32BJ's SEIU's Campaign To Raise Contractor Standards In Delaware Asks For Your Help - Can You Give DART A Call Tomorrow?

From the inbox ~

We wanted to give you a heads up on 32BJ's campaign to raise contractor standards and get government out of the business of creating poverty jobs in Delaware.

Tomorrow morning, thousands of Wilmington and New Castle County taxpayers will receive a phone call from Sam Lathem, President of the Delaware AFL-CIO, encouraging transit riders to demand DART hire responsible cleaning contractors that adhere to industry standards and protect area workers.

As you know, Elite Services, which serves DART, is one of the cleaning contractors that last December refused to sign the historic area-wide contract that provides for wage increases, health care, paid days off and other benefits to more than 800 office cleaners and currently pays its janitors substandard wages in the area.

Best, Eugenio Villasante, 32BJ SEIU

Transcript:

This is a message for DART riders and Delaware taxpayers. Did you know taxes and bus fares are going to a tax delinquent? Hi. I'm Sam Lathem, President of the Delaware AFL-CIO. DART hired Elite Building Services to clean its facilities in New Castle County, even though it has outstanding federal tax liens of over $400,000. We pay our taxes. Shouldn't our government contractors? Please call DART at (302) 576 6100 and tell them to hire only responsible contractors. Thank you.

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Worse Than Vietnam? - Rethink Afghanistan - Help The Brave New Foundation Team Put This Ad On Politico's Web Site

From the inbox ~
Worse Than Vietnam?













Watch the Video
Help Us Buy The Politico Ad
The Afghanistan War is now the longest war in U.S. history. If an end-date isn't set, we could be there forever. We want a responsible withdrawal that's complete no later than December 2011.
Can you contribute $15 to help us send a strong message that politicians will understand?
As Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg says in our new video, "It was always a bad year to get out of Vietnam." We need to make sure the same doesn't happen with Afghanistan. If we can raise $10,000.00 by Wednesday, Rethink Afghanistan and our partners at TrueMajority.org will buy a full-page in Politico telling Congress and the President that we want our combat troops out of Afghanistan by December 2011. We're spending $1 million per troop, per year, and we've already lost 1,000 people in Afghanistan. Please donate today, and watch our latest video showing why we need to end this war next year.
Sincerely, Robert Greenwald & Derrick Crowe and the Brave New Foundation Team

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Flowers For Treasurer - Martini Reception Fundraiser (5:30 - 7:30 - June 17, 2010) At Kooma On Wilmington's Riverfront

Chip Flowers stopped by the May meeting of the Civic League of New Castle County to chat about his candidacy for Treasurer. When he took the floor, he made a pretty strong impression. The Civic League presents a tough crowd of vocally skeptical, long-time watchdogs of the powers-that-be in our state (this group has a significant amount of institutional memory too: at 52, I am typically the youngest person in the room by 15 years or so) but Chip more than held his own.

His ideas struck a chord with the group. The conversation flowed between procurements, contracts, cost overruns, clean hands and a criteria to rate bids that includes a totality test: the evaluation of the true economic impact of contract awards that takes into consideration whether the work would be providing jobs to Delawareans.

You can check out more of Chip's ideas at his web site: www.chipflowers.com. I ribbed him about whether or not he was setting himself up for a turf war with other state agencies or departments under the executive's purview and his response was reasonable: we are going to need all hands on deck to dig us out of the economic crisis we are facing if we want to be able to continue to provide services to Delawareans.
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Chip comes to the table with a broad set of talents and education, an energetic enthusiasm and a plethora of established working relationships with "global and Fortune 500 clients, including Harvard University and Delaware corporate leaders such as DuPont, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America, Barclay’s Bank Delaware, ING Bank, FSB and the Buccini/Pollin Group".

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More From Frieda: Solar Power Is Advancing Rapidly But So Is Wind Power

German companies to build world's biggest wind park
Published: 4 Jun 10 16:17 CETOnline: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20100604-27655.html
German companies Siemens, RWE and SWE are teaming up to build the world’s largest wind park off the coast of Wales in the Irish Sea, they announced together on Friday.
http://www.thelocal.de/money/20100604-27655.html

In the Pacific Northwest
Wind power changing energy delivery
As the breeze picked up on May 12, the region's wind turbines began spinning faster, generating far more power than expected.
The grid was going into overload, and hydroelectric dam operators scrambled to dial back their flows, making way for the wind-driven electricity….. It signaled a major shift in the way power is delivered in the Pacific Northwest, and served as proof of the faster and more flexible system that is evolving to accommodate today's renewable energy sources…. "We're getting better all the time, so we can handle more renewables," said Michael Milstein, spokesman at Bonneville Power Administration. "The system is changing in some pretty fundamental ways."
http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_8bbb3cc6-6b91-11df-859b-001cc4c002e0.html

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the availability of up to $6 million to advance midsize wind turbine technology in order to boost the speed and scale of midsize turbine deployment……. Midsize turbines are used at schools, farms, factories, private and public facilities, remote locations, and community and tribal wind projects to generate renewable electricity. The size of these turbines allows them to be installed on the site of electricity use, thus minimizing the need for new electric transmission lines.

GE to supply Wind turbine for Lake Erie Project.
GE To Supply Wind Turbine For Lake Erie Project
General Electric Co said on Monday it was tapped to sell wind turbines for what is expected to be the first freshwater wind farm in the United States , planned for Lake Erie in the American Midwest.
The largest U.S. conglomerate will initially provide five four-megawatt turbines to the planned wind farm, which is expected to begin operation in late 2012
Advanced wind turbines, a must see !!!
http://www.quietrevolution.co.uk/

In the meantime PSE&G is proceeding with plans to build a fourth reactor on Artificial Island an Island created from Delaware River dredge spoils not supported by solid rock
06/14/10 01:30PM - 04:00PM
Meeting notice and agendaPSEG Power, LLC and PSEG Nuclear, LLC, will provide an overview of the Early Site Permit application for PSEG [more...]
Participation: Category 1
NRC Executive Boulevard BuildingConference Rooms 1B15 and 1B136003 Executive BoulevardRockville MD
Prosanta Chowdhury301-415-1647

And in the meantime they filed a request for withholding information!!!
Request for Withholding Information From Public Disclosure for Hope Creek Generating Station (TAC No. ME2949)
See attached.
Aside from the error of siting nuclear reactors at this location, Salems problems go way back. NY Times, 2004, Not much has changed
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/11/nyregion/11salem.html?_r=1

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Frieda Berryhill Writes: On Tritium Leaks At Nuclear Plants

Clean nuclear power?
Nuclear power is neither safe nor clean or cheap. Here is why!

There is no such thing as a "safe" dose of radiation and just because nuclear pollution is invisible doesn't mean it's "clean".

For years nuclear plants have been leaking radioactive waste from underground pipes and radioactive waste pools into the ground water at sites across the nation.
One such radioactive source is tritium.

The nuclear plants that have admitted leaking radioactive hydrogen or tritium into the groundwater include: Braidwood, Byron & Dresden in Illinois; Indian Point & Fitzpatrick in New York; Yankee Rowe & Pilgrim in Massachusetts; Three Mile Island & Peach Bottom in Pennsylvania; Callaway in Missouri; Oyster Creek in New Jersey; Hatch in Georgia; Palo Verde In Arizona; Perry in Ohio; Point Beach in Wisconsin; Salem in New Jersey; Seabrook in New Hampshire; Watts Bar in Tennessee; Wolf Creek in Kansas; Connecticut Yankee and most recently Vermont Yankee in Vermont.

Published on Monday, May 17, 2010 The Rutland Herlad (Vt.)
Tritium Leak Poses Question for Integrity of NRC

“Diane Screnci, a spokeswoman for Region One of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Sunday afternoon that the NRC considers that 34 reactors are currently or have recently been leaking tritium. She said that number represented plants that had contaminated groundwater.She could not say how many plants were leaking tritium.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/17-2

What is the final actual cost in $$$$ of one nuclear power plant? Nobody knows.

Nuclear waste creates financial problems which will last far into the future. Comparisons and questions are presented here.
Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EG7k4rHjfQ&NR=1

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Join SURJ In Support Of HB443 And SB255 For Comprehensive Drug Law Revision And Lifting The Food Stamps Ban For Ex-Offenders

TWO BILLS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

HB 443: A Comprehensive Revision of Delaware's Drug Laws
The effort to improve our state's overly harsh drug laws has culminated in a comprehensive revision of Title 16 (the drug code). HB 443 is a collaborative effort toward drug law reform.

The Attorney General's Office, Public Defender, Law Enforcement, Department of Correction, and SURJ have been meeting since April 2009 to draft the revisions. The new proposed drug laws mirror the more sensible
sentencing schemes used in other states and bring the drug laws into line with the rest of the Delaware code.

The new drug code is smarter, simpler, and allows for better consideration of the unique circumstances of each drug offense. Consistent with the rest of the criminal code, only drug offenses which are Class B Felonies will carry a mandatory minimum sentence. Some drug crimes which are currently felonies will be reduced to misdemeanors. The new sentencing scheme would simplify and reduce the number of charges for a single drug case. Prosecutors will no longer be able to heap on multiple charges that carry separate mandatory minimum sentences.The new scheme would include a base charge according to a "Tier" system, and aggravating factors (such as dealing drugs in a school zone or resisting arrest) could increase the offense level.

The amounts of a drug that trigger a mandatory minimum drug sentence have been increased substantially. For example, 10 grams of cocaine previously triggered a 2 year mandatory minimum sentence; the new scheme would require 25 grams of cocaine to trigger the same sentence. Cases with less than 25 grams could trigger the minimum 2 year sentence only if certain aggravating circumstances exist. Changes to school zone penalties and driver's license suspensions are also included. Visit our blog for more info.

Please contact the ten members of the House Judiciary Committee as well as your local Representative to support the bill! (You'll need your 4-digit zip code extension... find it here.) The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on June 9 at Legislative Hall in Dover. Want to attend? Email us for details.

SB 255: Lifting the Food Stamps Ban for Ex-Offenders with a Drug History

In Delaware, individuals with a felony drug conviction that ocurred after August 1996 are currently banned for life from participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as Food Stamps. SB 255 seeks to opt Delaware out of this federal law, following in the footsteps of at least twelve other states that have fully rejected the ban. The bill's passage would mean that Delaware opt out of the federal ban on drug offenders receiving food assistance.

The opt-out of the federal ban does not cost our state additional money, since SNAP is a federal program. The ban on drug offenders is bizarre, since federal law allows a violent offender or someone with a predatory sex offense to utilize SNAP, but excludes someone with a felony marijuana conviction. By opting out of this bizarre ban, Delaware levels the field for ex-offenders by leveraging resources consistently.

Allowing ex-offenders with a drug charge history to access food assistance helps ensure their stability and promotes rehabilitation. Individuals who are currently banned from receiving food assistance often rely on other family members and friends who use food assistance (defeating the purporse of the ban) or utilize food pantries, which drains non-profit and state resources. Leveraging federal funds for this population is a better option. The infusion of federal funds will be spent at
local food retailers and will help stimulate the local economy. SNAP provides an average of $150 per month to spend on food. Since SNAP operates through a debit card-like system, the likelihood of fraud and misuse are low. State and federal laws are already in place to prevent and prosecute food stamp fraud and to bar fraudulent users from receiving future assistance.

Do you agree that it's unfair to bar felony drug offenders, while those with violent felonies can participate? Do you agree that access to basic necessities such as food is vital for a person's stability and succes after exiting prison? The bill has passed in the Senate and is currently in the Health & Human Development Committee in the House of Representatives. Please email your local Representative (look up their name here... you'll need your 4-digit zip code extension) ) and tell them that you support SB 255

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What Happened To "We Bailed Out Wall Street On The Condition Of Freeing-Up Credit For Main Street Jobs And Modifying Mortgages"?

We haven't forgotten that reckless Wall Street gambling was what collapsed the global economy have we America?
From the inbox ~ Petition the President - Change.org writes: Demand that Reckless Wall Street Banks Pay their Fair Share

Since Wall Street's reckless gambling collapsed the global economy, Americans have footed much of the $14 trillion bill in lost wages, lost savings, and lost household wealth.And when we bailed-out the banks, it was on the condition that they'd free up credit for small businesses, modify mortgages, and help put America back to work. Instead banks have clamped down on credit, hiked up bank fees, and accelerated foreclosures.

But today we finally have a chance to force Wall Street to keep their side of the bargain. If President Obama endorses adding a small transaction tax to financial assets, such as stocks and derivatives, it could pay for new job creation and other urgent global priorities, including the challenge of climate change. It would be a small change for the big banks, but a big change for the world.

You can help make it happen. Write President Obama now and urge him to support a Financial Speculation Tax

Hundreds of billions of dollars of our money have gone to bank bail-outs - but the banks are still unreformed, raking in billions in profit and bonuses while public finances are gutted.A small charge of 0.25% or less on each trade of stocks, derivatives, currency, and other financial assets would not only hit risky speculators the hardest, it would also generate a steady stream of revenue for urgent national and international priorities - more than $150 billion a year. Imagine how far $150 billion each year could go in empowering poor and marginalized people around the world to overcome poverty and injustice.

Now is our chance to make a difference. Send your message to President Obama today and ensure banks pay their fair share

With your help, we can invest in the community priorities - at home and abroad - that create real, lasting solutions to problems like global disease, poverty, and climate change.Thank you for taking action at this critical moment.

- The Change.org team in partnership with ActionAid

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Entrepreneur Offers An Updated-Daily Electronic Balance Sheet To Be Displayed For Each Wall Street Institutions' Lobby And Web Page

Here is some 'food for thought' from guest blogger-entrepreneur, Jennifer Gorton of Forex Indicators, who has her own unique suggestion for tackling Financial Regulation ~

For the last few years, every investor has watched government officials, former government officials, bank executives, and many more individuals come before a plethora of congressional panels. The panels, filled with a variety of colorful publicly appointed characters, questioned these poor souls to death about what really did happen to cause the financial system to collapse. During some points of the questioning, I felt as if those asking the questions had little knowledge of the financial markets and probably couldn’t balance their own check books. A few members of these panels were indeed smart enough to ask the right question so those watching could get an understanding of what problems caused the massive losses.

It became to be pretty clear what caused these problems: the need to make more money. Not that there is anything wrong with making more money, but these executives made quite a bit for doing very little. Really, all they had to do was check balance sheets on a weekly basis to understand why they were losing money. The problem with the balance sheet is that, apparently, it is too confusing for even the executives of major banks to understand. There is only one solution to this issue: we have to make the balance sheet of any of these “too big to fail” banks more easily understandable by anyone who is wishing to invest in them. Government agencies like the FDIC will also be able to monitor their finances more easily and be able to shut them down if necessary.

The solution I propose for this is to make an electronic, up to date public balance sheet that is viewable on the bank or investment company’s web page. They will also be required to display a flat panel balance sheet monitor in their main lobby that gives an accurate description of their current financial positions. The best forex indicators wouldn’t even be needed for the bank executives to understanding if they were profitable on the day or not. This flat panel monitor would be so simple to understand that every market investor would be able to see the daily profit or loss. We as a country cannot ever again trust these banks to accurately tell the average person what they own and if it is “on balance sheet” or “off balance sheet.” I
mean, what the heck does that even mean? I was taught that there was only one balance sheet; this includes the liabilities, assets, and stockholder equity of a company. When did it become so complicated that the term “off balance sheet” needed to be created? This obviously needed to be done because the liabilities probably were dominating the “on” balance sheet and they needed to put them “off” somewhere else. Sadly, it is my understanding that this is perfectly legal.

The regulators now need to get rid of any loophole that allow for this “off balance sheet” nonsense. To reiterate, there will be one balance sheet that will be updated daily, located first on a huge flat panel monitor in their lobby, and one on their web page. There is no reason why these investment and commercial bank shouldn’t do this. It promotes honesty and will lead to a company striving to do better. They will strive to do better and make more money because they have their balance sheet on the web and in their main office to look at the daily profit or loss. They will know their financial positions at market open, and know them at market close. Everyone will be accountable and there will be no need to create a balance sheet that is “off” somewhere else. I do realize that these institutions are very complex and have many numbers moving in all directions during the business day, that is fine. We will learn what every line and number means and so will the government agencies
monitoring the web page. If the president or CEO can’t hire a computer programming team to create this constantly moving balance sheet they need to find another job.

I recommend this balance sheet mostly because more and more of these banks are continuing to have proprietary trading operations. Trading of the markets has been blamed by many on these congressional panels as being a reason for the financial crisis. They are correct about the buying of large blocks of asset back and the securities by these big banks are proved to be a poor investment decision. The problem was that no one had any idea of what they were worth on a day to day basis because the market was so thinly traded that a price was hard to discover. Even if prices are hard to discover, my online up to date balance sheet would provide everyone with the best estimate of value. It would have to be based on similar sales prices of similar assets. Sometimes it might create a large loss - well so be it! The assets value needs to be disclosed on the high tech updated daily balance sheet. People reading this might think it’s a funny idea, but making things simple is the only way to go. Accounting had gotten way out of control with too many loopholes and types of balance sheets that will make your head spin. Financial regulation needs to bring us back to square one, it is up to congress to act and make these changes happen soon.

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Maryland's Supremes Get Their Shot At Artesian's Infrastructure Grab As Community Alliance Appeals Cecil County Water And Waste Water Facility Sale

This little item has a fascinating backstory which I will be delving into in the near future (I have been filing the piles and piles of print material laying around from all of my various and sundry activities over the last five years and one of the clipping collections has refreshed my interest in the sordid dealings across the state line in Cecil County).
(Newark Post) Cheryl Mattix reports ~ Sale of Cecil utilities to Artesian now before Maryland Supreme Court

The fate of the proposed $13 million sale of Cecil County's water and wastewater facilities to Artesian Water of Maryland is now in the hands of the state's highest court. Artesian is a unit of Artesian Utilities, based near Newark.

Members of the Appleton Regional Community Alliance have appealed a decision by Circuit Court Judge Sidney S. Campen, who ruled last year that the county commissioners have the right to sell several water and sewer treatment plants to the private firm.

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I Am Calling Arkansans Tonight And Asking For Their Vote For Bill Halter

I am going to be making calls tonight for Bill Halter in Arkansas. You can help get this progressive over the finish line too by going to his web page and signing up! There are shifts open through Tuesday. The campaign is using a nifty system that does ALL THE DIALING FOR YOU - so just sit back, GOTV and persuade some Arkansas voters to vote against Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat who always seems to vote for the corporate interests and not in the public interest.

nytimes - On the Hill: Losing an Incumbent, Not Necessarily the Seat http://nyti.ms/cZbfTY

And here's another opportunity to work this week's primary!

downwithtyranny - Defeat a Blue Dog RT @marcywinograd: Please join us anytime from 10:00am to 9:00pm in these final days as we phone bank! http://ht.ly/1Ujma

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Bowing To Racist Rage, A Prescott, AZ Principal Orders Whitening Of Latino And Black Kids' Faces On A Community-Supported "Green Transportation" Mural

(photo of the mural from Prescott News)

Wonkette update: Arizona Councilman/Radio Host Fired For Racist Anti-Mural Campaign
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Wonkette writes ~ Arizona School Demands Black & Latino Students’ Faces On Mural Be Changed To White

Hard to find even the Gallows Humor in this story, so maybe we won’t even try. Maybe it’s time to admit that large chunks of America are in the hands of unreconstructed racists and vulgar idiots, and that the popular election of a black man as president just might’ve pushed these furious, economically doomed old white people into a final rage that is going to end very, very badly. Ready? Here you go: An Arizona elementary school mural featuring the faces of kids who attend the school has been the subject of constant daytime drive-by racist screaming, from adults, as well as a radio talk-show campaign (by an actual city councilman, who has an AM talk-radio show) to remove the black student’s face, and now the school principal has ordered the faces of the Latino and Black students to be changed to Caucasian skin.

(h/t Atrios)
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Petition Congress To Close The Hedge Fund Loophole

downwithtyranny - Why campaign finance reform matters RT @Jacqrat A picture's worth 1,000 words. http://bit.ly/boAoHS Congress: close the hedge fund loophole.




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Petition Congress For A Televized Wall Street Conference Open For All Americans To Witness

From the inbox ~ How to fight Wall Street, and win (seriously)

Most members of Congress don't want you to think they are owned by Wall Street. So, even if they whisper sweet nothings in the ears of Wall Street executives behind closed doors, they will not defend Wall Street in public.

With the final version of the Wall Street reform bill to be hammered out in a congressional conference committee this month, this unwillingness by members of Congress to defend Wall Street in public gives us a chance to make the bill as strong as possible. That's why Open Left is joining with CREDO Action, MoveOn, and the Campaign for America's Future to demand that the entire conference committee be televised.

Tell Congress--televise the Wall Street reform conference committee!

Members of Congress are much more likely to support strong reform on television than they are behind closed doors. So, if we can get the meetings televised, we will make a big difference in this fight.

Your signatures will be delivered to Representative Barney Frank, chair of the conference committee, on Monday. Journalists and bloggers will write about the petition, too. By signing this petition, your voice will be heard, and you will make a difference.

Keep fighting,
Chris Bowers
Co-founder, Openleft.com

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What Kinds Of Humanitarian Aid Gets Into Gaza?

(Think Progress) Matthew Yglesias writes ~ Permitted and Forbidden in Gaza

Helpful chart from
The Economist:

With some comment rescues ~

- scythia: I think it’s pretty clear what’s going on. The left-hand column (for the most part)contains items that can be turned into other items, then resold for a profit. The right-hand column (for the most part) contains end-items to be consumed.

- N: Kind of puts the lie to the often repeated statement that Israel is ‘the only true democracy in the Middle East.’

-joejoejoe: I think frozen foods are allowed because Israel has ways of cutting off electricity making these commodities almost useless at the whim of Israel. Dried foods can be stockpiled and rationed in ways frozen foods cannot. It’s pretty clearly a list designed to inhibit any kind of self sufficiency. Otherwise why allow hay but not farm animals?

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Rasmussen: "BP Viewed Most Favorably By Republicans, Conservatives, American Over Age 65, Whites And Males"

(FDL) Josh Nelson writes ~
Who are the 22% of Americans Who View BP Favorably? - Using the crosstabs from the poll (premium account required), I put together this chart

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Delaware Chamber Of Commerce Live-Tweets Today From DEDO's Entrepreneurial Business Conference

DEStateChamber ~

- RT @JohnMcKown: O'Malley: Why Delaware? Because Delaware government works well with businesses and the community. #DelEntConf #netde

- RT @kengrantde: O'Malley says @GovernorMarkell is 1 of the few Govs who understands business #DelEntConf

- RT @JohnMcKown: McGowan: $12M "I6" Entrepreneur challenge sponsored by EDA. http://bit.ly/9Phbh5 #netde #DelEntConf

- RT @JohnMcKown McGowan: Our toughest competition isn't down the road, it is around the world. Regionally we need to collaborate #DelEntConf

- RT @JohnMcKown: "Workers have been driven into a knowledge based economy whether they were ready for it or not" Matt Denn #DelEntConf

- RT @JohnMcKown: "The economy that comes out of this recession will not be the same economy that came into the recession" -Denn #DelEntConf

- RT @FPullam: RT @DEDOgov: Mark Fowser @1450WILM to interview Alan Levin from #DelEntConf to air at 11 a.m. #netde http://bit.ly/EntConf

- RT @kengrantde: RT @JohnMcKown "Chrysler plant increases footprint of UofD by 22%" UofD President. Will be a technology park. #delentconf

- RT @GovernorMarkell: RT @DEDOgov: Will be live-tweeting today from the Entrepreneurial Biz Conf http://bit.ly/EntConf #DelEntConf #NetDE

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Bidens Reaching Out To The Washington Establishment?

(The Hill) Christina Wilkie reports ~ Bidens to host reporters at 'Biden Beach Boardwalk' party

Ruh Roh, Probationer James O'Keefe Breaks Laws Right And Left In His Latest Sting Attempt At A New Jersey Census Office

Media Matters writes ~
Warning to the media: Breitbart bites the hand that feeds him - After appearing on ABC's Good Morning America, Andrew Breitbart criticized host George Stephanopoulos, claiming that he had "sandbagged" Breitbart and fellow guest James O'Keefe, continuing a pattern of attacking hosts after appearing on their shows.
O'Keefe cohort reruns year-old myth that Obama seized control of Census - Resurrecting a faux-controversy pushed by Republicans in early 2009, Shaughn Adeleye -- who worked with right-wing filmmaker James O'Keefe to covertly film census training sessions - claimed that President Obama "moved control of the census to directly report to the White House." In fact, the administration made it clear that the Census director would report to the commerce secretary.
News Corpse wites ~ James O'Keefe May Be Heading Back To Jail

Andrew Breitbart’s pet pimp impersonator, James O’Keefe, was just sentenced last week to three years probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $1,500 fine for having trespassed the offices of a United States senator in Lousiana under false pretenses. He pleaded guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges in order to avoid prosecution for a felony. But this experience has apparently failed to moderate his proclivity for criminality.

O’Keefe’s latest adventure in psuedo-journalism was revealed today on Breitbart’s BigGovernment, as well as ABC’s Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos. The new effort was aimed at alleged waste and/or corruption at the Census Bureau. O’Keefe, armed with a camera, and a smug disregard for ethics, set off to embark on a career in the federal bureaucracy where he says that… “What I found were census supervisors systematically encouraging employees to falsify information on their time sheets.”

With comment rescues ~

You’re not paying attention. no one told him to put in a time sheet alleging time worked that he didn’t actually work. The video plainly shows that the instructions were during a training session and were meant to demonstrate HOW to fill in the time sheet, not WHAT to fill in. Do you know what a “template” is?

So now the scumbag with a track record of unrepentant criminality, serial lying, and corrupt editing habits wants us to believe 600,0000 Census workers are cheating on their time cards.

Misrepresentation is specifically prohibited by the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Surreptitious recoding of conversations is BOTH a violation of the policy of the Commerce Department and the laws of the state of New Jersey.

- Mark

http://www.memeorandum.com is the crazy web site where I found this story

(h/t Thers)

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Higher Ed: Wal-Mart To Offer College To Employees - DSU To Finally Get SEED Benefits Under The Inspire Scholarship Program

Aspiring DSU students might get a sort of SEED program if the INSPIRE bill gets funded this year.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EDUCATION.
This Bill will create the Inspire Scholarship Program. Inspire scholarships are available to Delaware students with excellent credentials and economic need to attend Delaware State University. The intent of this program is to increase the number of students in Delaware who attend college and complete degree programs. The amounts available to these grant recipients are subject to available funds and are capped at the grant amount available to SEED grant recipients. Inspire scholarship recipients must continue to make excellent academic progress toward a degree and must complete at least ten hours of community service per semester.

Meanwhile, (NYT) Stephanie Clifford and Stephanie Rosenbloom report ~ Wal-Mart to Offer Its Workers a College Program

To be eligible for the program, employees must have been in the job at least one year full time, or three years part time, and must also score “above target” on their most recent evaluation.

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BP's Cleanup Contracts Have Gag Clause Barring Any Media Contact, WTF???

thinkprogress - BP Forced Clean-Up Workers To Sign Contract Forbidding Them From Talking With Media http://bit.ly/ac99Ej

The Coast Guard might not have any prohibitions now, but BP sure tried. Powering a Nation, a student journalism initiative sponsored by the Carnegie and Knight Foundations, has obtained a contract BP made with local boat operators helping with the clean-up sign that explicitly barred them from talking to the media

(Ward Reilly image)

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Chancery Court Victory For Delaware Insurance Commissioner For Distribution Of 100% Of Approved Claims In International Underwriters Liquidation Case

(presser)

COMMISSIONER STEWART ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $12.2 MILLION IN DISTRIBUTIONS

Delaware Guaranty Association and all Policyholders to Receive 100% Of Approved Claims from International Underwriters Insurance Company in Liquidation

Dover, June 3, 2010 – Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart announced today that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware approved the Commissioner's plan to distribute the funds from the receivership of International Underwriters Insurance Company. The distribution will generate an additional $12.2 million of funds to the guaranty associations, policyholders and other claimants from the liquidated estate.

The Guaranty Associations of Delaware, Maryland and Texas , will receive 100% of their approved claims totaling $14.9 million. The policyholder level claimants will also receive 100% of their approved claims totaling over $1.3 million in distributions. This brings the total amount distributed from the International Underwriters’ receivership to $16.2 million.

“While the liquidation of any insurance company is disheartening, I am gratified that the Guaranty Associations and all other policyholders were made 100% whole instead of receiving the usual pennies on the dollar”, Commissioner Stewart said.

Still to be determined are the amount of funds which will be available for distribution to the general creditor class claimants and the potential reinsurance collection from another insolvent receivership.

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Free The Internet.Com Writes: Mike Castle Has Taken A Position Against The Interests Of Rural And Low-Income Communities And Sold Us Out To Telecoms

From the inbox ~ Michael Castle signed the letter opposing efforts to protect the open Internet and promote universal access.

Congress just sold you out to Comcast, Verizon and AT&T.

74 House Democrats and 37 Senate Republicans have signed industry-written letters telling the FCC to abandon efforts to protect Internet users and stop big companies from blocking Internet traffic. It’s yet another example of dirty politics destroying our democracy, and it has to stop.

Tell Washington: Congress Doesn’t Speak for Me

The nasty little secret that everybody knows? Almost every one of these representatives has accepted massive contributions from the phone and cable lobby. Now the industry is demanding a return on its investment. By signing the industry letter, these members of Congress have drastically undercut the FCC’s ability to get a fast, affordable and open Internet to everyone in America. They are actually taking a position against the interests of rural and low-income communities.

We aren’t going to let this outrageous and unethical behavior stand. Today, we’re asking hundreds of thousands of Americans to sign our own letter and telling Congress and the FCC that these members of Congress don’t speak for us, President Obama or the millions of other Americans who support a fast, open and affordable Internet.

Don’t Let Dirty Politics Kill Fast, Open and Affordable Internet

That so many members of Congress would intentionally sell out the public may be hard to imagine. Perhaps these representatives didn’t know what they were signing. Or perhaps this is just business as usual, another D.C. betrayal of the public trust. (Is it any wonder the latest Gallup public opinion poll counts a congressional disapproval rating of 73 percent?) These members of Congress acted on blind faith that phone and cable companies have the best interests of Americans in mind.But Comcast and AT&T can no better police themselves to protect the open Internet than BP can police itself to protect the oceans. We already know how that ends. The phone and cable companies must play by our rules before it’s too late. Congress can’t hand over the future of communications to these companies. The results would be disastrous.
http://www.savetheInternet.com; http://www.FreePress.net

1. Call your representative and tell them to sign Rep. Jay Inslee's letter to the FCC, which urges the agency to reassert its authority to protect an open and affordable Internet for everyone.
2. View a list of the 74 members of Congress who signed an industry-drafted letter urging the FCC not to protect Net Neutrality. Urge them to say yes to an open, accessible Internet by calling them or sending a message via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook.

Please sign this letter ~ Click HERE - Congressional Sellouts Don't Speak for Me

Congress must have made a mistake. Dozens of our elected representatives just signed their names to an industry letter instructing the FCC NOT to protect Internet users or bridge the digital divide.

I'm writing to tell you that these members of Congress don't speak for me, President Obama or the millions of other Americans who have called upon the FCC and Congress to protect the open Internet and promote universal access.

The FCC must now do the right thing and re-assert its Title II authority to protect Americans' access to the open Internet.

Speak out against this unethical behavior. Sign this letter to demand that Congress and the FCC stand with the people they represent and support an open and affordable Internet for everyone.

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Moody’s CEO And His Managing Director In US Derivatives Give Contradicting Testimony As Warren Buffett Cites Greed As A Narcotic At FCIC Hearing

CBSNews - Moody's CEO, Buffett Make Ratings Agencies Seem Pointless http://bit.ly/97C0V2

And (new deal 2.0) Bryce Covert writes ~ On Chocolate, Narcotics, and How Warren Buffett Thinks We’re All Gamblers: Today’s FCIC Hearing

The FCIC dug its teeth into the mess of ratings agencies today. Lame excuses and mixed metaphors abounded. The first panel was a mix of Moody’s former employees who told stories of a free-wheeling culture that couldn’t say ‘no’ to a deal and Moody’s management who sought to tamp that image down.

...The first panel told a story of an ever-increasing workload handled by understaffed departments. In sympathy, Phil Angelides, chairman of the commission, compared it to the scene in “I Love Lucy” in which Lucy tries to inspect all of the chocolates that come down a conveyor belt faster and faster. “Did you feel like Lucy?” Angelides asked one witness, Eric Kolchinsky, who was is a former team managing director in US derivatives at Moody’s. “All the time,” Kolchinsky responded. The metaphor extended — the chocolates coming down the shoot appeared safe on the outside, but had less and less “cocoa content.” The investments looked safe on the outside, but under that hard candy coating they were empty.

Kolchinsky didn’t just finger the HR department for the faulty ratings, however. He described a culture in which you cold not say no to a deal and management expected employees to protect Moody’s market share above all else. “It was harder to say no than to say yes,” he said, and explained that he had been able to say no to rating only one transaction — and his refusal didn’t stop the transaction from happening, it was simply rated by someone else. Angelides himself concluded, “It comes close to either the product is fraudulent or of no use to the market place.”

...[WarrenBuffett]: Everyone got swept up in the bubble, like a group of addle-minded addicts. “Rising [housing] prices are a narcotic that effect reasoning power,” Buffett said. To which Angelides reminded the crowd: “You don’t want your police trading in crack.”

On the topic of derivatives, however, there was no beating around the bush: Buffett thinks they should go. After all, “Gambling instincts are very strong in humans,” and “We’re always going to be fighting the human tendency to borrow more money than you should.” Derivatives are “made to order” for this type of behavior, he said. You therefore “need something on the governmental side” to counteract the strong pull of monetary risk-taking.

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Biden On Charlie Rose Tonight: Israeli's Deadly Commando Raid On The High Seas? No Big Effing Deal

(Politico) Ben Smith reports ~ Biden solidifies defense of Israel: 'What's the big deal here?' - Vice President Joe Biden offered the White House's strongest defense yet of Israeli's actions off the coast of Gaza this week in an interview with Charlie Rose airing tonight on PBS.

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John Boehner's PAC Funds: '1/3 Winds Up Going To Help Candidates'?

downwithtyranny - Washington Post exposes John Boehner's corrupt way of handling PAC funds. Only 1/3 winds up going to help candidates. http://bit.ly/dozBx1










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USDOE Increasingly Faulted For 'Hoarding Education Money While 300,000 Teachers Face Layoffs'

(FDL) David Dayen writes ~ Duncan Runs Reform Contest, Hoards Education Money While 300,000 Teachers Face Layoffs- The biggest “reform” for schools in 2010 would be “funding them so they don’t have to fire members of their staffs.”

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Barack Obama Supports A Credible, Impartial, Transparent, Independent Investigation Into The Israeli Actions Against The Free Gaza Movement Flotilla

Greg Sargent reports ~ Readout of the President's Call with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey

The President spoke today with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to express his deep condolences for the loss of life and injuries resulting from the Israeli military operation against the Turkish-flagged ship bound for Gaza. The President told Prime Minister Erdogan that the United States is working in close consultation with Israel to help achieve the release of the passengers, including those deceased and wounded, and the ships themselves. He also affirmed the United States position in support of a credible, impartial, and transparent investigation of the facts surrounding this tragedy. The President affirmed the importance of finding better ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel's security. He underscored the importance of a comprehensive peace agreement which establishes an independent, contiguous, and viable Palestinian state as the way to resolve the overall situation and the United States' continuing commitment to achieving that goal by working closely with Turkey, Israel, and others with a stake in a more stable and secure Middle East.

Thank you Mr. President!

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Kaufman Questions Lack Of Critics Invited To Tomorrow's Market Structure Roundtable And Lays Out Three Larger Issues For The SEC To Consider

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Kaufman Statement on June 2 SEC Roundtable on Market Structure Issues

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) issued the following statement prior to tomorrow’s Securities and Exchange Commission roundtable on market structure issues, including high frequency trading:

“In assessing the breadth of each panel invited to participate tomorrow at the SEC roundtable, there are two questions to ask: Will the participants represent a broad range of industry members and outside experts? And will each panel present a wide and fairly balanced range of viewpoints? As I said last Thursday, the Commission at a minimum should ensure that all of the panels demonstrate “some semblance of balance” between industry participants who profit from the current market structure and critics who fault the markets as overly fragmented, conflicted and unfair.

“With preliminary reports last week showing the make-up of the high frequency trading panel to be dramatically out of balance, the Commission, apparently in response to my concerns, moved one of the biggest past advocates for high frequency trading to another panel and added a mutual fund critic as well as another representative from the academic community. That means on the high frequency panel, two are previous critics of high frequency trading and two are academics. Of the other five on the panel, four make their living either directly or indirectly through high frequency trading and all five, for the most part, have been staunch defenders of the status quo. Draw your own conclusions about whether this is a ‘balanced’ panel.

“The panels would certainly have benefited from a few more high frequency critics (like Rich Gates of TFS Capital, O. Mason Hawkins of Southeastern Asset Management or Bob Bright or Dennis Dick of Bright Trading) as well as representatives of a pro-investor group, such as the AFL-CIO from the perspective of pension funds, or David Weild of Grant Thornton, which has conducted studies on whether the current market structure is having a devastating effect on Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and capital formation.

“Candidly, I remain deeply troubled that the Commission under the glare of public scrutiny had to scramble belatedly to ensure that these panels pass even minimal criteria for balance.”

Kaufman also outlined three larger issues he believes the SEC must address:

(1) Breaking the “Closed Loop” of Rulemaking, i.e., Evidenced-Based Rulemaking When Only Wall Street Controls the Data

The SEC must base its rulemakings on data and evidence. That is a problem when (a) it doesn’t collect meaningful data about high frequency trading – that is what the proposed “large trader” rule issued on April 14 is meant to rectify, when if finalized and implemented the SEC will for the first time “tag” and collect data at the time and customer level about high frequency trading practices; and (b) no one has access to that data outside the high frequency trading firms themselves.

Currently it is a “closed loop” where the SEC is almost exclusively dependent on the entities it regulates for analysis and evidence. What we need is for the SEC to require 100% tagging of trades (equity and derivative) and messaging, sent back to the investor, and then to disgorge this data into the public marketplace on a delayed basis. We don't know what we don't know means systemic risk.

To address this major gap, the financial reform bill passed by the Senate includes a new Office of Financial Research within the Treasury Department. The new office would have the authority to collect and analyze financial data in order to identify and assess incipient risks in the system. It would also publish databases on financial institutions and contracts, which would facilitate further analysis by academics and other independent reviewers. I would hope that analyzing the systemic risks associated with high frequency trading would be a top priority of the new office.

(2) Academics and Private Analytic Firms Need to Play an Important Function

Only after meaningful data is collected and released to the marketplace can academics and private analytic firms provide additional objective evidence to the SEC about market structure issues.

The academics (and also the private analytic firms that work for
the buy-side) should be best positioned to frame (a) the post-May 6 issues, especially the disappearance of liquidity, and (b) what data is needed to conduct meaningful empirical analyses to resolve key issues in the debate.

Again, the key point is that we need to get meaningful ("large trader" at time of order and customer level) data to the academics and others because in my view they are currently unable to verify empirically most of the key questions.

If anyone in the aftermath of May 6 jumps to conclusions based on broad market data, in my view that will be disappointing, premature and superficial. Or, ideally,the academics and buy-side analytic firms will educate everyone on whatdata is available and meaningful in answering certain questions as well as whatdata is not available that is necessary to measure other effects.

(3) Costs Should be Allocated Fairly

The SEC may need to take further rulemaking. Without prejudging what those rules should be, to me it is obvious that regulators must address the burgeoning message traffic and cancellation rates in the current marketplace. While cancellations are not inherently bad – potentially enhancing liquidity by affording automated traders greater flexibility when posting quotes – their use in today’s marketplace is clearly excessive. At a minimum we need a system (as a growing number of people are proposing) whereby exchanges and market centers are mandated by rule to allocate costs at least partially based on message traffic share rather than traded volume market share.

If the SEC adopted a similar system for the new audit trail, high frequency trading firms – some of which cancel hundreds of orders for every one transaction – would have a significant incentive to become more efficient. This would greatly reduce message traffic, system stress and marketplace noise, and would make the markets easier for regulators to surveil as well as add a much needed degree of fairness.

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