The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing on proposed changes to Social Security future benefits and the impact those changes would have on the program, future beneficiaries, workers and the U.S. economy. Proposals include raising the current retirement age and tax increases. Now, this comparison from former chairman of the Bush-era Social Security advisory board, Syl Scheiber, really illustrates the Beltway Bubble. He tries to explain how the chained CPI is calculated: “If the price of a Mercedes goes up, that maybe you don’t buy a Mercedes, you switch and buy an Audi or something.”
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Astronomers shocked by House of Representatives’ move to scrap deep-space observatory after costs soar to $6.5bn Nasa is fighting to save its next-generation space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope. Politicians want to end the project – one of the most complex ever conceived by space engineers – even though billions of dollars have already been spent on its construction. Scheduled for launch in 2016, the James Webb, intended to replace the ageing Hubble Space Telescope, would orbit in deep space, a million miles from Earth, and peer into the dawn of the universe. Its observations would answer major questions about the structure of the cosmos, say astronomers. The cost of the observatory has soared from an initial estimate of $1.6bn (£996m) to more than $6.5bn (£4bn). As a result, budgets for other astronomical research projects have been slashed, leading the journal Nature to describe the James Webb as “the telescope that ate astronomy”. Last week the US House of Representatives’ appropriations committee on commerce, justice, and science decided that it had had enough of these escalating costs and moved to cancel the project by stripping $1.9bn from Nasa’s budget for next year. A terse statement, released by the Republican-dominated committee, said that the project “is billions of dollars over budget and plagued by poor management”. The decision still has to be approved by the full appropriations committee, the House and the Senate. Nevertheless, analysts say the telescope now faces a struggle to survive. Not surprisingly, the move to scrap the telescope, which has been under construction since 2004 and is named after a former Nasa administrator, has horrified astronomers. The James Webb was intended to be the centrepiece of astronomical research for the next two decades. Its segmented mirror would be almost three times the diameter of the Hubble telescope’s, and because it would orbit outside Earth’s atmosphere it would be able to make observations of unprecedented accuracy. This would allow it to capture images from a time when the first stars and galaxies lit up the universe. Tod Lauer, of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, said: “[Cancellation] would be an unmitigated disaster for cosmology. After two decades of pushing the Hubble to its limits, which has revolutionised astronomy, the next step would be to pack up and give up. The Hubble is just good enough to see what we’re missing at the start of time.” The James Webb would be able to fill in those gaps, he added. The problem for engineers working on the telescope has been the complexity of its design. It will primarily gather infra-red radiation because most objects that interest astronomers emit light at these wavelengths. But this is a tricky process. The telescope must be cooled so that its own heat does not interfere with incoming infrared light. Similarly, it must be shielded from radiation from the Earth and the Sun, and so placed in deep space far beyond the point where it can be reached by astronauts. Axing the project would have an impact beyond the US, however. Many other countries have committed large amounts of time and money to building components for the telescope. One example is the Mid-Infrared Instrument (Miri), which would analyse light gathered by planets forming from dust clouds around stars. This is a joint US-European project which has two project leaders, one British and one American. Sarah Kendrew, a member of the Miri team, said she had been working on the project for four years. “We should be ready to ship the instrument to Nasa by the end of the year,” she said. “All we can do is finish the job, I suppose, and give as much support as we can to our colleagues over there.” Space Hubble space telescope US economy United States Robin McKie guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Stephanie Condon of CBS News reports the Party of Charlie Rangel is attacking freshman Republicans as sleaze-oids: “Democrats are launching a series of robocalls today against six vulnerable House Republicans who have been caught in ethics scandals.” The calls focus on six relatively new GOP members: Reps. Scott Tipton of Colorado, David Rivera of Florida, Frank Guinta of New Hampshire, Charlie Bass of New Hampshire, and Stephen Fincher of Tennessee were all elected in 2010. Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida came into office in 2007. “House Republican leaders pledged a zero tolerance policy to ethics problems in their conference, but their answer has been to turn a blind eye, ” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the official campaign arm of House Democrats… Most of the allegations noted in the robocalls surfaced before Election Day 2010, but there have been new developments since then in most cases. For instance, Fincher came under scrutiny in 2010 for allegedly failing to disclose a loan of $250,000 to his campaign, but the Federal Election Commission has since opened an investigation into the charge. The robocall targeting Guinta focuses on an investigation into his campaign funding, while the call targeting Rivera highlights a series of charges against the congressman, including the accusation he received ” secret payments ” from his mother's company. Perhaps CBS could add the story of Rep. Laura Richardson, recently profiled by David Freddoso.
Continue reading …Sharron Angle and Sean Hannity have a big bowl of sour grapes over her 2010 election loss to Harry Reid
July 9, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Sharron Angle went on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show last night to promote her new book, ostensibly, but really, it was mostly a long session kvetching about Angle’s loss to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: HANNITY: You lost a tough election. That was, for me, one of the harder ones. I wanted him beaten so bad. ANGLE: Everybody did. You know, I had a 7-year-old boy say to me, I’m so sorry you lost. And I have lots of people coming up. And all I can say is, I’m sorry too. But life isn’t about winning or losing, it is about doing the right thing and doing your very best. And I think, that’s what we just have to continue to do as people who want to get back to the Constitution. We can’t give up, we can’t quit. We’ve got to keep in the game even if we lose one. HANNITY: Let’s talk about, did Harry Reid steal this election? Do you think he stole votes in this election? ANGLE: Well, in my book, the “Right Angle,” I do discuss that a bit. And you may know this, we have a lawsuit after Department of Justice. HANNITY: About ACORN and the SEIU? ANGLE: It’s actually about Harrah’s casino and the SEIU and their involvement and what we feel was not legitimate election conduct. Of course, Angle was making these claims even before the election, and they were every bit as groundless then, though of course you’ll never learn that while watching Hannity. Neither, for that matter, will you hear any mention of the real reasons Angle lost, beyond her utter nutbaggery — the primary one being that Republicans tried a stop-the-Latino vote campaign that horribly backfired, along with Angle’s obscene demonizing of Latinos in her campaign , followed by her hilarious flip-flopping on the subject . Result: Some 90 percent of Latino voters backed Reid, and he won going away.
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It's one thing to report dishonestly. It's another to proudly display it. The front page of the ABC “World News” website now contains a “Countdown to U.S. Debt Default' clock: As NewsBusters reported Thursday, the Treasury is expecting to take in $172 billion in tax receipts in August. As the total interest due on our nation's debt will likely not be greater than $35 billion, we will bring in almost five times as much in taxes which means there will not be a debt default. To suggest otherwise is just a flat out lie. For a major America “news” organization to be publicly counting down to something that won't happen is really the height of dishonesty. ABC should be ashamed of itself, as should Diane Sawyer.
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• England 1-1 France after extra-time • France win 4-3 on penalties England. World Cup. Penalties. Cruelty. Hope Powell’s side joined the long list to have suffered in Leverkusen, after Faye White missed the final spot-kick of a topsy-turvy shoot-out and France, not England, took their place in the final four. Yet again, the exit comes at the quarter-finals after being denied by an equaliser two minutes from the end of 90, hobbling, hopping and limping their way through extra-time with extraordinarily gutsy determination, taking the lead on spot-kicks before being denied at the last. With England essentially reduced to 10 players during extra-time, their substitutions used up and the injured Kelly Smith barely able to walk, the added 30 minutes was reduced to a training game. France attacked, England defended, desperately, but somehow survived to take the game into a penalty shoot-out. Then the story becomes all-too familiar. Karen Bardsley, herself struggling with a shoulder injury, saved Camile Abily’s opening penalty for France but could not get close to another. Claire Rafferty, a late substitute making her World Cup debut, skewed wide England’s fourth. Faye White, the captain in what will surely be her final World Cup game, hammered the last on to the bar before crumpling to the turf. Powell opted for Faye White’s experience over Sophie Bradley’s pace in the centre of defence, Fara Williams’s passing over Anita Asante’s defensive strength in midfield and Rachel Yankey’s nous over Jess Clarke’s youthful exuberance out wide. France reverted to the side that hammered Canada 4-0, making five changes to the team beaten 4-2 by Germany in their final group game. England’s tournament had been something of a slow burner. A deflating opening draw against Mexico in the withering heat of Wolfsburg was followed up with a lacklustre first half against New Zealand. A goal down at half-time, Faye White admitted the side had “45 minutes to save their World Cup”, and a second-half fightback put their group destiny back in their own hands. A tactically pitch-perfect 2-0 win against Japan followed and the sense was that momentum was gathering. That impression was reinforced after only 16 seconds, when Karen Carney’s curling through-ball put Smith beyond the France backline. The England midfielder skipped past the goalkeeper, Céline Deville, but was forced wide in doing so, and her attempt at goal was blocked by the retreating defender Laura Georges. France, joint leading scorers in the group stages alongside two of the big three – Germany and Brazil – with seven goals in three matches, signalled their threat early on too, Abily sending a dipping shot from distance narrowly over the bar, and 12 minutes in, it took a fine Jill Scott challenge on the edge of the England area to deny Gaëtane Thiney. Bussaglia was assigned a marking brief on Kelly Smith in an attempt to throttle England’s creativity at source, but at times in the opening quarter, Powell’s side were their own worst enemy. Possession was too often conceded in dangerous areas, attacks too often breaking down without France having to earn the ball. Bardsley was forced to pull off an excellent save midway through the half, when the impressive Thiney thumped an effort at goal from long range, and Faye White did well to deflect Marie-Laurie Delie’s effort wide just before the half-hour. From the resultant corner, Louisa Nécib, France’s star of the tournament thus far, picked up the loose ball and sent a shot whistling a whisker wide of the top corner. By the interval, France had had nine shots at goal to England’s solitary early effort, and the break did not derail Les Bleues ‘ momentum. Within three minutes of the restart, it took a fine challenge from Alex Scott to deny Delie, and the France striker seconds later skewed wide the best chance of the game. England finally mustered their second effort at goal 10 minutes into the second half and it came after Powell’s side had put together comfortably their most cohesive move of the game. Williams swept the ball wide to Yankey, her pass to Unitt was swirled into the box by the left-back and Jill Scott steered her header narrowly wide. tThree minutes later, England had a lead they barely deserved. Smith, after a hint of handball, shrugged off Georges and slipped in Jill Scott, who lofted her shot over the stranded Deville. France bristled and were almost back on level terms seven minutes later. Nécib’s effort at goal from 35 yards looked optimistic and it should have been handled with little fuss. Bardsley, though, almost allowed the free-kick to squeeze between her legs. France poured forward in search of an equaliser and the substitute Thomis forced Bardsley into another fine save. Unitt’s clearance ended a nerve-shredding scramble. Powell’s substitutions throughout the tournament have been astute and impacting but she took a gamble 10 minutes from time, bringing Steph Houghton and Rafferty from the bench for their World Cup debuts in place of both full-backs. The pressure was unrelenting, though. Bardsley somehow deflected away Thomis’s close-range effort after 85 minutes, Laure LePailleur’s goalbound header was spectacularly cleared off the line by Ellen White after 86, but after 87, France finally found a way through, Bussaglia curling home from the edge of the area. Women’s World Cup 2011 England women’s football team Women’s football John Ashdown guardian.co.uk
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Labour leader to test the strength of the coalition with Commons motion aimed at stopping buyout in its tracks Rupert Murdoch’s ambition to expand his media empire still further could be killed off by MPs this week after Labour announced plans for a Commons vote to thwart his bid for BSkyB. The move comes amid a mood of continuing public uproar over the phone-hacking scandal, which is now threatening to destabilise David Cameron’s government. The vote will present the coalition with a major test of unity as the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, seeks cross-party support for a motion in parliament which would halt progress on the takeover until the criminal investigation into the News of the World is completed. With many Liberal Democrats and Tory MPs deeply uneasy about Murdoch gaining an even bigger slice of the UK media market – and still incensed by the behaviour of News Corp executives – Labour is optimistic it can mobilise enough support to achieve a majority. Miliband will appear on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday to announce his plan and to begin his push for support across all the major parties. He will lay the motion tomorrow and the debate and vote will be on Wednesday. If he is successful, the Labour move will drive a wedge between the coalition parties and leave Murdoch’s takeover ambition in tatters – because the police inquiry could take several years. The parliamentary debate will also give David Cameron another major headache, following the arrest on Friday of his former director of communications, Andy Coulson, who is a former editor of the News of the World . Cameron has so far refused to intervene to block the takeover. On Friday, Cameron told a press conference: “People are also asking about the prospective BSkyB bid. As I have repeatedly said, governments must follow the proper legal processes and procedures. “That is exactly what Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, is doing. His role is to take the advice of independent regulators and, as his department have made clear this morning – given the events of recent days – this will take some time.” On SaturdayCameron was facing growing demands to take a tougher line and tell the News Corporation chairman that the bid must be withdrawn as it would only stoke the mood of public disgust at the phone-hacking scandal. Paddy Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, told the Observer: “The public will be outraged and bewildered and trust in our politics will take yet another knock if this takeover goes ahead after what has happened. “I think Jeremy Hunt or better still David Cameron should call in Rupert Murdoch and say that this bid is no longer welcome.” Hunt has said only that he is delaying until September his verdict on whether to allow News Corporation to proceed in its bid to take full control of BSkyB, on the basis that there had been a deluge of last-minute submissions on the deal last week. However, the government insists that it would be unlawful to kill the deal on the basis of the latest furore, and that it must make the judgment on whether the deal would maintain media plurality. The fallout from the scandal is now threatening to destabilise the coalition with many Liberal Democrats determined not to be associated with a government that appears unwilling to take on Murdoch. Labour sources said that initial soundings suggested there would be strong support for the motion among Liberal Democrat and Tory MPs, as well as peers of both parties. A Liberal Democrat source said: “The party is not happy about this deal and they would welcome the chance to act.” News Corporation is in the process of trying to buy the 61% of the satellite broadcaster that it does not already own. Before the phone-hacking scandal erupted again last week, the deal had looked on course to be approved by Hunt within weeks. But in recent days there have been calls for the media regulator Ofcom to investigate whether News Corporation is a “fit and proper” owner for BSkyB. BSkyB shares closed down 12% last week in London, but News Corp shares in New York had barely changed. On Saturday Downing Street said the public inquiry into criminality at the News of the World and other newspapers would start as soon as was practical, while ensuring it did not prejudice the police investigations. It will be led by a judge and have the power to call witnesses who would give their evidence under oath and in public. The second public inquiry will seek a new framework for the regulation of the press and will be led by a panel of figures from different backgrounds. Sir Menzies Campbell, another former Liberal Democrat leader, said it would technically be possible for Cameron or Hunt to refuse the takeover “out of hand”, thereby putting the onus on Murdoch to go for a judicial review – a move he believed would further enrage the public. However, he said there were other legal avenues that could be explored because the decision to proceed this far had been based on undertakings given by people who might no longer be judged as reliable. Lord Oakeshott, a Liberal Democrat peer who is close to business secretary Vince Cable, has released the text of a letter to Ofcom’s director, Ed Richards. In it he asked if “Ofcom is satisfied that the board of BSkyB are all now fit and proper to hold a broadcasting licence, in the light of this week’s admissions of management failings by its chairman and representative of its controlling shareholder, James Murdoch, and a mountain of evidence pointing to negligence at best and criminality at worst by the senior management of News International?” Baroness Shirley Williams, a Liberal Democrat, said she was in “no doubt whatsoever that the bid should be put on the back-burner” until the police inquiry was complete. BSkyB Ed Miliband Phone hacking News of the World Labour Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Rupert Murdoch James Murdoch House of Commons Newspapers News Corporation Liberal-Conservative coalition Toby Helm Daniel Boffey guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …I guess this isn’t so strange . After all, it’s not as if anyone will ever make the oil companies do anything they don’t want to do, anyway: NEW ORLEANS — BP is arguing that victims of last year’s Gulf oil spill should not be paid any more claims for future losses because the areas affected by the spill have recovered and the economy is improving. The British oil company makes its case in a 29-page document filed with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which administers the $20 billion fund for victims. It criticizes several aspects of the fund’s policies and claims that at some times it has paid victims more than is allowed under the federal Oil Pollution Act. “Multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that, to the extent that portions of the Gulf economy were impacted by the spill, recovery had occurred by the end of 2010, and that positive economic performance continues into 2011, with 2011 economic metrics exceeding pre-spill performance,” the BP document said. To back up its argument, the document notes that all commercial fisheries have re-opened, hotel industry statistics indicate strong occupancy rates and news reports on tourism venues reporting strong business. The company is not arguing against paying out claims for documented losses. And those who feel more damages for future losses are warranted, or who are otherwise unsatisfied, can reject the final compensation offer and pursue litigation. “Any claimant who is of the view that, notwithstanding the economic data, there is too much risk of future loss to enter a final settlement has the right to file an interim claim and seek the payment of past loss without signing a release of liability,” the BP document said. The fund’s administrator, Kenneth Feinberg, said BP’s arguments would be considered, but he declined further comment.
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Click here to view this media When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20, 2010, 11 men died . Now, the man that was in charge of that disaster can’t seem to recall their names. In a deposition recorded June 8, 2011, former BP CEO Tony Hayward named one man correctly (Karl Kleppinger) and got two others wrong. He admitted that he couldn’t remember the rest at all. “Do you remember any of the names of the individuals who lost their lives?” plaintiff attorney Robert Cunninham asked Hayward. “I remember some of them: James Anderson, Gordon Clark, Karl Kleppinger, I think,” the former CEO replied. “I can’t remember all of them.” Judge Sally Shushan ordered Rupert Murdoch’s The Daily to take down the leaked video but the publication has refused.
Continue reading …Ann Coulter Tells MSNBC Contributor His Government Worker Mom ‘Is A Drain On Society’
July 9, 2011 No Comment
You knew when you saw conservative author Ann Coulter was pitted against far-left MSNBC contributor and Nation magazine editor Christopher Hayes on HBO's “Real Time” sparks were going to fly. Such occurred when Hayes told the panel that his mother works for the government prompting Coulter to respond, “She is a drain on society” (video follows with transcript and commentary): CHRISTOPHER HAYES, NATION EDITOR AND MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: The only thing that has been done, which is the Recovery Act, and CBO estimated increased employment by 1.5 to 3
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