Dump Digest

Advance Gratitude

The Senate hasn’t voted yet on the economic stimulus package viagra backed by Pres. Obama, but Americans United for Change will begin airing new radio ads over the next few days thanking Republican Sen. Susan Collins of ME, Sen. Olympia Snowe of ME and Sen. Arlen Specter of PA as well as Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of NE for backing the economic stimulus bill. Reports indicate that these members could vote with the Democrats to pass the legislation, giving the majority a 60-vote (or more) filibuster-proof majority.

Americans United for Change, a coalition of progressive groups, has flooded the airwaves and cable in recent days, targeting 13 of 41 GOP senators in an effort to help Obama and Democratic congressional leaders garner bipartisan support for the bill. With the House GOP voting unanimously against that chamber’s version, it’s up to Senate leaders to corral a few Republican members. Otherwise, and probably cialis still, the Democrats, and Obama, in particular, will have full ownership of the success or failure of the $800B package of tax cuts and spending initiatives.

Here’s the ME script:

last month nearly 600,000 americans lost their jobs - 20,000 a day - more than 800 an hour.

The clock’s ticking - and our economy continues to get worse and worse.

That’s why it’s critical that the Senate pass President Obama’s jobs and economic recovery bill right away.

Fortunately, Maine’s two Senators - Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are providing the leadership we need to get the job done.

Senators Snowe and Collins have worked with President Obama and other Senators to reach agreement on a plan that has support from a broad range of groups - including the US Chamber of Commerce and organized labor.

Call Senators Snowe and Collins today at 202-224-3121. Thank them for their leadership and tell them to keep fighting for a plan to get our economy moving again. The clock is ticking.

Paid for by Americans United for Change.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

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Avoid strong secondary carbon markets

By Gar Lipow

In solving the climate crisis we need to avoid creating the type of large secondary emissions trading market Kyoto did. Large secondary emission markets constitute a whole new sector with strong incentives that conflict with a really large drop in emissions. Maybe carbon traders are so noble and dedicated to saving the planet that financial self-interest won’t influence them. But, if your view of human nature is that incentives matter, then a strong secondary market creates a group of people with the wrong ones. If incentives matter, then a secondary carbon market runs a real risk of becoming the new sub-prime.

For example, it has been noted that the European Emission Trading Scheme and other emission markets tend to be subject to high volatility, something that undercuts long term success. Large price variations for emissions permits discourage long term investment in savings, because it is hard to predict the value of the savings. Volatility can also lead to crashes, where emission prices temporarily drop near zero, which further reduces investment in reductions. The problem is traders tend to profit in the short term from volatility, because prices that vary encourage a larger number of transactions; more transactions produce more profit. While there are regulatory approaches that can discourage such volatility, such as high mandatory minimum emissions prices, financial industries in general tend to resist this type of regulation.

Within finance, the short-term profits the regulations would cost are sharply felt as real. The long-term dangers are dismissed as airy theories, or perhaps dismissed as problems the industry adventure movies is confident it can handle without government aid. And then the theories turn out not be so airy, and the masters of the universe accepts trillion dollar bailouts. But perhaps the emissions trading industry is too altruistic and noble to act like typical financial institutions, and will support stringent regulation to reduce volatility.

Another problem is that traders will gain from as slow and small an emission phase out as possible. Up to a point profit from rising permit prices can make up for a drop in the number of permits. But if a carbon permit system is part of a process that successfully lowers total emissions, eventually the number of permits will fall faster than the price rises. At some point in a successful process, less-expensive, low-emission alternatives are found, and demand for permits drops. Depending on degree of success this may simply result in prices rising more slowly than the available number of permits drops, or in an actual drop in the price per permit. In either case, significant success will lead to the total dollar value of all permits combined dropping rather than rising. We might speculate that this incentive to keep the volume of permits as high as possible could lead traders to take advantage of loopholes that essentially create new counterfeit permits for them to sell. The bottom line is that once you develop a strong secondary market in permits, any system where there is a lot of reselling of permits after they are bought, you open the door to manipulation that contradicts the goal of actually lowering greenhouse pollution.

Note that this is not a problem with putting a price on greenhouse gas pollution. It is not even a problem with auctioning permits. It is specifically a problem with having a large secondary market in permits where they are sold, resold, and resold again. And potential problems are not limited to volatility and offsets (which are essentially legal counterfeit permits). Let me quote from Liz Bossley’s and Andy Kerr’s book, Climate Change and Emissions Trading: What every business needs to know:

according to the development brand on the side of the evolution of commodity markets described in group two, the next logical step in the development of the emissions market should be the emergence of a derivative market for swaps and options in emissions allowances. for the reasons described download fantasy downstairs it is vastly likely that the emissions deal in resolve see an options market develop, but that a shop for swaps is more problematic.

In short, unless brought short, any carbon pricing system with a strong secondary market is likely to develop the full wilderness of mirrors that damaged our current broader system. So how do we stop this?

Glenn greenwald

We could try to do without price as means of solving the climate crisis, relying entirely on public investment and standard-based regulation. Public investment and new efficiency standards are actually more critical a

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Job-hunting becomes full-time work for many New Yorkers

yahaira hernandez didn’t have to view the latest despondent jobs document to know things are inadequate out there. the bronx mom moved back to new york just last month after she landed a job cleaning houses.a week ago, she was laid off.

Treadstone

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Update: Sweet Skins Opens Brick & Mortar Store on Valentines Day

Kai

embodiment via: sweet skins we’ve covered sweet skins before, but on valentines day mira fannin will take the store from the capture to the streets. what began as a small eco-store run out of fannin’s kitchen, and a small booth at the saturday market in eugene, has transformed into an eco-exercise functioning with a fleet of eco-seamstresses and now the next lodge on this journey is opening a upon dev…

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WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Obama’s choice to be the next CIA director said Thursday that, on his watch, suspected terrorists would not be tortured or sent to other countries that might use torture.

CIA chief nominee Leon Panetta answers questions Thursday at his confirmation hearing.

The confirmation hearing for Leon Panetta, before the Senate Intelligence Committee, was dominated by questions about the Bush administration’s interrogation, detention and rendition programs and Obama’s efforts to change those policies.

Panetta told the committee he was "absolutely convinced … we can get the information we need, we can provide for the security of the American people and we can abide by the law."

Panetta said the U.S. government had sent detainees to other countries to be tortured. But when he was challenged by Sen. Kit Bond, the ranking Republican on the committee, he acknowledged he had not been briefed on the program.

Panetta called waterboarding, the interrogation technique previously used by the CIA that simulates drowning, torture. But he said the CIA operatives who carried it out during the Bush administration should not be prosecuted.

He said he would look to the White House for more leeway if he ever felt executive orders signed by Obama limiting interrogation techniques didn’t Cialis allow enough leeway in the face of an imminent threat.

"If I had a ticking bomb situation and obviously whatever was being used I felt was not sufficient, I would not hesitate to go to the president of the United States and request whatever additional authority I would need," Panetta told the senators.

Don’t Miss

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, asked Panetta about some recent comments by former Vice President Cheney, who championed many of the CIA’s controversial tactics.

Cheney said some people are more interested in reading terrorists their rights than protecting the United States, an obvious dig at the new administration.

When Rockefeller achat levitra asked if the safety and security of the American people was the absolute No. 1 priority of the administration, Panetta responded, "Everyone agrees that is the No. 1 priority."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California and chairwoman of the committee, asked what Panetta planned to do about a large pool of private contractors the CIA hired after September 11, 2001, which she said costs the government an average of $80,000 more per person each year than staff employees.

Panetta vowed to reduce the number of contracts.

"We have a responsibility to bring a lot of those duties in-house and to develop the expertise and skills within the CIA to perform those responsibilities," he said.

Panetta applauded the efforts the CIA has made in Iraq and Afghanistan in fighting terrorists and following rogue nations such as Iran and North Korea. He said the biggest challenge for the agency is looking ahead to potential emerging crises. He mentioned Russia, China, Africa, Latin America and the worldwide economic crisis.

When Panetta was nominated to take over the helm of the spy agency, he was criticized by Democrats and Republicans for not having any hands-on experience

Orbitcast

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Annie Lennox - Shining Light Lyrics N Video

artist: annie lennoxsong title: shining lightsongwriters: n/aannie lennox - shining light lyrics and video :-roman candles that ignite in the nightyeah, you are a shining lightyou lit a torch in the infiniteyeah, you are a shining lightyeah, you light up my lifeyou’ve every time been a thorn in their sidebut to me you’re a shining lightyou arrive and the incessantly is alertyeah, you are a shining be discoveredyeah, you dawn up my soulwe made our connectiona full on chemical reactionbrought by ignorance divine interventionyeah, you compra viagra online are a shining lighta constellation definitely seenover regal david’s cityan epiphany you burn so prettyyeah, you are a shining light[shining light lyrics on http://lyricsmusicvideo.blogspot.com ]you are a wring, you are a perennial authoryeah you are a shining discoverglowing in the darkest nightyeah you are shining uponmy unremitting blood i would giving upfor you are a shining lightsovereign bride of the infiniteyeah, you are a shining fall onyeah, you light up my dazzlewe made our referencea full on chemical reactionbrought by dark divine interventionyeah, you are a shining lighta constellation in days of yore seenover royal david’s burgan epiphany you flare so comelyyeah, you are a shining lightand these are days you often bidthere’s nothing that we can’t dobeneath a canopy of starsi’d shed blood for youthe north star in the firmamentyou flicker the most intensei’ve seen you draped in an electric veilshrouded in celestial lightwe made our connectiona levitra italia full on chemical reactionbrought by dark surmise interventionyeah, you are a shining beaminga constellation once seenover royal david’s cityan epiphany you burn so fairyeah, you are a shining lightyeah, you light up my lifeyeah, you are a shining lightyeah, you lightweight up my lifeannie lennox - shining light video and lyrics

La fonda boricua

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Tkachuk: Skating with the stars again

Extra, Extra: Kidney For Sale

“football” photo by jakerome via the laist featured photos pool on flickr

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Sarah Palin adds F-ck Me Boots to GOP arsenal

seen here attending the alfalfa club annual banquet by intimate allurement from president obama, sarah palin is all cougar. which raises a philosophical query, as a devout sportswoman, isn’t she technically obligated to hunt herself from a plane? th …read plump story

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a girl and her bag…

 Are you ready????  I have a challenge for you….it’s just the best thing since polka dots

I have a new friend, Jill from Jillie Willie, who is sponsoring a fun contest here on my blog for all of you card-making, irresistibly cute bag loving gals out there…..HERE is what you’re shooting for!

It’s the Zipper Bottom Gathering Bag from Jillie Willie and I truly think it’s the cutest thing I have ever seen.  I want one for myself just to stare at and enjoy….what a treat and a smile all wrapped up in one, don’t you think?For this challenge all you have to do is create a card inspired by this bag….let your funky polka dot loving self come shining through….enjoy the whole process and have fun.  If you’ve never created a card before, let this be your first time. 

You have until Saturday, February 7th at 10:00 pm MST to create your card, post it on your blog or in your online gallery, and then link me to it by posting to this thread!  I’ll choose a winner and will post the lucky girl’s name on Monday, February 9th.  Please let me know if you have any questions and I CAN’T wait to see your sweet creations!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Jillie Willie for sponsoring this fun challenge!

Here is my card inspired by her bag: 

i used pink paislee paper, rubons, label, and stickers here along with doodlebug gems, and a maya road velvet flower.

I believe it’s time to get some Chicken Noodle Soup goin’.

Night

Melis

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Doritos Crystal Ball Should Predict Flash Cupcake & Paid Apps in the Android Market

Post from: Google And Blog

Doritos Crystal Ball Should Predict Flash Cupcake & Paid Apps in the Android Market

Obamameter

post from: google and blog doritos crystal ball should forecast flash cupcake & paid apps in the android market the doritos commercial aired during the 2009 wonderful bowl seems to point to the best answer in return when sparkle, the cupcake ota update by reason of g1 users, and paid applications are allowed into the android customer base. adobe, t-mechanical, & google …
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