Author: Podcast News

Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in efforts to build the future nuclear fusion reactor ITER.Fusion should be the future of every sane government's energy policy. Fusion is the most energy dense method of generating electricity we know. It is clean and does not emit any of the harmful, toxic carbon dioxide gases we sometimes hear about. Nuclear fission, the type of nuclear power used today, occurs when atoms split apart to release energy, while nuclear fusion occurs when atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier atomic nuclei, a process that occurs inside the Sun. It is technically very complex and…

The market seems to have largely ignored France's loss of its triple-A rating.Friday's downgrades of France and other European countries were not unexpected, so markets had already accepted them and saw no need to worry too much. There will be a number of European government bond auctions this week, but most importantly Greece will continue to try to make a deal with private creditors. A possible deal with private investors, known as Private Sector Involvement (PSI), would see the government swapping its bonds for new ones that would be worth less than the original, raising expectations that private investors would…

The Republican presidential campaign may be the best street theater show since “Punch and Judy.''As ever, there's a mix of outright racists, homophobes, warmongers, religious demagogues, and finally private equity carpetbaggers. Only the libertarian-leaning Dr. Ron Paul has solid support among young people and independent voters, but otherwise he's a pretty honest and genuine candidate, although it's pretty good propaganda for national suicide. . As of this writing, former Bain (or Bain?) Capital CEO Mitt Romney is following a strong victory in New Hampshire and a close (actually a statistical dead heat) win in Iowa. He is the most likely…

With almost no media coverage, one might think the euro crisis has died down. Unfortunately, this is just the calm before the storm.Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece and Hungary all have the capacity to light the fuse that would detonate the eurobomb at any time. Today “officials” from the “Troika” (IMF, European Central Bank, EU) are visiting Dublin to discuss a lending program for Ireland. As part of the visit, the delegation will review Ireland's fiscal position and see how the country has responded to the Troika's austerity demands. They will also outline the hurdles Ireland must overcome over the next…

As the euro continues to collapse, French President Sarkozy has indicated he does not want to wait for European countries to stop fighting before imposing a financial transaction tax. This week, the euro fell for a fifth straight week against the dollar, its longest decline in nearly two years. It also fell against the pound, Australian dollar and yen, to their lowest levels in 11 years. What happens next will depend on the European Central Bank's meeting on January 12. As a result, the first European “leader” to flinch was Nicolas Sarkozy. He expressed frustration that France was taking so…

Somehow, an acquaintance forwarded me an article that appeared in The Guardian back in 2002. It was just another example of WWF propaganda about the Earth's population, but what interested me most was the attempt to demonize the possibility of space colonization. The Guardian reports: A report released this week says that if natural resources continue to be exploited at the current rate, Earth's population will be forced to migrate to two separate planets within 50 years. A study to be published on Tuesday by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns that humanity is plundering the planet at a rate…

John Yoo, a former legal adviser to the Dubya administration and author of the so-called torture memo that justified Cheney's torture campaign, wrote in an article for National Review that the U.S. It provided a reason why Britain is a British nation. Empire.Yu said President Obama has failed to “build a legal basis for attacking Iran” and is relying instead on the United Nations. This is a surprising statement, and very much in line with the type of neocon rhetoric seen just before the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is pointless, he argues, to expect aid from the United…

Positive Money bills itself as “a simple solution to the debt crisis.” At first glance, it may seem like they have a good point to make, but on closer inspection, there's nothing there.Positive Money says it wants three things to happen:1. Make banks ask our permission before gambling with our money.Positive Money suggests banks offer two main types of accounts: “bomb-proof” safe accounts, which cannot be lent to third parties and money can be withdrawn quickly, and “investment accounts”, where customers can choose to invest their money in exchange for interest payments. This “simple change” would give them “absolute protection”…

Alcohol use in the classroom, bullying, racism, health and safety breaches, pornographic videos, sexual and physical assault, abuse of trust and neglect have all surfaced in the past 18 months at Oxford and Cherwell Valley. These are just some of the accusations against the college.The prestigious university, located in the heart of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party, says it is the largest provider of further education and training in Oxfordshire. According to the college's principal and chief executive officer Sally Dicketts' webpage, “We pride ourselves on the fact that we offer something for everyone, and we all strive to…

According to Reports The International Monetary Fund last night issued an extraordinary warning that there may not be enough money to stave off a crisis engulfing the eurozone, raising fears Britain may be forced to raise billions more to bail out its debt-ridden economy. and A £2.6 trillion emergency plan is being drawn up to rescue the euro by allowing Greece to default on its massive debt. According to MEP Dan Hannan, such actions would be illegal under international treaties. Readers can check the exact text of the consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.…