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  • Rich, Helen DeVos Receive Luce Award

    On 04.09.10 09:39 AM posted by Ken McIntyre

    <ahref="http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/devos.jpg"></p>Richard and Helen DeVos, two shining examples of American philanthropy and entrepreneurship, are being recognized today with Heritage’s highest honor, the Clare Boothe Luce Award, for their outstanding contributions to the conservative movement.

    The DeVoses are the guests of honor at a luncheon in Naples, Fla., as part of our annual Leadership Conference and Board Meeting. Heritage President Edwin J. Feulner and Board Chairman Thomas A. Saunders III were scheduled to present the Luce Award on behalf of the think tank’s trustees and over 625,000 members.

    “Rich and Helen made it their purpose, through a generous endowment of the <ahref="http://www.heritage.org/About/Staff/Departments/DeVos-Center-for-Religion-and-Civil-Society">DeVos Center for Religion & Civil Society here at Heritage, to keep fighting for family, faith and civic virtue to remain at the heart of American life — and of effective solutions to poverty, crime and family breakdown,” Feulner said before leaving Washington for Naples.<spanid="more-30985"></span>

    DeVos is best known as co-founder of Amway, the pioneering direct sales company he launched over 50 years ago with a high school pal, and as a <ahref="http://www.amazon.com/How-Like-Rich-DeVos-Succeeding/dp/0757301584">popular motivational speaker and author. He also owns the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

    Stalwarts of the movement know and admire the DeVoses, who’ve been married 57 years, as passionate contributors to candidates and causes, among them the <ahref="http://www.isi.org/homepage.aspx">Intercollegiate Studies Institute. They have given generously*for the betterment of *health care, higher education, the arts and a range of Christian ministries, especially in their hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., and in central Florida.

    Feulner credits Rich DeVos with inspiring Heritage to painstakingly draft and adopt its own “shared vision statement.” Today, the resulting 17 words are emblazoned above the main entrance of our headquarters on Capitol Hill: The Heritage Foundation is committed to building an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society flourish.

    We’ve got more <ahref="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/04/Vision-of-Richard-Helen-DeVos-Honored-with-Luce-Award">here on the DeVoses, including Ed Feulner’s account of adopting a vision statement.

    http://blog.heritage.org/2010/04/09/…ve-luce-award/

  • Crashing Obama?s Nuclear Wedding

    On 04.09.10 09:00 AM posted by Kim Holmes

    <ahref="http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/START100405.jpg"></p>Raising concerns about a new nuclear arms treaty is considered declasse. It’s about as welcome as a wedding crasher who questions the groom’s choice of a bride.

    Like weddings, nuclear treaties are supposedly joyous occasions. Posing questions is treated as an affront to the very nobility of the enterprise (although for some marriages and certain treaties, the prospective partners would have been better off answering questions before tying the knot).

    Similarly, some people can’t imagine how reducing the levels of nuclear arms in the United States and Russia could possibly be a bad thing. They think the problem is that nuclear weapons even exist. That these weapons, in the right hands, may help keep the peace is hard for them to understand.

    One of those people is President Obama. Announcing a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia last week, he said, “Today, we have taken another step forward in leaving behind the legacy of the 20th century.” The “dark” legacy of the Cold War, Mr. Obama believes, is the mere existence of nuclear weapons; thus, this agreement is a step toward “a world without nuclear weapons.”<spanid="more-30973"></span>

    We could argue about whether nuclear weapons should have been invented at all. But they were, and they will remain part of America’s military arsenal even under (and after) Mr. Obama. The real issue is not whether this agreement is a step toward removing some terrible legacy, but whether it will make Americans and the world more secure.

    That’s when embarrassing questions begin to crash the wedding. First, how, as the president claims, will this agreement “strengthen our global efforts to stop the spread of these weapons” in Iran? The assumption appears to be that if we lead the way with our own reductions, Iran will follow. But Tehran is unimpressed. It wants nuclear weapons not because we have them, but because it wants to intimidate us and its neighbors.

    A smaller force is also not necessarily a better one. Without modernization and testing, we can’t be sure the nuclear weapons we retain will actually deter aggression.

    And what does the treaty language of “linkage” between reducing nuclear weapons and missile defense in the preamble of the treaty mean exactly?

    The Obama administration claims the treaty includes no constraints on our ability to deploy missile defenses. The Kremlin disagrees. Its official statement says the treaty contains a “legally binding linkage between strategic offensive and strategic defensive weapons.” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that Russia could even withdraw from the treaty if the U.S. proceeds with plans for missile defenses in Europe, which are intended to counter Iran, not Russia. You can bet Russia will use this treaty at every opportunity to try to stop further missile defense deployments in Europe.

    There’s also the question of verification. It has always been difficult to confirm the number of deployed warheads in Russia’s arsenal. Because the new treaty limits warheads specifically, its verification regime should at least be able to account for all warheads – not just an estimate based on the number of warheads each launcher typically carries. The inability to verify the number of actual warheads in Russia’s arsenal means it conceivably could load more warheads onto each launcher and exceed the total warhead number the treaty allows without getting caught.

    The biggest mistake of this treaty, however, is that Mr. Obama is completely misreading Russia’s intentions. Russia’s nuclear and conventional weapons arsenals are declining faster than ours, due to age and funding, so of course they want to bring our levels down to theirs. But Mr. Obama doesn’t seem to realize he is playing right into the Kremlin’s strategy of relying more, not less, on nuclear weapons over conventional ones. The total number of nuclear weapons may shrink, but the net result of this treaty will be to accentuate the role of nuclear weapons, particularly in Russia’s military planning.

    Why? Because with this treaty the Russians are trying to constrain our advantage in conventional (non-nuclear) “strategic” weapons, including missile defense, in order to accentuate the power of their nuclear arsenal. So even if the overall levels of nuclear weapons are lower, their strategic importance would be greater in maintaining the military balance. This treaty thus codifies Russia’s interest in maintaining the centrality of nuclear weaponry – subverting the administration’s lofty intentions to use this treaty as a step toward universal nuclear disarmament.

    Ultimately, if ratified, this treaty will indeed mean the death of any zero-nuke option. It feeds Russia’s expectations that it can effectively challenge the U.S. and still maintain a peer relationship with us through its reliance on nuclear weapons. No matter what the Obama administration may think, the last thing the Kremlin wants is to junk these weapons.

    The Senate will take its time to review this treaty. Two-thirds are required to ratify it. You can bet that many senators won’t be rushed into a shotgun wedding. Nuclear treaties, unlike many marriages today, are very hard to get out of. Get them wrong, and worse things than a messy divorce can happen.

    This <ahref="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/01/crashing-obamas-nuclear-wedding/">article originally appeared in the <ahref="http://www.washingtontimes.com/">Washington Times

    http://blog.heritage.org/2010/04/09/…clear-wedding/

  • The Obamacare Sales Pitch Paid for by Your Tax Dollars

    On 04.09.10 08:00 AM posted by Kathryn Nix

    <ahref="http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/money_stacks0902117.jpg"></p>The Department of Health and Human Services recently launched its new website, <ahref="http://www.healthreform.gov/">http://www.healthreform.gov, to serve as an informative source on what’s to come under new health care law.* Unfortunately, the website provides little substance and more of the same rhetoric we have heard from the administration regarding health care reform. Americans should not be fooled: HHS will use the new website to frame the issue of health care reform in a way that is favorable to the new law, shedding no light on the crucial details Americans need to know concerning the federal overhaul of the nation’s health care system.

    Now that* Obamacare is law, Americans will need to know exactly what the consequences will be in order to prepare for the impact on their personal lives.* But instead of offering detailed information and help locating pertinent pieces of the legislation, the new HHS website provides little more than fluff on the issue.* This may have been tolerable during the health care debate, but now it is unacceptable.<spanid="more-30955"></span>

    Take, for example, the information provided to help small businesses.* Businesses will be among the cohorts most significantly impacted by the new law, and will need to thoroughly understand its ramifications in order to prepare accordingly.* But <ahref="http://www.healthreform.gov/">http://www.healthreform.gov provides one-sentence answers to crucial questions, such as whether or not employers will be required to offer insurance to their employees, while going into great detail in answering questions dealing with highly specific scenarios that are unlikely to apply to most American business owners.

    Regarding the question of whether or not employers must offer insurance to employees, <ahref="http://www.healthreform.gov/about/answers.html">the website simply answers, “No.* There is not a so-called “employer mandate” in the legislation.”* This is a bold and breathtaking official response, since there is, in fact, a real and consequential mandate on employers, though the administration seems to redefine the meaning of “mandate” itself. Looking at the details of the new law, if employers with 50 or more employees fail to offer insurance, they will pay a $2,000 fine for every employee after the first 30.* And even if they do offer insurance, if an employee qualifies for the generous federal premium subsidy and chooses to purchase insurance in the newly-created exchange, the employer will be on the hook for a $3,000 penalty for each employee that does this.* For business owners researching how the implementation of the new law will affect them, this is vital information.* A one sentence answer that disregards these relevant details just won’t cut it.

    After passing Obamacare into law, the administration is now tasked with oversight and implementation. The lack of precise and adequate information only reinforces the underlying problems with this massive overhaul and should give Americans more reasons to want it repealed.

    http://blog.heritage.org/2010/04/09/…r-tax-dollars/

  • EXCLUSIVE: Judge Andrew Napolitano on the Retirement of Justice Stevens

    On 04.09.10 07:21 AM posted by Brandon Stewart

    </p>As we mentioned <ahref="http://blog.heritage.org/2010/04/09/in-the-green-room-judge-andrew-napolitano-on-tea-parties-and-why-obamacare-is-unconstitutional/">earlier today, Judge Andrew Napolitano, author and Fox News analyst, sat down with us this week to discuss a number of issues. In addition to the tea party and Obamacare, we also talked about <ahref="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOxW1_JqxKk">what it would mean for Justice Stevens to retire and what type of nominee we could expect from President Obama.

    In light of <ahref="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/09/AR2010040902361.html">today’s announcement that Justice Stevens is indeed stepping down, we are posting that full exchange for you here. In the interview, Judge Napolitano was candid in his analysis:

    “[Stevens’] views would likely be the same as whoever replaces him. So the liberal versus conservative, Constitutionalist versus big government coalitions on the Court would not change. However, what will change is that you are replacing someone who is 90 with someone who is 45.

    I would expect the President to nominate the most liberal, radical, person that he can find because he is unlikely to ever have the numerical superiority in the Senate that he has today.”

    http://blog.heritage.org/2010/04/09/…stice-stevens/

  • Siebel, Condi Rice-backed Carbon Startup C3 Ups Funds

    It’s probably not too hard for carbon-focused startup C3 to raise funds. Despite the fact that the company is in stealth and hasn’t released a product or game plan, it was started by Thomas Siebel — the guy who sold Siebel Systems to Oracle for billions of dollars — and counts former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Senator and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham as directors. (You know about as much as I do about how this group came together on this project). Well, according to an SEC filing, C3 is looking to up its funding by around $4 million to a total of $30 million.

    While C3 isn’t speaking publicly right now, last year Siebel gave some clues into C3 and what the company would be doing during a speech at the Alliance of Chief Executives meeting. Enterprise software to help companies manage their carbon footprint, according to two people that attended the speech (Dave Kellogg, the CEO of Mark Logic, and Drue Kataoka of ValleyZen). Both reported that C3 would be focused on helping companies “monitor, mitigate and monetize” their carbon footprint.

    The company, which explains itself only as “Energy and Emissions Management,” is run by Oracle veterans Patricia House (who co-founded Siebel Systems), Ed Abbo and Lenley Hensarling. According to several things I’ve heard (but I haven’t confirmed with the company), I think C3 stands for “Carbon Conscious Consumers.” Board members beyond Rice and Abraham, include S. Shankar Sastry, the dean of engineering at University of California, Berkeley.

    At the end of the day, if the company is working on enterprise software for carbon management, I really want to know what makes its idea so compelling as to recruit so many high profile execs and board members. There are already over 22 different carbon management firms, including Hara, which has its own high-profile backers with political connections. (We’re looking at carbon management software at our Green:Net conference on April 29, with execs from SAP, Hara and AMEE.)

    Oracle itself and SAP have also moved into the carbon management space. I don’t think carbon management software is about innovative technology at this point, though any innovation would be welcome. The market is more focused on getting big, getting customers and getting ready for Congress to pass a climate bill with a cap and trade system in it. The climate bill is looking more and more difficult to pass as of late, but the carbon management market is still really large (with international carbon markets and voluntary compliance) and will only grow larger over the coming years.

    For more research on cleantech financing check out GigaOM Pro (subscription required):

    Cleantech Financing Trends: 2010 and Beyond

    Images courtesy of C3 and darthdowney’s photostream.

  • More Courier-like concept video (or why Microsoft Research should run the company)

    Long Zheng from the istartedsomething blog drew out attention to this Microsoft Research video showing a natural user interface based on a combination of pen and finger to enable a variety of interactions which would be much more difficult with either alone.

    The features are being demoed on a Microsoft Surface, using an infra-red pen, but I imagine these features would work just as well on the elusive and mythical Microsoft Courier tablet or even some of the newer Windows 7 tablets.

    See Bill Buxton, Microsoft Research’s main Natural User Interface evangelists and Principle Researcher, explain what its all about in a second video after the break, using a variety of Windows Mobile devices.

    Via istartedsomething.com


  • Vanessa Hudgens “Rent” Hollywood Bowl: Neil Patrick Harris Cast “HSM” Alum As Mimi In Directorial Debut

    Vanessa Hudgens will play Mimi, an HIV-positive dancer, in a new production of Rent taking center stage at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl this August.

    The production marks the stage directorial debut of good-natured entertainer Neil Patrick Harris, who starred in the Los Angeles production of the Tony Award-winning musical in 1997.

    On casting the High School Musical alum, NPH says: “She came in for a work session, and I must say, Vanessa really impressed. She looks amazing, has great vocal chops, and seems really committed to honoring the somewhat iconic role of Mimi. I look forward to audiences seeing a dark, edgy, and very different side of Vanessa Hudgens this August.”

    The musical runs in Los Angeles from August 6-8.


  • Review: Motorola Devour on Verizon

    Motorola Devour review

    The Motorola Devour (video hands-on) came at a tough point in the smartphone world. It’s the first Android device from Moto and Verizon to come after the wildly popular Droid. And while we pretty much knew from the get-go that we weren’t looking at a Droid 2 — the smaller screen was an early giveaway — that didn’t really seem to lower expectations. In some ways, Moto met them. In others, not so much.

    So join us after the break as we take a look at the Motorola Devour and find its place in the Android lineup.

    read more

  • Ferrari Releases 599GTO Videos

    Our excitement over the 661-hp, 208-mph Ferrari 599GTO has been supplemented by these official videos from Ferrari, as discovered by Autoblog Italia. Both clips feature in-car video as Ferrari driver Raffaele de Simone hurls the 599GTO around the track—yeah, we’re jealous. Unfortunately, both clips are in Italian and without subtitles.

    In the first video, we learn about the car’s handling, aerodynamics, and in-car instrumentation.

    The second clip discusses weight reduction and the car’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine, which we hear in all its Italian glory.

    Click here for our full rundown and photos of the Ferrari 599GTO.

    Related posts:

    1. 2011 Ferrari 599GTO – Official Photos and Info
    2. Ferrari Releases New Photos of the 458 Italia
    3. Detroit’s Finest: 2010 Detroit Auto Show Videos – Feature

  • In the News ~ April 9

     

    Below are links to news stories of interest from newspapers that came up during a search today.  These links were active at the time of this e-mail, but should you want to save a story, printing it or cutting and pasting the entire article and saving it to your computer is recommended.    

    State News

    Illinois Superintendents Commiserate on Budget Woes  Chicago Public Radio – One estimate says the state could shed 20000 school jobs if cuts proposed by Governor Pat Quinn go through. That will mean larger class sizes in many …   

    Schools to state: Don’t balance budget on our backs
    Elgin Courier News – School administrators from across Illinois sent a message loud and clear to the state: Pay your bills and fix education funding.  Although no immediate solutions to fix the budget crisis were reached, about 25 school administrators from Springfield to Chicago met Thursday at Morgan Park High School in Chicago to discuss the repercussions of the state’s proposed spending cuts to education. 

    Districts That Won $10 M In Technology Grants
    Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 –  Here are the 15 school districts that were awarded $10 million in federal technology grants:

    Keep universities afloat for sake of state’s future
    Chicago Sun Times – Editorial –  But in a meeting Thursday with the Sun-Times Editorial Board, interim University of Illinois President Stanley Ikenberry said there is no way the schools can keep doing that. “If we experience the same scenario or worse in the next fiscal year . . . somebody is going to be shutting down,” Ikenberry said. 

    University of Illinois president lowers tuition hike forecast
    Crains Chicago Business – lead to savings, Ikenberry said, noting that he was waiting on recommendations. Ikenberry said his earlier projection of a 20 percent tuition hike was also based on the possibility that Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget would cut the university’s state appropriation by up to $120 million. But as it stands now, the cuts should be around $45 million, he said. 

    Chicago charter school teachers move to unionize  Teachers at four charter schools operated by Aspira, Inc., voted March 19 to unionize. By mid-June, following official recognition by the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board, they will be able to start negotiating a contract. They are the latest Chicago-area schools to move toward unionization after a change in Illinois law making it easier for charter school teachers to organize 

    Students protest at CPS schools, HQ
    Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Hundreds of CPS students from ten schools walked out of class Thursday in protest of planned cutbacks. The students say the cuts will affect their educations. The school board is facing a budget deficit that is approaching $1 billion. Teacher and staff layoffs and the elimination of some programs are being proposed to close the gap. 

    Collin Hitt: City needs more school choices — now
    Springfield State Journal Register – This year, in a city where fewer than 5 percent of black men will graduate both high school and college, Chicago’s Urban Prep Academy has accomplished what was for some unfathomable. Opened only four years ago, the all-boys public school recently announced

    Political News

     

    Illinois Comptroller Warns Of Growing Bill Backlog  WJBD Online –  Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes warned that the state’s backlog of unpaid bills will grow larger by June. In his quarterly report on the … 

    Report Shows Illinois Owes $5.5 Billion  MyFox Illinois – A report from the state official that cuts state checks shows Illinois will owe about $5.5 billion …   

    Former Gov. Edgar Pushes For Tax Hike  CBS2 Chicago – ?Pat Quinn’s push for a state income tax increase is getting a boost from a prominent Illinois Republican. Former Gov. Jim Edgar says the state can’t fix its …

    Former Gov. Edgar doubts state can fix budget without tax hike  WQAD – ?Pat Quinn’s proposal to raise the state income tax. Edgar says the state can’t fix its budget mess without a tax increase. The state faces a $13 billion …   

    Edgar says Brady wrong on tax hike
    Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar said Thursday his party’s candidate for governor is wrong on Illinois’ budget crisis and made the case for hiking taxes – the main plank of Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s platform.   

    Quirky Quinn doing just what it takes — to lose election
    Chicago Sun Times – Rich Miler- Gov. Pat Quinn is one odd duck. Forget about the 30-year-old briefcase he calls “Betsy.” Or the constant references to his Super 8 VIP card to stress his frugality, even though Super 8 discontinued the VIP card program years ago. Or his penchant for blue-and-purple-striped ties.  That’s just quirkiness. Some of it is even endearing. Quinn also has a very big heart, and I know for a fact that he’s a decent man in private. But he’s odd, man. Really, really odd.   

    You Can’t Have Lisa Madigan. Or Can You?
    NBC Chicago – We’re pining away for Lisa.  A year ago at this time, Lisa Madigan was the Democratic Party’s best hope for holding onto Barack Obama’s old Senate seat. Rahm Emanuel even invited her to the White House, where he attempted to browbeat her into running.

    No saving Illinois’ lower bond rating
    Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – Fitch Ratings mentioned the pension changes as a plus for Illinois. But changing pension benefits for future employees is only part of the picture, and this is where things get dicey for Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers. Among the options for dealing with a $13 billion budget hole, pension changes were a relatively easy option, opposition from public employee unions notwithstanding.   

    Stevens retirement gives Obama second Supreme Court pick  Christian Science Monitor – John Paul Stevens, the longest serving Supreme Court justice, plans to leave the bench in June. The Stevens retirement allows President Obama to name a second high court justice, opening the way for a likely confirmation battle.

    Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens   Photo Essay – The longest serving member of the high court announces his retirement.

    National News  

    States push teacher pay based on performance – Education
    WMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) Chicago – For parents and politicians hungry for better schools, the idea of paying teachers more if their students perform better can seem as basic as adding two and two or spelling “cat.”  Yet just a handful of schools and districts around the country use such strategies. In some states, the idea is effectively illegal.   

    DA’s sex ed warning befuddles Wis. teachers, kids
    Mattoon Journal Gazette – be taught and what people think should not be taught,” said Scott Lenz, a health teacher in the New Lisbon School District. He said he would teach contraceptive use if he got the approval of his school board. Southworth said he doesn’t want to drag teachers into court but feels he was ethically responsible for warning them of the new law’s potential consequences.   

    Paying Kids for Good Grades: Does It Really Work?  Photo Essay – Two schools in Washington DC participate in a four-city experiment to see if cash can truly make a difference in the classroom  Article: Should Kids be Bribed to Do Well in School?

    Teachers union memo jokes about NJ governor dying
    Belleville News-Democrat  – “Dear Lord this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor.”

    TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

     

    Tiger’s Return: Still the Master of His Golf Game

    After all the scandal of the last five months, Tiger Woods returned to competitive golf with the best opening round of his glittering Masters career

     

    Could the U.S. Lose Its Base in Kyrgyzstan?

    Manas air base is a key to the American mission in Afghanistan, and officials believe that it won’t be lost amid the current unrest — although alternatives will be found

     

    Health Care’s Ugly Aftermath: The Death Threats Mount

    Passage of large pieces of legislation is never without controversy. But the violent threats against lawmakers over health care have taken it to a scary new level

     

    The ‘House’ Effect: Are Real Patients Misled by TV Docs?

    A study shows that TV doctors cross ethical lines far too often. Is that affecting real-world medicine?

     

    FDIC’s Sheila Bair on Bank Failures and Too-Big-To-Fail

    Sheila Bair oversees the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which protects depositors when banks fail. Bair says the banking crisis is now manageable but the nation could be put at risk once again if Congress fails to make needed reforms

    Word of the Day for Friday, April 9, 2010

    indefatigable \in-dih-FAT-ih-guh-bul\, adjective:

    Incapable of being fatigued; not readily exhausted; untiring; unwearying; not yielding to fatigue.

  • Good Samaritan Emails Us From The Account You Left Logged In On A Best Buy Display iPad

    Hey world: Don’t leave yourself logged in to a display product at Best Buy! One Consumerist reader found someone logged in to a display iPad at Best Buy and emailed them and us from the logged in account.

    Reader R says:

    Dear Consumerist:

    You should have receive an email from [redacted] about not logging out of mail account on display product at Best Buy.

    I was the person that sent it to him and you. Just wanted to validate that email for you. I also didn’t want any of my personal info sent through that email.

    I really couldn’t believe someone did that.

    Sure enough, here’s the email:

    To whom it may concern:

    You decided to try out an iPad at your local best buy. But guess what? You logged into the mail app on a publicly used test product and didn’t log out?!?!?!?

    This time a good citizen has decided to alert you of your mistake. I will also be kind and log you out Be aware and use some common sense the next time.

    Sent from your own email,
    A good Samaritan.

    Sent from my iPad

    Ouch!

  • Trying to Break an Airliner’s Wings [Jets]

    The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has to withstand 150% of its wing’s load limit for three seconds. It looks like the upcoming airliner can handle the stress just fine. [Boeing] More »







  • Future pope had concerns about defrocking California priest accused of molestation, letter shows

    Pope Benedict XVI, in his earlier role as enforcer of Roman Catholic Church doctrine, counseled patience in 1985 when he was asked to defrock a California priest accused of child sexual abuse, saying he needed more time to consider the impact of the case on “the good of the Universal Church,” according to records released Friday by lawyers for the victims.

    A letter from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to Bishop John Cummins of Oakland is the latest document to shed light on Benedict’s handling of the sexual abuse crisis in his earlier career, when he headed the Vatican office that ultimately assumed full responsible for such cases.

    Stephen Kiesle, shown at a 2003 heqaring. Credit: Susan Tripp Pollard / Associated Press In it, he acknowledges the “grave significance” of the charges against the priest, Stephen Kiesle, who had pleaded no contest to charges of molesting two boys.

    But Ratzinger said he needed more time and information, in part because of the “detriment that [defrocking] can provoke with the community of Christ’s faithful.”

    It would be another two years before the Vatican relented to the request, which apparently came on Kiesle’s initiative. By itself, the letter suggests mainly that Ratzinger was reluctant to act hastily in such a grave matter as defrocking a priest, something which is done only rarely.

    Church critics, however, may regard it as part of a pattern by the future pope of seeming more concerned with the church’s reputation than with the trauma undergone by sexual abuse victims, about whom he says nothing in the document.

    Details of the letter were reported Friday morning by the Associated Press. The Times subsequently obtained a copy of the document. (The entire letter, translated by the AP, appears below).

    A spokesmand for the Vatican declined to comment on the substance of the letter Friday, but confirmed its authenticity.

    “The press office doesn’t believe it is necessary to respond to every single document taken out of context regarding particular legal situations,” the Rev. Federico Lombardi said. “It is not strange that there are single documents which have Cardinal Ratzinger’s signature.”

    — Mitchell Landsberg and Victoria Kim

    Translation of the letter: Pope urged caution in case of California priest accused of molestation [Text]

    Upper photo: Pope Benedict XVI. Credit: Associated Press

    Lower photo: Stephen Kiesle, shown at a 2003 hearing. Credit: Susan Tripp Pollard / Associated Press

  • MEDIA ADVISORY: Experts to Brief Journalists on China’s Climate Goals and Actions

    WHAT:

    Leading U.S. experts on China will brief journalists Tuesday on Beijing’s climate policies and the actions it is taking to combat climate change both domestically and internationally. A panel of four experts affiliated with the ChinaFAQs network, a project of the World Resources Institute, will discuss the prospects for progress on China’s climate goals, including carbon intensity, and for U.S. – China cooperation on climate change. The event will be moderated by Jonathan Lash, president of WRI. The briefing will be followed with light refreshments and the opportunity for journalists to meet with the panelists.

    WHEN:

    Tuesday, April 13, 2010
    4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST

    WHERE:

    World Resources Institute
    10 G Street NE Suite 800, Washington, DC 20002
    (Metro: Red Line to Union Station)

    Call-in Details
    1-800-610-4500 (Toll Free in USA and Canada)
    1-702-851-3339 (for callers outside USA and Canada)

    Participant Access Code: 4697221

    WHO:

    Deborah Seligsohn, principal advisor of China Climate and Energy Program, WRI

    Chris Nielsen, executive director of the China Project, Harvard University

    Taiya M. Smith, senior associate of China Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

    Julian L. Wong, senior policy analyst with Energy Opportunity Team, Center for American Progress

    RSVP:

    Jessica Forres, WRI media officer, +1(202) 729-7736, jforres@wri.org

  • If FreeCreditReport.com Doesn’t Even Offer A Free Credit Report… Is That Truth In Advertising?

    It’s no secret that FreeCreditReport.com, a site owned by Experian, has always been somewhat misleading in its marketing (okay, very misleading), getting people to get a “free credit report” that is not the government mandated free credit report, and whose entire program was really about upselling people to expensive credit monitoring services. However, we noted back in March that the FTC was finally forcing the site to be more honest in its marketing — including a clear and conspicuous link to the real free credit report offering. But now, reports are coming out that FreeCreditReport.com isn’t offering anything for free any more. The report you used to get for free is now a dollar. And, even though they promise to donate that dollar to charity, it makes you wonder: could the domain name itself be considered false advertising?

    Of course, the reason why Experian is charging that dollar seems even more misleading than its old advertising program:


    The new F.T.C. rules went into effect on April 2, and they required sites to include a prominent notice across the top of each Web page that mentioned free reports declaring that the only authorized source under federal law for such reports is annualcreditreport.com.

    Rather than include such disclosures, Experian added the $1 charge, saying that “due to federally imposed restrictions, it is no longer feasible for us to provide you” with a free credit report. And now that the report costs $1, the new F.T.C. rule would presumably no longer apply.

    Yes, you read that right. It’s trying to make the FTC look bad for requiring the company to actually be honest… and, in doing so, is pretending that this means it no longer has to be honest. An Experian spokesperson explained it this way:

    The offer for the $1 report is very clear and in compliance with the F.T.C.’s rule,” she said in an e-mail reply to questions. “There is no express or implied offer on our site for a free report.”

    Other than the domain, you mean?

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  • DECONSTRUCTING NUCLEAR DAY

    It is difficult to know exactly how to assess the declarations made on Iran’s National Day of Nuclear Technology.

    The most significant seems to be the unveiling of a third generation centrifuge, which Iran claims can enrich uranium at six times the speed of the older models currently in place.  Those centrifuges are currently referred to as the P-1 model, as they were based on a design obtained from Pakistani nuclear black marketer, AQ Khan.

    David Albright, nuclear expert and author of the book “Peddling Peril” about the secret nuclear trade told Fox News, “I think the goal of Iran is to get a more reliable centrifuge.  And what they are trying to present today is that somehow they’ve accomplished that.  But what is missing is any evidence that they have accomplished that.”

    From the pictures he saw of the event, Albright said it was hard to judge whether the centrifuge unveiled was real or a model.  But he did say that when Iran announces something publicly, it tends to be authentic.

    His take on the more efficient centrifuges: “It’s a significant leap for Iran in the sense that if they can get a machine that works reliably and is more powerful than the P-1, then they don’t need to build as many and that’s the main thing.” 

    This could be important to Iran, says Albright, because while the Islamic Republic makes its own centrifuges, it does need to import a lot of materials to do this.  With sanctions on Iran, this becomes harder and harder.

    Albright says, “They may need 6000 P-1’s with all the reliability problems to get enough for a bomb, when in fact, they need only 2000, 1500 of the more advanced ones to get enough for a bomb.  You don’t need to smuggle as much as you would for the P-1.”

    Albright talked a bit about the problems with the P-1.

    “The machines are coming on and off all the time.  It doesn’t mean the machine stops, but it stops enriching uranium and it’s a little bit like a Christmas tree and the lights on a Christmas tree.  You’d like the lights to be on all the time and glowing a nice bright color, but what you often have, it looks like a blinking Christmas tree.”

    Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today said that Iran is on a nuclear path from which it will not retreat.  He also said again that Iran is not after a bomb.  But the international community remains as sceptical about this as ever and is meeting again to discuss further sanctions.

  • 10-Q Watch: Adobe Admits Apple’s Anti-Flash Strategy Could Be Damaging


    Adobe Flash

    In the “timing is everything” department, Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE) filed its 10-Q the day after Steve Jobs threw another batch of lightning bolts at its highly popular Flash platform and included an admission that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) poses risks. The language (first noted by Bloomberg) may have already been in the risk area in the filing but it has new resonance coming so soon: “… to the extent new releases of operating systems or other third-party products, platforms or devices, such as the Apple iPhone or iPad, make it more difficult for our products to perform, and our customers are persuaded to use alternative technologies, our business could be harmed.”

    Oh, yes, it could be. As Daring Fireball‘s Jon Gruber caught in the new developers’ agreement for iPhone OS4, Apple specifically rules out the kind of workaround Adobe is offering with its upcoming Flash Professional CS5 to make apps work with Flash on iPhones and iPads. Flash use still far outstretches Apple’s devices but Jobs’ antipathy for it is accelerating HTML5 use and making life more complicated for developers and content companies heavily reliant on Flash.


  • How War Has Dropped Off The Political Landscape

    By Matt Holdridge

    From the Huffington Post:

    Over the past few weeks, the news out of Afghanistan and Iraq has been pretty grim. Abstruse and bizarre comments from Afghan President Hamid Karzai troubled America’s diplomatic community; violence followed the election of Iraqi president Iyad Allawi; and a leaked, two-year-old video showing the killing of civilians in New Baghdad raised fundamental questions about U.S. military policy.

    It’s a sequence of stories that two years ago would have produced howls in Congress and spurred demonstrations outside the Beltway. Today, the fallout is negligible.

    America’s military campaign in Afghanistan and its draw-down in Iraq are hardly resonating on the political landscape.

    …Having a Democratic president in office has, indeed, changed the dynamics in fundamental and sometimes difficult ways for the progressive community. And it’s not just simply because it presents more opportunities for collaboration than existed under George W. Bush.

    …”I think it is true that progressives do not want to take on this war partly because they think it will hurt their specific domestic causes, partly because they think it will be disloyal to Obama,” said Robert Greenwald, the activist filmmaker who has spearheaded anti-war efforts. “In the end, not pushing Obama on this is one will be one of the greatest single mistakes progressive will make and will continue to make.” 

    The Liberty Movement, for better-or-worse, has often had to join forces with the principled Left on certain foreign policy issues because of the Right’s embrace of neo-conservative thought. 

    Members of our movement, this website included, have pointed out for sometime the loss of anti-war enthusiasm among progressives. In many instances, we’ve become the sole critic of our government’s foreign adventures.

    This of course begs the question, was the opposition to American empire on the Left ever really principled to begin with, or just an issue to be abandoned once electoral victory was at hand? 

     

  • GM’s Hamtramck to become tourist hot spot when Chevy Volt production starts

    General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, where the Chevrolet Volt is being built, may become a big tour stop for schools and industry leaders. GM officials said there has been a huge interest in wanting to visit the plant once the official production of the Volt kicks off in September.

    “I’m expecting that we will have all different kinds of visits,” plant manager Teri Quigley told the Free Press. “I think it will be five times as many people as normal at the onset,” she said.

    GM started producing preproduction units of the Volt last week at the plant. The Detroit automaker plans to build fewer than 500 preproduction units from now until November.

    Click here for more news on the Chevrolet Volt.

    2011 Chevrolet Volt:

    2011 Chevrolet Volt Production Show Car

    – By: Stephen Calogera

    Source: Free Press


  • Nissan prepara modelo “melhor que o Golf”

    Nissan Juke

    A Nissan anunciou o desenvolvimento de um modelo pra rivalizar com o Volkswagen Golf, com o objetivo de “roubar” seus clientes e também de preencher lacunas que existem entre um modelo e outro em alguns segmentos da montadora.

    Contudo, a maior noticia fica por conta da intenção da Nissan, que pretende lançar um veiculo melhor que o Golf. É o que diz Andy Palmer: “O segmento C é uma solução para uma área de expansão que nos parece óbvia. O Qashqai e o Juke já estão presentes nesse segmento, mas ir mais longe significa construir um automóvel melhor que o VW Golf, e é esse o desafio a que nos queremos agora dedicar. O projeto é um projeto a longo prazo, mas que já está a caminho”.

    Seu futuro lançamento tem como objetivo auxiliar a Nissan a atingir suas futuras metas, de poder comercializar seus veículos em cerca de 90% do mercado global e aumentar em 3% a sua participação nas vendas de automóveis no mundo todo. Atualmente a companhia tem uma participação aproximada de 84% no mercado automotivo global.

    Fonte: AutoCar