| News That Matters "Plaintiffs' free speech rights will have some restrictions during this Convention," "We spent so much time trying to welcome people to the city and now this is the way we start out. It pretty much sucks." - St. Paul Councilman Duane Thune Good Monday Morning and happy Labor Day. If you're forced to work today, organize, unionize and strike. No one should have to work on a national holiday. I'd like to welcome aboard our new readers who are now receiving NtM via email and/or directly from the 'net. I hope you will become active readers and commentators. Last week while the Democrats were meeting in Denver I took a closer look at that party and their national aspirations. This week, at least for today, it's the Republican's turn. No one can say I'm not an equal opportunity kind of guy. Focus on the Family's internet video producer, Stuart Shepard, told his viewers last week to pray to God for rain in Denver so that Barack Obama's speech would be rained out and its 83,000 direct viewers saved from hearing the evil he would speak to them. Says Shepard, "Sure it's boyish humor perhaps to wish for something like that, but at the same time it's something people feel very strongly about. They're concerned about where he would take the nation," Apparently God had tickets for the speech as did 38 million other Americans. More Americans watched Senator Obama's speech than watched the opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics, the Oscars, or for any American Idol final. Perhaps his God has other plans as it seems the main show this week will not be at the RNC in St. Paul, but on the Gulf Coast which, as of this morning, is being inundated by hurricane Gustav. Congressional candidate Kieran "the signs guy" Lalor congratulated Senator MCain for selecting one of our nation's premier anti-environmentalists as his running mate. Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, seems to be the typical Not to be outdone, the Snohomish County Republican Committee was selling fake $3 bills at their booth at the Washington State Fair. The central figure on the bills, where a President's face would be, was Senator Obama wearing a traditional Arabic headscarf with the words, "Da Man" written underneath. So now, according to hard core reactionaries, Senator Obama is not just an Islamofascist plant, a genuine Manchurian candidate, but also as queer as a $3 bill? But still not to be outdone, over the weekend, Ramsey County (MN) Sheriffs arrested 5 people - in their homes - and an organization called "The RNC Welcoming Committee" had their St. Paul headquarters raided. Near 9:15 p.m. on Friday evening, county sheriffs and St. Paul police officers kicked in the door - with guns drawn - at a former theater in St. Paul that the RNC Welcoming Committee had rented as a central planning office, according to Lisa Fithian, a nonviolence coordinator. Police then ordered the 50 people inside - which included children and the elderly - onto the floor, where they were handcuffed, photographed and asked for identification and then had their possessions forcibly searched. Police confiscated three laptop computers, schedules and 7,000 "welcoming guides" the organization planned to distribute to people coming to the Twin Cities for demonstrations. The raid was prompted by a police informant whose identity is known.And now, the News:
Controversial zoning case will not be heard in SoutheastMarcela RojasThe Journal News SOUTHEAST -A controversial case involving a property owner facing multiple code and zoning violations will not be heard in the town. Town Justices James Borkowski and Richard Vercollone recused themselves from the longstanding legal action against Ved Parkash, a Southeast resident who operates businesses at 30-38 Old Mine Road, including Parkash Motors Inc. The area was rezoned residential in 2003. The move comes after Supervisor Michael Rights sent a letter to the state Grievance Committee asking it to review the ethical actions of Joseph Charbonneau, the prosecutor on the case. The committee is authorized by the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court to investigate complaints lodged against attorneys. Charbonneau was hired by the Town Board in January to take on the matter. But in April, Rights led an effort to try to quash the charges brought against Parkash, a move that was met with criticism by some Town Board members who said his intervention was a political favor. The motion was promptly overturned by Borkowski. Read More Monroe (NJ) mulls green goalsEnvironmental element eyed for Master PlanFriday, August 29, 2008 11:48 AM EDT By Maria Prato-Gaines MONROE — The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association presented a municipal assessment to the Township Council on Monday, outlining environmental protection goals, some of which will likely have an impact on upcoming Master Plan revisions. Susan Charkes, the Watershed Association’s environmental planning specialist, discussed 10 elements that her organization had studied, proposing that the township consider at least three of the topics for future planning. Ms. Charkes offered a review of the assessment and recommendations concerning the following topics: open space protection management, biodiversity planning, greenways and trails, source water and well-head protections, aquifer and groundwater recharge, surface-water and stream-corridor protection, conservation design, critical areas of protection, sustainable community and effective public participation. She said municipal officials will face multiple challenges when reviewing the data, having to balance protecting the natural resources, encouraging economic prosperity, providing services and preserving and enhancing the township’s unique characteristics. ”Providing a high quality of life means a vision for the future,” she said. “This is the first product of the process. We’ve viewed it as a continual project.” Some of the Watershed Association’s many suggestions included creating a network of trails that extend into other municipalities, adopting ordinances that limit pesticides and fertilizers, reducing the density of development in recharge areas, requiring native plant species in landscape design, inventorying plant and wildlife species and their habitats, adopting standards and incentives to promote green buildings and using the township’s Web site to inform and receive public input. Read More Fuel Costs Hit SchoolsDistricts cut back on field trips, idling busesMonday, September 01, 2008 By Elizabeth Doran Staff writer Faced with fuel budget hikes of 30 to 40 percent, area school districts are limiting the number of field trips, examining bus routes and buying smaller vehicles to try and reduce consumption. "It's a constant battle, and we're always looking for new ways to save money," said James Rodems, Tully school business administrator. As school bells are ready to ring this week, districts across Central New York and the state in general are facing increased fuel costs and pressure to cut back on mileage. "This is a huge concern among superintendents," said Bob Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council on Superintendents. "Fuel is typically a small share of the budget, so it has a great impact when it goes up. We hear superintendents talking all the time about their efforts to consolidate and cut down on the number of bus trips." Read More Charities benefit as health food store closesBy Brian J. HowardThe Journal News • August 30, 2008 BREWSTER - Sarah Gomez pulled up to Organic Connections, saw the "closed" sign on the door and figured she'd come back later. It didn't hit her until she was in her car that the popular natural foods store was gone for good. "I'm disappointed. This is where I come to get my stuff," the Ridgefield, Conn., resident said. "This was perfect because I work right down the road." Gomez, 35, was one of a constant stream of faithful customers who have patronized the store since it opened in November 2006. Around 11 a.m. Thursday, the owners informed staff members that it was their final day of business. But David Richard, one of the store's investors, was not inclined to simply close up shop and move on. Humor award goes to Put Valley satiristBarbara Livingston NackmanThe Journal News PUTNAM VALLEY There is no doubt Madeleine Begun Kane has a sense of humor, whether it's about politics or her own life. Sometimes she is poking fun at President George W. Bush and saying that most Democrats are not liberal enough for her taste. Other times she is making a joke at her own expense. At 58, she has long, wavy grey hair, which lost its brown tones when she was in her 20s. "Now if that doesn't give you a sense of humor, nothing will," she said, tossing her locks behind her. She splits her time between a Tudor house in Bayside, Queens, and a 412-square-foot lakeshore cottage in Abele Park with her husband of 30 years. No children, no pets. She said she knew her marriage was good when she and her husband, Mark Kane, could peacefully spend a rainy weekend in their Putnam home, which is smaller than some Manhattan studio apartments. They've had the red-shingled house for at least 20 years. Read More Study: Bankruptcies soar for senior citizensRate falling for those under 55 while many elderly retire with debtThe Associated Press updated 8:17 p.m. ET, Wed., Aug. 27, 2008 ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - First came the health problems. Then, unable to work, Ada Noda watched the bills pile up. And then, suffocating in debt, the 80-year-old did something she never thought she'd be forced to do. She declared bankruptcy. While the bankruptcy filing rate for those under 55 has fallen, it has soared for older Americans, according to a new analysis from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, which examined a sampling of noncommercial bankruptcies filed between 1991 and 2007. The older the age group, the worse it got — people 65 and up became more than twice as likely to file during that period, and the filing rate for those 75 and older more than quadrupled. "Older Americans are hit by a one-two punch of jobs and medical problems and the two are often intertwined," said Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law School professor who was one of the authors of the study. "They discover that they must work to keep some form of economic balance and when they can't, they're lost." Read More Helping the Stars Take Back the NightBy JOE SHARKEYTUCSON, Ariz. ASTRONOMERS and others interested in a night sky unencumbered by the glare from artificial light love to tell this story: When the Northridge earthquake knocked out power in Los Angeles in 1994, numerous calls came into emergency centers and even the Griffith Observatory from people who had poured into the streets in the predawn hours. They had looked into the dark sky to see what some anxiously described as a “giant silvery cloud” over the shaken city. Not to worry, they were assured. It was merely the Milky Way, the vast galaxy that humans once knew so well — until the glare from electric light effectively erased most traces of it from urban and near-urban skies. It’s easy to forget, 130 years after outdoor electric lighting first cast its glow through the night, that the sky is actually full of stars. But largely as a result of a remarkable partnership between science and business that took root in Tucson during the 1970s, an idea is gaining acceptance: that darker skies can be achieved with new products and technologies. Darker skies can generate real benefits not only for astronomers, but also for businesses from gas stations and parking lots to Nascar tracks. Read More Powering UpBy MATTHEW PREUSCH Environmental Friendly Technology Can Remove Ink Stains In Paper RecyclingScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2008) — The greatest challenge in paper recycling is removal of polymeric ink and coating; and the most difficult paper is mixed office wastepaper. Traditional de-inking processes involve large quantities of chemicals which are expensive and unfriendly to the environment. A better alternative would be a technology that involves biological intervention. Paper publishes stray GOP e-mail on PalinCHICAGO, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- The Chicago Tribune Saturday published an e-mail by a GOP official urging the party to make a campaign ad out of an abortion joke by broadcaster Rush Limbaugh.The e-mail was sent to the newspaper inadvertently by the Republican National Committee, the Tribune said. It recounted a bit from Limbaugh's syndicated radio show in which the conservative talker imagined a conversation between Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain's choice for running mate. Palin is anti-abortion and has been praised for carrying her fifth child to term even though she knew the baby would be born with Down syndrome. Limbaugh's sketch has Obama asking Palin, "When you found out your baby would be born with Down syndrome, did you consider killing it before or after the due date?" In an internal e-mail, RNC officials discussed using Limbaugh's joke in a YouTube clip. Read More |
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Monday, September 1, 2008
News That Matters - September 1, 2008 - The RNC Edition
