Original Post: Yahoo
Wisconsin denied military ballot law waiver
By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press Writer Scott Bauer, Associated Press Writer – Fri Aug 27, 12:57 pm ET
MADISON, Wis. – Massachusetts, Delaware and Rhode Island were granted waivers Friday to ignore a new federal law meant to protect the voting rights of deployed troops and other Americans overseas, while Wisconsin was denied in its request.
Not getting the waiver calls into question how Wisconsin will comply with deadlines for counting all votes cast for the Nov. 2 election by members of the military and others living overseas. State election officials said they have already begun talks with the U.S. Department of Justice, which is charged with enforcing the defense department's decision, about what to do next.
Nine states, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, sought exemptions to the federal law. Information about the other requests was not immediately released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Wisconsin election director Kevin Kennedy said before the decision was handed down that a denial would not change how the state holds its Sept. 14 primary, but would require the DOJ to outline what steps the state needs to take to satisfy concerns.
Not getting the waiver means the state won't be able to meet the deadline under the law to send military and overseas voters a ballot 45 days before the Nov. 2 election. The deadline for getting the ballots to those voters is Sept. 18, but it will take the state at least two weeks to finalize the primary vote and set the general election ballot.
Not being able to meet the 45-day requirement under the law isn't that big of an issue because all states can e-mail ballots to voters, said Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president and of the Overseas Vote Foundation, a nonprofit group that assists overseas and military voters.
The 45-day requirement was the worst-case scenario for how long it would take a ballot to be sent and returned by mail, she said.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Defense, which is notifying states that requested a waiver, said a statement on the status of the other states would be released later Friday.
Others that requested a waiver were Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands.
Elections officials in Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusetts said they were granted the waiver.
Minnesota and Vermont responded to the law by moving their Sept. 14 primaries back to August. Maryland initially asked for a waiver for its Sept. 14 primary, but then determined it could get the ballots to military and overseas voters before the election.
Of those that requested a waiver, three have already had their primaries — Colorado on Aug. 10, Washington on Aug. 17 and Alaska on Aug. 24. Six of them are on Sept. 14 — Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. The Virgin Islands' primary is Sept. 11 and Hawaii's is Sept. 18.
Advocates who pushed for the Military and Overseas Voter Act said more time is needed to send ballots overseas and get them returned and counted on time. The potential delays and problems are most extreme for members of the military as the mail gets sent from port to port, base to base.
Last year the Pew Center on the States identified problems with the turnaround of military and overseas ballots in 25 states. The report found that it took states anywhere from 21 to 60 days before an election to mail ballots to overseas voters and sometimes they didn't come back until it was too late to be counted.
Bob Carey, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, said shortly after the law passed in October that it would affect 1.4 million military members and their 400,000 voting-age dependents. Many more American civilians living overseas are also affected.
In Wisconsin, which has a 10-day post-election grace period and extends other options to military voters, there has been little appetite for holding the primary earlier than the traditional September time.
Wisconsin's final general election ballot is available to overseas voters between 29 and 39 days before the election, which is not enough time to ensure all ballots will be returned in time to be counted, the Department of Defense said in its denial letter to the state.
The Wisconsin board that regulates elections issued a statement saying it was committed to ensuring all military and overseas voters fully participate in elections and will begin working immediately with the DOJ to work out what steps to take next.
In the 2008 general election, of the roughly 10,000 ballots sent to members of the military and dependents claiming Wisconsin as their home state, 28 percent were not returned. Of that ones that were, only 4 percent were not counted because of errors.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Radioactive Boars!
I just really wanted to post a story about radio active boars.
Original Post: ABC News
By VERENA SCHMITT-ROSCHMANN Associated Press Writer
BERLIN August 19, 2010 (AP)
It was a big shot. A big hog. And a big disappointment.
Radioactive boars on the rise in Germany
Forester Andreas Thiermeyer takes a piece of wild boar meat in Eglharting near Munich, southern... Expand
Forester Andreas Thiermeyer takes a piece of wild boar meat in Eglharting near Munich, southern Germany, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010. Almost a quarter century after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in Ukraine, its fallout is still a hot topic in some German regions, where thousands of boars shot by hunters still turn up with excessive levels of radioactivity. Collapse
(Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)
When Georg van Bebber hauled back his wild boar from Ebersberg forest near Munich after a day of hunting, he was exhilarated about his impressive prey.
But before he could take it home, a Geiger counter showed a problem: The boar's meat was radioactive to an extent considered potentially dangerous for consumption. It needed to be thrown out and burnt.
"I really would have liked to have this boar," van Bebber said when he recounted the incident in a telephone interview from Bavaria.
Almost a quarter century after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in Ukraine, its fallout is still a hot topic in some German regions, where thousands of boars shot by hunters still turn up with excessive levels of radioactivity. In fact, the numbers are higher than ever before.
The total compensation the German government paid last year for the discarded contaminated meat shot up to a record sum of euro425,000 (about $558,000), from only about euro25,000 ten years ago, according to the Federal Environment Ministry in Berlin.
"The reason is that there are more and more boars in Germany, and more are being shot and hunted, that is why more contaminated meat turns up," spokesman Thomas Hagbeck told The Associated Press.
"But this also shows how long radioactive fallout remains a problem in the environment," he said.
Boars are among the species most susceptible to long-term consequences of the nuclear catastrophe 24 years ago. Unlike other wild game, boars often feed on mushrooms and truffles which tend to store radioactivity and they plow through the contaminated soil with their snouts, experts say.
However, boars are actually the beneficiaries of another ecological crisis — climate change.
Central Europe is turning into a land of plenty for the animals, as warmer weather causes beech and oak trees to overproduce seeds and farmers to grow more crops the boars like to feast on such as corn or rape, said Torsten Reinwald of the German Hunting Federation.
"The number of boars in Germany has quadrupled or quintupled over the last years, as has the number of boars shot," Reinwald said, adding that other countries like France and Poland are seeing a similar proliferation of boars.
Last season, hunters brought home a record 640,000, and following that trend, the amount of contaminated meat also went off the charts. Judging from the total compensation paid out in 2009, about 2,000 to 4,000 boars were found to have levels above the 600 becquerel of radioactivity per kilogram allowed for human consumption. That compares to about 125 to 250 a decade ago.
"The impact of the Chernobyl fallout in Germany, in general, has decreased," said Florian Emrich, spokesman of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection. For example, radiation has ceased to be a problem on fields cultivated with commercial crops, he said.
But forest soil in specific regions that were hit hardest after Chernobyl — parts of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg in southern Germany — still harbors high amounts of radioactive Cesium-137 which has a half life of roughly 30 years, Emrich said.
In fact, the Cesium from the Chernobyl fallout is moving further into the ground and has now reached exactly the layer where the boars' favorite truffles grow, the Hunting Association's Reinwald said. Therefore, the season for such truffles — a variety not eaten by humans — usually means a rising number of radioactive boars.
Experts so far have no evidence that the animals suffer from the relatively low levels of radioactivity accumulating in their bodies. Still authorities are striving to make sure no tainted meat enters the human food chain.
Hunters and authorities go out of their way assuring consumers that none of the problematic meat will end up on their tables.
"We can guarantee that there is no contaminated meat on the market," said Ulrich Baade, spokesman for the regional hunters association in Baden-Wuerttemberg. "In problematic regions, every single hunted boar will be tested for radioactivity before being sold."
Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg have dozens of testing stations, many of which are run by hunters, and the compensation promised by the German Atomic Energy Law gives them a financial incentive to hand over radioactive meat.
"For a young boar you get 100 Euros from the government, for a larger boar 200," Guenther Baumer, a veterinarian running a testing station in Bavaria, said. "That fully covers the damage."
In fact, it might sometimes be even more lucrative to sell to the state than to commercial outlets.
Hunter van Bebber said that with the gigantic numbers of boars pushing onto the market prices sometimes hit lows of only euro1 per kilogram (about $1.30 for 2.2 pounds) while probably averaging at around euro2.50. For an average 35 kilograms of meat per animal that would mean only about euro90.
Therefore, not everybody is as unhappy as van Bebber.
"The disappointment (when radioactivity is found in meat) is usually rather limited," said vet Baumer.
Original Post: ABC News
By VERENA SCHMITT-ROSCHMANN Associated Press Writer
BERLIN August 19, 2010 (AP)
It was a big shot. A big hog. And a big disappointment.
Radioactive boars on the rise in Germany
Forester Andreas Thiermeyer takes a piece of wild boar meat in Eglharting near Munich, southern... Expand
Forester Andreas Thiermeyer takes a piece of wild boar meat in Eglharting near Munich, southern Germany, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010. Almost a quarter century after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in Ukraine, its fallout is still a hot topic in some German regions, where thousands of boars shot by hunters still turn up with excessive levels of radioactivity. Collapse
(Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)
When Georg van Bebber hauled back his wild boar from Ebersberg forest near Munich after a day of hunting, he was exhilarated about his impressive prey.
But before he could take it home, a Geiger counter showed a problem: The boar's meat was radioactive to an extent considered potentially dangerous for consumption. It needed to be thrown out and burnt.
"I really would have liked to have this boar," van Bebber said when he recounted the incident in a telephone interview from Bavaria.
Almost a quarter century after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in Ukraine, its fallout is still a hot topic in some German regions, where thousands of boars shot by hunters still turn up with excessive levels of radioactivity. In fact, the numbers are higher than ever before.
The total compensation the German government paid last year for the discarded contaminated meat shot up to a record sum of euro425,000 (about $558,000), from only about euro25,000 ten years ago, according to the Federal Environment Ministry in Berlin.
"The reason is that there are more and more boars in Germany, and more are being shot and hunted, that is why more contaminated meat turns up," spokesman Thomas Hagbeck told The Associated Press.
"But this also shows how long radioactive fallout remains a problem in the environment," he said.
Boars are among the species most susceptible to long-term consequences of the nuclear catastrophe 24 years ago. Unlike other wild game, boars often feed on mushrooms and truffles which tend to store radioactivity and they plow through the contaminated soil with their snouts, experts say.
However, boars are actually the beneficiaries of another ecological crisis — climate change.
Central Europe is turning into a land of plenty for the animals, as warmer weather causes beech and oak trees to overproduce seeds and farmers to grow more crops the boars like to feast on such as corn or rape, said Torsten Reinwald of the German Hunting Federation.
"The number of boars in Germany has quadrupled or quintupled over the last years, as has the number of boars shot," Reinwald said, adding that other countries like France and Poland are seeing a similar proliferation of boars.
Last season, hunters brought home a record 640,000, and following that trend, the amount of contaminated meat also went off the charts. Judging from the total compensation paid out in 2009, about 2,000 to 4,000 boars were found to have levels above the 600 becquerel of radioactivity per kilogram allowed for human consumption. That compares to about 125 to 250 a decade ago.
"The impact of the Chernobyl fallout in Germany, in general, has decreased," said Florian Emrich, spokesman of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection. For example, radiation has ceased to be a problem on fields cultivated with commercial crops, he said.
But forest soil in specific regions that were hit hardest after Chernobyl — parts of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg in southern Germany — still harbors high amounts of radioactive Cesium-137 which has a half life of roughly 30 years, Emrich said.
In fact, the Cesium from the Chernobyl fallout is moving further into the ground and has now reached exactly the layer where the boars' favorite truffles grow, the Hunting Association's Reinwald said. Therefore, the season for such truffles — a variety not eaten by humans — usually means a rising number of radioactive boars.
Experts so far have no evidence that the animals suffer from the relatively low levels of radioactivity accumulating in their bodies. Still authorities are striving to make sure no tainted meat enters the human food chain.
Hunters and authorities go out of their way assuring consumers that none of the problematic meat will end up on their tables.
"We can guarantee that there is no contaminated meat on the market," said Ulrich Baade, spokesman for the regional hunters association in Baden-Wuerttemberg. "In problematic regions, every single hunted boar will be tested for radioactivity before being sold."
Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg have dozens of testing stations, many of which are run by hunters, and the compensation promised by the German Atomic Energy Law gives them a financial incentive to hand over radioactive meat.
"For a young boar you get 100 Euros from the government, for a larger boar 200," Guenther Baumer, a veterinarian running a testing station in Bavaria, said. "That fully covers the damage."
In fact, it might sometimes be even more lucrative to sell to the state than to commercial outlets.
Hunter van Bebber said that with the gigantic numbers of boars pushing onto the market prices sometimes hit lows of only euro1 per kilogram (about $1.30 for 2.2 pounds) while probably averaging at around euro2.50. For an average 35 kilograms of meat per animal that would mean only about euro90.
Therefore, not everybody is as unhappy as van Bebber.
"The disappointment (when radioactivity is found in meat) is usually rather limited," said vet Baumer.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
When did we become a dictatorship?
Apparently Pete Stark thinks that the federal government can do pretty much anything. Gee I'm sorry, I thought I lived in America with separated and enumerated powers and a Constitution that specifically limits what the federal government can do. Turns out I was wrong. Hail El Presedente.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Stimulus funds to throw monkey cocain party
Original Post: MC Clatchydc
By Benjamin Niolet | The (Raleigh) News & Observer
Monkeys are getting high for science in North Carolina.
An analyst at the Civitas Institute seized on that image when selecting a cocaine addiction study at Wake Forest University Medical School as No. 1 on a list of the "10 worst federal stimulus projects in North Carolina." Civitas' Brian Balfour takes swipes at projects, writing that they "seem completely unrelated to avoiding an economic 'catastrophe,' but rather an ad hoc satisfaction of countless dubious wish lists."
So, what is the $71,623 federal stimulus grant paying for?
Well, a job, said Mark Wright, a spokesman for the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
"It's actually the continuation of a job that might not still be there if it hadn't been for the stimulus funding. And it's a good job," Wright said. "It's also very worthwhile research."
The study is examining the effects of cocaine on a particular neurotransmitter among monkeys who have had a long-term addiction to cocaine.
The medical school boasts a significant body of work studying addiction. Ultimately, the study could lead to better treatment for recovering cocaine addicts.
Balfour also cited another Wake Forest study. This one is studying whether yoga and other non-pharmaceutical therapies such as wellness classes can help alleviate hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.
"How does this study help revive the economy?" Balfour asked.
Well, again, jobs, said Nancy Avis, a professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health policy at the medical school. The funding, more than $147,000 over two years, will contribute to the salaries of six people.
By Benjamin Niolet | The (Raleigh) News & Observer
Monkeys are getting high for science in North Carolina.
An analyst at the Civitas Institute seized on that image when selecting a cocaine addiction study at Wake Forest University Medical School as No. 1 on a list of the "10 worst federal stimulus projects in North Carolina." Civitas' Brian Balfour takes swipes at projects, writing that they "seem completely unrelated to avoiding an economic 'catastrophe,' but rather an ad hoc satisfaction of countless dubious wish lists."
So, what is the $71,623 federal stimulus grant paying for?
Well, a job, said Mark Wright, a spokesman for the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
"It's actually the continuation of a job that might not still be there if it hadn't been for the stimulus funding. And it's a good job," Wright said. "It's also very worthwhile research."
The study is examining the effects of cocaine on a particular neurotransmitter among monkeys who have had a long-term addiction to cocaine.
The medical school boasts a significant body of work studying addiction. Ultimately, the study could lead to better treatment for recovering cocaine addicts.
Balfour also cited another Wake Forest study. This one is studying whether yoga and other non-pharmaceutical therapies such as wellness classes can help alleviate hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.
"How does this study help revive the economy?" Balfour asked.
Well, again, jobs, said Nancy Avis, a professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health policy at the medical school. The funding, more than $147,000 over two years, will contribute to the salaries of six people.
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