Author's posts
Apr 06 2010
Coal Mining Disasters: A Comparison
I do the news practically every day and like all editors I control what I cover- I don’t do missing white women and high speed helicopter chases for example. I don’t do industrial accidents except to point out the greed, stupidity, and disregard for human life and the environment of the owners. It was with that in mind that I elected to cover the recent Chinese Coal Mining Disaster (29, 30, 31) because they have a notorious reputation (pet food and drywall anyone?).
And yet yesterday we had a miracle that I duly reported–
2 China hails ‘miracle’ as 115 rescued from flooded mine
by Marianne Barriaux, AFP
1 hr 10 mins ago
| XIANGNING, China (AFP) – More than 110 workers were pulled out alive from a Chinese coal mine on Monday in what has been hailed as a miracle rescue over a week after the men were trapped by an underground flood.
So far, 115 survivors have been rescued from the mine in China’s coal-mining heartland of Shanxi province, state media said. Some apparently survived on tree bark and at least one worker strapped himself to the wall with a belt. The news from Shanxi, where 153 workers were trapped when the unfinished mine flooded on March 28, was a rare bright spot for an industry known for its poor safety record and more than 2,600 deaths recorded last year. |
Bravo!
Today we have this-
25 dead in W.Va. mine blast, worst since 1984
By LAWRENCE MESSINA, Associated Press Writer
1 min ago
MONTCOAL, W.Va. – Rescue teams planned to search again for four workers missing in a coal mine where a massive explosion killed 25 in the worst U.S. mining disaster in more than two decades, though officials said Tuesday that the chances were slim that the miners survived.
The suspended rescue mission would resume after bore holes could be drilled to allow for toxic gases to be ventilated from Massey Energy Co.’s sprawling Upper Big Branch mine about 30 miles south of Charleston, state and federal safety officials said.
“All we have left is hope, and we’re going to continue to do what we can,” Kevin Stricklin, an administrator for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, said at a news conference. “But I’m just trying to be honest with everybody and say that the situation does look dire.”
Which I will also cover because of the greed, stupidity, and disregard for human life and the environment of the owner.
h/t Attaturk.
Apr 06 2010
Butler v. Duke Open Thread
Well if you’re a fan of Arkansas Pine-Bluff, California, Perdue, Baylor, or West Virginia you’ll be rooting for Duke.
If you’re a fan of UTEP, Murray State, Syracuse, Kansas State, or Michigan State you’ll be rooting for Butler.
No shame in losing to the eventual champ after all.
If you want the underdog you’ll go for Butler. I think Duke will win.
I’ll not attempt a liveblog, this is simply a place you can express yourself if you desire to.
Apr 05 2010
Afternoon Edition
Afternoon Edition is an Open Thread
Early Edition.
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Pakistan attacks kill 46, target US consulate
by Lehaz Ali, AFP
51 mins ago
| PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) – Islamist militants armed with guns, grenades and suicide car bombs targeted the US consulate in Pakistan’s northwestern capital and a political rally, killing 46 people on Monday.
The attacks in quick succession were among the deadliest so far this year in nuclear-armed Pakistan, where insecurity has raised concerns in the United States as Washington steps up the fight in Afghanistan and against Al-Qaeda. Pakistan’s Taliban claimed responsibility for the consulate attack, claiming it was to avenge a US drone war targeting top militants in Pakistan’s border areas with Afghanistan, and threatened further assaults on Americans. |
Apr 05 2010
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Pope skirts paedophile scandal as Christians mark Easter
AFP
24 mins ago
| VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI kept silent on the paedophilia scandal rocking the Roman Catholic Church during Easter Sunday addresses as Christians across the world marked the resurrection of Christ.
The leader of the world’s one billion Catholics condemned the persecution of Christian minorities in Iraq and Pakistan, but failed to mention escalating allegations of decades of child abuse by the Church’s priests. The dean of the College of Cardinals however rallied around the embattled head of the Roman Catholic Church, telling him in a rain-drenched St Peter’s Square: “The people of God are with you and do not allow themselves to be impressed by the idle chatter of the moment.” |
Apr 04 2010
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Fresh criticism of Vatican clouds Easter weekend
by Francoise Kadri, AFP
53 mins ago
| VATICAN CITY (AFP) – The Vatican on Saturday defended the pope’s personal preacher over remarks that likened attacks on the pontiff over priestly paedophilia to anti-Semitism, as the new row marred Easter weekend.
Jewish groups and those representing victims of abuse by Roman Catholic priests condemned Father Raniero Cantalamessa for quoting the comments, which he said were made in a letter from a Jewish friend, in his Good Friday sermon. Rome’s chief rabbi Riccardo Di Segni told La Stampa on Saturday: “It’s an inappropriate parallel and of dubious taste.” |
Apr 02 2010
Afternoon Edition
Afternoon Edition is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Catholics mark Good Friday amid abuse scandals
by Gina Doggett, AFP
Fri Apr 2, 10:46 am ET
| VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI marked Good Friday, the Christian world’s most solemn day, under a cloud as the Roman Catholic Church grappled with paedophile priest scandals.
With new cases being reported almost daily, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the pope’s vicar for Rome, told Vatican Radio that it was a “moment of suffering” for the Church. Benedict, 82, was to lead a Good Friday observance at St Peter’s Basilica before presiding over a traditional procession at Rome’s Colosseum re-enacting Jesus Christ’s final hours and crucifixion. |
Apr 01 2010
Afternoon Edition
Afternoon Edition is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 World raises nearly $10 bln for quake-hit Haiti
by Gerard Aziakou, AFP
Thu Apr 1, 9:36 am ET
| UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The global community has pledged nearly $10 billion for Haiti over more than three years to put the quake-ravaged nation back on its feet.
The $9.9 billion pledge from some 50 donors includes $5.3 billion for the 2010-2011 period, far in excess of the $3.8 billion that was sought by conference organizers for that period. That target was meant to fund a $4 billion action plan put forward by the Haitian government for reconstruction projects over the next two years in the poorest country in the Americas. |
Mar 31 2010
Afternoon Edition
Afternoon Edition is an Open Thread
Early 5 pm Edition.
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Donors close to reaching goal of $3.8 billion for Haiti
by Gerard Aziakou, AFP
47 mins ago
| UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Donors neared their goal Wednesday of raising 3.8 billion dollars at a major UN fundraiser for quake-ravaged Haiti, with nearly two-thirds of the pledges coming from the European Union and the United States.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, co-hosting the conference with UN chief Ban Ki-moon, pledged 1.15 billion dollars, saying the funds would go toward supporting Haiti’s plan “to strengthen agriculture, energy, health, and security and governance.” The 27-member European Union and the European Commission said its members would provide a total 1.235 billion dollars, with France offering to disburse 180 million euros (243 million dollars) in 2010-2011 for food and the re-establishment of government authority. |
Mar 31 2010
Wednesday Morning Science Supplement
Wednesday Morning Science Supplement is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Science |
1 What, or who, killed the last mammoths?
by Marlowe Hood, AFP
Tue Mar 30, 9:12 pm ET
| PARIS (AFP) – The last known population of woolly mammoths, roaming a remote Arctic island long after humans invented writing, were wiped out quickly, reports a study released Wednesday.
The culprit might have been disease, humans or a catastrophic weather event, but was almost certainly not climate change, suggests the study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Exactly why a majority of the huge tuskers that once strode in large herds across Eurasia and north America died out toward the end of the last ice age has generated fiery debate. |
Mar 31 2010
Meta: Left Blogs
I have deeper thoughts, but sometimes my shallower ones will do.
The question is-
- Which blogs do you consider left?
I’d like your reasoning and encourage you to provide a link, but neither is mandatory.
Mar 31 2010
Time to stop pretending
New Health Care Law a Republican Plan That Should Make Insurance Companies Proud
By: Jon Walker Tuesday March 30, 2010 2:22 pm
This new law at its heart is a pro-private health insurance, pro-big business Republican bill. It is not liberal or progressive, and it would be hard to justify even calling the law “centrist” because it lacks very popular elements like a public option and drug re-importation-reforms wanted by the broad “center” of the country.
It is nearly identical to previous Republican bills and laws. It is strikingly similar to a plan from the Heritage Foundation. It almost exactly follows the same proposal put forward over a year ago by the health insurance industry itself. After it passed, the drug companies spent big on ads thanking Democrats for passing this massive giveaway to their industry.
The law is a completely wasteful and poorly designed piece of corporate welfare. It is nothing for progressives to be proud of. If you want to argue that we should have supported it because the rampant corruption in our Congress and the fact that a huge number of senators are wholly owned by the health care industry means that this wasteful, pro-corporate bill was the only way to get some help to some people in need, I can at least accept the honesty of that argument. But let’s all stop pretending this was some great victory over the health care industry and for progressive policy.