Category: News

In light of the videogame-linked crimes committed in Germany, Bundestag ministers proposed a national banhammer (psp/news/national-banhammer-german-ministers-propose-total-ban-for-violent-games.html) back in June to rid the nation of the purchase and development of violent video games. Thanks largely to a

The state Democratic Party has released the schedule for Saturday’s nominating convention at the Expo Center in Hartford’s North Meadows.

Conventions are known for lasting longer than expected, and the schedule is also subject to last-minute changes.

The line-up at the moment is treasurer, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of the state and comptroller.

On the Republican side, the governor’s nomination is normally last.

These headphones play music, sure, but they can also bleach your teeth. Just stretch your mouth open with the included cheek retractor, turn the light on and get ready to scare the shit out of everyone. [BeamingWhite via ChipChick] More »

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Jim Lentz, President and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota in North America has taken some time to update Congress on the company’s progress as the company sallies forth through a mountain of recalls. Lentz says that around 3.5 million fixes have been executed so far, including 1.67 million sticky accelerator pedals, 1.62 million floor mats and 118,000 anti-lock brake system program updates. Those figures mark 70 percent of all of the vehicles under the sticking-accelerator recall and Toyota says that it has been performing somewhere in the neighborhood of 120,000 fixes per week on average.

Lentz also says that his company has complied with mandates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by bringing a total of 150 Event Data Recorder readout machines to the States. Those are the handy little gizmos that allow researchers to pull and analyze the information gathered pre- and post-crash by Toyota vehicles. The greater number of EDR machines should allow Toyota to respond to any future issues more quickly than in the past.

According to a published statement, Toyota has reiterated that it all of its new cars and trucks are to be equipped with brake override systems – something that is expected to be mandatory for all automakers within a few short years. Hop the jump to read the transcript of Lentz’s statement before Congress.

[Source: Toyota | Image: Mark Wilson/Getty]

Continue reading Toyota president Lentz updates feds on recall and safety progress

Toyota president Lentz updates feds on recall and safety progress originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 May 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update 2:25 PM ET:

Dow down 2.1%, or 217 points

S&P 500 down 2.3%, or 25 points

NASDAQ down 2.7%, or 62 points

Update 2:16 PM ET:

Other markets in the Americas are also taking a beating today:

Canada’s TSX down 1.82%

Brazil’s BOVESPA down 2.51%

Argentina’s MERVAL down 3.5%

Update 2:12 PM ET:

Markets have pulled back off of their 2:05 PM dive lower, with all key exchanges cutting losses.

Update 2:05 PM ET:

Dow down 2.6%, or 270 points

S&P 500 down 3.2%, or 36 points

NASDAQ down 3.57%, or 81 points

Update 2:03 PM ET:

Dow down 2.6%, or 270 points

S&P 500 down 3.0%, or 33 points

NASDAQ down 3.4%, or 79 points

Update 1:40 PM ET:

Dow down 2.4%, or 250

S&P 500 down 2.6%, or 30 points

NASDAQ down 3%, or 69 points

Update 1:13 PM ET: The market has come back a bit. The NASDAQ is now only down 3.6%

Update 1:00 PM ET: Everything’s getting worse now. Dow off over 340. Oil in freefall.

Original post: Let’s do a quick mid-dray roundup of where things stand.

The big loser is the NASDAQ, down 3.5%. The S&P 500 is hot on its tail down 3.1%. The Dow is off 2.8%. All of these are pretty close to the lows of the day.

Things are ugly in the commodities space, too with oil below $65! Remember, just a few days ago we were looking at oil around $90.

Gold is off $5.

Volatility is going nuts, with the Vix up 25%.

Join the conversation about this story »

A day after refusing to take cash from a customer who wanted to purchase an iPad, Apple has reversed course and is now willing to accept Federal Reserve Notes backed by the U.S. government. “We want to make sure it’s as fair as possible for people to get iPads,” said Apple Sr. Vice President Ron Johnson.

Johnson told KGO-TV in Palo Alto that its coverage brought about a change in company policy:

“About a month ago, we said we’d like you to use a credit card when you buy your iPad, and that was the best way we could think of to make sure that people only bought two per individual,” said Johnson. “And then it came to our attention that Diane [Campbell], through your story, was very interested in buying an iPad with cash, and we made a decision today to change that.”

Johnson said our story triggered a company-wide policy change. As of today, anyone can pay for an iPad with cash as long as they set up their Apple account at the store. Apple accounts are needed for the iPad anyway, so that is not putting anyone out.

“We heard about this, you know… we all would love people like Diane [Campbell] to get an iPad, so I called her up and she was very excited and we’re actually on our way to deliver an iPad to her house,” said Johnson.

While other customers will now be able to pay in cash, Apple still won’t accept Campbell’s greenbacks: they’re giving her the iPad for free.

Johnson told KGO that the earlier policy about not accepting cash “was instituted to make sure the tablets were fairly distributed during a time of high demand.”

Apple reverses its no-cash payment policy for iPads, following 7 On Your Side report [abc7news.com]

PREVIOUSLY: Your Cash Is No Good At The Apple Store

CAP’s Daniel J. Weiss, who first proposed the commission idea on May 4, offers his answer to the question of what areas the investigation should pursue.

A dead Portuguese Man-O-War floats on a blob of oil in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana.  Source:  AP/Eric Gay

President Obama is likely to sign an executive order sometime during the next several days that would create an independent commission to investigate the causes behind the tragic BP oil disaster. A thorough independent investigation is essential to understand what caused the explosion that cost 11 workers their lives, and what led to the failure of the blowout preventer that was supposed to prevent an oil gusher.

The independent commissions established by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan to investigate the Three Mile Island near-nuclear meltdown and the Challenger Space Shuttle accident, respectively, provide valuable guidance for the design and operation of the BP investigation.

Unlike many congressionally chartered commissions, the TMI and Challenger commissions were not required to have a particular bipartisan balance. The TMI panel did not establish specific criteria for its membership. President Carter appointed prominent people from various fields. The chair was Dartmouth College President John Kemeny, who had worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the atom bomb. The panel included five professors, a union president, a CEO, a governor, an environmental leader, and a resident near TMI.

The executive order to create the Challenger panel required members “from among distinguished leaders of the government, and the scientific, technical, and management communities.” Its chair was former Attorney General and Secretary of State William Rogers. The panel included two former astronauts, a former test pilot, and physicists and engineers from both academia and the aerospace industry.

The BP disaster panel should follow the Challenger model. The executive order should require that the panel includes members who are senior or retired government officials, distinguished marine biologists, oceanographers, chemists, geologists, and petroleum engineers, as well as management experts. It should also include at least one member of a nongovernmental environmental organization, a union leader, and a local official or citizen of an affected community.

The executive order establishing the TMI commission provided much more guidance for its investigation than the Challenger commission. The TMI charter included “a technical assessment of the events and their causes,” as well as an assessment of the utility’s management, emergency preparedness and response by federal agencies, and “an evaluation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing, inspection, operation and enforcement procedures as applied to this facility.”

The BP disaster commission should follow the TMI model. The executive order should require the study and investigation to include:

• A technical assessment of the explosion, blow out, oil flow, and their causes
• An estimate of the quantity of oil released into the Gulf of Mexico
• An analysis of the roles of BP, Transocean, and Halliburton in this event
• An assessment of the emergency preparedness of these three companies, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Interior, and the Department of Homeland Security
• An appraisal of what agency should coordinate future emergency responses
• A review of occupational safety measures on the rig
• An evaluation of the Minerals Management Service’s leasing, permitting, oversight, and enforcement procedures applied to this and similar deep sea wells
• A preliminary analysis of the public health, economic, and ecologic impacts of the blowout
• An assessment of the public’s right to know about the accident and its aftermath, and BP’s, Transocean’s, and Halliburton’s responsibility to provide accurate, comprehensible, and timely information
• A review of the technologies and safeguards employed by other nations to prevent similar disasters at their wells
• Appropriate recommendations based on the commission’s findings

Neither the TMI nor Challenger executive orders explicitly required public hearings, but both panels conducted them. The BP panel should conduct public hearings, including at least one in the most heavily affected area to receive testimony on the disaster’s effects on the public health, economy, and ecology of affected communities.

The TMI and Challenger commissions had six and four months, respectively, to conduct their investigations and issue their reports and recommendations. Since the BP oil disaster is much larger than either of these events, the commission should have up to a year to complete its work. This event will continue to wreak havoc for years to come, but the commission should have a relatively short time for its investigation and report. This would enable oil companies and federal agencies to promptly implement the recommendations and significantly reduce the likelihood of a recurrence.

The federal government should also take a time out on issuing new offshore oil or gas leases and commencing development on idle deepwater leases until the BP oil disaster commission issues its final report and recommendations. We cannot risk the further expansion of deepwater oil and gas drilling until we understand what went wrong and how to fix it.

Both the TMI near-nuclear meltdown and the Challenger accident were shocking, unprecedented events. The postincident independent investigations produced sober assessments of what went wrong, and recommendations to avoid future occurrences. The breadth and size of the BP oil disaster will dwarf either of these unfortunate events. President Obama must design the commission so that its investigation into this catastrophe is independent, comprehensive, and transparent. This is an essential element to prevent another oil blowout like the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

Guest blogger Daniel J. Weiss is a Senior Fellow and Director of Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress. This was reposted the Center for American Progress website.

Ryan McBride wrote:

It’s been a big two days for LightLab Imaging. Good Morning America featured the Westford, MA, firm’s coronary imaging technology on national television today. And St. Jude Medical, the cardiac devices powerhouse, revealed late yesterday that it has bought the small firm for about $90 million in cash.

St. Paul, MN-based St. Jude (NYSE:STJ) is buying LightLab from Goodman Co., the Japanese medical devices firm that has owned LightLab since 2002. With much of its core technology from MIT, LightLab has developed a so-called optical coherence tomography (OCT) catheter—which uses infrared light to capture detailed images of tissues—to diagnose cardiovascular disease.

The FDA gave the LightLab permission to begin selling the system in the U.S. this month, and St. Jude expects its new acquisition to add $20 million to its revenue stream in second half of this year. Before garnering FDA clearance, LightLab had received permission to sell the system in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.

In December, Massachusetts officials highlighted LightLab as a source of jobs growth in the state, granting $188,951 in tax incentives to the firm as part of Gov. Deval Patrick’s $1 billion initiative to grow the life sciences sector in the commonwealth. The good news for the state is that St. Jude plans to continue LightLab’s operation in Westford and has no “big layoff plans,” said Amy Nesbit, a spokeswoman for LightLab.

LightLab CEO David Kolstad, in an interview Tuesday unrelated to the buyout, said that the company has committed to adding 29 new workers under the terms of its tax incentives from the state. The company currently employs about 70 people, he said. Nesbit said today that the company plans to apply for another round of state tax incentives this year to support its hiring plans. Kolstad is expected to transition from his chief executive role to a vice president position at St. Jude, she said.

LightLab launched in 1998 to apply some of the OCT discoveries from the labs of MIT professor James Fujimoto and those of his colleagues, including Eric Swanson, to coronary imaging. Fujimoto and Swanson are now technical advisors for the firm, Kolstad says.

St. Jude says it expects to wrap up its buyout of LightLab by the end of June.

Después de una pausa de 16 años, Opel parece que se ha decidido a darle vida nuevamente al Opel Calibra, aunque con una pequeña sorpresa guardada bajo la manga: la de ser una especie de continuador del Opel Insignia, pero con un estilo de coupé bien definido como se pueden ver en las imágenes que la revista Car publicó el día de hoy y como podéis contrastar si accedemos a las diferentes oportunidades en que hemos tenido ocasión de probar varias variantes del Insignia.

Lo más que se sabe del nuevo Calibra es que será estrictamente una versión coupé para el 2013, sobre la base del Insignia. Para ello, se han realizado unos renders que nos muestran un coupé de tamaño importante y aparentemente realizado sobre el concepto original del Opel Insignia, que se sacó a la luz en 2003. Lo único que cambiaría un poco, sería el remate del frente y hacerlo no tan frontal como se ve en la imagen del lateral. No sé si os ocurra lo mismo, pero hace acordar al tamaño de cierta coupé de Peugeot (406).

Vía | Car Magazine

The Hartford Courant’s Josh Kovner has the latest from the extortion and bribery trial from Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez.

Perez’s well-known defense attorney, Hubert Santos, had said earlier that he would seek a mistrial, but he has now backed off from that position.

http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/eddie-perez/hc-eddie-a-perez-trial-0520,0,4477265.story

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-eddie-a-perez-trial-update-0520,0,5430550.story

When I visited England a few years ago, it was a strange juxtaposition of contemporary American culture with a classic British twist. As a car guy though, I naturally paid the most attention to all the interesting and foreign (literally) vehicles around me. While the black cabs nearly clipped me and I saw a runaway Renault crash into a streetlamp, the legendary vehicles that captivated me the most were the red, double decker buses.

Of course, these old, mobile landmarks are pretty much the picture of a bygone gas guzzling era. In an effort to improve the green cred of London, Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled the official new hybrid double decker bus, which will hit the streets sometime in 2012.

(more…)

As I announced in yesterday’s newsletter, The Primal Blueprint Cookbook is now shipping.

The Primal Blueprint team is furiously packing to get all pre-orders out the door and into your hands as soon as possible. All pre-orders should be in the mail in the next few business days. Shipped USPS Media Mail the books should begin arriving at your doorsteps in the next week or so.

I’m absolutely thrilled with how it turned out. Take a look at the photos below for a taste of what’s headed your way, and if you haven’t grabbed a copy yet order one today and you’ll still get the free Primal Blueprint Poster and free S&H.

Stay tuned for today’s regularly scheduled blog post.

If you’re ready to begin eating like Grok pick up a copy today and start getting Primal!

Related posts:

1. Top Ten Reasons to Pre-Order The Primal Blueprint Cookbook
2. The Primal Blueprint is Now Shipping
3. Announcement: PrimalCon 2010 and The Primal Blueprint Cookbook Offer

Lady-lovin’ lezzie Lindsay Lohan’s about to come face-to-face with all the labia she can lick: A warrant has been issued for the actress’ arrest. Guess Judge Marsha Revel didn’t buy the old “The Cat Stole My Passport” excuse? With a bang of her gavel, the jurist issued a bench warrant for Lohan’s arrest during a probation hearing in Beverly HIlls on Thursday. Revel was furious when she arrived in court to find Lindsay a no-show. As we celeb-gawkers already know, Lindsay remains stuck in France after losing her passport during a quickie trip to the Cannes Film Festival this week.

Bail has been set at $100,000.

“If she wanted to be here, it looks to the court like she could have been here,” Judge Revel told the court. “There’s really no excuse. She has to take this seriously. I warned her before. At this time I am issuing a warrant by law in a misdemeanor. Her probation is revoked. I am setting the highest amount of bail at $100,000. That should catch her attention. Her actions in the past have not justified me in having faith in saying ‘okay, sure.’”

The judge continued: “If she bails out, court will include of an immediate order that she not drink any alcohol until we have formal hearing. The same day she comes back, an immediate SCRAM device [is to] be put on her. And she will undergo random drug testing at a minimum of once a week. More often would be fine. At the Santa Monica probation office. These are conditions that court place if she bails out.”

The judge explained the stipulations of Lohan’s bail when the star’s attorney pleaded to have the warrant delayed.

“Let you remind you that this isn’t just a DUI case. The original charges there are two DUI’s, two drug charges and under the influence of cocaine. I know she’s missed appearances, she’s been late, she hasn’t shown up and that could be because of drug abuse. So this isn’t just a driving under the influences of alcohol. If that were the case, random drug testing would be not appropriate, but she has two charges of being under the use of cocaine, so I can order random drug testing. When somebody repeatedly has a problem following through, they need to be supervised, for their own good.”

[JURIST] The US Department of Defense [official website] announced [press release] on Thursday that US Forces-Afghanistan has launched an investigation into allegations that a “small number” of soldiers are responsible for the unlawful deaths of three civilians in Afghanistan. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command [official website] began the investigation earlier this month after receiving credible information from the soldiers’ unit. No charges have yet been filed against the soldiers suspected in the unlawful deaths, but one soldier has been placed in “pre-trial confinement.” The probe also includes investigation into allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.

Collateral damage has been a major issue in both the Afghanistan and Iraq [JURIST news archives] wars. Last month, a military appeals court reversed the conviction [JURIST report] of US Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III for the 2006 killing of an Iraqi civilian, citing lack of a fair trial. Hutchins was serving an 11-year sentence, reduced from 15 years [JURIST report], for his role in the April 2006 kidnapping and murder of Iraqi civilian Hashim Ibrahim Awad in Hamdania [USMC materials; JURIST news archive]. He was convicted [JURIST report] in 2007 of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, making a false official statement, and larceny. Six Marines pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to charges related to their roles in the incident, which involved Awad being removed from his residence and killed, then arranged with a shovel and firearm to appear as if he were planting an improvised explosive device.

Sixty-five UT Knoxville-area employees with 25 or more years of service to the university were honored Tuesday, May 18, at a service award luncheon hosted by Interim President Jan Simek, Vice President Joe DiPietro and Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek.

The honorees hold a wide variety of jobs in departments ranging from chemistry to comparative medicine and from development to dining services. Some of those recognized have worked at UT for 40 years or more.

“The commitment these men and women have shown to UT is commendable, and it is essential to the university’s mission,” Simek said. “Since the university’s people are its greatest asset, the dedication of these faculty and staff is fundamental to the university’s strength.”

Visit the Service Awards website to to view a sampling of stories that showcase some of UT’s long-serving employees: Mary Cruise, Kathy Forrester, Teresa Gilbert and Darrell Hale, all with 30 years of service; and Connie Goff Sharp and Jeannie Underwood, both with 25 years of service.

In a previous post, I mentioned a CCTV News report that China is seeing a recent surge of gold buying, as local investors nervous over a possible property bubble look for an alternative place to stash their cash.  Here are the links to that report, both in text and video form.  You can also watch my comments on the report here.

According to CCTV, sales of gold for the May Day holiday in Beijing are up 70% over last year, and that sales of gold bars has doubled.  It notes that May is a popular season for weddings, which makes it a peak gold-buying period, but attributes this year’s increase to jitters over property prices:

Mr. Zhang had planned to invest his money in the property market. But on second thought, he changed his mind . . . [Zhang] said, “The recent measures have been reining in tightly. So I changed my investment plan. I believe the gold market is more stable. It could also avoid investment risks and prevent the threat of the inflation.”

Another CCTV report this Tuesday suggests the shift towards gold is not limited to Beijingers, but also includes investors from Wenzhou, a southeast coastal city famous for its itinerant entrepreneurs:

Housing speculators from Wenzhou City in southeastern China are switching their money from property into gold following government restrictions on the real estate market  Tao Xingyi, president of Beijing-based Jinding Group, a company specializing in high-end gold trading and investment, said the company’s customers have increased by 300 — 400 percent recently . . . Tao said that within one month, three groups of Wenzhou investors made purchases of gold from his company worth more than 10 million yuan.

I have no way of verifying these reports, but as I mentioned in my televised comments, I find it very interesting given the analogy I’ve always drawn between the way Chinese invest in empty apartments as a “store of value” and investment in non-productive assets like gold.  So it might very well make sense that, if they are no longer so certain stockpiled real estate will act as a reliable store of value, they would opt for gold as an attractive alternative.

I was back on CCTV’s BizAsia program on Tuesday, talking about three topics: 

• the reason investors continued to hammer the Euro this week, and why the crisis in Europe is taking such a toll on Asian markets;
• interpreting the latest news that China has increased its holdings of US Treasuries;
• what effect are the government’s recent cooling measures having on China’s property markets, and what further actions can we expect to see?

You can watch a mini-clip of my comments on China’s US Treasury holdings here.  For the others, you’ll have to check out the video of the complete program here.

Join the conversation about this story »

Personal injury attorney says NO – It’s the bloated and unregulated insurance industry profits

I recently received a reader inquiry regarding my blog, A New Dawn for Car Accident Victims? The blog covered the Michigan Supreme Court’s motion for reconsideration in McCormick v. Carrier, a case that could restore common sense and fairness to Michigan’s broken auto accident law, Kreiner v. Fischer. The reader, Kristen, believed that Michigan’s auto insurance coverage contributes to soaring insurance rates. The truth is quite the contrary. Below is the note from Kristen and my response.

Keep in mind, whether you’ve been seriously injured, or just have a question about the Michigan No-Fault Law, the personal injury attorneys at Michigan Auto Law can help you get through the confusion and uncertainty an accident brings to your life. I hope the following information gives you some insight as to what’s really going on with automobile insurance in Michigan.

Kristen: Steven, I see your point of view on the overturning of the Kreiner case, but why don’t you ever mention that we have unlimited medical benefits/coverage in Michigan when you are involved in an auto accident, which includes pedestrians and resident household members that are not disclosed on an auto application because they do not have a drivers license? Can you review this in one of your articles? Michigan by far has the best coverage in this area and it contributes to the high cost of auto insurance. I personally think the consumer should be given the option to purchase unlimited medical coverage or elect a different level of protection.

My response: Thank you for your question, Kristin. Many people share your perception that lifetime medical benefits are a driver of soaring auto insurance costs in this state.  But, neither lifetime medical payouts, nor pain and suffering “tort” payouts are the reasons behind the high insurance costs we face in Michigan.  The reality is that first-party No-Fault insurance benefits (lifetime medical, wage loss, replacement services, mileage, attendant care) and third-party payouts (pain and suffering and excess economic loss) are statistically only very small amounts of the total No-Fault dollar.  Total combined payouts on “third-party” or pain and suffering settlements represent literally pennies of the total No-Fault dollar.  Lifetime medical does sound expensive, but it is also a very small percent of each actual insurance dollar spent.

How can lifetime medical be so little?

The answer lies in the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA).  After an insurance company spends over a certain pre-determined amount, currently $460,000, that insurance company is repaid on the entire claim by the MCCA for all medical paid over the cap.   And the total assessment of the MCCA for each resident is only $124.89 per motor vehicle, which is separately assessed and frankly, about the best deal out there in exchange for the guarantee of total protection for all Michigan residents who suffer catastrophic personal injury that will require lifetime medical care and treatment after a motor vehicle accident.

The real driver of costs are the insurance companies themselves. The savings that insurance companies promised Michigan residents — when they spent untold thousands of dollars lobbying the Michigan Legislature in 1995 as Michigan enacted the harshest tort reform laws in the nation — never materialized.  In fact, premiums have only increased.  You may wonder how this can be, when claims and payouts have fallen so sharply.

And here lies the answer to your question, Kristin.  The real reason why we pay so much money for insurance here in Michigan is because our insurance companies have the highest profit margins in the nation, and Michigan is one of the only remaining states in the nation where the insurance commissioner does not have the power to regulate the profits that the auto insurance industry can make.

So, we have a nasty little problem.  Insurance companies can charge as much as they want, and in turn are able to make record0breaking profits. Insurance companies can recoup losses they make gambling in the stock market, or paying out claims in other states by charging more in Michigan.  The same insurance companies will then use our own premium dollars that we are legally required to spend buying No-Fault insurance to wage a propaganda campaign to convince the public that the reason we have such high insurance premiums in Michigan is because of non-issues like lifetime medical, or lawyers and lawsuits, or anything besides the real reason – bloated and unregulated insurance industry  profits.

Hope this helps answer your question.  Thank you again for contacting me.

Steven M. Gursten is recognized as one of the nation’s top experts in serious car accident and truck accident injury cases and automobile insurance no-fault litigation. Michigan Auto Law has received the largest reported jury verdict for an automobile accident case in Michigan in seven of the past 10 years, including 2009, according to published year-end verdicts and settlements reports.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons, by Marco Arment

Related information:

How to Read your Auto Insurance Policy

Michigan Claims Adjuster Tactics

Michigan Car Accident Insurance Settlements

Michigan Auto Law is the largest law firm exclusively handling car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident and bus cases throughout the state. Call (800) 777-0028 if you’ve been injured in an auto accident, and would like to speak to a lawyer.

[JURIST] The Legislative Council of the Parliament of New South Wales [official website] on Thursday voted 26-3 to end further debate [minutes, PDF] on a bill to ban the wearing of the burqa [JURIST news archive] and other face veils in public. The bill [materials], proposed by Christian Democrat Fred Nile [official profile], would have banned the wearing of the burqa in Australia’s most populous state. Nile insisted the bill was aimed at protecting [AAP report] women’s rights and improving security. Opponents, however, contended the bill would stigmatize Muslims and argued that the issue is not one of great importance. The bill’s introduction came after a national debate on the issue following comments made by a conservative national senator [AFP report] calling for a national ban on the burqa.

Many jurisdictions are currently considering legislation that would ban the burqa. On Wednesday, the French Cabinet approved legislation [JURIST report] that would ban the wearing of the burqa or other face veils in public. On Tuesday, hearings began [CBC report] in Quebec’s legislature on a bill introduced in March that would ban women from wearing full face veils from public services. Earlier this month, European Parliament [official website] Vice President Silvana Koch-Mehrin [official website, in German] expressed her support for a continent-wide burqa ban [JURIST report]. In April, the Belgian House of Representatives voted 136-0 to approve [JURIST report] a bill that would ban the burqa and other full face veils in public.

Recent polls show Latinos strongly support action on climate change and clean energy jobs.  On Wednesday, a group of Hispanic business leaders from Florida headed to the Capitol to urge their Senators – Bill Nelson (D-FL) and George LeMieux (R-FL) – to support comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation.

The group brought a petition signed by 2,000 Hispanic business owners from South Florida to bolster their cause.  CAP intern JT McLain has the story.

Hispanic business leaders are at the forefront of the push for energy and climate legislation.  Wednesday’s fly-in, organized by American Businesses for Clean Energy, is another reminder that Hispanics continue to be amongst the most active proponents of comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation.  As Climate Progress reported here, Hispanics and African Americans overwhelmingly support the transition to a clean energy economy, and they are disproportionately likely to vote on climate in the 2010 elections.  Those same demographics also have strong majorities who believe that that a low carbon economy will create jobs, and oppose the idea that policies which curb global warming harm the economy.

Of the total 900 Latinos polled:

• Overwhelming majorities of Latino voters in Florida (80%), Nevada (67%) and Colorado (58%) say they are more likely to vote for a U.S. Senate candidate that supports proposals for fighting global warming. Virtually no one is less likely.
• About three out of four Latino voters in Florida (76%) and Nevada (74%), and about two out of three voters in Colorado (64%), consider global warming very or somewhat serious. Three out of four Latino voters in each state say Congress should take action now.
• By about three to one, Latino voters in these states say switching to a clean energy economy will mean more U.S. jobs (66% in Florida, 72% in Nevada, 64% in Colorado). Over 8 out of 10 voters in each state reject the idea that fighting global warming will hurt the American economy.

According to the business owners, comprehensive legislation will bolster investor confidence in clean energy technologies, creating new business opportunities and jobs.  The legislation also will improve the quality of life across the board; Porfiria Ramirez, co-owner of Solar Green Energy Solutions in Miami, argues:

Hispanic businesses like mine can lead the way and be part of the start-up of the clean energy economy; this is good for our state and every member of our community… it means our children can grow up in clean neighborhoods breathing clean air. But we need to create incentives for the private sector to invest in order to compete globally. For that, we need legislation.

This recent outpouring of support is made more urgent by the devastating BP oil disaster unfolding in the Gulf, and the likely negative impacts it will have on our Southern economy.  Dana Sanchez-Quist, a realtor in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, points out the threat to an economy heavily reliant on tourism:

Florida is in the eye of the storm – we look at the Gulf and all we can do is hope the massive oil spill doesn’t reach our shores and scare off the millions of tourists who visit them every year.

The group also is keenly aware of the negative economic and environmental implications of American dependence on oil.  Alberto Cardona, an engineer in Fort Lauderdale, said:

The alarm has sounded. We have a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by our over-reliance on oil. We cannot afford to wait any longer for a comprehensive energy and climate plan that puts America back in control of its energy future and back in the lead. We can and must develop the technology to move to clean, renewable 21^st century energy sources that will never run out. Countries like China are doing it. Why can’t we?

The petition, hand delivered by the Florida Hispanic business leaders, reads:

On behalf of the undersigned Hispanic business owners, local leaders, parent organizations and concerned constituents whom we represent, we urge you to support strong climate and energy legislation. We support Congressional enactment of clean energy and climate legislation that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We agree.

– JT McLain

Resmed Swift Lt Nasal Pillow System, Includes Sm,Med,Lg Size Dual Wall Pillows – Model 60560

View Resmed Swift Lt Nasal Pillow System, Includes Sm,Med,Lg Size Dual Wall Pillows – Model 60560 Details