May 8, 2012

SandBoxBlogs: ElectAd "RNC Ad: Hype and Blame"

SandBoxBlogs: Red State "Tax Code Tweak Might Make CNG for Vehicles More Available "

'Steve Maley':
"Rep. William Cassidy (R-LA) common-sense approach to increasing the role of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, without the grandiose involvement of the Federal government. Unlike the Pickens Plan, this plan does not rely on massive government subsidies or direct payments for vehicle conversion. Instead, it would change the definition of “independent producer” in the tax code, to get around their current prohibition from making retail sales exceeding $5 million per year....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: The Hill "Tea Party sees gains in Senate"

Alexander Bolton:
"Conservative activists say a victory by Richard Mourdock in the Indiana Republican primary Tuesday would be a significant step toward a Tea Party takeover of the Senate GOP agenda.

Mourdock’s anticipated win over Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) would be a huge boost to the Tea Party movement, which earlier this year was said to be losing steam and viability.

Mourdock is one of a half-dozen Tea Party-allied candidates in Republican primaries who could change the balance of power among Senate Republicans...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Durango Telegraph "Captain of her own destiny"

Stew Mosberg:
"There are many former military personnel in Durango. However, there is only one who retired as the highest ranking female African-American officer in United States’ naval history; that would be Captain Gail Harris.
 
Born the eldest of three children into an impoverished but nurturing Newark, N. J., family, Harris knew from age 5 that she wanted to be a military officer. The catalyst for that early revelation came while watching a movie on TV with her dad.
 
As Harris relates it, in one scene from 1944’s “On a Wing and a Prayer,” actor Don Ameche briefs his WWII flight crew about their mission in the Battle of Midway, America’s turning point in the war against Japan. Pointing toward Ameche, the younger Harris cried out, “Daddy, that’s what I want to do when I grow up!” Rather than snicker or attempt to dissuade his precocious daughter, James Harris encouraged the bright, introverted youngster to follow her heart. She never let go of that dream and eventually left graduate studies in 1972 to enlist for what would become an illustrious 28-year career in naval intelligence....."
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Yahoo News "Border Patrol chief unveils new plan to address illegal immigration"

Liz Goodwin:
"Border Patrol Chief Michael Fisher said at a House Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing Tuesday that the country's 21,000 Border Patrol agents will refocus on information and intelligence gathering in the agency's new four-year strategy. The agency will also try to develop a better measurement for whether it is successfully keeping the border safe. Right now, the Border Patrol relies on how many people it has caught trying to cross the border as its main measure of success, but Fisher conceded that this "apprehension" figure doesn't show how many people are crossing undetected.

Fisher said the agents will more proactively communicate with people who live on the border, teaching them how to spot suspicious activity and potential drug runners. The Border Patrol will also increase the use of unmanned aircraft and helicopter flights to help it spot illegal activity...."
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: CBS Atlanta "US targets 2 sons of Sinaloa cartel leader"

"MEXICO CITY (AP) - The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions Tuesday against two sons of Sinaloa cartel drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said the Treasury Department designated Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Ovidio Guzman Lopez under Kingpin Act, which prohibits people in the U.S. from conducting businesses with them and freezes their U.S. assets. El Chapo Guzman was put on the list in 2001.

The department said Ovidio Guzman Lopez plays a significant role in his father's drug trafficking activities, and that Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar was detained on money laundering charges in Mexico in 2005, but was later released.

The department also named two other alleged high-ranking Sinaloa cartel figures to the list. Both Noel Salgueiro Nevarez and Ovidio Limon Sanchez were detained in Mexico in 2011 and remain in custody.

On Monday, authorities in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon announced they had captured the female leader of a local cell of the violent Zetas drug cartel who is suspected of ordering or participating in at least 20 murders in or around the northern city of Monterrey.

One of the gang's alleged victims was a police detective killed March 2 in a suburb of Monterrey....."
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SandBoxBlogs: Denver Channel "Denver Lawyer With Pot Clients Loses Liability Insurance"

"DENVER -- A Denver lawyer has lost her liability insurance because part of her practice involves representing medical-marijuana businesses.


The Denver Post reports the Hanover Insurance Group told Ann Toney last month it wouldn't renew her malpractice coverage. It sent a notice saying Toney's practice doesn't meet current underwriting guidelines because she has an area of practice involving medical marijuana, which it said was a risk factor.

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "What's the use of background checks?"

Gregory Johnson:
"Apparently our business community no longer needs to do background checks on its employees, according to the May 5 Post Independent article, “Residents rally against local's deportation.”

Morality and legality do not coincide with each other. I thought the reason for the background checks was to decide if a person was good enough morally to work for the company. Apparently that is not the case. This can save businesses large sums of money for these background checks....."
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/Your Letters "Sister worried about gang colors at Strawberry Days"

Comment ability on this post is wide open.

Debbie Centeno:
"With Strawberry Days upon us next month, I'm wondering what would be deemed appropriate attire by government officials for such an event.....

....So what would be the best way to show that you are just a normal person, at a normal carnival, just having a fun time with your kids?.........

.......Another reason why I would want to wear the most neutral “non-gang” colors is in case I see my nephews — the same nephews that saw their father arrested and loaded up on an immigration bus. I wouldn't want them to get more traumatized with also seeing their aunt get questioned or probably arrested because she wore a color that, in some big city, actual gang members wear.

How about for training purposes the sheriff's office spends my tax dollars going to, say, Denver or Los Angeles to see what an actual gang member dresses like and how he or she behaves? I would most certainly feel much safer when the sheriff's office has had actual experience with a real gang member, and thereby can distinguish the difference between a true criminal and a sports fan. It seems like not a hard thing to do. But unfortunately our sheriff's office has had no real experience with this issue, so we can't expect them to know how to act in such a case...." 
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Customs and Border Protection "San Luis CBP Officers Seize Nearly $400,000 in Cocaine, Methamphetamine"

"San Luis, Ariz. — A 19-year-old Mexican national attempting to smuggle nearly 21 pounds of cocaine and almost 13 pounds of methamphetamine into the United States was arrested Sunday by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the San Luis Port.
 
Officers referred the man for a secondary inspection of his PT Cruiser after a CBP canine alerted to the presence of drugs. During the secondary inspection, officers located eight packages of cocaine, valued in excess of $180,000, and 12 packages of methamphetamine worth roughly $200,000.
 
The drugs and vehicle were processed for seizure. The subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI).
 
Individuals arrested may be charged by complaint, the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
 
CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

SandBoxBlogs: Human Events "Mining permit backlog leaves U.S. dependent on China for widely used rare minerals "

Audrey Hudson:
"Strategic minerals that are essential components in green and high technology such as hybrid cars, iPods and solar panels are readily available in the U.S. but efforts to mine the elements are being stalled by bureaucrats for years, industry officials say.

“The United States is heavily reliant on foreign countries such as China for critical minerals that are the building blocks of our economy and imperative to renewable energy development, military technology and the manufacturing of nearly all of our electronic devices,” said Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), chairman of the House Resources Committee.

There are 15 such rare earth minerals worth more than $6 trillion, including terbium, yttrium and dysprosium that are found throughout the U.S.
 To increase access, Republican lawmakers are supporting legislation called the Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act that they say tackles the highest hurdle of getting the needed permits to begin mining operations.

Hall Quinn, president of the National Mining Association, said at a recent House hearing on the bill that it often takes 10 years to get a mining permit. “The length, complexity and uncertainty of the permitting process are the primary reasons investors give for not investing in U.S. minerals mining,” Quinn said.

“Delaying permits for mining projects is not a new problem. What is new is the growing awareness of its implications for our nation, particularly in a highly competitive world economy in which the demand for minerals continues to grow, especially in fast growing economies led by China and India,” Quinn said.

The bill authored by Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) would reverse a 30-year trend of increased reliance on foreign countries and fierce competition to gain access to the needed resources. “In the 2012 ranking of countries for mining investment, the United States ranked last, tied with Papua New Guinea, in permitting delays,” Amodei said....."  (Read more? Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Controversial land exchange moves forward"

Andrew Travers:
"A proposed land exchange involving hundreds of acres near Mount Sopris that could become public has cleared a key hurdle with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the agency is now seeking public comment on it.

The deal would make public the 557-acre Sutey Ranch, just outside Carbondale, and privatize more than 1,200 acres of public land on the flanks of Mount Sopris. The BLM has been evaluating the proposal for more than 14 months, and announced Monday it was moving forward...."
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Greeley Tribune "A look at the numbers: London Olympic tourism"

via Greeley Tribune:
"Some numbers illustrating the demand for accommodation during the 2012 London Olympics, which run from July 27 to Aug. 12.
- Typical number of tourists visiting London in August: 1.5 million

- Estimated additional 2012 Olympic visitors from abroad: 294,000

- Estimated additional Olympic visitors from elsewhere in the UK: 587,000

- Total London hotel rooms: About 110,000

- Hotel rooms allocated to Olympic staff, affiliates and media: About 40,000

- Average hotel room rate in central London for Olympic period: 213 pounds ($341)

---Source: London and Partners, British Hospitality Association, Hotels.com"
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "Hickenlooper Vetoes Bill to Provide Tax Incentives for Tourism"

Kristina Kuestner:
"DENVER- Gov. John Hickenlooper vetoed a bill Friday that would have impacted multiple cities throughout the state, including Montrose.

SB 124 would have expanded tax incentive programs for tourism projects across the state

Hickenlooper said that his decision was made because the bill would have replaced the 2009 Regional Tourism Act, which allows two large scale tourism projects a year for over three years.

The Colorado Regional Tourism Act would have allowed all six projects to be funded at once.

According to the Denver Post, Hickenlooper said allowing more than two projects to be considered per year could be risky and could increase the chances for mistakes....."
(Watch the news release?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Stein picked to head Re-1 schools"

Again, the congratulations for a new era in the RE1 school district goes to the voices that finally banded together in all kinds of ways and just said NO MORE.

From the sounds of things and a little easy research, Dr. Stein looks like an excellent replacement.

We have far more serious issues in our schools than ever get reported in our local newspaper.  Turning blind eyes and ears to serious concerns is never a constructive path.

Stein appears to have the leadership skills that the school district needs. 

John Stroud:
"Stein, 52, is a 1978 graduate of Manual High School in Denver. He taught at CRMS, an independent college preparatory school in Carbondale, in the 1980s and now serves on the CRMS board of trustees.

Five years ago, he left his position as headmaster at Graland Country Day School, a prestigious private school in Denver, to rebuild his alma mater after Manual had been closed due to persistent low test scores.

During his stint as principal at Manual from 2007 to 2010, the school employed a model similar to ones used in successful charter schools to re-establish Manual as a top performer within the Denver Public Schools system.

Since 2010, Stein has been working as a consultant for two national education programs, Get Smart Schools, where he worked to design a principal training program, and Expeditionary Learning, where he implemented a new school development strategy.

“The entire board felt like Rob brought a wealth of experience to our district,” Re-1 board president Hamilton said. “Either of the two finalists could lead from day one, and we were fortunate to have two phenomenal candidates.”

Stein's understanding and involvement in Colorado's changing public education system gave him the edge, Hamilton said.

“Rob brings a deep passion for education to our district, while being focused on ensuring all kids leave our schools with skills to be successful,” he said. “The board looks forward to working with Rob as we build one of Colorado's most respected public school systems."

While teaching at CRMS, Stein married his wife, Mariah Dickson. They now have two children, Eliza, who is a high school junior, and Max, who is in the seventh grade.

“We had always talked about returning to the Roaring Fork Valley if the opportunity presented itself,” Stein said Monday. “This seems like the right challenge for me. It's a good district that is performing well, and also has some particular challenges that fit with my own interests....." (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Study suggests link between solar cycles and climate"

Bob Berwyn:
"— European scientists say they’ve used a detailed analysis of distinct sediment layers in a German lake to link a drop in solar activity with an increase in humidity and windiness about 2,800 years ago.

The researchers from the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ in collaboration with Swedish and Dutch colleagues, claim their study provides evidence for a direct solar-climate linkage.

Many other studies have shown that the changes in solar radiation have minimum effect on climate, but this newest research effort suggests that incoming UV radiation could have an effect on stratosphere that trickles down to tropospheric wind patterns.

The sediment samples came from the Lake Meerfelder Maar, in the Eifel region and helped determine annual variations in climate proxies and solar activity. The study was published online this week in Nature Geoscience....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Steamboat Today "Jimmy Westlake: ‘Super moon’ or super hype?"

Could our favorite astronomer, Jimmy Westlake have missed the real point??

That the stir amongst the folks over the 'supermoon' was because of its beauty?

That they can't remember a previous 'supermoon' that looked so close to the earth?

He's entitled to a miss just like anyone else.  Today's morning photo is Westlake's not so pretty but the most interesting shot of last weekend's 'supermoon'.

Jimmy Westlake:
"I can’t help but chuckle a little when the news media pick up on a rather mundane celestial event and blow it way out of proportion. Such was the case with this past weekend’s so-called “super moon.” I heard one TV talking head announce that the moon would look 60 percent larger than normal in our sky. Let me see if

I can help set the record straight.

Of course, we have a full moon once every month, so nothing is unusual about that. Occasionally, two full moons will fall into one calendar month, and this non-event is dubbed by some as a “blue moon.” Unusual?

Yes, but nothing to get all that excited about. And because of the moon’s non-circular orbit around the Earth, it swings in to its perigee, or closest point to Earth, once per month, then swings out to its apogee, or farthest point from Earth, also every month. Happens every month, so nothing unusual about that, either....." (Read more?  Click title)

Photo Credit:  Jimmy Westlake