From NEWSMAX / AP: … The suit asks a federal judge to rule on whether strict compliance with the Arizona law provides protection from federal prosecution or whether the Arizona measure is pre-empted by federal law. The state law approved by voters in November, like those in other states, decriminalizes distribution, possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes under specified circumstances…
Month: May 2011
Small signs suggest waning support for Gadhafi
USA TODAY / AP: TRIPOLI, Libya …The shaking cacophony of bangs and bullets one recent evening all served to camouflage the thin turnout at a pro-Gadhafi demonstration in his stronghold, the capital of Tripoli. Only several hundred showed up, and many seemed more interested in having fun than in showing solidarity with the regime… Fewer […]
Chris Christie: Global Warming Real, Govt Efforts Flawed
NEWSMAX: …The Republican New Jersey governor launched into an explanation Thursday for why he’s bowing out of a landmark regional cap-and-trade program for power plants, according to Politico, but he first strapped on his layman scientist’s cap to give a brief overview of what’s widely considered accepted climate science. His decision to leave the program, […]
Studies: Missed meds could cost more than $250B a year
From USA TODAY: Americans may waste as much as $258 billion a year by not taking prescribed medications because the missed doses lead to emergency room visits, doctors’ visits and in-patient hospitalizations, according to a study by Express Scripts, an independent prescription- filling company.
Fukushima Faces ‘Massive’ Radioactive Water Problem
BLOOMBERG: As a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency visits Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s crippled nuclear plant today, academics warn the company has failed to disclose the scale of radiation leaks and faces a “massive problem” with contaminated water. The utility known as Tepco has been pumping cooling water into the three reactors that […]
NATO air strikes rock Libyan capital
ALJAZEERA: NATO has launched a fourth night of airstrikes on Tripoli, leaving smoke rising from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s compound where five loud blasts were heard in the vicinity… The latest attacks come only hours after Libya’s government proposed a ceasefire to end more than three months of fighting and the start of unconditional […]
Chinese rare earth metals prices soar
FINANCIAL TIMES: A gravity-defying leap in the price of Chinese rare earth metals has triggered fears that the cost of components used in a range of goods from mobile phones to hybrid cars could soar. The three to fivefold jump in prices since January comes after China, the world’s biggest producer of rare earths, has […]
What’s the best fix? A New Economy, a New UN, or a Somewhat Larger and Cooler Home Planet?
I’ve been following world affairs since shortly before Germany invaded Poland in 1939 (I was born in 1932) and can’t remember when the Earth’s human population was larger or more divided. One thing that huge population makes us more vulnerable to is all forms of natural and man-made disasters. Do the Insurance Companies (or their policy […]
Pa.’s lax approach to the environment repeats itself with natural gas.
From the INQUIRER OP-ED: The current wave of Marcellus Shale gas drilling has many Pennsylvanians worried about the impact on their water supplies – understandably so. The state’s natural-gas industry faces significantly less environmental regulation than the coal industry does, but its potential repercussions are at least as serious.
Are wine and liquor more expensive in Pennsylvania than in neighboring states?
From the HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS: It pays to pick up a bottle of rum or wine for that summer barbecue party while vacationing at the New Jersey shore. The perception in Pennsylvania is that other states have better prices on wine and liquor, so it makes sense to stock up when you’re out of state. Maryland stores near the Pennsylvania line say they get plenty of customers from the Keystone State.
Egypt to reopen Gaza border crossing, raising Israeli concerns
WASHINGTON POST: Egypt will permanently open its border crossing with the Gaza Strip this weekend, the government announced Wednesday, underscoring how dramatically the uprisings that are roiling the Arab world could reshape the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Egypt’s interim military leaders, who had been instrumental in implementing the blockade under orders from then-President Hosni Mubarak, appeared to […]
Dick Lugar tough talk ices Obama friendship
POLITICO: President Barack Obama was leaving a Senate Republican meeting on the budget earlier this month when he unexpectedly bumped into Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) as they both came off the White House elevators. Lugar voiced his objections directly to Obama about the U.S. military policy in Libya, raising concerns about its scope and cost […]
Marriage loses ground
USA TODAY: Marriage is losing ground to a grinding economic slowdown that has prompted more couples to live together without tying the knot… Unmarried couples made up 12% of U.S. couples in 2010, a 25% increase in 10 years, according to Census data out today…. Couples at both ends of the economic spectrum are opting […]
US default ‘more likely than in Indonesia’
FINANCIAL TIMES: It sounds dotty to suggest the US is at imminent risk of default. A country that has rarely been able to borrow so cheaply, that issues debt in its own currency and has just demonstrated that it can print as much money as it likes need never miss a coupon payment. Yet in […]