Here is the latest South Dakota news from The Associated Press
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) An appeals court says the Oglala Sioux Tribe cannot pursue a legal challenge that sought to prevent the federal government from transferring land along the Missouri River to the state of South Dakota. In a 2-1 ruling, a federal appeals court panel upheld a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the tribe.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Federal judge Karen Schreier (SHRY'-er) says she'll consider a request for default judgment against a currency trader accused of bilking nearly 200 people out of more than $42 million in a Ponzi scheme. Schreier has scheduled a July 16 court hearing to determine damages owed by Jeff Lowrance.
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota will start offering master's degree programs in counseling at the University Center in Sioux Falls. The Board of Regents on Friday approved the schools' requests to begin offering the degrees in Sioux Falls starting next spring.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota are trying to restore law enforcement officer numbers to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which straddles both states. They say a surge of Bureau of Indian Affairs officers last summer nearly tripled staffing levels but that the extra help is gone now, and crime is on the rise.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Here is the latest South Dakota news from The Associated Press...
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Monday, June 22, 2009
From the Pipeline: Providing Better Performance, Environmental Benefits
Technorati Tags: environmental benefits,news
2009 is a milestone year for the DuPont Performance Materials (DPM) platform in responding to today’s global mega trends – particularly in addressing the need to reduce energy and environmental footprints in important end-use markets.
DPM is transforming its portfolio to meet the growing demand for renewably sourced products. New offerings contribute to the energy efficiency of vehicles or by making packaging options more environmentally responsible.
Engineering Polymers (EP) is commercializing three families of renewably sourced polymers – making DuPont the company with the broadest range of renewably sourced high performance resins.
DuPont™ Vespel® expanded its portfolio with Vespel® SP-2515 polyimide parts to boost engine efficiency.
Renewably sourced polymers for packaging include DuPont™ Biomax® TPS (ThermoPlastic Starch) which can be used for confectionary inserts and is suitable for composting.
“DuPont’s strategy is to offer renewably sourced polymers that have equal or better performance than the petrochemical-based materials they replace so that customers do not have to choose between performance and environmental improvements. The vision is to have a whole portfolio of these offerings,” said Marsha Craig, EP global business manager for renewably sourced materials. “Initial customer interest has been strong for our offerings, which not only provide sustainability benefits but also enhanced performance and cost-effective solutions.”
DuPont offerings help the global automotive and commercial vehicle industry meet demands for improved energy efficiency. In the first quarter, DuPont™ Vespel® expanded its portfolio with new Vespel® SP-2515 polyimide parts that help improve engine efficiency, reducing gas consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The new parts have been commercialized in transmission seal rings, which demand low friction, extreme tolerance control over a broad temperature range, and long life.
Despite the economy, improving the sustainability of packaging remains a top focus of consumers and brand owners. DuPont solutions include renewably sourced products that help reduce the amount of material in packaging and/or provide alternatives for more environmentally-responsible disposal. In the first quarter, DuPont expanded the family of Biomax TPS starch-based sheet and resins – which are biodegradable and compostable – by introducing Biomax TPS 2001.
UPDATE 1-Indpt News mulls emergency rights issue-report
Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:23am EDT
DUBLIN, June 21 (Reuters) - Independent News & Media (INME.I) is considering launching an emergency rights issue to raise funds towards refinancing an imminent 200 million euro ($278.4 million) bond, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.
The scale of the issue -- which the newspaper says is being discussed this week -- is expected to be less than 100 million euros but the discount to the current share price may be steep.
The Sunday Times said an offer to buy out t
he bondholders consisting of a 30 million euro cash payment funded by IN&M's key shareholders, telecoms tycoon Denis O'Brien and former Chief Executive Anthony O'Reilly, and a new bond was rejected last week.
A spokesman for Independent News declined to comment.
Independent News faces a June 26 deadline to resolve the bond payment, originally meant to be paid in May, before lenders gave the group a grace period.
Independent's Chief Executive Gavin O'Reilly told the Dublin-based group's AGM earlier this month that it was working to avert the "sobering" scenario of a default.
He said the grace period would have to be extended because time has already run out for the 21 day notification period required for a formal agreement with creditors.
The media group, which has built up a debt pile of 1.4 billion euros through overseas expansion, has been hit hard by a a collapse in advertising as the world economy reels from recession. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Rupert Winchester)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Obama, Democrats Cheer Announcement of Drug Savings for Federal Programs
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The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), voted yesterday to voluntarily trim prices on medications sold to seniors, the disabled and others enrolled in government health programs. The agreement was officially announced today. It was not clear how much of the savings would accrue to the government side of the ledger and how much would represent lower out-of-pocket payments for consumers.
"The agreement reached today to lower prescription drug costs for seniors will be an important part of the legislation I expect to sign into law in December," Obama said in a statement this afternoon. "This is a tangible example of the type of reform that will lower costs while assuring quality health care for every American."
Though many of the details remain unresolved, Democratic leaders hope the accord will provide a jolt of energy to the difficult task of writing and enacting legislation that would have an impact on more than one-sixth of the economy and affect virtually every American in direct, personal ways.
Industry officials said today that the offer is contingent upon -- and intended to be part of -- broad changes in the health-care system. PhRMA has advocated legislation that requires every American to have health insurance, a change that would surely produce tens of millions of new customers for the industry.
Recent reports by the Congressional Budget Office have estimated that it could cost as much as $1.6 trillion to extend health coverage to the nation's 46 million uninsured and to implement other changes intended to modernize the health-care system. No one from the White House, the industry or the Senate Finance Committee could say today exactly how much of the $80 billion offer would be directed toward that expense.
"There are going to be significant scoreable savings for the federal government," said Ken Johnson, a spokesman for PhRMA.
If health-care reform legislation is enacted, the agreement would bring financial relief to about 3.4 million elderly and disabled Americans who currently fall into a coverage gap known as the "doughnut hole": Medicare recipients must now pay the full price of brand-name medications after they have incurred a total of $2,700 in drug expenses, until reaching an outer spending limit of $6,100.
Under the proposal, U.S. drug companies would provide half-price discounts to Medicare recipients in the "doughnut hole" and provide other unspecified discounts and rebates for a total of $80 billion in savings. In 2008, U.S. pharmaceutical sales exceeded $291 billion, though the industry has seen growth slow in recent years as more patients turn to cheaper generic alternatives.
"This new coverage means affordable prices on prescription drugs when Medicare benefits don't cover the cost of prescriptions," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who made the formal announcement of the agreement today.
Sources close to the talks between the industry, the administration and Senate officials said the final agreement is likely to include adjustments to the rebates drugmakers give for medications purchased through the Medicaid program or those for seniors enrolled in Medicare managed-care plans.
The move by drug manufacturers may have been intended to forestall more severe cuts. In his radio and Internet address last week, Obama called for extracting $75 billion in savings, though industry sources said at the time that the White House initially set a target of $100 billion.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Five Unlikely Saviors of Mainstream News
It's difficult to say which is more nauseating: The reliability of a career in the news industry today or riding an airplane through turbulence with a massive hangover. Either way, most will agree that the news business is in need of a rescue. Beyond divine intervention, here are a few possibilities, in no particular order, of who the hero -- or heroes -- might be.
1. Poets and novelists! Last week, Israel's oldest newspaper demonstrated what would happen if it sent most of its reporters home for a day and replaced them with 31 Israeli poets and novelists. Nearly every story except sports in the June 10 edition of Haaretz, commonly described as Israel's version of The New York Times, was written in first person -- a big no-no in newspaper writing. Haaretz's liberal, culturally inspired readers probably enjoyed the issue thoroughly, potentially boosting readership for the day.
A summary of how it went:
Among those articles were gems like the stock market summary by Avri Herling. It went like this: "Everything's okay. Everything's like usual. Yesterday trading ended. Everything's okay. The economists went to their homes, the laundry is drying on the lines, dinners are waiting in place...Dow Jones traded steadily and closed with 8,761 points, Nasdaq added 0.9% to a level of 1,860 points...The guy from the shakshuka [an Israeli egg-and-tomato dish] shop raised his prices again... The TV review by Eshkol Nevo opened with these words: "I didn't watch TV yesterday." And the weather report was a poem by Roni Somek, titled '"Summer Sonnet:" "Summer is the pencil/that is least sharp/in the seasons' pencil case.'" News junkies might call this a postmodern farce, but considering that the stock market won't be soaring anytime soon, and that 'hot' is really the only weather forecast during Israeli summers, who's to say these articles aren't factual?"
No word yet on if the Times plans on swapping out its staff for a day. If it does, the paper might want to get ahold of novelist Dave Eggers, who has pledged to provide e-mail therapy for journalists in despair over their shaky careers.
2. Comedians! Stephen Colbert, the satirical host of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central, served as guest editor of the June 15 Newsweek magazine. The move was made as part of his big trip to Iraq, where he aired his show and ended up with a crew cut by order of the president. Colbert's shaved head graces the cover for his edition. The real editor, Jon Meacham, admits he brought on Colbert partly for publicity but also to bring more attention to a serious subject, one that Newsweek covers repeatedly: Iraq. Colbert undoubtedly attracted readers who otherwise might not have picked up a copy of the magazine.
3. President Barack Obama! On June 24, ABC will temporarily become the Obama News Channel. Obama's push for health care reform will be examined by Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer, broadcasting from the White House. The prime time special is being called "Questions for the President: Prescription For America," and despite a request from the Republican National Committee to include alternative views, it sounds like ABC will exclude opposition. Even the Israeli poets and novelists had the journalistic knowledge to cover both sides of an issue. Obama surely will help boost ratings for ABC and would certainly help any newspaper willing to tote his agenda.
4. Musicians! Bono, lead singer from the rock group U2, dabbled in the world of column writing at The New York Times earlier this year. His guest column didn't advocate for any of his favorite philanthropic causes as one might have expected. Instead the column depicted a blurry scene inside a bar on New Year's Eve with a poetic flavor that demonstrated the talents of a songwriter with 30 years of musical experience under his belt. Did it work for me as an opinion piece? Not really. It was just plain weird.
Here's how it started:
"Once upon a couple of weeks ago ...I'm in a crush in a Dublin pub around New Year's. Glasses clinking clicking, clashing crashing in Gaelic revelry: swinging doors, sweethearts falling in and out of the season's blessings, family feuds subsumed or resumed. Malt joy and ginger despair are all in the queue to be served on this, the quarter-of-a-millennium mark since Arthur Guinness first put velvety blackness in a pint glass."
He did much better when he served as guest editor of The Independent three years ago, when he used the opportunity to call attention to the problems facing African countries. In a nation where more of us vote for the next American Idol than for president of the United States, maybe newspapers just need to add a little more entertainment value. If so, why not get it from the pros? If the Times gives any other rocker a shot, I'd recommend Ozzy Osbourne. Now that would be an entertaining read.
5. The French! French President Nicolas Sarkozy, known for his love of soaking up news coverage, is offering advice to the newspaper industry. The country pumps EUR 1.5 billion per year into direct or indirect subsidies for its papers. "The press has to be profitable," Sarkozy declared. "It's the best way for it to be independent." Sacre bleu! Thanks Nick! I don't think that's been considered.
World News
World
Sharpening tone, White House condemns Iran violence
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama toughened his rhetoric on Friday in support of Iranian demonstrators protesting a disputed presidential election and criticized the Tehran government for its violent response. Full Article
Mousavi rally in doubt after Iran leader warning
EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran. Full Article
Technology
Technology
Smaller crowds greet new iPhone from Apple
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc's latest iPhone hit stores on Friday with new features and faster speeds, drawing plenty of fans, if not the crowds that had swarmed the previous iPhone debuts. Full Article
ANALYSIS - Intel, AMD take battle to new ultra-thin laptops
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Laptops an inch thick that multitask and edit multimedia content, but cost only $500? Intel and AMD are betting they aren't too good to be true. Full Article
World of Sport
World of Sport
PREVIEW - Nadal withdrawal hands Federer his golden chance
LONDON (Reuters) - Lady Luck appears to be siding with Roger Federer and he will never have a better chance of a record 15th grand slam title than at this year's Wimbledon after Rafael Nadal was removed from the equation on Friday. Full Article
Champion Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon
LONDON (Reuters) - Champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon on Friday after losing his battle to recover from a knee injury. Full Article
ANALYSIS - Nadal's no show deprives Federer of sidekick
LONDON (Reuters) - When Roger Federer shows up at Wimbledon without Rafael Nadal looking down at him from the top of the draw, it will feel like Bjorn Borg has arrived without John McEnroe or Pete Sampras minus Andre Agassi. Full Article
Malaysia govt woos opposition Islamists
Some top officials in the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), the second biggest Malaysian political party in terms of mass membership, have recently said that they were open to talks on forming a "unity" government.
"We will not impose any conditions and we accept whatever terms set by PAS. As far as I am concerned, we have to be open," Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters on Friday, according to state news agency Bernama.
The departure of PAS from the opposition People's Alliance would represent a severe blow to Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy premier who now leads the opposition, as PAS holds 24 of the opposition's 83 seats in the 222-strong parliament.
The overtures were initiated by PAS at its annual assembly earlier this month after conservatives in the party took top posts.
PAS is the only party able to draw heavily on the crucial majority Malay vote aside from the main ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lead component of the National Front that has ruled Malaysia for 51 years.
PAS, which wants to set up an Islamic state in this Southeast Asian country of 27 million people, works within Anwar's rainbow alliance of reformers and an ethnic Chinese party and has romped to two by-election victories with the aid of ethnic Chinese voters.
PAS has split over the issue of talks with the party's spiritual advisor Nik Aziz Nik Mat criticising the moves to talk to UMNO while President Abdul Hadi Awang, whose faction won the key deputy president post insisting doors should be kept open.
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