Archive For April 2010
The BP Deepwater Oil Disaster – What if it were Virginia?
on April 30, 2010 by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
The horrific and historic environmental disaster unfolding before our eyes in the Gulf of Mexico has everyone taking a new look at the true cost of oil addiction.
Everything was going so well for Big Oil. The American Petroleum Institute, its members, and their army of lobbyists were having their way with Congress and the White House, demanding access to off-limits coastal waters and other giveaways in return for dropping opposition campaigns to block global warming and energy legislation. Easy pickings.
We Need to Get Immigration Reform Passed This Year
on April 29, 2010 by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
(Washington) – The following is a statement by Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a Member of the Judiciary Committee, and chief author of H.R. 4321, The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security Act (CIR ASAP), which was introduced in the House in December 2009 and has 96 co-sponsors.
Concerns about Sufficiency of Medical Treatment Mar Military Commission Proceedings
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
Today’s hearing in the military commission case of Omar Khadr was once again fraught with confusion, complication and delay. This time the problem appeared to be the military judge’s refusal to question military procedure – even when it might be causing significant harm to the defendant.
Omar Khadr, the Canadian detainee seized and imprisoned by US authorities in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old, has consistently cooperated with the military commission and followed its rules and procedures. When he sat in the courtroom yesterday, for example, he was leaning forward attentively, apparently following every word as the lawyers argued over the admissibility of evidence and an FBI agent took the stand to testify against him. He made no sign of being uncooperative, and observers at his previous hearings say that’s consistent with how he’s always behaved in hearings. But something was different today.
Exxon Profits Soar, Still No Windfall Profits Tax from Obama
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
Exxon Mobil Corporation announced that its first quarter profit earnings were up 38 percent, totaling $6.3 billion in profits due mainly to the high price of oil, which is now over $85 per barrel. To date, President Obama has still not fulfilled his campaign promise of enacting a windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry. (http://bit.ly/9CrGHf)
In the run-up to the 2008 presidential election, President Obama routinely promised to enact a windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry to fund a $1000 per household energy rebate. Within 48 hours of being elected, President Obama dropped the promise from his agenda. An “unnamed transition team staffer” tried to justify the decision by stating, “President-elect Obama announced the policy during the campaign because oil prices were above $80 per barrel. They are currently below that now and expected to stay below that.” (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE4B206W20081203)
Less Input and More "Innerput": Take Time to Internalize Information
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
The Web, the internet, and all of the new media that has sprung from them , have been a boon to the information age, making information available at our fingertips instantaneously. The sheer volume of information now accessible on line is staggering. As of a few weeks ago, there were more than 21 billion pages on the Web, as indexed by Google. Information continues to become more available to more people in less time — from web sites to email to RSS feeds to Twitter, we have input at an unprecedented rate and volume.
Ironically, as the frequency of information grows, the length of messages shrinks (e.g., Twitter’s 140-character limit. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; think of haiku). And, amazingly, the vast majority of this information is free.
Confronting Your Neighbor Sex Offenders on Inside Edition
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
I began working at Inside Edition in 2006 covering everything from entertainment to breaking news, but recently I’ve been reporting on some truly fascinating stories. Since last year I’ve been a special correspondent with the show’s award winning investigative unit, covering consumer fraud, safety issues, and crimes against women and children. Some of these stories have led to policy changes, better regulation and primarily have shed light on troubling issues that effect many of us.
Last month I travelled to McNeil Island, Washington (dubbed “Sex Offender Island“) to learn about that state’s Special Commitment Center that indefinitely detains the most violent sexual predators after they’ve served their sentence. They hope to both treat these “residents” and keep them from reentering society until the system can determine whether or not they’re likely to offend again. The cost is approximately $160,000 per resident per year.
Eminem RIPS Ben Roethlisberger In ‘Despicable,’ His Latest Song (VIDEO)
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
(AP) PITTSBURGH — Eminem mentions Ben Roethlisberger in his latest song: “Despicable.”
The million-selling rapper refers to the Steelers’ troubled quarterback in explicit lyrics and with the lines, “I’d rather turn this club into a bar room brawl. Get as rowdy as Roethlisberger in a bathroom stall.”
Albania’s Eurovision 2010 Song: ‘It’s All About You’ By Juliana Pasha
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
Since winning Albania’s Eurovision selection contest in December, Juliana Pasha has learned what it means to look the part. The 29-year old has transformed herself from a rather dowdy looking lounge singer wearing a wig into a disco diva who shakes her hips as freely as she styles her hair. In March, when she debuted the English-language version of her Eurovision entry “It’s All About You” (Nuk mundem pa ty), she donned a tight pantsuit with rhinestone-studded chains draped on her shoulders. That look embodies the playfulness of her song, an electronic ode from one obsessed lover to another: “I am the one/ Who doesn’t know how to say no/ To you, I’m so easy.”
WATCH:
Employer vs. Employee Mentality. Which Do You Have?
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
We were coaching a woman (we’ll call her Donna) who is an associate partner in a law firm. Donna has been with the firm for 10 years and was promoted to limited partner 18 months ago. The managing director of the firm expected to see a change in how Donna approached the business – after all, she was now a limited partner. Her next career step would be a full fledged equity partner, assuming she was invited to join at that level. The managing director was starting to have doubts about her future with the firm. He had spoken to Donna about the expectations he had of partners and explained he wanted her to act more like an employer than an employee. It had been a year and a half, and Donna wasn’t getting it.
When we sat down with Donna she had a very definite goal – to be an equity partner. Since she was highly motivated we asked her what was preventing her from making that transition to more of an employer mentality. She said “I’m not sure how to do that”. She said she knew that it meant thinking more like a boss but what did that really entail?
UK’s First Televised Prime Ministerial Debates: Game Changers
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
How have Britons survived all these years without televised candidate debates? For half a century here in America, TV debates have supplied memorable lines and defining moments; it’s hard to imagine an election year without them.
Oh, I know that most of the spontaneity and substance was long ago wrung out of them; we should have known this would happen from the beginning. What do you know about the very first TV debate, between Kennedy and Nixon? I can’t quote a single line from either candidate, but I know that JFK agreed to wear makeup and Nixon didn’t. That should have been an early sign that down through the years, style would matter more than substance.