Come on WALES!!

Ad astra per aspera

But taking out time to boogie to Chopin (!!??)

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

Magnifique.

Le Sigh.

HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) -- A Cuban dissident hunger striker who has vowed to die for his cause remained in hospital on Friday in stable condition, receiving treatment a day after he collapsed from the effects of his protest.

LONDON, England (JIS) -- UK-based sugar processing and marketing company Tate and Lyle has expressed "very strong" interest in investing in Jamaica's sugar industry, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw said. He said the interest is because of the European revival of interest in cane sugar.

Deportations under Obama Up 50% from previous administration. "The thing is it hurts less 'cause he's nicer."

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

Here's an excerpt of Goodman's interview with Kucinich earlier this week. From the perspective of a "single-payer" advocate, his debrief of ongoing tripartite (House, Senate, WH) negotiation to amend the Baucus bill is especially informative. The excerpt below however doesn't concern insurance regulation per se. I've selected because, when I heard Robert's remark over the radio, I thought, his tone and contents illustrated perfectly rampant disaffection among federal officers --those elected and appointed-- that misinforms representative government as US citizens experience it. Cutis anserina is my response to Robert's singular lack of sympathy.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Congressman, I'd like to ask you about another issue: campaign finance and the recent dispute between the Supreme Court Justice--Chief Justice John Roberts and the White House. At this year's State of the Union, President Obama openly criticized the Court's decision in the Citizens United case.

      PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections. I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps correct some of these problems.

JUAN GONZALEZ: And earlier this week, Chief Justice John Roberts told law students in Alabama that he found the timing of the President's comments to be very troubling.

      CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS: The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering, while the Court, according to the requirements of protocol, has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling. And it does cause you to think whether or not it makes sense for us to be there. To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I'm not sure why we're there.

JUAN GONZALEZ: That was Chief Justice Roberts. Representative Kucinich, your response to both the President's statements and to Chief Justice Roberts's concerns?

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Well, the Citizens United case was very controversial. The fact of the matter is that it gave corporations even more power to influence our political process, and this is one of the central problems in our democracy today.

And, you know, the Supreme Court is the third branch of government. They should be at these grand pageants of democracy, which State of the Union addresses represent. And I don't think they should fear being there. I think that they should welcome an opportunity. And it's good for them to get feedback. I mean, it's important to come off a pinnacle once in awhile and just be with everyone else who's affected by the decisions that you make. So I think that the Chief Justice, with all respect, ought to lighten up a little bit and just realize that his presence there is very important. And if something's said that is somehow opposed to a decision that's made, it shouldn't bother him at all, because, frankly, he has the last word, unless Congress passes a constitutional amendment or the process starts in a state to amend the Constitution to correct the Supreme Court's decision. Supreme Court has a lot of power. When you have that kind of power, you surely should not be disturbed by criticism.

Read more...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Utah GOP leader resigns after hot tub confession - San Jose Mercury News

SALT LAKE CITY--Utah's House majority leader has resigned from the Legislature, two days after his confession about sitting nude in a hot tub with a teenage girl 25 years ago stunned the conservative state.

Republican Rep. Kevin Garn said Saturday that stepping down is in the best interests of his family, his colleagues and the people of Utah.

In an e-mail message to House Speaker David Clark, Garn apologized for becoming a distraction.

The 55-year-old Garn acknowledged the indiscretion late Thursday immediately after the Legislature adjourned for the session.

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

Fake report on Russian tanks sparks panic in Georgia | Top News | Reuters

TBILISI (Reuters) - Panic gripped Georgia on Saturday when a pro-government television station broadcast a fake report that Russian tanks had entered the capital and President Mikheil Saakashvili had been killed.

Imedi TV introduced the report as an "imitation of possible events," but the warning was lost on many viewers as mobile phone networks crashed and residents of Tbilisi rushed into the streets.

The report thrust the ex-Soviet neighbors back to August 2008, when Russia crushed an assault by U.S. ally Georgia on the rebel region of South Ossetia in a five-day war and sent tanks to within 45 km (28 miles) of Tbilisi.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said the report, which did not carry a banner saying it was a hoax, caused "great panic." A cinema in Tbilisi emptied as parents called their children home, a frantic filmgoer sai

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

My offshore wind pictures made it to the FT energy blog:

FT Energysource: Image, quote and number of the week

Offshore wind turbine construction plant in Zeebrugge, Belgium:

Photos by Jerome a Paris, in The Oil Drum and part of his Wind power series.

Quotes of the week:

"If alternatives overpromise and underdeliver we will see the creation of green bubbles."

- Saudi Aramco's chief executive Khalid al-Falih at CERA Week.

Wind power

I just gotta share:

Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine - Patti Smith

Kid keeping a lending library of banned books in his her locker - Boing Boing

Javier sez, "A teenager asks Yahoo! Questions whether maintaining a lending library in his school locker is illegal (as opposed of merely in contravention of school regulations). A school friend asked to borrow off him The Catcher in the Rye, one of the books in the banned list, and one thing led to another..."

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.