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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
March 15, 2013
from Salon.com:
Last November, the U.S. Department of Justice quietly closed a three-year antitrust investigation into Monsanto, the biotech giant whose genetic traits are embedded in over 90 percent of America’s soybean crop and more than 80 percent of corn. Despite a splash of press coverage when the investigation was initially announced, its termination went mostly unreported. The DOJ released no written public statement. Only a brief press release from Monsanto conveyed the news.
The lack of attention belies the significance of the decision, both for food consumers around the world and for U.S. businesses. Experts who have examined Monsanto’s conduct say the Justice Department’s decision not to act all but officially establishes the firm’s sovereignty over the U.S. seed industry. Many of them also say the decision ratifies aggressive practices Monsanto used to entrench its dominance and deter competition. This includes highly restrictive contractual agreements that excluded rivals, alongside a multibillion-dollar spree to buy up seed companies.
When the administration first launched its investigation, many antitrust and agriculture experts believed it was still possible to imagine an industry characterized by greater competition in the marketplace and greater diversity in seeds. That future may now be foreclosed.
The investigation into Monsanto’s business practices began at the state level in 2007, when attorneys general in Iowa, Texas and a handful of other states initiated an inquiry into the company’s confidential licensing agreements. These are the contracts that must be signed by any seed company wishing to insert Monsanto’s genes into its own strains of soybean and corn plants. ............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/how_did_monsanto_outfox_the_obama_administration/
F**king Monsanto
from Salon.com:
Last November, the U.S. Department of Justice quietly closed a three-year antitrust investigation into Monsanto, the biotech giant whose genetic traits are embedded in over 90 percent of America’s soybean crop and more than 80 percent of corn. Despite a splash of press coverage when the investigation was initially announced, its termination went mostly unreported. The DOJ released no written public statement. Only a brief press release from Monsanto conveyed the news.
The lack of attention belies the significance of the decision, both for food consumers around the world and for U.S. businesses. Experts who have examined Monsanto’s conduct say the Justice Department’s decision not to act all but officially establishes the firm’s sovereignty over the U.S. seed industry. Many of them also say the decision ratifies aggressive practices Monsanto used to entrench its dominance and deter competition. This includes highly restrictive contractual agreements that excluded rivals, alongside a multibillion-dollar spree to buy up seed companies.
When the administration first launched its investigation, many antitrust and agriculture experts believed it was still possible to imagine an industry characterized by greater competition in the marketplace and greater diversity in seeds. That future may now be foreclosed.
The investigation into Monsanto’s business practices began at the state level in 2007, when attorneys general in Iowa, Texas and a handful of other states initiated an inquiry into the company’s confidential licensing agreements. These are the contracts that must be signed by any seed company wishing to insert Monsanto’s genes into its own strains of soybean and corn plants. ............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/how_did_monsanto_outfox_the_obama_administration/
March 15, 2013
from Salon.com:
Google’s latest privacy attack
It makes nice with 38 states -- paying a $7 million fine. Then turns around and targets privacy laws and a key app
By Andrew Leonard
On Tuesday, Google agreed to pay a $7 million fine as part of the settlement of a case arising from massive privacy violations incurred during the rollout of its Street View mapping project. The announcement generated a wave of approving press.
The New York Times quoted Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen lauding the “new Google”:
But less than 24 hours later, Google kicked Adblock Plus, a popular app that blocks ads and prevents third-party tracking, right out of its Google Play app store. There are obviously some clear limits to Google’s privacy sensitivity, particularly when it comes to protecting advertising revenue on mobile devices.
Google’s $7 million fine is barely a rounding error for a company worth $270 billion. It’s also less than half of what Google spent on lobbying in 2012. And therein lies another story. While Google has been saying mea culpa over its egregious Street View privacy violations, the company is one of a handful of powerful Internet technology giants desperately attempting to disembowel a major effort in the European Union to significantly strengthen online privacy safeguards. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/googles_latest_privacy_attack/
With friends like Google...........
from Salon.com:
Google’s latest privacy attack
It makes nice with 38 states -- paying a $7 million fine. Then turns around and targets privacy laws and a key app
By Andrew Leonard
On Tuesday, Google agreed to pay a $7 million fine as part of the settlement of a case arising from massive privacy violations incurred during the rollout of its Street View mapping project. The announcement generated a wave of approving press.
The New York Times quoted Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen lauding the “new Google”:
“This is the industry giant,” he said. “It is committing to change its corporate culture to encourage sensitivity to issues of personal data privacy.”
But less than 24 hours later, Google kicked Adblock Plus, a popular app that blocks ads and prevents third-party tracking, right out of its Google Play app store. There are obviously some clear limits to Google’s privacy sensitivity, particularly when it comes to protecting advertising revenue on mobile devices.
Google’s $7 million fine is barely a rounding error for a company worth $270 billion. It’s also less than half of what Google spent on lobbying in 2012. And therein lies another story. While Google has been saying mea culpa over its egregious Street View privacy violations, the company is one of a handful of powerful Internet technology giants desperately attempting to disembowel a major effort in the European Union to significantly strengthen online privacy safeguards. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/googles_latest_privacy_attack/
March 15, 2013
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/mcconnell_at_cpac_repeal_obamacare_root_and_branch/
Showcasing a tall stack of papers that he said was the text of the Affordable Care Act, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told CPAC that “Obamacare should be repealed root and branch.”
He noted in the course of his speech that the Affordable Care Act only passed by one vote, with all Senate Republicans voting against it. “We’ll fight (Obamacare) and every other assault on liberty that the left throws at us, and restore the American ideal,” he said.
McConnell also criticized the media for covering internal Republican squabbles, saying “they love it when we take shots at each other. It gets more coverage than a D.C. snowstorm. But unity is strength.” He added: “We need all the constitutional conservatives we can get to fight the left.”
He continued that Democrats claim to be the party of the young and the party of the future, but “don’t tell me the Democrats are the party of the future when their ticket for 2016 is shaping up to look like a rerun of ‘The Golden Girls.’” Republicans have Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, he said, “the other guys, they’ve got Hillary and Joe Biden.”
“Here’s the dirty little secret about liberalism: It can’t last, it can’t work,” McConnell said.
Mad Turtle Disease
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/mcconnell_at_cpac_repeal_obamacare_root_and_branch/
Showcasing a tall stack of papers that he said was the text of the Affordable Care Act, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told CPAC that “Obamacare should be repealed root and branch.”
He noted in the course of his speech that the Affordable Care Act only passed by one vote, with all Senate Republicans voting against it. “We’ll fight (Obamacare) and every other assault on liberty that the left throws at us, and restore the American ideal,” he said.
McConnell also criticized the media for covering internal Republican squabbles, saying “they love it when we take shots at each other. It gets more coverage than a D.C. snowstorm. But unity is strength.” He added: “We need all the constitutional conservatives we can get to fight the left.”
He continued that Democrats claim to be the party of the young and the party of the future, but “don’t tell me the Democrats are the party of the future when their ticket for 2016 is shaping up to look like a rerun of ‘The Golden Girls.’” Republicans have Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, he said, “the other guys, they’ve got Hillary and Joe Biden.”
“Here’s the dirty little secret about liberalism: It can’t last, it can’t work,” McConnell said.
March 15, 2013
from Grist:
Conservatives vs. liberals: Who wastes more electricity?
By John Upton
Researchers at UCLA tested whether liberals were all talk when it comes to caring about the environment.
The findings: They are not, at least in the American West.
In a comparison of electricity bills and voter registration records of 280,000 households, left-leaning voters were found to be more likely to leave their lights and air conditioners switched off and conserve more energy — especially in the summertime — than were Republicans.
From Pacific Standard:
The difference between Democratic and Republican households’ electricity consumption was noticeable. But the difference between Green Party households and everybody else was particularly big. From the same article: ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/news/conservatives-vs-liberals-who-wastes-more-electricity/
Conservatives vs. liberals: Who wastes more electricity?
from Grist:
Conservatives vs. liberals: Who wastes more electricity?
By John Upton
Researchers at UCLA tested whether liberals were all talk when it comes to caring about the environment.
The findings: They are not, at least in the American West.
In a comparison of electricity bills and voter registration records of 280,000 households, left-leaning voters were found to be more likely to leave their lights and air conditioners switched off and conserve more energy — especially in the summertime — than were Republicans.
From Pacific Standard:
The difference in kilowatt hours suggests that left-leaning voters are less likely to respond to uncomfortable heat by reaching for thermostat. “Liberal households engage in voluntary restraint, largely by lowering air-conditioning in the summer relative to conservatives,” Dora Costa and Matthew Kahn write in the journal Economics Letters.
The difference between Democratic and Republican households’ electricity consumption was noticeable. But the difference between Green Party households and everybody else was particularly big. From the same article: ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/news/conservatives-vs-liberals-who-wastes-more-electricity/
March 15, 2013
from Grist:
Wind power is poised to kick nuclear’s ass
By John Upton
In 2012, wind energy became the fastest-growing source of new electricity generation in the U.S., providing 42 percent of new generation capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Wind power is becoming so cheap and so commonplace that it appears poised to help blow up the country’s nuclear power sector, according to a recent Bloomberg article (which you really should read in full). Other highlights from the piece:
In addition to federal tax credits, state-level renewable energy requirements are helping to spur wind’s growth, and the nuclear industry thinks that’s unfair: ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/news/wind-power-is-poised-to-kick-nuclears-ass/
Wind power is poised to kick nuclear’s ass
from Grist:
Wind power is poised to kick nuclear’s ass
By John Upton
In 2012, wind energy became the fastest-growing source of new electricity generation in the U.S., providing 42 percent of new generation capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Wind power is becoming so cheap and so commonplace that it appears poised to help blow up the country’s nuclear power sector, according to a recent Bloomberg article (which you really should read in full). Other highlights from the piece:
* $25 billion was spent on wind energy in the U.S. in 2012.
* The $25 billion outlay increased nationwide wind generating capacity by 13,124 megawatts – up 28 percent from 2011.
* That spending spree was fueled in large part by a mad scramble to qualify for federal tax credits that were set to expire at the end of last year (but were ultimately renewed by Congress).
* Wind-generated electricity met about 3.4 percent of of American demand in 2012, a figure that’s expected to reach 4.2 percent next year.
* $120 billion spent on wind turbines since 2003 has increased wind power supplies 1,000 percent and created as much new electricity generation as could be provided by 14 new nuclear power plants.
In addition to federal tax credits, state-level renewable energy requirements are helping to spur wind’s growth, and the nuclear industry thinks that’s unfair: ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/news/wind-power-is-poised-to-kick-nuclears-ass/
March 15, 2013
from truthdig:
The UN Needs to Sober Up
Posted on Mar 14, 2013
By David Sirota
The notion of alcohol consumers piously demanding that others stop using pot probably makes you think of the beer-swilling World War II generation berating weed-smoking hippies during the 1960s. Now, thanks to the United Nations, that caricature gets an update—and the hypocrisy is at once amusing and depressing.
You may have read the headline-grabbing news that in advance of its conference on drug policy this week, the U.N. issued a report urging the United States government to block Colorado and Washington state from moving forward with voter-approved laws that allow adult citizens to use marijuana as a less harmful alternative to alcohol. What you may not have heard is that on the very same day the U.N. released that report, U.S. ambassador Joseph Torsella slammed his U.N. colleagues for drinking too much on the job. Apparently, binging at the U.N. is so commonplace and excessive that it is hindering the organization from conducting its most basic work.
As hypocrisy humor goes, this is pretty funny. An international body immersed in one drug (alcohol) yet telling governments to outlaw an objectively less harmful drug (marijuana) is biting comedy. It hilariously exemplifies the double standards and contradictions that still define many global leaders’ views of drugs.
Yet before you laugh too hard, remember that it is actually a tragedy for members of the U.N. to be simultaneously drinking too much alcohol and too much anti-pot Kool-Aid. It is a tragedy because the blatant hypocrisy saps the organization’s credibility on the drug issue at a time when the world needs it to be supporting the international political momentum generated by Colorado and Washington state. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_un_needs_to_sober_up_20130314/
David Sirota: The UN Needs to Sober Up
from truthdig:
The UN Needs to Sober Up
Posted on Mar 14, 2013
By David Sirota
The notion of alcohol consumers piously demanding that others stop using pot probably makes you think of the beer-swilling World War II generation berating weed-smoking hippies during the 1960s. Now, thanks to the United Nations, that caricature gets an update—and the hypocrisy is at once amusing and depressing.
You may have read the headline-grabbing news that in advance of its conference on drug policy this week, the U.N. issued a report urging the United States government to block Colorado and Washington state from moving forward with voter-approved laws that allow adult citizens to use marijuana as a less harmful alternative to alcohol. What you may not have heard is that on the very same day the U.N. released that report, U.S. ambassador Joseph Torsella slammed his U.N. colleagues for drinking too much on the job. Apparently, binging at the U.N. is so commonplace and excessive that it is hindering the organization from conducting its most basic work.
As hypocrisy humor goes, this is pretty funny. An international body immersed in one drug (alcohol) yet telling governments to outlaw an objectively less harmful drug (marijuana) is biting comedy. It hilariously exemplifies the double standards and contradictions that still define many global leaders’ views of drugs.
Yet before you laugh too hard, remember that it is actually a tragedy for members of the U.N. to be simultaneously drinking too much alcohol and too much anti-pot Kool-Aid. It is a tragedy because the blatant hypocrisy saps the organization’s credibility on the drug issue at a time when the world needs it to be supporting the international political momentum generated by Colorado and Washington state. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_un_needs_to_sober_up_20130314/
March 15, 2013
Fascinating presentation from the DOT rail forum, inc. air/rail market share in select markets.....
Link to the PDF: http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/Details/L04395
March 15, 2013
from the Toronto Star:
By: Graham Slaughter
News reporter, Published on Thu Mar 14 2013
The TTC’s streetcar of tomorrow made its maiden voyage overnight, giving Toronto night owls a rare glimpse of the state-of-the-art ride.
“It was its first trip. We made it a short one, and we were very, very happy with it,” said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.
The new car made a moonlit round trip from the TTC’s Hillcrest facility to Bathurst station, making it the first ride on a city street. The route was chosen to test a variety of streetcar capabilities, including wide turning, braking and a dip beneath a bridge.
“We knew it would make it, we just wanted to see if there were any issues with clearance and grade,” Ross said. ......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/03/14/ttcs_new_streetcar_takes_early_morning_maiden_voyage_down_bathurst_st.html
Toronto: TTC’s new streetcar takes early morning maiden voyage down Bathurst St.
from the Toronto Star:
By: Graham Slaughter
News reporter, Published on Thu Mar 14 2013
The TTC’s streetcar of tomorrow made its maiden voyage overnight, giving Toronto night owls a rare glimpse of the state-of-the-art ride.
“It was its first trip. We made it a short one, and we were very, very happy with it,” said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.
The new car made a moonlit round trip from the TTC’s Hillcrest facility to Bathurst station, making it the first ride on a city street. The route was chosen to test a variety of streetcar capabilities, including wide turning, braking and a dip beneath a bridge.
“We knew it would make it, we just wanted to see if there were any issues with clearance and grade,” Ross said. ......................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/03/14/ttcs_new_streetcar_takes_early_morning_maiden_voyage_down_bathurst_st.html
March 14, 2013
from Der Spiegel:
Cities around the world aim to become "smart cities," but in Santander, Spain, the goal has already become a reality. Thousands of sensors help alert residents to traffic jams, regulate the watering in city parks and dim the street lamps.
Cities all around the world have set the same goal for themselves. Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Dubai, Helsinki, San Diego, Stockholm, Nanjing, Vienna, Yokohama -- they all share an aspiration to become "smart cities."
That sounds like an appealing aim, yet when urban planners try to explain more precisely how they plan to lead their cities into the digital future, their answers are less convincing, with each proposing a different plan. Despite the many symposiums that have been held on this subject, there is no consensus on how to pursue this ambition.
Essentially the only thing all parties can agree on is that "smart" cities will employ sensors, computers and smartphones, and they will implement new forms of city government, making administrative processes more transparent than ever before. The idea is that digital technology will help make urban living cleaner, more sustainable and more pleasant. And, of course, it should increase prosperity as well. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/santander-a-digital-smart-city-prototype-in-spain-a-888480.html
Urban Planning Goes Digital in Spanish 'Smart City'
from Der Spiegel:
Cities around the world aim to become "smart cities," but in Santander, Spain, the goal has already become a reality. Thousands of sensors help alert residents to traffic jams, regulate the watering in city parks and dim the street lamps.
Cities all around the world have set the same goal for themselves. Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Dubai, Helsinki, San Diego, Stockholm, Nanjing, Vienna, Yokohama -- they all share an aspiration to become "smart cities."
That sounds like an appealing aim, yet when urban planners try to explain more precisely how they plan to lead their cities into the digital future, their answers are less convincing, with each proposing a different plan. Despite the many symposiums that have been held on this subject, there is no consensus on how to pursue this ambition.
Essentially the only thing all parties can agree on is that "smart" cities will employ sensors, computers and smartphones, and they will implement new forms of city government, making administrative processes more transparent than ever before. The idea is that digital technology will help make urban living cleaner, more sustainable and more pleasant. And, of course, it should increase prosperity as well. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/santander-a-digital-smart-city-prototype-in-spain-a-888480.html
March 14, 2013
The leader of a prominent anti-gay organization called Supreme Court Chief John Roberts' decision to adopt children the "second-best option," the AP reports.
"You're looking at what is the best course societywide to get you the optimal result in the widest variety of cases. That often is not open to people in individual cases. Certainly adoption in families headed, like Chief Roberts' family is, by a heterosexual couple, is by far the second-best option," said John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage.
Eastman was responding to a question about the Chief Justice's position on the rights of same-sex couples. Roberts and his wife adopted two children, Jack and Josie, in 2000. Both children are now 12 years old.
The Supreme Court will consider two high-profile gay rights cases later this month-- whether or not to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/john-eastman-national-organization-marriage-adoption-second-best_n_2877225.html?ir=Politics&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
Unhinged
The leader of a prominent anti-gay organization called Supreme Court Chief John Roberts' decision to adopt children the "second-best option," the AP reports.
"You're looking at what is the best course societywide to get you the optimal result in the widest variety of cases. That often is not open to people in individual cases. Certainly adoption in families headed, like Chief Roberts' family is, by a heterosexual couple, is by far the second-best option," said John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage.
Eastman was responding to a question about the Chief Justice's position on the rights of same-sex couples. Roberts and his wife adopted two children, Jack and Josie, in 2000. Both children are now 12 years old.
The Supreme Court will consider two high-profile gay rights cases later this month-- whether or not to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/john-eastman-national-organization-marriage-adoption-second-best_n_2877225.html?ir=Politics&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
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Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,090
