American Republic Online

Seriously, this is for real:

Park department staff is recommending reducing bonfires at the two beaches this summer and possibly banning them altogether next year.

The park board will hear the recommendation Thursday, and the city plans to run public-service announcements and hand out brochures later this month about the effects of bonfires on global warming.

According to a memo to the park board from the staff released Thursday, “The overall policy question for the Board is whether it is good policy for Seattle Parks to continue public beach fires when the carbon … emissions produced by thousands of beach fires per year contributes to global warming.”

Under the proposal, the department in July would reduce the number of fire rings at Alki from six currently to three and at Golden Gardens from 12 to seven.

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I know that the ability to articulate is not a true indicator of intelligence but communication mastery -or lack there of- can certainly create an image of intelligence (or lack there of).  For instance, is this really the leader of the free world speaking?

What they’ll say is, “Well it costs too much money,” but you know what? It would cost, about… It — it — it would cost about the same as what we would spend… It… Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us… (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We’re going to… It… It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about — hold on one second. I can’t hear myself. But I’m glad you’re fired up, though. I’m glad.

Yup, it is. Or will be. That was our savior of change, presumptive Presidential candidate, Obama - off teleprompter.  Which begs the question: Can we elect his speech writer instead?  He goes on in the same meeting to talk about breathalyzers & “InHALators” for asthma patients.

Here’s the YouTube link in case you doubt the transcript:

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The dream died yesterday.  On June 11, 2008, Cuban Vice Minister of Labor and Social Security Carlos Mateu announced that Cuba will be removing its egalitarian wage system.  It’s about time.  What is really interesting is how the decision was framed.  Listen to Mateu (emphasis added):

“This (new) salary system should be seen as a tool to help obtain better results in output and services,” deputy labor and social security minister Carlos Mateu told the Communist Party daily Granma, noting that employers have until August to implement the changes…

“Generally,” the paper quoted Mateu as saying, “there has been a tendency for people to earn the same, and that egalitarianism is not helpful.

“That is something that we have to fix … because if it is harmful to pay workers less than they deserve, it also is harmful to pay them what they have not earned,” he added.

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