Farm Subsidies - Lining the pockets of wealthy farm owners?
What do Ken Lay, Ted Turner, Sam Donaldson and David Rockefeller all have in common? asks Sacha Zimmerman in this months Reader's Digest.
Years of pocketing lots of money -- your money seems to be the answer.
Amazing as it sounds, your tax dollars have been going to rich guys like these in the form of farm subsidies. That's right, our government is paying big bucks to wealthy individuals who happen to own rural land somewhere, as long as they agree to federal rules about how -- and even whether -- they cultivate their spread.
From 1995 to 2005, Lay, the now-deceased Enron CEO, got $23,326 for conservation land in Missouri; business mogul Turner raked in $590,823 for farms in Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana and Florida; Donaldson supplemented his earnings as a broadcast journalist with $88,308 for a livestock ranch in New Mexico; and Rockefeller, a financier and philanthropist, got $553,782 for two farms in New York.
Appalled that your tax money is going to people who hardly need a handout? Well, it's worse than you think. According to a study by The Washington Post, since 2000 the government has paid people around the country $1.3 billion a year not to farm. That equates to 40 million acres annually -- "the equivalent of making every farm in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio idle," says Brian Riedl, a senior budget analyst at the Heritage Foundation.
And it's only a small part of the subsidy picture: In 2005 alone, 75 percent of the $20 billion in farm subsidies was paid to farmers for cultivating select crops like corn and soybeans. Among those soaking up the subsidies are well-to-do operators of large industrial farms. Meanwhile, the small, struggling farmer who may actually need assistance is getting squeezed out of business by the big boys lined up at the public trough.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Darling & his Vat Petrol farce
BE WARNED: The London Papers and the news programmes this evening forgot to tell you this:
He increased petrol duty to help offset the effect of the VAT cut on fuel consumption. effectively cancelling out the effect of the VAT cut
Taken from: Financial Times : Darling plans tax hit to fund £20bn fiscal stimulus
By Jamie Chisholm
Published: November 24 2008 15:37 | Last updated: November 24 2008 18:02
He increased petrol duty to help offset the effect of the VAT cut on fuel consumption. effectively cancelling out the effect of the VAT cut
Taken from: Financial Times : Darling plans tax hit to fund £20bn fiscal stimulus
By Jamie Chisholm
Published: November 24 2008 15:37 | Last updated: November 24 2008 18:02
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Who in their right mind would want to work for MI6 anyway?
Read this article about Richard Tomlinson before you make up your mind
Arctic Loses Huge Ice Shelf, but Melt Isn't Expected to Exceed 2007 Record
In the summer of 2007, the Arctic melted to a record extent. It then refroze at a record pace in late October and November. The top image shows the ice in mid-November 2007 after refreezing; the bottom in mid-September, at its record low.
Photo: NASA Earth Observatory
A big ice shelf, eight square miles in size, has broken away near Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. It is the biggest ice shelf to deteriorate since 2005, according to Reuters.
The collapse leaves a once-vast ice shelf at just 11% of its original size. Once 3,500 square miles, it is now 400, and stands as one of many symbols of global warming's impact on the Earth's poles.
But overall, the Arctic is faring better than in 2007, when a record melt left vast stretches of open water in the once-icy north. Earlier predictions that the North Pole would become ice-free this summer seem to have been overly pessimistic, though the degree of melting is still well more than the long-term average.
The seasonal melting of Arctic sea ice is watched closely, because the Arctic has demonstrated the clearest signals of climate change's early impacts. What happens in the Arctic is seen as a harbinger for the dramatic changes that could be in store for lower latitudes.
If all the push-and-pull of scientific observation, prediction and analysis gets confusing, don't fret. Remember the overriding message that scientists agree to: Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels is a significant cause of global warming, and climate change is already beginning to have real and negative effects on life on Earth. The consequences of failing to reduce carbon dioxide pollution will be more dramatic weather- and climate-related changes.
New President - same old Bull****?
British troops must not be sent in support of US President-Elect Barack Obama's planned "surge" in Afghanistan, the head of the armed forces has said.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, warned that the British military was already over-stretched, and suggested that troops from other Nato countries should be sent to fight.
Mr Obama has spoken of his desire to see a surge in troop numbers in Afghanistan, similar to that which appears to have had success against extremists in Iraq, to finally quell the Taliban insurgency.
But Sir Jock said that British troops were already struggling to cope with fighting in the two theatres of Iraq and Afghanistan, and could not take on more demands.
His words were echoed by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who agreed that other Nato countries should take responsibility for any fresh surge in Afghanistan.
Both men also ruled out sending British troops to the Congo to bolster the United Nations force in central Africa.
There are currently 8,100 military personnel serving Afghanistan, with another 4,100 in Iraq due to withdraw by the middle of next year.
Sir Jock said that they should not be redeployed to Afghanistan once their mission in Iraq ended, adding: "I am a little nervous when people use the word 'surge' as if this were some sort of panacea.
"We welcome more military force being sent to Afghanistan. Everybody needs to do their share, we are very clear on that.
"In the context of what we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are shouldering a burden which is more than we are able to shoulder in the long term, so we expect the others to take up their share of that burden."
Appearing with Sir Jock on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Miliband was asked if Mr Obama's proposed surge would require an increase in the size of Britain's commitment there.
He said: "Not necessarily, no. As the second-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan, the first thing we say is that we don't want to bear an unfair share of the burden."
William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, also warned that Britain was already making a "disproportionate contribution" to the Nato effort in Afghanistan.
He told Sky News' Sunday Live: "We do need the rest of Nato to play its part in Afghanistan and undoubtedly it seems that Barack Obama does intend to send larger US forces and that is part of what is necessary in Afghanistan.
"We would all take some persuading that there would have to be a much larger British contingent there - there's already a very large British contingent."
Meanwhile, Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said that the Government should talk to Iranian and Taliban leaders in order to find lasting resolutions to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He added: "Negotiation with both the Taliban and Iran may be unpalatable, but it is the only route to success, and if it doesn't happen now it will be too late."
Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, warned that the British military was already over-stretched, and suggested that troops from other Nato countries should be sent to fight.
Mr Obama has spoken of his desire to see a surge in troop numbers in Afghanistan, similar to that which appears to have had success against extremists in Iraq, to finally quell the Taliban insurgency.
But Sir Jock said that British troops were already struggling to cope with fighting in the two theatres of Iraq and Afghanistan, and could not take on more demands.
His words were echoed by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who agreed that other Nato countries should take responsibility for any fresh surge in Afghanistan.
Both men also ruled out sending British troops to the Congo to bolster the United Nations force in central Africa.
There are currently 8,100 military personnel serving Afghanistan, with another 4,100 in Iraq due to withdraw by the middle of next year.
Sir Jock said that they should not be redeployed to Afghanistan once their mission in Iraq ended, adding: "I am a little nervous when people use the word 'surge' as if this were some sort of panacea.
"We welcome more military force being sent to Afghanistan. Everybody needs to do their share, we are very clear on that.
"In the context of what we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are shouldering a burden which is more than we are able to shoulder in the long term, so we expect the others to take up their share of that burden."
Appearing with Sir Jock on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Miliband was asked if Mr Obama's proposed surge would require an increase in the size of Britain's commitment there.
He said: "Not necessarily, no. As the second-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan, the first thing we say is that we don't want to bear an unfair share of the burden."
William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, also warned that Britain was already making a "disproportionate contribution" to the Nato effort in Afghanistan.
He told Sky News' Sunday Live: "We do need the rest of Nato to play its part in Afghanistan and undoubtedly it seems that Barack Obama does intend to send larger US forces and that is part of what is necessary in Afghanistan.
"We would all take some persuading that there would have to be a much larger British contingent there - there's already a very large British contingent."
Meanwhile, Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said that the Government should talk to Iranian and Taliban leaders in order to find lasting resolutions to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He added: "Negotiation with both the Taliban and Iran may be unpalatable, but it is the only route to success, and if it doesn't happen now it will be too late."
Saturday, November 22, 2008
David Mayer de Rothschild - The environmentalist
David Mayer de Rothschild (born 25 August 1978) is a British adventurer and environmentalist, and head of Adventure Ecology, an expedition group raising awareness about climate change. He is the youngest of three children of Victoria Schott (born 1949) and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild (b. 1931) of the Rothschild banking family of England. His middle name "Mayer" is taken from the name of the founder of the Rothschild family banking empire, Mayer Amschel Rothschild.
* 1 Early life
* 2 Charity work
* 3 Adventurer
* 4 Literary work
* 5 References
* 6 External links
Early life
David de Rothschild earned a B.Sc (Honors) in Political Science and Information Systems from Oxford Brookes University, a public university in Oxford, England, and an advanced Diploma in Natural Medicine gained by distance learning. He started out as a businessman, establishing an apparel manufacturing and distributing company for licensed brands. His brother Anthony is Co-managing Director of A7 music and some of the apparel his operation produced was under license from musicians such as The Beatles.
Neither he nor his brother have shown interest in joining the family-owned N M Rothschild & Sons London banking business and when their father stepped down as chairman in 2003, cousin David René de Rothschild of the French branch of the family took over as head of the worldwide Rothschild Group.
Charity work
In 2003 David de Rothschild took up residency for a time in Sydney, Australia where he began writing a series of educational books for children and founded a naturopathic/ecological education center in New Zealand, with the additional goal buying an 1,100-acre (4 km2) farm he used to develop self-sufficient organic-farming techniques. Environmentally conscious, he is also the founder of "Sculpt the Future", a charitable organization that works with environmentally disadvantaged communities.
David founded Adventure Ecology whose stated goal is to promote a greater connection with the natural world through a series of high-profile expeditions. The first mission in the series "Top of the world" Mission 1 expedition began on March 4, 2006. The four-member team included de Rothschild and fellow Briton Martin Hartley, along with two Canadians, Paul Landry and his daughter Sarah McNair Landry. After 100 days traversing the Arctic Ocean from Russia To Canada, David de Rothschild become one of 42 people and the youngest British person to ever reach both geographical poles. David de Rothschild is a National Geographic "Emerging Explorer" for its class of 2007.[1] He was also recently made a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum.
Adventurer
A participant in a number of extreme competitions, de Rothschild won his age group in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. A friend of polar guide Paul Landry, he became involved with eco-adventure and was part of the team that, in June 2005, set a new record for the fastest crossing of the Greenland Icecap. He was a member of the 2004/2005 "Invesco Perpetual Trans-Antarctica Challenge", an expedition that made him the youngest Briton to cross the continent of Antarctica.
Literary work
David wrote the official Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook in 2007, featuring 77 tips to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.[2]
* 1 Early life
* 2 Charity work
* 3 Adventurer
* 4 Literary work
* 5 References
* 6 External links
Early life
David de Rothschild earned a B.Sc (Honors) in Political Science and Information Systems from Oxford Brookes University, a public university in Oxford, England, and an advanced Diploma in Natural Medicine gained by distance learning. He started out as a businessman, establishing an apparel manufacturing and distributing company for licensed brands. His brother Anthony is Co-managing Director of A7 music and some of the apparel his operation produced was under license from musicians such as The Beatles.
Neither he nor his brother have shown interest in joining the family-owned N M Rothschild & Sons London banking business and when their father stepped down as chairman in 2003, cousin David René de Rothschild of the French branch of the family took over as head of the worldwide Rothschild Group.
Charity work
In 2003 David de Rothschild took up residency for a time in Sydney, Australia where he began writing a series of educational books for children and founded a naturopathic/ecological education center in New Zealand, with the additional goal buying an 1,100-acre (4 km2) farm he used to develop self-sufficient organic-farming techniques. Environmentally conscious, he is also the founder of "Sculpt the Future", a charitable organization that works with environmentally disadvantaged communities.
David founded Adventure Ecology whose stated goal is to promote a greater connection with the natural world through a series of high-profile expeditions. The first mission in the series "Top of the world" Mission 1 expedition began on March 4, 2006. The four-member team included de Rothschild and fellow Briton Martin Hartley, along with two Canadians, Paul Landry and his daughter Sarah McNair Landry. After 100 days traversing the Arctic Ocean from Russia To Canada, David de Rothschild become one of 42 people and the youngest British person to ever reach both geographical poles. David de Rothschild is a National Geographic "Emerging Explorer" for its class of 2007.[1] He was also recently made a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum.
Adventurer
A participant in a number of extreme competitions, de Rothschild won his age group in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. A friend of polar guide Paul Landry, he became involved with eco-adventure and was part of the team that, in June 2005, set a new record for the fastest crossing of the Greenland Icecap. He was a member of the 2004/2005 "Invesco Perpetual Trans-Antarctica Challenge", an expedition that made him the youngest Briton to cross the continent of Antarctica.
Literary work
David wrote the official Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook in 2007, featuring 77 tips to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.[2]
Friday, November 21, 2008
Four at-risk children die from abuse every week
From The Times
November 20, 2008
Up to four children die each week in England from abuse or neglect, according to official figures that reveal the alarming scale of the problem.
The damning report by Ofsted makes clear that the death of Baby P was far from an isolated tragedy. It found that 282 vulnerable children – many of them already known to social services – died in the 17-month period to the end of August. A further 136 suffered serious harm or injury.
Two thirds of those killed or hurt were babies less than a year old.
Children’s charities had previously estimated that one child died from cruelty each week.
It is the first time that Ofsted, which regulates children’s services in England, has examined the issue of children at risk. Its findings suggest that hundreds of abused children are at risk because councils are failing to learn promptly from previous deaths.
The report was presented yesterday by Ofsted’s chief inspector, Christine Gilbert. She said: “We are still not learning enough – or fast enough – from serious case reviews which happen when a child has died or been harmed through neglect or abuse.”
She referred to “recent tragic events in Haringey, and Manchester”, where two boys were murdered last week. Their mother has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. On Baby P she said: “I wish I could guarantee something so tragic couldn’t happen again, but I can’t. Although there have been improvements in the past few years, there is absolutely no room for complacency: everyone involved in child protection in any way must take stock of the role they play.”
Ofsted said that of 92 case reviews it had evaluated since April last year, 32 were judged to be inadequate. Only 20 were considered good. One review supposed to last four months had taken four years, Ms Gilbert said. Ofsted is expected publish a detailed report into 50 serious case reviews this month.
Tim Loughton, the Shadow Children’s Minister, said: “The figures for the number of child deaths given in this report are alarmingly high. Despite the avalanche of child protection legislation and reorganisations of social services departments, the underlying problem is no less diminished.”
David Laws, the Liberal Democrats’ children’s spokesman, said: “This report makes some deeply concerning criticisms of child protection services. It is now all too clear that the lessons of the Victoria Climbié case have not been learnt.”
Yesterday Sabah al-Zayyat, the doctor accused of failing to spot Baby P’s broken back and eight broken ribs, said that she had been deeply affected by the circumstances of his death.
November 20, 2008
Up to four children die each week in England from abuse or neglect, according to official figures that reveal the alarming scale of the problem.
The damning report by Ofsted makes clear that the death of Baby P was far from an isolated tragedy. It found that 282 vulnerable children – many of them already known to social services – died in the 17-month period to the end of August. A further 136 suffered serious harm or injury.
Two thirds of those killed or hurt were babies less than a year old.
Children’s charities had previously estimated that one child died from cruelty each week.
It is the first time that Ofsted, which regulates children’s services in England, has examined the issue of children at risk. Its findings suggest that hundreds of abused children are at risk because councils are failing to learn promptly from previous deaths.
The report was presented yesterday by Ofsted’s chief inspector, Christine Gilbert. She said: “We are still not learning enough – or fast enough – from serious case reviews which happen when a child has died or been harmed through neglect or abuse.”
She referred to “recent tragic events in Haringey, and Manchester”, where two boys were murdered last week. Their mother has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. On Baby P she said: “I wish I could guarantee something so tragic couldn’t happen again, but I can’t. Although there have been improvements in the past few years, there is absolutely no room for complacency: everyone involved in child protection in any way must take stock of the role they play.”
Ofsted said that of 92 case reviews it had evaluated since April last year, 32 were judged to be inadequate. Only 20 were considered good. One review supposed to last four months had taken four years, Ms Gilbert said. Ofsted is expected publish a detailed report into 50 serious case reviews this month.
Tim Loughton, the Shadow Children’s Minister, said: “The figures for the number of child deaths given in this report are alarmingly high. Despite the avalanche of child protection legislation and reorganisations of social services departments, the underlying problem is no less diminished.”
David Laws, the Liberal Democrats’ children’s spokesman, said: “This report makes some deeply concerning criticisms of child protection services. It is now all too clear that the lessons of the Victoria Climbié case have not been learnt.”
Yesterday Sabah al-Zayyat, the doctor accused of failing to spot Baby P’s broken back and eight broken ribs, said that she had been deeply affected by the circumstances of his death.
A list of stores permanently closing in the USA
Didn't take the time to check ALL of these to see if they are actually closing for sure, so I am just passing it on just in case you might have one of these store's gift cards - you may want to use it soon.
Circuit City stores... 150 stores closed
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered
Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down all stores
J. Jill closing all stores
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)
Macy's to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pacific Sunware closing stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores.
Circuit City stores... 150 stores closed
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered
Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down all stores
J. Jill closing all stores
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)
Macy's to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pacific Sunware closing stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
UK Public Sector Debt (Official statistics - govt stats)
Public Sector
October: £1.0bn current budget surplus
These are graphs showing Public Sector Finance:
In October 2008, the public sector showed a surplus on current budget of £1.0 billion, compared with a surplus of £4.0 billion in October 2007.
Concentrating on one month in isolation can give a distorted picture as movements can be erratic. Focusing on the financial year to date generally provides a better overview. Between April 2008 and October 2008 of the financial year 2008/09, the public sector recorded a deficit of £23.3 billion. At the same stage of the 2007/08 financial year, a deficit of £9.5 billion had been recorded.
More generally, the public sector recorded deficits between 1991/92 and 1997/98 before moving into surplus in 1998/99. Deficits have been recorded since 2002/03.
An alternative measure of the public sector fiscal position is public sector net borrowing. This additionally takes account of capital investment. In October 2008, there was net borrowing of £1.4 billion, which compares with borrowing of £-1.8 billion in October 2007. The Budget forecast for 2008/09 is net borrowing of £43.0 billion.
Public sector net debt, expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was 42.9 per cent at the end of October 2008, compared with 42.6 per cent at end of October 2007. Debt peaked at 44.2 per cent of GDP in 1997, its highest since the mid-1980s. The debt ratio then fell steadily as public sector finances improved, reaching a low of 29.1 per cent in February 2002. Since then it has risen. The Budget forecast for the end of March 2009 is 38.5 per cent.
Net debt was £640.9 billion at the end of October, compared with £607.1 billion a year earlier. The Budget forecast for net debt at the end of March 2009 is £581 billion.
Public sector net debt (excluding Northern Rock)
The most recent figures for public sector net debt excluding Northern Rock are for September 2008, when net debt was £563.1 billion (37.8 per cent of GDP).
October: £1.0bn current budget surplus
These are graphs showing Public Sector Finance:
In October 2008, the public sector showed a surplus on current budget of £1.0 billion, compared with a surplus of £4.0 billion in October 2007.
Concentrating on one month in isolation can give a distorted picture as movements can be erratic. Focusing on the financial year to date generally provides a better overview. Between April 2008 and October 2008 of the financial year 2008/09, the public sector recorded a deficit of £23.3 billion. At the same stage of the 2007/08 financial year, a deficit of £9.5 billion had been recorded.
More generally, the public sector recorded deficits between 1991/92 and 1997/98 before moving into surplus in 1998/99. Deficits have been recorded since 2002/03.
An alternative measure of the public sector fiscal position is public sector net borrowing. This additionally takes account of capital investment. In October 2008, there was net borrowing of £1.4 billion, which compares with borrowing of £-1.8 billion in October 2007. The Budget forecast for 2008/09 is net borrowing of £43.0 billion.
Public sector net debt, expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was 42.9 per cent at the end of October 2008, compared with 42.6 per cent at end of October 2007. Debt peaked at 44.2 per cent of GDP in 1997, its highest since the mid-1980s. The debt ratio then fell steadily as public sector finances improved, reaching a low of 29.1 per cent in February 2002. Since then it has risen. The Budget forecast for the end of March 2009 is 38.5 per cent.
Net debt was £640.9 billion at the end of October, compared with £607.1 billion a year earlier. The Budget forecast for net debt at the end of March 2009 is £581 billion.
Public sector net debt (excluding Northern Rock)
The most recent figures for public sector net debt excluding Northern Rock are for September 2008, when net debt was £563.1 billion (37.8 per cent of GDP).
Bush sells off the desert to oil company
Gale Norton has to be happy. In 2003, Ms. Norton, then President Bush’s secretary of the interior (and now a senior oil executive at Royal Dutch Shell), struck a deal with the governor of Utah that would open about 3 million pristine acres of federal land to oil and gas drilling.
Environmental groups and the courts managed to keep the drillers at bay. No longer. In the last few days, the Bureau of Land Management has completed six long-range management plans for Utah that will expose these acres (and as many as 6 million more) to some form of commercial exploitation.
On Tuesday, the bureau announced that it would soon begin selling oil and gas leases — essentially the right to drill — in some of the most beautiful and fragile areas.
Conservationists are aghast, and rightly so. Apparently without consulting the National Parks Service, one of its sister agencies at the Interior Department, the bureau plans to auction more than two dozen leases adjacent to Arches National Park and very close to Canyonlands National Park, risking the parks’ air and water.
Also on the auction block, among other rare and spectacular vistas, is Desolation Canyon, so named by the explorer John Wesley Powell in 1869 while he traveled down the Green River to the Grand Canyon.
This sort of pillage would be hard to justify even if Utah’s reserves were large enough to make a difference, which they are not. The Energy Information Administration says that Utah has 2.5 percent of the country’s known natural gas reserves and less than 1 percent of its known oil reserves. And even if those reserves were worth going after, it would still be essential to protect areas of special cultural, scenic and recreational value.
The Interior Department’s writ is to manage the public lands for “multiple uses,” a difficult and ambiguous task. The Clinton administration issued many leases but tried hard to balance the competing claims of commerce and nature; the Bush administration heard only the voice of Vice President Dick Cheney and his one-sided mantra of “drill now, drill everywhere.”
This is but the latest of President Bush’s last-minute assaults on the environment. The incoming Obama administration will have to quickly review and reverse these decisions or find ways to mitigate the damage.
New York Times
Environmental groups and the courts managed to keep the drillers at bay. No longer. In the last few days, the Bureau of Land Management has completed six long-range management plans for Utah that will expose these acres (and as many as 6 million more) to some form of commercial exploitation.
On Tuesday, the bureau announced that it would soon begin selling oil and gas leases — essentially the right to drill — in some of the most beautiful and fragile areas.
Conservationists are aghast, and rightly so. Apparently without consulting the National Parks Service, one of its sister agencies at the Interior Department, the bureau plans to auction more than two dozen leases adjacent to Arches National Park and very close to Canyonlands National Park, risking the parks’ air and water.
Also on the auction block, among other rare and spectacular vistas, is Desolation Canyon, so named by the explorer John Wesley Powell in 1869 while he traveled down the Green River to the Grand Canyon.
This sort of pillage would be hard to justify even if Utah’s reserves were large enough to make a difference, which they are not. The Energy Information Administration says that Utah has 2.5 percent of the country’s known natural gas reserves and less than 1 percent of its known oil reserves. And even if those reserves were worth going after, it would still be essential to protect areas of special cultural, scenic and recreational value.
The Interior Department’s writ is to manage the public lands for “multiple uses,” a difficult and ambiguous task. The Clinton administration issued many leases but tried hard to balance the competing claims of commerce and nature; the Bush administration heard only the voice of Vice President Dick Cheney and his one-sided mantra of “drill now, drill everywhere.”
This is but the latest of President Bush’s last-minute assaults on the environment. The incoming Obama administration will have to quickly review and reverse these decisions or find ways to mitigate the damage.
New York Times
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Bank of China eyes HBOS bid
The Bank of China has emerged as a potential bidder for an alternative takeover of HBOS, it is reported.
The BBC said the bank was in "early talks" with former HBOS executive Jim Spowart and investment company European American Capital over a possible counter bid to the proposed takeover by Lloyds TSB.
Lloyds TSB says it will be able to deliver annual cost savings of more than £1.5 billion by the end of 2011 through its deal.
But there are fears it could lead to widespread job losses at the would-be combined banking giant.
Mr Spowart refused to confirm the report that the Bank of China was the potential backer.
He told The Scotsman: "We took a decision early on to neither confirm or deny which bank was behind any potential bid."
The report emerged as a former bank chief insisted the current offer by Lloyds TSB was "no longer the best deal".
Sir George Mathewson, ex-chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, is trying to convince shareholders they will not benefit from the Lloyds deal.
It emerged at the weekend that he and former HBOS chief executive Sir Peter Burt were seeking to oust the current chairman and chief executive in a move to thwart the Government-backed bid.
It has been resisted by HBOS which said Lloyds TSB offered "certainty".
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Peter Gabriel Family Snapshot Live 1986
The story of the song most resembles the JFK assasination but don't write that off as being the only objective of the lyrics. Gov. Wallace is part of it also. Gabriel is really illustrating the fanatical assasin's personality disorder which leads him to this disasterous event. Gabriel offers the explanation- the murderer's deep sense of emptiness and neglect as a result of his upbringing; and how his childhood was so deprived of attention and affection, that a personality was created who only saw the world from the outside looking in. The assasin needed this crime, be it on a political figure or celebrity, to make himself exist in a world he never felt a part of. To think some people write songs about holding hands.
- Patrick, NY, NY
Thursday, November 06, 2008
BANK OF ENGLAND CUTS BASE RATE BY 1.5% to 3%
Last time the Bank of England cut the Base Rate My savings account I have with ING Direct immediately had it's interest rate reduced - Now surely if The Bank of England cuts base rates below the rate of inflation surely this is exactly the same as blatantly saying that even money is becoming valueless?!!!
Monday, November 03, 2008
How much the UK Govt makes every year from the petrol pumps
There are 159 litres in a barrel of oil
Going on a price of $60 per barrel.....
a litre therefore costs 0.37$ per litre (1.6$/£)......
Therefore 23 p per litre goes to the Supplier when Petrol is £1 per litre....
7 p per litre goes to the Petrol Stations / oil refineries......
The Government charges (per litre):
53p TAX = 70 p TAX
17p VAT
The USA consumes 21 million barrels a day and has a population of 301 million people. Therefore if the Uk population consumes roughly the same proportion a day then that equates to 4 million barrels a day
So Govt tax = 4million x 159 litres x 0.7 x 365(days)= £163 billion tax a year
Going on a price of $60 per barrel.....
a litre therefore costs 0.37$ per litre (1.6$/£)......
Therefore 23 p per litre goes to the Supplier when Petrol is £1 per litre....
7 p per litre goes to the Petrol Stations / oil refineries......
The Government charges (per litre):
53p TAX = 70 p TAX
17p VAT
The USA consumes 21 million barrels a day and has a population of 301 million people. Therefore if the Uk population consumes roughly the same proportion a day then that equates to 4 million barrels a day
So Govt tax = 4million x 159 litres x 0.7 x 365(days)= £163 billion tax a year
Arab money on way to help IMF
Gordon Brown predicted "The Saudis will, I think. contribute - so we can have a bigger fund worldwide."
A Senior government source said the Saudis had been concerned about becoming a "milch cow" to prop up "Basket case" economies aound the world
A Senior government source said the Saudis had been concerned about becoming a "milch cow" to prop up "Basket case" economies aound the world
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