Daily Briefing - 4/11/07: Debate!, USCAP, Richard Louv, Johnny Cash and Global Warming

Kerry v. Gingrich... Lincoln v. Douglass? Ehhh, probably not, but hey... at least Newt isn't a flat-earther.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/11/07
572 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- ConocoPhillips joins U.S. Climate Action Partnership, the first major US oil company to do so
- Kerry and Gingrich debate... and guess what, they only disagree on solutions
o Video analysis from the dorky Dana Milbank
- Cap and trade may become (nuclear) energy’s stock in trade
- Little time to avert big temperature rise
- China and Japan go green together
- IPCC report dire for North America
- Friedman: Upsetting the balance in Kenya
- Sea rise in India buries islands and way of life
- Israel’s green mission
- Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon tasks nations on alleviation
- John Edwards will attend Step It Up global warming rally in Florida on Saturday
- Hey, it looks like Canadians can be in denial just like Americans!
- Coffee drinkers beware
- Washington too hot for Live Earth… grrrrrr, it would have been free!!!!!!
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Bush criticizes Democrats for delay in Iraq spending bill
- US sending another warning on Darfur… no action yet, though
o Google Earth documents the tragedy
- European growth will outpace US this year
- Liberals worry Pelosi is favoring moderates
- Colleagues helping Sen. Johnson
- Duncan Hunter Jr. to run for Congress… while in Iraq
Potential ‘08ers…
- Thompson, Fred (reveals he has cancer), McCain (strongly backs Iraq war in speech, calls Dems reckless), Edwards (works day shift at nursing home), Giuliani (fails the supermarket test), McCain again (pounded by the press), Edwards again (isn’t afraid to dis Fox news), Giuliani again (pleased to oblige), Romney (wants to expand armed forces by 100,000), Romney again (major ad spending), Giuliani again again (four pillars of American prosperity), Edwards again again (touts gay supporters), Clinton supporting Rutgers basketball team), Obama (tees off on McCain), Obama again (seeing some backlash for slow response on Imus),
- Some in GOP express worry over ‘08
Other News from the Media
- Richard Louv in Orion Magazine: Leave No Child Inside
o Here’s Mr. Louv’s great website, Children and Nature Network
- Unlike the Terps of the University of Maryland, these terrapins survive
- Great Judicial Smackdown 2007 continues (ß headline stolen from Grist), appeals court rebukes Administration over salmon
- Oy vey, way to kill worker morale. Note to self, don’t buy stock in Circuit City
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: The democrats’ generic edge
- Open Congress: Are republicans starting to crack on Iraq?
- National Review: Forget Kyoto
- Grist:
o On population
o Climate solutions for the rich and powerful
o Vanity Fair’s “green issue” redux
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Tell that smarmy Steve Jobs to top this!
- Barry Gibb burns down Johnny Cash’s house!!! (Not really, but one must question..)
- Well, now we’ve got somewhere to go once we dilly-dally on global warming for too long
- Known for its conservative tilt, BYU protests planned commencement speech by VP
Quotes O’ the Day
“The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.” ~ John Cage … I’m listening to his seminal work, 4”33, right now. (A prize to anyone – without the aid of the internet! – who can describe this phenomenal piece of work.)

Daily Briefing - 4/9/07: $100 million, Fighting Scientists, Virtuoso Violinists, and Global Warming

Happy Monday.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/9/07
574 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Next Task: Repairing the climate
- Learning from Europe
- Christine Todd Whitman: SSC ruling is a welcome first step
o For the Chief Justice, a dissent and a line in the sand
- Doris Duke Foundation to offer $100 million to deal with global warming
- Detroit decides to help shape, not resist, regulation of emissions
- UN sounds the alarm
o Scientists v. diplomats
o Scientists see report as too soft, blame China, Saudi Arabia for watering it down
- Washington Post: A Consensus on Crisis
o Climate wars loom as the future looks bleak
- Mountaineers: The eyewitnesses to climate change
- The 3 step climate action plan
- Newsweek: The War of the Words
- China to participate in post-Kyoto talks
- Worried about high gas prices
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- President renewing efforts on immigration
- Democrats’ cause is tempered by reality
o But they seek to lead the way in tax overhaul
- Another layer of scandal
Potential ‘08ers…
- Romney (he’s rising), Obama (all sizzle and no steak?), Clinton and McCain (lose frontrunner status), Gingrich (taking on AG Gonzalez), Obama again (boosted by Clinton defectors), Romney again (initial public offering), Thompson, Tommy (record isn’t enough), Clinton (the end of inevitability), Clinton again (will not be crowned), Edwards (getting help in SC), Giuliani (blasted by firefighters), McCain (the meltdown), Huckabee (slaps down Romney for hunting gaffe), Richardson (arrives in North Korea),
- “Why do US candidates need so much money?” This is America buddy, why does ANYBODY need so much money?
- Candidates should look beyond Iraq
- Democrats may now top GOP in donor efforts… now both parties can be bought with equally massive sums of money!
Other News from the Media
- Iran goes nuclear… somebody tell them they’re not allowed to use Yucca Mountain
- Slate: Green is in
- Even the President is intrigued by plug-in hybrids (Even if he doesn’t know how to use a socket)
o The folks at Grist sure enjoyed this
- Ranchers and army at odds in the old west
- Plastic wrapper today could be fuel tomorrow
- Can man improve on nature’s fishbowl?
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: Romney’s inner circle
- Raw Fisher: McCain’s new money man
- RCP’s Politics and Elections page
- Grist:
o A unique insight into the IPCC process
o Texas solar opportunity
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- This. Is. Un-believable
- Apple ships 100 millionth iPod
- Will this fad ever get old?
- Imus: “I’m not a racist”
- Flight cancelled over rude language
Quotes O’ the Day
“Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” ~ Aldous Huxley

Daily Briefing - 4/6/07: IPCC, IPCC, IPCC, IPCC.....

IPCC Report #2. It's a doozy.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/6/07
577 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- IPCC: Report #2
o NYT, Internat’l Herald Tribune, SF Chronicle, Bloomberg, Reuters(India), Seattle PI, Alaska Report, WSJ, Gulf News, Billings Gazette, Earth Times, Grist
o A moral obligation, Fear over diluted warnings, Stark picture of a warming world, National Council of Churches call for immediate action, The peril we face, World’s poorest will suffer the most
- Permanent drought predicted for Southwest
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Fort Wayne: A planetary victory
o Indianapolis Star: Bush brushes off Supremes
o Could impact IT
o Alabama Times Daily: Not so clean
o Florida Today: The green light
- Gov. Doyle (D-WI) highlights energy and global warming efforts, including an Office of Energy Independence and Task Force on Global Warming
- The real cost of climate change and why doing good is better (for profits!) in the long run
- Threatening natural wonders
- Mauritania being buried
- Asia tourism faces chaos
- Kansas City Star: U.S. must lead the world
- Great Barrier Reef at risk
- John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry: Warming to the idea of change
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- New regulatory head favors hands-off approach… oh boy
- Mideast media mostly upbeat on Speaker’s visit
- Sen. Inhofe sees himself as “the next Pombo”
- Apple… not so green
Potential ‘08ers…
- Romney (no no really… I am hunter!!!), Obama (finding that success breeds more success), Thompson, Fred (gearing up), Romney again (using his wealth), Giuliani (will not seek abortion changes), Giuliani again (take him or leave him), Bloomberg (and the money machine), McCain (can he win?), Obama again (offering a health care revamp), Edwards (quiet momentum), Clinton and McCain (a spending spree awaits),
- There will be more voters in Florida
Other News from the Media
- Wildlife smugglers test their skills
- How supply-side economics trickled down
- Unemployment rate drops to 4.4%
- So the daylight savings one month early? Yea, didn’t do much
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix’s Friday Governor Line
- Wired: Panel releases report after late-night politicking
- National Review: Life Lessons for Rudy
- Huffington Post: Bleak report issued… but hey, don’t worry
- Only In It For the Gold
- Grist:
o The warm on terror
o Slow Food Nation
o Why waiting for fossil fuels to run out isn’t such a good thing
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Holy cow! An ambidextrous pitcher!
- Doonsebury takes on Mitt Romney
- Martha Stewart, menu-maker for the space bound
- And up on Mars… a problem with warming
- Al Gore to open Tribeca Film Festival
- When (gay couples) wish upon a star!!!
- Wow. Bill O’Reilly blew a gasket
Quotes O’ the Day
“Global warming’s potential to harm wildlife is one of the report’s central findings. Temperature increases of just a few degrees may propel 20 to 30 percent of all species toward extinction.” Larry Schweiger

Daily Briefing - 4/5/07: IPCC, Biodiversity, Al Franken, and Global Warming

Today's briefing is brought to you in honor of NWF's ROC-extraordinaire, Jerry Karnas.

MW

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The Jerry Karnas (Daily) Briefing – 4/5/07
578 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- "What you saw today is that Florida has gone, in a matter of four months, from Category 5 denial to Category 5 action. We are feeling a hurricane force wind of change on this issue. And it's unprecedented," said NWF’s Jerry Karnas,
o Man, that’s some powerful stuff. I feel like there’s no point in going on… but I guess I have to. SighIt’s all downhill from here.
- Climate panel is confident warming is underway… and that humans are responsible
o Already affecting the world’s flora and fauna, and decimating biodiversity
o Report may have some problems reaching deadline in time
- John Tierney, curmudgeon-extraordinaire
- Kennebec Journal: Time for Congress to address global warming
- The Saratogian: Global warming should be a national effort
- Warming hurts health
- Christian Science Monitor launches global warming website
o And here it is!
- US lags on plans
- Warming thins herd for Canada’s seal hunt
- Hot planet, poisonous fish
- John and Teresa Heinz Kerry: Addressing global warming is good for business
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Gonzalez prepares to fight for his job
- David Broder: A dubious electoral idea
- 3 Republicans part with Bush on Syria
- Gotta love recess appointments
Potential ‘08ers…
- Edwards (Elizabeth is quite the draw), Obama ($25 million?!... otherwise known as Big Bucks Barack), Obama again (fundraising gives him respite from stumbles), Clinton (standing among blacks is on the line), Romney (“a lifelong hunter?”), Edwards again (cashing in on cancer?), Romney again (the Mormon advantage), Giuliani (roe woe?), Giuliani again (don’t be surprised if he wins it), Romney again again (wants to end tax on savings), Dodd (supports civil unions), Gingrich (offends Latino community, apologizes in Spanish), Thompson, Tommy (first day officially on the trail), McCain (retools money team, delays entry)
- Early ’08 fundraising has a clear blue tint
- DNC will sanction six monthly debates starting in July
Other News from the Media
- Captives freed by Iran arrive in Britain
- Woohoo, a channel all about us! Well, maybe not just us but we’re included in the “green movement.”
- A plug-in hybrid… and a school bus
- Washington bans PBDEs
- Top ten utility green power programs
…and the Blogosphere
- Hotline: Al Franken pulls in $1.3 mil
- Blue Hampshire: Portsmouth Mayor jumps into Senate race
- David Sirota thinks John Edwards is the “people-party candidate”
- Fred Thompson: Real American Idols
- TomPaine: More pollution does not equal less
- Grist:
o An interview with Duke Energy CEO
o Will the environment be a factor in ‘08
o A remarkable consistency
o Green parenting
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Hey, who wouldn’t want one of those fresh and toasty sandwiches?
- Bone of Joan of Arc actually from a … mummy? Huh?
- My Maps… yet another ridiculously cool product from Google
- The page program flourishes. I guess that whole scandal thing was a draw? Yeesh, I’ll avoid saying anything else…
- John Kerry, you are THE MAN
Quotes O’ the Day
“Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it.” ~ Jules Renard