The 50-state blog round-up has existed over the years in various forms. The idea is to take a look at state and local blogs in order to see what important things are going on in state politics and campaigns, to get a preview of what’s coming to the national stage and to recognize the work of great state and local bloggers. -New Hampshire: Blue Hampshire shows Rep. Fank Guinta getting schooled by a constituent. -New Jersey: Blue Jersey notes that Olympic hero Carl Lewis is running for state senate. -New Mexico: Democracy of New Mexico sayd five AFSCME locals in the state are bucking the national to endorse a grassroots candidate. -New York: The Albany Project says that State Sen. Greg Ball is an unlikely hero in the battle against fracking. -North Carolina: BlueNC applauds the courts stopping the state’s attack on Planned Parenthood. -North Dakota: North Decoder calls out state Republicans for focusing on state college nicknames instead of important issues. -Ohio: Plunderbund shoots down John Kasich’s claim that unions are divided in the state. -Oklahoma: Blue Oklahoma notes that the state’s child poverty rate has gone up. -Oregon: BlueOregon applauds Sen. Ron Wyden for his 600th town hall meeting. -Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Progressive isn’t excited about Sen. Pat Toomey being named to the supercommittee. -Rhode Island: RI Future mourns the passing of state progressive leader Miguel C. Luna. -South Carolina: Haven’t found any progressive blogs for this state yet. -South Dakota: Haven’t found any progressive blogs for this state yet. -Tennessee: KnoxViews asks Gov. Bill Halsem where the jobs are. -Texas: Burnt Orange Report gathers the research on Rick Perry. -Utah: No recent posts to include. -Vermont: Green Mountain Daily thanks Gov. Peter Shumlin for meeting with progressives in the state. -Virginia: VB Dems says Gov. Bob McDonnell is auditioning to be vice president. -Washington: HorsesAss makes the case that unions are more grassroots than corporations and the wealthy. -West Virginia: West Virginia Blue links to a poll that sayd the majority of residents oppose mountain-top removal mining. -Wisconsin: Uppity Wisconsin says that finishing the job of taking control of the State Senate is more important than recalling Scott Walker. -Wyoming: Haven’t found any progressive blogs for this state yet. -Alabama: Left in Alabama notes that the state is in a race to the bottom in terms of getting rid of jobs. -Alaska: Mudflats points out that the state of Alaska is supporting efforts to silence Alaskans. -Arizona: Arizona Netroots asks where the green jobs are. -Arkansas: Blue Arkansas questions who the AFL-CIO supporots in state senate races. -California: Calitics isn’t surprised that Republicans are attacking the Democratic-proposed redistricting maps. -Colorado: Square State introduced progressive legislative candidate Tracy Kraft-Tharp. -Connecticut: CT News Junkie says there is a move to decertify AFSCME in the state. -Delaware: Delaware Liberal gives a rundown of legislative candidates for 2012. -Florida: Beach Peanuts lists the latest horrors from Gov. Rick Scott. -Georgia: Blog For Democracy says that the Georgia Republican Party is planning to purge white Democrats. -Hawaii: Haven’t found any progressive blogs for this state yet. -Idaho: 43rd State Blues notes that Sen. Jim Risch compared Barack Obama to Casey Anthony. -Illinois: Progress Illinois says that unions are calling on Gov. Pat Quinn to keep his word. -Indiana: Blue Indiana Network applauds John Gregg’s run for governor. -Iowa: Bleeding Heartland points to a story of environmental groups going after the Iowa Farm Bureau for harassment and intimidation. -Kansas: The Kansas Free Press says that unions are not happy about Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposed voluntary retirement incentives. -Kentucky: Page One notes Rand Paul’s flip-flopping on military spending cuts. -Louisiana: Daily Kingfish says that taxpayers are on the hook for $81,000 to defend the House redistricting map. -Maine: Dirigo Blue says that Republicans are up to their same old tricks in redistricting the state. -Maryland: Haven’t found any progressive blogs for this state yet. -Massachusetts: Blue Mass Group points out that Elizabeth Warren wants to talk to the voters and that the media isn’t happy about it. -Michigan: Michigan Liberal is skeptical about using volunteers to gather petitions for recall efforts. -Minnesota: The Minnesota Independent notes that same-sex couples are suing to overturn the state’s Defense of Marriage Act. -Mississippi: Haven’t found any progressive blogs for this state yet. -Missouri: Fired Up Missouri says that establishment Republicans are pulling away from scandal-plagued Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. -Montana: Left in the West links to commentary that Rep. Denny Rehberg (R) is getting himself in trouble with veterans. -Nebraska: New Nebraska Network says that Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Jon Bruning has declared war on the poor and working class. -Nevada: Las Vegas Gleaner wishes prominent candidates would talk about the real issues we face like lesser knwon candidates do. The list used to create the post can be found here . If you know of a progressive state or local blog that isn’t on the list, e-mail me at quinnelk@hotmail.com and I’ll add it.
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Successful plugging of two Gannet Alpha leaks come as a Scottish newspaper reveals Shell’s poor safety record in the region The oil sheen on the surface of the North Sea that followed the UK’s worst oil spill for a decade has finally disappeared, according to Shell , after the company managed to plug its leaking pipeline on Friday . Government officials are now launching an investigation into the leak as part of an effort to discover how the spill came about and how to prevent such damage recurring. However, the successful plugging of both the primary and secondary leaks at the Gannet Alpha platform, 112 miles east of Aberdeen, came as a Scottish newspaper revealed Shell’s poor safety record in the region. An investigation by the Sunday Herald found that Shell had been officially censured 25 times in the past six years for breaking safety rules, giving it one of the worst safety records of any major oil company in the UK. Infringements by Shell include repeatedly failing to maintain pipelines – similar to the one that gave rise to the Gannet leak – as well as for failing to report a dangerous incident, and failing to protect workers from hazardous chemicals. The revelations cited come from records held by the government’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and include incidents in which Shell was fined or received an official reprimand. Since 2005, Shell has been prosecuted four times: for an explosion at Bacton gas terminal near Norwich; an accident at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire; a collision at the Mossmorran gas plant in Fife; and a fatality on the Clipper rig in the North Sea. The company has been forced to pay out nearly £1m in fines and legal costs. No other major oil company has faced as many prosecutions in the last six years, according to the HSE. Talisman was prosecuted twice in the period, while BP, Total, Amec and Nexen were each prosecuted once, the Sunday Herald reported. Shell’s safety record is likely to come under scrutiny as the government’s investigation into the leak is launched this week. First, Scotland’s procurator fiscal will meet experts from the HSE and officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) in order to set the initial scope for the investigation. When Decc has completed the investigation, which will involve talking to divers, marine experts and Shell executives, the results will be taken back to the procurator fiscal who will have to decide whether to proceed with a criminal prosecution. One of the key questions is whether Shell will have to pay for the government’s costs in containing the leak, including the cost of surveillance flights by Marine Scotland. Shell said that after its divers closed a faulty relief valve on Friday, no further oil had been released. However, the pipeline – which has been secured to the seabed with 26 concrete “mattresses” – could still contain as much as 660 tonnes of oil, three times more than the nearly 220 tonnes that has already leaked. The company is looking at how to make that safe, as well as monitoring the area to ensure that no further oil is seeping out. Decc has said a containment structure might need to be built in order to ensure that no further oil reaches the sea as the pipeline is dealt with. Green campaigners criticised Shell for not being sufficiently open about the incident, which was discovered on Wednesday 10 August but not disclosed to the public for two days, and they said the incident raised questions over the safety of oil companies’ plans to drill in deep water in the Arctic , as the North Sea is generally supposed to be the safest in the world in terms of spills. However, a Guardian investigation this summer found that there is an oil leak in the North Sea about once a week on average, though most of them are minor. Shell’s poor safety record Oil company / prosecutions since 2005 / enforcement notices since 2005 Shell / 4 / 21 Maersk / 0 / 33 BP / 1 / 20 Talisman / 2 / 12 Petrofac / 0 / 15 Total / 1 / 7 Chevron / 0 / 9 Nexen / 1 / 5 Rowan / 0 / 8 Amec / 1 / 4 Amoco / 0 / 7 Esso / 0 / 6 Conoco / 0 / 5 Marathon / 0 / 5 Shell’s 25 safety lapses Date / plant / situation June 2010 / Nelson, North Sea / prohibition notice after failure to maintain pipeline in good repair January 2010 / Clipper, North Sea / improvement notice after drinking water contaminated October 2009 / Brent Charlie, North Sea / prohibition notice after risk of serious personal injury from toxic and flammable gas June 2009 / Ellesmere Port, Cheshire / improvement notice because of blocked pipes and drains June 2009 / Ellesmere Port, Cheshire / improvement notice over blockages March 2009 / Stanlow terminal, Ellesmere Port / improvement notice after failure to provide information December 2008, Mossmoran gas plant, Fife / improvement notice because of access problem for emergency services December 2008 / Mossmoran gas plant, Fife / improvement notice on access for emergency services August 2008 / Brent Bravo, North Sea / improvement notice after failure to maintain pipeline April 2008 / Mossmoran gas plant, Fife / improvement notice to reduce risk of traffic accident February 2008 / Bacton gas terminal, Norwich / prosecuted after explosion, fined £440,000 February 2008 / Mossmoran gas plant, Fife / improvement notice to remedy deficiencies in emergency response November 2007 / Leman Charlie, North Sea / prohibition notice because of dangers from asbestos June 2007 / Dunlin Alpha, North Sea / improvement notice after failure to control exposure to hazardous chemicals June 2007 / St Fergus gas plant, Peterhead / improvement notice after breach of safety regulation May 2007 / Anasuria production vessel, North Sea / improvement notice after failure to ensure watertight integrity April 2007 / Dunlin Alpha, North Sea / improvement notice after failure to report a dangerous occurrence February 2007 / Ellesmere Port, Cheshire / prosecuted after accident, fined £116,666 February 2007 / Clipper, North Sea / improvement notice after failure to maintain vital equipment December 2006 / Mossmorran gas plant, Fife / prosecuted after accident, fined £12,000 December 2006 / Ellesmere Port, Cheshire / improvement notice because of poor maintenance November 2006 / Clipper, North Sea / improvement notice after failure to maintain vital equipment November 2005 / Clipper, North Sea / prosecuted after fatality, fined £150,000 September 2006 / Cormorant Alpha, North Sea / prohibition notice for inadequately guarded winch September 2006 / Leman Alpha, North Sea / improvement notice for inadequate maintenance and control (Source: Herald Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive) Oil spills Oil Oil Energy Fossil fuels Royal Dutch Shell Oil and gas companies Energy industry Scotland Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …By the time you read this, the fall of Tripoli will be history — along with the capture of Gadhafi , hopefully: BENGHAZI, Libya — The long, brutal reign of Col. Moammar Gadhafi appeared to collapse Sunday as rebels swept into Tripoli, captured three of his sons and set off wild street celebrations in a capital that he’d ruled by fear for more than four decades, Libyan and NATO officials said. With NATO bombings paving the way, rebel forces entered Tripoli with surprising ease and by early Monday controlled large swaths of the city. Gadhafi’s personal guard surrendered to rebel forces, and live television footage showed crowds of opposition supporters in Tripoli’s Green Square — the regime’s symbolic heart — unfurling the tricolor flag of pre-Gadhafi Libya and smashing the ruler’s portraits in scenes that were unthinkable just days ago. “This is historic,” Amal Abdelrazk, a 42-year-old resident of downtown Tripoli’s Andalus Street, said by phone. “After 41 years, eight months and 27 days, we witness this moment…. “The whole thing is like a dream.” As rebels partied in the streets, hailed “as the victors of war,” Abdelrazk said, rebel military spokesman Col. Ahmed Bani told McClatchy that his forces were hunting Gadhafi in and around Tripoli. Gadhafi’s whereabouts were unknown, but a U.S. official said, “We have no reason to believe (he) has left the country.” Late Sunday Gadhafi made a brief audio statement on Libyan TV, sounding desperate as he called on individual tribes and cities to “take weapons” and defend “beautiful Tripoli.” “All the tribes, you must all march to Tripoli in order to defend and purify it,” he said, calling the rebels agents of Western powers. “Otherwise you will have no dignity; You will become slaves and servants in the hands of the imperialists.”
Continue reading …By the time you read this, the fall of Tripoli will be history — along with the capture of Gadhafi , hopefully: BENGHAZI, Libya — The long, brutal reign of Col. Moammar Gadhafi appeared to collapse Sunday as rebels swept into Tripoli, captured three of his sons and set off wild street celebrations in a capital that he’d ruled by fear for more than four decades, Libyan and NATO officials said. With NATO bombings paving the way, rebel forces entered Tripoli with surprising ease and by early Monday controlled large swaths of the city. Gadhafi’s personal guard surrendered to rebel forces, and live television footage showed crowds of opposition supporters in Tripoli’s Green Square — the regime’s symbolic heart — unfurling the tricolor flag of pre-Gadhafi Libya and smashing the ruler’s portraits in scenes that were unthinkable just days ago. “This is historic,” Amal Abdelrazk, a 42-year-old resident of downtown Tripoli’s Andalus Street, said by phone. “After 41 years, eight months and 27 days, we witness this moment…. “The whole thing is like a dream.” As rebels partied in the streets, hailed “as the victors of war,” Abdelrazk said, rebel military spokesman Col. Ahmed Bani told McClatchy that his forces were hunting Gadhafi in and around Tripoli. Gadhafi’s whereabouts were unknown, but a U.S. official said, “We have no reason to believe (he) has left the country.” Late Sunday Gadhafi made a brief audio statement on Libyan TV, sounding desperate as he called on individual tribes and cities to “take weapons” and defend “beautiful Tripoli.” “All the tribes, you must all march to Tripoli in order to defend and purify it,” he said, calling the rebels agents of Western powers. “Otherwise you will have no dignity; You will become slaves and servants in the hands of the imperialists.”
Continue reading …Barnicle Blathers: ‘What Percentage Of GOP Convention Delegates Are Total Nutcases?’
August 22, 2011 No Comment
Want incisive news analysis and perspicacious probing of the people and events of the day? Then Mike Barnicle is your man—not. On today's Morning Joe, reacting to Jon Huntsman's criticism of Republicans who reputedly reject science, the former Boston Globe columnist inanely asked former RNC Chairman Michael Steele: “what percentage of Republican delegates who go to the convention do you figure are total nutcases?” Video after the jump. Willie Geist, hosting in the absence of vacationing Joe and Mika, was apparently appalled: “what kind of question is that?”
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Judith Richardson’s body was found at her home in Hexham after her handbag was discovered 25 miles away in Newcastle Two people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 77-year-old woman who was found dead at home after her handbag was discovered in Newcastle city centre. Officers called at Judith Richardson’s home in St Wilfrid’s Road, Hexham, on Friday after her handbag and some of its contents were found 25 miles away in Newcastle, stuffed in a bin outside a charity shop. Her body was found in the hallway, and police said she had been subjected to a “brutal” attack. Northumbria police said a man and woman from the Hexham area had been arrested late on Sunday. Specialist dogs have been brought in to help trace any evidence that may help with the investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Young said: “We have arrested a man and a woman in the Hexham area on suspicion of murder and they are both helping police with inquiries. “We are still keen to establish how a bag believed to have been taken from Miss Richardson’s property was found in a bin outside a charity shop on Clayton Street, Newcastle, on Friday afternoon. “Anyone who used any public transport from Hexham to Newcastle on Friday and may have seen anything suspicious, please do contact us.” He said the bag was left there between 1pm and 4.30pm on Friday. “This has been a brutal attack on an innocent elderly lady, who was dearly loved by her family and well-known in the Hexham community,” he added. In a statement, the victim’s family said: “This has been a devastating loss and we are all in a state of shock. Judith was a wonderful person and we all loved her dearly.” Crime Newcastle Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
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Some 189,000 students now eligible for clearing Up to four students are competing for each place to start university this autumn, official statistics show. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) said, as of midnight, 189,267 applicants had not found a place and were eligible to be in clearing. Clearing is where students who fail to meet their university offers are matched with vacant courses. Last year, 47,000 applicants secured places in clearing. David Willetts, the universities minister, has said this could fall to 40,000 this year. However, Ucas estimates that half of all students eligible to be in clearing may not have good enough grades to win any place. Some 425,487 students have been accepted on to courses – up 10,416 on this time last year. A further 61,737 are waiting for a university to decide whether to offer them a place or are appealing against their grades. Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, said on Friday that students with good grades should apply again next year. “You don’t have the agonising wait until August. You will have an unconditional offer, which you may well have before Christmas.” There were more than 684,000 applicants this year, a 1.3% rise on last year. Clearing Higher education Students A-levels Schools Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
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Corby MP alleges hacking groups have warned her off using Twitter via email and says she has reported incident to the police Conservative MP Louise Mensch has claimed she has received threats against her children from the hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec . The MP for Corby made the claim on Twitter in the early hours of Monday morning from New York, where she is spending her summer holiday, but did not reveal the nature of the threat she had allegedly received. She tweeted : “Had some morons from Anonymous/Lulzsec threaten my children via email. As I’m in the States, be good …to have somebody from the UK police advise me where I should forward the email.” She said she was revealing the information on Twitter because the threat aimed to warn her off using the social media network. She later added that she had reported the incident to the police in the House of Commons . The Commons authorities are referring queries to Scotland Yard, which said it was aware of the allegations and was looking into it. Mensch, who wrote popular fiction before entering the Commons last year, is an avid user of Twitter and has embarked on a number of high-profile debates in recent days about social media blackouts during the recent riots, phone hacking and Sally Bercow’s appearance in the Big Brother house. LulzSec – Lulz Security – and Anonymous are hacking groups that advocate civil disobedience on the internet . LulzSec was behind the hacking of News International websites at the height of the News of the World phone-hacking revelations and a separate operation against Nintendo. A hoax story posted on the Sun website suggested Rupert Murdoch had been found dead after having taken the rare-earth metal “palladium” before “stumbling into his famous topiary garden late last night”. The page later redirected to LulzSec’s Twitter account. Anonymous has targeted the Church of Scientology, Visa and Mastercard, and various Middle Eastern governments in the pursuit of what it sees as transparency and individual liberty. Conservatives Hacking LulzSec Anonymous Twitter Polly Curtis guardian.co.uk
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Even more appalling than the mindless screed ” The Kids Are Not All Right ” itself is the fact that the New York Times chose to feature it on its Op-Ed page today.
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Chávez has shaved his hair off after starting to lose it during chemotherapy Supporters of President Hugo Chávez shaved their heads in solidarity with their leader’s struggle against cancer on Sunday as hundreds prayed and sang at a televised event. Barbers shaved off the hair of several men and at least one woman while the crowd swayed to a religious song. Chávez, who shaved his head after starting to lose his hair due to chemotherapy, smiled and waved to the crowd. “We’re Christians. Christ unites us,” Chávez said in a speech, noting that others had decided to join him and “change their look”. Chávez said he may undergo a third round of chemotherapy but expressed optimism that the worst of his illness has passed. “I no longer feel sick but rather that I’m convalescing from the illness I had,” Chávez said. Those attending included a group of six from the Dominican Republic who shaved their heads in a show of support outside the Venezuelan embassy in their country on Friday. Chávez greeted the Dominicans with hugs and stood arm-in-arm with them. He also grew emotional as he recalled meeting a young cancer victim who gave him a Venezuelan flag some time ago. He said the girl’s name was Genesis, and she had an advanced brain tumour. He said she had approached him at an event and given him the flag. “She told me, ‘Chávez, I’m going. I know I’m going … In this flag, Chávez, I’ll stay with you,’” Chávez said, his voice filled with emotion. Chávez embraced the flag and vowed to survive. “It’s time to live,” he said. Chávez returned from his latest round of chemotherapy in Cuba on 14 August. He underwent surgery in Cuba in June that removed a cancerous tumour from his pelvic region. He has said the chemotherapy has been going well and aims to ensure no malignant cells reappear. Chávez bowed his head during a prayer and later clapped along with the music. Young men with close-cropped hair stood in the crowd as shouts of “Hallelujah!” and “Amen!” rose at the end of a song. The Venezuelan president defended his practice of providing the public with updates on his medical condition rather than having one of his doctors release reports. He said his political opponents “are crazy to find out who my doctors are”. “I’m not going to expose my doctors to the ridicule,” Chávez said, adding that his opponents “would be capable of anything”. Hugo Chávez Venezuela guardian.co.uk
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