day message: Rich should help poor
By CELEAN JACOBSON – 1 hour ago
QUNU, South Africa (AP) — Nelson Mandela celebrated his 90th birthday Friday by urging the wealthy to share their prosperity with the less fortunate and by saying he wished he had been able to spend more time with his family during the anti-apartheid struggle.
In an interview at his home in rural southeastern South Africa, the anti-apartheid icon was asked if he had a message for the world.
"There are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty," Mandela said...
Tennessee ranks high in obesity
By: Emily Bregel
The South still leads the nation in obesity rates, with Tennessee ranking in the top three for the heaviest population, according to the most recent government data.
Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee head up the list of the nation’s most obese states, with more than 30 percent of adults in each state reporting body mass index — a ratio of weight to height — greater than or equal to 30.
In Tennessee, 30.1 percent of the population surveyed was obese, compared to 28.1 percent in 2006, the data shows.
“Basically, it’s getting worse,” said John Bilderback, program manager for Step ONE, a Hamilton County effort to fight obesity...
US removes uranium from Iraq
By BRIAN MURPHY – Jul 5, 2008
The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program — a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium — reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.
The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" — the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment — was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy...
...While yellowcake alone is not considered potent enough for a so-called "dirty bomb" — a conventional explosive that disperses radioactive material — it could stir widespread panic if incorporated in a blast. Yellowcake also can be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, nuclear weapons using sophisticated equipment...
...in a symbolic way, the mission linked the current attempts to stabilize Iraq with some of the high-profile claims about Saddam's weapons capabilities in the buildup to the 2003 invasion...
...The yellowcake wasn't the only dangerous item removed from Tuwaitha...
Earlier this year, the military withdrew four devices for controlled radiation exposure from the former nuclear complex. The lead-enclosed irradiation units, used to decontaminate food and other items, contain elements of high radioactivity that could potentially be used in a weapon, according to the official. Their Ottawa-based manufacturer, MDS Nordion, took them back for free, the official said.
The yellowcake was the last major stockpile from Saddam's nuclear efforts, but years of final cleanup is ahead for Tuwaitha and other smaller sites...
Full Story Here
I'm a Progressive Democrat but WMD's are WMD's. I'm glad this didn't fall in the hands of the Islamic Extremist. I still think Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong time but our intelligence was apparently correct. We could use Saddam's hatred of Iran right now to help keep Iran in check; because any action against Iran by Israel will be judge harshly by public opinion in the Middle East. (by that I mean Iraq was watching Iran and Iran was watching Iraq, now they are both watching the United States and Israel)
CFLs or Compact fluorescent lights, you know the "curly bulbs" that are all the rage. Legislation was passed that phases out all incandescent lighting by 2012. The problem? You can't just throw them away in some states and I'm sure other states will be passing laws that prohibit public disposal. If so you will need to schedule a Non-Hazardous Waste pickup and a EPA Bill of Lading Manifest will need to be completed before the pickup. Another option is transporting the waste to a local recycling center. Also, did you know if one breaks you are supposed to evacuate the entire room for 15 minutes and close off any ventilation. Wait that's not all... if you live in an apartment building you are supposed to call maintenance to turn off the air conditioning if you break one of those bulbs. I would like to listen in on that phone call. The EPA has dedicated a page to those wonderful new squiggly bulbs and thermometers; as a bonus they also list things you should never do when cleaning up a broken lightbulb.
I'm going to copy and paste from the EPA site their instructions for how to clean up and dispose of a CFL. I'm also posting the information on what never to do. The link to the EPA webpage with the full information is at the bottom of the page and in the link above. This is information that every American should be required to know. If you have children or pets I wouldn't put one in any lamp that could accidently get knocked over.
Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal below.
Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
- Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
- Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
- Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
- Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
- Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
- Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
- Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug
- Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
- Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
- If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum (? see below what not to do) the area where the bulb was broken.
- Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials
- If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
- You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
- If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
Disposal of Clean-up Materials
- Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup. (Unless you live in a state that prohibits public disposal)
- Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
- Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.
Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
- The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
- Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
Now for the instructions on WHAT NOT TO DO.
What Never to Do with a Mercury Spill
-
Never use a vacuum (? see what to do) cleaner to clean up mercury. The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure.
-
Never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will break the mercury into smaller droplets and spread them.
-
Never pour mercury down a drain. It may lodge in the plumbing and cause future problems during plumbing repairs. If discharged, it can cause pollution of the septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
- Never
wash clothing or other items that have come in direct contact with
mercury in a washing machine, because mercury may contaminate the
machine and/or pollute sewage. Clothing that has come into direct
contact with mercury should be discarded. By "direct contact," we mean
that mercury was (or has been) spilled directly on the clothing. For
example:
- if you broke a mercury thermometer and some of elemental mercury beads came in contact with your clothing, or
- if you broke a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) so that broken glass and other material from the bulb, including mercury-containing powder, came into contact with your clothing.
You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, like the clothing you happened to be wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
- Never walk around if your shoes might be contaminated with mercury. Contaminated clothing can also spread mercury around.
Here's the Link the full page on the EPA site: Mercury spills, disposal and site cleanup.
Got all that? now go get green and think how lucky we are that Corporate America lobbyist are so environmentally friendly.
Now don't you feel better about what a great job the people in charge are doing about finding things to help us "folks" be green. I hate the word folks, when used by politicians, we are people. (I also hate the word troops they are soldiers, a soldier dies not a troop... but that's another post for another day...
By 2012 everyone will be using these lighs. One broken bulb or one burnt out bulb being disposed of improperly is no big deal but remember by 2012 all incandescent lignting is going to be phased out. Millions of Americans will be disposing of these bulbs minus any kind of regulated control. Think about it.
We have to find a better way. Yea... this is receiving my "I'm Just Saying" tag.
Please take a moment to sign the petition and express your outrage
106 wolves were killed in a period of just 118 days.
That's nearly one wolf killed every day. And if Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have their way, at least 900 wolves -- nearly 60 percent of the population -- could be exterminated this fall, when a massive public hunt begins.
Make no mistake: This will be the very last summer for many of Yellowstone's wolves -- unless immediate action is taken to stop the killing.
That is why I am urging you to sign the NRDC Petition to the Interior Department demanding that it restore protection for wolves now.
Tourists visiting Yellowstone have been horrified to learn that the very wolves they've traveled hundreds and thousands of miles to see are being gunned down just outside the park. Hundreds of tourists a day are signing petitions to protest the slaughter.
And as I write, our partner organization Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is circulating those Petitions in the park AND taking court action -- along with 11 other conservation groups -- to compel the Bush Administration to restore protection for the wolves.
What can you do to help the wolves of the Northern Rockies from where you live?
Be sure to sign our Petition, and urge your friends and family to do the same.
Your activism will help us broadcast the wolf's plight and mobilize America against the Bush Administration's heartless, wolf-killing policy.
Swift action is imperative since the wolf death count is rising higher every day.
Wyoming, Montana and Idaho are planning public hunts for the region's remaining 1,400 wolves this fall -- the first in more than three decades. Once the leaves fall from the trees, wolves will be easy targets for aerial sharpshooters who can gun down entire packs in a matter of minutes.
That is why we must act quickly this summer to compel the Bush Administration to restore the wolf's desperately needed Endangered Species protection.
Please sign our Petition, and help us put an end to this wolf-killing rampage and help save one of our National Treasures.
Bush claims executive privilege on CIA leak
By Laurie Kellman – 2 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush has asserted executive privilege to prevent Attorney General Michael Mukasey from having to comply with a House panel subpoena for material on the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.
A House committee chairman, meanwhile, held off on a contempt citation of Mukasey — who had requested the privilege claim — but only as a courtesy to lawmakers not present.
Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, rejected Mukasey's suggestion that Vice President Dick Cheney's FBI interview on the CIA leak should be protected by the privilege claim — and therefore not turned over to the panel.
"We'll act in the reasonable and appropriate period of time," Waxman, D-Calif., said. But he made clear that he thinks Mukasey has earned a contempt citation and that he'd schedule a vote on the matter soon.
"This unfounded assertion of executive privilege does not protect a principle; it protects a person," Waxman said. "If the vice president did nothing wrong, what is there to hide?"
The assertion of the privilege is not about hiding anything but rather protecting the separation of powers as well as the integrity of future Justice Department investigations of the White House, Mukasey wrote to Bush in a letter dated Tuesday. Several of the subpoenaed reports, he wrote, summarize conversations between Bush and advisers — are direct presidential communications protected by the privilege.
"I am greatly concerned about the chilling effect that compliance with the committee's subpoena would have on future White House deliberations and White House cooperation with future Justice Department investigations," Mukasey wrote to Bush. "I believe it is legally permissible for you to assert executive privilege with respect to the subpoenaed documents, and I respectfully request that you do so."
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Bush invoked the privilege on Tuesday...
Scooter Libby told the FBI in 2003 that it was possible that Cheney ordered him to reveal Plame's identity to reporters...
Full Story Here
Budweiser is now a Belgian owned beer.
(MarketWatch) -- Anheuser-Busch Cos. agreed to be acquired for $70 a share, or $52 billion, by InBev, creating the world's largest beer maker and transferring ownership of the legendary U.S. company to the Belgian-Brazilian giant.
The new company, to be called Anheuser-Busch InBev, would have had net sales of about $36.4 billion in 2007. Anheuser-Busch and InBev sell about 300 brands, including Anheuser's Budweiser and Bud Light and InBev's Stella Artois and Beck's.
InBev Chief Executive Carlos Brito will take the top post at the combined company...
..."Today the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) is expected to make it official: our nation's protector of the environment has decided to take a summer vacation from global warming regulation, and instead has headed to the beach where it can spend a few more months ignoring science, the Supreme Court, and the damage to the planet being caused by global warming pollution.
Full Statement Here
