Feb 07 2011

Under The Radar: Open Thread

Or the stuff you won’t hear from the MSM. The blogosphere is a big place and there is a lot going on that gets lost in all those pixels. The subtle background, the nuances to the top political news that don’t get aired in prime time. Lots of stories get buried or just ignored in news dumps. The White House does it all the time releasing stories late on Friday nights in hopes that in the rush to start the weekend, the media will miss what they’ve been doing, like caving to the right wing and blocking the habeas corpus rights of prisoners.

* We are finally seeing and hearing from the foreign press. Producers and Editors from foreign news organizations are turning up on NBC, ABC and the major cable network news programs giving their perspective on not just the Egyptian protests but the world in general. It took a revolution and the internet to start waking Americans to the reality that they aren’t be told all the facts. Al Jazeera may be coming to a cable service near you.

Since its inception in 2006, Al Jazeera English has been fighting for access to American viewers. Distributors have been unwilling to carry the service, but Mr. Anstey, the managing director, said in an interview that renewed talks with the major distributors were now under way. “There’s a growing call for Al Jazeera. That’s clear,” he said.

Al Jazeera English has contacted Comcast, for instance, and a meeting has been scheduled for later this month.

In an indication that perceptions of Al Jazeera may be changing, one of its correspondents in Washington reported on Thursday that people there “are all of a sudden very welcoming” to the network. “We’re on TVs all across the city.”

Of course, this scares the pants off the right wingers and Fox news, who sent one of it fear mongering minions, former United States ambassador to Morocco and a former contributor to Fox News, Marc Ginsberg, rushing to post an opinion at Huffington Post with wild accusations that Al Jazeera is fueling the unrest by “using events in Tunisia to fuel its favorite political pastime of disgorging its anti-authoritarian editorial bias across all of its media platforms — much to the anger and hostility of most Arab rulers, particularly those Al Jazeera views as too pro-western (Al Jazeera gives quite a pass to the despotic Syrian regime as well as to its Qatari benefactors).”

 * The real reason that George W. Bush was at the Super Bowl and not at a cozy dinner in Switzerland:

Human Rights Groups Announce Bush Indictment for Convention Against Torture Signatory States

No Immunity for Former Presidents Under Law

February 7, 2011, Geneva and New York – Today, two torture victims were to have filed criminal complaints, with more than 2,500-pages of supporting material, in Geneva against former U.S. President George W. Bush, who was due to speak at an event there on 12 February. Swiss law requires the presence of the torturer on Swiss soil before a preliminary investigation can be opened. When Bush cancelled his trip to avoid prosecution, the human rights groups who prepared the complaints made it public and announced that the Bush Torture Indictment would be waiting wherever he travels next. The Indictment serves as the basis on which to prepare country-specific, plaintiff-specific indictments, with additional evidence and updated information. According to international law experts at the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), former presidents do not enjoy special immunity under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).

“Waterboarding is torture, and Bush has admitted, without any sign of remorse, that he approved its use,” said Katherine Gallagher, Senior Staff Attorney at CCR and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). “The reach of the Convention Against Torture is wide – this case is prepared and will be waiting for him wherever he travels next. Torturers – even if they are former presidents of the United States – must be held to account and prosecuted. Impunity for Bush must end.”

While the U.S. has thus far failed to comply with its obligations under the Convention Against Torture to prosecute and punish those who commit torture, all other signatories, too, are obligated to prosecute or extradite for prosecution anyone present in their territory they have a reasonable basis for believing has committed torture. If the evidence warrants, as the Bush Torture Indictment contends it does, and the U.S. fails to request the extradition of Bush and others to face charges of torture there, CAT signatories must, under law, prosecute them for torture.

* From our home grown Taliban, better know as Republicans. Where are the jobs, Mr. Boehner?

GA State Rep.: There’s No Such Thing as a Rape Victim

Georgia Republican state Rep. Bobby Franklin (of gold-standard-wannabe fame) has introduced a bill to change the state’s criminal codes so that in “criminal law and criminal procedure” (read: in court), victims of rape, stalking, and family violence could only be referred to as “accusers” until the defendant has been convicted.

Burglary victims are still victims. Assault victims are still victims. Fraud victims are still victims. But if you have the misfortune to suffer a rape, or if you are beaten by a domestic partner, or if you are stalked, Rep. Franklin doesn’t think you’ve been victimized. He says you’re an accuser until the courts have determined otherwise.

To diminish a victim’s ordeal by branding him/her an accuser essentially questions whether the crime committed against the victim is a crime at all. Robbery, assault, and fraud are all real crimes with real victims, the Republican asserts with this bill.

* Ian Welsh gives us his perspective on Arianna Huffington’s sell-out, or as he calls it “cashing out”, to AOL:

it’s been clear for a while that Huffpo was becoming less and less progressive or liberal and more and more a business for business sakes.  The model for Huffpo was always that the entertainment and gossip news would drive the traffic, that traffic would slop over into the more progressive and political writing, and would pay for it.

In other words, the entertainment pays for the politics, just as in the old days, news on the big networks was either a loss loser or not particularly profitable compared to other types of programming.  When the MBA types took over, that meant turning the news into “infotainment”, or segregating into cable, a niche market.  Because there is only one value in post Reagan business in America: making money.  Anything which interferes with making the most money possible (for you, not for your shareholders, don’t make me laugh) must be gotten rid of.

As our davidseth pointed out in his article from The Dream Antilles:

So my initial impression– I’m sure we’ll all have time to think about this today– is that once again the writers, the bloguer@s like you and me get to continue to tickle their keyboards and bang their heads on their monitors for free, while they create all of the “content” and the money, and it is huge money this time, will not find its way into their pockets.  Not a sou.

* Today is Chris Rock’s Birthday

How not to get your ass kicked by the police!

Feb 07 2011

Punting the Pundits

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”

Frank Rich: Wallflowers at the Revolution

A month ago most Americans could not have picked Hosni Mubarak out of a police lineup. American foreign policy, even in Afghanistan, was all but invisible throughout the 2010 election season. Foreign aid is the only federal budget line that a clear-cut majority of Americans says should be cut. And so now – as the world’s most unstable neighborhood explodes before our eyes – does anyone seriously believe that most Americans are up to speed? Our government may be scrambling, but that’s nothing compared to its constituents. After a near-decade of fighting wars in the Arab world, we can still barely distinguish Sunni from Shia.

The live feed from Egypt is riveting. We can’t get enough of revolution video – even if, some nights, Middle West blizzards take precedence over Middle East battles on the networks’ evening news. But more often than not we have little or no context for what we’re watching. That’s the legacy of years of self-censored, superficial, provincial and at times Islamophobic coverage of the Arab world in a large swath of American news media. Even now we’re more likely to hear speculation about how many cents per gallon the day’s events might cost at the pump than to get an intimate look at the demonstrators’ lives.

Paul Krugman: Droughts, Floods and Food

We’re in the midst of a global food crisis – the second in three years. World food prices hit a record in January, driven by huge increases in the prices of wheat, corn, sugar and oils. These soaring prices have had only a modest effect on U.S. inflation, which is still low by historical standards, but they’re having a brutal impact on the world’s poor, who spend much if not most of their income on basic foodstuffs.

The consequences of this food crisis go far beyond economics. After all, the big question about uprisings against corrupt and oppressive regimes in the Middle East isn’t so much why they’re happening as why they’re happening now. And there’s little question that sky-high food prices have been an important trigger for popular rage.

Laurence Lewis: Egypt Is the Future

While many have been surprised by the seemingly sudden uprising in Egypt, the real question isn’t about how it happened but why it didn’t happen sooner. Despite brave and noble opposition efforts by various individuals and groups over the past decades, it seems nevertheless to have been taken for granted by much of the world that the Egyptian people would live under oppression indefinitely. It seems to have been taken for granted that the revolutionary movements that have shaken half the globe in the past half century somehow couldn’t touch one of the world’s oldest nations, as if that very ancient history stultified the very modern Egyptian people. Of course, most of the efforts within Egypt have been ignored by much of the world for decades, and if noticed at all, were mostly written off as but spasms of extremism. So the surprise at current events is not, itself, surprising. The grace and humanity of the current revolutionary opposition is a wake-up call not for Egypt, but for the world.

E. J. Dionne, Jr.: Lessons From Our Egypt Moment

In light of the history-shaking events on the streets of Cairo, it’s not surprising that a truly remarkable development slipped through the news cycle with barely a nod.

On a unanimous voice vote Thursday, the Senate passed a resolution co-sponsored by John Kerry and John McCain urging Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to hand power over to a caretaker government as part of a peaceful transition to democracy. . . . . .

Note that while Kerry and McCain were doing their bipartisan work, Republicans in Congress and conservative judges were trying to scrap a health care law that was the product of two years of legislative struggle and debate.

Peter Dreier: Reagan’s Real Legacy

As the nation embarks on a celebration this Sunday of the hundredth anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s birth-with conferences, museum exhibits and lots of speeches-let us not forget that many of the serious problems facing America today began or worsened during Reagan’s presidency.

Why not let Reagan, who died in 2004, rest in peace? Because a growing chorus of journalists, politicians, and pundits are using this hundredth-birthday milestone to rewrite history and bestow on Reagan a Mount Rushmore-like status as one of our greatest presidents.

That’s hogwash.

Laura Flanders: Army’s Mental Health Care Failed Bradley Manning

The uprisings in Egypt have inspired all sorts of people, including Private Bradley Manning, the young man being held in solitary confinement in Quantico, accused of being the source for Wikileaks. Manning’s friend David House, tweeted after visiting him this week, “Bradley’s mood and mind soared” at the news from Egypt.

Manning’s mental health has been the subject of much debate, the putative explanation for his isolation and extreme treatment, but a new report on an Army investigation finds that a mental health specialist recommended Manning not be deployed to Iraq in the first place.

Now the Washington Post reports that two Army officials questioned the leadership of Manning’s superior officers, who overruled a recommendation that he not be deployed and sent him to Iraq regardless.

“This clearly demonstrates the failure of the Army to take care of the soldier,” Manning’s attorney, David E. Coombs, told the paper.  Where have we heard that before?

Leonard Pitts Jr.: The Dumbing Down of America

ITEM: Only 28 percent of high school science teachers consistently follow National Research Council guidelines encouraging them to present students with evidence of evolution. Thirteen percent “explicitly advocate creationism or intelligent design.”

These are among the findings of Penn State political scientists Michael Berkman and Eric Plutzer after examining data from a representative survey of 926 high school biology teachers. Writing in the Jan. 28 issue of Science magazine, they report that most science teachers — 60 percent — cheat controversy by such stratagems as telling students it does not matter if they “believe” in evolution, so long as they understand enough to pass a test. Or they teach evolution on a par with creationism and encourage students to make up their own minds.

* * *

Feb 07 2011

Monday Business Edition

Go Pack!  I think I’ll get to the economics of the upcoming NFL lockout later.

From Yahoo News Business

1 AOL to buy The Huffington Post for $315 million

By Anthony Boadle, Reuters

Mon Feb 7, 3:08 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – AOL Inc has agreed to buy The Huffington Post, the influential and rapidly growing news, analysis and lifestyle website, for $315 million, the struggling U.S. Internet company announced on Monday.

The move will create a media group that will have a combined base of 117 million visitors a month in the United States, and reach 270 million people globally, AOL said in a statement.

The deal follows efforts by AOL’s chief executive Tim Armstrong to turn around the dial-up Internet access business by trying to turn it into a media and entertainment powerhouse, despite difficulties in attracting investors.

2 Nasdaq hackers another blow to investor confidence

By Edward Krudy, Reuters

Sun Feb 6, 3:46 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – News that computer hackers had infiltrated the operator of the Nasdaq Stock Exchange is the latest blow for Wall Street as it works to repair an image with investors and traders dented by last year’s “flash crash.”

Nasdaq OMX Group said on Saturday that it found “suspicious files” on its U.S. computer servers, but said there was no evidence hackers had accessed or acquired customer information or that its trading platforms were compromised.

The news comes as flows into U.S. equity mutual funds show signs of recovering after years of outflows following the financial crisis and the debilitating experience of the “flash crash” last May that sent U.S. indexes plunging.

3 Chrysler to boost marketing amid product push

By Deepa Seetharaman, Reuters

Sun Feb 6, 10:23 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Chrysler Group LLC plans to sharply increase its advertising spending and is on track to complete its Project Genesis restructuring and product development initiative by the end of the year, dealers and company executives said on Sunday.

The automaker managed by Fiat SpA (FIA.MI) plans to boost its 2011 spending on advertising by 68 percent, two dealers said after a franchise meeting at the National Automotive Dealers Association annual convention at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

A Chrysler spokesman declined to comment on the increased marketing expense.

4 Chrysler must shed "shyster" bailout loans: CEO

By Deepa Seetharaman and Bernie Woodall, Reuters

Fri Feb 4, 7:42 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Chrysler Group LLC is working to refinance what its chief executive characterized as “shyster loans” that the Obama administration extended as part of a bailout to keep the automaker from collapse in 2009.

“I want to pay back the shyster loans,” Sergio Marchionne said at an industry conference, using a derogatory term for an unethical lawyer or politician. “Pay back the loans, get those out and then take (the company) public.”

Marchionne, who is also CEO of Italy’s Fiat SpA (FIA.MI), has said repeatedly that the high interest rates on loans Chrysler owes the U.S. and Canadian governments have been an obstacle in the automaker’s return to profitability.

5 For Bernanke, no escaping politics now

By Emily Kaiser, Reuters

Sun Feb 6, 3:03 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For a Federal Reserve chairman who is worried about politics interfering with monetary policy, Ben Bernanke is taking on some awfully heated political topics.

Echoing comments from White House and Treasury officials, Bernanke said last week that if Congress failed to raise the government’s borrowing limit, it could force the United States into a “catastrophic” default.

He urged lawmakers not to use the debt ceiling as a “bargaining chip” in debates over taxes and spending — which some Republicans have threatened to do. The Treasury Department has said it may breach the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling as early as April 5 unless it is raised.

6 Treasury: Can’t say China a forex manipulator

By Glenn Somerville and David Lawder, Reuters

Fri Feb 4, 7:14 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration declined to name China a currency manipulator on Friday, even though it said the yuan was “substantially undervalued,” sparking fresh calls for legislative retaliation to try to reduce a swelling trade deficit.

Treasury said China’s yuan should rise more quickly but said it lacked evidence to label Beijing a manipulator, a designation that could trigger trade action.

“Treasury’s view…is that progress thus far is insufficient and that more rapid progress is needed,” the report said. “Treasury will continue to closely monitor the pace of appreciation of the (yuan) by China.”

7 U.S. to force Wall Street to defer half of bonuses

By Dave Clarke, Reuters

Sat Feb 5, 3:44 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators will propose on Monday that executives at the largest financial institutions have half of their bonuses deferred for at least three years as part of efforts to curb excessive risk taking, according to two people familiar with proposal.

The proposal, to be unveiled at a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp board meeting, applies to top executives at financial companies with $50 billion or more in assets such as Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N).

How much of the deferred pay an executive could receive would be tied to the performance of the company based on decisions made by the executive during the period covered.

8 BofA creates foreclosure unit

By Joe Rauch, Reuters

Fri Feb 4, 6:19 pm ET

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) – Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) appointed on Friday a new foreclosure and loan modifications czar, and created a new unit to oversee problem home loans in a bid to sort out its on-going foreclosure issues, becoming the first large U.S. bank to do so.

The new unit creates a seventh major division at the bank reporting directly to Chief Executive Brian Moynihan, an indication that the largest U.S. mortgage servicer is attempting to be more aggressive in resolving its problem mortgage loan portfolio.

Analysts said the move signals major U.S. mortgage lenders have not yet turned the corner on the problem home loans on their books.

9 SEC warns budget threats give swindlers upper hand

By Sarah N. Lynch and Dave Clarke, Reuters

Fri Feb 4, 6:01 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tighter budgets at the Securities and Exchange Commission could mean killing vital technology upgrades needed to catch swindlers, the agency’s chief said on Friday in a blunt appeal for more funding.

With Republicans in Congress threatening to restrain her budget, SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro said the agency faces severe challenges in doing its existing job and in taking on new duties mandated under 2010’s Dodd-Frank market reform law.

SEC enforcement head Robert Khuzami said budget constraints are hurting the agency, but nevertheless defended its record against critics who say too few Wall Street financiers have been held accountable for the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

10 IMF, EU grant Romania five-billion-euro credit line

by Mihaela Rodina, AFP

Sun Feb 6, 2:55 pm ET

BUCHAREST (AFP) – Romania will get a fresh credit line of five billion euros ($6.8 billion dollars) from the IMF and the EU after an emergency loan helped the country exit the crisis, president Traian Basescu said Sunday.

“It will be a two-year, precautionary-type agreement,” Basescu said in a public address.

“Under this deal, the IMF and the EU will place at Romania’s disposal five billion euros” to be drawn only in case of emergency, he added.

11 Higher food prices here to stay: analysts

by Paul Handley, AFP

Sun Feb 6, 7:45 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – From McDonald’s burgers in the United States to sugar in Bolivia and chilis in Indonesia, food prices across the globe are soaring.

But consumers and governments should brace themselves for even higher prices, experts warn, as demand in populous emerging economies will put pressure on supplies for years to come.

A “perfect storm” of bad weather, rapid growth in emerging economies — with people eating more higher-value, resource-intense food — and low interest rates has sent prices for a broad range of farm and non-farm commodities climbing often at double-digit rates: from wheat to corn, cotton to rubber, and oil to boot.

12 Germany wrestles with female quota in boardrooms

by Aurelia End, AFP

Sun Feb 6, 6:29 am ET

BERLIN (AFP) – Germany can boast a wealth of female talent in its government all the way to the top with Chancellor Angela Merkel, but its corporate boardrooms are still almost entirely all-male affairs.

The remarkable lack of woman executives in Europe’s biggest economy has sparked a groundswell of protest, with leading news magazine Der Spiegel calling in its current issue for a female quota to redress the imbalance.

“Quotas should be a first-aid measure for a society that has held on to rigid ideas of gender roles for too long,” it wrote in an 11-page cover story entitled “Why Germany Needs A Woman Quota – A Manifesto”.

13 Bamboo bikes are export success for Ghana

by David Adadevoh, AFP

Sun Feb 6, 6:48 am ET

SOWUTUOM, Ghana (AFP) – The sight of tall, green bamboo stalks swaying above the dusty lands of his west African country led Ibrahim Djan Nyampong to an unusual conclusion: bicycles.

Under the shade at a workshop in Ghana, young artisans are making them — from mountain racers to cargo bamboo bikes — to suit needs of customers, now as far afield as the United States and Europe.

“The beginning was not easy as people thought it was a joke to make bicycles from bamboo,” Nyampong said as he supervised work at the small factory outside Accra. “Now people are warming towards the bamboo bike.”

14 Spanish banks display risky appetite for property

by Katell Abiven, AFP

Sat Feb 5, 10:45 pm ET

MADRID (AFP) – They are officially banks but they have become Spain’s main real estate agents, according to data from the country’s banking sector which reveals the extent of their risky property assets.

The Bank of Spain had asked all 17 of the country’s fragile regional savings banks, which account for about half of all lenders, to supply it with details of their exposure to the collapsed real estate market.

Unsurprisingly, the savings banks held far more risky assets than the main banks, based on a calculation of the figures last week by AFP.

15 Egypt delays stock exchange reopening

by Ali Khalil, AFP

Sat Feb 5, 11:00 am ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt’s stock exchange will not reopen on Monday as planned and a date to resume trading has yet to be decided, its chief said on Saturday as anti-government protests slow economic life.

Khaled Serri, head of the exchange, was quoted by the MENA state-run news agency as saying the bourse would remain shut on Sunday and Monday, with anti-government protests continuing on a daily basis since January 25.

The date for “resuming operations of the stock exchange has not been determined yet,” he said, adding that it would depend on developments.

16 US clears China of currency manipulation

by Veronica Smith, AFP

Fri Feb 4, 7:01 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Treasury cleared China of official accusations of currency manipulation Friday, but said progress toward allowing the yuan to appreciate was “insufficient.”

In a report to Congress, the Treasury said that China, eight other countries and the eurozone had not manipulated exchange rates “for purposes of… gaining unfair competitive advantage in international trade.”

“Based on the resumption of exchange rate flexibility last June and the acceleration of the pace of real bilateral appreciation over the past few months,” China’s behavior did not qualify under the official definition of manipulation, it said in the long-delayed report.

17 Asian stocks mixed following US jobs data

by Danny McCord, AFP

2 hrs 50 mins ago

HONG KONG (AFP) – Asian stock markets were mixed on Monday after a US jobs report gave a muddy picture of the state of the world’s biggest economy, while concerns over Egypt pushed oil back above $100.

Tokyo ended 0.46 percent, or 48.52 points, higher at 10,592.04 and Seoul added 0.47 percent, or 9.71 points, to 2,081.74.

Sydney closed 0.12 percent, or 5.8 points, up at 4,868.5 but Hong Kong finished 1.49 percent, or 355.37 points, lower at 23,553.59.

18 Clashes break out during Bangladesh strike

by Cat Barton, AFP

Mon Feb 7, 3:57 am ET

DHAKA (AFP) – Police fired tear gas at protesters in northwestern Bangladesh on Monday as minor clashes broke out across the country during a paralysing nationwide strike called by the main opposition party.

In Rajshahi town, 150 miles (200 kilometres) northwest of Dhaka, hundreds of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists threw rocks at police and vandalised vehicles, prompting police to react with tear gas and baton charges.

“At least 15 strike supporters were arrested,” deputy commissioner of Rajshahi police Anwarul Morshed Khan told AFP.

19 Citi to call the tune on EMI future

by Roland Jackson, AFP

Sat Feb 5, 10:46 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – British music label EMI, home to a galaxy of stars including The Beatles, Coldplay and US pop starlet Katy Perry, faces an uncertain future after Citigroup seized control from its private equity owners.

The US bank took over EMI on Tuesday after agreeing to slash the music publisher’s debt to £1.2 billion (1.4 billion euros, $1.9 billion) from £3.4 billion.

EMI, whose roster of artists also include Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen, Norah Jones and Robbie Williams, was bought by private equity firm Terra Firma for £4.2 billion in 2007.

20 Fast-growing India facing unemployment ‘bomb’

by Adam Plowright, AFP

Sat Feb 5, 10:27 pm ET

NEW DELHI (AFP) – Last week 100,000 jobseekers travelled to a small northern Indian town for a recruitment fair that ended in tragedy, revealing much about the limitations of the country’s economic boom.

The crowd of mostly young men converged on the town of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh crammed into all forms of transport, many of them travelling hours from states across the deeply impoverished plains of north India.

On offer was the chance of joining the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). A paltry 416 jobs were available as washermen, barbers, water carriers and other lowly positions with a starting salary of 5,200 rupees ($115) a month.

21 Super Bowl ads: Eminem, Roseanne, singing cowboys

By MAE ANDERSON, Associated Press

1 hr 15 mins ago

NEW YORK – In the Super Bowl of advertising, Eminem was everywhere, Roseanne Barr took a big hit from a log and Joan Rivers became a GoDaddy girl.

It was also hard to throw a Pepsi can without hitting a car commercial during Super Bowl XLV between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. Automakers took advantage of advertising’s biggest showcase to try to show they’re back after two tough years for the industry.

After avoiding the Super Bowl for two years as it went in and out of a government-led bankruptcy, General Motors came back back with five ads for Chevrolet. In one ad, a seemingly mundane car dealership ad is disrupted when a Camaro suddenly morphs into the Bumblebee character from the “Transformers” movies. Chrysler was expected to push the limits of how long a Super Bowl ad could be with a two-minute commercial featuring rapper Eminem.

22 AOL buying Huffington Post for $315M

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer

8 mins ago

Online company AOL Inc. is buying online news hub Huffington Post in a $315 million deal that represents a bold bet on the future of online news.

The acquisition announced early Monday puts a high-profile exclamation mark on a series of acquisitions and strategic moves engineered by AOL CEO Tim Armstrong in an effort to reshape a fallen Internet icon. AOL was once the king of dial-up online access known for its ubiquitous CD-ROMs and “You’ve got mail” greeting in its inboxes.

Perhaps just as important as picking up a news site and ranks as one of the top 10 current events and global news sites, AOL will be adding Huffington Post co-founder and media star Arianna Huffington to its management team as part of the deal.

23 The rise and fall of a foreclosure king

By MICHELLE CONLIN, AP Business Writer

Sun Feb 6, 7:29 pm ET

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – During the housing crash, it was good to be a foreclosure king. David Stern was Florida’s top foreclosure lawyer, and he lived like an oil sheik. He piled up a collection of trophy properties, glided through town in a fleet of six-figure sports cars and, with his bombshell wife, partied on an ocean cruiser the size of a small hotel.

When homeowners fell behind on their mortgages, the banks flocked to “foreclosure mills” like Stern’s to push foreclosures through the courts on their behalf. To his megabank clients – Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, GMAC, Citibank and Wells Fargo – Stern was the ultimate Repo Man.

At industry gatherings, Stern bragged in his boyish voice of taking mortgages from the “cradle to the grave.” Of the federal government’s disastrous homeowner relief plan, which was supposed to keep people from getting evicted, he quipped: “Fortunately, it’s failing.”

24 US ports race to keep up with bigger Panama Canal

By RUSS BYNUM, Associated Press

Mon Feb 7, 5:41 am ET

SAVANNAH, Ga. – When Savannah welcomed the largest cargo ship ever to call on its booming seaport, the visiting vessel barely fit. The Figaro had to sail in loaded at half capacity to avoid scraping the river bottom, and even then could only navigate the shallow channel at high tide.

East Coast ports from New York to Miami simply aren’t deep enough to handle such mammoth vessels as the CMA CGM Figaro, which measures 1,100 feet long with space for 8,500 cargo containers a tractor-trailer can haul one at a time. With a major expansion of the Panama Canal projected to be finished by the end of 2014, these gargantuan vessels will be able to sail between Asia and the U.S. East Coast.

The canal expansion is pitting seaports up and down the Atlantic coast in a race to dig deeper harbors capable of handling the so-called post-Panamax ships.

25 Assange lawyer: Risk of ‘denial of justice’

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press

44 mins ago

LONDON – A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Monday that Swedish secrecy around rape proceedings and his client’s global notoriety mean there is a risk of a denial of justice if he is extradited to Sweden over sex crimes allegations.

Geoffrey Robertson said at a hearing that his client was fighting extradition because such trials are usually held in secret. A trial behind closed doors would be “a flagrant denial of justice … blatantly unfair, not only by British standards but by European standards and indeed by international standards,” Robertson said.

Rape trials are often held behind closed doors in Sweden to protect the alleged victims.

26 Stocks stop moving in lockstep, challenging pros

By BERNARD CONDON, AP Business Writer

Sun Feb 6, 3:15 pm ET

NEW YORK – It’s a stock picker’s market.

For 1 1/2 years, individual stocks moved with the broad market with little regard for the prospects of the companies behind them. Would they make big profits? Were they in industries that were shrinking or growing? Was the CEO a bumbling idiot? It didn’t seem to matter.

But now some stocks are zigging while others are sagging, and knowing something about the companies, themselves, is important if you don’t want to lose money.

27 FCC to update phone subsidy program for broadband

By JOELLE TESSLER, AP Technology Writer

Sun Feb 6, 6:00 pm ET

WASHINGTON – The federal government spends more than $4 billion a year, collected from phone bills, to subsidize phone service in rural and poor areas. Now, it’s considering ways to give those places more for the money: high-speed Internet connections instead of old-fashioned phone lines.

The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote Tuesday to begin work on a blueprint for transforming a subsidy program called the Universal Service Fund to pay for broadband.

The details the agency works out could have profound consequences not just for residents of rural areas who are still stuck with dial-up connections or painfully slow broadband speeds. Many rural phone companies – including both landline and wireless carriers – rely heavily on Universal Service funding and could lose some of this money. New FCC rules could also pave the way for cable companies to begin collecting from the program.

28 Experts: Contamination from GM alfalfa certain

By MICHAEL J. CRUMB, Associated Press Writer

Mon Feb 7, 3:17 am ET

DES MOINES, Iowa – Contamination of organic and traditional crops by recently deregulated, genetically modified alfalfa is inevitable, agriculture experts said, despite Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s recent assurances the federal government would take steps to prevent such a problem.

Many farmers had been pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve the use of genetically modified alfalfa. Monsanto developed the seed to resist the weedkiller Roundup, allowing farmers to use the two together to save time and labor on weeding. Supporters also say the use of the genetically modified seeds lets farmers grow more alfalfa on each acre and helps keep food prices low.

Opponents, many of them organic farmers, say widespread planting of genetically modified alfalfa will result in pollen from those plants contaminating organic and traditional crops, destroying their value. While alfalfa is mostly used as hay for cattle, some consumers don’t want to eat foods, such as milk or beef, from animals that have consumed genetically modified plants.

29 Obama and business community seek to ease tensions

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press

Sun Feb 6, 5:40 pm ET

WASHINGTON – When President Barack Obama named Gene Sperling as his chief economic adviser, two of Sperling’s early calls went to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue.

Known for his pugilistic style, Donohue wasted no time. Come on over, he said.

When Sperling crossed Lafayette Square, the park that separates the White House from the business lobby’s headquarters, Donohue welcomed him with characteristic bluntness:

30 New York rail system suffers through brutal winter

CHRIS HAWLEY, Associated Press

Sun Feb 6, 10:06 pm ET

NEW YORK – When members of Congress met recently to discuss revitalizing passenger trains in the United States, they chose Grand Central Terminal, a majestic hub of New York’s vaunted mass transit system. From a balcony above the main concourse, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told lawmakers he rides the subway every day and called high-speed passenger rail “the track to the future.”

But to actual New York commuters, such talk rings hollow these days.

Mechanical breakdowns, stranded trains, rising fares and the governor’s plans to cut another $100 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s budget have left travelers fuming. An onslaught of snowstorms has exposed the rail system’s weaknesses, shorting out electric motors and snapping electric lines. On Monday the Metro-North commuter line will cut service on its popular New Haven line because half of its trains are in the shop.

31 Analysis: Political gamble in GOP budget-cutting

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

Mon Feb 7, 3:23 am ET

WASHINGTON – The Republican drive to cut spending, which begins in earnest this week, marks a political gamble that the public’s hunger for smaller government will trump its appetite for benefits, subsidies and other federal support.

Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., calls it the “$64,000 question,” and then promptly answers it.

“People will be supportive of almost any decreases in spending as long as they believe they’re done in an open, equitable and fair manner,” said Price, a member of the party leadership.

32 Egyptians seek normalcy after days of unrest

By PAUL SCHEMM and TAREK EL-TABLAWY, Associated Press

Sun Feb 6, 3:51 pm ET

CAIRO – Egyptians desperate for cash lined up at newly reopened banks and Cairo’s infamous traffic jams reappeared Sunday as the capital struggled to regain a sense of normalcy after nearly two weeks of unrest.

But hulking battle tanks on the streets and nervous citizen watch groups manning barricades at night were vivid reminders that the crisis was far from over, with thousands of protesters still demanding the ouster of the president.

“It’s much better than yesterday or the day before, ordinary people are back out walking around and look, we even have a traffic jam,” said Ahmed Mohammed, 65, the owner of a men’s clothing store on Arab League St., a major commercial thoroughfare in the upscale commercial district of Mohandiseen.

33 Wal-Mart, humbled king of retail, plots rebound

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and RACHEL BECK, AP Business Writers

Sun Feb 6, 9:40 am ET

SADDLE BROOK, N.J. – The battle for shoppers is playing out in this New York suburb: Wal-Mart versus everyone else.

Dollar stores beckon, their small size ideal for quick shopping. Target offers 5 percent off if you pay with its store-branded card. Costco tempts with high-end, brand-name food and designer clothes at competitive prices.

Bernadette Clark used to visit Wal-Mart here twice a week. Now it’s twice a month. She got fed up last year when Wal-Mart stopped stocking some of her favorite brands and she couldn’t count on low prices.

34 Wal-Mart CEO prefers time in stores over spotlight

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and RACHEL BECK, AP Business Writers

Sun Feb 6, 12:11 am ET

NEW YORK – He runs the world’s largest retailer. He met one-on-one in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama recently. But Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke feels more comfortable in his stores than in the spotlight.

Duke, 61, took the helm of Wal-Mart two years ago, when the retailer’s strong performance made it the outlier during the Great Recession. As the economy slowly recovered, however, times got tough for Wal-Mart. Customers who were hurting financially spent less. Others fled to competitors offering better convenience, prices and products. Wal-Mart had taken an effort to declutter its stores too far and had strayed from its ‘everyday low prices’ ethos.

Now, Duke is in the middle of a tough fight to reverse weak sales at Wal-Mart’s flagship U.S. business.

35 Egypt VP meets opposition, offers new concessions

By SARAH EL DEEB and MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press

Sun Feb 6, 5:54 pm ET

CAIRO – Egypt’s vice president met with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition groups for the first time Sunday and offered sweeping concessions, including granting press freedom and rolling back police powers in the government’s latest attempt to try to end nearly two weeks of upheaval.

But the opposition leaders held firm to a demand the government rejects: that President Hosni Mubarak step down immediately. And the source of the opposition’s sudden power – the youthful protesters filling Cairo’s main square – said they weren’t even represented at the talks and won’t negotiate until Mubarak is gone.

“None of those who attended represent us,” said Khaled Abdul-Hamid, one leader of a new coalition representing at least five youth movements that organized the 13-day-old protests. “We are determined to press on until our number one demand is met” – the ouster of Mubarak.

36 AP Exclusive: Fearful Russian lawmaker flees to US

By DOUGLAS BIRCH, Associated Press

Sun Feb 6, 4:41 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A wealthy Russian lawmaker has fled with his family to the United States, where he says he fears assassination over accusations that some of Russia’s richest and most influential people swindled him in a real estate deal. Back home, he’s been charged with financial crimes.

Ashot Egiazaryan (pronounced Ah-shawt Yeh-gee-ah-zar-ee-AHN) says he is considering seeking asylum in the U.S. But after suing a Russian billionaire and several former business partners – including a close friend of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s former mayor – he said he doesn’t feel safe even in this country.

“I do think it’s possible than an assassination attempt can be mounted against me here,” he said flanked by lawyers in a conference room a few blocks the White House. The interview with The Associated Press was his first with Western media and came a few weeks after one of his relatives was gunned down in the Russian city of Astrakhan on Dec. 7, an attack he claims is connected with his suit.

37 Nasdaq hackers target service for corporate boards

By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer

Sat Feb 5, 6:21 pm ET

NEW YORK – Hackers broke into a Nasdaq service that handles confidential communications for some 300 corporations, the company said Saturday – the latest vulnerability exposed in the computer systems Wall Street depends on.

The intrusions did not affect Nasdaq’s stock trading systems and no customer data was compromised, Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. said. Nasdaq is the largest electronic securities trading market in the U.S., with more than 2,800 listed companies.

A federal official told The Associated Press that the hackers broke into the service repeatedly over more than a year. Investigators are trying to identify the hackers, the official said. The motive is unknown. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the inquiry by the FBI and Secret Service is continuing.

38 GM considers adding dealerships in coastal states

By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer

Sat Feb 5, 6:48 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – General Motors may add dealers in big metro areas on the U.S. coasts because it expects sales there to grow, two top executives said Saturday.

It’s the opposite of the company’s stance just two years ago when GM got rid of about 1,700 dealers across the U.S. as it headed into bankruptcy protection.

GM has been losing dealers on the coasts, especially in California, for two decades due to slow sales as people bought more foreign brands. Company officials say GM’s poor products also played a significant role.

39 Farmers watch harsh winter crush their livelihoods

By STEPHEN SINGER, Associated Press

Sat Feb 5, 12:49 pm ET

HARTFORD, Conn. – For Northeastern farmers long used to coping with all sorts of cold-weather problems, this winter presents a new one: snow and ice that’s bringing down outbuildings, requiring costly repairs, killing livestock and destroying supplies.

Farmers in Connecticut alone have lost at least 136 barns, greenhouses, sheds and other structures as snow measured in feet, not inches, accumulated while January passed without a thaw.

“We’ve had other challenges,” said Joe Greenbacker, a partner at Brookfield Farm in Durham, where a fabric-covered “hoop house” caved in and killed a calf. “But this is the most snow I can remember on the ground and the biggest problem with roof issues I can remember.”

40 Gulf seafood sales get a boost from the military

By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press

Sat Feb 5, 11:52 am ET

NEW ORLEANS – Sales of Gulf of Mexico seafood are getting a boost from the military after being hammered by last year’s BP oil spill, which left consumers fearing the water’s bounty had been tainted.

Ten products including fish, shrimp, oysters, crab cakes, and packaged Cajun dishes such as jambalaya and shrimp etouffee are being promoted at 72 base commissaries along the East Coast, said Milt Ackerman, president of Military Solutions Inc., which is supplying seafood to the businesses.

Gulf seafood sales fell sharply after BP PLC’s Gulf well blew out in April, spewing millions of gallons of oil into the sea. Consumers have long feared that fish, oysters and other products could be tainted by oil and chemicals used to fight the spill, even though extensive testing has indicated the food is safe. The perception has lingered – along with the poor sales.

41 Blast rocks gas terminal in Egypt’s Sinai

By ASHRAF SWEILAM, Associated Press

Sat Feb 5, 8:45 am ET

EL-ARISH, Egypt – An explosion rocked a gas terminal in Egypt’s northern Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, setting off a massive fire that was contained by shutting off the flow of gas to neighboring Jordan and Israel, officials and witnesses said.

Egypt’s natural gas company said the fire was caused by a gas leak. However, a local security official said an explosive device was detonated inside the terminal, and the regional governor, Abdel Wahab Mabrouk, said he suspected sabotage.

The blast and fire at the gas terminal in the Sinai town of El-Arish did not cause casualties. The explosion sent a pillar of flames leaping into the sky, but was a safe distance from the nearest homes, said Mabrouk.

42 Egyptian turmoil helping to lift oil, food prices

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press

Sat Feb 5, 4:10 am ET

WASHINGTON – The standoff in Egypt and uncertainty about where it will lead is causing global economic jitters. It’s already pushing up the price of oil and food, and there’s no telling how long the turmoil will last.

The big worry is that popular uprisings and revolution will spread to Egypt’s rich autocratic neighbors who control much of the world’s oil supply.

How far will anti-government movements go? Will oil supplies be disrupted? Will the U.S. see its influence in the region decline and that of Iran and other fundamental Islamic regimes surge?

43 Germany sells vision for ‘green toys’ to world

By MELISSA EDDY, Associated Press

Sat Feb 5, 7:16 am ET

NUREMBERG, Germany – The hottest “green” toy in Germany isn’t made of organic or recycled materials. That’s so 2010. This one has a solar panel and only runs if kids remember to insert bright red “energy stones” that power the rest of the space station.

Germany, a pioneer in many renewable energy initiatives, is also at the forefront of creating environment-friendly toys aimed at making kids think about where energy comes from and how much of it they can use, raising awareness through play.

A panoply of high-tech green toys are on display at this year’s Nuremberg toy fair, which runs through Sunday. Among them, hydroelectric-powered toy cars, and doll houses with wind turbines and rainwater catchers.

44 Administration: China not currency manipulator

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer

Sat Feb 5, 12:21 am ET

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration on Friday declined to cite China for manipulating its currency to gain trade advantages against the United States.

The Treasury Department noted that China last June said it would begin allowing its currency to rise against the dollar. The agency said the pace of revaluation has been too slow since and more rapid appreciation is needed.

Treasury’s finding came in a report it must submit to Congress every six months determining whether other countries are manipulating their currencies. American manufacturers have been pushing for China to be cited. That could result in penalty tariffs being imposed on Chinese imports.

45 Bellagio heist soured quickly for accused bandit

By OSKAR GARCIA, Associated Press

Fri Feb 4, 9:25 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – The scenes that led to the Bellagio bandit’s downfall look less like “Ocean’s Eleven” and more like “America’s Dumbest Criminals.” Bragging about a big gambling score with high school buddies over rounds of shots in Colorado. E-mailing pictures to a total stranger – dated and signed “Biker Bandit” with two $25,000 Bellagio chips.

Losing $105,000 gambling at the scene of the crime in Las Vegas, but cashing out nearly $209,000 and apparently hoping the casino wouldn’t notice.

The deceptively simple burglary lit up the Internet – appealing to anyone who’s ever had fantasies about pulling off a major score against a casino giant. But police say Anthony Carleo’s shoddy plan after stealing $1.5 million in chips unfolded like a badly played poker hand.

46 EU talks competitiveness, saves details for later

By GABRIELE STEINHAUSER, AP Business Writer

Fri Feb 4, 7:09 pm ET

BRUSSELS – Germany and France gave their approval Friday to expand the bailout fund that has been propping up the eurozone’s weaklings but pressed EU nations to strengthen their economies, kicking off what will likely be weeks of struggle between Europe’s rich and poor over measures aimed at escaping the financial morass surrounding the euro.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy described a “pact for competitiveness” that would bring the bloc closer together and reinforce confidence in the shared currency, but they held off on concrete economic proposals that could provoke political resistance. Government officials previously indicated such measures might include calls for putting debt limits in national constitutions, raising retirement ages to match increased life expectancy, and getting countries to set up orderly ways to handle bank failures.

The Franco-German proposals “will be about improving competitiveness and at the same time making it clear that we have the political will to grow together,” Merkel told journalists Friday as she arrived at the summit of European Union leaders.

47 Canada PM urges US to approve oil pipeline

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press

Fri Feb 4, 5:27 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday urged U.S. officials to approve a proposed oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast, calling Canada a “secure, stable and friendly” neighbor that poses no threat to U.S. security.

By contrast, many other countries that supply oil are not stable, secure or friendly to U.S. interests, Harper said at a White House news conference following a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Harper did not name any other country, but pipeline supporters have singled out countries such as Venezuela, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Iran as places where the United States faces security threats and instability. Canada’s environment minister has used the term “ethical oil” to describe his country’s crude supplies, saying Canada respects human rights, workers’ rights and environmental responsibility.

48 Blackouts in northeast Brazil affected 13 million

By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press

Fri Feb 4, 4:31 pm ET

SAO PAULO – A widespread blackout cut power to millions of people across Brazil’s northeast Friday, but officials insisted the outage should not raise worries about the energy supply in a nation that will host an Olympics and a World Cup.

Officials said the power failures began in the early morning and quickly spread across eight states in the vast region. An estimate by energy companies indicated at least 13 million people were affected.

In some areas, the power was only out for a few minutes, in other areas a few hours.

49 Corning expects high demand for TV glass

By BEN DOBBIN, AP Business Writer

Fri Feb 4, 4:24 pm ET

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Corning Inc. said Friday it expects its annual sales to grow more than 50 percent to $10 billion by 2014, driven by surging demand for ultra-thin glass used in television monitors, smart phones and touch-screen tablets. Its stock climbed to a nearly three-year high.

The world’s biggest maker of liquid-crystal-display glass predicts the global appetite for flat-panel LCD TVs, computers and mobile devices will drive up industry volume to around 5 billion square feet in 2014 from 3.1 billion square feet now.

Demand for LCD glass in 2011 will run between 3.6 billion and 3.8 billion square feet, it said.

50 US to oil spill claims czar: loosen purse strings

By HARRY R. WEBER, Associated Press

Fri Feb 4, 3:23 pm ET

ATLANTA – The job of the administrator of the $20 billion fund for Gulf oil spill victims is not to preserve money or return it to BP, and he should loosen the purse strings to help people still suffering from last year’s disaster, the Justice Department said Friday.

In a letter to claims czar Kenneth Feinberg obtained by The Associated Press, Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli alluded to the fact that only roughly $3.5 billion of the fund has been spent. Any money not spent goes back to BP.

Perrelli also said that Feinberg needs to be more transparent, and that his Gulf Coast Claims Facility should take a second look at the emergency advance payments the fund paid to victims to determine if the process was fair.

Feb 07 2011

HuffPo Bought By AOL

(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

This morning’s news says that beleaguered, dinosaur of dial up AOL has bought Huffington Post and made the doyenne of digital, Arianna, an executive.  Here’s the news from the New York Times:

The two companies completed the sale Sunday evening and announced the deal just after midnight on Monday. AOL will pay $315 million, $300 million of it in cash and the rest in stock. It will be the company’s largest acquisition since it was separated from Time Warner in 2009.

The deal will allow AOL to greatly expand its news gathering and original content creation, areas that its chief executive, Tim Armstrong, views as vital to reversing a decade-long decline.

Arianna Huffington, the cable talk show pundit, author and doyenne of the political left, will take control of all of AOL’s editorial content as president and editor in chief of a newly created Huffington Post Media Group. The arrangement will give her oversight not only of AOL’s national, local and financial news operations, but also of the company’s other media enterprises like MapQuest and Moviefone.

Meanwhile, the bloggers at HuffPo, I’m told, the ones who provide the “original content creation” that was just sold, don’t get paid.  Correct me if I’m wrong.  And in an email to the bloggers this morning, Arianna told them that things would remain the same:

The HuffPost blog team will continue to operate as it always has. Arianna will become editor-in-chief not only of HuffPost but of the newly formed Huffington Post Media Group, which will include all of AOL’s content sites, including Patch, Engadget, TechCrunch, Moviefone, PopEater, MapQuest, Black Voices, and Moviefone.

Together, our companies will have a combined base of 117 million unique U.S. visitors a month — and 250 million around the world — so your posts will have an even bigger impact on the national and global conversation. That’s the only real change you’ll notice — more people reading what you wrote.

Far from changing the Huffington Post’s editorial approach, our culture, or our mission, it will be like stepping off a fast-moving train and onto a supersonic jet. We’re still traveling toward the same destination, with the same people at the wheel, and with the same goals, but we’re now going to get there much, much faster.

So my initial impression– I’m sure we’ll all have time to think about this today– is that once again the writers, the bloguer@s like you and me get to continue to tickle their keyboards and bang their heads on their monitors for free, while they create all of the “content” and the money, and it is huge money this time, will not find its way into their pockets.  Not a sou.

The other point has to do with consolidation of media and control of content.  The more consolidation the fewer outlets with potentially different points of view.  Consolidation of media is the opposite of creating a free, multiplicity of views.

Feb 07 2011

On This Day in History February 7

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 327 days remaining until the end of the year (328 in leap years).

On this day in 1795, The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified. It dealt with each state’s sovereign immunity from being sued in federal court by someone of another state or country.

The Eleventh Amendment (Amendment XI) to the United States Constitution, which was passed by the Congress on March 4, 1794 and was ratified on February 7, 1795, deals with each state’s sovereign immunity from being sued in federal court by someone of another state or country. This amendment was adopted in order to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court‘s decision in Chisholm v. Georgia, 2 U.S. 419 (1793).]

Amendment Eleven:

   The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

By itself this Amendment is a little impenetrable. It was passed as a clarification of Article 3, Section 2 of the Constitution, specifically Clause One which reads:

Clause 1:

   The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;–to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;–to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;–to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;–to Controversies between two or more States;–between a State and Citizens of another State; between Citizens of different States,–between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects

Basically what this boils down to is the concept of Sovereign Immunity. Basically you can not use the Federal Government unless it agrees to let the case be heard. Yes, you read that right. The Government reserves the right to prevent you from suing it, as a citizen, except under very specific circumstances. The exceptions are detailed in the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Tucker Act. These acts allow a citizen to sue the Government if there is a claim resulting from either the actions of a federal employee or if there is a case involving contracts with the Federal Government.

Now, Amendment 11 extends this same sovereign immunity to the States in terms of the Federal Courts. What that means is that you as a citizen can not use the Federal Courts to sue your State Government, without the consent of the State. The Dog believes the reason for this is to prevent citizens from tying up their government with suits that arise from the normal operation of the government. As a practical matter it forces citizens that don’t like the way things are being run to replace their government officials instead of just suing the government.

Now, this does not apply to crimes committed by members of the government or the government itself. There is what is called a Stripping Doctrine that says when a government employee or official commits a crime, they have lost their immunity. So, in the case of torture or War Crimes there can be no reasonable sovereign immunity defense.

h/t Something the Dog Said

 457 – Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

1074 – Pandulf IV of Benevento is killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.

1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.

1301 – Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) becomes the first English Prince of Wales.

1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occurs in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burn thousands of objects like cosmetics, art, and books in Florence, Italy.

1795 – The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified. It dealt with each state’s sovereign immunity from being sued in federal court by someone of another state or country.

1807 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Eylau – Napoleon’s French Empire begins fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.

1812 – The strongest in a series of earthquakes strikes New Madrid, Missouri.

1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles leaves Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.

1842 – Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.

1856 – The Kingdom of Awadh is annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.

1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the second piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.

1863 – HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand, killing 189.

1897 – Greco-Turkish War: The first full-scale battle takes place when the Greek expeditionary force in Crete defeats a 4,000-strong Ottoman force at Livadeia.

1894 – The Cripple Creek miner’s strike, led by the Western Federation of Miners, begins in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

1898 – Emile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.

1904 – A fire in Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.

1907 – The Mud March is the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).

1935 – The classic board game Monopoly is invented.

1940 – The second full length animated Walt Disney film, Pinocchio, premieres.

1943 – Imperial Japanese naval forces complete the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.

1944 – World War II: In Anzio, Italy, German forces launch a counteroffensive during the Allied Operation Shingle.

1948 – Neil Harvey becomes the youngest Australian to score a century in Test cricket.

1962 – The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.

1974 – Grenada gains independence from the United Kingdom.

1979 – Pluto moves inside Neptune’s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.

1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).

1986 – Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation.

1990 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power.

1991 – Haiti’s first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.

1992 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.

1995 – Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.

1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.

2009 – Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.

Holidays and observances

   * Christian Feast Day:

         o Blessed Eugenia Smet

         o Blessed Pope Pius IX

         o Chrysolius

         o February 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

   * Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Grenada from the United Kingdom in 1974.

Feb 07 2011

Six In The Morning

For Some Reason They Don’t Trust Or Believe You  



Egyptian government offers concessions as street protests continue

The Egyptian government yesterday began to offer possible political concessions in an effort to control the crisis still engulfing the country, as tens of thousands of determined protesters rallied for a 13th day to demand the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

The new promises of political reform were treated with caution by the opposition groups as they held the first of a series of meetings – including the first between the hitherto outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and the regime – to discuss their demands with Mr Mubarak’s deputy, Omar Suleiman.

Are The Guards Unhappy?

Iran’s opposition is targeting the powerful Revolutionary Guard to recruit a cadre of disgruntled officials to carry out a newly launched plan to cripple President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime from within its own ranks.

Iranian opposition recruits disgruntled Revolutionary Guard to cripple Ahmadinejad

A billionaire opposition leader who has pledged his fortune to the cause of removing the Iranian government and a former senior Guard commander told The Daily Telegraph that dissatisfaction with hardline tactics was rife in throughout the Guards

Amir Jahanchahi, the leader of the exiled opposition group, Green Wave, has teamed up with Gen Reza Madhi to target insiders to undermine the government and its grip on the powerful oil industry.

Unhappy The Money Isn’t Coming His Way



Afghan president critical of aid bypassing Kabul

AFGHAN PRESIDENT Hamid Karzai has said that western allies were compounding his country’s corruption problems with “parallel structures” of direct aid and private security firms.

Mr Karzai told the Munich Security Conference he would commence a three-year transition of power into Afghan hands on March 21st, the Afghan new year.

However, he complained that his efforts to “focus on the drivers of corruption” were being undermined by western dealings with regional leaders that bypass Kabul.

“The ultimate goal should be to enable Afghanistan to take all responsibility for the delivery of governance and services,” he said, suggesting that private security firms and reconstruction teams reporting to international forces frustrated his own government’s efforts.

Not If Your A fox News Viewer  



Human brains shrinking in size, say scientists  

Human brainshave shrunk over the past 30,000 years, puzzling scientists who say it is not a sign we are growing dumber but that evolution is making brains leaner and more efficient.

The average size brain of modern humans, homo sapiens, has decreased about 10 per cent, the size of a tennis ball, during that period, from 1500 to 1359 cubic centimetres. Women’s brains, which are smaller on average than those of men, have experienced an equivalent drop in size.

Literally Dieing For Political Advantage  

 

Thai-Cambodia border fighting enters fourth day



Artillery and machine gun fire was heard around the 11th-Century Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says has already been damaged in the fighting.

At least five people were killed in clashes over the weekend and thousands of civilians have fled the area.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on both sides to “exercise maximum restraint”.

This is the worst fighting between the two neighbours in years. The clashes have claimed the lives of two soldiers and a civilian from Cambodia, one Thai soldier and a Thai civilian.

It’s Much Better To Be Afraid Than To Be Informed  



Al Jazeera Hopes Reports From Egypt Open Doors in U.S.

DOHA, Qatar – “Our bureau in Cairo has been attacked.”

Phone calls and e-mail on Friday spread that short message through the Doha headquarters of Al Jazeera, the satellite news network. It was an ominous start to the day, made worse by the fact that the day before, three of the network’s staff members had been arrested and others had been harassed amid the continuing protests in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Feb 07 2011

from firefly-dreaming 6.2.11

Regular Daily Features:

Essays Featured Sunday, February 6th:

In Firefly Memories 1.0  Alma takes a look back at some of the Brilliant essays we’ve had in our first year in the tooobz. Today: No Impact Man

come firefly-dreaming with me….

Feb 07 2011

DocuDharma Digest

Regular Features-

Featured Essays for February 5, 2011-

DocuDharma

Feb 07 2011

Pique the Geek 20110206: Firearms 101

For good, for ill, or for neither, firearms are an integral part of American life.  Everyone knows in a general sense what guns are, but not so many know much more than that.  The conventional wisdom is that those of us on the left are less familiar with firearms than those on the right (a premise with which I do not agree), but the fact is that it important to have a basic understanding of how firearms work.

At the most basic, a firearm is a device used to deliver a projectile, usually at a high rate of speed, towards some sort of target using chemical propellants that are NOT carried onboard the projectile.  Firearms have evolved over the centuries from quite crude affairs to the highly sophisticated devices that are available currently.

Before we start, please allow me to apologize for the trouble that I had with posting and with comments on Popular Culture Friday evening.  I had multiple freeze ups and extremely slow computer problems overall.  I spent most of yesterday running an arsenal of anti malware tools and system performance enhancers, and it looks like I am back in good shape now.

We shall limit our discussion to modern firearms, except to illustrate particular points.  In my definition, a modern firearm is one that utilizes a series of springs and levers to cause a cartridge to activate, and that has some method of accurately, more of less, directing the projectile of the cartridge towards the intended target.  Most all modern firearms are breech loaders, meaning that the cartridges are introduced from the rear of the barrel.  This is direct opposition to muzzle loaders, where the cartridge (if one is even used) is introduced into the front of the barrel.

In a modern firearm, the cartridge is introduced into the receiver, either by hand, one at a time, or from a magazine (sometimes called a clip, if is a removable magazine) that bypasses the manual operation, allowing much more rapid rates of fire.  Breech loading also allows for much more rapid rates of fire, because to load from the muzzle it is necessary to load the firearm through the path that the projectile has to take when it is fired.  The receiver in modern firearms is designed to withstand the extreme pressures exerted when the cartridge is activated.

In modern firearms, except for some exotic military types, a firing pin is used to activate the propellant in the cartridge.  The firing pin is a piece of metal, often a rather blunt point (usually a flat piece for rimfire ammunition) that causes an impact-sensitive chemical composition to ignite.  This material is contained in the primer, a removable, thin metallic case (for centerfire ammunition) with a thin, burnable membrane on the interior side.  For rimfire ammunition, the priming composition is contained in the rear of the cartridge itself, and since it is not removable, rimfire ammunition can not be reloaded.

This priming composition, when ignited, in turn ignites the main propellant charge.  The extreme pressure developed by the propellant creates a force on the projectile (also called a bullet, if it is a single, solid piece), forcing it down the barrel and out the muzzle.  By the way, NEVER call an entire cartridge a bullet.  Only the piece that flies out the muzzle is the bullet, and some firearms do not even fire bullets, but rather lots of small spheres, called shot, hence the term shotgun.

Except for shotguns and illicitly devised zip guns, the interior of the barrels are invariably rifled, hence the term rifle, although pistols also have rifling.  Rifling is a series of helical grooves (the part of the barrel cut away during rifling, and lands, the part of the barrel that is left in place.  Long guns that are not rifled, except for shotguns, are called muskets.  The reason to go to all of this trouble has to do with accuracy.  A projectile shot from a smoothbore exits the muzzle with very little spin.  Imparting spin on the projectile improves accuracy by a huge factor.

Here is a sports analogy that some might find useful.  In baseball, there is a pitch called a knucleball wherein the pitcher releases the ball in such a manner that little if any spin is imparted to the ball.  Because of atmospheric interactions, a knucleball does not travel in a straight line, but weaves left and right and to an extent up and down.  In contrast, when a football is passed, a nice spiral imparts stability to the ball in motion.  Not that in some football kicks the ball does not spin, and has an erratic pathway.  The same factors apply to bullets.  In a vacuum the spin is much less important, since there is no atmosphere with which to interact.

Shotguns are not rifled because of several reasons.  First, they are intended for much shorter ranges than are rifles (ranges of over 100 yards are just about unheard of for shotgun targets, but depending on the specifics, rifles are good for up thousands of yards).  Second, except for rifled slugs, shotgun ammunition consists of the casing, primer, and propellant, but instead of a single projectile there are from a few to hundreds of individual pellets, and these spread out with distance.  Thus, it is possible to hit a target with at least a few pellets even if the shooter’s aim is not perfect, while a single bullet would miss.  By the way, rifled slugs are single projectiles with the rifling molded into the projectile itself, so it gets some spin stabilization even though the bore is smooth.  They are used for larger game, while the smaller pellets are used for small game and birds.

Let us look at some elementary ballistics.  Neglecting atmospheric interactions, all objects fall at the same rate.  There is a school demonstration where you put a coin and a feather in a chamber and release them with a remote catch.  The coin falls rapidly, while the feather sort of floats down.  After resetting the coin and the feather, you use a vacuum pump to remove the air from the system.  When the catch is released, the coin and the feather hit the bottom at the same time.  Bullets are dense enough so that ate atmosphere does not significantly affect the rate of their fall, 9.8 meters per second per second, or the acceleration due to gravity.  Keep this in mind for just a bit later.

All objects that do not have internal means of locomotion will, when ejected, travel in a parabolic path.  This is true for rocks, cats, bullets, birds (if they are quite dead), and anything that does not have a huge interaction with the atmosphere, like a sheet of paper or a feather.  This path does not hold for birds (if they are not dead), bats (unless they are the baseball kind), aeroplanes, and rockets.  Since the acceleration due to gravity is the same regardless of mass, all bullets, if fired exactly horizontally every time, hit the ground after the same amount of time.  As a matter of fact, if you could somehow devise a method to drop a bullet horizontally at the exact instant a bullet fired from a rifle exited the muzzle, both bullets would hit the ground at the same time, assuming the ground is completely level.  At first that does not seem to make sense, but it is exactly right.

Let us imagine that we are firing a rifle that is in a fixture to keep it exactly level every time.  We have three dimensions, and let us define the x-axis as the direction of the rifle barrel, the y-axis as left and right, and the z-axis as vertical.  Since we have spin stabilization, the y-axis is not important (unless there is a significant wind).  Let us also say that it takes 2.00 seconds for a bullet dropped vertically at muzzle height to reach the ground.  Since in the vector analysis the x component has nothing to do with the z component, the bullet from the rifle also takes 2.00 seconds to reach the ground.  Neglecting air resistance, the only factor that determines the maximum range of the bullet is the muzzle velocity.  In fact air resistance is not vanishingly small, and reduces the actual range of the bullet fired because it continuously travels more and more slowly in the x direction, but still falling in the z direction with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s/s, since air resistance is negligible in the slow z direction.  Thus, the parabolic track of the bullet determines at what range it hits the ground.

If you think of it for a minute, the faster that the bullet exits the muzzle, the further it will travel before it hits the ground.  The curvature of this path is called the trajectory of the bullet, and is a function for mostly the muzzle velocity and to a smaller degree the shape of the bullet.  Bullets with a more aerodynamically favorable shape will travel further, since they do not have a much drag as, say, a round ball.

There is another way to increase range, and that is to set the rifle at an angle so that some of the energy of the propellant is used to increase the maximum elevation of the bullet, so that it has further to fall than if fired exactly horizontally.  The time required to reach maximum elevation and the longer time to reach the ground from that elevation makes the bullet carry further.  Neglecting atmospheric interactions, a 45 degree angle gives the maximum range.  Now, it is really hard to hit a target if you are aiming at a 45 degree angle, so small arms do not often use such radical elevations, but military artillery certainly does.

When a shooter sights in a rifle, a specific range is chosen, say 200 yards and the sight adjusted such that the bullet hits the bull’s eye.  Actually, what is happening is that the sights are set so that at that range, for that particular combination of rifle, cartridge configuration, and shooter it appears to the shooter that the trajectory is “flat”.  In reality, the sights are set so that the muzzle is pointed up just a little to compensate for the z direction falling of the bullet.  When sighted in for 200 yards, closer targets will have hits that are high, and further ones hits that are low.  Good shots compensate for that with a little practice, and some sights have adjustments that can be used to assist.

For big game hunting (deer and larger), it is helpful to have a rifle with a relatively “flat” trajectory, because in open country a wide diversity of ranges are apt to be encountered.  That usually means a relatively small bullet with a very high muzzle velocity, so that it travels further before the bullet falls so much.  For heavily wooded areas, a heavy, slow bullet is ofter preferred because the range is not apt to be too far and the heavier, slower bullets are affected less by twigs and leaves than are the lighter, faster ones.  Next week we shall get into the physics of different kinds of loads.

Rifles can be single shot, where the shooter has to load a new cartridge manually after each shot, repeating rifles where a lever is used to eject the spent round from the receiver and insert a new one from either an external or internal magazine, bolt action where a different configuration is to eject and load, or semiautomatic, where either energy from the recoil of the rifle or gas pressure from combustion of the propellant causes the spent round to be ejected and a new one loaded without human intervention.  All that the shooter has to do is pull the trigger and the weapon fires again, and as long as there is ammunition in the magazine will continue to do so.

Fully automatic weapons are like semiautomatic ones except that a new pull of the trigger is not needed to keep firing.  As long as the trigger is kept in the fire position, the rifle reloads and shoots until either the trigger is released or the magazine is depleted.  By the way, it is NOT illegal under Federal law to own fully automatic rifles if certain requirements are met.  Obviously there are legal issues, just like in all weapons, so felons, the mentally ill, and other disqualifying factors are involved.  In addition, the buyer has to pay Treasury a very high transfer fee for the rifle to change hands.  These weapons require special licenses for both the owner and the weapon itself, and if you get caught without the paperwork for either yourself or the particular weapon you have a LOT of explaining to do.  There are some commercial outfits that offer to the public on a fee basis the chance to shoot fully automatic weapons, because there are not any restrictions on shooting the weapons (felons and the otherwise disqualified being exceptions), but on owning them.

In interesting factor in the law that makes it legal to own fully automatic weapons is that they and any spare parts have to have been manufactured before whatever date the law restricting ownership came into effect.  Thus, all legal (for individuals, police and certain security outfits have different requirements) fully automatic rifles were manufactured before sometime in the early 1930s.  If you break a spring in a magazine, you are out of luck unless you can find another old magazine that is being “parted out” or a working old one.  I believe that the logic for this clause has to do with depriving people of property without due process.  Thus, if you had a machine gun that was legal before the law took effect, you could register it with Treasury and still be OK.  I believe, but am not positive, that there is an annual fee in addition to the transfer fee.  If anyone knows for sure please post a comment.

Next week we shall get into some of the physics and a little of the chemistry behind firearms, and after that we shall find a new topic.  Suggestions are always welcome.

Well, you have done it again!  You have wasted many more einsteins of perfectly good photons reading this piece that is not worth shooting.  Usually I make a joke about some contemporary right wing figure, but, seeing how this the centennial of Ronald Wilson Reagan’s birth, decided to say something nice about him.  As far as I can tell, he was at least as good an actor as Bonzo was.  I do, however, always learn much more than I could possibly hope to teach by writing this series, so please keep those comments, questions, corrections, and other feedback coming.  I shall stick around as long as comments are coming or until I wear out, and shall return tomorrow evening at 9:00 PM Easter, give or take, for Review Time.

Warmest regards,

Doc

Crossposted at Antemedius.com, DAilykos.com, and at Docudharma.com

Feb 06 2011

Rant of the Week: Rachel Maddow

The Power of the People

(There is no transcript available for this video)

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