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10 May 2011 17:30

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U.S.: Democrats push Senate bill to cut big oil’s tax breaks

  • $21 billion saved in bill to cut big oil tax breaks (over 10 years) source
  • » Democrats can pretend to fix the deficit, too! Not to be all gloom and doom, obviously — the oil industry is one of the most successful financial conquests in human history, and if anybody doesn’t need drawing on breaks from the government, they don’t. Stripping their very generous tax breaks would be both a practical and moral victory in our current political climate. That said, the attempt by the Democratic Party to paint this as a deficit-buster is just as disingenuous as the Republican effort to say the same about last month’s budget deal, which cut $38 billion in spending long-term. The deficit is around $1.4 trillion for this fiscal year, though, which makes the earlier figures seem limp and anemic. Still, it’ll be a nice day for American priorities if this thing passes.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 16:58

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Politics: Speaker Boehner wants it both ways on debt ceiling debate

  • That would be a financial disaster, not only for us, but for the worldwide economy. I don’t think it’s a question that’s even on the table.
  • Speaker Of The House John Boehner • Commenting on the looming necessity to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, all the way back in late January. See how quickly things change? Seriously, though, the above statement is almost certainly Speaker Boehner’s true opinion on this issue. The fact that he’s now trying to game some more political leverage out of it is unsurprising, as it’s very similar to the way he handled last month’s budget battle. Greg Sargent has a pretty astute take on this — that Boehner knows failure to raise the limit is unthinkable, but wants to push this debate as close to the eleventh hour as possible, hoping that will make it easier to convince members of his own party that he got all he could out of the White House. Sounds about right to us. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 16:44

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World: Pakistan, China eyeing stealth chopper used in Bin Laden raid

  • The perils of leaving footprints: During the U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, one of their top secret new stealth helicopters clipped a rotor against the wall surrounding the hideout and was left apparently inoperable. The SEALS tried to burn and destroy it on their way out, but what was left were still large portions of a secret, cutting-edge aircraft downed on foreign soil without permission. As such, Pakistan would like a peek — their officials have already said that they’re “very interested” in examining the remains, and added that they might let the Chinese check it out, too. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 16:14

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World: NATO airstrikes rock Tripoli during the night

  • Witnesses claim Gaddafi’s compound was the target: Some have cried foul over NATO’s increased bombings against Gaddafi territories, saying that the mandate for civilian protection, but the U.N. resolution authorizing the no-fly zone uses a rather vague phrase in defining the mission. It states: “…to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory.” A pro-military force type might read that and say, “well, the civilians are in danger as long as Gaddafi is in power.” We’d likely agree with that. It is a bigger and bloodier mission than expected, however, and that may have consequences in public opinion and diplomacy. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 10:57

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Tech: Google’s cloud music service launches — without label support

  • We’ve been in negotiations with the industry for a different set of features, with mixed results. [But] a couple of major labels were less focused on innovation and more on demanding unreasonable and unsustainable business terms.
  • Google director of content partnerships Zahavah Levine • Speaking a sentence obvious to anyone who has watched the music industry do its thing over the past decade. Which is why the company chose to launch the service (called Music Beta by Google) first, and wait until later to get the content partnerships. While the service reportedly has much in common with Amazon’s cloud music offering, it reportedly was more robust in the form it tried to sell the music industry on. Maybe we’ll see that someday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 10:40

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Offbeat: Protip: Don’t get a non-vegan tattoo that says “vegan.” Oops.

  • vegan In an attempt to prove to her friends that she was more vegan than the rest of them, a young girl got the word “vegan” tattooed in her inner-lip area.
  • not vegan Unfortunately for her, she got the tattoo with black ink, which is usually made from non-vegan charred animal bones. Which is bad for her. Oops. Vegan fail. source via
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 10:27

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Biz: Arizona ensures the Happy Meal stays unregulated, unhealthy

  • It’s not that we’re trying to make kids fat — clearly we’re not; it’s about how much government intrusion is really necessary.
  • Arizona Restaurant Association president Steve Chucri • Using the small-government argument to fight for one of his group’s major interests: Keeping Happy Meals unregulated. The group helped push forth an Arizona law that bars local governments from doing what San Francisco did — that is, forcing fast-food places to sell healthier food with their toy-laden meals. Yale’s Kelly Brownell, who leads the university’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, offers a pretty good explanation why the food industry is fighting so hard against the policy: “The companies are fearful these laws will impede their opportunity to recruit new customers,” he notes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

10 May 2011 10:13

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U.S.: Human rights group: Hundreds killed, thousands jailed in Syria

  • 757+ number of civilians the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria says have died in the country’s current crisis
  • 9,000+ number of civilians the group, led by Ammar Qurabi, believes are still in custody as a result of the military crackdown on protests source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 10:01

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U.S.: Memphis floodwaters crest, fall short of record numbers

  • 47.85′ the Mississippi’s crest in Memphis source
  • » The good news? It’s not a record: But, considering it’s within a foot of the record, that’s of little solace to the people whose homes have been damaged by the flooding. Still, if something happens and it gets worse, the city is ready. “We will be prepared even if it goes beyond [48 feet],” said Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. “We have acted all along as if it were right at 49 or 50 feet.” One last note: Major landmarks like Sun Studio, Beale Street and Graceland are safe.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 09:43

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Politics: The sad tale of CUNY, Israel, and an unlucky playwright

  • what A prominent Pulitzer-winning playwright, Tony Kushner, was denied an honorary degree from the City University of New York last week.
  • why Apparently, one of the members of the board thought he wasn’t pro-Israel enough for his taste, which led to the bizarre decision.
  • redo After an outcry in which noted alums returned their degrees to the school in protest, Kushner got the decision reversed. Ouch. source
  • » The lesson: Don’t have someone on your board who uses “support of Israel” as a litmus test for playwrights who few even know for their foreign policy views.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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