| |
 |
Friday, December 22, 2006 |
CEPR: "'Are Shorter Work Hours Good for the Environment? A Comparison of U.S. and European Energy Consumption', by researcher David Rosnick and economist Mark Weisbrot, looks at the potential environmental effects of European and other countries adopting the U.S. norm of longer work hours. The authors find that the implications for global climate change could be significant.
'Old Europe' currently consumes about half as much energy per person as does the United States. If Europe were to adopt U.S. practices and increase annual work hours to American levels, the paper shows, they could consume some 30 percent more energy than they do at present. Not only could that impact fuel prices worldwide, but the resulting carbon emissions would make it far more difficult for the EU to meet its commitments to the Kyoto Protocol."
12:23:56 PM 
|
|
EFF: "The FLAG Project at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in federal court today, demanding immediate answers about an invasive and unprecedented data-mining system deployed on American travelers.
The Automated Targeting System (ATS) creates and assigns 'risk assessments' to tens of millions of citizens as they enter and leave the country. In November, DHS announced that the program would launch on December 4, but Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff later admitted that the program had already been in operation for several years.
'The news of this secret program sparked a nationwide uproar. DHS needs to provide answers, and provide them quickly, to the millions of law-abiding citizens who are worried about this risk assessment score that will follow them throughout their lives,' said EFF Senior Counsel David Sobel.
Under ATS, individuals have no way to access information about their 'risk assessment' scores or to correct any false information about them. But while you cannot see your score, it will be made readily available to untold numbers of federal, state, local, and foreign agencies. The government will retain the data for 40 years."
Wired: "The Identity Project, founded by online rights pioneer John Gilmore, filed official objections (.pdf) to the Automated Targeting System, or ATS, on Monday, calling the program clearly illegal."
12:17:11 PM
|
|
Doug has a link to the Christmas Resistance Movement.
It seems, indeed, that Christmas is all about consumption. And the bastards with the biggest Christmas trees are ... well, the biggest bastards.
But I'm afraid I won't make it through the holidays without some 'spiritual' support (I mean wine) and chocolate to keep depression out. At this time of the year one wonders, isn't there a better way?
But the Bastard-in-Chief has war in mind.
Guardian: "George Bush today confirmed that a temporary increase in US troops for Iraq is under consideration, despite the opposition of his top generals."
RegisterGuard: "The United States and Britain will begin moving additional warships and strike aircraft into the Persian Gulf region in a display of military resolve toward Iran that would come as the United Nations debates possible sanctions against the country, Pentagon and military officials said Wednesday."
Telegraph: "A sombre President George W. Bush said today he planned to increase the size of the United States armed forces to cope with the 'beginning stages of an ideological struggle between liberty and evil across the globe'.
He warned Americans of the need for 'difficult choices and additional sacrifices' in a war that he conceded for the first time America and its allies were not winning against a 'merciless and violent' enemy."
Thus spoke the man who is evil personified. Bush is stark raving mad. Will someone, please, take him out? God, are you still there?
12:07:21 PM
|
|
© Copyright 2008.
|
|
|
|
|
