Apple has more cash than the US federal government
2011 07 31
By Chris Moody | TheTicket
Who’s ready for iAmerica?
As the BBC has reported, the software company Apple has more cash on hand than the United States federal government, according to the company’s financial records.
Apple’s quarterly financial report shows that the company responsible for the iPad, iPod and the iPhone now has $76.4 billion in reserve cash, while the Treasury Department is sitting on just $73.7 billion.
The feds could probably learn a thing or two from Apple’s success. Congress remains embroiled in a debate over spending and whether the federal government, which currently owes trillions in debt, should be allowed to borrow even more. International credit rating agencies have threatened to downgrade the national debt for the first time in the nation’s history if Washington doesn’t come up with a solution to lift the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling while implementing a concrete plan to get the nation’s financial house in order.
Meanwhile, Apple’s financial report shows that the company’s profits, even through the last recession, are booming.
Article from: news.yahoo.com
Michigan Senate OKs emergency manager legislation
Ending union deals for teachers, local governments an added power
Written by Tim Martin
Senate votes to ban benefit
Michigan Senate panel OKs bill prohibiting union-only work
Legislation that would give broad new powers to emergency managers appointed to guide financially struggling cities and schools in Michigan moved one step closer to becoming law Wednesday, winning approval from the Republican-led state Senate.
The Senate passed the main bill in the package by a 26-12 party-line vote. The Republican-led House has passed similar legislation and the bills would head to Gov. Rick Snyder once differences are resolved between the two versions.
Snyder, a Republican, called for emergency manager legislation in January and is likely to sign the bills once they reach his desk. He noted on Wednesday, however, that details of the legislation still are changing as it works its way through the Legislature.
Opponents of the legislation are concerned because emergency financial managers who are appointed by the state would have the power to terminate union contracts held by school teachers and local government workers. Democrats say the measures are an assault on collective bargaining.
Managers also could strip local elected officials of most powers, which Democrats say would lead to overwhelming authority invested in someone who is appointed from outside the community rather than elected by local voters.
'Can of worms'
"I think we're opening up a can of worms," said Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, a Democrat from Taylor. "We need to be very careful about the expansive powers that we are granting to emergency managers."
Supporters of the legislation say it would lead to earlier intervention by the state, perhaps avoiding the initial crisis situations that lead to the appointment of emergency managers.
Sen. John Proos, a Republican from St. Joseph, said the measures could provide "an early warning system" for potential financial problems in cities and schools. Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, said early intervention should make appointment of an emergency manager a "rare occurrence."
The current state law related to emergency financial managers is affecting about a half-dozen local communities and schools at this time. Only Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Ecorse and the Detroit Public Schools have state-appointed emergency financial managers in place.
Many more communities and schools might fall under the jurisdiction of a revised law, and Democrats objected to so many losing their right to run themselves. Democrats say Snyder is contributing to the problem by proposing deep cuts in state support for local governments and public schools.
Snyder says too many are loaded up with debt and paying salaries or benefits out of sync with the private sector.
Amendment fails
An amendment to the main bill that would have capped an emergency manager's salary at the approved annual pay rate of Michigan's governor - currently about $159,000 - failed under fairly unique circumstances. Senators tied on a 19-19 vote, and Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Calley broke the tie with a "no" vote, drawing some boos from protesters in the Senate gallery. One protester shouted "shame on you" after Calley's vote.
The atmosphere at the Senate was much calmer than on Tuesday, when hundreds of people angered by the bills crowded into the Capitol rotunda and chanted loud enough to be heard in the Senate where the proposals were being discussed.
Nuclear shipment OK'd on Great Lakes
Shipment of 16 scrapped power generators
Published : Friday, 04 Feb 2011, 11:07 PM EST
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - A Canadian agency on Friday approved sending a shipment of 16 scrapped power generators with radioactive contents across three of the Great Lakes, turning aside objections that the risk of an accidental spill was too great.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission said it would grant a transport license to Bruce Power Inc., which plans to send the generators -- each the size of a school bus -- to Sweden for recycling. The company says the shipment will be safe and its plan is ecologically sound.
"We always believed this was the right thing to do to reduce our environmental footprint and we are pleased the soundness of our case has been verified," said Duncan Hawthorne, president and CEO
of the company, which is based in Kincardine, Ontario.
Bruce Power said previously the shipment would take place this spring. On Friday, the company said it would discuss future steps after obtaining permission from all governments with jurisdiction over portions of its route, including the U.S., the United Kingdom, Denmark and Norway.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a coalition representing more than 70 mayors in the region, said it was disappointed and would consider its options for continuing to fight the shipment.
"We feel this sets a very bad and dangerous precedent for the future, especially with the amount of nuclear power around the Great Lakes," said David Ullrich, the group's director.
The shipment would depart from a port on Lake Huron's Owen Sound and traverse Lakes Erie and Ontario, plus the St. Lawrence River, before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
Each of the 100-ton generators has about 4,200 metal tubes that contained hot water, which created steam that powered electricity-producing turbines. Thirty-two of the boilers were taken out of service in the 1990s.
Bruce Power last year awarded a $37 million contract to Studsvik, a Swedish company, to melt down the generators and sell the metal as scrap. About 90 percent of the material can be recycled; the rest will be too radioactive and will be returned for permanent storage.
The company plans two shipments of 16 generators each. Bruce Power says each generator has less than an ounce of radioactive material and would be welded shut to prevent leaks.
The nuclear safety commission said the company's plan complies with international regulations and poses "negligible" risk to human health and the environment.
Ullrich said the panel's risk assessment was based on assumptions most favorable to the shipment and did not appear to consider dangers in the St. Lawrence River, where water levels are lower than in the Great Lakes. Two vessels spilled oil in the river last summer after running aground, he said.
Italians celebrate first Car-Free Day
Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:21AM
Most Italian cities plan to organize at least once a month a Car-Free Sunday to limit city pollution levels and increase citizens' awareness.
Italians have celebrated the first Car-Free Day of the year across several cities as part of a campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and promote green lifestyle.
Motorists in Turin, Milan and other cities gave up their cars on Sunday and seized the opportunity to paint the town green by walking, cycling and driving electric cars in a move that limited daily traffic congestion considerably, Xinhua reported.
Public transport's accessibility level saw an incredible increase as local officials installed bike-sharing stands across the districts for those, who sought to witness at least one day devoid of CO2 emissions.
The main objectives of holding Car-Free Day were to slash carbon dioxide emissions and smooth traffic in the wake of the recent warning about the excessive levels of CO2 in most Italian cities.
Italy's most well-known environmental organization, Legambiente, said in a recent report that more than 15 Italians out of 10,000 die as the result of pollution every year.
The European Union has criticized the Italian government for its negligence on adopting a strategic plan for the country's air pollution, which has reached dangerous levels.
Statistics of a broad study conducted in Europe indicate that three Italian cities of Milan, Turin and Brescia were among the worst polluters in 2010.
Meanwhile, most Italian cities are planning to hold at least once a month a Car-Free Sunday to limit city pollution levels and increase citizens' awareness.
Lightning and fire: Japan on alert after volcano's biggest eruption in 50 years
Last updated at 3:59 PM on 27th January 2011
A one-mile cordon has been established around a volcano on Mount Kirishima after it erupted scattering rocks and ash across southern Japan and sending smoke billowing 5,000ft into the air.
The Meteorological Agency raised the volcanic alert to level 3 as ash today continued to spew from Shinmoedake on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, and residents have been banned from going within a mile of the volcano following its worst eruption in 50 years.
Force of nature: Lightning strikes as Shinmoedake erupts, scattering ash and rocks across a wide swathe of southern Japan
Ash and smoke continued to billow 5,000ft above Shinmoedake today as residents were banned from going within a mile of the volcano
Agency volcanologist Sei Iijima said the eruption did not pose a threat to nearby cities, and a major eruption was not imminent. But he added: 'You can never say never with a volcano, although the lack of magma movement beneath the surface leads us to believe that this activity won't lead to a large-scale eruption,' he told ABC News.
The volcano, one of 20 inside Mount Kirishima, began erupting around 7.30am yesterday morning and by 3pm heavy smoke had risen to nearly 5,000ft, prompting the meteorological agency to raise the alert level.
Volcanic activity is often reported at Kirishima, but this is the largest eruption recorded there since 1959.
Volcanic activity is often reported in the Kirishima range, but Shinmoedake's is the largest eruption since 1959
Under a cloud: A man takes a picture of erupting Shinmoedake from Takaharu, where an evacuation centre has been established
Air space above the mountain remained open today but airlines cancelled a number of domestic flights because of the haze and the buildup of ash on train tracks forced Japan Rail to close several lines. Roads were also shut because of poor visibility.
A small evacuation center was set up overnight in the town of Takaharu, seven miles east of Kirishima, and the town's general affairs manager Yuji Nakashima said: 'People told us their windows were rattling and they heard roaring sounds coming from the mountain.'
Making sense of the internet and Egypt
| By John D. Sutter, CNN January 31, 2011 10:54 a.m. EST | Filed under: Web |
Protests in the Middle East raise questions about the internet's role in democracy
Some say the internet is a human right; others that it's not necessary for protest
Egypt has cut access to internet and mobile phones; protests continue
(CNN) -- Are we in the age of internet revolutions -- where Facebook, Twitter and text messages are essential ingredients in democratic change?
Or, as the ongoing protests in Egypt perhaps show, is the internet only one tool in this process -- nothing more than the modern version of the telephone?
As violent demonstrations continue on the streets of Egypt -- where many are upset with the results of Hosni Mubarak's 30 years in power -- tech pundits and bloggers are trying to sort out the internet's role in the situation.
Some say Egypt is violating modern human rights by cutting access to the internet and to mobile phone networks. Others say the fact that protests have continued despite these digital barricades reveals a massive hole in the argument that social media spawns modern revolutions.
"Where activists were once defined by their causes, they are now defined by their tools," Malcolm Gladwell writes in The New Yorker.
To help make sense of these complicated arguments, here's a wrap-up of what people are saying about the internet's role in Egypt, where unrest continues, and in Tunisia, where protests earlier this month toppled the government and set off a wave of unrest in other Middle Eastern countries: