EVANSTON, Ill. — To many, New York Gov. Eliott Spitzer’s fall from grace seemed to make no sense at all. But a new Northwestern University study offers provocative insights that possibly could relate to why the storm trooper of reform — formerly known as the Sheriff of Wall Street — seemingly went from saint to sinner overnight. The study suggests that people with ample moral self-worth in one aspect of their lives can slip into immorality or opposite behavior in other areas — their abundant self-esteem somehow pushing them to balance out all that goodness. Think, for example, of that sugar- and fat-laden concoction that you wolf down after an especially vigorous run, said Douglas Medin, professor of psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern. ‘That pretty much eliminates the benefits of running an extra 20 minutes,’ he said. Northwestern’s Sonya Sachdeva, Rumen Iliev and Medin are co-authors of ‘Sinning Saints and Saintly Sinners: The Paradox of Moral Self-Regulation,’ published by the journal Psychological Science. Conversely, the study shows, people who engage in immoral behavior cleanse themselves with good work. Other studies have shown the moral-cleansing effect, but this new Northwestern […]
The House of Representatives passed a sweeping climate-change bill Friday – a major victory for President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that left Republicans fuming about a ‘national energy tax they said would exacerbate the nation’s economic woes. The vote was extremely close – 219-212, with eight Republicans voting yes and 44 Democrats voting no. And the debate leading up to it was intense. In the hours before passage, Rep. Geoff Davis, a Republican from Kentucky, said the cap-and-trade bill represented the ‘economic colonization of the heartland by New York and California. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) called the bill a ‘scam that would do nothing but satisfy ‘the twisted desires of radical environmentalists. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) called it a ‘massive transfer of wealth from the United States to foreign countries. Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio countered that, without the bill, the United States would remain energy-dependent on people who want to ‘fly planes into our buildings. Republicans accused the Democrats of ramming the bill through the House. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), managing the debate for his party, asked repeatedly if there was even a copy of the current version of the bill […]
In a new report released today, the government watchdog group Common Cause found that major health care interests have spent upwards of $1.4 million a day to lobby Capitol Hill so far this year. According to the report, entitled ‘legislating under the influence,’ political spending by the health industries has increased 73 percent since 2000. Health interests contributed $94 million to candidates in Congress during the 2008 election cycle, a $40 million jump from the 2000 election cycle figure. The top recipients of health industry campaign contributions from 2000 to 2008 are new Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter, Pa., and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., at $7.3 million and $6.3 million respectively. All of the campaign finance data used in the report came from the Center for Responsive Politics. With the health industry’s tremendous financial clout in Washington, Common Cause is concerned that chances for meaningful reform will be stymied. The report concludes that members of Congress face a disheartening conflict of interest: side with their large campaign donors or back reform measures that have support from the public, like the public plan option which would create a publicly-funded health insurance entity to compete with private insurers.
WASHINGTON — Overcoming deep divisions within its Democratic majority, the House passed legislation on Friday intended to address the threat of global warming and transform the way the United States produces and uses energy. The vote was 219 to 212. The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill intended to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change, and its provisions could lead to sweeping changes in many sectors of the American economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction. The House vote also establishes a marker for the United States when international negotiations on a new global climate change treaty begin later this year. ‘This legislation will break our dependence on foreign oil, make our nation a leader in clean energy jobs and cut global warming pollution, said Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, a co-sponsor of the bill, adding that Friday’s vote was a ‘decisive and historic action that would position the United States as a leader in energy efficiency and technology. The bill’s provisions forcing reductions in the use of fossil fuel while increasing production of alternative energy sources would produce millions of […]
Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new method of calculating ice volume and used it to recalculate the size of the Swiss glaciers. In 1999, the total ice volume of approximately 1500 glaciers in Switzerland was estimated at 74 cubic kilometres. Since then, however, some 12 percent has already melted away. The earth’s glaciers are one of the ‘uncertain factors in climate forecasts. It is difficult to precisely calculate the ice volume, making its effects – such as a rising sea level – unpredictable. However, melting glaciers do not only contribute to a rising sea level. They cause a reduction in freshwater supplies and change the landscape and ecosystems forever. Switzerland is also affected: Swiss glaciers have reduced dramatically in size over the past twenty years, particularly during the past ten years, which has been the warmest decade of the past 150 years. A new method of calculation can now more accurately determine just how much ice the Swiss glaciers have lost. The process was developed by Martin Funk, professor and head of the Department for Glaciology at the Laboratory for Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau, Hydrologie und Glaziologie – VAW) and his team at […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
