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A look at health care plans in Congress

Rated Jul 30 • 1 review • politics, healthcare • seattlepi.com

From the page: "A look at health care legislation taking shape in the Democratic-controlled House and Senate as President Barack Obama pushes to overhaul the system, cover nearly 50 million uninsured Americans and contain rising costs. Many of the details are still being negotiated and any final health care bill would have to meld proposals from the House and Senate."

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Dems Unhappy With Lack Of Public Plan In Senate Health...

Rated Jul 30 • 1 review • investing, healthcare • nasdaq.com

Dems Unhappy With Lack Of Public Plan In Senate Health Proposal
By Martin Vaughan and Patrick Yoest,

From the page: "The six senators negotiating the Finance Committee bill include three Republicans: Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. Each of them has pushed for alternatives to a nationwide public plan.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, suggested that the Finance Committee has sacrificed Democratic goals for health care in the interest of winning support from the Republicans.

"There are many more of us that want a strong public option. Because we want three Republicans to come along on this, we're going to betray what the American people want?" asked Brown.

Some senators suggested that a public option might be added back into the bill before it reaches the Senate floor for a vote, possible as early as September. A separate version that passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee includes a public insurance option.

"I'm not ready to come to the conclusion that there won't be a public option in the bill," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., who sits on the Finance panel. "We have to merge with the HELP committee bill."

The task of merging the two bills together will fall largely to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. But when asked Tuesday about whether he would push for the inclusion of a public plan in a merged version of the legislation, Reid indicated his concerns would be more pragmatic.

"I have a responsibility to get a bill on the Senate floor that will get 60 votes, so we can proceed to it," Reid said. "That's my number one responsibility and there are times when I have to set aside my personal preferences for the good of the Senate and I think the country."

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John Steuart Curry: Our Good Earth, 1942 on Flickr -...

Rated Jul 25 • 1 review • painting • flickr.com

John Steuart Curry: Our Good Earth, 1942
by americanartmuseum on flickr.com

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Iran Clerics Urged to Act on Detainees - NYTimes.com

Rated Jul 25 • 1 review • middle east, iran • nytimes.com

Iran Clerics Urged to Act on Detainees
By ROBERT F. WORTH
Published: July 25, 2009

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The leaders of Iran's opposition movement sent an open letter to the country's highest religious authorities on Saturday complaining that the state had used "illegal, immoral and irreligious methods" in the crackdown following last month's disputed presidential election, and calling for the release of hundreds of people arrested since then.

The letter was the latest sign of the opposition movement's continuing defiance, despite stern warnings by leading clerics to drop the issue and a massive police presence that has largely scuttled street protests for the past week. It came eight days after a similar call by former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to release the detainees, and on a day when protests against the election and its aftermath took place in cities around the world in a campaign coordinated by human rights groups."

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Economic Scene - Support for Health Reform Requires...

Rated Jul 22 • 0 reviews • politics, healthcare • nytimes.com

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Carribean Reefs Face Severe Summer Threat - Dot Earth...

Rated Jul 22 • 1 review • marine biology, global warming, coral reefs • nytimes.com

Carribean Reefs Face Severe Summer Threat
By Andrew C. Revkin
July 22, 2009, 5:03 pm

From the page: "Coral reefs in a broad swath of the Caribbean face a substantial risk of severe bleaching and die-offs through October, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Wednesday in its latest Coral Reef Watch report. "

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E. Martin Hennings: Homeward Bound, 1934 on Flickr -...

Rated Jul 22 • 1 review • painting, photography, arts • flickr.com

E. Martin Hennings: Homeward Bound, 1934
by americanartmuseum on flickr.com

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Technology Review: The Big Smart Grid Challenges

Rated Jul 22 • 1 review • energy efficiency, smart grid • technologyreview.com

The Big Smart Grid Challenges
Regulations, privacy and security concerns, and other issues could hold back developments.
By Kevin Bullis
Friday, July 17, 2009

From the page: A smarter electricity grid could fundamentally change the way people pay for and manage their electricity use. In theory, the technology could help reduce demand, save money, and improve reliability and efficiency. But implementing the necessary changes will be difficult, according to experts attending a symposium on the smart grid at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, NY, this week. They expect resistance from regulators and consumers alike, citing the complexity of the proposed system as well as concerns about privacy and security."

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