Monday, February 23, 2009
BLM Taps Californian Mike Pool as Acting National Director
Mike Pool, California state director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), has been tapped to serve as the agency's acting national director in Washington D.C., effective March 1. Pool, 55, a career veteran, has served more than 34 years with BLM, starting at the field office level and working his way up through a variety of assignments in Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington D.C., and the Department of the Interior. He has been California state director since 2000, overseeing 15.1 million acres of public lands in California and another 1.5 million in northwestern Nevada. In the new acting position, he will oversee 256 million surface acres – more than any other federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 western states, including Alaska. He replaces current BLM Acting Director Ron Wenker, who will return to his current position as BLM's Nevada state director. Pool will remain in the new assignment pending selection of a permanent director by new Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. In California, Pool's Associate State Director Jim Abbott will serve as acting California state director. "I'm honored by the new assignment and look forward to assisting the new administration care for the public lands under BLM's jurisdiction," he said. The 55-year-old Pool, an Arizona native raised in New Mexico, holds a B.S. in wildlife science from New Mexico State University. BLM
Could green kill the desert?
From the LA Times:
California's desert lands are in some ways a perfect fit with the renewable energy industries necessary to combat climate change. There's sun. There's wind. There's space. But without careful planning and regulation, these "climate solutions" could irrevocably damage the planet they are intended to protect. The biologically rich but arid desert ecosystems are remarkably fragile. Once topsoil and plant life have been disrupted for the placement of solar arrays, wind farms, power plants, transmission lines and CO2 scrubbers, restoration would be cost-prohibitive, if not technically impossible. And widespread desert construction -- even of projects aimed at environmental mitigation -- would devastate the very organisms and ecosystems best able to adjust to a warming world. Nevertheless, there is a public land rush underway. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is processing more than 180 permit applications from private companies to build solar and wind projects in the California deserts. One such venture, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, will begin construction this year in a beautiful valley near the California-Nevada border in San Bernardino County. It will occupy 3,400 acres, and that doesn't include the land needed for transmission lines. Most projects are even larger, averaging 8,000 acres, with a few exceeding 20,000 acres. The total public land under consideration for alternative energy production exceeds 1.45 million acres in this state alone. The scale of some proposals borders on fantasy. One Columbia University scientist, Wallace Broecker, has proposed installing 60 million CO2 scrubbers, each a 50-foot-tall tower, throughout the world's deserts -- 17 million of them in the United States -- for the purpose of capturing greenhouse gases...Such large-scale effects cannot be addressed on a project-by-project basis, as is done through the existing environmental review process. We need effective, desert-wide planning that engages the major public and private stakeholders that determine the fate of California desert land. The costs of industrializing the biologically rich California deserts will be measured in terms of species extinction, ecosystem degradation and the perpetuation of human self-deception...
California's desert lands are in some ways a perfect fit with the renewable energy industries necessary to combat climate change. There's sun. There's wind. There's space. But without careful planning and regulation, these "climate solutions" could irrevocably damage the planet they are intended to protect. The biologically rich but arid desert ecosystems are remarkably fragile. Once topsoil and plant life have been disrupted for the placement of solar arrays, wind farms, power plants, transmission lines and CO2 scrubbers, restoration would be cost-prohibitive, if not technically impossible. And widespread desert construction -- even of projects aimed at environmental mitigation -- would devastate the very organisms and ecosystems best able to adjust to a warming world. Nevertheless, there is a public land rush underway. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is processing more than 180 permit applications from private companies to build solar and wind projects in the California deserts. One such venture, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, will begin construction this year in a beautiful valley near the California-Nevada border in San Bernardino County. It will occupy 3,400 acres, and that doesn't include the land needed for transmission lines. Most projects are even larger, averaging 8,000 acres, with a few exceeding 20,000 acres. The total public land under consideration for alternative energy production exceeds 1.45 million acres in this state alone. The scale of some proposals borders on fantasy. One Columbia University scientist, Wallace Broecker, has proposed installing 60 million CO2 scrubbers, each a 50-foot-tall tower, throughout the world's deserts -- 17 million of them in the United States -- for the purpose of capturing greenhouse gases...Such large-scale effects cannot be addressed on a project-by-project basis, as is done through the existing environmental review process. We need effective, desert-wide planning that engages the major public and private stakeholders that determine the fate of California desert land. The costs of industrializing the biologically rich California deserts will be measured in terms of species extinction, ecosystem degradation and the perpetuation of human self-deception...
Climate Fears Are Driving 'Ecomigration' Across Globe
Adam Fier recently sold his home, got rid of his car and pulled his twin 6-year-old girls out of elementary school in Montgomery County. He and his wife packed the family's belongings and moved to New Zealand -- a place they had never visited or seen before, and where they have no family or professional connections. Among the top reasons: global warming. Halfway around the world, the president of Kiribati, a Pacific nation of low-lying islands, said last week that his country is exploring ways to move all its 100,000 citizens to a new homeland because of fears that a steadily rising ocean will make the islands uninhabitable. The two men are at contrasting poles of a phenomenon that threatens to reshape economies, politics and cultures across the planet. By choice or necessity, millions of "ecomigrants" -- most of them poor and desperate -- are on the move in search of more habitable living space. There were about 25 million ecomigrants in the world a little more than a decade ago, said Norman Myers, a respected British environmental researcher at Oxford University. That number is now "a good deal higher," he added. "It's plain that sea-level rise in the wake of climate change will inundate the homelands of huge numbers of people."...Washington Post
Chile slight has locals seeing red (and green)
Not that there's anything wrong with northern New Mexico chile. But in the Mesilla Valley, extolling the virtues of Chimayo chile to the exclusion of the panoply of southern New Mexico chiles is a mighty spicy gauntlet. A bill introduced by Rep. Elias Barela, D-Belen, and pending in the House Education Committee would name "We Love it Real Hot," by Alberto Onaldo Martinez, the state's official bilingual poem. The state already has an official poem, "A Nuevo Mexico," by Luis Tafoya, which was adopted in 1991. "We Love It Real Hot," reads, in part: "Ah, Chimayo chile is so delicious to eat!/That cure-all food is a special treat,/So fiery good, it makes us sweat,A runny nose is more proof yet./A hot bite and you're chile afflicted,Another bite and you're chile addicted!/Caramba! It's hot, turistas say,/They beg for more when out our way." Apart from the fact that Martinez's description of being overcome by Scovilles seems more suited to a "turista" rather than a chile-in-your-chocolate New Mexican, the poem has raised hackles, especially among those in Hatch. Barela was unavailable for comment. Rep. Andy Nuñez, D-Hatch, said he's worked with the northern farmers and their peppers — which he described as "small and mostly skin" — lack the techniques, varieties and meat of the Mesilla Valley. "I'm upset with it, too, because I'm a Hatcher," Nuñez said from Santa Fe. "It hasn't come to any committee or floor, but I will mention it to them. The people up here don't know what good chile is." New Mexico grows twice as much chile as California — with Doña Ana County leading in production — and residents eat the most chile per capita in the country, according to SouthernNewMexico.com...Silver City Sun-News
Mountain Lions In LA Suburb
The LA Times reports:
Police officers shot and killed a mountain lion cub today after it charged officers who surrounded the cat in Santa Paula. MacKinnon said police set up a perimeter and called in officials from the state Department of Fish and Game. Before they arrived, however, a mountain lion cub weighing approximately 40 pounds approached one officer and then turned and ran toward another. "They thought they were in imminent danger," MacKinnon said. "At that point, unfortunately, the mountain lion was shot and killed." MacKinnon said police and Fish and Game officials believe there were five big cats — two adults, a juvenile and two cubs — in the area...
Police officers shot and killed a mountain lion cub today after it charged officers who surrounded the cat in Santa Paula. MacKinnon said police set up a perimeter and called in officials from the state Department of Fish and Game. Before they arrived, however, a mountain lion cub weighing approximately 40 pounds approached one officer and then turned and ran toward another. "They thought they were in imminent danger," MacKinnon said. "At that point, unfortunately, the mountain lion was shot and killed." MacKinnon said police and Fish and Game officials believe there were five big cats — two adults, a juvenile and two cubs — in the area...
Coyote controversy in Denver
The controversy on coyotes has heated up in recent months in the Denver area, where coyotes have attacked not only pets but humans, as well. Coyotes have attacked two people in the Denver area since December. The suburb of Greenwood Village has reported nearly 200 coyote sightings in the past year, prompting the suburb to approve a plan to kill coyotes in parks, greenbelts and watersheds. The DOW does not prohibit municipalities from adopting control measures on coyotes. Most wildlife experts agree that the coyote numbers do appear to be on the rise. Because coyotes are so prevalent, the DOW does not make population estimates like they do on other predators such as mountain lions or black bears. Most wildlife experts place the conflict blame on people, not the coyotes. They say the coyotes are adaptable and are drawn into potential conflict with people who have moved into rural settings or live in the urban-rural interface. Also, urban and rural parks and open spaces also bring wildlife of all kinds and humans closer together. Add food sources such as pet food and pets, and you have a recipe for potential encounters...The Coloradoan
Rancher ruling adds to border debate
This Washington Times article is the most thorough on the Barnett case I've run across so far. The photo is of Barnett turning the illegal immigrants over to the Border PatrolU.S. District Judge John M. Roll, for starters, dismissed the claims of 10 of the illegals because they did not testify at trial. He then tossed related conspiracy complaints against Mr. Barnett's wife, Barbara, and his brother Donald, saying illegal immigrants had no constitutionally protected right to travel in the United States. Judge Roll said the Barnetts, who live in close proximity to the border, could reasonably assume that large groups of people they encountered hiding or trespassing on their property were doing so with the aid of smugglers. He said entering the United States illegally was a federal felony, for which a citizen's arrest was authorized under Arizona law. Ultimately, the jury of four men and four women decided that Mr. Barnett did not violate the civil rights of the remaining six plaintiffs and was not guilty of false imprisonment, battery and conspiracy as charged in the suit. "Citizens who live along the border, like citizens anywhere in the country, have a right to act in such instances," said David T. Hardy, one of Mr. Barnett's attorneys. "The vindication of the Barnetts should clear the way for other Americans to act responsibly without fear of specious and politically motivated lawsuits." The jury awarded $17,802 to the six remaining illegal immigrants on their claims of assault and the infliction of emotional distress - $7,500 each to two, $1,400 each to two others and $1 each to the remaining pair. It also ordered Mr. Barnett to pay $60,000 in punitive damages...A 2006 Arizona constitutional amendment bars awards of punitive damages to illegal immigrants, and Mr. Barnett's attorneys are expected to argue that the jury was given flawed instructions by the judge, which led to the award of those damages...
N.D. law complicates nonprofit land purchases
Hetletved’s dilemma — he’s now trying to decide what to do with the land — has its roots in North Dakota anti-corporate farming laws that date to the early 1900s. Nonprofits historically were classified as corporate entities and banned from owning land in North Dakota until the mid-1980s, when the Legislature passed a bill that provided for an exception to anti-corporate farming laws. Nonprofits can buy land, but there’s a caveat: They have to get past the acquisition committee and the governor first. Critics say the makeup of the committee — which is mandated by law — stacks the deck against nonprofits. The state ag commissioner chairs the committee, which also includes representatives from the North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Farm Bureau and North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, along with the directors of the state Game and Fish Department, Parks and Recreation Department and North Dakota Forest Service. The chairman of the county board in which the land is located rounds out the committee. “We think the way the Legislature has designed this advisory committee, it’s pretty much preordained to vote against us,” said Jim Ringelman, DU’s director of conservation programs for the Dakotas and Montana. “What we operate under is an exception to corporate farming law, which sounds like it’s gracious. But the point of fact is, if you never approve their applications, what’s the point?” Historically, Ringelman said, farm groups, the county boards and the ag commissioner vote against allowing nonprofit purchases to proceed. He said North Dakota has the most restrictive laws in the country when it comes to buying land. North Dakota also is the only state in the U.S. to ban landowners from selling perpetual easements, in which the property owner keeps the land but grants someone else the right to use or restrict the property. The state Senate just this week overwhelmingly voted down a bill to repeal that ban. Easements in North Dakota can be no longer than 99 years...Grand Forks Herald
House Committee Gets New Mustang Bill
Wild horses and burros could get more room to roam under a bill introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee on Thursday by Committee Chairman Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. The Restoring Our American Mustangs Act (HR 1018), amends the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 to allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to increase acreage available to free roaming herds, and to develop wild horse and burro sanctuaries on public lands. The bill also forbids the killing of healthy animals, and allows greater public participation in herd management decisions...The Horse.com
Brazil's JBS abandons US National Beef takeover
Brazil's JBS (JBSS3.SA), the world's largest beef producer and owner of JBS-Swift, has abandoned its attempt to take over U.S. meat company National Beef Packing Company LLC, saying it could not work out an agreement with U.S. authorities over terms of the deal. JBS became the No. 3 U.S. beef producer in 2008 when it bought the beef operations of Smithfield Foods Inc (SFD.N), which included beef plants and the Five Rivers Ranch cattle feeding operation. At that time it also tried to buy National Beef in a deal valued at $970 million in cash, stock and debt. Since then, the Brazilian company has been in talks with the U.S. Justice Department about selling assets in order to gain approval to buy National Beef. But JBS said U.S. authorities insisted it sell two of its eight North American units so that it did not surpass the size of U.S. food giants Tyson Foods Inc (TSN.N) and Cargill Inc, after which "it decided not to go forward with the acquisition." "We fought hard but unfortunately the Department of Justice wanted to keep us the same size as Tyson and Cargill," said JBS President Joesley Mendonca Batista...Reuters
How the West was seen
For most of its history, the Denver Art Museum paid scant attention to Western art. But since the 2001 establishment of a curatorial department focused on the field, it has quickly become an emphasis of the institution. The latest and most dramatic evidence came with Saturday's opening of nine handsomely renovated galleries on the seventh floor of the museum's original 1971 building — all devoted to historical Western art. On view are 132 paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and decorative objects, including examples by such famed artists as Thomas Hart Benton, Albert Bierstadt, Charles Deas, Thomas Eakins, Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. Between these new galleries and existing space on the second floor of the Hamilton Building (the museum's 2006 addition), about 16,300 square feet is now set aside for Western art, bringing the area closer in size to the museum's larger and older departments...Denver Post
Mountain cowboy just ‘says stuff’
Like most ranch kids of my generation I learned to assess a situation and figure out a solution. We were sent off on a horse to check on salt, look for cattle or cow sign, fix up old fences, roll up barbed wire, and attend to any number of other chores. We grew up on the back of a horse and we grew up thinking. Just like the men, when a kid rode into the ranch in the evening, he was expected to give an articulate report of what he had seen and done that day. We said things. I was raised pretty wild by modern standards, but I came to respect my dad’s teaching modus operandi. Dad and my Granddad Floyd before him, taught kind of like Mother Nature with the test coming first and the lesson afterward. After I was grown, I asked Dad if he wasn’t ever concerned that I might get hurt when I was young. He smiled and told me, “I figured if you lived through it, you’d be a man.” I made it and I thank God every day that I was born into a ranching family at a time when I could fall into the culture of the old-time Arizona cowboys. I grew up a mountain cowboy and made my living in the cattle industry in the same manner as my ancestors until I was 58 years old. And, like Official Arizona State Historian Marshal Trimble says, “If you can cowboy in the Mogollon Rim Country of Arizona, you can cowboy anywhere.”...Jinx Pyle in the Payson Roundup
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Cowgirl Sass & Savvy
Where there's a will, there's always a wayJulie Carter
A bad-to-the-bone cowboy hates more than anything to be "footback," - without a horse.
Odds are the condition is caused by a cash flow problem, a regular experience for cowboys.
Dan was facing this predicament when good fortune smiled on him.
A friend of his offered him an outstanding grulla mare, for a minimal price.
His friend informed him the mare might possibly respond quicker to commands in Español.
No problemo, the cowboy was fluent in the language.
He was also told that she was a mite headstrong, but her speed, as in she could literally fly down the arena, would make up for that shortcoming.
As a further incentive to buying this mare, he was advised that she wore a solid No. 2 shoe, which the current owner had an ample supply and would throw them in as part of the deal.
Dan parted with his life savings of $600 and put himself horseback - where the real things of the world took place.
He test-drove Mouse at his friend's arena. Following the precept that if you can't have the one you love, love the one you have, Dan decided Mouse would be perfect.
He loaded his new prize and set off to Mineral Wells for the Sunday roping where his friend Jeff was waiting impatiently. He had already entered them and was dreaming up how they would spend their winnings
Dan backed Mouse in the heeling box, Jeff nodded and the steer came flying. Jeff's head loop was true and settled around the steers horns.
He turned off to the left to set the steer in perfect position for Dan's heel loop.
Mouse had been in that arena before and had zeroed her eyeballs on the stripping chute exit gate at the far end.
She did, indeed, fly down the arena, totally ignoring the steer.
By the time she got to other end , Dan had hollered "Alto!" enough times to get her to stop in the corner.
Jeff, seeing what was happening, simply turned his horse and brought the steer back by Dan and Mouse.
Dan reached out and heeled both feet on the steer. They got a fast time, all things considered.
Second round, Jeff backed in the heading box and began having a little trouble of his own.
His horse, seeing that Mouse was back in the heeling box, knew he was likely to have to pull the steer completely around the arena again. He began fighting the box.
Jeff's horse turned around in the box and stopped when was facing backward. This was precisely when the chute operator thought Jeff had nodded. He released the steer.
Fortunately, they had drawn the only steer that every other cowboy there had broken the barrier on.
The steer came slowly creeping out of the chute, Jeff's horse got turned around and they got out clean.
Jeff roped him quick and was set out to outrun Mouse as she was headed to the stripping chute gate again.
Jeff got in her way and Dan was able to catch both heels again. Another fast time.
Suffice it to say, the trophy buckles, prize money, pretty girls falling at their feet and a festive evening wound up the day.
Prudently saving part of his winnings, Dan's went straight to the tack store the next morning, on a mission to buy a Mouse-stopper.
They had a good supply of bits, EasyStops and hackamores that Dan looked over, along with their price tags.
Then he recalled that Grandpa had just what he needed at home.
Hanging on his wall, Grandpa had an antique Mexican bit that he had found on the Matador Ranch.
The shanks almost drug the ground, but since Mouse seemed to like all things Spanish, Dan knew this was the key to making a perfect partnership.
To a cowboy, there is nothing like making a good buy on an outstanding horse.
All was well with the world again.
Julie should have tried the Español approach a few times. She can be reached for comment at www.julie-carter.com.
It’s The Pitts
Bailout Bonanza
Lee Pitts
Everyone from big banks, collapsing car companies, ill insurance firms and even Hustler magazine has asked for a government bailout. All but Hustler got the cash. Hey, you have to draw the line somewhere and our government draws the line at porn. After all, there’s only so much money available to steal from American taxpayers.
Did you know that there is an actual application that must be filled out to be eligible for a bailout (seriously)? Because I am a lowly self-employed person and not a giant multinational corporation, I can’t get any of the cash, but just in case you might be eligible here’s what I assume the application for bailout money looks like.
#1 How much money do you need to tie you over until you declare bankruptcy?
a) $200 billion (50 points) b) $10 billion (25 points) c) Would a break on our taxes be too much to ask for? ( 0 points).
#2 What were your stock losses for the 2008 calendar year?
a) The stock of our company fell 60% (50 points) b) Our stock fell only 30% (25 points) c) Our stock losses included two heifers that died from calving (0 points).
#3 To what do you attribute your massive losses of capital?
a) Stupid investments in the futures market, credit default swaps and loaning money to deadbeats who bought houses with no money down (50 points) b) Producing too much of a bad product that no one wanted to buy (25 points) c) Commodity markets tanking as a result of government sponsored gambling and lax oversight (0 points).
#4 Should you be the recipient of a gold plated government bailout who would you choose as your overseer?
a) Barney Frank (50 points) b) Blago (50 points) c) Bernie Madoff (50 points) d) Al Franken, the comedian (50 points) d) An honest government official who can read, write, smell and see (if one can be found). (0 points).
#5 Select which statement best describes the majority of your employees:
a) Low wage workers in China, Bangladesh and India (50 points) b) Illegal aliens (25 points) c) It’s just you and your spouse (0 points).
#6 If asked to testify in Congress how would you make your way to Washington?
a) Aboard one of our company luxury jets (25 points) b) We’d leave our chauffeur behind and drive ourselves in a gas-saving vehicle not yet available for sale to the general public, with another car following in case of a breakdown (50 points) c) We can’t come to DC because someone has to stay home and feed the cows (0 points).
#7 How much was your CEO paid last year in performance bonuses for driving your company into bankruptcy (not counting stock options)?
a) $100 million (50 points) b) $10 million (25 points) c) He/she would have qualified for food stamps (0 points).
#8 What was your lobbying budget for 2008?
a) $10 million (50 points) b) $1 million (25 points, but only if you promise to bump that up next year) c) We wrote a nasty letter to the USDA (0 points).
#9 What do you intend to do with the bailout money?
a) None of your darn business (50 points) b) Hand out bonuses to big wigs at a lavish corporate retreat in the Bahamas (50 points c) Build more factories in China (25 points) d) Buy gold and silver coins, dried food, ammunition and whiskey (0 points).
#10 During the 2008 election what was your contribution?
a) $25,000 to Democrats (25 points) b) 25,000 to Republicans (25 points) c) $50,00 each to Republicans and Democrats (50 points) d) I voted and paid taxes (0 points).
* Tally your score. If you scored over 1 point you will receive a government bailout. If you scored zero points you’ll be paying for those bailouts.
Lee Pitts
Everyone from big banks, collapsing car companies, ill insurance firms and even Hustler magazine has asked for a government bailout. All but Hustler got the cash. Hey, you have to draw the line somewhere and our government draws the line at porn. After all, there’s only so much money available to steal from American taxpayers.
Did you know that there is an actual application that must be filled out to be eligible for a bailout (seriously)? Because I am a lowly self-employed person and not a giant multinational corporation, I can’t get any of the cash, but just in case you might be eligible here’s what I assume the application for bailout money looks like.
#1 How much money do you need to tie you over until you declare bankruptcy?
a) $200 billion (50 points) b) $10 billion (25 points) c) Would a break on our taxes be too much to ask for? ( 0 points).
#2 What were your stock losses for the 2008 calendar year?
a) The stock of our company fell 60% (50 points) b) Our stock fell only 30% (25 points) c) Our stock losses included two heifers that died from calving (0 points).
#3 To what do you attribute your massive losses of capital?
a) Stupid investments in the futures market, credit default swaps and loaning money to deadbeats who bought houses with no money down (50 points) b) Producing too much of a bad product that no one wanted to buy (25 points) c) Commodity markets tanking as a result of government sponsored gambling and lax oversight (0 points).
#4 Should you be the recipient of a gold plated government bailout who would you choose as your overseer?
a) Barney Frank (50 points) b) Blago (50 points) c) Bernie Madoff (50 points) d) Al Franken, the comedian (50 points) d) An honest government official who can read, write, smell and see (if one can be found). (0 points).
#5 Select which statement best describes the majority of your employees:
a) Low wage workers in China, Bangladesh and India (50 points) b) Illegal aliens (25 points) c) It’s just you and your spouse (0 points).
#6 If asked to testify in Congress how would you make your way to Washington?
a) Aboard one of our company luxury jets (25 points) b) We’d leave our chauffeur behind and drive ourselves in a gas-saving vehicle not yet available for sale to the general public, with another car following in case of a breakdown (50 points) c) We can’t come to DC because someone has to stay home and feed the cows (0 points).
#7 How much was your CEO paid last year in performance bonuses for driving your company into bankruptcy (not counting stock options)?
a) $100 million (50 points) b) $10 million (25 points) c) He/she would have qualified for food stamps (0 points).
#8 What was your lobbying budget for 2008?
a) $10 million (50 points) b) $1 million (25 points, but only if you promise to bump that up next year) c) We wrote a nasty letter to the USDA (0 points).
#9 What do you intend to do with the bailout money?
a) None of your darn business (50 points) b) Hand out bonuses to big wigs at a lavish corporate retreat in the Bahamas (50 points c) Build more factories in China (25 points) d) Buy gold and silver coins, dried food, ammunition and whiskey (0 points).
#10 During the 2008 election what was your contribution?
a) $25,000 to Democrats (25 points) b) 25,000 to Republicans (25 points) c) $50,00 each to Republicans and Democrats (50 points) d) I voted and paid taxes (0 points).
* Tally your score. If you scored over 1 point you will receive a government bailout. If you scored zero points you’ll be paying for those bailouts.
PETA Hits DoD Use of Pigs in Training
The base is among several military installations that have been singled out by PETA for using live animals when training medics for traumatic combat injuries. "We're filing these complaints because the Department of Defense requires use of alternatives when they are available," said Gala. "If these programs aren't using any animals, we're asking why are other programs such as Hurlburt's program and other Army programs using animals." "In short, to save lives," Ervin answered. "We're very sensitive to ensure that we only use live models if we cannot adequately simulate the type of injuries we want them (medics) to learn how to manage on a human patient." Animals were injured to treat massive traumas to vital organs such as the liver, bowels, spleen and stomach. Machines cannot simulate such wounds seen on a battlefield, said Ervin. "For the first time in the history of U.S. military, we're actually saving lives long before they get to the surgeons because our people are actually experienced and trained in doing that," Hagmann added. Gala contended technology can help do that...Military.com
Ca. legislator introduces bill to ban tail docking of dairy cows
Capital Press reports:
Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, has introduced a bill that would ban the practice of docking the tails of dairy cows. Florez, calling the practice of severing most of a cow's tail unnecessary and cruel, declared the bill a good start in his efforts to make a central issue of animal welfare in agriculture. His efforts, he says, come in response to the overwhelming voter approval in November of Proposition 2, which prohibited tight confinement of pigs and chickens. Noelia Silva-del-Rio, Tulare County dairy advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension, is conducting a study that so far suggests that 89 percent of the state's dairies do not dock tails. Florez is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, which was renamed and reorganized in January. It was previously known as the Senate Agriculture Committee. Florez has made animal welfare a prime topic. On Tuesday, his committee will hold a hearing on the topic. "This is a great place to start and we'll start to look at other things," he said. "But we're very, very focused on trying to figure out what are the animal welfare issues that we have ignored for so many decades here in California."...
Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, has introduced a bill that would ban the practice of docking the tails of dairy cows. Florez, calling the practice of severing most of a cow's tail unnecessary and cruel, declared the bill a good start in his efforts to make a central issue of animal welfare in agriculture. His efforts, he says, come in response to the overwhelming voter approval in November of Proposition 2, which prohibited tight confinement of pigs and chickens. Noelia Silva-del-Rio, Tulare County dairy advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension, is conducting a study that so far suggests that 89 percent of the state's dairies do not dock tails. Florez is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, which was renamed and reorganized in January. It was previously known as the Senate Agriculture Committee. Florez has made animal welfare a prime topic. On Tuesday, his committee will hold a hearing on the topic. "This is a great place to start and we'll start to look at other things," he said. "But we're very, very focused on trying to figure out what are the animal welfare issues that we have ignored for so many decades here in California."...
PRCA to pay $25,000 for YouTube takedown requests
A rodeo association has agreed to pay $25,000 to an animal welfare group to settle a lawsuit over the improper removal of videos from YouTube that showed roped calves being dragged off to die and tasers being used on tame horses to get them to buck. In December 2007, YouTube removed dozens of rodeo videos after getting takedown notices from the Colorado-based Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association that claimed copyright violations under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The group that posted them, Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, sued the rodeo group last summer. The group sued for misrepresentation, alleging that the videos could not have infringed any copyright because the rodeos themselves weren't copyrightable, the EFF said. The EFF announced on Thursday that the two sides had settled the case. In addition to the payment, the agreement requires the rodeo group to run any future copyright claims by its own general counsel and by SHARK before notices are sent to YouTube. It also bars the group from selectively enforcing a "no videotaping" provision against SHARK...CNET News
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Nations to Write Treaty Cutting Mercury Emissions
The Washington Post reports:
More than 140 countries have agreed to negotiate a legally binding treaty aimed at slashing the use of the metal mercury, with the goal of reducing people's exposure to a toxin that hampers brain development among infants and young children worldwide. The agreement, announced at a high-level United Nations meeting of environmental ministers in Nairobi yesterday came after Obama administration officials reversed U.S. policy and embraced the idea of joining in a binding pact. Once the administration said it was reversing the course set by President George W. Bush, China, India and other nations also agreed to endorse the goal of a mandatory treaty. The Bush administration had said it preferred to push for voluntary reductions in mercury emissions because the process of negotiating a treaty would be long and cumbersome. Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program, said yesterday's announcement marks the culmination of a seven-year effort to address a significant environmental and public health problem...
More than 140 countries have agreed to negotiate a legally binding treaty aimed at slashing the use of the metal mercury, with the goal of reducing people's exposure to a toxin that hampers brain development among infants and young children worldwide. The agreement, announced at a high-level United Nations meeting of environmental ministers in Nairobi yesterday came after Obama administration officials reversed U.S. policy and embraced the idea of joining in a binding pact. Once the administration said it was reversing the course set by President George W. Bush, China, India and other nations also agreed to endorse the goal of a mandatory treaty. The Bush administration had said it preferred to push for voluntary reductions in mercury emissions because the process of negotiating a treaty would be long and cumbersome. Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program, said yesterday's announcement marks the culmination of a seven-year effort to address a significant environmental and public health problem...
Governments Deal New Blow to Drought-Stricken California Farmers
The NY Times reports:
In a blow to California farmers struggling with a persistent drought, federal authorities released projections on Friday showing that little or no water would be available from federal sources this year for agricultural use. State water supplies were also expected to be severely curtailed, state officials said. The announcements — from the federal Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources — confirmed fears long held by farmers, who had been warned in recent months to expect little water from state and federal reservoirs, which are collectively less than half full. “It’s grim news,” said Tim Quinn, the executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, whose members serve both urban and agricultural needs and represent about 93 percent of water delivered in the state. Federal officials said new estimates showed that the Central Valley Project, the large irrigation system operated by the reclamation bureau, would be able to provide zero to 10 percent of its contracted deliveries. If the zero estimate proves true, it would effectively eliminate hundreds of farmers’ principal water supply. Water supplies to wildlife refuges, cities and industrial sources would also see smaller cutbacks, but agriculture would be hardest hit...
In a blow to California farmers struggling with a persistent drought, federal authorities released projections on Friday showing that little or no water would be available from federal sources this year for agricultural use. State water supplies were also expected to be severely curtailed, state officials said. The announcements — from the federal Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources — confirmed fears long held by farmers, who had been warned in recent months to expect little water from state and federal reservoirs, which are collectively less than half full. “It’s grim news,” said Tim Quinn, the executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, whose members serve both urban and agricultural needs and represent about 93 percent of water delivered in the state. Federal officials said new estimates showed that the Central Valley Project, the large irrigation system operated by the reclamation bureau, would be able to provide zero to 10 percent of its contracted deliveries. If the zero estimate proves true, it would effectively eliminate hundreds of farmers’ principal water supply. Water supplies to wildlife refuges, cities and industrial sources would also see smaller cutbacks, but agriculture would be hardest hit...
Interior Secretary to Review Controversial Leases
The Wall Street Journal reports:
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Friday oil royalty reform would likely be part of a comprehensive energy bill Congress is drafting. Mr. Salazar, speaking to reporters, also said his department was considering how to recoup billions of dollars in revenues the government believes it's owed from oil companies from controversial Gulf of Mexico leases signed in the late 1990s that omitted royalty price thresholds. "We're going to take a look at those 1998-1999 leases... I'm not sure if it's going to be done through legislation or settlement discussions, but it is something we're considering," he said. Mr. Salazar has said one of the royalty reforms he's considering axing is the royalty-in-kind, or RIK, policy and other programs. The RIK allows companies to pay their royalties to the government in oil rather than cash. Another possible target is the deep water royalty relief program. Industry officials say they're concerned, and such reform could prevent new development, particularly in more costly offshore areas...
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Friday oil royalty reform would likely be part of a comprehensive energy bill Congress is drafting. Mr. Salazar, speaking to reporters, also said his department was considering how to recoup billions of dollars in revenues the government believes it's owed from oil companies from controversial Gulf of Mexico leases signed in the late 1990s that omitted royalty price thresholds. "We're going to take a look at those 1998-1999 leases... I'm not sure if it's going to be done through legislation or settlement discussions, but it is something we're considering," he said. Mr. Salazar has said one of the royalty reforms he's considering axing is the royalty-in-kind, or RIK, policy and other programs. The RIK allows companies to pay their royalties to the government in oil rather than cash. Another possible target is the deep water royalty relief program. Industry officials say they're concerned, and such reform could prevent new development, particularly in more costly offshore areas...
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