Tory green chief blocks recycling in his area

Sounds like the same quality that Bush would hire if he had to have a similar department. Of course, think about the pro-business types Bush put into leadership roles for the FDA, the EPA and other jobs that are supposed to be about helping the majority of people instead of small, special interest groups. No matter what the right wingers say in the UK or US, underneath they're always quite the same. Not surprising, unfortunately.

The Conservatives have promised to push Britain towards a "goal of a zero-waste society". But Nick Herbert, shadow Environment Secretary, who has called for more recycling schemes, is opposing the construction of two major facilities in his Arundel & South Downs constituency, claiming that they are "the right idea in the wrong place".

Mr Herbert has written to West Sussex County Council arguing that the "rural character of the South Downs and surrounding countryside and villages must be protected".

His battle against the developments also appears to contradict a second Tory manifesto pledge to reduce landfill and "encourage alternative forms of waste disposal".

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Swimming with sperm whales off the coast of Dominica

NOTE FROM JOHN: Seriously, click through the link. The photos of the swimmers with the whales are simply stunning.

A great set of photos for any nature lovers to see. For me this would have to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. Jojo and I sea kayaked in Namibia with seals and then had a baby (21 ft.) southern right whale play with us for an hour. The whale swam back and forth and would go directly under us before popping up on the other side. In Mozambique we went to swim with dolphins off of the southern coast when a whale shark swam through our group. Seeing an open mouth that large swimming next to you was impressive, to say the least.

The Caribbean is a bit pricey for us but wow, would I love to see those beautiful whales up close. Dr. Allinson (who leads these visits) is trying to increase the interaction between humans and whales to help save them. My favorite is the first photo but the entire collection is something to see.

Dr Allinson, 61, said: "When they interact with us they approach us very closely, rolling over again and again, trying to get us to rub their abdomens and bodies. When you start getting close to them you feel nervous, intimidated and then as they interact with you intense pleasure. You realise they are intelligent"

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Some conservatives are beginning to question whether Fox News is good for their movement

We're kind of on a Newsweek roll today, but these articles are interesting.

Bruce Bartlett, a veteran of the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, notes that when Fox News first began airing, it presented itself as a counterweight to the left-leaning mainstream media, but as the mainstream media moved more to the center in recent years (CNN, for example,just hired prominent right-wing blogger Erick Erickson), Fox, to maintain its distance, moved further to the right. "I have no problem with a network that wears its politics on its sleeve," says Bartlett. "What bothers me is [Fox] pretends not to be that." With so many conservatives watching only Fox, says Bartlett, "people are wearing blinders; they hear no fact that conflicts with their world view. All day long their views are reinforced that Obama is a socialist crackpot."

Bartlett wonders if ultimately "an inherent conflict of interest is growing, in which the very success of Fox makes it harder for Republicans to get out of the echo chamber, to have arguments that go beyond their base, and to reach out to independents and Democrats who might vote for them."

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Antigovernment extremists are on the rise—and on the march

Newsweek:

Stewart Rhodes does not seem like an extremist. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and a former U.S. Army paratrooper and congressional staffer. He is not at all secretive. In February he was sitting at a table at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at a fancy downtown hotel in Washington, handing out fliers and selling T shirts for his organization, the Oath Keepers. Rhodes says he has 6,000 dues-paying members, active and retired police and military, who promise never to take orders to disarm U.S. citizens or herd them into concentration camps. Rhodes told a NEWSWEEK reporter, "We're not a militia." Oath Keepers do not run around the woods on the weekend shooting weapons or threatening the violent overthrow of the government. Their oath is to uphold the Constitution and defend the American people from dictatorship.

But by conjuring up the specter of revolution—or counterrevolution—is Rhodes adding to the threat of real violence? Oath Keepers are "a particularly worrisome example of the 'patriot' revival," according to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors hate speech and extremist organizations. "Patriot" groups—described by the SPLC as outfits "that see the federal government as part of a plot to impose 'one-world government' on liberty-loving Americans"—are "roaring back" after years out of the limelight, according to Potok. Notorious in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the patriot groups seemed to fade away under the shadow of 9/11, but hard times and the nation's first African-American president seem to have brought about a revival—from 149 groups in 2008 to 512 (127 of them militias) in 2009, according to the SPLC.

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Massachusetts to remove money from banks to protest credit card charges

We should see more of this both at the state level as well as the federal level. If banks don't want to go along with fair play, fine. That means they lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars that will now go elsewhere. That is how the market works or at least how it should work. Washington Post:

State Treasurer Timothy Cahill said the state has removed Bank of America, Citi and Wells Fargo from a list of institutions approved for new state investments. Massachusetts, which is the only state to make such a move, is also beginning to divest $243 million in funds held at those banks, though the process could take up to six months.

"We want to bring some fairness into the issue," said Cahill, who is running for governor. "I don't think what we're asking is . . . out of line."

The announcement -- made at a raucous rally on Capitol Hill organized by the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation, a network of religious and citizen advocacy groups -- is part of a wave of consumer backlash over the banking industry's role in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Congress has enacted sweeping credit card reforms that limit how and when issuers can raise rates and is in the midst of debating the creation of an agency dedicated to protecting consumer rights.

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Teabaggers want to cut govt, unless it's their own Soc Security benefits

NYT:

Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits.

Others could not explain the contradiction.

“That’s a conundrum, isn’t it?” asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security.” She added, “I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind.”

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AP Impact: Predator priests shuffled around globe

Just when you thought this story could not possibly become more disgusting and disturbing. The Vatican needs to come to grips with this problem immediately instead of blaming everyone else for their problems. It's worse by the day but the pattern is always the same.

There he was, five decades later, the priest who had raped Joe Callander in Massachusetts. The photo in the Roman Catholic newsletter showed him with a smile across his wrinkled face, near-naked Amazon Indian children in his arms and at his feet.

The Rev. Mario Pezzotti was working with children and supervising other priests in Brazil.

It's not an isolated example.

In an investigation spanning 21 countries across six continents, The Associated Press found 30 cases of priests accused of abuse who were transferred or moved abroad. Some escaped police investigations. Many had access to children in another country, and some abused again.

A priest who admitted to abuse in Los Angeles went to the Philippines, where U.S. church officials mailed him checks and advised him not to reveal their source. A priest in Canada was convicted of sexual abuse and then moved to France, where he was convicted of abuse again in 2005. Another priest was moved back and forth between Ireland and England, despite being diagnosed as a pederast, a man who commits sodomy with boys.

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NYT Teabagger supporter poll: 24% says violence against govt is justified

UPDATE: Just noticed the following in the poll (thanks to Greg Mitchell):

Do you think it is ever justified for citizens to take violent action against the government, or is it never justified?
Justified 24
Never justified 71
DK/NA 5

The overall percentage of Americans who think it's ever justified is 16%. So the Teabagger number is 50% higher than the public at large.

Via Greg Sargent:

* Lots to chew over in the new New York Times poll of the Tea Party supporters. Our favorite: More Tea Party backers think Sarah Palin would not make an effective president, 47%-40%.

* Ninety-two percent say Obama is moving the country towards socialism.

* But: A big majority, 62%, favors those socialist government takeover schemes known as Social Security and Medicare.

* Sixty-three percent of Tea Partiers get their news from Fox, and a majority views the shows hosted by Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity as “news shows.”

* First the Tea Partiers said Dems were hatching a secret scheme to provoke them to racism. Now they’re saying lefties plotted to infiltrate their rallies and make them look like whackjobs. (Like they need any help in this department.)

My favorite:

Which political figure in the United States living TODAY do you admire most?

Top 4

Other: 20%
Newt Gingrich: 10%
Sarah Palin: 9%
George W. Bush/Mitt Romney/No one: 5%

These folks are conservative Republicans, that's all they are. Read the rest of this post...

Palin is an issue in Kentucky GOP Senate race

The GOP Senate primary in Kentucky is causing Mitch McConnell lots of headaches. He hand-picked the person he wanted to succeed Jim Bunning, after doing everything he could to push Bunning out. But, McConnell's candidate, Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who is running against Rand Paul (Ron Paul's son), and he's losing according to the latest poll. The primary is May 18th.

Those teabaggers love Paul. Yesterday, Grayson really stepped in it with that crowd when he dissed their titular head, the queen of bendable straws, Sarah Palin:

Does Grayson think Palin is qualified to be president? "Not today." Did he think she was in 2008? "She wasn't running for president. I think she had the position to be vice president, but she wasn't running for president. I thought Sen. McCain was the best candidate to be president in the last election."

Is this a fair thing to ask Grayson? Well, Palin has endorsed his opponent, Rand Paul.

Now, to be clear, Grayson is right. Palin isn't qualified to be President. She could barely handle being Governor of Alaska. But, honesty probably isn't the best policy when it comes to the hard core GOPers and Palin. She rules their world.

On the Democratic side, Attorney General Jack Conway is running against Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo. The latest polling shows that race very tight. Conway has been moving. The Democrats have a much better chance of picking up this seat if Paul wins the primary. Read the rest of this post...

Foreclosure rates highest in five years

Another reminder that the economic problems are not yet over. Just because Wall Street is putting up flashy numbers does not mean it's the same for the rest. Why exactly are the Republicans being so easy on Wall Street? Can they ever stand up for average Americans? Is it really asking too much to support the non-boardroom types? Of course it is. The bankers and corporate executives who don't want any limitations bought their members of Congress and by gosh, they will get whatever they want.

RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday that the number of U.S. homes taken over by banks jumped 35 percent in the first quarter from a year ago. In addition, households facing foreclosure grew 16 percent in the same period and 7 percent from the last three months of 2009.

More homes were taken over by banks and scheduled for a foreclosure sale than in any quarter going back to at least January 2005, when RealtyTrac began reporting the data, the firm said.

"We're right now on pace to see more than 1 million bank repossessions this year," said Rick Sharga, a RealtyTrac senior vice president.

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Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

It's Tax Day. The teabaggers/GOPers are in a frenzy over it. This like a reverse high holy day for them. And, the traditional media will dutifully cover their protests, no matter how small.

This morning, Obama is focusing on mine safety. He has an meeting with the Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, and the Mine Safety and Health Administrator, Joseph Main. The President is also going to make some remarks on the issue. Yesterday, the Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, George Miller "released a list of 48 mines identified by federal mine safety officials in August 2009 for increased scrutiny, but were not targeted due to unresolved appeals filed by mine operators." The Chairman noted that one of the 48 mines on the list is the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia where 29 men died last week. The mine industry sure knows how to prevent scrutiny. That has to change.

Obama is heading to Florida later today. He's got events at Cape Canaveral on space issues. Then, he's heading to Miami for DNC fundraisers.

Time is running out for the President to send a message to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees that he wants the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell included in the 2011 Defense authorization. That will be the best indicator that he's serious about having DADT repealed this year, as promised in the State of the Union. But, we're getting every indication that it won't happen. And, the latest statement from the White House doesn't instill much confidence.

The Senate debate on Wall Street reform is really heating up. The Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, have sided with the big bankers. Just about every word out of McConnell's mouth comes directly from the talking points against reform written by Frank Luntz. The Republicans will say anything for their friends on Wall Street. And, the Wall Street bankers are spending lavishly on the GOPers. Be fun to see which GOPers follow McConnell on this one...

Let's get it started... Read the rest of this post...

New plan in Paris to shut down auto traffic on banks of Seine

I may be biased but Paris has a pretty decent mayor. For years he's been implementing various programs to disrupt traffic and encourage people to use the cheap yet excellent public transportation. Our neighborhood had increasingly become more and more of a parking lot during rush hours. Now, I can even ride my bike through the (previously) worst intersections without concern. I drive once or twice a year but only when leaving the city because the public tranport system goes everywhere and it's cheap.

The new plan is to remove the high speed roads on the one side of the Seine and give them back to people. Sure, it would have been great to do the same on both sides but perhaps that is the next step if this succeeds. (Thankfully the Greens will help keep that issue moving.) The cars on this route today drive like it's a race track. One of the bike paths that I often use forces cyclists to wait for them to race by which always feels uncomfortable to me. Instead, I cross a few lanes of deep but slow traffic to avoid the dangerous wait. As unpleasant as it is cutting across Paris traffic, it's better than sitting like a target waiting for the light to change. Another great idea from Delanoë.

Two-lane urban motorways, which have disfigured one of the world's most beautiful riverscapes for four decades, would be partially abandoned and replaced by parks, foot and cycle paths by 2012.

The proposals are a permanent extension of the "Paris Plage", or beach, which has replaced a section of the urban expressway on the Right Bank of the Seine each summer since 2002.

Under the plan, a kilometre-long stretch of the Left Bank from the Musée d'Orsay to just before the Eiffel Tower, would become a permanent park, footpath and cycle track. According to the town hall's preliminary plans, there might even be small off-shore islands, complete with palm trees.

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China still searching for earthquake survivors - death toll at least 589

Another very deadly earthquake. The last time there was a much more deadly one in China, people became furious about the poor quality of the housing construction. The ever-sympathetic Beijing government would have none of it and harassed and jailed the so-called trouble makers. The death toll is likely to increase from this disaster but fortunately it should still be much lower. Still, hundreds of deaths is horrible.

Chinese rescue workers were scratching through rubble with their hands in the search for survivors tonight after the country's biggest earthquake in two years killed more than 589 people and left thousands injured in a remote part of the Tibetan plateau.

Amid warnings that the death toll was likely to rise, the government dispatched more than 3,000 paramilitary police and disaster response specialists to Yushu county, Qinghai province, where 85% of the buildings were said to have collapsed in the hardest hit community.

TV footage of soldiers scrabbling to reach children trapped or buried under collapsed schools rekindled memories of the earthquake that killed 87,000 in neighbouring Sichuan two years ago.

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Toulouse, France to pilot 'walking energy' lit sidewalks

What a fun idea. Hopefully the pilot is successful and we see other projects like this around the world.

Embedded with microsensors which produce energy when people move over them, the modules seemed to Marciel to provide an unprecedented opportunity to alter how cities save and produce energy.

"It all stems from an observation that, in the public sphere, energy is wasted and it would be good if we could somehow get it back. There is nothing original in that but what the Dutch start-up had created was new," he said.

Although the authorities say they have succeeded in proving that the idea works – to the bewilderment of some sceptical Toulouse residents – they and the designers admit there have been problems.

The prototype of the modules, said Marciel, was unsuitable for street use as "at that stage they only worked if you jumped on them like a kangaroo". "So a model was developed on which you can walk normally and still produce enough energy to power the lights," he said.

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