Life's Great Expectations!

By Green Channel staff | Feb 26, 2009 A $270 million Nasa satellite dedicated to measuring the world’s carbon emission failed to reach orbit yesterday. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) satellite failed shortly after liftoff when the fairing – which protects the satellite as it speeds through the atmosphere – failed to separate. It had lifted off on a Taurus XL launch rocket from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base early Tuesday morning local time. The LEOStar-2 satellite landed in the sea near Antarctica, John Brunschwyler, manager of the Taurus program, told a press conference. “The fairing has considerable weight relative to the portion of the vehicle that's flying. So when it separates off, you get a jump in acceleration. We did not have that jump in acceleration,” Brunschwyler said. “As a direct result of carrying that extra weight, we could not make orbit.” The satellite was expected to help clear up the mystery of the missing carbon “sink” - where carbon dioxide i

Banking giant UBS admits to helping defraud IRS, will pay $780M, open secret Swiss records Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer Wednesday February 18, 2009, 8:14 pm EST WASHINGTON (AP) -- Banking giant UBS has agreed to pay $780 million and turn over once-secret Swiss banking records to settle allegations it conspired to defraud the U.S. government of taxes owed by thousands of American clients. As part of the deal struck in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., UBS has made the unprecedented step of agreeing to immediately turn over to the U.S. government account information for U.S. customers of the bank's cross-border business. In doing so, federal authorities have struck a big crack in Switzerland's vaunted bank secrecy laws. UBS will pay $780 million in fines, penalties, interest and restitution for conspiring to create sham accounts to hide the assets of U.S. clients from the U.S.

Lawmakers clash with SEC over Madoff probe; whistleblower promises more evidence Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer Wednesday February 4, 2009, 11:01 pm EST WASHINGTON (AP) -- House lawmakers on Wednesday accused the Securities and Exchange Commission of impeding their probe into how the agency failed to uncover the alleged $50 billion fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff. The clash between lawmakers and high-ranking SEC officials came at a hearing after the whistleblower in the case, Harry Markopolos, said he had feared for his physical safety and would turn over new evidence to the agency showing the alleged Ponzi scheme mastermind had not acted alone. Markopolos said he had discovered a dozen additional funds that funneled money to Madoff, "hiding in the weeds" in Europe. Managers of investment "feeder" funds that relayed money to Madoff willfully turned a blind eye to his impropr

Obama caps executive pay for companies getting bailouts, seeks to stop rewards `for failure' Ben Feller, Associated Press Writer Wednesday February 4, 2009, 8:19 pm EST WASHINGTON (AP) -- Assailing out-of-touch corporate pay and perks, President Barack Obama on Wednesday slammed a salary cap on top executives from companies that want bailouts -- but it's a limit that could end up thinning the wallets of only a small number of people. Obama's action comes as many Americans, while hanging on for economic life, have watched Wall Street high-flyers receive big-dollar bonuses even as their firms draw public help for survival. The outcry has grown with each report of a bailed-out company that plans to buy a jet or hold a Las Vegas retreat. The president aimed for a target -- extravagant corporate behavior on the public dime -- that fit the mood of the day. His $500,000 salary limit on executive

Air force one Feb 3rd 2009 From Economist.com America has become the world leader in wind power IN ONE policy area, at least, there is good news for President Barack Obama: his pledge to find alternative energy sources to wean America off its dependence on foreign oil is already being put into action. Last year America ramped up wind-power capacity to 25 gigawatts (GW), overtaking the previous leader, Germany, according to new data from the Global Wind Energy Council. America added 8.4GW of installed power in 2008, more than any other country. China is also investing heavily in wind power, nearly doubling its capacity for the fourth year running. Global capacity grew by 29% last year, the highest annual increase for six years. AP

Since when you find whale meat in Sushi??? Japanese whalers do not seem to have learned anything from history....it is probably the reason why it's so hard to find history books in Japan that speak the truth! Thus, it's no wonder their citizens are living in darkness, guilt, and in constant pursuits of peace as much as they are disrupting the fragile ecosystem. A life full of lies and contradictions. =================== SYDNEY (AFP) -- Japanese whalers accused of injuring activists Japanese whalers were accused Monday of injuring two anti-whaling activists in a high seas clash in the Antarctic and of deploying a new "military grade" acoustic weapon against protesters. One activist was cut and bruised after being knocked over by a high pressure blast of water and the other was hit in the face by a metal ball thrown by the whalers, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said. Both men had been on small inflatable boats launched from the groups' flagship the "Ste

Sunday February 1, 5:55 pm ET By Tim Paradis, AP Business Writer Wall Street braces for week of bad numbers, looks to Washington for help on economy NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street is bracing for yet more reminders this week that the economy is in rotten shape. Companies from networking-gear maker Cisco Systems Inc. to media giant Time Warner Inc. are set to report quarterly results, while a steady stream of economic readings is also due. The most recent numbers from companies and the government haven't been roundly awful, but most have. That is stirring fears the economy's slide isn't slowing. On Friday, Wall Street learned that the economy posted its steepest slowdown in a quarter-century during the final three months of 2008. The 3.8 percent decline in the nation's gross domestic product wasn't as bad as Wall Street had forecast but investors grew worried that the numbers will only worsen. The stock market is coming off its weakest January on record. The benchma