The latest bit of climate controversy has kicked off in Texas, a state with a governor, RIck Perry, who has suggested that climate scientists have manipulated data. At issue is a report on the future of Galveston Bay, on Texas’ Gulf coast. The report was commissioned by the state’s Commission on Environmental Quality, and prepared by a private consulting firm. The CEQ, however, had issues with the report’s contents when it came to topics related to climate change, and tried to edit the report. Now, the scientists who prepared the report are asking that their names be removed from it.
The report was being prepared by the Houston Advanced Research Center, which contracts the work out to research scientists. One of the chapters of the report focuses on the impact of sea level rise. Studies in the peer-reviewed literature suggest that, after thousands of years of relative stability, the rate of sea level rise has been accelerating during the last century, and it’s expected to continue to rise as temperatures get warmer. That obviously has implications for low-lying coastal areas like Galveston, and the report touches on some of these.
That didn’t go over well with some people at the CEQ, who edited the report to remove all references to sea level rise (replacing “rise” with “change”) and made other alterations to diminish its significance. The author of that chapter, Rice University’s John Anderson, was appalled, and refused to approve the edits (he provided a copy of them to Mother Jones, which has posted them online).
After the Houston Chronicle picked up the story, word of the problems spread among the authors, and every single scientist on the report has now asked that their names be removed from it. In response to queries about deleting basic facts (sea levels have risen) from the report, a CEQ spokesperson was quoted as saying, “Information was included in a report that we disagree with.”
It’s tempting to trace this disagreement with reality upwards, as the head of the CEQ has apparently termed climate science a fraud; he was appointed by governor Rick Perry, who has also accused scientists of unethically manipulating data. At this point, however, there’s no indication that any orders for censorship were handed down. It’s equally likely that the mid-level employees at the CEQ, aware of their superiors’ biases, made an independent attempt to force the report to reflect them.
October 19, 2011
Texas continues to work hard to be Anti-Environment!
October 12, 2011
HP fires 500 Americans! Moves jobs abroad.
I don’t care what politicians say, but we really should consider an outsourcing tax. The revenue from that outsourcing tax can then be given as a tax credit to companies that create new jobs here in the USA.
The “reduction in workforce” telegraphed by HP a few weeks ago appears to finally be taking place, according to a source inside the company. Apparently the formal emails have gone out and the entire San Diego Software unit is being rolled up. The number laid off is around 500, which tallies with previous estimates of up to 525.
The jobs are reportedly moving to Shanghai and Yehud, Israel, where HP already has R&D centers.
April 7, 2011
Transocean executives to donate bonuses.
Although their actions do not change what happened in the gulf. They did the thing by donating their bonuses.
Transocean to Donate Safety Bonus Awards After Criticism
By Joe CarrollApril 5 (Bloomberg) — Transocean Ltd., owner of the drilling rig that exploded and sank in last year’s fatal Gulf of Mexico disaster, said top executives will donate to charity safety bonuses that drew criticism from U.S. Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar.
The bonuses, which in aggregate total more than $250,000, will be given to the Deepwater Horizon Memorial Fund established by the Vernier, Switzerland-based company after 11 rig workers perished in the April 20 catastrophe, Transocean said today in a statement.
Chief Executive Officer Steven Newman and his senior management team drew criticism from Salazar and other government officials after a regulatory filing last week said the bonuses were justified by Transocean’s “best year in safety performance.” The company’s Deepwater Horizon vessel was working on behalf of BP Plc on a well called Macondo when a blowout erupted.
“Nothing is more important to Transocean than our people, and it was never our intent to diminish the effect the Macondo tragedy has had on those who lost loved ones, Newman said in the statement. “We offer our most sincere apologies and we regret the impact this matter has had on the entire Transocean family.”
In addition to Newman, the executives who will donate their bonuses include Chief Financial Officer Ricardo H. Rosa, and Arnaud A.Y. Bobillier, Eric Brown and Ihab M. Toma, all of whom are executive vice presidents.
April 2, 2011
Transocean executives get bonuses for safety, despite the massive damage caused by the oil spill.
We live in a messed up world. While many people lost their livelihoods due to the oil spill, these guys are getting bonuses.
Transocean gives bonuses after Gulf of Mexico BP spill
By Andy Gallacher
BBC News, MiamiThe offshore drilling firm responsible for running the Deepwater Horizon rig has given its top executives bonuses for its “best year” for safety.
Transocean was blamed along with BP and Halliburton after last year’s massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Eleven workers, nine of whom worked for Transocean, died when the Deepwater Horizon exploded almost a year ago.
But Transocean said there had been a drop in the rate of recorded incidents and also in their potential severity.‘Exemplary record’
The Deepwater Horizon exploded on 20 April 2010. In the days and months that followed millions of gallons of oil poured unabated into the Gulf of Mexico, prompting President Barack Obama to call the incident America’s environmental 9/11.Before the well was capped in July, the spill fouled the coastlines of four states, scared tourists away and closed countless fishing grounds. The true environmental and economic impact may not be known for years.
A presidential commission concluded that the explosion had been caused by cost-cutting and directly blamed Transocean, BP and Halliburton for the disaster.
Despite that, Transocean handed out huge bonuses to its executives citing the company’s best year for safety ever.The company’s annual report acknowledges the explosion on the rig, but goes on to say that it exceeded internal safety targets.
“Notwithstanding the tragic loss of life in the Gulf of Mexico, we achieved an exemplary statistical safety record as measured by our total recordable incident rate and total potential severity rate,” the report says.
“As measured by these standards, we recorded the best year in safety performance in our company’s history, which is a reflection on our commitment to achieving an incident free environment, all the time, everywhere,” it adds.
Transocean has always maintained that BP is solely responsible for the oil spill. BP contends that Transocean shares liability.
January 22, 2011
Re: $300.00 off rent in exch. for eldercare (Los Angeles) (are you serious?)
People on Craigslist sometimes make some very ridiculous requests. I applaud the individuals who point out these ridiculous requests. Here is one such post:
Re: $300.00 off rent in exch. for eldercare (Los Angeles) (are you serious?)
Date: 2011-01-19, 1:15PM PST
Reply to: gigs-bwzbg-2169225423@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]you’re going to have someone PAY to take care of your elder? get a life.
you want a housekeeper, a caregiver, and a tenant? you want $445 for it….after “taking $300 off”? seriously, if you’re going to have someone live there and take care of someone who is NOT their responsibility, and keep house for a bunch of people that the person has no ties to? seriously….?
OH, and to the person thinking about this…you’ll be living in a BASEMENT.$300.00 off rent in exch. for eldercare (Los Angeles)
Date: 2011-01-19, 12:03PM PST
Reply to: alacombe@sbcglobal.net [Errors when replying to ads?]We are currently renting this ‘basement apartment’ space below our large home for $775. Current occupant is paid through March 1, but might be able to be out before that if new person wants to be in earlier.
The room is very large, like a loft with lots of windows, white carpet and beautiful rich RED paint! It has a small kitchenette, bathroom with stall shower, separate entrance. It is unfurnished.We are offering $300 reduction in rent per month in exchange for elder sitting my Mom (who is 92 and lives with us) on Sundays, helping her with lunch, and playing cards with her. Maybe watching a movie or taking her out for a walk. She is disabled, but can walk with a walker, and uses the bathroom on her own. Some light housekeeping may also be requested…..
View Park in a very upscale neighborhood, safe, and very beautiful with views over the city and mountains.It is adjacent to Baldwin Hills, located midway between Culver City and Downtown, very centrally located. We are nice too.
Utilities are included, cable tv, wifi, ample unrestricted parking. 1st, last, security + good credit and good references a must. This is a great house in a wonderful neighborhood, an opportunity not to be missed! $445 for this space is a steal. Move in fee would be $1,335
Call 323) 299-9702 or email alacombe@sbcglobal.net I will send address. We will show the room this Saturday between 1 and 3 pm. Thanks!
This is (more…)
December 21, 2010
Antitrust,Collusion?
Forget getting Netflix or Hulu Plus on TiVo-made cable DVRs
By Chris ForesmanTiVo’s Premiere-series DVRs offer access to Netflix’s Watch Instantly streaming service, and the company has announced that Hulu Plus support is coming soon. But if you get your TiVo Premiere from your cable company, you won’t be able to access either service. Rightsholders are using licensing terms to prevent these services from directly competing with paid video-on-demand from your cable provider.
Both Netflix and Hulu have confirmed to GigaOM that the contracts in place with content providers specifically forbid offering subscription service to DVRs that are leased to customers through cable companies. Such subscription services would compete directly with TV providers’ VOD services which charge as much as $3 per TV episode and $10 for a movie.
This kind of access blocking isn’t new, either. Movie studios have gotten Netflix to agree to a 28-day window for access to new releases in exchange for better access to back-catalog content for its streaming service. The 28-day window is intended to help prop up dwindling DVD sales as customers continue to transition to on-demand streaming video services. It seems content providers are happy to license content to Netflix or Hulu as long as they can keep it from supplanting existing revenue sources and can find ways to try to charge multiple times for the same content.
Needless to say, customers expecting access to these services are likely to be displeased, since TiVo boasts about the features for its identical retail devices. But TiVO could be in trouble as well—the company has been hoping that deals with cable companies could help boost its dwindling user base. If the Premiere DVRs from cable companies have significant features missing, customers may opt for other options.
I think so. Do you?
(more…)
October 24, 2010
CA Student challenges Charles Koch
Very good Mr. Francis.
Is Charles Koch man enough to debate Mr. Francis?
Probably not.
For more see: powervote.ca
(more…)
September 23, 2010
Digg Suffering the Consequences of V4.
In my previous post on the subject, I said Goodbye to Digg and joined Reddit. Many others have also quit Digg as a result of their negligence.
Digg Redesign Tanks: Traffic Down 26%
By Frederic Lardinois / September 23, 2010The launch of Digg’s redesign will likely go down in the history of social media as a textbook example for how to alienate your users. Over the last few weeks we have chronicled the demise of the Digg community in great detail, but thanks to the latest data from Hitwise, we now have some hard facts about the current state of Digg. At its peak, Digg had over 40 million unique visitors every month. Since the launch of the redesign, Digg’s traffic has been in free fall, though. Traffic from visitors in the U.S. has declined 26% since the redesign went live.
I love Reddit. I cannot believe that I did not switch any sooner. You find a good amount of content both educational and entertaining that you are not likely to find from mainstream sources.
September 16, 2010
FedEx to cut 1,700 jobs in the United States
FedEx said on Thursday that it would cut 1,700 jobs in its United States freight business to offset losses in that unit.
The news came as the company announced that its first-quarter net income doubled, helped by strength in international shipping, and raised its financial outlook.
…
FedEx said it earned $380 million, or $1.20 a share, in the fiscal first-quarter that ended in August. That compared with $181 million, or 58 cents a share, a year ago and was slightly under the $1.21 a share that Wall Street had expected. Revenue rose 18 percent to $9.46 billion.
For the 1,700 loosing their jobs, the recession just got worse.
September 9, 2010
On the Move With Francine Lacqua: Official Press Release.
Here is the official press release announcing Francines Lacqua’s new show:
Bloomberg Television Debuts ‘On the Move with Francine Lacqua’
New Weekday Program Expands upon Bloomberg Television’s Leading European and
Asian Business News CoverageBusiness Wire
NEW YORK & LONDON — August 31, 2010
Bloomberg Television, the global 24-hour business and financial news network,
today announced the launch of “On the Move with Francine Lacqua,” airing
weekdays from 9-10 AM CET. Hosted by Bloomberg Television anchor and senior
correspondent Francine Lacqua, “On the Move” provides comprehensive coverage
of market openings across Europe, breaking news from Asia, and live reporting
on the stories most impacting business around the globe.“Francine’s unparalleled access to top business and political leaders gives
our viewers competitive insight into the markets and the business day ahead,”
said Brian Martinez, International Managing Director, Bloomberg Television.
“‘On the Move’ will be there for the high level conversations with news makers
that impact the economy.”
Read the entire release here.