Ladywriter

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives on Thursday failed to pass legislation intended to cool off gasoline prices by requiring the government to sell 70 million barrels of light sweet crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the national stockpile.Democrats had pushed the legislation, hoping to lower surging oil prices by putting more of the reserve’s light sweet crude, sought by refiners, on the market. Sweet crude is desirable because it has less sulphur and is more easily refined into gasoline, diesel fuel and other petroleum products. The White House had threatened to veto the measure, arguing that Congress should work toward increasing domestic supply rather than tap into a strategic reserve. Although the House voted 268 to 157 in favor of the legislation, the measure fell short of obtaining the two-thirds ”yes” vote that is required when the chamber suspends its rules to act quickly on a bill.Soaring energy costs have lawmakers scrambling to introduce legislation showing their constituents they are addressing the issue. Republican lawmakers have mostly pushed for increased domestic production by lifting bans on drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and oil shale development in the Midwest. Democrats, however, have pushed for oil companies to drill on land already available under government leases to search for oil and tapping the SPR. article fuck-_-;

Z2tz5LfH7ko pulled off tv in the UK

And the outcome.... WASHINGTON - Call it the un-impeachment hearing.The Democratic-run House Judiciary Committee put on a hearing that it insisted was not about removing President Bush from office. But critics of Bush's policies couldn't pass up the chance to charge the president with a long list of impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors." Leading the way was Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, the former Democratic presidential candidate who has brought repeated impeachment resolutions on the House floor against Bush and Vice President Cheney. Kucinich got a rock star welcome of whistles, hoots and clapping as he walked into the hearing room, holding hands with his wife, from hundreds of anti-war, anti-Bush people crammed into the room and lining the hallways outside. T-shirts reading "Arrest Bush" and "Veterans for Impeachment" illustrated the sentiments of many."The decision before us is whether to demand accountability for one of the gravest injustices imaginable," Kucinich testified, avoiding use of the "I" word. The House Democratic leadership, not interested in a bloody impeachment battle in the last year of Bush's presidency, steered Kucinich's resolutions to the Judiciary Committee where they could quietly fade away, but Friday's hearing did give Kucinich and his allies one opportunity to air their views. "To the regret of many, this is not an impeachment hearing," said committee chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., pointing out the less incendiary title of the event, "executive power and its constitutional limitations." Still, Conyers, a vocal opponent of Bush, noted that his panel had pursued many allegations that Kucinich and others regard as impeachable offenses: manipulating intelligence about Iraq; misusing authority with regard to torture, detention and rendition; politicizing the Justice Department and retaliating against critics, as in the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame. Republicans, clearly in the minority at the hearing, expressed suspicion at Democratic motives. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., called it "impeachment lite," where people were given free rein to impugn Bush but not to impeach him. "It seems that we are hosting an anger management class," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the committee's senior Republican. "This hearing will not cause us to impeach the president; it will only serve to impeach Congress's credibility." At one point, a couple of people in the hearing room were asked to leave amid voices of protest. The committee reminded lawmakers and those testifying that House rules prohibit "personal abuse, innuendo or ridicule of the president." The House Rules and Manual points out that suggestions of mendacity, or accusations of hypocrisy, demagoguery or deception were out of order. "The rules of the House prevent me or any witness from utilizing familiar terms," Kucinich said. "But we can put two and two together in our minds." Former Los Angeles County Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, known for his prosecution of Charles Manson in 1970, acknowledged that "I am forbidden from accusing him of a crime, or even any dishonorable conduct" under House rules. But he could still encourage people to read his book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder." Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., was less circumspect is asserting that Bush was "the worst president that our nation has ever suffered." Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., concluded that "this is the most impeachable administration in the history of America because of the way that it has clearly violated the law." article

Climate study: Nevada, Southwest face drought Temperature changes threaten water supply for 2 million Nevadans The reduction in water levels due to drought on Lake Mead can be seen by the white ring around the shore at Hoover Dam in Boulder City. Climate changes and a growing population could conspire to dry up two key water resources, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, within 13 years, scientists warn. CARSON CITY, Nev. - A new study predicts that climate change will create devastating drought in this state and throughout the Southwest and continue to drop the levels of already low Lake Mead and Lake Powell, threatening the water supply for 2 million Nevadans. The prediction came as part of a study released Wednesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research. The study, paid for in part by the Environmental Defense Fund, analyzed the economic and environmental costs of global warming on 12 states around the country. By 2100, average temperatures in Nevada may increase by up to four degrees in the spring and fall and by up to six degrees in the summer and winter, and El Niño conditions are likely to increase in frequency and duration, the report states. "These temperature changes will have major effects on evaporation and precipitation in the state. The decreased availability of water statewide is likely to affect development, tourism and power production," the study adds. "Unless we take action to cut the pollution causing climate change we will further jeopardize Nevada's water supply," Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director, Environmental Defense Fund, said in a press release. "The threat to the water supply in Nevada and other Western states demonstrate that the most expensive thing we can do about climate change is ignore it." According to the study, severe drought caused by climate change will constrain development and construction, which account for 157,000 jobs across the state; and damage water-based recreation which brings in over $1 billion annually. Such drought conditions also would cost government agencies more than $3.5 billion to build new pipelines to meet Las Vegas' water demands, the report states. The report also says an increase of only a few degrees in an already warm climate can cause severe health problems and lead to more ozone pollution.

article SEATTLE - Just blocks from the University of Washington, a line of people shuffle toward a food pantry, awaiting handouts such as milk and bread.For years, the small University District pantry has offered help to the working poor and single parents in this neighborhood of campus rentals. Now rising food prices are bringing another group: Struggling college students. "Right now, with things the way they are, a lot of students just can't afford to eat," said Terry Capleton, who started a Facebook group called "I Ain't Afraid to be on Food Stamps" when he was a student at Benedict College in South Carolina. Some of the students are working their way through college with grants, loans and part-time jobs. Others are just reluctant to ask parents for more money. "More and more, it's just the typical traditional student, about 18 to 22, that's feeling this crunch," said Larry Brickner-Wood, director of the Cornucopia Food Pantry at the University of New Hampshire. "There's definitely been an increase in usage and demand. We're seeing more and more students that have never used the pantry before." In the past year, the price of groceries has jumped nearly 5 percent, the highest increase in nearly two decades. The cost of some staples has shot up by more than 30 percent

article The regulations require vessels to use cleaner fuel to power their engines SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California air regulators on Thursday approved the nation's toughest rules to reduce harmful emissions from ocean-going ships headed into the state's ports.The regulations require domestic and foreign cargo ships, tankers and cruise vessels sailing into California waters to use cleaner fuel to power their engines and boilers. The California fuel mandate comes amid similar international efforts, but air regulators say the 27 million Californians who breathe polluted air from the state's ports can't wait for those rules, which are being crafted to take effect in 2015. "It's a terrific thing for people who live anywhere near the coast or where the sea breezes go," said David Pettit, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Shipping companies oppose rules International shipping companies oppose the rules, adopted unanimously by the California Air Resources Board. They argue the state has no jurisdiction to regulate their operations outside the state's coastal zone. The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association said California at best can regulate only ships within state waters that extend three nautical miles from the coast under a federal law known as the Submerged Lands Act. "International ships running in international waters under international treaties should be handled under international laws," said T.L. Garrett, vice president of the association, which represents about 60 ocean carrier lines and cargo terminals. "We know it's the right thing to do. The question is, 'Who should be telling us to do it?'" Shippers last year won in federal court when they blocked a 2006 California regulation requiring large ships to use cleaner fuel in their auxiliary engines. A federal judge ruled the state did not have the authority to set shipping emission standards without the approval of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The latest California regulation defines the pollution standards as a fuel requirement, a strategy state regulators say does not require them to get federal permission. A ban on bunker fuel It would ban ships from using so-called bunker fuel, a dirty, heavy crude oil that has the consistency of asphalt and must be heated onboard the ships to power the engines. Beginning July 1, 2009, ocean-going vessels will have to switch to a more expensive but cleaner-burning marine fuel to power their engines and auxiliary boilers when they sail within 24 nautical miles of California's coast. The rules apply to ships headed to ports in the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego, as well as inland ports for ocean-going vessels in Sacramento and Stockton. Military, government and research vessels would be exempt, as will those ships that will be modified to comply with the regulation. In 2006, ships made nearly 11,000 port calls in California, a number that is expected to rise with the increase in international trade. Without new regulations, vessel emissions are projected to more than double by 2020, according to state air regulators.

Mississippi River opens to limited traffic Oily sheen halted 200 ships after collision spilled 400,000 gallons article updated 2:57 p.m. ET, Fri., July. 25, 2008 NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard reopened the Mississippi River to limited ship traffic Friday, but port officials say it will take days to clear up to 200 ships idled by a massive oil spill near New Orleans. A 100-mile stretch of the river has been closed since Wednesday, when a barge split open in a collision with the Liberian-flagged tanker Tintomara. Roughly 419,000 gallons spilled into the fast-flowing waterway to commerce, and crews have sopped up about 11,000 gallons — just a fraction of what the barge was carrying. The first ship to leave the mouth of the river, the Overseas New York, is bound for refineries upriver from New Orleans, said Capt. Lincoln Stroh. The ships will move based on economic priorities, Stroh said. The Mississippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is dotted with oil refineries and huge grain operations. Grain barges heading to the American heartland and a 2,000-passenger cruise ship set to dock in New Orleans Friday night were among the vessels blocked by the closure. The shutdown could cost shippers millions of dollars in lost commerce, said John Hyatt, vice president of Irwin Brown Co., a New Orleans-based freight forwarder. State authorities were optimistic environmental damage could be contained. Divers were inspecting the barge, which is wedged against the Mississippi River bridge. Officials said they believe little fuel is left, and say they don't think it is a danger to navigation nor a hazard to the structure of the bridge. Legal action Meanwhile, residents sued the owners and operators of the vessels that collided, alleging in U.S. district court that they have been exposed to fumes from the fuel oil wafting off the river in the worst spill on the Mississippi since November 2000. Grain barges heading to the American heartland and a 2,000-passenger cruise ship set to dock in New Orleans Friday night were among the vessels unable to get to the 100 miles of river that has been closed since Wednesday. It was unclear how the bottleneck would impact the flow of refined products from the 10 petroleum plants that line the river between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La. But crude oil imports did not appear to be affected. About 15 percent of U.S. oil imports come through the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port along the coast — the only U.S. port capable of handling the largest oil tankers. The complex is linked by pipeline to refineries. John Hyatt, vice president of Irwin Brown Co., a New Orleans-based freight forwarder, said he expected the overall cost of commerce lost to quickly climb into the millions of dollars. Paul Book, vice president of American Commercial Lines Inc. of Jeffersonville, Ind., which owns the barge, said about 350 cleanup workers deployed using 45 boats. Tens of thousands of feet of containment boom had been laid and some crews used vacuum skimmers to clean up the oil. State authorities were optimistic environmental damage could be contained. The spill was the largest since a tanker ran aground about 40 miles south of New Orleans, dumping more than half a million gallons of crude oil on the Mississippi. That spill closed about 26 miles of the river. Authorities said they also were investigating why no properly licensed pilot was aboard the tugboat towing the barge that contained about 419,000 gallons of oil.

poor watermelon I want one

probably not but you get more truth when you actually study something

Subject: 21st state rejects the REAL ID Act The number of states that have rejected the REAL ID Act now stands at 21. The latest to do so is Louisiana. On July 8th Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law HB 715. <http://www.privacylives.com/louisiana-becomes-21st-state-to-reject-real-id/2008/07/14/> It's strong legislation. It directs the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections to NOT implement the REAL ID Act. It's been a while since we've asked Congress to repeal the REAL ID Act. We've been focused on other things. Now is the time to hit them again. Let Congress know that you won't forget about this issue. Tell them you're aware that Louisiana just became the 21st state to rebel against the REAL ID Act. Tell Congress it's long past time to bow to the will of the people, who do not want a centralized national identification system. You can send your message here. <http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/30> We have many new members. If you don't know what the REAL ID Act is all about, we have introductory information on our Real ID campaign page where you can also send your message to Congress. <http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/30>

In other news, our friend Jim Harper has an excellent new blog at his excellent website, WashingtonWatch.com. We urge you to check it out. Jim provides the details about a bad new bill cobbled together by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- S. 3297, the Advancing America's Priorities Act. <http://www.washingtonwatch.com/blog/2008/07/24/the-coburn-omnibus-36-bills-in-one/> This bill is a perfect example of why we need the "One Subject at a Time Act." The bill combines 35 unrelated measures into one package. This is Reid's attempt to get around holds Senator Tom Coburn has placed on various pieces of earmark legislation. As a result, the bill has been nicknamed the Coburn Omnibous bill, even though Coburn opposes these measures. DC Downsizer Michael Launitz also alerted us about this bill because one of the things it contains is a "Big Brother" measure called "The Mother's Act," which would require pregnant women and new mothers to receive mandatory psychiatric screening and treatment for mental disorders (translate that as more corporate welfare for drug companies). man wtf

I'm pleased to share with you that WWF has recently launched an urgent new TV campaign to make people aware of how climate change is affecting polar bears and other animals. Polar bears are at risk of extinction due to melting and thinning arctic ice, and could disappear by the end of this century if we don't take action. Because you care so much about the diversity of life, we wanted you to see this critically important ad, too! Actor and WWF supporter Noah Wyle generously donated his time to record this important message about polar bears at risk. Watch this two-minute video right now: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=PFMenbjlZT67jjVSE4QlQw.. Now that you've seen this powerful message, please take action to help save polar bears and other endangered wildlife and wild places. Start by visiting WWF's new website created specifically to support this campaign. Here you can learn more about polar bears and other threatened species and their habitats and the many ways WWF is working to protect them. http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=BWWBmk_y9L4viYK8zS19sA.. You can also forward this message to a friend, to help increase awareness about the risk of extinction polar bears and other endangered animals and places are facing. http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=PjbCZASNVlXIiufZc-2KRw..

what do you guys that have seen the movie think about this?

Dear chelle, A quick action on your part could have lasting positive effects for tropical forests and coral reefs -- two of the most valuable and threatened ecosystems on the planet. A bill to protect these special habitats may come up for a vote within the next day or two as part of a package of legislation that some senators are opposing. We need to show an outpouring of support for the tropical forest and coral reef conservation bill in order to ensure that it remains in the package and that the package passes. Urge your senators to pass the Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=pcAf_2xnpe9ECltIZZk0uw.. The Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act would provide funding for debt-for-nature swaps which contribute to the protection of forests and coral reefs in qualified developing countries. Debt-for-nature swaps, which WWF helped pioneer in the 1980s, involve purchasing foreign debt at a discount, converting the debt into local currency, and using the proceeds to finance local conservation activities. It's an innovative technique that allows cash-strapped countries to protect globally important natural resources. An earlier version of the bill, which did not include coral reef conservation, was enacted in 1998 and has been tremendously successful. Tens of millions of dollars have been channeled into tropical forest conservation, protecting millions of acres and countless tropical forest species. WWF strongly supports expanding the legislation to include the protection of coral reefs. Reefs host a variety of vital sea species and are key to the health of the world's oceans, yet they face some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges -- from climate change to destructive fishing practices. Tell your senators that protecting tropical forests and coral reefs is important to you: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=xJhUWg6NWGe2zOWa92qagg.. Please forward this message to others who are concerned about tropical forests and coral reefs: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=ScZ0ASJ7ZoiBfqZWYNyRfA.. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Jessica McGlyn Senior Program Officer, Terrestrial Policy World Wildlife Fund Washington, D.C.

fuckin A right! I don't want a single penny of my taxes going to schools that preach shit I don't believe in. You want a god school pay for it your fuckin selves

every voter should take Relax everybody. Friendly debate. No personal attacks please.

is it over yet? I haven't watched either show since the crap started.

toad because of the oil and/or contract Naruto signed w/ the frogs.

seriously. it doesn't take much "talent" to draw lame panels and explosions

Kuma copies WTF was up with Hawkings and the things coming out of his arm......

X'D messed up

All humans have a dark side :battle: RP is pro life and I'm pro choice but fuck it man I'm fixed so... X'D

check out RP man. I guarantee yer opnion of at least him will change

that poor fucking kid her parents should have their asses kicked