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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
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Global warming: The Earth is a beautifully complex system
Chris Mooney (via the Daily Green): "No one storm says anything about climate change; but nevertheless, climate change may affect weather in the aggregate. So as we wait for news about just how destructive Dean has been, let's consider the storm from a climate perspective, bearing in mind the scientific expectation that global warming ought to intensify the average hurricane (by how much remains hotly disputed). How does Dean fit into that ongoing scientific argument?"
Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link.
"2008 pres"
6:54:21 PM 
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? for U.S. Senate?
Bob Schaffer is getting media attention for his vote on the Life Skills Charter School, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
Colorado Pols: "A half-dozen stories were written about the School Board and Schaffer's questionable contributions, and the man himself offered this gem from the Rocky Mountain News by way of explanation: 'Schaffer also pointed out that Brennan contributed to his U.S. Senate campaign, not his state Board of Education campaign, and the contribution came after his vote.' Um, yeah. That's...the problem. It's harder for the public to see the conflict of interest if the donations are going into a different campaign, and it's more than a little fishy when you get the big check after the favorable vote."
More from David Sirota (via Colorado Confidential). He writes, "Hmm...Conservatives say the Great Schaffer Scandal of 2007 'has no traction anywhere in mainstream media' and that it's just the product of little ol' me supposedly 'peddling baseless rumors.' Really? I guess that means the Associated Press, the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, the Coloradoan and the front page of PoliticsWest is not the 'mainstream media?' And I guess that means FEC records showing Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer took campaign cash from a donor after casting a favorable vote for that donor - those records are just 'baseless?'"
"denver 2008"
6:24:25 PM
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Healthcare
The U.S. is on top with respect to cancer survival rates for both men and women, according to The Telegraph. Click through and check out the chart.
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.
Colorado Confidential: "Uninsured Coloradans have a new resource to find the best options for getting health coverage. The Foundation for Health Coverage Education (FHCE) has unveiled a Web site that allows people to see their eligibility for public and private programs in their state. By answering five questions about things such as income and health status, the Health Care Eligibility Tool tells users for which programs their families might qualify. The site also offers a downloadable Colorado Health Care Options Matrix Guide, and there is a toll-free phone number for those without access to the Internet."
Colorado Confidential: "The number of seniors with prescription drug coverage has soared since the implementation of Medicare Part D, but some still struggle with high payments, according to a report released this week by the journal Health Affairs. The report, based on a study of 16,000 seniors by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Commonwealth Fund and Tufts-New England Medical Center, found 8 percent of seniors lacked prescription drug coverage in 2006, down from 33 percent in 2005 before Medicare Part D took effect."
"2008 pres"
6:08:29 PM
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Healthcare
Spencer Speaks: "That brings us to Andorra. This tiny country tucked in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain boasts the longest life expectancy in the world - 83.5 years. It has an infant mortality rate of 6 deaths per 1,000 live births. If you live in Colorado, you're probably wondering what that has to do with you. At the moment, not much. By Andorran standards, health care in Colorado sucks. The state's life expectancy is 78.9 years. Its infant mortality rate is 6.4 deaths per thousand live births. This is the ugly little secret that the opponents of single payer health care want to keep from you. They want you to believe that America has the best health care in the world."
"2008 pres"
7:06:13 AM
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War on terror
Foreign Policy Magazine: "In the third Terrorism Index, more than 100 of America's most respected foreign-policy experts see a world that is growing more dangerous, a national security strategy in disrepair, and a war in Iraq that is alarmingly off course."
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.
"2008 pres"
7:00:52 AM
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Technology
National Journal: "Presidential candidates have made plenty of headlines this year for their increasing use of technology to campaign, but they also have views on technology issues. In this special series, Technology Daily offers a detailed look at their views on matters facing the growing tech community."
Thanks to Ed Cone for the link.
"2008 pres"
6:47:49 AM
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Economic Policy
beSpacific: "Press release: 'The rich really are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, a new University of Michigan study shows. The study -- the most recent available analysis of long-term wealth trends among U.S. households is based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR) since 1968. Over the last 20 years, the net worth of the top two percentile of American families nearly doubled, from $1,071,000 in 1984 to $2,100,500 in 2005. But the poorest quarter of American families lost ground over the same period, with their 2005 net worth below their 1984 net worth, measured in constant 2005 dollars.'"
NYT: "Americans earned a smaller average income in 2005 than in 2000, the fifth consecutive year that they had to make ends meet with less money than at the peak of the last economic expansion, new government data shows. While incomes have been on the rise since 2002, the average income in 2005 was $55,238, still nearly 1 percent less than the $55,714 in 2000, after adjusting for inflation, analysis of new tax statistics show. The combined income of all Americans in 2005 was slightly larger than it was in 2000, but because more people were dividing up the national income pie, the average remained smaller. Total adjusted gross income in 2005 was $7.43 trillion, up 3.1 percent from 2000 and 5.8 percent from 2004."
Thanks to Oliver Willis for the link.
"2008 pres"
6:35:01 AM
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? for President?
Political Wire: "A new NewsMax/Zogby poll in Iowa shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 30% support, followed by John Edwards at 23% and Sen. Barack Obama at 19%."
Captain's Quarters: "Michigan has now caught the same Primary Fever as Florida, California, and several other states that want more influence on the presidential selection process. Both Democrats and Republicans in Michigan want the state to change its primary date to January 15th, perhaps even earlier than that, if Carl Levin has his way. The move will put even more pressure on New Hampshire and Iowa to go backwards -- possibly into 2007."
Political Wire: "Over the weekend, former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA) acknowledged he is considering running for president as an independent in 2008. Nunn said he will decide next year, after the primaries determine the parties' likely nominees. He has ruled out running for vice-president, as an independent or otherwise."
Political Wire: "'George, I've been standing here for the last 45 minutes praying to God you were going to call on me.' -- Rep. Dennis Kucinich, when asked by moderator George Stephanopoulos about the role of prayer in his life during yesterday's Democratic debate."
"2008 pres"
6:23:09 AM
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Aurora water rates help fund Prairie Waters
Water customers are seeing sharply higher water bills this summer in Aurora, according to CBS4Denver.com. Higher rates are needed by the water utilities to make up for revenue shortfalls due to conservation. The higher rates also encourage conservation. In Aurora's case they are also funding new infrastructure such as Prairie Waters. From the article, "Aurora changed prices to help fund the Prairie Waters Project. The project will help Aurora draw billions of additional gallons from the South Platte River in the decades ahead. It will have to be piped 38 miles to the Aurora Reservoir. The cost is expected to be close to three quarters of a billion dollars. Water that once cost a little over $4 per 1,000 gallons is now priced by tier. The first 7,000 or 8,000 gallons cost homeowners about $3.60 per 1,000 gallons. But as use goes up, the prices rise.
"colorado water"
6:10:59 AM
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Effluent for power plant cooling?
Now here's a good idea -- Use effluent from treatment plants to cool power plants instead of pumping groundwater, from The Washington Post. From the article, "Called a closed-loop system, the plan is to pump the county's sewage to treatment stations and then route the treated sewage, known as effluent, to area power plants. Instead of groundwater, the plants would use the effluent for their cooling towers and other operations.
"The new system has not entered the permitting process, and the county government is still negotiating with power plant companies over details such as building the extensive pipe network and financing the project. But government and industry officials involved in the discussions described the plan as nearly finalized."
"colorado water"
5:53:24 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 9:30:39 PM.
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