May 3, 2013

Snyder’s Skunky Smell

from the Metro Times:


Snyder’s Skunky Smell
Nauseated by the stench of secrecy

By Curt Guyette
Published: May 1, 2013


THREE YEARS AGO, while stumping on the campaign trail, Rick Snyder made a promise to the people of this state:

“Michigan’s citizens are tired of the divisive political culture in Lansing,” the self-proclaimed “one tough nerd” declared. “Midnight deals, closed-doors meetings, lobbyists and special interest influence have stood in the way of long-term solutions.

“As governor, I will ensure that government is open, fair and accountable to the citizens by making Michigan a national leader in transparency and ethics.”

Has Snyder undergone some profound change, or was he feeding us a line from the start? .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/news/news-hits/snyder-s-skunky-smell-1.1481771

May 3, 2013

Keiser Report: Paper Jihad

Published on May 2, 2013

In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss paper addiction and the toothless, pimply faced paper pushers hooked on an ever-increasing fix of debt.

May 3, 2013

New SARS-related virus kills five more in Saudi Arabia

(Toronto Star) Saudi Arabia has revealed seven new cases of a novel coronavirus, including five deaths — a surprise announcement that is raising transparency concerns and seems to have caught even the World Health Organization off-guard.

The novel coronavirus, which is genetically related to the virus that causes SARS, has been confirmed in 24 people, 16 of whom died. Prior to these new cases, the last confirmed infection was reported in March.

The seven patients have been known to Saudi Arabian officials for a few days now, the kingdom’s deputy minister for public health, Dr. Ziad Memish, told the Toronto Star in a phone interview. However, laboratory tests only confirmed that the seven cases were coronavirus infections on Wednesday, after which a news release was issued and the WHO was notified, Memish said.

“We heard the rumours and that’s why we sent the team to investigate,” he said. “We have been investigating it for the last few days.” ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/05/02/new_sarsrelated_virus_kills_five_more_in_saudi_arabia.html

May 2, 2013

An Excuse for Syrian ‘Regime Change’?

from Consortium News:


An Excuse for Syrian ‘Regime Change’?
May 2, 2013

Across Official Washington – including the neocon Washington Post and “liberal” MSNBC – pundits are demanding U.S. intervention in the Syrian civil war. But the furor over alleged use of chemical weapons represents just the latest dubious argument for regime change, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.

By Paul R. Pillar


Once again people are getting spun up over elusive details about what a Middle Eastern regime is or is not doing regarding unconventional weapons. Participants in public debates over policy get seized with questions such as the significance of a soil sample or whether certain victims of Syria’s civil war had dilated pupils.

People wait with bated breath on whatever else intelligence can tell us about such things. It is as if the wisdom, or lack of it, of intervening in that civil war hinges on whether a particular regime has made use, however small, of a particular category of weapon. It doesn’t.


[font size="1"]A map of Syria showing roughly the areas under the control of the competing forces: red for pro-Assad forces; green for anti-Assad forces; yellow for Kurdish forces.[/font]

Much has been said about avoiding mistakes that were made over a decade ago in leading up to the Iraq War. Certainly we should try to avoid repeating mistakes. But the biggest mistake that is being made now — and repeats a fundamental mistake in the public discourse prior to the Iraq War — is not an interpretation of evidence regarding somebody’s unconventional weapons but instead is the false equating of an empirical question about weapons with the policy question of whether launching, or intervening in, a particular war makes sense.

Whether Saddam Hussein did or did not have WMD turned out to be one of the less important realities about the Iraq War. Even if everything that was said on this subject to sell the war turned out to be true, the human and material cost of the war would have been just as great (maybe even greater, if Saddam’s forces had possessed and used such weapons), the post-Saddam political and security situation in Iraq would have been just as much of a mess, and launching the war still would have been a blunder. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2013/05/02/an-excuse-for-syrian-regime-change/

May 2, 2013

The Pittsburgh Area Has Light Rail — But Can You Find It?

By Emily DeMarco | PublicSource | May 1, 2013


The Hillcrest light-rail stop is not easy to find.

There is no sign at either entrance. Tucked between two hills in Bethel Park, it’s barely visible from nearby roads. The closest landmark is a Walgreens.

Roughly 28,000 people ride the Pittsburgh area’s light-rail system every day, which is operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

But it’s possible Allegheny County is missing opportunities for growth if newcomers, such as businesses interested in relocating or young professionals purchasing a home, aren’t aware of the county’s existing mass transit stations because they can’t find them. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/transportation-nation/2013/may/01/pittsburgh-area-has-light-rail-can-you-find-it/

May 2, 2013

Rubber ducky, you're the one......

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Hong Kong's busy harbor is never short of action, but the great big yellow duck that floated into town on Thursday captured the city's attention.

Thousands lined the harbor front and work ground to a halt in offices with sea views as the much-hyped 'Rubber Duck' made its grand entrance. For two weeks local media has been on something of a "duck watch," closely monitoring the movements of the 16.5-meter (54 feet) inflatable sculpture.

The man behind the seriously over-sized bath toy, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, described the Hong Kong response as overwhelming and said he was happy to have finally made it to the city, his first visit.

"I've wanted to come for years -- and my duck made it here before me!" he quipped. ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/travel/hong-kong-giant-duck/index.html

May 2, 2013

UK government failing legal duty on air pollution, supreme court rules

(Guardian UK) The UK government has failed in its legal duty to protect people from the harmful effects of air pollution, the supreme court ruled on Wednesday.

The ruling by five judges – the first time a UK court has recognised that the government has failed in efforts to meet European air pollution limits – delighted air pollution campaigners.

It means the government faces stiff European fines and British cities may have to ban cars and limit the entry of heavy good vehicles to dramatically reduce air pollution.

But because the court also ruled that the European court of justice will have to step in to clarify some legal issues, the government may be able to delay acting for up to a year. .......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/01/government-pollution-supreme-court

May 2, 2013

Lon Watts, Texas Gay Man, Says Partner Jim Heath's Sister Forced Them Apart, Evicted Him

For more than 30 years, Lon Watts said he shared his life and his love with partner, Jim Heath. But that life came crashing down in 2011 after Watts says Heath's sister successfully forced the pair apart, evicted him from the house and has prohibited him from visiting Heath in his new nursing home.

Now, Watts is speaking out about both the incident and the laws in Texas that refuse to recognize him as anything more than a good friend of a man he's loved for decades.

"It's just unbearable," Watts told The Huffington Post.

Watts first opened up about the struggle in a Facebook post that was picked up by group Gay Marriage USA:

..........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/02/lon-watts-gay-jim-heath-evicted-texas_n_3201640.html

May 2, 2013

Aiding the victims of the Sequester (cartoon)

http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/sequester_20130501/

May 2, 2013

New York faces new menace as 'Fishzilla' invades Central Park

Hmmm......



NEW YORKERS have had to contend with plenty of foes, both fictional and real, down the years. But now the Big Apple faces a new menace in the form of the northern snakehead fish, a predator that can live on land and kills almost anything it comes across.

Signs have been spotted around a fishing lake in Central Park warning anglers to be on their guard against the three-foot long monster, usually a native of China, Russia and Korea.

The New York Times warns the city's residents: "The snakehead is a relentless and efficient predator that devours just about everything in its path — fish, frogs, crayfish, beetles and aquatic insects. And it does not meet death easily; it is able to survive under ice or live on land for days in damp conditions. It has been called Fishzilla."

The paper offers a clue as to how the beast may have got into the ecosystem, even though it is banned by federal law. Snakeheads, it explains, "remain a persistent presence in Chinese fish markets across the city... (and) the fish is prized not only as a meaty, savory ingredient in stew, but for its supposed healing properties." ..............(more)

Read more: http://www.theweek.co.uk/us/52802/fishzilla-new-york-central-park-snake-head#ixzz2S9pchtL9