September 18th, 2010 by John
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A scientist and his wife who both once worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory were arrested Friday after an FBI sting operation and charged with offering to help develop a nuclear weapon for Venezuela. They were accused of dealing with an FBI undercover agent posing as a Venezuelan agent, but the government did not allege that Venezuela or anyone working for it sought U.S. secrets. Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, 75, and Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni, 67, a U.S. citizen, were arrested Friday, a day after they were indicted. They appeared in federal court in Albuquerque, where Mascheroni, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Argentina, was ordered held pending another hearing Monday morning. His wife was released under strict conditions. Kenneth Gonzales, U.S. attorney for New Mexico, said the indictment does not allege the government of Venezuela or anyone acting on its behalf sought or was passed any classified information. Gonzales did not take questions after giving a brief statement to reporters. It's been known for about a year that Mascheroni was under investigation – the FBI last October seized computers, letters, photographs, books and cell phones from the couple's Los Alamos home. In an interview with The Associated Press at the time, he said he believed the U.S. government was wrongly targeting him as a spy. He has denied the accusation. Mascheroni said in the interview that he approached Venezuela after the United States rejected his theories that a hydrogen-fluoride laser could produce nuclear energy. According to the 22-count indictment, Mascheroni told the undercover agent he could help Venezuela develop a nuclear bomb within 10 years and that Venezuela would use a secret, underground nuclear reactor to produce and enrich plutonium, and an open, aboveground reactor to produce nuclear energy. If convicted, the Mascheronis face up to life in prison.Posted in Articles
September 17th, 2010 by John
It was announced yesterday that, after weeks of speculation, Congressional Oversight Panel Chairperson Elizabeth Warren was going to be appointed to do a job, for the government! But what, exactly? Is she some new "czar?" Would she be the "interim" director of a new Consumer Protection Bureau? Or would she just be in charge of setting the new Consumer Protection Bureau up? And what does that mean? Would Warren be designing the org-charts or literally building this new agency, with Quonset huts and repurposed Enron office furniture? People are confused, reports Brian Beutler: After a Senate vote today, three key Senators -- including Warren supporters and detractors -- admitted to not knowing what Warren's new job will entail. Asked by TPM whether he knew what Warren's role will be, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd answered simply, "No." Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) -- a strong Warren backer -- is cautiously optimistic. "That is a very good question," Sanders said when TPM asked if he understood what Warren's new job really is. "And the answer is no. And that is not insignificant." Can we add or save jobs, by investing heavily in this field of interpreting Bernie Sanders' zen koans? Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) apparently called Warren the "czar of all czars," only to express utter confusion minutes later over how much power the "czar of all czars" might wield: "Maybe there are some details here that we're missing." That statement would actually be a pretty good motto, for the U.S. Congress.Posted in Politics
September 16th, 2010 by John
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is applauding two Republican senators who voted for a small business bill and says he'd welcome that kind of cooperation on the divisive issue of extending tax cuts for the middle class. Obama thanked Republicans George Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida for voting to move the bill closer to final passage. Speaking in the Rose Garden after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Obama urged lawmakers to approve an extension of Bush-era tax cuts for middle class families making less than $250,000 a year. Obama says Republicans should stop holding those tax cuts "hostage." Republicans are insisting that tax cuts be extended for higher-income wage earners, too. Taxes for everyone will rise next year unless Congress acts. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama is applauding two Republican senators who voted for a small business bill and says he'd welcome that kind of cooperation on the divisive issue of extending tax cuts for the middle class. Obama thanked Republicans George Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida for voting to move the bill closer to final passage. Speaking in the Rose Garden after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Obama urged lawmakers to approve an extension of Bush-era tax cuts for middle class families making less than $250,000 a year. Obama says Republicans should stop holding those tax cuts "hostage." Republicans are insisting that tax cuts be extended for higher-income wage earners, too. Taxes for everyone will next year unless Congress acts.Posted in Politics
September 11th, 2010 by John
Yesterday afternoon, the leader of a microscopic cult of idiots who announced plans to stage an "international" day of Quran burning in Gainesville, Florida held a press conference, for a rapt media which decided that his moronic plans were the single most important thing going on in America. At that press conference, in front of "9/11 Truther" signs, this cult leader lied to everyone who was watching, telling them that he was going to call off his 9/11 book burning festival because he had successfully reached a deal with the people behind the Park51 community center in Lower Manhattan, in which they would move their facility away from the site of the World Trade Center. Not a word of this was true, but it was amazing, all the same -- at one fell swoop, we had finally knit up the strands of a season of irrationality into one big, shiny, synergized knot. This was supposed to be the end of Recovery Summer? More like Relapse Summer. The story of how one lone idiot, pimping an 18th-century brand of community terrorism, held the media hostage and forced some of this nation's most powerful people to their knees to fitfully beg an end to his wackdoodlery is an extraordinary one. It's a modern media retelling of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying", in which a gang of Islamaphobes, cast in the role of Addie Bundren, bamboozle the media into carrying their coffin full of malevolence on a journey of pure debasement. Let's begin at the beginning. Earlier this year, an organization called the Cordoba Initiative were granted permission by the appropriate authorities in New York City to turn an old Burlington Coat Factory at 51 Park Place in lower Manhattan into a community center. The organization was headed by an Imam named Feisal Abdul Rauf, who has made it his life's work to stand against radical cults like al Qaeda and teach young Muslims that America is a place where one can freely worship at the appointed times and then join other faith communities in America in the task of building a great nation. The proposed community center was to include a basketball court and space for different religious communities in New York City to have interfaith relations. It was also going to have a place for Muslims to pray, if they liked.Posted in Politics
September 10th, 2010 by John
Robert Pattinson may not be the cleanest guy in the world, which would explain why he and his GF get along so well. She admits that she smells bad, too! You know what they say, right? The couple that stays together is the couple that doesn’t shower together. OK, so that’s wrong — but it appears that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have a lot more in common than a love of music, brooding good looks and a mutual love of plaid and vampires…they’re both malodorous! “When I’m nervous, I’m so mindless,” the 20-year-old On the Road star told Stylist magazine, explaining her fear of interviews. “I twiddle my thumbs and my hands sweat and I smell bad.” Aw, poor K-Stew! At least we’re pretty sure she doesn’t mind, then, that her BF and Twilight co-star Rob has similar hygiene deficiencies. Although he seems to have cleaned up his act (pardon the pun) in the last year, the 24-year-old British hunk was notorious for his terrible smell of cigarettes and dirty hair on the sets of Twilight and New Moon. The two will be shooting Breaking Dawn parts 1 & 2 for six straight months starting in November without interviews, so K-Stew probs won’t be nervous at all, which is a good thing for her fellow cast members Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene and Taylor Lautner! Seriously guys, you might want to rethink this one. Showering can be so much fun…especially if you do it together!Posted in Entertainment
September 9th, 2010 by John
WASHINGTON — The Energy Department said Tuesday it was awarding $575 million for carbon capture research-and-development projects in 15 states. The experimental technique involves storing carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants and other sources underground, in an attempt to reduce pollution blamed for contributing to global warming. "This is a major step forward in the fight to reduce carbon emissions from industrial plants," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "These new technologies will not only help fight climate change, they will create jobs now and help position the United States to lead the world in clean coal technologies, which will only increase in demand in the years ahead." All told, he said, the department has invested more than $4 billion in carbon storage and capture, matched by more than $7 billion in private investments. The newest money will fund 22 projects in 15 states, ranging from evaluation of geologic sites for carbon storage to development of turbo-machinery and engines to help improve carbon capture and storage. The projects, in states including California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New York and Texas, are being funded from the economic stimulus law. President Barack Obama wants a cost-effective deployment of carbon capture and storage within 10 years – despite questions about the technology and skepticism about its feasibility. He created a task force this year charged with coming up with a plan to overcome barriers to such deployment. One issue identified by the task force was liability, because a sudden release of large amounts of carbon dioxide can kill by asphyxiation. The task force called for several options to be considered: maintaining the current legal framework; putting limits on claims; establishing an industry-financed trust fund to pay damages after a site is closed; or transferring of liability to the federal government following a site closure, under certain conditions.Posted in Articles
September 7th, 2010 by John
Churches -- and their denominations -- can be hotbeds of controversy. In these times of troubling differences on fundamental issues involving faith, theology, and life, there's no telling how people who disagree will treat each other. Some years ago I attended a denominational convention whose leaders were struggling with the issue of how, or whether, to welcome gays and lesbians into their churches and include them in their leadership. The lines were clearly drawn; the debate was strong but mannered. I've been a part of a congregation that wrestled with the same issues many years ago, leading ultimately to a painful split. This was particularly grievous to me, not only because folks on both sides of the issue were dear friends, but because one of the aspects of that church that drew me into its fellowship was the fact that people with a variety of views could still come together in love around the communion table. Your faith group may be grappling with some other issue. Maybe it's about political issues, worship styles, or other doctrines that are causing division and discord. During such times, God invites us to accept other believers with whom we disagree. The Apostle Paul wrote: Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with -- even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. (Romans 14:1 The Message) Let that sink in. It's pretty basic stuff: Welcome authentically and fully those with whom you disagree. Don't jump down their throats when they say something you don't agree with. Realize that they've come to their views as a result of their own history -- just as you have. Treat them gently. Perhaps your disagreement is not theological -- it might be a decision someone has made that you think is unwise. By all means, share your views with that person, but do it gently and lovingly. This is not an easy assignment. When we feel that what we believe is right, it's very difficult to accept the right of others to disagree. Of course, there is a limit. To allow grievous injustice to oppressed and powerless persons to continue is not an option for any follower of God. Even so, God beckons us to converse with believers with whom we disagree, to be in community with them, to interact with mutual respect and tolerance, to embrace them in genuine fellowship marked by gentleness and sensitivity. Out of that kind of relationship in community, things happen. God can work. The Spirit can change hearts and minds. And we can honor and serve God together. Is it possible? Yes. The God who invites us into this sort of dialogue is able to give the strength and guidance to make it so. But it begins with our decision to be in community.Posted in Articles
September 6th, 2010 by John
The bankrupt ‘NJ Housewives’ star and her hubby have been accused of hiding money from officials following their bankruptcy filing! It looks like things are getting worse for everyone’s favorite table flipper Teresa Giudice as she is now being accused of hiding her $250,000 book advance from officials during her bankruptcy filing! PopEater reports Teresa and her husband, who enjoys having shots of alcohol at his pal’s house following car wrecks, hid assets including, “a $250,000 book advance from Hyperion received by Teresa for her cookbook Skinny Italian, her ownership of an online boutique called TGFabulicious and more.” This is all happening as the couple tries to hold off a public auction of their personal belongings, aiming for a more private sale. It seems the very camera friendly couple has suddenly become somewhat shy.Posted in Articles
September 4th, 2010 by John
Two eyewitnesses told Radaronline.com that they saw Lindsay Lohan clip a baby stroller with her Maserati and drive away. "There was a woman pushing a kid in the stroller, maybe a two or three-year-old, crossing the street," freelance paparazzo Brayan Jaime told Radar. "Lindsay took the red light and hit the stroller. It wasn't super hard, but she made impact and hit them. Lindsay pulled to the right, stopped for two seconds, and then just kept going." Jaime's friend shot a video seconds after the alleged incident that shows a baby crying from a stroller as Lindsay's Maserati disappears in the other direction. Jaime told TMZ that Lindsay hit the stroller "in the middle, knocking 3 of the 4 wheels in the air." As for why the child's nanny appears unruffled after the alleged accident, Jaime said, "She was in shock and Hispanic so she was scared." When Radar reached Lindsay for comment, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about."Posted in Articles
September 3rd, 2010 by John
Demi Lovato is so over Joe Jonas and totally crushes on R&B singer Trey Songz!! Demi Lovato admitted it was easy for her to move on from ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas by facing her heartache head on, but we all know it’s even easier when there’s someone new making your heart pound a little harder. It sounds like Demi’s could be going at a jack hammer speed now that she’s spilling all about her new crush, R&B singer Trey Songz!! Demi, who just turned 18, told Celebuzz of 25-year-old Trey, “I’m kind of digging Trey Songz – he’s pretty hot. We followed each other on Twitter and direct message each other… He’s pretty awesome.” We think it’s a much needed and deserved distraction for the actress/singer who has watched Joe move onto a new romance with Twilight star Ashley Greene.Posted in Entertainment
0
Comments