NAACP President: Ron Paul Is Not A Racist

Paul Joseph Watson, Prison Planet 1/13/2008

Austin NAACP President Nelson Linder, who has known Ron Paul for 20 years, unequivocally dismissed charges that the Congressman was a racist in light of recent smear attempts, and said the reason for him being attacked was that he was a threat to the establishment.

Linder joined Alex Jones for two segments on his KLBJ Sunday show this evening, during which he commented on the controversy created by media hit pieces that attempted to tarnish Paul as a racist by making him culpable for decades old newsletter articles written by other people.

?Knowing Ron Paul?s intent, I think he is trying to improve this country but I think also, when you talk about the Constitution and you constantly criticize the federal government versus state I think a lot of folks are going to misconstrue that?.so I think it?s very easy for folks who want to to take his position out of context and that?s what I?m hearing,? said Linder.

And now? the rest of the story. ?..

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Source: http://a4cgr.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/11-351/

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US warns Iran against closing key oil passage

(AP) ? The U.S. warned Iran on Wednesday it will not tolerate any disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened to choke off the vital Persian Gulf oil transport route if Washington imposes sanctions targeting its crude exports.

The increasingly heated exchange raises new tensions in a standoff that has the potential to spark military reprisals and propel oil prices to levels that could batter a global economy already grappling with a European debt crisis.

Iran's navy chief boasted Wednesday that it would be "very easy" for his country's forces to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the passage at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a sixth of the world's oil passes daily. It was the second such threat in two days following a warning by Iran's vice president that Tehran was close

"Iran has comprehensive control over the strategic waterway," Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV, as the country was in the midst of a 10-day military drill near the strategic waterway.

The comments drew a quick response from the U.S.

"This is not just an important issue for security and stability in the region, but is an economic lifeline for countries in the Gulf, to include Iran," Pentagon press secretary George Little said. "Interference with the transit or passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated."

Separately, Bahrain-based U.S. Navy 5th Fleet spokeswoman said the Navy is "always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation."

Iran's threat to seal off the Gulf, surrounded by oil-rich Gulf states, underlines the depth of worry over the prospect that the Obama administration will go ahead with sanctions over its nuclear program that would severely hit its biggest revenue earner, oil. The sanctions themselves have raised worries that removing Iran's crude from the market will lead to a spike in oil prices.

Gulf Arab nations appeared ready to at least ease market tensions. A senior Saudi Arabian oil official told the AP that Gulf Arab nations are ready to step in to offset any potential loss of exports from Iran, which is the world's fourth largest oil producer. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.

Saudi Arabia, which has been producing about 10 million barrels per day, has an overall production capacity of over 12 million barrels per day and is widely seen as the only OPEC member with sufficient spare capacity to offset major shortages. But Iran ? the world's fourth largest producer ? pumps about 4 million barrels per day, meaning that other Gulf states would also have to up their output to offset the decline.

What remains unclear is what routes the Gulf nations could take to bring that production to market if Iran goes through with its threats.

About 15 million barrels per day pass through the Hormuz Strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. There are some pipelines that could be tapped, but Gulf oil leaders, who met in Cairo on Dec. 24, declined to say whether they had discussed alternate routes or what they may be.

The Saudi comment, however, appeared to allay some concerns. The U.S. benchmark crude futures contract fell 77 cents in early morning trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange, but still hovered above $100 per barrel.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner played down the Iranian threats as "rhetoric," saying, "We've seen these kinds of comments before."

While many analysts believe that Iran's warnings are little more than posturing, they still highlight both the delicate nature of the oil market, which moves as much on rhetoric as supply and demand fundamentals.

Iran relies on crude sales for about 80 percent of its of its public revenues, and sanctions or an even pre-emptive measure by Tehran to withhold its crude from the market would already batter its flailing economy.

IHS Global Insight analyst Richard Cochrane said in a report issued Wednesday that markets are "jittery over the possibility" of Iran's blockading the strait. But, he said, "such action would also damage Iran's economy, and risk retaliation from the U.S. and allies that could further escalate instability in the region."

"Accordingly, it is not likely to be a decision that the Iranian leadership will take lightly," he said.

Earlier sanctions that have targeted the oil and financial sector have added new pressures to the country's already struggling economy. Government cuts in subsidies on key goods like food and energy have angered Iranians, stoking inflation while the country's currency is steadily depreciating.

The impetus behind the subsidies cut plan pushed through parliament by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was to reduce budget costs and would pass money directly to the poor to pay for their needs. But critics have pointed to it as another in a series of bad policy moves by the hardline president.

So far, Western nations have been unable to agree on sanctions targeting oil exports, even as they argue that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran maintains its nuclear program ? already the subject of several rounds of sanctions ? is purely peaceful.

The U.S. Congress has passed a bill banning dealings with the Iran Central Bank, a move that would heavily hurt Iran's ability to export crude. The bill could impose penalties on foreign firms that do business with Iran's central bank. European and Asian nations use the bank for transactions to import Iranian oil.

President Barack Obama has said he will sign the bill despite his misgivings. China and Russia have opposed such measures. A likely result of the sanctions would be that oil prices would at least temporarily spike to levels that could weigh heavily on the world economy.

Closing the Strait of Hormuz would hit even harder. Energy consultant and trader The Schork Group estimated in a report that crude would jump to above $140 per barrel. Conservatives in Iran claim global oil prices will jump to $250 a barrel should the waterway be closed.

By closing the strait, Iran may aim to send the message that its pain from sanctions will also be felt by others. But it has equally compelling reasons not to try.

The move would put the country's hardline regime straight in the cross-hairs of the world, including those nations that have so far been relative allies. Much of Iran's crude goes to Europe and to Asia.

"Shutting down the strait ... is the last bullet that Iran has and therefore we have to express some doubt that they would do this and at the same time lose their support from China and Russia," said analyst Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland.

Iran has adopted an aggressive military posture in recent months in response to increasing threats from the U.S. and Israel of possible military action to stop Iran's nuclear program.

The Iranian navy's exercises, which began on Saturday, involve submarines, missile drills, torpedoes and drones. A senior Iranian commander said Wednesday that the country's navy is also planning to test advanced missiles and "smart" torpedoes during the maneuvers.

The war games cover a 1,250-mile (2,000-kilometer) stretch of sea off the Strait of Hormuz, northern parts of the Indian Ocean and into the Gulf of Aden near the entrance to the Red Sea as a show of strength and could bring Iranian ships into proximity with U.S. Navy vessels in the area.

Moderate news website, irdiplomacy.ir, says the war games are intended to send a message to the West that Iran is capable of sealing off the waterway.

"The war games ... are a warning to the West that should oil and central bank sanctions be stepped up, (Iran) is able to cut the lifeblood of the West and Arabs," it said, adding that the West "should regard the maneuvers as a direct message."

___

El-Tablawy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Adam Schreck in Dubai and Abdullah Shihri in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-28-ML-Iran-Oil/id-d6eb8f35aa0542bb9d049cd236560a6a

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2 medical crew, pilot die in helicopter crash

Three people on board a medical helicopter that crashed between Gainesville and Jacksonville, Fla., were killed, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Monday.

The pilot and two medical staff from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville were en route to pick up a heart for transplant.

The hospital later identified its employees as cardiac surgeon Luis Bonilla and procurement technician David Hines.

"A helicopter with two Mayo Clinic employees sent to University of Florida in Gainesville to harvest organs left this morning approximately 5:45 a.m. but did not arrive," the Mayo Clinic said in a statement before the deaths were confirmed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45791054/ns/us_news-life/

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Vt. Community Loan Fund to work with Starbucks program

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    Rays interested in Posada?

    We already know Jorge Posada isn?t returning to the Yankees, but he hasn?t dismissed the possibility of continuing his career elsewhere.

    With that in mind, Javier Maymi of ESPNDeportes.com hears (link in Spanish) that the division-rival Rays are interested in the 40-year-old. Maymi confirmed the information with Posada?s father, who said he has also had some discussions with the Orioles and Phillies. However, he hasn?t decided whether he will play in 2012.

    The Rays are looking at Posada as a possibility for first base, designated hitter and backup catcher. Jose Lobaton or Robinson Chirinos figure to be the primary backup for the newly-signed Jose Molina, so Posada would likely only be an emergency option behind the plate.

    Posada batted .235/.315/.398 with 14 home runs, 44 RBI and a .714 OPS over 387 plate appearances this past season. He did have an .814 OPS (and all of his homers) against right-handed pitching, so he could still have some value if used appropriately.

    Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/24/report-rays-interested-in-jorge-posada/related/

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    Apple Files Patents for Fuel Cell Computers (NewsFactor)

    A laptop powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, going for weeks without refueling. That vision of the future is described in a pair of patent applications filed by Apple and made public Thursday.

    One of the patent applications, entitled Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device, describes a fuel cell system with a fuel cell stack that generates electricity, as well as a system controller and a bidirectional communication link between the controller and the device.

    'Days or Even Weeks'

    The other application, Fuel Cell System Coupled to a Portable Computing Device, describes a fuel cell system that "is capable of both providing power to and receiving power from a rechargeable battery in a portable computing device." The application notes that this would eliminate "the need for a bulky and heavy battery within the fuel cell system," thus significantly reducing the size, weight, and cost of the fuel cell.

    Fuel cells, such as hydrogen fuel cells, can pack a lot of electricity-generating power into a small package. As one of the applications noted, "Fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities," which could potentially mean that portable devices could operate for "days or even weeks without refueling." Similarly, the other application's description of linking the fuel cell to the rechargeable battery helps to keep size and weight down, and time between refueling up.

    Apple's applications discuss using sodium borohydride powder mixed with water as a fuel, and the hydrogen would be obtained from the sodium borohydride. The hydrogen then mixes with oxygen via a membrane, producing electricity and water vapor.

    'Future Proofing'

    The integration of the fuel cell system into the device would assumedly be one of the key features for which patent protection is sought. Another patent application by Apple, published in October, described a design for fuel cell plates.

    Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., said Apple's patents indicated it was "future proofing and hedging its bets," and that the real question was whether the innovative company "has something cooking like this in the back room?"

    She added that it was possible that Apple is not moving forward on this front, but simply looking to protect itself against other companies' ventures into fuel-cell powered mobile computing devices. Even if the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is using some of its large supply of cash to conduct R&D in this area, DiDio said, it was unlikely that mainstream products would emerge in the next decade or so.

    As with many large technology companies, patents figure prominently in Apple's strategy. The biggest example of the importance of patents is the ongoing legal war by Apple with Samsung, HTC, and Motorola Mobility, over aspects of those companies' Android-based devices that Apple says violate its patents. Apple recently won a minor victory in its U.S. patent fight with HTC, lost a next step in its war with Samsung in Australia, and both won and lost some battles with Samsung in Europe.

    Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111224/bs_nf/81511

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    Mark Cavendish hails British cycling after winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year

    23 Dec 2011

    Mark Cavendish hailed a landmark night for British cycling after winning the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award at a star-studded ceremony in Salford.

    The Isle of Man rider, who pipped golfer Darren Clarke and athlete Mo Farah, achieved the two huge goals he set for himself in 2011, becoming the first Briton to win the green jersey in the Tour de France and then clinching gold in the road race at the World Championships.

    Cavendish joined Tommy Simpson, the previous Briton to win the road world title in 1965, and triple Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy as the only cyclists to pick up the award, which is voted for by the public.

    And it was what his victory said about the huge growth in interest in cycling in recent years that most pleased Cavendish.

    The 26-year-old fought back tears on stage as he said: "This is a landmark in cycling, and I take this on behalf of cycling. For cycling to be recognised in a non-Olympic year, a few years ago would be unheard of, yet it's happened."

    Cavendish, who took his record to 20 stage wins from four Tour de Frances in the summer, added later: "That's what makes this special.

    "With cycling, as with any sport, what you put in is what you get out. It's down to you. I can't control how people react to what I've achieved and that makes it the biggest honour possible for me.

    "There are more people riding bikes now who can actually appreciate what it is. It's not just the Tour de France, we're racing 100 days a year and people know what it is to ride such distances in such times now and what it takes.

    "It makes me smile every time I see a family out on their bikes, every time I see a child wanting to ride."

    British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford told www.britishcycling.org.uk: "This has been a fantastic evening for the sport of cycling and it's great that Mark's success has been recognised by the British public and the national media.

    "The BBC SPOTY award rounds off the perfect year for Mark, who's cycling achievements have made history."

    Meanwhile, the Isle of Man's Chief Minister Allan Bell said: "Everyone on the Isle of Man is delighted with Mark's success. He is proving to be a great ambassador for us, promoting the Isle of Man worldwide to investors and tourists alike and his achievements are a tribute to the hard work and passion that he has shown."

    Cavendish went into the evening as the favourite to lift the award and it was no surprise his closest rival was Clarke, an emotional Open Championship winner in July five years after the death of his wife Heather from breast cancer.

    Farah completed a strong trio in the year in which he became the first British athlete to win the 5,000 metres title at the World Athletics Championships and also took silver in the 10,000m.

    Cavendish received 169,152 votes, with Clarke getting 42,188 and Farah 29,780.

    There was a double for English cricket as the Test side were named Team of the Year after winning the Ashes in Australia and climbing to the top of the world rankings, while Andy Flower won the Coach of the Year award.

    The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave by former Sports Personality winner Princess Anne.

    Redgrave took the opportunity to "right a wrong" from when he won the main award following his fifth gold in 2000, saying: "The one person I forgot to mention 11 years ago was my wife.

    "My wife was an Olympic athlete in her own right and has been the team doctor on and off for 15 years and is now helping team in preparation for next year. Without the support from my family I would never have been able to achieve everything I did."

    The headlines before the event were dominated by the absence of any sportswomen from the final list, but a female winner was guaranteed in the Young Sports Personality category and golfer Lauren Taylor took the honours in the year in which she became the youngest winner of the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship.

    Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic won the Overseas category, former Grand National winner Bob Champion was the recipient of the Helen Rollason Award and Janice Eaglesham and Ian Mirfin were the Unsung Heroes for their work with disabled people in Glasgow.

    Golf world number one Luke Donald was fourth in the voting with 23,854 votes, tennis player Andy Murray fifth with 18,754, England cricketers Andrew Strauss and Alastair sixth and seventh respectively with 17,994 and 13,038, golf's US Open champion Rory McIlroy eighth with 11,915, world 400 metres hurdles champion Greene ninth with 9,022 and boxer Amir khan 10th with 6,262.

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    Source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/article-24024019-mark-cavendish-hails-landmark-night-for-british-cycling-after-winning-bbc-sports-personality-of-the-year.do

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    Groundwater dropping globally

    Satellites find supply falling mostly due to agriculture

    Web edition : Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

    SAN FRANCISCO ? Groundwater levels have dropped in many places across the globe over the past nine years, a pair of gravity-monitoring satellites finds. This trend raises concerns that farmers are pumping too much water out of the ground in dry regions.

    Water has been disappearing beneath southern Argentina, western Australia and stretches of the United States. The decline is especially pronounced in parts of California, India, the Middle East and China, where expanding agriculture has increased water demand.

    ?Groundwater is being depleted at a rapid clip in virtually of all of the major aquifers in the world's arid and semiarid regions,? says Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist at the University of California Center for Hydrologic Modeling in Irvine, whose team presented the new trends December 6 at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

    Famiglietti and his colleagues detect water hidden below the surface using the modern equivalent of a dowsing rod: a pair of car-sized satellites, nicknamed Tom and Jerry, that are especially sensitive to the tug of gravity from below.

    As the spacecraft chase each other around the planet like their cat and mouse namesakes, they are pulled apart and pushed together by areas of higher or lower gravity. Mountains and other large concentrations of mass have a big, obvious effect that?s consistent from month to month. But water moves around over time, creating small gravity fluctuations that the satellites? orbital motions respond to.

    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 It takes a lot of flow to noticeably change the distance between the satellites. After subtracting the contributions of snowpack, rivers, lakes and soil moisture, scientists can detect changes in groundwater greater than a centimeter over an area about the size of Illinois.

    This joint mission between NASA and the German Aerospace Center ? called the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE ? has been creating monthly snapshots of global groundwater since 2002. The trends now identified in this data help fill in monitoring gaps and confirm problems in places where official groundwater information is unreliable or nonexistent.

    ?GRACE is very good for areas of the world where we don?t have good ground observations,? says Marc Bierkens, a hydrologist who studies groundwater at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

    China, for example, has been shown to underestimate groundwater use. The country lacks the nationwide network of monitoring wells found in the United States. GRACE?s measurements suggest that water levels have been dropping six or seven centimeters per year beneath plains in the northeast.

    In some areas, short-term climate variability may be to blame. For example, the plains of Patagonia in Argentina and areas across the southeastern United States ? areas that have been hit hard by droughts ? store less groundwater today than they did in 2002.

    But there?s little doubt as to what?s behind the biggest drops: farming. An agricultural boom in northern India has helped to squeeze nearly 18 cubic kilometers of water from the ground every year (SN: 9/12/09, p. 5). That?s enough water to fill more than seven million Olympic swimming pools. And in California?s Central Valley, which supports about one-sixth of the nation?s irrigated land, the ground has been sinking for decades as landowners drill more wells and pull out almost 4 cubic kilometers of water per year (SN: 1/16/10, p. 14).

    ?People are using groundwater faster than it can be naturally recharged,? says Matthew Rodell, a hydrologist and GRACE team member at NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

    Agricultural pressures are particularly worrisome in places like the Middle East, another hotspot on the new GRACE map. Water pumped out of the Arabian aquifer beneath Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries today fell as rain thousands of years ago. Once this fossil water disappears, there?s little new rainfall to replenish it. ?

    Climate change will only worsen the problem, says Famiglietti. Precipitation patterns are becoming more extreme, increasing the severity of droughts. Wet areas are also becoming wetter and dry areas drier, which may accelerate declines in groundwater in some places over the coming years.

    But even as the researchers sound the alarm, they don?t know how loud to crank up the volume. GRACE reveals only changes in groundwater. It doesn?t divulge how much water is left.

    ?We don?t really know how stressed the world?s largest aquifers are,? says Sasha Richey of the University of California Center for Hydrologic Modeling.

    Some reservoirs, like the giant Nubian Aquifer that underlies North Africa, may be large enough to meet demand for centuries. But few reliable estimates exist of the amount of groundwater stored in the world?s aquifers.

    Despite the uncertainties, Leonard Konikow, a hydrogeologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Va., says that water use has become unsustainable in many places. Better irrigation systems that use less water could help to curb the problem, he says. So could channeling water during especially wet periods into aquifers instead of letting it run off into the ocean.

    ?There are too many areas in the world where groundwater development far exceeds a sustainable level,? says Konikow. ?Something will have to change.?


    Found in: Earth

    Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337097/title/Groundwater_dropping_globally

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