Tuesday, February 14, 2012

There's more to this. So Sad. For her and all she did , I can't let it go

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/4/robin-copeland-energy-department-official/

Promoting Iraqi Infrastructure Reconstruction through a U.S. Public-Private Partnership

English: US and Iraqi Army Soldiers guard bord...Image via Wikipedia

News

CRDF Global periodically releases news items of general or topical interest. If you are a member of the media and wish to receive news alerts, please sign up for our mailing list. Please direct all media inquiries to EA Dyson, 703-526-2339, or email the CRDF Global Media Relations office.

Promoting Iraqi Infrastructure Reconstruction through a U.S. Public-Private Partnership

Mar 19, 2008
Arlington, VA– CRDF Global has been given responsibility for implementing an impressive new public-private partnership aimed to significantly further reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Supported by the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, the Iraq Engineering Enhancement Program (IEEP) has selected five Iraqi engineers to participate in internships with universities and private sector engineering firms in the United States.

The selected Iraqi engineers—representing government ministries, university faculty, and small businesses across the nation—have undergone a rigorously competitive screening and selection process over the past year and will arrive in the U.S. this spring. The selected Iraqi engineers will spend three to six months working with their host institutions and are dedicated to returning to contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction efforts upon completion of their training and studies.

IEEP will greatly facilitate the recovery and growth of Iraq’s infrastructure and economy, while simultaneously building a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship between Iraqi and U.S. engineers dedicated to reconstruction. The engineers involved will return to Iraq with considerably increased professional and technical skills and the ability to actively promote infrastructure and workforce development within Iraq. The Iraqi participants will return with the knowledge of how to teach current industry practices and to serve as liaisons between Iraqi and U.S. governmental ministries, educational institutions, and engineering firms.

For more information on IEEP, contact CRDF Global’s Robin Copeland at 703-526-4780.
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New START: Science Diplomacy for Nuclear Security in the 21st Century

From Reykjavik to New START: Science Diplomacy for Nuclear Security in the 21st Century
CRDF Global's President and CEO Cathy Campbell, will moderate the "Scientists' role in enhancing communication and confidence between and among countries" panel at the "From Reykjavik to New START: Science Diplomacy for Nuclear Security in the 21st Century" symposium. CRDF Global's Linda Staheli and Robin Copeland will attend.
As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Reykjavik Summit, CISAC and USIP are inviting prominent scientists from Russia and the United States to examine the roles of transparency and confidence building in 21st century nuclear security.
The meeting will address:
(1) Examples from past U.S.-Soviet/Russia interactions and how the lessons learned can be applied to current and future challenges.
(2) Monitoring and verification needs in the future.
(3) Scientists' role in enhancing security communication and confidence between and among countries.
The Honorable William Perry, the Honorable Rose Gottemoeller, Academician Evgeny N. Avrorin, Dr. Richard Garwin and several other distinguished speakers will address these important topics.
For more information please e-mail events@crdf.org.

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CRDF Global periodically releases news items of general or topical interest. If you are a member of the media and wish to receive news alerts, please sign up for our mailing list. Please direct all media inquiries to EA Dyson, 703-526-2339, or email the CRDF Global Media Relations office.

In Memoriam: Robin Copeland       

Nov 04, 2011

CRDF Global is deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend Robin Copeland. Robin was a tireless champion of nonproliferation and science engagement. For CRDF Global, as well as for the nonproliferation community around the world, she was an esteemed colleague, a talented professional and a close friend. She brought a passion and devotion to her job that has deeply touched anyone who has worked with her.
From the early days of the Gore/Chernomyrdin commission in the 1990s, to CRDF Global’s recent science engagement efforts in new geographic areas, Robin was a driving force for action and innovation for every office in which she worked. Her efforts to build and create meaningful engagement for the sake of safety, security and relationships, were tireless. Robin’s presence within the nonproliferation community created networks that have contributed to cooperation and achievements in many areas.
As we continue doing the work that she loved, her achievements and passion inspire us, and the relationships she created and fostered endure.

CRDF Names New Nonproliferation Programs Director

http://www.crdfglobal.org/news-and-events/newsletters/2010/08/25/volume-6-number-3-sept.-2010#NP


Copeland Named CRDF Nonproliferation Programs Director

CRDF has announced Robin Copeland as the new director of Nonproliferation Programs. She replaces Ambassador Joseph DeThomas, who is returning to the U.S. Department of State.

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Role of Scientists in Science Diplomacy

English: “At Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Ene...Image via Wikipedia
English: Entrance of Kurchatov Institute in Mo...Image via Wikipedia
English: Entrance of Kurchatov Institute in Mo...Image via Wikipedia
http://www.crdfglobal.org/news-and-events/press-room/news/2011/03/16/symposium-panel-examines-role-of-scientists-in-science-diplomacy

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/cisac/PGA_060004

News

CRDF Global periodically releases news items of general or topical interest. If you are a member of the media and wish to receive news alerts, please sign up for our mailing list. Please direct all media inquiries to EA Dyson, 703-526-2339, or email the CRDF Global Media Relations office.

Symposium Panel Examines Role of Scientists in Science Diplomacy

Mar 16, 2011
CRDF Global President and CEO Cathy Campbell moderated a panel on the role of scientists in enhancing communication and confidence between and among countries at a Jan. 19, 2011 symposium on science diplomacy in support of international security. The symposium -- entitled "From Reykjavik to New START: Science Diplomacy for Nuclear Security in the 21st Century" - was organized by the National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). CRDF Global's Robin Copeland also attended, as well as prominent scientists from Russia and the United States.
During the panel moderated by Campbell, Richard Garwin of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center and Evgeniy N. Avrorin of the All-Russian Institute of Technical Physics (ret.) discussed the role of U.S.-Soviet/Russian NGO dialogues and possible directions for the future. Nikolai N. Ponomarev-Stepnoi, Kurchatov Institute and John F. Ahearne, Sigma Xi1 also discussed the disposition of excess weapons fissile material.
The Honorable William Perry, the Honorable Rose Gottemoeller, Academician Evgeny N. Avrorin, Dr. Richard Garwin, and several other distinguished speakers addressed several important topics:
  • Examples from past U.S.-Soviet/Russia interactions and how the lessons learned can be applied to current and future challenges.
  • Monitoring and verification needs in the future.
  • Scientists' role in enhancing security communication and confidence between and among countries.
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Saturday, February 11, 2012

http://www.mrc.org/media-reality-check/abc-and-nbc-anything-fast-and-furious-gunwalking-scandal

ABC and NBC Anything But Fast and Furious On Gunwalking Scandal

Deaths, guns, whistle-blowers and the highest law officer in the land stonewalling a congressional investigation are the juicy ingredients of a story network news reporters would love to cover – if a Republican were in office. However, when Attorney General Eric Holder testified on Thursday (February 2) before a House oversight committee investigating Operation Fast and Furious, the news was completely ignored by NBC and ABC (there was one full story on Friday's CBS This Morning). The virtual blackout of Holder's testimony continues an overall trend of ABC and NBC burying one of the Obama administration's biggest scandals, despite continual coverage by their competitors at CBS, CNN and Fox News.

MRC analysts reviewed the Big Three network evening and morning news shows and found that while CBS aired 29 stories and 1 brief on Fast and Furious, ABC aired only one brief on the June 15, 2011 edition of Good Morning America. That was still better than what NBC did on their morning and evening news programs, as the gunwalking story has never been mentioned on either NBC Nightly News or the Today show. NBC's Miguel Almaguer, in a report primarily about a Mexican mother accusing border patrol agents of killing her 17-year old son as he tried to scale a wall, did note that 'In December, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in a shootout with bandits.' However, Almaguer never tied the Terry killing back to the gunwalking scandal.

It should be noted Chris Hansen, on the April 17, 2011 edition of NBC's magazine show Dateline, did report that the ATF 'as part of an undercover operation, actually allowed hundreds of guns to be smuggled to the Mexican drug cartels.' However, Hansen never linked Holder to the operation or even mentioned Terry's name.

Hansen's failure to mention Terry's name is particularly galling considering his mother, Josephine has repeatedly demanded Holder apologize for her son's death, most recently after Thursday's hearing as she called the Attorney General a 'coward.' Josephine Terry is not being granted the same cause celeb status that the networks gave George W. Bush harasser Cindy Sheehan.

Only one reporter, Sharyl Attkisson at CBS News, has truly cared to cover the story, even in the face of being briefly benched after the White House complained. Attkisson, who broke the gunwalking story back on the February 23, 2011 Evening News, routinely reported the hot stories ABC and NBC wouldn't touch. The following is a timeline of those key stories and how they were covered by CBS, ABC and NBC:
# February 23, 2011 CBS Evening News:

SHARYL ATTKISSON: December 14, 2010, the place, a dangerous smuggling route in Arizona, not far from the border. A special tactical border squad was on patrol when gunfire broke out and agent Brian Terry, shown here in a training exercise, was killed....The assault rifles found at the murder, similar to these, were traced back to a U.S. gun shop. Where they came from and how they got there is a scandal so large, some insiders say it surpasses the shoot- out at Ruby Ridge and the deadly siege at Waco.

Coverage on ABC and NBC that week: 0 stories

# March 3, 2011 CBS Evening News:

KATIE COURIC: Making an accusation that could cost him his job, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms claims the agency has a policy that is actually putting guns in the cartel's hands. Here's investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.
...
ATTKISSON: ...[John] Dodson's job is to stop gun trafficking across the border. Instead, he says he was ordered to sit by and watch it happen...Now he's risking his job to go public...Agent Dodson and other insiders say the gun-walking strategy was approved all the way to the Justice Department.

Coverage on ABC and NBC that week: 0 stories

# March 27, 2011 CBS Evening News:

ATTKISSON: ATF sources say they were told the controversial operation called Fast and Furious in late 2009 through January this year was to try to gain intelligence to take down a cartel. President Obama was asked about the case in an interview with Univision Network.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, first of all, I did not authorize it. Eric Holder, the attorney general, did not authorize it....

ATTKISSON: But Darren Gill insists somebody in the Justice Department did know. He was the lead ATF official in Mexico when his supervisor in Washington told him Fast and Furious was approved beyond ATF Director Kenneth Melson.

Coverage on ABC and NBC that week: 0 stories

# June 10, 2011 CBS's The Early Show:

CHRIS WRAGGE: Congress held its first hearings Monday on the gun walker scandal that CBS News first uncovered back in February.

Coverage on ABC and NBC of hearings that week: 0 stories

# June 24, 2011 CBS's The Early Show:

JEFF GLOR: This morning, the highly criticized ATF gun-walking operation known as Fast and Furious is being linked to another murder...

ATTKISSON: Mario Gonzalez Rodriguez was kidnapped in October...Rodriguez was the brother of attorney general for the Mexican state of Chihuahua and his body was found a month later. CBS News has confirmed that two AK-47 variant assault rifles were among weapons found at the shootout with suspects, rifles from ATF's controversial Fast and Furious operation.

ABC and NBC coverage that week: 0 stories

# August 31, 2011 CBS's The Early Show:

JAN CRAWFORD: Now to a big development in the government`s highly controversial operation Fast and Furious. Three top officials involved in a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire Arms operation are out of their jobs. CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson has been all over this story. She broke it for us at CBS News earlier this year, she is in Washington with the latest. Good morning, Sharyl.

ATTKISSON: Good morning, Jan. It is a major shakeup in the case where federal agents allowed thousands of weapons to fall into the hands of suspected traffickers from Mexican drug cartels...ATF top man Kenneth Melson is out so are U S. Attorney for Arizona, Dennis Burke, he resigned yesterday and Burke`s deputy in Phoenix, Emory Hurley, he`s been transferred out of the criminal division-all three played a role overseeing the controversial case called Fast and Furious.

ABC and NBC coverage that week : 0 stories

# October 3, 2011 CBS Evening News:

BOB SCHIEFFER: When the government's so called 'Fast and Furious' program was created, the idea was to allow illegal guns to be shipped into Mexico so investigators could be traced into where they were going and get a better handle on where Mexico's criminal cartels were operating. The program has been a disaster. The guns have been linked to killings of Mexican officials and now it appears that Attorney General Eric Holder knew a lot more about it than he recently told congress. Here's Sharyl Attkisson.

ATTKISSON: New documents obtained by CBS News show Attorney General Eric Holder was sent briefings on the controversial fast and furious operation as far back as July, 2010. That directly contradicts his statement to congress. Listen to what Holder told a Judiciary Committee hearing on May third this year.

ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm not sure of the exact date but I probably heard about fast and furious for the first time over the last few weeks.

ATTKISSON: Yet internal justice department documents show at least ten months before that hearing, Holder began receiving frequent memos discussing Fast and Furious.

ABC and NBC coverage that week : 0 stories

# October 7, 2011 CBS's The Early Show:

WRAGGE: At his news conference on Thursday, President Obama defended Attorney General Eric Holder, whose accused of misleading Congress about when he first learned of the ATF program known as Fast and Furious.

ABC and NBC coverage that week : 0 stories

# November 8, 2011 CBS Evening News:

ATTKISSON: For the first time, Attorney General Holder made the difficult admission to Congress.

HOLDER: Any instance of so-called gun walking is simply unacceptable. Regrettably, this tactic was used as part of 'Fast and Furious.'

ATTKISSON: That also means a letter Holder's office sent Congress last February denying gun walking was wrong.

ABC and NBC coverage that week : 0 stories

# December 8, 2011 CBS's The Early Show:

JEFF GLOR: Attorney General Eric Holder goes to Capitol Hill this morning to be questioned by House Committee over Operation Fast and Furious.

ABC and NBC coverage that week : 0 stories


# February 3, 2012 CBS's This Morning:

ERICA HILL: Some tense moments on Capitol Hill between House Republicans and Attorney General Eric Holder. They were arguing over that controversial gunrunning operation that was first exposed by CBS News. Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes was there for the fireworks and they were certainly flying.

ABC and NBC coverage that week : 0 stories

Attkisson's dogged coverage of Fast and Furious over the past year should have shamed her competitors into sending in their own reporters to dig into the story. The fact that ABC and NBC still won't touch it, along with a plethora of other Obama failings, demonstrates how far in the tank the liberal media are in for this President's re-election.

- Geoffrey Dickens is the Deputy Research Director at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Geoffrey Dickens on Twitter.

Elect Obama and say good-bye to.......


 

"A top official with the National Rifle Association said Friday that President Obama will move to "destroy" gun rights and "erase" the Second Amendment if he is re-elected in November."

"While delivering one of the liveliest and best-received speeches at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said the president's low-key approach to gun rights during his first term was "a "conspiracy to ensure re-election by lulling gun owners to sleep."


2/10/2012 11:24 PM

Back To Previous Page

"While delivering one of the liveliest and best-received speeches at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said the president's low-key approach to gun rights during his first term was "a "conspiracy to ensure re-election by lulling gun owners to sleep."



Friday, February 10, 2012

HR 822

Page 3Page 3 (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)
General Officer Talks at PanmunjomGeneral Officer Talks at Panmunjom (Photo credit: UNC - CFC - USFK)

Support H.R. 822 the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act

Please Support H.R. 822 the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act for current and future generations.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS EMAIL OR CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS!!!
Follow this link - http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=7158 - to the NRA-ILA site where you will find an email form that you just fill out with your information or the phone number you need to reach them with.
We are proud members of the NRA Business Alliance:








This is a copy of H.R. 822

HR 822 National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act Page 1

HR 822 National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act Page 2

HR 822 National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act Page 3

HR 822 National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act Page 4

HR 822 National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act Page 5

HR 822 National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act Page 6
Filed under: General 2-Cents · Tags: , ,

One Response to "Support H.R. 822 the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act"


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  1. Arms Post says:
    H.R. 822 has PASSED with a vote of 272-154!!!  
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Saturday, February 4, 2012

The King's Fling

http://www.bluecollarcorner.com/blog/2012/01/19/king-obama-kills-freedom-of-speech/
President Barack Obama signs legislation in th...Image via Wikipedia

King Obama Kills Freedom of Speech


Signing Statements, Recess Appointments, circumventing Congress – basically doing whatever the heck he wants with absolutely no regard for law and due process. I’m no basher who just nonstops slams our President for every blessed move he makes but this is just outright typical for some 3rd world Chavez-like despot. Not the President of the United States.

In the dead of night he signs the National Defense Authorization Act a Bill which gives the President the authority to hold ANYONE with no evidence of any wrongdoing for an indefinite amount of time. This blatant assault on our Freedoms even brought out a natural ally for Obama the ACLU to bring a suit against the White House. Imagine …for hundreds of years in our young nation it was Congress that was overseeing the activity of the military. All matters concerning what direction our forces take always had to be cleared through Congress. This dynamic no longer exist. Now if he wanted to he could right now incarcerate Paul Ryan and do it without any cause and he would be well within his right. On its’ own this is a outrage but fear not more anarchy to come. The next attack on our civil liberties now is in the form of a fancy acronym SOPA. Stop Online Piracy Act. The sales pitch is to “POLICE” Rogue Sites that steal America’s innovative and creative products that happens to attract more than 53 billion visits a year and threatens more than 19 million American jobs. Might sound somewhat noble until you look a little deeper into the unintended consequence which is Censorship. The signing of this broad base bill would in fact give the White House control of ALL that is put on the internet. This profligate piece of legislation is a cybernetic attack on our most precious Freedom the rite of Free Speech. It has spurred all sorts of protests from site giants as Google, Facebook, eBay, Twitter, Yahoo and AOL.

This Baby-Step March to the coronation of Emperor Obama is an Outrage! We need to look at this and see just how draconian this dismantling of the greatest nation in the world is happening right before our eyes. It is our duty as stewards of this great Free Nation to protect her! As Reagan said it only takes one generation to lose our freedoms. Stop Obama and his recklessness. He is no fan of freedom only his own and his elites. This is by far the most important election of our time. He is living up to his claim of “Fundamentally Changing the United States of America” not on my watch.
http://www.bluecollarcorner.com/blog/2012/01/19/king-obama-kills-freedom-of-speech/



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Friday, February 3, 2012

Friends of Nature Code of Ethics

Apostles Creed (album)Image via Wikipedia


http://www.theenvironmentsite.org/


Ethical Code for the Friends of Nature
January 30, 2012 by fekarp Comments ( 0 )
Historically, the most well-known ethical code is the Ten Commandments in the Bible. I could compare it to five plus five fingers on two hands. Its force is faith, which is educated as the Apostles’ Creed among Christians, and I could compare the Apostles’ Creed to five plus five toes on two feet. This is a very sophisticated design, but I like my own ethical code more, so I created 20 good advice instead. My ethics is based on utility to me or to the environment I am part of, so my ethical code is about rational advice, and not about commandments of faith. Here I suggest that you follow my ethical code or use another.

In short, my ethical code focuses on the survival and happiness, or in other words, on the health and power of both the human and Nature. If I have power, then my will happens more times, thus I am more happy, and if I am more happy, I think I can live longer. So here’s my list, with two extra arguments for each advice:

1. Try to be independent and free

- living creatures are more free than robots

- independent economy is more environmental than the modern



2. Do rest enough, but don’t be lazy

- due resting is beneficial to the health and mental state

- “evil could win if good people don’t do anything”



3. Learn from Nature

- if you learn from Nature, you will respect it more

- Nature is a fountain of original knowledge



4. Only believe that which you consider proven based on your own experience

- if you learn from only books, the words don’t get strong root in you

- there are misleading teachings around the world



5. Don’t give up the hope in wonders

- no one has proven that wonders do not exist

- sometimes the only hope is in a wonder



6. Gather allies, but don’t trust in them blindly

- one human is weak alone, but strong in a group

- both Julius Caesar and Jesus Christ were killed because of former allies



7. Don’t speak too much about yourself

- it is harder to defeat an unknown enemy

- it is easier to make peace with more people if you are unknown



8. Protect Nature

- Nature is good for the education of the next generations

- Nature is the source of life, we cannot substitute it with anything else



9. Try not to be poor

- poor people should work for their living, they have not much time for anything else

- sometimes poor people get only such a work which is illegal or immoral



10. Consume only minimally

- some environmental problems are caused by overconsumption

- not using much electricity makes us more independent



11. Regulate population size

- natural areas were less and less because of overpopulation

- environmental problems are scaled by the rate of overpopulation



12. If it is not against your survival, take revenge for what is done against you

- if they know that you follow this policy, they will do less wrong to you or to your allies

- revenge is a Natural Law which does not need administrators



13. If it is not against your survival, return what is done for you

- if they know that you follow this policy, they will do more good to you or to your allies

- returning good deeds is a Natural Law which does not need administrators



14. Don’t block the spreading of common good knowledge by legal means

- if information is legally protected, people will research it for the money, and not because it’s good (also consider the video and music world)

- if information is legally protected, good people will have less chance to spread their good knowledge for free (e.g. in journals)



15. Move your body regularly

- this may be one of the secrets of good health

- physical strength may be needed to achieve our goals



16. Eat healthy: don’t be too fat and eat only organic food if you can

- this may be one of the secrets of good health

- it supports the environment as well, because it is more secure



17. Take part in some ceremonies of environmentalism (like Earth’s day)

- ceremonies may live stronger than their actual origins (e.g. Christmas)

- you can hear new ideas, you can meet new people there



18. Do good to those who return it

- alliances make you stronger

- it is wise to be the ally of the wise



19. Be extremely careful against the new technological advancements

- you don’t know who else can access your private data there

- technology could be like a Trojan Horse against you



20. Try to make favourable peace

- some say that happy peace is a secret to long life

- in a war there is a risk of losing



This ethical code or something similar could be an educational basis for some of the respected people of the 21st century if a community preserves it. Those who have mastered these advice and want to do more, should be wise and popular to be able to change politics.

Written by Arpad Fekete, this article is in the public domain.

Tagged as: environment, Ethical Code, Friends of Nature, nature, sustainability
Interesting presentation: Sustainability nears a tipping point
January 29, 2012 by Fabian Pattberg Comments ( 0 )
From time to time we also share presentations we find interesting. This is the case with this global study and research project. Please let us know what you think if you have the chance.

Sustainability Nears a Tipping Point

View more presentations from MIT Sloan Management Review
Tagged as: csr, Interesting presentation, slideshare, sustainability, tipping point
Blog For Us
January 25, 2012 by Fabian Pattberg Comments ( 0 )
We, TheEnvironmentSite.org, are looking for more guest bloggers. Our site is ever-growing and we also want to grow our number of guest bloggers writing about environmental or sustainability-related topics as well. Currently we have around 10 on-and-off guest bloggers. But we want more people to have the possibility to publish their blog posts on one of the most respected environmental sites on the web.

What do you need to do?

All you need to do is to send me an email to networks (at) theenvironmentsite (dot)org and what you would like to write about.

What you committing to?

There is absolutely no commitment at all. If you have a blog post ready and you want to have it published. Send it to us.

How does the publishing process work?

Option 1: When you have a post ready, send it off to me and I will publish it in your name and with full credit to you or the website you are running.

Option 2: I will sign you up on our Content Management System as a “Contributor” and you will be able to write your posts on our site. Once you are finished writing, send me an email and I will publish it with full credit to you as the author of course as well. The same as in Option 1.

That’s all it takes, very simple and quick. There is no easier way to have your article published. Promised.

For applications please send me an email to networks (at) theenvironmentsite (dot)org

Thanks!

Tagged as: be a blogger, blog for us, bloggers, blogging, environment, sustainability, theenvironmentsiteorg



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Brian Terry's Mother sends Eric Holder a Strong Message pt.1

Border Agent Brian Terry's Mother Gives Holder a STRONG MESSAGE, WE ALL STAND WITH HER



God Bless Brian Terry and his Courageous Persevering Mother who will not quit until Justice is served.
A perfect example of where Brian got his Brave and Fearless Fortitude.   This Honorable Family of strength and Integrity will bring this horrible scandal to its knees. We WILL get answers, and they WILL pay for their crimes.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Bernanke vs. Ryan: A lesson in monetary policy - The Globe and Mail

Bernanke vs. Ryan: A lesson in monetary policy - The Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-news/global-exchange/globe-correspondents/bernanke-vs-ryan-a-lesson-in-monetary-policy/article2324213/


Bernanke vs. Ryan: A lesson in monetary policy
kevin carmichael
WASHINGTON— Globe and Mail Blog
Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:39PM EST



It’s not exactly Keynes vs. Hayek, but in contemporary Washington, a visit by Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke to Republican Paul Ryan’s House of Representatives budget committee provides the sort of ideological clash that gets wonks excited.

Mr. Bernanke needs no introduction. Mr. Ryan, who hails from Wisconsin, is the author of a budget proposal that would overhaul the U.S. tax system, dramatically reduce government spending and cut future Medicare costs by introducing health vouchers. Mr. Ryan was a runner-up for Time’s Person of the Year in 2011. The magazine called Mr. Ryan “The Prophet.”
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Mr. Ryan, who has a degree in economics and political science, is respectful of Mr. Bernanke, but he’s not fan of the Fed’s policies. He narrows the Fed’s mission to protecting the value of the currency. And in his view, Mr. Bernanke’s Fed is a weak guardian of the dollar. Mr. Ryan, like a good number of House Republicans, thinks zero interest rates and quantitative easing is debasing the value of the greenback and sowing the seeds of future inflation.

The latest exchange between Messrs. Bernanke and Ryan was Thursday on Capitol Hill. Mr. Ryan had questions about the Fed’s new transparency policy. The lawmaker applauded Mr. Bernanke for adding clarity to how the central bank sets policy, including the publication of an inflation target of 2 per cent. However, Mr. Ryan said he lacked confidence in the Fed’s commitment to that policy. That’s because the Fed’s policy statement also makes clear that it will continue to keep a close eye on the unemployment rate.

“I don’t know how else to interpret this as a willingness to tolerate a little more inflation,” Mr. Ryan said.

The question allowed Mr. Bernanke to clarify the Fed’s intentions, which is important, because the public still is getting its head around a central bank that suddenly is extremely open about what it is doing.

Mr. Bernanke assured Mr. Ryan that the Fed is “always trying to bring inflation” back to the 2 per cent target. That can’t be done on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis, but over a period of time, and that’s the goal, he said.

However, the Fed also has a mandate from Congress to achieve “maximum employment.” It’s not possible for the Fed to set an employment target because too many factors besides monetary policy influence hiring. Fed officials do have a consensus view of what the unemployment rate should be over the longer term, and that serves as a guide. That’s important because the central bank will always try to balance its price stability objective with its employment objective. Normally, the two will be in alignment. But if one of those goals gets out of whack – say, like the unemployment rate is currently – the Fed may opt to adjust the “rate of speed, aggressiveness” at which it attempts to adjust policy, Mr. Bernanke said.

With the unemployment rate at 8.5 per cent and inflation cooling, the Fed is little concerned about price increases for now. Nor will the Fed suddenly shift course the moment annual inflation touches 2 per cent.

Mr. Ryan remained unconvinced, and he surely will continue to argue that the Fed be stripped of its employment mandate to concentrate on price stability alone. Likewise, Mr. Bernanke said the Fed’s track record at controlling inflation is as good as anyone’s, and he noted that the dollar’s value has been “pretty stable.”

Call it a draw. Victory in the latest contest between Mr. Bernanke and Mr. Ryan went to anyone watching the exchange. It was impossible to come away from it without out a sharper understanding of monetary policy.
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Federal Reserve signals a long, painful road to economic recovery
Why has the Fed not acknowledged stronger economic data?
Fed plans ultra-low rates until end of 2014
Inflation takes a breather in Canada
Ahead of crash, Fed saw little threat from housing