One hundred days and still no jobs bill. Democrat Joseph Crowley’s “speech” from the House floor.
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It happens in every generation: someone comes up with ideas that look crazy but turn out to be genius. When do they get the recognition? After they’re dead. During life they are shunned and criticized, after death, lionized. Will we ever catch up to them? Who do you think is considered crazy but way ahead of their time right now? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Nancy is about to face a brutal rite of passage. Watch this trailer ahead of film’s release on Monday Jacqui Timberlake Maggie O’Kane Chavala Madlena Guy Grandjean
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Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show BP officials discussing how to influence the work of scientists • Read the BP internal meeting notes BP officials tried to take control of a $500m fund pledged by the oil company for independent research into the consequences of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster , it has emerged. Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show BP officials openly discussing how to influence the work of scientists supported by the fund, which was created by the oil company in May last year. Russell Putt, a BP environmental expert, wrote in an email to colleagues on 24 June 2010: “Can we ‘direct’ GRI [ Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative ] funding to a specific study (as we now see the governor’s offices trying to do)? What influence do we have over the vessels/equipment driving the studies vs the questions?”. The email was obtained by Greenpeace and shared with the Guardian. The documents are expected to reinforce fears voiced by scientists that BP has too much leverage over studies into the impact of last year’s oil disaster. Those concerns go far beyond academic interest into the impact of the spill. BP faces billions in fines and penalties, and possible criminal charges arising from the disaster. Its total liability will depend in part on a final account produced by scientists on how much oil entered the gulf from its blown-out well, and the damage done to marine life and coastal areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The oil company disputes the government estimate that 4.1m barrels of oil entered the gulf. There is no evidence in the emails that BP officials were successful in directing research. The fund has since established procedures to protect its independence. Other documents obtained by Greenpeace suggest that the politics of oil spill science was not confined to BP. The White House clashed with officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last summer when drafting the administration’s account of what has happened to the spilled oil. On 4 August, Jane Lubchenco, the NOAA administrator, demanded that the White House issue a correction after it claimed that the “vast majority” of BP oil was gone from the Gulf. A few days earlier, Lisa Jackson, the head of the EPA, and her deputy, Bob Perciasepe, had also objected to the White House estimates of the amount of oil dispersed in the gulf. “These calculations are extremely rough estimates yet when they are put into the press, which we want to happen, they will take on a life of their own,” Perciasepe wrote. Commenting on BP’s email discussions about directing research, a spokeswoman for the oil company said: “BP appointed an independent research board to construct the long-term research programme.” But Kert Davies, Greenpeace US research director, said the oil company had crossed a line. “It’s outrageous to see these BP executives discussing how they might manipulate the science programme,” Davies said. “Their motivation last summer is abundantly clear. They wanted control of the science.” The $500m fund, which is to be awarded over the next decade, is by far the biggest potential source of support to scientists hoping to establish what happened to the oil. A number of scientists had earlier expressed concerns that BP would attempt to point scientists to convenient areas of study – or try to suppress research that did not suit its business. The first round of funds were awarded last May to a consortium of gulf coast researchers. “The rest we are all waiting with bated breath,” said Ajit Subramaniam, a marine scientist at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory . “A lot of the funds might be for understanding future spills. It is also unclear what kind of strings will be attached with that money.” Another email, written by Karen Ragoonanan-Jalim, a BP environmental officer based in Trinidad, contains minutes of a meeting in Houma, Louisiana, in which officials discussed what kind of studies might best serve the oil company’s interests. Under agenda item two, she writes: “Discussions around GRI and whether or not BP can influence this long-term research programme ($500m) to undertake the studies we believe will be useful in terms of understanding the fate and effects of the oil on the environment, eg can we steer the research in support of restoration ecology?” Ragoonanan-Jalim acknowledges that BP may not have that degree of control. “It may be possible for us to suggest the direction of the studies but without guarantee that they will be done.” The email goes on: “How do we determine what biological/ecological studies we (BP) will need to do in order to satisfy specific requirements (legislative/litigation, informing the response and remediation/restoration strategies).” BP oil spill Oil Pollution Oil spills BP Oil and gas companies Energy industry United States Greenpeace Suzanne Goldenberg guardian.co.uk
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ABC has canceled two of its longest-running programs, daytime soap operas “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.” The network announced Thursday that the two soap operas would end, with “All My Children” going off the air in September and “One Life to Live” going off the air in January. In their place, a Mario Batali-hosted food show called “The Chew” will premiere in September, and a health/lifestyle transformation show tentatively called “The Revolution” will premiere in January. “General Hospital” will remain on the network. “All My Children” has been the subject of cancellation rumors of late, with Deadline.com’s Nellie Andreeva reporting last month that the show might be replaced by a talk show. “While we are excited about our new shows and the shift in our business, I can’t help but recognize how bittersweet the change is,” Brian Frons, ABC’s daytime department president , said in an announcement. “We are taking this bold step to expand our business because viewers are looking for different types of programming these days. They are telling us there is room for informative, authentic and fun shows that are relatable, offer a wide variety of opinions and focus on ‘real life’ takeaways.” In an exclusive interview with The Huffington Post’s Lucas Kavner, Frons noted that he certainly expects some backlash. “I haven’t had a chance for anybody to physically assault me yet,” Frons said. “But if you’re a passionate viewer of these shows, you can assume people are going to be really angry at me.” Frons added: “Like a lot of forms on TV, when there’s a hit, a lot of people jump on a bandwagon. But then you end up in season 25 of the Real World,” he said. “Maybe we’re just at that point where only the best survive.” The first of the new shows to premiere, “The Chew,” will be hosted by Batali, “What Not To Wear” host Clinton Kelly, “Top Chef” alumna Carla Hall, restaurateur Michael Symon and “Dorm Room Diet” author Daphne Oz.
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Sure, Nokia will ship a single MeeGo handset this year. But after that, MeeGo, Nokia’s previous strategic smartphone platform , will be pushed into the incubation lab as the team begins focusing on future user experiences . According to Reuters , LG Electronics has stepped in to fill the void by joining a working group with ZTE and China Mobile intent on developing a handset version of the software. This, according to a member of the MeeGo technical steering group, Valtteri Halla, speaking at a developer conference today. Of course, LG was talking about MeeGo phones back in early 2010 when it was showing off its short-lived Intel Moorestown-based GW990 (pictured above). Happy now, MeeGo fans? You should be, we certainly are. LG steps in to Nokia void to develop handset version of MeeGo originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Check out the video for Jessie J’s newest UK single, “Nobody’s Perfect”! “It’s my fave video I’ve done so far!” the 22-year-old British singer/songwriter shared on her Twitter account. LISTEN: JJ Music Monday’s Pick of the Week – Jessie J’s “L.O.V.E.” Jessie was recently profiled in Interview magazine’s latest issue – be sure to check out her feature Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Just Jared Discovery Date : 14/04/2011 21:10 Number of articles : 5
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Fury in Croatia as national hero Ante Gotovina is one of those convicted at The Hague for state-sponsored ethnic cleansing Two Croatian commanders of the 1990s war against the Serbs have been found guilty of war crimes for overseeing a policy of ethnic cleansing aimed at expelling tens of thousands of minority Serbs from newly independent Croatia. Judges in The Hague found Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac guilty on eight of nine counts for commanding operations that entailed the shelling of civilians, the torching of Serbian homes in south-west Croatia, the murder of hundreds of elderly Serbs and the forced exodus of at least 20,000 from the Serbian minority rooted in the Dalmatian hinterland for centuries. A third accused, Ivan Cermak, was acquitted. It is the most damning verdict on Croatia’s conduct of the 1991-95 war against the Serbs in 17 years of investigations by the international war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Gotovina was given a 24-year jail sentence. He commanded the August 1995 operations that ended a four-year Serbian insurgency and partition of Croatia and effectively won the war for Zagreb. Markac, who commanded police paramilitaries in the same Operation Storm, was jailed for 18 years. The verdicts were met with outrage in the cities of Croatia, where thousands of former fighters rallied in central Zagreb and in cities on the Adriatic coast to watch giant screens transmitting from The Hague. The judges in effect incriminated the state of Croatia for a policy of systematic ethnic cleansing against its Serbian minority. The verdict will create major problems for the prime minister, Jadranka Kosor. His administration is squeezed between a nationalist backlash supported by a recalcitrant and powerful Catholic church, and pressure from Brussels to be more proactive on war crimes and the treatment of minority Serbs as Croatia seeks to conclude its negotiations to join the European Union. In the most telling findings from the panel of judges, the tribunal found that the Croatian state under President Franjo Tudjman, a hardline nationalist, had prosecuted a policy of terror, persecution and violence calculated to rid the country of its Serb minority. Almost 200,000 Serbs fled Croatia in the summer and autumn of 1995. “Croatian military forces and the special police committed acts of murder, cruel treatment, inhumane acts, destruction, plunder, persecution and deportation. There was a widespread and systematic attack directed against this Serb civilian population,” the judges found. “The fear of violence and duress caused by the shelling created an environment in which those present there had no choice but to leave.” While focused on Gotovina and two fellow accused, the three-year trial loomed larger because it has been the main opportunity for examining the strategy and conduct of the leadership of Croatia during the war. The decisive political leaders such as Tudjman, the defence minister Gojko Susak and the army chief Janko Bobetko all died before having to face trial. The Gotovina case has served as a proxy trial. A former French legionnaire who returned to Croatia when the war erupted in 1991, Gotovina commanded the central operations that won the war for Croatia in August 1995, retaking the strategic town of Knin in the Dalmatian hinterland that was the seat of the four-year-old Serbian rebellion that left Croatia crippled. He was indicted for war crimes in 2001. Tipped off by contacts in the Croatian government, he went on the run for four years until he was arrested in a Tenerife hotel at the end of 2005. For years the Croatian government blocked attempts to locate him until it performed a U-turn to unlock its EU negotiations. Gotovina, along with Markac and Cermak, the Knin garrison commander, faced nine counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for overseeing the alleged deportation of tens of thousands of Serbs through murder, the torching of homes and shelling of civilians. For many Croats, especially on the right, Gotovina is a national hero. Catholic bishops this week denounced the tribunal, accusing it of deliberately confusing victim and aggressor. The prime minister described the August 2005 operations as part of “a just and liberating war”. Operation Storm, which climaxed with the reconquest of Knin and the Serbian exodus, was prosecuted at lightning speed and highly successfully with strong American backing. It represented the denouement to the four-year war. A fortnight earlier at Srebrenica in Bosnia the Serbs had committed the worst massacre of the Yugoslav wars, murdering almost 8,000 Muslim males. Following the Croatian rout of the Serbian rebels the war was over and Croatia’s independence secured. Bosnia’s fragile peace pact was struck three months later. In the wake of the victory Croatian forces went on the rampage, torching the homes of elderly Serbs who did not flee and murdering hundreds. War crimes International criminal court Croatia Serbia Europe Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk
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Closure between junctions one and four could last for up to 24 hours, threatening travel disruption for FA Cup semi-final A scrapyard fire has closed a large stretch of both sides of the M1 in north London, causing gridlock on the roads as well as disruption to peaktime rail services. Scores of firefighters were called to the blaze at Mill Hill at about 4am and have spent the morning battling the flames directly under the motorway and cooling a number of gas cylinders nearby to try to prevent any explosions. The closure could last for up to 24 hours and threatens to cause problems for fans driving to Wembley for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final between Manchester United and Manchester City. The motorway was closed between junctions one and four, at Brent Cross and Elstree, as the fire brigade set up a temporary hazard zone. Forty firefighters and eight fire engines were at the scene. Train services have been disrupted, with Thameslink, Southeastern and East Midlands trains all experiencing delays as a result of the fire. A London fire brigade spokesperson said: “Firefighters from Wembley, Harrow and surrounding fire stations are at the scene. It is too soon to say what caused the blaze but the cause will be under investigation.” Station manager Dave Bird, who was at the scene, said: “The scrapyard is close to a residential area so a number of people have been evacuated from nearby houses as a precaution. We’re obviously aware this is causing some disruption so our crews are working really hard to bring the flames under control.” No injuries have been reported. London Road transport Karen McVeigh guardian.co.uk
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Donald Trump fired back angrily at Bill Cosby for his harsh comments about Trump on the “Today” show last week. Cosby stunned “Today” host Meredith Vieira into silence last Thursday when he said that Trump was “full of it” and should either “run” for president or “shut up.” In a statement, Trump said that he had never been a fan of Cosby’s, but had always gotten along well with him when he ran into the TV legend. Therefore, he said, he was “surprised to hear [Cosby] blabber somewhat incoherently ‘you run or shut up.’ The hatred was pouring out of his eyes when he said this.” Trump also seemed to imply that something was wrong with Cosby’s health–mental or otherwise. “Based on the way he acted, things are not looking too good for Cosby,” he wrote. He said that Cosby should be “more honest” in his dealings with him. Trump has acquired something of a reputation for the scorched-earth letters he sends to his critics. In the past few weeks alone, he sent a blistering missive to New York Times columnist Gail Collins, as well as an angry letter to Vanity Fair. Read the full statement below: The other day on The Today Show, right after I was interviewed by Meredith Vieira, a terrific person and reporter, I happened to watch Bill Cosby who was on at the end of the show. While I have never been a fan of Cosby’s, I had always assumed he liked or respected me because every time I met him–the last time at the David Letterman show where I preceded him as a guest–he was always so nice, saying “let’s get together”–asking me out to dinner, and being polite to the point of offering to buy me a suit because he has a “great tailor.” In any event, as I watched the show, the subject of Donald Trump came up. I was surprised to hear him blabber, somewhat incoherently “you run or shut up.” The hatred was pouring out of his eyes when he said this. As I am sure he must know I cannot run until this season of Celebrity Apprentice ends. I know that he has taken a lot of heat over the years in that he seems to be talking down to the people he’s talking to and purportedly trying to help. Actually, based on the way he acted, things are not looking too good for Cosby. I wish he would be more honest, and if he doesn’t want me to run because he’s obviously an Obama fan, he should state the reasons and not come into my “green room” in front of numerous witnesses and treat me like his best friend, only to denigrate me when I’m not around. Sadly, he got more attention talking about me than he did on the merits of his own appearance–maybe he is not as dumb as I thought.
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