A New Generation of Nuclear Plants Amid Squabbling (ContributorNetwork)

In a tumultuous week of events, the United States came a step closer to ushering in a new generation of nuclear power plants with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approving a new reactor design. At the same time, according to a December 14 Reuters article, Congress got an ear full from members of that commission, who have accused their chairman of creating a toxic environment within the agency. Here are the highlights of both issues:

* According to an article by Bloomberg, on December 14, Tokyo-based Toshiba Corp.'s Westinghouse Electric received the third of five votes from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission members to certify the design of its AP1000 reactor. Southern Co. and Scana Corp. plan to use the new reactor at existing U.S. plants. Dale Klein, former NRC chairman and chancellor for research at the University of Texas states that this action opens the door for a new generation of power plants.

* The NRC hasn't issued a construction license for a U.S. nuclear plant since the 1979 Three Mile Island incident in Pennsylvania.

* According to a report commissioned by environmentalist groups including Friends of the Earth and the North Carolina Waste Awareness & Reduction Network, the AP1000's design will not withstand potentially high pressure inside the reactor. The groups have vowed to take their problems with the reactor's designs to the courtroom unless NRC reconsiders. However, Bloomberg reported, the AP1000 already incorporates safety features that were prioritized by an NRC task force who examined U.S. plants after the Fukushima meltdown in Japan last March.

* The announcement of the majority vote for certification of the design came one day after a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in which strained relations between members of the 5-person commission reached a boiling point. According to Reuters, Democratic commissioners William Magwood and George Apostolakis joined Republicans Kristine Svinicki and William Ostendorff in accusing NRC chairman Gregory Jaczko of bullying people, withholding information and interfering with their access to senior staff.

* At the two-hour hearing, Jaczko said his colleagues had "misconstrued" his intensity and suggested that a mediator might help improve communications between himself and his colleagues. He stated that this was the first time he'd heard many of these accusations.

* The ranking Democrat on the committee, Elijah Cummings (MD) chastised the commissioners and told them he felt like he was trying to referee a fight; something he hadn't done since his kids were children.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111216/us_ac/10683387_a_new_generation_of_nuclear_plants_amid_squabbling

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Perry's new TV ad, "Politically Correct"

NEW YORK (AP) ? TITLE: "Politically Correct."

LENGTH: 30 seconds

AIRING: On national cable and Iowa broadcast and cable stations.

KEY IMAGES: Rick Perry, in a navy blue jacket and light blue shirt, speaks directly to the camera. "Washington is the capital of political correctness, where doublespeak reigns and the truth is frowned upon," the Texas governor says. "You can't say that Congressmen becoming lobbyists is a form of legal corruption. Or that we give aid money to countries who oppose America. Or that Washington insiders are bankrupting Social Security. You and I know it's true, but not politically correct."

ANALYSIS: Perry is stressing his credentials as a Washington outsider at a time when public opinion of government has plummeted.

The Republican presidential hopeful is also taking a dig at rival Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker whom polls show has surged into the lead in Iowa and elsewhere. Gingrich left Congress in 1999 and has built a lucrative consulting business advising health care companies and the federal mortgage giant Freddie Mac, among others.

Perry's anti-Washington message will probably resonate among many frustrated voters. But he swats at a number of different targets in this ad, making claims that aren't always accurate.

Perry's assertion that Washington doesn't brook dissent about foreign aid, Social Security or the so-called "revolving door" between Congress and influence peddling isn't borne out.

The practice of lawmakers stepping down only to return to Capitol Hill as lobbyists is frowned upon indeed ? not just by good-government groups but by Congress itself. Under the law, members of the House must wait one year after leaving office before engaging in lobbying activity. Senators face a two-year cooling off period, thanks in part to then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who worked to strengthen the laws restricting lobbying by former members of Congress during his brief time on Capitol Hill.

To be sure, there are plenty of loopholes.

Many former members of Congress advise clients on legislative matters during their cooling-off periods. The law simply precludes them from having direct contact with lawmakers during that time. And many former members do go on to become lobbyists. Others, like Gingrich, counsel clients without meeting the official definition of a "lobbyist".

Since joining the presidential field, Perry has criticized the practice of giving aid to countries not always allied with U.S. interests. He has said the foreign aid budget in a Perry administration would begin at "zero dollars" and countries that have received money in the past would have to justify why they deserve to have it continue.

But Perry is hardly the only such critic. A congressional panel Monday cleared a defense bill that would freeze some $700 million in assistance to Pakistan until the country comes up with a strategy to fight the use of improvised explosive devices against U.S.-led troops in the region.

The vast majority of U.S. foreign aid goes to four countries ? Israel, Egypt, Afghanistan and Pakistan ? with much smaller grants going to countries like Cuba for democracy building and Nigeria to help fight the spread of AIDS and other diseases. All told, foreign aid represents less than 2 percent of the federal budget.

Perry's claim about Social Security is puzzling. Earlier in the campaign, he was grilled for claiming that the federal retirement program is an unsustainable "Ponzi scheme." Now he has shifted tactics by suggesting that "Washington insiders" are making the program go broke.

The growing proportion of elderly Americans relative to current workers means the Social Security program as it exists today probably can't be sustained over the long term. But the problem is structural, not a result of a plot by Washington power brokers.

___

Associated Press writer Donna Cassata in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-12-13-Perry-Ad%20Watch/id-77544f41568b46c08934003d0986c58e

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Perry's new ad goes viral, sparks parodies (AP)

NEW YORK ? Maybe Rick Perry should have worn a different jacket.

The Republican presidential hopeful's new campaign ad, "Strong," has become a viral video sensation since being released last week ? but not necessarily for the reasons the campaign might hope for.

By Monday afternoon, the ad had registered nearly 650,000 "dislikes" on YouTube, compared to just over 20,000 likes. And it has sparked nearly 700 reply videos, including some mercilessly funny parodies that feature people wearing the same kind of jacket Perry wears, and lots of chatter about how Perry looks like a gay cowboy from the movie "Brokeback Mountain."

In the ad, Perry suggests that President Barack Obama is waging a "war on religion" after signing legislation allowing gays to serve in the military. It's drawn some 6 million views on YouTube, more than any other campaign video this year, company officials said.

As he struggles for traction three weeks before the GOP nominating contest opens in Iowa, Perry is using the ad to appeal to the kind of Christian conservatives who typically dominate the state's precinct caucuses. In it, he makes some eyebrow-raising claims.

Perry is seen walking up a grassy hillside, dressed in a brown barn jacket and blue shirt.

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm Christian," Perry says. "But you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know that there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in schools."

He continues, "As president, I'll end Obama's war on religion and I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage."

In fact, Obama has had nothing to do with banning school prayer ? the Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that prayer in public school was an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment. Perry's suggestion that gays serving in the military represent an assault on religious faith has drawn scorn from Democrats and gay rights activists, many of whom are expressing themselves in video.

First, there's the jacket. Many videos have noted that it's the same type worn by actor Heath Ledger in the 2005 movie "Brokeback Mountain," which centers on a long love affair between two cowboys.

Many of the video parodies feature actors wearing the shirt and jacket combo, including video satirist Andy Cobb.

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm an atheist," Cobb says, "but you know there's something wrong with this country when politicians think it's OK to hate on gays and nonbelievers in ads."

Another video shows a brown-jacketed rabbi, Jason Miller.

"I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a Jew," Miller says. "There's something wrong in our country when gays can serve openly in the military but still can't marry each other in most U.S. states."

Some videos include a message from Jesus.

"I'm ashamed to admit that you are (a Christian)," a cartoon Jesus says to Perry in one.

In another, an actor playing Jesus says, "Rick Perry using my name to promote his agenda against gays in the military is just pathetic."

Stephen Farnsworth, an associate professor of communications at George Mason University, said the ad may well help Perry in Iowa, where polls are starting to show him inch up a bit. But Farnsworth said the ad's message ? and the parodies it has spawned ? won't help in the long run, particularly when it comes to connecting with moderate and swing voters.

"The worst thing to be in American politics is a joke," Farnsworth said.

The Perry campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

___

Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111213/ap_on_el_pr/us_perry_parodies

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T-Mobile, Sprint, in internal documents, open up about their Carrier IQ use

In a pair of unreleased memos seen in the usual spy-shot fashion, Sprint and T-Mobile both have, at least internally, discussed the Carrier IQ saga with their employees. 

The memos discuss the use of Carrier IQ as you'd expect -- as a metrics tool for improving network and device service, and both reiterate that Carrier IQ isn't being used to spy on text messages, phone calls and the like, backing up responses that Carrier IQ recently gave The Verge in an interview.

To wit:

T-Mobile: "T-Mobile does not use the tool to obtain the content of text, email or voice messages, or the specific destinations of customers' Internet activity. It is not used for marmketing purposes. T-Mobile uses the Carrier IQ diagnostic tool to gather device data for effective troubleshooting and to increse the overall device and network performance for our customers.

Sprint: "Sprint uses the Carrier IQ data to only understand device performance on our network so we can identify when issues are occuring. ... Even with Carrier IQ, Sprint does not and cannot look at or record contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., nor do we sell or provide a direct feed of Carrier IQ data to anyone outside Sprint.

T-Mobile also details which of its current phones have Carrier IQ installed. You'll want to read the entire memos, which you can find at the source links below. 

Source: TMoNews, SprintFeed; More: The Verge

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/04XkpPgoG0g/story01.htm

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Automotive Repair Purchasing a Put into use Car or truck as well as ...

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I?d personally also encourage trying in the drive practice space like the engine and transmission. I?d personally also consider the tires for just about any irregular wear patterns. You may also shake the front tires from aspect to aspect checking out your front suspension. The issues you can be trying for are loose or worn tie rod ends or worn ball joints. Be certain the automotive repair service mechanic continues to be writing all of this down. Whereas you will be underneath the vehicle look up and examine to work out should your shocks or struts are exhibiting signs of leaking.

A brief solution to examine your rear brakes without pulling the tires off is to spin the rear tires by hand and see how many situations the wheel spins. If it spins way more than the moment you are aware of that either the rear brakes will need adjusting or they need to be fixed. If it truly is a rear wheel drive vehicle examine out the drive shaft seals to work out if they?re leaking fluid. If it truly is a front wheel drive vehicle examine the front axle shafts for worn or torn rubber boots. People seals will be checked out also for signs of leakage.

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Source: http://pfeifferci.org/automotive-repair-purchasing-a-put-into-use-car-or-truck-as-well-as-oil-switch/

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Iran says oil would go over $250 if exports banned (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran warned the West on Sunday any move to block its oil exports would more than double crude prices with devastating consequences on a fragile global economy.

"As soon as such an issue is raised seriously the oil price would soar to above $250 a barrel," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a newspaper interview.

The comments come as Iran strives to contain international reaction to the storming of the British embassy last week, a move which drew immediate condemnation from around the world and may galvanize support for tougher action against Tehran.

Washington and EU countries were already discussing measures to restrict oil exports after the United Nations nuclear watchdog issued a report in November with what it said was evidence that Tehran had worked on designing an atom bomb.

Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to penalize foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank

-- which takes payment for the 2.6 million barrels Iran exports a day. The European Union is considering a ban -- already in place in the United States -- on Iranian oil imports.

So far neither Washington nor Brussels has finalized its move against the oil trade or the central bank amid fears of the possible impact on the global economy of restricting oil flows from the world's fifth biggest exporter.

But the British embassy attack dragged relations with Europe to a long-time low and Iran is now facing rising rhetoric about a direct hit on its main source of foreign earnings.

Until recently, Iran had dismissed as ineffective mounting sanctions aimed at forcing it to halt its nuclear activities. Mehmanparast's comments show a more defensive stance.

"No one welcomes the sanctions, we know that sanctions create obstacles, but we want to say we will overcome these obstacles," Mehmanparast told Sharq daily.

"Imposing sanctions on oil and gas is among the sanctions that, if one wants to do that, the consequences should be fully considered before taking any action," Mehmanparast said.

"I do not think the situation in the world and especially in the West today is prepared enough to raise such discussions."

Britain's embassy in Tehran was ransacked on Tuesday after London announced unilateral sanctions on Iran's central bank. London evacuated staff, closed the embassy and the biggest EU states withdrew their ambassadors in protests.

Rising tensions were enough to push up crude prices with ICE Brent January crude up 95 cents on Friday to settle at $109.94 a barrel.

Mehmanparast warned the EU on Saturday to avoid tying itself to British interests.

(Reporting by Ramin Mostafavi; Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Maria Golovnina)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111204/bs_nm/us_iran_sanctions_oil

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Report: Google Treading Into Amazon's E-Commerce Waters (NewsFactor)

Never content to rest on its search-engine dominance alone, Google is reportedly moving into yet another industry giant's space. This time, it's Amazon that may have to look over its shoulder.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google plans to challenge the throne of the e-commerce legend, which has itself branched out into manufacturing products. Google is reportedly in talks with major retailers and shippers about developing a new service that would let consumers shop for clothes, electronics and other consumer goods online and get their order within a day.

Google's move is a direct assault against one of Amazon's competitive advantages: Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime is a membership program that gives Amazon customers unlimited fast shipping, such as free two-day shipping and one-day shipping for $3.99 per item. The annual fee is $79.

What Would Amazon Do?

"The fact that Google is getting in on the retail and shipping business is an indicator that it's a service people are willing to pay for but it's also something that they expect," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "Offering to deliver goods within a day keeps Google in the ballpark as a direct competitor with Amazon, but it also brings up the subject of what is Amazon doing next to stay ahead of the game."

King makes a valid point. In the early days of e-commerce, Amazon differentiated itself by offering lower prices than bookstores. Amazon later aggregated similar products from various sellers and allowed consumers to choose from various price options. Amazon also gained market advantages with one-click shopping, which allows customers to make online purchases with a single click.

"As more retailers got on the bandwagon, you saw Amazon making some interesting moves in order to stay ahead of the pack. First they offered Super Saver free shipping and then later the offered Amazon Prime," King said. "The e-commerce market is a pretty lively and constantly changing one."

What's at Stake?

Constantly changing is a true assessment, especially when the likes of Google enters the mix. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is talking with Macy's, OfficeMax and UPS. Google was not immediately available for comment. The Journal reported Macy's confirmed that Google approached it with the concept. Gap and Office Max declined to comment to the Journal.

"In a way, Google is trying to step up as knowledgeable partner for retailers and help them compete more effectively with disruptive first movers like Amazon," King said. "Working with a partner like Google may be a better model for some retailers to pursue than to try to create their own online commerce sites. The vast majority of those traditional big box retailers haven't done very well."

One thing is certain: there is plenty at stake. Forrester Research estimates the online retail industry will grow 12 percent, to a whopping $197 billion in 2011. Amazon is the industry giant. If The Wall Street Journal report is true, Google is vying for a piece of that growing pie.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111203/tc_nf/81228

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