I am just a poor boy, though my story is seldom told.
I have squandered my resistance,
For a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises.
All lies and jest.
Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest . . .
In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade,
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down,
Or cut him ’til he cried out in his anger and his shame,
“I am leaving, I am leaving.”
But the fighter still remains.
Lie-la-lie …
Who knew that Paul Simon was talking about Senator Harry Reid, our former pugilist turned Majority Leader? For heaven’s sake, Harry pick your fights better. This fight over Roland Burris is over. Behind on points and cut about the eye, it’s a TKO in the second round.
Jane Hamsher has the rest of this sad tale over at Firedoglake.
Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi speaks to two congressman with very different views on the Gaza crisis.
Dennis Kucinich, Democratic member of the US House of Representatives representing the 10th District of Ohio (Cleveland and its western suburbs) and former presidential hopeful on why he feels Israel is violating international law with its invasion of Gaza. And secondly Eliot Engel, Democratic US Congressman representating the 17th District of New York (The Bronx, Westchester and Rockland Counties), on why he supports the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
The Plan
Details of the economic stimulus plan that President-elect Barack Obama will propose remain sketchy, but in interviews his advisers have indicated that the approximately $775 billion package will be spread over two years, with the biggest chunk — $300 billion — reserved for tax cuts. The package is intended to spark more consumer spending and generate about 3.2 million jobs by the first quarter of 2011, the advisers say. Details reported so far:
Tax Relief
• The $300 billion in tax cuts includes $500 for most individuals and $1,000 for couples if one spouse is employed, as well as more than $100 billion for businesses, the Associated Press reports.
Payroll Taxes
• Payroll taxes withheld by the government would be cut as well, according to the AP. The break would be retroactive to Jan. 1, and couples receiving the $1,000 tax cut also would keep an extra $80 a month under this provision.
Child Tax Credit
• More than 5 million American children who are poor would be eligible for a $1,000-per-child tax credit for the first time, according to the New York Times. The tax benefit also would be given to millions more poor children who now qualify for only partial credit, The New York Times reported.
Jobless Benefits
• Some $77 billion would be used to extend unemployment benefits and to subsidize health care for people who have lost their jobs, according to the AP.
Jumpstart on Jobs
• A substantial amount of money would be devoted to job-creation projects such as roads and bridges and toward long-term goals such as alternative energy programs.
Business Breaks
• For businesses, the plan would allow firms that incurred losses last year to take a credit against profits dating back five years instead of the two years currently allowed, the AP reported. One proposal under consideration would give businesses a $500-per-worker break on payroll taxes, according to the Times.
Accountability
• The stimulus plan won’t include money for politicians’ pet projects and will include provisions to ensure transparency and accountability to taxpayers and Congress, Obama officials told the AP. An oversight board would be created to meet publicly and issue reports to Congress on how the money is being spent. A user-friendly Internet site also would allow people to track the flow of funds, the officials said.
The Israeli military stopped its strikes for a few hours on Wednesday to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and it says it will continue to allow some food and fuel into the region in the coming days.
Strikes resumed, as did the Hamas rockets, after the pause.
Bernard Barrett of the International Committee of the Red Cross joins Martin Savidge to discuss the effectiveness of aid in Gaza, the state of hospitals there and how the ground invasion has impacted the ability of humanitarian organizations to operate.
In a dispute of bilateral blame between Russia and Ukraine, all gas exports to Europe moving through Ukraine have been shut down, causing gas shortages from France to Turkey. The EU has warned Ukraine that it must deliver Russian gas, but Ukraine blames Russia for stopping exports.
Edward Chow, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, speaks with Martin Savidge about the political and business aspects of this complex situation.
Behind the Russia-Ukraine Gas Conflict
By Miriam ElderDer Spiegel.
Economics and politics drove Gazprom’s decision to shut off gas to its neighbor.
What’s behind the dispute? Gazprom maintains that the conflict is purely commercial. In fact, both economic and political considerations are at play in both countries. That makes it likely the fight will drag on for several days or longer, in contrast to 2006, when the neighbors found a resolution within three days. Coming less than five months after Russia’s heavy-handed war with Georgia, the dispute will surely raise questions about Russia’s intentions toward its ex-Soviet neighbors, as well as its ability to reliably supply gas to Europe. The European Union imports about a quarter of its gas from Russia, and 80 percent of that amount travels through pipelines that cross Ukraine. The conflict with Ukraine also comes at a time when Russia has been trying to increase its sway among global oil and gas players, regularly attending OPEC meetings and floating the idea of setting up an OPEC-style group for the global gas industry.
The stakes are high. “There is potentially a lot more at stake here than just money,” says Chris Weafer, chief strategist at UralSib, a Moscow investment bank. “Russia needs to win the PR war on this issue as much as it needs the higher price.” Russia, he says, needs the EU to help fund new projects in the Arctic and East Siberia, costly because of the difficult conditions but necessary to boost Russia’s lagging production. “Russia will not be able to do that alone and will need the EU both as a customer and an investor,” Weafer adds.
Europe Pushes for Russia to Resume Gas Deliveries
No author noted in Der Spiegel.
On Wednesday afternoon, the European Union ratcheted up its efforts to ensure gas deliveries to Europe are restored promptly. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Russia and Ukraine had expressed their wilingness to accept the deployment of international monitors to inspect the flow of Russian gas that travels to the European Union through Ukraine to ensure the flow is not interrupted. The EU receives one-quarter of its gas from Russia, though that dependency is greater in some member states.
“We have received assurances from both … they are ready to accept international monitors,” Barroso said, after a meeting in Prague with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country just assumed the six-month presidency of the European Union. Topolanek called on Kiev and Moscow to return to the negotiating table. “If this is agreed,” he said, “nothing will stand in the way for transit supplies to be restored.”
The Russian Bear?
By Euan Mearns in The Oil Drum (European Edition).
With news breaking that Russia has just suspended all exports of gas to and through Ukraine, what will the impact be on Europe and why has Russia chosen once again to take such drastic action?
Exports of gas from Russia fell 6% between 2006 and 2007 according to the BP statistical review of world energy. Production fell from 612.1 to 607.4 billion cubic meters (bcm) per annum and domestic consumption rose from 432.1 to 438.8 bcm per annum leading to a fall in exported gas.
Is Russia withholding gas supplies leading to higher prices and manipulation of its market position? Or is the Russian gas supply system unable to meet demand?