Combining the genius of Reggie Watts with the ridiculousness of Aziz Ansari can only mean good things. How good? A sweet serenade about eating sandwiches, tolerant veganism, muenster cheese and female attraction. Yeah, I know. I sing about those four exact things every day too.
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As President Obama reboots his campaign against climate change, his most formidable obstacle is no longer the coal industry or congressional Republicans. It?s the calendar.
In his first term, Obama sought legislative limits on the carbon emissions associated with global climate change but failed when the Senate shelved the ?cap-and-trade? legislation the House passed in 2009. Obama this week announced he would pursue the same goals, primarily through the Environmental Protection Agency?s regulation of carbon emissions from existing power plants. Those regulations would squeeze the use of coal to generate electricity. Together with existing rules improving automotive fuel economy and other pending EPA standards that effectively bar the construction of coal-fired power plants, the new rules could achieve Obama?s goal of cutting emissions by nearly one-fifth by 2020.
Obama?s announcement is already generating political storms. But for institutional, economic, and political reasons, he has more leverage now than during his first-term legislative failure. The flip side is that because he?s relying on regulatory, not legislative, authority, his decisions will be easier to reverse if he cannot armor-plate them before January 2017, when a Republican could regain the White House. That?s why associates say the president already feels the clock ticking.
With Republicans controlling the House, Obama has even less chance today of attracting enough votes to pass carbon-limiting legislation than he did in 2009. Yet because he is acting through regulation, opponents must amass enough votes to stop him. That gives him the institutional edge. Using the Congressional Review Act, the House would likely pass a resolution blocking the regulation when it?s completed, and a narrow Senate majority might follow. But Obama would inevitably veto such a resolution, and critics are unlikely to reach the two-thirds majorities required to overturn him.
The economic climate for action has also improved. Regulations that discourage coal by limiting carbon would follow the market?s existing current. In 2008, coal generated almost half of U.S. electricity and natural gas just one-fifth. But with low-cost domestic gas production booming through use of hydraulic fracturing (or ?fracking?), utilities in 2012 relied nearly as much on natural gas (30 percent) as coal (37 percent). Although coal has slightly reopened its advantage as gas prices have inched up, the prospect of stable, affordable natural gas to replace coal is diminishing fear that emission limits would spike electricity prices; utility executives also find a transition to gas less jarring than the generational leap to solar or wind many envisaged in 2009. Because of low natural-gas prices, says Jerry Taylor, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, ?economically the table is set ... [for] a major move against coal.?
Politically Obama is better positioned for the fight, too. That?s not so much because public opinion has shifted. Comparing 2009 to 2013, Pew Research Center polls show that slightly more adults believe human activity is changing the climate, with gains heaviest among independents, the college-educated, and those under 50. Polls, however, show that most Americans don?t prioritize carbon reductions and remain leery of price rises. In terms of overall opinion, one senior White House official acknowledges, ?this is a tough slog.?
What?s changed politically since 2009 is that Obama?s reelection demonstrated Democrats could sustain a presidential majority despite unprecedented energy-industry spending against them. Resource-dependent states that generate the most carbon per dollar of economic output will probably erupt most over further EPA regulation. But in presidential races, Democrats can survive that hit: 17 of the 20 most carbon-intensive states (according to federal figures) voted for Mitt Romney in 2012, while 18 of the 20 least carbon-intensive backed Obama. The 14 Democratic senators from the most carbon-intensive states will face greater risk, but some would reduce their exposure by opposing any EPA regulation.
Obama?s key test may be finalizing the rule before he leaves office. EPA missed its deadline for regulating new-plant emissions and could need two years to complete standards for existing facilities. Then it must wait months more for states to submit plans for implementing it?which many red states may refuse to do. (The law allows EPA to step in.) That leaves Obama with little time to spare, especially since the rule will inevitably face legal challenges.
A Republican president could more easily sidetrack an uncompleted rule (as George W. Bush did with Bill Clinton?s unfinished work on mercury pollution). But if Obama finishes the EPA regulation, his successor would need a formal rulemaking to undo it?no easy task. A GOP president might find it tough even to stop legally defending a completed regulation, because blue states and environmentalists would intervene to defend it, notes Natural Resources Defense Council Climate Director Daniel Lashof. Most important, Lashof says, once the rule is done, utilities will make investments based on it that ?create a momentum that ? becomes increasingly difficult? to reverse. As with health care, Obama?s best chance of ensuring that his climate priorities outlast him is to move quickly to create facts on the ground.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/time-ticking-obama-climate-agenda-060711802.html
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SAN JOSE, Calif., June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ahron R. Hakimi, executive director of the Kern Council of Governments, has been named the first Alumnus of the Year for the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI). He earned his Master of Science in Transportation Management (MSTM) in 2003 through the MTI program at San Jose State University. His award was given at a scholarship banquet and convocation on campus Saturday evening, June 22.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100318/MTILOGO)
"The MTI Alumni Association members nominated candidates online," said Peter Haas, PhD, education director for MTI. "Criteria were stringent, and the Institute is pleased to have such an outstanding transportation professional rise to the top. Even as a student, Ahron demonstrated notable leadership abilities, which he has continued to carry into his impressive career."
Mr. Hakimi assumed his position with the Kern Council of Governments (COG) in June 2012. A colonel in the Army Reserve's Logistics Corps and a supervising transportation engineer with Caltrans, he was previously the lead state official for the Thomas Road Improvement Program (TRIP), a unique multi-agency coalition comprising the City of Bakersfield, County of Kern, Caltrans and Kern COG.
Arriving in Bakersfield in 1991, Mr. Hakimi worked in the local Caltrans office, reporting to District 6 officials in Fresno. In 2003, he began working on joint projects with the city of Bakersfield. He has been personally accountable for delivering several high-profile, politically sensitive federal highway projects valued at more than $1.5 billion, including auxiliary lanes installed at the State Route 58/99 interchange in 2007, easing traffic flow for thousands of drivers.
Mr. Hakimi has served as a TRIP liaison among Bakersfield City Council members, Kern County supervisors, and state and federal legislators to ensure projects are completed on schedule and within budget, including the Westside Parkway now under construction.
With more than 26 years of military service, including combat tours in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, he was awarded the Bronze Star in 2005 and has received the Meritorious Service Medal four times.?In addition to his MSTM, Mr. Hakimi received his Master of Strategic Studies from the US Army War College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic University in Brooklyn NY.
Walter Allen, a transportation planner with Parsons Transportation Group and president of the MTI Alumni Association, said, "Ahron exemplifies all the necessary criteria for this award. He has attained notable achievements in his career; succeeded in other areas of professional or personal excellence; and demonstrated distinguished commitment and leadership within the transportation industry. The Alumni Association is very happy to inaugurate this annual award with someone of Ahron's caliber."
ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE (MTI):
MTI conducts research, education, and information transfer programs focusing on surface transportation policy and management issues, especially related to transit. MTI was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and won national re-designation competitions in 2002, 2006 and 2011. The Institute is funded by Congress through the US DOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration, by the California Legislature through Caltrans, and public and private grants. In 2006 the US Department of Homeland Security selected MTI as a National Transportation Security Center of Excellence. The internationally respected members of the MTI Board of Trustees represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI is affiliated with San Jose (CA) State University's College of Business. Visit transweb.sjsu.edu
ABOUT THE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT (MSTM):
The College of Business at San Jose State University,?with support from the Mineta Transportation Institute, offers a Master of Science degree and three graduate certificate programs.?The curriculum is led by nationally recognized instructors who are academic or industry experts. The MSTM program is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The program is accelerated, enabling students to complete an MSTM degree in five semesters. Classes are held in the evening so students can continue to work full time while earning their degrees. The program is available statewide at designated Caltrans district offices and other participating transportation agencies. Classes are delivered by two-way video conferencing supplemented by video streaming and web courseware. Visit transweb.sjsu.edu and go to the Education tab.
Contact: Donna Maurillo
MTI Communications Director
831-234-4009 (mobile)
donna.maurillo (at) sjsu.edu
SOURCE Mineta Transportation Institute
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ahron-hakimi-named-mineta-transportation-institute-alumnus-223700985.html
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Surveillance whistleblower and current Carmen San Diego impersonator?Edward Snowden was a man on a mission: According to his latest interview, he took a private contractor position with the intent of exposing the National Security Agency. ?My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked,? he told The South China Morning Post?on June 12. ?That is why I accepted that position about three months ago."Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/It5bsWHLsNU/
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Wondering how AOL's RSS client will rank as a Google Reader replacement? Today's the day we find out, as the access doors to the AOL Reader beta have officially swung open. Feedly's been killing it for some weeks, and Digg's freemium setup is two days away -- but we couldn't resist getting an early taste of what our parent company (Disclaimer alert!) is cooking. Join us past the break where we've spilled all the details about this latest entrant in the field of feed readers.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ElBVwvMTE1E/
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Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who exposed the NSA’s PRISM surveillance program and a number of similar government initiatives over the course of the last few weeks, has left Hong Kong and is currently in transit in Moscow. According to Wikileaks, which has been providing legal assistance to Snowden, he “is bound for the Republic of Ecuador via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks.” That democratic nation, the earliest reports suggested, was Venezuela, with Moscow just being the first stop on his journey. Now, however, it looks like Ecuador, which also offered asylum to Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange, has taken an interest in this case, too. Earlier this week, it seemed Snowden was going to head for Iceland. Update (9:58am PT): It now looks as if Snowden has indeed applied for asylum in Ecuador. The country’s foreign minister just tweeted this: The Government of Ecuador has received an asylum request from Edward J. #Snowden— Ricardo Patiño Aroca (@RicardoPatinoEC) June 23, 2013 Wikileaks has also updated its press release to read: “He is bound for the Republic of Ecuador via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks.” We have updated this story to reflect that. The Ecuadorean Ambassador is still here at Moscow airport. It looks like Ecuador is Edward Snowden's destination http://t.co/ZUfwND94nJ— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) June 23, 2013 As far as we can see, there are no direct flights that connect Moscow to Ecuador’s capital of Quito, so if Snowden would travel commercially (and the distance is out of the reach of most standard business jets), he will likely have to make another stop. Cuba would be a likely candidate and it was discussed earlier today when it still looked as if Snowden was heading to Venezuela. The U.S. has revoked Snowden’s passport, though, which shouldn’t be a problem for entering Ecuador, but it could complicate his travels through another country. Snowden was allowed to leave Hong Kong legally, Hong Kong’s government said today, because the U.S.’s request for the issue of a warrant of arrest “did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law.” Hong Kong asked the U.S. for more information, but because it didn’t receive this yet, it had “no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong.”Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DDYyUPgioJg/
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Jun 21, 2013 2:23pm
?The?unexpected death of actor James Gandolfini?has put the spotlight on a silent killer:?heart disease.
Gandolfini died Wednesday of a heart attack, an?autopsy revealed today. But the 51-year-old ?Sopranos? star was happy ?and healthy? on Father?s day, according to family friend Michael Kobold.
?We are all devastated by this loss,? Kobold said at a press conference today. ?James was a devoted husband, the loving father of two children and a brother and cousin we could always count on.?
See pictures of?James Gandolfini through the years.
A heart attack occurs when the heart muscle loses its blood supply, often because of a buildup of plaque in the arteries. About 50 percent of men who die unexpectedly from heart disease have no previous symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Click here to learn about the risk factors for heart disease.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American men, according to the CDC. At 51, Gandolfini was 13 years younger than the average male heart attack victim, but about one in 10 heart disease deaths occurs in people under the age of 55, the federal agency says.
Obesity is a key risk factor for heart disease, and people with an ?apple-shape? body are particularly prone, according to?the National Institutes of Health.?Gandolfini said he struggled with his weight, especially while playing the role of Tony Soprano.
?When I do get thin, which isn?t often, I don?t feel the same,? he told ?Inside the Actors Studio? host James Lipton. ?I don?t walk the same. He doesn?t walk the same. You know, with that lumber.?
Gandolfini is survived by his wife, Deborah Lin, his 8-month-old?daughter, Liliana, and his 13-year-old son from a previous marriage, Michael.
ABC News? Dr. Richard Besser contributed to this story.
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