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7/18/07- Gulf Dead Zone To Be Biggest Ever |
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This year could see the biggest "dead zone" since records began form in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Scientists say conditions are right for the zone to exceed last summer's 6,662 sq miles (17,255 sq km).
The dead zone is an area of water virtually devoid of oxygen which cannot support marine life. Click here to read the BBC News article. |
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7/18/07- Silent Surge in Contractor 'Armies' |
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There are two coalition armies in Iraq: the official one, which fights the war, and the private one, which supports it.
This latter group of civilians drives dangerous truck convoys, cooks soldiers' meals, and guards facilities and important officials. They rival in size the US military force there, and thousands have become casualties of the conflict. If this experience is any indication, they may change the makeup of US military forces in future wars. Click here to read the article from The Christian Science Monitor. |
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7/18/07- Industry's Role in Cheney Energy Report Emerges |
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At 10 a.m. on April 4, 2001, representatives of 13 environmental groups were brought into the Old Executive Office Building for a long-anticipated meeting. Since late January, a task force headed by Vice President Cheney had been busy drawing up a new national energy policy, and the groups were getting their one chance to be heard. Read the Washington Post article here. |
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7/18/07- Uninsured Experience Higher Health Costs Once Enrolled in Medicare |
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Uninsured adults ages 59 through 64 who suffer from hypertension, diabetes, heart disease or stroke had health costs that were 51 percent higher than their insured counterparts once they entered Medicare, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund report. Read the article from Congressional Quarterly here. |
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7/18/07- Sallie Mae 2Q Earns Up 33 Percent |
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SLM Corp., the nation's largest student lender whose $25 billion buyout is at risk of falling through, said Tuesday that second-quarter earnings rose 33 percent on an increase in derivative and hedging activity. Click here to read the article from the Houston Chronicle. |
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7/18/07- FDA Bonuses Spending to Draw Scrutiny |
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The Food and Drug Administration is giving workers more than $8 million in bonuses to keep them from defecting to pharmaceutical and other regulated industries, at the same time the agency is being pressed to spend more on food and drug safety. Read the AP story here. |
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7/18/07- Ethics Probes Keep Lawyers Flush |
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Justice Department probes of congressional corruption continued to provide big business for Washington's white-collar criminal defense attorneys, who billed at least $1 million in the second quarter to current and former House members involved in federal investigations. Click here to read the article from the Washington Post. |
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7/18/07- US to Freeze Assets of Those Threatening Iraq |
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PRESIDENT George W. Bush has signed an order enabling the US government to freeze the assets of people who threaten Iraq's stability, the White House announced overnight.
Mr Bush's executive order, which was released by the White House, empowers the US Treasury and other government agencies to freeze the property of persons who have committed or may mount acts of violence in Iraq and against that country's government. Read the story from Agence France-Presse here. |
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7/19/07- Iraq Crisis: US Wants More Talks With Iran |
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The US has called for more direct talks with Iran, in the face of growing tensions between the two states over Iran's nuclear programme and its involvement in the worsening security situation in Iraq. The planned meeting will be only the second time in almost 30 years that the US and Iran have held discussions, since the two sides severed ties in 1979. Read the article from Radio Netherlands Worldwide here. |
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7/19/07- Libby and Posada: 2 Sides of a Ratty Coin |
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How does the commutation of the prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, coincide with the release by a federal judge of Luis Posada Carriles, former top terrorist of the Western Hemisphere?
Answer: Both the commuted and the released could have spilled the beans on powerful officials for criminal conspiracies. Click here to read the article from Progresso Weekly. |
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7/20/07- Environmentalism for Billionaires |
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Lately, I've been inundated with phone calls from venture capitalists, private equity guys, and hedge fundistas. They're coming to me because I'm their environmentalist friend and they all want to know one thing: how they can make a buck off the surge in interest in combating global warming. Read the article from The American Prospect here. |
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7/20/07- Yes, Bush Is Naked. What of It? |
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President Bush's announcement of a new Middle East summit is being dutifully reported as a move to "revive" the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, designed to culminate in a two-state solution. But the meeting, if it ever comes about, will be nothing of the sort. U.S. officials have already made clear that the gathering's purpose will be "to review progress toward building Palestinian institutions, look for ways to support further reforms and support the effort going on right now between the parties together." Read thr article from TomPaine.com here. |
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7/20/07- FEMA Delays Snarl Pay for Katrina Cleanup Work |
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NEW ORLEANS -- Contractors hired to clean up after Hurricane Katrina are fuming over delays in getting paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and some fear the red tape will discourage companies from bidding on the big rebuilding projects that lie ahead for New Orleans.
One company says it is owed about $150 million, and some contractors have walked off the job or gone to court to get money they say they should have been paid for demolition and debris removal completed as much as a year and a half ago. Click here to read the AP article. |
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7/20/07- Immigration Shootout At The Local Corral |
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Washington, D.C. -
Employers, beware. With comprehensive federal-immigration reform comatose, state and local politicians are rushing to do something about illegal immigration. And increasingly, employers, as well as illegal immigrants themselves, are being targeted by these frustration fueled efforts. To read the Forbes article, click here. |
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7/20/07- $100 U.S.-a-Barrel Oil Foreseen by Late 2008 |
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A "steady ascent" of crude oil prices toward $100 (U.S.) a barrel continues, but the predicted date when that level will be hit remains a moving target, according to a CIBC World Markets report yesterday.
The investment division of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce predicts "record highs of $80 a barrel this year and reaching as high as $100 a barrel by the end of 2008 as soaring oil demand outpaces growth in global supply." Click here to read the article from the Toronto Star. |
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7/20/07- Biofuel Symposium Draws Attention to Alternative Energy Options |
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FLORENCE -- In an effort to look forward with environmental issues such as saving fossil fuels, area experts and community members gathered at a Biofuel Symposium at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library on Wednesday.
Hosted by the Shoals Environmental Alliance, three speakers discussed biofuel resources options available to Alabama and where the future lies locally and for the state. Read the article from the Times Daily here. |
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7/20/07- Double Edge to US Sanctions Bid on Iran |
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WASHINGTON - As the United States and its allies in the United Nations plan to push for stiffer economic sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt its nuclear program, an Iran sanctions bill making its way through Congress includes several key measures that may threaten US diplomacy toward Tehran and split key allies on the issue, including Russia. Click here to read the article from Asia Times. |
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7/20/07- US Prosecutors Want Ex-Qwest CEO Nacchio To Forfeit $52 Million |
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Federal prosecutors say former chief executive of Qwest Communications, Joe Nacchio, should be required to forfeit $52 million when he's sentenced for insider trading.
The $52 million is the gross proceeds Nacchio earned on illegal stock sales.
In a brief filed in federal court, prosecutor Kevin Traskos argues against a defense request, that Nacchio should forfeit no more than $1.8 million. Read the article from CNN Money here. |
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7/23/07- Iraqis' Statement on Our Proposed Theft of Their Oil |
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Translation of the Statement issued by the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) on the draft Oil and Gas Law (*)
To our great Iraqi people .. and the masses of the Iraqi working class ..
Iraq is rich with a variety of natural resources, in the forefront of which is the enormous oil wealth, that is the real nerve centre of the political and economic life of both Iraq and the world. Read the article from After Downing Street here. |
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7/23/07- NY Times Willing to Recognize Crimes It Is Complicit In |
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The nation is heading toward a constitutional showdown over the Iraq war. Congress is moving closer to passing a bill to limit or end the war, but President Bush insists Congress doesn’t have the power to do it. “I don’t think Congress ought to be running the war,” he said at a recent press conference. “I think they ought to be funding the troops.” He added magnanimously: “I’m certainly interested in their opinion.” Click here to read the New York Times article. |
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