Adapted from “The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers and a World on Fire,” by Neil Irwin (The Penguin Press, available April 4). WASHINGTONO POST: …But in fact, what happened over three days and four nights in May 2010 is essential to understanding the economic predicament in which the world still finds itself. In that moment, the […]
Month: March 2013
Russia gears up for shale boom
FINANCIAL TIMES: Russia is gearing up for an oil boom on the same scale as the US, as the techniques that sparked the shale revolution are applied to Siberia’s deposits of unconventional oil, according to one of the country’s top oil executives. Leonid Fedun, vice-president of Lukoil, said Russia, the world’s second-largest oil producer after […]
Close inmates’ revolving door
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Editorial: …Pennsylvania’s prison halfway houses are a failure. More felons who spent time in halfway houses return to jail than among those released directly from prison to the streets… Wetzel ordered an in-house study, which showed that 67 percent of inmates released from halfway houses wound up back in jail within three years, […]
Quality drilling: It’s time for higher standards on Marcellus Shale
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Editorial …With the help of two foundations and strong civic leadership, an unlikely band of energy companies and environmental groups have collaborated to raise operating standards in the Marcellus Shale drilling industry for the benefit of everyone — workers, businesses and people who care about clean air and water. The Center for Sustainable […]
Pa. gubernatorial primary gets ugly early
POLITICO: …Earlier this month, a top aide to Rep. Allyson Schwartz warned an adviser to state Treasurer Rob McCord – a likely primary opponent – that there could be consequences for his political consulting business if he continues to criticize the Philadelphia-area congresswoman behind closed doors…
Business, Labor Get Immigration Deal on Guest Worker Program
NEWSMAX: …Under the emerging agreement between business and labor, a new “W” visa program would bring tens of thousands of lower-skilled workers a year to the country. The program would be capped at 200,000 a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by […]
Some phone companies seek to end landline service
USA TODAY: As more telephone customers cut the cord and shift service to wireless or Internet-based options, some major telephone companies have asked the federal government to pull the plug on the old-fashioned service. They say regulations that require maintenance of outdated, little-used infrastructure hinders progress because it ties up money that could otherwise be […]
Obamacare Faces Near-Solid Block In The South
HUFFINGTON POST: As more Republicans give in to President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul, an opposition bloc remains across the South, including from governors who lead some of the nation’s poorest and unhealthiest states… Widening Medicaid insurance rolls, a joint federal-state program for low-income Americans, is an anchor of the law Obama signed in 2010. But […]
Why Are Prisoners Committing Suicide in Pennsylvania?
THE NATION: … Historically, Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of the use of solitary confinement, and it has continued to experiment with new forms of isolation. In 2000 the Pennsylvania DOC introduced the Long Term Segregation Unit, or LTSU, to house its most dangerous and disobedient inmates.
Bank of Cyprus’ Big Depositors to Lose Up to 60 Percent of Savings
DAILY FINANCE / AP: Big depositors at Cyprus’ largest bank may be forced to accept losses of up to 60 percent, far more than initially estimated under the European rescue package to save the country from bankruptcy, officials said Saturday. Deposits of more than 100,000 euros ($128,000) at the Bank of Cyprus will lose 37.5 […]
Wall Street views ethical behavior differently from Main Street
“The SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] asserted that Goldman [Sachs] had purposely not disclosed to buyers of Abacus that Paulson [& Co.] had helped create [the bond offering] with the goal of having it fail. The investors who bet it would rise in value wound up losing $1 billion…
Senators Leahy, Paul introduce mandatory sentencing reform bill
By Phil Smith DRUG WAR CHRONICLE: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) joined Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in introducing legislation that would give federal judges greater flexibility in sentencing in cases where mandatory minimum sentences are involved. The bill, Senate Bill 691, also known as the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013, would […]
Obama’s Economic Plan: Billions in Public Projects
NEWSMAX: President Barack Obama walked into the mouth of a giant tunnel in Miami on Friday to highlight proposals to boost investment in U.S. infrastructure, a move designed to show a leader still focused on the economy in the midst of broader policy battles in Washington.
UPS pays $40M to end online pharmacies probe
Internet pharmacies selling controlled substances, including powerful narcotic pain killers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, without valid prescriptions used UPS services to ship the illegal drugs, the Justice Department said in a press release.