Boozhy: a blog

Boozhy Headlines: Oil Dollars to Produce First Zero Carbon City

With all of the emphasis the US and Europe are placing on green initiatives you would think the birth of the first zero carbon city would emerge within their borders. Not so.  The United Arab Emirates, the world's third largest oil producer, has partnered with MIT to build the first zero carbon city on the edge of the National Capitol Abu Dhabi. 

Perhaps the most interesting point is that UAE is presenting the investment in the city (aka the Masdar Initiative), as an economic play, not an environmental one. 

"This is going to create huge business and research opportunities to get beyond where we are today," says Khaled Awad, of the government-owned Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company.  "For Abu Dhabi to maintain its market share in energy, it must develop other forms of energy."

Just more evidence that the real future of the green movement lies in economics and not social responsibility. 

Boozhy Headlines: Not a Knockout, But He's Grounding and Pounding

Obama didn't deliver the knockout last night and we all know Hillary won't submit, but his big win in NC and squeaker of a loss in Indiana certainly are indicative of a seriously crippling ground and pound.  My money is that even a big win in West Virginia won't matter much now.  Look for a new wave of Super-Delegates (are super) to rally behind Obama.

Boozhy Headlines: Hillary Clinton Campaign Mass-Producing Judas-es

One of Hillary's major fundraisers or "Hillraiser" is the latest Hillary Clinton defector. 

"We're just bleeding each other out.  Looking at it as coldly as I can, I just don't see how Senator Clinton can overcome Senator Obama with delegates and popular votes. I want this fight to be over, the quicker the better.  [This] was a very, very difficult decision for me to make. I am an old and longtime friend of Senator Clinton. And I continue to think she is a fantastic and formidable person. But I am first of all a Democrat."

Seems to me the Clinton camp is doing a much better job turning out defectors than they are victories.  Note to Hillary: when your major fundraisers argue that you are destroying the Party, you may want to listen.

Boozhy Photos: Mama Said Knock You Out

Billy and I were fascinated by the man with the boxing gloves carefully positioned in frame DIRECTLY behind Hillary during her victory speech. Boxing gloves? Really, Hillary?

My theory behind the purple man in the boxing gloves was that the Clinton campaign shoved gloves on her to keep the queen from flashing spirit fingers the entire speech.

Boozhy Headlines: Bush Doesn't Like Children or State's Rights

Bush's disregard for a State's right to govern itself does not stop at the environment.  The Government Accountability Office (GAO) rebuked the Bush administration instituting a rule to deny States the ability to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program to cover children whose families make $53,000 (for a family of 4) or less. Under the federal directive, children whose families make $20,000 or less are eligible for State funded health insurance. 

Bush instituted a "rule" that told State's they must roll back children's health coverage by August of this year or face "corrective action."  The GAO stated that the Federal government cannot create a "rule" which restricts States rights in this regard without sending to Congress for approval.  The Bush administration has stated that the GAO is wrong (quelle suprise).  We'll see how this plays out.

Boozhy Headlines: Using Science to Promote Moral Agendas

Florida, in its infinite wisdom, is attempting to f*ck this country even more.  The Florida house has passed legislature to force women who are terminating pregnancies to pay for and view an ultrasound.  The bill has received further success in that it has also received an up vote from a Florida Senate Panel.  The additional test has no medical or scientific need.  The sole purpose is to require women to see their fetus prior to terminating, in hopes that they may change their mind.  Sen. Daniel Webster admits to using science and our already overexerted medical industry to promote his moral agenda:

"Technology brings things to light. And the only arguments I heard was, they didn't want them to know. And I do. And I think a lot of people do. I think the potential mother ought to have at least a shot at seeing what her baby looks like."

Personally, I oppose abortion.  Politically, I am for a women's right to choose.  But, more importantly I am adamant that we should not use the medical industry to promote moral agendas.  Medicine has only one very clear and defined purpose; to heal.  If we are using it for any other purpose than this, it dilutes the practice and threatens it's future.

Boozhy Headlines: Sabatoging Green

We blogged last month about the EPA's refusal of a waiver allowing California to impose more stringent fuel economy and emissions standards in California and Arnold's threats to sue the Federal government.  Well, now it seems there is more to the story...

Turns out, that the White House and the EPA met on the waiver refusal prior to the EPA's rejection of California's waiver.  The weak scientific reasoning for rejecting the waiver and the reluctance of the EPA or the Bush administration to discuss the conversations they had regarding the waiver lead to a fairly obvious deduction that the rejection was based more firmly in Politics and (likely) the administrations close ties to the Oil Lobby rather than science. 

Boozhy Economy: The Recession's Silver Lining

The Wall Street Journal reports that between October 1, 2007 and March 31 of this year apprehensions of illegal immigrants is down 17%, an "indication that the economic downturn and beefed up security could be deterring unauthorized crossings."  I knew there was a silver lining to our recession! 

Boozhy Headlines: Zero's My Hero!

California sets new limits for Detroit and global automakers.  Telling the "Big Six" automakers to produce nearly 60,000 plug in hybrids (see photo) and 7,500 "pure zero-emission" or hydrogen cars by 2010-2012 or get out of Cali.   

Boozhy Headlines: Some Lessons Still Not Learned

The Clinton campaign has agreed to eliminate an emotional story of a pregnant woman denied health care from her stump speech today after claims from an Ohio Hospital that the story is fabricated.

A hospital has raised questions over the accuracy of the story, and Clinton's campaign has said although they had no reason to doubt the story, they were unable to confirm the details.

So basically, Hillary's defense is that she was told this story by someone else and she didn't bother getting around to checking out if it was true.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same excuse she used for her vote on the war in Iraq?  Guess some lessons still aren't learned.

Boozhy Headlines: Some Lessons Taught But Not Learned

After attempting to school Obama a few weeks ago regarding his advisor's meeting with Canada on the subject of NAFTA a few weeks ago, Hillary's ship is quickly taking on water with recent developments in which her top aide wasn't just winking at Colombia but trying to broker a NAFTA deal that Hillary "claims" to be against.  Is she really against it?  It may be, but it points to another failure to capably manage her campaign and hence the nation. 

Hillary is anti-NAFTA but she hires a pro-NAFTA chief strategist who brokers pro-NAFTA deals while leading her campaign, she sends her husband to South Carolina to disenfranchise the black vote overnight and she can't remember the difference between a greeting composed of flowers and children's choirs and one resulting in sniper fire.  Do we really buy her argument that she has passed the presidential threshhold?  I don't.

Boozhy Headlines: Chump Change

The latest Federal GAO report is out and is stating cost overruns on defense projects have reached an all time high.  The GAO states of 95 major defense systems analyzed, cost overruns total $295 Billion. Then again, a buck doesn't buy what it used to, as the millions of American working poor are all too familiar. 

Boozhy Video: Recession, The Movie

Boozhy Musings: Everyone Should Have a French Teenager for a Lover

Brenner and I saw the french musical Love Songs this weekend.  I adored it.  Love Songs, like Moulin Rouge, Hedwig and Once did a wonderful job at maintaining the relevance of the musical in the present day.  Love Songs was an adorable and touching movie in the vein of Umbrella's of Cherbourg (a movie I also adored) and my take aways were this:

• Everyone should move to Paris
• Everyone should have a french teenager for a lover
• Everyone should have wildly unkempt hair and smoke skinny cigarettes while drolly singing a song about rain on Bastille Square
• Everyone deserves to date a Briton who smells of rain, the ocean and crepes with lemon
• Everyone needs a wildly colorful scarf as an accent

And by everyone I mean me especially.

Boozhy E-Mails: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

I received the following e-mail today:

If you donate by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 31st, you could join Barack Obama for a casual dinner for five:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

In the next few days, four supporters will be selected for a new kind of fundraising dinner.  If you make a donation in any amount before 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday, March 31st, you could join Barack and three other supporters for an intimate dinner for five.

What would YOU say if you won the dinner?  I'm already putting together my talking points.

Boozhy Headlines: Dean Tries to Take the Reins

Howard Dean stepped in to play Dad this weekend, telling both sides to "cool the rhetoric."  In an interview this weekend, Dean told CNN that the party was not imploding, he also alluded to the fact that Florida and Michigan delegates will be seated.  Absent from the interview was his belief that a candidate will be seated before the Convention, something he has said many times in the past.  That coupled with Obama's recent statements that Hillary should stay in the race serves every indication that we're heading for a brokered convention folks.

Boozhy Headlines: If Lovin John McCain is Wrong, Bill Clinton Doesn't Want to be Right

While the Clinton campaign continues to dog the almost certain Democratic candidate, they continue to laud the certain Republican candidate, John McCain.

"At a stop in rural Pennsylvania on Thursday, Bill told the gathering that McCain is a 'moderate' who 'has given all you can give for this country without dying for it.' He said McCain is on the right side in opposing the torture of enemy combatants and on the global warming issue, which 'just about crosses the bridge for [Republicans]."'

Am I the only person who finds this rhetoric strange? It's almost as if Bill is campaigning for Hillary to be McCain's vice.

Boozhy Headlines: If Lovin' the Iraq War is Wrong, John McCain Doesn't Want to be Right

A week after McCain returns from Iraq with a new pronounced support of the war in Iraq and his stumping that the war is succeeding, the so-called "secure" Iraqi Green Zone is bombed last night and remains under curfew today.  Success?

Boozhy Headlines: If Lovin' Hillary Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right

As Hillary's negative numbers reach George W. levels, Hillary is changing tactics and playing the role of party uniter.  In response to her recent slash and burn political campaigning in which she has (a) continuously brought up the ugly issues of race, (b) has had her supporters threaten Congress and (c) floated the idea of strong-arming pledged delegates into switching their vote from Obama to her, Hillary decides to throw party unity a bone. 

First of all, every time you have a vigorous contest like we are having in this primary election, people get intense," she continued. "You know, Sen. Obama has intense support: I have intense support." Clinton stressed that there are "significant" differences between her and Obama, but said "those differences pale to the differences between us and Sen. McCain.

I truly hope Hillary is turning a new leaf.  Because with nearly one-third of all Hillary supporters threatening to vote for McCain if Hillary loses the nomination, we may be in for some very deep trouble.  Maybe my love for Hillary (but not my support for her candidacy) can be renewed.

Boozhy Headlines: Hillary Forces Pigs to Fly

Seriously, I read this and checked out my 18th floor window to look for flying porcine.  First she threatens to destroy the party by expanding her delegate courtship to the off-limits "pledged" delegates and now she is holding meetings with him?  Desperation is settling in.  Doesn't she remember the Arkansas Project?