Martin Feldman, a New Orlean’s Federal judge has ruled against the Obama Administration’s moratorium on off-shore drilling. This should sound familiar to students:
He wrote that “the blanket moratorium, with no parameters, seems to assume that because one rig failed and although no one yet fully knows why, all companies and rigs drilling new wells over 500 feet also universally present an imminent danger.”
Seems logical. But there are complications, as this judge appears to have vested interest in the industry. Interesting, but does this diminish the arguments?
Here’s a take on the broad issue of ownership: AP
Thought this might be interesting:
The Smarter Cities Initiatives opens IBM’s global resources to Columbia faculty and students, including access to the 40 IBM Innovation Centers worldwide. The intiative builds upon Columbia’s existing research efforts on sustainability issues, spanning several academic disciplines including business, law and engineering. The initiative will provide students with free access to:
* IBM software, both on campus and in the cloud, to develop software for sustainability and green projects
* Technical support for green technology courses that show students how to build energy efficient IT infrastructure for smart buildings, smart grids and smart water systems
* Energy efficiency and open standards software development tools on IBM developerWorks
* 100,000 global business partners and academic communities through 40 IBM Innovation Centers in 30 countries
How does debate about Smart Growth develop?
Over the past decade, Virginia’s Loudoun County has frequently ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing in the country — a dubious honor for many local residents, who have watched their local elected officials veer from a full-speed-ahead rush of new development to an emphasis on smart growth and then back again, a dizzying back-and-forth that has revolved around competing visions for the future of an area often depicted as the quintessential exurb.
This month Loudoun officials are holding public meetings on the county’s proposed long-term transportation plan, which includes a goal of transitioning to a "complete streets" strategy for transport planning but also proposes significant widening on no fewer than four local roads.
Dennis Jerz provides good advice for using quotations in persuasive essays. Always be efficient.
Given today’s discussion of guns and quality of life in the 11:30 Comp II course, the issue has erupted, perhaps prompted by current issues before the Supreme Court. As it happens, CBS news is doing all kinds of reporting on the issue:
At a popular San Francisco beach last weekend, beachgoers caught a glimpse of an unusual sight. A group of men and women scattered along the sand were picking up trash. They also were armed with handguns.
The movement promoting “open carry” of firearms is picking up steam across the country after originating in Northern California- perhaps most notably with businesses like Starbucks saying they would allow customers to carry guns if state laws permitted them.
And also:
Coffee chain Starbucks Corp. is sticking to its policy of letting customers carry guns where it’s legal and said it does not want to be put in the middle of a larger gun-control debate.
The company’s statement, issued Wednesday, stems from recent campaign by some gun owners, who have walked into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places. Gun control advocates have protested.
We our first download ready for the Creative Writing: Fiction. A new page for downloads is up and ready.
Spring 2010 materials are all ready to go, with the exception of Creative Writing: Fiction.
I’ve added a Student Portfolio page to the mix at the top of the weblog with information for the writing course students. I’m still working out some kinks in the plan for other courses.
Students want to keep the long view in mind, that ePortfolio is a commitment for an entire program or degree not just for individual courses.
I forgot to actually save the new download additions. I’ll bring copies of the stories to class. Arrgg!
Stories are ready for the May 6th workshop.
