Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Video: Matthews: Does anyone have a grip on who Romney is?

Amid storm, Alzheimer's patient wouldn't leave

Amid the chaos of superstorm Sandy, an 89-year-old woman with Alzheimer?s disease rebuffed rescuers? efforts and refused to evacuate her New Jersey home this week, raising questions about her safety -- and about the dilemma posed by dementia patients during a disaster.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49615162#49615162

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Chrysler-Fiat CEO wants to unify the automakers by 2015

DETROIT (Reuters) - Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of both Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group LLC, said he wants to achieve "unification" of the two automakers by 2015, but first he needs to fix Fiat's finances, which have been hit by a sagging European economy.

"The objective has always been to try and bring unification by 2014 or 2015," Marchionne said on a Chrysler conference call on Tuesday. "I'd still like to see that done."

Marchionne said that Fiat still intends to complete the purchase of all of Chrysler, but the Italian automaker must fix its own house before adding on to it.

"It is clear that given Fiat's capital requirements and the availability of liquidity today," said Marchionne. "It is highly unlikely that we would be able to finance a takeout of the minority stake in Chrysler, unless something extraordinary happens and we find liquidity through other means."

How that comes about "has yet to be determined given the fact that our primary objective right now is that of fixing the European environment."

Marchionne made his comments as he addressed Fiat's plan to purchase the remaining 41.5 percent of Chrysler that it does not own. That stake is held by a United Auto Workers union healthcare trust for retired Chrysler workers, a voluntary employees beneficiary association (VEBA).

Fiat has raised its ownership to 58.5 percent of Chrysler, up from the 20 percent share it took after the U.S. automaker's 2009 bankruptcy.

Marchionne said the only commitment he can make now is that Fiat will press ahead with its plan to purchase 3.3 percent of Chrysler every six months by exercising a call option allowed in the 2009 bankruptcy agreement with the U.S. Treasury.

Fiat can buy up to 16.58 percent of Chrysler in this fashion, which could increase Fiat's stake in the Michigan-based automaker to about 75 percent.

NO UPDATE ON LAWSUIT

Fiat sued the healthcare trust in September because the trust did not sell the 3.3 percent share in July as Fiat had filed for. The two sides differ on the price that Fiat is to pay for the increased share. Fiat offered $139.7 million.

Marchionne said on Tuesday that there was no update on the lawsuit.

The July call option was the first one to be exercised by Fiat. Marchionne has said Fiat plans to exercise another call option in January.

In 2007, Chrysler, General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co each spun off their retired worker healthcare obligations into a separate trust. This enabled the automakers to offload what had become an unmanageable drain on their assets and enabled them to be more competitive with Japanese, German and Korean auto manufacturers in the U.S. auto market.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Gary Hill and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chrysler-fiat-ceo-wants-unify-two-automakers-2015-194720254--finance.html

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Monday, October 1, 2012

Kauai Community College to break ground for affordable housing prototype project

LIHU?E, Kaua?i, Hawai?i - On Friday, September 28, Kaua?i Community College will break ground to mark the commencement of the construction phase of its Ho?ouluwehi Affordable / Sustainable Living House Prototype project. The blessing will be conducted by Reverend Wayne A. Vidinha, Sr., of Ke Akua Mana Church at 10:30 a.m. in an area on the campus known as ?The Farm.?

Kaua?i CC students enrolled in the college?s introductory carpentry class taught by instructor Robert Steurich will turn a used shipping container into a home. The coursework will provide students with a full experience ranging from foundation work through finish carpentry.

?As builders, we should always be searching for ways to build affordable housing and maintain the existing housing stock. Students will learn building practices and procedures that result in a quality product,? said Steurich.

?Just a few months ago, we saw a dented, used container. Today, we can envision an affordable living home. This prototype is being built by Kaua?i students, on Kaua?i, for Kauaians, for the future. Our students will have the skill set to further help address our housing needs, and fill professional construction livable-wage jobs here at home, to help address our housing needs,? said Eric Knutzen, executive director of Kaua?i CC?s Ho?ouluwehi: The Sustainable Living Institute of Kaua?i.

Making solid contributions toward affordable housing solutions on Kaua?i has provided Kaua?i CC immense fulfillment and purpose.

?This is just a beginning step in a really innovative and exciting project that will benefit our students and the Kaua?i community, and demonstrates what great things can come when partners works together to improve our community,? said Kaua?i CC Chancellor Helen A. Cox. The college welcomes visitors to view the project.

Kaua?i CC has enjoyed exciting and inspiring exchanges with its partners, the Office of the Mayor and County of Kaua?i departments.

In January 2012, after two years of planning that involved faculty, staff and students with community partners, Kaua?i CC launched its Ho?ouluwehi: The Sustainable Living Institute of Kaua?i, a program that offers an innovative sustainable leaning focal point for Kaua?i by:

  • ?embedding sustainability principles within Kaua?i CC offered curriculum;
  • ?advancing partnerships with the University of Hawai?i, government, private business, non-profit agencies and individuals; and
  • ?implementing research and projects to foster a more vibrant future for Kaua?i, and fueling related employment vitality.

Students enrolled in the Kaua?i CC Introductory Carpentry class are Lloyd-Kekoa Agustin, Dwaine Albarado, Rogelio Casem, Yvinne Difontorum, Cullen Gutierrez, Edward Kemmerling, Ariel Lothlorien, James Nishida and Kyle Redaus.


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Source: http://kauai.hawaiinewsnow.com/news/environment/108058-kauai-community-college-break-ground-affordable-housing-prototype-project

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Guess What: 93% of Fox News, Wall St. Journal Reporting on Global ...

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The Internet puts vast, overwhelming amounts of information at our fingertips. It?s a truly great thing, and more and more of us not only have the time to search, surf, and troll through this ever-growing digital repository, but we?re also compelled to do so to earn our livelihoods.

With this and the ever-growing complexity of modern life, we come to form opinions about an ever-growing mass of topics, some of which we come emotionally attached to (at times too strongly attached to), despite a lack of significant direct exposure or experience. More and more conditioned to fast-moving events and never-ending change ? change in information/communications technology, in particular ? we?re compelled to form opinions, perhaps even take actions, on an ever-growing range of topics at an ever-faster pace.

Climate change is certainly one issue that seems to generate strong, deep, often emotionally driven responses and opinions. Now, suppose you learned that the sources of information you?ve been relying on to form your opinions about climate change, or any topic for that matters, were erroneous? bunkum?. Not just some of the time, but more than 80%-90% of the time!

Would you: a) acknowledge this, reject those sources, and search for new and better news and information sources upon which you could reformulate better informed opinions, or b) hold fast to your comfortable opinions and preferred news and information sources and deny that they?re wrong?
?

?

Well, an eye-opening study of primetime news coverage on global warming by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that 93% of primetime Fox News? discussions of global warming are inaccurate, LiveScience reports. Examining the same at the venerable Wall St. Journal, UCS found that an astounding 81% is just plain wrong!

Can you imagine? Millions of Americans rely on these news agencies? reporting and analysis to inform themselves and form opinions, and now we find that they?re leading people badly astray on a critical issue of our times! It?s not only shameful, it?s dangerous.

?It?s like they were writing and talking about some sort of bizarre world where climate change isn?t happening,? study author Aaron Huertas, a press secretary at UCS, told LiveScience. ?It?s clear that we?re not having a fact-based dialogue about climate change.?

If Fox News and WSJ had any self-respect and felt any sense of public, civic responsibility or obligation to inform the American public accurately and comprehensively, they should promptly issue a public apology and change their ways, if not do the decent thing and resign their positions and close up shop, or at least that part of the shop that deals with this issue. Worse than their own shamelessness is that this shows even less respect and responsibility to American and other viewers, not to mention a simple but crucial item: the truth.

In conducting the study on climate change reporting, UCS researchers sifted through six months of Fox News primetime programs from February to July 2012 and one year of WSJ op-eds from August 2011 to July 2012 for discussions of global warming.

?The most common climate mistakes on Fox News involved misleading statements on basic climate science, or simple undermining and disparaging of the field of climate science,? LiveScience reports. ?For example, on March 23, one on-air personality referred to global warming as a ?hoax and fraud.? (The analysis did not look at non-primetime broadcasts or FoxNews.com.)?

UCS? aim in conducting the study ?is not to shut down legitimate debate on the appropriateness of various climate policies,? the news report continues.

?It is entirely appropriate to disagree with specific actions or policies aimed at addressing climate change while accepting the clearly established findings of climate science,? according to the report authors. ?And while it is appropriate to question new science as it emerges, it is misleading to reject or sow doubt about established science ? in this case, the overwhelming body of evidence that human-caused climate change is occurring.?

Oh, one more item of significance. Both Fox News and the Wall St. Journal are part of Rupert Murdoch?s sprawling global news and media empire, News Corp. Yes, the same globe-spanning news agency that used to publish the UK tabloid News of the World and whose most senior executives have been criminally indicted for illegally tapping cell phones and publishing the information it gathered. It seems that shameless disrespect for themselves, their obligations as a news organization, the public, and the truth are fundamental values upon which Murdoch?s globe-spanning news and media empire are based. To the extent and degree that people still choose to watch and read what it broadcasts and publishes, we?ll all be the worse off for it.

Interested in free solar estimates for your home?

Source: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/29/guess-what-93-of-fox-news-wall-st-journal-reporting-on-global-warming-just-plain-wrong/

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