- Can a major oil pipeline project do battle with the Hollywood juggernaut (not really) that is actress Daryl Hannah and emerge victorious? The parties responsible for a controversial proposal to build a giant oil pipeline between Alberta, Canada, and Texas are about to find out. Known as Keystone XL, the 1,700-mile pipeline has sparked an all-out brawl between activists like Hannah and supporters of the project, who contend it will create up to 20,000 jobs and let the United States replace Venezuelan or Middle Eastern imports with well-regulated, dependable Canadian crude. Hannah appeared on CNN earlier this week and made the case that the project will tie the U.S. to an unnecessary and dirty form of oil for decades to come and raise the threat of dangerous spills and leaks to areas surrounding the pipeline. "It's incredibly bad news," Hannah said of the proposed pipeline. "We have options available to us. We already know how to create energy from safe, renewable resources, and we need to start doing it in this country." Umm……then why haven’t we been doing it for the past decade, D.? Call on President Obama all you want "to make the right decision," as the project needs a presidential permit to move forward, and take part in all the sit-ins you want in front of the White House (which Hannah did and was arrested for last month), but the White House has made it clear of late that the environment isn't as much of a focus or priority as it would have had America believe during the last presidential election. TransCanada, the company that wants to build the pipeline, has shown no inclination to back down and company spokesman James Millar instead defended his company's record on safety and vowed that the project will move forward one way or another. "We're confident the State Department will say 'yes,' and it's based on the fundamental fact that Americans have a choice. You can receive stable, secure oil from Canada ... or you can choose to import higher-priced, conflict oil from regimes that really are not friendly to the United States," Millar said. The numbers on the project in terms of job creation aren't impressive - 20,000 new jobs,13,000 of which would be construction jobs - but nothing will be decided until the final congressional hearing on the $7 billion project, scheduled for October 7 in Washington. The State Department is on the record as saying the project can be completed without a significant environmental impact, but they definitely haven’t won over Daryl Hannah………….
- Almost inevitably, the re-release of a “classic” album by any band is one thing and one thing only: a blatant cash grab that casts aside any auspices of artistic integrity. Much like a greatest hits album with one or two token new tracks, a re-release is a way for a band to claim that re-mastering the old version of a recording is enough justification for fans to spend even more money on it. That may not be the case with the massive reissue of Nirvana’s epic album "Nevermind," due next Tuesday. Yes, the project will include updated versions of well-known tracks such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but the 20th anniversary of the album will also be an occasion for releasing three alternate versions of tracks from the album. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" live from the Paramount in 1991, a Smart Studio version of "Breed" and a Boombox demo of "On a Plain" each have been renovated for the super-deluxe version of the re-release, which will come out 20 years and three days after the original version dropped on Sept. 24, 1991. The promotional hype around the re-release has been immense, with Comedy Central late-night host Jon Stewart conducting a sit-down with surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic and producer Butch Vig on his show and a special "Nevermind" tribute concert at EMP in Seattle. All of the hubbub may not have been the idea of fun for the band’s most famous member, the late Kurt Cobain, but as his wife and many others around what remains of his legacy have shown, they will pas up no chance to cash in on his name as much as possible………..
- It’s a good thing the Obama administration decided to choke off enough funding to NASA to prevent the space agency from launching American astronauts into space, because the health hazards of space travel are even greater than anyone realized. According to NASA medical officials, before it could send astronauts to Mars, it would first need to resolve the issue of a newly discovered eye condition found to erode the vision of some astronauts who have spent months aboard the International Space Station. The condition is serious enough that doctors are worried that future explorers could go blind by the end of long missions, such as a multiyear trip to Mars. Blindness is a worst-case scenario, but even significantly blurred vision would obviously have a massive impact on an astronaut’s quality of life upon returning to Earth. Even though it is no longer in the business of launching people into outer space, NASA has still asked scores of researchers to study the issue and has put special eyeglasses on the space station to help those affected. "We are certainly treating this with a great deal of respect," said Dr. Richard Williams, NASA's chief health and medical officer. "This [eye condition] is comparable to the other risks like bone demineralization [loss] and radiation that we have to consider.... It does have the potential for causing mission impact." NASA’s own survey of about 300 astronauts found that nearly 30 percent of those who have flown on space shuttle missions — which usually lasted two weeks — and 60 percent of those who have completed six-month shifts aboard the station reported a gradual blurring of eyesight. Unfortunately, the reasons behind the blurred vision experienced by astronauts are not well-known. The disorder is most similar to a condition called papilledema and is believed to be caused by increased spinal-fluid pressure on the head and eyes due to microgravity. The problem typically disappears once an astronaut returns to Earth, but a recent study by the National Academies found "some lingering substantial effects on vision" and astronauts who were "not always able to requalify for subsequent flights," at least not immediately. Of course, NASA is light years away from building a rocket powerful enough to launch humans to Mars or has the money to do so, but addressing the vision issue along with concerns from exposure to cosmic radiation and, to a lesser extent, loss of bone mass caused by microgravity, would have to be resolved before such a rocket could take off. The vast majority of the research on the vision issue to date has centered on seven unnamed astronauts who have shown symptoms, including one astronaut whose eyesight was so affected by his third month on the station that he could "only see the Earth clearly while looking through the lower portion of his progressive reading glasses," according to a draft of a paper to appear in the medical journal Ophthalmology. To the cynic, this might be even more inspiration to applaud the decision to move away from space exploration. To the optimist, it is but one more challenge to be overcome…………
- How is life post-Major League Baseball going for former World Series MVP Manny Ramirez? After exiting the league by a hasty retirement taken to avoid a 100-game suspension for a second violation of MLB’s steroid policy and quitting without telling his team - the Tampa Bay Rays - first, the man known as ManRam has been making a bigger life of his mess off the field than he ever did on it. A recent domestic violence charge on accusations of assaulting his wife in their home was the first black eye, coupled with his steadfast refusal to step up and take any responsibility for any of his actions or missteps, have soiled Ramirez’s legacy further than ever. How is he hoping to bounce back? Apparently by reviving his baseball career this winter playing for a team in his native Dominican Republic. Winston Llenas, president of the Cibao Eagles, a winter league team in the northern Dominican Republic for whom Ramirez played in 1993-94, confirmed in a recent interview that Ramirez is expected to start training with his former team next week. Why? Llenas said Ramirez told team officials he wants to "play before the Dominican fans and to perhaps motivate other Major League stars to also play in the country." Right, mmm hmm. Because the sight of a disgraced, downtrodden hitting savant who wrecked his own career by consuming female fertility drugs to mask use of other performance-enhancing drugs (allegedly) is going to inspire tons of other major leaguers to sign up for the Dominican winter leagues. Fittingly enough, testing positive for gonadotropin, a banned female fertility drug often used to help mask steroid use, would not prevent Ramirez from playing in the Dominican Republic. The Eagles have not given any indication of what role Ramirez facing criminal prosecution in Florida on charges that he slapped his wife during a recent argument would play in his role with the team. But hey, any time you can bring in a mashing savant like ManRam to your second-tier league, you have to do it……………
- The upcoming presidential vote in Zambia, Africa's top copper producer, has become a heated battle between two 70-plus-year-old candidates whose biggest issue of contention is…….China? Oddly enough, it’s true. Investment from the world’s largest communist haven is a major issue, as 74-year-old incumbent Rupiah Banda welcomes China's capital in his impoverished country. Challenger Michael Sata, a 75-year old populist who has run for president several times previously, has vociferously opposed what he deems exploitative Chinese investors. The issue is a common one across Africa, where China has brought billions of dollars into the continent's capital-hungry economies while also being vilified for flouting labor laws and fostering official corruption. With the issue of Chinese investment as a backdrop, Zambians headed to the polls Tuesday to choose among 10 presidential contenders. The election process was mostly peaceful, but in Lusaka, the capital, Zambian police clashed with opposition protesters angered by alleged vote-rigging. Activists confronted several people with scores of pre-ticked ballot papers in favor of ruling-party candidates, according to witnesses. Police claimed they intervened only to settle the dispute and were able to regain control with help from electoral-commission officials. Sata’s supporters have never gotten over his 2008 defeat by Banda, claiming that vote was rigged. Banda is once again the favorite, but election results are not expected until late Wednesday or Thursday. The deciding issue could well be the candidates’ stance on China, especially in light of reported shootings of Zambian workers at Chinese-owned mines. Banda has led the country since 2008 and been extremely receptive to China's investment as a crucial source of capital and jobs. Banda’s regime has supported Chinese efforts to establish two major investment zones in the country. The poorer segments of the country’s population have complained about being shut out of the process and claimed that it is only senior government officials who benefit from Chinese investments. Sata has made the issue a centerpiece of his campaign and in the past, has decried salaries at Chinese-owned copper mines "slave wages." He has won support by threatening to deport Chinese investors and sever diplomatic ties with China. He has tamped down the rhetoric this time around, possibly realizing he was alienating key voters with his hard-line stance. He is not expected to follow through on many of his threats if elected president by most observers, so that just might make him enough of a politician to get elected. Zambian officials say Chinese investment—more than $2 billion in total—has created some 20,000 local jobs that range from mining to manufacturing to telecommunications. Those jobs haven't been enough to placate poorer Zambians, which is probably why police were deployed across the country on Tuesday to stem any election violence. In the end, a new president will be elected and like nearly every other country around the world, not a whole lot will likely change……………
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