Nader unloads on Obama, Clinton

Ralph Nader to the rescue. His third run at the Presidency, he told Politico, is due to the “spinelessness of the potential Democratic nominees, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).” He cites Obama’s “relatively mediocre” Senate record as well as Clinton being “a panderer and a flatterer.” Nader knows his chances are slim as he admits, “‘Obviously, the system is triple-rigged against any small candidate.’” His run is more a political move than victory campaign to make the democratic party reevaluate itself. On NBC’s Meet The Press this past weekend, Nader downplayed concerns this would happen again. “If Democrats can’t landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form, he said.” Politics is not only about winning. The influence that a third party can have in a two-party system is to cut out votes from one of the two. This strategy could pay off if either Nader pulls any republicans to his cause and drops out of the race or if he does in fact cause a better democratic party to emerge in the near future.

FP&L offers solutions for air conditioning after power outage

“Fidgeting with the systems could make things worse since the problem is with the power, not with the systems themselves, she said.”

“According to the company’s Web site, appliances enrolled in the program can be automatically switched off up to 17 minutes every two hours in times of high demand.”

New York State Reaches for Green Power, Green Jobs

“Increasing the renewable energy supply across New York to meet 25 percent of the state’s electricity demand by 2013 – and fully funding the Renewable Portfolio Standard to make it happen – is just one of many recommendations offered Monday by a renewable energy task force chaired by Lieutenant Governor David Paterson.”

“Developing new business incentives to attract renewable energy technology companies that would build industry clusters in solar, wind, biomass and other technical areas is another of the task force’s 16 recommendations in the first report since its formation in 2007.”

“Up to 43,000 new jobs in New York could be created by the renewable energy production needed to meet the requirement that 25 percent of New York’s electricity come from renewable sources, the task force states in its report.”

Slingshot Propels Small Business in Denver

“New social networking site provides area small business owners access to a ‘community’ full of resources and shared ideas.”

“From posting photos of past projects that demonstrate results, to providing customers with discounts to Slingshot members, businesses have a variety of ways to advertise and promote their offering.”

Minneapolis still trying to find its way on street-lighting plan

“City employees last year proposed charging residential owners up to $13.50 monthly to install ornamental lights over 30 years and pay to operate them. But there was little enthusiasm for the plan, in which some residents could pay for 30 years before getting their lights.”

“But most city residents wouldn’t have to worry about getting nicked for a lighting assessment any time soon at the city’s current street rebuilding pace. Reconstruction of city streets has been proceeding so slowly that it will take 200 years or more for all residential streets to be reconstructed, unless the city’s finances improve.”

In the Seattle School District, one step forward, two pitfalls back

“One of the nation’s most affluent, high-tech cities with a school district using the equivalent of Betamax. A computer so obsolete that a model is on view as a museum piece at the University of Washington.”

“In other daunting news, the district’s head of technology has left, taking ’80 percent of the institutional memory’ with her, officials announced. Let me get this straight: City families are left with ancient computers operated by a staff possessing only 20 percent of the knowledge they need?”

“District demographers put the percentage of Seattle families sending their children to private schools at 19 percent. That is a low estimate. Either way, the national average is 11 percent and Seattle’s is much higher. The math is telling.”

NYC Conducts Major Chinatown Raid

“New York City police officers conducted raids on an entire city block of buildings in Chinatown this morning and have started the task of seizing loads of counterfeit fragrances and accessories.”

“Intellectual property lawyers and brand owners believe the raid could signal a turning point in the battle against Chinatown counterfeiting operations.”

Pet sterilization becomes law in Los Angeles

“It’s now the law, pet owners who live in Los Angeles must have their dogs and cats sterilized by the time the animals are 4 months old.”

“Longtime animal-sterilization advocate Bob Barker of ‘Price is Right’ fame pushed for the law’s adoption and was among those at Tuesday’s news conference.”