Dick Cheney remains one of America’s most odious Republican politicians in recent memory. Rep. Paul Ryan is looking for all the support he can get, ever since Boehner allowed his Randian Budget Bill to get voted on and passed in the House. Since five Senate Republicans have now joined in voting against his Medicare nightmare plan (though 40 of them drank the Kool Aid and voted for it), I’m sure Ryan will take solace from all friendly faces, even Dick Cheney. Former Vice President Dick Cheney gave the afternoon keynote address at the KPMG Global Energy Institute conference in Houston yesterday. While his remarks were focused on energy and the oil markets, Cheney also opined on other popular current events. During the question-and-answer period, Cheney gave a ringing endorsement of embattled Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), author of the Republican Medicare-killing budget: “I worship the ground the Paul Ryan walks on,” he said referring to the Republican congressman from Wisconsin. “I hope he doesn’t run for president because that would ruin a good man who has a lot of work to do.” I think we get the Jesus reference, Dick, but the code words won’t help you this time. What Paul Ryan has done is put out there in a crystal-clear vision how Conservatives think seniors should be treated when it comes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. When the Beltway Village calls him bold and brave for offering up a plan, it still can’t make up for the fact that it’s dangerous to the well-being of our seniors. Seniors are paying attention to it, and even the Prophet Cheney is powerless to help. Ryan is smart enough not to get involved in the 2012 election with the anger and fury coming from Wisconsin voters after Scott Walker abused his powers against public workers.
Continue reading …Dick Cheney remains one of America’s most odious Republican politicians in recent memory. Rep. Paul Ryan is looking for all the support he can get, ever since Boehner allowed his Randian Budget Bill to get voted on and passed in the House. Since five Senate Republicans have now joined in voting against his Medicare nightmare plan (though 40 of them drank the Kool Aid and voted for it), I’m sure Ryan will take solace from all friendly faces, even Dick Cheney. Former Vice President Dick Cheney gave the afternoon keynote address at the KPMG Global Energy Institute conference in Houston yesterday. While his remarks were focused on energy and the oil markets, Cheney also opined on other popular current events. During the question-and-answer period, Cheney gave a ringing endorsement of embattled Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), author of the Republican Medicare-killing budget: “I worship the ground the Paul Ryan walks on,” he said referring to the Republican congressman from Wisconsin. “I hope he doesn’t run for president because that would ruin a good man who has a lot of work to do.” I think we get the Jesus reference, Dick, but the code words won’t help you this time. What Paul Ryan has done is put out there in a crystal-clear vision how Conservatives think seniors should be treated when it comes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. When the Beltway Village calls him bold and brave for offering up a plan, it still can’t make up for the fact that it’s dangerous to the well-being of our seniors. Seniors are paying attention to it, and even the Prophet Cheney is powerless to help. Ryan is smart enough not to get involved in the 2012 election with the anger and fury coming from Wisconsin voters after Scott Walker abused his powers against public workers.
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Thursday’s lead New York Times story by Jennifer Steinhauer on the aftermath of the special election in New York State, ” Democrats Force A Medicare Vote, Pressuring G.O.P. – Seeking Political Edge – 5 Republicans in Senate Oppose House Bill to Reshape Program ,” took up the Times’s mantra that the Republican loss in the special election spells trouble for the Republican Party overall in 2012 and doom for Rep. Paul Ryan’s ambitious Medicare reform.
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Revelation that CIA forensics team to search for al-Qaida materials comes as Clinton prepares to visit Islamabad Pakistan has agreed to allow a CIA forensics team into Osama bin Laden’s compound to search for al-Qaida materials that may be hidden in the walls or underground. The revelation, reported by the Washington Post , comes on the eve of a visit to Islamabad by the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, in the most senior interaction between the US and Pakistan since the special forces raid on 2 May. The fate of Bin Laden’s house in Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Islamabad, had been one of many sensitive points in tense relations between the two countries. Some Pakistani officials favoured demolishing the three-storey house, which they believed had become a symbol of humiliation. But the US has quietly pressed Pakistan to leave it standing, as they believe it may contain valuable intelligence missed by the navy Seals who stormed it, killing the al Qaida leader. Now CIA agents could enter the house in the coming days – a sign of a slow thaw in relations that Clinton will seek to build upon during meetings with military and civilian leaders in Islamabad. US navy Seals have already seized hundreds of computer disks that are being combed by CIA officials in Virginia. They say it is their largest cache of al-Qaida intelligence ever. Now US intelligence will use infrared cameras and other devices to check for documents or other materials possibly hidden inside walls, safes or underground. Previously the CIA has only viewed the house from satellite images or from a safe house that it operated in Abbotttabad for months without Pakistani knowledge. Two weeks ago Pakistani parliamentarians closed ranks against the US incursion, condemning it as a gross breach of sovereignty. But behind the scenes, senior officials on both sides have worked quietly to put the relationship back on track. The CIA deputy director Michael Morell negotiated access to the Abbottabad during meetings in Islambad with the ISI chief, General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the Washington Post reported. The ISI also agreed to show the CIA materials it recovered from Bin Laden’s house, while the CIA is seeking ISI assistance in analysing some records seized in the raid. A senior ISI official told the Guardian he had no information about the latest development. Osama bin Laden CIA United States Pakistan al-Qaida Global terrorism Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Revelation that CIA forensics team to search for al-Qaida materials comes as Clinton prepares to visit Islamabad Pakistan has agreed to allow a CIA forensics team into Osama bin Laden’s compound to search for al-Qaida materials that may be hidden in the walls or underground. The revelation, reported by the Washington Post , comes on the eve of a visit to Islamabad by the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, in the most senior interaction between the US and Pakistan since the special forces raid on 2 May. The fate of Bin Laden’s house in Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Islamabad, had been one of many sensitive points in tense relations between the two countries. Some Pakistani officials favoured demolishing the three-storey house, which they believed had become a symbol of humiliation. But the US has quietly pressed Pakistan to leave it standing, as they believe it may contain valuable intelligence missed by the navy Seals who stormed it, killing the al Qaida leader. Now CIA agents could enter the house in the coming days – a sign of a slow thaw in relations that Clinton will seek to build upon during meetings with military and civilian leaders in Islamabad. US navy Seals have already seized hundreds of computer disks that are being combed by CIA officials in Virginia. They say it is their largest cache of al-Qaida intelligence ever. Now US intelligence will use infrared cameras and other devices to check for documents or other materials possibly hidden inside walls, safes or underground. Previously the CIA has only viewed the house from satellite images or from a safe house that it operated in Abbotttabad for months without Pakistani knowledge. Two weeks ago Pakistani parliamentarians closed ranks against the US incursion, condemning it as a gross breach of sovereignty. But behind the scenes, senior officials on both sides have worked quietly to put the relationship back on track. The CIA deputy director Michael Morell negotiated access to the Abbottabad during meetings in Islambad with the ISI chief, General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the Washington Post reported. The ISI also agreed to show the CIA materials it recovered from Bin Laden’s house, while the CIA is seeking ISI assistance in analysing some records seized in the raid. A senior ISI official told the Guardian he had no information about the latest development. Osama bin Laden CIA United States Pakistan al-Qaida Global terrorism Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
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Regulator Ofqual’s chief executive backs plans and admits there is ‘a public perception that things aren’t what they used to be’ Exam boards could be fined for offering second-rate qualifications, the government’s exam standards regulator for England has warned. Glenys Stacey, the Ofqual chief executive, said it was “unusual” that the regulator did not have the right to impose financial penalties and spoke of the need for penalties as well as incentives for boards. The education bill going through parliament gives Ofqual greater powers to hold exam boards to account, but new legislation would be needed before it could fine them. The regulator is currently able to de-register an exam board and prevent it from offering qualifications, but the bill would gives it an extra responsibility to ensure that England’s examinations and qualifications keep pace with its international competitors. Stacey told the Guardian that Ofqual may “find that our range of powers needs augmenting in some way”. “All regulators want the greatest range of tools and you’d expect us to be seeking those. We are intent on working the tools we have in earnest, it’s whether a fining option has a particular place,” she said. “There may be a place for fining … we will be exploring this with government.” However, Stacey added that Ofqual was working with exam boards, rather than “plotting against” them. In March, a government-commissioned report into vocational courses- said thousands of students were gaining qualifications did not lead to jobs or further training. Professor Alison Wolf, an expert in public policy, found that while there were some worthwhile apprenticeships in building and manufacturing, and hairdressers’ training was of a good standard, there was a raft of courses “that do not do people any good”. Stacey said Ofqual, which was established as an independent non-ministerial government department a year ago, was developing a “harder-wired” stance so that exam boards were at “the level we prescribe and we have real certainty about what they prescribe”. She spoke of the need for “carrot and stick incentives” so that qualifications were “at the line or above it”. “Regulators have to earn their stripes. They don’t seek to be liked, but they seek to be respected,” Stacey said. “The regulator is planning to hold discussions over whether standards have fallen, risen or been maintained with exam boards and others “close to the issue”. The regulator’s chief executive said it faced a challenge in changing the view that exams were getting easier. “There is a public perception that things aren’t what they used to be. As a regulator we need to get under the skin of that,” she said. “What we hope to get is a better understanding as to what the perception is and what the reality is.” Stacey said the regulator would be looking closely at qualifications offered in Singapore, South Korea and Finland, among others. Last July, Ofqual said a science GCSE that almost 500,000 pupils took was too easy. In some cases, pupils had to gain fewer than half the available marks to be awarded an A grade, and only six out of 30 marks for a C. Students were not given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of scientific concepts. Earlier this week, a report by Ofqual showed that the number of A-level and GCSE qualifications taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell by almost 6% last year, while Diplomas, BTECs and City & Guilds courses shot up by 11%. Schools GCSEs Regulators Vocational education Further education Students Higher education Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
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Conservative peer will be sentenced in six weeks after denying six counts of false accounting The Tory peer Lord Hanningfield has been found guilty of six counts of expenses fraud. Hanningfield – tried at Chelmsford crown court under his name, Paul White, on Thursday – had denied six counts of false accounting relating to his parliamentary expenses. The prosecution said he had claimed for overnight stays in London, between March 2006 and April 2009, when he had actually returned home to Essex. White told the court he had seen it as a “living out of London allowance” rather than overnight subsistence. The jury found the 70-year-old peer guilty on all six counts and he will be sentenced in six weeks. White, who was an Essex councillor for 40 years and led the council from 2001 until he was charged in 2010, was made a life peer in 1998. He was a frontbench spokesman on business while the Conservatives were in opposition, but was suspended from the parliamentary party after being charged. During the trial, he said he “quite honestly assumed” he could claim the maximum amount after learning that this was what 85% of peers did. Asked by his defence counsel why he thought he was entitled to the full sum, he said: “The £30-£40 a day that was then available on the daily allowance was very little.” The peer, from West Hanningfield, near Chelmsford, told the court he spent “a minute a month” completing the Lords expenses claim form in exactly the same way each time, not even including rises in train fares. “If I had known how important some people saw those forms [as being], I would have done much more. I didn’t see it as self-certifying, I saw it as means of getting expenses,” he said. “No one ever told me those forms were so important. I am horrified to be where I am now because of those forms.” He said he had been told nothing about expenses when he was given an induction into the House of Lords for new peers and paid “very little attention” to the guidelines on the back of the claim forms. Hanningfield said many other peers saw the Lords as a “club”. He alleged that another peer who had a main home in London had designated a cottage in Wales as their primary address and claimed the full allowances for overnight subsistence. The court heard that White, from a farming background, receives only the state pension and a small agricultural pension of £120 a month. He would be entitled to a local government pension for his 40 years on Essex county council, but “never got around to filling in the forms”, the jury was told. The peer said he paid off the mortgage on his bungalow 10 years ago, but recently remortgaged it to help pay for his lawyers during the trial. Prosecution over his expenses spelled the end of his long career in Essex politics; he stepped down as the county council leader the day he was charged. In 2005, he was behind a parliamentary question which revealed that Tony Blair had spent more than £1,800 of public money on cosmetics and make-up artists for media appearances since becoming prime minister. White became emotional during his trial when he was asked whether it had been appropriate to claim back the cost of paying someone to walk his dog. “As I lived alone, I wouldn’t survive without my dog – it’s someone I could talk to and walk with,” he said, adding that he had worked long hours and allowed work to “take over my life”. During his trial, he denied living an extravagant lifestyle, saying: “Most of my clothes are from Marks & Spencer. I enjoy the occasional glass of wine but that’s about it. I have no savings, no stocks and shares, nothing like that.” MPs’ expenses House of Lords Conservatives David Sharrock guardian.co.uk
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It’s nice to see I’m not the only one who has some utterly kitsch crap sitting around the house. Thank you for dusting off your souvenirs, photographing them and uploading them at CrapSouvenirs.com — there’s been lots of great submissions so please keep them coming. If you like these, check out these 9 more worthy contenders.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – War-weary lawmakers pushed President Barack Obama to wind down the 10-year-old conflict in Afghanistan on Wednesday as the House of Representatives began debating a bill to authorize $690 billion in defense spending for the next fiscal year. Republicans and Democrats aiming to ramp up pressure on Obama introduced 18 amendments on Afghanistan, some demanding the start of a phased withdrawal and others seeking a radical shift away from the military’s current troop-intensive counterinsurgency-style strategy. The anti-war amendments had little chance of winning the 217 votes needed for passage if all members vote. Supporters were hopeful of topping the 162-vote high that…
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The former head of the International Monetary Fund has moved to a town house in Tribeca where he will remain under house arrest Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund leader, has moved from a temporary apartment to a luxurious townhouse where he will remain under house arrest as he awaits trial in his attempted rape case, officials said. The one-time French presidential contender was seen as he got into a gray sport utility vehicle under tight security. He was moved about a mile (1.6 kilometres) away from New York’s financial district to the stately red brick townhouse in Tribeca, according a person familiar with his housing arrangements. The building is close to the courthouse where he will attend hearings. Attorney William Taylor told reporters on Wednesday that his client was “doing fine” under house arrest. “Not much he can do,” Taylor said. Strauss-Kahn is free on $1 million bail under strict house arrest after prosecutors feared him a flight risk given his international status and wealth. He spent about a week in jail on Rikers Island after he was arrested on 14 May following accusations that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid in his room at the Sofitel near Manhattan’s Times Square. His lawyers maintain Strauss-Kahn is not guilty. Bail plans hit a snag late last week when tenants at the Upper East Side apartment building initially secured for his house arrest refused to accept him because of unwanted media attention. He was briefly housed at a high-rise near Wall Street, where a throng of media has been camped out at the building, broadcasting as his wife, former journalist Anne Sinclair, entered and left the building. Strauss-Kahn, who has no prior criminal record, is monitored by armed guards and wears an electronic bracelet, and his movements are recorded on camera. He will be allowed out for court, doctor’s visits and religious services. Prosecutors must be notified at least six hours before he goes anywhere, and he can’t be out between 10pm and 6am. Under his terms of house arrest, he can receive up to four visitors at a time besides family. The agreement is expected to cost him about $200,000 a month. The town house includes a state-of-the-art theatre, gym, spa and four bathrooms. Strauss-Kahn was pulled from a jetliner bound for Paris after the 32-year-old woman reported the alleged encounter to hotel staff. He resigned nearly a week ago from the IMF, saying in his resignation he said he wanted to protect the institution. “To all, I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me,” he said. Dominique Strauss-Kahn United States France Europe IMF New York guardian.co.uk
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