News Cut: August 7, 2008 Archive

Dispatches from Planet News

Posted at 3:01 PM on August 7, 2008 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)

Six stories that have nothing to do with each other, that span the considerable extremes of a day in the U.S.

Harvard researchers have shown, apparently, that the embryonic stem cell debate may be moot. They've made lines of stem cells, able to turn into any other cell in the body, from bits of skin or blood of 10 patients with genetic diseases including muscular dystrophy and juvenile diabetes.

A woman in Florida is under arrest for driving around in a parking lot with her 3 year old granddaughter on the roof of the car. "I would never do anything to hurt her," she's quoted as saying, adding she was giving the child some air.

There's only one treatment center in the country that treats people for their addiction to the Internet. It's busy, these days.

In Seattle, a 6-foot-tall, 250-pound letter carrier is campaigning for the right to take off his pants. Dean Peterson wants the U.S. Postal Service to add kilts as a uniform option for men

Pandas: Evolutionary mistake or indicator of intelligent design?

Can you hear what you're seeing? US scientists have discovered people with synaesthesia - a condition where senses intermingle. It came to light, the BBC reports, after a student reported "hearing sounds" from a screensaver.

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The political conventions: Party lineup

Posted at 10:58 AM on August 7, 2008 by Bob Collins (6 Comments)
Filed under: The political conventions

Both the Republican and Democratic delegates to their respective conventions have very little to do. They have to approve a party platform that no one pays attention to, and endorse a candidate that, basically, has already been endorsed.

So what's left? Parties. And what's the role of the parties? Influence.

The Sunlight Foundation has compiled a list of all the parties being thrown by various organizations who have some skin in the legislating game.

Here's the Democrats' schedule in Denver. Here's the Republicans' convention schedule in Minneapolis St. Paul. (The Sunshine Sunlight Foundation identified the convention as being in Minneapolis, something that has increasingly driven organizers crazy. But, let's face it, it's a losing battle, St. Paul.)

Though there are many more parties and events scheduled for Democrats, Republicans have some of the more interesting ones. Bank of America, for example is hosting the Bank of America Goes Green event at the University Club. AT&T is saluting the Screen Actors Guild at the Fine Line. (What? The Republicans are saluting a labor union?)

Late-night, post convention "receptions" are bieng hosted by Daimler, the Distilled Spirits Council (Solera), the Recording Industry Association of America, Honeywell, Citibank, and Anheuser Busch.

Musical acts scheduled here include Smash Mouth (Coalition for A Conservative Ma Majority at the Aqua Night Club on Monday 9/1), the Beach Boys (Atrium at International Market Square - 9/1/), Big Head Todd (The Fine Line on 9/1), LeAnn Rimes and the Bellamy Brothers (Keep Florida a Red State - Site to be determined on 9/1), Gretchen Wilson, John Rich, and Cowboy Troy (Trocaderos on 9/2, sponsored by AT&T), Styx (9/2 somewhere in downtown Minneapolis, sponsored by the food and ag industry), Super Diamond & Boogie Knights (9/3 at the Fine Line). The Recording Industry Association is promising only an "A-list musical guest at Epic on Wednesday 9/3.

Not all the events here are sympathetic to the Republicans. Target (up to recently run by a very "red" CEO) is sponsoring the Creative Coalition Gala Concert at the Depot on September 3rd. Charlie Daniels is typical Republican entertainment. But guests Spike Lee, Susan Sarandon, Maggie Gyllenhaal are not.

According to The Hill, tickets to this party (and a similar one in Denver) will be among the most coveted.

All that said, both conventions have failed to live up to the Chicago convention in 1996 in terms of involving the neighborhoods of the host city. Rather than host the traditional delegate party on the Sunday night before the convention in a single location, Chicago's neighborhoods hosted individual receptions. Delegates from each state were sent to a different neighborhood. It was a fabulous way to get to know the people of the host city. I wrote about it in this 12-year old post. We didn't have blogs back then.

No political convention since has come as close to involving the locals.

(h/t: Jon Gordon)

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News Cut on mobile phone

Posted at 10:03 AM on August 7, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)

Watching a person texting while driving on the way in to work this morning reminds me that I'm supposed to tell you that News Cut is now available on your mobile phone. It's only coincidence -- trust me on this -- that this breaking news comes at a time when I've been considering getting rid of my cell phone and going back to the old days.

Here's an information page on it. Let me know how it works for you.

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Ethanol: Full speed ahead

Posted at 12:17 PM on August 7, 2008 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)
Filed under: Energy

Sorry Texas, the EPA is just messin' with you. The Environmental Protection Agency today denied the state's request for a waiver on the requirement that oil companies add about 9 billion gallons of ethanol to their fuel this year.

It's the issue that's pitting farmer against farmer. Sure, ethanol is making money for farmers who raise corn, but it's taking some money away from cattle producers who are seeing the price of corn increase their cost of feed.

It's been an emotional issue at FarmFest this week, the Bemidji Pioneer reported today (registration required)

While not opposed to ethanol -- something he uses as a farmer -- (Edgerton Minn., farmer Randy) Spronk said livestock producers are at a disadvantage because federal and state laws now favor using corn for fuel compared to livestock feed. Federal policy "has distorted the corn market," he said.

"Will we have enough corn to produce food and how will these consumers spend their limited food dollars?" he asked.

No one on either of two panels at FarmFest could guarantee that the corn will be available for livestock.

Sitting next to Spronk in one panel discussion was Hector, Minn., farmer Steve Kramer, secretary of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. He said ethanol use is a relatively small factor in price increases.

"The marketplace will balance out," Kramer predicted. "There is no shortage of food caused by the diversion of corn."

Others object to the environmental fallout from the production of ethanol. And a report cited by the Guardian says ethanol is at the heart of the world food crisis.

Sen. John McCain had called for an end to the ethanol mandate. Sen. Barack Obama is for it.

The administration's pumping up ethanol is good news for agri-giant Archer Daniels Midland, according to the financial Web site Motley Fool.

Speaking of ethanol, management made a few interesting comments on its conference call regarding the market for the much-debated fuel additive. For what it's worth, ADM management stated their optimism that Texas' request for a waiver on the federal ethanol mandate would not be granted... Archer still foresees strong demand. The blending economics are just that attractive, with ethanol providing cheap octane for gasoline. Archer actually cited blending in excess of the mandate.

Even without the mandate, however, some analysts figure ethanol is here to stay because there's too much money to be made producing it, according to the Minnesota-based agriculture newspaper Feedstuffs.

Jerry Gidel, analyst for North American Risk Management Services, said he does not anticipate EPA will change the RFS levels after the recent sell off in corn prices and the nearly 10 billion gallons in current biorefinery capacity. Gidel added the extra renewable identification numbers (RIN) in the marketplace will factor into not changing the RFS, particularly since the current 75-78 cent discount of ethanol will override anything the EPA does, he said. "The economic incentive to blend and make money is too strong for the energy distributors not to use as much ethanol as their updated facilities will handle. The lack of splash & dash facilities is the only reason for any slowdown in what the ethanol industry might be able to produce at current corn prices," Gidel said.

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Seifert questions welfare spending

Posted at 1:44 PM on August 7, 2008 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Politics

Why are debit cards issued to some Minnesota welfare recipients being used in Hawaii... or 48 other states for that matter?

House Minority Leader Marty Seifert wants to know the answer, according to a story today from MPR's Tom Weber.

Seifert says more than 310,000 purchases were made out-of-state, using debit cards that are issued to welfare recipients. Those purchases totaled more than $10 million.

Seifert says he can understand some out-of-state purchases, especially in border states. But he'd like to know, for example, why $3,000 was spent in Hawaii.

"Are we having Minnesota cards mailed to other states?" Seifert asked. "Are people traveling there? Are they selling them? Are they bartering them? What's going on? And $10 million is not a small amount of money in terms of the state budget, so I think it's worth looking into and having hearings and finding a way to bring more accountability to these cards."

Legislative Auditor James Nobles said he will consider whether the allegation requires a special investigation or can be addressed during his office's annual audit at the Department of Human Services.

Seifert's message seems clear: If you can afford to travel to Hawaii, you don't need to be on welfare in Minnesota.

One possibility he didn't mention: online purchases.

Click on the map Seifert provided to see it in a more readable form.

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The view outside the Xcel

Posted at 1:56 PM on August 7, 2008 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: The political conventions

MPR's Tim Nelson will be on All Things Considered this afternoon to talk about the change outside the Xcel Energy Center, where the Republicans will hold their national convention later this month.

Tim put together this spiffy view of the place.

Panorama of Xcel Energy Center on CleVR.com

"The photo was taken this morning from a parking ramp near the site. In the foreground is the Cleveland Circle parking lot, about where the Ice Palace stood in 2004. The large white structure under construction in the foreground will house FoxNews. The ABC television network is also expected to set up operations at this site," Tim reports.

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