February 2012
259 posts
Coco Chanel Interview, 1959 - Chris →
http://bit.ly/wNqgzE
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Source: Shambolique
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Climate Scientists Slam Heartland for “Spreading... →
Scientists Who Had Emails Stolen Ask Heartland Institute to End Assault on Climate Science
Heartland Institute documents revealed plans to dupe children and ruin their future, as Climate Progress reported earlier this week.
Now, seven leading climatologists victimized by the Climategate email theft in 2009 have published this letter in the Guardian:
An Open Letter to the Heartland Institute
...
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House Passes Section of Transportation Bill... →
In its latest transportation bill, the House of Representatives gave a big valentine gift to Big Oil
by Jessica Goad, cross-posted from ThinkProgress Green
This week, the House of Representatives passed part of the behemoth transportation bill it is considering over the next month on a 237-187 vote. This section consisted solely of earmarks to Big Oil including drilling in the Arctic...
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volume rendered slope - daniel →
film by Jacob Sutton [2012]
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Open Thread Plus Toles Cartoon - Joe Romm →
A cyber-penny for your cyber-thoughts.
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NG: Local Chambers of Commerce: Not Born for... →
Most people are more interested in organized crime than in organized business. Chambers of commerce do not often attract headlines except for the occasional, inevitable dustup with a public authority. For that reason, this April’s 100 year anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may pass without much public attention. This would be a shame, as groups of companies have...
JWT: Weekly Roundup: Adulthood delayed,... →
-Major luxury brands enjoyed a “blockbuster” 2011 and expect an even better 2012, according to The Wall Street Journal, as “emerging markets power seemingly relentless demand.” The Journal also reports that Chinese consumers are losing interest in fakes, a shift that’s driving expansion plans in China among foreign companies.
-“Down and out” is becoming the new normal for British youth facing...
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Senate Climate Hawks Deliver Speech Calling for... →
There was a beacon in the smog surrounding the U.S. Capitol building this week.
While the House and Senate pushed for arctic drilling, attempted to revive the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and tried to delay rules on mercury emissions standards — all while failing to extend a key tax credit for wind — four climate hawk Senators attempted to put these actions into a powerful climate context.
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Radiohead “OK Computer” Floppy Disk, 1997 - Chris →
JWT: Data point: Consumers seek third-space... →
With more people buying online, retail spaces will increasingly serve as a “third space” that’s only partly about shopping (one of our Trends for 2011). In the food sector, as online services such as FreshDirect and Seamless.com expand, consumers are seeking real-world spaces where they can not only eat or buy food but meet people and enjoy unique experiences, as we found in a survey conducted...
Project Syndicate: FRANKEL: Obama’s Recovery? -... →
FRANKEL: Obama’s Recovery?
CAMBRIDGE – With November’s election in the United States fast approaching, the Republican candidates seeking to challenge President Barack Obama claim that his policies have done nothing to support recovery from the recession that he inherited in January 2009. If anything, they claim, his fiscal stimulus, the bank bailouts, and US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben...
Project Syndicate: WP: Self and the City - Daniel... →
WP: Self and the City
Today, when more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, many critics worry that people are losing their sense of self and community. In fact, cities may be the key to empowering identity in the twenty-first century.
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It’s the One-Year Anniversary of House Solyndra... →
After 185,000 pages of documents, ten hearings, and two subpoenas, we still haven’t found any evidence improper behavior
by Richard W. Caperton
Today, the fruitless investigation into the Solyndra loan guarantee turns one year old. Sadly, fruit is the traditional gift on the fourth anniversary. So what do you give on a first-anniversary to someone who already demanded all the paper they could...
Project Syndicate: ECON WEEKLY: Who Should Lead... →
ECON WEEKLY: Who Should Lead the World Bank?
With Robert Zoellick departing in June as President of the World Bank, the Bank requires a new selection process that will enable it to choose the most qualified person, regardless of nationality. More importantly, it needs to identify the qualifications needed to run the Bank at a time when its role must be adapted to far-reaching global changes.
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Does Fox News Believe Himalayas are Located at... →
Scientist calls coverage of his research by Murdoch media outlet “misleading” and “inaccurate”
by Shuana Theel, reposted from Media Matters
Once again, a scientist has had to correct a Fox News distortion after the network’s flagship nightly news program misrepresented a study to claim “the Earth’s polar ice is melting less than previously thought.” Dr. John Wahr, who helped lead the...
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Cape Wind Signs Contract to Sell More Electicity,... →
Big win for nation’s first offshore wind farm; big loss for a Koch Brother
Will Cape Wind move forward? The developer now has contracts for 75% of electricity.
by Michael Conathan and Kiley Kroh
In a huge step toward making the nation’s first offshore wind farm a reality, Massachusetts officials announced Wednesday that energy companies Northeast Utilities and NStar have agreed to buy...
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February 17 News: House Passes “Worst... →
Other stories below: Recent extreme weather impacted 80% of Americans; Global warming threatens tropical birds
Image: League of Conservation Voters
Bill forces decision on pipeline, expands drilling to pay for transportation projects
The Republican-controlled House endorsed a plan Thursday to vastly expand oil and gas drilling off the nation’s coasts to help pay for a $260 billion...
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map without map - daniel →
^^ Communist World, 2011 by Theo Deutinger & Catarina Dantas [Mark#30]. <Communism is still alive. Although capitalism won a victory when the Berlin Wall went down, communism is triumphing as nation states continue to bail out banks in the wake of the recent economic crisis. Global capitalism is hugely unorganized and has no interest in a comprehensive plan for the future of the world –...
Goodbye, New Cross - Lizzie →
Image with thanks from http://bit.ly/w1Eskb After 3 years living in New Cross, it’s time to move on. I’m sure my parents will breathe a sigh of relief after two muggings in a year - look, one was in Brockley alright? - but as rough round the edges as New Cross was, there will be a lot of things I’ll miss having in close proximity. Smokey Jerky, virtually next door was my go-to...
Fallout Shelter Ads, 1960s - Chris →
Source: Conelrad Adjacent Via I09; Vince Staten; Giant Size Nerd-Thing; Atomic Pear
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Thank you to Conelrad Adjacent; Vince Staten; Giant Size Nerd-Thing; Atomic Pear
Project Syndicate: SPENCE: The Sustainability... →
SPENCE: The Sustainability Mindset
The global economy will probably triple in size in the next quarter-century, fueling concern that the planet’s natural resources and recuperative capacities will not withstand the pressure. The challenge is to change the growth model in order to lighten the impact of higher levels of economic activity.
Project Syndicate: ROE/ZINGALES: Tobin Trouble -... →
ROE/ZINGALES: Tobin Trouble
European leaders are seriously considering a Tobin tax, which would put a small levy on financial transactions, thereby dampening trading. But that is neither a desirable outcome nor an appropriate goal.
Aquatic Frolics, 1926 - Chris →
http://bit.ly/y1Q2w6
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Thank you to BFI Films
Egg Salad - David →
I’ve wanted to talk to you about Isot for a long time, but the little packet I opened sat on my counter for a few weeks, waiting to go into something else. But it wasn’t until I found myself with an overload of eggs, and an odd craving for an egg salad sandwich (something I haven’t had for years) that I found a way to feature this curiously delicious pepper, which has fruity and spicy nuances...
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Water-Gate: Texas State Report on Dealing with... →
Texas Comptroller water-planning report also fails to brings up the growing role of natural gas fracking
Ironically, the cover of a major Texas report on drought and water planning points out that it’s been “dry” and “hot” and implies humans have some control over the state’s thermostat. But the report is silent on human contribution to the heat and drought now and in the future — and is thus...
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Can an Agreement on Short-Term Climate Pollutants... →
Reducing short-lived gases is only effective as part of broader CO2 reduction strategy
A new plan to tackle short-lived pollutants may help bridge the gap between current emission reduction pledges and what is actually needed by 2020 to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2° Celsius.
At the State Department this morning, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a...
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Clean Air Now: Federal Register Publishes Mercury... →
Pro-pollution Sen. Inhofe aims to block life-saving standards
By Arpita Bhattacharyya and Daniel J. Weiss
Americans can celebrate a big step towards cleaner air and healthier communities today as the final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants are published in the Federal Register. This is a significant milestone for the life-saving Environmental Protection Agency rules that were...
“Crinoline: A Real Social Evil”, 16th October 1861... →
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Source: The Guardian
LongNow: Time in the 10,000-Year Clock
Keeping time for 10,000 years isn’t tricky just because its hard to build a really durable clock. It also forces us to recognize and account for changes in things we normally think of as immutable, like the length of a day.
Long Now co-founder and lead designer of the 10,000-Year Clock, Danny Hillis, published a paper recently along with Rob Seaman, Steve Allen, and Jon Giorgini, with the...
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fortress Europe - daniel →
^^ ‘Encampments’ in Europe and around the Mediterranean Sea (waiting areas for admission or deportation of migrants). By Migreurop, 2009.
vs.
^ Irregular Migrant routes, by ICMPD.
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Cold Cash, Cool Climate: To Solve Climate Change,... →
When it comes to government, more is not better. Less is not better. Only better is better. And better is what we as a society should strive for.
by Jonathan Koomey, in an excerpt from his new book “Cold Cash, Cool Climate”
Imagine a company where the CEO says “We’ll never raise prices, borrow money, or increase our expenses under any circumstances, nor will we act to expand existing or...
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While Trying to Force Tar Sands, Sen. Alexander... →
With every passing day, Congress outdoes its own abysmal environmental record.
Even as federal policymakers consider a transportation bill that would open up sensitive areas for offshore drilling, encourage use of dirty oil shale, force a decision on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and derail public investments in public transportation, they couldn’t even compromise on a simple short-term tax...
Project Syndicate: ISLAM: The Maghreb’s Modern... →
ISLAM: The Maghreb’s Modern Islamists
The Arab Spring has led not to Western-style liberal democracy, but to the rise of Islamist parties. The new Islamist governments in Tunisia and Morocco won elections after running on a moderate platform, but they will have to resist pressure from their most conservative supporters, and marginalize extremists in order to succeed in power.
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Rainwater Collection Could Save Urban Consumers... →
There’s a cheap, abundant resource that could help consumers save money and fight climate change: rainwater.
by Zachary Rybarczyk
Residents in eight cities around the U.S. could collectively trim up to $90 million a year off their water bills with simple rainwater collection techniques, according to a new report.
Urban rooftop rainwater collection, often overlooked or discouraged by ...
Project Syndicate: WEEKLY: The Iranian Nuclear... →
WEEKLY: The Iranian Nuclear Threat Goes Global
The current drive to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal reflects two important, and interrelated, changes. From Israel’s perspective, these changes are to be welcomed, though its government must remain cautious about the country’s own role.
Project Syndicate: LOMBORG: Germany’s Sunshine... →
LOMBORG: Germany’s Sunshine Daydream
Germany once prided itself on becoming the “world champion” of solar power. But now the German government is vowing to cut its massive subsidies sooner than planned, and to phase out support over the next five years – a reflection of the policy’s economic failure and absent impact on global warming.
NG: President Obama Courts Silicon Valley’s New... →
President Obama’s San Francisco fundraiser with the tech elites today, along with the upcoming IPO for Facebook, marks the emergence of a new, potentially dominant political force well on its way to surpassing Hollywood and even Wall Street as the business bulwark of the Obama Democratic Party.
In 2008 the industry gave Obama more than $9 million, three times what it raised for any other...
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Senators Take Emergency Oil Reserve Hostage to... →
In a desperate attempt to force Keystone XL, three Senators are threatening access to a vital economic and natural security safeguard, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
by Daniel J. Weiss
Republican Congressional leaders have failed to force President Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. But that’s not stopping them from trying over and over again, taking hostages in the process.
First they...
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February 16: New Global Deal on Climate Pollutants... →
Other stories below: Extreme summer high temperatures expected more frequently
New global deal on climate change
Those concerned about climate change and greenhouse gas pollution have been justifiably frustrated in the last few years. Despite some significant moves by the Obama administration — particularly improving vehicle efficiency and creating incentives for significant investment in ...
Project Syndicate: ROUBINI: The Uptick’s Downside... →
ROUBINI: The Uptick’s Downside
Since late last year, a series of positive developments has boosted investor confidence and led to a sharp rally in risky assets, starting with global equities and commodities. But at least four downside risks are likely to materialize this year, undermining global growth and negatively affecting investor confidence and market valuations of risky assets.
Soviet Space Propaganda Posters, 1958-1963 - Chris →
Conquer the space!
Fatherland! You lighted the star of progress and peace. Glory to the science, glory to the labor! Glory to the Soviet regime!
From student’s models to spaceships!
Gagarin, Titov, Nikolaev, Popovich – the mighty knights of our days
Glory to the conquerors of the universe!
Glory to the Fatherland of Heroes!
Glory to the KPSS!
Glory to the Soviet people – the pioneer...
Project Syndicate: ECON WEEKLY: Capital Shrugged -... →
ECON WEEKLY: Capital Shrugged
Capitalism’s greatest strength has been its resiliency – its ability to survive the throes and challenges of crises and business cycles to fuel innovation and economic growth. Today, however, more than four years into a credit crisis, this legacy is being called into question as never before.
Knife-throwing mother, 1950 - Chris →
http://bit.ly/yp5u6v
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Thank y0u to Lord Platypus79
NG: Arlington and Shenzhen: A Tale of Two Cities -... →
Seven thousand miles separate Arlington, Virginia and Shenzhen, China. Two continents apart, these two cities could not be more different. Yet they are similar, geopolitically and globally. The characteristics of today’s globalization have united and connected cities like Arlington and Shenzhen.
Arlington sits a stone’s throw from Washington, DC, just across the Potomac River. The city is...
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The Lamest Analogy in the History of Energy and... →
Does the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline have any significant energy security benefits? No.
In my recent reply to Joe Nocera, I said a line he borrowed from Michael Levi, “may be the lamest analogy in the history of energy and climate.” Levi, who blogs for the Council on Foreign Relations, has doubled down with a modification/clarification of his original line that makes it much worse.
...
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Power for the People: Overcoming Barriers to... →
An action plan for boosting weatherization efforts in low-income communities
by Jorge Madrid and Adam James
Energy efficiency upgrades to low-income homes help struggling families use less energy and lower their utility bills while still meeting their daily energy needs. A family living in an older home, for example, could cut their yearly energy bill in half with a full home...
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Keystone XL: Five Stories the Media Have Missed -... →
TransCanada Used Aggressive Tactics With Landowners
TransCanada Didn’t Deliver On Previously Promised Tax Revenue
TransCanada Reversed Its Position On Rerouting
TransCanada Will Import Much Of The Steel For The Pipeline
TransCanada Said Its Pipeline Would Increase Oil Prices In The Midwest
by Jill Fitzsimmons and Emilee Pierce, reposted from Media Matters
In the media storm surrounding...
Reconstructing the White House, 1948-1952 - Chris →
“By the time Truman became president, the decay could no longer be ignored. As the White House Museum describes it, “Floors no longer merely creaked; they swayed. The president’s bathtub was sinking into the floor. A leg of Margaret’s piano broke through the floor in what is today the Private Dining Room. Engineers declared the whole house to be in imminent danger of collapse.”
“Over the next...
Project Syndicate: HILL: The Long March from... →
HILL: The Long March from Shanghai
Forty years ago, US President Richard M. Nixon journeyed to China, and the “Shanghai Communiqué” launched what has become the world’s most important and complex bilateral relationship. Today, however, China is increasingly consumed by mistrust of the US – evident in its veto in February of the UN Security Council’s resolution on Syria.